Chapter
Two
Clara Evangeline Gem pep-talked her exhausted legs up the incline of Zen Trail. She was on the steepest incline she would face this morning. There was no view of Jade Valley as the massive boulders she’d been skirting were currently boxing her in, and the sun wasn’t quite up to give her the radiant vitamin D she craved.
Since her boyfriend Malik had plunged off the side of Angel’s Landing and died over a year ago, she’d ‘lost her sunshine’ according to her family and friends and been terrified to hike by herself. She’d gone hiking, but only with a friend, a cousin, or one of her siblings along for moral support. She’d also led hikes and bike rides for her brother Vance’s fitness retreat when he was down an instructor.
For the past few weeks, though, she’d been conquering her fears and putting Malik’s memory to rest. Malik had been a fabulous guy—fun, successful, and thoughtful, a podiatrist out of Phoenix who she’d met while he was visiting his parents here in Jade Valley. His only drawback had been that his parents were livid about their only son dating a ‘head in the clouds’ Christian with no financial means, sense of style, or drive to be successful. Malik had appreciated how down to earth she and her family were and had felt welcome and at home with them. He’d told her it was the only time in his life he’d truly felt comfortable and accepted.
She couldn’t claim that she and Malik had loved each other or that they had been headed for marriage. They’d had a fun time together and a lot of hobbies in common though. Malik had been easy to converse with and easy on the eyes.
She could say the same for Harrison and Kyle.
Her steps slowed as the familiar heaviness shrouded her. Three boyfriends. All great guys. All dead.
Because of her? The police had ruled out any foul play in each of the cases. Accidental deaths. But Clara had been there each time. She didn’t know how someone could tamper with Harrison’s bike, couldn’t explain Kyle’s harness fraying and splitting, and she could swear she’d heard someone talking to Malik before he fell off the cliff but she hadn’t been close enough to distinguish the voices or see anyone.
She’d also found a jade-colored stone next to each body. Nobody could explain that coincidence. The police had analyzed the stones but found no fingerprints or anything suspicious about them besides the fact they were at the scene of each death. They were inexpensive and could be bought online or in any souvenir shop in the valley. They were fairly certain Harrison’s stone had fallen out of his pocket.
When Malik fell, she hadn’t seen it as he’d been ahead of her on the trail and around a bend. She’d heard a whisper of sound that could’ve been someone speaking to Malik, but it had been raining and windy so she wasn’t certain. Malik had cried out as if in surprise and then she’d seen his body hurtling toward the ground over a thousand feet below. She’d heard him yelling, legs and arms wind-milling, and then she’d seen his body slam into the rocks. The awful finality after that tragic impact had only been broken by the rainfall, the wind, her own alternating screams of ‘Malik’ and ‘help’, and other hikers concerned exclamations.
She’d raced back down the trail to get to him, almost slipping and falling herself multiple times. Now she wondered if she should’ve gone the other direction and seen who was around the corner or if she’d been making it all up in her head. The police had never said she was crazy, but they also hadn’t found anyone suspicious on the always-busy trail or with ‘just cause’ anywhere near the scenes of any of her boyfriends’ deaths.
The FBI had gotten involved in Malik’s case. His parents had demanded it. It hadn’t been ideal dating Malik and knowing his wealthy mom and dad didn’t like her. Growing up in a close-knit community with many friends, cousins, and siblings and her dad the well-loved pastor, she hadn’t experienced dislike or prejudice often. She certainly hadn’t wanted to alienate an only son from his loving parents.
It was even worse knowing that his parents thought she somehow contributed to Malik’s death.
What if she had? What if each of her boyfriends had died because of something she’d done? The only commonality was her, and the jade stones.
Clara was horrified by the deaths but had no idea how to prove they were accidents or prove they weren’t. The only thing in her power was her trust in her Savior to pull her out of the funk she’d dipped into after Malik’s death and her determination that she’d never date someone seriously again. It wasn’t fair to any man to risk dating her, and she couldn’t possibly handle watching someone she cared about die again.
