Texas Homecoming (12 page)

But Cade was here. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Pilar realized she had started to take his protection for granted. She didn’t know when it had started, but there was something about him that seemed so solid and dependable, she didn’t need to question whether she would be safe. Cade’s physical presence had become her guarantee of safety. At the thought of danger, she looked to him. In fear, she turned to him. Just knowing he was within reach enabled her to sleep soundly even though she knew that danger lurked all around.

More than that, she’d started to like having him there. Not just because he made her feel safe. Not just because he was the only man to give her credit for having brains or being able to accomplish something without a man’s help. It wasn’t even his being a very attractive man who had made several disturbing appearances in her dreams. She just plain liked him. He didn’t act toward her the way Laveau or even Manuel did. She couldn’t pinpoint all the differences, but he made her feel better about herself. Maybe it was the fact that he helped with the supper preparations, that he didn’t consider her work beneath him. Maybe it was the fact that he didn’t automatically turn to someone else when he asked a question.

Maybe it was the fact he seemed to like her, too.

“Are you sure they won’t come back?” she asked Ivan. Her other thoughts were too dangerous to pursue. She had to put them out of her mind.

“Do not be afraid. Nate can shoot a fly off a mule’s ear at a hundred yards. He was only playing today.”

“But if there are more of them?”

“I am sure Ivan knows what he is talking about,” her grandmother said. “You had better check that big pot. I see white clouds coming out.” Steam always escaped from the pot when Pilar boiled potatoes.

She saw Cade come out of the bunkhouse. “I’ve got to talk to Cade,” she said and ran out of the kitchen before her grandmother could order her to remain where she was.

It took only a few seconds for Pilar to reach the front porch, but the series of emotions that flooded through her had ample time to shock her by their nature and intensity. She looked forward to talking to Cade alone, away from her grandmother or anyone else. She valued their privacy, had resented the presence of her grandmother and Ivan, which would prevent it tonight.

Cade smiled when he saw her appear on the porch, and knowing he smiled at the sight of her sent her heart hurtling over some dangerous precipice. With no hope of retrieving it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

“I hope you’re not going to tell me supper is burned and we have to cook our own,” he said, his smile growing warmer, more welcoming.

“No,” she said, feeling more relaxed and even a little ashamed of her worries. “But Ivan has persuaded my grandmother to sit at the head of the table for supper.”

She’d never before heard the curse he let out.

“And he’s told her that your grandfather would insist upon bestowing that honor upon her.”

“You haven’t given him any vodka, have you?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Ivan is peculiar all the time, but he becomes positively dangerous when he drinks vodka.”

“You may not care about your grandfather, but my grandmother is an old woman,” she said, annoyed he was taking things so casually. “It’s not good for her to be upset. You know your grandfather will insult her. He says something mean every time anybody mentions her name.”

“Why should she want to eat supper with us?” Cade asked. “She’s never even been in the same room with us before.”

“Ivan has flattered her, gotten her to thinking she’ll be doing everybody an
honor
by eating with us.”

Another new curse.

“She’ll be expecting you to practically bow and scrape,” Pilar said, relieved he had finally started taking her seriously. “She would never have done anything like this if Ivan hadn’t talked her silly.”

“Ivan is very friendly. Everybody likes him.”

“So do I, but I’m going to be very angry if he causes my grandmother to be upset. I know she hasn’t been very nice—okay, she’s been horrible sometimes—but she doesn’t understand what’s happening. She’s scared. It’s too late for her to start over again.”

“But not too late for you.”

She could tell he meant that as a compliment. She felt herself blush. “I guess I was always something of a rebel. I wanted to learn how to ride a horse rather than ride in a carriage. I outraged her greatly when I took over the ranch.
She’d have allowed herself to starve to death before she would have done that.”

“I can just see her now,” Cade said, “head held high, her aristocratic heritage wrapped securely around her as she wasted away.”

Pilar tried not to smile, but it was so like her grandmother, she couldn’t help it. “Please don’t make fun of her. She’s the only family I have.”

“There’s Laveau. And don’t you have a fiancé in Mexico?”

She didn’t know why Cade’s mentioning her fiancé should cause her such deep embarrassment. “I haven’t heard from Manuel in years. I expect he’s married somebody else and already has a family.”

“Foolish man.”

“Manuel wouldn’t marry anyone without a dowry, and I don’t have one anymore. But I don’t want to talk about Manuel,” she said when Earl came out of the bunkhouse. “You’ve got to do something. Maybe your grandfather will agree to eat later. We can barely fit so many people around the table.”

