Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) (32 page)

It was long after sundown when Reese reached
the house. He unsaddled his horse, and when
Jake came into the barn, he told the boy to finish
for him.

Reese didn't see Jake smile when his boss hurried toward the house. Everyone on the ranch
knew Reese was burning for his beautiful wife.

When he entered the house, Saber wasn't in
the parlor. He went into the kitchen, and she
wasn't there either, but she had left him a plate
of food warming on the back of the stove.

It seemed to him that the harsher he was to
her, the kinder she was to him. He didn't understand a woman like her. Why was he doing his best to drive her away when all he wanted was
to keep her with him?

He walked into the bedroom and found her
curled up in bed asleep. Her hand was resting
against her cheek, and he reached out and
touched her face.

Saber awoke instantly and smiled at him. "Did
you eat?"

He sat down on the bed and removed his
boots. "I wasn't hungry."

"I don't like it when you don't eat, Reese.
When a man works as hard as you do, he needs
food."

He unbuttoned his shirt and then stripped off
his trousers, sliding into bed beside her.

"Reese," she said, moving closer to him.
"Don't be mad at me because I didn't tell you
about Matthew."

"I know why you didn't tell me." He turned his
head toward her. "For the noblest of reasons.
You knew he was my friend."

She smiled. "You know me too well to place a
halo on my head, Reese. I think, if I'm truthful,
I just didn't want to tell you or anyone how unworthy he was of a woman's love. We certainly
saw proof of that today."

"Yes. Yes, we did."

She looked unsure. "Are you still angry
with me?"

He pulled her into his arms, and she curled up
to him like a warm kitten. "I was never mad at
you, Saber." His hand trailed down her arm. "I
was mostly mad at myself for not seeing what
Matthew was like. I should have protected you
from him the night of the dance. I knew he'd had
too much to drink." He looked at her and arched
an eyebrow. "I'd had too much to drink that
night myself." He traced the outline of her chin.
"Tell me what he did."

"It isn't important. I don't want to talk about
him anymore," she said, pressing her breasts
against his bare chest and making his eyes dilate
with passion. He lowered his mouth to hers and
fit her to the length of his body. They had become accustomed to each other in a short time,
and they seemed to fit together as if nature had
intended them to find each other.

"You may have been too drunk to remember
that I tricked you into marrying me," she said,
running her fingers through his thick black hair.
"I was out to catch you, cowboy, and I did."

He burst into laughter, his whole body shaking with mirth.

She raised herself up on her elbow and looked
puzzled. "What do you find so funny about
that?"

"The fact that someone who looks like you,
someone who was born a Vincente, would have to trick a man like me into marriage. I'd liken
that to a man being invited into paradise and
told his every wish would be granted."

She felt warm all over. "Is that how you see
it?"

He tugged at her gown and swiftly had it off.
His hands moved over her, pulling her against
him. He lifted her just a bit so she fit snugly
against his throbbing erection. "When I take
you, it's always like being given my fondest
wish," he muttered in her ear, his mouth working its way to her breasts.

Their lovemaking was frantic, and so intense
that afterward they were both exhausted. She
rolled her head against his hard chest, feeling
completely fulfilled as a woman.

"Are you ever sorry you married me, Reese?"

His hand gripped her shoulder, and he moved
forward to bury his face in her golden hair. "I
can't think of anything I have to regret."

"I'm glad. I want to make you happy."

He closed his eyes, gathering her to him, gently stroking her back. "I don't know why you
would want to bother with me. I know there
have been times when I have said things to hurt
you, and I haven't always been easy to live with.
I don't know why I've been this way with you.
You are the last person in the world I'd ever want
to hurt."

She moved her head up and rested her cheek
against his. "I know why."

"Then you'd better tell me, because I sure as
hell don't know."

She could have told him that he loved her, but
she wasn't sure if he had realized it yet. "A
woman has to have some secrets," she said,
drowsily closing her eyes.

She fell asleep in his arms, and he held her to
him as if she was the most precious gift he'd ever
been given. He was more confused than ever.
Saber could have had any man she wanted and
yet she had chosen him.

He touched his lips to her forehead and felt
her steady breathing against his neck. "I love
you," he whispered. "I love you so much it's tearing my guts out."

Saber slept on, unaware that her husband had
just declared his love for her.

Reese awoke before sunup and found Saber still
snuggled against him. One creamy breast was
above the cover, and he dipped his head to touch
his lips to the rosy tip.

Her eyes opened, and a smile curved her lips.
"Is it morning already?"

His hand went to her other breast, and he gently circled it with an exploring finger. "It's time
to getup."

She climbed on top of him and sat up, drawing a gasp of wonder and delight from him. She
guided him inside her and settled him deeply.
"Of course, if we don't have time for this..." she
taunted.

He growled and rolled her over, losing control
completely. "You little tormentor. I don't know
how I have the strength to keep you satisfied."

She laughed and kissed his lips. "That's because I feed you so well."

His silver eyes gleamed, and then drifted shut
as her velvety softness closed around him. "I
seem to live for the times I can get inside you,"
he whispered. "You have me just where you
want me, don't you?"

Desire was coiling inside her, and she could
hardly think past the pleasure he gave her. "Yes,
cowboy, I have you just where I want you."

Afterward, as they dressed for the day, Reese
asked Saber, "How would you like to ride into
town with me today? I have business at the
bank."

She beamed with pleasure. "I'd like nothing
better. And I could do with some supplies."

"Then be ready by nine. I'm going to have several of the men ride along with us just to be
safe."

