A Rare Breed by Mary Tate Engels Page A

mud-coated socks off, and wearing only his tee shirt, stretched out her legs, and wiggled her bare toes in the sun. Ahh, she thought as she settled back. This is much cooler.
    She had tucked Gran Bonnie's book into her purse with plans to reread it on the flight to L.A. Fortunately the old book had survived the crash, which made it more special than ever. Soon Brit was transported back to another era. A young woman named Bonnie was trying to resist, but helplessly falling in love with a handsome Indian named Knife Wing. So engrossed was she in Bonnie's life that she didn't notice when Jake returned to camp.
    Unable to concentrate on the petroglyph handprints or chipped flint artifacts he found in the Indian ruins, Jake quit work early. He could only think of creating a pair of moccasins for Brit and how it would feel shaping the leather to her slender, bare feet.
    When he entered camp, the place appeared deserted. But it didn't take him long to find his trio of charges. He could hear Rudi and Yolanda talking and laughing down by the river. And he spotted Brit tucked away, high in the little cave. He smiled to himself and grabbed what he would need for the moccasins from the tent.
    Brit looked up, startled, when his boot scraped a stone. The expression on her face was absolutely peaceful, almost as if she were mesmerized or possibly asleep. Her delicate, doll-like features were relaxed, seemingly on the verge of smiling, but not quite. Her blond hair was rum-pled after a couple of days of being tossed about and combed with only her fingers. It was, to him, quite sexy that way. Admittedly, he was intrigued with her. She was the most appealing woman he'd met in a long time. And, with her bare legs stretched out beneath his tee shirt, her appeal was definitely sexy.
    "Hi." He tried to sound casual as he climbed up beside her. But the sight of her knotted his stomach and he felt slightly nervous and tight. "Can I join you up here in the eagle's nest?"
    She smiled softly, and he wanted to touch that gentle face. "Sure. The eagles have flown, and it's just me."
    "Did I wake you?"
    "No, I was reading." She checked her left wrist out of habit, then grinned at herself. "My watch broke in the crash, but aren't you off work early?"
    He leaned against the sandstone wall which arched above them. "That's one of the bennies' of this job. No time cards to punch."
    "No clocks, therefore no time. Only the sun."
    "And the moon," he added. "The natives moved by the earth's natural rhythms. Sometimes that's best. Your body adapts to it quickly and easily." He took the sheet of leather and began cutting it to the shape of her ruined shoes.
    "What are you doing?" She peered curiously at his handiwork.
    "This will be the flat part that fits your sole. Then I’ll add a curved piece to cover your foot. Last will be a tube for your ankle."
    "How neat," she marveled as she watched his careful hands measuring and piecing. "Seems so simple."
    "Except for this part." He began stitching the sections together with a thin cord. "The Indians usually bead these pieces for decoration before they start. And they use leather strips for sewing instead of cotton thread. But this is all I have, and I think they'll suffice as long as you're here."
    "I really appreciate this, Jake. How many people get handmade moccasins?"
    He shrugged. "How many crash-land in the Grand Canyon and live to tell? What are you reading?"
    "My great-grandmother's book." She held it up so he could see the title. "This is the one they're making into a movie. I happened to have it in my purse to read on the trip, so I could be familiar with it when I got to the set. I'm supposed to be a consultant on the movie." She chuckled ruefully. "Funny thing happened on the way to L.A."
    "You fell into a great hole in the ground." Jake took a stitch and pulled it through the leather.
    "It's been an interesting experience," she admitted. "And, contrary to what you might believe, not altogether bad."
    "Oh