Mountain Moonlight

chapter 3





Vala slept so soundly she didn't hear Davis get up, dress and leave the tent. She roused to a loud clanging, sitting up abruptly, then wincing as her sore muscles protested the sudden move.

"Breakfast, Mom!" Davis shouted from somewhere outside the tent. She wondered if he was the one who'd banged on a pan with a spoon or if that was Bram's idea of fun.

"I'm awake," she called back. "Be there in a jiff."

She dressed as quickly as she could, ignoring the twinges, trying to convince herself riding would prove easier today, and joined the two males. The morning air held a touch of crispness that she knew the sun would soon banish.

"Bram's oatmeal is way cool," Davis informed her. "He puts cinnamon in it."

Vala raised her eyebrows. Davis eating oatmeal? The stuff he called gooey yuck when she tried to serve it at home?

"Sticks to the ribs, with or without cinnamon," Bram said. "Good on the trail. Right, partner?"

Davis nodded with enthusiasm.

Once finished with breakfast, Bram said, "Today's dessert is a message from the chain fruit cholla." He pointed at a gangly-looking cactus to their left. "The cholla warns, 'Brush against me and I'll break off a chunk of myself to attach to you. Trust me, you won't like it."

"Isn't that what we used to call jumping cactus?" Vala asked.

He nodded.

"Did you guys really go to high school together like Mom said?" Davis asked. "I mean when you were teenagers." He sounded dubious about the possibility of either of them ever having been that young.

Bram grinned at him "Yup. In fact, I can even remember way, way back when I was nine, like you are now. I was a really rotten kid. But I grew up and learned how to behave--when I work at it. Speaking of work, time to pack up and hit the trail."

Vala and Davis pitched in to help, although her painful muscles slowed her considerably. All too soon it was time to climb aboard Susie Q once more, whether she wanted to or not. Bram had already saddled the mare--she supposed that would be the next thing she'd have to learn--so all she had to do right now was remember how to get on.

The first thing she forgot was which was the mounting side and she approached from the wrong one, earning an astounded look from Susie Q.

"Mom!" Davis yelled. "Get on her other side!"

As Vala switched, she thanked her lucky stars for the mare's patience and placidity. If she had to ride, at least she had an unflappable horse that forgave her mistakes. She got up onto Susie Q with no difficulty despite her aches, but as soon as they started off single file, she groaned.

How she was going to endure one more day of this, much less four or more, heaven only knew.

Up ahead of her she heard Davis whistling, something he hadn't done in months, and she resigned herself. If he was happy, what were a few aches and pains?

"All right back there in the rear?" Bram called.

"Yo!" Davis answered.

A lot of the problem was in her rear, Vala thought ruefully, her affirmation a lot less enthusiastic than her son's.

But as they rode on, she felt herself loosening up and settling into Susie Q's rhythm without consciously willing it. As she'd predicted, the rising sun's heat began to warm the crisp air and little chirping birds--cactus wrens, maybe?--flitted back and forth. Vala had always enjoyed the outdoors. She couldn't deny the day was beautiful and her companions cheerful company, Bram now whistling in counterpoint to Davis.

Bram was so good with her son. She could wish he'd donate a few dabs of his considerateness to her, but she didn't expect it. Although, come to think of it, massaging her sore muscles with that liniment last night was thoughtful. She didn't think he'd realized how his hands on her body had done more than ease muscle aches. If he had, she'd rather not be aware of it.

There'd always been something about Bram that had turned her on--not that she ever planned to let him know it. He was every bit as good-looking as he'd been as a teenager, with the added attraction maturity brings. Easy does it, she warned herself.

When they stopped to rest the horses, she was pleasantly surprised to find she was able to dismount without help and without falling on her face.

Looked like they'd be going on, Bram thought, watching Vala covertly. She was smiling today, even though he could tell by the way she moved that she still hurt. Definitely not the droopy, sorry-for-herself type he couldn't bear. But then she never had been. Kind of a loner in high school, as he remembered. Though she'd had friends, she hadn't been a part of any of the in crowds.

