Heart of the Hunter by Madeline Baker

his arms tightening
protectively around her. “I sense danger riding toward you.”
    “Danger? From whom?”
    “The man with the yellow eyes. Be wary of strangers, tekihila. Trust no one.”
    “Not even Lee?”
    “Not even Lee.”
    Kelly shivered, frightened by the warning in Blue Crow’s
voice, the concern in his eyes. “Lee left the ranch.”
    “I know.” Blue Crow held her tight, wishing that he could go
beyond the boundaries of the ranch, that he could be constantly at her side. “I
will ask Wakan Tanka to watch over you.”
    “Thank you.” She hugged him quickly, fiercely. “I have to
go.”
    “Tekihila.” There was a world of wanting in his voice
as he cupped her face in his palms and slowly covered her mouth with his.
    It was a kiss unlike any Kelly had ever known, filled with
soul-deep yearnings and heartfelt dreams that could never come true. It was a
kiss that spoke of caring and concern, of a love that could never be
consummated.
    Kelly’s eyelids fluttered open and she gazed into the depths
of his eyes, seeing hopelessness and the loneliness of eternity in their
depths.
    “Blue Crow.” She could hardly speak past the lump in her
throat.
    “Go, tekihila.” Reluctantly he let her go and took a
step backward. “Hurry. The sun is already high in the sky.”
    He was right, it was time to go, and yet leaving him there,
alone in the darkness of the cave, was the hardest thing she’d ever done.
     
    When she returned to the ranch, she saw that Lee’s truck was
still gone. Hurrying into the house, she quickly changed her clothes, brushed
her hair, applied fresh lipstick.
    Moments later she was on the road, heading east toward
Coleville. She switched on the radio, only half listening as Jimmy Dean
extolled the value of his pure pork sausage.
    She felt a sudden heartache as Vince Gill’s voice drifted
over the speaker singing the same song that had been playing that night in her
kitchen when Lee had almost kissed her.
    Lee. Where had he gone? She hadn’t meant to hurt him, but
she had. No wonder he had such a low opinion of white women, she thought
ruefully. Either they were accusing him of rape, or making him feel that he
wasn’t good enough to be seen in their company.
    Well, she couldn’t worry about that now. She’d apologize
when she got home.
    She finished her business in Coleville quickly, adroitly
sidestepping the questions that came her way about where the gold had come from
and how she happened to have it.
    Slipping the money into her purse, she left the store and
walked down the street toward her car. With each step she took, she had the
feeling she was being followed. She was probably just being paranoid, she
thought, seeing muggers behind every face because she had six thousand dollars
in her handbag.
    Reaching her car, she slipped behind the wheel, locked the door,
looked over her shoulder, then pulled away from the curb.
    She breathed a little easier once she’d left Coleville
behind, certain she’d been imagining things.
     
    “Good day, Miss McBride,” Harry Renford said, shaking her
hand. “Sit down, won’t you?”
    “Yes, thank you,” Kelly said, unable to shake the feeling
that he was surprised to see her.
    “So, what can I do for you?”
    “I came to settle the final payment on the ranch,” Kelly
said.
    “Oh yes, of course. That was six thousand dollars, I
believe.”
    “Yes, I have it right here.”
    “I see.” He took a deep breath. “Well, then, that settles
that.”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “Nothing. I have your receipt right here.”
    “And the deed?”
    “Yes, it’s here, as well.”
    Kelly stared at him, wondering at his wan expression, at the
way he tugged at his collar, as if it were suddenly too tight.
    “Is something wrong?”
    “No, no, nothing at all.”
    Kelly handed him the wad of bills, watched while he counted
it, twice, then wrapped the bills with a thick rubber band and deposited it in
his desk drawer.
    “If you’ll just sign