Texas Proud (Vincente 2) (28 page)

No. Whit would never own one grain of dirt
from the Broken Spur. Not as long as she lived.

A chill wind blew out of the north, sweeping
across her face like cold fingers and making her
shiver from some unknown fear. At least the
weather had cooled down, she thought, a blessing
since the summer had been so unbearably hot.

She tried to think about all the wonderful years
she had lived with her family in this house, then
braced her back against an ornate post that supported the porch overhang, her mind stubbornly
returning to the troubles at hand. She had to find
a way to keep the ranch she just had to!

Noble groaned in his sleep, hugging his pillow to
him, his hand caressing it as if it were the woman
in his dream. He could feel her skin, smell her
sweetness, taste her lips.

"Rachel," he said softly, but she did not answer.
She slipped out of his arms, her mouth pouting as
she stood naked before him. "Let me hold you,
Rachel," he said with urgency.

She disappeared into a mist and he sat up in
bed, his eyes open, feeling the agony of his loss.

"Dammit!" He slid out of bed and moved to the
window. He should suffer; he deserved it, he told
himself. He'd committed the unpardonable by
taking Rachel's virginity. If she hated him for it,
who could blame her? He rubbed the back of his
neck and flexed his shoulders. His nerves were
raw, and he wanted her so damned badly, he
could think of little else.

"That woman is either going to kill me or cure
me," he said to himself "I think she'll kill me."

He watched the rising sun top the trees and
quickly dressed. His dream still occupied his
thoughts as he went downstairs and out the door.
At the stable, he saddled his horse and rode away, hoping to put Rachel out of his mind. What he
really wanted to do was ride over to the Broken
Spur, take Rachel in his arms and force her to
listen to him.

What could he say to her? "Your sister, Delia,
never meant anything to me." Oh, Rachel would
really fall into his arms if he said that.

It was early afternoon when Noble returned to the
ranch and noticed the wagon pulled up to the
house. He recognized Jess McVee, and suspected
that he'd be the recipient of more home-baked
desserts from Mrs. McVee.

He dismounted and strolled toward the house;
then he noticed the woman Jess lifted from the
wagon. She was slender and petite, and wore a
green gown and carried a matching parasol. The
parasol was held at an angle, which blocked his
view of her face. The woman definitely wasn't
Mrs. McVee, who was not nearly as slender or petite.

As Noble neared the wagon, Jess smiled. "I've
brought you a present," he said blithely. "You'll
like this one."

The woman turned toward Noble, and he
judged her to be less than twenty. She was blond,
elegant and beautiful. A stranger to him, and yet
there was something familiar

The young lady snapped her parasol shut and
held her arms out to him, "Is this all the welcome
I am to expect from my own brother?"

His heart opened up and a tide of feeling rushed
through him. She looked so like their mother, her
eyes huge and the same deep blue, her face the
same shape, the same dimples dancing on each
side of her mouth.

"Saber?"

She laughed and twirled around for his inspection. "It's I - all grown up." Then her face became
serious. "I've come home because we need each
other." She looked at him adoringly, the way she
had as a child. "At least I need you, Noble."

He crossed the distance that separated them
and enfolded her in his arms. "At last we are together. You don't know how much I..." He
laughed, and for the first time in many years, he
felt lighthearted. "The last of the Vincentes," he
said, sliding his arm about her slender waist and
guiding her toward the house. "Let's go inside to
get you out of the sun." Remembering his manners, he glanced over his shoulder. "Join us, Jess."

"No. The two of you need to be alone. I'll just
have some of your hands help me unload Miss Saber's belongings." Jess chuckled. "It appears she
brought the whole of Georgia with her."

"Did you travel alone?" Noble asked, with a
slight reprimand in his voice.

Saber Vincente peered up at her brother
through her thick lashes. "Yes. But don't scold me.
There's a good reason for it. Auntie wouldn't accompany me until next spring." She laid her head against his shoulder. "I couldn't wait that long to
see you."

