Ecstasy's Promise (Historical Romance) (14 page)

"You can have him, if you can ride him," Victoria said with a challenge in her voice.

A door opened in Edward's mind. He remembered Ray Courtney telling him about a black stallion and a girl dressed as a boy. He looked at Victoria. "Did you ride this horse from Georgia?"

"Of course," she said.

Edward studied her for a long moment. Here before him was Ray Courtney's mystery lady; he was sure of it.

Victoria wondered what he was thinking. He looked at her so long and hard, it made her feel uneasy.

"Maybe you had better ride him around a bit to see if he is going to limp," Bodine told her. "It was not deep. I do not even think there is a bruise."

Victoria put her foot in the stirrup and mounted Rebel. She turned him around and walked him slowly out the barn door. Edward followed and stood in the doorway watching her.

"The heifer," Bodine reminded him.

"I do not need to see the animal. I will take her," Edward said. His eyes never left the girl and the horse.

Bodine smiled and went back to polishing his saddle.

At first Victoria walked Rebel to see if he limped. Then she trotted him around in a circle. After she was sure he was not injured, she nudged him in the flanks and raced him down the road.

Edward watched, spellbound. Victoria and Rebel seemed almost as if they were one. He noticed how her shirt fit tightly across her breasts. Her slim, shapely body caused the blood to course through his veins. This was not the body of a child, but of a woman—a woman he had to have.

Victoria rode back to the barn and dismounted. Ignoring Edward, she led Rebel into the barn and started to unsaddle him. Edward came forward to help her.

"There is no need," she told him. "I am used to unsaddling Rebel by myself."

"I would like to talk to you," he said urgently, taking the saddle from her and placing it over the stall rail.

Victoria closed the stall door and looked at him warily. "I believe we have been through this before."

"This is different."

She looked up into his face. His eyes pleaded with her.

"I am sorry, Mr. Hanover, but I promised my grandmother I would help her in the kitchen this afternoon." She walked past him. "Bodine, I am going in now." He nodded at her. "Good day, Mr. Hanover," she said coldly.

Edward watched her until she was out of sight. Then he turned to Bodine. "Was Miss Farraday ever in a Union camp in Georgia?" he asked point-blank.

Bodine's eyes met Edward's. "Why do you ask?"

"It is important. I think I know someone who saw her there."

Bodine rose to his feet. Edward was tall, but Bodine towered over him. "Let it alone, Mr. Hanover. Victoria has suffered a great deal."

Edward recognized the warning in the cold gray eyes, but still he continued. "Her plantation was invaded by the Union?"

"By three Yankees," Bodine told him.

"You were at home at the time?" Edward asked, a horrible thought coming to him.

"No, she was alone."

Edward drew in his breath. He was afraid to ask, but he had to know. "Was she assaulted?"

Bodine's eyes widened angrily. "They attempted to, but they did not succeed."

"You are sure?"

Bodine turned his back, hoping he had not said too much already. He could tell this man was drawn to Victoria, as she was to him. He could also see that his answer was very important to Edward Hanover. "Dead Yankees cannot molest innocent women," he said, and walked out of the barn.

Edward let out his breath. Bodine had told him more than he had realized. Edward was beginning to put the pieces together. There were still a lot missing, but he would find out the rest.

He swore under his breath when he thought of the
kind of scum who would try to force themselves on a
helpless woman. He found that he could not stand the thought of someone touching Victoria with that end in mind.

Edward mounted his horse and rode back to Rio del Lobo. He would send Estancio for the heifer.

10

The day had been unusually hot. It was like the inside of an oven in the house. After dinner, Victoria took a cool bath, hoping it would give her some relief. She dressed in a light cotton gown, and piled her hair on top of her head. She went downstairs and found Bodine on the front porch.

"Come on out and sit beside me, honey. It is a little cooler out here." He moved over so she could share the top step with him.

"Do you think Grandmother will be home tonight?" Victoria asked.

