Sweet Silken Bondage

by Bobbi Smith

  "Oh? Is there a problem? Whatever it is, I'm sure we can work it out."

  "I'm afraid, Luis, that this is more than just a simple problem to be worked out."

  "I don't understand."

  "Obviously, your daughter has not told you everything."

  "Everything? What are you talking about?"

  "I'm talking about the fact that she's pregnant with another man's child." He dropped the news with particular delight, and he enjoyed watching the old man turn a sickly shade of gray.

  "Cordell..." Luis uttered his name in a hoarse rasp. Guilt riddled him as he realized what he'd done. He was the one who'd thrown her together with that lowlife gunslinger. He was the one responsible for her current state. It was all his fault. It was no wonder that Reina hadn't trusted him enough to tell him the truth about everything. Look what he'd done to her! "I'm going to kill the bastard!" he declared, seething.

  "Don't do anything drastic, Luis," Nathan urged calmly. "I have no objection to saving her reputation. I'll go ahead with our plans and make her my wife, but first I'd like a change made in our original agreement."

  The old Californio, a man of honor and pride, held himself rigid as he listened to Nathan's proposal. "Such as?"

  "Such as, I'll agree to marry Reina and call the child mine, but only if you deed the ranch over to me before the wedding."

  "What?" He was astounded by his greed and conniving. If Nathan had been a man of honor, if he had really cared for Reina, he would have made no such demand. The unsetding dislike he'd felt for him before now turned to a full-grown hatred.

  "Let's face it. Reina is no virgin. She's whored herself around to God knows how many men, and now she's carrying someone else's bastard.. .a bastard she's going to want to pass off as mine! I think I deserve some extra compensation for this humiliation. If not, the deal's off. Do I make myself clear?"

  Luis was livid. In that moment, if he had had a gun, he would have used it on Nathan. How dare he stand before him in his own home and say such things?

  He realized then that, regardless of what Reina had done, she'd been right all along in her opinion of this man. For all his money, important contacts and business dealings, Nathan had no honor. He was filth. He wasn't even good enough to clean out the Alvarez stables, let alone marry his precious daughter.

  "You make yourself all too clear, Mr. Marlow," Luis stated firmly, "and as far as I'm concerned any dealings we had are now cancelled. You may consider yourself relieved of your obligation to marry my daughter."

  "You're going to let this deal slip away?" Nathan was shocked.

  He ignored the younger man's question as he continued, "I will see that the necessary people are informed of the change in wedding plans. You, sir, are no longer welcome in my home or on my land. Do I make myself clear?"

  "What about your land, Alvarez? Are you prepared to lose it? I thought this rancho meant everything to you?"

  "I have just discovered that there are things in life far more important than riches. To my sorrow and shame I almost had to lose them before I realized their true value," he told him, thinking of his daughter and how much he needed her love and respect.

  "Right now you may think there are more important things than riches, but I wonder if you'll feel that way once you've lost everything," he taunted.

  "The state of my affairs is no longer any of your business. I suggest you take your leave."

  "You're going to be sorry, Alvarez."

  "I already am, Mr. Marlow. Good-bye."

  Luis had cut him dead, but still Nathan refused to leave.

  "Mr. Marlow," the rancher said with slow precision, "will you leave my home of your own accord or will I be forced to call some of my men to assist you from my rancho?"

  Nathan's eyes narrowed dangerously as he regarded the old man. "This ranch will still be mine!"

  "Rancho Alvarez is mine and will ultimately belong to Reina. You'll never lay your filthy hands on it! Never! Now get out of my sight before I forget that I'm a gracious host and take great pleasure in seeing your back bloodied before you're thrown bodily from my property!"

  Nathan was furious as he strode from the house and mounted his horse. "You haven't seen the last of me, yet!"

  Luis, however, ignored his shouted threats. He watched him ride away into the night with great relief. When the rage of the moment had passed, he sighed deeply, then went back inside.

