Mystery surrounded himâ¦.
And that constantly teased Valerieâs imagination. More than anything, she wished she could have met him under different circumstances.
âIs it difficult for you to accept things that donât lend themselves to explanation?â
She nodded. âItâs a combination of private skepticism and police training. Iâm more comfortable with hard facts.â
âThen rely on thisâyou can trust me. No matter what goes down, Iâll be right there with you. Youâll never have a better partner.â
âOr a more dangerous one,â she muttered.
Somehow, he managed to hear her. âDangerous to others perhaps, but never to you.â
Even as he spoke, he could feel her responding to him. What was drawing them together was nature at its most basicâ¦and more. No woman had ever gotten under his skin like this, making him ache and wish for things he had no business wanting.
Dear Reader,
Writing is remarkable work. It fulfills an authorâs spirit in a way very few things can. Thatâs not to say that everything during the course of a book flows smoothly.
While working on Navajo Courage, I spent lots of time hiding out in my office. Somewhere along the way, Iâd forgotten that ideas come from life itself.
Once I realized my mistake, I immediately shut my office door and went to join my husband and our animals. By the end of that day, inspiration had dawned and the story came together.
I learned then that the barriers we put around ourselves all too often lock us in and keep us from getting what we most need. Using that newfound knowledge, my hero, Luca Nakai, and the heroine, Valerie Jonas, quickly blossomed to life.
People tend to think of writers as loners, shut away somewhere. But the truth is thatâs not the way it works. People need people. Itâs that simpleâand that complicated.
Here at Harlequin, for example, Iâm part of something much bigger than just my book. Since 1989, Harlequin Intrigue has been home for my workâand for me. Itâs a place filled with the support an author needs to create stories from the heart. Everyone bands together to bring you the best stories possible. In the process, a real sense of family unfolds.
Iâm proud to call myself a Harlequin Intrigue author. Happy 25th anniversary, Harlequin Intrigue, and thank you very much for allowing me to be a part of your history.
All the best,
Aimée Thurlo
Navajo Courage
Aimée Thurlo
To my sister Silvia, and my other sister Peggy.
Love you guys.
Aimée Thurlo is a nationally known bestselling author. Sheâs a winner of the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BOOK reviews, a New Mexico Book Award in contemporary fiction, and a Willa Cather Award in the same category. She has been published in twenty countries worldwide.
She also cowrites the bestselling Ella Clah mainstream mystery series praised in the New York Times Book Review.
Aimée was born in Havana, Cuba, and lives with her husband of thirty-nine years in Corrales, New Mexico. Her husband, David, was raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Tribal Police Detective Luca NakaiâAs the son of a medicine man, he was eager to do battle with his tribeâs ancient enemy. But his attraction to the beautiful city detective was an unexpectedâand dangerousâcomplication.
Sheriffâs Detective Valerie JonasâThe hard, street-smart cynic didnât believe in Navajo magicânot until she met Luca Nakai. Together, they stood a chanceâ¦but just barely.
Stephen BrowningâA former reporter with a serious lack of ethics, heâd do anything to break the biggest story in years.
Professor George BecentiâHe took pride in his Navajo blood and thought he knew everything there was to know about Navajo witchcraft. Was he Browningâs secret source, or Valerieâs worst nightmare?
Frank WillieâHe quit school abruptly, then his girlfriend moved out. Now the woman was dead, and he was running from the police, desperate to protect his secrets.
Dr. FinleyâHead of the anthropology department, the maverick professor knew how to stir up trouble. Whatâs worse, he liked being the center of controversy.
Mae NezâHer best friend had been one of the first to die. Now the skinwalker had her in his sights.
DeezâMystery clung to the Navajo elder like second skin. Yet seeing through the web of secrets surrounding him could help the hunted become the hunters once again.
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was late summer, the life-sustaining monsoon season in New Mexico. Despite last nightâs downpour, drizzle still fell from the low, scattered, gray clouds that remained.
Oblivious to the morning mist, Detective Luca Nakai of the Navajo Tribal Police jogged up the canyon trail heading eastâthe direction that symbolized the origin of all things. Greeting the dawn daily in this way kept him focused and centered.