Renegade Love (Rancheros) (30 page)

“I will kill anyone who touches you,” he said.

Rosa shuddered, his words now ringing truer than ever, for he had proven he was a man of his word.

Esteban held her close, wanting her in his arms, always wanting her there. Today, more so than their wedding day, they had truly become one. And he would let nothing, absolutely nothing, tear them apart.

“Let me change,” she said, “And then we will go and see if our help is needed.”

Esteban stood. “I’ll get Dolores to help you.”

“That’s not necessary. You can help me.”

“No, I can’t,” he insisted backing away. “If I did, I’d have you naked and in bed in minutes. And you don’t need that after what you’ve just been through.”

She stood and closed her eyes a moment and when she opened them they were filled with sorrow. “You’re wrong. Your loving touch and kisses are exactly what I need.”

He was at her side in seconds, his arm coiling around her waist and drawing her up against him.

Her tears started then. She had been strong as long as possible, but what had happen had taken a toll on her. And she finally admitted it. “I was afraid, so afraid that Carlos would take from me what belonged only to you, my husband, that I gave freely and lovingly to and wanted only you to have. I don’t know if I could have faced you if he had...” She shuddered at the thought of what could have happened.

He scooped her up in his arms, and then sat on the bed with her in his lap. “I’m grateful that I arrived when I did and was able to prevent you from suffering any more than you already had. But never, never think that I would love you or want you any less if something like that should ever happen. I was proud you fought so bravely, but always remember that I would want you to survive, no matter what, you must survive.”

Words choked in her throat and she nodded while tears streamed down her cheeks.

Esteban held her and let her cry. She needed to cry. It would help release the fear that she hadn’t realized lingered with her. The ordeal that she had been through could not be so easily dismissed and he would hold her and comfort her until her last tear was spent. And then...

“You should—”

Rosa pressed her fingers to his mouth. “Please don’t tell me to rest. I don’t want to be closed away in this room with nothing to do but think.” She shivered. “Or fall asleep and drift into nightmares.”

Nightmares he was all too familiar with and there was nothing worse than waking alone from one. “Let me help you change and we will do as you say... go and help others.”

She swiped at her tears. “I would like that.”

He expected to grow aroused as he helped her out of her clothes, and though he did, he found himself more concerned with tending her than making love to her. Especially so when he peeled away garments to reveal bruises he hadn’t been aware that she had suffered. His temper rose as he silently cursed away his anger. Until finally...

“Damn it, Rosa, you took more of a beating than I thought.”

“No, it’s from the fall I took when I tried to get away from him and he caught me. I felt rocks jab at me when I went down.”

Esteban shut his eyes against the image, wishing he could kill Carlos all over again.

She turned, naked in his arms. “Truly, I’m all right.”

His hands went to her waist though he couldn’t stop them from drifting further down over the swell of her hips and down even further to cup her backside. “I’m glad, but you will tell me if you grow tired or too uncomfortable and I will tuck you into bed to rest.”

“You have my word.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t dare smile,” he warned as the corners of her mouth began to turn up. “You’ve bled enough today.”

Rosa kept her smile from surfacing. “I will smile with my eyes,” she said and spread them wide.

He laughed and hurried to help her finish dressing, afraid that her nakedness and dark smiling eyes would be his undoing.

“Do my eyes speak to you as much as yours do to me?” she asked softly.

“What do my eyes say?”

“That you want me as much as I want you,” her eyes danced with a smile again, “though your roaming hands speak much louder.”

He realized then that his hands were rubbing her backside and he stilled them. He brushed a kiss across her cheek and whispered in her ear, “There isn’t a time I don’t want you.”

“It is good then that I feel the same way.”

“Tonight... if you’re feeling well enough—”

“I will feel well enough. Will you?”

Esteban smiled. “There you go challenging me again.”

They bantered while he finished helping her dress in a skirt and blouse. He had insisted on her peasant dress, knowing it would be much more comfortable for her. She saw to her hair, quickly running a comb through it and twisting it to pin with a fan comb to the back of her head.

