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“And the vehicle?” Samuel asked. “What is the damage there?”
“The front end’s banged up pretty badly. It’s wrapped around the base of a tree trunk.”
Samuel’s gaze narrowed. “You know Ian is not going to be happy about another big expense, but at least both of you are okay. That is what really matters.”
Meghan caught the concern in Samuel’s eyes.
“Meghan tends to be a bit accident-prone,” Kate began.
“What kind of accidents?” Alex asked.
“In case you didn’t notice, I can hear you both.” Meghan frowned as she set her camera down and climbed into the front passenger seat.
Kate slid into the backseat beside Alex. “It is true, Meghan. Either you’re accident-prone or maybe you’ve just had a string of bad luck lately—”
“It was nothing,” Meghan countered.
“What kinds of accidents?” Alex repeated.
“For one,” Kate began, “two days ago, the side of a hide collapsed while Meghan was inside studying our lion family. All joking aside, it actually could have been very dangerous.”
“It collapsed?”
Meghan caught the concern in Alex’s voice. “Kate. You shouldn’t have brought that up.”
“Why not?”
“Because our new assistant has a tendency to worry. He even implied that the brakes on the Jeep went out due to sabotage.” The guy was clearly a worrywart. She’d only added to the mess by mentioning the poachers to him. The idea that the poachers might come after her seemed stupid now. The man who’d been killed had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The chances of it happening again were pretty much zilch.
“Sabotage?” Samuel headed back toward the lodge. “That does not seem very likely. It is far more probable that the owners are cutting back on costs and missed the vehicle’s last scheduled maintenance.”
“The owner’s facing financial issues?” Alex asked.
“No more than any other lodge when the world economy is down.”
“It’s one of the reasons he agreed to help with the documentary we’re working on,” Meghan added. “He’s hoping the added exposure will bring in more tourists. Kate and I blog, and post on Facebook and Twitter, everything we do, complete with videos and photos. People love it.”
“Have there been any other accidents?” Alex clearly wasn’t ready to drop the subject.
“Kate, I’m warning you. Say nothing. Because, Mr. Lone Star, as much as you seem to want there to be, there is no conspiracy going on here. In fact, our days are far less glamorous than most people think, and certainly not dangerous unless you count an occasional encounter with a pack of wild dogs or—like today—a run-in with a rhino. Most of our time is spent out in the bush waiting. No saboteurs, no encounters with poachers, no bad guys waiting in the wings.”
A moment later, the lights of the lodge came into view, hopefully putting an end to the conversation for good. Because all Meghan wanted now was a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.
She stood up and slid out of the Jeep before Alex or the others could react. “Thanks for the ride, Samuel. I appreciate your coming back for us.”
“Where are you going?” Kate asked.
“Back to my chalet. Once I get ahold of a bag of ice and some pain medicine, I plan on crashing. It’s been a long day.”
“I will talk to Ian about the vehicle and make sure it is brought in.”
“Thank you, Samuel.”
“And I’ll walk you to your cabin.”
Meghan took a step forward, then turned back to Alex. “I appreciate your help, really I do, but I’m fine. My knee’s feeling better already, and I’m sure you want to get settled.”
Alex Markham had managed to wreak havoc with her emotions, and she needed distance to help her regain some perspective.
“Okay, but I think you should get your leg checked out by a professional.” He caught her gaze, causing her stomach to flip. “Isn’t there a doctor or clinic nearby?”
“He’s right, Meghan,” Kate added. “You should see a doctor. Just to make sure nothing is broken or torn.”
Meghan shook her head. “I’ll be fine. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow will be just as long. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
Before anyone could say another word, Meghan started down the paved walkway that ran beside a row of chalets, determined not to limp. Everything she’d said had been true. All she needed was some pain medicine and an ice pack, and she’d be as good as new by morning.
Alex—and Kate, for that matter—was making far too big a deal about nothing.
Something rustled behind the purple flowering bougainvillea hedge to her right. Meghan squinted at the thick climbing vine. There were intermittent spotlights along the path, but clouds had covered up the stars and moon, leaving it too dark to see anything.
Meghan sped up, trying to put as little weight as possible on her bad leg as she hobbled down the path. She was beginning to see a poacher behind every bush. She shook her head. This was crazy. Alex and his paranoia were rubbing off on her. It was probably nothing more than a bush baby or a monkey looking for a free handout.
Meghan repositioned the strap of her camera bag over her shoulder. She’d been foolish to venture out without her flashlight, but Alex had her completely rattled. How could a man she knew nothing about leave her so flustered? Clearly she’d been out in the bush too long. For the most part, the men who stayed at the lodge were either over sixty or had wives or girlfriends. None of them had garnered a second look from her.
