Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) (21 page)

"I have tried to think why I was kidnapped."

"Everyone would like to know that. The most
likely reason is that you were kidnapped for
money."

"Rachel, there is something I haven't told
you."

Her sister-in-law stiffened, dreading what was
to come. She had feared that Saber had been
raped by her abductors and she prayed it
wasn't so.

"I was unconscious for two days after I was
abducted. I don't know what they did to me in
that time."

"Were there any signs that they.. .raped
you?

"I wouldn't know what to look for."

"There might have been blood, Saber."

"No. There was nothing like that." She raised
herself up on her elbow. "Does that mean they
didn't touch me?"

"No. Not really," Rachel said, knowing she
had to be honest with Saber.

"How will I ever know?"

"Have you had your monthly?"

"Yes."

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. "Then it's best
not to think about it just now. When you are
married, your husband will know."

"But I should tell Matthew. I couldn't let him
marry me without letting him know that it could
have happened."

Rachel pondered Saber's words. She didn't
know what kind of a man her future brother-inlaw was. "Let me think about it. We will decide
what to do later."

Saber turned onto her side and closed her
eyes. "This nightmare never seems to end."

The next day Rachel kept Saber busy so she
wouldn't have time to dwell on her situation.
When Saber had bathed and her hair had been
washed and brushed until it hung to her waist
in soft curls, she felt more like herself. She put
on a yellow cotton gown and matching slippers.
It felt wonderful to know that she looked her
best. She wished Reese could see her now.

Jake and Gabe had ridden out early, and most
of the Casa del Sol riders had gone with them.
But Gabe had informed them that two men
would stay behind to watch out for them.

Saber was rearranging her clothes in her
trunk when she heard a rider approaching.
Thinking it might be Reese, she ran to the window. The barn door was open, so one of the men
must have returned.

She had an uneasy prickling sensation at the
back of her neck.

"Rachel."

There was no answer.

Saber ran to the bedroom and lifted Reese's
pistol out of the holster. It was unloaded! She
had seen some boxes of shells under the bed
when she'd been cleaning. Maybe there were
bullets to fit this gun in one of the boxes. She
took a steadying breath when she found that one
of them did indeed hold the right bullets. She
was going to feel foolish when the rider turned out to be Jake or Gabe. But she had learned not
to take chances.

She heard Rachel's voice as she opened the
door to greet whomever it was. She wanted to
call out a warning, but it was too late. She
shoved bullets into the chamber and prayed the
gun wasn't too rusty to fire.

"What can I do for you?" Rachel asked.

"I'm looking for work. Would you be the
woman of the house?"

Saber cringed when she heard the voice that
had haunted her nightmares. It was Eugene Miller!

"No, I'm sorry. You'll need to come back another time. The man who owns the ranch is
away at the moment."

Saber heard the door open wider, and Rachel
gasped.

"Who are you? What are you doing?"

Saber realized that the men left behind to protect them were not going to be any help. She
squared her shoulders and moved out of the
bedroom, the gun hidden behind her. She nodded to Rachel, and her sister-in-law moved
aside.

"This is Eugene Miller," she told Rachel. "He's
here because he and I have unfinished business," Saber said as calmly as if she were introducing a friend.

"That's right, pretty thing. Now there's two of
you. Which one will I take first?" His hand went
down to rest on his gun. "Don't either of you
make any sudden moves. Miss Vincente, me and
you will just go into the bedroom."

She backed toward the bedroom door, trying
to draw him farther away from Rachel. "I'd
hoped you were dead," she said with all the hatred she felt for the man. "I'm sorry you aren't."

"Now, I wouldn't want to leave this earth until
I have me some of that sweet little body." He
glanced at Rachel. "You stay put and don't call
out for help, or I'll shoot Saber Vincente dead."

"Don't hurt her," Rachel said quickly. "I won't
do anything."

Eugene glanced into the kitchen and was satisfied that there was no one there. "Is anyone
else with you?" he asked, his eyes raking over
Saber's soft curves.

"Yes, there is," she said, bringing her hands
from behind her back, where she'd been hiding
the gun. "Meet Smith and Wesson." She leveled
the gun at his chest and watched a look of horror
come over his face. She fired once, then again
and again.

The dinner crowd at the hotel dining room fell
silent as they watched Maj. Matthew Halloway
limp toward Reese Starrett. Then people put
their heads together, whispering, and the
crowd's reaction was not lost on Matthew. He
knew people were speculating about the kidnapping. Some of the gossip that had reached his
ears was vicious, and he was not in a good mood.

Matthew leaned heavily on a cane and grinned
at Reese before easing himself onto a chair.

After a few curious glances people went back
to enjoying their meals, and Reese nodded toward the splint. "How's the leg?"

"It doesn't hurt much now, but it itches like hell. I'll be glad to get this splint off. If the army
doctor has his way, he'll keep me hobbled for the
rest of my life."

"Yeah. I remember. My Confederate doctors
were probably as inadequate as your Yankee
doctors."

Matthew picked up a water glass and turned
it around in his fingers. "There is no way I can
thank you for what you did, Reese. I don't know
what would have happened to Saber if you
hadn't gone after her."

"You don't owe me any thanks," Reese replied
gruffly. "I am sure you're aware that she's at my
ranch. I thought it would be the safest place for
her until Eugene Miller and Felton are caught.
But she would be safe enough if you took a company of your men and escorted her to Fort Griffin."

Matthew dropped his gaze, seeming to pay
particular attention to the water glass. "I don't
think it would be a good idea to bring her to Fort
Griffin at this time. She's better off where
she is."

