Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) (2 page)

Fort Worth

March, 1868

Saber Vincente listened to Winna Mae's soft
breathing and pounded her pillow to flatten it,
envying the housekeeper's ability to fall asleep
so easily. The hotel bed was lumpy, and she
squirmed and turned onto her back, trying to
find a more comfortable position.

What was the matter with her? This was supposed to be the happiest time of her life. Why
did she feel this stirring of unease? She was doing the right thing in marrying Matthew, wasn't
she?

Tomorrow they would see each other for the
first time in two years. He would be escorting
her to Fort Griffin, where he was stationed. The
wedding would take place there as soon as her
brother, Noble, and his wife, Rachel, met them
there in three weeks. There were a round of parties planned for the bride and groom. She
should be happy. What was wrong with her? She
felt such a heaviness in the depths of her heart.

But what if Matthew's devotion toward her
had changed what if he no longer loved her
and was marrying her only out of duty? After all,
two years was a long time when their only communication with each other had been through
letters. But his letters had been filled with plans
for their future, and he'd expressed his heartfelt
affection for her. She pushed her foolish doubts
aside, remembering the many tender sentiments
Matthew had expressed in his letters. And he
had written her faithfully. Sometimes she would
receive two letters in one week. Even their wedding had been planned by mail. Because of his
duties as an army officer, they had decided that
they would be married at Fort Griffin. His family
was coming all the way from Philadelphia to attend the ceremony and to meet her.

Saber tried to imagine what her reunion with
Matthew would be like. She would be shy, and
he would look so handsome in his blue uniform and behave with such gallantry toward her.
Their hands would touch, and when they were
alone, he would kiss her.

Matthew had kissed her only once, but the
kiss had melted her heart and made her realize
that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with
him. There had been obstacles to overcome because he was a Yankee, and she was from the
South. When she'd met him, the war had still
been raging, but she knew she and her aunt
would not have survived if it hadn't been for
Matthew.

Saber had begged her father not to send her
to Georgia. But he had insisted that she spend
the duration of the war with her mother's family, where he had thought she'd be safe. She
hadn't known it at the time, but her father had
been dying. Her brother, Noble had been an officer serving on the side of the South. Looking
back on that time, Saber realized her father
hadn't wanted her to watch him die, and he
hadn't wanted to leave her alone and unprotected.

She hated to remember that horrible time in
Georgia when it had seemed to her that the
whole world was on fire.

She had never thought that the Yankees
would bring the war to her grandparents' plantation in Georgia but they had. The house had been burned and all the livestock stolen. She
was glad her beloved grandparents were not
alive to see everything they had cherished go up
in smoke.

Saber and her great-aunt, Ellen, had been
forced to take up residence in the overseer's deserted cabin. After the Yankee army had burned
Atlanta, soldiers scattered throughout the Georgia countryside, wreaking havoc. Each day it
was a challenge just to stay alive. Enemy troops
had bivouacked on Opossum Creek, which ran
through her grandparents' land, and she had
been terrified that they would discover the overseer's cabin. How frightened she was in those
first days! She wanted so desperately to return
to Texas to her father's ranch, Casa del Sol, but
there was no way to get home with the war raging around her.

Aunt Ellen had cautioned her not to venture
out in the daytime, but they had no food, and
her aunt was ill and needed nourishment. Saber
waited until almost sundown to sneak back to
the burned-out plantation house, hoping to find
some vegetables in the weed-choked garden behind the kitchen. Of course, there was nothing
for her to find-the Yankees had taken even the
last shriveled vegetables. Saber ducked her head
and cried, knowing that her great-aunt would
surely die if she didn't find something for her
to eat.

That day was still so vivid in her memory. A
low fog had swirled around her as she dropped
to her knees, digging her hands into the dirt and
crying bitter tears. She had been so lost in her
own anguish that she hadn't heard the rider approaching until he was upon her. The rearing of
his horse and the rattling bridle made her jump
to her feet, ready to take flight. When she saw
the blue uniform of the enemy, she backed
away, wondering if she could make it to the
woods before he ran her down.

The Union officer had been blond and boyishly handsome. She could tell he was tall by
how high he sat in the saddle. His blue eyes held
an earnestness that lessened her apprehension.
He must have seen the uncertainty in her eyes,
because he smiled and gallantly tipped his hat
to her.

"Madam, I mean you no harm. Don't run
away."

There had been something in his voice or perhaps his demeanor that calmed her, and she began to trust him. That was the day she'd met
Maj. Matthew Halloway, and the day she fell in
love with the enemy.

Matthew had dismounted and walked with
her back to the cabin. When he saw how ill her
Aunt Ellen was, he had food and medicine
brought to them that same day.

