Renegade Love (Rancheros) (7 page)

She knew with her last words that she was about to suffer for speaking her mind, but she didn’t care if Roberto raised a hand to her. It would be the last time. She would never see the pair again and at least she would have her say. A bruise or two was a small price to pay for the satisfaction of telling the couple what she thought of them.

Roberto’s face grew bright red and he sputtered and spit as he tried to speak. “How dare you—” he raised his hand and Rosa did not turn away or cower. She braced herself and held her chin high.

Rosa was shocked at the speed in which Roberto disappeared before her eyes and when she saw that Esteban had him planted against the wall, his one hand at his throat and the other holding a knife, she paled.

“I told you that if you ever touched her again I’d kill you,” Esteban said and in a flash moved his hand away from the trembling man’s throat and pressed the point of a knife against it.

“Esteban!” his father shouted

Rosa reacted without thought. She hurried to her husband’s side and placed her hand on his arm. “Please, Esteban, I beg of you, do not spill blood on our wedding day.”

Esteban turned to her and glanced at her hand on his arm. She had a gentle touch, and he had not known gentleness in a long time. He lowered the knife and stepped back, though turned a heavy scowl on Roberto.

“You are not welcome on Cesare land ever again and do not dare speak to my wife when in her presence or next time—no one—will stop me from killing you.”

Roberto nodded and hurried off, Lola hugging close to his side.

Don Alejandro turned on his son as soon as they left. “Whatever is the matter with you acting so barbarically on your wedding day?”

Esteban went to take a step toward his father but Rosa’s hand stayed him, though didn’t prevent him from responding. “What else would you expect from a barbarian, Father?”

“You are not a barbarian and not need act as one,” Alejandro scolded.

“You don’t listen very well, Father, or should I once again remind you what has made me one?”

“You wouldn’t be so crude to do such a thing in front of the women,” his father chided.

Before Esteban could challenge him, he felt Rosa squeeze his arm and he looked down at her. She was as pale as the white lace gown she wore. She didn’t need to say a word, he knew she was about to be ill. With a firm arm around her waist, he rushed her outside, her feet never touching the ground. He got her to the bushes and ripped the mantilla from her head just in time to bend her over his arm so that she could retch.

When she finished, she dropped back against him and moaned.

He unbound the red sash from around his waist, and then gently lifted her into his arms. She weighed hardly anything and her petite size irritated him. How could she defend herself against anyone? He walked over to the small wall fountain spewing water from the widespread mouth of a man with sculpted leaves for hair. He sat on the bench beside the fountain keeping Rosa on his lap to rest against his chest while he wet and rinsed the sash in the basin that caught the running water and then, with care, wiped her face.

She moaned again.

“Was the thought of fulfilling your wifely duties so difficult to accept that you drank yourself drunk?”

She pushed away from him, but found it a mistake, her head spinning and quickly rested it on his shoulder once again. “I intended to sleep in my room tonight.”

“And you thought I would approve of this?”

Though she was feeling ill, she still had a modicum of courage left from the wine. “You did not wish to wed me, why then would you want to bed me?”

“Because you are a beauty and have a luscious body and I am a man with needs.”

The thought that he would take her to only satisfy himself left her feeling sick all over again. Her stomach rumbled and he once again took her to the bushes where she retched until she could retch no more.

This time however he did not return to the fountain. And Rosa had no doubt where he was taking her and a few minutes later she was proven right. He entered his quarters bolting the latch behind him.

When he eased her down on her feet, she dared ask, “Will a servant come help me undress?” her head still spun and she knew she’d never be able to get out of her wedding dress without assistance.

“No,” he said bluntly. “I’ll undress you.”

Rosa wasn’t sure if it was the shock of his words or the wine finally taking its toll, but suddenly everything began to fade away into the distance, as if she was falling down a hole and she wondered what would happen when she hit bottom.

Rosa didn’t want to wake from her dream. The bed was much too soft as was the blanket she snuggled under and the scent intoxicating, though she couldn’t quite recall it. Once she opened her eyes the dream would be gone and she would wake to find herself in her narrow bed with its straw stuffing and threadbare bedcovers.

