Daughter of Destiny (5 page)

Mike gave her a gentle smile. “Kai, Jake was someone you trusted growing up there on the res.”

“I don't trust him any longer. I haven't been in touch with him since I was a little kid.”

Mike saw the anguish in her eyes. He used his other senses to ferret out where Kai was coming from with her stubborn refusal. “After getting burned by Lieutenant Commander Thorval as you have, I can understand your initial reaction about men right now. But Jake is not Thorval, and you've got to separate the two of them. Part of a medicine person's walk toward harmony and wholeness is to work through weaknesses. You need to feel your way through this, Kai. You're the one who had the vision about the crystal totems. The Great Spirit has called you to go find the first one and bring it home. The real test here is are you able to transcend your own personal wounds, look beyond them and respond positively to the bigger picture? The more important one? Light instead of darkness for Mother
Earth and all her relations…Are you big enough to look beyond your own pain, grief and anger to help all of us?”

Miserably, Kai looked down at Jake's picture. Mike Houston was correct—on all counts. “You're right,” she whispered. “And that's what I have to do.” Just looking at Jake's photo gave her some reassurance. How handsome he was now! He'd grown into a very good looking man. And it was true: Jake came from the Paint Clan, as most Cherokee medicine people did. She knew he had been in training with his mother to walk the path of a medicine man. When she'd left the res as a girl, Kai had figured he'd continue on and take his parent's place someday.

“I have faith in you,” Mike told her quietly. “Even if you don't have it in yourself at the moment. I think teaming up with Jake will be the right thing, Kai. For you. For your nation. And for us.”

Touching the photo briefly with her fingertips, Kai wondered why Jake had not followed the medicine path. He was in the military, like her. Life was throwing her more curves than she could adjust to.

Houston was right and she knew it. Jake had a lot more training than she did; she had next to none in comparison. Closing her eyes, Kai admitted that once more she was going to have to rise above her own selfish reactions and look at the larger picture. This mission was for the wellness of her people, the Cherokee Nation. She couldn't just walk away from it, no matter who was involved.

But
how
was she going to handle her wildly beating heart, which now yearned to see Jake once again?

K
ai was in the garage of the condo where she was staying when a black Toyota Tundra pickup slowed and came to a halt at the curb. It was a perfect autumn day—barely above freezing at dawn, with a lacy coat of frost on the Douglas firs surrounding the two-story building. By now, at noon, the temperature was in the low fifties and the fragrant scent of newly fallen leaves filled the crisp Montana air. Kai had spread out a canvas tarp beneath her Harley and had been in the process of changing the oil on her mechanical steed when the truck arrived. A prickle of warning hit her, then her heart opened automatically. It was Jake Stands Alone Carter, she knew, thrilled with the knowledge. Mike Houston had called her earlier and said he'd be arriving today.

Kai forcibly shut down those warm feelings in her chest. Frowning, she replaced the plug in the engine so that she could pour fresh oil into it. Four days had gone by since her initial meeting with Mike Houston and she was slowly going crazy in this quiet little Rocky Mountain tourist
town, which was a haven for hunters in the fall and trout fishermen during the summer season.

The midday sunlight lanced down through the firs that grew all around the condos, painted gray with dark red trim. The sky was a pale blue, cleansed from the snow and rain that had passed through two days earlier. Dressed in olive-colored, Rail Rider nylon pants, a pair of hardy brown leather Ecco boots and a white fisherman knit sweater to keep her warm against the chill, Kai was careful not to get grease all over her. Wiping her fingers on a nearby rag, she set her used oil aside. The breeze blew languidly, lifting a few tendrils along her right temple. Pushing them back with her wrist, Kai narrowed her gaze on the truck that had parked in front of her condo. Jake was here. Oh, Great Spirit, what was she going to do?

The windows of the truck were tinted and dark, so Kai couldn't see his face. Compressing her lips, she waited, her heart beating in dread. How she wanted her ugly past to stay buried! Having to face Jake again was like having salt poured into the raw, unhealed wounds from her childhood. He reminded her of the past she wanted to forget. Oh, Kai thought about him often enough and warmly—but that was the past. He'd been her safe harbor growing up, his presence in her life crucial for her emotional survival at that time. But she didn't necessarily want to admit that now. Jake had his own life and she wished the best for him—but that was it. Having him show up only brought memories of suffering, misery, pain and heartache.

The truck door opened.

Kai raised her head, her gaze riveted there. Heartbeat
speeding, she tried to protect herself emotionally, but it was impossible.

A tall, lean figure emerged from the truck. Instantly, Kai froze. It
was
Jake Carter. As he turned to look at her, Kai felt a sharp pain stab through her heart, clear to her soul. Oh! How Jake had changed! He stood there looking across the yard at her, one hand on the door of the truck, an expression of yearning clearly written on his broad face.