She started down the row of chalets where the staff stayed. Tonight was quiet, as most people were up at the lodge eating dinner.
Meghan stopped. This time she was sure she’d heard something, and whatever it was sounded too big to be a monkey.
“Hello?”
No answer.
She continued down the path, past her chalet, ready to prove to Alex that there was no bogeyman or saboteur—
Meghan froze as the main power switched off, leaving her in total darkness. Without a flashlight, it was almost impossible to see what was ahead of her. She’d wandered too far down the path to be able to find her chalet, but neither did she want to stay where she was. She knew from experience that power outages could potentially last for hours.
She turned back toward the chalets and took an uneasy step forward. Her knee buckled, and she hit the ground full force. Meghan screamed at the impact, felt her head hit something hard, then gave way to the blackness surrounding her.
* * *
“Is she always so...?” Alex searched for the right word as Meghan disappeared down the path toward her chalet.
“Bullheaded?” Kate suggested.
“I was thinking more independent, but bullheaded works.”
“Yes, but she’s fantastic to work with. She’s creative, funny, focused...”
He followed Kate toward the reception area of the lodge that was decorated with woven baskets and life-size wooden carvings of monkeys, turtles and warthogs. A group of tourists were climbing into one of the vehicles, cameras and extra lenses in hand, for a night safari in the bush. There were more people around than he’d expected. And any one of them could be responsible for their crash earlier.
He couldn’t worry about that now. He had other things to do. He needed to get the key to his room and check with the airport to see if they would deliver his suitcase tomorrow. Otherwise, the one extra set of clothes he’d packed in his carry-on was going to have to be supplemented by a few souvenir shirts and shorts in the gift shop.
“What’s her story?” he asked as they approached the front desk, hoping he might discover something beyond what Meghan had told him.
“Meghan’s? She grew up as an only child, divorced parents, boarding schools—she comes by her independence naturally.”
He might have just met Meghan, but something about her intrigued him. She was down-to-earth, witty and passionate, which made a refreshing change from most of the women his friends had tried to set him up with lately.
“What about you?” Kate leaned against the polished wooden counter. “We usually eat dinner together about this time in the restaurant. Care to join me and tell me a little more about yourself?”
Alex took his key from the receptionist and weighed his options. Hungry or not, he wasn’t here to socialize. His first priority was to keep an eye on Meghan, a task that was proving to be far from easy. Which meant for starters he needed to find out where she was staying. “I’d love to, but jet lag is starting to hit hard. I’ve got a granola bar and trail mix that will hold me over until tomorrow. Which way to my chalet?”
Kate looked at his key and pointed to her right. “You’re number five. The staff chalets are all located straight down that path a hundred yards or so. I’m number two if you need anything.”
“And Meghan?” He caught a hint of amusement in her eyes at the question and tried to cover his tracks. “Just in case I need something and can’t find you.”
“Of course. She’s in number seven.”
“Great. Thanks.”
On his way out, he paused at an aerial photo of the Chizoba Safari Lodge and its adjoining game reserve. Besides the two-dozen luxury chalets with thatched roofs for guests that overlooked the grassy veld, there was a restaurant, bar, day spa, activity center and swimming pool. It was all very impressive. But he wasn’t here to enjoy a vacation.
Alex headed in the direction of the chalet where he’d be staying. Somehow he was going to have to find a way to keep tabs on Meghan without her thinking he was stalking her. Because, in his eyes, everything that had happened today had only confirmed her father’s fears.
Halfway down the paved walkway, the power went out, throwing him into pitch darkness. Great. Alex stopped midstride, surprised at how dark it was. No lights meant there was no way he was going to find his cabin. He stood in the middle of the path and made a mental note to carry a flashlight with him if it turned out that power outages were the norm. Which they probably were.
Poachers, charging rhinos, failing brakes... It was as if he’d stepped into a different reality where, on top of everything else, beautiful women like Meghan had somehow managed to yank his heartstrings.
Alex heard the scream from where he stood.
Meghan?
He squinted, but his eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the darkness. Silence followed. He didn’t have a choice but to try to find her. A dozen yards later, he ran smack-dab into something—or somebody. He heard her scream again as he tripped and landed on the ground beside her.
He rolled onto his side and groaned. “Meghan?”
“Alex? What in the world are you doing here?” Funny. It was the same question he’d asked himself a dozen times the past twelve hours.
“I heard a scream,” he answered.
“It was me. Sorry. Just help me up. Please.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just...tripped.”
“I—”
“Don’t say anything.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Right.”
