Lone Star Bride

by Jolene Navarro

  His stomach lurched into his throat when he realized what she was doing. She started running also, and as the horse passed without slowing, she grabbed the horn and hurled her body into the saddle. She had been practicing tricks when he wasn’t looking.

  She was moving fast, but she’d have to dismount to get the ring.

  Leaning to the side, she disappeared behind the horse. With the horse still running, she had dropped to the other side of the saddle and vanished from view.

  She wasn’t on the ground, either. What was she doing? At that speed, she was going to get herself killed if she tried to dismount.

  He was going to be sick. As the gelding passed the post, she came back into view and lifted the ring high. Cheers filled the arena. Even Sterling’s men were being pulled into the excitement she stirred.

  The pirate laughed and slapped Jackson on the back. “Seems as if the stories about your little cook might not have been exaggerated much. You’re a fortunate man.”

  A growl through his clenched teeth was all he could manage as Tiago pulled the gun from her holster on the saddle. Lifting the gun, she shot at the small bottle without slowing.

  She had to be way ahead of Javier’s time. Jumping over the fire, she put the gun away and started working her lasso.

  A steer was turned loose and, as Red had pointed out, it was much bigger than the first one. It had to be well over one thousand pounds.

  Her lasso went flying and roped the steer. Her horse did his job and pulled the rope tight.

  Jackson gripped the railing ready to jump over and help her.

  A big hand weighed on his shoulder. The pirate shook his head. “Don’t. She’s gotten this far. Don’t humiliate her by running to the rescue now.”

  Pulling his shoulder away, Jackson was torn. He knew she could do it, but she’d always worked with a team.

  She went for the steer’s legs, but he kicked at her and swung his horns around. The horse moved back, causing the steer to switch his focus. She was spending too much time wrestling with the big animal.

  The time she had gained was slipping away. At this rate, his biggest fear was her getting hurt. A few more seconds, and he was going in, no one was going to stop him.

  The steer had become a deadly hunk of muscle on hooves. He twisted his horns at her and tossed her a couple of feet away, ripping her jacket.

  Jackson jumped the railing, but when his boots landed in the sand a couple of Duval’s men stopped him.

  He could barely breathe.

  She stood, undeterred, flung the ruined coat to the ground and charged at the steer. This time she took his legs out from under him and tied them before he could get back up. She worked as a team with the horse. But she was running out of time.

  With one blur of motion, she turned, her knife lifted above her head, and threw it straight at them. All the men ducked to the side before realizing it had stuck in the post. The ribbon fell to the ground. “Time!” The pirate yelled. The arena erupted into cheers.

  “Well done, my lady!” Sterling bellowed over the cheers.

  Complete silence filled the space that had just been bursting with deafening shouts. It was the kind of silence that came from shock.

  Breathing hard and without the jacket, she felt as if the pirate’s words ripped off the mask she had been wearing and now she stood exposed with her shoulders back. The wind tossed the short curls around her face.

  Anyone who hadn’t known Tiago was a female, knew now.

  The blood left her face as she stood before them all. Eyes wide, she crossed her arms as if cold. His warrior princess of just a minute ago was gone.

  Without thought Jackson rushed to Tiago. Shrugging off his jacket, he wrapped it around her.

  “My back hurts.” The smallness of her voice hurt him in ways he didn’t want to explore. It wasn’t too late to protect his heart. It couldn’t be.

  “Maybe the horn or hoof caught it. Are you hurt? You don’t seem to be bleeding. We need to clean it to see the damage. Can you walk?”

  She cut a glare at him. “Of course.”

  There she was. He smiled, reassured she would be fine. “Okay. Let’s leave.”

  “My knife. I need to get my knife and horse.” She looked behind her, but Rory was taking care of Domino.

  Her breathing was starting to return to normal as he moved her to the platform where her knife was still embedded into the post.

  Not wanting to cause more embarrassment, he stayed a close step behind her. She stopped in front of the post and reached for her knife. A sharp intake of breath was followed by a pause in her motion before she pulled out her knife.

  It happened so fast he was sure he was the only one who noticed she was in pain.

  “Congratulations, cherie. You were magnificent. Are you sure there is nothing that will convince you to stay with me? Adventure, wealth and all the things you desire could be yours.”

  “I desire my land and horses. Thank you, but I will be returning with Mr. McCreed.”

  Jackson put an arm around her waist to help her, and it had nothing to do with possessiveness or pride. He glanced at his men.

  Red leaned forward. “Boss, you knew he was a girl?”

  “Yes. Clint, go help Rory get her horse and things. She’s been injured. I’m taking her back to our cabin. Cook, will you—”

  “I’ll warm some water and gather supplies.” He was already down the steps. “How bad is it?”

  She stepped away from him. “It’s not—”

  He cut her off. “We don’t know yet.”

  Sterling came down the steps. “I’ll send my doctor over to your quarters.”

  “That won’t be necessary. What I do need is three of your men to meet us in the morning to get the cattle across the river.”

