Enchanted Ecstasy (30 page)

Maleaha slipped under the covers, feeling very wretched. She did not want to think about Kane's selling Paraiso. It was her home. They had worked so hard making it into a place they could be proud of.

Maleaha had been snubbed and cut to the quick that night. She had been forced to stand by while Lucinda had pawed her husband, and Kane's father had treated her as if she was of little worth. Not once had Kane come to her defense. She would not fight to hold on to him, she thought, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Should he ask it of her, she would give him his freedom.

She heard Kane enter the room and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. He did not light a lamp but proceeded to undress in the dark. She remembered the last night they had spent together and wondered if he would remember also. She felt the bed shift under his weight and then felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Maleaha."

She did not answer, hoping he would believe her asleep. She heard him sigh as his hand slipped to her waist, pulling her against his body. Her body melted against him, and she bit her trembling lip. She wanted him to make love to her and yet she was afraid that he would. Tense moments passed. When it became apparent that he did not want to make love to her, Maleaha hid her disappointment. Most probably he didn't want to make love to her with the woman he loved sleeping in the same house.

Kane had been asleep a long time before Maleaha fell into a troubled sleep.

The next morning Maleaha awoke early to find Kane still asleep beside her. He still had his arm about her waist, and she moved it over softly, not wanting to awaken him. In her usual quiet manner, she dressed and went silently into the nursery.

Cimeron was awake and clapped her hands delightedly when she saw her mother. With loving tenderness, Maleaha washed and dressed her daughter, then took her downstairs, wanting to spend as much time with her as she could, to make up for having been away from her for so long.

Mrs. Higgens smiled brightly as she removed a pan of golden-brown biscuits from the oven. "It's good to have you back with us, Mrs. Benedict. We have missed you around here."

"Thank you, Mrs. Higgens," Maleaha answered, thinking it was nice to know someone welcomed her home. "How long have my husband's father and Miss Blake been at Paraiso?"

"They arrived but yesterday. Rosita tells me that there is another woman with them. Were you aware of that?"

"No. Who is the other woman?"

"I am told that she is Miss Blake's aunt. She went directly to the bedroom after her arrival and has not shown her face since then. Rosita says she was ailing. I suppose some people have a hard time adapting to this climate."

"Perhaps you should prepare her a tray so she can eat in her room. I will look in on her later in the day," Maleaha said, lifting Cimeron above her head and being rewarded by a happy giggle.

Maleaha took the soft-boiled egg Mrs. Higgens had prepared for Cimeron and mashed it up. Blowing on it to help it cool, she began to feed her daughter. Cimeron began to wriggle, wanting to get down on the floor, and when Maleaha let her down, she crawled over to the box at the end of the stove, where Mrs. Higgens kept her cat. Maleaha sat down on the floor beside Cimeron, making sure she did not hurt the cat, and that the cat did not scratch her daughter.

She laughed as the fat tabby jumped into Cimeron's arms, then curled up contentedly and fell asleep, while Cimeron patted the cat softly.

"How long has this friendship been going on, Mrs. Higgens?" Maleaha wanted to know.

Mrs. Higgens was kneading dough for the loaves of bread she needed to bake, and she smiled down at Cimeron. ' 'The first morning after you had left, I brought Cimeron down here with me so she could play on the floor while I made breakfast for Mr. Benedict. She and Tabby have been friends ever since."

"I am sorry about the extra work you had to do while I was away. I am grateful for the good care you took of my daughter. I did not worry about her, knowing that you were caring for her.''

"I did not mind the work and I loved having Cimeron with me. She is such a good little girl and so pleasant to be around. I love the way Mr. Benedict dotes on his daughter. He is such a devoted father."

Maleaha removed the sleeping cat and replaced it in the box. She was determined to feed her daughter and take her for a walk before the others came downstairs. After Cimeron had eaten what Malaeha considered a substantial breakfast, she bundled her up in a warm coat and cap and walked outside with her.

Maleaha was halfway to the barn when she saw Kane's father walking toward her. Apparently he was an early riser, she thought, preparing herself for her encounter with him.

Eli Benedict stopped in front of Maleaha and looked not at her but at the child she held in her arms.

Eli frowned as he looked into the lovely face of the child. Her eyes were the same color as Kane's and she looked much as his son had looked as a baby.

Cimeron did the predictable thing and held her arms out for him to hold her. Maleaha held her breath, fearing Kane's father would reject his own granddaughter. She felt relief when he took Cimeron in his arms.

