Hannah Howell (29 page)

“What's between Antonie and me is none of your concern."

“None of my concern? How can you say that? Oh, it's my fault, I suppose. A man has needs and I ignored yours, but I've been raised to believe that a lady suppresses such needs until she is married. I did not mean for it to drive you into the arms of another woman."

“I wasn't driven.” He could not shake the feeling that he was watching a very good performance.

“Lured then. The fault is mine, but I am willing to correct that error."

Even as she reached for him and he readied himself to elude her, Cole strode up to them. “The newlyweds are getting itchy."

“Delicately put,” Royal said, stepping away from Marilyn and closer to Cole, ignoring his brother's amused glance.

“We better tell them what we planned for them,” Cole said.

“Hell, yes. Let's get going.” He was relieved when Cole neatly cut off Marilyn's attempt to put her arm through Royal's.

“What have you got planned?” Marilyn asked, irritation in her voice as Cole escorted her inside.

“You'll see,” Royal answered a little distractedly as he spotted Antonie and headed straight for her, outdistancing Cole and Marilyn.

Antonie had seen Marilyn and Royal leave the room. Every moment they were gone felt like an hour to her. All she could think of was how she had challenged Marilyn and wonder if she had taken up the challenge. She waited, terrified that once Marilyn offered Royal more than passionless kisses, he would find that he no longer needed her. Anger also ate at her, an anger caused by his desertion before so many witnesses.

Those feelings were only eased slightly when he returned, with Cole escorting Marilyn. Antonie quickly reasoned that Cole might have simply interrupted things. Yet the harried look on Royal's face soothed her. It was hardly the look of a man impassioned or contemplating something enjoyable. She tensed when he reached her and linked her arm through his, holding her close to his side.

“You're staying right here all night,” he hissed.

“What?” Antonie croaked and watched him glance at Marilyn as if she were some frightful thing ready to spring at him.

“I'll explain later. Just stay close."

“You mean like protection?"

“God, yes. Come on. Cole said he thinks it's time to spring our little surprise on the newlyweds."

Clearly showing their confusion, Oro and Patricia allowed themselves to be urged outside where a berib-boned buggy awaited them. A grinning Maria put a food basket and a small bag of clothes in the buggy. The guests piled into wagons or on their horses and Antonie found herself mounted in front of Royal as he led the gay entourage.

The group stopped before a small hut that served as a way station for cowboys on the range. It was freshly painted with flowers strewn on the doorstep. A laughing Oro carried a blushing Patricia over the threshold to the crowd's cheer. Antonie helped Maria carry in the bags and smiled as she glanced around. She had known what was planned but had had little to do with the surprise, as she had kept Patricia too busy to find out about it.

Everything had been scrubbed clean. Pretty curtains decorated the windows and a lacy cloth covered the table where Antonie set the basket of food. A big, soft bed dominated the room and caused Patricia to blush. Laughing quietly, she kissed Oro, then Patricia, and helped Maria clear the cabin of teasing guests, closing the door after them.

When Royal swung her up onto the saddle and mounted behind her, she looked around at the guests starting back to the house and said quietly, “There is no need of this. Marilyn's gone."

“Gone?” Royal looked around and saw that the Collinses’ buggy was missing. “Odd."

“Perhaps they thought that celebrating the bedding was more tolerance than they could bear,” Antonie said absently, smiling as she glanced back at the hut and saw that the light in the windows had already dimmed. “Why the dog?” she asked when she saw
El Magnifico's
father tied by the step.

“Protection."

Tensing as she suddenly realized how isolated Patricia and Oro would be, she asked, “You think this is a good idea?"

“Maybe not, but a couple's wedding night ought to be private."

“And safe."

“Yes, I know. There's a double guard set out."

“I do not see them,” Antonie said, with worry lacing her voice.

“Neither will Oro, but they are there. It was a hard thing to decide on. I just thought they ought to have something a little special, something more than a room at the house. This was a compromise. Privacy, but a well-guarded one. Chance is a good watchdog, and I've put some of my best men on watch. If there is trouble, it will be quickly handled. Cole put enough guns and ammunition in the place to hold off an army."