"I might just turn into a real horsewoman and surprise everyone." Vala was speaking to her son but he knew she wanted him to hear.

"Might," he said. "Might not."

"You don't faze me," she told him. "Susie Q's as smart as they come. You'd be amazed at what she's taught me already."

"I'm not a bad teacher myself--depending on what you want to learn," he said with a grin.

He could see she wasn't sure she wanted to reply to that one. Davis saved her the trouble of deciding by saying, "Yeah, Mom, he knows a lot of neat stuff."

"I'll bet," she muttered.

"How much?" Bram asked her.

"How much what?"

"Do you want to bet?"

"I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to be betting on."

"My mom doesn't ever bet money," Davis put in.

Bram raised an eyebrow.

"He's talking about the state lotteries," she said.

"I don't do them."

"I wasn't thinking about money," Bram told her.

She shot him what was meant to be a quelling glance, but he had no intention of dropping this. "What I meant was," he drawled, "I'm willing to bet I can teach you to do something you never dreamed you could do."

"Like bungee jumping? No, thanks."

"We'll exclude death-defying stunts. Scared to take me up on it?"

Again Davis took her off the hook by saying, "Whoa, look at that weird lizard." He pointed.

Just before it slithered into a crevice, Bram saw the big, brownish lizard whose skin appeared too big for him. "That's a chuckwalla," he said. "Non-poisonous. They like these mountains."

"There's a lizard drawn on my map," Davis said. "It's the first marker.

Bram nodded. "I think I know what it refers to. We ought to get there sometime this afternoon." He eyed Vala appraisingly.

Following his gaze, Davis said, "Aw, Mom's doing better. She can make it."

After that, Vala felt she had no choice, even though she grew less and less comfortable on Susie Q's back as the day wore on. She was almost past the point of caring when Bram finally called a halt.

"This'll be our night camp," he said. "After we take care of the horses, we'll hike a bit and I'll show you the marker."

Hike? When it was all she could do to get herself off the horse? How she longed to stretch out on the ground and not move for hours. Maybe days. Gritting her teeth, she controlled the impulse, aware once down she wouldn't willingly get up.

The marker turned out to be a rock formation off the trail that to her only vaguely looked like a lizard. Davis, though, was thrilled at the validation of his map and chattered on about finding treasure all the while he helped set up camp.

Vala, by then lying fully dressed on her sleeping bag in a half-doze, was barely aware of what he was saying, though she did hear Bram.

"Treasure comes in different packages," he said. "Sometimes you don't recognize it right away as treasure."

"But this treasure's gold," Davis protested. "Everyone knows what that looks like."

"Old Mokesh didn't tell you it was gold. He didn't even say treasure."

"Uh, no, he didn't. But he must've known what it was 'cause he had the map. I figured it has to be gold on account of Lost Dutchman Mine and all, you know? But maybe it's jewels and stuff, is that what you mean?"

"No, not jewels. We'll talk more about it later. Right now you'd better get your mother up or she'll miss supper. When I cook, no one skips meals."

Vala groaned at the ultimatum, but realized she was too hungry to bypass supper. Getting stiffly to her feet, she joined them at the small campfire.

After they'd eaten, Vala made no pretense of helping to clean up because she was just too blamed sore. As the fire died down to coals, Bram and Davis came to sit by her.

"We might run into some weather tomorrow," Bram said. Vala gazed up at the dark sky. The moon hadn't risen but she could see stars.

"How can you tell?" she asked.

"Mom, he's a guide. He knows the area."

Bram chuckled. "I can't take the credit, partner. What I do is make sure I watch the Weather Channel to catch the five day forecast before I go into the Superstitions."

"Hey, cool," Davis said.

Apparently nothing could tarnish her son's image of Bram as a western expert, full of all kinds of esoteric lore even if it came from the TV, Vala thought a bit sourly. Then she wondered if maybe she was overreacting. Could she be the least bit jealous of Davis's hero worship?

