Right around the time I took the photos. I tried to act like I was taking pictures of the whole valley, but that creepy feeling didn’t quit. They might have been watching me through binoculars. Or I might have imagined it.”
“You know better.” He said it firmly.
“You’re right, I do.”
“If there’s one human instinct that’s rarely wrong, it’s the sense that we’re being watched. Hell. I need to poke around and see if I can find any evidence that someone was out there with you.”
“I doubt you can find much. I didn’t see anyone or hear anything, and I was alert for it. Pine needles are so thick in those woods they don’t leave a good trail.”
“Unless someone is on horseback and the hooves scuff them. Or someone is careless.”
She pointed to the monitor. “Those guys don’t look like they’d be careless. But they were down there, not anywhere on the hill where I was, obviously.”
“That assumes they’re the only ones working with Buddy.”
She hadn’t thought of that, and her heart quickened. “You think there might be more of them?”
“I wish I knew.”
She frowned for a minute, arguing with herself. How much trouble did she want? This was supposed to be a little rest and recuperation, after all. But other instincts were kicking into high gear anyway.
“I’ll wander in the woods a bit tomorrow, like I’m looking for another vantage for painting. I’ll let you know if I see anything.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you taking risks.”
“Craig, I was a soldier, too. I think I know something about patrolling and self-defense. I’ll be just fine. I’m not going to do anything to make anyone suspicious. Besides, I was hoping to find a ravine, something rocky and deep, to paint. I was going to be looking for that soon anyway.”
He looked as if he were about to object, but instead forked a piece of steak into his mouth and chewed hard. The steak was nowhere near tough enough to demand that kind of attention, and she almost wanted to giggle.
“You’ve got to make me some promises,” he said finally.
“Such as?”
“You won’t wander too far, you won’t go anywhere without your radio and if anything creeps you out, get the hell out.”
She couldn’t resist. “Are you going to throw me out of the forest if I don’t promise?”
“Sky...”
She laughed quietly. “You usually seem so calm, I couldn’t resist. Okay, I can promise that.” And she could. It was basic common sense.
His expression relaxed. “Sorry. I guess I’m too used to taking command. I don’t mean to underestimate your abilities. I just worry. I’m supposed to take care of the people in this forest.”
She felt herself softening, too. She liked it when his face settled into gentle, calm lines. “I won’t do anything stupid. But even if nothing else were going on, I’d be looking for a different vantage. I want something less peaceful and more energetic to paint.”
He waved to the impressionist painting sitting in the corner on her easel. “That’s not exactly pastoral. I can feel energy popping out of it.”
“Really?” She looked at the canvas and smiled. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure.”
“You can be sure. I’m no art critic, but it’s brimming with life. Wildflowers never looked so lively. And the shadows...” He thought a minute. “Somehow it feels almost haunted. Or haunting. Like the woods have spirits.”
“You just made me feel like a million dollars. That’s what I was reaching for.”
“I think you got it.” His gaze tracked back to her. “I spend so much time out here I get to feeling as if it’s all alive. As in sentient.”
She nodded slowly. “I was getting that feeling, too. As if there’s some kind of consciousness out here. Different from ours, but very real. Don’t Native Americans believe that?”
“Some do, at least, but I wouldn’t venture to speak for them all. Have you ever read about Black Elk? He was an Oglala Sioux holy man.”
“Afraid not.”
“He wrote something that struck me deeply. I don’t remember the exact wording, but it stayed with me anyway. Something about how when you cut a lodgepole pine you should always give the tree thanks for its gift.”
Sky turned that around in her head, considering all the nuances. “I like that, too. And it would be a good way to live, always thanking the earth for its blessings. We might be better caretakers.”
“I try to always keep it in mind.”
She realized she had gotten a glimpse of this man’s soul, and perhaps part of