"No, I do not look for her until morning. She usually spends two days when she goes to San Antonio. You should have gone with her; you would have enjoyed yourself."

"I will go with her next time. I did not feel like making a long trip in this heat. Why is it so hot, Bodine?"

"One reason is because we have had no rain. If the rain does not come soon, we are going to be in a lot of trouble."

The sun was just going down. The sky was aglow with pink, red, and orange streaks. It was as though an artist had splashed colors across the sky.

"That is one of the sunsets you were telling me about when we were in Georgia, Bodine. It is as if the sun is fighting with the night, holding it at bay, refusing to give in, until the dark eventually wins."

He smiled. "I never thought of it quite that way. It is the artist in you talking."

They heard riders coming down the road. When they were close enough, Victoria recognized Edward Hanover, and half a dozen Mexican
vaqueros.
She and Bodine stood up and waited for them to approach the ranch house.

Edward smiled at Victoria. "Good evening, Miss Farraday."

"Hello, Mr. Hanover," she replied.

Edward had a gun and holster strapped about his waist. The butt of a rifle was resting on his thigh.

"You going hunting?" Bodine asked.

Edward dismounted and slipped his rifle into a holster that was attached to his saddle. He walked up the steps and shook hands with Bodine.

"We are hunting cougar. I thought you might like to ride along."

Bodine smiled. "It has been quite a while since I have hunted a cougar."

Edward leaned against the porch. "This cat is a big one. His paws are the size of my hand."

Bodine whistled through his teeth.

Edward continued, "He brought down a dozen head of cattle in the last week."

"That's bad," Bodine said.

"Yes, and it gets worse. Last night, he got into the Patterson corral and killed two horses."

"He is awfully desperate if he will come in that close to civilization," Bodine said. "Do you have any idea where his den is?"

Edward nodded. "Estancio tracked him to the west mesa, about ten miles from here."

"That is on Anderson land," Bodine said.

"Yes, and that is why I thought you might like to come along."

"You bet I would. Are you planning on camping out?"

"If we do not get him tonight, we will stay with it until we do. I do not need to tell you how dangerous this cat is."

"Give me ten minutes to round up my gear and saddle a horse."

Bodine left and Edward turned to Victoria. "You look very crisp and cool for such a hot evening," he told her, smiling.

She ignored the compliment. "A cougar, that is a mountain lion, is it not?"

"One and the same," he answered.

"Isn't it dangerous?"

"It will be for the cat." He smiled.

Bodine came from the house, set his saddlebag down on the porch and hurried to the barn to saddle his horse.

Victoria looked up at Edward. "Is it necessary to kill the animal?"

"I am afraid so. He is becoming a real menace. Miss Farraday, are you still angry with me?"

"I have not given it much thought, Mr. Hanover."

"When you do think about it, will you remember that I am apologizing?" She looked at him quickly, but he had already turned from her and mounted his horse, making it unnecessary for her to reply.

Bodine returned, leading his horse. He took his gear from the front porch and tied it to the back of his saddle. Victoria stood beside him.

"You will be careful, Bodine?"

He slipped his rifle into the saddle holster and turned to her. "Do not fret, Imp. I assure you there is no danger." He climbed into the saddle. "Tell your grandmother where I have gone. Do not expect me until you see me coming. Good night, honey."

Victoria looked at Edward Hanover, who was smiling down at her. "We will bring you the skin as a trophy," he told her.

"No, thank you, Mr. Hanover. Just send Bodine back in one piece."

They spurred their horses and rode away just as the sun lost its battle with the night. Victoria shivered in spite of the heat, and walked into the house.

Bodine sat by the campfire, a cup of coffee in his hand. The
vaqueros
had turned in for the night, and Edward Hanover had gone to check on the horses. They had been tracking the cougar for two days, with no results.

Edward returned and sat down across from Bodine. "The horses are restless," he said. "I think the cat is near."

"This one has me puzzled," Bodine told him. "It is as if he knows what we are going to do before
we
do."

