Relic (12 page)

Chapter Sixteen

For a breathless moment, he took in every inch of me with his eyes. Then he shook his head, laughing a little.

“Dammit, Maggie, what are you trying to do to me?”

I smiled, but my face was surely beet red. “I think I need some air,” I said, fanning myself. “That dance was a bit overwhelming.”

“Of course,” Landon said. He pointed to the large, sprawling veranda that hugged the outer curve of the ballroom. We walked there in silence—I’d never felt so tongue-tied in all my life. And every time I glanced up at Landon, he was staring at me with that look, which only made it worse.

I felt instantly better as we stepped out onto the veranda. A cool breeze blew off the adjacent gardens, bringing the softness of a summer night and the delicate scent of gardenias. I took in a slow breath and folded my arms on top of the thick marble railing. A few other couples strolled by, chatting in the night air, but Landon and I were mostly alone. He leaned against the rail, facing me.

I shook my head. “What on earth are you doing here?”

“I actually have an invitation to this shindig, seeing as how I’m one of Señor Castilla’s
vaqueros
. And I’m the one who should be asking that question.”

“I was invited, too!”

“I know.” He laughed, and his smile softened. “I heard about your sister’s recovery.”

My throat caught. “Did you?”

“Word got around The Desert Rose that Álvar had used his unicorn relic to heal a child. I reckoned it must be Ella.”

“Oh, Landon, I wanted to tell you. I tried to make it into Burning Mesa, but I’ve been trapped here all day, being primped like a poodle.”

My thoughts pulled me back to Yahn. The truth was, the last thing I’d wanted to do was go back to Burning Mesa. To face the idle drunks in The Desert Rose laughing and chatting about the hanging, regaling anyone who’d listen with every gory detail. I remembered how I was going to atone for my selfishness by being solemn and respectful of his memory tonight.
Not
by feeling all jittery at the sight of a handsome cowboy.

Landon must have seen my countenance fall. “What’s wrong?”

I gripped the railing of the veranda, looking down at my hands. “It’s nothing. I just wish I could have done something to save those Apaches.”

“The Apaches?”

“The ones they…” It hurt to even say the words. “The ones they hanged yesterday.”

“They didn’t hang.”

I spun around. “What?”

Landon shook his head. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it.”

“But the mob. Outside the sheriff’s office. I thought…”

“The mob was stopped.”

I grabbed Landon’s arm. “Tell me what happened.”

He looked a little sheepish. “Well…I followed you into town yesterday. I wanted to help you somehow, even if you said you didn’t need me. Then I saw the mob. I gather it all started when that judge from Durango sent a telegraph saying he wouldn’t be coming for a week or so on account of illness. Which, of course, meant the trial would be postponed a week, and the hanging was delayed, too. Well, a bunch of men got mad and wanted to take justice into their own hands.” Landon shrugged. “I remembered what you’d told me about the Apache who saved you and your sister. I knew the sheriff had to guard the prisoners, and the rangers were likely gone on patrol.”

I was hanging on his every word, my heart pounding. “And so?”

“And so I got Bobby and a few other cowboys, and we cleared the mob out.”

My head was spinning. I could only open my mouth, but the words died on my lips.

“They didn’t go quietly, but when we pulled out our dragon-claw rifles, they disbanded pretty quick.”

“So they’re alive? Yahn and the others? They’re okay?”

“Well, they’re still prisoners, but I guess being alive in a cell beats hanging any day.”

I gripped his sleeves. “You’re certain of this? You’re
positive
?”

“Yes.” He laughed, amused by the passion of my question.

I stepped back, breathing hard. “He’s alive,” I whispered, dazed. “And you saved him.”

And then it was as if warm light suddenly burst inside me, lifting me up like a shimmer of wind. Shock and happiness and relief collided in a blaze in my head. I shook Landon’s arms. “He’s alive!”

For the first time that day, the air in my lungs didn’t feel heavy with guilt. I found myself laughing freely, throwing my arms around Landon’s neck. “This is wonderful!”

“Gosh, Maggie.” He chuckled. “You sure are happy about this.”

We both laughed. As the sound of it faded, our gazes set on each other, and only then did I realize I still had my arms around his neck. Only then did I notice how close our bodies were, radiating each other’s warmth. Landon’s hands were pressed to the small of my back, his face just a touch away from mine. We studied each other in the dim glow of lights, quiet, breathing softly.

