Dorothy Garlock (20 page)

Johanna barely managed to check the urge to lift the pan of water and fling it at him. Her next impulse was to weep. She chose to do neither. She laughed, insultingly, and continued washing the dishes.

When he turned and went out the door, she took her hands from the water and held the sides of her head as if to squeeze him and what he had said from her mind. On no account must she let him suspect that he held such a powerful sway over her emotions. She also knew that marrying him was out of the question no matter the alternative. The feud between old Mack and his sons was not of her making, and she would not feel the least bit guilty if, by her leaving, it erupted into bloodshed. She and Jacy would go to El Paso, and if she couldn’t get a teaching job she would take another singing job in a saloon. It would be far more pleasant than staying on here.

Damn, damn, damn him!
she thought.
I wish to God we had never come to this godforsaken place.

*  *  *

Burr was waiting for her on the back porch. A tremor shook her when she saw him, and she blinked nervously. His hand came out of the semidarkness and his fingers closed around her wrist, where she allowed it to stay rather than uncurtain the wild panic she felt at his touch. When she neither spoke nor moved, he slid his hand up her arm and gripped it with warm fingers. His touch evoked turmoil within her. She longed to jump away from him, but her limbs were stiff and unresponsive.

“Don’t do anything to spoil my brother’s happiness.”

In the dark stillness that enclosed them, the statement moved sluggishly through her mind even as she battled the violent storm that pounded inside her, threatening to accelerate beyond control. She had to do something. She tried to pull free of him, and with all the coolness she could command said, “Don’t . . . don’t touch me!”

Instead of loosening his grip he moved forward to imprison her other arm and pull her against him. He loomed over her, so close she could feel his heart, a great dynamo of power, hammering against hers. She rallied her panic-stricken wits around her and looked him full in the face.

“Release me, please,” she said with deliberate sweetness. “Luis and Jacy are waiting for me, and I suspect Isabella is waiting for you.”

The grip on her arms tightened. She rejoiced because she knew she had provoked him to anger. After a tense moment the hands on her arms relaxed and his anger gave way to amusement. He chuckled, and his warm breath hit her face in little spurts.

“You
are
a shrew, Johanna, but then I never did like a tame horse.” He moved his face closer to hers. “Do you expect me to be flattered because you’re jealous of little Isabella?”

“I don’t expect anything of you, Mr. Macklin. Now, if you don’t mind,” she said, carefully blending a touch of sarcasm into her words, “Luis and Jacy are waiting for me. I would like to continue on, or else go to my room.”

“
We
will continue on and meet Luis and Jacy.”

The trail he took inclined toward the cliff and the spring. Johanna bit her bottom lip in agitation as she stumbled along beside him, his hand so firm on her arm that it felt as if it had grown there. The evening was warm and alive with the soft music of cicadas and crickets. The moon, dim behind a wayward cloud, shed a pale light on the hard-packed earth. To her right a bluff of sheer rock rose darkly into the night; to her left and ahead, screening the spring, was a tangle of willows and junipers. The cloud passed, and ahead in the bright moonlight she could see Jacy and Luis standing so close that their shadows fused.

The intimacy of the image they made caused Johanna’s heart to plunge, and Burr’s words came back to stab at her, their implications sending a quiver through her body. A thin spear of moonlight slanting through the trees beamed on her sister’s glowing face. Even while Johanna watched, Jacy tilted her face up as Luis whispered to her, then turned to look down the path.

“Johanna, Johanna!” Jacy would have run to her, but Luis kept a firm hold on her hand and pulled her back against him.

“Hush, hush,” he scolded gently. “The telling shall come from me.”

“Jaceta,” Burr said, using the Spanish name with a teasing note in his voice. “I’ve brought your waspish sister to you. She’s all wound up and ready to sting someone.”

“I haven’t seen you all day.” Johanna finally found her voice and with it a new desire to be free of the hand clamped to her arm. She tried to move away without forcefully yanking her arm, but the grip tightened, and to her annoyance Burr drew her closer to him.

“Jaceta has been with me, señorita,” Luis said. “We have been spending much time together and know we wish to spend all our lifetime with each other. You are the family of my beloved, and I ask your blessing.”

The strength seemed to drain out of Johanna and her usually straight shoulders slumped. Her mouth suddenly went dry and she felt sick. Luis’s words had wiped away all her plans for leaving the valley. Her head whirled giddily. Event had piled upon event until she was sunk in a welter of confusion. For the first time in her life she stammered.

