She thought maybe the house was on fire. Heart pounding, her bare feet flew across the flagstone tile, ignoring the sharp pebbles. Juanita's plump body flew out the back door and smacked right into Ellen's wet swimsuit. She braced to keep from falling as she steadied the woman whose eyes looked crazy with terror. "What's wrong? "Juanita pointed a trembling finger toward the house just as a tall, uniformed man came out. "Madre Dios, he...he put me in jail. He take me away," she said in her broken English. Ellen watched the lawman approach as she tried to comfort her housekeeper. He was tall and sure of himself. This man had the bluest eyes she had ever seen and a full head of silver, gray hair. "Nobody is going to take you or hurt you, Juanita. I won't let them." The lawman took out his ID badge showing it to Ellen. "Ma'am," he removed his hat.
