Finding Promise (30 page)

There it was again, Jake thought. Promise wasn't the only one who felt indebted to him. “I would have done the same thing for anyone,” he replied, but Colt's words played in his mind. He reminded himself Promise had done the same thing for him.

Cole heard the change in Jake's tone and glanced at him. What was going on with his partner?

“Of course you would,” John said, not noting anything amiss in Jake's manner. “Nettie packed up enough grub to last you a while, and I've pulled out a couple of coats for both of you. You may not need them the closer you get to Mexico, but I have a feeling this snow is going to last awhile.”

“We were going to buy some warmer gear in Denver,” Jake said.

“Now you don't have to make the stop. You be careful on the trail. I wouldn't put it past Schott to still have his hand in whatever is going on. He's a slippery one, that's for sure.”

Jake and Cole stood and shook hands with John. Nettie hurried to them and gave them a hug. “You two come back safe and sound.”

“Yes, ma'am. When you write Promise . . .” What in the world made him say that? Jake had no idea what he'd been about to say, but he quickly improvised. “Tell her to quit worrying.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Promise sat down in the bedroom with Victoria and Colt to read aloud the letter from her aunt. Nettie wrote that Jake and Cole looked good considering they weren't dressed for such extreme conditions. When she reached the last line of the letter, Promise was surprised there was a message from Jake.
Jake told me to tell you to stop worrying
. He had told her many times on the way to Denver that she worried too much.

“That was nice of your aunt and uncle to fix them with provisions,” Colt said. “I didn't know they took off without proper supplies. They should have known better.”

“They weren't thinking,” Victoria replied. She reached out and latched on to her husband's hand. “I'm so sorry he won't be here for Christmas. I know you were looking forward to having both of them here this year.”

Colt squeezed her hand, appreciative that his wife knew him so well. “Well, we have Luke, and he has more than enough nonsense to make up for Jake not being here,” he said lightly, but deep down he was disappointed.

Victoria knew he would not rest easy until Jake and Cole were back at the ranch. She would never say this to him, but he reminded her of a mother hen that was never satisfied unless all of her chicks were under her wings. “We will have another Christmas dinner when they come back.”

Promise stopped thinking about Jake's personal message. “It makes me feel better knowing my aunt and uncle saw them before they left.”

“Me too,” Victoria said.

Colt figured Jake and Cole were probably in Mexico by now. He wished he could be with Jake to make sure he didn't get himself shot again. Life was short and unpredictable, and he wanted nothing more than his family with him.

In bed that night, Promise read her aunt's letter over and over, particularly the line about Jake's message to her. He hadn't bothered to even speak to her before he left, but now he wanted to give her a message. Well, too little, too late, she told herself. She tossed the letter aside and rolled over and hugged her pillow. The man was maddening, and she had to get him out of her head, and her heart, once and for all. She just wanted him to get home safe and sound. That was all she cared about.

 

 

Huddling around the fire, Jake and Cole were thankful for the warm clothing and extra blankets provided by John Hollister. And thanks to Nettie, they were eating a fine meal.

“I thought we were through with this life,” Cole said, referring to sleeping out on the cold ground while they chased killers.

“Yeah, I did too.” He wanted to be home for Christmas more than anything except catching Newcombe. He'd witnessed many horrible acts of violence that he knew would always remain with him, but seeing those poor, defenseless people on that wagon train, slaughtered, was a scene that would haunt him the rest of his life. Newcombe was going to hang for what he did. He also hated to think what Newcombe might have done to Promise if she hadn't pulled away from him and reached her gun in time.

“Jake, how come you got your dander up when Hollister said he was beholden to you for saving his niece?”

Of course, Cole would notice that. “I'm tired of people saying they're beholden to me.”

“By people, you mean Promise?”

Jake felt that Promise had only gone to the ranch because she felt she owed him for saving her life. “Promise, Charles, John Hollister. Nobody owes me anything.”

“That's not the reason she came to the ranch.”

Jake turned to look at him. Cole knew him well, and at times it was unnerving. “Sure it is. That may not have been her only motive—I know she wanted to spare her aunt and uncle problems—but she's blamed herself for everything that's happened.”

