The Touch of Her Hands [The Wind River Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) (6 page)

Zack laid his hand over his heart. “I swear to you, Mrs. Renyana.”

“Please call me Abuela. It means grandmother.”

“I swear to you, Abuela, I will give her a good life.”

Consuela smiled. “I believe you.”

“Where is she, Abuela? I’m anxious to see her again.”

Consuela moved back to her chair. “She is not here, child. She has a small cabin up the mountain a ways. She lives there, alone.”

“Why didn’t she stay with your family? Alvara told me he was sending her to live with his family so they could protect her.”

The old woman sighed. “It became impossible for her to live here in peace. There is one here that developed feelings that she could not return. She thought it best for everyone if she made her own place, away from our home.” She raised her gaze and looked into Zack’s eyes. “And I agreed with her. There was no reason to tempt fate.”

“So how do I find her?”

“My el esposo de hija will take you to her.” When Zack frowned, she laughed. “My daughter’s husband.”

Before Zack could respond, the door flew open and a man who looked like a younger version of Jorge stomped into the room. “No, Abuela. I will not allow this Americano to go into the hills after the little one.”

“Deje, mi nieto. No one can stand in the way of destiny without expecting to get hurt, and I love you too much to see you hurt. You will obey me in this, Ernesto.”

Ernesto turned his hate-filled gaze to Zack. “Bastardo.” Then he left, slamming the door behind him.

Consuela smiled sadly. “That was my grandson, Ernesto. He believes himself to be in love with Aurelia, even though she never gave him any indication that she returned his feelings. He will hurt when she leaves, but he will recover. His destino lies in a different direction.”

Zack sighed. “When can I go to Aurelia?”

“It is near our comida del mediodia, or our noon meal as you Americanos would say. Stay, feast with us, and my son will guide you to the little one this afternoon.”

Zack nodded. A few more hours wouldn’t hurt.

* * * *

Aurelia looked around her one-room cabin and tried to decide what had awakened her. She’d laid down for a siesta after a rather large lunch, but now something didn’t feel quite right. She padded to the window silently, but couldn’t hear any sound of an intruder. The sky was pale blue and filled with bright sunlight. A couple of wispy clouds decorated the blue expanse. Frowning, she picked up the heavy boots she wore for hiking, pulled them over her thick socks, and made her way outside. The jungle was oddly quiet. An abnormal calm settled over her as she crouched under the cover of some low-growing palms. Breathing shallowly and slowly, she calmed her rapid heart rate. She never had unplanned visitors, and yet someone was approaching her position.

Licking her lips, she peeked through the palm fronds and saw three approaching males. She breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized Tio Jorge. Ana and Jorge had insisted she call them aunt and uncle from the very first day she arrived at their home. It gave her a warm feeling to belong to their family.

“Hola, Tio Jorge.” Aurelia stood up and stepped out onto the path. “What brings you on a hike this afternoon?”

“I bring you Americano visitors, little one,” Jorge said.

Her breath caught as her gaze jumped to the two strangers. And then, she felt her heart race as she recognized the man who’d saved her from a life of captivity. With a small cry, she threw herself into Alvara Medina’s arms and sobbed. “It’s you. It’s really you. My friend. Te quiero amigo.” His hearty laugh told her that he remembered the first Spanish words he’d taught her. A low growling sound from behind him had her jerking away and searching the tree line for danger.

Alvara smiled. “If you remember me, you must remember Zack Wind River as well.”

She turned her attention to the stranger and caught her breath. She remembered him, easily. He’d starred in quite a few of her dreams since that fateful night eight years ago. He had to be close to six feet tall, with a slim, muscular build. His skin was dark, like he spent a great deal of time in the sunshine. He kept his brown hair short, while his equally brown eyes seemed as if they could see right through her.

Worrying her lip with her teeth, she tentatively held out her hand. “I do remember. You helped me escape, and I’ve always wished I could thank you in some way.” Warmth crept up her arm when he closed his fingers over her small hand. She quickly pulled away and glanced at Alvara. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story, Aurelia. Zack needs your help. Will you listen to what he has to say?”

She looked at Zack and knew she wanted to know more about the enigmatic man. Slowly she nodded and smiled.

Jorge cleared his throat. “I need to get back, little love. Will you feel safe if I leave you with these two?”

“I need to go back with him, Aurelia,” said Alvara. “What Zack has to say should be for your ears only.” He walked over and clasped her hands. “But only if you feel comfortable with being alone with him.”

Jorge moved closer and laid his hand on her shoulder. “Mama said to tell you that he is destino, and you would know what that meant.”

Aurelia’s gaze shot to Zack. Her destiny. Abuela believed this man to be her destiny. She took a deep breath and swallowed. “I’m not afraid to be alone with him.” She felt tingles in all her female places when he smiled at her.

“Then we’ll be off,” said Jorge. “It’s a long hike back down to the Jeep, and I want to get back before dark.”

“Why didn’t you come by horse?” asked Aurelia. “You could have saved yourself a hike.”

Zack made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a growl. “Horses and I don’t always get along. It was safer for everyone if we came by Jeep.”

Alvara chuckled. “No worries, love. The hike was good for me.” He bent and placed a kiss on her cheek. Again, the strange low, growling sound surrounded them. “I’m pleased to see you so well and happy. I never regretted my decision to set you free.” He took a step back. “Know that you have a friend for life, no matter what decisions you make about your future.”

Jorge kissed her cheek. “Come and see your Tia Ana soon, please. She misses you.” He turned to Alvara. “Come on, Primo Alvara. I will show you my ranch and you can tell me how it differs from an Americano ranch.” The two men waved as they hurried back down the path. In just moments they’d disappeared into the heavy foliage.

