Comanche Haven (The Loflin Legacy: Book 1) (20 page)

Flushed and with her breath coming
hard, Celia fisted her hands, pumping them at her sides once before
burying them in the folds of her day-dress. Why had she thought she
could trust him? Once more, she whirled on her heel and strode back
to the warmth of the fire.

“
Celia, if you’ll just let
me explain…I…”

Like a tomahawk, the hairbrush sailed
through the air.

Quick as lightening, he threw up a
forearm. His quick movement saved him from a blow between the eyes.
“Celia, Wait… I… I didn’t mean it like…” With his hands spread in a
plea for her to listen, he tried again. “If you’d just calm down a
damn minute, I could explain…”

A jar just missed nailing him, once
again.

“
Hey, wait a
minute…”

“
Just get out!” Celia’s eyes
blazed with fury. Her breath heaved in her chest.

Her breasts swelled with the effort and
Seth made the fatal mistake of stepping toward her.

Celia let out a war cry, her father
would have been proud of, and charged him holding a vase of
flowers. Hurling the vase at him, Celia punctuated her command with
an oath in Comanche.

***

All he could do was retreat. The impact
of the glass crashing against the door sounded like gunfire. He
heard glass raining down on the opposite side and winced. Standing
there alone in the hallway, while he cursed under his breath, Seth
felt the guilt mingled with embarrassment. He’d hurt her. It was
unintentional, but she didn’t know that.

An ugly little voice inside his head
reminded him of how she’d hurt him. It made him feel small to
realize, on some level, he’d wanted to hurt her – to cause her pain
like she’d caused him all those years ago. And yes, he’d been too
caught up in his own self-pity to even think of how she might have
felt.

It was the God’s truth. He’d only been
trying to keep her safe with the watch. If she’d only let him
explain. There had to be a logical explanation for the horses as
well. For some reason, the knowledge of whom she’d gone after and
why didn’t seem as important as it had earlier. With the image of a
snake’s belly wallowing in the sand, Seth retreated to the safety
of his room.

Chapter 6

Decisions

Seth had left her alone. She should
have been grateful, but it wore on her he’d had her watched. It was
simply how things were. Celia lifted her chin a fraction though and
stiffened her spin once more. She knew better than let her feelings
get in the way of her better judgment. Seth was a white man, a
rancher and the enemy of her people. She had to remember that. Even
though, he’d claimed there’d been no trouble between them, she knew
it was simply a matter if time, besides, he’d shown her true colors
hadn’t he? She ideally brushed the soft, velvet nose of the horse
she was working on.

Accepting Ty’s invitation to get
acquainted with the horses, Celia found the outlet she’d needed to
occupy herself with after the confrontation with Seth. Getting to
know the animals and the job Ty preformed with them kept her clear
of Seth for the most part.

Celia soon found herself lost in a mare
that needed her attention. The mare had an injury from an arrow.
The compress Celia mixed for the infection was doing wonders for
the fever and lethargic condition of the sorrel filly. Ty was
especially pleased with the results and told Celia so on her next
visit to the barn.

“
You’re a miracle worker,
Celia. I’ve never seen a horse rebound as quickly
before.”

“
My grandmother, Silver Fox,
showed me the combination of roots and herbs for an extraction
compound. I just followed her instructions.” With one hand on the
filly, Celia smiled at Ty. “Fever and infection soon lead to
parasites. If the infection gets in the blood stream, it can be
deadly.” She watched as the filly walked away. Her gat was
improving. “She seems to be doing much better. Did you notice how
alert her eyes are?” When the mare neared Celia and Ty once more,
she nuzzled Celia’s hand and sniffed.

“
Yeah.” Ty smiled knowingly.
“She’s looking for a treat.” Reaching out, he scratched the filly
on the nose before pulling an apple from his pocket and slicing off
a sliver with his knife. “I’m not exaggerating when I say, if it
hadn’t been for your skill in tending her wound, this mare wouldn’t
have made it.” He turned to her then. “Thank you, Little
One.”