He smiled ruefully as they reached the house. Helping Antonie dismount, he watched his guests pour back inside and he and Antonie followed them in. “I think it will be a while before the celebrating ends."

“You do not like celebrating?"

“I don't mind it, but there's something else I've got a hankering for."

Her face reddened as she read the look in his eyes, then laughed. “Jealous of Oro and Patricia, eh?"

“Damn right."

When a man approached them and began to talk about the trail drive, eager for information, Antonie left Royal's side. She walked over to where Tomás and Jed Thayer leaned against a wall. One look told her that they probably needed that wall to support them. She wondered how they had made it out of the honeymoon cabin and back without falling out of their saddles.

“I hope you two are not part of the night guard,” she said, smiling faintly.

“Nope,” Jed answered. “Out last night and Royal said Tomás ought to be free to celebrate well."

“He has done that all right,” Antonie said, amused.

Draping an arm around her shoulders, Tomás said, “I will need to find someone else to help you put me to bed."

“Maybe you could just stop celebrating so well."

“No, no,
chica.
Do you ask me to be a teeter-totter?” Laughing along with Jed, she said, “You mean a tee-totaller,
amigo."

“Strange language, this English."

“Even stranger when you speak it,” she added.

Seeing the way she kept looking out the window, Tomás said, “They will be all right, little one."

"Sí.
They probably will be. They are guarded and they have shelter. It is just,” she sighed and shook her head, “well, every step we take is known, and now we have set two of our own out there almost alone."

Tomás nodded. “There is a danger. We cannot ignore that. Ah, but,
chica,
it is their first night together. It is her first night, eh?” he said gently. “Something special was needed. This was a compromise. They are not safely here, but they are not all alone. Come, stop worrying and enjoy.” He grinned rakishly. “Oro is.” He laughed when she gave him a punitive nudge.

It was past midnight when Royal finally ushered out the last of his guests. Antonie was a little surprised that none of them had accepted his offer of a bed for the night. She wondered if, with all Royal's troubles, the people felt that they were as safe, perhaps even safer, traveling the dark roads as they would be at his ranch.

Glancing up the stairs, she grinned. Cole and Justin almost had Tomás to the top of the stairs. A crooked smile curved her mouth, for she understood some of the feelings which drove him to such overindulgence. He was happy for Oro, but he was also faced with a drastic change in what had been a unique brotherly relationship. Tomás was sensible enough to know that Oro and he would always be tied in a way few brothers could be, but now Patricia shared Oro's life.

“Alone at last,” Royal said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “You're looking very serious.” With his arm around her shoulders, he urged her up the stairs.

“I was just thinking of how Tomás must feel."

“A little jealous maybe."

"Sí.
A little."

“I've heard that twins can be close, closer than siblings usually are."

“Tomás and Oro are. They share feelings, thoughts, too. Each has always been the most important person in the other's life."

“I think you're pretty important to them."

“Ah,
sí,
but not in the same way.” She looked at him and smiled teasingly as he followed her into her room. “You still need guarding,
querido?"

“Don't laugh. I wasn't joking."

“No?” Antonie asked, smiling.

“No, I'll have you know I was almost raped, woman."

Even though there was a humorous note in his voice, Antonie could read panic in his eyes. She bit her lip, but it did no good. Bursting out laughing, she fell onto the bed. She knew some of her amusement stemmed from a release from the fear that he might be willing to accept Marilyn's overtures. It was, however, also simply funny to think that such a lean, virile man could be so upset by a beautiful woman's advances.

“Think it's funny, do you?"

Watching him advance toward her, she nodded.
"Sí.
Very funny. I thought you liked to be ravished."

“Only when I ask for it,” he said, as he sat down and tugged off his boots.

“I did not hear you cry out in alarm."

“It was a close thing,” he said, as he started to remove her shoes and stockings. “Is that what you'd do?"

“I do not know. I have never been ravished."

“Maybe we should try it and see."

Reaching up to unbutton his shirt, she purred, “What a good idea. How do you keep having such good ideas?"

“Inspiration,” he murmured against her mouth and proceeded, with her full cooperation, to prove that she did indeed cry out while being ravished, but not in alarm.