"She looks just as Kane did when he was an infant,"

Eli said in a voice filled with wonder. He touched her soft cheek and then her dark hair. "I suppose I haven't given her much thought since I arrived. What is her name?"

"Cimeron."

"Like the river?"

"No, it is a Jojoba name meaning beloved. It was my mother's name."

"The Jojoba tribe seems to have a flowery language," he said, looking at the face of the woman who had given him a granddaughter.

"Cimeron, this is your grandfather. Can you say grandfather?" Maleaha asked her daughter.

Cimeron made an attempt at the unfamiliar word, and Maleaha and Eli laughed as she patted Eli's face and planted a wet kiss on his cheek.

Maleaha could see the softening in Eli's gray eyes when he touched a strand of dark hair that was peeping out beneath the cap Cimeron wore.

"I believe this child is the most beautiful child I have ever seen."

"I think Cimeron would be pleased that she has met with her grandfather's approval."

"I'll be going in now," Eli said, handing Cimeron back to Maleaha.

"You will find Mrs. Higgens has your breakfast ready, should you wish to eat now."

He nodded stiffly and walked toward the house. Maleaha watched his retreating back and shrugged her shoulders. She then turned her back and continued her walk. She had no idea how Kane's father felt about his granddaughter, but she could feel his displeasure toward herself.

Kane found his father eating breakfast and sat down opposite him. "I trust you slept well, Eli?"

Eli bit into a flaky biscuit and swallowed it before he answered his son. "I slept well enough under the circumstances."

Kane took a sip of the coffee Mrs. Higgens had placed before him. "What circumstances, Eli?"

"I would like to talk some sense into your head. Why do you stay in this godforsaken place other than to thwart me?"

"You give yourself too much importance, Eli, if you think I built this ranch and work from sunup until sundown merely to get back at you," Kane said lazily.

Eli picked up his coffee cup and raised it to his lips, then placed it back on the table without taking a drink. "I saw your daughter this morning. She is a lovely child. Did you get her mother with child and then have to marry her?"

Kane's eyes narrowed. "If you will remember, I told you that I loved her. Didn't you believe me?"

"Lord yes, love her, she is a lovely creature. Lavish her with beautiful things. Take her to Boston with you and set her up in a house. Give her everything she desires, but dissolve this marriage, it is a farce. I can't tell you what went through my mind yesterday when she came in dressed like some wild Indian."

At that moment Maleaha paused outside the dining room door. She could hear Kane's father speak in anger.

"Hell, son, if you married her just to get back at me, you succeeded better than you might have hoped. This Indian girl is not the sort you marry. She is the kind you ask to become your mistress. Lucinda is the kind you marry!"

Maleaha was aware that Mrs. Higgens had come up behind her and had heard Mr. Benedict's angry words also. She quickly handed Cimeron to the housekeeper and ran out the door, but not before she saw the sadness in the eyes of the older woman. She had to get away. She would find somewhere where she could be alone to cry.

Mrs. Higgens stood outside the door listening to Kane's words to his father. "I told you, I love Maleaha. I did not have to marry her, as you put it. I told you we were married in the Indian village. We were also married by a priest. As I listened to you speak just now, I realize how much I was like you in the past. I remember the time I offered Maleaha just what you proposed I offer her. God, you make me sick. I warn you, I will not stand by and allow you to hurt her. If you cannot treat her with respect, I suggest you leave this house today."

"But she is half-Indian. ..."

"I don't think you have any idea how important Maleaha is."

"Important to whom, some obscure Indian tribe?"

"I believe you are acquainted with one Jonas Deveraux?" Kane said, laying a trap for his father.

"Of course I know Jonas. He is a wealthy rancher and as fine a gentleman as you will find anywhere. You cannot tell me that you have met him and he has approved of your marriage to the Indian girl," Eli said, walking into Kane's well-laid trap unawares.

Kane smiled. "He not only approves, he has welcomed me into his family with open arms."

"You aren't making any sense to me. What has Jonas Deveraux got to do with you and me?"

"He shares a common bond with you, Eli. Cimeron is not only your granddaughter, but his as well. Maleaha is Jonas's only child, born to him by a lovely Indian princess with the same name as my daughter,'' Kane told his father with satisfaction. He watched as his father's face lost its color. "I have never known you to be at a loss for words, Eli. Have I perhaps taken you by surprise?"

