Taming Talia (25 page)

There was no doubt about it, Talia wouldn’t give in easily; he’d have to be extra convincing. But having Talia at his side was worth the effort. The question still nagged him: did she love him enough to give up everything she held dear?

A gust of wind blasted through his coat, chilling him to the bone and almost ripping the Stetson from his head. Pulling up his collar, he hunched his shoulders and encouraged his horse to pick up some speed. Dark clouds in the northwest scudded across the sky, covering the dazzling sunlight. Maybe the storm had been a mere sampling of how bad the coming winter would be.

All the more reason to continue with his plan for taking her to New York.

Chapter Twenty-One

The hours crept by slowly. Once more, Natalia walked to the window, anxious for a glimpse of a certain horse and rider. The sun passed behind a bank of clouds, turning the vast field of snow a dull gray. A chill slid up Natalia’s spine as she continued watching for Jared’s return. Her hands clenched at her sides. What was taking him so long? What if his horse had lost its footing and Jared was lying injured somewhere along the road? Unbidden, her hand went to her mouth; she began to chew on one of her fingernails. Surely, he would return soon.

What if he never intended on coming back? What if his sweet words were all sugar and no substance. No. He was a better man than that. He would never treat her in such a dismissive manner.

The tromp of booted feet sounded behind her. She turned. Sarita’s husband shifted from one foot to the other, his face pulled into a frown. “Pedro, is everything all right with Sarita?”

“
Sí
.” Pedro nodded vigorously. “
Mi esposa está más fuerte
.” He continued, telling Natalia how much Sarita wanted to get up.

Natalia frowned, then chewed her bottom lip while she considered. “She’ll be very weak. Perhaps with your support, she could set her feet on the floor and take a step or two.”

“
Sí, señora
.” With a wide smile, he nodded, then turned and rushed from the room.

She returned to her vigil at the window, wiping away the rime of frost which had appeared during her brief conversation with Sarita’s husband. For a second, she thought there was no change in the landscape, but no, there was a small black dot on the horizon. It hadn’t been there before. It had to be Jared. Clasping her hands to her mouth, she willed the dot to grow bigger until…

“
Sí
!” She could make out a horse and rider. It was Jared. A deep sigh of relief escaped her, leaving her still excited and nervous. Her lover had kept his word and returned. Resisting the urge to run and meet him, she hurried to a mirror. Who was the haggard creature staring back? Even though she’d cleaned the kitchen and then taken some care with her hurried ablutions, she was still a shadow of her former self. The days and nights of caring first for Jared and then for Sarita had taken a toll on her appearance.

Indeed, it was a wonder that he returned at all.

Pulling the pins from her hair, she raced to her bedroom. She grabbed a brush from the dressing table and raked it through the tangles. Once it was smooth, she took two ivory combs and slid them in at the temples. At least they would keep the stragglers off her face. She pulled the rest of it back and twisted it into a long curl, which she let drape over her shoulder.
Dios
. Her face was so pale. If she didn’t know better, she’d think a corpse was peering back. With a huff, she corrected her pallor by pinching her cheeks and biting her lips.

She straightened the collar of the flannel shirt she’d grown accustomed to wearing during the blizzard conditions. It would have to do until she had more time and energy to care about such nonessential fripperies as her appearance. When had she become so vain? Her late, unlamented husband had always demanded perfection in her appearance. As little as he cared about her, he made her very aware she was his possession and as such she represented him to the small world of La Mesa.

While Jared had never criticized her appearance, he was still a man. She wanted him to find her beautiful. And for once she was primping for a man because she wanted to, not because he made her.

Dreading to give Talia this heavy dose of bad news, Jared settled, fed and watered his horse in the stable before entering the house. His injured leg stabbed with pain every step he took, but again it was dread that slowed his pace more than pain. Underlying the dread, though, lay a degree of excitement and anticipation of what their future could possibly hold.

“Jared!”

Recognizing Talia’s sweet voice, he glanced up. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her standing at the kitchen door. God, she was beautiful. Even clad as she was against the cold in an ill-fitting man’s shirt, her elegant beauty was undeniable and never failed to speed up his heart. He closed the distance between them and swept her into his arms. Burying his face in her hair, he breathed in her unique scent. She eased her arms around his waist as she pulled him inside the house.

“What a welcome,” he said with a laugh. “You must’ve missed me.”

“Indeed I did, Pinkerton. I’d begun to despair of ever seeing you again.” She finished this statement with a lovely, low laugh that resonated through every cell in his body. But the bad tidings he had yet to reveal dampened his ardor.

She reacted immediately. “What’s wrong? You’ve stiffened up on me.”

“That’s supposed to be a good thing,” he said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“You know very well what I mean. You’re tense.” Still in his arms, she pulled back, her unerring gaze seeking the truth in his. Dark as ebony, her eyes bore through to his soul. “Tell me. Tell me now—this bad news you seek to hide.”

He clenched his jaw, then said, “Let’s go into the drawing room where we can sit. My leg’s aching from the cold. Feels like it’s been caught in a bear trap.”

His words diverted her from his bad news, and her expression grew concerned. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Of course you need to sit.”

Together they walked into the drawing room, her arm around his waist. She took her spot on the settee and patted the cushion beside her. “Now sit. You can’t put me off any longer.”

Reluctantly, he sat and stretched out his bad leg, hoping to relieve the muscle spasms. “Three of your men didn’t make it, including your foreman.”

Talia’s chin dropped, trembled, and her bottom lip quivered. “
Madre de Dios
.”

“The railway stationer said most of the others found shelter, but those three didn’t make it. They tried to care for the herd.”

“What about the herd? Surely the train…?”

