Texas Proud (Vincente 2) (33 page)

Suddenly he turned over and gripped her chin
in a painful clasp. "If you continue to torment me,
Rachel, I can't answer for the consequences."

The tattered cloud moved away from the moon
and the cabin was illuminated. Rachel and Noble
stared at each other for a long, poignant moment.

He sucked in his breath. "I said you could trust
me, and I'll keep my promise." The words seemed
to be torn from his throat. "You almost died out
there, Rachel. What kind of beast do you think I
am to take advantage of you now?"

"I'm so frightened," she admitted.

"Are you frightened of me?"

"No. Of something-someone. I don't know."

"With all you've had to face, you sure as hell
don't need me complicating your life."

"I want you to hold me, Noble." Her voice
sounded like the cry of a lost child. "Please."

In a sudden rush, the restraints he'd been exerting on his feelings snapped. With a strangled cry, he pulled her into his arms, his lips moving
frantically across her face, kissing her eyelids, her
cheek, then settling on her mouth in a kiss that
stole her breath.

"If only I could keep you like this for always and
never allow anything to hurt or frighten you
again." His arms cradled her gently, lovingly. "But
you don't want anyone's help, do you?"

Without answering, Rachel put her arms
around his neck and pressed against him, wanting
to feel him inside her, making her feel alive and
reborn again.

"Green Eyes"-he moaned-"why do you torture me so?"

For her answer, she opened her lips to invite his
kiss. His mouth was hot against hers and she welcomed his probing tongue. Her hands frantically
unbuttoned his shirt, then moved over the dark
hair on his chest.

"I didn't want this to happen," he said, rolling
her over. "I wanted to show you that I could be
near you and not..." He pulled away. "I meant it
when I said you could trust me." He turned away
from her, and his feet hit the floor when her voice
stopped him.

"Make love to me, Noble," she said softly. "I
want you to."

He turned back to her; his hand moved from her
shoulder to slide tenderly across her breasts, and
she could feel him tremble.

"Are you sure you want me, Rachel?"

"Yes. I am sure."

In a frenzy of passion, they both undressed, and
soon their naked bodies were pressed together, fitting like a tight glove. Noble hardened and swelled
against her, and Rachel thought she would faint
from longing.

He kissed and caressed her until she was shaking inside. In a bold move that surprised them
both, she rolled on top of him, and eased herself
down so he slid into her moistness.

Noble threw his head back, closing his eyes and
absorbing her in his mind as she absorbed him
into her body. Her silkiness closed around him,
and he tried to hold his leashed passion in check.
Gripping her hips, he moved her up and down,
drawing a trembling gasp from her.

They were swept away on a tide of sweet breathlessness. He shifted their positions so he was on
top, and plunged into her over and over.

Rachel felt like a flower opening to a brilliant
sun. For this moment he was hers. She was a part
of him, and he was a part of her. No matter what
happened afterward she would have this to remember. She arched her hips to meet his forward
thrusts, biting her lip to keep from moaning.

Again and again her body trembled with sweet
eruption, and soon he joined her in climax.

When their bodies cooled, their need to touch
each other was still strong. She nestled in his arms
while his hand rested against her stomach. She
didn't want to move because it might break the enchantment that held them together. She wondered what he was thinking as his hand moved up
to caress her breasts. She closed her eyes and
sighed, wishing she could stay in his arms forever.

Noble stroked her long hair, loving the feel of it
sifting through his fingers.

Her hand slid up his arm and their fingers laced
together first one hand, and then the other.

At last Noble said, "We are good together, Rachel."

"You have had many women," she said, wishing
she had not stated the obvious.

"Not like this." He raised her chin and stared
into her shimmering eyes. "I want you to understand me, Rachel. I have never felt like this with
anyone else, and never will."

She pressed her smooth cheek against his rough
one. "And yet this is all we can ever have."

"You said that before."

"Fate was kind, giving us this unexpected time
together."

He couldn't find his voice for a moment. "Why,
Rachel?"

"The river between us is too wide."

"You said that before, and yet you crossed that
river."

Her eyes became sad. "I came not for love, but
to tell you to stop interfering in my life. I still feel
that way. I suppose I always will."

Noble pulled back and stared at her, his gaze
touching every feature of her face. "If this is to be our last time together, give yourself to me once
more." His voice held a tone of uncertainty. "Will
you?"

She moved forward and pressed her lips to his
cheek in breathless anticipation. Could any
woman resist Noble when he turned those dark
eyes on her? She wasn't able to. The rush of tenderness Rachel felt for Noble came as no surprise
to her. She offered him her lips, surrendering to
him. For a moment Rachel felt like the helpless
Samson being pulled toward quicksand. But what
a glorious feeling.

His mouth hovered only a breath away from
hers. "I can't seem to get enough of you," he whispered against her lips. "I will always feel this way."

She swept her fingers through his midnight
hair. "I know. I feel that way too."

The urgency stirred within him, making him
quake. "What have you done to me, Green Eyes?"
His question needed no answer. Her softness
beckoned him, and he sank into her. As ecstasy
overtook them he closed his eyes and wondered if
paradise felt anything like possessing Rachel.

"I want you to become my wife," he said, as
warmth spread through him.

"I don't think so, Noble. I can never marry you."

"If you speak of the river that separates us, we'll
build a bridge across it."

"No, not the river."

"Delia."

"Yes."

He stared at her for a long moment, trying to
decide how to answer her. "I assume you haven't
spoken to your sister about us."

"No. I can't seem to talk to her about you and
me." She closed her eyes. "I don't really know
why."

