Coyote Sky Read online

  The near purple color of the moon a few moments ago was gradually replaced by a duller red that hinted of orange. The reflection on the cliffs was amazing. It was as if the red walls were actually glowing in the moonlight. It was a remarkable sight.

  Then, as if on cue, the coyotes started their singing again. And yes, Kate admitted, it was beautiful, the sounds bouncing around in the canyons below them. Lee stirred, moving away, and then stood. She held out her hand to Kate.

  “Dance with me.”

  Their eyes met in the moonlight.

  “I’ve always wanted to dance up here,” Lee explained.

  Kate nodded slowly. It was too perfect for her to refuse. Too . . . romantic. She took Lee’s hand and let herself be pulled to her feet. And the coyotes obliged, their song fading to the background as Lee’s arms pulled Kate closer. Kate’s hand trembled as she slipped it over Lee’s shoulder and she prayed Lee couldn’t hear her thundering heartbeat.

  They were too close, really. Yet Kate ached to be closer. Another few inches and she would feel Lee’s breasts against her own. Another few inches and their thighs would brush. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to call up an image of Robin, anything to break the spell that Lee had cast on her.

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  Copyright© 2006 by Gerri Hill

  Bella Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 10543

  Tallahassee, FL 32302

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  First Edition

  Editor: Anna Chinappi

  Cover designer: LA Callaghan

  ISBN 1-59493-065-1

  To Judy “McNews” Underwood.

  May you dance by the song of the coyotes very, very soon.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks very much to Harriet Holland and Judy Underwood. I appreciate your comments/feedback on my early attempts at Coyote Sky

  About the Author

  Gerri lives in East Texas, deep in the pines, with her partner, Diane. They share their log cabin and adjoining five acres with two labs, Max and Zach, and four cats. A huge vegetable garden that overflows in the summer is her pride and joy. Besides giving in to her overactive green thumb, Gerri loves to “hike the woods” with the dogs, a pair of binoculars (bird watching), and at least one camera! For more, visit Gerri’s Web site at www.gerrihill.com.

  Chapter One

  Kate sat in traffic wondering why on earth she’d attempted a trek across Dallas during rush hour. She adjusted the AC, took a deep breath and tried not to think of the pack of cigarettes she kept with her—just in case.

  “If it wasn’t so damn hot,” she murmured, pointing the vent toward her. It was only mid-May, but already the summer heat was showing itself. She glanced affectionately at the cigarettes then forced her eyes back to the road. She didn’t know why she tormented herself with them. She’d been in various stages of quitting for the last two years, finally able to count days between cigarettes instead of hours. And this time, it had been four days. Well, three days, nine hours and a handful of minutes. But who’s counting?

  Her cell rang, thankfully distracting her from the nicotine fit she was about to have. She smiled when she saw the number displayed. Brenda had been gone nearly three months and Kate was surprised how much she missed her friend.

  “Hi!” she greeted.

  “Hey, kiddo.”

  Kate grinned. “You can’t call me kiddo. I’m thirty-seven.”

  “Yes, and I’m fifty-seven, so that makes you a kiddo, darling.”

  Kate laughed. Brenda had been calling her kiddo since they’d first met, eight years ago. She pretended to be offended, but honestly, she’d miss the affectionate name if Brenda stopped.

  “So, how is the desert? Do you miss the city yet?”

  “I told you, this is not the desert. In fact, I’m not even in Santa Fe anymore. I’ve moved farther up in the mountains and right now I’m staring across a canyon, seeing the beautiful sandstone cliffs that inspired Georgia O’Keefe. Oh, Kate, you should see it in the mornings. It’s breathtaking.”

  Kate nodded. “So, I guess that means you’re painting. How’s it coming?”

  “Oh, darling, I absolutely adore the freedom to express myself this way. It has been so uplifting to be here, I can’t even describe it.”

  Kate shook her head. She had met Brenda Granbury in a writing class eight years ago when the wealthy widow decided she was ready to write her first novel. A bit eccentric—okay, very eccentric—but they had hit it off despite their twenty-year age difference. And over the years, Kate had watched as Brenda tried her hand at writing, sculpting, pottery and now painting. “There’s an artist inside, just waiting to break free,” Brenda said on many an occasion. So, Kate encouraged her in all her pursuits, even though she knew that Brenda didn’t have one ounce of artistic talent. It made Brenda happy to try and that’s all that really mattered.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Kate inched along in traffic. “Do you have plans to return soon? I miss our weekly dinners.”

  “Oh, I miss you, Kate, but I don’t miss the city at all. In fact, I’ve moved from the lodge here in Coyote after only a few days, moved to one of the summer homes up the mountain a ways.” She paused. “An interesting group of people live here, Kate. Artists all. And, I seem to have found myself in a lesbian mecca.”

  “Oh, Brenda, please! Your gaydar is nonexistent.” Kate turned the AC up again as the traffic came to another stop. “You thought I was straight for the first month you knew me.”

  “That’s not fair. You were pretending to be straight. That should be illegal.”

  “I wasn’t pretending to be straight!”

  “Kate, darling, you still pretend to be straight!”

