Cheyenne's Lady, page 23
A cloud of dust on the horizon from the direction of the Vasquero ranch caught her eye. Idly she patted Erinmeade’s mane and waited for the riders to approach. She had not seen Sean since that fateful day in the stable a month ago. Luke had said he’d found a job at the Vasqueros, but she had never had an excuse to ride over and see. It occurred to her that she owed Sean and Luke for Erinmeade, but neither man would mention it. Perhaps she ought to sell the horse of her own accord.
Not liking that thought, she concentrated on picking out the riders coming up the road. Manuel was among them, and her hands tightened on the reins. It had been two months since his father’s fiesta. Would he be very angry with her? Or indifferent?
Manuel signaled for a halt as they came abreast of Maria. His dark gaze swept over her crisp linen blouse and long skirt, then returned approvingly to the loops of hair she had tied behind her ears. For once she apparently pleased him, and his teeth flashed in a welcome smile.
“You have changed, Maria, and I think I’m going to like it. Do I have your uncles to thank for this?”
He was handsome, there was no denying that. His black hair gleamed in the hot sun, and the piercing intensity of his deep-set eyes set off the tanned smoothness of his aquiline features. In comparison, Luke’s face was swarthy and rough, and the expression in his eyes harder and more cynical, but she trusted Luke’s cynicism more than Manuel’s sudden affability.
“They try,” she answered curtly. She had known Manuel all her life and Luke for only a few months. Why did she find herself listening to Luke’s warning and doubting the man she was engaged to?
“Not hard enough, I see. You should not be riding alone. Come, we will escort you back to the ranch and you will introduce me to them.”
A statement, not a request. Maria threw him an angry look, but bit her tongue. “They are not there today. If you are interested in meeting them, I will send you an invitation for dinner. I’m certain they would like to know you.” Remembering her Uncle Juan’s opinion of the Vasqueros, she felt equally certain it would be an interesting evening.
Her tone must have given away a hint of her thoughts, and Manuel gazed at her with curiosity. His words, however, revealed nothing. “My father says they will honor our bethrothal. Perhaps we should meet to discuss plans for our wedding. They must be eager to return to their homes now that the cattle are sold.”
She ought to say something now, warn him that everything was not as it should be, but she could not, not in front of his men. Besides, she did not know what to say.
“I will talk to my uncles. It is hot out here. Do not let me keep you. I can return to the house without an escort.”
“Nonsense. I have not seen you in months. We will ride back together.” So saying, Manuel swung his mount in the direction of the Connolly ranch.
Maria rode at Manuel’s side with an escort of half a dozen of his vaqueros. He seldom rode anywhere alone, though she never learned the purpose of this accompaniment. Surely if she could ride the range freely, Manuel would not need bodyguards, but it wasn’t her place to question.
To her shock, Maria discovered the rider nearest her was Sean. He gave no indication that he knew her, not even one of his familiar winks, and the grim look on his face seemed strange. Joy shot through her at his welcome presence. Perhaps he had word of Luke.
Pacing Erinmeade so that she stayed abreast of Sean, she forced Manuel to the other side. She opened a conversation guaranteed to bore Manuel to irritation.
“My uncles do not often have time to attend Mass with me on Sundays. Would you join me when I go into town this week?” She gazed up at Manuel through a long fringe of lashes. She knew Sean could hear every word.
Manuel gave her the expected look of annoyance. “We attend chapel at the hacienda. I will send someone with the carriage so you may join us if you wish.”
Maria smiled. “That is kind, but I have friends I like to see in town. If I cannot persuade one of my uncles, Charlie will take me. It will be good for his soul.”
If Sean didn’t take the hint, she would come after him with a knife and skin him alive. Even the Vasqueros gave their men Sundays off. He could find time to attend Mass. All she had to do was arrange to be “introduced.”
By Sunday Maria was nearly ready to walk to town if necessary. Surely Sean had some word of Luke. If she could only know what to expect, it would be easier to make a decision. He had said he would return, but he had given no indication that he meant to return for her. She was not even certain that she would go with him if he did. She just needed to know. If she carried his child, he had the right to know. Beyond that she could not think.
She did not invite her uncles to accompany her. Charlie made no complaint about dragging out the wagon. He didn’t admit it, but she suspected there was a lady in town he paid court to upon occasion. Whatever the cause, she was grateful for his agreeableness.
By dallying, she managed to arrive late. The service was just about to begin when she walked in. With glee she noted Sean had done just what she expected him to do and sat in the back pew. She slipped in beside him, keeping a proper distance since there were no others with them.
It took all the patience she could muster to sit through the service without even throwing him a glance. Tongues would wag all over town before day’s end if she were seen to talk to a stranger during Mass. No, she had to make this look proper or Sean might end up in trouble with Manuel.
After church Maria waited for her elders to leave first, giving Father Diaz time to join the congregation in the mission yard. She sensed Sean waiting, but he made no gesture to give them away.
At last they were outside, and as Maria had known he would, Father Diaz approached the stranger in their midst. He loved to greet new faces in hope that his congregation would grow. Sean shook the old man’s hand and lingered to speak, while Maria stopped to greet one of Pieta’s cousins.
