Someone Like You (Night Riders) (11 page)

Rafe couldn’t give Miguel the assurances he wanted, so he let him leave without further comment. Maria got to her feet.

“I’d better be going, too. I want to check on Broc before I start Luis on his lessons. When do you want lunch?”

“I don’t. I’m going into town to see what I can find out. Let me know what the doctor says when he finally gets here.”

“Fool! Imbecile! I said shoot the handsome one, not the one with scars on his face.”

“I could see only one side.”

“You should have gotten closer.”

“That ranch is as flat as your hand. There’s nowhere to hide up close and still get away unnoticed.”

“There has to be some place. You didn’t look hard enough.”

“I worked there. I know every inch of it.”

“Then find a better place next time.”

“I can’t risk going back. Rafe is too restless to stay on the ranch. Sooner or later he’ll leave.”

“Then make sure you’re right behind him. I want this over soon.”

“Then I can go back to the woman.”

“You bungled that.”

“It’s hard to make it look like an accident when she hardly ever leaves that house.”

“I’ll think of something. You just concentrate on getting rid of Rafe.”

Maria knocked on Broc’s door.

“Come in if you’re a friend. If not, go bother Rafe.” She was pleased to see him sitting up and looking cheerful. “I hope Luis hasn’t bored you with his stories.”

“Broc says I read very well.” Luis glowed with happiness. “He says I should read for Rafe, that he’d be proud of me.”

“I’m sure he would be. I’ve always been proud of you.”

“You’re my aunt. You’re supposed to be proud of me.”

Maria didn’t like having her approval valued so lightly, but she was rapidly learning that she ranked far behind the glorious man who was his brother. If only Rafe
were
his brother.

“It’s time for your lunch. You can read to Broc again after you’ve done your lessons.”

“Broc said he’d help me.”

“Maybe tomorrow. He needs to rest before the doctor gets here.”

“Why does he need a doctor? Rafe has already fixed him.”

Maria was getting a little tired of Luis thinking Rafe could do everything better than anyone else. “It’s best to let the doctor check Broc to make sure. Now, your lunch is getting cold.”

Luis grimaced. “Yes, ma’am.” He rose and left the room.

“You don’t like him looking up to Rafe, do you?” Broc asked.

The question startled and embarrassed Maria. She hadn’t realized her feelings were so obvious. “I don’t know Rafe as well as you do, or even as well as Rosana and Juan. I had been led to believe—”

“I don’t imagine your sister had much good to say about him. She must have been mad as hell when she read that will.”

Dolores had thrown a fit that was so embarrassing, Maria blushed to remember it even now. When Maria had tried to reason with her, Dolores had told her about the rape. After that it was hard not to commiserate with her even when her behavior was unreasonable. “It came as a great shock. She had expected something quite different.”

“I’m sure she did. After causing Rafe’s father to throw him out, I’m sure she expected to be left the ranch, or at least control of it until Luis came of age,” Broc said.

“It’s only natural that a wife would expect her husband to
leave her more than an allowance in his will. I’m sure Rafe has told you—”

“Rafe never talked about his life before he joined the Army. All any of us knew was that his father owned a ranch in California. I never heard Dolores’s name until we got here.”

“After the way he took out that bullet, I can understand why you’re so loyal to him, but that doesn’t excuse the rest of his behavior.”

“What behavior?”

She had let her temper cause her to say more than she intended. “I can’t tell you, but I know of something that would alter your feelings.”

Broc’s gaze intensified. “I’ve never put much faith in secrets that couldn’t be brought into the light. They leave me with the feeling there’s a foul underbelly I can’t see. Let me tell you a few things that are beyond dispute because many people saw what I saw.”

B
roc sat up a little straighter, then drank from a glass of water before he began.