  He knew he had to speak to Reina, but he was afraid. He had ignored her pleas for understanding. He had overruled her at every turn. Now, he had to go to her and tell her that she'd been right all along. It was a difficult thing for him to do. He would have to swallow his pride to do it, and his pride was all he had left right now. Knowing he could not put it off, he started down the hall that led to her bedroom.

  Reina was sitting at her dressing table with a cold compress pressed to her cheek when she heard the knock at her door. She cringed at the thought of anyone seeing her this way. "Who is it?"

  "Reina, it's your father," Luis answered. "May I speak with you?"

  "Please, Father, could we talk in the morning? You've won. I'll do whatever you want, but I really need to be alone for a while."

  She tried to put him off, but he would have none of it. What he had to say, needed to be said right now.

  "Reina, please, child, it's really important. Please open the door."

  She'd never heard him sound so humble, and it bothered her. She wondered if he was playing some sort of game with her or if he was really having a change of heart.

  "All right," she conceded, laying the compress aside as she went to answer the door.

  Luis was completely taken aback by the sight of her injured cheek and lip. "My God!" He was overcome by the thought that she'd been hurt this way, and tears stung his eyes.

  "I'm sorry, Father, I didn't want you to see me like this"

  "He did this to you?" he asked, his tone hoarse with emotion.

  "Yes" she answered softly.

  At her response, he felt even more embarrassed by what he'd almost done. He had nearly forced his precious daughter to marry a violent, woman-beating fiend. The man deserved to be horsewhipped.

  "Reina, child..." his voice was choked as he reached out to her. He was surprised when she allowed him to hold her. It had been so long since they'd shared any affection. "Reina, I'm sorry... so sorry. I almost made an unforgivable mistake, but I've taken care of that now. You'll never have to concern yourself with Marlow again."

  "Father?" His words surprised her, and she drew back in total confusion to look up at him.

  "You were right about Marlow all along. I was just too desperate, too worried about losing the rancho to see the truth. He's an amoral, manipulative bastard, and he's not worthy of you! In fact, I'm not worthy of your love. When I think that I almost sold you to Marlow-"

  Tears of relief and joy filled her eyes. She was thrilled with the news. When Luis saw the happiness in her gaze, he was relieved. He held her once more, his throat constricting with the power of his emotions.

  "But Father, what are we going to do?" she asked, thinking that they might now lose the rancho.

  "It'll be all right," he told her earnestly, thinking about her pregnancy.

  "It will?"

  "Yes, and I understand"

  "You do?"

  "Yes, Nathan told me all about it, so you don't have to keep it from me any more."

  "Nathan told you?" For a moment she didn't realize what he was talking about, and when it suddenly dawned on her, she turned decidedly pale. Luckily, the way he was holding her with her head against his shoulder, he couldn't see her face.

  "Yes, he told me about your delicate condition, but don't worry. I won't fail you this time. I want you to tell me exactly what happened, then I'll decide what I'm going to do. Did Cordell force you or hurt you in any way?" he asked as they moved apart. His dark gaze searched hers for some sign that the bounty hunter had mistreated and taken advantage of her, too, because if he h
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  "No...no, it wasn't like that at all," she quickly denied, swallowing nervously as she tried to think of a quick way out of this one. She'd lied to Nathan about being pregnant just to get rid of him, and it had worked. She had never dreamed that her father would find out. She'd just thought that the other man would leave in a huff of self-righteous indignation and that would be the end of it. Obviously, she'd been wrong.

  "Then how was it?"

  Reina knew she was cornered. If she told her father the real truth, he would be furious with her. If she let the lie stand, there was no telling what he would do. To save herself, she finally told him what she considered to be a partial truth. "I fell in love with Clay, Father."

  "Does he know about the baby?"

  "No. I couldn't tell him, not knowing that I had to marry Nathan once we returned."

  "Does Cordell love you?"

  "No!" Realizing she'd answered too quickly, she toned down her reply, "I mean, I don't know if he does or not"

  Luis fell silent for a moment, and Reina's nerves were on edge as she waited to see what he was going to say.