  “We will be serving breakfast at sunrise. I’ll have my best there for you.”

  They kept walking, and the pirate stayed with them. Jackson tried to relax his jaw, but the man just annoyed him. “We are good. Thank you. I can take care of her from here.”

  The pirate stopped them, the tail of his long coat flapping in the wind. With his right hand, he gathered hers and kissed it, lingering a little longer than necessary. A growl rumbled low from Jackson’s chest. He wanted the man away from Tiago.

  Sterling chuckled. He raised his gaze from the girl to stare directly at him. “You are a most fortunate man to have such a woman. May peace travel with you.” He looked back down at Tiago. “And grand adventure.” With a nod, he was gone, his tall leather boots crushing the gravel with each step.

  “He’s a very strange man. What is it with you and the growling?”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about.” Making sure to gently take her elbow, he started walking again.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she tripped. He caught her before she fell and held her for a moment to make sure she was steady.

  Head down, she muttered something he couldn’t hear. He hooked his finger under her chin. It was scraped and looked like a rope burn. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded and looked back to the arena. “How did our men take it?” Her gaze swung back to him. The burned biscuit eyes just about did him in. “Are they mad at me?”

  Distance. He needed distance, but for now she needed someone to care for her injury. “Keep walking. You don’t need to worry about them.”

  They walked in silence. Cook was in the small common area, water, soap and bandages ready. “Do you think she’ll be needing stitches?”

  “Maybe.”

  “No.” They answered at the same time, causing Cook to chuckle.

  “Go get her a clean shirt, jefe. Or do you want to see if we can find you a dress now that everyone knows?”

  “I’m still riding the trail. A dress would
be foolish.” Taking Jackson’s jacket off, she rolled her shoulders to test them. She gritted her teeth against the pain. “Let me change, and if I need tending I’ll let you know.”

  “You have a clean shirt, sí?”

  She nodded, then took a deep breath and bit down hard on her lips. Yeah, it hurt. “I have one more shirt. I don’t know how clean it is, but it’s not torn or bloody. I’ll go change.”

  Cook touched her arm. “Let me look at the shoulder first. We can clean off the blood before you put the other shirt on.”

  Jackson couldn’t leave her yet, so he walked around to stand next to Cook. “Do I need to get the doctor?” He shouldn’t have turned down the pirate’s offer so quickly.

  “No. I don’t think it’s that bad.” She twisted her head to look at her shoulder.

  It had started to discolor. Angry marks covered her skin, but those could have been old. The gash looked shallow. “Doesn’t look like she needs stitches.”

  Cook wiped the blood away with the clean water, and she flinched. Jackson reached for her hand. She took his offering and squeezed. Hard.

  She dropped his hand. “I’ll take the water to my room and clean the rest of it.”

  Both men stepped back and let her go. She moved to disappear into the small windowless room that was her private space.

  The front door opened before she went inside. The men eased into the small cabin one at a time. Red had her tattered jacket. Rory stepped past the men and put her gear against the wall. “Are you well?”

  With a smile, she nodded.

  Red cleared his throat. “So y’all knew the whole time Tiago was a girl?”

  “I think we need to let her change then we can talk.” He wanted to stand between her and the hostile stares. The need to comfort her had to be buried. He looked at the men. They were watching him in a new way, and it wasn’t good.

  “Go get your extra shirt.” He was still the boss.

  Eyes closed, she nodded. Red spots formed on her neck, climbing higher as he watched.

  Turning away from her, he addressed his men. “I’ll meet you outside. Let’s give her some privacy.”

  Her secret was no longer a secret, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that, or how his men would react to his knowing but not telling. They had been working with a woman.

  They hadn’t understood why he had kept Tiago isolated. Now they knew. It had to be a good thing that everyone knew that Tiago was a female. So why did it feel as if he had lost something precious?

  Chapter Sixteen

  The rooster proclaimed it to be morning, but the sun was not up yet. Sofia tried to breathe softer and slower, but it didn’t help the dull pain in her back and ribs. As delicious as the biscuit and bacon smelled, the food tasted like sawdust.

  Sitting straighter, she tried to look alert and awake, even though it had been a sleepless night. Once all the cowboys came back inside, she thought they’d have questions or at least be mad. Instead, they treated her like she had an illness they could catch if they got too close or even looked at her. It was maddening.

  On the cattle drive they had finally acknowledged her as one of them. Now she felt like it was her first day again, maybe even worse. They had at least teased her and given the new kid a hard time. Now they ignored her.

  Before she had left the windowless storage room that morning, Jackson and Rory had already gone to organize the trip over the river. They had not returned yet.

  Looking down the table that had been set up outside, she tried to make eye contact. The men she thought of as friends all found seats as far from her as possible.

  She refused to let them ignore her. “Red, do you know the plan today? I can still help.”

  “Crossing the cattle over the river takes tons of strength. I think it would be best for you to stay with Cook and out of trouble.”

  “You need my help more than Cook does.” Holding her breath, she scooted closer to them.