Shame on her if she was. Her son needed a man's company, needed the kind of positive attention Bram was giving him. Thank heaven she didn't need such a thing. At least not from Bram.

"The thing is, lightning is always dangerous in the mountains," Bram said. Rain's a nuisance, but neither people nor horses melt so we could keep going wet, if we had to. Lightning's another matter. We're not up near any of the peaks yet--they're the most dangerous in a storm--but tomorrow we may need to take shelter in a safer place than the trail."

"Mokesh told me the Old Ones sometimes try to keep people away from the Superstitions," Davis said. "Maybe they know we have that map and so they're sending the storm to try to drive us out."

"A storm is a natural force," Vala protested.

"Yeah, I know, but the Old Ones use nature, Mokesh said."

Vala stuck to her guns. "Whoever the Old Ones were, I doubt the coming storm has anything to do with them."

Davis was unconvinced. "You said were, but it's are. Mokesh told me the Old Ones are still here, guarding the mountains."

Bram shifted uneasily. Old Ones. His grandmother had spoken of them. Not people, spirits--if you believe as the Ndee did. He shook his head. That part of him was long gone.

"You have to remember that Mokesh's world was not ours," Vala told her son. "Is not ours," she corrected.

"Okay, but we're in his world now. Maybe we don't know everything about it."

"Suppose we leave it at that for the moment," Bram said firmly, not wanting to be drawn into a argument that involved the Ndee. Ever. "What we need to do tomorrow is keep an eye out for the next marker the map shows. If it's a rock formation like the lizard was, we might be able to spot it in the distance."

"A bear, Mom," Davis said. "Remember to look for something like a bear."

"Not a real one, I hope!"

"No danger of that, not here," Bram told her.

"Good. Lizards don't faze me, not even gila monsters as long as they don't get too close. But I don't care to come up against an animal that's a lot bigger than I am."

"Wish we'd see a gila monster," Davis said wistfully. "It'd be cool to have a lizard for a pet."

"No reptiles." Vala's voice was so definite that Bram figured they'd had this argument before.

"Well, gee, we can't have a dog 'cause of the condo rules and I don't want fish."

"How about cats?" Bram asked, remembering Sheba's batch of kittens. His friend Nick was looking after them all and he hoped they were doing well.

"Mom?" Davis asked.

"There's nothing in the rules preventing cats," she said.

"Great," Bram said. "I just happen to have a few Siamese kittens that'll be looking for new homes soon. How do you feel about cats, Davis?"

"I never had one on account of my dad was allergic. But I'm not. Would you really give me a kitten?"

"You can take your pick once the Old Ones allow us to leave the mountains."

"Aw--you're like Mom. You don't really believe in them. I wish you could've talked to Mokesh. I really miss him." Davis yawned widely.

"Time to hit the old sleeping bag, partner," Bram said. "Dawn comes early."

After Davis somewhat reluctantly retired to the tent, Bram said to Vala, "Muscles still sore?"

She nodded. "Not quite so bad, though."

"Told you that liniment works. It's in my gear--I'll get it while you change and give you another rubdown." Without waiting for her to agree or disagree, he left the dying fire.

He took his time and, when he returned, she was in the gray sweats she used for camp sleeping. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea," she said.

"Harmless, wouldn't hurt a child," he said, well aware she wasn't referring to the liniment. He also agreed that maybe it wasn't such a good idea, considering how aroused he'd gotten the night before. But, he told himself, he'd risk it because she needed the rubdown so she'd feel better tomorrow.

As soon as his hands touched her bare skin, he realized he'd been lying to himself. He'd wanted to touch her, wanted the feel of her skin, soft and smooth under his fingers, wanted to run his hands over the sweet curve of her butt, to linger along her sides where he could feel the swell of her breasts. In fact, he wanted a hell of a lot more from Vala. Not that he was likely to get it, even if he was unwise enough to try.

