”Hook?” he repeated, tilting his head in curiosity, wondering how someone so dark could be the companion of one so fair.

She seemed to read his confusion. ”It’s a nickname,” Kenzi shrugged. ”Long story. If it’s easier, call me Alexandra.”

Then, perhaps thinking it poor manners to call attention to his guests another second longer, he placed his palms together and held them beneath his chin, and gave a slight bow of his head to Kenzi and Lauren. ”Dr. Jamie. Miss Alexandra. I am Tek and I will be your guide in Siem Riep, and I will also help you re-settle the clinic.”

”And when is that?” the doctor enthused. ”I’m ready.”

”Of course, Dr. Jamie. All the Western volunteers are usually eager and we are grateful. But first, the Red Cross has arranged a three-day stay here so that you may rest, enjoy our city, and explore the temples. A private sea plane will take us the rest of the way.”

Lauren gripped Kenzi’s hand as they slid into the back seat of the car waiting for them at curbside. In all this time, Lauren’s fear of flying had not faded in the least—and a seaplane? This would test her. ”I was hoping to see the country up close. By train? By bus?”

Tek laughed from the front seat. ”That would be a very rough journey of several days, Dr. Jamie. We are in the middle of the rainy season. Most roads may already be washed out. The rain forest is not kind this time of year, even for us, who know the way. Much better to fly,” he insisted cheerfully before turning around to face the direction the car was moving.

Lauren’s assignment with the International Red Cross was to restore an abandoned clinic on the southern coast of Cambodia that had been evacuated prior to a hurricane slamming into the area years earlier. After reviewing at the topography from a satellite image, she suggested the outpost be moved a few miles inland away from the shore. Relocating it, Dr. Barrie proposed (and as Lauren had to remember to call herself), that the thick-limbed banyans and stubborn bamboo groves would provide an improved and natural protection against the whims of nature. Plus, it would place the station midway between the beach landing, accessible by seaplane or boat—and the dirt roads that connected the villages in the interior. The doctor was ambitious and also lobbied for installation of a water purification system and the addition of a schoolhouse. Maybe even the start of an ecosystem educational project to teach sustainable farming and fishing. The idea of being useful again—no feeling on earth could compare, and Lauren’s nerve endings tingled, giddy and energized in a way that was familiar and most welcome. Kenzi came along as Alexandra Hook, an aspiring photojournalist hoping to shed light on how emerging economies were dealing with global warning.