She knew he was worried about Graham Felton, and for that matter, so was she.

Reese had chosen Jake, Zeb, and three of Noble's vaqueros to ride with them into Fort Worth.
They hadn't ridden very far from the ranch when
he realized they were being followed. He had
seen the flash of the sun off a rifle or something
shiny. He met Zeb's gaze and realized that the
old-timer had seen it, too.

Not wanting to alarm Saber, he halted his
horse, and the others did the same. "I'm going
to backtrack for a mile or so. The rest of you ride
on, and I'll either catch up with you or meet you
in town." Reese motioned for the other four to
close ranks around Saber, and he lowered his
voice so only Zeb could hear. "Don't stop for
anything and don't spare the horses."

Zeb nodded. "I'll take care of her. You just
look to yourself. If it's that Felton fellow, I hear
he's not quite right in the head."

Reese spun his horse around and galloped
away from them while Saber frowned worriedly.
"I want to wait for him," she said.

"Nope," Zeb told her, waving the others forward. "Reese said we'd ride on, and that's what
we'll be doing."

After they had been riding for a short time,
Zeb started on one of his long tales, trying to
distract Saber.

But Saber was no fool. She knew Reese sus pected someone was following them, and she
was afraid for him. Everyone said he was the
best tracker in the state, and he certainly
wouldn't ride into another man's trap, she told
herself. She only half listened to Zeb recount a
story she'd heard many times. Oh, why had she
let Reese ride away without her?

Reese rode among the hills, his gaze on the
ground. After he crossed a small, dry creek bed,
he picked up fresh hoofprints. He followed the
tracks along the winding creek until they headed
toward Fort Worth. Whoever it was, he was trying to stay out of sight.

He turned his horse toward town. Felton was
waiting for just the right moment to strike, and
he seemed to be a very patient man.

Saber had made her purchases and added them
to Reese's account and was assured by Mr. Potter, the shopkeeper, that the supplies would be
delivered the next day. She noticed that Zeb
stayed right beside her, and he wasn't one to accompany a woman from shop to shop or to
worry unnecessarily. Something was definitely
troubling him. Where was Reese? Surely he
should have rejoined her by now.

In her nervousness, she knocked a roll of silk
thread off the shelf and bent to retrieve it. As luck would have it, the spool unwound across
the floor. Going down on her knees, she picked
it up and began rewinding it.

She heard the tinkle of the bell over the door
and saw two young ladies enter. She could see
them clearly, but they hadn't yet seen her. One
of them giggled and ran to look out the window.

"There he goes," she said, sighing. "I'd just die
if he'd ever look at me."

"Well," her companion said in a superior tone,
"he spoke to me once, and I thought I would
swoon away at his feet."

"Pity he's married," the first girl said. "You
might know he'd marry someone beautiful like
Saber Vincente. He surely didn't show any interest in any of the women around here."

Her friend giggled. "Wouldn't you like to be
Saber for just one night."

Saber smiled to herself, knowing she had to
stand up, and that when she did, it was going to
cause the two young girls embarrassment.

Zeb was grinning from ear to ear. Apparently
he'd been listening to the girls' conversation,
too. He took Saber's arm and led her toward the
door. Saber looked neither left nor right, but she
couldn't keep from smiling. When they stepped
outside, Saber broke into laughter. "It seems I
broke all the young ladies' hearts when I married
Reese."

"It'd 'pear so. Looks like you're going to have
to get you a gun so you can keep all the women
'way from him."

Saber looked serious for a moment. "Don't
think I wouldn't if I thought there was a reason."

They both laughed and went to find Reese.

Dust hung heavily in the air as Reese watched
Earnest Maddingly from Casa del Sol direct his
drovers to cut the bulls from the herd. The trail
boss pushed his dusty hat off his forehead and
turned to Reese, grinning.

"Easiest drive I ever had. Looks like they made
it without losing much poundage."

Reese's gaze went over the thousand head approvingly. He'd never seen a finer breed. "They
look good to me."

"You want a head count? As far as I know, we
only lost two."

"Your word is good enough for me, Earnest. If you'll come up to the house I have a bank draft
for you to take to your boss."

Earnest blotted the sweat from his brow.
"Can't do it, Mr. Starrett. I don't handle the
money side of the business. Mr. Vincente will
take care of that."

Reese had taken a mortgage on the ranch to
get the money to pay Noble, so he wanted it in
his brother-in-law's hands as soon as possible.

"There's food at the bunkhouse. Take the men
up there and see that they're fed."

"I heard tell Zeb's been cooking," Earnest said
meaningfully. "There ain't a man of us that can
drink that old man's coffee."

Reese laughed. "I heard that about his
coffee that's why I've steered clear of drinking it. But I
believe my wife helped him cook today."

The older man nodded in approval. "Then
well feast. Miss Vincente er, Mrs. Starrett's
quite a cook."

Reese motioned for Jake and Gabe to drive the
cattle onto the mesa, where there was more
sweet grass. "Come on, Earnest, I'll ride to the
house with you."

It was after sundown before Reese got a
chance to look at the herd. Noble had chosen
prime beef for him. He shook his head. This was
a mighty fine herd, and they would yield good
beef for the army.

He glanced over the valley dotted with cattle.
Life was good, and with Saber beside him, it got
better every day!

It was a beautiful midsummer day, the sun was
shining, and a warm breeze blew from the
south.

Reese had workers building a new bedroom
and enlarging the parlor, as Saber had wanted.
She had been stuck in the house for over a week
because the men had been too busy with the
large herd and unable to ride with her.