Eli shook his head. "I knew that Jonas had a daughter; he had talked to me about her on many occasions. I believe she was attending a finishing school in Boston."

"Yes, Maleaha spent two years in Boston. Don't you think she benefited by her education?"

Lucinda and her aunt chose that moment to enter the room, Lucinda in a bright yellow gown. She bent over Kane and kissed his cheek, while her aunt looked nervous and not at all well.

Mrs. Higgens came in bearing a tray filled with eggs, biscuits and bacon. She gave Lucinda a haughty glance, thinking that this young woman who put on such airs would cause Mrs. Benedict a lot of grief before she was done. Her heart went out to the kind, gentle mistress of the house. Mrs. Higgens had seen the pain in her eyes this morning as she had overheard her husband and his father discuss her. What a pity that Mrs. Benedict had rushed away before she had heard her husband defend her and declare his love for her.

"Where is my wife, Mrs. Higgens?" Kane asked.

"I'm sure I don't know," the older woman said, thinking most probably she was somewhere crying at that very moment.

"Your wife seems to have the habit of disappearing, Kane. One would think you cannot keep track of her," Lucinda told him.

Lucinda looked into Kane's storm-filled eyes and laughed at the scowl on his face. "My, my, I seem to have struck a nerve. You look positively fierce."

"Lucinda, I am sure you should not be saying those things to Mr. Benedict," her aunt told her.

"Pooh, Kane does not mind that I speak so openly to him, do you, Kane?"

Kane threw his napkin down and stood up abruptly. "I have things to attend to," he said sourly as he walked purposefully out of the dining room. He was not in the best of moods. He had not yet gotten the chance to speak with Maleaha, and he was still seething because she had ridden away to the Jojoba camp without first consulting with him. He still did not believe that her aunt had been ill. No, she had left because the two of them had quarreled. Damnit, he just wanted his father, Lucinda, and her aunt to return to Boston.

He saddled his horse and rode away from the ranch house in a cloud of dust.

23

Maleaha had ridden miles from the ranch house. She let the cool wind whip through her hair and dry the tears on her cheeks. She* had the strongest urge to ride over to Deveraux and tell her father how brokenhearted she felt. But no, she could not bring herself to speak of the trouble between herself and Kane, not even with her father.

Where did she belong? She no longer belonged with the Jojoba. She couldn't return to her father. She did not belong with her husband. He wanted to be with the woman he loved, not with her. Could she give Kane up without a fight? Cimeron needed a father as well as a mother. Kane himself had pointed that out to her before they had been married by the priest. She could either swallow her pride and beg him to keep her as his wife, or give him over to Lucinda without a fight. In Maleaha's troubled state of mind, she didn't know which was the right thing to do.

It was long past the lunch hour before Maleaha finally returned to the ranch house. Going first into the kitchen, she was informed by Mrs. Higgens that Kane had left just after breakfast. His father and Lucinda were in the sitting room, and Lucinda's aunt, whom Maleaha had yet to meet, was lying down in her bedroom with another sick headache.

Maleaha saw the searching look Mrs. Higgens gave her and knew that the older woman was worried about her having run from the house in tears that morning. She gave her a reassuring smile. "I am quite all right, Mrs. Higgens. Don't worry about me."

Mrs. Higgens gave her a kind smile and turned back to the dirty dishes she was washing. "Do you want to approve the menu for tonight?"

"No, I know whatever it is, it will be delicious," Maleaha said, smoothing down her wind-tossed hair and wishing she did not have to do her duty as hostess. She dreaded facing Kane's father and Lucinda.

Entering the sitting room, she found Lucinda was alone. Maleaha noticed the lovely yellow gown, which seemed to enhance the creamy white complexion. For the first time in her life Maleaha wished her skin were not so dark.

"Oh, our elusive hostess returns," Lucinda said, picking up the piece of pottery that Maleaha's grandfather had given her and turning it over in her hand.

"I am sorry, Miss Blake. You must think me terribly rude," Maleaha said, wishing she could reach out and take the valuable piece of pottery from Lucinda's hand.

"It is no more than I expected from someone who comes from this backward land," Lucinda said, as the pottery almost slipped from her hands.

Maleaha caught her breath. "I would ask you to be careful with that, Miss Blake. It is very valuable and was given to me by my grandfather. He told me it was over two hundred years old."

"This old thing valuable? I wouldn't have it in my home." Lucinda set it halfway on the edge of the table and watched with satisfaction as it crashed to the floor, shattering into many small pieces.

