Tin-Stars and Troublemakers Box Set (Four Complete Historical Western Romance Novels in One)

by Rice, Patricia

  "It is past time you raised warriors of your own. You have chosen your woman well. She will bear you many sons."

  Unlike your mother, the unspoken words said. Cade wasn't here to argue with his father. "She is strong," he agreed. "But I would not have her travel when she is great with child. Have you had word from Bexar?"

  His father drew deeply on the pipe before answering. "The walls are being rebuilt." He gave his son a long look. "It is not good to return to that place. Your sons will grow strong here."

  "My mother's lands belong to me," Cade replied simply.

  That was a concept his father could understand. Cade’s mother had brought no dowry in the way of horses or any other wealth to add to the consequence of her children. Land was not something that could be possessed as far as El Caballo was concerned, but Cade had grown up with a white man's ways. If that was the dowry his mother possessed, then it was up to him to claim it. His father nodded a reluctant understanding.

  "Their army approaches," he warned. "The snow slows them. They are fools to travel when the days are short."

  It was going to be a race against time. Cade stiffened at that knowledge, considering all the possibilities to extract the probable ones. It was a dangerous game he played. He didn't want to involve Lily or the children in it.

  Accepting his father's offer of a bed in his lodge rather than seeking out the tepee he had shared with Lily only a week before, Cade retired alone with his thoughts. He had slept alone most of his life, but this past week had taught him how much more desirable it was to share a bed with a warm and willing woman. Even when he could not be with Lily, he desired her. Surely that need would disappear with time, but for now just his wish to know how she and the child fared became a pressing urge. If it were not the height of foolishness to ride through the darkness, he would return to Lily and the cabin tonight.

  Cade set out at daybreak, but he hadn't gone far before he realized he was being followed. Suspecting the identity of his followers, he hid his grin. He needed to talk with those two.

  He carried a rifle, but he used it only when he needed game. He reached for it now. The slight rustle of an evergreen branch ahead could have been a squirrel. A white man might never have noticed, but a red man would. The boy had a lot to learn.

  When the slight figure leapt for his back, Cade was ready. Twisting, he caught the boy in one arm while wheeling his horse from the path and the other mischief maker's attack. He caught the boy in the stomach with the stock of his rifle, knocking him from his pony and onto the pine needles of the path. Leaping from his saddle with a mighty whoop, carrying the younger one with him, Cade straddled one half brother while holding the other one throttled at the neck with his arm.

  They glared at him in silence until he grinned.

  "Don't try it on any Comanches until you practice more," Cade admonished in their tongue.

  At his lack of animosity, the younger one began to chatter excitedly while the older grudgingly climbed out from beneath Cade and sat in the path, listening.

  Cade gave the silent one an affectionate cuff on the head. "We have the same father. We know the same tricks. You are good. I can use your help."

  The boy didn't visibly brighten, but his sullen look dissolved into one of wary interest.

  "I am going to Bexar. I need someone to watch out for my woman and household while I am gone, but I don't wish them to know. If there is trouble, you must judge whether or not you can deal with it or if it will take many. Our father can get word to me if I am needed. Do this well, and I will show you where the buffalo can be found when I return."

  This last was the persuasive argument. Watching after women and children was unrewarding, but a buffalo hunt would make warriors of them. Wacos were not warriors. There were no men in the tribe willing or able to search out the herds that lingered too long in Comanche territory. Cade knew his offer was the best they'd ever heard.

  The bargain was struck, and Cade rode off feeling a little better about what he intended to do. His half brothers were young, but they were skilled. They would have no defense against a Comanche attack, but that wasn't the enemy that Cade feared. They could out-fight and out-maneuver any white man in town.

  When he returned to the ranch, the men were carrying out the orders he had given them before he left, and Cade was at leisure to return to the house and settle his differences with Lily. When he saw the gaudily painted wagon in front of the cabin, he cursed.

  When Cade entered, Travis was leaning against the fireplace sampling a piece of cake and teasing Juanita about his granny's cake being better. He looked up at Cade's entrance and grinned.