“The train didn’t make it. Over half your herd’s gone.”

She paled. He watched the muscles in her throat work as she tried to swallow. Her trembling hand went to her mouth. “Gone?” she gasped.

“The rails were blocked by snow drifts. The telegraph lines went down, but they’re already working on getting those back up.”

“La Mesa is shut off from everything?”

“For now. If the weather continues to improve, we may still get the rest of your herd to market.”

“It’s a disaster to be sure, financially, but those three men…” Her gaze grew inward as she chewed on her knuckle.

“Did many of the men have families?”

She shook her head. “No—at least not locally. Some of them may have family back East. I do know my foreman has a wife and four children in St. Louis, although only one child is still at home. He was saving every penny he made, since he intended to bring them out here next spring. I’ll have to let them know. I need to make arrangements. See to their welfare or bring them out here as he would’ve wanted.”

“Yes, we’ll see that they’re cared for.”

That was the second time Jared used the word we. He meant it too.

Talia gazed at him, gratitude lighting her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here. I know I’ve said it many times, but I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You won’t ever have to find out,” he said, mentally re-reading the telegram still in his coat pocket. Should he risk testing the depth of her love or not? She never needed to know about his brother’s offer. All he had to do as soon as the lines were back up was wire his brother with a polite “Thanks, but no thanks”. But doing so wouldn’t solve Talia’s financial problems or allow him to support her instead of the other way around.

“We’ll get through this together, Talia.”

“I truly believe we can.” She grasped his wrists with her long, elegant fingers. Raising his work-hardened hands to her mouth, she kissed each knuckle. “Did you see the sheriff? Is he going to arrest me?” she asked carefully.

“Moulton told me that Ojeda had hidden out in a deserted cabin. Dead from the cold. And he didn’t have one red cent on him, which we both took to mean no one paid him to kill your husband. As far as the sheriff and I are concerned, you’re officially cleared of his murder.”

Her mouth pulled into a somewhat guarded smile. “And now I trust you’ll communicate that to the Montrose family.”

“You bet your sweet lips. In fact, I left a message to be sent as soon as the telegraph wires are repaired.”

“Will they be satisfied?” she asked.

“Whether or not they’ll be satisfied, I doubt it. But there’s nothing they can do if the sheriff says you’re in the clear.”

“Your assignment here is complete. You could leave.” Her tone was calm, but he detected a slight quaver.

He took her hands in his. “I said I would never leave you, and I meant it.”

“But what about Pinkerton’s?” She kept her gaze averted as if fearing his response. “Won’t they mind?”

“Talia, I was a Pinkerton employee, not their indentured slave. When the wire about Ojeda goes through, it also contains my resignation. ”

Her warm gaze met his. “Is it really that simple? You just send a telegram saying you’re through?”

“Yes, it’s just that simple.”

True, resigning was easy enough, though the pull of loyalty to the organization which had given him a new start was strong. Only his love for Talia could have induced him to consider resigning.

On the other hand, his brother’s telegram was another deal entirely. The call of family was ever-present. It wasn’t his father’s death that disturbed him so much as the thought of a reunion with his brother and what was left of their family. It’d been over ten years since he’d graced the family home. Since being disowned, he and his brother hadn’t been close. Perhaps too much time had passed. Could they really make a life in New York? How in hell could he convince Talia to move when he had so many doubts?

Black sheep. Wastrel. No-good.
Those were some of the names his father labeled him with. Too bad he couldn’t prove the old man wrong. Maybe—no, not maybe—the names had fit Jared ten years ago when he’d gambled away his mother’s inheritance without a second thought. But he was a man now. And while the lure of cards and dice might still plague him on occasion, his power to resist was stronger, especially now that the stakes were so high.

“What’s wrong? There’s more?” Her cool hand trembled. She pleaded with her eyes for him to tell her she was mistaken.

Better to tell her now than later. He cleared his throat, stalling for the right words. “Before the lines went down, I had a telegram from my brother telling me my father passed away a week ago.”

Her dark gaze softened as she spoke. “I’m so sorry, but he wasn’t good to you, was he?”

“No. But then I wasn’t a very good son most of the time.”
Hard-headed, strong-willed
—more names his father called him.

“No!” Her hands clenched in front of her. “He was cruel to you when you were a child.”

Jared’s breath caught in his throat. He could barely utter the words, “How could you possibly know?”

He watched as she took a deep breath and then let it out, her full breasts rising and falling with the effort. “The fever—you ranted a bit—enough for me to understand what your childhood must’ve been like.” She caressed the back of his hand as if she could wash away all his pain. “It broke my heart to hear you, and I comforted you the best I could.”

Never dreaming she knew so much about his early life, Jared clenched his jaw. She’d seen him at his weakest and most vulnerable and never let on until now. He watched for the inevitable pity to appear in her expression.

“You’re a wonderful man, Jared. The past may influence who we are now, but the future is more important. Our future, if that is what you desire.”

There was no sign of pity in her warm gaze. Instead, he saw acceptance and, yes, love. Still, his old doubts nagged him. Was it enough love that she’d abandon the only life she’d ever known?

He covered her hands with his. “There’s more.”

“More?”

“My brother wants me to return to the bosom of the family, so to speak.”

She straightened and raised her chin. “Then you must go. Your family needs you.” Again there was the slightest quaver in her voice.

Setting his hands on her shoulders, he pleaded his case. “Come with me. I’ll take my place in the family business. I’ll be able to support
you.
We can
have a fabulous life in New York. We’ll have money, a luxurious home. You won’t have to worry about blizzards and the price of cattle. As for the herd—sell what’s left. Sell the land too. That’ll give you a small fortune for your personal use.”