“Then my friends and I will eat later. This is my grandfather’s home. I know it looks like I’ve taken over, but I only boss him around when I know more than he does. He’s as ornery as a stomped-on rattlesnake, but—”

“But you love him.”

“Yeah. Like you, he’s all I’ve got left.”

“What are you standing out here for?” Earl asked Pilar as he approached them. “You ought to be watching out for my supper.”

“In a way she is,” Cade said. “Her grandmother wants to join us for supper tonight.”

Earl looked shocked, didn’t say a word.

“I was hoping you could say something nice to her,” Cade said.

“Be nice to that battle-ax!” Earl thundered, regaining control of his vocal powers. “You wait until I get my teeth into her. She’ll wish those squatters had captured her instead of letting her come here,” he said, turning and striding purposefully toward the house. “They probably let her get away so they wouldn’t have to put up with her. Any sane man would have done the same.”

Chapter Twelve

Cade didn’t understand why some people seemed determined to court danger. He could have understood if Senora diViere had become so desperate for company, she had decided to join them regardless of the consequences. He could have understood if she’d wanted to upset his grandfather. He could even have understood if she’d wanted to pump them for information about Laveau. But he absolutely couldn’t understand how she could believe Earl Wheeler would feel honored to have her at his table. Having the two of them at the table would be uncomfortable at best.

At worst, it could be a bloodbath.

“Wait up, Gramps, I need to talk to you.” Cade turned to Pilar once he was certain his grandfather wasn’t going to march straight into the kitchen and take the bull… uh, the Senora, by the horns. “Can you talk her out of it?”

“I tried, but your silver-tongued friend countered everything I said.”

“Ivan worships any female he considers a true aristocrat.”

“And my grandmother drank in every word. I have a few words to say to your friend, and he’s not going to like them.” She turned and headed to the house.

“If anything’s burned, I’ll take it out of your wages,” Earl called after Pilar.

“You’ll have to start paying them first,” Cade said.

His grandfather’s expression changed. “I could pay wages if I wanted.”

“Nobody’s taking Confederate money, Gramps.”

“I never did take that stuff. I’m talking about gold.”

“What did you do? Rob a stage?”

“I sold cattle.”

“To whom? The rustlers?”

“I’m not as helpless as you think. Jessie stayed here while I took a few head at a time. Didn’t lose a single steer to squatters.”

Cade’s amusement vanished. “You’ve been taking that old woman’s jewelry when you had money all the time?” His grandfather actually looked proud of himself. “You selfish old bastard!”

“They been eating, too. I don’t see why I should be expected to pay for everything.”

“Because Pilar worked …” He broke off. It was a waste of time to try to make his grandfather understand what he had done. “How much do you have? We need supplies.”

“More than enough to take us through the winter.”

“Enough for a cattle drive next spring?”

“That, too.”

Cade didn’t know whether to hit the old man or hug him. He didn’t have to sell any steers for tallow. He could take all of them to St. Louis.

“Now what did you want to talk about?” his grandfather asked. “Make it snappy. I’m hungry.”

Devilment sparkled in Earl’s eyes. Cade figured he was more hungry for a piece of Senora diViere’s hide than for his supper. “You’ve got to promise you won’t say anything to upset Pilar’s grandmother.”

His grandfather looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“I know there’s bad blood between you two,” Cade said, “but think of Pilar. If you upset her too much, she might leave.”

“And just where do you think she’ll go?”

“I don’t know, but I’d have to make sure she was safe.”

“You’d side with
that woman
against your own grandfather.”

“This isn’t about Senora diViere. It’s about Pilar. She’s worked hard since she’s been here, and you’ve been hateful to her every chance you got.”

“I didn’t notice her holding her tongue.”

“No, she’s got spunk, but she never once refused to cook your dinner or wash your clothes. Since I’ve been here, she hasn’t said anything mean to you unless you’ve been a stinker to her first.”

“So you’re taking that young hussy’s side.”

“That’s just what I mean. You’ve got no reason to call her a hussy.”

Earl regarded his grandson with narrowed eyes. “You developing a hankering for that gal?”

“Would it make any difference if I was?”

“You’re damned right. I’d lock you in the bunkhouse until you got some sense. I noticed you been sidling up to her, but Owen told me you was trying to get some information out of her about Laveau. I was hoping you was trying to figure out how to get the rest of their land.”

