Her Shadow Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Excerpt

  Dear Reader

  Title Page

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Copyright

  Fate had been cruel

  A silent tear fell down Marlee’s cheek. Of all the people to come through her boardinghouse, fate had to bring Lucas. Every day it taunted her.

  The peddler said the little raven carving she’d accepted from him was supposed to grant her one wish, if she wished hard enough. But what good would one wish be when the one person she wanted most in this world could never be hers?

  Her love for Lucas was real and the kind that would last a lifetime. But sometimes the best way to love was to let go…

  Marlee sensed his presence in the room before she ever heard his footsteps. She turned to face him, and yearning squeezed her heart as he strode up to her, shirtless, jeans slung low on his hips. He moved with grace and power, and stopped only inches away.

  Let him go, her mind said. But she lifted her arms and walked into his embrace…

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome to Four Winds, New Mexico! It’s one of those magical towns where no one is who they seem to be…and everyone has a secret. And the sexy Blackhorse brothers are just the perfect tour guides we need.

  Harlequin Intrigue is proud to present the FOUR WINDS miniseries by bestselling author Aimee Thurlo. She’s been called a “master of the desert country as well as adventure” by Tony Hillerman, and a favorite author by you, our readers.

  Join Aimée for all the stories of the Blackhorse brothers and the town in which they live. If you’ve missed #427, Her Destiny or #441, Her Hero, you can order them through the Harlequin Reader Service. In the U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269. In Canada: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ontario L2A 5X3.

  Happy Reading!

  Sincerely,

  Debra Matteucci

  Senior Editor & Editorial Coordinator

  Harlequin Books

  300 East 42nd Street

  New York, NY 10017

  Her Shadow

  Aimée Thurlo

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  With thanks to Jennifer West, who gave me such

  wonderful insights into her profession.

  And to our special friend, Dr. Curm, who took time to

  share his knowledge.

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Lucas Blackhorse—He provided the only medical care for miles. Were the scars Marlee carried within her beyond even his power to heal?

  Marlee Smith—She knew the peddler was trouble when she gave him shelter. Would that one act of kindness lead to the end of Four Winds?

  The Peddler—Everyone knew his business was trouble, not pots and pans. This time he had a new game plan.’

  Jake Fields—He was the librarian now. But his past was filled with danger. Had he brought some of that along to Four Winds?

  Earl Larrabee—He was Four Winds’ newest resident and worked at the bank. Was he there to collect debts or repay them?

  Rosa Gomez—All she cared about was her grocery store. How far would she go to protect it?

  Alex Green—His job was to report the news, not create it, but he wanted The Last Word.

  Bill Riley—As a trucker he was part of Four Winds’ lifeline to the outside. Would he cross other lines to save his job?

  Prologue

  Cloaked in the shroud of night, he crept forward, knowing the risks and not caring. The need for revenge pounded through him, pumping equal parts of courage and hatred with every beat of his heart.

  She would pay, as she should have before, and justice would finally be served. It would go down as an accident. Then he’d move on and begin a new life, putting the past behind him. He was the only one who knew of her corruption and the fabric of lies that protected her.

  As he approached his target, a vision flashed before him. He saw the accident and sudden flames engulfing the car. The vision thrilled and warmed him, protecting him from the icy cold wind that cleared the black skies above.

  The purity of the flames would cleanse her soul. In that way, he’d be doing her a favor, which was more than she deserved. Acknowledging his own nobility filled him with a sense of purpose.

  People around here insisted that Four Winds was a town of magic, where dreams came true. He was certain that his was about to. He slipped quietly underneath the old sedan, clenching a small penlight between his teeth. Wrench in hand, he located the brake line, then loosened the connection just enough to cause a drop of brake fluid to appear.

  His work finished, he crawled out, moving back noise-lessly into the shadows. Satisfied, he knew all he had to do now was wait She’d been called an Angel of Mercy once, but now that Angel of Mercy was about to meet the Angel of Death.

  Chapter One

  Lucas Blackhorse enjoyed walking down the rough, time-worn sidewalk that bordered Main Street in Four Winds. He was on his way to meet his two brothers at the sheriff’s office. Dressed in his denim jeans, a bright red Western shirt and a new pair of boots, he was ready to do his bit in today’s parade and planning to enjoy it. The ladies in town always turned out in style for the event. It was going to be a great day.

  He looked around at the old, Western-style storefronts, unable to suppress the smile on his face. He loved Four Winds. It was a part of him, though he had spent many years trying to deny that. Not that he regretted the time he’d been worlds away from New Mexico. He’d learned a great deal about himself and about life during his hitch as a Navy corpsman with a Marine recon unit in the Middle East. Being away from his older and younger brothers had given him a chance to get to know himself, learn his own strengths and his limitations and, most important of all, to accept himself just as he was.

