Until the last lie, she’d nearly succeeded in calming herself. But now her heart rate picked up and her body trembled. She wasn’t the same. Everything had changed since Arizona had dropped into her life. Now they were lovers. How was she supposed to resist him? The way he touched her, the way he made her feel—no woman could walk away from that kind of magic.

She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. She was overtired. She was reacting emotionally to a difficult situation. That was what the dream had been trying to tell her—that things were different now. She wasn’t really going to marry Arizona, live in Bradley and have three children. That was crazy. She was going to move to New York and write for a major magazine. She wasn’t going to get married because loving someone meant opening herself to pain and Chloe had sworn to never do that again. It hurt too much.

“I’m fine,” she whispered to herself. “It was just a dream. It’s not true.”

She repeated the sentences over and over. Slowly, her body relaxed. It wasn’t real. He wasn’t her destiny. In a couple of weeks he would disappear from her life as abruptly as he’d entered it and she would go on as before.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she told herself. “Nothing at all.”

Arizona shifted in his sleep and pulled her closer. She allowed herself to press against him. Unexpectedly, tears sprang to her eyes. She felt them fill her eyes, then spill onto her temple. What on earth was wrong with her? She was fine. It had just been a strange dream.

And then she knew. The truth dawned and with it a growing horror. She wasn’t crying because she was afraid the dream would come true…but because she was afraid it wouldn’t.

* * *

THEY WALKED IN to the dig a little after one in the afternoon. Chloe hadn’t known what to expect. Her entire experience with archaeology had been a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles when she’d been ten or twelve. She vaguely recalled some motorized life-size replicas of a woolly mammoth family caught in tar outside, and some fossils on the inside. Behind the buildings was the actual site itself, but that memory was a blur.

Here she’d expected to see a few open pits with college students delicately removing bits of bone using dental instruments. Instead, she and Arizona crested the rise and looked down into an entire village.

To the left were the tents used by the scientists and workers. To the right were obviously ancient stone huts, some reduced to crumbled remains, others standing tall with open places for windows and doors. A couple hundred yards back from the village was an open dirt area with a large circle painted in white.

“What do you think?” Arizona asked.

“It’s huge,” she told him. “I’d pictured something smaller.”

“Most people do. They’re studying a society here, not digging up dinosaur bones. Some of the finds are from two or three different Indian tribes. That’s what everyone came to study. But about three months ago, they started unearthing a much older civilization…and one that was more advanced. No one knows who they are or where they came from. They’re the ones who interest me.”

As he spoke, he started down the side of the rise. Chloe followed him. While she was pleased they’d arrived and she could put down her heavy pack for a few hours, in a way she was sorry to be around other people. Instead, she wanted to be alone with Arizona.

This morning could have been awkward. Between her very strange dream and their physical intimacy, she’d been prepared for stiff conversation and averted gazes. Instead, Arizona had awakened her with a kiss. She’d felt perfectly comfortable lying there in his arms. They’d had breakfast and dressed, but in the process of rolling up their sleeping bags and packing up clothes, they’d become tangled in each other. The lovemaking had been hot and fast, leaving them both satisfied and out of breath. Not a bad way to start the morning.

But all that would be different now, she told herself. There were other people around. She had to remember they were both here to work.

A tall, skinny man with a scruffy beard looked up at their approach. He wore thick glasses and baggy clothes. He had a clipboard in one hand and a handheld tape recorder in the other.

“Arizona!” he called when he spotted them. “I heard you were coming to check out what we found.”

“Hey, Jeff. Good to see you.” They walked over to him and the two men shook hands. “This is Chloe Wright. She’s a reporter.”

Jeff shook her hand and winked. “He’s all flash, no substance. Don’t let him fool you into thinking otherwise.”

Chloe found herself smiling at the rumpled man. “I’ll do my best to remain objective.”

Jeff returned his attention to Arizona. “We’ve found more artifacts. Some tools, bowls, nothing that will interest you.” He slapped his friend’s back. “The amulet is in here.”

He led Arizona toward one of the larger tents. Chloe fell into step behind them. As they walked, she glanced around and tried to get a feel for all the activity. Long wooden tables had been stacked with bowls, stone disks and knives. There were open crates and two women filling them with the stone objects.

Every time they walked by someone, Arizona called out a greeting. He knew them all by name. He had a few teasing words for each of them. Chloe was reminded of the reception, where he’d known as many guests as she did, and she’d lived in Bradley all her life. She supposed it was just his personality. He enjoyed getting to know people and they wanted to know him.

“In here,” Jeff said, motioning them inside one of the largest tents.

Arizona let his backpack slip to the ground before entering and Chloe did the same. There were more tables set up in here, she noticed as they entered. The objects littering the surface were small and delicate. Some were wood, a few cloth. Despite the canvas flaps rolled back to let in both air and light, the area smelled musty.

“We found it in what we thought might have been a wooden box. Unfortunately, it disintegrated when we moved it. But the amulet is intact. There are a dozen or so stone beads. Very round with a tiny hole through the center. We figured it was part of a necklace of some kind. How they made the stones so small and perfect is anyone’s guess.”

Jeff stopped in front of a table in the rear of the tent. “I’ve already finished the paperwork. You just have to sign for it and promise you won’t lose it.”

Arizona smiled. “I’ll be careful.”

“I know. That’s why I’m releasing it to you.” He glanced at Chloe. “We have some sandwiches left over from lunch if you want them.”

Her stomach growled. “Sounds great.”

“Help yourself when you’re done.” He picked up a rectangular acrylic case that was about six inches square and handed it to Arizona. “Good luck. I’m curious to hear what you figure out.” With that he waved and left the tent.