“Ja-cy?” she said hoarsely. “Are you . . . sure th-this is what you want? You don’t really know him.”

“I know I love him, Johanna. I loved him even before we reached the valley, and I think loving him saved my sanity. Please say it’s all right.”

“I only want what’s best for you.” A tremor shook Johanna’s voice. “It isn’t for me to say what’s right for you. I can only advise you to think carefully before you decide to spend the rest of your life here.”

“I’ve decided. Please be happy for me,” Jacy pleaded.

“Of course I’m happy for you, darling.” Burr had released Johanna’s arm at some time during the conversation, though she couldn’t have said when. Free to move now, she put her arms around Jacy, and their tears mingled as they held each other close.

“Señorita,” Luis said when they parted, “I know of your concern for your sister. She and the tiny
niño
will be my concern. I will care for the babe as if it were my own. Indeed, it is already dear to me, for without it Jaceta might never have come to the valley.”

“Thank you for telling me that. I’ve cared for Jacy for so long it’s going to be difficult for me to let go and allow someone else to do it.” Johanna spoke evenly, trying to keep her anguish out of her voice.

“Our home will be yours.” Luis spoke sincerely and drew Jacy back into his embrace as if reluctant to have her away from him.

“That’s kind of you, Luis, but I have my work with Mr. Macklin. I’ll not leave the valley until my six months are completed. After that, there will be any number of teaching jobs I can choose from. You and Jacy are not to worry about my future.”

“You’d leave here?” Jacy cried.

“Hell no, she won’t leave!” Burr’s voice boomed in the quiet night. He reached out and took Johanna’s two arms and almost hauled her off her feet as he pulled her back against his chest. “She’s gonna marry me, Jaceta. What’a you think of that?”

“Johanna?”

The question in Jacy’s voice coupled with Burr’s presumptuous announcement inflamed Johanna. “I’m not marrying Burr Macklin, Jacy. I haven’t completely lost my mind!”

To add to her irritation, Burr laughed and nudged the side of her face with his chin.

“Yes, she will,” he chortled confidently. “I’ve made up my mind I’m going to have this woman for my wife. She’s willful, balky, and pig-headed, but she’ll do nicely once I’ve broke her to halter.”

Johanna stood still and allowed his words to wash over her. He was doing his utmost to anger her into making a fool of herself. She was not going to allow that to happen. Only when the soft sound of Jacy’s giggle reached her ears did she feel hurt. Instead of being indignant with him for his insulting words, her sister had laughed with him . . . at her. Tears sprang to her eyes and she lowered her lids, hoping that in the dim light they wouldn’t be noticed. Luis saw the trembling lips and realized how distraught she was. He turned the attention to himself and Jacy.

“Jaceta and I wish to marry as soon as possible, Burr. I am thinking of sending Paco and Carlos over the mountain to bring the
padre.
I would take Jaceta to him, but the trip may do her harm at this time.”

“Have a couple of good men ride with them. The
padre
may hesitate to come. It’s a good idea to bring him here—he’ll have much to do. You can wed Jaceta and I’ll wed her waspy sister—if I have to hog-tie her to do it.” He laughed. “The
padre
can say a few words over the ones that died since he was here last, and who knows, we may have a few fresh ones for him before he’s ready to leave.”

“I hesitate to speak of this, señorita,” Luis said to Johanna, “but I must. In the week or more it will take for the
padre
to come, I wish my
novia
to stay with Red and Rosita. I have asked them to do me the honor of caring for her until I can take her to my hacienda.”

Johanna felt the hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach expand to include her heart. She was losing everything so fast! She looked from Jacy to Luis and finally said with a slight quiver in her voice, “She can stay with me at night and go to Rosita during the day.”

“If Jaceta wishes.” Luis ran his hand caressingly over the top of Jacy’s head and down over her hair, which hung loose to her waist.

He really loves her,
Johanna thought.
He’s not in the least hesitant to show his love in front of his brother. He looks at her as though she were the most precious thing in the world. I’m glad for her, but oh, God, how I’ll miss her!

She shook herself mentally. This is what she had hoped for, prayed for—a man to love Jacy in spite of the cruel thing that had happened to her. It had just come so suddenly, and so soon, that she wasn’t prepared for it.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and she didn’t know why she said it.

