“I’m not in a mood to listen to anyone but Frankie.”
“He’ll bring her to you, Grace.”
She knew that, but she was in an agony of worry. Frankie had been found, but was she hurt? She wouldn’t think past that possibility. “He’s not going to have to bring her to me. I’m going after her.”
“Then let me help you.”
She’d been angry and frustrated with him, but none of that mattered now. Not when she had to get to Frankie. She nodded. “Yes, help me get to her, Donavan.”
Ten minutes later she saw Frankie.
She heard her first, and then a few minutes later she appeared through the haze of sand. She was riding on Robert Blockman’s shoulders, her mouth and nose covered by a scarf. Kilmer was walking beside them.
“Hi, Mom.” Frankie waved at her. “Robert is taking me for a ride. I told him I could walk, but he said I must be pretty tired.”
“And she didn’t have the forethought to bring a horse she could ride.” Kilmer grinned. “But Blockman will do well as a beast of burden—lots of brawn and no brains.”
Robert laughed. “At least I didn’t get shot like you did this time.”
They were joking, Grace realized in wonder. She was so overwrought that she felt as if she was going to fall apart, and they were laughing.
“Put her down, Blockman.” Kilmer was watching Grace’s face. “Take a break for a minute or two.”
Blockman carefully set Frankie down. “I have to go and check to see if the horses are following us, anyway.” He strode back in the direction they had come.
“Yeah, but Maestro seemed fine with coming along, and I think Charlie will keep him in line.” Frankie suddenly frowned as she caught sight of Grace’s bandaged shoulder. “You okay, Mom?”
Grace flew across the distance between them and fell to her knees in front of Frankie. “I’m great,” she said huskily as she enfolded her in her arms and buried her face in Frankie’s hair. “Now. You scared the life out of me. You should never have run off like that.”
“I had to protect the colt. You told me when he was born that it was my job to take care of him.” She hugged Grace tightly and then stepped back. “I took a blanket and we covered up and hid out. The colt was pretty skittish, but I managed to talk him down.” She wrinkled her nose. “Not like you. But he knew I loved him, and I think that helped.”
“It usually does.” She looked over Frankie’s shoulder at Kilmer. “She’s not hurt?”
“She’s a little dehydrated but that’s about it,” Kilmer said. “Except that she’s tired. I think she’ll sleep well tonight. The SUV is parked on the road. Let’s get her there and take her back to the oasis. How’s your shoulder?”
“It’s not great,” Donavan said. “And neither was her temper.” He smiled at Frankie. “You may have to put a good word in for me. How about it?”
“What did you do wrong?” Frankie asked.
“I was too slow with her bandage. She wanted to go after you.”
“Jake found me, Mom. He heard Charlie.”
“Charlie?”
“She said that Charlie stood guard over her and the colt,” Kilmer said. “She thinks that he was really standing guard over Maestro because he’s the sire. I told her it was possible.” He smiled. “Fathers have a special feeling for their offspring.”
“Found them.” Robert reappeared. “They’re following. But that colt is taking his time.”
“He’s little,” Frankie said defensively. “Can we take him in the SUV?”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Grace said. “There wouldn’t be room. And he probably wants to stay with his mother.”
Frankie frowned. “Then I’ll walk back with him. He’s my responsibility.”
“No, you won’t,” Grace said. “I want you out of this desert and back at the oasis.”
Frankie’s jaw set. “When the colt is out of it.”
“Frankie . . .”
“I’ll send Blockman to escort the horses back to camp,” Kilmer said.
“Who, me?” Robert grimaced. “I can try, but maybe you’d better get Vazquez to help.”
“I have to take care of Maestro,” Frankie repeated.
“How close are we to the camp?” Grace said.
“Four miles,” Kilmer said. “Too far for her to walk it after all she’s been through. We’re two miles from the road. We can bring back a horse trailer as soon as we reach the camp.”
