Renegade Love (Rancheros) (26 page)

He buried his face in the crook of her neck letting the warmth of her skin erase the chilling fear that ran through him. The scent of fresh fruit tickled his senses and he smiled. She was forever in the orchard picking fruit and the sweet scent always lingered on her skin. But it was her words that had soothed him the most.

She was there with him and everything was all right... unless Pacquito got a hold of her.

He brought his head up and took hold of her chin and was about to tell her that she would go nowhere without him when she kissed him. It wasn’t a gentle kiss but a demanding one, as if her urge for him was too great to ignore and it more than aroused him. It turned him rock hard.

It took only a moment for him to realize that if he didn’t get her to their bedchamber they would be stripping each other bare right here where anyone could come upon them.

He got to his feet taking her with him, since she refused to let go of him and as he did he caught sight of the drawing she had done of him. The full impact of it halted him in his tracks and with an arm around her waist he leaned down and scooped it up.

He couldn’t take his eyes off himself. She had not only captured his features perfectly, but she had captured the war of emotions that lay so deep beneath the surface; pain, anger, guilt, misery, and what he had never let anyone see... a hint of hope. She had known it was there. She had seen it when no one else had.

“You are complex,” she said on a wistful breath and smiled, “but I love you anyway.”

She was aware of his faults, perhaps better than he was and yet she loved him in spite of them. Was this real or was he still dreaming?

He leaned down and kissed her and when their lips met with loving urgency he knew it wasn’t a dream. He soon had her up in his arms and was about to rush off with her to their bedchamber when his father called out his name.

Esteban silently cursed the man and placed his wife on her feet, though kept hold of her.

When Don Alejandro came into view, Esteban knew that he was not bringing good news.

“Another hacienda has been attacked. You must come with me so that they see that you were home with your family and had nothing to do with it.”

“They will blame me anyway,” Esteban argued.

“Possibly, but if you make the effort there is a chance some may see it differently.

Rosa laid a hand on her husband’s chest. “Your father is right. It is best you go and see what you can do for your neighbors and friends.” She reached up to kiss his cheek and whispered, “I will wait most impatiently for your return.”

“In bed naked is where I want to find you,” he murmured in her ear and gave it a slight nip.

She shivered, and he kissed her quickly.

“Rosa, please see to Dona Valerianna. She is quite upset by the news,” Don Alejandro said.

With that the three entered the hacienda, going separate ways once inside, though not before Esteban gave his wife another kiss. He didn’t want to leave her, but he had no choice. He knew going with his father would not end the problem. It was only the beginning of troubles that lay ahead.

A few hours later suppertime came and the men had still not returned. Dona Valerianna excused herself from the meal saying she wasn’t hungry, and Rosa could not blame her since she wasn’t either.

Before going to her quarters Dona Valerianna uncharacteristically gave Rosa a hug and said, “Thank you.”

“For what?” Rosa asked.

“For being you.”

Rosa wasn’t sure what she meant. Sometimes she had felt she didn’t know who she was and having learned that she actually hadn’t been who she thought she was helped explain that. But now, being Esteban’s wife had changed things again and she liked who she was becoming.

Rosa meandered through the hacienda eager for her husband to return. She loved spending time with him. She had so enjoyed sketching him out in the garden today and she intended to sketch more portraits of him until she found one that suited him best, and then she would paint him.

She wandered back to the front parlor, but her husband had yet to return. She was about to retire to their bedchamber to wait naked in bed for him when she heard raised voices approaching. They quickly turned to shouts by the time Esteban and his father entered the house.

“It is common knowledge that you disappear at times,” Don Alejandro said. “You could have made it easy on all concerned and when asked told everyone where you go.”

“It doesn’t matter what I tell them. They believe that I serve Pacquito and do his bidding.”

“Then tell them they are wrong. Tell them the truth,” his father argued.

“Do you know the truth, Father?”

“I know my son is a good man and would not bring harm to his neighbors and friends.”