“I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for saving Yahn,” I said, my throat choked with gratitude.

Landon smiled. “I’m glad I could please you. It makes you look even prettier than you already do tonight.”

I turned my eyes down, blushing with pleasure, unable to hold the intensity of his gaze. “It’s just this fancy fairy dress.”

“No. It’s you.” He stroked his hands up my back, holding me closer. “You’re a beautiful woman, Maggie.”

My lungs suddenly seemed incapable of taking in air. Being in his arms like this made me dizzy and excited and nervous all at once.

“When I laid eyes on you tonight,” he said softly, “I thought I’d never seen anything so perfect.”

The blue of his gaze shone, even in the starlight. A power surged between us, like the tingling in the air before a lightning storm, pulling us to an inevitable moment.

Landon seemed to feel it as well. “I’d like to kiss you, Maggie. May I?”

The light from the ballroom behind us seemed to blur. There were only those eyes. And maybe it was crazy. Maybe it wasn’t right to kiss a boy who hadn’t formally courted me yet. But I felt light as a cloud about Yahn being alive. My sister was alive. Everything was going my way. Breathless, I nodded.

Landon hooked me against him and pressed his lips to mine. His mouth was hot, like a cattle brander on my skin. His fingers curled against my back, pressing me to him.

My head swam. I’d thought some about kissing, wondered what it would feel like, but I never imagined this fire surging through me.

Landon’s hand slid up to the nape of my neck as he swiveled me around against the marble rail, tipping my head back. His kisses pulsed with hunger, with longing. The awareness excited me. I gripped his shirt, not wanting him to stop, and, sensing my encouragement, Landon pressed me even closer. His embrace pinned me between his body and the railing. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. It felt like I was tumbling backward in darkness, and suddenly it was all too much.

I pushed away, gasping for air. The corset squeezed my lungs like a fist, and I pressed my hand to my chest.

“You okay?” Landon asked, touching my arm.

“I’m fine, I…”

“You look a little pale.”

I set my hands on the railing and pulled in a breath. “I’m fine.”

We were quiet for a few moments, standing there in the glow of the party inside. Then a tiny smile pulled at the corner of Landon’s mouth. I narrowed my eyes but felt one tugging on my lips as well.

“First kiss?” Landon said.

I elbowed him. “Don’t you fancy yourself some Casanova. It’s this darn corset. It’s crushing my lungs.”

“I see.”

I glared at him, but he beamed and wrapped his arms around me.

“Aw, don’t be mad. It’s my fault, really. I should have controlled myself.”

“I’ll say,” I sniffed, trying to pull out of his grip.

He held me fast. “You only have yourself to blame. You look too beautiful tonight. I’m under your spell, Maggie. What relic are you hiding in that dress?”

“Don’t you wish you knew.”

Landon lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe I should search for it, then?”

“You, sir, are a no-good coyote!” I whacked him on the arm, but it secretly pleased me to flirt with him like this. I knew it was improper, to be out here alone, talking of such things. It wasn’t the kind of behavior a girl of my age and good breeding should engage in. Maybe Adelaide was rubbing off on me.

“I’m going back inside,” I announced, marching away from him.

Landon grabbed my hand. “Don’t! Let’s stay out here.”

“I won’t kiss you again, if that’s what you’re after.”

“No kissing,” he promised. “We’ll only talk.” Then a thought seemed to come to him. He placed a hand over his vest. “Actually, I have something I need to show you. I’ve been waiting all day to tell you about it.” His expression became more serious. “Something about the Chimera Gang.”

I froze. “What is it?”

“You gotta see for yourself.” He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a yellowed clipping from the Burning Mesa newsletter. “Now, you read this and tell me if I’m not onto something.” He held up the clipping. “Five months ago, Petey McCoy, one of the original founders of the Chimera Gang, was hanged in Durango for the crimes of train hijacking, bank robbery, and murder.”

I took the creased paper in my hand. Landon pointed to the smeared words at the end of the article. “Look at this. Judge Harper Walsh passed the sentence.”

I met Landon’s gaze, stunned. “I know that name.”

He nodded. “Judge Harper Walsh lived his entire life in Haydenville.” Landon filled my shocked silence. “I did a little digging on him today at the hall of records. But that’s not all. Look here. One of the jury members they interviewed, Pedro Morales—I looked him up, too. He was from Buena.”