“I wasn’t thinking about Frankie.” She smiled at her daughter. “You’re right, the colt is your responsibility, but Charlie and Hope are mine. I brought them into the desert to find you, and they did their job. I couldn’t leave them out here with no one they trust to bring them back to the corral.”
Frankie nodded. “Then we’ll both stay.”
“It’s kind of silly for us both to stay. You can check out the trailer when you get back to the camp and make sure it’s okay. That would be a big help.”
Frankie shook her head.
“Frankie, you’ve done your job. You made sure Maestro was safe. Now it’s time to make it easy for all these men who’ve been looking for you and the colt. They’ll worry until they know you’re safe at the camp.”
“But I don’t want to—” She sighed. “Okay. I’ll go and check out the trailer. But I’m coming back with Jake.” She turned to Kilmer. “You send someone with my mother to help her. They won’t be able to handle Charlie and Hope, but I don’t want her to be alone.”
“Neither do I,” he said quietly. “Will I do? Donavan could take you back to camp and get the trailer.”
Frankie gazed searchingly at him for a moment. “You’ll do.”
“Excellent.” Kilmer gave her a quick hug and turned to Donavan. “Then the three of you get going. It would be great if you could have that trailer at the road by the time we get there.” He went back to Grace as Blockman, Donavan, and Frankie started out. “Is there any way we can hurry those horses along a bit?”
“Probably not. They’re most likely thirsty and every orifice is stinging. That means their tempers will be stinging too. Did Blockman check those masks I put on them?”
“I did. Very cautiously.”
“Then I’ll check them again.” She looked up at the sky. “I think the sky looks lighter. Is it finally clearing?”
“Hard to tell. But the wind is a hell of a lot calmer.” He glanced back down the road. “I think I see the Pair.”
“Charlie and Hope,” she corrected.
“Whatever.”
“No—they found Frankie. Calling them the Pair makes them . . . anonymous. They don’t deserve that.”
He glanced back over his shoulder and smiled. “Charlie and Hope, then.”
“You’re still limping. You should have left Donavan with me and—”
“No, I shouldn’t.” He looked her directly in the eyes. “This is exactly where I should be.”
Jesus. She couldn’t pull her eyes away.
He nodded and shifted his gaze to the horses walking toward them. “They don’t look like they’re in any hurry. Why don’t you have a chat with them and tell them we are?”
“They don’t always listen.” Her voice sounded breathless even to her. “And they’ve had a rough time.”
“We all have.” He stopped as Charlie reared when he saw him. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you.” He grimaced. “That’s fairly ridiculous, isn’t it? He could crush me like an elephant would a beetle. Okay, you tell me what to do.”
“Let me handle them. You look out for the colt.”
“How humiliating. Relegated to the nursery.” He glanced at the colt. “But cute. Very cute. Come on, buddy.”
Grace took a step closer to Charlie and stroked him. He twitched and shifted from side to side. As she’d said, the horses had gone through experiences that day that would have shaken more placid animals. It was incredible that they were as tranquil as they were now. “Calm down. It’s almost over. Just a little w
hile longer and we’ll have you out of this.” She whispered, “Thank you, boy . . .”
Mom,” Frankie said softly. “It’s daylight and the storm is over now. Not even a whisper of wind. May I go down to the corral and check on Maestro?”
Six-thirty A.M. Grace yawned. “It’s barely daylight. We all pretty much collapsed after we got the horses settled last night. The colt needs his sleep too.”
“I just want to see him. After yesterday . . . I was so scared.” She lifted her shoulders. “I just want to see him.”
Because she’d been afraid she would lose the colt. Just as Grace had been afraid she’d lose Frankie. “I know.” She held out her arms. “Come here.” She pulled Frankie into her embrace and rocked her. “Hey, did I ever tell you how much I love you?”
