Someone Like You (Night Riders) (28 page)

“Did you know he was a bullfighter?”

“Shut up, you fool! He’s no bullfighter. He’s just the luckiest son of a bitch I’ve ever seen.” The man drove his balled-up fist into an open palm. “He can’t escape me forever.” He turned to the man still huddled in the corner. “You’d better make sure he doesn’t get away the next time, or they’ll find your body in a ditch.”

“Laveau must have had something to do with it.” Broc had repeated that comment so many times, Rafe had lost count.

“It doesn’t make sense for him to have helped me if he was trying to kill me.”

“There were two other bulls.”

“Still.”

“Then who else could it be?”

“I’ve been cudgeling my brain for the last several hours, and I can’t come up with anyone who wants me dead except Dolores.”

“How could those bulls have gotten out without anyone knowing?” Maria asked.

After being released by the doctor, Rafe had spent the remainder of the afternoon in his hotel room. He had insisted on going out to eat, but he’d been relieved to get back to the hotel. Maria had put Luis to bed, then come to join Rafe and Broc.

The hotel couldn’t aspire to compete with establishments in San Francisco or even Sacramento, but the management offered several suites. Laveau had the largest, so Rafe was installed in a sitting room featuring red velvet drapes with gold tassels, a thick Turkish carpet, and chairs that showed more style than comfort. Marble-topped tables and paintings in gilded frames added to the feeling of opulence.

The sheriff had promised to look into how the bulls had got out, but everyone had been too busy watching Rafe’s ride and applauding his success to pay attention to the bull pens.

“I don’t have an answer to any of these questions,” Rafe said, “and I’m tired of racking my brain looking for some. I’m going to put it out of my mind.”

“It wasn’t an accident.” Broc sounded aghast.

“You haven’t been here in ten years,” Maria said. “How can anyone have such a grudge against you?”

“My point exactly,” Broc said. “That makes it all the more obvious Laveau has to be behind the attack. I know,” he said when Rafe started to interrupt, “but maybe he decided to help you because he saw you were going to get away and he wanted to be above suspicion. You have to admit he’s just about the craftiest man we’ve ever known.”

“I’ll agree with anything negative you say about Laveau,” Rafe told Broc, “but I’m certain he wasn’t behind that attempt to kill me.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Broc said, “and I’m going to prove it.”

“How?”

I
’m going to move into Cíbola, follow him wherever he goes, know everything he does, everyone he meets. Sooner or later he’ll make a mistake. When he does, I’ll have him,” Broc said.

“No one will believe you,” Maria said. “Laveau is handsome, rich, and free-spending. Having my sister as a companion just makes his acceptance by the townspeople more complete.”

“Do you think he’s handsome?” Rafe had never given Laveau’s looks any thought.

“He’s a low-down, conniving skunk,” Broc said.

Maria’s eyes twinkled when she smiled. “You only have to watch women’s expressions to know they think he’s very handsome.”

“What about you?” Broc asked.

Rafe seemed very interested in the answer.

“Let me put it this way: A snake is graceful and sinuous, but I can still dislike it because it’s poisonous. A flower can be beautiful and still give off an unpleasant odor.”

Rafe laughed. “Don’t ever play chess with her.”

Broc failed to see any humor in her response. “Laveau is an ugly snake who gives off a foul odor. I haven’t forgotten the reason I came to California was to bring him to justice.”

Rafe had been surprised to find Laveau had come to Cíbola rather than San Francisco, but not as surprised as when he learned Laveau had sent him the clipping from the Chicago newspaper. He was certain Laveau was hoping to find some way to benefit from Rafe’s inheritance, but that was a far cry
from planning his murder. How could Rafe’s death benefit Laveau?

“Neither have I,” Rafe replied, “but I don’t see what we can do.”

“We could kidnap him and take him back to Texas.”

“Why do you want to take him back to Texas?” Maria asked.

“To hang him for what he did during the war.”

Maria looked stunned. “Wouldn’t that be murder?”

