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  She concentrated on the engraved slabs of rock so she wouldn’t feel claustrophobic. There were so many people crowded into the small space. It helped a little. The tablets were fascinating. They reminded her of Aztec carvings she’d seen in Mexico. The writing was similar, but the tablets here were much smaller. These were about twelve by eighteen inches and at least three inches thick. They could be lifted, but not easily.

  For about twenty minutes, Autumn managed the crowd. But finally, the press of people got to her. She scrambled out of the room and onto the ledge. Gulping air, she let the claustrophobia pass.

  “What happened? Are you all right?” Jess came out of the room to stand by her.

  “I’m fine,” she said, but her voice sounded husky and strained. Shaking her head, she admitted. “No, I’m not. I’m not crazy about crowded rooms.”

  “Bad experience?”

  She nodded. “When I was ten years old, we lived in Rio de Janeiro. It was Mardi Gras, and I got caught in a moving crowd of people. They pressed me into a wall, and I thought I’d be squeezed to death. It was two hours before my brothers finally found me.”

  “What did they do?”

  “Pounded a way through the crowd and then taught me karate.”

  “I see.” He smiled.

  Feeling better, she leaned against the wall. Jess pressed against her, and again last night’s walk came to mind. His kiss had been unexpected, but not her reaction to it which annoyed her no end. Had he experienced any of the old feelings or had the kiss been the excuse for delay he’d claimed it to be?

  Sun-bronzed hair cut across his brow, while his khaki shirt stretched over solid muscle. He’d been worried about her just now, and she wanted to thank him for his concern. She hesitated, wondering if she should be frank or wait for a better time.

  The opportunity slipped by when Wayne led the party out of the cave. Connie followed and cast a quick glance their way, but immediately turned to say something to the professor. The others carefully brought out the tablets and assembled them along the inside wall of the lodge. Autumn joined them, in a way relieved by the interruptions. She wasn’t sure she could handle any of Jess’s possible responses.

  Dr. Davidson issued orders and managed the handling of the ancient carvings. His ring of authority proved he hadn’t lost his touch in supervising such a monumental dig. Finally, the carvings were all displayed for the experts to examine. They huddled together in the small space and talked excitedly.

  “This is incredible,” the cartographer said. “I still find it hard to believe the Anasazi were from Mexico.”

  “The Mexican Connection was suspected by some,” Dr. Davidson said as the studied the tablet before him. “They set up a system of trade and established outposts or trade centers.”

  “I thought the common theory was that several years of drought forced the Anasazi to abandon their homes and move on,” Jess spoke up.

  “That has been a theory for years—and what I believed, I might add—until I found these. But, look.” He bent to trace the odd shapes and figures carved in the gray-colored rock. “They tell the story.”

  Autumn smiled at the professor as he continued his discourse. Occasionally, she shared a smile with Wayne, who remained beside her, but most of the time, she watched the others. It felt good to be part of something that held such impact. The fact that the tablets had been made by her ancestors gave her a sense of pride—a oneness with time.

  Is that what her father had meant when he had told her that finding one’s roots were like touching one’s place in the universe? Would this discovery help her to understand where she fit in the scheme of things? She didn’t know—time would tell. In the meantime, she would wait with an open mind.

  The wait wasn’t bad, either. It was pleasant up high on this ledge. A breeze cooled the air, while the cliff shaded the dwellings from the sun’s hot rays. Over the past months, she had come to love the desert. The clear air and sense of space freed her spirit.

  She breathed deep and remembered how Real Tall Man had told her that the earth was the floor to the sky. She loved to hear him talk of nature. She was learning a whole new perspective. The problem was resolving the conflict between her old beliefs and the new. There was time for that, too—Real Tall Man had assured her. She decided to forget about the conflict with the clan, ignore her feelings for Jess, and for now, enjoy the excitement of discovery.

  .

