Renegade Love (Rancheros) (35 page)

He started with a kiss to her lips, and then he began to travel down her body.

It was as if the world stood still for her. There was nothing but his lips on her flesh and his hands touching her so intimately that she thought she would die from the passion that shot through her.

He made her come with his tongue, and then his fingers, and then he entered her and made her come again. By the time he was done, he had accomplished what he had first wanted to do... he had made her completely, entirely, utterly his. She had surrendered completely to him.

It took time for her to return to normal, not that she wanted to. He had made her feel so... so... there was no word to describe it. She only knew she wanted to linger in it.

They lay naked beside each other, their hands joined, the leaves on the tree branch overhead fluttering in the warm breeze.

She laughed, her hand flying to her stomach. “I think you may have given me twins.”

He laughed along with her. “And here I thought I had spared you from suffering.”

“It is with joy I will bring your children into the world, though there may be a few screams first.”

He winced. “If I could take your pain I would.”

She turned to him. “Nonsense, it is my duty to birth the babes and your duty to make sure I enjoy making the babes.”

He laughed again and brought her to rest on top of him. “I promise you I will do my duty.”

“Good, now let’s eat, I’m starving.”

It was late afternoon by the time they returned to the hacienda. If things had been different Esteban would have spent the night there under the stars, with her. But present circumstances did not allow that.

They had barely arrived home when news was received that a nearby hacienda was in danger of being attacked. Esteban was quick to leave while his father remained behind. It was a plan all the haciendas had implemented under Esteban’s direction. No hacienda was to be left completely without protection.

Rosa stared in the distance after her husband who had long since disappeared. Pride swelled in her chest for the man he had become since his return home and tears threatened her eyes. It had been only an hour since they had been alone, making love, enjoying their time alone, and now he was gone and she worried if he would return safely.

She wished this ordeal was at an end. She wished Pacquito would go away. She wished Esteban wouldn’t meet with the devil. She wished life would finally settle and hold only little worries.

With a sigh of resignation and a determination to see this through with her husband, she turned and entered the hacienda. She would keep herself busy until his return and would pray that all returned home unharmed.

It wasn’t until night had long since fell that Rosa discovered that her prayers had gone unanswered. Esteban arrived angry and injured, though his injuries were minor to Rosa’s relief.

She paced the study waiting for him to finish speaking with his father. She had wanted to tend his wounds immediately, but he had adamantly refused. And she had wisely held her tongue, knowing he would have it his way no matter how much she protested.

His mother had left her healing basket for Rosa to use to tend Esteban while she hurried off to tend the injured vaqueros. Rosa assured her that she would help her as soon as she saw to Esteban.

It was with solemn faces that the two men emerged from the study. Don Alejandro gave Rosa a sorrowful look and without a word walked away. Rosa’s stomach clenched so tight that she thought she would double over with pain.

Esteban must have thought otherwise since he slipped his arm around his wife’s waist and walked her to the parlor, her feet barely touching the floor. He sat her down and poured her a glass of wine.

She shook her head. “I need to tend you.”

“Drink it,” he ordered sternly, “or your hands will not stop trembling.”

Rosa realized then how badly her hands were shaking. She took the wine glass with both hands and drank. Then she said, “Tell me.”

Esteban poured himself a glass of wine and drank half of it before he answered her. “Pacquito has escalated his attack. We lost good men, many more were injured, and several buildings burned to cinders.” He took another drink. “We saved a woman from being captured, though she perished from her wound a short time later.”

Rosa’s stomach roiled at the suffering.

“Pacquito is impatient now and when he gets impatient, he becomes very dangerous.”

She jumped up after placing her wine glass on the small side table. “I must see to your wounds.”

“Rosa—”

“Your wounds first,” she insisted knowing what he was about to tell her and not wanting to hear it.

He nodded.

“In our chambers,” she instructed. “I have everything ready there.”