Cade couldn’t decide which of their grandparents was more stubborn. He supposed it didn’t make any difference.

“If you’ve said all you got to say, I’m going inside. I see your friends headed this way. You’d better get in front of those boys, Jessie, if you want anything to eat,” Earl called to his brother.

“What’s up?” Holt asked when he reached Cade. “You look worried enough to be delivering twin calves.”

“Ivan has talked Pilar’s grandmother into eating supper with us. She and my grandfather can’t wait to rip each other’s throats out.”

“Sounds like fun,” Owen said. “Things have been too quiet lately.”

A tenuous quiet reigned when Cade entered the kitchen. Ivan had seated the two formidable grandparents at opposite ends of the table. Pilar looked white about the mouth. Cade glanced from Senora diViere to his grandfather. The two would-be potentates appeared to be weighing each other up, trying to determine the best method of attack.

“Do you need any help with the food?” Cade asked Pilar.

“No,” she hissed. “Just see if you can keep him quiet.”

“Why don’t we let them have at each other, crown the winner, and bury the loser?” he said quietly.

“How can you joke about this?”

“I don’t see how we can do anything else. I’ll agree to drag my grandfather from the kitchen if you’ll haul your grandmother back to her room.”

“You know I can’t.”

“Neither can I. Hand me those potatoes. Come sit down. I promise to stop them before they draw blood.”

Cade was relieved to see that Holt had passed the word. Half his friends were keeping Earl so busy answering questions,
he didn’t have time to overhear what was being said at the other end of the table, where Ivan and Rafe were doing a masterful job of distracting Senora diViere.

“I bet you never had any food like this at your fancy hacienda,” Earl Wheeler suddenly shouted at Senora diViere from his end of the table. She ignored him, continuing her conversation with Rafe.

“See anything you recognize? We don’t have any armadillo or rattlesnake,” Earl said. “I don’t much like it myself, but I hear Frenchies like that sort of stuff.”

“French chefs, they do wonderful things with food,” Ivan said. “
Huîtres à la Florentine
”—Ivan kissed his fingertips—“they are magnifique.
Escargot à la Bourguignonne
was my mama’s favorite. Papa, he liked
Gras-double de boeuf à la poulette
.”

“Can’t say I care for snails or the inside of a cow, but I won’t say no to a good oyster,” Earl said. “But I don’t want it messed up with your fancy sauces,” he said, looking straight at Senora diViere. “I like them raw.”

Cade didn’t know what his grandfather and Ivan were talking about, but from Ivan’s brilliant smile, he gathered his grandfather knew a lot more than anyone had given him credit for.

“How do you know about French food?” Ivan asked.

“I lived next to a Frenchie when I first came to Texas. Never would let us throw away anything. Let me tell you some of the things that man would eat.”

“My stomach is already feeling queasy,” Cade said before his grandfather could elaborate. “No point in putting us off Pilar’s good supper.”

“I am familiar with your beef and your vegetables,” Senora diViere said, her voice deliberate, her expression frosty. “They are so-so. My granddaughter could do more, but with
such a kitchen …” She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to Ivan.

As she let the sentence trail off, Cade realized she was caught on the horns of a dilemma. She couldn’t criticize the food without criticizing Pilar. He was positive she would eat her meal in the corral with the horses before she criticized Pilar in front of a Wheeler.

“Tell me about your kitchen,” Earl said with feigned politeness. “I want Cade to know what to buy when we get rich and build us a grand place like yours.”

Earl must know that Senora diViere had never set foot in a kitchen. “You don’t have to worry about that,” Cade told his grandfather. “My wife will do all the choosing.”

“Are you planning to be married soon?” Senora diViere asked.

Cade was aware of a sudden tension in Pilar’s body. She continued eating, but she had started so badly, a piece of stewed fruit fell off her fork.

“Cade’s gonna wait until we’re rich so he can marry himself a fine young society lady,” Earl said. “Can’t have a rich man marrying a poor woman. She wouldn’t know how to get on with all his new friends.”

Cade was furious at his grandfather. The old man was so intent on picking at Senora diViere, he didn’t notice he was upsetting Pilar. He didn’t know she hadn’t heard from her fiancé in four years, but he probably wouldn’t care. Cade knew the rejection had to cut deeply into her self-esteem. No woman wanted to think she was valued only for her dowry.

“A true aristocrat would not marry a common laborer,” Senora diViere said.

“In this country, a rich man’s not common, and a poor aristocrat isn’t worth a damn.”

