To Kiss a Texan

TWENTY

BY DAWN, VICTORIA HAD LEARNED EVERYONE’Sname and the sounds they made when they moved, so that she was never surprised with where they were in the room. She kept Allie by her side, making Allie tell what she saw and often asking to feel the stitches or Maxwell’s forehead.

The servants stood just outside the door, waiting to be called. And call them Victoria did. She constantly wanted clean water, or more bandages, or wood added to the fire. Once she even demanded a full meal of steak and eggs, then ordered Wes and Jason to eat.

Wes found himself of little help in the makeshift hospital. Instead, he walked the perimeter of the headquarters. Checking for perfect vantage points along the wall. Wes quickly fell back into his military thinking. For the length of the war, all he’d thought about was staying alive. Several times, his preparation had saved not only his life, but the lives of his men.

The headquarters had been built by a military mind, there was no doubt. Thick walls formed a square, with only two openings large enough for a horse and rider to pass. The front gate was barred with an oak log. The other opening could be easily seen and defended from any spot inside the compound.

Wes understood why Sheriff Hardy insisted on this place. A few men could hold off an army.

Gideon silently relinquished his command of security to Wes, seemingly glad to have the younger man’s advice. Keeping an eye on two old women was one thing, protecting a fort from attack with only a handful of servants was another. It didn’t take long for Wes to realize Gideon saw himself more as doorman than defender. His chain of command had been from Victoria to the kitchen help, no further.

By midmorning men started arriving, slowly filling the courtyard like migrant birds returning after a hard winter. Old men. Aging fighters who’d fought for the Republic and maybe served a few tours as Rangers during Indian trouble. None looked young enough to have fought for Texas in the War Between the States.

‘‘Who are they, Gideon?’’ Wes asked as the two men watched thirty visitors milling around below, setting up camp, apparently planning to stay a while.

‘‘Victoria’s army. They must have gotten word when we sent for the doctor,’’ Gideon answered calmly, as if his words made sense. ‘‘For years, Victoria’s ranch has been a place men knew they could come and, no matter how old or stove up, still be treated like a full man. Back in the ’30s and ’40s Texas was packed with Indian fighters and fortune hunters, outlaws and worn-out lawmen looking for that last time to stand tall.’’

Gideon looked over the gathering. ‘‘As time passed, they either lost what family they had or never married. What’s a man to do who’s no longer strong in a land where only the strong survive?’’

Wes studied the men more closely. A few wore tattered parts of uniforms with pride. Most still carried single-shot rifles and handguns made generations before the Colt. But they stood proud. A waiting army a day away from the grave.

Gideon continued, ‘‘A few were Catlin’s men from his Army days, others Victoria met over the years. One by one they showed up at the gate, and she insisted on treating them like returning heroes. A few were so down on their luck, they walked through the gate without a horse. Victoria would have a great dinner for them and, in her way, beg them to stay on to protect the ranch. She’d offer a house on the land and a full hand’s pay in exchange for their watchful vigilance over the place.’’

Wes raised an eyebrow. ‘‘You mean this is the Catlin ranch’s security?’’

Gideon nodded. ‘‘I call them the Old Guard. They may be crippled and all used up, but one thing you got to know. To the man, they’d die for Victoria… or kill for her.’’

Wes pushed back from the railing. ‘‘Take me to meet these heroes.’’

As he walked down the stairs, he thought of what happened to a man who had no family when he aged. These men weren’t farmers. Their skills had kept them alive long enough to leave them starving when their fists no longer struck hard and their aims wavered. No one else would have hired them. There weren’t enough homes to take in orphans, much less the aging loners and warriors. Old women were valued for all they could do to help, but who would value an old buffalo hunter or frontier fighter?

Wes met them one at a time. Listening to their stories, remembering their names. He could see it in their eyes, in the strained hardness of their handshakes. These men were an army. They didn’t need a commander. They only needed direction. Each would man his post until the end of his watch.

Wes stepped up on the edge of the fountain and raised his hands. ‘‘Thank you for coming so quickly to my aid.’’

‘‘We didn’t come for you!’’ yelled a barreled-shaped man with gun belts crossing his chest. ‘‘We come to protect Miss Victoria.’’

Several others nodded.

Wes took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to be easy. ‘‘I’ve outlined a plan of defense.’’

‘‘Don’t need no plan!’’ A bald warrior who looked like he ate men for breakfast grunted. ‘‘We know what to do, sonny.’’

‘‘Yeah,’’ another complained. ‘‘We don’t need no pup of a Yank telling us nothin’.’’

