Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5) (12 page)

Why did an image of Megan submitting to him flash in front of his eyes?

Hands off, grunt. She’s Top’s little sister.

A shout from down the hall took him away from his thoughts. “Get the lead out! An hour and forty-five minutes left.”

Damned bossy woman.

But this time he would obey. The sooner he cleaned up in here and packed what little he’d brought with him, the sooner he would be heading home.

*     *     *

Megan grinned as she packed her smallest suitcase. She figured she might be out there for a few days. Then she would insist that Adam call off this silly mission and let Ryder return to his own life again.

Her lips still tingled from where he had kissed her. She’d been kissed before, but never as thoroughly as by Ryder. She touched her fingertips to her lips and smiled.

But her smile faded as quickly. Could she allow something to blossom between them? She hadn’t been honest with him, never dreaming until last night that she would feel such a strong attraction to the man. Her secret wasn’t something she blurted out to everyone she met. Heck, no one but Mom knew. She hadn’t even told Patrick. He’d been deployed when she made her irrevocable decision.

She’d been twenty-four. Headstrong. Having suffered with the debilitating pain of endometriosis since she was thirteen—including several days each month where she could barely get out of bed—she chose quality of life over some nebulous dream of possibly getting married and having babies. Not that she hadn’t tried less permanent solutions. The third laparoscopic ablation hadn’t given her more than minimal relief for her last eighteen months of undergraduate school at Loyola. After nearly flunking out of her first year at USC working on her master’s, she’d insisted that her gynecologist do a total laparoscopic hysterectomy, including cervix and ovaries. She’d been on birth control pills since she was fourteen to try to control the pain and also wanted to avoid the side-effects associated with those if she stayed on them too much longer.

Megan just wanted a chance at a normal life and a productive career, even if that meant no possibility of giving birth to babies of her own. She had other options if she ever wanted to have children. She’d just never felt a strong pull to be a mother. Of course she hadn’t been attracted to a man long enough for any serious relationship to occur—until Ryder.

Oh, Megan. He kissed you. He didn’t propose or ask you to be the mother of his children.

Hoping to lighten up the mood again, she went to her bedside stand and pulled out some of her smaller, quieter toys. At least losing her womb hadn’t kept her from enjoying orgasms. She wasn’t sure she would have the privacy to use them at Ryder’s, but being that close to the man for several more days, she decided it was better to be prepared than frustrated.

Seeing her handgun, she removed it and tucked it in her purse. She had her carry permit. Ryder was handy with a knife, but she didn’t feel safe without having her own weapon. Not that she expected any trouble, except maybe for a stray rattler while out hiking or something. God, she hated snakes.

Zipping up the bags, she slung her camera case onto her shoulder and released the handle of her suitcase to wheel it into the hallway. She stopped at her office and made sure the photos she wanted to work with weren’t in the cloud. The chance of having an internet connection out there was slim, given the way Ryder referred to
that
cloud.

Megan then packed up her laptop before heading toward the garage. She was about an hour early. Plenty of time to clean up the kitchen. Maybe Ryder would be ready early, too.

When she reached the kitchen, she found it spotless. She left her bags and went in search of Ryder in the living room. His folded blanket lay neatly on the arm of the sofa. The man hadn’t left his military ways behind him. Patrick tended to be a neat freak since his days in the Marines, too, especially after a post-traumatic stress episode. She assumed having everything in its place helped them restore order from the chaos in their minds after a nightmare or flashback.

“Ready?”

She turned to find him standing in the hallway. “Yes. I want to stop at the store before we leave the city, though. I’d like to get some groceries.”

“There’s a good one near my place. Everything we’ll need and fewer people.”

She walked toward him, and he stepped aside for her to precede him down the hallway. In the garage, Ryder soon had her bags tucked into the back of her SUV. She set the alarm, for whatever good it might do, and pulled out after him. Soon they took the ramp heading for the Jemez. As she followed, she noticed he took care not to weave in and out of traffic so she wouldn’t lose him.

The scenery already looked familiar from their ride up here yesterday. After stocking up at the convenience store that served as the local grocery, he turned from the main highway onto one that wasn’t as well maintained as the logging road had been. Red dust kicked up from his back tire. She drove slower to keep some distance between their vehicles in case he hit a rut and rolled his bike.

The rock formations and soil surrounding them still had red tinges.

Simple beauty.

She couldn’t wait to go exploring with her camera when she wasn’t trying to keep her eyes on the road. She’d have to watch for rattlesnakes—probably scorpions, too. So different from her time spent in the wilds of the Black Hills. Of course, there were venomous snakes there, too. None had ever bothered her.

Megan shuddered. She
really
didn’t like snakes.

Ryder turned onto an even less maintained road. She maneuvered to avoid some of the ruts. This must be a fun road to drive after a rainstorm. Not. After avoiding what had to be a bone-jarring hole, his bike made a sharp turn, and there stood a one-story adobe house. The reddish tint of the mud made it clear it had been made from local soil.

The unpainted wooden front door welcomed anyone who might happen upon the porch. A ristra of dried red chiles hung from the porch roof rafters. Two small windows on either side of the door completed the façade. Cozy.