Once she finished, Esteban took her arm and wrapped it around his. “Now remember if you grow tired—”

“You will be the first to know.”

Rosa woke with a stretch and a wince, reminding her of yesterday’s ordeal, and of how she had fallen asleep as soon as she rested her head to her pillow. She turned her head and wasn’t surprised to see that her husband wasn’t there. She knew exactly what he was up to. He had delayed coming to bed last night and now he was gone before she woke. He intended to avoid any chance of making love with her until she healed.

She didn’t like that thought at all, even if he was being considerate. She was about to smile when she recalled the consequences if she did, so she smiled inwardly. She wondered if Esteban realized that renegades were never considerate. Little by little he was shedding his renegade persona and though he had warned that it would always be part of him, she was certain that someday it would fade into oblivion. And the reason was simple. He would no longer need it.

She eased herself out of bed and was surprised that her aches were far more minor than she had expected. Actually, the more she moved around getting dressed, the less she ached. She was also pleased to see that the bruise on her face had never turned that bad. It was already a pale yellow and would be gone in a couple of days. Her lip however was still swollen, though the wound had at least closed up some. She would have to be careful not to split it open again.

Dolores entered the room just as she was braiding her hair, having decided it would work best for today.

“You should have waited for a servant to help you,” Dolores scolded with a shake of her finger.

“I have done for myself too long to be looked after by others.”

“Your husband thinks differently. He had ordered that you are to do nothing but rest until he says otherwise.” Dolores held up her hand when Rosa went to protest. “Would you make it difficult for the servants to carry out his orders?”

Rosa sighed. “No, I would never want that, but I feel fine. I don’t need to rest.”

Dolores pushed her hands away and went to work finishing her braid. “Esteban is worried about you and I have not seen him worry about anyone or anything since his return home. You have not only given him a reason to care, but also to live.”

Rosa allowed herself a hint of a smile. “He told me he loves me.”

Dolores grinned and blessed herself. “Thank the heavens. The man was carrying his heart for all to see, but he, himself, was blind to it.” She tied the braid at the end with a yellow ribbon. “Now, the sun has been up for hours, the day beautiful so would you like to have breakfast on the patio or in one of the gardens since everyone has eaten already?”

“What is Esteban up to?”

“He’s getting ready to go into town.”

Rosa jumped up. “I want to go with him. I can visit with Marinda. No doubt she heard about the incident here and is worried about me.”

“You are to rest,” Dolores reminded.

“It will be restful to visit my friend,” Rosa said and with a flourish was out the door.

She hurried through the hacienda, surprised that it was so quiet. She soon discovered from one of the servants that Dona Valerianna was busy checking on the wounded and Don Alejandro was with the vaqueros who were mending fences that had been torn down. Don Esteban was going into town for more supplies.

Rosa hurried to the stables and as she came around the corner she almost smacked right into her husband. Luckily, he was quick and grabbed hold of her before they collided.

Before he could say a word she said, “I want to go to town with you.”

“What are you doing running around the hacienda when you should be resting?” he demanded, ignoring her remark.

“Why did you leave me to wake alone?” she asked with a slightest upturn at the corners of her mouth.

He leaned down almost pressing his nose to hers. “The same reason I delayed coming to bed last night.”

“Which was?” She knew, but she wanted to hear him say it.

“You were exhausted and needed rest.”

She placed her hand to his chest. “I need you more than rest, but since you so generously gave me time to sleep, I am now well rested. And I would love to visit with my friend Marinda.”

“I can have her visit in a couple of days.”

“Why can’t I go now?”

“Because it isn’t safe.”

“I’m safe as long as I’m with you.”

Esteban looked ready to argue, but her reasoning struck a chord. Even with guards posted around the hacienda Pacquito’s men had managed to sneak onto the property and create havoc. And although his father was posting more guards, it wouldn’t make a difference. If Pacquito decided to strike with all his force, nothing would stop him.

