Black Raven's Pride. Aimee Thurlo

I expected to see here at the pueblo,” she said. Then slowly added, “And now, to find out you’ve become a tribal cop… You’re certainly one for surprises.”

      “Why do you say that? It’s not that much of a leap, really. I’ve always known that I was meant to work with people. I couldn’t run a job placement center here like I did in Arizona since the tribe now has an agency that takes care of that. But that left me at loose ends. My father’s will stipulated that in order for any of us to inherit, we’d all have to live at the ranch for one year, so I had to stay. But ranching full-time just wasn’t for me. Then I found out that one of Captain Mora’s two deputies was about to quit and that the department was searching for a replacement.”

      “The police department here is very small. The loss of one man can be a crisis.”

      He nodded. “Our entire police force consists of Captain Mora, two deputies and a civilian dispatcher. I figured I could be of use to the tribe, so I applied for the second deputy’s job and was lucky enough to get it.” He glanced over at her. Somehow, he had to make Eden see him as a cop who could help her, not just as a former lover. It was the only way she’d ever confide in him and finding out what trouble was hovering on the pueblo was his first priority. “This job really gets under your skin. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. But you know a little about what it means to be a cop. Your father was an officer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.”

      “A cop’s family views his job in a very different light, Nick,” Eden answered, her voice taut. “What I remember most is my dad’s long absences and the way he was totally dedicated to his job. He almost never made it home for my birthdays or most holidays. It was hardest on my mom, though. She spent most of her life worrying about him. Being a cop may be a great job, but not for a man’s family.”

      He nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve got no plans to marry. The bachelor life suits me.”

      She didn’t comment. “How are you and Jake getting along trying to run a ranch together? You two never used to agree on anything.”

      “Jake and I will never see eye to eye on a lot of things,” he answered, “but we’re working it out.” He paused, studying her expression. “But let’s get back to what’s going on in your life, Eden. People have the right to their opinions, and they’re not required to like the fact that you’re now living here. But no one has the right to threaten you physically, or harass you. It looks like you’re caught up in something that might be too big for you to handle alone. You’re a mother now and have other responsibilities to take into account. Let me do my job as a cop and help you out.”

      She hesitated, then forced a smile. “What happened out there won’t happen again. I’m sure of it.”

      “I don’t believe that any more than you do.”

      “Don’t put yourself in the middle of this, Nick. It’ll only make things tougher for me,” she said. “I’ve always taken care of myself and I know what I have to do. I’ll handle it.”

      “I’m sorry, Eden, but I can’t let this go. This trouble is taking place on pueblo land, and that’s my turf.”

      As he pulled up in front of her adobe home, she mumbled a quick goodbye, let herself out, and began walking up to the door.

      Nick knew he hadn’t been invited, but he parked the Jeep and decided to go inside with her. He had a job to do, and, as long as she was at the pueblo, it was his duty to help her fight whoever was trying to drive her off.

      Like star-crossed lovers destined to keep meeting, Eden was back in his life again. But, this time, it was different. Eden, the woman he’d loved, was gone for good. In her place was this stranger who was bringing trouble to the land he was sworn to protect.

      Chapter Two

      Eden knew Nick Black Raven was right behind her as she stepped up to the front door. She could sense him as clearly as she could the wind that swept her long chestnut hair across her face. She’d never wanted to bring Nick here. It was too hard to be with him. There were too many memories. Every time she looked at him, her heart remembered the only man who had ever made her blood sing. But he was not for her.

      She could still remember every detail of their last night together. She’d loved him with all her heart, but afterward, as he’d held her, he’d bared his soul to her. What she’d seen there had made it clear that they couldn’t have a future together. A fierce agony had gripped her as he’d shattered her dreams one by one with each word he spoke.

      He’d asked her to stay with him, but he’d never spoken of marriage. He’d told her that they’d make a life together, away from the pueblo, and never set foot on Tewa land again. They’d make a home in Arizona, just the two of them. Kids would never be a part of the picture. As far as he was concerned, the world didn’t need more children.

      His vision of their future had been so different from hers! The knowledge had broken her heart and she’d realized then that she’d allowed things to go too far. The inescapable truth had been that she’d sworn to return to the pueblo to clear her parents’ name. She had hoped he’d go with her, but knew suddenly that it would never be. And then to learn that he never wanted children to become a part of his life… The prospect had chilled her soul.

      Although she’d loved Nick, she’d realized that what they each needed to be happy went beyond their ability to make compromises. Although it was clear that circumstances had now brought him home to stay, it was just as evident from his earlier reference about his bachelor lifestyle that he hadn’t changed his mind about that part.

      As it had been in the past, fate brought them together but continued to put obstacles in their way. To make matters even worse, Nick was now a cop. As the daughter of a man in law enforcement, she knew the high emotional cost that would carry for anyone close to him. Childhood memories made her hand tremble as she grasped the door and stepped inside.

      Suddenly her son, Christopher, let out a delighted cry. The dark-haired baby crawled toward her from across the room, leaving his activity blanket behind in a heap. Her heart melted. “Come here, little guy. Did you miss me?” She scooped Chris up and held him against her, shutting out Mrs. Chino’s scowl for a few moments longer.

      “You’re very late, Eden. I told you I was expected at my daughter’s, so you had to be back by seven, not eight forty-five. I almost left and took Christopher with me.”

      “It was entirely my fault, Mrs. Chino.” Nick stepped around Eden and gave Mrs. Chino a mischievous grin that could have melted a dozen women’s hearts. “The weather was lousy and we were only trying to get out of the rain. Isn’t that what you were always telling us to do when Jake and I were kids?”

      She smiled back at him, her anger vanishing in an instant. “I did do that, didn’t I? I’m surprised you remember!”

      “How could I forget? Remember that big storm in October of 1985 that broke all those branches off the cottonwoods around the Plaza?”

      In a matter of seconds, Nick had her talking about old times. By the time the elderly lady left, Eden was amazed to see Mrs. Chino was in a better mood than she’d been in days.

      Eden sighed softly as she stood at the window, watching Nick walk the sitter down the street toward her house. Nick had a way about him. As far back as she could remember, he’d always had at least half of the women in the pueblo madly in love with him. But the time she remembered most was when he’d only had eyes for her.

      A delicious warmth spiraled through her as her thoughts drifted back to those days. Suddenly aware of what she was doing, she squelched that sentimental memory. Their time had come and gone, though destiny still toyed with them.

      She remembered what she’d told Nick earlier tonight about her baby when he’d pressed her. She hadn’t lied. There had been another man in her life after she’d left Nick—the child he’d fathered, their son Christopher.

      Nick came