Heart of a Texan (21 page)

“I guess I spent too much time thinking what it would be like if it really was mine,” Russ said. “When you were away, it felt like it was.”

Nate refused to feel guilty. Russ had hired men he knew wouldn’t shy away from criminal activity. He’d branded calves that didn’t belong to him, and he’d destroyed property. Most significantly, he’d done this knowing that he could only benefit if Nate died. This was more than daydreaming about
what
if
. He’d actively participated in a plan that involved murder.

Nate finally had a witness who could testify against Laveau. Now all he had to do was find him.

***

Roberta told herself she shouldn’t be nervous, it was too early to worry, but it wasn’t too early to get bored. That had happened within an hour of Blossom leaving for work. There was nothing to do in the confines of the single room her friend rented on the upper floor of Mrs. Blanton’s rooming house. Since Blossom spent nearly all her waking hours in the saloon, there was little in her room that wasn’t related to undressing, bathing, sleeping, and dressing again. Roberta had studied all the pictures, virtually inventoried the contents of the room while searching in vain for something to read. If she hadn’t been able to look out a window that overlooked the main street, she probably would have disregarded Nate’s request that she not leave the room until he came for her.

It was through that window that she saw Nate and the sheriff bringing Russ and six other men into town, their hands tied to the pommels of their saddles. Even though Nate had explained what he found and what he was certain had been done, it was hard to believe Russ was guilty. Killers were blackhearted, evil men. Russ was just unlikeable.

It was interesting to see the townspeople tumble out of houses, stores, offices, and saloons to gape at the cavalcade as it went by. She didn’t know how many would recognize the six cowhands, but everybody knew Russ. As the foreman of the largest ranch in the county, he’d been an important member of the community. It had to be a shock to find out he was a criminal. Everyone in town would have the whole story before suppertime. It would be the only topic of conversation.

The town didn’t have a jail big enough to hold that many men. Except for the occasional drunk, there had been no need for a jail. The sheriff’s job had been so close to ceremonial that several complained about having to pay him a salary. She guessed that would change now.

Her window also overlooked three alleys. It was a movement in one that caught her eye as she was about to turn away. She didn’t recognize the man at first, but there was something about him that made her look again. When he turned in her direction, she knew he was the man she’d seen about to enter her house the day of her father’s funeral, the man who said his name was Gilbert Travis.

The man Nate said was Laveau diViere.

She didn’t know why he would risk being in Slender Creek, but she had to warn Nate. She was down the stairs, out the door, and running down the street in a matter of seconds. People spoke as she ran past. Some wanted to know why she was running—an action considered unladylike—but she didn’t care what they asked or what they thought. It only mattered that she reach Nate before diViere.

When she burst into the sheriff’s office, her breath came in gasps and a lock of hair had fallen in her face.

Nate hurried to meet her. “What are you doing here? I told you not to leave the room until I came for you.”

“I saw him,” she said between gulping breaths.

“Who?”

“The man you said was Laveau diViere.”

That name was like a pistol shot fired over the heads of a noisy crowd. Every head in the room turned to her, their various conversations forgotten.

Nate’s grip on her wrists tightened. “When?”

“Barely a minute ago. I was looking out the window when you and the sheriff came into town. I was about to turn away when I saw him in the alley between Bill Lambert’s law office and Priscilla Bradberry’s dress shop.”

“What was he doing?”

“Watching you.”

“What did he do after we passed?” the sheriff asked.

“He went back down the alley. I wanted to follow him, but I knew I had to tell Nate first.”

“Go back to where you’re staying and leave finding him to us,” the sheriff told Roberta.

“I’m going with you,” Nate said to the sheriff, “but I have to take Roberta back first.”

“Don’t take long. If this diViere character is as slick as you say, he won’t stay around long.”

“I can help,” Roberta protested. “I know what he looks like. You don’t.”

