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Her heart ached for him. “Me too.” She chuckled. “You know, when I told Elle that I wasn't going back, that I intended to chase this down, she offered to take time off and go with me. I was tempted to take her up on it too. But in the end, it didn’t seem right. This is my quest. I need to do this.”

  “Elle is a good friend,” he said. Then he was quiet.

  Charli agreed. “She is.”

  “If it means anything, I understand how important this is for you,” he said. He spoke softly and it sounded like his words came from his heart. A sudden sense of relief rushed through her.

  “You do?”

  “Well, I think I do. I hope so. Given my upbringing, I can’t even imagine having that distance from who you are, your family. But in your case, with this mysterious gift, I imagine that the separation makes things, life more difficult. It needs context. And now I’m thinking that you went out there to solve a mystery, and maybe this is the one you really went there to unravel.”

  That sounded so right. A weight was lifted off her. “It means a lot that you are being so understanding about this crusade of mine,” she told him. And it did. She knew she was falling in love with this man and, it seemed, for all the right reasons. “I’ll miss you incredibly, Roger. I’ll stay in touch.”

  “You’d better,” he said. “I want to hear all the ups and downs, all the adventures. I mean, if I have to deal with you being gone indefinitely, I’ll need to be treated to a good ongoing saga. I think I’m jealous.”

  “Jealous?”

  “You are taking on one grand adventure, Charli. Most people wouldn’t dare, and there you are. You are turning your life upside down because of what lies in front of you at this moment. I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “I’m grateful you get it.”

  “I’m grateful that you are willing to share this with me,” he said.

  Then, they let the conversation drift off into other things, wandering into the silly, the sublime, the trivial, as friends do. It was just a matter of sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings. After they hung up and Charli went to bed, she fell straight asleep and enjoyed a peaceful and dreamless sleep for the first time in a long time.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Road Trip

  The morning Charli drove Elle to the airport she could see that her friend was still worrying about her. “You sure you aren’t coming home with me?” Elle asked as she got out. “I wouldn’t mind getting you a ticket right now.”

  “No. I need to do this—to stay right here and see what I can learn. Besides, someone has to take care of the loose ends. I’ll go back to the motel and check us out, then I’ll return this rental car and get another one.”

  “Are you heading straight to Mescalero?”

  “No. I want to go back to Ramah for a bit first."

  She smiled. "You want to see Raymond's photos."

  "Definitely. And I want to hear his tall tales about my daddy and drink hot tea. And then there is Reyes Iron Eyes."

  "The Shaman?"

  "Right. You didn’t meet Iron Eyes, but I think he could be of some help in understanding the whole function of the dreaming thing. He claims not to know that much, but I think he knows more that he wants to admit, especially about me.” It all went back to the Warrior twins, Charli thought. And if anyone was chatting up those boys, it was Iron Eyes.

  “But the real source material will be in Mescalero,” Elle said.

  “True, but I’m bracing myself to jump into those waters. It's going to be heady drama for me, so I’ve tricked myself into thinking that it will be easier if I learn more about my family first. What the Navajo told me so far has just been a tease.”

  “I think they might’ve intended it that way.”

  The idea hit Charli hard and she realized she’d suspected the same thing. She’d dismissed it because it made no sense at the time. “You are either suspicious or cynical. Why would they do that?”

  “I don't know. Maybe they want you to stay here. They know what you can do. They want to use your magic powers.”

  She was being a little facetious, but despite her conventional approach to things, Elle’s insights could be amazing at times. “Well, I don't think that is their plan, but if it is, it’s working. I’ll stay until I find out what I need to know and like I told Roger, that’s when I’ll decide what comes next.”

  Elle nodded, understanding. “Okay, girlfriend” Elle said. “Be safe as you go off into the unknown.”

  “Hey, I’m not the one packing herself into a steel tube of her own free will so she can be hurled through the atmosphere near the speed of sound, under the control of absolute strangers,” Charli said. “You be safe.”

  “Point taken. But the tube is made of aluminum, not steel, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t refer to my flight home as being hurled. It puts a damper on my enthusiasm for going home.” Then Elle hugged her, grabbed the handle of her bag and disappeared through the automated doors and into the terminal.

  A feeling of loss tugged at Charli as her friend disappeared. Learning about her past, her people was taking her away from what she had in Tennessee and that was painful. She wondered if Roger really understood. He’d been calm and supportive, but staying away on her quest would test their relationship. Possibly damage it. She was telling him, through her actions that her need to know was more important than being with him.

  Her brain whirled as she drove back to the motel. This order of things had made the most sense. She could pack, check out, then go to the rental car place and transfer her things into a new car. Then she’d have to figure out where to stay for the night. She couldn’t remember any hotels in Ramah, but then she hadn’t been looking for one.

  She pulled into the parking spot at the motel and her heart nearly stopped. Roger Tanner stood in front of the door to her room, leaning against the hood of a car. She ran to him. “What in the world are you doing here?”

  He hugged her and kissed her before answering. Then he held her arms and looked at her, taking her in. “You said you wouldn’t be back any too soon,” he said. “I didn’t much care for that, besides, I figured if you were going to be trying to figure out who you are, you could use a little help. And if I find out along with you, then we save all that hassle of you explaining it to me later.”

  "How did you know where I was?"

