Hannah Howell (19 page)

“How is Oro?” Justin asked.

“A graze. A little dizzy is all.” He thought of what he had just witnessed and sighed. “Cole? What do you think of Oro Degas?"

Noticeably confused about what Royal was after, but willing to cooperate, Cole replied, “Well, he's quiet, keeps to himself a lot. Seen a lot in his years which has made him a little hard, but he's honest and he ain't vicious. He's a man of his word. Hell, I don't know what you want me to say."

“It's what you didn't say that I'm interested in. You didn't mention that he was Mexican or who his father was."

“Don't care about that. Got nothing against Mexicans and he isn't following in his father's footsteps. Always sat back with the girl. He said once that his father didn't want them to follow his ways, but didn't want them to go away either. Understandable. No, the only fault I can find with Oro and it ain't really a fault, is that he's a little hard, a little too cynical maybe."

Running a hand through his hair, Royal said quietly, “That hard, cynical man is quite capable of being torn apart."

“Well, it's clear that he's real close to Tomás and Antonie,” Justin said.

“No doubt of that, Justin, I even began to believe that he was damn close to Antonie, which was absurd.” He refrained from explaining why. “He's been using her as a shield, being a hell of a lot more gallant or whatever than I think I could be."

“I think I've an idea of what you're talking about, but would you like to clarify it?” asked Justin.

“Well, how would you feel about Oro Degas becoming your brother-in-law?” He smiled crookedly when his brothers said nothing, just blinked. “At least it's not a resounding no."

“Are you sure that's what he's interested in? Pattie's nice-looking. Could be just lusting."

“No, Cole. Lust or, rather, the inability to satisfy it does not have a man like Degas weeping like a babe. I shouldn't have been a witness to it, but I heard him tell a frantic Pattie to go away, that he didn't need her, watched her walk away looking like someone had died, and thought I ought to talk to him, though damned if I knew what I was going to say."

“How'd I miss all this?” Cole asked no one in particular.

“I wasn't any better. I thought it was just an infatuation. I keep forgetting that Pattie's eighteen, full grown really. Hell, I don't know what to do. I hate to see Pattie hurting, and I like Degas enough not to want to see him hurting either. Still, he isn't what I'd envisioned for Pattie."

“I'd rather him than some of the ones sniffing ‘round her lately,” Justin said firmly. “Least you know where Oro stands."

“That's true enough. Are you sure the law isn't after the twins, Cole?"

“Can't be bothered. They haven't got a warrant out on them. Never got close enough to be seen save that once, and nobody got killed. Told them Juan and his top men were dead so they've turned their attention elsewhere. Can't arrest a man for his father's crimes or the company he keeps, and that's all they could get on Oro or Tomás."

“I would think that the real question here is what'd make Pattie happy,” Justin said quietly.

“Yes, I think you're right,” Royal agreed with equal quiet. “It's Pattie's future, not ours."

“Going to talk to her tonight?” Cole asked in a serious tone.

“I don't think she's in any state to be sensible,” Royal nodded toward where Tomás was helping their obviously drunk sister into her wagon.

“Damn, where does he keep getting that stuff?” Oblivious to his brothers’ amusement, Cole strode off to intercept Tomás. “Tomás!"

"Ay de mi,"
Tomás sighed dramatically as he faced a scowling Cole backed up by his two chuckling brothers.

“Where the hell do you keep getting this stuff?"

“This stuff?” Tomás looked at his well-drained tequila bottle innocently.

“Yes, that stuff.” Cole failed to completely hide his amusement.

“An angel.
Sí,"
Tomás stressed when Cole groaned in disgust and the others started to laugh. “She looked down and saw that I was feeling very dry and
foof,
she sent this to clear away the dust in my throat. I think I should tell the church of this miracle."

The nonsense and argument that followed kept Royal from seeing Oro until he was already settled in his bedroll. He decided that the matter of his sister's tangled lovelife could wait until morning. Leaving Cole and Tomás to their never-ending dispute over the younger man's drinking on a drive, Royal settled down on his own sleeping roll and found that for the first time in too many weeks he had no trouble at all in falling asleep.