  CHAPTER 5

  For several more hours, the group studied the tablets and asked questions. In spite of the small space, cameras were set up, pictures taken, and plans made to store and distribute the stones for analysis. Finally, when the sun was directly overhead, Dr. Davidson insisted they break for lunch.

  Jess moved to the edge of the cliff and helped each member of the party start his descent down the carved steps. Autumn watched for a few minutes, to make sure she wasn’t needed. The steps could be treacherous. No one seemed to balk at the height, and she suspected it was due to the assurance of Jess’s voice as he advised them of safety precautions.

  For a few minutes longer she remained, letting the soothing murmur of voices wrap around her. Again last night came to mind, but the memory dissolved when Connie Turner approached the edge of the cliff. Autumn saw the smile Jess cast toward the blonde. She didn’t like the way his fingers wrapped around Connie’s as he helped her over the edge, or the way Connie leaned against him. Jess appeared to enjoy the attention.

  Irritated with herself, Autumn straightened from her position against the wall. Another possibility occurred to her. Maybe Jess was interested in Connie Turner and was using Autumn to make her jealous. Had he taken her on the walk last night in order to follow the reporter? Autumn shook her head. That didn’t make sense. If he’d wanted to make Connie jealous, he would have exposed their cover. Still, he hadn’t expected to overhear the strange conversation between Connie and Wayne.

  Annoyed with herself for worrying about Jess Barron, and his motives, she carefully made her way through the throng of waiting scientists and found Dr. Davidson restacking the tablets. Quickly, she went to his side and took hold of an end of the heavy slab in his hands.

  “You shouldn’t be lifting these,” she scolded. “You should have called me to help.”

  “I don’t need help,” he muttered as they edged toward the pile of tablets. “Don’t start fussing at me—not now, with all these people around.”

  To give him credit, she had to admit he was tougher than he looked. He could hike fifteen miles in the hot desert sun and still have energy to dig around the rocks, hoping for a new discovery.

  “I won’t fuss,” she promised as she took a slab from him. “Just remember, you’re keyed up with all the excitement.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to ruin my big moment with a heart attack.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  The professor became annoyed, something she noticed he’d been doing more frequently. “I don’t need to make promises to you, girl. Just keep to yourself and leave me be. I have too much riding on this discovery to let health get in the way—or you, either, for that matter.”

  Autumn let it drop, knowing what he said was true. She’d often heard him rail at the university system that demanded professors publish or perish. Dr. Davidson hadn’t published anything because he’d spent all of his time in the field, exploring and charting the wealth of archaeological data in the area. There should be a merit system where credit for fieldwork could count.

  “I’m not going to get in the way,” she assured him. “This discovery will make up for ten articles.”

  “I wish the tenured staff had your insight. They’re a bunch of jackasses. I do ten times more work than they do. I’ve been on plenty of digs—organizing, leading—but because they print an article in a journal now and then…”

  She decided it best to change the subject. “How much more do you want to do here? Shall we start piling these up outside?”

  He shook his head.
“Let’s leave them here. I don’t plan to bring them down until tomorrow. Might as well do the heavy work in the morning, while it’s cool.”

  “Sounds good to me,” she agreed while stacking the last tablet. “But, why are you putting them away? I’d bet some of these people are going to want to look at them again after lunch.”

  Just as she turned, she caught the odd look that flashed across his face. When he saw her staring, he quickly relaxed his expression. “They aren’t going to be coming back up here.”

  “Really?” She paused, her hand braced on her hip. “You and what army are going to keep them away?”

  He brushed his hair back and Autumn suspected something was up. When he grinned, she was sure of it. “It’s a surprise.”

  “And that means you aren’t telling.” She groaned. The professor was always full of surprises, and she knew from past experience he’d not give a clue. Too many times during the last few months he’d frustrated her with his secretive behavior, only to delight her with the sight of a rare flower or perhaps a panoramic view that would take her breath away.

