"Listen to me," she cried, fury sweeping through her. "Even if you did care about me, you have a responsibility to Selena and her baby. God knows, I know better than anybody what it's like to feel abandoned by your own father. I could never live with myself if I had anything to do with your abandoning that child."
"But I'm not abandoning her. Amanda isn't mine. Lisbeth put Selena up to it. You've got to believe that. When I find Selena, I'll get her to tell you everything. The man who got her pregnant died before the baby was born. He was married. Selena didn't want to hurt his family, so she never told anyone the truth but me. I didn't care if Masson or anybody else thought I was responsible—till now," he added, reaching for her hand again.
Once more she withdrew, but not as quickly. He truly sounded sincere, and with love rocketing through her, she found herself praying that he might be.
"I don't know when it happened, Raven," he went on, misery etched all over his face, "but it did. All of a sudden, I knew I loved you, only you, and I could never want another woman. And not just for the pleasure you bring me, even though I've never known anything so good. I want you for my wife, the mother of my children—our children. And I'll never abandon you. With God as my witness, I swear I'll take care of you and love you till my dying breath.
"And God also knows, Raven"—his voice broke as he dismounted and reached for her to pull her down against him, there on the bridge, with the moonlight spilling over them—"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you. And when I die, I want to spend eternity with you. I never thought I'd say these things to any woman. Never even knew I could feel this way. But I do. You've got to believe me."
The trembling began deep within her. It came from her heart, then spread all over, inspired by love. And she knew somehow, in that moment, that she could never leave because she did love him, and that awareness, that affirmation, gave her the strength and courage to say, "I do believe you, Steve. And I want everything that you want... for always and ever."
"Thank God, sweetheart. Thank God." And with a laugh and a sob of joy, he showered her face with kisses. "I have to tell you I was scared there for a minute Starfire wouldn't let me ride him, but the funny thing is, I think he understood when I told him I only wanted to share his spirit, not break it." He sobered to add, "But even if he'd killed me, at least I would have gone to my grave knowing I tried: for you, for me, for us."
She parted her lips to drink deeply of his sweet kiss, the kiss of avowal for a love not to be denied.
A shot rang out to shatter the stillness of the night.
Even before the whining echo faded away, Steve had grabbed Raven and taken her with him to the ground, rolling on top of her to shield her as he drew his gun, ready to fire back as soon as he could figure out where the shot had come from.
Then they heard a voice cry out in triumph, "I got him. Don't shoot. It's all right. It's all over. I got him."
"That's Julius," Raven said frantically, recognizing his voice as she struggled to get out from under Steve. He let her go, and she was on her feet and running the rest of the way across the bridge, with Steve right behind her.
Julius saw it was her and cried, "Lord, Raven. I didn't know it was you. I just saw him pointing a gun at two people out on the bridge, so I winged him."
She looked down to see Masson Leroux writhing on the ground in agony from a bullet in his right shoulder. "Masson?" She shook her head. It didn't make sense, any of it. Her eyes went from him to the still-smoking six-gun in Julius's hand. "That's no derringer," she said with a little gasp.
"I've been taking shooting lessons," he said, bursting with pride. "I finally realized what an idiot I've been, but I didn't want you to know till I was sure I was good. Today was the day. The man teaching me said I knew everything he did. So I was coming to tell you about it. And also to apologize for how I've treated you. I'd hoped to leave earlier, but I'm learning what it's like to work for a living"—he chuckled—"and I can tell you it's tough, but it feels good when the work is done."
Steve reached around Raven to shake Julius's hand. "I'm glad you were delayed, Julius. You saved our lives, and we thank you."
"But why would he want to kill you?" Julius nudged Masson with his foot. "Tell us, you scalawag."
Raven felt a shiver of alarm and pressed back against Steve. "What if this is also Lisbeth's doing?"
He clasped her shoulders reassuringly. "There's no way she had anything to do with this. It's a mistake, somehow, but we'll get to the bottom of it later. Right now, scalawag that he is, we need to get him back and take care of his wound."
"But what about Lisbeth?" Julius wanted to know. "Is there trouble? I'm going to talk to her."
"That won't be necessary," Steve said. "We'll tell you all about it on the way home."
"Home." Julius breathed the word with pleasure. "That sounds like heaven. You know, Raven, you were right. Halcyon is big enough for all of us.
"Right, Steve?" He grinned and slapped him on the back. Julius could see where Raven's heart lay, and if Steve became a real member of the family before long, that would suit him just fine.
Steve put his arm around Raven. "That's right, and we're going to see just how big we can make this one." Raven snuggled against him. "Then everything is all right?" Julius hung back, watching them as they walked across the bridge.
Raven and Steve looked at each other, smiled, and shared a tender kiss before Raven called back, "Everything is more than all right. It's simply heaven."
The End
Page forward for more of Patricia Hagan's
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Excerpt from
Say You Love Me
A Historical Western Romance
by
Patricia Hagan
New York Times Bestselling Author
Jacie did not want to wake up, but something was nudging her foot, hard. She forced her eyes to open, then instantly shrank back in horror.
