Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) (27 page)

Rachel finally rescued him and showed him
upstairs, where he could escape until Noble got
home. "Zeb brought your things upstairs. Your
suit has been pressed and is waiting for you."

He smiled and said, "The perfect hostess."

She opened the bedroom door and waited for
him to go inside. "Reese, I know you are feeling
overwhelmed at the moment. Men don't do weddings well. But you see, we women sail right
through them-and we seem to need them to
feel really married."

"Are you telling me that all grooms suffer from
trembling hands and this same tightening in the
throat?"

"Yes. I believe most of them do. But the disease is not fatal, and I feel sure that you will
recover soon after the priest pronounces you
married."

While Saber prepared for the wedding, Reese
spent the rest of the afternoon with Noble, looking over the cattle from Spain. Then Rachel,
who seemed to direct everything with ease, came for Reese. He was fed and ushered upstairs to get ready himself.

When he came downstairs, dressed in a black
suit, he was introduced to even more guests. The
elite of Texas were paraded before him and congratulated him. He blinked in astonishment
when Governor Pease shook his hand and told
him he was walking away with the rose of Texas.
The governor leaned closer and said in a low
voice, "I want to talk to you when we get the
chance."

Reese felt his stomach knot, and he didn't
know what to do with his hands. But his
nervousness fled, and his heart stopped when he
was positioned beside the priest and the music
began. Saber appeared at the top of the stairs,
dressed in white, and Reese couldn't take his
eyes off her. She looked like an angel with a
filmy veil floating about her head.

Noble met her at the bottom of the stairs and
offered her his arm. He kissed her cheek. "Be
happy, little sister."

Tears sparkled in her eyes. "I shall."

He led her forward and placed her small hand
in Reese's, then stepped back.

Reese glanced down at his bride and felt the
wonder of knowing she would soon belong to
him. There was no doubt in the blue eyes she
turned up to him, only trust and gentleness. His hand tightened on hers, and he hardly heard
what the priest was saying.

He mouthed the appropriate answers to the
wedding vows and slid a plain gold band on Saber's finger, wishing it were a diamond.

The priest was smiling. "I now pronounce you
man and wife."

Reese's lips brushed his bride's, and he wished
all the people would go away so he could be
alone with her but that was not to be.

She beamed up at him. "I have you now,
Reese. You belong to me."

He looked at her with a funny expression.
He'd never belonged to anyone, and no one had
ever belonged to him. Warmth started around
his heart and spread throughout his whole body.

"Yes," he murmured in her ear, the power of
possession taking over. "You belong to me."

Saber was ripped out of his arms by her
brother, and Noble hugged her to him, while Rachel hugged Reese.

"We're your family now," Rachel said with
feeling, knowing that this man had not had a
family in a long time.

Reese attempted to absorb all that had happened to him in this one day, but he was confused by what it meant to belong to a family.

Soon the newly married couple were surrounded by guests and were led out to the court yard, where music and dancing began. The bride
and groom were soon separated by well-wishers.
Reese was slapped on the back and his hand
shaken in friendly greeting until everything was
a blur.

Saber threaded her way through the crowd to
her husband. There were tables set up and piled
high with food of every kind.

Reese was surprised to find himself seated
next to Governor Pease. "Reese, you don't mind
if I call you by your first name, do you?"

He was stunned. "Not at all, sir."

"I've got an undertaking for you that we'll talk
about some other time. But I want to sound you
out on an idea and see how you feel about it."

"I would be glad to listen to you, sir."

"How would you feel about supplying the
army with beef?"

Reese frowned and glanced down the table,
where Noble was watching him. He knew that
his brother-in-law was already reaching out to
help him through the governor. "I would be willing to talk about it, Governor Pease."

"Good, good! Noble has told me you are reliable and honest, and that you have land enough
to support this endeavor. You will benefit by
this, and so will Texas. You won't have to drive
your cattle to a railhead, and the army will have a dependable supply of beef. This is big, Reesereal big!"

"How many head are we talking about, sir?"

"I'm not privy to that information. I presume
it would be thousands of head a year." Governor
Pease grinned and attacked his food. "We won't
spoil your wedding with business. Someone will
call on you at your ranch within the month."

Reese gave a startled glance at his brother-inlaw, and Noble raised his glass to him and
smiled. Reese had some thinking to do-he
wasn't sure how he felt about the offer. Apparently this was what it meant to belong to a
family.

The remnants of dinner and all evidence of the
wedding cake had been cleared away, and soft
Spanish music filled the courtyard. Saber
clasped Reese's hand as she thanked each guest
for attending. Reese was still in a daze. He hoped
he was making all the right responses to the
good wishes that were bestowed upon them.
What he really wanted to do was escape with his
bride.

The governor appeared beside them, laughing
boisterously. "Saber, I have rarely seen anything
that gave me more pleasure than watching you
dance. Will you dance for us?"

She shook her head. "Let someone else dance
tonight."

Suddenly a chant was picked up by the crowd,
urging her to dance. She glanced at her brother,
and he nodded, smiling.

Saber laughingly agreed. She smiled at her
husband and said, "Tonight, I dance only for
you."

The Spanish guitarist strummed slowly, and
Saber raised her hands over her head in a graceful arch-she tapped her feet and whirled. The
music began to build in intensity, becoming faster and louder. Saber moved her feet to the
rhythm. Reese watched, fascinated, as his new
bride tapped her feet, clapping her hands and
whirling with a grace that took his breath away.
How could such an ethereally lovely woman belong to him? He thought of her growing up at
Casa del Sol, wanting for nothing. Then he tried
to imagine her in his small house, and his heart
plummeted.