  “You know me, girl. I won’t be telling you what it is. But I promise, you’ve never seen the likes of it before.”

  “When do I get this surprise?”

  “After lunch.”

  “Is it something to share with the others?”

  “Aye, girl.” He smiled and then frowned as his glare bore into her. “You won’t be minding to have everyone in on it?”

  “Of course not. It’s wonderful to have people around who can relate to what we find.” It brought back memories of her father’s house. Their guest rooms had always been filled with an interesting variety of people.

  “We’ve been alone out here a long time.”

  “I haven’t minded.” There had been too much to learn and work out.

  “You did at first. I remember you sobbing in the night.”

  An ache dulled by age knifed through her. Her first four months had been hard. Being away from her family hadn’t been all of her problem. She hadn’t understood Real Tall Man or the clan—and there’d been Jess.

  “You taught me to appreciate the desert. I’ve learned to enjoy the quiet. In fact,” she chuckled, “I think I’m spoiled now. I could barely sleep last night. I kept hearing people moving around and talking.”

  The professor laughed with her. “So that’s what it was. I couldn’t sleep either, but I blamed it on the excitement.”

  “There’s that, too. We’d better get used to it, though. We have several more months of this.”

  The wistful look that crossed his features made her chuckle. He might protest all the hoopla, but she knew he loved every minute of it.

  “Come on. We’re done here. Let’s go eat lunch.”

  Autumn followed Dr. Davidson from the small room. Frank Riker was the only one left on the ledge. She didn’t waste time visiting, but hurried to descend the steps. As she lowered herself over the edge, she heard the professor ask the ranger to stay and guard the tablets. Frank protested, and for once, Autumn had to agree. Why should the tablets be guarded?

  Even though she agreed with Riker, she kept silent. If the ranger was stuck up here, he wouldn’t be bothering her—or anyone else for that matter. Maybe that was the professor’s reasoning. Autumn smiled and jumped off the last step.

  Back at the campground, the group talked nonstop while they ate. From snatches of conversation, Autumn gathered they were enthused about Dr. Davidson’s discovery. In fact, they were so excited, they only took time to open cans of Spam and slap together sandwiches before they were ready to head back up the cliff.

  Dr. Davidson forestalled them with his insistence that they take time for a rest. Autumn readily concurred. She hadn’t slept well, and she’d hoped for an hour to kick back and nap.

  Her tent was stuffy and warm. Autumn grabbed a blanket and decided to find a shady spot outside where the breeze would cool her off. Besides, being in the tent reminded her of why she hadn’t slept well. She’d told Dr. Davidson it had been the unfamiliar activity around camp, but that had only been a small part of it. The main disruption had been thoughts of the strange conversation between Connie and Wayne, followed by memories of Jess’s unusual attention. She still couldn’t figure out why he suddenly seemed interested in her again.

  It hadn’t occurred to her to worry about Wayne. Clearly he held high ambitions, but she had no idea he would use his father’s position as a lever for favoritism. What else would he do to gain acceptance? She’d better keep an eye on him. She didn’t want anything to jeopardize the professor’s big moment.

  Pushing aside the tent flap, Autumn walked outside. The breeze cooled her skin and raised goose bumps along her arms. Jess had done the same thing last night when he’d touched her.

  The nylon rustled behind her as she dropped the flap of the tent. All these months, she’d tried so hard not to think of Jess. His sudden interest disconcerted her. Should she encourage it, or avoid him? Considering the fact that the ruins were on his property, and she would be forced into closer proximity with him through the group, the safest choice would be to keep an emotional distance. Autumn shrugged aside the thought. She knew that Jess Barron was too intriguing to ignore.

  After spreading the blanket on the shaded sand, Autumn stretched out on her stomach and closed her eyes. Images of Jess teased her mind with memories of their time together. Dr. Davidson had assigned her to another canyon west of Coyote Springs, where she’d spent long hours mapping out a small ruin.