The man was framed by the setting sun, a flaming red and gold halo streaming around him. He stood with fists at his hips, legs wide apart as he stared down at her.
Horrified to think Black Serpent had found her, his name instinctively escaped Jacie's lips, but when the man spoke, she knew it was her original nocturnal visitor.
"I am not Black Serpent. My name is Luke. And you needn't be afraid. I won't hurt you."
Her panic lessened but only a little, because she was still scared out of her wits. She thought of the knife she had stolen from Black Serpent, which she had tied to her ankle, but realized he must have seen it, for her skirt was tangled up about her knees.
He stepped to one side, and the sun was suddenly blinding in her face. She raised her hands to shield her eyes, then held them out to fend him off as he dropped to one knee beside her. "Don't touch me," she said hoarsely, angrily. "This is all your fault, anyway. If I hadn't thought Black Serpent was you, I'd never have walked out that door so trustingly."
"I can't help it if you mistook someone else for me. Now drink. You need water." He raised her head and held a canteen to her lips. She drank eagerly, but he withdrew after she had taken only a few sips. "Too much will make your stomach hurt. Now tell me how you escaped."
Suspiciously, she said, "You're one of them. Why should I tell you anything?" Then she noted how he was dressed. Though bare-chested, he wore army trousers tucked into knee-high boots. His hair hung all the way to his shoulders. An Indian in stolen clothes, no doubt. "Did you kill a soldier to get that outfit?" she asked sharply.
"Get something straight, Miss Calhoun. I'm not one of Black Serpent's followers. I'm an army scout... sometimes. And you can trust me. I swear it."
"And how is it that you know my name?"
"I asked Captain Logan. But that's not important. I want to know how you were able to get away fr
om Black Serpent."
"There was whiskey in some of the boxes they stole from the fort. They got drunk and passed out." She was not about to confide she had drugged Black Serpent. That was her secret, and just because this man said he could trust her didn't mean she would do so.
"So you stole a pony and rode away," he said, admiring her courage.
"Yes, I rode all day, but I must have passed out from hunger and the heat. It's a wonder they didn't find me before you did."
"Well, I sure didn't have any trouble, but I've seen Black Serpent and his friends when they drink too much. They probably don't feel like coming after you and may not bother anyway, since they got what they were really after—guns and ammunition. But I'm not taking any chances." He allowed her a few more sips of water, then stood and held out his hand to her. "We need to get out of here." He felt sure Black Serpent had not told her about Sunstar, or she'd have been screaming to high heavens, demanding to be taken to her.
Jacie raised up on her elbows. "I don't want to go back to Bird's Fort. Captain Logan isn't doing anything to help me find my mother. I'd rather go to Fort Worth."
"I'll decide what to do with you later when we get a chance to talk. Right now, we're getting out of here."
Jacie allowed him to help her up but stood her ground when he started walking toward his horse, a huge white stallion. "Mister, I can't see that we've got anything to talk about. You know why I came here in the first place, but you don't want to help me, so the least you can do is point me in the right direction."
He turned to sweep her with an amused gaze of scrutiny. She had spunk. Spirit. He admired that. Another woman probably would not have managed to escape Black Serpent in the first place, much less stand up to a stranger in the wilderness. But he was losing patience. He had seen the Indian on horseback watching from a distant rise and thought he recognized him as one of Black Serpent's men. He had turned back, no doubt to report what he had seen, and Luke wanted to get the hell out of there. If they caught up with him, he would have to face a dozen men by himself, and he had to consider the safety of the woman.
"Well are you going to help me get to Fort Worth or not?" She was annoyed by the way the corners of his mouth quirked in a smile, as though he found her an amusing child. "If not, then I'll manage on my own somehow."
She looked around for her pony and saw that he had maneuvered himself up to a rocky ledge to nibble at a patch of wildflowers. She was relieved to see the satchel was still tied on, and she lifted her skirt to climb up, then saw that her knife was no longer strapped to her leg.
In response to her accusing glare, Luke said, "I figured it was asking for trouble letting you keep it."
"I'd like it back, please. If I'm going to be traveling alone, I need some protection."
"You would only hurt yourself." He clambered up quickly to grab the pony's reins and bring him back to level ground before adding, "Besides, you aren't going to be traveling alone. Like it or not, you're coming with me."
"And just what do you plan to do with me? I told you, I'm not going back to Bird's Fort."
"And I never said that's where I'm taking you. Now are you going to get on your pony or do you want me to throw you on him?"
He would, too; she could tell by the smug way he was watching, waiting for a chance to make good his threat. She swung up onto the pony's bare back. "Some soldier you are," she lashed out at him, "refusing to help a lady."
"I never said I was a soldier, and I haven't made up my mind that you're a lady."
"I'm very much a lady, but the behavior of others forces me to forget that sometimes. You needn't concern yourself with me any longer. Good day." Jacie dug her heels into the pony's flanks and popped the reins to send him into a swift gallop. She would find her own way, by God.
Ahead loomed mountains, in between were rock formations. If she could get far enough, maybe she could hide from him, and—her heart turned over at the sound of the thundering hooves coming on strong. She was a fool to think the little pony could outrun the stallion.