“Rafe and I served in a cavalry troop of thirty-six hand-picked men. We made night raids on wagon trains, supply depots, gold shipments, anything we could to delay and disrupt the Union Army. We lost only five men before one of our number betrayed us. Twenty-four men died that night, most of them in their sleep.” Broc turned his face so Maria could see the scars. “I was shot in the face as I woke up. I couldn’t see the man standing over me because of the blood in my eyes.” He returned his gaze to Maria. “I would have died with his second shot if Rafe hadn’t stopped him. The campsite was overrun with Union soldiers and a few escaping Night Riders returning fire. Rafe risked his life to drag me into a ditch. He stood over the doctor while he tried to put my face back together. Rafe was ready to kill the man, but saving me was the best he could do.”

Maria wouldn’t have tried to change Broc’s opinion of Rafe if she could. She was sure Rafe had changed, had improved, since he’d left the ranch, but nothing could alter the fact that he’d raped Dolores. She had no trouble believing Dolores had exaggerated Rafe’s faults over the years, but as much as she’d like to see him as Broc did, she couldn’t.

“You don’t think he’s a good model for Luis, but he will be. Rafe isn’t always easy on people, but he’s really soft when it comes to kids.”

“Luis isn’t a little kid anymore. He’s becoming a young man.”

“Rafe was always the one to look after the new fellows in the troop. He was rough on them, but what he taught them saved their lives.”

She could believe that. Rafe showed every indication of being the kind of man who could handle any situation. It was his ability to take charge at a moment’s notice that made it difficult for her to imagine him working for anyone, even a friend.

“You ought to see him with Carlos. That’s Cade’s two-year-old son. He actually gets down on the floor with him, lets the kid ride him like he’s a big dog.”

Maria couldn’t picture that. Not the Rafe Jerry she knew.

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“It’s not that. It’s just…” How could she explain that the image was too far from what she’d been led to expect?

“Come sit down. I keep thinking you’re going to back out the door and run away.”

She didn’t want to sit down. She didn’t want to listen to any more stories of how wonderful Rafe could be. She had been comfortable with her picture of him as a spoiled, selfish, untamed youth. Then she could think he was handsome without any danger of being attracted to him. She could handle that. But how could she handle an attraction to a man everyone seemed to think practically walked on water?

“I can’t stay. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable and advise you to take a nap before the doctor gets here.”

“I don’t need a doctor. Rafe can take care of me.”

“I’m sure he can, but he doesn’t have access to the medicines and ointments the doctor has because we don’t stock them in the house.”

Broc held out his hand to Maria. Reluctantly, she stepped forward to take it. “I’ll see the doctor if it will make you feel better, but I’m not going to do anything he advises unless Rafe thinks I should.”

“How can you have so much confidence in his medical ability? He’s not a doctor.”

“Rafe worked with the doctor in our troop so often, he said Rafe could have set up his own practice if he limited it to amputating limbs and treating gunshot wounds.” He squeezed Maria’s hand. “Don’t be too hard on him. He didn’t want to come back. Doing so has opened up old wounds he’s spent years trying to heal. You like him. No use pulling away,” he said when she jerked her hand from his grasp. “He likes you, too, though he nearly bit my head off for mentioning it. You could look a long time without finding a better husband.”

Maria was certain she flushed crimson. “I’m not looking for a husband.”

“Every woman wants a husband just as every man wants a wife.”

“I don’t know why I’m letting you talk to me about such an absurd notion. You need to rest, and I need to make sure Luis eats his lunch and starts on his studies.”

“Luis can do without your undivided attention for one day,” Broc announced. “You know, Rafe loves this place despite the bad memories. It’s clear the people here want him back. You care about the ranch and Luis. You wouldn’t have worked so hard if you didn’t. Rafe belongs here, not in Texas. He’ll never be the man he was meant to be if he leaves.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I think you’re the one person who might be able to convince him to stay.”

“You’re wrong. There are reasons I can’t tell you why I—”

“I know. The secret.”

“—could never have any part in the decisions he makes.”

She didn’t like Broc’s smile. It made her feel as if she’d done something wrong.

“I trust you to figure out the right thing to do.” His grin was pure mischief now. “You might need a little help, but that’s what I’m here for. Now you can run away and convince
yourself everything I said is the result of being shot. I promise to take a nap as long as you promise to keep all sharp objects away from that doctor when he arrives.”

