Starlight Dunes Read online

  The sound drew her onward. Tears ran down her cheeks and mingled with the raindrops there. The thought of not reaching him in time had fear clutching at her throat, her heart. But she would not stop, she would not give up, she would never stop searching.

  The wind battered her path, whipping her face with sharp stings and slashes. The rain came down harder. Thunder snapped. Lightning crackled overhead. It began to grow darker and darker still. Panic set in. Her teeth began to chatter as the temperature dropped to freezing cold.

  She had to find her child before it was too late.

  River spotted him then, her bright-eyed baby boy, sitting on a bed of damp leaves wearing nothing but his diaper, one finger tucked into his mouth, his chubby cheeks rosy red from all the crying. He looked the same as he had the last time she’d seen him, except that his baby-fine black hair was matted with dirt and his skin slick with rain. But he was alive. It would all be okay. Luke would be okay.

  But as she reached to snatch him up and whisk him out of the elements, her fingers moved through air. One unsuccessful attempt after another, she kept trying to pick him up but every time she did, her hands slipped through nothingness.

  River heard the wail, recognized her own screams as she clawed through the leaves and dirt to find her child.

  She woke to someone beating on her bedroom door.

  River ran a hand through her wet hair. She looked down at the way she was dressed and realized she had nothing on but the towel she’d grabbed after her shower. She remembered sitting down on the bed for a minute and must have fallen asleep.

  “Are you okay?” Jordan shouted from the other side of the door. “River, if you don’t answer me, I’ll have to use the passkey to check on you myself.”

  River crawled off the bed, dazed and confused from the nightmare she’d had several other times before, the same dream, the same search, the same ending—in bitter disappointment.

  She swallowed hard and went to the door, cracked it open. Her voice was rough and craggy. “I’m fine. I guess I must’ve fallen asleep and had a bad dream.”

  “River, you were screaming. We could hear you all the way downstairs. You scared us half to death.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine.” Jordan reached over and took River’s hand in hers. “You’re freezing and you’ve been crying. Is there anything I can do? Would you like me to fix you a tray, some hot tea maybe? I’ll bring it to your room. You can eat in here.”

  “No, no, don’t go to that kind of trouble. I’ll be down to eat. Just give me a minute or so to get dressed,” River said wiping the tears off her face.

  “You take all the time you need.”

  By the time River got down to the dining room, she felt a little better. She’d splashed water on her face and put the dream where it belonged—locked away in that part of herself where hope lived.

  She looked around the table at the kids, their cheery faces smeared with spaghetti sauce and ached for another chance. What mother wouldn’t?

  She caught the worried faces of her hosts.

  “You okay?” Nick asked.

  She nodded. “Thanks for checking on me.”

  “We were worried.”

  “I know.” She took a seat across from the kids and did her best to dig into the huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs Jordan had fixed.

  The couple didn’t ask questions but River could tell the temptation was there to pry. Instead of offering an explanation, she decided to put them both at ease the only way she knew how. She picked up the conversation from earlier to explain what she’d meant about Scott. Since the kids were right there though, she thought it best to temper her words.

  “Do you mind if I ask a few questions about our convo from earlier?”

  “I suppose you’ve earned a few,” Nick groused, glancing over at Hutton. “She’s too young to understand all this so keep it low-key.”

  “I agree. And we can table this discussion for another time if you’re uncomfortable talking about it in front of the kids. Because I totally understand if we put this on hold in front of them.”

  Jordan stared at her children, both preoccupied with stuffing their mouths with pasta and meat sauce. “Sometimes I wonder if they’ll reach a point where they’ll see him, too.”

  “And what we’ll tell them when they do,” Nick added, reaching across the linen tablecloth to take Jordan’s fingers in his.