Noble brushed a silken curl from her face. "You
are afraid of what she will tell you." He placed his
hands on each side of her face. "Look at me, Rachel. I never touched your sister. I've never had
the desire to. Beyond that, you will have to decide
if you believe me or your sister."

"I can't. Don't ask me to choose. I'll have to
choose my sister."

He sat up and refused to look at her. "So that's
your answer?"

Rachel clamped her hands over her ears. "Don't
do this to me, Noble."

"I'm not doing anything to you. I offered to
marry you. I've never asked another woman to be
my wife."

"You feel honor-bound to marry me," she admonished, watching his face carefully. "Well, my
answer is no. What happened between us was
my fault, and you know it. I absolve you of any
blame."

He shrugged, knowing anything he said at the
moment would be misunderstood. "Here's something you need to think about, Rachel. Sooner or
later you are going to have to decide if Delia is
telling the truth or if I am." His dark gaze hard ened. "Just make certain you choose the right
one.

He slid out of bed and quickly dressed. After
he'd slipped into his boots, he stood over her. "I
can either take you home now, or I'll go to the
Broken Spur and get Zeb or Tanner to come for
you. If you ride with me, it'll have to be double.
Which do you prefer?"

"Zeb."

"Very well." He didn't even look at her.

Rachel watched him leave, and a short time
later she heard him chopping wood. When he returned to the cabin with an armload of logs, he
still didn't look at her, but went about laying a fire.

"This should keep you warm until Zeb comes
for you."

Without another word, he left. The cabin felt so
empty without him. Rachel lay back, fighting
tears.

He'd asked her to marry him, and she wanted
nothing more than to be his wife. But Delia would
always stand between them. And she was certain
that he'd only asked her to marry him because he
felt duty-bound to do so.

Well, he owed her nothing. She had been the
one who had seduced him. Her cheeks burned
with shame. What must he really think of her?

She slid out of bed and a blast of cold air almost
drove her back under the covers. Her mind rushed
ahead of her and she quickly got dressed. It was
time to demand answers from her sister. Time to find out if it was Delia or Noble who'd woven a
web of lies.

Rachel moved to the warmth of the fire. There
was something else she had to do. She had a
strong suspicion that Harvey Briscal was somehow tied in with the accidents that had been happening to her lately.

She was determined to find him and discover
the truth. She would not live her life glancing over
her shoulder in fear, or waiting for the next accident.

When Zeb arrived two hours later, she met him
at the door.

"You had us right worried, Miss Rachel."

She mounted the horse and glanced at him.
"What do you know about Harvey Briscal?"

Zeb merely shook his head, wondering what
wild scheme Rachel was hatching this time.

Three weeks later, Rachel was aboard the Robert
E.Lee stage line, on her way to El Paso with Zeb
as her traveling companion. When they first
started out, the weather was bitterly cold. But the
closer they got to El Paso, the warmer it became.

Rachel had but one purpose in mind, and that
was to find Harvey Briscal. Tanner had asked
around town and discovered that Harvey had
been seen in El Paso the previous week. Rachel
hoped he'd still be there when she arrived; she intended to force him to admit what he knew about
the snake in her bedroom and the fire in her barn.

Rachel stared out the window at the desolate
countryside. Tumbleweeds rolled about at the discretion of the persistent winds. In the distance, the whiteness of the salt flats reflected the sun and
stung her eyes. Occasionally she saw the skeletal
remains of cattle and oxen. The wind never
ceased, but it was warm, even if it did taste of salt.

She dismissed the discomfort caused by the
stage's bouncing and jostling over the rutted road.
She was angry that someone was trying to kill her,
and she was determined that before she left El
Paso, she'd know the culprit.

She glanced across from her and met Zeb's
gaze. The dear old man hadn't disputed her decision to make this trip, but he had doggedly insisted she would not leave his sight for a moment.

Her mouth felt dry and it had nothing to do with
thirst. Everything was coming to a conclusion,
and she feared what would happen when she
reached El Paso.

Noble read the note that had been delivered to
him by one of the hands from the Broken Spur.
He'd hoped it would be from Rachel, but when he
began to read, his lips thinned. It was from Winna
Mae. She was concerned because Rachel had gone
off looking for Harvey Briscal with only Zeb to
protect her. In Winna Mae's opinion, Harvey was
the one who'd put the snake in Rachel's bedroom.
The note went on to beg Noble's help.

With long strides Noble stalked to the stable,
where Alejandro and one of his sons were bridle
training a dappled gray stallion.

"Patron," the gran vaquero said with pride. "This
horse is ready to ride."

Tomas ran his hand down the smooth flank of
the magnificent animal. "Patron, this one is worthy of a king."

"Alejandro, I need to locate a man who probably
doesn't want to be found. But I suspect he still has
friends in Tascosa Springs-friends who would be
unwilling to talk to me. How would I go about
finding a man who doesn't want to be found?" Noble asked, crushing Winna Mae's note in his fist.

Alejandro pondered for a moment, studying the
bridle in his hand. Then he said, smiling and
pushing his son forward, "I would send my son,
Tomas, into town to listen and learn. You would
be surprised what someone will talk about when
a Mexican is standing right next to him at the bar.
It is like we are invisible and do not have ears and
eyes. If anyone in town knows about the man you
want, my sons will find out for you."

Noble nodded. "The man is Harvey Briscal."

Alejandro gripped Tomas's shoulder. "You
heard the name of the man the Patron wants you
to find. Ride to town. Go to the saloon, where you
will listen and learn."