LITMIR.BIZ

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smiled at Bobby. “That’s very good, but he’s even more special than that. This is a Kachina doll—”

      “A doll?” Bobby scrunched up his nose. “Like girls play with?”

      Shane suppressed a laugh. “No, more like your cowboy action figures. They’re dolls.”

      Bobby’s next words were almost a whisper, as if he didn’t want Shane to hear them. “They aren’t dolls. They’re cowboys!”

      Shane took the Kachina from Bobby, handling it carefully. His manner turned serious. “This isn’t a play toy. A Kachina is a carved doll in a costume representing a spirit that has a special meaning for the tribe who believes in that spirit.”

      “It’s not a toy? You can’t play with them? What do you do with them?” The enthusiasm in Bobby’s voice conveyed his fascination.

      Shane tried to simplify the explanation so that Bobby would be able to understand. “The Native Americans who have the Kachinas believe that everything in the real world has a spirit that lives inside it. The Kachina dolls represent that spirit. The dolls depict men dressed in Kachina masks for special ceremonies where they call on the spirit of the Kachina.” He paused for a moment as he ran his fingertips gently across the costumed figurine.

      “The Kachina doll has a very special meaning for a tribe. This one belonged to my grandmother. It’s usually given to a child as a gift. A friend of my grandmother was a Hopi. She gave the Hopi Kachina to my grandmother, who gave it to my father, and my father gave it to me.”

      Bobby’s eyes grew wide with astonishment. “Gosh.” He reached out and touched the Kachina, but did not try to take hold of it.

      Cynthia stood at the door to the den taking in the scene and the conversation between Shane and Bobby. It was a scene that should have warmed her heart—her son and his father enjoying a special moment together. But it didn’t. Instead it sent a cold shiver through her body, followed by a surge of fear. She desperately wanted to put a stop to what she saw, but she couldn’t do it without creating an awkward situation. Shane was obviously taken with Bobby, a reality that threatened her to the very core of her existence. And equally disturbing was the fascination Bobby seemed to have for Shane.

      She blinked back the tears, trying to bring some calm to her shaken nerves and emotional turmoil, and entered the room. “I had the news on upstairs while I was unpacking. They announced a story on the construction of Fortune Memorial Children’s Hospital in the next segment, right after the commercial.” She turned on the television set, hoping the distraction would stop what she could plainly see was the beginning of a bonding between Bobby and Shane.

      Shane was Bobby’s father. Did she have the right to deny either of them that special father-and-son relationship? Or to deny her son that Native American part of his heritage that he seemed so fascinated with, something she’d noticed even before they’d left Chicago? She tried to shove the concerns aside, to tell herself there were far more important issues at stake. A twinge of guilt etched a path through her consciousness, taking up residence next to her anxiety. If only she had a clear-cut solution to her dilemma that would satisfy everyone’s needs—one that would be safe.

      Shane moved closer to the television, drawing her attention to the newscast. The scene was the construction site of the hospital, but the story was about something else. It was a follow-up to a story about the construction fore-man’s accidental death being reclassified as murder.

      The reporter went from that story to a segment about the Fortune Memorial Children’s Hospital, which was followed by a taped interview with Dr. Shane Fortune in which he talked about the hospital project and then presented his concerns for the future of Lightfoot Plateau. Cynthia listened intently, taking in every word Shane said about the family’s desire to give back to the community through the construction of the hospital.

      When the segment concluded, Shane angrily snapped off the television. She could hear the disgust in his voice. “They certainly went out of their way to make sure the family name and the hospital project were thoroughly en-twined with Mike Dodd’s death. It was bad enough when his death in the elevator fall several months ago was thought to be an industrial accident at a Fortune Construction work site, but now that it’s a murder case, they seem to be reveling in it. It’s getting more and more difficult these days to find any difference between legitimate news and tabloid journalism.”

      Cynthia’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand the public debate over Lightfoot Plateau. There seems to be a faction strongly in favor of preservation and another faction equally adamant in their desire to see the land developed.” She turned to face Shane. “Isn’t the land privately owned? Why would there be a public debate over it?”

      “Yes, it’s privately owned.” His response carried the same note of displeasure she’d detected when he’d commented on the news story.

      “I don’t think I ever told you the story of the land. When my grandmother became pregnant by Ben Fortune, her family practically disowned her. Not only was she not married to Ben, he was still married to Kate Fortune and had no intention of getting a divorce. Natasha’s family said she had disgraced them. They would not allow the land to stay in the Lightfoot family so that she would inherit it, especially when it meant that Ben Fortune might end up owning it.

      “They sold Lightfoot Plateau to the Rowan family who still owns it. The land is adjacent to the hospital site and also borders the reservation. The Rowans have allowed the cave entrance to fall into disrepair, but their son, Brad, has agreed to return the plateau to the Fortunes when he marries my sister, Isabelle. Contrary to Brad’s plans, I want to restore it and preserve the area as a place of historical significance for the various Native American tribes in this area.”

      She saw the determination in his features, the same type of dedication and all-out involvement in a cause she’d seen years ago. Once he made a commitment to something, nothing could deter him. A rush of sorrow caught her un-prepared, tipping her delicately balanced emotions off center again. The sadness pushed at her reality. He had obviously never been committed to their relationship or to a shared future—certainly not the way she had been. She forced the upsetting thoughts from her mind and tried to shake off the disturbing feelings.

      Cynthia glanced at Bobby. He was studying the pictures in a book he had taken from the shelf. If Shane had not been committed to their relationship, he would not have been committed to their son, either. Was she grasping at straws? Desperately searching for something to justify her decision to hide Bobby’s true identity from him? She didn’t think so, but that little shred of uncertainty still lingered at the back of her mind.

      “Well—” Shane’s voice broke into her thoughts “—I need to get going. I have a finance committee meeting for the Children’s Hospital, then I need to do rounds at Pueblo General. I, uh, well, I have plans for this evening, so I won’t be home for dinner.”

      “That’s quite all right.” Had her words come out too quickly? She attempted to explain. “I mean, I don’t want our staying here to interfere with your usual routine.”

      “I guess I’ll see you later tonight.” Shane hurried out of the den and up the stairs to his bedroom.

      It had been an odd interlude and it left him unnerved, although he wasn’t sure exactly why. The conversation had turned to a topic that did not involve dredging up moments from their past union. Yet a tingling undercurrent of heated desire continued to race through his body. His breathing quickened and his pulse jumped.

      He didn’t have any plans for that evening. He wasn’t even sure why he said he had. The only thing he was certain of was his need to get out of that room. The walls had started to close in around him. He needed to go someplace where he could think without the very real distraction presented by Cynthia McCree’s presence.

      The undeniably disconcerting affect she had on his senses left him as much bewildered as it did longing to renew their affair. It was an idea that had often crossed his mind and inflamed his desires, but it had been safely tucked away as something that could never be. He had never gotten her out

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