It didn’t matter if she hadn’t been in love with any of the men. It still ripped her heart out to have them die, and the guilt of thinking it was her fault dug at her every minute.
She shoved the pain and memories away, said a prayer for positivity and the Savior’s light to lift her, and focused on the hike.
“Come on, ladies,” she called to her legs. “Let’s step it up and pretend we’re fit, shall we?”
She smiled at her silliness. Her next younger sister Melody would be laughing with her and probably videoing for her social media channels. Her oldest brother, Vance, who owned and ran Jade Valley Health Spa Retreat, would be instructing her on how to mentally push herself farther and correcting her hiking form. Their youngest brother Lincoln would be composing and singing hilarious songs to make her laugh. Lincoln was the goofy, happy light of the family. She should’ve brought one of them, or her friends Weston and Jane, with her. Hiking alone was no fun.
“That’s it,” she called out. “One, two, three, four … who’s got the cutest legs on the floor? Five, six, seven eight, bend and straight, bend and?—”
Clara darted around a rock formation and slammed into something hard and soft at the same time.
She froze, eyes widening, and stared up at the most handsome face she’d ever seen. The man’s eyes were a deep brown that seemed to pierce right through to her soul. What could he see? She’d been pep-talking herself because of her recent dark thoughts. What if he could read the despair and the attempted positivity?
His lips turned up in a smirk that made the skin at the edges of his eyes and mouth crinkle. His eyes had wisdom and depth to them and his tanned skin did as well. This was no twenty-year old hoping for a ‘cougar’ like most of the available men left in her small valley. This was a full-grown man who had seen the good and bad in life and could possibly be a gift from heaven above. If she was interested in dating. Which she wasn’t. How quickly she could forget her self-made vow.
“Forgive me,” he said in a deep and appealing bass. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
His gaze dropped to her hands and then back up to meet her gaze. It was then she realized that she had both palms planted on his chest, her fingers splayed and cupping the muscles of his chest through the material of his obviously expensive shirt.
His very well-built chest. She’d never touched muscles that lovely and well-formed.
“Oh!” She pulled her hands away and stepped back. “No, this collision is all on me. I assumed wrongly that any human or animal could hear me singing and would be forewarned and running scared the other direction by my off-tune alto.”
His lips turned up even more, a full grin now. He had perfect white teeth, like a model. Clara leaned against the nearby rock formation. That grin was powerful. Butterflies danced in her abdomen and her legs weakened from the force of it.
“I may have heard some impressive rhymes and a lyrical soprano. I changed course to investigate, but I didn’t realize you were that close.”
They both smiled, her with a little embarrassment, him with obvious enjoyment. He liked teasing her.
“The rock formations distort sound,” she explained. “Nobody in their sane mind would call my voice lyrical.”
“Ah.” He chuckled. “Forgive my insanity.”
She also laughed, liking the twinkle in his deep-brown eyes. She looked him over. His dark hair was perfectly cut and styled, and she could swear his eyebrows were plucked. He wore a fancy watch and hiking clothes and shoes she’d only seen on some of her brother Vance’s high-dollar fitness clients.
He took her in as well. She shifted, wondering if he could tell her clothes were handmade. She was a great seamstress, and bought high-quality fabric on discounts but definitely no exclusive name brand tags on her clothing like his.
His gaze dropped, sweeping over her legs. It was smoky hot and alluring, but when he glanced back up the teasing glint was back. “I think you do have the ‘cutest legs on the floor’.”
Her face flared red. “Positivity helps when those legs are tired.”
“Is it all right to admit I admire the positivity and the ‘cute legs’?”
Her mouth went dry. This man was attractive, fit, and able to effortlessly flirt with her, but he appeared too be perfect to be real. The entire interaction felt like a dream and the gorgeous man seemed like someone who should be on the big screen, not in remote Jade Valley.