There were a dozen things she needed to do, but she hurried to her bedroom and locked the door behind her.

Her room was sparsely furnished—a bed, a large wardrobe against the far wall, an oak chest with a pitcher and basin, a dresser with a small mirror, and a couple of chairs—but she had no need for more. Her duties kept her in the rest of the house except for the hours she spent sleeping. A closet less than half the size of Dolores’s and a room with a claw-footed tub made up the rest of what was her personal domain. Today she felt very much in need of the limited privacy it offered.

She didn’t want to admit she was attracted to Rafe on a physical level, but as long as it was only physical she could accept it. He was a handsome man. Any woman would find him attractive.

To say she was
interested
in him elevated her predicament to a new plateau. She didn’t know what she had done to give Broc the impression she had ever thought of marrying Rafe. She had begun to question Dolores’s version of a lot of things that had happened, but rape didn’t allow for any interpretation.

Unfortunately for her peace of mind, she couldn’t reconcile that act with the man she was coming to know.

Everybody liked Rafe. She could see why the servants would—they were loyal to the family. Yet Luis had never been completely comfortable around anyone but her. She had taken pride in that without realizing she was limiting his ability to learn to get along with all kinds of people.

Luis’s shyness made the fact that he felt at ease around Rafe all the more surprising, especially since she found the man intimidating at times. She had expected Rafe to be resentful of Luis. Not only was he the son of a woman Rafe disliked, but he’d cut Rafe out of half of a very large fortune.
Since he had never seen the child, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he’d shown strong resentment. And yet he’d accepted Luis without protest. He’d said he intended to leave everything to Luis and go back to Texas. She’d discounted that statement at first, but now she was beginning to wonder.

Liking Broc as much as she did made it difficult to ignore the things he said about Rafe. If there was any one thing that convinced her he believed what he said, it was his complete faith in Rafe’s ability to remove the bullet. You didn’t let a man you couldn’t trust cut into you with a knife.

Then there were the servants. They had known Rafe when he was a boy. If Luis was any example, children were incredibly open and honest when they felt safe and loved. Rather than waste his time in typical teenage pranks, Rafe had taken up learning how to manage the ranch for his father. He’d succeeded so well that by the time he left, his father had made him responsible for all of the day-to-day operations. According to Juan, he was well loved by everyone who worked for him. According to Miguel, they’d lynch anyone who hurt Rafe.

It was impossible to know just how Warren had felt about Rafe, but everyone said he’d adored his son, that the dispute would never have happened if Dolores hadn’t jilted Rafe for his father. The picture Warren had kept by his bedside, his increasing unwillingness to be anywhere near Dolores, and the way he wrote his will indicated that any ill feelings for his son were a thing of the past. But had Warren simply forgiven his son, or had he come to the conclusion that Rafe was right?

That left just Dolores claiming Rafe’s villainy, but her actions had precipitated the crisis. Shaking her head, Maria realized she was more confused than ever.

She sat down at her desk and pulled out her house keeping book. She needed to bring the accounts up to date. That
would keep her mind off Rafe at least until dinner. After that she’d have to come up with something else. One way or another, she had to put an end to this attraction.

Rafe wasn’t impressed by Cíbola’s sheriff. He looked big enough to handle the job, but seemed out of shape and uninterested, as if he spent too much time in the saloons and not enough walking the streets. He seemed annoyed he’d been called to Henry Fielder’s cramped office to meet Rafe. “There’s nobody around here who would shoot at you or anybody on your place.”

“I wasn’t thinking of people who’ve lived here for years.” Rafe leaned back in his chair and willed himself to relax. He was trying to keep ahold of his temper, but it was hard when faced with the sheriff’s lack of interest. Fortunately, the lawyer intervened.

“Mr. Jerry was wondering if you’ve noticed anybody new about town. It hardly seems likely that a stranger would show up and start shooting at random, but Mr. Jerry has been back only two days and his friend has never been to California.”