As she had hoped and prayed he would do, Father Diaz called her name, and she excused herself to join him. The priest was grinning at Sean and slapping him on the back, and Maria cast him a furtive glance. What in heavens’ name had the idiot said to cause this reaction?
“Maria! Come meet a young man from your father’s home. He knows of some of your people from the old country.” Father Diaz grasped her hand and introduced her proudly to Sean. “You two will have much to talk about. Perhaps you should take him to speak with your Uncle Patrick. Persuade them both to stay in San Pedro and attend mass regularly.” He gave Maria a wink and wandered off.
Sean gazed down at her with amusement. “The good father would not be matchmaking, would he?”
“It would never occur to him, although he would be thrilled to death if you would find yourself a nice Catholic wife and settle down and have a dozen children in San Pedro.”
“I’m ready. Will you marry me?” he asked laughingly.
Maria’s answer did not return his humor. “Don’t ask or I may take you up on that offer. Have you heard from Luke?”
“Why? Is there trouble? I can steal you away anytime you tell me.”
Maria tried to appear as if they were only exchanging pleasantries. “I am fine, for the moment. I am worried about Luke. It has been over a month.”
Sean shrugged. “Luke is not inclined to put anything on paper that can be said in person. You will not hear from him until he rides back in here with all the evidence needed to hang whomever he is chasing. It could be months, Maria.”
Maria’s lips thinned. “It had better not be or I will be long gone before he returns.” She started to move away, but Sean’s voice stopped her.
“Tell me where I can meet you. We need to talk.”
Maria glanced around. They were attracting attention. She nodded and spoke in a low tone. “The ridge above the valley. There is a sheepherder’s hut at the top. When will you be free?”
“I cannot get away this afternoon. It will have to be next Sunday. Will that be too late?”
“I will be there.”
This time Maria did walk away. She hoped her panic did not show in her eyes. Months! She could not wait months. She would have to come to some decision alone.
Chapter 7
By the following Sunday, Maria was almost certain she was pregnant. It had been nearly six weeks since Luke had left, two months since her last flow of blood. And the past three mornings she had woken in misery, spewing up everything she had eaten the night before. She was thoroughly frightened now, but she tried to be calm as she approached the hut where she had told Sean to meet her.
She came here only every other day now, keeping the blankets aired and the worst of the dust out. She no longer expected Luke to return, but she needed the closeness she felt in this place that had been theirs together. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see him standing there, his hair down in his eyes, his bronzed chest hard and warm to her touch, amber eyes glowing with pleasure as he looked on her.
Too late now she realized where the sins of the flesh led. They were not something that could be turned off and on at will, and they did not involve only the flesh. If it were just her body that longed for him, it would be simpler, but it was not. He had found the way to her heart, and she would never be free again.
Maria had coffee boiling by the time Sean arrived. She stepped to the doorway so he could find her, and welcomed him in as if this were her home. His gaze took in the simple comforts and narrowed with suspicion at the well-built bed in the corner.
“Very nice,” he commented dryly, accepting the cup Maria handed him and sitting on the stump they used for a chair.
“Sometimes I think Luke must be looking for some substitute for a home.” Maria perched on the edge of the bed with her cup, suddenly shy of this man she could honestly say she did not know, except that he was Luke’s friend.
Sean gave a silent nod of agreement. “Do you love him?” he asked, shattering the strangeness that had come between them.
Maria didn’t answer immediately. It was a question she had avoided asking herself until recently. She found it difficult to believe she could love a man who had walked into her life without warning one day, seduced her, and walked out again. But what she felt in her heart for Luke was not anger.
“I wouldn’t have done what I did if I did not. But that doesn’t matter, does it? I’m willing to accept the consequences of my folly, but there are so many others involved now, I don’t know which way to turn. You still have heard nothing from him?”
Sean shook his head. “I can send for him, if you ask. Tell me what is wrong and let me see if I can help.”
Maria smiled wryly. “Are you God? It is His help I need. If I could divide myself into quarters, I might be everywhere I am told I must be. If Luke could only tell me for certain who my father’s killer was, I could feel free to make some decision. As it is now, I am being torn to pieces.”
Sean stirred a cube of sugar into his coffee. “Luke will be back. Wait for him before you make any decisions.”
“That will be too late.” Maria made a gesture of dismissal as she stood and wandered to the door. “If I thought it would make a difference to him, I would wait, but I know as well as you that Luke is returning only because of my father. Once he has solved this problem, he will go on to the next. I told you I am prepared to accept that.”
Sean set his cup down and came up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder and pushing her through the open doorway. “Come outside and admire the view. It is time we had a little talk.”
Maria perched on a rock outside the door. Clasping a knee between her hands, she leaned back and stared over the vast open spaces.
“Luke never makes promises he cannot keep.” Sean opened the conversation flatly, sitting next to Maria on the rock.
“So he tells me,” Maria murmured with a slight grin.
“Did he ever tell you he never returns to a place once he leaves?”