“We’ll go on back and leave you two lovers alone,” Burr said and pulled Johanna around. “You coming, Luis? Don’t make it too soon, I want to do some sparkin’ of my own.”

“I’ll bring Jaceta shortly, señorita.”

Walking beside Burr, Johanna was hardly aware of him. The grip on her arm had loosened, and now his hand merely guided her. Her thoughts were full of the events of the last half-hour and their implications. She was trapped—trapped in this valley as surely as if her foot were caught in a snare. She couldn’t leave Jacy now. Perhaps later, but not now. Meanwhile, she had old Mack and this younger version of him to contend with.

She stopped, shivering. It seemed as though her brain had refused to tell her feet what to do. Burr watched her but said nothing. When she became aware that she had stopped and was standing still she started to move on, but his hand stopped her.

“Luis loves her,” he said impatiently. “When Luis loves, it’s with all his heart, and it’s the same when he hates!” He took her by the shoulders and shook her, not roughly, but not gently. “He loves her,” he repeated. He waited, but when she didn’t answer, he continued, “What more do you want for her? Luis is a
good
man. He’ll take care of her. Believe me, no harm will come to her while Luis lives. He and Ben are the best men I know.” His voice was sincere and had almost the same tone he used when talking to Bucko.

Thinking of Bucko, a new wave of anger stormed through her and her hurt feelings took refuge behind it. She twisted out of his grasp and faced him like a spitting cat.

“You’ve got a nerve! Telling Jacy I’m going to marry you. Do you think I’m stupid enough to sentence myself to a life of hell with you? I’d rather die!”

“You’d rather die than wed a bastard! Go on, say it. Say what you mean.” He yanked her up close to him and barked the words in her face. “You’d rather die? How about your sister? You wed me or that old devil will sell to Risewick and this valley will flow with blood. She could very well die here right along with her babe, Luis, and Ben. Do you want that on your conscience?”

Involuntarily she recoiled from his cold, reasoned planning. Wildly, she said, “Conscience! You Macklins don’t know the meaning of the word! What about Bucko? Do you have Bucko on your conscience? How many more children in this valley have blue eyes? And you have the gall to think I’d marry
you
?” she sneered. “I’m telling you, Mr. Macklin, I want more out of life than to be a brood mare to satisfy a selfish, demanding, cruel old man and his equally selfish, demanding, cruel . . . offspring.” She couldn’t bring herself to form the word that came to her mind and was forced to substitute.

Burr’s hands slid up and around her soft throat, and for a brief second his strong fingers squeezed. His eyes were hooded as he peered down into her face and she knew that he was very angry.

She tried to swallow, found it impossible, and allowed her mouth to fill with saliva. She could feel the frantic clamor of her frightened heart even as some devil prodded her to goad him more.

“What about Isabella? What do you plan to do with her? Cast her out . . . after she produces another bastard?” She drew in a ragged breath. “You’re the lowest form of man. The kind I despise. The kind that should be . . .” His fingers tightened about her throat and choked off the words.

“So that’s what you think, eh?” For a long moment he looked down into the fragile white face. One slender hand came up and tried to pull his hands away from her throat. Realizing the futility of the gesture, she let it drop to her side. She stood quietly, her head tilted up, his thumbs beneath her chin supporting it. “Don’t think that your opinion of me matters in the least,” he said cruelly. “At this moment, all I’m concerned with is what I want.”

Abruptly his arms were around her and she felt another rush of panic as they tightened their hold, until she was crushed against him so hard that she could feel every tense muscle in his body throbbing. His mouth was hard and angry, and she had time to make only a small murmur before his lips cut off both breath and sound. Moon and sky were blotted out by his dark, angry face as he swooped down on her trembling mouth and besieged it with all the fire and passion he had inherited from his lusty forebears. His kisses were not gentle and she suffered numbly, too shocked to protest. Later, she tried to turn her mouth away, but he would not be thwarted and held her prisoner by threading his lean fingers through the pale gold hair that tumbled down her back. His lips moved on hers, slowly at first, then hard and demanding. His tongue traced hotly the outline of her mouth before compelling her lips to open. Violently and ruthlessly he plundered her mouth until, defenseless, she could do nothing but drift helplessly upon the flood of emotions he had unleashed within her. She sagged against him, unable to stand.