“Don’t be mushy.” But she still buried her head in Grace’s shoulder and tightened her arms around her. She stayed there for a few moments. “I was scared about you yesterday too. But I remembered everything you told me about trusting Jake. He did it, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did it.” She hugged her again. “And you did it. And I did it. It was a joint operation.”
She smiled. “And wasn’t it funny how Charlie called Jake to come and get us?”
“Charlie’s very smart.”
Frankie nodded. “Like our own Charlie. I was right to name the stallion after Charlie, wasn’t I? Maybe Charlie liked it too. What do you think?”
“I think Charlie would have been proud that a stallion that helped save you was named for him.”
“You know, when I was lying with Maestro in the sand, I was thinking about Charlie. And I kept hearing his music in my head. It made me feel kind of . . . warm. Not scared anymore.”
Grace swallowed to ease the tightness in her throat. “That’s good, Frankie.”
“And when Jake came, I knew everything was going to be all right. It wasn’t because you told me he’s my father. Because I’ve met some of my friends’ fathers who are real losers.”
“How do you feel about Jake being your father?”
Frankie shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s kind of . . . weird. I’ll have to get used to it.”
“Do you blame me?”
Frankie looked at her in surprise. “Why should I? I like Jake, but you’re my mom. I love you. And we got along just fine without him.”
Grace chuckled. “Just asking.” She stood up. “Go on and check the colt. I’ll be down to the corral as soon as I get dressed.”
The Sheikh was standing at the corral looking at Charlie and Hope when Grace got there forty-five minutes later. “They don’t seem any the worse from being out in the storm.”
Grace nodded. “Your plastic-mask apparatus helped a lot. But you were right, both horses were sweating excessively. Frankie and I cleaned them up and washed out their eyes when we got back last night.” She made a face. “It wasn’t easy.”
“I’m surprised you could do it at all.”
“So was I. They must have learned a little trust under fire.”
“Exceptional horses,” he said. “I remember thinking how beautiful they were when Burton was training them, but I’d forgotten how wonderful they are. What do you plan on doing with them?” He grinned. “I might be persuaded to take them off your hands.”
“You’re too kind.” She smiled back at him. “I suppose Burton’s descendants have a right to them, but they’re not going to get them. They’ve had a rough life and I’m not going to take a chance on them being put through any more hell.”
“I’m very kind to my horses.”
She shook her head. “I promised Charlie I’d take care of him. I’m going to do it.”
The Sheikh nodded. “I can understand that. Responsibility.” He turned away. “And I’d better go back to my camp and assume responsibilities of my own. It’s been a pleasure meeting you. I hope to see you and your daughter again soon.”
“You’ve been very kind, but I believe Frankie and I will want to stay away from this part of the world for a while.”
“Memories fade, and I can show you a desert so incredible that it will stun you.”
“That sandstorm stunned me.”
“True.” He chuckled. “But give us a chance.”
She watched him walk away.
“He meant it, you know.” She turned to see Kilmer coming out of the lean-to. “Adam never says anything he doesn’t mean. He’s very proud of his desert, and he realized you had a bad experience.”
She shook her head. “I want to go home.”
“Charlie’s place?”
She nodded. “Frankie needs a normal life again. And I need to say good-bye to my friend Charlie. I never really did that. If his friends haven’t set up some kind of memorial service for him, I’m going to do it.”
“Okay, that’s understandable.” He looked back at the horses. “Where does that leave me?”
“What?”
“I’m not letting you go. Not you. Not Frankie.”
Heady joy and then fear cascaded through her. “You don’t have a choice. Neither of us belongs to you.”
“Then I’ll work and pull out every trick in the book until you do.” He looked back at her. “Frankie’s not going to be that hard. She’s willing to give me a chance. She just told me that you told her I was her father. Why?”
“It seemed the thing to do at the time.” She moistened her lips. “She took it okay. How was she with you?”
“Very matter of fact. No tears or hugs. I think I’m on probation. That’s fine with me. I don’t expect anything else. All I want is a chance.” His voice lowered. “A chance, Grace.”