In seconds Luke was upon her, reaching out to grab the reins and snatch them away from her, bringing both mounts to an abrupt halt. "You try that again and I'll hog-tie you and throw you across his back. Now just calm down, because I don't have time for your tantrums."
Her mouth twisted with scorn. "I'm not going anywhere with a damn heathen Indian—"
"You're too pretty to be using such language. And I'm not a heathen. I'm very well educated."
"Black Serpent spoke English. Am I supposed to believe he's educated?"
He laughed. "I taught him. I also learned Spanish at the mission school, and I speak the languages of all the Plains Indians. I consider myself civilized and peaceful, like the rest of my band. Forget Black Serpent. He's no longer one of my people. That's all you need to know for now."
Jacie was annoyed by his arrogance and pushed aside any admiration she might have felt to discover how learned he was. "You still haven't told me why you won't help me."
Still holding her reins, he kneed his horse into a gentle trot, keeping the pony right beside him. "I am helping you."
"You refuse to take me where I want to go."
"I might change my mind later." He noticed the lavender flowers blooming among the rocks they passed and thought out loud, "Your eyes are the same color."
Jacie could have told him how she came by her name but didn't. It was none of his business. Besides, she was beginning to fear she was no better off than when she was with Black Serpent, and that she must again be ready to seize any chance of escape.
Luke was struck to think how there might actually have been a survivor of that long-ago massacre; the girl could have been the infant for whom Sunstar's milk was intended. But there was no time to ponder the situation now.
He took a strip of dried buffalo meat from a saddlebag and gave it to her. "This will have to do till we make camp, and then I can fry up some bacon and beans. You're nothing but skin and bones. I don't know why they even wanted you, but at least they led me to you."
He nodded skyward with a crooked smile, and Jacie also looked up to see large gray birds circling in a giant sweeping pattern. "Vultures," he said.
Jacie shuddered and began to chew the buffalo meat with a vengeance.
He gave her back the reins, confident she would not be so foolish as to try to outrun him again.
When they came to a stream, Luke led them down the middle for quite a distance. Finally leaving the water, Jacie watched as he used a knife—not hers, she noted—to hack two large branches from a scrub brush, securing one to each horse's tail. She saw that any tracks made in the dirt and sand were obliterated by the sweeping motion.
"That's smart," she said, as though she really didn't think so. "But tracks won't be seen at night anyhow."
"They would be in the morning, and that's when Black Serpent will begin his search. If he got as drunk as I think he did, he'll spend today screaming with his head pounding." She felt like telling him it was probably worse than that but decided not to.
They rode for a time in silence, layered veils of pink and orange misting around them as the sun sank lower in the west. Then shadows began to creep from rocks and brush and soon they were surrounded by darkness. "We're going to get lost," Jacie said uneasily. "How much farther do we have to go?"
"Comanches don't get lost, and you'll know when we get there."
She knew he was being sarcastic and could not resist snapping at him. "You say you want to talk to me before you decide if you'll help me, but all I get from you is foolish banter. Can't you be serious?"
Though she was not about to let him know it, Jacie found him fascinating, despite how vexing he could be. She could tell he was intelligent and she also found him attractive—but not like Michael. Michael was charming and polished, never a hair out of place, except for the one unruly curl forever toppling onto his forehead, she recalled fondly. Michael was handsome in an almost pretty kind of way, with long, dusty lashes
framing incredibly soft blue eyes, lips that were perfectly sculpted, smooth skin with never a shadow of a beard. Always impeccably groomed and manicured, he was a gentleman through and through. Luke, by comparison, was ruggedly handsome. She found herself drawn to his dark, almost black eyes and the penetrating way he could look at her as though seeing all the way inside to know what she was thinking.
His body was that of a warrior, hard-muscled, raw-boned, trained for combat and survival. He probably had the cunning of an animal and feared neither man nor beast, and though she had known him but a short while, Jacie realized she felt safe—safe from others. But she was still leery of what he planned to do with her once they bedded down for the night.
Suddenly she was swept with a little tremor of guilt to realize that the first time she had thought of Michael since Luke found her was to compare the two. Something told her it would be best if her time with Luke went swiftly. She actually found his raw and rugged good looks vastly appealing and chided herself for such nonsense. He was the enemy. Michael was her fiancé. The sooner she completed her mission and returned to Georgia, the better.
She decided to try and come to some understanding with him. "You said you wanted to talk before deciding what to do with me, and since this night seems to go on forever, why not do it now?" she asked waspishly.
"I thought you might want to wait till you've eaten and had some rest."
"I'll rest easier if you promise to take me to Fort Worth tomorrow. Now just what is it you want to know?"
"You told me you had reason to believe your mother lives with the Comanche, but I have a feeling you didn't tell me everything."
"Are you sure you don't know of her?" she asked suspiciously.
Luke braced himself, knowing he had to be careful what he said, because more and more it looked as though she could be Sunstar's child, and he was not about to reveal that to her. "A lot of white women have been taken by Indians. Most of them were killed. What makes you think she would still be alive?"
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