“You just tell me what he’s wearing,” the sheriff said. “Nate has already told me what he looks like.”

“He’s dressed like a cowhand,” she told him. “That’s why I wasn’t sure who he was until he turned in my direction.”

Nate tensed. “Did he see you?”

“I don’t see how he could. I didn’t open the window. Besides, he was watching you.”

“See her back to the house, but be quick about it,” the sheriff told Nate.

Roberta didn’t like being shuffled off to sit in a room, waiting for someone to tell her what was happening—or what had
already
happened while she sat uselessly behind pulled curtains.

Nate stopped when they reached the front door. “I don’t have to warn you to stay inside this time. And stay away from the window. There have been times when I would have sworn Laveau could see through walls.”

“I hope you find him quickly,” she told him. “I’ve already organized Blossom’s drawers and rearranged her closet. If you take too long, I’ll start on Mrs. Blanton’s rooms.”

Much to her surprise, Nate kissed her right there in the street. Roberta kissed him back with equal enthusiasm and hoped Prudence wasn’t looking out the window.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

***

Resigned to her enforced incarceration, Roberta turned and went inside. A strange sensation came over her when she closed the door, a feeling that her mother used to characterize as someone stepping on her grave. She shoved it aside. It had to be nerves brought on by seeing diViere and being afraid he meant to shoot Nate. She called out to Mrs. Blanton, but her voice echoed through the silent house. It looked like she would have no one with whom to pass the time, until Nate came back. She didn’t want to return to Blossom’s room, but she felt uncomfortable staying in Mrs. Blanton’s part of the house when that lady wasn’t there.

Reluctantly, she climbed the stairs.

The moment she stepped through the doorway into Blossom’s room, she knew something was wrong. She started to step back, but it was too late. Laveau diViere grabbed her and twisted her arm behind her with such violent force she thought she might faint from the pain. With his other hand, he gripped her by the back of the neck.

“There’s a vein in your neck that takes blood to the brain. If I put enough pressure on it, you’ll pass out. If I continue the pressure, you’ll die.”

“What do you want?” Her voice sounded amazingly calm, a calm that she didn’t feel.

“I wanted Nate dead, but I’m fairly certain you warned him that I’m here. I saw you looking at me from your window. A moment later you came out and headed toward the sheriff’s office. It wasn’t hard to guess what you meant to do.”

“Why didn’t you leave? Everyone is looking for you.”

They hadn’t moved from the doorway. Roberta hoped Mrs. Blanton would return yet was afraid of what diViere would do if she did. She hoped he wouldn’t force her to sit. She had a better chance of escape if she remained standing.

“I didn’t leave because I haven’t done what I came to do.”

She knew, but she had to ask. “What is that?”

“Kill Nate Dolan.”

She knew it was hopeless the instant she felt her body go into action, but she was so enraged she couldn’t stop herself. She kicked back with her foot and tried to twist out of diViere’s hold at the same time. She couldn’t break his grip, but she felt the impact of her foot against his flesh and heard him grunt. It was the last thing she heard.

***

She was tied to a chair when she woke up.

“That was a foolish thing to do.”

Her gaze shifted until she saw diViere standing at the window.

“Why didn’t you kill me? You killed my father. Carlin too.”

DiViere didn’t answer, just looked out the window.

“Why did you kill my father? He didn’t know you. He’d never seen you in his life.”

“He did know me.” DiViere spoke without turning around. “I needed his help. I offered to pay him handsomely, but he refused.”

“What did you want him to do?”

“Help me destroy Nate Dolan.”

“My father would never do anything like that. He was an honorable man.”

“He’s now a dead man. What good did his honor do him?”

Roberta had never doubted diViere was an evil man, but his callous indifference took her breath away. Taking a human life was of no more importance to him than killing an animal for food or a wolf because he preyed on livestock. He was now planning to execute Nate with the same nonchalance. She had to do something to stop him, but she couldn’t while she was tied up.