Afterward, Matthew came by the cabin daily,
bringing food and supplies. The two of them
took long walks. She told him about growing up
in Texas, and he told her about his family in
Philadelphia. Of course, she never told him that
her brother, Noble, was a Confederate officer,
although she was sure he suspected it.

They had never touched hands, because she
always wore gloves. But one day while they were
walking in the woods, he paused and drew her
hand to rest against his chest.

She could still hear the sound of his voice as
he'd proclaimed his love for her. He had kissed
her so sweetly that her heart had taken wing. He
had explained to her that he'd been ordered to
Savannah to meet General Sherman and asked
her to wait for him until the war was over. They
had both known that it was only a matter of time
before the war would end, and they both knew
that the South would lose.

After her aunt had recovered, she had insisted
that she and Saber make their way to Saber's
Great-Uncle John's home in Mobile. Saber had
remained in her uncle's home for a considerable
time, but she had never stopped yearning for
Texas. When the war ended, she'd returned to
Texas to be reunited with her brother, Noble,
and to wait for Matthew.

She closed her eyes, holding them tightly to gether, wishing she could fall asleep. Her eyes
popped open, and she glanced at the trunk that
held her wedding gown and veil. Now the waiting was over. Soon she would be Matthew's wife.

Tomorrow oh, tomorrow she would see her
love!

Saber heard Winna Mae stirring, but she was
merely shifting positions. The streets were quiet
now, with only the occasional barking of a dog
to break the stillness.

Saber's eyes drifted shut, and she fell asleep
at last.

The room was dark and so still that Saber wondered what had awakened her. She glanced at
the open window but it admitted little light,
since it was a moonless night. She stiffened, feeling as if someone was in the room with her. Sitting up, she started to call out for Winna Mae
when a cruel hand clamped on her mouth, and
a harsh voice whispered against her ear, "Don't
make a sound, or you die!"

She could smell the man's foul breath and
knew he'd been drinking. She was gagging; her
lungs begged for air.

Winna Mae? What had happened to Winna
Mae? she wondered frantically.

The harsh voice spoke again. "Don't worry
about your maid. She's only messed up a bit. We need her alive to deliver a message."

Rough hands dragged Saber from her bed,
and the same hateful voice grated on her ears.
"We're going to take you for a little ride, Miss
Vincente. If you do just like I tell you to, you
won't get hurt."

Other hands, rough hands, lifted Saber, and
something was thrown over her head. She struggled and fought to get free, but something hard
came down on her head, and she went limp and
slipped into total darkness.

Winna Mae regained consciousness in time to
hear the men ride out of town. Weakly she rose
to her feet, and then paused to listen as her keen
hearing picked up the sound of the riders returning and riding in the opposite direction.

The sound of the riders faded into the darkness. Before Winna Mae could make her way
downstairs to sound the alarm, the kidnappers
were well away from Fort Worth.

Reese Starrett's eyes were steel gray and had
about as much warmth as the cold, wintery sky
above the deserted streets of Fort Worth. A latewinter storm had hit with the force of a blizzard,
and a chilling wind whipped around the buildings, blowing the snow into a frenzy. The cold
penetrated Reese's skin like icy fingers; he
turned up the collar of his full-length fleecelined coat and stepped into the Frontier Hotel.

He glanced around the small entry and found
it deserted. No one was behind the front desk,
but then he hadn't expected anyone at this hour.
More than likely the hotel clerk had not expected
anyone to be out in this blizzard. Probably he was the only fool who had braved the weather,
Reese mused.

He spun the registration ledger toward him
and ran his finger down the list of guests until
he came to the name he wanted Maj. Matthew
Halloway room twelve.

He moved leisurely up the stairs, wondering
what was so urgent that Matthew would send for
him in this storm. Reese didn't have many
friends, but Major Halloway was one of the few.
If Matthew needed him, he'd damn sure drop
everything he was doing to help him.

Reese had first met Matthew last summer in
Comanche country, where Reese had done some
civilian scouting for the army. He'd quickly
gained respect for the major, even though he
was a Yankee. Matthew rejected the principles
of some of his fellow officers, who wanted to see
the South punished for war crimes. Matthew always insisted that anyone serving under his
command treat Southerners with respect. He
also showed compassion for the Indians, and
that had won Reese's respect more than anything else he could have done.

Reese found room twelve and rapped on the
door. He pushed the door open when he heard
a deep voice bid him to enter. He was surprised
to see Matthew propped up in bed with his leg
bound, splinted, and elevated on several pillows.

Reese removed his coat and draped it across
a chair, then swept off his hat and slapped it
against his leg to dislodge the snow. He pulled
up a chair and turned it toward him, straddling
it before he spoke. "Well, if I can believe my eyes,
it appears that you've broken your leg, Yankee."