“No,” she sassed back. “I don’t share my positivity or cute legs with strangers.” Her neck and cheeks got even hotter. That sentence had come out really odd.
“I’m Brexten Cabella,” he said. “Not a stranger any longer. My friends call me Brex.” He winked and put out his hand for her to shake.
Clara swallowed and moistened her lips, then ran her fingers against his until their palms aligned. Her stomach flip-flopped as unfamiliar sparks and tingles lit the pre-dawn air around them. He curled his fingers around her hand, and she knew she had found the safe space and the excitement she’d been looking for her entire adult life. This man, and the way it felt to touch him and be looked at by him, were unique. She felt like he’d stepped down from Mt. Olympus, yet the way he regarded her and flirted with her made her feel special.
Surprised and confused by her own thoughts, she stared at Brex in awe and concern. She couldn’t fall for some supermodel. She couldn’t fall for any man.
He looked a little unsteady as well, but his megawatt smile was still in place. “Your name?” he asked in a soft, husky voice. “I don’t want to be strangers any longer.”
Strangers no longer. She was fond of that idea.
He studied her, and Clara realized she was supposed to say something.
She pulled her hand back and clasped her hands together. It was impossible to think straight when he was touching her. Who was this guy? What was he doing to her?
“Your name?” he prompted again, smirking at her now.
“Clara,” she rushed out. “Clara Gem.”
“I like that. Your jade eyes sparkle like the most exquisite gem I’ve ever seen.”
Clara flushed from his compliment. He had a silver tongue to go with his refined looks. She should be leery. She wasn’t.
“Thank you,” was all she could manage, no teasing or sarcasm anywhere to be found. Lincoln would be so disappointed.
She should walk away. She’d told herself moments earlier she wasn’t going to date seriously or get involved again. She couldn’t risk another man she cared about being killed because she grew close to him.
But she wasn’t dating Brex or caring about him. They were only meeting. There was little harm in speaking to a handsome man.
Rationalizing always worked.
“Where are you from, Brex?” she asked.
“How do you know I’m not from Jade Valley?” He shook his wrist and glanced at his watch.
“Seeing as I am the native and know all ten thousand residents by at least sight if not name, I’m hazarding a guess that you’re a visitor or an implant.”
He chuckled. “Guilty.”
“Where are you from?”
“Originally Durango, Colorado.” He cocked his head to the side and folded his arms across his chest. “But my current home is San Diego.”
“Oh.” Her mouth went dry as she studied the well-formed muscles in his shoulders and arms. He’d put them on display with that move. “Are you here … visiting?”
Jade Valley wasn’t much of a tourist spot. They were an hour and a half south of Zion National Park and forty-five minutes west of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Occasionally a tourist would stop for a weekend, do some of the fabulous hikes or mountain bike rides, but Jade Valley, Arizona was only a suggestion on any travel blog, an add-on to the famous national parks nearby, the antithesis of Las Vegas, three hours away. Rarely a spot to stay. Unless a health enthusiast or person needing health reform was staying at her brother’s fitness retreat. Vance had put Jade Valley on the map with his beautiful and incredible spa. Her cousin Jude and sister Melody made their family somewhat famous with Jude’s extreme sports career and Melody’s silly social media posts that made her more money than she knew what to do with. Luckily for Clara she donated generously to her mission trips.
“I’m staying for at least a few months,” Brex said.
“Why?” she demanded.
He flashed her a grin. “Do you always grill the outsider?”
“As a rule.”
“Hmm. And if I don’t answer your questions?”
“The Jade Valley welcoming committee will haul you to the nearest highway and make you hitchhike home.”
“Interesting.” He smirked. “And if I do answer your questions?”
“The welcoming committee will make you some of her fabulous chocolate chip cookies to welcome you to the valley.” Her heart raced. She wanted to tell him she’d make him dinner or take him to dinner at one of the three sit-down restaurants in town.
“Are these cookies really worth spilling all my secrets?”
