Call It Destiny

no longer one she could tap into easily. Jake had cooled it, replacing it with his claim on her. The desire to satisfy his physical and emotional needs had quickly become paramount last night.
    She had her own needs, however, Heather reminded herself as she carried the suitcase into the cabin and opened it. A piece of her mother’s stationery lay on top of the neatly arranged pile of underwear and assorted clothing.

    My dearest Heather,

    As usual, our best-laid plans for you have gone awry. But this time you have my full backing. The nerve of those two men keeping the news about the sale of the Hacienda from us! I was furious on your behalf. I have no objections to Jake owning the place. And I’m glad Paul has finally decided to retire. But you should have been told exactly what the situation was! I know you and Jake will eventually work out your problems. He’s a good man, dear. But I think you have every right to marry him on your own terms.

    All my love, Mother.

    Tears burned for a few seconds behind Heather’s eyes. Hastily she dashed them away with the back of her hand. And then she carefully folded the note. Her mother’s understanding only succeeded in making her feel worse about the scene she had caused yesterday.
    On the other hand, Heather told herself unhappily, there weren’t a great many polite ways to leave a man standing alone at the altar. She swallowed a sigh and rummaged around in the suitcase until she found some fresh underwear and a persimmon-colored shirt. Her mother had thoughtfully packed a pair of rubber-soled shoes, too, which would be cooler than the leather boots she was wearing.
    Heather quickly changed clothes and refastened the designer jeans. Then she set about taking her mind off her problems by concentrating on the business of starting a fire in the old cook stove. Having stopped to pick up some canned goods before leaving Tucson, she knew she wasn’t going to starve.
    Overhead the clouds began to form for the afternoon thunderstorms. Huge billowing masses of unstable air whirled in the sky, darkening vast areas of desert and mountain. Her father, Heather remembered, had said the rains were unusually heavy this year. She hoped the cabin didn’t have too many holes in its old roof.
    The distant sounds of approaching thunder hid the noise of the car until it was already in the cabin’s driveway. When the engine growl did register, Heather leaped to her feet, torn between anticipation and uncertainty.
    Jake had come after her.
    In that moment of tension and excitement Heather told herself that she had known all along he would change his mind. He wasn’t the kind of man to risk having her talk herself out of the commitment she had made last night.
    Right, wrong or impossible, Heather knew a fierce gladness as she threw open the cabin door.
    But the car that had parked in front of the old place was not one she recognized. It was a covered jeep, and as the driver slowly emerged all of Heather’s anticipation and excitement disappeared in a flash. There was a gun in the hand of the man who climbed so coolly out of the jeep.
    Heather stared in shock, her attention so completely on the menacing weapon in the man’s hand that she didn’t even glance at his face for several seconds. She stood braced in the doorway and frantically wondered if she could duck, back inside and slam the door shut before the stranger could fire.
    „Well, hell,“ the intruder muttered softly. „I don’t believe it. It is Heather Strand, isn’t it?“
    She jerked her eyes up to meet the laconic, dark-eyed gaze of the stranger. Desperately she struggled to make her voice sound controlled. „Yes, I’m Heather Strand. My family owns this cabin.“
    „Don’t you think I know that? Small world, isn’t it? How have you been Heather? I’ve often wondered whether or not you made it big in California.“
    „Oh, my God. You’re Rick, aren’t you?“ The black hair was thinning rapidly and there was a definite paunch around his waist, but the dark eyes that had once seemed so captivating were the same. „I…1 didn’t recognize you.“
    „Are you alone?“
    „Yes. Yes, I just came up for a couple of days,“ she explained cautiously.
    „A couple of days. Just like old times, hmm? Remember when you and I used to ride that bike of yours up here to spend the afternoon?“
    „I remember.“ Her eyes went back to the gun. „What are you doing here, Rick?“
    He followed her gaze down to the weapon