“It was very foolish of you to fall in love with him. Boone Riggins would have been a much wiser choice.”

“I didn’t intend to fall in love with Nate. It just happened.”

“I could never understand that kind of undisciplined emotion. Nate was an admirable adversary until he fell in love with you. In a way, I’ll miss him.”

“Why do you want to kill him?”

“He’s ruined several of my enterprises. I don’t allow anyone to do that.”

“Won’t being a murderer make it impossible for you to continue these
enterprises
?”

He turned to her, his face a study in scorn. “Thanks to the war, there’s not a man in the country over twenty-five who hasn’t killed someone.”

The knot binding her hands was loose. Apparently tying up captives wasn’t one of Laveau’s skills. She couldn’t untie it, but it was possible that by applying pressure, she could stretch it enough to slip one hand out. Either diViere was too busy watching for Nate to notice her struggles, or he didn’t think she had any chance of success. The rough rope cut into the tender flesh of her wrists, but she did her best to ignore the pain. There would be plenty of time for that later. Right now warning Nate was the only thing of importance.

“You really are an annoying woman.” DiViere didn’t turn away from the window when he spoke.

“If you hadn’t attacked our farm and murdered my father, I would never have known of your existence.” That must have angered him because he turned to her.

“I thought you would go back to Virginia after the attack. I was sure of it when Peterson came to get you.”

“What do you know about Peterson?”

He had turned back to the window. “He appears to have transferred his interest to Blossom. It would seem age has faded your charms.”

“Nate doesn’t think so.” It was odd that even in a moment like this, vanity could rear its head. She tried to channel it into her effort to escape. She had succeeded in loosening the knot a little, but not enough to get her hand out. The pain in her wrist had grown until it was hardly bearable, but she concentrated on how to escape from the room once her hands were free.

“Nate is a fool. He didn’t have enough sense to know he was worth two of his brother.”

Roberta didn’t know how long the sheriff would search for diViere, but at some point they would stop, and Nate would come to her. She had to be free before then, but she wasn’t making enough progress. She pulled hard against the rope, but as it loosened on one wrist, it tightened on the other. Pain in one wrist increased the pain in the other. Suddenly, diViere tensed and stared out the window like a cat whose prey had just come into view. That could only mean one thing.

Nate was coming.

Pain was no longer important. Roberta had only seconds to warn Nate. She pulled against the rope with all her strength. Her efforts were fueled by the look of satisfaction she saw forming on diViere’s face. The horrible man actually looked forward to what he was about to do. The pleasure he derived from that anticipation gave her the forbearance to ignore the pain and the strength to jerk one hand free. DiViere was so captivated by the anticipation of reaching his goal that he appeared unaware of the small sounds that should have warned him something had gone amiss. She wrenched her other hand free, rose to her feet, and was halfway across the room before diViere realized anything was wrong. He sprang after her, but nearly lost his balance when he slipped on a small rug in the center of the room. That gave Roberta time to wrench open the door and run for the stairs, but diViere was as agile as a cat. He recovered his balance and was after her in an instant.

He caught her partway down the stairs just as Nate entered the front door.

For a moment, the three of them froze in place. Then, with a particularly vicious curse, diViere flung her down the stairs.

“You shouldn’t have tried to break my fall,” Roberta said to Nate.

“I didn’t fall in love with you to have you break your neck before I could talk you into marrying me,” Nate responded.

“I already agreed to marry you,” she reminded him.

“You have too many conditions to make it count.”

“If you want this arm set properly, you’ll be still and stop trying to look at her,” Dr. Danforth scolded Nate.

“It’s worth a broken arm to look at her.”

“What have you done to him?” the doctor asked Roberta. “He never used to talk like an idiot.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“First you shot him, and then you broke his arm. I wouldn’t call that nothing.”