When Patricia woke up the next morning and found Antonie watching her closely, she groaned, “I'm dying. Tomás poisoned me."

Helping the white-faced girl from the wagon, Antonie scolded, “You should have known tequila was not a drink for you, a girl who has a little glass of sherry now and again. Now you pay for your foolishness, eh?"

Reaching the water barrel, Antonie deemed it clean enough and casually shoved Patricia's face into the cool water. The screeches of protest Patricia made were cut off by the water, and Antonie easily controlled the girl's struggles with a firm grip on Patricia's wrists and hair. By the third ducking, Patricia's brothers had arrived. Antonie decided that Patricia had had enough by then and released the girl.

“Might one ask what you're doing?” Royal asked with a false casualness.

“She's trying to drown me,” Patricia gasped as she sank down to sit on the ground.

“I was clearing her head of the tequila.” Antonie frowned at her dripping patient. “I do not think it helped."

“No, it didn't help,” Patricia muttered, her head in her hands. “I'm still dying, but now I'm doing it wide-awake and soaking wet.” She spared a bloodshot glare for her laughing audience. “It isn't funny. God, I'm sure Tomás poisoned me."

“Where is Tomás?"

Hearing the unspoken retribution in Antonie's voice, Royal answered not quite truthfully, “I don't know. Want some coffee, Pattie?"

“I'll get it,” Justin offered when his sister groaned in the affirmative.

“You should have something to eat as well,
muchacha,"
suggested Antonie. “It will help."

“How can eating help when the mere mention of food is killing me?” Patricia wailed, rubbing her throbbing temples.

“It will pass. Then you eat. Now you can lie back down in the back of the wagon while I drive, eh? That may help.” She shook her head as Patricia made her unsteady way back inside the wagon.

“I think Oro will drive the wagon today.” Royal saw but ignored the way that young man, lurking off to the side, suddenly stiffened. “I don't think he ought to be on a horse, not with that head wound. You can ride up with me, Antonie."

“But it is my job to be with your sister,” Antonie protested, trying to save Oro from such a trying situation.

“Not today.” He took her by the arm and paused before Oro, looking at the younger man in a way he hoped would convey what he meant without getting too exact. “The wagon is the best place for Oro."

Oro's eyes widened slightly. “Are you sure this is what you want?"

“What I want has nothing to do with it, but I do trust you like a brother."

“Yours or hers,
gringo?"
Oro rasped quietly.

“Why, mine, of course,” Royal answered in a low voice. “Pattie neither needs nor wants another brother. Come on, Toni."

“What was that all about?” she hissed as they walked away from the wagon and Oro. “It would be better for me to drive the wagon."

“Can't Oro handle a team?” Royal winked at a grinning Cole when Antonie swore in exasperation.

“You know what I speak of,
gringo.
Do not play stupid with me.” She tried to dig in her heels but he dragged her along. A brief glare at a chuckling Cole who walked behind them did nothing to dim that man's amusement.

“I wouldn't even try. I thought I was giving everyone what they wanted. Saddle up, sweets."

“I am not your sweets.” She began to saddle her horse. “He is Mexican."

“I noticed. I've nothing against Mexicans."

“He has Yaqui blood in his veins.” She sent him a narrow-eyed look but saw no flicker of doubt or distaste.

“Well, as long as he's not dripping it on my carpets or my boots, I don't care what kind of blood he has. That is, of course, assuming his intentions are honorable,” Royal said quietly, but his gaze pinned Antonie to the spot demanding the truth.

“If they were not,
gringo,"
she swung up into her saddle, “he would have had her by now.” Not waiting for a response, Antonie spurred her horse toward the herd.

“I think she's probably right,” Cole said as she rode off. “The girls at the saloon were reduced to hair pulling over him."

“The saloon? That explains Pattie's mood of late. That and Antonie.” He mounted and stared in the direction Antonie had gone. “Where'd that little blond witch go?"

“Maybe you ought to hold back for a bit."

“Why? The truth is out now."

“Yes, but you didn't accept it from her lips,” Cole reminded him.

“I guessed that something was up, that she hadn't been lying, just hiding something."

“I'd give myself some time to put that thought into a pretty speech,” Cole offered.