  "Sure am glad I'm not in your shoes, hombre. Lily's not a mean-tempered woman, but I know a storm a'brewin' when I see one. Want me to soften her up some first?"

  Cade gave this insolence the respect it deserved. Ignoring Travis, he swung Serena into his arms and asked Juanita, "Donde esta?"

  Juanita replied in the same language, "She rode out to the cotton field."

  Unconcerned that his knowledge of Spanish went only as far as the word "hombre," Travis continued nibbling his cake, interpreting the exchange without need of translation. "She took Ephraim with her. She's already polished the old man off this morning. Told him he wasn't getting another sip of whiskey until he got out of the house and got some exercise. I think Roy is riding shotgun."

  At least she had obeyed one of his orders, although Ephraim and Roy weren't precisely the company he had meant for her to take.

  Cade handed Serena to Juanita. "She needs to go to the privy."

  Wordlessly, Juanita took the child and left the two men alone.

  "What's the word from San Antonio?" The Americans seldom added the name "de Bexar" to the old town. Cade had learned to blend in with his surroundings a long time ago by using the language of the company he was in.

  "Crockett's arrival has raised spirits some. Houston wants the fools to get the hell out. The mercenaries want to take the offensive and march on Matamoros. Far as I can tell, all the settlers went back to their farms. I doubt if you could get any three people to agree on anything right now, and even if you could, they'd change their mind the next day."

  "They know Santa Anna is coming?" Cade helped himself to the cake.

  Travis watched him shrewdly. "Nobody knows anything. Rumor has it that some of the Mexican citizens on our side have spies down on the border, but it's not likely Bowie's men are going to pay attention to anything a Mexican tells them. Most of them are drunk half the time anyway. The army in Goliad created such havoc that all the citizens have fled, so they have the place to themselves now. Have you heard anything?"

  "He's coming, all right. It's just a matter of when he gets here."

  Travis stuck his hands in his pockets and regarded Cade warily. "I want to be around to see what happens. If it's war, you'll need all the hands you can get. Roy is all the family I have; I mean to look after him."

  Cade nodded stoically at this admission. "If you're staying, take my cabin. Roy's moved back to the loft." Licking his fingers clean, he strode out without further explanation.

  Finding a fresh horse, Cade rode out for the cotton field. Lily was less apt to say things she didn't mean in public. Of course, there was always the chance that she wouldn't say anything until they were behind closed doors, and she could flail his hide. Living with another person would take some getting used to.

  She'd evidently persuaded the men to stop their plowing until she had time to go through the remnants of the cotton, salvaging what hadn't been ready when the hired pickers went through. Cade cursed as he watched his wife stooping to the labor, her father and Roy working the rows on either side of her.

  She hadn't yet surrendered trousers, but she was wearing baggy ones instead of the tight denims. And the way she wore her loose shirt tied over top and covered by his old poncho told Cade she couldn't get all the buttons on these pants fastened either. The damned braid glittered golden in the weak sunshine.


  Inspiration struck Cade as he dismounted and crossed the field. Lily was doing her best to ignore him, but that couldn't go on forever. He took the sack from her shoulder and waited for her to straighten. He half expected her to come up swinging, but she merely raised her fists to her hips and glared at him coldly.

  "Why did you bother returning? Didn't your squaw stroke your masculine pride?"

  He didn't know whether to kiss her or hit her. Judging neither to be appropriate, Cade shouldered the bag and threw a damper on her hostility. "The child will need clothes. I have come to ask if you will go to town with me to buy the appropriate materials. Perhaps you would like some for yourself also. And Roy."

  Lily stood there for a full minute, staring at him. She supposed other men would have come with a mouthful of apologies and a handful of flowers. Cade simply skipped all the in-between arguments and pleas and went on to the next subject. She might as well try arguing with herself.

  "You're not forgiven," she informed him. "And I'm not going anywhere until I gather the rest of this."

