Cowboys 08 - Luke (26 page)

"You mean killing her."

"Who's to stop him?"

"We're supposed to deliver her to this Rudolf," Zeke said. "What happens after that is none of our concern."

That had been Luke's attitude when he took the job, but everything had changed. He hadn't expected to like the woman he had come to know since then.

And he hadn't expected Hans to die trying to keep her safe.

He wasn't a sentimental man. Death was part of his world, his work. He accepted that, rarely thought of it afterward. But Hans's death had touched him. That nervous little man had left his home, traveled to a strange country he didn't understand, all the while knowing he faced death. He'd hired Luke to protect Valeria, begged him to stay on the job after Valeria fired him, because he thought Luke was the man most capable of getting her to her future husband safely.

He had died happy knowing he'd saved Valeria.

Before that, he'd passed the torch to Luke. And whether Luke wanted it or not, despite the fact it went against his policy, he couldn't refuse it now. No dying man had ever handed off a commission to him, at least not a man he admired. He couldn't let Hans down.

"I promised Hans I'd keep her safe," Luke said. "That makes it my business."

"That's bullshit," Zeke said.

"What do you think might happen?" Hawk asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to hang around until I find out."

"So what's different?" Zeke asked. "We take her to this Rudolf, stay for the wedding, then leave."

"Maybe."

"I don't like this
maybe,"
Hawk said.

"You can't marry her," Zeke said. "She's already promised to someone else."

"I don't want to marry her."

"Okay, you're in love with her, but she's still promised to someone else."

"I'm not in love with her."

"Infatuated."

"I'm not-"

"The hell you aren't!" Zeke shouted. "I've never seen you act like this."

"Act like what?"

Luke turned to see Valeria come out of her tent and walk toward them. "What are you doing up?" Luke asked. "I wanted you to sleep."

"No one can sleep with you three arguing. Since it's about me, I thought I ought to know what you've decided."

"He thinks this Rudolf wants your money to raise an army to get back his throne," Zeke said.

"Rudolf gave up any idea of regaining his throne when he came to this country," Valeria said.

"Not according to information I found in Otto's carrying case," Luke said. "I had to look though his things," he said when Valeria looked at him as if he'd done something unpardonable. "I had to know who to notify, who to tell of any unfinished business."

"I agreed to marry him if he didn't get involved in any more wars," Valeria said.

"Your uncle had proof Rudolf is making plans to raise an army and do it with your money."

"Then why would my uncle have agreed for me to marry Rudolf?"

"He didn't plan to let that happen," Luke said, his voice softer. "He planned to keep your money for himself."

He hated to cause Valeria any more pain, but the sooner she accepted her uncle's treachery, the better. "So what do you plan to do?" she asked.

"First, I'm going to tear up the marriage contracts."

Before anyone could register an objection, Luke ripped the contracts in half and threw them on the fire.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Zeke demanded. "Valeria is safe from her uncle at least for a few days.

She's also safe from Rudolf."

"But she has nowhere to go."

"Yes, she does. The ranch is hers."

"If you thought she wasn't safe before, she's really in danger now," Zeke said. "You're taking away everything this Rudolf has."

"Harming her won't gain him anything," Luke says. "And now she won't have to marry him." "He'll force her."

"I'll be there to see that he doesn't." "We'll all be there," Zeke said.

"No, we won't," Luke said. "You and Hawk are going to take the wagons ahead, along with the message that I destroyed the contracts, that the ranch belongs to Valeria, and that she's not going to marry Rudolf unless she wants to."

"Who asked you to interfere in their affairs?" Zeke demanded.

"Hans made me vow to keep Valeria safe."

"That doesn't include messing about with marriage contracts."

"I think it does. Besides, I don't think Valeria wants to marry him anymore."

"Do you want to marry this duke fella?" Zeke demanded, turning to Valeria. She hesitated, looked from one man to the other.

"Forget the contracts," Luke said. "You can always marry him later once you get to know him. Do you want to marry him now regardless?"

"No." She looked relieved to have finally decided, committed herself.

Zeke turned to Luke. "You got the answer you wanted. Now what are you going to do?"

"I can protect Valeria better if it's just the two of us. We're leaving the train."

Chapter Sixteen

It was inconceivable to Valeria that she would go off alone with a man. She might not be able to find anyone to marry her after that, not even with her money. And what about her safety? If a member of her family could want to kill her for her money, wouldn't a stranger be even more likely to see her as a means of getting rich?

The answers to all those questions were straightforward and unequivocal. It was impossible for her to go into the desert alone with Luke.

Yet that was exactly what she wanted to do.

She could hardly believe she wanted to do anything so absurd, but apparently her feelings had nothing to do with logic or self-preservation. The thought of being alone with Luke caused her heart to race. No man had ever excited her the way he did. Even before he'd grabbed her, kissed her, practically possessed her with his body, he'd fascinated her. She told herself he was rough, rude, incapable of love, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. She insisted she hated him, but she couldn't stop remembering his every touch, his look, the sight of his body sitting erect and powerful in the saddle.