“Including more wine?” he asked teasingly, wanting a smile to replace the frown that marred her lovely features, if only for a short time. He knew that what he had to tell her would steal her smile for some time.

But she didn’t smile, not even a little. She grasped his hand tightly and led him from the room without saying a word. Once they entered the room, she made him sit on the edge of the bed, then she brought him a glass of wine.

He thought that she needed it more than he did, but he didn’t say that. He took the wine and let her go about her business in silence. And with every movement she made, he could sense her worry growing.

She gently removed his shirt and began cleaning his chest and arms. There were minor wounds here and there, nothing serious and nothing that required bandaging. They probably came from altercations since his knuckles were scraped and bloody.

Rosa couldn’t bring herself to speak as she worked. She feared she would break into tears if she did and she wanted to finish tending him. When she finished, he would tell her what she didn’t want to hear and each time she thought of it her stomach clenched again and again.

When she was almost done, a thought came to her and she leaned down, gave a lift to his chin and brought her lips to his. She would put off the inevitable as long as she could by making love to him.

Her kiss grew more demanding and as it did she eased him back on the bed going down on top of him.

He in turn eased her off him to rest on her side and eased the kiss as well, until he brought it most reluctantly to an end. He went to speak, his lips a bare inch from hers.

She pressed her finger against them. “Please, no.”

Her plea broke his heart, for he knew he would have to disappoint her. “We must talk.”

“No,” she said again with a shake of her head.

“We must,
Caro
.”

Tears pooled in her eyes and she tried to fight them. She did not want to appear a whimpering wife. She wanted to show him strength, but it was so very difficult when her heart felt as if it was breaking in two.

“
Caro
,” he whispered softly and kissed her gently. “If I could but change what must be done, I would. But no one will be safe until I see this through.”

She understood that, but accepting it was another matter. “I know you must, but my heart breaks with the thought.”

He rested his hand to her chest. “I would do anything not to break your heart, but I would do even more to keep you safe.”

“You will not give your life for me,” she ordered empathically.

He brushed her lips with his. “I never wanted to live as badly as I do now. I want a life with you, Rosa. I want to make babies with you and watch them grow. I want to grow old with you and see our grandbabies born. I love you beyond belief.”

She couldn’t stop her tears from falling. They trickled out one after the other flowing down her cheeks. “I did not want to cry, but I cannot help it.”

“You can cry whenever, wherever, and for whatever reason you want, and I will always be there to comfort you.”

She placed her hand to his cheek. “Then promise me one thing.”

“Anything.”

“You will return home to me. No matter what... you will return home to me.”

“I will do whatever it takes to come home to you,
Caro
. I promise you.”

“When do you go?” she asked, her voice trembling

He reluctantly answered her. “I must leave now.”

She had known he would say that. She had known as soon as he had returned that he would be leaving again only this time on his own.

“I wish, how I wish...” Her tears returned as her words trailed off. “How long will you be gone?”

“I’m not sure. It depends on what the devil has to say.”

She didn’t want to think about what that meant, though it was obvious. If the devil told Esteban where Pacquito could be located, then he would go after him and bring this to an end. It terrified her to think of the dangers her husband was about to face.

“You must promise me something,” he said.

“I will stay at the hacienda until you return, I promise,” she said knowing what he was about to ask.

“You will not even venture to the orchards?”

“No, I will not go to the orchards. I will not cause you to worry over me while you are gone. I will keep myself busy here. I give you my word.”

He kissed her. “Thank you,
Caro
, you have eased my mind.”

He went to move off the bed and she grabbed him and hugged him tight. “Stay safe, my love.”

He kissed her again and got off the bed quickly, as if he feared changing his mind and hurried out of the room.

Rosa laid there, tears streaming down her cheeks, her heart breaking, and her stomach tight with worry. She didn’t know how she was going to survive this time without him, though after a few minutes of feeling sorry for herself, she sat up and wiped her tears away. Esteban was about to do what was necessary. She had to do the same.

