Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) (20 page)

"'Cause," Sam replied. "That was where we
was to meet up with him if we got separated."

Reese stood. "You did the right thing in telling
me, Sam."

Noble had trouble keeping his temper. But
Reese had been clever in getting the information
they needed. Noble reached out and gripped
Sam by the shirtfront and slammed him against
the wall. "I could kill you right here, you little
weasel, and no one would blame me."

Reese clutched Noble's arm. "We have what
we need from him. Let him be. He can't hurt
anyone locked in here. And he did protect your
sister as well as he could."

Noble dropped his hands to his sides and
turned to leave. "If I find you lied to us, Miller,
I'll be back, and no one can save you then."

Reese had reached the cell door when Sam's
voice stopped him. "You'll keep your promise to
my ma, won't you?"

"Yes, I will." He stepped through the cell door
and watched as Sheriff Davis locked it. "I'll keep
my promise to your ma if you'll make me a
promise."

Sam looked startled. "What kind of promise?"

"That you'll go straight and stay out of trouble
when you get out of this. And that you'll take
care of your ma."

The young boy's eyes held an earnest expression. "I promise, Mr. Starrett. I'll never do anything outside the law again. I learned my
lesson."

When Reese reached the outer office, Noble was pacing the floor. "Just what was that little
display all about?"

Reese shrugged. "You wouldn't get the boy to
betray his brother with threats. He might not
like his brother, but he would never hand him
over to us if he thought we were going to kill
him."

"So you made a promise that you aren't going
to keep?"

"Wrong, Vincente. I made a promise I have
every intention of keeping. The promise was to
Sam's mother, and I won't go back on it."

Guarded respect appeared in Noble's eyes. "I
made no such promise."

"No, you didn't," Reese admitted.

Sheriff Davis hung the keys on a hook and
turned to his two visitors. "I'll get a posse together and head out for the border first thing in
the morning."

Reese swung around to the man Winna Mae
had accused of bungling everything the night
Saber was kidnapped. "No. No posse," he said
in a commanding voice. "We can't hope to get
Miller and Felton until we have a plan. I don't
want a bunch of shopkeepers and farmers riding
about the countryside gun-happy."

Noble's respect for Reese was growing. He'd
been damn clever the way he had rescued his
sister from the Miller brothers. Noble was just beginning to realize how much danger Reese
had faced to save Saber. And he agreed with him
about the posse. It would only get in Noble's way
when they went after Graham Felton.

"This isn't your fight, Starrett," Noble told
him. "It's my fight, and I'll do it my way."

"The hell you will," Reese said angrily. "You
don't do anything without me."

Noble stared at Reese for a long moment. He
nodded to the sheriff and motioned for Reese to
follow him outside, where they could talk in private. "So she got to you, did she?"

Reese didn't have to ask what Noble meant.
"Yeah. Saber worked her magic on me."

Reese stepped into the street, untied the reins
of his horse, and led it toward the hotel while
Noble fell in beside him.

When they reached the other side of the street,
Noble asked the question that had been haunting him since he'd heard of Saber's abduction.
"Did the Miller brothers touch Saber in any improper way?"

Silver eyes looked into dark brown ones.
Reese decided to say it right out. "I don't know.
And worse still, Saber doesn't even know for
sure. She was unconscious for two days after
they'd taken her."

Noble was angry and grieved at the same time.
"Even you won't stop me from killing them if I find out they touched my sister, Reese."

"If that turns out to be the case, I'll help you
string them up without a trial," Reese answered.

The two men who loved Saber most shook
hands in understanding. Each knew the other
would do whatever was necessary to capture the
men involved in kidnapping Saber.

The two days since Reese had been away seemed
to drag by for Saber. On the third day, she decided to go riding to get away from the house.
Gabe and Jake had ridden out before sunup, so
they couldn't go with her. Even though Reese
had told her not to ride out alone, she was going
anyway!

In spite of the cold weather, there was a feeling of spring in the air. The breeze was sweeter,
and tender sprigs of green peeped from beneath
the patches of snow that still remained.

As she rode along the riverbank, she stopped
to watch a doe with its fawn. Her heart felt
lighter, and her troubles lessened when she was riding. Gabe and Jake had not found anymore
dead cattle since Reese had gone, and that
pleased her for Reese's sake.

She rode toward the cliffs, watching the way
the river cut through a canyon, and she wished
she could imprint this tranquil picture on her
mind. She wanted to think of Reese riding here
after she had gone. She wondered if he would
lose the ranch. She couldn't let that happen.
There had to be something she could do to help
him.

It was almost sundown when she finally led
her mount into the barn. She was glad to see that
the stalls where Jake and Gabe kept their horses
were empty that meant they weren't back yet.
She unsaddled her horse and gave him fresh
hay. Her footsteps were heavy as she made her
way to the house to face another evening alone.
And to make matters worse, she'd forgotten to
lay logs on the fire, so it had probably gone out;
the house would be cold.

Glancing up, she saw smoke rising from the
chimney, and she was puzzled. That was when
she noticed the fashionable black carriage
parked in front of the cabin. Her heart lightened it belonged to her brother!

She hurried into the house and was met at the
door by a worried Rachel. "Where have you
been, little sister?" Rachel asked, hands on hips.

Saber rushed into her sister-in-law's embrace
and hugged her tightly. "Just riding. But I'm so
glad you are here."

Rachel met her eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Yes. But I wouldn't be if it hadn't been for
Reese."

Rachel slid her arm about Saber's waist. She
loved Noble's sister every bit as much as she
loved her own sister, Delia. "I am sorry you have
gone through so much. But it's over now. They
will find the men responsible, and that will put
an end to it."

