Lance climbed onto Beth’s lap with bold confidence. He asked if she knew any stories to tell. Alice leaned against one leg and looked hopeful. Lane sat in an oversized chair away from the sofa, his gaze on a book in his hands; he didn’t appear to be reading it as he didn’t turn a single page during her furtive observation.
“I know a few stories if we have time to—” She halted when Jessica, Matt, and Navarro entered the room.
“I see you make friends fast,” Jessica said with a warm smile.
“You have precious children, Jessica. I hope you don’t mind that I brought presents for them.”
“Presents!” Alice squealed. “Like on Christmas and birthdays?”
“Something like that,” Beth answered with a smile. “Is it all right?”
“Certainly.”
Matt put his arm around his wife as they watched.
Beth retrieved and opened a large package. She gave Lance his gift first, a small stuffed horse. Without delay, she handed Alice a rag doll. Both thanked her without a parental reminder and examined their gifts. Since Lane hadn’t come forward, she walked to where he was sitting to give him a slightly larger stuffed horse. Without lifting his head, he thanked her as his fingers stroked the object. She handed Jessica a fat bag. “I’ll let your mother decide about the candy; she may want to save it for tomorrow.”
Lance and Alice gathered around Jessica and tugged on her skirt. “Just one piece, Mama?” one asked. “Please,” the other added.
Jessica gazed at them, smiled, untied the top, and lowered the bag. “One treat, then off to bed.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they replied in unison as they peered inside to make their selections. Even Lane joined them to do the same, his back to Beth.
It took all of Navarro’s strength and skills not to stare at his son. This was the closest he had been to the boy and only the second time he had laid eyes on his child. He wanted to talk with Lane, hug him, share with him, protect him, and watch him grow into a man. All of those pleasures were impossible; his dark past denied him those rights. At least his son had a good name, home, family, and heritage—things he couldn’t have provided years ago when Lane was conceived in love with Jessica. He looked at Matt, who was gazing at him. He smiled and nodded, and Matt caught his unspoken and heartfelt message; the rancher smiled back, and said in a soft tone, “Tell our company good night and let’s get you three to bed.”
“Yes, Papa” was heard three times in respect and obedience.
Beth had to squat so Alice and Lance could hug her, thank her again, and say good night. She stood as Lane spoke his gratitude without looking up at her. Matt hustled them upstairs, clutching their toys.
“You have a lovely family, Jessica. You’re a fortunate woman.”
Jessica smiled and said, “So will you and Navarro one day.”
As Navarro slipped an arm around her waist and they swapped tender gazes, Beth laughed and said, “I hope Mother Nature waits until after we’re well settled, so I’ll have time to enjoy my husband alone first.”
“That would be nice, because children certainly take a lot of time and energy. I’ll be back soon.” She hurried upstairs to help Matt and ask him about the lengthy conversation he’d had with Navarro.
When they were alone, Navarro pulled Beth into his arms and nuzzled her ear with his lips so he could whisper, “How did it go in here?”
She used her cheek to caress his as she replied, “Fine. I like her and the children. She asked us to stay a while. Any problems with Matt?”
“None; he believed me. Let’s be careful tonight, be real loving.”
That won’t be a difficult order to follow. She nodded and snuggled close. She felt his embrace tighten and his mouth place kisses on her hair.
Navarro leaned back, gazed into Beth’s green eyes, and used his hazel ones to signal an observer behind them. He knew Matt was standing at the top of the stairs and watching them, so he kissed her. Matt cleared his throat as he descended the steps.
“It’s about time I meet this new bride of yours, old friend.”
Beth had known of their host’s spying and the motive for her love’s behavior. She smiled as Navarro introduced them. “It’s a pleasure and honor to meet someone my husband speaks of so highly.”
As the rancher took in her radiance and beauty, he said, “I’m more than pleased to meet the woman who snared this loner.” He shook the hand she extended to him. “Yep, this is a special occasion for all of us. Welcome to our home, Beth Breed, and welcome back, Navarro.”
“Thank you, Matt,” the redhead said. “I’ve enjoyed myself already. Your ranch is lovely; I hope ours will be as prosperous and beautiful.”
“With hard work and plenty of good luck, it will be. Navarro never was one to do a job poorly. I’m sure you two will make a fine go of it.”
“All we have to do is make the right selection. Since I know nothing about land and stock, Navarro will have to do the choosing for us.”
“I’m sure he’s learned enough during his travels to pick a good one.”
“Thanks to you, Matt, I can handle spring branding, fence repairs, rustlers, and broncbusting. I think I told you, love, Matt was the foreman when I worked here, best one I’ve come across. After we get our place going, we’ll have to try to find a skilled man like he was to work for us.”
“That’s mighty kind of you to say, Navarro.”
Jessica joined them with a cheerful smile. “You won my children’s hearts, Beth; they could hardly stop talking about you. Thank you for being so generous. Shall we go into the dining room and eat while we talk?”
“Suits me; I’m starved,” Matt said, and led the way.
The men assisted the women with their chairs, then took the end seats as the host directed. Beth was impressed and touched when Matt said a short blessing while clasping hands with his wife. Surely you two can’t be criminals.
Jessica told them to serve themselves from bowls and platters in the center of the table: tender and juicy antelope roast, small potatoes and green beans she’d put up in jars last year, hot biscuits with prickly pear cactus jelly and freshly churned butter, and store-bought peaches from a tin can. A steaming pot of fragrant coffee sat on a trivet.
“Looks and smells wonderful, Jessie. This’ll be a treat after so much trail food, won’t it, Beth love?”
“Heaven. Navarro took us through towns a few times during our journey, but we camped mostly to see the countryside and to save money.”
“Nothing is more romantic for newlyweds than sharing a campfire in the desert under a full moon, especially in spring,” Matt said. “Once in a while, Jessie and I get somebody to watch the children so we can camp out. After you have three youngsters in the house, you’ll understand why.”
Children, Beth’s mind echoed. A treasure she would be denied. To help mask her distress, she locked her adoring gaze on Navarro and drank him in as one dying of thirst. “Sounds like something we should do again.”
“We will, love, lots of nights between here and San Antonio.”
Jessica coughed politely and said, “Remember the first time you joined my family and Matt for supper at the other house? It was his first day on the job, Beth, and he was as nervous as a barefoot man in a cactus patch. It took him a while to get used to us. I think it was Gran, Tom, and Miguel who warmed him up to us and ranch life.”
As she spoke, Navarro recalled what she’d done under the table that night with an unslippered foot and almost squirmed in his chair…How different the two occasions were! That night long ago, she had belonged to him, loved him, wanted to marry and spend her life with him. Tonight, she was Matt’s wife and future. She appeared at ease with the situation. Obviously Matt had complete trust in her and faith in their love; he didn’t seem the least worried about having an ex-rival in his home, within easy reach of his wife and son. Navarro wondered if he could be as confident, generous, and calm if their roles were reversed; he doubted it. “I remember how intimidat
ed I was by your father; he was a tough man. What’s happened to everybody in the last few years?” Navarro asked.
As food was passed from person to person, Jessica answered, “I told you we lost Gran; her health was getting bad, but she slipped away without suffering. Tom’s married and living in Waco with a lovely wife and four children. He owned a mercantile store in Davis for a while, but decided he’d do better in a larger town, and he has. Remember the trouble he had with his eyes and foot?” Navarro glanced up.and nodded. “A doctor back East helped both problems. With special glasses, Tom can see fine; and with surgery, exercises, and special shoes his limp is hardly noticeable.”
Jessica looked at Beth and said, “You should have seen Navarro with my baby brother years ago; he’s wonderful with children. He kept Tom from becoming an emotional cripple. We didn’t realize we were harming him by treating him different from others; we were crushing his spirit and taking away his desire to try new things. Navarro taught us to treat him the same as everyone else, even if we were scared witless he’d hurt himself. He gave Tom the courage and confidence to try anything he wanted to do. My brother was painfully shy and embarrassed about his disabilities until Navarro worked on him. Then, Matt took over after his departure.”
