Man With A Mission
Шрифт:
“Yes,” he muttered, scowling as he angled his chair so he wouldn’t keep bumping her. Touching Ana was a delicious and unexpected gift to Jake. He hadn’t expected to be drawn so powerfully to Ana especially now, with Tal’s life on the line. “I talked to the executive vice president of the Wiraqocha Foundation and she said Tal was going to be working with six different villages, looking for water and the best place to sink a well for each. Huayllabamba was the third village on her list. That’s where she disappeared.”
“I see,” Ana murmured. She tried to ignore the pleasant tingles on her knee and arm where Jake had accidentally brushed her. The turmoil in his pale blue eyes told her he was stressed and worried.
Tracing the black lines on the map with her slender index finger, Ana said, “This is a map of Machu Picchu and Rainbow Valley area. They are inseparable. The neck of the valley spills into the jungle, dropping from fourteen thousand to six thousand feet to intersect with the Machu Picchu Reserve. A reserve is like a national park—it’s a protected area.”
She tapped the map with her finger. “See this? It is our railroad—our lifeline, the only way to get in and out of Machu Picchu from Rainbow Valley, unless you want to fly in or out by helicopter.” Her eyes crinkled and she looked up and met Jake’s attentive gaze.
A sheet of warmth spread through her. Did she see longing in his eyes? Impossible. Ana decided she was more starved for a man’s company than she’d realized. That was all it was, she told herself silently. Just an instant attraction that would dissolve as quickly as it had sparked between them. He was still grousing whenever he found an opportunity, insisting that no woman should be on a mission like this, but she ignored his grumbling.
“We can take the train from the depot down the street to Kilometer 88. The train stops there briefly every day. We can get off, then cross the mighty Urubamba River by foot, on a rope bridge to the other side. There we can pick up the Inka Trail and head toward Huayllabamba. The trail parallels another river, Rio Cusichaca. We’ll be climbing from six thousand to nine thousand feet in order to reach Huayllabamba. What was the next village on her route?”
Jake unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket and spread it open. “Here’s her full itinerary. Most of the place names I can’t even pronounce.”
Laughing softly, Ana studied the handwritten list. “Hmm, after Huayllabamba, she was to go to Paucarcancha and then Pulpituyoc, where there is a temple site. These are all located along the Inka Trail.”
“What is the Inka Trail?”
Ana lifted her head. She saw Jake frowning as he intently studied the route she’d laid out. “It was created hundreds of years ago by the Inkas as a path between Rainbow Valley and Machu Picchu. Both places were important centers to the Inka empire. It’s made up of carefully cut stones that have been placed on a path about a meter wide. The stones are about the size of a modern-day brick, usually, but there are larger ones, too.”
“A lot of labor went into it, then,” Jake said. He liked the way Ana’s mouth moved. The corners naturally flexed upward; that told him she laughed and smiled a lot. More and more of his tension and anxiety were dissolving beneath her very capable manner and her gentleness. Again, Jake found it tough to imagine Ana being a combat helicopter pilot. But then, he also admitted he didn’t have a clue about the complex makeup of any woman. Especially someone like Ana. Still, he was powerfully drawn to her and wanted to know more about her on a personal level. The mission was in the way, though. And his heart was with Tal. He had no business being even mildly curious about Ana as a woman.
Chuckling, Ana said, “You could say that. So, do we have a plan? We’ll get our gear in order and hop the train?” She looked at her watch. “It’s a little after noon. There’s one leaving in about twenty minutes, and we can make that if we walk fast. The train station is about a half a mile from here. Ready?”
Jake nodded and stood. He automatically went over and pulled out the chair for Ana. She blushed beautifully over his courtly manners. He liked the slumberous quality he saw in her cinnamon eyes as she rose.
“Thank you, Jake. That was very unexpected and kind of you.”
He grinned a little shyly. “Chivalry isn’t dead, after all,” he murmured, shrugging on his pack. “White knights still exist. At least, in the form of a U.S. Army officer.” He saw Ana place her pack on her chair and open it up. She withdrew a beautiful handwoven scarf of brilliant rainbow colors. Placing it around her neck, she knotted it gently so that it hung between her breasts.
“That’s beautiful. What is it?”
Ana closed her knapsack. When she started to put it across her shoulders, Jake quickly picked it up and held it so that she could easily slide her arms through it. His fingers brushed her shoulder. Her skin tingled. “Thank you,” she said a little breathlessly. As she headed for the stairs, she said, “It’s my chalina. I don’t know if they told you of my background,” she said, taking the stairs quickly, with Jake fast on her heels. “I was born in Ollytatambu, at the end of Rainbow Valley. My mother is of the Que’ro bloodline, the last of the Inkas. She is a laykka, a healer. And when I was growing up, she taught me to weave, as all daughters are taught the art.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Ana waved goodbye to Patrick and moved out of the restaurant and down the concrete walk toward the main thoroughfare of Agua Caliente. It was glutted with tourists from around the world. Jake quickly caught up to her and walked at her shoulder, his head cocked toward her as she continued to talk.
“Every teenage girl makes her own chalina. They are always of rainbow colors because my people believe the rainbow is the two-headed snake of creation.” She picked up the flowing end of the woven alpaca. “When a young Quechua woman decides that she is ready for a sexual relationship and marriage, she wears this. It is a sign that she will consider an offer from a young man of her choice. When she finds the man she wants to love, she will place the scarf about his neck and let him know that she wants to commit to a long, serious relationship with him. If the young man accepts, then they go off and consummate their relationship. Afterward, they visit each of the parents’ homes and tell them of their commitment to one another. Both families must approve of their intention.”
Jake raised his brows. They moved quickly down the concrete highway, weaving in and out of the heavy human traffic. On either side, one-and two-story homes stood. Natives dressed in colorful clothing walked in the crowds selling T-shirts, jewelry and other tourist items. “I don’t think your tradition would get very far in the States.”
Ana laughed pleasantly. She absorbed Jake’s interest and attention. She had just spent a year without any male company and was beginning to understand how starved she’d become for conversation with the opposite sex. Men and women were different, and she enjoyed those differences. “Maybe it should. At least we are more open and honest about wanting to love another person.” She patted the chalina gently as it swayed back and forth with her quick stride. “We don’t sneak around, either. It’s a very open, aboveboard signal. No guesswork.” She grinned. “And it puts the emphasis on long-term commitment. This is not a roll in the hay, as I suspect you think.”