by Bobbi Smith
They had just started to savor their first bourbon when Clay had heard the man at the bar mention Reina's name. He wasn't sure exactly what the man had said, but he intended to find out. He wanted to know why someone would be bandying Reina's name around in a saloon.
"Frenchie, who's that man at the bar?" Clay asked in a low voice, not wanting to draw any attention to himself.
"The man talking to the bartender?" At his answering nod, she replied, "That's Nathan Marlow."
Clay went cold inside. Nathan Marlow. Reina's fiance.
"What is it?" Dev wondered at the sudden tension that had gripped him.
"Listen..." he said softly, discouraging him from talking, and it was then that Nathan announced Reina's delicate condition.
"Because she's carrying the other man's kid," Nathan confided in a particularly loud voice.
George and Nathan were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't see Clay come abruptly to his feet, his expression suddenly deadly.
"Alvarez's daughter is pregnant?" George said it over again, unable to believe it.
"That's right. I'll be damned if I'll put the Marlow name on somebody else's by-blow! The girl's no-good, and I'm glad I found out ahead of time. I'm well rid of her."
The news that Reina was carrying his child filled Clay with joy, but the fact that this bastard was holding her up for public scorn left him furious enough to kill. He was tempted to pull his gun and put an end to Nathan's miserable life right then and there, but he thought better of it. He wanted to beat the man senseless and enjoy every minute of it. He barely had himself under control as he stalked toward the loud-mouthed Marlow.
"I think it's the other way around, Marlow," Clay said coolly, butting in on their conversation. "I think Reina's the one who's well rid of you."
Nathan gave him only a cursory glance. "I don't remember asking your opinion. So why don't you just move on along and mind your own business?" He turned back to George.
"Reina Alvarez is my business," Clay stated with deceptive calm, as he moved within striking distance. At Nathan's surprised look, he added, "You see I'm `one of those bounty hunters.' The name's Cordell. Clay Cordell."
Nathan had only a fraction of a second to let the truth of his identity sink in before Clay struck. He lunged at him full-force, and they crashed violently to the floor. The other patrons scrambled to get out of their way as tables and chairs were overturned, and glasses of liquor crashed to the floor and shattered. In a savage test of strength, they rolled over and over, each seeking to dominate the other, each seeking to inflict as much pain as possible.
Nathan fought dirty. He threw Clay off and started to go for his gun. Dev had been watching, just in case something like this happened. With the expertise of a gunfighter, he fired once, his carefully placed shot knocking the gun from Nathan's hand. Nathan was stunned, and Clay took advantage of it, tackling him again, pinning him to the ground.
This time, Clay's anger had no bounds for he was certain that Nathan would have killed him had Dev not intervened. With a ferocity he hadn't known himself capable of, he began to pound him with driving blows. Within minutes, Nathan was pleading for him to stop.
"Stop... don't... wait..." he begged through bloody lips.
Clay heard him distantly through the red haze of his rage, but something primitive in him refused to let him off so easily. He landed several more punishing blows before he felt Dev's hand on his shoulder, urging him without words to quit.
Clay hauled Nathan up off the floor by his shirtfront as he glared at him. "You utter another word about Reina in this town, and you won't walk away from our next fight."
He saw the bloodlust in the bounty hunter's eyes, and he knew he wasn't lying. He hated Reina, but vengeance on her wasn't worth dying over.
"All right, Cordell! I won't," he gasped weakly, every inch of his body suffering from the terrible beating Cordell had just given him.
Clay gave him a rough shake to emphasize his point. "If you ever do..."
"No.. .I'll never say anything! I swear! Just lay
off..."
Clay let go of his shirt then, and Nathan fell heavily back to the floor. Clay got up then and dusted himself off. His knuckles were sore, and he knew he'd be sporting a few bruises in the morning, but he didn't care. If anything, he was amazed that he felt better than he had in a long time. He moved to the bar then, to confront George.
"I don't want to hear that you've been repeating anything he said, either." Clay's icy gaze met his.
"Oh, no, Cordell. I didn't hear anything!" After what he'd just witnessed, George knew without a doubt he would keep quiet about what had hap pened here tonight. He busied himself with picking up the aftermath.
Frenchie and Josie rushed to Clay to hug him and congratulate him on his victory.
"I'd be dead if it wasn't for Dev. Thanks, partner."
"You're welcome," Dev replied, smiling as he slid his gun back into his holster. "That was a man who was just begging to be taught some manners."
"You're right."