Saber nodded. "I know they will. I just needed
you here with me to cheer me up."

Rachel stepped back and looked her over
from head to toe. "I'd say your wardrobe is not
quite.. .in fashion. Whatever are you wearing?"

Saber grinned, remembering a time when Rachel had worn trousers, much to Noble's dismay. "You don't like my choice of apparel?"

"I should say not! It's fortunate for you that I
brought your trunk, and even more fortunate
that your brother can't see you like this." She
smiled. "Although I would love to see Noble's
face if he caught sight of you in that garb."

Saber looked miserably into Rachel's eyes. "I
really need someone to talk to, Rachel."

"That's why I'm here." She glanced about the
house. "Where is this Reese Starrett? When I ar rived there was no one here. I have wanted to
meet him ever since I heard he'd rescued you."

"He's gone to Fort Worth."

"That explains it. We may have crossed
paths." Rachel walked around the room, examining the books on the shelf. "This house could
certainly do with a woman's touch."

"That's what I think, too."

"Well, from what I've heard of Mr. Starrett, he
would have no trouble getting a line of women
to volunteer for that position. He's quite sought
after, but has managed to elude matrimony thus
far."

Saber removed Reese's coat and hung it on the
coatrack. "I imagine you're right." She linked
her arm through Rachel's and led her toward the
kitchen. "I'm hungry, how about you?"

"Starved."

"Shall I make enough for the Casa del Sol
hands who accompanied you?"

"It seems Reese's man, Miguel, took them off
to the bunkhouse and settled them in."

"I'm surprised that Noble would let you come
without him."

"He grumbled about it a bit, but in the end we
both decided that you might need me, and I
wanted to see for myself that you were safe."

"I am. Jake and Gabe have been looking out
for me."

"Then let's eat. And afterward I want you to
tell me everything that's happened."

Saber and Rachel were just about to sit down
to eat when Jake and Gabe ambled in. After Saber fed them and sent them off to the bunkhouse, she and Rachel sat around the fire in
silent companionship.

At last Rachel said, "Well, tell me about Mr.
Starrett. What does he look like? What kind of
man is he?"

Saber leaned her head back and thought for a
moment. "He doesn't have the chiseled good
looks that Noble has, and he doesn't have the
boyish looks of Matthew. Reese's features are
harsher, his eyes disturbing, as if he'd done and
seen too much. I know that nothing can harm
me when he's nearby. He's strong and lean, and
when he looks at me I...I want..."

Rachel had been watching Saber closely. "I
see. Tell me a little more about him."

"He's a man of the land, and the sky is reflected in his eyes. He's proud, honorable, and
stubborn. I have never seen anyone with eyes the
color of his. They can be dark gray when he's
thinking, or they can be transparent silver when
he feels something deeply."

"And did he feel something deeply with you,
Saber?"

Saber met Rachel's questioning glance. "He
feels passionate about this ranch."

"And?"

A painful lump formed in Saber's throat. "I
love him." She buried her face in her hands and
fought against the tears that threatened to fall.
"I love him so desperately."

Rachel bent down beside her, brushing the
hair out of her face and making her look up.
"How does he feel about you, Saber?"

"I think I know he finds me nothing but
trouble."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, very sure. I am ashamed to tell you this,
but I have to tell someone. I threw myself at him,
and he wouldn't have me."

"Saber, you just said he was a man of honor.
Perhaps if he liked you less, he would have taken
you to bed."

"No. You are mistaken. He wants only to see
the last of me."

"This is very serious indeed. What about Matthew?"

"Everything is in such a tangle. I can never let
Reese know how much I love him, or he will
despise me because Matthew is his friend. Matthew must never know, either. I will marry him
as I planned, but I will always feel like I'm cheating on him, because I love Reese. Perhaps know ing I don't love him will make me a better wife.
I'll be tolerant and thoughtful, and he will never
know that I am dead inside."

Rachel gathered Saber to her. "Oh, my dear
little sister you are in love with Reese Starrett.
I can only imagine the torment I would be living
through if Noble and I had not settled our differences and admitted that we loved each other."

"I know. But there will be no such happy ending for me, Rachel."

"Don't give up so easily, Saber. Let me think
on this for awhile."

"Do you believe I'm awful?"

"No, sweet little sister. I think you are a
woman disposed to marry the wrong man, and
I will never let that happen."

"But what can I do? Even if I don't marry Matthew, Reese still doesn't love me."

"We will put our heads together and see what
comes of it."

Saber felt better for unburdening herself.
"Even if I must marry Matthew, I can bear it.
After all, Matthew is a wonderful man. The one
thing I could never do is hurt him. I owe him so
much for helping me in Georgia."

"You don't owe him the rest of your life, Saber."

The fire burned low, and soon Saber and Rachel went to bed.

"The first thing I'm going to do tomorrow is
take a tub bath and put on one of my gowns."

"Yes, I believe that would be a good idea." Rachel's mind was reeling. She wasn't going to let
Saber sacrifice herself in marriage. She suspected that Reese Starrett was in love with Saber. It didn't matter how honorable he was if
a woman with Saber's beauty offered herself to
a man, he'd be hard-pressed to refuse her. No.
Reese Starrett loved Saber and refused to take
advantage of her while she was under his protection---that was what it was!

"Rachel?"

Rachel yawned. "Yes?"

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"Noble would like us to be at Casa del Sol,
where you will be better protected, but he fears
the journey would be dangerous. So he wants us
to remain here until he comes for us."