Gone was the tall, skinny ten-year-old she'd known. He was half Anglo and half Eastern Cherokee through his medicine woman mother's blood. His skin was golden, not quite as coppery as hers, but his black hair glinted with blue highlights. Kai studied him hungrily, looking for what was the same about him and what had changed. No longer gangly, he was at least six foot one and medium boned, built like a boxer in his prime. He wore a light green wool sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and his wide, capable shoulders were thrown back with typical military grace. His gold-brown eyes had always reminded Kai of a cougar's, for they were large, inquisitive and set far apart. More than anything, Kai remembered the compassion that had radiated from Jake's eyes as a child. She had absorbed it hungrily like the emotionally starved child she'd been.

He'd been so sensitive and caring toward her. He had held her when she'd wept, rocking her with those thin arms that were now darkly haired and well-muscled. His face was broad, his cheekbones high, again shouting of his proud heritage. Maybe it was his full mouth, the corners turning slightly upward, that made Kai feel safer for just
an instant. Jake had always been a jokester, making her laugh when she'd wanted to cry. He'd given her the gift of laughter, of fun. He'd loved to explore, and his hand had closed around hers often as they went off together on adventures into the woods and meadows.

The truck door shut, and Kai's stomach clenched. Her heart was now pounding like a runaway train. What should she do? What should she say? She wanted to tell Jake a thousand things, among them thanks for just being there when she'd needed someone who loved her.
Loved?
Well, maybe that was the wrong word. They'd been kids. What did kids know about love?

Frowning, Kai slowly unwound from her position on the canvas tarp near her Harley. Jake's gaze never left hers as he slowly walked around the front of his truck and headed toward her. She saw worry in his expression, his broad brow slightly furrowed, a strand of black hair dipping across it. Perhaps out of nervousness of his own, he reached up with his long, square fingers and pushed the errant strands back into place. He wore a pair of jeans that fit his body beautifully, his thighs long, hard and firm. It was clear to Kai that Jake worked out regularly. He wasn't a muscle-bound man, just solid and in good shape. And he walked like the cougar she'd always imagined as his spirit guide, with a kind of boneless male grace that belied his innate power.

Kai felt a wave of euphoria at seeing him once more, but struggled to contain it. Fear mixed with joy in her as Jake halted six feet from her, on the pad of concrete where the Harley sat. She stood there, gripping the oil rag in her
hand. His golden eyes were shadowed, and he was remembering their past, Kai was sure. Words tumbled forward and then jammed in her throat. She wasn't the most sociable person in the world, and not one to stand on social etiquette. But though she wanted to greet him, she didn't know what to say. It was one of the few times in her adult life she was left speechless.

“
Osiyo.
Hello, Kai…”

That softly spoken Cherokee word shattered something in her, and Kai closed her eyes momentarily, reeling from the whispered greeting. Even though Jake was only half Cherokee, she remembered that his mother had raised him to speak Cherokee, a beautiful, rhythmic language that touched her soul. Opening her eyes, she stared at him, vaguely aware of a pair of blue jays screaming at one another in a nearby fir.

“Osiyo…”
she whispered.

Jake stood easily, a lopsided smile dawning on his face. “How long has it been?” He rested his hands on his hips as he gazed at her. How Kai had grown! No longer the skinny little girl too tall for her age, she had turned into a breathtakingly beautiful and statuesque woman. Jake wondered why he had never gotten in touch with Kai once she'd gone. Why hadn't he tried harder? His father had taken them off the res weeks after Kai had left, and Jake had had no way to track her down. Great Spirit knew, he'd tried, but all his boyish efforts had met with heartbreaking failure. Jake had cried himself to sleep many nights after Kai had been ripped from his life. She'd been taken into protective custody by the state of North Carolina child care services after her parents' tragic death in a car crash. He'd loved her
with a boy's fervor and he'd had a hard time adjusting to life without her fierce, passionate spirit at his side.

“You might as well know, Jake, I didn't want you on this mission.”

He winced inwardly. Her voice was low and guarded. Kai's gaze was narrowed, but he couldn't help drowning in her incredible aqua eyes, which had always filled with warmth and gladness when she saw him. Even now he saw a glimmer of joy in them and it gave him hope. Maybe Kai really didn't mean those words. Maybe she was just scared. He was scared, too.

Kai's eyes had always had a haunted look, and they'd touched his soul. She was so different from all the other girls he'd gone through school with. He could never put his finger on why she was unique, she just was. And it made her special to him. Jake had always felt that she was a gift in his life—one he didn't deserve, but somehow he'd gotten lucky. And there she'd been…in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her tears wetting the T-shirt he wore as he rocked her and tried to comfort her.