Saber clapped her hands and moved slowly
toward Reese, her hips keeping time with the
music. Her blue eyes seemed to pick up the fire
from the Chinese lanterns overhead.

A new emotion took possession of Reese-an
emotion he'd never felt before.

Jealousy!

Reese quickly glanced around and observed the other men watching his wife with admiration, and he didn't like it. By now Saber had
reached him and whirled around him, stamping
her feet and arching her body, her gaze never
leaving his.

Suddenly the music stopped, and she went to
her knees in front of him. "That was my wedding
present to you, Reese," she said, smiling.

Reese stood and brought her up beside him,
his eyes filled with something she didn't understand. "You will never dance like that again, unless it's for me."

Her eyes gleamed with a mischievous light,
and she challenged him. "I have been dancing
that dance since I was old enough to walk."

"I won't have you dancing for other men," he
said heatedly, his eyes defying her to disagree
with him.

Saber recognized his jealousy, and she decided not to tease him any further. "If that is
your wish, I will never dance for anyone except
you."

He had expected an argument, and when she
gave in so easily he was left with nothing else to
say. The music was slow now, and she squeezed
his hand. "Is it permitted for me to dance with
my husband?"

His arms went around her, and he felt his anger melt away. He would probably never know why this exceptional woman had agreed to
marry him, but she belonged to him, and right
now all he wanted was to hold her.

As if she had read Reese's thoughts, Rachel
came up to them and took Saber's hand. "This
party will go on all night. I'm taking Saber upstairs: a little later you can follow."

He watched Saber move through the crowd
and disappear into the house. His hands were
shaking so badly that he crammed them into his
pockets. What he needed was a strong drink,
and he wasn't thinking of the punch that had
been served all evening.

Again it seemed his thoughts were anticipated. Noble appeared at his side with a drink.
"You must be confused by all this."

"I'm confused by a lot of things," Reese said,
taking a deep swallow of the smooth brandy.

"The Spanish customs that are part of the Vincente heritage have always been accepted by us.
You will grow accustomed to them in time."

"I don't mind telling you, Noble, I'm scared as
hell that I can't make Saber happy."

"Would you like to tell me why you feel that
way?"

"Isn't it obvious? This is where Saber was
raised. Her life with me will be a hell of a lot
different."

"There is something I will tell you about the Vincentes that very few people realize: WE love
only once and with our whole heart. Trust Saber. You might be surprised what she is willing
to do for the man she loves."

"She thought she loved Matthew-she certainly doesn't claim to love me."

Noble started to comment and then paused
and said simply, "Give it time."

Reese stared at a blue Chinese lantern overhead, which was swinging in the breeze. "I will
try to make her happy, Noble."

"That is the only thing I'll ask of you, Reese.
Be good to her."

"I will."

"I know that, or I never would have given her
to you. It seems her happiness lies with you
now."

Suddenly Rachel walked past, and Reese was
stunned by the radiance that came into Noble's
eyes. Rachel turned her head and glanced at her
husband with eyes so soft and loving, Reese felt
a stinging in his own eyes. That was the kind of
love he wanted from Saber. One day he wanted
her to look at him the way Rachel was looking
at Noble tonight.

Rachel turned to Reese and whispered in his
ear, "You should go upstairs now. It's the third
door on the right at the top of the stairs."

He felt as nervous as a schoolboy anticipating his first kiss. As he climbed the stairs, he could
still hear the music and laughter. He paused
halfway up and leaned on the polished banister.
He hadn't known it was possible to love a
woman as much as he loved Saber. Slowly he
climbed to the top and paused at Saber's door
before knocking softly.

Saber was standing at the window when
Reese entered. She turned slowly toward him,
and the look in her blue eyes told him she was
uncertain what was to happen next.

Staring at the transparent nightgown she
wore, he wondered if she knew he could see
through it. Her slender body was clearly outlined, and he could see the rosy tips of her
breasts. He removed his coat and draped it
across the back of a chair. Then he looked about
the pink-and-cream room. The bed had a high
canopy, and the rug beneath his feet was plush
and full. "I've never seen such a room," he said,
loosening his tie and jerking it free of his shirt.

"I never looked at this room from a man's
view. I suppose I outgrew it a long time ago - I
just didn't notice." She smiled. "Don't worry, I
won't put frills on our bedroom at home."

"Say it again," he said, walking toward her.

"What?"

"The part about our home."

"From this night forward, for the rest of my
life, Reese, your home is my home."

He paused as warmth rushed through him.
His hands were trembling, and he drew in a deep
breath. To slow his heart rate, he sat down in
the chair and removed his boots; all the while
his eyes were on Saber's face. "Don't be afraid
of me. I won't hurt you, at least, no more than
is necessary."

"I could never be afraid of you, Reese. It's just
that I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Her eyes were wide and confused as he pulled
his shirt from his trousers and began unbuttoning it, revealing curly black hair against his
tanned and muscled chest.

Saber's knees went weak, and she gripped the
back of a chair to keep from collapsing. A tremor
shook her, and she wanted to press her cheek
against that muscled chest.

He knew that she was feeling shy and frightened, so he blew out the lamp and went to her.
The room was cast in shadows, and he turned
her face up to his and stared into her blue eyes.

"You knew what you were doing when you
danced for me tonight."