‘‘But I was a captain in-’’ Wes began.

‘‘And I was a colonel when you was still having your mama hold you out the window to drip.’’

The crowd laughed. These men were loners who balked at suggestions. Who knows, Wes thought, they might shoot at a direct order. He didn’t feel like being used in target practice.

Anger boiled in Wes. He needed their help, but his pride wouldn’t let him beg, and he’d be a fool to bully. None of them looked like they had a heart anyway. He’d been wasting his time. ‘‘Look!’’ he yelled. ‘‘Trouble’s coming.’’

If he’d expected to alarm them, he was greatly disappointed.

‘‘Trouble’s always coming!’’ hollered a one-eyed man who called himself Dillon.

Wes glanced at the man to argue, but found himself trying to decide which side of Dillon’s face was uglier-the side with an evil eye staring him down, or the one with a sunken socket.

‘‘Trouble’s my middle name,’’ Slone, the one whose bullets hung in anXacross his chest, answered. ‘‘I’m already here.’’

‘‘I’ve been itching for a fight so bad I done scratched to the bone,’’ another shouted. ‘‘If there’s gonna be fighting, ain’t nobody better kill them all before I get my shot.’’

Several agreed that, if they were attacked, each man only got to kill one until every man had had a turn. Each suddenly seemed to feel the need to describe a killing he’d participated in.

‘‘Young fellow, you go on in with the women,’’ ordered the one who called himself a colonel. ‘‘We’ll take this watch.’’

Wes fought the urge to slug a man old enough to be his grandfather. In the army, the bars on Wes’s shoulders had always won him respect. But now, he didn’t have the time to figure out how to unite them. They began moving away, talking in small groups, paying no more attention to him.

Wes felt a small hand slip into his. He looked down into Allie’s tired blue eyes. He’d left her asleep in a chair. Sleep still drifted across her face, along with worry.

‘‘What’s wrong?’’ He guided her onto the step.

‘‘The sheriff is asking for you.’’ She didn’t turn loose of his hand. When she moved beside him, her body brushed his.

Wes nodded in response to her request, but for a moment he just wanted to be near. And from the way she leaned against him, he guessed she wanted the same thing. All night, he’d watched her work beside Victoria. The only time he’d touched her had been when he’d covered her up after she’d fallen asleep.

Every time he’d entered the room, his gaze had been drawn to her, as if he had to locate her before the world was in balance.

‘‘I missed you,’’ he whispered next to her ear.

‘‘I’ve been right here,’’ she answered.

His free hand cupped her chin, and he turned her face to the sun. ‘‘Not near enough.’’

Just as he lowered his lips to hers, he heard it. Silence.

Wes froze, an inch away from her mouth. Slowly, he turned his head.

Every man in the place silently stared at Allie.

He felt her fear. Her grip on his fingers tightened. She moved closer, as if she could vanish against him.

‘‘What is it?’’ he snapped, angry that they’d frightened her. In truth, he’d forgotten the ‘‘Old Guard’’ the minute she’d touched his hand.

But none of them answered. Several removed hats. A few walked closer without taking their gaze off Allie. One even scrubbed his eyes with the back of a dirty hand as if trying to improve his sight.

‘‘They see it,’’ Gideon whispered from behind Wes. ‘‘They all do. They see Victoria reflected in her face.’’

Wes leaned down. ‘‘It’s all right,’’ he said to Allie. ‘‘You’ve nothing to be afraid of.’’

She straightened. ‘‘I’m not afraid.’’ Her grip didn’t lessen on his hand, but the touch of stubbornness was back.

Wes faced the army. ‘‘Gentlemen,’’ he almost choked on the word, ‘‘I’d like you to meet Allie, my wife. We need your help protecting her and the others here within these walls.’’

The man who’d said he’d been a colonel marched toward Wes. ‘‘Luther Ashford Attenbury, reporting for assignment.’’ His words were for Wes, but his gaze never left Allie’s face.

He drew a saber from his waist and saluted Allie in true cavalry style.

The one-eyed man was next. He tipped his slouch hat and mumbled, ‘‘Dillon, ma’am. My folks were too poor to give me two names. Just Dillon. I’m at your service. All you have to do is call.’’

One by one, the others followed, most using titles that had prefaced their names years ago. A marshal, a sergeant, a scout, a captain.

There was no need for Allie to comment. They were not meeting her, only pledging allegiance to her with their introductions.