She washed her face, pinned up her hair, and went to join Dona Valerianna in tending the injured.

The hacienda was busy with activity. Servants rushed around, vaqueros were everywhere, and somewhere in the midst of it all Esteban was preparing to leave or perhaps he already had. She held her head high and went to do her part.

It was hours later, late into the night when she finally made her way back to her chambers. She was bone-tired and glad of it, for she would drop into her empty bed and fall fast asleep. Though she had been busy, her husband had never left her thoughts. She had continually prayed for his safety and for his speedy return.

She had walked around back to reach her chambers, the way she and Esteban so often did. With all the vaqueros around, she never gave thought to her safety. So when she was grabbed from behind, a hand covering her mouth, and dragged past the bushes and trees, she found herself too shocked to respond.

The man settled her back against a tree, his hand remaining over her mouth.

He was a tall, thick shadow in the black night and she feared his intentions.

“Listen to me,” the shadow said sharply. “You can go with me willingly with no harm done to those here or Pacquito’s men will be here shortly to take you and no doubt he will leave destruction in his path. If you come with me I will send word to Pacquito that we have you and he will leave the hacienda alone. You will give me your answer and ask no questions or others will pay for your disobedience. Do you understand?”

She nodded.

“Will you come with me willingly and in silence?”

Rosa didn’t have to think about it. One way or the other she would be taken, but one way others would suffer and she could not let that happen. She nodded, though wondered who her captive was, since he obviously wasn’t one of Pacquito’s men.

Her suspicions grew as he led her to a small group of men waiting with horses. How did these men slip past the guards? And if they were not with Pacquito, then who had sent them and why?

She was placed on a horse and the shadow mounted behind her. More silent than she thought possible they made their way off Cesare land and disappeared into the night. As they got further and further away from the hacienda, she realized just why she had been taken. She was the bait Pacquito would use to bring Esteban to him.

The only question was... what would Pacquito do to her before Esteban could reach her?

It took Esteban only a couple of hours to reach his destination. It was nothing more than a campsite, though heavily guarded. He was directed to the fire and given food and drink without a word being spoken to him. He accepted both, for not to do so would insult the devil and because he’d be wise to eat when he could. He needed his strength for what he was about to face.

The strange thing was that he had thought about the day he would kill Pacquito ever since the day he had been captured. It had been one of the things that had kept him alive... revenge. Now he wanted nothing more than to finally free himself from the evil man so that he could get back to his wife and live the life he had thought had been lost to him.

He had started missing Rosa as soon as he had left her. And leaving her had been more difficult than ever, especially when she had been so upset. He did not like leaving her like that. She had tried to be strong for him and had done so well, and then her tears had begun to fall and it had torn at his heart to see her so distressed. He wondered what she was doing now. She would probably be tucked safely in bed, sound asleep. No doubt exhausted from the busy and worrisome day. That was the image he held in his mind.

The thought brought a reminder to just how long and difficult the day turned out to be. He was feeling the fatigue himself and knew he would have to grab at least a couple of hours of sleep to make certain he was not worn down when he met up with Pacquito.

A man stepped out of the shadows and Esteban got to his feet to greet the devil. But one look told him this man wasn’t the one he had come to see. He was short and solid with muscles and not a strand of hair on his head. He had fine features and dark eyes that seemed to have a perpetual squint to them, as if he forever had the sun in his eyes.

“The devil is delayed,” he said abruptly. “He will be here at sunrise.”

Esteban didn’t like that news, but what could he say. He nodded and the man turned and the shadows once again swallowed him whole. He was annoyed, though he intended to use the time to his advantage. He would get much needed sleep and be well rested for what he was about to face. He stretched out not far from the fire, resting his head on a thick fallen branch. He stared at the numerous stars in the sky and thought about how he would much rather be sleeping with his wife by the pond under such a beautiful canopy. And one day soon he planned to do just that. He closed his eyes and thought about lying in bed cuddled around his wife and in no time fell asleep.