  "Do you trust me enough to let me handle this, Reina? Will you give me another chance to prove that I have your best interests at heart?"

  She was caught and could see no way out. "Father...I don't want Clay to be coerced into anything."

  "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything"

  "Promise me you won't force him to marry me!"

  "I give you my word that I won't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do" He went to her and pressed a tender, fatherly kiss to her forehead. "You rest and take care of your cheek. I'll be back as soon as I can."

  Reina was filled with dread as she watched him leave her room. She was trapped in a web of lies of her own creation and things were getting more and more entangled with every passing moment.

  She lay down upon the bed, but found rest impossible. Her thoughts were consumed with worry about how Clay was going to react to the news her father would be bringing him. It was all a lie, of course, and she would tell him so just as soon as she saw him.

  Reina went rigid as it suddenly occurred to her that it might not be a total falsehood. She had not had her monthly flux since they'd left Panama City. She glanced down at her flat stomach and wondered if Clay's child was growing deep within her. She was surprised that the thought actually made her smile, and she relaxed a little, resting her hand on her stomach.

  Luis had put on the good show for Reina, but his mood was far from calm as he strode through the house after leaving her. He had promised he wouldn't force Clay to do anything he didn't want to do, and he would keep his word on that. He just had to make sure that Clay wanted to do the right thing.

  "Consuelo!" He summoned the maid, and then ordered in a stern voice, "Have my horse saddled and brought around! I'm riding into Monterey."

  "Yes, sir!" She rushed to do his bidding.

  He went on into his study and stalked straight to the gun cabinet. Taking out his most powerful rifle, he loaded it, his expression grim and determined. A loaded gun could be a very persuasive tool.

  "Is there trouble?" Consuelo asked concernedly from the doorway. She'd come looking for him to tell him his mount was ready and waiting outside and had been surprised to find him arming himself.

  "Nothing I can't deal with," he answered curtly as he strapped on his gunbelt.

  "Do you want some of the men to ride with you?"

  "No. This is something I have to do by myself." He did not want anyone else to know of Reina's situation. "Is the damned horse out front?"

  "Yes, that's what I came to tell you."

  Fine. See to Reina's comfort while I'm gone. I'll be back."

  Luis left her without another word. Mounting up, he rode from the rancho at top speed. He was lost deep in thought as he headed for town. It was late but he didn't care. He had to find Cordell and set things straight.

  "Your Molly's a lovely young woman, Dev. I know now why you didn't want to wait for me to get married," Clay told his friend with a chuckle as they made their way to the Perdition Saloon much later that night.

  The evening he had just passed with Dev's new family had been a pleasant one, and he knew Dev was a very fortunate man. The loving warmth of his new home, however, had left Clay feeling even more alone. He'd been glad when Dev had suggested he accompany him back to the saloon so they could share a few drinks before calling it a night.

  "Molly is special. Outside of you, she was the only one who believed in me while I was locked up. I had some damned dark days, and her faith in me meant a lot."

  "I can imagine how rough it was for you. I kept thinking about you the whole time I was tracking Reina all the way back to Louisiana."

  "You never have said much about your little adventure. How did it go?"

  Clay shrugged. "She was very good at disguises ...quite the actress, really."

  "I take it she had you going for a while?"

  "She tried, but I finally caught up with her at a party outside New Orleans."

  "Did she give you a bad time once you found her?"

  "I'd have rather brought back three Ace Demons and a rattlesnake single-handedly" he admitted with a smile. "She was quick, sharp and gorgeous. It's a lethal combination."

  There was something in Clay's tone that caused Dev to glance at him curiously, and, though nothing showed in his expression, it left him wondering if Reina Alvarez might have something to do with his troubled mood. Earlier during dinner, he'd sensed that there was something bothering Clay. He'd decided to join him at the Perdition for a while on the pretense of celebrating his return, in hopes that he would open up and talk about whatever it was.

  "You sound like you've come to care about her," Dev said, trying to get his friend talking.

