Under The Western Sky

Julianne Martin matched the address on the store-front to the label printed in block letters on the box of pottery she was to deliver. Yes, this was the place.Something about the building--probably its rundown state--induced a definite sense of caution in her.This wasn't the most practical part of town to try to sell tourist goods. The Chaco Trading Company out on I-40 was a better location, with plenty of travelers heading west to the Grand Canyon and other national parks, and West Coast residents heading east for family reunions or a tour of the Four Corners and Mesa Verde areas.Well, it was none of her business. She was just the delivery service...in more ways than one.She smiled at the thought. As a midwife-nurse-practitioner, she'd been delivering babies on her own for three years. Happy years, she mused in satisfaction, filled with work that she loved.Two days ago, out near Hosta Butte, she'd helped deliver a darling little boy to a NativeAmerican couple. The delighted father had asked her to bring his pottery into town and leave it at this store, which was located on a side street of Gallup, New Mexico. Since she lived only a couple of miles from town, she'd readily agreed.In this part of the country, with its vast distances people helped each other when they could. Today was Saturday, the first day of October, and the earliest moment she'd had enough free time to keep her promise. She peered in through the open door of the shop."Hello?" she called, going inside and pausing while her eyes adjusted to the dim light.The place was crammed with Indian blankets, baskets and carvings depicting Western themes, all in a helter-skelter fashion. A good dusting and some organization would help sales, in her opinion.She grinned to herself. Her bossy ways were showing themselves, her brothers would have said. True, she admitted. She liked things to be in good order. "Whew," she said when she had the heavy box safely on the floor. "Anyone here?""Sure."A man appeared in the doorway behind the cluttered counter. He looked to be close to her own age, which was twenty-six.No, older, she decided upon inspecting him more closely when he came forward and stopped beside the cash register. He had hair that was almost black and eyes to match. His face was lean and angular. So was his body--tall and wiry and muscular--definitely a man who kept himself in shape. He was perhaps an inch over six feet. He wore faded jeans, a T-shirt with a logo of Ship Rock on it and a billed cap advertising a local bar."Can I help you?" he asked, his voice a rich baritone with a gravelly roughness that was oddly pleasing.His eyes took in everything about her--from her white cotton blouse and khaki cargo shorts to the woven leather huaraches on her feet. He lingered for the briefest second on her legs, which were nicely shaped, if she did say so, then his gaze returned to hers.The impact of that probing stare did a couple of strange things to her. One, her sense of wariness increased. Two, so did her heartbeat. He made her nervous for no reason that she could pinpoint, but there it was--a hard beating of the heart, tension in every nerve, a quickening deep inside.Then he smiled.Awesomewas the description that came to mind. His teeth were very white in his tanned face. The smile did nice things for him, relaxing the stern set in the line of his jaw and the frown line between his eyebrows, adding friendly creases at the corners of his eyes.The dark eyebrows rose slightly in question as he glanced from the box to her.She stated her business. "I have a box of pottery for you. From Josiah Pareo?" she added when he didn't respond."I see."She sensed something in his tone or a subtle change in manner--she didn't know what, but she felt a sharpening of his attention. Her own sense of caution caused her to quickly survey their surroundings. She saw nothing out of place. When he came around the counter andPaige, Laurie is the author of 'Under The Western Sky', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373247813 and ISBN 0373247818.