Maleaha was speechless. She knew that Lucinda had deliberately destroyed the pottery, and she could not understand how anyone could set out to break something so lovely.

"Oh goodness, what a shame. I suppose it isn't so valuable any longer, is it?" Lucinda taunted.

Maleaha bent down and began picking up the fragments.

"Leave that for a moment, I want to speak to you," Lucinda said, eyeing Maleaha with a malignant glare.

"I am listening, Miss Blake," Maleaha told her, standing up and placing the broken pieces on the table.

"You can't hold on to him, you know."

Maleaha's keen hearing picked up the sound of someone outside the room in the hallway, obviously listening to her and Lucinda's conversation. She knew by the sound of the footsteps that it was Kane's father.

"Whom are you speaking of?" Maleaha asked, determined to make Lucinda spell out what was on her mind.

"You know I am speaking of Kane. He does not love you. He told his father he married you only to give his child a name."

Maleaha drew in her breath. Lucinda's face no longer appeared beautiful, but was distorted with hate and jealousy. "You heard wrong, Miss Blake. Kane and I were married nine months to the day before our daughter was born. I do not believe Kane told his father that." Whatever Kane was, he would never say anything to cast a shadow on Cimeron's birth. It might be that he did not love her, but no one could deny that Kane loved his daughter.

"You lie! I do not believe you. Kane would never have married you unless he was forced to!" Lucinda yelled.

"You may think what you will, Miss Blake. I have no more time to spend hashing this over with you."

Lucinda grabbed Maleaha by the wrist, and Maleaha could feel the woman's fingernails biting into her skin. "Kane cannot love you! He loves me!"

Maleaha pried Lucinda's fingers from her wrist. "You may be right, Miss Blake. Kane might love you, but he is married to me."

Lucinda's eyes narrowed. "Kane must be in torment wanting to be with me. Did he make love to you last night? I doubt that he did. He must remember how good it was between him and me when we made love. He must be sickened by the sight of you."

Maleaha gasped. Never had she seen such hatred in anyone's face, and never had she heard a woman speak so brazenly about a man's making love to her. She closed her eyes, not wanting to hear any more. She could almost envision Kane making love to Lucinda. She felt tears gathering in her eyes and fought to keep them from falling down her face. She must not appear weak before this woman. If she did, Lucinda Blake would destroy her completely.

"I can still feel the way Kane's hands moved over my body," Lucinda continued.

"I will not listen to any more!" Maleaha cried. "My God, what a monster you are!"

Lucinda threw back her head and laughed. "There is not much you can do to be rid of me, Maleaha. You see Kane's father wants his son to marry me. I think Kane can dispose of you easily enough."

"If Kane wishes to be rid of me, he will tell me so himself. I do not believe he would approve of this conversation."

"Believe what you will. I think you already know that Kane loves me. Make it easy on him. Take your daughter and go back to that Indian tribe you come from." Lucinda moved in front of Maleaha, blocking her exit.

"If Kane wants his freedom, he can come to me and ask for it himself.'' Before Maleaha could make a move to defend herself, Lucinda's hand came up quickly and slapped her hard across the face. Maleaha's first instinct was to slap her back, but she only shoved her away and moved quickly across the room.

Maleaha had moved so quietly that when she reached the hallway she took Eli completely by surprise.

"Is that really what you want for your son, Mr. Benedict?" Maleaha asked, nodding toward Lucinda.

Eli looked from one woman to the other. Lucinda's face turned red when she realized that Eli must have overheard at least part of their conversation.

"H . . . how long have you been standing there, Eli?" she asked hesitatingly.

Maleaha did not stay to hear any more but rushed up the stairs. Eli watched her, thinking she had proved to be more of a lady than Lucinda. Kane had been right about Lucinda. She was not worthy to be his son's wife.

Lucinda watched as Eli advanced into the room. She moved forward and linked her arm through his. "I think in no time at all we can be rid of that woman. She is such an uncivilized little creature."

Eli shoved her arm away and removed his handkerchief from his pocket, placed the broken bits of pottery in it, then tied it into a knot. "I think you broke this on purpose, Lucinda."

"What? Oh yes, she said it was given to her by her grandfather. I think it was dreadful looking."

Eli had always appreciated valuable antiques and was appalled by her wanton act.

"I cannot see what Kane finds to admire in that woman, she is so uncivilized. Look at the way she treats us, and we are guests in her home," Lucinda said thoughtfully.

