Shadow Bones Read Free Page B

he said grimly. He forced a smile. “And you have no room to talk about settling down. You’re just as bad. Where was it you were last—Italy?”
    â€œSo?” Wynne shrugged her slim shoulders. “Maybe I’m holding out for someone in my own field who will travel with me. I’m not as competitive as you.”
    That was a pipe dream. She’d never find someone like that, Jake thought.
    â€œWhat a beautiful spot.” Wynne paused in a clearing dusted with wildflowers. A steep slope rose behind the clearing, and from here he could see the opening to the mine. “What’s that place called?” Jake asked his youngest sister.
    â€œTurtle Mountain.” Becca stopped and plucked a Shasta daisy.
    â€œI’d like to tour the mine sometime,” Wynne said. “I’ve never seen a garnet mine.”
    â€œSkye seems to think she’s going to run into diamonds any day now.” Becca seemed serious.
    Jake laughed. “Diamonds in the UP? Is she nuts?” She hadn’t looked crazy. Skye Blackbird had a cool, elegant look that intrigued him. He supposed any man would wonder what made her tick. She was beautiful in a Sleeping Beauty kind of way. Her high Ojibwa cheekbones were sharp enough to draw blood from aman’s heart. He didn’t intend to let her close enough to see if she could hurt him.
    â€œIn her defense, there are some signs it could be possible.”
    â€œOh?”
    â€œHer stepfather, Peter Metis, has been pouring money into the mine and even hired an assayer a couple of weeks ago. He’s pretty savvy, so I doubt he’d be doing that without a good reason.”
    â€œHave I met him?”
    â€œNot unless you’ve taken out a loan lately. He is the president at the bank in Turtle Town.”
    â€œHe’s Ojibwa, too?”
    Becca nodded. “According to town scuttlebutt, he took over the bank—and the Blackbird women—when Harry deserted his family.”
    â€œSkye’s father?” Wynne’s voice was full of sympathy.
    â€œSkye was pretty broken up about it, from what I hear. She hasn’t trusted a man since then.” Becca cast a slanting glance up into Jake’s face. “You could show her all men aren’t beasts.”
    â€œI doubt I’ll get close enough to get the chance,” he said shortly. “And I don’t want to.”

Chapter Two
    J ake had thought to find something by now. He wiped his forehead with a bandana that had seen better days. Wynne wrinkled her nose. “All you’re doing is smearing the dirt around,” she said.
    Jake ignored her comment as he squatted over the dig. “A week into this, and nothing.” He’d had a hunch about this place, but he was beginning to wonder if he’d been seduced by the island’s beauty.
    â€œDid you expect to find something this fast?”
    â€œYou know me—I always expect the best.”
    â€œAnd seldom get it,” she pointed out.
    Jake grinned and stood. “How about some lunch?”
    â€œSounds good.” Wynne trotted to the cooler they’d parked under a nearby rock.
    The rumble of a car engine drew Jake’s attention. He squinted in the brilliant sun. A blue pickup rolled to a stop in the road. A woman got out of the passenger side. Jake’s stomach tightened as a familiar figure got out the driver side.
    â€œCameron Reynolds,” he muttered.
    â€œYou’re kidding!” Wynne went to Jake’s side and looked down the slope to the road. “What’s he doing here?” Her voice was tight.
    â€œI’d say we’re about to find out.” Jake took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. “I’ll give him fifteen minutes, then I’m throwing him off the site.”
    Cameron wore immaculate khaki trousers and a light blue shirt. His blond hair formed a pale cap around his angular face. Cameron was the type of man Jake despised most: