“Gang? Outlaw? Prison? Condemned man? Hangman’s noose? You, Navarro Breed, a wanted man?” She watched him nod after each short query. She was too stunned to think or speak more words for a while. She just gaped at him as if he were lying or teasing as she shook her head.
“It’s true, Beth. That’s why I make such a skilled lawman. Who knows better a criminal’s mind than somebody who’s been one, somebody who’s walked in those boots?”
“You are serious. When? Why? What happened?”
“Let’s eat before I relate the dirty tale. I don’t want to spoil your appetite again like I did this morning, and I’m sorry that happened. After I finish, if you still want to team up with me, I’ll be mighty grateful.”
Beth took the cup of coffee he poured and set it on the ground. She assumed his many dark secrets were the causes of his strange moods and behavior. If he’d been able to thwart their partnership as he’d attempted, it wouldn’t have been necessary to share them with her. She concluded he must have despised having to do so and perhaps risk tarnishing her golden image of him. He had no choice but to confess, as somebody could recognize him—not her!—and expose his past identity. The fact he made the admissions proved he had accepted her on his team.
A filled plate rested on Beth’s lap but it wasn’t food she wanted; it was the truth. She knew she mustn’t press him; he had to expose information at his own pace. Suspense and anticipation gnawed.at her as she chewed on rabbit, biscuit, and beans. She ate as fast and politely as possible, then did her clean-up chores, as did he.
Navarro convinced himself he was feeding her his bitter life’s story in chewable bites to win Beth’s trust. He also wanted to prevent her from thinking him a liar if somebody dropped clues or facts about him later, or if somebody handed her false crumbs and made him taste worse than he’d been. There was no way, he reasoned, it was being done to hinder his dark secrets from jumping up and snatching Bethany Wind from his grasp in the future as they had ambushed and stolen Jessica Lane from him in the past. Confident those were his motives, he readied himself to confess.
“What I told you about me and my parents the other day is true, but my story had holes in it, as you may have guessed with that keen mind of yours. My father became an outlaw after his Army years. He was too lazy to do regular work but was greedy for money. He teamed up with some of his friends from the fort. Didn’t take long to make a notorious name for themselves as the Breed Gang. It all made him believe he was important and fearless. They terrorized Arizona and New Mexico territories for years. Half the time, he was robbing and killing and living off his sorry deeds. The other half, he was laying low when the law got too close; that’s when he’d force Mother to earn our keep.”
Spellbound, Beth sat on a blanket and leaned against a rock.
“He ran that sutler store as I said, but he was finally recognized from an old wanted poster and sent on the run again. The money my mother took to her people was loot from Carl’s latest holdup, a big bank job. That’s why she was so highly viewed and praised by her band, forgiven and accepted so quick and easy. After that massacre in the Apache camp when I ran into him again, I rode with his gang for a while to humiliate and frighten him before his men. Six months later, I realized I was hurting myself more than him because he didn’t have feelings, not the kind I was trying to reach; there was nothing inside him to provoke guilt and shame. I left him three times: at twelve, twenty, and twenty-four, but I never felt free of him while he was alive. I thought because his evil blood ran in me, I must be bad and worthless, too. Somewhere deep inside, I think I only wanted to prove to him and me I was wrong, that I was nothing like him and never would be.”
Navarro crossed his legs and sat Indian-fashion. “I told myself I rode with Carl to punish him, but it was me who got punished the worst. I was in one of his old camps getting ready to leave him a final time, just ride off and forget he ever existed. He and his gang showed up with a posse eating their dust. There was a shoot-out; everybody was killed except me because I wouldn’t fire on lawmen, a clue they didn’t notice in all that ruckus. They didn’t want to notice because three friends of theirs had been shot in the holdup and chase. I was arrested, tried in a grieving town, and sentenced to prison for something I didn’t do. Would have been worse for me if the posse hadn’t recovered the money. The local judge and jury didn’t believe I was innocent, either. I can’t blame ‘em; it looked as if I was caught redhanded. The only man who could’ve helped me was gone when I went to trial and his report was…misplaced, so I got twenty years.”
Navarro gazed toward the darkened horizon as his mind drifted back to that embittering episode. “I escaped twice. The first time was about two months after I went in. It was stupid because I was too weak from hunger and whippings to get very far. After they hauled me back, things got worse. You can’t imagine what a bad prison is like. Filthy clothes and a nasty stone room that smelled like rotting flesh and old sweat. No baths; if you were lucky, you got caught outside during a heavy rain. We got lashed at the post for the slightest offense. Not much food and it wasn’t fit to eat. Rats and bugs lived with you, half the time, crawling all over you. We were forced to work in desert heat with barely enough water to keep from passing out. No hats to protect our heads from the sun. We even slaved in winter when a blizzard made seeing near impossible. I saw men lose fingers and toes to ice and exposure. Didn’t matter if we were inside; the cells were about as cold as the open air. We had only two thin, ragged blankets apiece and they were full of fleas and lice, filthy and smelly as a hog in soured mud. If we got sick, nobody cared or tended us, not even the other prisoners. You didn’t have any friends in there unless you made ‘em before you came. Plenty died and, if you were one of them, there was a fight over your belongings, if the men got to ‘em before those greedy guards. If you had family or friends who’d bring you money, you could pay ‘em for better food, whiskey, smokes, or another blanket. If your folks died or stopped sending money, you went back to being nobody. ‘Course I didn’t have anybody to help make things easier for me. If a prisoner made a bad mistake, he visited the Black Hole.”
“What kind of mistakes? What was the Black Hole?”
“All it took was riling a guard for any reason. They were determined to break every man who came there, make him crawl and cower. If one tried to stay proud and strong, he was doomed. Those brutes made bets on which of them could shatter a man, how long and what it would take. Their favorite punishment—besides that lashing post—was a deep, damp, dark hole where they’d throw you and leave you until you begged or they got tired of the joke and released you. Or you died or went loco like a few did. Sometimes, I thought I might.”
“My heavens, Navarro, how did you survive such a horror?”
“What I hated most was being locked in a small, dirty cell. I got to where I looked forward to hard labor just to get outside in fresh air and sunshine. I had seventeen and a half years to go and one guard who hated me because I was part Indian. He put scars on my back and tossed me in that hole every chance he could.”
Beth had seen those scars, added to the ones his father had put there years earlier. Her heart ached for his sufferings. It had taken a lot to change him into the man he was today. With his dark history, that amazed and pleased her. It revealed how much courage, strength, wits, and good he possessed. No wonder she found him so—
“Time came when I had to try to escape again. That bastard who rode me so hard had two of us out working one day. He kept picking on me like Carl had done when I was a kid. We got in a fight and I killed him defending myself. I think he was trying to provoke me into making him shoot me. We took off in opposite directions. I knew if I was recaptured, I’d be hanged for murder. Who would take my word about having no choice? I stole a horse, weapons, food, and clothes and got out of that area pronto. I’d set a false trail northward, so that’s the road the law took. I kept on the move, didn’t let anyone get close to me, and kept my eyes and ears open. Months late
r, I was in San Angelo and that’s where I hooked up with the Lanes. I took that job because I figured a secluded ranch was a good place for a fugitive to lay low while resting and earning money to move on soon.”
Beth watched his features and expression soften, as did his voice.
“Problem was, I got to know and like the Lanes and their hands. I got tangled up fast in their troubles. Fletcher was like Carl and that prison guard: cold, mean, greedy, and cocky. Their kind preys on weaker folks. The Lanes and their hands accepted me and trusted me; I was like one of the boys to everyone there. They let me make the plans and they followed my orders without question. They respected me and liked me. They helped me prove to myself I was worth something, I was needed, I mattered. I learned to relax, smile, laugh, actually enjoy life. It didn’t take long before I realized I wanted to be like them, have a good life.”