That thought alone had him saying, “You will come to town with me.”

Rosa hugged him and fought not to smile, though her eyes turned wide with joy. “Do I have time to collect some fruit—”

“I will see to that. You go and find out from Mother what she needs from the Mercantile?”

“I’ll be back shortly,” she said, turned and hurried off.

Esteban stared after her smiling. She didn’t even think that he might be sending her off so that he could leave without her. It amazed him that she trusted him without a doubt. She hadn’t hesitated or questioned him... she simply believed in him.

He silently cursed her injured lip. He damn well wanted to kiss her—actually—he wanted to do more than kiss her, had since last night. But her exhaustion had been palpable. He had seen it in the way her shoulders had begun to droop and how her pace slowed and how she had repeatedly yawned. Not that she would have admitted it to him. She hadn’t had to though. He had known once she had gotten into bed that she’d be asleep... and she had.

It hadn’t been long after that that he had joined her. He had curled himself around her, her warmth seeping into him and though he thought that sleep would elude him, it hadn’t. He had barely settled against her when he had fallen asleep. The worst part was waking to an aching arousal. He hadn’t wasted a minute. He got out of bed away from her since if he had lingered, he wouldn’t have been able to stop from making love to her.

Tonight, however, he would make love to her, gently, carefully, of that he was certain.

~~~

The town was abuzz with people. Many gathered in groups talking, no doubt about the renegades in the area. Rosa hoped that with the incident at the hacienda all would realize that Esteban was no longer part of the renegades, and they would be more accepting of him.

Esteban stopped the carriage in front of Marinda’s small house, the six vaqueros with him remaining on their horses scouting the area with their eyes, while two dozen more vaqueros took positions throughout the town.

“You are to stay here until I come for you,” Esteban ordered stepping down from the carriage and walking around to the other side to assist his wife. Her hands went to his shoulder as his went to her waist. It amazed him that she had grown so comfortable with him and so trusting. Where once he had seen fear of him in her eyes, he now only saw love. He placed her on the ground, brushing a gently finger over the bruise on her face.

“It’s not that bad and it’s already fading,” she assured him.

“Be careful of your lip,” he reminded, “you don’t want to accidently open the wound again or it will take forever to heal. And it will be that much longer before I’ll be able to kiss you again.”

She lowered her voice to a bare whisper. “There are other places you can kiss.”

Esteban smiled and though he didn’t see it, Rosa saw the startled look of those around them. No one had ever seen Esteban smile. Now they would see that he was just like them... well somewhat like them.

He pressed his cheek to hers and whispered, “Tonight I’m going to kiss every one of those places.”

“We will see,” she said with a tap to his chest, “after all you did fall asleep last night.”

“Who fell asleep first last night?”

Rosa didn’t have a chance to answer. Marinda stepped out of the house with a broad smile and calling out her name. Her smile faded when she caught sight of Rosa, though she said nothing, for now.

Esteban grabbed the basket of fruit from the carriage while his wife hurried to greet Marinda with a hug.

“Don Esteban,” Marinda said lowering her head respectfully when he stepped next to his wife.

“Marinda,” he acknowledged with a nod, then turned to Rosa. “The vaqueros will be close by should you need anything. I will return for you when I finish, which should be in a couple of hours.”

Rosa nodded with the slightest of smiles to let her husband know how pleased she was to be able to spend time with her friend.

No soon as the two women entered the house, then Marinda asked, “Did he hit you?”

Rosa was so taken aback by the question that she found herself speechless for a few moments. Then she shook her head. “Esteban would never hit me. Didn’t you hear about what happened at the hacienda?”

Marinda lowered her voice. “There is talk that renegades where there, but no buildings were destroyed or lives lost. Some believe that the renegades were actually welcomed there.”

Rosa gasped. “What fool would believe such nonsense. Several vaqueros were injured chasing the renegades off the property and I was attacked trying to rescue Emil.”