“She came to the ranch because she's crazy about you.”

Jake was in the process of taking a drink of coffee and that comment made him miss his mouth. “What? You're crazy!” The coffee drizzled down the front of his coat, and he pulled his bandanna out to wipe it off.

“Believe me, I wish she didn't feel that way about you. I would love to have a woman like her feel that way about me. Hell, every man on the ranch wants her.”

Jake knew that was true enough. “She's going to marry Charles, which is as it should be. They've lived the same kind of life, they know what's expected.”

“Damn, man, are you that blind?”

“What do you mean?”

“Promise doesn't love Charles.”

If she didn't love Charles, she was certainly spending every free moment with him for some reason. It seemed to Jake that she must have missed Charles. Maybe she just wanted to see if he would show his love by chasing her across country once she left South Carolina. “Promise needs to go back to South Carolina. She has a lot of responsibilities there, now that her brother is gone. Charles understands what needs to be done.”

Cole didn't know what to say to that. He just shook his head, and leaned over and placed more wood on the fire. Finally, he said, “Well, you can act like you don't care about her, but I know different.”

“I don't want to marry her, if that's what you're thinking.”

“You keep saying that, maybe one day you will convince yourself.”

“I'm not marrying anyone for a long time.”

Leaning back, Cole pulled his hat over his eyes. “And here I thought you wanted to ranch and start a family. What about the widow Mavis?”

Jake was glad the conversation moved away from Promise. “As I told you, she might not be a widow.”

“So, you're interested in her?”

“Hell no!”

“Then why in the hell would you go to her house for dinner?”

That was a question Jake couldn't answer. At the time he accepted the invitation, Promise had been surrounded by men at the picnic. He didn't know why he'd said yes, other than the fact that it was nice to have a woman paying attention to him. Now it seemed just plain stupid. He didn't want Mavis to get the wrong idea and think she might slip a noose around his neck.

Jake finished his coffee with his thoughts centered on Promise. The night he'd had to remove her wet clothes came to mind.
Church bells
, he had to stop going there! The mind was a funny thing, he mused; the things he didn't want to remember had a way of popping up at the most unexpected times. He didn't know why he couldn't get her out of his head. He wished he'd told her aunt to tell Promise . . . Darned if he knew what he wished he'd said. Reaching in his saddlebag, he pulled out a book that he'd noticed right after he left Wyoming. Obviously, Colt had tucked the book in there without his knowledge.
Shakespeare!
Maybe Cole was right, and quoting Shakespeare had helped Colt win Victoria. Well, Colt said Shakespeare was an insightful man, so he opened the book. That's what he needed right now, a little insight.

 

 

On the border of New Mexico, Jake and Cole stopped at an inn that was a stagecoach hub. In the past, they'd found the owner to be a good source of information because outlaws stopped here to load up on supplies. Their guess paid off; the owner of the inn had seen Newcombe two days prior, and confirmed he was headed to Mexico. They decided to spend the night at the inn to rest the horses. There were a few boarders at the inn, but Jake didn't recognize any of them as being outlaws, so they wouldn't be forced to sleep with one eye open.

When they sat down to have a bowl of stew, the owner walked to the door and looked out. “Rider coming in.” He picked up his rifle by the door and turned back to the guests. “It never hurts to be too careful. Stagecoach ain't due till tomorrow.”

Jake exchanged a glance with Cole and they pushed away from the table.

When the rider reined in, the owner of the inn walked to the porch.

“Amigo, it is not polite to greet your guest with a rifle in his face.”

Jake heard the voice. “That sounds like Rodriguez.”

“It sure does,” Cole said.

“What's your business?” the inn owner asked.

“I'm looking for two gringos,” Rodriguez said as he dismounted.

“Rodriguez!” Jake hurried to the door. “What are you doing here? Everything okay at the ranch?”

“Everything is fine at the ranch. I came here to keep you two out of trouble in Mexico.”

Cole walked out to the porch and saw Rodriguez was traveling with three extra horses. “I see you brought some of your horses with you.”