Arizona lifted the cover and stared down at the small round stones. Chloe moved closer. One of the stones was larger than the others, and more oval than round. There was some kind of carving.

“A child sign,” he said, and put the oval piece in the center of his palm. “That’s a sleeping baby or young child.”

She looked down and saw what looked like a cross between a crude drawing of an infant in a cradle board and a baby seal. The ridges underneath looked fluid to her.

“Water?” she asked, pointing.

“Probably. These dots up here—” He indicated the top half of the stone “—are stars. The tiny crescent is the moon. The water indicates a journey or travel. The birth of a baby, or a prayer for a baby to be brought to the family? Maybe a wish for a dying child to have safe passage to the next life.” His voice was low and intense. “I’ll have to start researching this fairly soon. I’m not going to have much time.”

He muttered a few more sentences, then seemed to get lost in what he was studying. Chloe didn’t mind. She moved away and bent over a few of the tables, trying to figure out what had been unearthed.

This was, she acknowledged, a different world from her own suburban life. Arizona was unlike anyone she’d ever met. Yet there were many things about him that called to her. His kindness, his intelligence, his humor. She found him physically attractive—she liked the feel of his body next to and on top of hers. She respected him.

She glanced back and saw him carefully weighing the round stones and the amulet itself, then making notations on a card. Their relationship just wasn’t about sex—at least it wasn’t for her. And that thought terrified her. If it was only physical, it would be so much easier to put into place. As it was, she was confused. What did it mean that Arizona had entered her life? What was she supposed to do now? The obvious answer was that she was supposed to enjoy the fun while it lasted, then forget about him when he left. It made sense. What other choice was there?

But what about the dream? Had that meant anything? Was it a premonition or just wishful thinking on her part?

“I don’t want a traditional life,” she reminded herself. “I don’t want to fall in love again. I don’t want to care. If you love people, then they can hurt you.”

She’d experienced the latter firsthand. Her parents hadn’t meant to die and leave her, but they had. So had Billy. She was tired of caring and then being left alone. She wasn’t going to take that kind of chance again.

She heard footsteps and turned. Arizona walked over and gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I got caught up in this.” He shook the acrylic box. “Breakfast was a long time ago. You must be starving. Let’s go grab a couple of sandwiches.”

“Sounds good.”

They went outside and found the food. A few of the graduate students came by and talked to Arizona. As expected, he knew all of them by name. When a couple of the young women looked at Arizona with admiring eyes, Chloe had to fight down a surge of irritation. She wanted to slide closer to him and lay claim to him. But she didn’t. As far as she could tell, Arizona barely realized they were female, let alone attractive and obviously smitten. For someone who could read a life’s story in a single carved stone, he was amazingly dense when it came to women. It was, she acknowledged, a fine quality in a man.

At last, when they were alone, Arizona leaned forward and rested his elbows on the wooden picnic table. “Is it what you thought?” he asked, indicating the site.

“It’s bigger and there’s more activity. I’m glad you brought me. This will add a lot to my article.” She touched the box lying between them. “What are you going to do with this?”

“I’ll do some research. Most of what I need is available through Internet links with university libraries. I have to figure out what the carvings mean. Once all this gets dated, I’ll look at other cultures from that time. There are often similarities.” His eyebrows drew together. “My problem is I don’t have a lot of time. Once the lecture series is finished in Bradley, I’m leaving for the South Pacific. I’m doing some work there this summer.”

She’d known he wasn’t going to stay. Why would a man like him want to spend any time in a small town? But she hadn’t really thought much about his going away so soon.

“Are you excited about the island?” she asked, trying to pretend his plans didn’t matter to her. After all, she reminded herself, they shouldn’t.

“I’ve been there before. They have a rich oral storytelling tradition and I’ll be recording and annotating many of their tales.” His gaze lingered on her face. “You’d like it. It’s a strictly matriarchal society. The men exist to do the hard physical labor, but all the decisions are made by the women. I find it restful. There aren’t any pressures to act macho.”

“Oh, right. I would guess you like it because the women there probably wait on you hand and foot.”

His smile was modest. “There is that. But it’s also very beautiful.”

“I’m sure it is.” She forced herself to keep smiling. Later, when she was alone, she would try to figure out why her chest was suddenly tight and it hurt to breathe.

“What’s next for you?” he asked. “After the article, I mean.”

“More work. I’ve put together some of my best writing. When I finish this story, I’m going to go to New York and see if I can get a job there. At least that’s the plan.”

“Sounds like a good one.”

“I’ve wanted this for a long time.” Chloe frowned. She had wanted this for as long as she could remember. Growing up, she’d dreamed about leaving Bradley and making it in the big city. But right now, the idea of being away from everything she’d ever known only sounded lonely.

“Have you ever thought about doing something else?” he asked.

She stared at him. He hadn’t shaved that morning and stubble darkened his cheeks. His hair was slightly mussed, his clothes as wrinkled as hers. Yet he was the most handsome man she’d ever met. What was he asking? Was he hinting that he might like her to come along? Would she be willing to do that? What about her career? What about not getting involved?

“I can be flexible,” she told him.

“That helps,” he said, and though she waited, he didn’t add anything.

Chloe fought against the disappointment. She was being a fool, she thought. Wanting something didn’t necessarily make it happen. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t usually this scattered. Maybe it was because Arizona had become so important to her in a relatively short period of time. It made everything so confusing.

Jeff sauntered over to the table. The two men spoke. Chloe watched Arizona. When he smiled, her lips curved up. His hands moved as he talked, and she remembered those same hands on her body. She was glad she was with him. She wanted to talk with him, hear his stories, be close.