She told herself she was a princess betrothed to a duke, that Luke was possibly a lawless criminal, but she dreamed of Luke rather than of Rudolf. When she had questions, she thought of him. When she was in danger, she thought of him. When she thought of the future, she imagined he would be there. It seemed impossible that her world could exist without him.

"I can't go," she said. "It would be totally inappropriate."

"Is getting killed more appropriate?" Luke asked.

"That's not the question."

"What is?"

"You're supposed to take me, Elvira, and my horses to Rudolf's ranch."

But she didn't want to get to Rudolf's ranch. If anyone would know Rudolf was planning to use her money to raise an army, it would be her uncle. She vehemently opposed starting a war to regain his throne. It would only lead to another war to drive him out.

But it was more than that. The things Luke had told her about America had fired her imagination, opened up a world of possibilities she hadn't known existed. She knew marrying Rudolf would close that door just as firmly as if she had never left Belgravia. She didn't yet know what she could do, but she wanted the freedom to explore the possibilities.

The most exciting idea was that she could marry for love. She wasn't exactly sure what love was all about, but she was certain it had a lot more to do with the excitement generated by being around Luke than the tepid liking she'd had for Rudolf. She also wanted to know more about what a woman could do if she didn't want to marry anyone at all. The possibility that she

could make her own decisions, control the activities that filled her days, was too exciting to be ignored.

"I'll have a better chance of getting you to Rudolf's ranch if I don't have to worry about these wagons," Luke said. "I don't know what kind of deal Otto made with the men who attacked us. They may continue to attack until you're dead. It's obvious they were trying to place the blame on renegade Indians so no one would suspect your uncle."

"Nevertheless-"

"I don't have time to argue," Luke said. "You're coming with me. Don't pack more than you can carry in your saddlebags."

When she didn't move, Luke reached out and took her by the arm.

Hawk intervened. "We talk," he said.

"No," Luke said. "I want to be out of here before daylight."

"She doesn't want to go," Zeke pointed out. "That doesn't matter."

"I think it does," Zeke retorted.

"Me, too," Hawk said.

Luke looked ready to take them both on. Valeria didn't understand the relationships among these men, especially their combativeness, but she didn't want to be responsible for anybody else being hurt. Han's death still hung over her like a pall.

"Tell me why you think I ought to go with you," she said. "If your brothers agree with your argument, I'll go along."

Luke looked ready to fight anyway.

"You told me women in America had the right to choose their husbands," Valeria said. "If that's so, then surely I have the right to choose whether to go off with you."

"She's got you there," Zeke said.

"I've already given you my reasons," Luke said, his face still tight with anger. He might say Americans were tolerant and understanding, but he expected blind obedience, just like her uncle.

"But how do I know you won't take advantage of me?" she asked. "You've already demonstrated how vulnerable I am."

"What does she mean by that?" Zeke asked.

"You have only my word," Luke said, ignoring Zeke. "I've known a lot of women, but you won't find a single one who'll say I forced her." He suddenly flashed a shameless smile. "Though you'll find quite a few who'll complain because they wanted more."

"That's the God's honest truth," Zeke muttered. "He's as mean as a snake, but females fall all over him. I'll never understand it."

Valeria understood all too well. It should have scared her away. It only made her want him more.

"Where will we go?" she asked.

"There are several canyons between here and the rim. Two people can get lost in them. A group of wagons has a choice of only two routes. We'd be sitting ducks."

"Won't your brothers need your protection?"

"Who the hell needs him!" Zeke exploded.

"They'll probably be safer without us," Luke said. "They won't have to worry about protecting you or fighting off the people who want you dead."

"We just have to worry about the thieves who want her horses, her fancy dishes, all that silver I saw on the table, and the other stuff women are so crazy about. Somebody could make a whole lot more money by selling this junk than by killing her."

Valeria decided she was tired of being talked about like a commodity, equated with her dowry, her posses-

sions, or Rudolf's chance to regain his throne. She was a person. She had an identity, a personality, and even though she hardly knew who she was, she was determined to make other people know that she had thoughts, opinions, and feelings.

"Don't worry about that," she said to Zeke. "If anybody attacks you, abandon the wagons, but save my horses." She took a deep breath and turned to Luke. "This may be the most foolish thing I've ever done, but I'll go with you."

Valeria knew she would die from exhaustion. And the heat. She thought of her relatively comfortable coach following at least a semblance of a trail as it ambled along the nearly flat San Pedro River valley. She thought of her comfortable bed that would be set up tonight for Elvira. She thought of the wonderful dinner the chef would serve during the cool of the evening. She thought of the comfortable companionship, and nearly cried. She couldn't remember being more miserable.

Luke had forced her to leave before dawn. He'd also made her leave nearly everything she owned behind. Including her clothes.

"You'll wear the dresses I bought," he'd said. "Your clothes would be ruined before we reach the ranch."

She wasn't worried about ruining a few gowns, but Luke refused to let her take more than those three dresses. She used to wear three outfits in the course of a day.

She'd never been forced to wear anything so unattractive. One dress was dark blue with white spots all over it. A second was excessively simple, yellow-and-white stripes. The third was a dull brown. There was no beautifully patterned material, no overskirt, no lace at the elbows, no ruffles. All three were made of thin cotton and closely resembled a chemise.