  They shifted and acted as if she were holding the back end of a skunk up to them. “What’s wrong?”

  Five sets of eyes looked away, avoiding any eye contact with her.

  “I’m still Tiago. I worked alongside each of you on the trail.”

  Nothing.

  “Mija, I need your help to get the wagon unloaded and sold. We need to sort and replace supplies you’ll need for the return trip. Everything will have to be packed on the mules. You can help me get the wagon sold.”

  Her head jerked up. “You are selling the wagon? But how will you get back to the ranch? You told me you never rode on the back of a horse.”

  “I’m going by ship to Mexico. I’ve been gone from home too long.”

  “But I thought—”

  She didn’t have a good feeling about this. Blood touched her tongue when she bit down on the soft skin in her cheek. Loneliness swamped her, and she wanted to cry, but she knew if she gave in there would be no going back as one of the cowboys.

  “You could come to the ranch and your wife could join you there. You don’t have to go back to Mexico.”

  “No, mija. I’m getting on a boat that will take me home. It’s time for me to return to my family. With just a few of you riding back to the De Zavala ranch, the wagon would slow you.” He gave her another strip of bacon, as if that would make everything better.

  She turned to the men who had become part of her family. She didn’t want to lose any more family. “Are all of you leaving too?”

  Red nodded. “I have a wife I hope is still waiting for me. I came along to make enough money to get us our own land back in Indiana.”

  “Clint? Sam and Eli? What about you?”

  Sam spoke first. “Now that we got some cow experience, we want to hit more drives. Maybe work for some of the big operations. Save up the money to get our own.” Without looking up, Clint nodded.

  “Estevan, you’re returning to the ranch, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Rory’s returning, too. Him and Jackson are talking partnership.”

  “Ma’am?” She tried to laugh, but it sounded stiff. “When did I become a ma’am?”

  They all went back to staring at their food. Half of her family was leaving her.

  The rooster crowed again, and the men picked up their plates and walked away from the table, away from her. She stood to follow them.

  Estevan shook his head. “Stay here, mija. We are going to check on the horses.”

  With that, they turned their backs to her, leaving her alone.

  A few men from different drives sat at other tables. Many curious stares drifted her way, but as soon as she made eye contact they darted away. She had become an oddity.

  Cook patted her hand. “Cowboys don’t cry.”

  “Good morning.” Jackson’s smooth voice washed over her. Focusing on him, she found a smile. Sitting at a table next to her, he dug into a plate piled high with eggs, bacon and biscuits all smothered in gravy. “Where are the boys going?”

  “To sort the horses.”

  “Good. We’ll take the ones we’re selling across first, in front of the steers.”

  Rory sat and invited her to join them. With his mouth full of food, he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

  Now her smile was real. “What is wrong with you?”

  Despite the whole biscuit he had shoved in his mouth, Rory managed to swallow and looked at Jackson. “Have you told her?”

  A glare from Jackson was the only reply they got.

  “Tell me what? Is everything all right? Has that pirate changed the rules on us?”

  Free of his breakfast, Rory laughed. “Oh, yeah. He made a point to tell Jackson you were not allowed to cross the river. He thought it best if you stayed here at the station, nice and safe and alone.”

  “He doesn’t ha
ve the right to tell me who can ride—Wait.” She twisted to face Jackson, narrowing her gaze at him. “You told me yourself that it was too dangerous, and I needed to stay with Cook.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and dropped the bacon. “Yeah. I don’t like someone else telling me what my men can or can’t do.”

  A light giddy feeling lifted her. She was still one of his men. “So I’m going to get to help cross the river?”

  He growled. Again. A sound she was starting to love.

  “Yes, but you have to follow my every order as soon as I give it to you. No questioning or thinking. Just do it. Can you obey me?”

  “Yes!” She wanted to kiss him, but forced herself to sit on her hands instead. “So what will my job be?”

  “I want to keep you in front with the horses. The farther back, the worse the mud gets. I’m going to put you with Red.”

  And just like that all the air left her body. Red wouldn’t be happy. They made it clear she didn’t belong on the trail.

  Jackson picked up his plate. “Cook, follow me. There’s someone you need to meet.”

  Rory watched her from across the old table. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be jumping over the moon.”

  “They don’t want me to work with them any longer.”

  Rory’s forehead puckered. “That don’t make sense. They love working with you.”

  “That was before they found out I was a woman. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you’d be with the others, getting ready for the crossing.”

  He sighed as they took the plates to the water bucket. “I’ve been regulated to wagon duty because they think I’ll be more of a hindrance with the bum arm.”

  “Welcome to the world of the protected and useless.”

  “I’m not useless.” He nudged her. “You are, but I have important manly things to do.”

  “Like what?” She stopped and planted her fists on her hips. Making sure to lift her left eyebrow as high as she could. “Watching over me?”

  “Hey, that is no easy task.” He jabbed her with his elbow. “Now don’t get all huffy and defensive. As it turns out, I’m not even needed for that since you will be helping at the crossing.”