Moki Steps
​Newbie linguistics professor Mackenzie Campbell longs for love and success but works all the time, can’t connect with her students, and is afraid she’s a second-rate teacher. When she receives a phone call from her ex-boyfriend Charlie, begging her to join him in the remote Lake Powell canyons to authenticate an ancient Aztec codex, she balks. Discovering an authentic codex would stun the linguistics world—but her department head will fire her if she leaves.
When she discovers that Charlie has disappeared, Mac manipulates her way onto an archaeological expedition to find him. There, she meets Sullivan, the expedition’s brash, insensitive guide who thinks she needs babysitting. His goading incenses her, but as they battle their way through unrelenting canyons, she’s forced to acknowledge her growing respect for him.
After a kiss in a cavern, they have a night of steamy sex. But is their relationship just the result of two people bonding during life-threatening events? Or is it real?
It takes all of Mac’s linguistics chops to decipher obscure clues, outwit devious expedition mates, and battle hazards that would unhinge even the bravest linguist. In the end, she realizes her most difficult task will be deciding between a known love and a new one. If she makes it out alive, that is.
© 2023 J. Reed Rich