Heart of Thunder (40 page)

Samantha’s apathy lifted when she made her decision, but all the way to the Hacienda de las Flores she feared that Hank would not even see her. She might have made him too angry during their last meeting. But she had to try.

She wasn’t going to use Jaime to influence Hank, either. She had left him with her father. Hank had to accept her for herself alone. After all, she did have her pride.

She was as nervous as a cat when she finally reached the
hacienda
, her old home. Now Hank’s home. Manuel and his son had escorted her for the week’s journey, and they were all hot and tired when Lorenzo rode out to meet them. His warm greeting didn’t assuage her fears. He didn’t ask why she had come, but the two pack horses laden with her clothing indicated a long visit and Lorenzo grinned, seeing that.

Hank was in the
sala
going over his accounts when Lorenzo brought her inside. Samantha stood there nervously, waiting for him to glance up at her. She felt terribly self-conscious, knowing she was not at her best. Her green silk shirt was sweat-stained and wrinkled, and the black riding skirt and vest were almost brown from trail dust. Tendrils of hair escaped from under her wide-brimmed hat.

She had brought along the white lace skirt and blouse of her wedding and the thought of it made her blush. Hank would only have to see it to know why she was there.

Lorenzo’s announcement made her feel even worse.

“
Amigo
, look what roamed in off the range.”

Looking up, Hank rose slowly, speechless. Tension built as he stared at her, the moments going by.

Lorenzo grinned. “Well, I think I will leave you to…whatever. Just don’t kill each other, eh?”

The silence that followed Lorenzo’s departure was unbearable.

“This room,” she said hoarsely, glancing everywhere but at Hank. “It hardly looks the same.”

“The furniture makes a difference.”

She couldn’t judge his mood from his voice. “I suppose,” she agreed hurriedly. “I imagine the rest of the house is changed, as well.”

“Would you like to see it?”

“No. Perhaps later.” Why were they having this ridiculous conversation? she asked herself.

“Samantha, what are you doing here?” he blurted finally.

The opportunity was there at last, but she could not bring herself to admit why she had come. She had rehearsed words over and over, but, faced with Hank, the words just wouldn’t come.

“I just happened to be in the area,” she said quickly, then could have kicked herself for the silly excuse.

“Visiting Ramón?”

She detected the anger in his voice, and her back stiffened. “No, I was not visiting Ramón,” she replied sharply. “And, for your information, I don’t need an excuse to come here. This is my house, too. Or have you forgotten that I’m your wife? If I were to decide to live here, you couldn’t do a thing about it.”

“You can’t be serious!”

His amazement brought her temper to the fore. “Yes, I am! In fact, I think I
will
stay. I’d like to see you try and stop me.”

Hank stared at her, confused, then shook his head. “I will never understand you, Sam. You remind me that you are my wife, but I seem to remember you denying that the last time we were together.”

“It suited me to do so.”

“Oh? And now it suits you to use that title to gain entrance to my house?”

“
Our
house.”

Hank came around his desk and stood in front of her. “Oh,
our
house. Yet you said we cannot live under the same roof. You did say that, remember? I suppose you would like me to move out?”

She couldn’t blame him for being angry. This was going all wrong.

“No, I—”

“You what?” He cut her off brusquely, his eyes dark
and stormy. “You think we can live here together? You may like this constant war, but I do not.”

“I don’t like it either!” she shouted back.

“Then why did you come here? Why have you not divorced me? Why haven’t you put an end to it, so I can stop hoping?”

“Because I love you, damn it!”

Hank was stunned, but only for a moment. He stared into her eyes, then began to laugh. “Ah, Samina, how long I have waited to hear you say that.”

He reached for her, but she backed away. “Don’t you touch me, Hank.”

He ignored her warning tone and reached again, coming closer.

“Don’t. I mean it. There are things we have to settle first.”

“Very well.”

He stepped back, grinning with pure delight. Samantha could barely concentrate. But she had to make herself say the things that needed saying.

“You’re willing to give our marriage a try?” she began.

“
Querida
, how could you doubt it?”

“Then we’ll give it a chance. But I warn you, Hank. I won’t stand for any unfaithfulness.”