His heart melted. "Well, you're here safely.
That's all that matters."

Once inside the house, Saber turned toward her
brother's arms. "I have missed you so desperately.
For so long I have wanted to come home, but our
father forbade it. Then when I got the letter that
he had died, I blamed myself for not being with
him."

Noble held her away from him, shocked that
she had experienced the same guilt he'd felt. "But
you shouldn't feel guilt, Saber. Our father knew
that he was dying and he wanted you safely away
from here."

Her eyes were brimming with tears. "I know,
but I wanted to be with him." She laid her head
on her brother's shoulder and found a measure of
comfort there. "I miss him so desperately."

Sorrow clouded Noble's vision, and his tone revealed his anguish when he said, "We have each
other."

Saber smiled through her tears. "Yes, my dearest brother, we do have each other."

Then he asked, "Was it hard on you-the war, I
mean? I know much of Georgia was devastated by
the Yankees."

"Yes." She pondered his question. "They burned
the plantation house, so I was forced to live in the
overseer's cabin with Great-aunt Ellen. Everything was destroyed. All the beautiful furniture Grandfather had purchased in France. The paintings-everything."

"I am so sorry for what you suffered." Noble
drew his sister protectively into his arms.

"It was horrible at the time. But I never intended to live in Georgia. I'm Texas born and bred,
and Texas is in my blood as it is in yours." She
removed her lace gloves and placed them on the
hall table and went back into his arms. "However,
I do grieve that the Yankees burned the house
where our mother was born and raised."

"Yes, I know," he said, his chin resting on the
top of her head. "So Texas is in your blood, is it?"
He could remember how he'd felt when he came
home to find this house in shambles. "All things
change," he said lightly. He held her away from
him. "And you have changed from a child to a
beautiful young lady."

Saber made a face at him and gave him a mischievous glance. "I was always a lady. But you say
I am beautiful. Now that is what a woman likes to
hear even from her brother." She stood back and
looked at him musingly. "I'll wager the ladies can't
resist you."

He arched an eyebrow. "One of them manages
to."

She laid her hand on his shoulder. "Well, this
lady loves you, Noble."

He kissed her smooth forehead. "Welcome
home, little sister."

There was a great celebration at Casa del Sol as
the vaqueros and their families gathered to welcome Senorita Saber home. There was much happiness, and food was served in abundance. After
eating, everyone gathered to celebrate the homecoming of a Vincente. The night was filled with
the sound of Spanish guitars and the tapping
shoes of the dancers, who whirled about in their
colorful costumes.

Saber tapped her foot and then rose out of her
chair to join the dancers. She was graceful and
lovely as she clapped her hands and whirled to the
Spanish dance she'd learned as a child.

Noble soon joined the dancers. His feet tapping
out the rhythm, he wove gracefully among the
other dancers. The shadows of loneliness had
lifted, but not all the way.

After the revelers had gone to their own quarters, Saber linked her arm through her brother's.
"What's wrong?" she asked, sensitive to his mood.

"Nothing," he answered, smiling down at her. "I
was just thinking how Mother and Father would
have enjoyed tonight."

"That's not all you were thinking." Saber's gaze
fastened on his. "Who is the woman who makes
you so melancholy?"

Noble gave her a half smile. "Am I that transparent?"

"To me you are," Saber replied kindly, placing
her hand on his. "Who is she, Noble? Do you love
her very much?"

"It's not worth talking about. And I wouldn't say
I love her. I admire and respect her, and I owe
her." He was reluctant to speak of Rachel, even to
his sister. "She has good reason to hate me, so no
fault can be laid at her door."

"Then you must be speaking of Rachel Rutledge."

He looked amazed. "How did you guess?"

"Because she believes that you killed her father."

"She knows I didn't now."

Saber looked puzzled. "And yet she still will not
have you. I do not understand." Then her eyes became teasing. "You must be the foremost catch in
all Texas. How can anyone resist you?"

