CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Paulden turned out to be a scattering of homes spread out in the desert uplands to the north of Prescott National Forest. Alexa had been through this land before, but hadn’t remembered Paulden.
Not that there was much to remember. They had left the pine-topped mountains behind, the road tabling down to a flat, open plain that resembled a desiccated Kansas more than it did Arizona. The land was mostly flat, with dry grass and the occasional scrub. Ranch-style homes stood scattered here and there, each seeming to want the most space it could get from its neighbor. Some had a few scraggly trees around them. One or two homeowners had even made a heroic attempt at flower beds, adding a rare flash of color to an otherwise dreary landscape.
“Why the hell would anyone live here?
