The Art of Love and Murder by Brenda Whiteside

Author:Brenda Whiteside [Whiteside, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Contemporary, Suspense, Scarred Hero/Heroine
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2014-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

The wind rushed against Chance’s face. The scent of pine and sun-baked grasses soothed him and helped erase the doubt he had about the sanity of his actions. With Chief’s encouragement, he’d acted on impulse, pretty rash, but it was only a picnic with an alluring woman. Lacy could go back to Scottsdale tomorrow, and he could settle back in his old ways. Of course he could.

Off of Lake Mary Road, he pulled onto the dirt trail, slowing so he didn’t kick up too much dust. The secluded spot he had in mind, close to the lake, would hopefully have a trickle of a stream cutting through the rocks today. When he brought the bike to a stop and she swung off, he already missed her hands on his hips.

She lifted the helmet from her head and hung it on the padded sissy bar. “I’d forgotten how much I love to ride. What a great idea, Chance.”

“I think you’re right. How ’bout unhitching the blanket while I get the food and wine out?”

She tucked the blanket under her arm, walked a few feet away and surveyed the landscape. “This is beautiful.”

He hung his helmet on the handle bar, dug the lunch out of the saddlebags and admired her form before joining her. The smile that greeted him when he came next to her overpowered the beauty of the day. Doubt reared its mocking head. Keeping it casual might be a challenge.

“Which way?”

“Come this way.”

He took them through the pines a few yards to a small clearing. The stream glistened and danced around miniature red, gray and black speckled boulders on its way to Lake Mary just ahead of them.

“Here’s the spot I had in mind.” He sat the lunch on the edge of the grass and took the blanket from her.

“This is perfect. Is this your own secret spot?”

“Maybe. I’ve been here a few times and never seen anyone else. It’s kind of off the beaten path.” He unrolled the blanket. “Never know if the stream will be running so we’re lucky today.”

She straightened the edge of the blanket closest to her. “You haven’t lived in Flagstaff all your life, so where did you come from?”

“Chino Valley. You familiar with it?”

“No, can’t say I am.”

“Small town about an hour and a half southwest of Flag. My family ranches there. I came here for college and never left.” He nodded toward the lake. “Want to take a look before we sit down?”

“Sure.” She fell in step beside him. “You didn’t like ranching?”

“Nope. Which doesn’t put me on the best of terms with my dad, even after all these years. I grew up listening to my Hopi grandmother’s tales.” They stopped at the water’s edge and scanned the surface. He visualized the wise, old woman’s face and missed her even after all these years. “The peacekeeper spirit roped me in, and I wanted to go into law as a way to connect with that in a modern sense. My dad expected me to ranch with him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.