"I am going to see if I can get someone to drive me into Santa Fe. Do you want to come along?" Eli asked.

"Why do you want to go into town? It will be dark before you could get back."

"I want to see if I can find someone who can repair this pottery."

"Whatever for? It is nothing more than an old Indian relic."

"Yes, apparently very old," he said, leaving Lucinda with a puzzled look on her face.

Maleaha spent the rest of the afternoon with Cimeron. When she finally turned her over to Rosita to bathe and feed, she went to her own room to bathe and dress for dinner. She dreaded the evening meal when she would be forced to face Kane and Lucinda.

She thought about what Lucinda had told her as she arranged her hair on the top of her head. She had been devastated when Lucinda had told her that she and Kane had made love. How dare he bring a woman into this house that he had been to bed with? If she had any pride she would leave and never come back, she told herself. She was glad that her hurt was gradually giving way to anger. She wanted to throw Lucinda's words in Kane's face.

Maleaha went into the kitchen to lend Mrs. Higgens a hand with setting the table. Tying a white apron about her waist, she carried the china into the dining room and proceeded to put it out. She heard Kane come up behind her, and she spoke to him without turning around.

"Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes."

"Where were you this morning? I had half decided that you had ridden off again without telling me."

"No, Kane, I would not do that," she said as she folded a white dinner napkin and placed it beside a plate. "If I decide to leave, you will be the first one I'll tell."

"I still intend to talk to you about that little episode. I will not have you running off to Mangas every time we have a misunderstanding."

She turned to face him. Her eyes collided with his and she raised her chin. "I did not go to Mangas. I told you that my aunt was ill and she was asking for me."

"So you said, but I don't believe you," he said, walking out of the dining room.

Dinner was just what Maleaha had expected it would be, long and uncomfortable. Lucinda again monopolized Kane's attention. Maleaha was surprised when Eli began to talk to her. He asked her about her father, and what it had been like growing up in New Mexico. He asked her also if she had enjoyed going to school in Boston. She would have enjoyed their conversation had it not been for the fact that Kane and Lucinda were talking quietly at the other end of the table.

Lucinda's aunt had still not put in an appearance, but had again taken her dinner on a tray in her room.

Maleaha at one point had to remind herself not to trust Kane's father. After all, it had been only this morning that she had overheard him talking about her to his son.

After dinner Eli asked if Maleaha would take him upstairs to see Cimeron. She readily agreed, leaving Kane and Lucinda alone.

Eli smiled down at his sleeping granddaughter. "It is so strange, Maleaha. Today I seem to be facing many truths about myself, and it's all due to you and this little granddaughter of mine." He touched Cimeron lightly on the cheek. "I had forgotten how sweet a child can be." "I am so glad that you like Cimeron, Mr. Benedict." He looked at her long and hard. "I wonder if you would consider calling me Eli?"

"Yes, if you would like." She wondered what game he was playing. No one could change so quickly. That morning he had not wanted her to call him by his first name. She was startled when he reached for her hand. "I would like very much for you to call me Eli, Maleaha."

Lucinda patted the sofa for Kane to sit beside her, and he did so with reservations. When he was seated she began working on him.

"Kane, you have been neglecting me shamefully since I have been here. I would have thought you would at least have offered to show me about your old ranch," she said prettily.

"Maleaha will show you about the ranch if you are interested. I am much too busy."

"I don't think your wife likes me very well. She was perfectly horrid to me this afternoon," Lucinda said with a pout on her mouth.

"I find that hard to believe, Lucinda. Maleaha would never be rude to a guest in our home."

"You didn't see her today. She yelled at me, and all because I accidentally broke an old Indian vase." False tears sparkled in her blue eyes as she laid her head on Kane's shoulder.

"I am sure you misunderstood Maleaha, Lucinda."

She raised her head and looked deep into his silver eyes. "I am telling you the truth, Kane. Your wife was horrid to me."

"I will speak to her. I am sure she will make it up to you."

"You will not tell her that I complained to you, will you?"

"No, of course not."

Lucinda laid her head back on Kane's shoulder, and that was the way Maleaha saw them when she and Eli entered the room.

Kane stood up abruptly, and Maleaha thought he looked guilty, while Lucinda smiled at her smugly.

"I wish to be excused," Maleaha said, barely able to conceal her anger.

"Don't you think that would be rude to our guests, Maleaha?" Kane said, looking very displeased.