Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) (17 page)

She found him watching her. How would he
feel if he could read her thoughts? "I believe it's
growing warmer," she said, stating the first sensible thought that came to mind.

"Yes, it has. But it's come too late to save most
of my herd."

"I know. I'm sorry."

He tightened his gloved hand on the reins and
tapped his spurs against the side of his horse;
Saber had to gallop to catch up with him. He
didn't want her pity. The last emotion a man like
him would want to evoke in anyone was pity.

"Let's try the left ridge," he said, guiding his
horse over a slippery patch of snow that had iced
in the shade cast by the cliff.

They found three dead steers and two dead
bulls.

Her heart felt heavier. "When will it stop?"

He didn't bother to answer her. They both
knew that the storm had killed most of his herd.

Saber's mood matched the colorless sky, and
she pulled her coat tighter about her, huddling
beneath the warm folds.

There was nothing she could do to help Reese,
but she was glad she'd come with him today. At
least she could share his misfortune.

If Reese had been by himself, he wouldn't have
built a campfire when they stopped to eat the
noon meal. Although Saber hadn't complained,
he could see that she was cold. Being the stubborn woman she was, she'd rather die than admit to having any weaknesses. She huddled
close to the fire, her cheeks rosy, her blue eyes
sparkling.

"I love working with cattle." She glanced up
at him. "Of course, Noble always tries to curtail
what he terms my `rambunctious nature.' I don't
understand why he should object. I can ride as
well as he can, and he admits that."

He handed her a plate of beans and a slice of hardtack. "It sounds like you and your brother
are very close."

"Yes, we are. After our parents died, it was
only the two of us. Then Rachel became one of
the family and brought joy to my brother. He
had been very... sad for a time, but no one can
be sad around Rachel." She studied the plate
she'd placed on her knees. "I can't wait until they
have children. I want to be an aunt." She gazed
up at Reese. "I love children, don't you?"

In that moment Reese could not have felt
worse if someone had hit him in the stomach.
She would one day carry Matthew's baby in her
body and give it life. She would hold the child
in her arms and nurse it at her breasts. The pain
of that vision was almost more than he could
bear. He quickly glanced away, trying to remember her question, and for the life of him he
couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Saber, what did you ask me?"

"I merely asked if you like children."

He thought for a moment. "I don't know any
children. I've seen them around, but I don't
think I have ever really spoken to one."

She threw back her head and laughed so hard,
she almost fell off the log. "I can't believe you
haven't been near children."

He frowned. "It's true."

"Then you have a wonderful experience wait ing for you. Just wait until you have a child of
your own."

"I don't plan on having children," he said
dryly.

"You may feel that way now. But one day
when you..." Her voice trailed off. He was the
most solitary person she'd ever known, and she
wanted so badly to make his life better.

"I met your housekeeper, Winna Mae," he
said, changing the subject; talking about children was too painful. "What a formidable
woman."

Saber's smile unfolded like the petals of a
rose, and then her laughter went though Reese
like no warmth he'd ever known. She had a
fierce, unwavering spirit, and it touched him so
deeply he wanted to always see her as happy as
she was now. He'd never forget how she looked
at the moment in her ill-fitting trousers with her
golden hair crammed beneath a too big hat.
He'd been watching her so closely, tracing the
outline of her lovely face, it startled him when
she spoke.

"You can't imagine how formidable Winna
Mae can be. She came to the ranch with Rachel
when she married my brother. She's the real dictator of the house." She smiled softly. "Actually,
she's like family. I know she likes and respects
my brother, and it wasn't easy for him to win her over because she is so fiercely protective of
Rachel. It seems that somewhere along the way,
Winna Mae took me into her inner circle and
became my watchdog. She doesn't like very
many people, and anyone who can win her respect is fortunate indeed."

Reese had formed that same opinion about
Winna Mae the day he'd spoken to her in Fort
Worth. "How do you feel about moving to Philadelphia and leaving your family behind?"

She studied the tip of her worn shoe. "I've
tried not to dwell on that." Her eyes met his.
"You know Matthew. Do you think his family
will resent me because I am a Southerner? I
wonder what they will say about my being kidnapped by the Miller brothers."

"Why should they think anything about it? It
wasn't your fault."

"They are very proper."

He studied her carefully. "What are you saying?" He took her hand in his. "Did the Miller
brothers do anything to you?" Anger flared
within him. "Oh, God, did they hurt you, Saber?"

There was misery in her blue eyes. "I...don't
know."

He tilted her chin up. "What do you mean? A
woman knows if she's been ...if a man's been
intimate with her."

She lowered her eyes. "I was unconscious for
two days while I was with them."

He frowned, trying to think what to say to her.
It was possible that she had been raped. He certainly wouldn't put it past those bastards. He
wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how.
"I believe a woman would know if a man did
anything to her, even if she was unconscious."

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I've tried to put
the thought out of my mind, but it's always
there. I just don't know what happened when I
was unconscious."

He pulled her into his arms and cradled her
lovingly, touching his lips to her temple and
burying his face in her hair. "Matthew loves you.
That won't change no matter what, Saber. If you
belonged to me, I'd only love you more if you
had been mistreated by those men."

Her chest expanded because of the tears she
was trying to suppress. "A man would have to
love a woman a lot to overlook her being used
by other men."

"Not if the man loves the woman."

She pulled back from him. "Is there a way I
can know for sure if they... if.. T'

"Yes, there is. But that would be for Matthew
to determine after you are married."