“Buena… The other town that was razed.”

“Exactly.”

I pressed a hand to my forehead. “Could it be a coincidence?”

“I don’t think so,” Landon said. “It all adds up, Maggie. The judge from Haydenville. Jurors from Buena. Those razings were revenge for the hanging of Petey McCoy. I think the Chimera Gang is going after the people who convicted him. They’re sending a message that no one will ever forget.”

I felt dizzy. “So they
will
strike again.”

Landon nodded grimly. “Now I just need to find out who the other jurors were and where they came from.”

“You did all this for me?”

His gaze softened. “You ought to know by now how I feel about you, Maggie.”

My heart fluttered. Landon touched my chin, then nodded firmly. “Besides, we need to stop those bandits before they get to Burning Mesa.”

“And we will stop them. With this information, Sheriff Leander will
have
to see that the Apaches aren’t responsible for the razings.”

The night just seemed to keep getting better. Bursting inside, I slid my arms around Landon’s neck. “You may get that second kiss, after all, Mr. Black.”

At that moment, the doors to the Grand Ballroom opened, and a shadow fell over us. I pulled back with a start. But it was Bobby stepping out onto the veranda, dressed as dapper as Landon.

“There you are,” he said. He glanced at me, and then did a double take. “Maggie?”

I smiled. “Hey, Bobby.”

“You look different.”

“Thanks. I think.”

Bobby grinned, then hit Landon on the shoulder. “Porter’s looking for you. Wants all the cowboys together for a little powwow, I guess.”

Landon grimaced. “Now? At a party? Tell him I’m busy.”

Bobby snorted. “Nice try. Come on.”

Landon sighed, then turned to me. “Don’t go far. I’ll find you quick as I can.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve had my eye on those fancy vittles since I came in. I can keep myself occupied.” I followed Bobby and Landon back into the ballroom, but we parted ways in the thick of the crowd.

The party was still in full swing. Couples danced and laughed and drank even more champagne. I found myself a quiet bench and sipped on some spiced punch. I didn’t have much of a stomach for the food, after all. Too much going on in my head to eat.

I brushed my finger along my bottom lip. It might have been my imagination, but I could still feel the heat of Landon’s mouth there. It traveled through my blood, sending shivers over my skin. I still didn’t know what I was leading myself into, getting tangled up with a wild young cowboy. I only knew that I didn’t want to stop.

Besides, he was more than some good-looking beau. He was my friend.

I still couldn’t believe Yahn was alive, and that I had Landon to thank for it. I had him to thank for saving Ella from those rock devils, too. Not to mention all this work he was doing to try and help me get the Chimera Gang. He had the biggest heart of any boy I’d ever known—that had to count for something. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more ashamed I became of my initial hesitation. I’d judged people like Landon and Bobby and Adelaide too quickly. I’d pegged them as shady characters, when it turned out they were the ones I’d most like to call friends.

By the time I’d finished my punch and watched three or four dances, I felt anxious to see Landon again. I wanted to tell him how grateful I was, how much he meant to me. Maybe it was crazy to talk seriously with a boy unless we were officially courting, but I wanted to tell Landon that I cared for him. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen.

A half hour ticked by. Then an hour. At that point, I had gotten up from my bench and was walking in a wide circle around the ballroom, looking for him. I passed throngs of elegant people, but no sign of Landon.

Just as I was beginning to get upset, a finely dressed servant approached. He bowed and handed me a rolled piece of paper. “For the lady.”

I pulled open the little scroll as soon as he walked away.

Sorry to keep you waiting. Meet me in the gardens.

My heart leapt. I tightened my fist around the note and held it to my chest. I couldn’t get there fast enough. With an irrepressible smile, I wove through the crowds, taking the fastest route to the outer doors. To the far end of the veranda, a set of stone steps led down into the gardens. My feet danced over the pebbled path.

The gardens spread over a massive expanse filled with flowering bushes, well-trimmed hedge rows, and long lines of flower beds. Strings of lanterns hung above, providing a faint golden glow to the darkness. Out here, crickets sang louder than the orchestra and the hum of voices from the party, which grew fainter with every step. I imagined kissing Landon again, and my heartbeat raced.