“
Sí
. You didn't take extras when you left. I knew your horses would be tired.”

“I suppose that's how you caught up with us,” Cole replied.

“A man should never travel without fresh horses. That is the mistake of many outlaws.”

“Come on, we'll help you bed them down,” Jake said. He was glad to see him. Rodriguez's fluent Spanish would help them.

“We're looking for Newcombe's honey. Her name is Juanita Torres. She's supposed to be in Mexico, not far from El Paso.”

Rodriguez couldn't believe what he was hearing. He shook his head. “Juanita Torres?”

“Do you know her?” Cole asked. He didn't know why it would surprise him that Rodriguez knew the very woman they were seeking. Rodriguez was an unusual man.

Rodriguez hesitated, thinking of the woman he'd met a very long time ago. “She is very well-known in that area. Where she lives is more of a village, not even a town. The only building is the saloon where she dances, but she is also a
puta
. She is a very beautiful woman, almost as beautiful as Promise.” At one time he would have said no one was as beautiful as Juanita, but after meeting Promise, he knew the meaning of true beauty.

Jake figured that was hard to believe, considering how beautiful Promise was, but he kept that opinion to himself. It didn't surprise him to hear a pretty woman in a poor village made her money by lifting her skirts. Many women had to resort to that profession to eat. But for a woman to have to consort with a paying customer like Newcombe turned his stomach. “Newcombe is so damn ugly, he'd have to be a paying customer.”

“Juanita is known for her loyal customers. It is said they always come back,” Rodriguez told them.

Cole didn't hide what he was thinking. “If she's as pretty as Promise, no wonder the men keep coming back.”

“This is a dangerous village where we are going, my friends. The villagers are on friendly terms with thieves and killers, but not the law. We will not get a warm reception,” Rodriguez told them.

Jake smiled. “We figured if Newcombe was headed there, it wouldn't be a place we would want to take our mothers. We've been to places like this before, Rodriguez. We'll be ready.” Jake asked Rodriguez about everyone at the ranch, and as much as he wanted to ask about Promise specifically, he didn't.

“How's the lovelorn Charles doing?” Cole asked.

“He is a willing student, wants to learn about ranching and becoming a vaquero, but something has changed about him. He is not spending as much time with Promise in the evenings. He is at the bunkhouse discussing cattle with the men.”

“Do you think he's given up on the idea of marrying Promise?” Cole questioned as Jake listened quietly. Every man on the ranch knew Charles expected Promise to marry him.

“It would be difficult to give up on her if a man thought he stood a chance,” Rodriguez answered.

Cole agreed, and they moved on to discussing horses.

“We'll leave at dawn. Best get some shut-eye,” Jake said.

Due to the limited space at the inn, they were all bunking down in one room. Fortunately there were three beds in the room, but it didn't appear to be much cleaner than sleeping on the ground, so they threw their bedrolls on top of the bedding.

“Let's get this done and then we can make it back in time to spend Christmas at my family's ranch. I have two very lovely sisters, and my father insists they are in need of husbands,” Rodriguez teased.

“I'm for getting this over in a hurry, and Christmas at your house sure beats the heck out of spending it on the cold, hard ground. But don't go thinking I want to marry up with some hot-tempered Spanish woman,” Cole joked.

“So you have met my sisters, eh?” Rodriguez countered. “Actually, they are my stepsisters, and they are only half Spanish.” He couldn't deny both of his sisters had a temper, and they liked to have their way.

“I can't handle a half-Spanish temper,” Cole said.

“Look at it this way, my friend. Their dowries more than make up for their tempers.”

“Well, on second thought, I've always been partial to a bit of a temper,” Cole teased.

Jake chuckled at their banter. “'Night, boys.” He wanted some peace and quiet to think over what Rodriguez had said about Charles. It didn't seem likely that a man would come across the country for the woman he planned to marry, and change his mind once he got there. Maybe Charles was just forming a new strategy. Sometimes it seemed that if a man showed too much interest in a woman, the woman lost interest. That's what he would do if he were in Charles's shoes: just come at it from a different angle.