His arms were still around her as the moon came out from behind the clouds, giving him just enough light so he could see her expression. A mixture of pain and embarrassment filled her eyes.
“You okay? Anything else hurt?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
He pushed back a strand of hair from her forehead, his other arm still around her waist. “Whoa. You’ve got a goose egg here.”
She felt the spot on the edge of her scalp. “I must have hit my head when I fell.”
He found himself not wanting to let go of her as she took a step back.
“What happened?” he asked.
“The lights went out, and like I said, I tripped.”
“That’s it?”
The lights came back on, this time completely illuminating her face. Wide eyes, furrowed brow, a frown and yet somehow undeniably adorable. He reined in his train of thought.
“As much as I don’t want to admit it,” she began, “Kate was right. I’m a bit accident-prone.”
“So this was just an accident?” He wasn’t sure he believed her.
“The lights went out. I tried to make it to my cabin and tripped.”
Alex glanced around him. They were past the row of chalets. From what he could see, the path continued on toward the watering hole.
“You’re past your cabin.”
She started walking back up the path. “You’d think I was paranoid if I told you that I thought someone was following me.”
Alex felt a wave of alarm strike. “Meghan, what happened?”
“Nothing. I heard a noise and went to investigate. It was probably just a baboon or someone on their way to their chalet.”
“Tell me exactly what you heard.”
“I don’t know, just some rustling in the bushes. Like I said, it was probably nothing. It’s been a long day and I’m tired, which means I’m imagining things. Someone I know has put ideas of sabotage in my head.”
“I’m sorry, but it seems a bit coincidental. First the brakes on the Jeep give out, and now you think someone was following you? Not to mention the thing that Kate brought up.”
Meghan laughed. “Please, you sound just like my father. He’s convinced that there is an evil plot behind everything. The Jeep’s brakes failed because the vehicle is old and the mechanic somehow missed it. Nothing more, nothing less.”
For a moment he considered simply telling her the truth. It seemed ridiculous to hide things from her, but he had made a promise. He’d call the ambassador tonight, update him on the situation and advise him that Meghan be told what was going on.
She stopped in front of one of the chalets. Number seven.
“This is your place?”
“Home, sweet home.”
He moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist as she started up the stairs that looked as if they could use a bit of repair themselves.
“I can get up the stairs on my own.”
She pulled back, but he only tightened his grip. “And take the chance of falling again? I don’t think so.”
“Alex.”
“No arguing.” He helped her up the stairs and stopped at front of the door before giving her the space she wanted and he needed. “I want you to promise me one more thing.”
“What is that?”
“Lock your door tonight.”
“You’re being paranoid again.”
“I just want you to be smart—and safe. If there are poachers around, like you said, it’s worth being prudent.” He caught the doubt in her eyes. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Good.”
He took a step backward—physically and emotionally. He wasn’t going to let himself get too attached. Not this time. Not again. His only plan was to keep Meghan safe for the ambassador until the election was over in two weeks, and then he was going to leave.
Until then, maintaining distance would help him do his job effectively. It would make Meghan safer. And it would help him protect the heart he never wanted to put at risk again.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Alex finally got through to her father. “Ambassador Jordan. This is Alex Markham.”
“I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. Is my daughter okay?”
“Yes, but now that I’m here, I believe that in order for me to effectively do my job, I need to tell your daughter the truth—”
“No. Please. You promised me you wouldn’t tell her anything.”
“I don’t think you understand, Ambassador. Meghan is...independent. I can and will do everything I can to ensure she is safe, but without her knowledge of who I am and how she’s at risk, there is only so much I can do. I can’t find a reason to be with her twenty-four hours a day.”
“I need you to do this without her knowing.” His voice softened. “If she finds out, I’ll lose her. I’ve already dragged her into many dangerous situations. She’ll blame me for messing up this job. For always interfering.”
“You’re not going to lose her, sir. She knows you love her.”
“Has something happened to make you think the men who contacted me are making good on their threats?”
“At this point, I’m not sure.” Alex hesitated. Everything that had taken place could be explained away as coincidence, just like Meghan believed, but if she was wrong...
“The brakes went out on our vehicle today. She’s certain that maintenance missed the problem. The terrain is rough here, and I can’t be sure that this was related to the threats you’ve received.”
“But it could be related to the threats, and you know it.”
“Either way, let me tell her the truth.”
“Not yet. Just promise me you’ll take care of her. Because if I lose Meghan, I lose everything. Please, Alex. I’m trusting you to take care of my daughter.”
Ice shot through Alex at the memory of another family who had trusted him with their daughter. He’d let that family down. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—fail again.
“I’ll do everything I can to keep Meghan safe, sir. You have my word.”
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