Edward nodded. "If Estancio, who is the best damned tracker in Texas, cannot find him, no one can.

"Maybe we ought to let the cat find us," Bodine said, tossing his leftover coffee into the fire, causing it to shoot out sparks.

"He is watching us right now," Edward said. "I can feel it."

"Maybe."

The two men were silent for a moment. Edward was remembering Victoria, her face turned up to Bodine's, her eyes full of concern. He wondered at their strange relationship. He looked at the giant man beside him. "Miss Farraday seems to be very fond of you, Bodine. I am puzzled by your closeness."

Bodine stared into the fire. "She is the dearest thing in the world to me. I love her as if she were my own daughter."

Edward watched his face. "Tell me about her."

Bodine looked at him, then leaned against his saddle, which was lying on the ground behind him. Bodine had begun to like Edward Hanover. He was a man who commanded respect. Bodine had watched Edward with his
vaqueros,
and knew they held him in high regard, not only as their
patron,
but also as a man. Bodine also knew Edward was interested in Victoria.

"It is hard to describe Victoria to anyone," he said quietly. "You cannot judge her by the standards you would any other woman. She can be completely feminine one moment, then change right before your eyes. She is completely honest; she hates dishonesty of any kind. She is brave and fearless. I have seen her face dangers that would cow the strongest man; yet, she met them straight on. She can outride most men," Bodine said with pride. "That is my fault partly. I had her on her first horse
when she was two years old. On the other hand, she can sit in a room with the cream of society and charm the most formidable critics."

"This Paul 0'Brian that Miss Farraday spoke of, do you think he is still alive?"

Bodine smiled to himself. "I do not know, but if he is, you can be sure he will turn up someday."

"She will marry him?"

"They have been inseparable since she was small." Bodine felt he had said enough. "You want to take the first watch, or shall I?"

Edward rose to his feet. "Why don't you take the first? Wake me about two, and I will relieve you."

Bodine nodded. He sat by the fire, wondering if Edward's interest in Victoria was merely because she was beautiful, or if it went deeper than that.

An hour passed. The camp was quiet. Bodine heard the lonely howl of a coyote, and the answer from its mate. He rose and placed more wood on the fire, wishing it was not necessary to have a fire, because of the heat it gave off.

Bodine heard the horses move about nervously. He walked away from the fire and down the embankment to where they were tethered. He looked about for some sign of their unrest. Edward had been right, he thought. The cat was nearby. He started back to camp, when he heard a twig snap over his head. He cursed himself for a fool. He should never have come away from the camp without his rifle.

Just above his head, crouched to leap at him, was the biggest cougar he had ever seen. The yellow eyes looked at him menacingly. In that moment, Bodine faced death. He never flinched or took his eyes from the cat; he merely waited for the inevitable.

He saw the cat spring into the air. Bodine stood waiting for the impact, when a shot rang out, and the cat fell with a thud, inches from him. Bodine let out a sigh of relief, and turned to his savior, Edward Hanover.

Edward ran down the embankment, and stood in front of Bodine, his rifle aimed at the body of the cougar. He nudged it with the toe of his boot. Then, satisfied that it was dead, he leaned down to examine it. Bodine knelt beside him.

"A clean shot, right through the heart," Bodine told him.

"That is the biggest damned cat I have ever seen," Edward said.

The two men's eyes met. "Thanks," Bodine said quietly.

"I heard the horses acting up," Edward told him, "and came to investigate."

"Lucky for me that you did."

Edward smiled at him. "You neglected to bring your rifle."

"Yeah," Bodine answered. "I am more than a little embarrassed about that. Too long in the civilization of Georgia, I guess."

The
vaqueros
had heard the shot and gathered around the dead cougar, amazed at the size of it.

"Which one of you shot it?" Estancio asked.

"Your
patron
did," Bodine answered. "He used me for bait."

Edward and Bodine laughed, and Bodine stuck his hand out to Edward. They shook hands. Neither man spoke; there was no need.