  River nodded and lowered her voice. “I know this much, I don’t think it’s an ‘if’ situation but rather a ‘when.’ Scott prides himself on being a truly benevolent spirit, no aura surrounding him says otherwise. That makes what you have here a built-in, ready-made protector of sorts, a guardian. He obviously watches over what and who he cares about. And just so you know, I’ve seen Scott walking along the boardwalk a couple of times so it isn’t as though he spends all his time here on the grounds or upstairs scaring the guests.”

  “Our Scott will always be here to look after what he loves. We know that,” Jordan agreed.

  “But how do you know so much about him in such a short amount of time? I mean, it’s only been a week. It’s accurate, but how could you tell all that so fast?” Nick wondered.

  “The first night he could’ve scared the bejeezus out of me. He didn’t. Instead he took the time to put me at ease right up front. At first, I was like, what the…? But then he said one word, like a code word, that calmed me down.”

  River noted Nick and Jordan exchange glances. It was Nick who reflected, “So he had personal knowledge about you that there’s no way he should’ve known?”

  “He did. And like I said earlier, I’ve encountered such things before just not one quite as vocal as yours or as strong in spirit.”

  “You have?” Jordan asked, wide-eyed. “You’re so calm about it.”

  “About this, I guess I am.” River sipped her glass of merlot, pondered whether or not to disclose anything of a personal nature. Since the couple appeared to have moved on from the episode upstairs, River decided to keep it about Scott. “I’ve been at sites where things got a little weird real quick when the spirits made it clear they didn’t like the fact that we disturbed their abode, if you know what I mean. They aren’t all friendly like Casper.”

  “I see. You mean when you dug up bones or artifacts belonging to them? Do you expect anything like that here in town once things get more—interesting?” Jordan asked.

  “Who knows? I certainly didn’t expect anything like Scott when I checked into your lovely B & B. But here we are. I’ve learned over the years that in my line of work it’s best to keep an open mind about these things.”

  “But you’re a scientist who deals with facts staring back at you. How is it you believe in…such things?” He’d almost used the G word, but changed it at the last minute in front of the kids.

  But about that time Hutton and Scott decided they were finished eating and wanted down. While Nick stood up to mop messy faces and fold bibs, the discussion ground to a halt.

  The minute the children scampered off to play in the other room, River went with intuition. “One of the things I wanted to ask, and you’re under no obligation to answer this, but how do you know Hutton hasn’t already seen him? He is, after all, her father.”

  Jordan’s eyes went wide again. “Okay, how did you know that?”

  River decided to keep it simple. “I was reminded earlier today that Pelican Pointe is a small town. People talk.”

  “Ah. So you weren’t using your vast experience with these sorts of things to hone in on that?”

  “Not yet,” River said, smiling, keeping her skill close to the vest.

  “That touches on all kinds of possibilities,” Nick surmised. “That must be one of the reasons Scott’s opened up to you already.”

  River let him think that for now without setting him straight. “Let me remind you that because I have Native blood running through my veins I grew up on myths and legends, some beautiful, some not so pretty. Some we
re downright scary. But scary isn’t Scott.”

  “Scary? Not at all, but he does love to bug people sometimes. This all must relate in some way to why you’re here and what you do for a living.”

  “I’ve thought of that. I made archaeology my life’s work because most times I could come up with a reasonable hypothesis, an assessment if you will, about how a civilization lived at one time based in fact.” She didn’t share how because that would take another discussion.

  “But some days I admit to blending the rational facts and figures I learn with what I know of my own ancestral beliefs. That isn’t to say at the moment, I’m meshing Pueblo lifestyle with Chumash or Coushatta for that matter, quite the contrary. I deal in what I find in the ground, go from there. But sometimes there are other factors at play that can’t be so easily explained. Throw in those elements and they tell me a lot about the people from the past.”

  Nick raised a brow. “You’re not ready to divulge these other factors, are you?”

  River smiled again. “Another night maybe.”

  “That’s extremely candid for you to admit that digging up artifacts is so theoretical,” Jordan said.