Beth locked gazes with her “husband” and smiled; she knew he had no choice except to return her tender gesture.
Jessica looked at her ex-lover and picked up where she had left off. “I wish Tom lived closer; I know he’d be thrilled to see you. He missed you terribly after you left. If you get near Waco, be sure to look him up.”
“I will; I’d enjoy seeing him. I’m glad life’s been good to him.”
Jessica’s eyes twinkled as she asked, “Would you believe the talented doctor who helped Tom is Mary Louise’s husband?” She saw Navarro stop eating and look at her as if it was the first time he’d heard that news. “My baby sister straightened herself out and made a good life with a fine man; they live in Philadelphia with their children. Amazing, isn’t it?”
“I’m happy for you, Jessie; I’m glad she got herself turned around.”
“It took some trouble to clear her head, but she admits it was worth the pain. As for the boys, Miguel got married and kept having so many little cowpokes he decided to start a ranch of his own. Pretty soon he won’t have to hire seasonal hands because he’ll supply all he needs.
“As a wedding present, we gave them ten cows and a bull to begin their herd. Our hands bought them chickens, pigs, and two horses. We let a couple of them take time off to help Miguel and Annie get their place going.”
“Who did he marry? He didn’t have a sweetheart when I was here.”
“Annie came to work for me while I was pregnant with Lane; Matt found her and hired her as a surprise. She was smart and sweet and a hard worker. I hated to lose her, and still haven’t replaced her. Let’s see; who else? Hank married a widow from Davis, and Jefferson found himself a good wife. They still live on the ranch and work for us. Rusty is foreman, and Carlos is assistant foreman, and Big John is still our blacksmith and carpenter. As for Jimmy Joe, he hasn’t changed; he keeps us laughing and watching our backs for his jokes.” She looked at Matt to ask, “Did I cover everyone?”
The rancher nodded. “Better than a cozy blanket. You best eat before food’s either gone or cold.”
“I’ll catch up while Beth tells us how she and Navarro met and married.”
Beth stopped eating for a while to tell the cover story that Navarro had told Matt earlier. “After Navarro and I bumped into each other in Tucson, we spent all our free time together, fell in love, and got married; all in one week.”
“How exciting and romantic,” Jessica murmured with a genuine smile.
Navarro reached out, grasped Beth’s hand, and jested, “I wasn’t about to give her time to think twice about marrying a drifter and loner like me or she might have come to her senses and refused.”
“There was no chance of that happening, dear heart.”
“Right, because I was determined to corral you, woman.”
“What have you been doing since you left here, Navarro?”
The agent released Beth’s hand so she could return to her meal. “You know me, Matt, I had dust in my boots. I’ve been drifting around from place to place and from job to job for years. I guess I was searching for what I finally found.” He glanced at Beth and smiled. “I met plenty of nice people and did plenty of interesting things. I even worked other ranches and roundups and cattle drives, mostly in Dakota and Colorado. Dakota’s beautiful country, but it has long and harsh winters; not a place I’d want to take a wife to live.” He mentioned states and jobs he had tried, or alleged he had, and he threw in a few amusing tales and interesting adventures.
“Tell them about tracking that mountain lion,” Beth coaxed. After he finished the tale, she murmured, “Isn’t he the smartest and bravest man alive?”
Matt glanced at Jessie and grinned before he said, “I thought you were working for the Army all this time.”
“Nope. Years back, the Indian problems were settled, except for roving renegades here and there or when some of them broke from the reservation and stirred up trouble. Didn’t seem like much need for a scout, translator, and peacemaker anymore. Since I wasn’t busy on tasks I was hired for, they kept giving me lousy orders I didn’t want to obey. When my agreement with them ran out, I left to see what else I could find.”
Jessica lowered a fork to her plate. “Lucky for you and Beth you did, else you wouldn’t have met.”