Beth was baffled. “So why did you leave after you defeated Fletcher?”
“It was too late for me to grab the fresh start they offered. Fletcher had sent out sketches and queries to see if I had any secrets he could use to yank me out of his path. A true friend wouldn’t stay and put them in danger of a shoot-out, or risk getting them into bad trouble. If the law figured they’d hidden me, they could’ve lost everything we’d saved.”
“That was a very unselfish and generous thing to do, Navarro.”
“Thanks, but I might as well confess my pride was involved in it, too: I didn’t want a posse appearing out of nowhere and exposing me. I wanted them to remember me in a good way. If trouble came searching for me, I’d have to surrender without a fight to save their lives; stray bullets have no names on ‘em. I couldn’t let good folks—friends—be harmed or killed to save my sorry hide, so I left after my job was done. A few days later, I decided to risk making a go of it there if they agreed. I hoped Fletcher’s scheme hadn’t caught anybody’s attention. I was wrong and it cost me plenty.”
More than you know, partner. “I didn’t get near the ranch before I was recaptured and returned to that hellhole. The only reason I wasn’t hanged for murder was because the authorities didn’t know I’d killed that guard. The other escapee was blamed for it after he was shot, because he had the guard’s rifle in his hands; I’d let him take it ‘cause he was old and weaker. I wasn’t crazy enough to argue since he couldn’t suffer for what I’d done. I was innocent of the charges I was sentenced for, but it was justice in a way because I had committed other crimes. By then, that bastard guard was gone and I just wanted it over so I could start fresh when I was released. I guess you could say I had hope for the first time in my life.”
“How long did you serve? How did you get out early? By my counting, you still had years to go.”
“I was in for two and a half years before I escaped the second time; after my recapture, I was in for five more. It was letters from the Cordells to every law office and highranked person they could think of that got my case reviewed and won me a pardon; actually, I was exonerated. When an investigation was started, the deputy who wasn’t at my trial remembered what he’d told the sheriff about the gang having five men and five were killed during the shoot-out—and my horse wasn’t hot and sweaty from a fast and long run. The bankers were questioned and admitted they hadn’t recognized me after my arrest. It was decided I was innocent, so I was set free. The investigation of my case exposed what was going on at that prison and the government had it cleaned up. What the Lanes and Matt did for me at the ranch and in helping me get my freedom back made me forever grateful to them; that’s why I hate to use and betray their friendship and trust. They’re good people, Beth, so I know they aren’t involved with Charles Cordell’s crimes.”
“I’m sure you’re right and a good judge of character. I’m curious; during your assignments, people don’t remember your name from your outlaw days?”
“I was known and convicted as Carl Breed, Junior. I chose Navarro after my mother’s death because I wanted a name untainted by my father. Most of the time I didn’t use a last name. Nobody who meets me is told who and what I was—except the Cordells, Dan, and another friend. You’ll meet him in El Paso; he’ll be our contact for a while.”
“You told the Cordells before you left the ranch that last time?”
“Yep. I owed Jessie and Matt the truth about why I had to leave. The boys knew me as Navarro Jones from Colorado. When we reach the ranch, if the subject of prison comes up, I’ll tell them I was framed, jailed, escaped, and didn’t want them to know bad things about me when I was there.”
“How did the Cordells discover you’d been recaptured? Why did they wait so long to try to help you?”
“They didn’t know I was back in prison. They were trying to get my case investigated and get me cleared so I wouldn’t have to be on the run all my life. They hoped they could succeed; then, if I contacted them, they’d tell me I was a free man. I was lucky those letters spurred interest in me.”
She worried aloud, “Do they know what kind of work you do now?”
He shook his head. “I saw Matt after my release and told him I’d been offered a job by the Arizona governor to work on the Indian problems. Back then, Nana and Geronimo and other Indians were running free and wild. Since I was part Apache, spoke their language, and knew their customs, they thought I could help prevent more bloodshed; and they knew I’d been a scout before. Months later, I wrote Jessie and Matt with the news. Far as they know, I still work as a scout, translator, and peacemaker between the whites and Indians or that I do odd jobs somewhere.”