Wes helped her down from the fountain ledge and walked toward the house. He knew he’d have no trouble with passing out assignments when he returned. Their love for Victoria spilled over to Allie.

He walked past Katherine as he entered the hallway. ‘‘You two will not get away with passing her off as my sister’s granddaughter.’’ Her words were layered in hate.

‘‘I’m not trying to get away with anything. Allie doesn’t want the Catlin money. You and Michael can have it all when the old woman dies, provided she doesn’t outlive you both,’’ he shouted over his shoulder as he hurried to reach Hardy. ‘‘Just stay out of my way.’’

Katherine didn’t have time for rebuttal. She stopped at the doorway as though she’d been banned from the sickroom. Her brittle frame stood rigid a moment, looking as though she might storm the place, then she vanished.

Victoria raised her head at the sound of Wes’s footsteps. ‘‘Mr. McLain. Maxwell wishes to talk to you.’’

Without the use of a cane, Victoria moved away from the bed that had been made on a couch.

Wes knelt on one knee. ‘‘Maxwell?’’

The old man smiled. ‘‘Thanks for bringing me.’’ His voice barely passed his lips. ‘‘Allie will be safe here. There’s no way into the compound unless someone unbolts a door from the inside. With a few guns you could hold off an attack.’’

Wes agreed.

‘‘You met the Old Guard?’’

‘‘I met them.’’

‘‘Good, make sure one of them is at every entrance every hour, night and day. Let no other take a watch. Trust none but the Old Guard. There are several young hands I saw around when we came last time that I don’t know.’’

‘‘I already figured that out. I’ll keep them busy with the horses.’’ Wes had thought he’d have to use the male servants for a turn at watch. But once he saw Victoria’s army, he’d changed his mind.

‘‘Michael won’t come, but he might send someone. There are enough men out of work who’ll do anything for a price, even kill a woman. Keep Allie by your side whenever she isn’t in this room.’’

Maxwell patted his side. ‘‘I got Allie to put my pistol right here. If anyone should get this close, he’ll never leave the room.’’ Even injured, the sheriff hadn’t lost sight of his mission. ‘‘With the doors open I have a clear view of the hallway and stairs.’’

‘‘I’ll station the guards, then I’m going to get a few hours’ sleep.’’ Nights without rest started to catch up to Wes. ‘‘It could be a long night ahead.’’

Hardy touched his arm. ‘‘Tell Jason to find Crandall Cutler. He likes kids more than most and loves to talk about horses. He’ll keep the boy busy and safe.’’

‘‘Thanks.’’ Wes glanced at Jason sitting in the windowsill.

The boy nodded and hurried out, thankful to have been freed.

Thirty minutes later, Wes asked Victoria if she had a place he could bed down for a while. The old woman hadn’t said a word about the possibility of Allie truly being her granddaughter, but he’d learned there was little the blind woman missed.

‘‘The second room off the stairs has been made ready for you and Allie.’’ Victoria sat beside Maxwell while he slept, showing no sign of needing to rest herself. ‘‘The door next to mine.’’

Wes climbed the stairs, too tired to think about anything but closing his eyes. He didn’t bother striking a light when he noticed the windows were closed and shuttered. He pulled off his gun belt and boots. Now, while Victoria’s army was fresh, would be a good time to sleep. He figured if an advance came, it would probably be in the night hours. Michael seemed the type.

Stretching out on the quilt, Wes folded an arm over his eyes to block the thin rays of sun shining through the shutters. All he needed to do was let out a breath and he’d be sound asleep.

‘‘Wes?’’ Allie whispered from the doorway. ‘‘The sheriff told me to stay close to you. Can I stay in here?’’

He stretched out his arm in welcome. ‘‘Come along, Blue Eyes.’’

He’d expected her to slip into bed as she always did, quietly. He’d noticed a small step stool had been put on her side to make climbing onto the high bed easier. But she jumped forward in a mighty leap, tumbling against him as she bounced.

Opening his eyes, he laughed. ‘‘You’re a hard woman to get in bed.’’

‘‘I’ve been waiting to be alone with you. You should have told me you were coming up to our room. I would have followed.’’

He leaned back against the pillows. ‘‘I didn’t figure you’d be too tired, the way you were curled up in that overstuffed chair for several hours early this morning.’’

‘‘I’m not sleepy.’’ She sat cross-legged beside him and wiggled until she felt comfortable.

Wes opened his eyes once more, thinking he was getting to the point of being too tired to hear. If she wasn’t sleepy, why was she here?

Allie sat facing him, calmly unbuttoning her blouse. ‘‘I’ve been waiting for you to touch me again. You said you would.’’

