Protector

Chapter 9-2

Alex decided to take Caitlin out of Tucson proper and over the hill to the Old Tucson Studios park, partly because it was a nice drive, and partly because they needed something to fill up the time while waiting for her next vision to show itself. She gazed, wide-eyed, out the car windows, staring at the saguaro cacti that marched up and down the hillsides, standing there like silent sentinels.

“They’re kind of creepy, don’t you think?” she asked at last.

“The saguaros?”

“Yes…like they’d shift their positions the second you turned your back on them or something.”

Well, that was a nice friendly image. He really hadn’t thought about the cacti one way or another, even though he’d grown up with them all around him. His father grumbled about the saguaro, just because they were protected plants, and you couldn’t cut them down or dig them up, even if one did happen to be in the way of your current landscaping project.

“That’s quite an imagination you have,” Alex remarked, slowing down as they began to wind their way up and over the crest of the hill, down into the valley where the studios were located.

She didn’t smile, though, but only shrugged and said, “I suppose so.”

Now, what was that about?

But the small frown that had been tugging at her pretty arched brows faded as she gazed out at the vista ahead of them. “Wow, it’s….” She broke off, stared out the windshield, then said, “It’s so beautiful. I guess I hadn’t expected it to be like this.”

“Because the southern part of the state is supposed to be hot and dry and dusty?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

Well, at least she was honest. “You’re coming at a good time of year. It was a nice rainy winter, so things are pretty green. But I’m glad you like it.”

“What’s it called?”

“The Santa Cruz Valley. We’re not going too far into it, though, just to the studios.”

“I still can’t believe there’s a movie studio out here.”

Alex said, “Why, because we’re not in Hollywood?”

“Something like that.” Then she did smile, just a little. “But we have a recording studio in Jerome, so I suppose it all evens out.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. It’s on the lower level of the old high school. The other floors are rented out for artist studios now.”

That sounded very cool. When he’d gone to meet Angela, to see if he was “the one,” he’d driven straight in to Jerome and met her, shared that one ritual kiss, then basically turned around and headed for home. At the time he’d been fighting his disappointment and really didn’t want to stop and look at any more of the town.

Now, though…now he didn’t feel quite so disappointed.

“I’d like to see that,” he told Caitlin, and her expression brightened even more.

“And I’d love to give you a personal tour.”

“I’ll take you up on that.”

It would be good to get past all this, to spend some time with her without the fate of her two friends hanging over her head. What he was doing now was only a small stopgap, something to lighten her mind, if only for an hour or two. Last night’s vision had come while she was sleeping, but who was to say one might not intrude when she was awake? He supposed he’d just have to hope it wouldn’t hit her when she was out in public. Maybe coming here wasn’t such a good idea….

Nothing he could do about it now. Alex pulled into the parking lot at the studio, which was moderately more full than it usually would be during a weekday. Tourists from the Phoenix area, most likely, visiting because their kids were out of school. He hoped the place wouldn’t be completely overrun.

There was an open parking space not too far from the entrance. He stopped the Pathfinder there, and then he and Caitlin both got out. A warm breeze ruffled his hair, but that’s all it was — warm, not hot. A perfect day for coming out here.

He turned toward her, and she came around the front of the SUV, her own hair blowing around her face in a cloud of brilliant copper. God, he wanted to run his hands through that hair, feel its silky strands slip through his fingers. Who knew he’d have such a redhead fetish? Before now, he wouldn’t have really admitted to a preference when it came to hair color in women.

Or maybe it was just that it was Caitlin’s hair, rather than its particular color.

“This way,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t sound as strained to her as it did to him. He really did need to keep it together.

She smiled and followed him into the park, eyes bright, interested. Clearly, she didn’t think it was hokey or silly that he’d brought her here. And she maintained that wide-eyed appreciation the whole time, during the stunt shows and the staged gunfights and the tour that talked about all the movies and TV shows filmed in the facility and its environs.

Since Alex had been here several times before, he found himself focusing on Caitlin and her reactions to what was going on around them, rather than the shows and displays themselves. It was good to watch her forget, if even for a little while, the real reason why she’d come to Tucson. She needed this, he could tell. And he needed it, too. How long had it been since he’d gone out and done something for fun, just because?

Way too long.

And how long had it been since he’d felt like this when he looked at a girl?

Even longer. No, that wasn’t exactly true. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt like this. Not really.

Just what he was supposed to do about it, he had no idea.