Maria tried to puzzle that out. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does to Luke. He doesn’t have a high opinion of the female sex. Gentleman that he is, he seldom turns down a lady’s invitation, but he never pursues her, either, and he never makes promises. If she’s content to let him share her bed while he’s in town, he’ll take advantage of the offer.” Sean darted her another quick look to see how she was taking this. “Pardon my bluntness, Maria, but I think you’re tough enough to handle it.”
Maria contemplated his words. She had known Luke was no innocent, but what Sean was telling her was strangely at odds with Luke’s behavior toward her. She hadn’t invited him to her bed. And he had pursued her. She couldn’t imagine herself so bold as to throw herself into his arms. She frowned in puzzlement.
“Why are you telling me this?”
Sean covered her hand with his. “Because I know damn well you didn’t invite the scoundrel to your bed. Those other ladies he leaves without a word of parting. When he’s finished with what he’s doing, he gets up one day and rides off and never returns. If he told you he’s coming back, he’s coming back, and it isn’t just to sip tea with your uncles.”
“But his job here isn’t finished,” Maria protested, not daring to let hope build. “He’s simply coming back to tell us what he’s found.”
“Maria, he wouldn’t have stayed in the first place if that was his only concern. Open your eyes, woman! He could have found what he needed on that first trip to Santa Fe, but his mind sure the hell wasn’t on digging through court records. I’ve never seen the man so smitten. I thought he was going to call me out at gunpoint. It gave me immense pleasure to watch him suffer the way his ladies usually do.”
She wanted to believe him, but she could not. Luke had not acted like a man in love. He had cursed her, threatened to paddle her, seduced her, ignored her, then used her for his needs before walking out. He wanted her maybe, against his better judgment, but he did not love her. “Well, I will be certain to give you a front row seat if there is a final performance, but I cannot plan on it. Perhaps you ought to find his Caroline if you want a truly shattering act.”
Sean looked at her in surprise. “Caroline? What do you know about Caroline?”
Maria shrugged. “When he was shot and feverish, he kept calling her name. As many women as you say he’s known, it seems odd that he would call for only one.”
Sean grimaced and his hand closed around hers. “That’s not a pretty tale. He won’t thank me for telling it.”
“You do not need to. I have understood from the first that he’s not the settling-down kind. He would make a perfectly terrible husband and a worse father. Perhaps once upon a time it was different.”
“Once upon a time it was. Long ago in a faraway place,” Sean intoned the words of a child’s fairy tale, “there was a beautiful, golden-haired child named Caroline. She was spoiled and enjoyed being spoiled. Everyone doted on her, but none more than Luke. He promised her the world and near worked himself to death to accomplish it. My God, he was a boy of seventeen when he came back from the war and fell for her. For four years he worked at everything that came his way, plowing his money back into his share of his father’s ranch, making it bigger and better for the Princess Caroline, so she would have him.”
An angry scowl formed on Sean’s brow. “When she finally gave her consent, Luke bought her the biggest engagement ring you’ve ever seen and then set about building her a house. I left before the house was built, so I wasn’t there for the final act. Luke doesn’t talk much about it except when he’s drunk, and I had to get most of the story from mutual friends.”
Maria took his hand. “I can guess the ending. You needn’t give it away.”
Sean shook his head. “It was even worse than that. She didn’t just find a wealthier man. Luke had placed her on a pedestal and not touched one golden hair of her head; he worshiped the ground she walked on. Then one day he came home early and took the shortcut through his father’s orchard. He found Caroline with his older brother, and what they were doing shattered any notion he had of her innocence.”
Maria closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to heaven for the soul of that long-ago Luke. She hugged her knees against her chest as a tear trickled from one eye. The smashing of a dream was cruel enough, but an ending like that would make it nigh impossible to ever build another. His work, his home, his family, all would end after that. She knew Luke well enough to understand that.
“That’s when he left home?” Maria asked softly.
“After he raised such a ruckus that his brother was forced to marry the bitch, which was what she wanted all along. Luke packed it all up and rode off and never returned.”
“I wish I’d known,” Maria said sadly. “I just thought it was me he despised.”
“Despised? By all the saints, Maria, what do you think I’m telling you? It’s happening all over again. Besides Caroline, there was only one other woman in Luke’s life that he’s treated like you. A few years back he got tired of hitting the road and he settled in at a ranch along the Cimarron. The school there had a prim and proper teacher, and since she was the best-looking female in the area, Luke started walking out with her. He didn’t make the same mistake he did with Caroline. The lady had some experience and pretty soon they were shacked up together. Don’t look at me like that, Maria!” Sean spoke sharply, forcing her to listen. “Luke isn’t a saint. You said you knew that. I’m trying to tell you he’s not the devil people paint him to be, either.”
“I know he’s not, Sean, but I hate being just another one of the women fool enough to fall for him.”
“Damn it all, Maria, you’re the only decent one he has found! The schoolteacher told Luke she was pregnant, so he agreed to marry her, and went right back to the same old routine. He bought Peg gowns and a ring and a cottage. Within weeks he came to town early and found her above the saloon with a fancy gambler who had bought the place a few months before. As Luke tells it, he simply turned around and walked out, turned in his resignation at the ranch, and rode away.”