She had the nerve to look like she requested a favor. Her huge eyes stared at him, as if she were bracing herself to be disappointed. ‘‘You will, won’t you? Touch me like you did before we left the station? You said we could do it when we were alone.’’

Wes’s blood pumped from dead-tired slow to full gallop in one heartbeat. All he could do was stare as the top of her dress fell away. He told himself he had to stay alert to protect her, and in order to do that, he needed a little sleep. But he could see the outline of her entire body as she slipped from her dress. The undergarments were wrinkled from having been pressed against her and now, even without the dress, held their place.

‘‘Would you like me to take off more?’’ she asked as though trying to encourage him to keep his promise. ‘‘I don’t mind you watching me undress now that I know that’s the way it is between husband and wife.’’

He couldn’t believe what she said. He must already be dreaming. He found it impossible to fathom that all night, while he’d been pacing, she’d been thinking of asking him to touch her again.

Raising his hand, he lowered first one of her straps,then the other. The camisole draped over her breasts lightly, threatening to fall at any moment. The sight was intoxicating. He wet his lips and took great pleasure in just watching her breathe.

She waited. ‘‘

‘‘Why are you doing this?’’ he whispered as his fingers brushed over the soft flesh at her throat.

‘‘I have to learn not to be afraid.’’

He moved his hand lower. She drew in a breath. Her chin lifted slightly with determination.

Her action strained the material, outlining the peak of each breast beneath the lace.This is too good to be a dream, Wes thought. Studying her closely, he tried to understand.

He saw it then, in the set of her eyes and the carriage of her body. She was testing the limits. Like a man taking one more step into a lion’s cage each day. Being near him was her way of conquering her fears.

Wes rose to his elbow and brushed her mouth with his thumb, pulling slightly so that her lips parted. He wanted her not to be afraid, but he needed her to want him. She meant more to him than any woman ever had in his life, but he wasn’t sure what he meant to her. Sure, she turned to him when she needed him. But did she want him?

There was no doubt he wanted her. Lord, how he wanted her. She’d been like a flash flood that washed over him all at once when he wasn’t even expecting it. A few days ago, he would have been happy to help her and let her go on her way. But now, looking at her like this stirred something deep inside him. She didn’t even know the games played between men and women. She didn’t have to.

The thin layer of cotton and lace slipped beneath the left side of her breast, and Wes no longer breathed, much less thought.

He leaned forward and kissed her peak lightly, then shoved the material away to her waist with only the tips of his fingers.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but she didn’t pull away. His light touch made every nerve alive. Barely brushing her flesh, he allowed his fingers to drift from her waist to her throat. She closed her eyes, wanting the full press of his hand against her, but waiting. If he wanted to lightly touch her first, she could wait for the warmth.

Lying back against his pillow, Wes watched her. Again, he lightly brushed her skin from waist to chin, only this time, he slowed to circle the borders of each breast.

Allie let out a cry.

‘‘Did I hurt you?’’ His voice was low and thick with a hunger.

‘‘No,’’ she whispered, out of breath. ‘‘It didn’t hurt. Again, please.’’

Yes, he could take his time in the touching, she thought, for he made her feel treasured. She sat very still and allowed him to continue.

His fingers circled her breasts once more then moved upward, brushing her mouth open with his touch.

She closed her eyes, feeling his thumb press against her bottom lip and his fingers caress her face. Then his hand moved downward, brushing her throat. As his fingers closed gently over her breast, Allie straightened slightly.

‘‘You’re beautiful, Allie,’’ he whispered as he circled lightly over the tip of one breast.

‘‘Come to me, Allie.’’ He placed his hands behind his head, letting her know this would be her advance, not his.

For a long while, she didn’t move. Then, very slowly, she leaned over him, kissing him fully. As before, the taste of him blended with the smells that always surrounded him, giving her a sense of safety and warmth.

Wes fought the urge to reach for her as she played with his lips until she coaxed just the kiss she wanted from him. Dear Lord, the way she kissed him was perfection. But he allowed her to end the kiss.

Hesitantly, she raised above him until the tip of her breast touched his lips. She shook with uncertainty, but she offered freely.

His hands moved along her rib cage, holding her tenderly just above him. The feel of her flesh in his hands blended with the taste of her breast moving with each breath against his tongue to explode his mind in senses.

He sampled her fully, enjoying the way she paused timidly but didn’t turn away. Her heart quickened as he circled her flesh with his mouth while he stroked her sides with his hands.