Celia smiled. The first genuine smile
she’d offered anyone in several days. “I did what needed to be
done, is all. I thank you for allowing me to try.”

“
What can I do to repay you?
You name it.” Ty waited with a grin on his face and a tilt of his
young chin.

Celia didn’t hesitate. “I would like to
ride the mare when she is well enough. I’d like to help in the barn
as well. Maggie has everything under control inside the house and I
must admit I feel at loose ends without a
responsibility.”

Ty slapped the fence approvingly.
“You’re hired!” His youthful face fairly beamed. “I’d be grateful
to you for such an offer, but...” His quirked a brow and considered
Celia. “I seem to be the one coming out on top in this arrangement.
What do you think?”

“
I think riding the mare is
a perfect compensation.” His easy nature was infectious and Celia
couldn’t help but laugh. Ty’s company was so much more preferable
to Seth’s of late. Being part Choctaw had something to do with it,
Celia supposed. They shared a common social dilemma when it came to
dealing with prejudice. His long lanky body stretched in tawny
relief against the fence as Ty rested a booted foot on the bottom
rail. He never spoke of his mother, Running Deer, but Maggie had
told Celia about the raven-haired beauty Earl had bedded after
Seth’s maw had died. Celia glanced back at the mare.

“
You went to school too,
didn’t you, Ty?” She knew he had because Maggie had shared the
information with her, but she wanted to hear it from
him.

“
Yeah, I went to Savannah to
a college for young gentlemen.” Imitating a southern drawl, Ty
bowed low with his information.

Celia laughed and felt some of the
tension leave her body. It felt good to relax some. “I’ll bet you
had all the young ladies fawning over you.”

He cut her a glance and, to
his credit, Ty blushed a little. “There were times when I didn’t
have a problem filling a dance card.” He paused and glanced out at
the pasture beyond the fence. “It’s just that…” He dropped his head
a fraction. “Those young ladies had socially prominent parents who
found their daughter’s choice of a dance partner not to their
liking. If I
was
invited to Sunday dinner, it didn’t happen a second time.” His
self-deprecating smile came then.

Celia couldn’t help but reach out and
gently touch his shirt sleeve. She could feel so much empathy for
this young man and his struggle. “I know. It was the same for me.
The young men would want to dance with me and linger near me at the
parties, but I wasn’t welcome more than once at the family socials.
When their parents got a look at me, there was a lot of whispering
and frowning.” She laughed thinly. “Then there was the fact the
boys thought I would be so grateful for their attentions, I would
willingly fall into their arms and answer all their desires.” She
glanced sideways at Ty who stood with his head resting in his
crossed arms atop the fence rail as he listened. “I had to make a
point, a time or two, before word got around I wasn’t easy.” Celia
rested her own hands on the top rail of the fence and dropped her
head.

“
Still, I bet you were the
envy of every girl in school,” Ty said.

His sincerity made Celia feel good
though she was reminded of the school-girls cruelty with his words.
She caught herself shaking her head in denial. “Not really, but
it’s sweet of you to speculate on my behalf.” Looking up then, she
caught the quick glimmer of admiration in his dark eyes.

“
You’re beautiful, Celia.
Don’t let anybody ever make you second guess yourself or your
abilities, okay?” He’d reached out as he made the statement and
took her by the chin, turning her to face him directly. With
surprising tenderness, Ty leaned over and kissed her on the
cheek.

A clearing of the throat behind them,
had them both jumping.

“
Seth! Brother, don’t sneak
up like that. You scared the crap out of me.” Ty stepped back and
purposely stepped in front of Celia.

She was grateful for the moment to
regain her composure. Turning effortlessly, she bent from the waist
and hiked a leg, before slipping through the board slats on the
fence and out into the pasture with the horses. She needed the
distance from Seth. The look of displeasure in his eyes at finding
them there grated on her nerves. Thinking of how restless she’d
been over the last few days only frustrated her further. Unable to
learn anything further about her father’s killers had her irritated
at having to be patient. It wasn’t her long-suit.