Beth wanted to ask why he didn’t make a fresh start there at the ranch after his release, with the friends who’d aided it. That was suspicious, but she decided not to probe. So many scars. So much pain from his parents, prison, and the unknown redhead. It was amazing he had chosen the straight life and become an excellent lawman. Perhaps love was the reason he’d abandoned a dark existence. And perhaps an unexpected disappearance for years had provoked his sweetheart to marry another man. That would have been agony when he returned years ago, saw Matt, and discovered his great loss. The timing made sense; she decided her speculations must be on target, or close. When she and Navarro reached their destination, if the mystery woman had been and was still on that property, she would learn the female’s identity. She would learn if they still had feelings for each other. If so—
“You’re mighty thoughtful, Beth Breed.”
There’s one more gap in your story, partner, and I wonder if or when you’ll fill it in for me. “I’m…”
“You’re what?”
“Sorry you had such a terrible life when I had such a good one. It makes me realize how fortunate I was. I could have been born in your place; or anyone could have. You’ve done remarkably well, Navarro. I can’t think of a better partner or friend to have than you. I have no doubts, or hesitation about working and living with you.”
“Are you certain, Beth? Most women wouldn’t want a man with my past to touch them, and I will have to touch you to play your husband.”
“‘Past’ is the important word. What I told you before is still true; look at it this way, everything you were and that happened to you made you into the good man and skilled agent you are today; that’s all that really matters.”
He smiled and relaxed his taut body. “I like the way you look at things, Beth Breed. If you don’t mind me practicing that name.”
“Of course I don’t, and it’s a good idea to get accustomed to using it. It’s late, so I’m fetching my sleeping bag. Want me to toss you yours?”
“I’ll get it in a minute, but thanks.” He watched her approach where they’d unloaded the horses and left them to graze. “We also need practice in other areas, Mrs. Breed, romantic areas.”
Before lifting her bedroll, she turned to look at him. “Does that mean you want to work on it tonight?” she asked, and quivered in suspense.
Navarro retrieved his whip and stood. He coiled it around her waist and again pulled her toward him, a grin broade
ning steadily on his face. He listened to her laugh as she acquiesced to his behavior without resistance.
“Every time you do that, I’m surprised you can achieve that stunt without hurting me. Do you capture all of your women in this clever way?”
Her mirthful tone and expression were arousing, as was her captive state and nearness. “Only special ones. Others, I toss back like squirming fish too small to clean, fry, and eat.”
She adored his sense of humor and mischievous mood at that stirring moment. “Since I’m the perfect size, what now, my- husband?” She spoke the bold and provocative query as if it were only a jest.
Navarro was serious as he asked, “If somebody at the ranch was watching us at this minute, what would you do and say to fool them?”
Chapter Nine
When she remained still and silent, Navarro asked, “Well, Mrs. Breed, what would you do and say if we were being spied on right now?”
“Let’s see, we’re supposed to be newlyweds and we need to dupe our observers…” she murmured and pretended to think, when what she needed was time to make certain she had herself under control before getting cozy with him. “I should place my hands on your chest like this with obvious fondness, give you a tender and adoring gaze and smile like this, say I love you and how happy I am to be your wife, hug you, and kiss you.”
His suspense mounted as Navarro waited for her to carry out the rest of her stirring words. When she didn’t, he stroked her cheek and asked, “Would it be easier for you if you close your eyes and pretend I’m Steven?” He saw Beth’s smile fade and she shook her head. He cursed his blunder.
“No, that wouldn’t work because you and Steven are too different.”
Navarro wished he hadn’t resurrected the man’s ghost so it could take a stand between them tonight. He didn’t apologize because that would call more attention to his mistake.
Chase The Wind Page 18