  "Me and Roy will do it tomorrow," Ephraim intruded, seeing Roy's crestfallen expression. In the end it was easier to surrender than to fight. Lily gave in to the majority and agreed to accompany Cade to town. She knew perfectly well that the trip could wait until Saturday, but now that it had been mentioned, she was as eager to go as Roy was.

  Not that they needed to spend a lot of money on infant clothes. Lily had carefully packed all of Roy's away against the time she would need them again. And the chest of drawers Cade had carried into the house for Serena was filled to overflowing with everything a little girl would need. But just the idea of looking at a few soft flannels and maybe an eyelet or two made the child's coming a little more real. She had been afraid to admit its existence earlier. Now she wanted to revel in her accomplishment.

  * * *

  Lily held the sprigged cotton across her work-roughened palms, then brushed the fabric's softness against her face. The child would be born during hot weather and wouldn't need much clothing, but perhaps for the cooler nights of autumn... ?

  It was an extravagance they could ill afford. Moving to the unbleached muslin, she counted the yardage. Washed and dyed, it would make any number of sturdy garments for all of them. She could use a new chemise now that her old one was stretching its seams. And Serena could use a simple shift that was easier to wash than the extravagant laces Cade had bought for her.

  The usual idlers weren't around. Most of them had gone to Gonzales and San Antonio to urge the rebels on. Some of the men might have even joined the army to speed the progress of the war. The steady stream of immigrants demanded the opening of more land. With Santa Anna refusing to release land to Americans, there was every reason to expect violence. The idlers expecting to profit from land sales would see to that.

  Lily didn't hear Ollie come in until he was beside her.

  Surprised, she turned and smiled. "Ollie! Has the council done all its work then? Do we have new laws I need to know about?"

  Ollie took her elbow and steered her around the table of yard goods. "I need to talk to you. Come back here and..."

  For a large man, Cade walked very lightly. He had stayed outside while Lily and the children shopped, but he was at Lily's side now before anyone heard his entrance.

  Cade never touched Lily in public, but his position behind her was proprietary as he greeted the storeowner. "Clark," he nodded. "Thought you were in San Felipe."

  Ollie's expression was grim as he replied, "I could wish you were elsewhere also."

  Lily grabbed a bolt of eyelet and held a length out between the two men. "Wouldn't this be lovely for a christening gown?" She turned ingenuous blue eyes to Ollie. "Do you suppose if we're to be a republic, we could have preachers? I'd dearly love to see a church again. Perhaps by the time the baby comes we could have a preacher for the christening." The Mexicans were Catholics and did not allow any other church.

  Cade circled Lily's waist and pulled her behind him as Ollie's big hands clenched into fists and his face took on an almost purple hue. The tall man managed a curt nod and a respectful reply to Lily's question.

  "Independence would give us freedom of religion. That should bring the preachers running. I heard the Methodists are already arriving. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

  The grip on Lily's waist relaxed as Ollie made his way past the barrels and crates to the back of the store. Lily carefully put the eyelet back in its place.

  Cade picked it up and handed it back to her. "You will need it for the christening gown. If the preachers don't arrive, we will go to Bexar. I know a priest there."

  "It is too costly, Cade. Elizabeth showed me how to tat. I will try to remember enough to make a bit of lace. It isn't as if the gown will have much use."

  Before she could put the bolt back on the table, Cade took it to the counter and the silent woman who had watched the whole episode without blinking. She blinked now as Cade loomed over her.

  "We will have some of this," he said slowly, as if she were deaf or stupid.

  The woman blinked again, then looked to Lily for instruction.

  Cade picked up a bolt of the cotton with tiny lavender nosegays and added it to the eyelet. "Enough of this for a gown for my wife."

  Lily opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again as she saw the fierce intensity of Cade's dark eyes. Grabbing the unbleached muslin before he could discover the silks, she shoved it into his hands. "We will need the whole bolt of that, Cade."