Vala's increased awareness of Bram made his massage far more erotic for her than it had been before. She tried in vain to block out those feelings and concentrate on the easing of her aching muscles. Instead, she found herself wanting him to go on and on, to touch her in places that had begun to ache for a far different reason than riding a horse. Catching herself just before a moan of pure pleasure escaped, she said, "Enough!"

"You're right." His voice held the same husky catch she'd heard in her own. "Or maybe wrong," he added as he stopped and moved away from her. "Maybe it's not nearly enough."

His words jolted Vala. What did he mean? If she agreed it wasn't enough, what might happen? Unable to decide what to say or to face the matter head on, the only thing she could think of to do was ignore what he'd said.

"I could use another ibuprofen, if you have one," she told him.

Once in the tent with her sound-asleep son, Vala didn't dissolve into sleep as easily as she had the night before.

It was as though she could still feel Bram's hands on her body, stroking, arousing....

It made her remember how she daydreamed about him when she was in high school. Not that she'd thought about him caressing her, a kiss was as far as she taken her fantasy about him. She'd longed to have him notice her, to think she was beautiful--even if she didn't believe she was--to ask her for a date.

Not that she would have been allowed to go out with him if he had asked. Not only was he older, he was also, in the eyes of parents of daughters, at least, dangerous. But that wasn't the only reason she found him fascinating. She carried around like a treasure the one time their glances had crossed when they passed in the hall.

His eyes, dark and fathomless, promised a delicious wickedness she couldn't quite imagine, though she was willing enough to experience it. His hair, equally dark, long and lustrous, never stringy, framed a high-cheek-boned face, a different face, one that made her tingle inside every time she saw him.

So here she was in the Superstitions with the guy. And he still intrigued her, she may as well admit it. Turned her on as well, since she was being honest with herself.

She definitely was not going to act on the attraction, though. Never. After all there was Davis to consider. Davis, who could and did sleep though vast amounts of noise and commotion....

Stop it, she warned herself. You are not going to throw yourself at Bram or even hint you might be available. You're going to behave in a mature fashion, which doesn't even include the possibility of involvement. He probably isn't really interested in you anyway.

Lying awake, looking up at the stars, Bram saw the first tiny cloud drift across them. Weather coming, definitely. Whatever the storm proved to be like, though, it'd be nothing compared to his own inner storm warnings.

Vala had been the one he'd always noticed in high school. He hadn't been sure why. For one thing, she'd had a long neck that made her look graceful. For another, her aloofness made her mysterious--what was she really like? Pretty enough in a different, less obvious way than some of the other good-looking girls. Fragile was the word that had come to him then.

In reality, Vala had turned out to be anything but fragile. She'd married the wrong man, obviously, but had the courage to divorce him and raise her son alone. She'd even been prepared to venture into these dangerous mountains alone to try to make Davis happy, foolish as that expedition would have been.

And so here they were and he wanted her with a much fiercer need than the boy he'd been in high school. Then he hadn't taken his desire any further than maybe imagining kissing her because, for some reason, he couldn't picture himself doing anything more. Not with Vala Channing, even given that she'd allow it, which he'd doubted.

What would be her reaction now? She'd certainly given him no reason to think she'd been attracted to him when they were teenagers. Did she feel any differently now? Was he the only one feeling the intangible link between them? He didn't think so. He could sense she was as aware of him as he was of her.

Best to leave it alone, he knew that. Always a mistake to get involved with a woman you were paid to guide.

Business and pleasure needed to be kept apart. Making love with Vala would be a risk. Unfortunately, he was a risk-taker. Not so daring a one as he'd been as a teenager, but risk was an intrinsic part of him, impossible to eradicate.

From somewhere far off a coyote howled at the moon. The Ndee thought of Old Man Coyote as a trickster. If he believed in the Old Ones he might think he was being warned. Or challenged.

Remembering the feel of Vala's body under his hands, he smiled, anticipating the challenge to come.