Aurelia pointed to her cabin. “Please, come and sit and you can tell me why you’re here.”

Zack forced his coyote back down and followed her to the small cabin, noticing a well-tended garden off to the side. There was no doubt the young woman was his mate, and his animal side wanted to claim her now.

The air was only slightly cool, but a small fire burned in the stone fireplace that covered the north wall of the small dwelling. Aurelia added more wood, and he watched as hungry tongues of flame suddenly licked the new additions, causing them to smolder and then glow. In the corner stood an old-fashioned loom. You make your own cloth?” asked Zack.

“About all I do is work in my garden and make hand-spun garments to sell in the village. That’s a back-strap loom.”

“What does that mean?”

“That wide strap you see attaches around my waist. I can use my body weight to keep the tension strong.”

“What all do you make?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Belts, ponchos, bags, things like that. Nothing really special. It’s kind of a dying art. Abuela had the loom in her attic and taught me how to use it.”

“She’s quite the lady.”

“She trusts you, or she wouldn’t have let anyone show you the way here.” Aurelia walked over and pulled out one of the chairs at her table for two. “Why are you here, Mr. Wind River?”

“Please, call me Zack.” When she nodded, he took a seat across from her. “I’m here for two reasons. The first concerns a member of my pack.”

Aurelia frowned. “Your pack? What does that mean?”

“Consider them an extended family for now. I promise I’ll explain more about the pack later.”

She sighed. “Okay, go on.”

“My family is in trouble, and I don’t know what else to do but ask for your help.” He spent several minutes telling her about the missing children, their recovery, and the illness they now suffered from that none of the doctors could diagnose. “Their condition continues to worsen, and we’re all afraid they might not have much time left.”

Aurelia got up and picked up the poker to stir the logs in the fireplace. The light was fading quickly, the trees casting eerie shadows outside the cabin’s only window. “There’s no guarantee that I could help if I go back with you. My gift has always been strongest with injuries, instead of illness.”

“Does that mean you won’t try?”

She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “Of course I’ll try. Children shouldn’t have to suffer. I just wanted to make sure you understand there aren’t any guarantees.”

Zack nodded. “I understand.”

“Besides, Abuela believes it to be my destiny to leave here with you. I’m not sure why she feels that way, but I’ve learned, over the years, that she’s rarely wrong. When do you wanna leave?”

Zack let out the breath he’d been holding and smiled. “The sooner the better. My alpha warned me not to take too much time in getting you back.”

“Your alpha? Is that like your leader?”

“Yeah, he’s my leader. I want to tell you everything because I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. But I’m afraid of scaring you off.”

She gave a rather unladylike snort. “After the years I spent at the hands of your government, I doubt you could do anything that would truly scare me. I had resigned myself to die by my own hand when Alvara befriended me and planned my escape. Once you accept death, nothing else can ever bother you again.”

“Do you still feel that way about dying?”

Aurelia looked out the window. “Sometimes, when the loneliness closes in on me, but it’s not very often anymore.” She turned to glance at Zack. “I’m getting hungry. Why don’t I fix us something to eat, and you can tell me about this alpha, and anything else you’re keeping from me. We can head down the mountain in the morning and see about making some arrangements to travel back to the States.”

Zack grinned. “That’s a deal.”

She lit two lamps and then moved to her wood-burning stove and laid a frying pan on the surface. Picking up a spoon, she stirred something in a pot simmering at the back. “I hope tacos are okay with you.”

“Sure, anything’s fine.” As he watched, she began assembling what appeared to be a make-your-own taco mini-buffet with beans on the side. Deftly, she fried corn tortillas in the heated skillet. When she was done, she placed everything on her small, scarred wooden table. Grinning, she picked up a warm tortilla from a towel-covered bowl, folded it in half, and took a bite while he studied their meal. Warm tortillas, tender beef in a sauce, beans, and some kind of chopped white cheese on the side.

“You wanna beer?” asked Aurelia.

Zack glanced around the room. “Not a warm one.”

She giggled, stepped out the door, and disappeared around the side of the cabin. Before he could gather his wits enough to follow, she was back toting two ice-cold beer bottles.

“How the hell do you keep them cold?” he asked. “I haven’t seen anything to make me think you have electricity up here.”

Aurelia laughed. “There’s a fresh-water stream that runs behind this place. It comes down from the top of the mountain, and it’s cold year round. I have a few well-placed baskets that hold anything I want kept cold.” Grabbing an opener from the counter, she flicked the top off a bottle and handed it to Zack.

He touched his bottle to hers. “To a successful journey.”

“To a successful journey.” Aurelia turned up her bottle and took a long drink.

An hour later Zack pushed back from the table groaning. “That was delicious. You can’t get anything like that back home.”

“Tell me about your home.”

“The mountains back in Wyoming are beautiful, but nothing like here.”

“No,” she said. “The climate’s different. I don’t imagine I’d run into the same animals on your mountain as you’re likely to find on mine.”

“I’ve scented deer, raccoons, and even large cats. What other animals might I find if I took a walk through your woods?”

“Well, first, I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you’re armed. You might see a few pumas or jaguars with the occasional spider monkey thrown in. Get a little closer to the Cartagena River and you might find a thirty-foot anaconda, condors with wing spans larger than ten feet, and even a herd of capybara.”

“What are capybara?”

“They’re like aquatic rats that live in herds on the banks of the rivers here. Pretty nasty creatures.”

Zack shuddered and tried not to look sick. “You’d run into coyotes, deer, raccoons, and maybe a possum or two near my place. We’ve got wolves, bears, falcons, and a feline or two. Pretty tame stuff compared to your home here.”

“How big is this place you live in? For coyotes, wolves, deer, and bears to all cohabitate together, there must be a lot of land. They don’t normally live so close to one another.”