Esteban appreciated his father’s confidence in him, though he doubted others felt the same. “But do our neighbors and friends believe that or do they believe that I still run with the renegades and help them wreak havoc on their homes?”

“Address their concerns so there will be no doubt. Tell them you are negotiating with Pacquito.”

Esteban burst out laughing. “Negotiate with Pacquito? There is no negotiating with Pacquito. You do what he says or die.”

His father paled. “Then why do you go see him?”

“I don’t go see him.”

“Then where do you go? Who do you see?” his father demanded.

“To find the only man Pacquito fears...
hijo del Diablo
.”

Dona Valerianna gasped as she emerged from an open doorway and blessed herself twice as she said, “Son of the Devil.”

“You cannot think to seek help from the devil,” Don Alejandro said helping his wife to the parlor to sit and where they all could talk. “He will want your soul for it.”

Rosa reached out to take hold of her husband’s arm and was relieved when he slipped it around her waist to tuck her against him. He was finally beginning to heal from his descent into hell and she would not allow him to be swallowed by it again.

“Your father is right, Esteban,” his mother said. “The devil will claim your soul.”

Esteban looked to his father, and then his mother, and with a coldness that chilled the room said, “I lost my soul a long time ago.”

He waited to see his wife’s reaction and tightened his arm around her when she drew closer against him, as if letting him know that she would not leave his side, though he couldn’t help but wonder if she would regret it.

His mother gasped and blessed herself again.

Don Alejandro shook his head. “There must be another way to deal with Pacquito.”

“Pacquito is a loathsome and cunning man. He’s impossible to track or to find, as you well know, Father.”

Don Alejandro’s head drooped in despair. “I tried so hard to find you.”

“I never doubted you did, but Pacquito knows this land better than anyone and he blends with the land like nothing I’ve seen before. You never hear or see him approach until it’s too late. There is only one man whose skills far surpass his and when
hijo del Diablo
appeared that day in camp—”

“You saw
hijo del Diablo
with your own eyes?” Rosa asked her face paling. “No one has ever laid eyes on him and lived to talk about it.”

“I never saw his face. It was as if he was a massive black form consumed by shadows wherever he went. Pacquito did not even look upon him. He was on trembling knees, crying in front of him. And he kept nodding, agreeing with the devil.”

“So Pacquito is one of the devil’s own. Why then would he help you destroy him?” his father said.

“When the devil’s own disappoints, he suffers for it. Pacquito has disappointed the devil, only he doesn’t know it yet, and when the devil finds out... he will help me.”

“Help you do what?” his father asked.

“Find Pacquito so I can kill him.”

Rosa was annoyed when Don Alejandro insisted that the conversation wasn’t suitable for the women to hear. That it was late and they all should retire and he and Esteban would discuss what would be done tomorrow.

Having gotten to know her husband, she knew that no further discussion would change anything. He would do as he planned... kill Pacquito. And nothing would stop him not even the devil. He had been consumed by evil and the only way to completely free himself of it was to destroy it. She couldn’t help but fear for his life and worse, she didn’t know how to help him.

Esteban took her in his arms as soon as they entered their bedchamber wanting nothing more than to lose himself in making love to her and escape the madness of his situation.

Rosa pressed a hand to his chest, worrisome questions running wild in her head. “There must be another way to stop Pacquito.”

“Do not concern yourself with it.” He tried to pull her close, never expecting resistance since she always seemed to melt at his touch, but this time she slipped away from him, and he didn’t like it.

“How can you say that?”

He had to smile at her demanding tone, for he had never heard her so adamant.

“Do not smile at me as if I was some child that you intend to placate. I am your wife and expect to be treated as such.”

“Good, then be a dutiful wife and shed your clothes and get in bed,” he said teasingly, though with a tone that was meant to be obeyed.

She slapped her hands on her hips and tossed her chin up. “No, not until I have some answers.”