Reese looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I...my mother and father have heard the
gossip that's been circulating around town
about Saber. They ...we think it would be better to let it die down some before she comes
back. After all, we don't really know what the Millers did to her. It could be somewhat difficult
to explain to our friends back in Philadelphia."

"What the hell are you talking about, Matthew?" Reese asked, jerking the glass out of Matthew's hand and slamming it on the table,
drawing attention to them again.

Matthew lowered his voice. "Well, that little
demonstration caught everyone's attention. We
can't talk here."

"No," Reese said, barely able to control his
temper. "We wouldn't want anything we said
getting back to Philadelphia."

"Reese, don't say anymore. Let's get out of
here. I sent word to her brother to meet us in
my hotel room. He's probably there by now with
my parents." Matthew awkwardly rose to his
feet. "Suppose we finish this conversation
there."

Reese tossed money on the table and followed
Matthew out of the dining room and up the
stairs. When they reached Matthew's room, Noble was already there, talking to Matthew's
mother and father.

Mrs. Halloway was a prim woman with a
high-necked lace gown and several strands of
pearls that hung almost to her waist. Mr. Halloway was an older version of Matthew, with
gray hair and boyish blue eyes.

Mrs. Halloway was speaking when Reese en tered. "Mr. Vincente, I have heard nothing but
praise about your family. I understand that your
Casa del Sol is one of the largest ranches in
Texas."

"There are others bigger," Noble was saying,
his eyes meeting Reese's. "But here's the man
you really want to meet, Mr. and Mrs. Halloway Reese Starrett, the man who saved my sister's life."

Reese nodded stiffly and turned to Matthew.
"Tell Saber's brother what you just said to me
downstairs."

Matthew grinned uncomfortably and offered
his hand to Noble. "We meet at last, Mr. Vincente. Saber has written me so much about you,
I would have recognized you had we met on the
street."

Noble looked puzzled. "What are you supposed to tell me?"

"Go ahead," Reese prodded. "Repeat what you
said to me."

"I merely pointed out to Reese that it might
be better if Saber remained at his ranch until the
gossip died down."

Noble understood why Reese appeared so angry. He had not expected this from the man his
sister was going to marry. "Saber has suffered
enough, Matthew. I believe my sister would be
better off with the people who love her. If we keep her isolated, she will think we are ashamed
of her."

"What my son means," Mr. Halloway interjected, "is that your sister might suffer embarrassment if she heard what was being said."

"Just what is being said?" Noble insisted on
knowing.

Mrs. Halloway lowered her eyes to avoid the
probing glance of Saber's brother. "I don't know
if you are aware of it, Mr. Vincente, but our son
is planning to run for political office when he
leaves the army. Any breath of scandal may well
end his hopes in that direction."

Noble's eyebrows met across the bridge of his
nose. Had the people in the room known him
better, they would have recognized that he was
angry. "It seems to me that my sister is the one
who has suffered. I don't give a damn about
some future political career your son might aspire to."

"Now, now, let's not be hasty," Mr. Halloway
said jovially. "The wedding will take place. We
just need some assurances."

"What kind of assurances?" Reese asked in a
cold voice. But he knew what was coming he
just didn't believe anyone could be so insensitive
as this family. He'd thought of Matthew as an
honorable man, but if he let his parents hurt Saber, Reese would have no respect for him at all.

It was Mrs. Hallo way who answered. She
linked her arm through her son's as if to steady
him. "I know you are a good friend to my son,
Mr. Starrett. He's told me that you wouldn't even
accept money for what you did. That's why I feel
I can talk plainly in front of you, knowing you
will be discreet about this sensitive situation."
She smiled, but there was no warmth in her expression. "Mr. Vincente," she said, turning to
Noble. "I hope you will understand that we
would like to have a doctor examine your sister."

Reese's hand came down hard on Noble's arm,
and he stepped in front of Saber's brother. "At
the moment, I don't think you can expect Mr.
Vincente to respond to such a hideous notion,
so I'm speaking for him. Saber will not be put
through the humiliation you are suggesting."

Noble's fists were clenched, and he took a step
toward Matthew. "And my sister won't be marrying you, you bastard!"

Matthew's face paled, and he shook his head.
"I love your sister. I want her to be my wife."

"It will not happen, because you do not treasure her as she deserves to be treasured. I would
never allow her to marry into such a family."

"You mistook our good intentions," Mr. Halloway blustered. "I have heard my son say on
many occasions how respected the Vincente
family is. That's why I think you will want to clear this nasty business up once and for all. I
can't tell you how my wife and I have been looking forward to meeting dear Saber."

Noble barely kept his temper in check, and
Reese took his arm and steered him to the door.
He was angry enough himself to tear into Matthew, but it wasn't his place. "We are all upset
by what's happened. After you have had a
chance to think clearly, maybe we can talk this
out."

Noble wrenched his arm free from Reese's
grip and stalked to the door. "I have nothing
more to say to any of you."

Reese followed him downstairs and outside.
Noble stood for a long moment, letting the cool
air hit him in the face. "What did you make of
that, Reese?" he asked at last.

"About the same as you did."

Noble gripped the hitching post and leaned
over, drawing in several deep breaths. "Saber is
special. It's not because she's my sister. She's
kind and loving; she cares deeply about those
she loves. She would never understand what was
said in that room today."

"I believe Matthew loves her."

Noble turned to Reese. "That's not the kind of
love she deserves. Money and position mean
nothing to her. Hell, Saber is wealthy in her own
right, and as for position, she has my father's respected name, and our mother came from a
fine old Southern family. No, I will not have her
put through what they suggested."