  “It would be disingenuous of me otherwise. Don’t get me wrong. Like other archeologists, I deal in facts and figures, what I find in the ground. I live by carbon dating just like others do, most of the time anyway. But I also take my Native heritage seriously. The part of me that grew up listening to magical tales about supernatural beings is in here.” She tapped her chest. “I don’t turn away from who I am or where I came from.”

  “But keeping an open mind is probably what brought Scott to your door.”

  “More like brought me here to his. But it’s also why I’m the best person for this job here in Pelican Pointe. This is a different kind of site altogether for me. That’s why I lobbied to get it. I’ll have a successful dig site here because I’m thorough and I’m willing to give Marcus Cody his due. I want to learn as much from him about the Chumash people as I do by digging in the dirt.”

  “As soon as the cliffs collapsed and gave up that canoe, I started reading about carbon dating on the Internet,” Nick admitted.

  River nodded again. “A fascinating subject to have over dinner and my own personal favorite. Even though I liked working in the lab, it wasn’t for me. Give me field work any day over sitting inside four walls. Plus, I love to get my hands dirty, merge what I take for fact about the area, any area where Native people lived and thrived.”

  “Will you take soil samples?”

  “Sure. We’ll take whatever we happen to come across down in that hole and send it to the lab for testing. I get the results back, I come up with a theory. I can sustain that theory because I believe it will more closely resemble the truth rather than some of these crackpots who go on and on about cannibalism and human sacrifices occurring in this part of North America.”

  “But the Aztecs did practice human sacrifice,” Nick reminded her.

  “And I concede there’s proof of that but certainly not all tribes did, not the ones who lived along the coast, not the Chumash.”

  “You’d make a great host for one of those programs on the National Geographic Channel,” Jordan decided.

  River laughed at that. “I just love what I do. I want you guys to know I’m going to miss this place when I check out. You’ve made me feel incredibly welcome.”

  “That’s the idea. I know your reservation is up Monday but we hoped you’d extend it,” Jordan said. “We enjoy having you here.”

  “If only I could. I’d love nothing better than to do that but the budget won’t allow it. Once Julian and Laura, my crew, get here and bring the RV to town, I’ll have to give up the full-size shower and rough it. God, I’m going to miss that luxurious queen-sized bed and all the comforts of home like we’re doing now, sitting around a regular table instead of that tiny thing in the RV. Having all these amenities are a little slice of heaven for me. Not to mention having to give up your cooking.”

  “Any time you or your team needs a place to stay, feel free to come back. We’d love to have you.”

  “Believe me, if I could work it into my budget, I’d prefer staying right here to sharing an RV with a couple of goofy lovebirds.”

  “Hmm. What if we dangled a better price in front of you?” Nick prompted. “We’re approaching the off-season.”

  “Better price? Now you have my attention.”

  Nick threw out a figure.

  “I could definitely work with that using my allowable per diem. Add in a little of my own money and I think it might work for me. We may have ourselves a deal, Mr. Harris, because living in that tin can gets old really fast. Besides that, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with Promise Cove. I’m pretty sure I understand why Scott is so reluctant to give it up.”

  “Is it true Marcus Cody isn’t all that keen about this dig?” Jordan asked.

  “You heard right. Marcus may not trust me yet but the rest of the family seems like a sure bet.”

  Chapter Five

  At the Cody house in Santa Cruz, Marcus stood in the kitchen helping his wife of forty-three years load the dishwasher after supper. While he might not have been sure about River Amandez his wife, Lindeen, was showing the first signs of total adoration. She’d already talked the woman’s ear off all the way down the 101 on the trip from Pelican Pointe to Santa Barbara. Lindeen liked what she’d learned from the pretty archaeologist.

  And she wasn’t above sharing how she felt with her husband. “They’d make a perfect couple. She’s unattached. She seems sweet. And she’s cute as a button. What could Brent find wrong with any of that?”