  Lucas smiled at Rosa Gomez, who was attaching the Stars and Stripes to the flagpole in front of her grocery store. A hundred years ago, it had been the Four Winds Emporium and it still fulfilled much the same purpose for the town’s residents. A few doors down, Darren Wilson was sweeping the sidewalk in front of the feed store with a push broom that was more wood than bristles. Manuel Ortega, the town’s only mail carrier, was up on a ladder with a squeegee, helping Postmaster Clyde Barkley clean the post-office windows in preparation for hanging the huge Harvest Festival banner. It would soon be displayed across the three storefronts.

  The parade wasn’t scheduled to begin for an hour, yet people were already gathering on the sidewalk, setting out folding chairs and buying soft drinks from the concession stand run by the high-school band.

  As he turned the corner, Lucas practically tripped over Muzzy, Mrs. Burnham’s terrier, trailing his leather leash. The small animal was the town’s number-one escape artist.

  Lucas snagged the leash and held the animal back so he couldn’t run out into the cobblestone street

  Mrs. Burnham came running up a moment later, still trying to catch her breath. “There you are, you terrible little boy!” she said in a tone that the animal clearly interpreted as praise. He barked happily, his whiplike tail wagging.

  Lucas handed the leash over to her. “There you go, Mrs. Burnham. You bett
er keep a firm grip on that leash today. You don’t want Muzzy running underneath a float once the parade starts.”

  “He’s such a handful, but he’s wonderful company,” the elderly woman said, scooping up the little beast and hugging him to her chest. “He’s going to be in the Pet Parade later on, dressed as a biker dog in his black leather vest. My niece Charlotte wants to show him.”

  The Pet Parade was an annual feature of the Harvest Festival. Kids of all ages would walk down the street with their favorite animal, everything from pigs on a leash to white rats on their owners’ shoulders. Today everyone in town had the chance to be a celebrity.

  Lucas checked his watch and picked up the pace, knowing Gabriel would be fuming by now because he was late. His elder brother’s adherence to schedules during the once-a-year parade was necessary, but it also made him hard to deal with for about a week beforehand. As sheriff, Gabriel was always on edge until the parade was over, but there was no denying that Lucas’s older brother loved the town’s yearly celebration as much as anyone.

  Joshua, the youngest Blackhorse brother, held a different opinion. But then, that wasn’t unusual. Although Joshua loved the parade, he hated anything that made him the focus of attention. Every year, Lucas and Gabriel had to pressure him into taking an active role.

  As Lucas turned the comer and stepped into the alley behind the sheriff’s office, he smelled the horses and heard the clicking of hooves against the cobblestone pavement As arranged, Gabriel and Joshua were waiting with their mounts. Gabriel looked authoritative and impeccable in his sheriffs uniform. His giant of a younger brother looked formidable, too, wearing a bandanna around his forehead and a harvest gold shirt tucked into a leather-and-silver concha belt. His style, like him, spoke of the old ways while honoring the new.

  “Where have you been, Shadow?” Gabriel snarled. “We don’t have time to pick up your horse and you, too.”

  “Why don’t you write me a ticket for loitering?” Lucas baited. The nickname “Shadow” had always gotten to him, especially back when it had seemed he’d had no identity at all, except when he’d been tagging along after his big brother.

  “Don’t start, guys,” Joshua warned. “We have other things to do.” A head taller than Lucas, and as strong as any horse, Lucas’s younger brother reached into the bed of his pickup and lifted out his heavy Western saddle with one hand.

  Lucas had to admit that his brothers had some cause to be angry. He was way behind schedule today. An emergency had come up at the clinic just as he’d been about to leave. Fortunately it hadn’t taken him long to handle it, but he wasn’t about to start whining to his brothers about how busy he’d been. He’d just buckle down and get ready. Joshua and Gabriel were working diligently, grooming the horses they’d be riding in the parade. Although Lucas was the only one who actually owned his mount, he was the furthest from being ready to ride.

  “You two have become such sticklers for details you’re starting to worry me,” Lucas said good-naturedly. “Ease up a bit, will you? Where’s your spirit of adventure?”

  Gabriel stopped brushing the bay gelding he was going to ride and gave Lucas a narrow-eyed stare. His sense of humor was obviously out to lunch. “Right now, my spirit of adventure would like to pound your ugly face.”

  “Wishful thinking, Fuzz. You’re getting soft and out of shape now that you have a wife to coddle you.”

  “After this is over,” Joshua interrupted them, “I’d be more than happy to watch the two of you pound each’ other silly,” he told his brothers, “but right now we owe it to the town to look sharp out there.”

  “Of course, that applies to me far more than you two. You guys don’t have to look good anymore, being married and all,” Lucas goaded playfully.

  Gabriel slowly and deliberately placed the saddle blanket he was holding on his horse, then turned toward Lucas. “If there wasn’t an ordinance against brawling, I’d make sure you’d have a real hard time impressing anyone today.”

  Joshua glared at Lucas. “Shadow, if you keep baiting Fuzz, he’s likely to forget he’s the sheriff and take a swing at you. I don’t think you want to ride out today with a black eye.”

  “You’re assuming Gabriel can land a punch,” Lucas said casually, placing his saddle on his horse.