When diViere pushed Roberta down the rest of the stairs, Nate had rushed forward to break her fall. Roberta had twisted away to keep from falling directly on him. Nate had responded by turning so abruptly he was off balance when he caught her. His left arm was under him when they fell to the floor. It had given DiViere just the distraction he needed to get away.

Dr. Danforth winked at Roberta. “He should stay away from you. I don’t think you’re good for his health.”

Roberta returned the doctor’s wink. “Maybe I should sell my farm and go back to Virginia.”

“I’ve got another arm and two legs,” Nate declared. “I’ll sacrifice all three before I let you get away from me.”

“Looks like he’s beyond saving,” the doctor said. “Take him home and see if you can keep him from breaking anything else.”

“She’s not going back until she’s married.”

Prudence had remained silent while the doctor set Nate’s arm, but her frown hadn’t eased. Roberta was pleased to see it reflected more worry and concern than disapproval.

“I agree with you,” Nate told Prudence, “but I can’t get Roberta to agree.”

“Nonsense,” Prudence stated. “She’s been in love with you from the first. She’s just being stubborn.”

“I am not,” Roberta insisted. “I said I couldn’t marry him until I knew who killed my father.”

“You know that now.”

“I have one other condition.” She turned to Nate. “You can’t go after him. I know what you’re going to say, but having you alive is more important than catching Laveau diViere. That won’t bring my father back. If it would, I’d go after him myself.”

Laveau had escaped while they lay in a tangle at the bottom of the stairs. No one had seen him leave the house or leave town. They found Mrs. Blanton in the kitchen. She’d been gagged and tied to the leg of her cast iron stove.

“I can’t leave him free to come after you anytime he feels like it,” Nate objected.

“If he had been determined to kill either of us, he could have done it while we were lying at the foot of the stairs. For some reason, he changed his mind.”

“You don’t know Laveau.”

“I’m not sure you do. He respects you.”

Nate looked at her in disbelief. “Why do you say that?”

“He said you were a worthy adversary, worth two of your brother. I think shooting you while you were unable to defend yourself wouldn’t have satisfied whatever is driving him.”

“He hates me.”

“I don’t think so, but that doesn’t matter. You’ve got to promise you won’t go after him.”

Nate was silent. Roberta could sympathize with the struggle going on inside him. Dropping his pursuit of Laveau went against his sense of responsibility to her and their future together. It also went against his sense of what it meant to be a man. In the eyes of some, maybe even in his own, it was a sign of cowardice. Then there was the frustration of giving up on a chase that had occupied him for more than two years. She knew what she was asking was virtually impossible, but she couldn’t do anything else. She had already lost her father. It would kill her to lose him, too.

Nate must have reached a decision because he sighed and turned toward her with a faint but understanding smile. “I can offer you a compromise. As long as Laveau stays away from us, I won’t go after him. But if he ever threatens you again, I won’t stop until he’s dead.”

That wasn’t what Roberta wanted to hear, but she was certain Nate had given as much ground as he could without losing respect for himself.

“That’s good enough,” Prudence announced. “She’ll marry you today if you want.”

Roberta was tempted to tell Prudence to mind her own business for once, but Nate was waiting for her answer. After what she’d put him through, she couldn’t make him wait longer. “I will marry you anytime, anyplace you want. Just let me tell Blossom and give Benny time to bake at least one cake. Neither one will forgive me if they miss our wedding.”

***

“He knew I would have come after him with a shotgun if he hadn’t brought you to see me,” Pilar was saying to Roberta. “I’ve been trying to get him married for years.”

Roberta and Nate had waited a week before they were married, but the celebration Prudence organized was restrained compared to Pilar’s party. She had used Rafe and Maria’s annual visit from California as an excuse to get all the Night Riders together.