  Marcus, however, remained stoic. At sixty-seven, the man still wore his long hair, albeit white, tied back in a ponytail. He’d been far less charmed with the vibe he’d gotten from River than Lindeen had been.

  He calmly poured himself another glass of iced tea and stated flatly, “She’s hiding something.”

  Lindeen fluffed her graying mane of black hair and waved him off. “So was Hayden and look how that turned out. We have our first grandchild and our youngest has never been happier.”

  But Marcus stood firm. “River isn’t what she seems. Besides, you need to stay out of Brent’s love life. I told you that already.”

  “That’s why this time I’m playing it crafty. This time I’m not letting on that I like her. First mistake. Psychology. Reverse thinking,” she said, tapping the side of her head. “If I push him her way, you and I both know he’ll run the other direction for sure. You know your oldest son. This is the one, Marcus. She’s Native. She’s perfect for our Brent.”

  Marcus didn’t reply right away. Instead he looked over at his petite wife. Glancing back down at the liquid he’d poured, he thought for a moment before he said, “Lindeen, River’s from out of state. California isn’t her home. Think about it long and hard before you push her on Brent. This woman travels the globe. What makes you think she’d be content giving all that up? Her heart’s in her work. I sensed that about her right away. Have you thought about that at all? Do you want to see Brent up and leave the state, to uproot his life to follow River Amandez all over the world?”

  “What on earth makes you think he’d do that? He’s settled here. His home’s here. Once the insurance company settles, he’ll rebuild it.”

  “Be that as it may, I’m convinced she has problems of her own locked up inside. Brent doesn’t need to be dragged into more drama at the moment.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Other than someone wants him dead, you mean? In case you haven’t noticed, our son is at a crossroads right now with his life, his career.”

  Lindeen paled at that. Then she thought about it for another minute. Like any good matchmaker though, she quickly rebounded and waved off her husband again. “If you mean the fact the county hasn’t let him come back to work yet, that’s just temporary. He’s the sheriff. The people elected him. The county can’t just dismiss that. He’ll be b
ack on the job in no time. You’ll see. But that other stuff about River, I admit I hadn’t considered any of it. She is rather dedicated to her work, isn’t she?”

  “She is. Not to mention there’s something…off…about her. But first and foremost, why would a woman like that who travels for a living, put down roots here in California? There’s no reason for her to do it, none at all. And if she and Brent should happen to get together briefly, I doubt it would last. I’m afraid your oldest son is a confirmed bachelor. After his disastrous marriage, I doubt he’ll ever consider matrimony again at all. The sooner you accept it the better off you’ll be.”

  “But you’re planning on pushing this security detail on him, right? The two of them will be in close proximity for months. The setup’s perfect, more so than any of mine have been.”

  “Indeed I plan on getting the council to hire him for security but not to fix him up with River Amandez. But because he’s the best man for the job even with one bum leg,” Marcus stated. “Fixing him up was never my objective. I have no intentions of making that trip into Pelican Pointe every day for the next two months. Fact is, Brent’s already there. It makes sense. I just have to get him to see that.”

  Lindeen’s shoulders slumped. “I really did think River would be perfect for him. But now I can see your point. I suppose I need to call Julianne and see if she’s busy this weekend. I still have hope the two of them might connect that way. It’s time I had her over to supper anyway. Do something nice to pay her back for running to the store for me all those times when my back was out.”

  Marcus gave his wife a disbelieving look. “Right. That story might fly with Julianne. It might even fly with Brent, but not me. I love you dearly, Lindeen. You’ve been the love of my life for forty-three years now. But you need to let Brent find his own woman. You need to give that boy some breathing space. He’s right about that, you know. And if it never happens, if he never finds that special woman to share his life with, I’m telling you, you need to accept it and move on.”

  Lindeen harrumphed at that. “I’m only thinking of Brent. And after what happened to him, our boy almost died, Marcus. Brent needs someone in his life.”