Frenchie and Josie had just thrown their arms around Clay and were trying to kiss him when Luis stepped into the saloon, rifle in hand. He saw Clay first and was thoroughly disgusted by the sight of the two dancehall girls hanging all over him, kissing him. This was the man his daughter loved? From where he stood, he couldn't see Nathan still lying on the floor or the overturned tables in the back.
"I knew I would find you here, Cordell," Luis sneered, dreading the thought of having this degenerate for a son-in-law.
Clay looked up at the sound of his voice. He saw the gun and knew immediately why he'd come.
"There's no need for the gun, Alvarez," Clay assured him. "I was just on my way out to your ranch" Shaking off the girls, he strode straight over to him.
"I'm sure you were," the older man disparaged, glancing back at Frenchie and Josie.
"Take another look, Alvarez." He was in no frame of mind to put up with anything from anybody right now. He'd just found out that the woman he loved was pregnant with his child, and he was worried that she wouldn't have him. She had begged him not to turn her over to her father, and he hadn't listened to her. He hoped she had it in her heart to forgive him, and if she did, he was going to spend the rest of his life making her the happiest woman in California.
There was a loud groan as Nathan hung on the bar and tried to pull himself to his feet. Luis looked in his direction and spotted him for the first time. The sight of Nathan's swelling, bloodied face brought a smile to the old Californio's otherwise stern features. He noticed then the disarray at the back of the saloon.
"So, you and Mr. Marlow have already met and exchanged a few pleasantries?"
"Yes, and it was quite a `pleasant' exchange, for me," Clay replied.
"I can see that. I would have enjoyed watching, but seeing the outcome is satisfying enough."
Clay wondered at his change of attitude. According to what Reina had told him on the boat, Luis had been quite taken with Marlow.
Nathan saw Luis with Clay and knew it was too late. He'd lost. Pulling himself together as best he could, he left the saloon.
Clay watched Nathan go, feeling quite satisfied that the man would give them no more trouble.
"Are you ready to go to the ranch?"
"Give me a minute, and then I'll be ready to ride with you," Clay answered.
"I'll wait for you outside."
When Luis had gone, Dev spoke up first, grinning as he did so, "I thought there was something on your mind tonight, and now I know what... make that who, it was. You gonna tell me all about it?"
"You know too much already" he replied with a matching grin. "I love Reina, and if she'll have me-"
"You don't think she loves you?" he interrupted, surprised. Clay had never had any trouble with the ladies before.
"I'm not sure, but I'm going to find out right now."
"Let me know how it goes."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
Dev clapped him reassuringly on his back as they strode from the saloon. Frenchie and Josie watched them go, their expressions crestfallen.
"I hope their women know how lucky they are," Frenchie sighed.
"They do," Josie replied. "Otherwise those men wouldn't be in such an all fired hurry to get back to them." As they went to help George clean up the mess, they were silently hoping that someday a man like Clay or Dev would fall in love with them.
Clay joined Luis outside, and after retrieving his horse from the stable, they rode for Rancho Alvarez. They had gone some miles before Luis spoke.
"My daughter is a very perceptive young woman" he said obliquely. "She knew Marlow for what he was before I did."
"Which is?"
"A fortune-hunting, amoral bastard," Luis answered succinctly. "She also says now that she's in love with you, but she's not sure how you feel about her."
"I see." Clay was noncommittal.
He was growing agitated by the younger man's evasiveness. "I assume you heard of her, er...um ... current circumstance?"
"Nathan was making a point of letting everyone know," Clay said tersely.
"Oh... Well, I promised Reina I wouldn't force you into anything you didn't want to do, but I must assure you that you will either want to marry my daughter or you will not want to marry anyone."
Clay bristled at his blackmail. He didn't need this old man telling him his obligations. He loved Reina. All he had to do was tell her the truth about how he felt and explain to her about Dev's situa tion. Once she understood, everything would work out.
"Look, Alvarez," he snarled as he reined in his horse and faced the old man in the moonlight. I told you when you showed up at the saloon that I was on my way out here, and I was. I love your daughter. I have since the first time I saw her, and I will never stop. I had no idea she was carrying my child, but now that I know, I fully intend to make her my wife. I don't need you to force me to want' to do any thing. In fact, it makes me mad as hell that you think you'd have to force me to marry her!"
Luis was shocked by this display of honor by Cordell. He would never have expected it of him. Perhaps, he mused, Reina really was a very astute judge of character.
"I apologize if I've offended you."
They glared at each other for a moment, sizing each other up for the first time, not as adversaries, but as potential allies. Where before, Clay had thought of Luis as a hard, arrogant man, he now saw him as a loving, desperate father who wanted only what was best for his daughter. And where Luis had thought Clay nothing more than a fast gun, he now saw him more as a worthy man, capable of caring for Reina and eventually running the Alvarez spread.