Roberta had enjoyed meeting the men she’d heard so much about, but it was more interesting to see the women they’d chosen to be their wives. She was enchanted by Cade and Pilar’s two sons, but Pilar’s grandmother scared her. She could virtually see the generations of aristocratic Spanish ancestors lined up behind Donna Isabella Cordoba diViere. The woman’s backbone was unbending, her gaze unwavering. It was impossible to know what was behind those unblinking black eyes until she looked at Cade’s older son, Carlos. It was obvious she adored her handsome great-grandson.

“Did you really shoot Nate?” asked a handsome man accompanied by a plain wife with an adorable daughter.

“Not intentionally.”

“Did you mean to break his arm?” That from a scrawny old man who claimed to be the reason his grandson was so handsome.

“Of course not.”

“And he still married you?”

“I had already asked her,” Nate said. “It was too late to back out.”

“Sounds like you married a natural disaster.” That from a man with a ruined face.

“I figured if I could survive the war, I could survive being married to her.”

“It does not sound like you have been doing very well.” That from a blond giant with a charming European accent. Nate’s arm was out of splints, but it was still in a sling.

There was a lot of kidding back and forth, but it was obvious the men held one another in considerable affection. They shared stories about the war and about driving the squatters from the diViere ranch. The two old people exchanged a couple of swipes at each other, but it appeared that they had developed a grudging respect for each other.

Because of the large number of people invited, the festivities were taking place in the courtyard. A generous space enclosed by three walls of the hacienda, it featured a pool in the center, which was surrounded by several trees that weren’t yet large enough to offer more than token shade. Despite the presence of more than twenty adults, the conversation centered on babies and small children. Roberta was too newly married to be ready for children, but she enjoyed watching the parents, especially the fathers. While some seemed comfortable in their roles, others seemed at a loss as to what to make of these miniature people.

“What are you going to do with your farm?” Pilar asked Roberta.

“I’m going to turn it into a pasture for the blooded-bull Nate has bought. I don’t even want to hear the word
dam
.”

“From what Cade tells me, more people will be building dams. I wonder what’s keeping Carlos?” she asked of no one in particular. “It shouldn’t take him this long to find his new coat.”

Donna Isabella had turned a lifetime’s experience in embroidery to making fancy clothes for her two great-grandsons. Five-year-old Carlos was particularly proud of the coat she had given him for his birthday.

“He’s probably bringing
all
of his coats for us to see.”

“He told me he likes the new one better than all the others. I’m sure—”

A smothered shriek drew all eyes toward Felicity Holt. She held her infant son pressed tight to her chest. With a look of terror in her eyes, she was pointing to the terrace on the second floor of the hacienda.

Laveau diViere stood on the terrace. In front of him he held Carlos Wheeler, who was wearing his new coat. Laveau pressed a small pistol against the boy’s temple.

“I’d appreciate it if no one moved, especially you, Cade,” he said. “I’d hate to shoot this boy because you couldn’t stand still long enough to listen to a few words.”

“Hurt that boy, and I’ll kill you myself.” Cade looked as though only Pilar’s restraining hand kept him from racing toward the stairs that led to the balcony.

“He won’t hurt him,” Rafe Jerry assured Cade. “He knows he’d never get out of here alive if he did.”

“Do you think I care about that?” Laveau shouted. “I hate all of you. You have made my life a misery.”

“You have come home at last. I thought I would never live to see this happy day.”

Everyone’s attention had been so focused on Laveau they hadn’t noticed Donna Isabella was already climbing the stairs to the balcony.

“Do you still love me, Grandmama?” Laveau asked.

“I have always loved you,” she responded. “I have longed for the day you would return.”

Cade attempted to break away from his wife, but she held on to him as though their lives depended on it. They exchanged fierce whispers. Roberta couldn’t hear what she said, but Cade stopped fighting his wife.

“That’s right,” Laveau shouted at his sister. “Think of your precious husband rather than your son. I would never have believed my sister would turn herself into a whore, but money is more important than family. I could have made even more money if you hadn’t helped them drive me away. I’ve had to scramble for a living while you lived in luxury on
my
inheritance.”

