The Ties That Bind by Andi Marquette Read Free Book Online

one fit into my travel plans."
    "Thanks so much," Sage said, smiling. "I'm glad to meet you in person."
    Kee nodded again and looked past Sage at the photo of Shiprock. She didn't say anything for a while, instead stood staring at the image. The way she examined it was just starting to creep me out when she turned back to Sage and spoke again. "When did you take this?"
    "Last summer. June."
    "Did you notice anything while you were out there?"
    "Always. The light shifts quite a bit, which changes the way textures appear in a photo. It took about four hours to get that shot. It's one of several. That's the one that spoke to me."
    Kee looked at the picture again then back at Sage, and I thought I saw the hint of a warning in her eyes. "All things have energy," she said. "Even those we don't think have ever been alive. Sometimes energies cross, and that can open possibilities for many things, both good and bad. Watch your next steps on your path." Kee turned to me, then. "You as well." And then she offered a wan smile. "Sage, I look forward to further conversations about workshops. Take care." And she moved off before either of us could say anything.
    "Okay," I started. "What exactly did that mean?"
    Sage shook her head, worry drawing lines across her forehead. "I'm not sure."
    Whatever Kee implied, her words fell like snow on my bones. Words. They're just words. I tried to shake the little pall Kee's statements seemed to have created, but I thought instead of the body found on the Navajo Reservation. I glanced over at the photo of the Shiprock formation.
    Sage took a sip of wine and made an appreciative noise. "Thank God for Chris making a wine run." She lapsed into silence for a moment then sighed in exaggerated annoyance. "Unfortunately, I now have to stop wanting to kick Shoshana's ass," she continued in a low voice.
    I caught her gaze, not sure whether she was kidding or not, but glad to think about something other than weird warnings. Her eyes seemed to sparkle and she smiled, sheepish. Good. She was past the conversation we'd just had with Tamara Kee. Sage leaned closer. "I'll be the first to admit that the way you look in those jeans is a better view than most people get in a month. And far be it from me to put a stop to someone's appreciation of a hot woman." She took another sip of wine and heat built under my collar. "But I'm a little territorial when it comes to you." She shrugged. "I know. It might be a character flaw." She watched me over the rim of her glass, a come-hither expression in her eyes that could melt ice in Greenland. From here.
    Must. Not. Ravish . "Feel free to claim this territory any time," I whispered near her ear.
    "I knew you'd see things my way." Sage ran her hand up my arm and squeezed my shoulder just as a man who reminded me of my dad accosted her with a bombastic "Sage Crandall, your work is unbelievable!" Compact, loud, but endearing. This guy was the Hispanic version of my father. I left Sage to her animated conversation with him and made my way through the crowd, catching snippets of various discussions. I checked my watch. Almost six. We probably wouldn't get out of here until around nine, if not later. But it was well worth it. Chris was standing out on the front patio and I went to join her, putting Kee out of my mind.
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    I SAT OUT on our covered front porch, enjoying a cup of coffee. The Sunday paper lay on the floor next to my feet, but I ignored it, deciding instead to revel in the morning cool before the late summer heat moved in. Our front yard consisted of New Mexico dirt and a mixture of native plants like yucca and sage and drought-resistant foliage like lavender, purple coneflower, and Texas hummingbird mint, whose raspberry-colored flowers harmonized with the lavender. Sage had xeriscaped the area when she moved in four years ago. I watched a hummingbird approach a jumble of coneflower and valerian just as a small red Honda CR-X pulled up in front