Jake cleared his throat. “Yeah…Major Houston said you wanted to go alone on this mission.” Shifting his stance, he added, “I was briefed about it before I took the mission, Kai.”

She glanced at him defiantly, then looked down at the rag she gripped in her hand. “I suppose you got
ordered
on this mission?”

“My C.O. called me in. He said I was getting TDY, temporary duty, to a supersecret CIA agency for a special mission.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I was briefed
on the mission by Major Houston. It was my decision to accept.” He gave her a soft, searching look. “He gave me your address and told me to take the condo across the hall from where you're staying. I'm glad to be working with you.”

Kai turned and tossed the rag down on the canvas sheet. “I'm being forced to take you along, Jake.”

“I can see that.” Her statement seared his heart. He tried to recover, but had a tough time doing so. When they were kids she had trusted him with her life. Now she didn't seem to need him at all. What had happened in her life to turn her away from him like this? The question hovered on his lips and he struggled mightily to keep mute.

Kai heard the irony in Jake's husky tone. Turning back, she scowled warningly at him. “I don't need a partner on this mission.”

Nodding, Jake murmured, “Major Houston told me what happened to you in the Navy. I'm sorry, Kai. I really am. They've lost one of their best combat pilots.”

His words were gentle, soothing some of her ire. Going back to her Harley, she sat down on the tarp and opened up a can of oil. “Getting the crystal mask back, if that's possible, is more important than me. Or you.”

He ambled over to the open garage and watched as Kai carefully poured fresh oil into the engine. Her face was set but beautiful. His ugly little duckling had grown into a lovely swan. In school, the other children had teased her mercilessly. As a child, her lips had seemed too large for her oval face. Though her body had been as thin and supple as a willow, she was big boned and had looked disproportionate as a result. Plus Kai had had legs that seemed
to go on forever. Now she stood six foot tall and clearly had grown into a very shapely woman. Jake averted his eyes from the sweater she wore, and the lush curves of her breasts beneath.

“I guess we'll have to call a truce of some kind, okay? I've been ordered to take this mission. I'm in the Army and can't refuse it even if I wanted to. If I did that, they'd court-martial me and I'd be out of a career.” Jake smiled wryly as he watched her complete the oil change. Her fingers were long and lean, her nails blunt cut, he noted. Afterward, she took a clean cloth and gently wiped the metal down until it shone like silver. He liked the wolf painted on the side of the gas tank. The Wolf Clan was where chiefs and leaders came from. The Paint Clan was the one Kai had been born into, just as he had—the clan of the medicine people. Shaking his head a little, Jake smiled to himself. They'd both come from medicine families and neither had chosen to walk the old way. Both had created a life made from the fabric of the white man's world, instead.

Why wouldn't her heart settle down? Kai frowned and compressed her lips as she got done wiping down her Harley. Looking up, she locked gazes with Jake. She had heard the wry humor in his voice and it stirred long-ago memories. Memories she wanted to forget once and for all. “This is
my
mission, Jake. You're just comin' along for the ride, as far as I'm concerned. I'm the boss. You do what I ask, stay out of my way, and we'll get along.”

“Major Houston said you were in charge. I don't have a problem with that.” Jake saw surprise flare in her vivid blue eyes, and he curved his mouth ruefully. “What's the
matter? Don't you think I can take directions from a woman? We were raised on a matriarchal reservation. I've always honored women and their strength.”
I've always honored you.

Brows dipping, Kai got to her feet and rolled her Harley off the canvas. Putting down the kickstand with the toe of her boot, she turned to see Jake neatly folding up her canvas drop cloth. Why did he have to be so helpful? He walked over and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” she muttered, taking the tarp out of his hand and tucking it up on a wooden shelf along the garage wall. She punched a button and the garage door groaned and then began to slowly descend.

“Do you have time to sit down and talk to me about your vision? Major Houston suggested that we go over it in detail together. He felt it should come from you, not him.”

Nostrils flaring, Kai said, “Sure…come on in.” She opened the door that led to the hall of the two-story condo.

“I could use a cup of coffee. It's been a long trip flying from Afghanistan and then driving from Fort Rucker, Alabama. You got some?” Jake followed her inside and shut the door. “I'll make it.”

“Fine. I'll show you where the stuff is. Follow me….”

Jake tried not to take Kai's stiffness toward him personally. After all, fifteen years had passed, and a lot could happen in that time. As he followed her down the beige carpeted hall to a mauve-painted living room, he spied the kitchen to the right. The condo was decorated in Japanese style, the furniture black lacquered, the fabrics in muted colors. A tall, healthy-looking ficus tree graced one corner
near a picture window framed with soft white curtains. He heard Cherokee music in the background and smiled. The singing was familiar. The corn dance, he surmised, as he followed her into the modern kitchen.