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Tess had climbed out of the plane. “Maybe you know the men who work for me—Ruben Diego and his son-in-law, Pedro.”
The man’s face broke into a smile. “Ruben is my uncle. Pedro is my wife’s cousin. Are they well?”
“As far as I know. We were flying to Ajo when the plane ran out of fuel. We had to crash-land.”
The man’s wife, who’d heard everything through the truck’s open side window, climbed out to give Tess a heartyabrazo.Tess paused her narrative to make introductions.
“I need to call my family, but there’s no phone service here,” she said.
“There is phone service in Sells. It’s an hour away. We can take you—both of you.”
Brock hesitated. “This is a valuable plane. If I leave now, I could come back to find it stripped bare.” He slipped a card out of his wallet and handed it to Tess. “This is my insurance company. My policy number’s on the back. Call them, let them know where I am. They’ll take care of everything, including me.”
“But I can’t just go off and leave you!” Tess protested.
“Take this.” The Tohono man handed Brock his rifle. “I’ve got another one at home. You can give it to Ruben or Pedro. They’ll get it back to me. There’s more ammo in the truck. I’ll leave you some water, too.”
“Thanks.” Brock accepted the rifle, turned to Tess, and gave her a quick hug. “Get going. I’ll be fine.”
“Call me when you’re safe.” She tore herself away and, after pausing to grab her purse out of the plane, followed her rescuers to the truck.
* * *
Brock’s gaze watched the red truck until it vanished over the knoll. Had he been too reckless, sharing his secrets with Tess and then making love to her? He’d sensed that if he held anything back, he would never win her trust. But his need for intimacy may have heightened the danger to them both. For her own protection, he’d be wise to put some distance between them.
At least for now, Tess would be safe—and so would he, if the platinum-level service policy he’d taken out on the plane worked as promised. If all went well, the rescue helicopter and the salvage crew would locate him and be here within a few hours of receiving Tess’s call. Since the plane had almost certainly been sabotaged, the company would launch its own expert investigation into the fuel leak—all to the good, since they had technical tools and skills he didn’t, and since he had no wish to involve the police.
Settling next to the plane, he laid the rifle beside him. He didn’t expect trouble, but if it came, at least he’d have the means to handle it. Too bad he couldn’t say the same for the mess that would be waiting for him when he got home.
* * *
At the fuel stop in Sells, Tess pressed enough cash on her rescuers to fill their gas tank and buy them a nice lunch. Then she called the number on the insurance card Brock had given her. Only after giving her ID and contact information and being assured that the company would take care of everything did she scroll to Val’s number. Her pulse slammed as the phone rang on the other end. She braced herself for terrible news.
“Tess!” Val practically screamed into the phone. “Thank God! We’ve been worried sick about you. What happened?”
“It’s a long story. First tell me about Lexie.”
“She’s fine. So’s the baby. But she had a rough time. The doctor had to do a C-section, so she’s pretty sore. But little Jackson is a heartbreaker. I’m at the hospital with them now. Where are you?”
“I’m at the fuel stop in Sells. We had to crash-land on the res. There was no phone service. This morning some nice folks in a pickup came along and drove me here.”
“But you weren’t flying that plane by yourself,” Val said. “Where’s Brock?”
“He stayed with the plane to wait for his insurance people. I’ve already called them.”
“So you spent a night together in the desert. I’m expecting all the juicy details, girl. Did you or didn’t you?”
Tess felt the heat rush to her face. “Only you would ask that question. My answer is no comment.”
Val chuckled. “I told you Brock had a thing for you. Sit tight. I’ll be there in an hour.”
Tess bought herself a hot dog drenched in mustard and a super-size Diet Coke. Grabbing a handful of napkins, she carried her purchases outside and sat down on a bench to wait.
She wasn’t looking forward to Val’s merciless grilling. She’d planned to keep the details of her night with Brock to herself. But no secret was safe from her sister.
At least Val could be trusted to keep a confidence. But never mind that. She had bigger worries—like how was she going to function as Brock’s business partner after spending the night with him? Could she stand up for the interests of her ranch when, every time she looked at him, the memory of being in his arms washed away all common sense?
And what would he expect of her? A world of uncertainties waited for her out there. To deal with that world, she would have to be tough. She would have to take charge. Whatever happened, she couldn’t let Brock take advantage of her. Not even if she loved him.