Celia walked further away from the
fence and ignored Seth who took up a position on the rail. She
continued to watch the mother and her colt. Her senses were on
alert though. Trying her best to ignore the man behind her, she
considered the possibility Red Bear had been the one to steal the
horses and kill the cattle. It didn’t sound logical for her cousin
to kill what he could have readily stolen to provide food for The
People. Considering the possibility, she wanted facts. Then an idea
came to her. She brightened as her stride took on a purpose.
Circling back, Celia intentionally ignored Seth and Ty as she
headed for the house and Maggie’s kitchen.

Maggie said they would be going into
town shortly to restock and had suggested she come along. Celia
considered how she would go about contacting the Sheriff herself to
find out exactly what he knew.

***

A scowl creased his features as Seth
rested a booted foot on the fence rail. “The sorrel mare looks like
she’s gonna make it,” he said, eyeing the horse.

“
Yeah,” Ty agreed, “We’ve
got Celia to thank for that. The lady has a knack for this sort of
thing.” Ty glanced from his brother’s profile, as Seth watched the
horses and Celia then back to the mare. “Given the opportunity, I’d
say Miss Celia could work wonders with some of the horses. That’s
what I intend to let her do – work wonders.” Ty propped a hip on
the fence rail and glanced over his shoulder toward
Celia.

From the cover of his Stetson, Seth’s
gaze followed his brother’s. He watched her as she bent to pick
wild flowers. Seth half-heartedly asked, “Doing what?”

“
Working with the horses,”
Ty clarified. “Their numbers have grown to the point I need someone
with a careful eye to detail and knowledge about illness and
ailments. Doc Warren is good but he’s over thirty miles away. It
could be too late for a colt with a wrapped cord for instance.
Celia has agreed to help me and in turn I’ve agreed to let her have
the sorrel mare.”

“
Is that right?” Seth
drawled. His eyes never left the pasture. She walked between the
buckskin and the mare she’d used to slip out and meet Red Bear on.
“That’s mighty generous of you, little brother.”

As he watched her, Seth swore she
stepped in time with the horses. Or did the horses step in time
with her? Seth growled low. He hadn’t been sleeping well, despite
the whiskey. An old memory of how she’d impressed him with her
horse skills that long ago summer surfaced unbidden. So fluid and
effortless, she’d always ridden bare-back when they would meet in
the thickets near the creek. Seth felt the soundless chuckle bubble
up from down deep. He’d have to admit, he’d always thought she rode
as well as most men.

Absently, Seth rubbed at the nagging
ache in his chest. Would she consider his opinion a compliment
coming from him, or would she somehow take it as critical? After
the other night in her room, Seth knew she’d see it as critical. He
knew she had her back up. Great! So did the Boss. No woman left him
the way she had all those years ago and got his attentions again.
He didn’t work that way. She was wrong and she knew it. There was
no sense getting all riled up over the watch. If she’d just given
him a minute, instead of going off like a hell-cat, he’d have
explained it to her.

“
I figure she’ll be able to
keep things running smooth. That’s worth a lot to me. Is there a
problem with that? Seth? Hey, where’d you go?”

“
What?” Seth faced Ty again
and blinked. “What did you say?”

“
I asked if there is a
problem with Celia tending the horses?”

“
No, none at all.” Seth
pursed his lips. His eyes squinted into slits as he gazed off into
the far side of the corral.
She was just
bullheaded.
When had that happened?
He wondered
.
Pushing off the fence, he turned without another
word and ambled back the way he’d come.

“
Wonder what’s got into
him?” Ty scratched his head.

“
I couldn’t say,” Celia
offered airily as she came back up behind him. “I want to thank you
for the opportunity, Ty. I’ll be out early tomorrow to get
started.”