Aimee Thurlo - Black Raven's Pride

As her sixth-grade students came into the room, she focused on the class. She’d just started taking attendance when an office secretary appeared with a cryptic note from Mr. Puye, their principal.

Students are to be kept in the classrooms. A stranger has been seen on campus. Lock your doors as a precaution and stay alert. The police have been called.

Eden, who always kept her classroom doors locked anyway, walked to the window and tried to get a better look. A shadowy figure was partially visible behind the large hedge, but Mr. Puye was already walking in that direction.

Then a pickup pulled up, and two men jumped out of the cab. She recognized Nick and Jake. With Nick leading the way, they raced around the hedge and into the tall cornfield beyond the school grounds. The men disappeared quickly from sight and, as she looked back at the hedge, she noticed the shadow was gone.

Eden held her breath, waiting for another glimpse of Nick. He hadn’t even thought to hesitate before entering the cornfield to track down the intruder. His dedication to duty was absolute. A man who possessed loyalty like his was just the kind of ally she and Christopher needed, but she wouldn’t risk letting Nick have a hold on her life again.

An eternity later, or so it seemed, Nick and Jake emerged from the end of the cornfield. They were alone. The person hiding in the hedge had either escaped or been allowed to leave.

The principal gave them the “all clear” as the period ended. Eden dismissed her class for lunch and went to the office. After reading that last note, she knew the game had changed, and the possibility that the intruder may have actually been watching her was frightening. Of course it was also quite possible that this was an unrelated incident. What she needed now was enough information to settle the question, if only in her own mind.

As she entered the office, everyone was talking about what had happened. The consensus seemed to be that the upcoming initiation rite was attracting off-pueblo intruders. It seemed a reasonable assumption, but an unproven theory didn’t quiet her fears as completely as she would have liked.

Hearing that Deputy Black Raven was still on campus, she lingered in the office, hoping to see him. She tried to tell herself that it was just because the intruder had rattled her and he was a cop, but deep down she knew it was more than that.

Moments later Nick strode into the office. His loose-legged stride was all masculine boldness and confidence. Women watched him out of the corners of their eyes, and exchanged wistful smiles when he wasn’t looking.

Eden was pleased when Nick found her immediately among all the staff and gave her a heart-stopping smile. Fires suddenly danced over her skin and an excitement as primitive as the desert itself lit up the air.

Nick walked over and placed a strong hand on her shoulder. “I was hoping to catch you.” As he searched her face, Eden felt the full force of the black eyes that had always been able to see deep into her soul. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.

She wanted to deny that anything was, but the words were all lodged in the back of her throat.

“Talk to me.”

His voice caressed her, running down her jagged nerves like molten wax that both soothed and burned. Though several staff members remained in the room, as she looked into his eyes it was as if all the others had faded back into the dim recesses of another reality, and they were the only two people there.

“I’m okay,” she said, her voice too shaky to pass as natural. “Really.”

“No, you’re not,” he said firmly. “You can’t fool a man who knows you in all the ways I have,” he whispered discreetly.

Her breath caught. Images of another time and place filled her mind and she remembered the many layers of desire she’d discovered in his arms.

Hearing the school telephone ring, Eden quickly focused on the present. Many years ago she’d sworn she’d never lean on anyone like her mother had on her father. And yet, after hearing Nick’s soft words she’d nearly turned her back on everything life had taught her. She’d have to be much more careful.

“I’m sorry, Nick. I have to go get my gradebook and some student papers before lunch is over,” she said, taking a step away.

He was about to say something when Mr. Puye came out and caught his eye. As he excused himself and accompanied the principal into his office, Nick turned his head for one last look at her.

She knew then that he’d be coming around to her home later to finish the conversation. Nick never left any challenge unanswered.

EDEN REACHED into her pocket and clasped the note she’d received earlier today, wondering what she should do. If news that she’d been receiving warning notes got out, it was possible she’d be asked to resign until after the matter was settled.

Not that she would. She couldn’t afford it, not with Christopher to support. But the last thing she needed was another complication.

Thoughts swirled like hungry buzzards in her head, colliding with each other, and undermining her courage. Back in her room a moment later, Eden collected her belongings and walked out of the building. She only taught half days, though if things went the way she hoped, next semester she’d be teaching full-time.

As she reached the fence at the end of the school grounds, Eden saw Nick parked farther down the road under the shade of an old cottonwood. Seeing her, he got out of his department vehicle and walked to meet her.

“We have to talk, Eden.”

He stood proud and tall in his tan uniform, his eyes alert and focused, like a warrior of old. Nick was a living, breathing temptation on every imaginable level.

“I’m sorry, Nick, but I’ve got to stop by the post office to buy some postcards for a class project, then go pick up Christopher.”

“No problem. I’ll give you a ride and we’ll talk on the way.”

It hadn’t been an invitation, but rather an order, and she bristled at his tone. “No thanks, officer. I’m walking.”

Unexpectedly, Nick grinned. “Some things never change. You still hate having anyone tell you what to do.”

His smile was infectious, but Eden didn’t want to encourage him, so she forced her expression to remain stern. “That’s right. Now please go away.”

“You know I won’t do that,” he answered calmly. “You need my help and I need to maintain the peace here on the pueblo. That gives us common ground. Instead of fighting each other, we should work together.”

Eden considered his offer then nodded. “I’m stuck in a difficult situation, Nick. I came here searching for answers about my family’s past, but someone seems dead set on running me off this pueblo. If the school finds out that I’m being threatened, they can really make things difficult for me. Can you find the person harassing me and quietly get them off my back so I can finish what I came here to do?” She handed him the note she’d received earlier. “I found this in my mailbox this morning when I came in.”

He scanned it quickly. “You mentioned getting notes before. When did you get the first one?”

“I began to feel uneasy, like I was being watched, just a few days after I moved in. The notes started right after that. I think it may be the work of someone my grandmother called ‘Tall Shadow,’ but I haven’t been able to find out who he is yet.” Eden told him about her grandmother’s letter, but suspected from the look in his eyes that he’d already seen it. “This man may have been behind everything that happened to my family. It’s possible that he’s the one sending the notes now.”

Nick remained silent for several long moments as they got underway. “Eden, I understand all about family loyalties, believe me. And we’ll get to the truth. But I have to tell you, no one by the nickname Tall Shadow lives here now. I’d know.”