“Yes,” Rafe admitted, “a stumbling block that has stymied us from the beginning. Being a traitor isn’t a crime unless you betray the winning side. Laveau is careful never to end up on the losing side.”

“He didn’t even lose his share in the family ranch,” Broc said in disgust. “His sister sends him his percentage of the profits each year.”

“He ought to be thankful for his sister and her husband rather than hating them,” Rafe said. “Cade has made the ranch very profitable. Laveau would have run it into the ground within five years.”

“He couldn’t have done that because he wouldn’t have been able to drive out the squatters in the first place.” Broc told Maria the story of their return to Texas and the fight to regain control of both the di Viere and Wheeler ranches. “Laveau thanked Cade for getting back the family ranch by sneaking into his bedroom at night and trying to kill him.”

“That’s terrible!” Maria’s look of horror appeared to appease some of Broc’s anger.

“Now you understand why we are determined to find a way to bring him to justice.”

“Unfortunately, as long as he stays in the United States and its territories, he’s protected by the Army,” Rafe explained.

“You’ve got to help me find a way to keep him away from Luis,” Maria said. “No telling what he might do to the boy.”

“I’d be just as worried about his mother’s actions if I were you,” Broc said.

“I know Dolores isn’t a good mother, but she’d never do anything to hurt Luis.”

Broc didn’t look convinced, but Rafe agreed with Maria.

“I’d better check on Luis.” Maria rose from her chair.

“He’s not a baby,” Broc reminded her. “Besides, he’s just down the hall.”

“I suppose I’ll always feel protective. He’s probably the closest I’ll come to having a child of my own.”

Rafe wondered how she meant that and whether he could change her mind.

“Are you sure you want to make these changes?” the lawyer asked Rafe.

“Why would I ask you to do this if I weren’t sure?”

“Possibly because you want to get back to Texas so badly, you haven’t thought of all the ramifications.”

After the attack in the bullring, Rafe realized he had to make provisions for Luis in case something happened to him. If his wishes were not spelled out, Dolores might get control of Luis and the ranch. He could imagine the boy being dragged after her as she flitted from one man to another.

“My father had enough confidence in Maria to make her Luis’s guardian.”

“His
joint
guardian.”

“I made it clear to my father that if he married Dolores, he’d never see me again. In essence, he left Maria in charge of Luis and you as overseer of the ranch. What I’m doing changes that very little.”

Rafe had decided to make Maria sole guardian of Luis if anything should happen to him. He was also giving her control of the ranch until Luis reached his twenty-first birthday. If anything were to happen to Maria, the lawyer would assume her responsibilities until Luis came of age.

He had considered taking Luis to Texas with him, but the ranch was the boy’s inheritance. He needed to grow up here, to become so familiar with the land and the people that
they became an integral part of him. All Cade’s ranch in Texas and Rancho los Alamitos had in common was lack of rainfall.

Rafe wasn’t about to disclose to anyone that the biggest question in his mind centered around his feelings for Maria and her feelings for him.

“So you’re sure you want Maria to have control of everything?” the lawyer asked.

“Do you see any problem with that?”

“Your father’s widow might object.”

“I have complete confidence that you and Maria can take care of everything.”

“I’ll draw up the papers. They should be ready for you to sign sometime next week.”

Rafe rose. “Send a message to the ranch. I’ll come into town as soon as I can.”

He paused outside the lawyer’s office to rest his hip. The pain was gone, but his muscles were still stiff and the scab would pull off if he wasn’t careful. The last thing he wanted while walking through the center of Cíbola was to bleed through the seat of his pants.

He wondered what it was about Henry Fielder that made him wish his father had employed another lawyer. The man had been the family attorney for as long as he could remember—and one of his father’s best friends. He’d never done anything to warrant this vague feeling of discomfort.

Rafe shook off the feeling. He didn’t have to like the man any more than the man had to like him. All he asked was that Fielder do his job. That way Rafe could go back to Texas with a clear conscience.

Well, almost.