"Let's not talk about me. Tell me about yourself.
How many young Georgian gentlemen are going
to come rushing to Texas to ask me for your hand
in marriage?"

She blushed prettily. "He's not from Georgia."

"So am I to lose you so soon after we have been
reunited?"

"No. At least not right away. Matthew is to be
transferred to Montana Territory. He wants to be
established before he sends for me."

"He's a soldier?"

"Yes. He's Major Matthew Halloway."

Noble guided her into the parlor and seated her
beside him on the light blue sofa. "Tell me about
him."

She studied the tips of her black kid slippers. "He's a Yankee." She raised her searching gaze to
his. "Do you mind?"

"Not if you love him, and he loves you."

She looked relieved. "I've been so afraid to tell
you about Matt because I didn't know how you'd
take it. He was afraid too that you would hold it
against him that he fought for the North."

"Saber," he said, taking her small hand in his,
"I believe I can say with assurance that Father
would ask if the man loved you and if he was honorable. After that, he wouldn't dwell on the man's
politics, and neither will I.All I want is for you to
be happy."

He kissed her cheek and she threw her arms
around his neck.

"Will he make you happy, Saber? And is he honorable?"

"Oh, yes. He's wonderful! He wants to come to
Texas to meet you, if you will allow it."

"Allow it? As your legal guardian, I insist on it.
I will see this Yankee for myself." Noble stood,
bringing Saber up beside him. "Now it's off to bed
with you. I'm sure you are exhausted. We'll talk
more tomorrow."

"Will you tell me about Rachel?"

"I've already told you about her."

"You say that you don't love her, and yet you
have all the symptoms of a man in love."

He tweaked Saber's pert little nose. "And just
how would you know about what a man feels for
a woman?"

She smiled. "A woman is born knowing. We all
have the gift. Didn't you know?"

"God help me, I hope one woman I know can't
read men as well as you say. Although I'm sure
she can."

"Why should that worry you?" Saber looked inquiringly at her brother.

"You seem to have all the answers. Perhaps I
should ask your advice before I go courting."

"You could do worse," she said, smiling. Then
she became more serious. "I always liked Rachel,
Noble."

"I like her too. But if she didn't hate me enough
before, she will now."

"What did you do?"

Noble shook his head. "Interfered in her life.
Paid most of her taxes, although I took pains to
cover that up. It won't take her long to understand
what I did, though. And you can take this for the
truth it wouldn't be unlike her to come gunning
for me." He laughed when his sister's face became
serious. "Don't worry; she wouldn't actually shoot
me - I don't think."

"If you and Rachel are meant to be together, it
will happen, Noble."

"Perhaps."

She yawned and he steered her toward the
stairs.

"To bed with you."

She nodded and walked away from him, turning at the first step. "It's good to be home."

"You can't know what it means to me to have
you back here. It's been lonesome without you."

She gave him the devilish smile that he remembered so well from her childhood. "You need me
to put your house in order. Tomorrow I'll begin to
rearrange every room. This house needs a
woman's touch."

"I'll be glad to leave it all in your capable hands.
But I want it to look much as it once did, if that's
possible."

"I know. Me too."

He was leaning on the stair post and she was
halfway up the stairs. "Good night, Saber. Sleep
well."

She blew him a kiss. "Night."

After she had disappeared into her bedroom,
Noble walked outside and glanced up at the sky.
Something wild and wonderful was stirring
within him. The river called him. He wanted to
get on his horse and ride as fast as he could to see
if Rachel was waiting for him there, but he knew
she wouldn't be.

He went to his bedroom and lay down without
undressing. He would embrace sleep, because
perhaps he would dream of Rachel again. Perhaps
he could hold her, kiss her, make love to her, even
if it was only a dream.

Soon his eyes closed, and visions of Rachel
whirled through his head. Her arms were outstretched, and the proud, haughty beauty belonged to him alone.

At least in the softness of the velvet night.