She clamped her eyes tightly shut hoping to hold onto her dream for a bit longer, and then her memory began to return. She no longer lived in the rundown shack that had been her home. She had been moved to the Cesare hacienda and yesterday she had been wed to Esteban Cesare. And worst of all, she had drunk too much at the wedding celebration and Esteban had been the one to come to her rescue. He had brought her to his room and was about to undress her when... her eyes popped wide and she lifted the blanket to peer beneath.

Good lord, she was naked.

“It wasn’t easy getting you out of that much lace, especially since you were passed out.”

Rosa pulled the blanket over her head, her cheeks burning bright. Esteban had undressed her, had seen her naked, and had touched her. What else had he done to her?

The blanket was suddenly ripped from her hands and pulled down below her neck. Her eyes remained wide and her cheeks continued to flame as she stared at him. He didn’t gloat or smile, he just stared with those cold, angry eyes that frightened down to the bone and sent a chill through her, or perhaps the chill came from the fact that he stood naked to the waist, his chest defined with such muscle that he appeared sculpted by a master artist.

“You don’t need to drink yourself into a stupor or cower beneath a blanket for fear of me claiming my husbandly rights. I have no intentions of touching you now... or ever. I will move into the adjoining room, you will have these quarters all to yourself.”

Rosa didn’t know what to say. She was pleased that he would not share a bed with her or was she? What kind of life would it be to have a husband and yet not have a husband? And what of children? She had always wanted several. Children brought joy and laughter to a home, something that she had noticed was sadly missing from the Cesare hacienda.

He turned and reached for a white shirt on the chair, and she gasped at the sight of the numerous thin scars that crisscrossed his back. He didn’t turn around until he reached the door.

“As you can see the whip was used on me often, don’t make me use it on you. Your skin is far too soft and beautiful to bear such ugly scars.”

Rosa jumped when the door shivered shut from the slam. And she did the same... shivered. Would he forever send a chill of fear through her? She sat up holding the blanket over her breasts, in case he should enter again, and stared at the door. She thought of last night when he had tended her while she retched and how he had gotten her out of layers of lace and undergarments and put her to bed. Were those the actions of a man who would raise a whip to her?

She shook her head. Her new husband was a puzzle. He protected her against harm and yet he threatened her with harm. It made no sense and it made her curious. Everyone gossiped about how barbaric Esteban had become running with the renegades. But no one, not one, ever gave thought to what he had suffered. And that was something she wanted to find out about, though she had no doubt that it would not be an easy task. It was, however, one she felt compelled to tend to.

She was relieved to spy a silk white robe lying across the foot of the bed and quickly reached for it and slipped it on. She knotted the soft belt as she got out of bed and walked over to the dark wood wardrobe. Two gowns hung inside, though neither suited her. She much preferred a simple skirt and blouse and her comfortable sandals. Her hair she usually wore either unfretted or braided.

She stared at the gowns. Each day since she had been moved to the hacienda Dona Valerianna had done her best to instruct Rosa on her responsibilities as Esteban’s wife. One of them was dressing appropriately. The thought of being stuck in a fancy gown all day was not at all to her liking. And the way Dona Valerianna had servants waiting on her was something Rosa would never want or grow accustomed to. She hadn’t even started her new life yet and she was already missing her old one... somewhat.

At least here though, no one raised a hand or strap to her.

Don’t make me use the whip on you.

Was she foolish in believing that he would not do such a thing? Should she truly fear him?

She fumbled around in the bottom of the wardrobe until she finally found the bundle she searched for. In the bundle was all she possessed. She took out her mother’s faded blue lace dress and hung it on one of the many pegs in the wardrobe. She then unfolded her faded orange skirt and pale yellow blouse. They might not be fancy but she had kept her garments mended and clean. She also retrieved her sandals, near to threadbare from constant wear. Lola had warned her that once the sandals wore through that she would not be given another pair. And while most of the women went barefoot, she did not like the way the dry dirt collected between her toes and so she chose to wear her sandals more often than she should have.