“I told you I’d let you see her.”
“A chance with you, Grace. A chance to build.”
She shook her head jerkily. “We don’t have anything to build on. Oh, sure, sex. But that’s not enough.”
“It’s a hell of a good start.” He paused. “And I think there’s a hell of a lot besides sex going on. Respect, liking . . . maybe love. At least on my part. I care about you. Let’s give ourselves the opportunity to find out what else is there.” He smiled. “I promise I’ll make it entertaining for you.”
She felt a rush of heat tingle through her as she looked at him. “I don’t want to be entertained.”
“Yes, you do. Right now you’re remembering how good it was for us. I don’t have to remember. It’s with me all the time.”
She shook her head. “I can’t deal with this now. I don’t know how I feel about you. I don’t know if I want to risk having you as part of Frankie’s and my lives.”
His gaze searched her expression. “I can see that. I’m rushing you. Okay, I’ll back off and give you some time.” His lips tightened. “But not much time. When do you want to go back to Alabama?”
“As soon as possible. I have to arrange transport for Charlie, Hope, and the colt.”
“That’s going to take time. You don’t have papers for the horses, and it’s not easy to arrange transport to the U.S. from a foreign country.”
She frowned. She hadn’t gotten around to thinking of the logistics. “Damn.”
“I’ll send you and Frankie back to the U.S. tomorrow. I’ll ask Adam to send some of his people to help take care of the horses while I make arrangements to ship them to you. Is that good for you?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I want to take care of you any way I can. I’ve got nine years to make up.” He gazed directly into her eyes. “And until I’m able to get those horses to you, I’m going to be in contact. Every night I’ll call and we’ll talk, we’ll get to know each other. Maybe if we’re not within touching distance, it will be easier for us to communicate on a cerebral level.” He turned and started back to the tents. “I’ll get moving on it right away.”
“Kilmer.”
He looked back over his shoulder.
“What about the engine? Do you still want it?”
“Hell, yes.”
“Ev
en if you find it, do you think the CIA will let you keep it?”
“If I can find it fast enough to get in and get out. Possession is nine-tenths of the law.” He grinned. “And I took out insurance over a year ago. I contacted Burton’s two legal heirs and bought out all their future rights in Burton’s estate. I offered them a hundred thousand dollars and ten percent of anything I managed to salvage. They thought I was crazy to believe in a pipe dream, but they took the money, signed the papers, and ran.”
“Very clever.”
“It was fair. I took the risk, and that ten percent could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams.” His gaze narrowed. “Why are you asking about this now?”
“You might go back to the area where I was wandering around with Charlie yesterday. Somewhere near that rocky gully on the other side of the dunes.”
“Why?”
“He kept going back there. I wasn’t paying much attention. I wasn’t sure that I believed Charlie and Hope could take anyone to Burton’s hiding place anyway. I thought he was just going around in circles.”
“Maybe he was.”
“But last night when we were searching for Frankie, he seemed to know where he was going and he did find her. Instinct was working. Maybe instinct was working yesterday afternoon too. Instinct and memory.”
“Possibly. It’s worth a shot.” He held her gaze. “Instinct and memory can be a hell of a good foundation, can’t they?”
It was a moment before she could pull her eyes away from his. “Sometimes.” She forced herself to turn away. “Like you said, it’s worth a shot.”
“Exactly,” he said softly. “That’s just what I said, Grace.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later
They’re here, Mom.” Frankie came running into the stable. “I see them coming around the turn in the road.”
Grace stiffened and then turned away from Darling. Her heart was beating hard and she could feel the heat flush her cheeks. “Why don’t you go to meet them? I’ll be right with you.”
“Hurry.” Frankie ran out of the stable.
She didn’t want to hurry. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t known this moment was coming. Kilmer had called her last night and told her they’d be here today.