“The winner of the Fourth of July bake-off four years running.” She gave him a serious stare, holding in her laughter. There was no bake-off on the Fourth of July. On Jade Valley Days in September they had a bake-off but her friend Ginger who owned the bakery in town always won. Ginger had shared her chocolate chip cookie recipe with Clara because her family couldn’t always afford to buy them, and Clara’s were almost as good as Ginger’s.
“I see. That is a very convincing credential for a one-woman welcoming committee, Ms. Gem.”
“I’ll tell my Granny Pearl. She’ll be thrilled to bring you those cookies.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure Granny Pearl is delightful.”
“She is.”
“Like her granddaughter.” His radiant smile sucked the oxygen from her lungs. He tilted his head up the trail. “Would you like to hike together?”
“You were already coming back down,” she pointed out.
“I don’t think it will overexert me to get a few extra steps in.” He shook his wrist and glanced at his expensive watch again. Was he short on time?
She looked over his impressive build. “I don’t imagine it would.”
“You lead the way.” He gestured.
She stepped in front of him and followed the well-worn trail through the red rock. The unique and beautiful cacti were abundant on the valley floor, but only a few were present through the smooth rocks here.
“Are you going to answer my question?” she asked, glancing back over her shoulder. The sun was almost cresting the mountain, and he got better-looking each time she stared at him. Being from southern California could explain why his tan was so perfect, but with his manicured hair and Vuori exercise clothing, it was hard to believe he hadn’t stepped straight out of Hollywood. Maybe he was an actor.
“Why I’m staying in Jade Valley?”
“That’s the one. The first one, at least.”
“Grilled by a local,” he teased. “This morning couldn’t get any better.”
She turned to tease him as the sun peeked over the mountain and backlit him. His tantalizing face and body were as brilliant as the sun’s light.
He smiled, his dark eyes glinting mischievously at her obvious perusal.
She forced herself to look forward and watch the trail.
“I’m here to train the local police force.”
So, not an actor. “On what?”
“Whatever the chief requests. The list for the next few weeks is hand-to-hand combat, tracking, international terrorism, deep-dive research, and hostage negotiation. I’ll work with them and shadow them on their daily routines.”
She stopped walking and spun to face him. He almost plowed her over. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he murmured, “Whoa. Warn me next time you spin to show off that beautiful face, will you?”
Her eyes widened. He was a smooth talker. He was an enticement, and she couldn’t tell whether it was a good or bad enticement at this point. She was consciously shoving her pledge to not date seriously to the back of her mind. She didn’t want to let her guard down too fast and be tugged in by his slick tongue, but she was far too drawn to him.
“I’ll try to remember to warn you,” she said. “How do you know how to train police on all those things?”
He smiled, but it was more closed off than he’d been so far. “I worked for the San Diego Police Department for thirteen years, the last eight as a detective.”
“I’m impressed.”
He smiled, nodded slightly, and released his grip on her, shaking his wrist and glancing at his watch.
Clara took that as her signal to turn. She forced her energized-by-knowing-he-was-watching legs up the trail. Brex was classy, impressive, and more fun to banter with than anyone she’d known, but she had to somehow hold onto her promise to not date anyone seriously. Unless …
What if Brex was sent here by heaven to help her figure out who had killed Harrison, Kyle, and Malik? If she could find their murderer and know she wouldn’t hurt Brex … she’d be stoked to date this handsome police detective.
But closure for her former boyfriends’ murders was too much to hope for. She hadn’t found it in twelve long years, and the police and FBI had said the cases were too ‘cold’ and there just weren’t enough clues to lead them to any suspect.
She’d finish this hike with Brex but doubted she’d see him again or grow close enough to beg him to solve her boyfriends’ murders. Not that the police believed they were murders. The only people who seemed to believe there was foul play were the Hendrys, and they were pointing their fingers right at Clara.
Would she dare ask Brex to look into her boyfriend’s deaths? What if he found evidence to point the finger at Clara also? It was smarter to let the past stay in the past and stick with her vow to stay out of relationships.