Rosa glanced between the fancy dresses and her skirt and blouse. She did not wish to spend most of the day inside as Dona Valerianna often did. Dare she break the mundane routine and explore the various gardens that surrounded the hacienda and perhaps stroll through the orchards and enjoy fruit picked fresh from the trees?

The thought was too inviting to ignore and besides who would worry about her whereabouts. Don Alejandro and Dona Valerianna would not dare venture into their son’s bedchamber and Esteban made it clear that he wished nothing to do with her. So the day belonged to her and the thought of such freedom filled her with joyous anticipation.

She hurried to slip into her peasant garb and hoped that perhaps she could sneak to the kitchen, gather a basket of food for herself and be off before anyone spotted her and could bear witness to her departure.

Once her sandals were on and her hair quickly braided, she rushed from the house to the kitchen in no time, pleased that she met no one along the way. It was earlier than she first thought and it appeared as if the hacienda was just stirring to life, though she doubted that, the vaqueros no doubt had been up and working since before sunrise.

The kitchen was empty but the delicious scents let her know that Dolores had already been busy cooking. She had made a friend of Dolores and knew well her routine. She was probably at the hen house collecting eggs and she wasted no time in gathering bread and cheese, careful not to take too much. She would add the fresh fruit she picked to it and picnic by the stream she had discovered that ran not far from the hacienda. She grabbed a cloth from the stack neatly folded on a narrow table under the lone window in the kitchen, draped it over the modest meal she placed in a basket, and then once again hurried off before anyone saw her.

The day was hers to enjoy and the decadent thought had her blessing herself as she hurried her steps, eager to taste freedom. She made her way through one of the many hacienda gardens, though didn’t stop to admire the numerous beautiful flowers. She was anxious to reach the orchards and find a fat orange or lemon and of course she could not resist the red plump grapes that beckoned from several arbors scattered throughout the various gardens, not to mention the ones in the vineyards.

Rosa dropped her head back to allow the warmth of the sun to kiss her face. It was a beautiful day and being free of chores and obligations, if only for this day, made it all the more beautiful.

Her stomach grumbled and she patted it. “Be patient, we soon feast.” She laughed and hurried into the orchard to pick an orange or two.

~~~

“They have missed breakfast and now they don’t show up for the noon meal,” Dona Valerianna said with a worried frown.

Don Alejandro attempted to soothe his wife, though he too fretted over Esteban and Rosa’s absence.

“Do you think she is all right?” Dona Valerianna asked with a whisper.

Don Alejandro patted his wife’s arm. “They are getting to know each other. This is good.” He wanted to believe his own words, but he had doubts that haunted, though he tried not to feed them. Rosa was a good girl and would be good for his son. He had to hold on to that hope. Otherwise, he feared there was nothing that could save his son.

“Perhaps we should have food taken to them,” Dona Valerianna suggested.

“Who is too lazy not to get food for themselves?” Esteban asked striding into the dining room and taking a seat at the table.

Dona Valerianna smiled at her son, half relieved to see him, but concerned that Rosa wasn’t with him.

Alejandro looked to the door, his concern more obvious than his wife’s. And he was quick to say, “Why you and Rosa of course. You both missed breakfast and we worried you would miss the noon meal as well, but here you are. Will Rosa be along soon?”

Esteban sat straight up in his chair. “I have not seen her since early this morning.”

“Either have we,” Dona Valerianna said with a hint of alarm.

Esteban bolted out of his chair and hurried out of the room without a word. When he reached his bed chambers and saw that Rosa was not there his heart began to hammer against his chest. He saw that the wardrobe was open and that her dresses hung there, so what had she worn.

He returned with a rush to his parents. “She is not in my room.”

Dona Valerianna grew pale with fear. “Could she have run off?”

“Why do you think that, Mother?” Esteban asked accusingly. “Do you think I ravished her so badly that she has run away?”