“I sent you your share every year,” Pilar shouted at him. “You have never had to work. If you had left everybody alone, we’d have forgotten about you.”

That apparently was the wrong thing to say. For a moment Roberta thought Laveau would shoot the boy and die in a hail of bullets.

“Don’t let them upset you, my son,” Donna Isabella said. “It is jealousy that drives their words.”

Donna Isabella had appeared on the balcony next to Laveau. “Let me have your pistol. I have brought you a larger gun. I will hold the boy while you take your vengeance on the men who’ve made your life a misery.”

Roberta couldn’t believe that a great-grandmother would do such a thing. Surely she knew Laveau was evil. He would kill the boy before he let them take him.

Donna Isabella held a rifle out to Laveau. The light of insanity gleamed in his eyes. He hesitated only an instant before reaching for it. Once it was in his hand, he gave his grandmother the pistol. With a laugh he turned toward those gathered below, but it was a laugh that ended in a scream. The sound of a pistol being fired broke the spell, and the men charged up the stairs followed by their wives. When they reached the balcony, they found Laveau lying on the floor, bleeding from a wound in his stomach. Donna Isabella clutched Carlos to her bosom, the pistol still pointed at Laveau.

“When my home was taken from me along with everything our family had cherished for generations, you did not come home to save me or your sister. It was Cade Wheeler and his friends who risked their lives to do what you should have done.”

“I came home, but they drove me away.”

“You came home to kill the man who gave me back my dignity, married my granddaughter, and gave me the most beautiful great-grandsons in the world. You have wandered the country leaving evil in your wake. How could you think I would let you hurt anyone in this place?”

“But they’re Wheelers. You hate them.”

“I was wrong, and I have asked the Virgin to forgive me. Tonight I will ask Her to forgive me for what I have done today.” Then she deliberately shot Laveau in the stomach a second time. “You have brought much pain to people you betrayed. It is only fair that you spend your last hours in pain.”

Then she shot him again.

***

Roberta was relieved to find a quiet corner where she could retreat with Nate after all the upset over Laveau’s death finally subsided. The official report would state that Donna Isabelle had shot Laveau to keep him from killing her great-grandson. As far as the law was concerned, justice was satisfied. For the Night Riders and their families, it wasn’t so simple. A danger-filled, seven-year odyssey crowded with nearly every emotion from rage to heartbreak had come to a shocking conclusion. Despite struggling under the burden of having had a son’s life threatened and losing a brother at the hands of her grandmother, Pilar begged her guests to stay. She’d said now her life could go on without the shadow that had hung over it for seven years.

Roberta felt much the same. Her father’s killer had been punished and the threat to her happiness removed.

“Do you want to go home?” Nate asked.

“Yes, but I don’t think we should leave just yet. Having guests is helping Pilar get through the crisis.”

“How do you feel about Laveau’s death?”

“He’s no longer a part of our lives so I’m free to forget him. I’d much rather spend my time thinking about you.”

“Are you sure you’ll be happy in Texas? I wouldn’t mind moving to Virginia.”

“Carl’s coming after me made me realize I’m not the same person who left Virginia.”

Nate smiled. “And who are you now?”

“I want to be a person in my own right, not a mere extension of my husband. I want you to teach me to ride so I can be next to you when you survey the ranch. I want to be part of the business decisions you make. If anything were to happen to you, I want to be capable of insuring our children’s inheritance.”

“So you do want children?”

Roberta felt something go soft inside. “I want little boys as handsome as Carlos and little girls as pretty as Owen and Hetta’s daughter.”

“As long as the girls look like you, I wouldn’t care if we have a full house.”

When a shadow crossed his face, Roberta knew he was thinking of Caleb. “We will love all our children so much they’ll never have reason to wonder if we love them less than one of the others. I never had brothers or sisters, and I’ve lost both parents. I have lots of love stored up. As wonderful as you are, not even you can use it all.”