After they had fallen into a deep sleep, the sound of someone crashing into her room made Antonie wake up instantly, and she instinctively reached for her gun. She recognized Tomás immediately, but her eyes widened in surprise as a cursing Royal lit the lamp by the bed. Tomás was wild-eyed, yet looked fairly sober. He was also stark naked.

“We must go to Oro. Now."

“What is it, Tomás?” Antonie asked, slowly infected by his obvious alarm.

“There's trouble,
chica.
Bad trouble."

Even as Royal rose and pulled on his pants, Antonie slid out of bed to yank on her camisole and pantaloons. She could not be sure how much of Tomás's feeling was a true sixth sense and how much was some panicky delusion brought on by too much drink. Since she had been worried about Oro and Patricia when they had left the couple, she did not fully trust her own judgment.

“Tomás, you had a lot to drink tonight,” Royal said carefully.

"Sí.
Too much. But I am cold sober now."

“Are you sure?” Antonie asked quietly “You forgot to put your clothes on."

“What matter is that?” He grasped Antonie by the shoulders. “Oro is in trouble. I feel it. He is in trouble and he is hurt.” He gave her a little shake. “I can feel it and I saw it in my head. We must go."

“Maybe it was just a bad dream."

“I said that to myself, but it is no good."

“Look, there's men out there,” Royal reassured him. “If there was trouble, they'd tell us."

Even as he spoke the words, a commotion from downstairs froze Royal in place. He saw that it had the same effect on the others. Antonie felt a tremor go through Tomás and put a comforting hand on his arm. She knew he had had such feelings before, was more prone to them than Oro, but she was finding it hard to believe him. Inwardly grimacing, she admitted that she did not want to believe him. For all her worrying she did not want to think that Oro's and Patricia's wedding night could end in tragedy. She tensed as footsteps came pounding toward their room and suddenly Cole appeared in the doorway. He spared only one brief startled look at Tomás.

“There's someone attacking the cabin."

“Wait here,” Royal ordered Antonie when they came within earshot of the battle raging around the small honeymoon cabin. “You stay here with Justin."

“But, Royal,” Antonie began to protest, only to have her words stopped by a brief hard kiss.

“Please, for my own peace of mind. Stay back here."

There was something in his voice that held her in place despite her concern for Oro. He meant it when he spoke of his need for peace of mind. She knew he had no doubts about her ability to handle herself in times of danger, but he would still worry about her. Nodding, she watched him smile fleetingly, then ride off with the others. She was glad her wait was brief for, only a few moments later, Cole signaled that all was safe.

The moonlight illuminated the casualties, which appeared to have been all on the attackers’ side. As Antonie dismounted at the cabin, she felt her blood chill. The men standing around looked grim. When she stepped inside and saw that Patricia and Oro were not dead, that Oro was only wounded, she felt weak with relief. Then she felt concern for the wound in Oro's leg and for the terrified Patricia. She went to Patricia and enfolded the girl in a comforting hug.

“Justin, you go for the doctor,” Royal ordered, and the young man quickly obeyed.

“I told you, Toni,” Tomás said quietly. “I felt it."

"Sí,
you did, and I should not have doubted."

“However,” Royal added, “your words'll carry more weight if you remember to put your pants on next time."

Royal's gentle humor helped ease the tension. Antonie smiled faintly and Patricia gave a watery giggle.

“Lucky you saw them when you did,” Royal said as he and Tomás carried Oro out to the buggy.

“Luck had nothing to do with it. The dog was growling and I had to piss,” Oro ground out.

“I want to ride with Oro,” Patricia protested as Antonie started to lead her to Royal's horse.

“Royal and Tomás will take the buggy. You are too upset to drive it well and to watch that Oro does not slip out if he faints."

Realizing that mentioning Oro's welfare was the way to keep Patricia in hand, Antonie used that ploy again when they arrived at the house. Antonie persuaded Patricia to sit in the parlor and drink a brandy instead of rushing upstairs to hover over Oro. When the doctor arrived shortly after, Antonie was relieved. Patricia needed the reassurance that Oro was getting quick competent care. So did she, and she waited as tensely as Patricia for the doctor's prognosis.