  "You said you'd be here for a couple of days. And you mentioned that Elle offered to stay. So I called her and suggested that she tell me where I could track you down."

  “But your job...”

  “I had a sabbatical coming,” he said. “So I took an indefinite break—a leave of absence.” He shrugged. "It's slow season in the park."

  “Roger...”

  “You know, I’ve always wanted to see cowboy country.”

  “You have?” That was news. “I thought you were big on swamps and lakes.”

  “I am, but New Mexico is home to Billy the Kid and all sorts of magical stuff, and animals we don’t get in the east. It’s quite an opportunity. I heard Coyotes are in bloom this time of the year,” he said. He nodded toward his car. “Elle called me.”

  “She did?”

  "She said that this trek you were engaged in involved a lot of driving. You know I love to drive, so I flew in and rented a car. See, I figured that if you intend to ride off into the sunset seeking adventure you needed a sidekick. I think it’s a law out here. After all, where would The Lone Ranger be without Tonto, or Superman without Jimmy Olson for that matter? Somebody has to be the foil, make stupid comments and bad jokes, not that Tonto was very good at that.”

  “Roger, I...”

  He held up a hand. “While I have the floor and the nerve, let me say one more thing. All of this stuff I’ve said is based on a couple of assumptions. Now that I’ve been standing here, actually in New Mexico, the thought hit me that my assumptions might be pretty presumptuous. Turning it over in my head, waiting, like I said, it occurred to me for the first time that there could b
e reasons you might prefer to carry out your investigation alone.” He shifted his weight. “Second thoughts and all that. I hope...”

  “Okay, maybe I was intending to go solo. I’m not sure it was a requirement. I was tempted to take Elle up on her offer. What was the other assumption?”

  “That if you wanted company, mine would be welcome.” He shrugged. “Like I said, pretty much whoppers as assumptions go, but it never dawned on me...”

  Charli threw her arms around him again and hugged him tightly. “Roger Tanner, your company is more than welcome on my quest. And now that you are here, don’t even think about chickening out.”

  He smiled. “That’s a relief. I don’t think the car rental company would give me a refund on my deposit.” As she rested her head on Roger’s chest, enjoying the sound of his heart beating in his chest, his hand gently stroked her hair. “So we take care of stuff here, then head out on an adventure together and find out what kind of Indian Princess you are?”

  “Well, first we go back to Ramah. I’ll introduce you to Raymond Talks-with-wolves and Reyes Iron Eyes.”

  “Do all your new friends here have such cool names?”

  She grimaced. “As long as we are on the subject, I should tell you that to them I am Bonita Bonito.”

  “Bonita Bonito, the alliterative dreamer? What a great stage name. How do I get a new name?”

  “My daddy gave me mine, apparently. Mom just neglected to mention it. If you hang in there you'll probably get one. It seems to happen." She touched his arm. "I'm glad you are here. I want you to meet these people from the past I didn't know I had."

  "Me too. We will meet them and see what we can learn."

  "Right. After that, well, then we will hit the long, dusty trail that is I-25, also known as the Santa Fe Trail to you romantics, and see if we can find out if my mother’s parents are alive and more about what my rodeo cowboy father was like. If there are no leads in Mescalero, we head to Arizona and the San Carlos reservation.” She shook her head. “At least that’s the general plan.”

  “Hey, it’s a plan.”

  “Are you good with that?”

  “Keep in mind that I’m just the sidekick, not the ramrod. If that’s what strikes you as the right thing to do, then let’s saddle up. You check out, we’ll return your rental, and then: ‘Hit ‘em up, move ‘em out,’ as Rowdy Yates said.” Charli gave him a look that told him she had no idea what he was talking about. “You never watched Rawhide, that old television Western?”

  “Never,” she admitted.

  “Well, no wonder you don’t know anything worth knowing about Indians. Your entire education concerning the great Southwest has been sorely lacking due to inadequate exposure to old television shows.”

  She smiled. “Well, I have a hunch we might learn more than I want to know on this trip,” she said. “And I’m not talking about America’s history. Just my family and its... quirks.”

  “Then, as we go, we will also learn how to deal with those quirks,” he grinned. Then he pointed at the door to the motel room. “Go pack. I’m looking forward to seeing the reservation you were born on and checking out the casino the tribe runs at the Inn Of The Mountain Gods.”

  “So that’s why you came,” she said, unlocking the motel room door. “For the gambling.”

  “At least I’m consistent. So far, there is a lot about you that’s been a gamble,” he chuckled. She glanced at him and saw a wicked smiled. “By the way, I’m enjoying that.”

  She gave him a grateful look and stepped in the room, happy that he was there. “Thanks for coming,” she said softly, needing to say it, but not even sure if she wanted him to hear her admission. Having Roger to share this with made it all seem somehow more manageable, less of an onerous task to be faced up to and it did make things seem more of an adventure. “I’m so glad you came.”

  “You couldn’t have stopped me from at least showing up,” he said firmly. “What comes of it, is just the future. We can’t know what it will be.”

  “You do realize that you are saying this to a woman who sometimes dreams the future.”

  He laughed. “That’s true enough. Complicates things a tad at times, but it’s nothing we can’t deal with.”

  "You're right," she said, certain that together she and Roger could deal with almost anything.

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