“They are not worth much in Poland, either,” Ivan said.

“I’m not getting married any time soon,” Cade said. “But when I do choose a wife, it won’t be because of her daddy’s money or her ancestors. She’ll be strong enough to stand by my side, intelligent enough to share in planning our future, courageous enough—”

“He got those crazy ideas from you,” Earl said, turning to Owen. “I always said half the people in Virginia were crazy. Too much inbreeding. That’s why I left.”

“You left so you could steal our land,” Senora diViere said, dragging into the open what everybody knew was the driving force behind the Wheeler and diViere hatred. “You have nothing of your own, so you take what belongs to others.”

“You ought to be glad I did,” Earl said, proud rather than apologetic. “My protection is the only reason you have anything left.”

“Your
protection
did not work against the squatters.”

“It saved your hide, though I don’t know why I bothered. It was bad enough when you stayed locked in the bedroom, but seeing you at the other end of the table, staring at me with those black eyes like some kind of vulture, nearly ruins my appetite.”

Senora diViere laid down her napkin and pushed back her chair. “It is you who is the vulture. You come to Texas from your inbreeding Virginia to tear the heart out of our beautiful country. Then, before your victim is dead, you pick the bones clean.”

“Coyotes wouldn’t touch your bones. Hell, you’d poison a rattlesnake if it bit you.”

A second chair slid back from the table with a screech. Pilar jumped to her feet, her flushed face turned toward Earl. “Can’t you go five minutes without being hateful? I
don’t ask you to like me. I don’t even want you to, but just once you could show some appreciation for what I’ve done. My grandmother comes out of her room for the first time in two years, a room she has remained in because of you, and you can’t stop jabbing at her. I don’t know why you hate yourself so much, but I assure you I hate you even more. I’m surprised Cade wanted to come home. I’d have gone as far away from you as I could.”

“That’s because you’re a Frenchie,” Earl called after Pilar as she followed her grandmother from the room. “You don’t have any sense of loyalty.”

“
You
don’t have any sense of fairness,” Cade said, getting to his feet. “DiViere jewelry has kept you fed for the last two years. Instead of being man enough to admit you owe them a debt, you take your spite out on two defenseless and homeless women. I don’t suppose being a Wheeler means very much, but I’m ashamed of you for bringing our family lower.”

“You’ve put your foot right in it,” Cade heard Owen say as Cade followed Pilar out of the kitchen. “Now you got everybody thinking you’re a silly old fool.”

Pilar had run out the front door, down the steps, and across the yard to an old post oak that must have sprouted a hundred years ago. She lost herself among the low-slung limbs, but nothing could hide the sound of her sobs. Cade was too big to follow into the depths of the tree’s branches.

“I want to apologize for my grandfather,” he said.

“Go away.”

“You have every right never to want to set eyes on a Wheeler again.”

“He’s an old bastard.”

Cade chuckled. “I see his language has infected you, too.”

Pilar charged out from among the branches. “Don’t make fun of me. I hate him. I hate you. I hate all your friends.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I rather like you.” He didn’t know what made him hold out his arms to Pilar. But the moment he did, she stepped forward, fell against his chest, and burst into tears.

As his arms closed around her body, he felt himself being deluged by a multitude of unfamiliar and unnamable feelings. He hadn’t held many women in his arms, never one who threw her arms around him and then proceeded to sob her heart out. He felt as if he’d become the strongest man in the world and it was his job to protect this fragile woman.

He couldn’t help being aware of the difference in their sizes, of the smallness of her bones, the fragility of her body. He had never realized that her head barely reached above his shoulders. His arms fit around her with many inches to spare. She felt so tiny, so vulnerable, he had a need to hold her tight, to make sure nothing could hurt her.

She was alone with no one to turn to. Her brother was a traitor, and her fiancé was nowhere in sight. She had turned to Cade not as an officer but as a man.

It made him feel all-powerful and totally helpless at the same time. There was no man or beast he wouldn’t have faced for her, but he didn’t know what to do to ease the hurt, stop the tears, so he held her tighter.

Pilar pulled away. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what got into me. My grandmother would—”

“Your grandmother wouldn’t understand,” Cade said. “I do.”

“But I’m engaged. I shouldn’t be—”

“You never gave your consent, and your fiancé has made no claim on you. You can consider yourself free.”

“If Manuel doesn’t want me, who will marry me?”

“You’re a beautiful woman. Lots of men will want to marry you.”