A newer addition extended off to the right of the main part of the house with larger, more modern windows. She could imagine his friend’s grandmother living in the old section, but until she saw the new addition, she wouldn’t have pictured this as his home. Of course, he merely lived here and took care of the place for a friend.

She didn’t imagine too many people ventured this far up the mountain, though. Someone had to be looking for the house to find it, and she wasn’t sure if she left and tried to come back she could retrace her path.

Vines of morning glory grew up the wall on the left side of the entrance, with hollyhocks shooting up before them. Their blossoms would be gorgeous against the red adobe in mid-summer.

Too bad she wouldn’t be here to photograph them.

He indicated with his pointed finger the spot for her to park, and she exited the SUV. A panoramic view of the valley and mountains stretched out beyond the house.

“What a beautiful place!”

“I agree. I probably didn’t appreciate it as a teenager, but it’s given me a lot of peace since…since I moved out here.”

“I can imagine.” The feeling of peace and harmony here was palpable. His friend was a godsend to offer him a place to recover from combat.

“I can’t wait to start taking photos.” She popped the hatchback. “But first, I guess I ought to carry my things inside.”

“I’ll get the suitcase.”

Picking up her purse and camera case, she followed him noting that he hadn’t locked the door when he left. For someone so concerned about her security, he didn’t seem to have any worries about his own property or person.

The air in the house was cool. She scanned the room with its kiva fireplace. Very homey and old-fashioned furnishings from the sofa and arm chairs to the bear rug in front of them. She shuddered. How anyone found dead animals or their furs attractive was beyond her.

“I’m going to put your bag in what I call my sister’s room, since she’s the only one who’s ever slept there since I’ve lived here.”

She set her bags on the bed, grateful he had more than one bedroom here. She didn’t want to put him out. Not that the thought of sharing a bed with him didn’t send a fleeting image of their entangled bodies passing before her eyes.

Don’t go there, girl.

“She visits sometimes from Santa Fe, but isn’t due for another trip down here for months. She stays pretty busy up there with her gallery on the Plaza, especially this time of year when she’s gearing up for the summer tourists.” From his expression, she’d have thought he described the onslaught of a plague of locusts.

“What kind of gallery?”

He shrugged. “Art. Paintings, sculptures—even photographs. Want me to introduce you to her sometime?”

“I’d love to meet her and see if she’d be interested in any of my work. I plan to prepare some images for mounting while I’m up here. I could have a portfolio ready as early as next week.”

“I’d be happy to put you in touch with her.”

Apparently, he didn’t want to go to Santa Fe any more than Albuquerque, even though it was less populated.

She scanned the room, happy to find a desk where she could work. The bedroom was small with tiny windows on two of the walls. She walked to the one she assumed would have the best view. Spectacular. The red hills contrasted against the deep blue sky. Sunrise would be beautiful, too, over the mountains in the distance.

“This used to be Mrs. Chosa’s bedroom.”

“It’s cozy. Warm.”

“I didn’t change a lot since she…well, since I moved here.”

Megan could tell by the emotion in his voice that the woman had meant a lot to him.

“Let’s take a walk after you get settled in.”

She turned toward Ryder and smiled. “I’d love to. If you’ll point out where the bathroom is, I’ll make a pit stop, change into my jeans, and be ready in no time.” The more covered her legs were, the better. She shuddered at the thought of the creatures out here that would love nothing more than to bite or sting her fair skin.

A few minutes later, she met him in the kitchen as he put away the last of the groceries.

Everything was in its place. She smiled. Ryder had relaxed considerably since he arrived home, but still needed to make sure he maintained order in his environment.

He handed her a bottle of water, and she tucked it into the netting on the side of her camera case.

“Lead the way, Ryder. I can’t wait to see more of this sanctuary up close.”

Chapter Nine

R
yder guided Megan along a well-worn path, one he walked almost daily. When she asked about certain plants, he described them, sometimes telling her about their medicinal and culinary uses. Mrs. Chosa had taught him this and much more.

Sharing his knowledge with Megan pleased him in ways he hadn’t expected. Perhaps it made him feel useful again. Not that she needed to know about these things. She had little use for such knowledge in Albuquerque.

Megan paused and did a three-sixty before crouching down and snapping photos of a red and orange spike of Indian paintbrush.

“Is this one good for anything other than beautiful photos?”

“The flowers are edible, but not the leaves or roots, which have a tendency to leach selenium from the ground.”

“No thanks. I’ll pass.”

“We’ll avoid those parts, but the flower heads have some of the same nutritional benefits as eating garlic, without the smell.”

She seemed to reconsider. “Do you eat the flowers?”

“Sure. In salads.”

“Well, maybe I’ll try some new things while I’m out here with you.” She snapped off two blooms and put them into her pocket.

“Sure you don’t want me to find a nice rattler for dinner?”

She jumped up and turned in several directions, searching the ground. “Where is it? I don’t hear anything.”

Ryder grinned as he watched realization dawn. She turned toward him, fire in her eyes. “You’re joking. That’s
not
funny.”

“You need to face your fear. Besides, I’m here. I’ll protect you.”

The light left her eyes. “I know. It’s your job.”