“After roaming for so long and so far, settling down will be quite a change for you,” Matt added.
Navarro looked at his partner, captured her hand on the table, and squeezed it for them to notice. “Yes, it will. It just took a long time to find the right woman to convince me that’s what I wanted.” He let his amiable gaze drift back and forth between the Texas couple. “You two have done well for yourselves. Your ranch is still the prettiest I’ve seen. I’m sure running one this large takes lots of time and sweat.”
Matt sighed and said, “We’ve had a few hard times but things are getting better.”
Navarro knew from Matt’s reaction he hadn’t intended to make that slip. He leapt on it fast. “Anything I can help with, Matt?”
“No, but thanks for the offer.”
Navarro pretended not to notice the odd-expression in Jessie’s blue eyes before she lowered her head and pretended to use her napkin. Matt also seemed tense and wary. “You know, old friend, if you ever need my help again, all you have to do is ask, just send for me and I’ll come. I owe you two plenty, more than I can ever repay with words.”
“That’s mighty nice of you, Navarro, but we’re fine. More coffee, please,” the rancher requested as he held out his cup to his wife.
The two agents perceived that everything was anything but “fine” for the Texas couple in the financial area.
As they ate, Beth gave furtive study to the two men who loved Jessica. Both had dark tans, though Navarro’s had a bronze tint. Both had white teeth, full mouths, and arresting features, but her partner’s were more captivating to her. Both were strong, muscular, virile, proud, and hardworking. They had similar builds, but Navarro was several inches taller.-Both had brown eyes, but her love’s had lots of green flecks. Both had sexy, appealing smiles; but Matt’s came easier, stayed longer, and danced in his eyes. Both were handsome and rugged, but they didn’t favor each other in the least, and their personalities were nothing alike. The rancher was nice and charming; not her choice between the two, though she was thankful the foreman had been Jessica’s choice years ago.
Matt ended the silence. “Navarro always was one to help out friends in trouble, Beth. He taught us plenty about defeating men like Fletcher and his boys. It was a good thing Jessie located him in San Angelo, brought him home, and persuaded Jed to hire him.”
“The sheriff and Army couldn’t stop that snake from striking at us, so I told Papa we needed an expert gunsling
er to help us battle him. I went searching for one and found him, thank heaven.” Jessica laughed before adding, “Or rather he found me.”
Navarro jested, “I found what I thought was a young and helpless boy being attacked by a man, a big bully.”
“And rescued me from a certain beating or death. We had to flee for our lives with his brothers on our trail in hot pursuit. We fought them together; then, Navarro agreed to accept my offer of a job.”
“I had no choice after I got shot and you hauled me halfway home while I was out cold. You made the ranch sound like a perfect hideout.”
“It was for a while. We helped each other out of some tight spots.”
“That we did, Mrs. Cordell,” Navarro concurred, struggling not to stare at Jessica while they chatted about old times; times that had brought them together, then torn them apart forever.
Beth knew how her partner must be feeling, so she used the conversation to delve for clues both about the Cordells and Navarro. “However did you convince your father to let you go search for a gunslinger to hire? It’s so dangerous.”
Jessica locked a merry gaze with her husband’s matching one. “Matt helped me. Papa was a proud, tough, independent, and stubborn man; it was hard for him to accept he couldn’t handle the problem alone. But things grew worse every day. Matt and I knew Fletcher wouldn’t stop at anything to get our land, even murder. He was attacking at our busiest season—during spring roundup and crop planting. The boys couldn’t work and fight his gang at the same time. I got Matt to work on Papa because he always trusted him and listened to him. Matt and I are much alike. We believe in doing whatever’s necessary to protect our home and family from evil. We worked hard for what we have, and nobody and nothing will be allowed to take it away.”
Would either of you break the law to get what you want or to defend family and possessions? “Why did this Wilbur Fletcher want your ranch so badly? Navarro said he’d backed himself against mountains and needed your property to expand his empire; he also said you had better grazing land and water sources. Was that all there was to it?”
Chase The Wind Page 26