  The hours hadn’t been tedious because she had had Jess’s visits to look forward to. Every evening, he’d ride his horse to her camp. They’d swim in the river and spend hours talking.

  She couldn’t remember the discussions and she doubted they were very meaningful. Most were interrupted by long kisses and sensuous caresses. Autumn sighed as the memories tormented her.

  She rolled onto her back. This had to stop. She willed away thoughts of Jess Barron, Connie Turner, and the dig. Years of training in yoga and meditation allowed her to clear her mind. In spite of her inner turmoil, she finally dozed. The next thing she heard was the professor’s shout.

  “Attention, everyone.” Dr. Davidson’s voice rang through the campgrounds. “Come gather ’round. I want you to listen.”

  Autumn tossed her blanket back into her tent to go see what Dr. Davidson was up to. In the middle of the campfire area, she spied him standing on top of a flat rock. A breeze blew the strands of his hair about and plastered his baggy pants to his slight frame.

  “We’re not going back up the cliff just yet,” he announced. “I have another surprise I’ve been saving for you.”

  Murmurs rumbled within the group as anticipation began to grow. Autumn studied the professor’s expression and began to chuckle to herself. The older man was in his glory—he was drawing out every bit of attention that he could.

  “What is it, Doc?”

  “Don’t keep us guessing.”

  “We want to go back up to the ruins.”

  Finally, he spoke. “All I’m saying is, bring your cameras and notebooks, because you won’t believe what you’re going to see. And I want the reporters to come, too.”

  All traces of protest fled as the crowd’s curiosity began to build. She watched Dr. Davidson gesture for the group to follow him out of the camp and into the sandy wash. The excitement mushroomed, along with speculation. Autumn hurried to catch up as the professor wound through the canyon.

  “Do you know what he’s up to?” Jess fell in beside her.

  Autumn shook her head as she slowed her walk and stared at her companion. He had lifted his Stetson and was wiping his brow with a blue bandanna. It annoyed her how much even that small action distracted her. Gravel crunched under their boots as they hiked together.

  “I haven’t a clue,” she told him. “There’s a small ruin about half a mile around the bend. Maybe we’re headed there.”

  “What’s in it? Anything of interes
t?”

  “Not that I know of. There are only a couple of houses and a field. I think a ball court might have been there. Some traces of a wall suggest it.”

  “I vaguely recall the place, but I don’t think there’s anything there.” He brushed back his brown hair before placing his hat back on. “But then, I didn’t think there was anything much at Coyote Springs, either.”

  Remembering the professor’s smile, Autumn quickened her step. “You don’t suppose he’s found more tablets?”

  “Could be.” Jess lengthened his stride to keep up with her. The spark of excitement in her expression aroused his curiosity. He tilted his hat brim to block his view. He didn’t want to picture her in an intimate sense, but the images came. He forced them out.

  “You really get off on this archaeological business, don’t you?” He tried to keep the annoyance he felt out of his voice. From the wary glance she cast him, he knew he’d failed.

  “In a sense, I’ve been involved all my life. Since my father’s in the export-import business, he deals in native crafts. We’ve traveled to many countries. I guess I’ve always been intrigued with different cultures.”

  Her worldliness made him uncomfortable. It had from the beginning. He wondered how long a woman with her class and intellectual curiosity would survive in the rugged emptiness of the desert. There was no room for elegance. Harsh reality demanded earthy practicality.

  “The southwestern cultures have always been a favorite of mine,” she went on.

  Her smile reminded him of his intuition about her innocence, but the admission of her interest in the ways of The People annoyed him further. “Who cares about the past?” he muttered. “If you ask me, it’s just a bunch of phony horse…” He cut off the word when he saw her expression harden.

  “If you feel that way, why did you give us permission to explore the ruins?”

  Good question. He’d asked it often himself. “My father prohibited exploration. He respected the wishes of the tribal council.”