  “I do not! Just because I’ve not announced publicly that I’m gay doesn’t mean that I’m hiding. For God’s sake! Is it necessary that people know everything about you?”

  “Of course not. Now tell me, how’s the book coming?”

  Kate closed her eyes and leaned her head back, silently shaking her head. “It’s coming.”

  “I guess that means you still have writer’s block.”

  “I hate that term, Brenda. There is no such thing as writer’s block. You either have a story to tell or you don’t. It has nothing to do with so-called writer’s block.”

  “And?”

  Kate crept along in traffic, her eyes staring ahead. “And I guess I don’t have a story to tell.”

  “Darling, why don’t you take a break?”

  “A break from what? Not writing?”

  “A break from there, from the city. Come stay with me for awhile,” Brenda suggested. “Coyote is a lovely little town.”

  “In New Mexico? In the summer? Brenda, the Dallas heat is enough, I certainly don’t want to go to the desert.”

  Brenda laughed. “It was forty-one degrees when I got up this morning. It was lovely. What was it there at eight a.m.? Seventy-five and humid already?”

  “Oh, Brenda, it’s not just that.” She looked wearily out at the traffic. “What am I supposed to do with Robin?”

  “Good Lord, is she still in the picture?”

  “She lives with me, Brenda. Of course she’s in the picture.”

  “Something I still fail to comprehend. It’s not like you’re in love with the woman.”

  “I’m sorry you don’t see it, but I do love her, Brenda.”

  “You love chocolate too. I said in love, darling.”

  Sad
ly, Kate knew she was right, but she refused to give Brenda any more ammunition where Robin was concerned. After two years of casual dating, Robin’s apartment complex was sold and her rent nearly doubled. Kate did what she felt any friend would do. She offered her place until Robin could find something else. Robin moved into Kate’s bedroom, not the spare, and now, six months later, Kate assumed she had stopped looking for a place of her own.

  And it wasn’t so bad, really. They got along well. And Robin could cook, something Kate hated to do. So even though the sex wasn’t mind-boggling—or frequent—it was enough to sustain their relationship.

  “So? What do you say?” Brenda asked, jarring Kate from her musings.

  “New Mexico?”

  “It would be good for you, Kate. A change of scenery.”

  “I don’t know, Brenda.” She looked at the endless traffic ahead of her and sighed, her glance going to her stash of cigarettes. “Tell me again what the temperature was today.”

  Chapter Two

  “New Mexico? But why?”

  Kate looked at their bed, which was cluttered with clothes she’d pulled from her closet and drawers—jeans, shorts and practically every T-shirt Kate owned. Should she really trust Brenda’s advice on packing? Casual clothes, darling. All casual. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to throw in some slacks and a dressy blouse or two.

  “Kate?”

  “Hmm?” She looked at Robin, forgetting that she was even in the room. “Sorry. What?”

  “I asked why are you going to New Mexico?”

  She paused. “To write. I have an October deadline and I’m on page twenty. Brenda seems to think a change of scenery would do wonders.”

  “Surely you don’t plan to be gone until October, Kate.”

  “No. But you could always come visit, you know.” The words were out before Kate could stop them. Brenda seemed to think that it was Robin’s presence in her apartment, in her life, that was causing Kate’s writer’s block. Of course, Kate didn’t have writer’s block.

  “Well, I suppose I could take a long weekend here and there. I could even take some extended time in July, perhaps.”

  Kate shook her head. “We’ll see. I may not have time for more than an occasional weekend, Robin. It’s really going to be a working trip.”

  “I’ve never been to Santa Fe.”

  “Brenda’s not in Santa Fe anymore. Some little town, up in the mountains—Coyote.” Kate folded the clothes she’d tossed on the bed, surprised at the excitement she felt. Perhaps Brenda was right. A change of scenery might be just the thing she needed to kick- start her writing.

  “Well, I know I’ll miss you,” Robin said as she moved behind Kate, pulling her close.

  Kate resisted the urge to stiffen. Instead, turning into Robin’s embrace, she welcomed her gentle kisses. She didn’t even protest when Robin pulled her to the bed, their weight crushing the neatly folded T-shirts. As Robin’s hand slipped inside her panties, Kate noted absently that she’d have to refold her shirts again, perhaps even wash and dry them to get the wrinkles out.

  I wonder if I need to bring a jacket . . .

  Chapter Three

  Brenda studied her painting, wondering why her sandstone cliffs looked nothing like the view spread out before her. Well, the colors were there, at least.

  “It looks lovely, Simone.”

  Brenda turned, smiling at the petite young woman who was patiently teaching her to paint and who insisted on calling her Simone. Harmony was wearing her usual white. Today it was a long, comfortable sundress, her sandals and painted toes just peeking out beneath the hem.

  “Lovely? I wouldn’t go that far,” she said.

  “You must have patience. Your colors are magnificent today.” Harmony handed her a small crystal she had been fingering. “Here. Squeeze tight. Feel the energy,” she said quietly.

  Brenda did as she was told, imagining energy pulses vibrating from the crystal she held in her hand. She knew she would pocket the crystal later, then add it to the growing collection she had. Harmony and Sunshine seemed to have an endless supply of them.