  “It shouldn’t be hard if I yank your head off and throw it right at his fist,” Joshua said in a matter-of-fact voice that they both recognized as the last word in this discussion. The joke was definitely over.

  “So I was a little late. What’s the big deal?” Lucas shrugged, shaking his head and feigning innocence.

  “Shadow, get a move on,” Gabriel snapped. “We’re already behind schedule. Remember that riding in this parade was your idea. You’ve been waiting for a chance to show off that mustang of yours.”

  Lucas patted the animal’s neck, glad he’d taken the time to groom the magnificent beast this morning, before things got so busy. “Don’t listen to them, Chief. They’re just jealous because they know all the women will be looking at us today. Though why that should bother them when it’s their own fault they both married, I sure don’t know.”

  Joshua looked at Gabriel. “When the parade is over, I say we throw him into the nearest horse trough.”

  “Deal. But after the horses drink.”

  Lucas gave his brothers a smile filled with feigned sympathy as he finished adjusting Chief’s bridle. “Remind me not ever to get married. It’s made you both much too…sensitive,” he said, and slipped easily onto the animal’s back. “Not to mention slow.”

  Laughing, he rode to the end of the alley, stopped and waved for his brothers to join him.

  MARLEE STOOD on the weathered old sidewalk, taking in all the sights. Four Winds was a special town. There was a kinship here between the citizens that really became apparent on a cool autumn day like today. She saw people stepping aside, giving Lanie Blackhorse all the room she needed to maneuver and a helping hand, as well. Lanie was so pregnant she had trouble sitting or standing for long, but nonetheless, she was here for the parade.

  As Marlee watched the mother-to-be, a sad twist wrenched at her soul. Years ago, she’d given her heart and her life to helping expectant mothers. Walking away from that career had torn her apart for a long time. Lost in thought, she ran her fingers over the jagged scar that ran from her left temple to her chin, a brutal reminder of days long past.

  A loud cheer from the crowd brought her thoughts back to the present. Life went on, and so had she. Dwelling on the past would accomplish nothing.

  Marlee edged closer to the street as the Blackhorse brothers came into view, signaling the start of the parade. The three Navajo brothers looked as different and as individual as any men could be. Gabriel wore his sheriff’s uniform and cap. Joshua, the gentle hataalii, took a position between his two brothers, as he often did. Then Marlee’s gaze drifted to Lucas, and her heartbeat quickened.

  His lean, muscular build made him look fabulously masculine as he sat astride his horse. He exuded an easy confidence that made her breath catch in her throat. Then he smiled, and Marlee heard her own soft sigh echoed by the other women in the crowd.

  In her opinion, and that of many others, Lucas was the handsomest of the Blackhorse brothers. A yearning for something she didn’t dare define filled her as she watched him ride down the street. Refusing to analyze her feelings any further, she joined the others in the totally partisan crowd and cheered as the three horsemen rode by. As they passed, Lucas caught her eye and grinned. She smiled back, suddenly glad she’d worn her new Western shirt with a red yoke that exactly matched his.

  The Harvest Festival float came next, a crepe-paper-and-tissue-stuffed cornucopia fashioned of chicken wire. Underneath, almost completely covered by the float decorations, was someone’s old pickup. The high-school band followed, playing a loud and enthusiastic approximation of a Sousa march.

  Marlee hurried along the sidewalk, staying just behind the Blackhorse brothers as they made their w
ay to the high school football field, where the parade would end. There, booths were set up for folks selling crafts, candied apples and just about anything imaginable. There’d be games for the kids, and all kinds of contests. Harvest Festival was definitely the biggest day of the year in Four Winds.

  As she approached the football field, Marlee’s gaze kept returning to the Blackhorse brothers. They moved as a unit, their superficial differences nowhere near as important as the family ties that bound them. As she arrived on the field, she saw that Nydia, Joshua’s wife, had given Lanie a ride in her Jeep so they could be there to meet their husbands at the end of the line.

  Marlee was close enough to see the pride in Lanie’s eyes as she greeted her husband. Gabriel smiled tenderly at his pregnant wife as he dismounted. When he went to give her a hug, Lanie tilted her head up and gave him a long kiss.

  “Hey, if I’d have known I’d get this kind of welcome at the end of the ride, I’d have galloped the whole route,” Gabriel teased.

  Lanie smiled and playfully reached up to kiss him again.

  Nydia helped Joshua unsaddle his mount. They complemented each other’s efforts, working together beautifully as a team.

  Marlee felt like a fifth wheel as she looked at her friends. Nydia and Lanie looked radiant, having found what they were searching for here in Four Winds, something Marlee knew she would never have. She sighed. She had found something valuable, however—peace from the false accusations that had followed her for so long. She had also found a way to feel useful, running the boardinghouse. And she had found friends, particularly the Blackhorse family.

  Marlee walked past the pen holding Bradford the buffalo, the high-school team’s mascot. Bradford was the last of the bison herd Mauro Martinez had owned when he’d attempted to raise and sell beefalos, a cross between cattle and buffalo. When the venture had not proved profitable, he’d sold off the herd, except for the placid Bradford.