He gave an irritated laugh as he said, “You think to dictate to me?”

“Think of it whatever way you will as long as I have my answers.”

Damn if her boldness didn’t excite him and grow him hard. He had no intention of discussing anything with her. He wanted her in bed, and now.

He took a quick step toward her, but her hand shot up so fast in front of him that it actually stopped him from taking another step.

“No. We will talk first.”

“You dare say no?” he snapped, then ordered, “You will do as I say.”

She got so angry at his adamant response that she didn’t stop to curb her tongue. “We talk or you can sleep in the other room.”

His eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared, and he appeared to leap at her, though it was only a quick step toward her that he took. Still it frightened her that he moved so fast or perhaps it was that she was too frozen to move.

He didn’t reach out to touch her or take another step closer, he simply stood staring down at her and she never felt so small or vulnerable. That he was angry was obvious, but then so was she. Didn’t he understand how much she feared for his safety as he feared for hers? Her own question had her grasping the absurdity of it all and as he went to speak, she pressed her fingers to his lips.

“Forgive me, I spoke from helplessness. I will not have you sleeping anyplace but beside me.”

That she apologized for her hasty threat stunned him, but more so it pleased him to hear that she wanted him in bed beside her.

“I feel helpless to help you and I feel even more helpless when you keep things from me, for then my thoughts take flight and I cannot stop from worrying about you.”

Damn if his wife wasn’t ripping his heart from his chest and claiming it with every word she spoke.

“While I have every confidence that you can best Pacquito, I fear for your life. I do not want to lose you.” A smile crept over her. “You are turning out to be a better husband than I had expected and it would be wise for me to keep you.”

He laughed softly after taking her hand in his. “Believe me, wife, when I tell you that you will never be rid of me. You’re stuck with me.”

“I don’t mind being stuck with you. It is no chore, though...”

His arm went around her waist and he eased her against him. “Though?”

“Please, Esteban, share your thoughts with me, all of them. Do not think me too sensitive or incapable of dealing with any matter that comes our way. I am here for you and always will be.”

That was it... she stole every single piece of his heart. It now belonged to her completely, without her, his heart would not beat. His first thought was to scoop her up, hurry her to bed, and make love to her, but that would be what he needed, badly. Instead, he would give her what she needed.

He took her hand and she went to walk toward the bed. He surprised her when he walked toward the patio doors. She followed without question, though it was there in her inquiring eyes.

They went out beyond the stone patio, mixed fragrances drifting along the warm night air, to sit on the wooden bench.

“You ask me to share my thoughts, but beware,” he warned with a smile, “most of my thoughts are about you naked in my arms.”

She chuckled. “That is good to know, since most of mine are of you.”

“Naked in your arms?” he teased.

She was glad the night hid her blush as she softly confessed. “No. You deep inside me, making me come more than once.”

“This conversation will not last long with you admitting that, though I do love hearing it.”

“I will be good and say no more even if it pains me.”

“You tempt my soul, woman.”

She couldn’t help but tease, it felt so natural to do so with him. “I thought I tempted a different part of you.”

He took her hand and settled it between his legs. “Does that answer your question?”

“Most definitely,” she said and gave his hardness a squeeze. “And once we finish talking I would be most happy to rain kisses on him for being so patient.”

“Damn it, Rosa, how the hell do you expect me to concentrate on talk when all I’ll be able to think about is you—” He shook his head.

“Then settle my worries so I may settle yours.” She removed her hand and waited.

“Can mere words settle your concern? I can make no promises to you. This is something I must see done and Pacquito knows it, wants it as much as I do.”

“Then why does he hide from you?”

“He doesn’t hide. He’ll draw me out when he is ready and that is what concerns me, for he will use someone close to me to do it.”

“So you try to protect all of us.”

“I could not stand for any of my family to suffer the hell that I did.”

She had to ask the question that had tormented her. She placed her hand gently on his arm. “Surely, you could have left sooner. Why did you wait so long?”