“To soothe ruffled feathers?” Royal asked.

“She deserves to have a few."

“A few, but she was not being completely truthful, was she?"

“No, but I can understand why. Oro's like a brother to her, remember."

“Yes, and the thing she was hiding could have caused a real messy stir-up."

“No doubt about it, Royal.” Cole frowned, then shook his head. “The real sorry thing is that they had a right to think it could be downright dangerous if what was going on between Oro and Patricia was not only stopped, but hidden."

Royal nodded. “If I hadn't seen how badly they were hurting, I can't say I would've been too happy to find out about it."

“There will be trouble. Maybe a lot of it."

“I know. I wonder if Patricia is really aware of what she will be facing?"

“Think what they feel is strong enough to survive it all?"

“With Oro, yes. Patricia? I'm not so sure.” Royal finally spotted Antonie riding with Tomás and cursed softly. “Of course, I could've done without the matched set.” He ignored Cole's hearty laughter.

Antonie glanced over her shoulder and saw Royal watching her. She wished she could guess what he was thinking. He did not really seem to be angry, but she was sure that he would not be pleased about the deception she had been involved in, no matter how well he understood or sympathized with her reasons. He was not a man who tolerated games well. She decided to stay close to Tomás in the cowardly hope of putting off any immediate confrontation.

“Ah, Oro finally got up the courage to speak,” Tomás said as they prepared to stop for a noon rest.

“Considering the shape your brand of sympathy left her in,” Antonie drawled as she dismounted and reached for her canteen, “she has probably only just become able to be talked to."

Doing the same as she, Tomás said sweetly,
"Querida,
I was only trying to take the sadness from her eyes for a little while."

“It worked. Those eyes were no longer sad, only bloodshot."

Tomás laughed softly. “She has no stomach for the drink. You know what would be sad?"

“What?"

“If Oro discovers that he succeeded in driving the little
chica
away."

“You can take that worried frown from your face,
amigo.
The girl is very stubborn. She has stuck like a burr."

“Good. It would be bad if, when he is so close, he finds he has lost her."

“Very bad. She will need some pretty words though. He has hurt her. We have hurt her,” Antonie said.

"Sí.
Words and loving. Oro does not know it, I think, but he is good with both."

“Now what do you frown about?” she asked in teasing exasperation when he scowled.

“Oro will now settle down. He will have a wife, a bit of land, and babies to raise, eh?"

“You do not really think he could put you aside, do you, Tomás?” she asked gently. “You are more than brothers."

"Sí,
I know this. It is jealousy, I am thinking. I am surprised. I was not expecting this to happen."

“I think we were unfair to these Bancrofts."

“A little,
sí.
But,
querida,
they will understand. Maybe they surprise themselves by being so fair."

“True. It is nice. Very nice. To them it is more important that people be happy, that the hurting has stopped."

“I hope the hurting has stopped,
chica.
I hope the little girl Oro has set his heart on has the strength to keep loving him when the poison starts. And it will. There will be trouble. The Anglos won't like this."

“The Bancrofts are a power in that area. That will help. They have said
sí
to the match and will support it,” Antonie added.

“It will need support. Maybe a lot of it."

Antonie was very afraid that he was right. With marriage to Patricia, Oro would get a nice little piece of land right in the middle of all those Anglos. They were not going to like that. The few Mexicans who had managed to cling to some land from the time when Mexico had ruled Texas, found it hard. A lot of people felt that Texas should only be for the Anglos.

She saw Royal making his way toward her, and knew she would not be able to mount her horse and get away without looking like a scared rabbit. She cursed and glancing at a rapidly mounting Tomás, scowled. He was deserting her. If there was any sort of confrontation coming, Tomás clearly wanted no part of it. Antonie vowed that she would think of some suitable revenge for Tomás's desertion. Just as Royal reached her, she mounted her horse in a somewhat frantic attempt to put at least a little distance between them and give her some option for escape if things became too tense.

Royal eyed her warily. She was looking very defensive, as if she expected a fight and had already made her plans on how to handle it. Things would not be settled just yet. He could see that clearly. Nevertheless, he felt a need to speak to her about the matter, perhaps even put the first real chink in the wall that had sprung up between them.