Power of the Raven. Aimee Thurlo

told them that there was no emergency, they put me on hold,” she said with a grim smile. “It’s all part of that slowdown. Negotiations between the city and the police department reached an impasse a week ago and neither side is giving an inch. Personally I side with the cops. They aren’t getting paid enough, and if they end up having their benefits cut, too…” She shrugged and held her palms up. “Doesn’t make much sense to stay in a job where you have to risk your life every day but still have to choose between paying the rent or your health insurance.”

       “True, but their situation sure doesn’t help you much right now.”

       Someone finally answered the call, and Lori listened to the woman officer at the other end. “I’m sure this wasn’t an attempt to steal my car,” Lori told her. “I’ve got a sedan that’s older than dirt. No one in their right mind would want it. And a purse snatching doesn’t seem right, either. I do have my laptop inside, but you can’t see it. If you check your records, I reported seeing a man following me this morning. Heck, I even blogged about it on my webpage during a coffee break.”

       A few seconds later, Lori hung up and focused on Gene. “In all the craziness, I don’t think I introduced myself to you properly. You know my first name, but my last name’s Baker,” she said, extending her hand. “And you’re Gene…”

       He smiled. So she’d remembered his first name. This was turning out to be a good day, after all. “Gene Redhouse,” he answered. Like most Navajos, he generally disliked touching strangers, even in a handshake, but he’d adapted to the Anglo custom. As he shook her hand, it surprised him how soft and small it felt in his.

       For the first time since they’d met she gave him a full smile. Her whole face lit up and the effect took his breath away. She was heart-stopping gorgeous.

       “Did the police say what they wanted you to do next?” he asked.

       “They asked me to write down the details of what happened as soon as possible. Since no officer will be available for at least two hours, they want to make sure I don’t forget anything. They’ll also want to talk to you.”

       “Just to make sure I understand you, you gave the police the name of the man you think is stalking you?” he asked, verifying it. He remembered his brothers complaining about victims who protected their tormentors.

       “Oh, sure, but Bud’s a real creep. When I first filed harassment charges, he told the investigating officer that I’d come on to him and he even accused me of stalking him.”

       “So then it became your word against his?”

       “Exactly,” she said, and expelled her breath in a whoosh. “Reporting him not only got me nowhere, it brought my credibility into question.”

       “I don’t think the police necessarily doubt your word,” Gene said, “but their job requires them to rely solely on evidence. ‘He said, she said’ cases take a while to sort out.”

       “Maybe so, but it still stung. I wanted to force this guy to back off, but all I really did was create new problems for myself. Now, because he can’t bother me at work without looking like a liar, I guess he’s decided to follow me before and after hours. What scares me is that I’m not sure how far he’s prepared to take this.”

       “How did you happen to spot him tonight? Were you looking for him?”

       “I was on my guard, mostly because I’d had to park a little farther from the restaurant than I’d intended. After dinner I was walking back to my car and caught a glimpse of someone following me. I thought it was Bud, so I called out and told him to get lost. That didn’t work, so I got scared. I ran out into the street to flag someone down.”

       “Which turned out to be me. But what made you think you weren’t about to trade one problem for another?”

       “Two sickos in a row? Not likely. As it was, I had no reason to think of you as a threat, but I knew the guy following me was trouble.”

       Gene didn’t believe in coincidences. The universe had a pattern, and within that was order. Remembering Hosteen’s prediction, he suddenly wondered if Lori was somehow connected.

       Hosteen Silver had mentioned circles, and Gene had been rounding a curve when she’d stepped out in front of his truck. Then again, Hosteen Silver had also written about a lost one who would show him the way, and neither Lori nor he had been lost. Maybe he was trying too hard to make sense of his foster father’s prophecy.

       Lori looked around slowly, then, as if making up her mind, met his gaze. “I’m not going to stay out here at this time of night, not with Bud wanting to make trouble for me. If the police want to question me, they can come to my home,” she said. “They’ll want to talk to you, too, so how about following me there? I could fix you something to eat, or if you’ve already eaten, we can have something to drink and snacks. It’ll be my way of saying thanks. Then, after we talk to the police, you’ll be free to be on your way,” she said, and gave him one of her extraordinary smiles. “Or maybe you have a family to get home to.…” she said, and looked down at his left hand, probably checking for signs of a wedding ring.

       He smiled. She was totally irresistible. He had no particular plans tonight besides watching the basketball game on that monstrous set of Preston’s. Staying at his brother’s, who was currently out of town, had its perks.

       “I’m not married and a drink and snacks sounds great,” he said, accepting.

       “Then follow me over to my place. I’ll lead the way.”

       Her words sent a sudden chill up his spine. He wondered if this was the beginning of the change his foster father had predicted.

       He walked with her to her car, then watched her fasten her seat belt, his gaze drifting over the graceful curve of her breasts. She probably had more than one secret admirer—not to mention her pick of men willing to keep her safe.

       “I don’t usually bring strangers home, but I think we both need to get out of the open.”

       “Yeah, good idea.”

       Moments later, he was in his truck following her to the main thoroughfare, then into an old residential neighborhood across town. Houses were crowded together here, too much so for his tastes. He liked lots of open space and clear views of the sky.

       As she pulled into the driveway of a small house halfway down a narrow street, he noticed that she wasn’t much for gardening. The outside was decorated with colored gravel and a few drought-resistant Southwest plants.

       All things considered, he figured that whatever change was coming into his life wouldn’t be likely to include Lori Baker. From what he’d seen of her so far, she was a town girl. The things that made her happy—like the high heels she wore and living in this crowded urban neighborhood—didn’t fit in with the lifestyle of a hardworking rancher.

       Still there was no harm in a quick drink. He was a single man with time on his hands, and a gorgeous woman had offered him a drink at her house. He would have been crazy to say no. He’d spend some time with her, no complications, no strings. It didn’t get better than that.

       He was just stepping down from his pickup when a hard gust of wind came right out of nowhere. It caught the door like a sail, forcing him to hold on to it to keep from springing the hinges.

       Gene tucked in his chin and shut the door. As the gust swirled around him, peppering his face with fine dust, he thought he heard Wind’s whispered warning—the danger had not yet passed.

      Chapter Three

      Gene went to meet Lori where she stood in front of her closed garage door. “We weren’t followed here. I’m good at spotting things like that,” he said, seeing her looking around, a frown on her face.

       “Okay, then. Let me put my car inside the garage, then we can both go into the house and out of this wind.” She unlocked the single car garage’s door handle, gave it a twist,