on my terms or not at all."
"No compromise?"
She moved closer, her scent of sunshine invading his senses and drowning out all logic. He leaned his head down, his hand coming up to tilt her chin so he could look into her eyes. He saw her vulnerability in their depths.
Sucking in a sharp breath, he closed his eyes to conceal the struggle he was experiencing. He thought of his wife alone that last night at the museum, unprotected, vulnerable. He hadn't been able to help his wife when the thieves had broken in and taken the Indian artifacts. He wouldn’t stand by and let them steal and murder again. He had to retain control of his emotions, not let anyone get in his way, and that included Tory Winters.
Guerrero dropped his hand away as if seared by the touch. He stepped past her and headed for the door, yanking the chair away. "I'll be back in thirty minutes. Be in bed and asleep before I return." The steel quality in his voice underscored his tension and anger. She made him feel something. He didn’t like it.
* * *
For the past four hours, all Tory had stared at was Guerrero's broad back as they had wound their way through the mountains toward the Temple of the Stars. When she woke up this morning, she discovered that Guerrero hadn’t slept on the floor in Benito’s son’s room, but he had slept on the floor outside the door. She’d asked him why he didn’t, and he ignored the question. He hadn't spoken since he had mounted his horse and left the village. She was beginning to think she was going to go mad with the silence and the cold shoulder.
"Is Guerrero your only name?" she asked, determined to get a response out of him, even anger.
"No."
They rounded a bend and started to descend into the valley where the Temple of the Stars was located. Tory let the silence exist for five more minutes before she asked, "What is your name?"
He threw her a glance over his shoulder. "Do you have a thing about names?"
"I always like to know who I'm dealing with."
"Then Guerrero is just fine."
Warrior. Yes, it suited him just fine. They were from two different worlds. She would have to remember that. When this dig was over, especially if it was as important as she was beginning to believe, she would have her full professorship and the recognition of the archaeology world. This had been her plan for years. She had worked for the past seventeen years toward that goal with a single-mindedness that would have made her father proud if he had cared to stay around.
"You do have a mother and father, don't you? You weren't just dropped on this earth full grown?” She pushed the sad memories away, yet again, hating this sudden journey into the past she had felt compelled to take the past few days.
Guerrero reined in his horse and twisted about in the saddle to glare at her. "You're not only stubborn but persistent as well."
"Yep, and you'd better remember that."
His gaze was penetratingly intense. "Rafael Stanford." He turned back around and started forward, his broad back effectively ending the discussion.
Her curiosity was heightened. Why did he go by Guerrero and not his real name? What lay beneath his tough shell? What secrets was he keeping? Stanford. That last name seemed familiar—somehow connected to Puerto Sierra. Although researching the country before coming here, she couldn’t remember what tugged at her memory concerning Stanford. Questions continued to bombard her as she drew closer to the Temple of the Stars.
Tory became alert as they reached the edge of the archaeological site. It was too quiet. She raised herself in the saddle and squinted her eyes, trying to see who was working. There was no one.
"Guerrero? Something's wrong. Where is everyone?”
Chapter Four
As Tory scanned the deserted campsite, alarmed mushroomed in her like a detonated atomic bomb. Had she arrived too late with help? With her heartbeat pounding against her chest, she pulled her horse to a stop and hopped to the ground. She raced toward the nearest tent.
“Stop!” Guerrero yelled. His feet hit the packed earth, the sound echoing through Tory's mind. Comforted for once that she wasn't alone, she shoved back the flap and looked inside, praying she wasn't sure for what.
“Lady, when I say to stop, stop.” Guerrero grasped her arm and swung her around to face him. "I thought you and I had reached an understanding."
“I understand