“Nor will I.”

She nodded, then started to pace, ready for the difficult part, afraid of what she might learn. “Nor do I want you to pretend you care for me when you really don’t. I’m willing to live with you…but I don’t want any pretending.”

“
Qué diablos!
” he swore. “Do you mean to tell me you came here even with those crazy doubts in your mind?”

“They’re not crazy. You hated me, Hank, you know you did.”

“You felt the same, little one,” he said gently. “But there was a difference. I never
really
hated you. There
was anger, yes, and hurt. I had found a woman I loved, and she spurned me. But you really did hate me.”

“Yes.”

“And now you say you love me. Am I to doubt your word, Sam?”

“No,” she said uneasily.

“Then why do you doubt mine?”

“It’s different.”

“Why?”

“You didn’t want to marry me,” she insisted. “You were furious about it.”

“Yes, I was. Because I was marrying you for the wrong reason instead of for the right one.”

“To get the land?”

“Yes. I did not want to marry you for that,” he said softly. “I wanted to marry you to have you and love you. But you were not willing.”

Samantha was not quite convinced. “You never asked me to marry you, Hank. Not once. That time in Colorado, you asked me to be your woman, not your wife.”

“You never let me finish.”

“You said you had no intention of offering marriage,” she reminded him.

“Ah, Samina, could you not tell that was only pride talking? Of course I meant to marry you. I loved you then—I love you now.”

“What about Angela?”

“
Por Dios!
Can you not just accept what I say?”

“But you loved her.”

“I have told you before, she was a beautiful woman and I wanted her. As soon as I met you, she was forgotten.”

“Really?”

He sighed. “Yes, really. Are you satisfied now?” Slowly she nodded, and he grinned. “Then will you get over here and kiss me?”

She ran into his arms. “Oh, Hank! I’m sorry. I just had to be sure. You do understand, don’t you?”

She was showering his face with kisses, giving him no chance to answer. Finally he caught her head, held her still, and kissed her soundly.

“Yes,
mi amor
, I understand. With all that has happened between us, there was reason for us both to doubt. But no more, Samina. No more doubts. Please. You came to me, and now I will never let you go. For the rest of our lives, you will never again doubt my love.”

She held him close. Her smile was beatific. “For the rest of our lives. How wonderful that sounds.
Mi caro, mi querido
, I hope you know I will hold you to that promise. And if we fight again—or, rather, when we fight again—I think you know how to make it right. I think you’ve always known.”

“Yes,” he murmured, and those gray lights danced in his eyes. “Like this,” he said, and kissed her again.

Epilogue

S
AMANTHA, dressed in buckskins, leaned forward in the saddle, resting her arms lazily on the pommel. They were on the north range, viewing the large herd of cattle there, a herd twice as big as her father’s had ever been. She looked sideways at Hank, but he didn’t see her. He was proudly looking over his land, their land. But she was looking him over, gazing openly at this husband of hers.

She would have to get used to thinking of him in that way. For so long she hadn’t. For so long she had been such a fool. Now she knew she had been deluding herself all that time.

How could Hank still love her after what she had put him through? But he did. She didn’t doubt it, not anymore. She glowed, remembering the previous night. She had wondered long before what it would be like to be his willing partner, and now she knew. It was wonderful beyond imagining.

“Lorenzo comes, and about time, too,” Hank observed as his friend came galloping over to them.

“You were expecting him?”

“Yes.”

“But I thought we were going to ride alone.”

She couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice, and Hank grinned at her. “It was to be a surprise,
querida
. If I had told you before we left the ranch that we would not be returning, you would have delayed, perhaps even refused to go.”

“Go? Where?”

Lorenzo approached them and silently handed over two heavily filled horse packs. “To the mountains. These supplies will last until we get there. I sent others ahead last night with more,” Hank explained.

“You mean the three of us are going back to that camp?” Samantha gasped.

Lorenzo chuckled. “As much as I would like to join you, Sam, I was not invited. And this one”—he indicated Hank with a bemused grin—“makes me waste my time coming out here with the supplies, just so he could delay telling you.”

She blushed as the full realization struck her. “We’re going to the mountains, just the two of us?”