A sigh escaped her. She leaned away long enough to offer him the other breast. As his mouth savored new flesh, his hand crossed over her damp breast and the warmth of his palm pushed slightly into her softness.

Fire shot through her, jolting her with a pleasure she never dreamed existed.

She pulled away suddenly, drawing back from indulgence into too much joy. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sat in the center of the bed.

‘‘What’s wrong?’’ Wes rubbed his face as though he too were being dropped too quickly into reality. He rose beside her.

‘‘Nothing.’’ She looked down. ‘‘I just never felt anything like that before. I never knew anyone, anywhere could feel like you make me feel just now.’’ She closed her eyes, trying to force her thoughts into words. ‘‘I’m burning up inside. You give me such great pleasure and ask nothing in return. It is not a fair bargain.’’

Wes laughed and brushed her hair over her shoulder. ‘‘You don’t understand. It is you who bring me great pleasure.’’ His arm slipped around her shoulder. He pulled her with him to the pillows. ‘‘I thought you knew.’’ He couldn’t believe she thought he was somehow giving her joy when he felt nothing.

He didn’t wait to be asked this time. He rolled on his side and kissed her. As his tongue parted her lips, his hand moved over her breast, warming her with his touch.

When she was breathless, he broke the kiss. ‘‘It’s you who, by allowing me to touch and taste such beauty, pleases me.’’ He had to make her understand. ‘‘You let me feel paradise in my hand. I’ll be happy to touch you whenever you like, I swear.’’

As she relaxed in his arms, his kisses grew deeper, his touch bolder. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest. His actions went from being smooth and practiced to being suddenly jerky.

He stopped, burying his face in the pillow.

‘‘Again,’’ she ordered, holding him to his word. She had not had her fill of this pleasure. ‘‘Touch me, please.’’

Swearing beneath his breath, he rolled onto his back and forced himself not to look at her.

Allie leaned against him. The top of her camisole had disappeared amidst the covers. ‘‘Is it over? You will do no more? I thought you enjoyed it. More, please.’’

Wes didn’t look at her. ‘‘There is more, Allie, far more. Other places I can touch you. Other places I’d like to touch you.’’

‘‘But I like this.’’

‘‘Yes, but there is more to what we’re doing.’’ Wes took in air as if knowledge would somehow come with it. He was a fighter, never a lover. How was he supposed to explain the facts of life to a woman walking around with the most perfectly built body he’d ever seen, much less touched? How could he tell her that her polite begging for more was driving him insane?

‘‘How? Where would you touch?’’

Without a word, he moved his hand from her chest down. As his fingers slipped over the thin cotton of her underwear and pressed between her legs, she understood.

Allie shoved herself from the bed as if the covers were afire. ‘‘No!’’ She picked up her dress and held it over her, ashamed of him seeing her for the first time. ‘‘No!’’

Wes felt like an idiot. There must have been some other way to tell her. Maybe he could have just kept kissing her and touching her until it happened. No, that didn’t make sense. At some point, she’d become frightened and he’d be so far lost in the paradise of her body he might accidentally scare her before he could stop.

‘‘Allie. It’s a part of loving. As much a part as the kissing and touching. It’s what man and wife do.’’

‘‘No!’’ she screamed. ‘‘Never! You will never touch me there!’’ Tears fell unchecked. ‘‘I know the pain. Never!’’

She looked at him with hate and fear and terror back in her eyes. As if she might bolt and run. As if she might pull her knife and try to kill him at any moment. As if she wished him dead.

‘‘Allie.’’ He fought his own battles. They’d come so far, and now they were back to where they started. ‘‘ Allie. Have I ever hurt you?’’

‘‘No,’’ she answered.

‘‘Do you trust me? Do you sleep beside me and know that I will bring you no harm?’’

‘‘Yes.’’

‘‘Then trust me now. I’ll do nothing until you are ready. Until you want it. Until it’s the right time.’’ He made himself relax on the bed, even though every part of his body wanted to grab her and pull her to him and make her understand.

‘‘Now, get back in bed,’’ he ordered in a far gruffer tone than he meant. ‘‘There is nothing to be afraid of.’’

She didn’t move for a long while. Then slowly, she placed her dress back in place over the chair and slipped into the bed. She spread out beside him no longer soft and ready for his embrace, but stiff and cold as stone.

‘‘It will never be the right time,’’ she finally said. ‘‘You will never touch me there.’’

‘‘Go to sleep.’’ Wes locked his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.Neversuddenly took on a sound lonelier than any he’d ever heard.