  The clerk's stare came unglued then. Hastily reaching for a slip of paper, she began to record the sale. Satisfied, Cade glanced around the shop to see if there was anything else to be added to the order. He found Roy staring wistfully at a display of hats.

  Cade walked over and located the smallest one. The stiff felt came down over Roy's ears.

  "We will need to make one that fits," Cade said when Roy's face fell with disappointment at the size.

  Roy eyed him warily. "Can you make hats?" Since Cade never wore one, the question was reasonable from a boy's point of view.

  Cade appeared to measure Roy's head with his hand. "Raccoon looks like the right size. Would raccoon do?"

  Roy's eyes lit with delight. "Real raccoon? One of the Tennessee militia had a raccoon hat. Will it have a tail and everything?"

  "Ever seen a raccoon without one?" Cade lifted Serena from Juanita's arms and put his hand into the candy barrel. "Lady, put four pieces of hoarhound on that bill," he called to the clerk. Dividing the candy between the children, he freed a hand to reach in his pocket to produce a pouch that clinked with coins. Handing it to Lily, he said, "Get what you need. I'll take these two outside."

  Lily's fingers closed around the pouch in astonishment. It crinkled with real cash money as well as coins. She hadn't seen cash since the days of her father's store. Practically everything they had done since coming to Texas had been by barter or credit. Jim had always dealt what coins they acquired sparingly. Before she could question or refuse, Cade had gone out the door.

  Juanita and the store clerk stared at Lily until she felt forced to look in the pouch. "Oh, my," she murmured, before drawing it closed and reaching for the brushed cotton she had admired earlier. Cade's child would have a few things of its own.

  "Ain't never seen an Indian with cash money before," the clerk spoke for the first time since they entered, curiosity getting the better of her. "It's not wampum now, is it?"

  "I recognize real money when I see it." Finding a particularly pleasing blue linen, Lily laid it on the counter with the rest. She would be confined to the house before long. It wouldn't hurt to measure Cade for a new shirt. She would be able to take a break from tiny baby clothes.

  "You really married to an Indian?" The woman's curiosity, once released, was unquenchable.

  "I am married to a man." Lily slapped the bolt on the counter. "Let me see your threads and buttons."

  When Lily finally left with her purchases, Cade was leanin
g against the storefront, hands in pockets, watching Roy lead Serena around on his pony. At Lily's appearance, he stood up and grabbed the packages. In doing so, he bent near her ear and whispered, "A man, Lily?"

  "A stupid one," she responded, sticking her nose up and heading for the wagon.

  "Not as stupid as Clark. I didn't let you go." Undaunted, Cade flung the packages in the wagon and helped Lily up.

  "Ollie isn't dumb. He's a coward. He lost Miss Bridgewater because he was terrified to court her. She married a lesser man out of desperation. I cannot imagine how he found the gumption to come out and visit me the few times he did."

  Cade had a thought or two on that himself, but he had as yet been unable to confirm them. Whistling to himself, he disregarded Lily's insult and allowed the balm of her approval to ease an earlier pain.

  Chapter 23

  The shots rang out as the oxen wagon reached the edge of town.

  Kicking his horse into action, Cade fought the fear piercing his heart more surely than any bullet. He had gone to town with just women and children, leaving Ephraim and Travis in the fields. His overconfidence could be the end of the future he had so brashly thought to carve for himself.

  "Get down, all of you! Roy, move! Get back to town." Riding his horse between the wagon and the attackers, Cade waited to see his orders obeyed before galloping in the direction of the shots. They could blow him to hell, but he wouldn’t give them another chance at Lily and the children.

  Another shot rang out, sending the gray gelding skittering nervously, but Cade had his target located now. Smoke drifted from behind Ollie's barn, and Cade swung to the side of the horse, Indian style, out of the attacker's range as he spurred it on.

  People were pouring out of the buildings in the previously sleepy town. Gunshots on a Saturday night were to be expected, but midday and midweek called for explanations. Several of the men were saddling up, and Cade prayed they had the sense to cover the wagon. He didn't have the time to linger and find out.