"Is there no way I can tell before?"

He nodded. "There is. A doctor can tell." She was in torment and had probably been carrying
the fear of what the Millers had done to her from
the beginning. He would have a talk with Matthew and make sure he handled this situation
just right. He was sick with rage. He wanted to
find the Millers and kill them with his bare
hands. "When you see Matthew, he will prove
that he loves you," he said in a gruff voice.

She moved away from Reese and picked up a
slice of meat. She put it in her mouth to have
something to do, but it formed a lump in her
throat, and she had a hard time swallowing it.

"Saber, I"

"No, Reese, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I don't know why I brought it up. It's just
that... not knowing is so hard to bear."

"Is there anything I can say to make you feel
better?"

She stared at him, thinking he was the only
one who could make her feel better. He'd said if
he loved her it wouldn't matter to him if she had
been violated, and she believed him. But she
wasn't sure Matthew would feel the same way.
All the feelings she had been suppressing came
rushing to the surface, but she said, "I am not
going to burden you with my problems, Reese.
You have done enough for me as it is."

"If you want to talk, I'm a good listener."

She sensed a new tenderness in him and won dered why she hadn't seen it before. "I know,
and I thank you. But I have to face this alone."

He realized that she didn't want to talk about
it anymore and changed the subject. "Since the
weather has let up, I'm going to ride into Fort
Worth tomorrow and find out what's happening.
Would you like me to bring Winna Mae back
with me?"

"I should go with you. I'll need to see Matthew."

"I can't let you do that, Saber. It's still too dangerous. You'll have to stay here until your
brother or Matthew comes for you. But you
needn't be afraid. Jake and Gabe will look after
you."

She wanted to beg him not to leave her, but
she knew from the stern look in those silver-gray
eyes that he would have his way. "I would love
to see Winna Mae-and could you bring my
trunks?"

Reese had suddenly lost his appetite. He began clearing the remains of the meal away, then
doused the campfire with snow. "Yes. I'm sure
you will be glad to have your own clothing."

He watched her walk in the direction of her
horse, wanting to crush her in his arms and
never let her go. He didn't know how much
longer he could keep his hands off her. Where
was Matthew, damn it? She was his to take care of. Surely Noble Vincente's men had informed
Matthew by now that Saber was here at his
ranch. Why didn't either her brother or her future husband come after her?

Reese swung into the saddle and urged his
mount into a fast gallop, and she kept pace with
him. In a way she hoped Winna Mae had already
gone back to Casa del Sol so she could have a
few more days alone with Reese. If only she had
the courage to tell him that she loved him.
Would he be horrified if she did? Yes, he was the
kind of man who would never think of touching
a woman who was supposed to marry his friend.

She was weighed down by misery as they rode
in search of more stranded cattle. In the late afternoon they came to a wide valley, and Reese
held his hand up for her to stop. She rode to his
side and gasped at the grisly sight that met her
eyes. The frozen carcasses of dead cattle were
too numerous to count.

Reese dismounted, removed his hat, and
stared in disbelief at the carnage around him.
He couldn't win against such odds. He exhaled
slowly, facing defeat. He felt a soft hand in his
and glanced down to see tears swimming in Saber's eyes. Without stopping to consider, he
turned her to him and held her tightly.

Saber pressed her face against the rough fabric of his coat, loving him to the depths of her soul. This was what love meant, she thought: to
hurt for someone so badly that his pain became
her own. "I'm so sorry, Reese," she murmured,
unable to say more because of the lump in her
throat.

He jerked her head up and gazed into blue
eyes that swam with tears. Her lips parted, and
his arms tightened around her, drawing her
closer to him. His lips did not settle gently on
her mouth but curved hard, urgently, ravishing,
as he put all the frustration he felt in his kiss.
His mouth punished and ground against hers,
and her arms slid around his neck as she gave
him access to her lips.

Reese's need for comfort quickly turned to desire for the woman in his arms. He took Saber
to her knees with him. They were like two
wounded souls, seeking the light.

"Oh, Reese," she cried, tearing her lips from
his and kissing his rough cheek. "Reese."

"Shh, sweetheart," he whispered. "Shh."

He was taken aback for a moment. He'd never
called a woman by any endearment. His body
tightened as she pressed her face against him,
trying to stop her tears. His hands moved beneath her coat and roamed up and down her
back. He pulled her beneath his coat, and her
breasts were flattened against the wall of his
hard chest.

She made a small whimpering sound as passion and desire twined through her entire body
like warm honey. When his hands went inside
her shirt and she felt them settle on her bare
breasts, she thought she would faint as he caressed them with such tenderness. His mouth
covered hers again. She had not known that a
kiss could be so wonderful.

When he broke the kiss, his chest was tight
and he could hardly speak. Somewhere in the
back of his mind he knew that what he was doing was wrong. But days of frustration, of wanting Saber, dulled his sense of right and wrong.
He only knew he was touching her, and she
didn't pull away.

Saber didn't feel the cold wind as he unbuttoned her shirt, but she was vaguely aware of the
horses stomping and the jingle of their bits.

"Saber," he said softly against her ear, feverishly hungry to feel her soft skin against him.
His lips touched just behind her ear and slid
down her neck. "Saber. I need you."

"Yes," she answered in a whisper, placing her
hands on either side of his head and pulling it
down to her fully exposed breasts. She wanted
to feel his lips there, and she almost screamed
when his lips touched the curve and slid to the
nipple.