This was an unexpected shift, but maybe it was better. He would have been happier if Rafe were dead, but there was always a danger of being caught when you killed someone—or hired it to be done. If Rafe was determined never to return to California, he
could focus on Maria. She would be easier to dispose of and fewer people would care. He would have no trouble handling Dolores Jerry. She was doing everything she could to ruin herself. With a little help, she would succeed quite nicely. Then there would be nothing to stand in his way but a helpless boy. Whether he lived or died would depend on the boy’s cooperativeness
.

His chuckle was mirthless. He would finally have the wealth and power he wanted. Never again would he have to be subservient, pretend Warren Jerry wasn’t an old fool when he’d let himself be seduced by a tramp younger than his son. The folly of marrying her to give his bastard child a name was beyond his comprehension. Knowing that child would inherit vast wealth and a position of power and importance caused him almost physical pain
.

He would soon have the wealth and position in society he deserved. And Warren would get the justice he deserved
.

Maria stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t think the strain had begun to show, but it probably wouldn’t be long. She turned away from the mirror and cast aside her dressing gown. It was time to get on with the business of running the house hold. Rafe and Luis would be back from their ride soon, eager for breakfast. She wasn’t hungry, but she always ate with them. She missed Broc. His presence had served to break the tension between her and Rafe. She wondered if he was still following Laveau. From the information he sent Rafe, he hadn’t yet uncovered any suspicious behavior.

Maria stepped into her skirt and fastened it around her waist. Try as she might to avoid being alone with Rafe, they were alone more and more. That meant he kissed her more frequently, held her in his arms more often, touched her all the time. She tried not to admit it to herself, but her body longed for him to take their courtship one step further. In her dreams he often did. She kept telling herself she needed to put distance between them. His arrangements with the lawyer made it clear he expected her to remain in California while he went back to Texas, never to return. It behooved
her to get her feelings under control. Actually, she ought to eliminate them entirely, but she’d given that up as impossible until Rafe left.

She wasn’t sure she would be able to do it even then.

She had asked herself whether she’d go with Rafe if he asked, but she hadn’t come up with a satisfactory answer. She’d want to go with him, but taking Luis to Texas wasn’t a perfect solution. He couldn’t learn how to manage his inheritance from Texas. Having the lawyer manage it for him wouldn’t teach him what he needed to know.

She picked a shirtwaist and began to button it.

Her whole train of thought was pointless and a needless irritant. Rafe hadn’t indicated that he wanted her to go to Texas with him.

A knock on the door interrupted her musings.

She did up the last button before calling, “Come in.”

Rosana entered the bedroom. “You’re late coming down. Are you feeling well?”

“I’m fine.”

“You didn’t ride this morning.”

“I’m not really very fond of horses or riding. Luis is, and he’s taken to wanting Rafe to gallop every time they go out.”

Rosana’s smile was bright enough to light the whole room. “That boy has blossomed since Rafe came home. You wouldn’t know he’s the same child.”

One more thing to throw her world out of balance. What was she going to do about Luis when Rafe left? She loved the boy as much as any real mother could, but that wouldn’t take the place of having a brother like Rafe.

“He certainly has changed,” Maria agreed.

“He’s just like Rafe when he was a boy.” A tear appeared at the corner of Rosana’s eye. “I wish Senor Warren had lived to see it.”

Maria wasn’t sure he would have cared. She believed he’d lost the will to live when he finally realized Rafe wasn’t coming back.

Rosana sniffed and wiped away the tear. “I didn’t come up to make you sad. Rafe and Luis are having breakfast. They were asking for you to join them. Rafe was particularly concerned that you might not be feeling well.”

That wasn’t unexpected since she’d pleaded a headache as an excuse not to be left alone in his company last night. “I’m feeling fine. I’m just a little tired.”

“Festival always wears people out. And worrying about the attack on Rafe and his injury hasn’t helped, I’m sure.” She brightened. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Rafe is responsible. With him and his friend stirring things up, we haven’t had this much excitement around here in a long time.”

“It was certainly quiet during Warren’s illness. I’m afraid that caused Luis to be more reserved than he really is.”

“It’s not good for a boy to be that quiet. He ought to be full of high spirits at this age. He’ll have enough responsibility to settle him down soon enough.”