The Quest (1 of 2 free samples)

THE QUEST

Lindsay McKenna

To Verde Valley Medical Center, Cottonwood, Arizona: Dr. Barbara Braun of the ER, the social workers and the Cottonwood floor nurses station. Thank you for your compassion in taking care of my mother, Ruth. I'm indebted to you for your humanity toward her during one of her darkest hours. And to RTA Hospice of Sedona, Arizona, who have been an incredible emotional support team to us and our family, as well as to our mother. To OJ, Susan B., Holly, Jericho, Rosemarie, Terry and so many more that I have failed to name but are equally important to us, thank you. Your compassion, swiftness of reaction, and being there for us have been such a blessing. You are a magnificent organization and I hope more people consider hospice for their loved ones who must, one day, pass on.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
http://www.dailylit.com/books/quest/acknowledgments

PROLOGUE

"Nolan, are you sure you can get us to that archaeological site?"

Nolan Galloway sat at the rear of a small inflatable yellow raft designed to float down the restless Colorado River. They were deep in the mile-high Grand Canyon with red, white, purple and orange layers of rock rising on either side of them. As beautiful as the canyon was, his focus was fixed on what he considered the eighth wonder of the world: Kendra Johnson. And he was engaged to her! His heart swelled with such a fierce love for her that he was momentarily at a loss for words. That didn't happen often.

"Sure, I'm sure, earth woman," Nolan teased her with a confident grin. He had two endearments for his fiancée and this was one of them. The other was decidedly Irish--"darlin'." Kendra was half-Navajo, and her roots were with her mother's people in the Southwest, even though her renowned archaeologist father had come from Ireland.

"I've run this canyon at least forty times," Nolan told her. "It's a piece of cake." He stared into her dark green eyes, which reminded him of the sun slanting through a forest on a bright, cloudless afternoon. Doubt registered in her expression. This was the first time Kendra had rafted with him to the dig located about four miles inside the canyon.

Mouth quirking with uncertainty, Kendra glanced over at the third passenger, her younger sister, Debby. Right now the Colorado looked glassy and smooth, the water murky because of all the silt carried along with it. Sunlight danced off the surface, providing a magical effect.

Debby seemed worried, her smooth brow furrowed. She probably didn't want to voice her concerns.

"I hear a roar ahead, Nolan. Is that rapids?" Kendra pressed.

"Sure is. Relax. It's midsummer and the rapids aren't dangerous like they are in spring, when snowmelt makes them higher. The river is at its lowest point now." Nolan watched the warm July wind caress Kendra's shoulder-length red hair, which gleamed with gold and purple highlights. She wore a sensible straw hat with a wide brim, but it didn't hide those Irish freckles that spilled across her nose and high cheekbones.

His body responded hotly when their eyes met. He wished he could climb across the raft, which was loaded with a week's worth of camping gear, food and archaeological equipment, and take her in his arms. If he could hug her, reassure her, she'd be able to relax and enjoy the canyon's inspiring beauty, he knew.

It wasn't like Kendra to be this worried, but Nolan figured she was being protective of Debby, her only sibling. Debby was going to Harvard, planning to follow the family tradition and become an archaeologist. This was her first dig experience. It was something Kendra wanted to do for Debby: show her life as a working archaeologist, out in nature and braving the elements. For Kendra, the class time and studying was worth it. Archaeology was a magical and exciting adventure.

Nolan gave Kendra a wink, and her cheeks colored prettily. She often blushed when he looked at her, telling her with a bold glance that he loved her. Kendra was well on her way to tenure at Harvard, and carried herself with pride and reserve, as she thought a professor should. She blamed his less-serious, often teasing demeanor on him graduating from Princeton, not from Harvard, the undisputed king of academia.

But then, Nolan reminded himself, that was one of the many reasons Kendra loved him. He was animated and playful, a real extrovert. They balanced one another nicely, Nolan felt.

At age twenty-seven, he held the world in his hands, because he had Kendra's love. He had fallen hopelessly in love soon after meeting her, and they had big plans for their future. In four months, they would marry.

"Those rapids are about half a mile long. They'll be tame," he assured both sisters. Nolan saw Debby frown and the thick rope fastened around the top of the raft as a safety line. Kendra had warned him that Debby was not a good swimmer. He'd persuaded the love of his life that her sister was going to be safe on this trip. Oh, they might get a little spray from running the rapids, but that was all. Pretty tame stuff as far as Nolan was concerned.

He gave Debby a thumbs-up, keeping his other hand on the wooden rudder that guided the inflatable raft down the river. Debby smiled weakly in return.

The Quest (1 of 2 free samples)

Next

Next

The Quest

The Quest