  "You're getting to be a romantic now that you're a married man, Dev," he scoffed, trying to distract him from the subject of Reina. "Don't go getting any ideas. I did a job for Luis Alvarez. I found his daughter, and I brought her back; that's all. Reina's a very beautiful woman, but she's not for me."

  "Oh, well, what are you planning next?" He let it drop, knowing it was better not to push.

  "I'm not sure. Alvarez certainly paid me enough to keep me in style for quite a while. I told my father I'd come back for a visit some time soon. I think maybe this might be the time..." Clay said as he led the wav into the Perdition.

  Nathan was in a vile mood as he stood at the bar in the Perdition drinking straight, double-shots of whiskey. He was not used to having his plans thwarted. A seething hatred for Reina churned within him. She'd been so arrogant.. .so proud of what she'd done-pledging herself in marriage to him and then giving herself to the lowlife bounty hunter her father had sent to find her.

  Nathan wanted to beat her within an inch of her life. He wanted to see the fear and terror in her eyes as he punished her for daring to cross him. He wanted to see her suffer. He knew he would never be able to get his hands on her now, but there were better, even more cunning ways to bring about her downfall.

  Slamming his glass down on the bar, he waited impatiently for George, the graying, overweight, good-natured bartender, to finish taking the order of the two men who'd just come in. After giving Frenchie and Josie a bottle of bourbon and two glasses to serve the men where they'd settled in at a table, the barkeep quickly hurried down to the end of the bar to refill Nathan's glass. Nathan thanked him with a grunt of acknowledgment and downed the whole thing in one deep drink. The burning liquor felt good as it slid down his throat, fortifying his fury.

  "Give me another one," he ordered before George could walk away.

  Surprised by his thirst, he asked as he splashed more whiskey into his tumbler, "You celebrating something or just plain thirsty?"

  "I'm celebrating," Nathan replied, deliberately speaking in a loud voice so his words would travel and others would hear.

  "Oh? Got some good news, did you?"

  "Real good," he gloated, ready to r
eveal Reina's betrayal to all who would listen. He wanted to blacken her reputation so completely that she'd never be able to show her face in town again.

  "What good fortune befell you, friend?" George urged him to talk. It had been a long, quiet night, and he needed some good conversation. Nathan was a pretty important man about town, and anything he had to say would probably be real interesting.

  Nathan had hoped he would ask. "I just saved myself from a marriage made in hell," he announced.

  "I thought you were all set to marry that goodlooking Alvarez girl," he remarked, a little astonished. "I know I was envying you and so were half of the men here in town. You were going to have it all... a beautiful wife and a fabulous ranch."

  "Goes to show how wrong we all can be. A pretty face has long been man's downfall, and I'm no exception," he lied, wanting to make himself sound betrayed. "Those sweet good-looks hid a whoring heart, George. The girl's a slut. I'm just lucky I found out before the wedding."

  The barkeep was stunned. "Reina Alvarez!? A slut!" He was so fascinated that he didn't notice the way the tall, dark-haired man at the table with Frenchie and Josie suddenly looked up in their direction at the mention of Reina's name. He was too caught up in wanting to hear the rest of the story.

  "That's right. She ran off with one of those bounty hunters who was in town a while back, then has the nerve to come home and want to keep to our wedding plans."

  "She did?" George's eyes were wide with avid interest.

  "That's right. But you know why she was so hot to go on with this wedding?"

  "No, Nathan, why?" he asked, waiting eagerly for his next pronouncement. He was hungry for every terrible detail, for he knew the cancellation of the Alvarez-Marlow marriage would be the talk of the town, and he wanted to get all the facts straight.

  Clay had planned for the evening to be a quiet, relaxed one, sitting and talking with Dev while they enjoyed a few drinks. He'd even been glad to see Frenchie and Josie again, though only on a friendly basis. He felt no passion for either woman now. He'd thought that strange at first, and then realized it was all because of Reina. He loved her. No one else held any appeal for him. There was only Reina in his heart.