  “Ariel tells me you have a friend coming. You must be excited.”

  “Yes, a young friend from Dallas. She’s a writer. She’ll fit right in.”

  “I don’t read much, I’m afraid. What’s she done?”

  “She writes a private investigator series. She’s working on number seven. The Masters. Paul and Jennifer. They pretend to be a married couple in the books.”

  Harmony shook her head. “Sorry. Never heard of them.”

  Brenda shrugged. The first three books in the series were best sellers. The last three, well, she’d never tell Kate this, but the last three were real stinkers.

  “Come to dinner tonight, Simone. Sunshine says Ariel has a new young thing and we want to meet her.”

  Brenda snorted. “Don’t know why. She’ll have another new young thing next week.”

  Harmony laughed. “She does stay busy, doesn’t she?”

  Brenda smiled. Yes, Lee—or Ariel, as Harmony and Sunshine called her—did stay busy with the young women who seemed to flock to her. She’d become friends with the county sheriff, but she’d long ago lost count of the number of women Lee brought around.

  Brenda fanned herself as she waited for Kate’s plane. Her straw hat and oversized sunglasses did nothing to keep the noontime sun at bay. As much as she’d enjoyed her stay in Santa Fe—spending endless hours visiting the art galleries—she was glad she’d moved up higher into the mountains. Not cold by any means, not this time of year, but the daytime temperatures had yet to reach eighty. Here in Santa Fe under a cloudless sky she figured it was above ninety already, reminding her of the cursed Dallas heat. Perhaps that was why only two others had braved the patio for lunch. The airport grill—famous for its green chili burgers, she was told—was packed inside, the air conditioning humming quietly in the background. But Brenda was anxious to see her friend, so she sat at the edge of the patio, watching as a plane prepared to land.

  “Flight four thirty-nine from Albuquerque, now approaching.”

  “Finally,” she muttered. She stood, watching as the plane touched down, its wheels bouncing only once, then taxied smoothly the rest of the short runway. It was a small jet, holding about twenty people, but on this Wednesday she doubted it was even half full.

  Moving to the edge of the patio, she squinted into the sun as she watched the hatch open and the stairs descend. Kate was the fourth to deplane, a large backpack slung over one shoulder, and Brenda grinned, not realizing how much she had missed her young friend. She watched as Kate brushed the blond hair off her forehead, then slipped on her own sunglasses.

  “Katie!” Brenda waved, watching as Kate shielded her eyes and lifted a hand in greeting.

  Brenda walked down the steps of the patio, her sandals clicking on the hot asphalt as she hurried to the plane. She was engulfed in a tight hug, then surprised by a quick punch on the arm.

  “You said it wasn’t hot here,” Kate reminded her, her eyes moving over the shimmering asphalt around them.

  Brenda grinned. “I said it wasn’t hot where I was staying. Why do you think I moved up the mountain?”

  Kate turned in a circle taking in her surroundings, her eyes widening at the beautiful mesas and plateaus in the distance. She turned back to Brenda, slipping her sunglasses on top of her head.

  “But it’s beautiful, Brenda. I haven’t been here in ten years or more.”

  “We’re in an airport, darling. It’s not beautiful. Out there,” she pointed. “Now that’s beautiful.” She linked arms with Kate. “How much luggage do you have?”

  Kate gave a wry smile. “Two somewhat large suitcases.”

  Brenda shook her head. “I told you to pack casual, didn’t I? Jeans, shorts and the like.” She pointed to herself. “I’ve worn these same capri pants three times this week.”

  Kate smiled. “I don’t believe that’s something I would be advertising. You do laundry, right?
I mean, I know you have a house- keeper in Dallas, but you know how to do laundry, don’t you?”

  “I’m not that pampered, Kate. Of course I know how to do laundry. I just choose not to do it.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you have someone who does that for you here?”

  “Well of course I do. I refuse to stoop to that level. She comes once a week and it’s worked out beautifully. In fact, I’m thinking of having her come more often. She’s a wonderful cook.”

  Kate nodded. “Will I get to take advantage of this service?”

  “Mi casa es su casa, darling,” Brenda said with a wave of her hand.

  “This might be a good summer after all.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t insist on doing the Santa Fe thing today. It’s just too hot to be walking the streets.”

  Kate grinned. “But as you told me, it’s a dry heat.”

  “That was just to get you out here. We’ll come down here one evening when it’s cooled some, eat Mexican food, stay the night, then hit the galleries the next morning. And I know I’m being ridiculous, Kate, because we’ve shopped in Dallas before when it was a hundred degrees. Maybe it’s my age. I just can’t seem to tolerate the heat anymore.”

  Kate studied her friend as she drove them out of Santa Fe and headed up the interstate highway. Brenda looked different. But maybe it was just the casual clothes, the sleeveless blouse that threw her. Kate drew her eyebrows together. Brenda’s trademark bright red lipstick was missing. Kate moved closer. My God, does she even have any makeup on?

  “What are you doing?”

  “Take those ridiculous sunglasses off.”

  “Whatever for?”

  Kate reached over and pulled them off, her eyes widening. “Oh my God.”