Hank replied, “This is not the first I have thought of it, Sam. I wanted to take you back there before, just after we married.”

“I wish you had.”

“You do not mind?”

“Mind? I think it’s a wonderful idea!”

“Well, if you two are set on going, you’d better go quickly,” Lorenzo warned them. “We seem to have visitors.”

“What the devil—” Hank frowned, seeing the large group of riders and a wagon approaching from the north.

“Why—it’s my father!” Samantha exclaimed.

“
Perdición!
” Hank swore. “What is he doing here?”

“Now, there’s no reason to get upset, Hank.”

“Do you forget his feelings for me?” Hank asked. “Or does he now accept me as a son-in-law?”

“Well, no,” she replied uncomfortably. “Actually, he didn’t want me to come here. But I did come, didn’t I? He couldn’t stop me.”

“I suppose he is here to rescue you then?” Hank said darkly. “If he thinks he can take you from me—”

“Now, stop it, Hank.” She didn’t raise her voice, but it was an effort. “He
is
my father.”

“And I am your husband.”

Hank said it softly, and Samantha’s temper dis
solved under his gaze. “Yes, you are.” She grinned. “And it’s time my father accepted that, once and for all.”

She rode off toward the group before Hank could say any more. He shook his head, thoroughly disgusted by this sudden turn. Five more minutes, just five minutes, and they would have been well on their way to the mountains, and seclusion.

“Cheer up,
amigo
,” said Lorenzo. “It is not so bad.”

Hank looked over at him sharply. “Not so bad? I could have had her all to myself, Lorenzo. How would you like to be cheated of that time with the woman you love?”

Lorenzo chuckled. “You will have other times. You will have the rest of your lives.”

“I suppose,” Hank conceded. “But, right this minute, that doesn’t really help.”

The two men followed Samantha. When they reached the group, she was standing by the wagon, hugging Jaime. Froilana was sitting in the wagon, looking at Samantha. Hamilton Kingsley was beside his daughter, a sternly disapproving look on his face, because she was ignoring what he was saying to her. Sheldon was standing nearby, as well, and Hank was amused to see the Englishman in trail clothes, a gun strapped to his hip.

Hank greeted the men quickly as he dismounted. His attention, like Samantha’s, was on his son. He moved quickly to her side and put his hand lightly on Jaime’s head. Samantha smiled up at him, her eyes bright with happiness. “You haven’t seen him for months. Here.” She handed Jaime over to him. “See how much he’s grown?”

Hank laughed as Jaime’s tiny fingers caught at the brim of his hat, pulling it off. The brim went straight into the baby’s mouth, and Samantha scolded gently as she took it away from him. Hank grinned at them, retrieving the hat. His son. His wife. He dreaded to think what life would have been like if Samantha hadn’t
come back to him. But she had, and now they would be a family.

One member of her family wasn’t too happy about that, however.

“Señor Kingsley.” Hank nodded stiffly to the older man.

“Chavez,” Hamilton said curtly.

“Oh, honestly,” Samantha sighed. “You two had better start liking each other—whether you want to or not!”

“Samantha—” Hamilton began, but she cut him off.

“What are you doing here, father? I told you I would send word when to bring Jaime.”

“He missed his mother,” Hamilton said helplessly.

“Nonsense,” she scoffed. “You must have left home on the same day I left. What are you really doing here?”

“I’m here to talk some sense into you!” he blustered. “And to bring you home.”

Samantha stiffened. “I am home.” And with that, she turned on her brother. “Damn it, Shelly, you were all for my coming here. You understood. Why didn’t you talk him out of this?”

Sheldon looked shamefaced. “I tried, my dear. I suppose I haven’t mastered the art of argument yet.”

He said it so solemnly that Samantha burst into laughter. She couldn’t be mad at him. She couldn’t be mad at her father, either. She was just too happy to be mad at anyone.

“That’s all right, Shelly. You’ll learn,” she teased. “And as for you, father…look at me. Do I look like I need help?” She hugged him. “I’m grateful that you still have such concern for me, but it’s not necessary.” Earnestly she looked up into his eyes, hoping to make him understand, to be happy for her. “I love him. I love him with all my heart. And he loves me.”