Luis realized then, that though his business deal with Nathan was over, if Reina and Clay married, he would still get his American son-in-law and that would insure that the land stayed in the family. He considered that maybe things weren't turning out too badly after all.
Neither man said a word as the edginess went out of them, and they urged their horses onward again through the night, heading for home.
The knock at the door roused Reina from her troubled half-sleep. She'd been dreaming strange, tormented dreams of Clay and Leo and Mickey and Nathan, and the interruption left her groggy and a bit disoriented.
"Yes? What is it?" she called out.
"It's Consuelo, Reina. Your father wants to speak with you."
"In the middle of the night?" She wondered what was so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning.
"Yes. He said it was very important that you meet him in the study right away"
Resignedly, she climbed from her bed. "Tell him I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Yes, ma'am."
Pulling on her floor length, gold silk robe, Reina tied the sash belt at her slim waist, then went to her dressing table to brush out her hair. She took care with her appearance, wanting to make sure she looked her best. She knew how proud her father was of her beauty, and now that things were back to normal between them again, she wanted to please him. She tried to disguise her discolored cheek with a dusting of powder, but it did little good. To her annoyance, she realized that this last reminder of Nathan would be with her for a while.
Once she was confident that she looked her best, considering the hour, Reina left her room to meet with her father. She was a little apprehensive as she approached the closed study door. As was her custom, she knocked lightly once, then let herself in.
"Yes, Father? You wanted to see me?" Reina swept into the room, but stopped, one hand still remaining on the doorknob, as she saw Clay standing with her father near his desk. "Clay!" she gasped, her grip tightening on the door so much that her knuckles showed white.
When Clay turned slowly toward her and their gazes met across the room, her heartbeat quickened. He was so magnificently tall and wonderfully handsome that her breath caught in her throat.
For a moment, Reina almost delighted in the fact that he'd come, but then the truth settled over her. A sick, sinking feeling weighed in the pit of her stomach. Her lie. He was only here because of her lie.
"Hello, Reina."
His voice went over her like a velvet caress, but she steeled herself against it. She kept her expression closed, her heart wary as she took a step farther into the room.
"Hello, Clay."
"I'm sure you two have things to talk about, so I'll leave you in privacy."
Neither of them said anything as Luis let himself out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Only a single, low-burning lamp illuminated the room, and across the distance in the soft glowing light, Clay could not see her injured cheek. All he could see was Reina clad in golden silk, looking much like a goddess he might have conjured up out of a dream. His gaze took in the cascade of ebony curls that fell around her shoulders, then moved lower to sweep appreciatively over her slender fig ure. He let his regard linger just for an instant over the still-flat plane of her stomach. The thought of his child nestled there... growing within her... filled him with a great sense of awe and pride. He wanted this baby, and more than anything else, he wanted Reina.
Reina wasn't sure exactly what Clay had in mind, and she wasn't about to wait around to find out. With a stubborn lift of her chin, she decided to be the aggressor. She would discourage him and get rid of him, just like she had Nathan.
"Why are you here?"
The coldness of her statement startled him. "Because we need to talk. There's a lot that needs to be settled between us before we get married."
"Married? I'm not marrying you, Clay Cordell." It was a definitive statement.
"Reina..." he began again. "We have to talk. You have to let me explain."
"There's nothing to explain. I don't want to marry you."
"You're pregnant with my child! It's only fitting that we marry as soon as possible."
His words pierced her heart. It was just as she'd expected. No words of love, no declarations of devotion, just an obligation. It was something he felt he had to do, because of the child.
"That is the worst reason in the world to marry someone."
"I don't think so," he argued. "I intend to be a father to our baby. I want this child. Reina..." He lowered his voice to make his point. "You know how determined I can be when I decide to do something."
For one minute, Reina let herself believe what he was saying, but then reality intruded again.
"I said no," she insisted, not giving any ground in their argument. She moved aside, giving him a clear path to the door. "Now, why don't you just leave?"
She made a mistake in shifting positions for in doing so, he caught sight of her damaged cheek.
"Dear God, who hit you? Not your father...?" Clay was outraged as he quickly grabbed her by the upper arms and hauled her to him. She tried to wriggle free of his gentle, yet restraining hold, but he would not let her go. With one hand he tenderly touched the bruised flesh.
"No! My father would never lay a hand on me!" she quickly defended Luis
.
"Nathan..." he breathed his name in a curse.
"Yes, it was Nathan, but it doesn't matter any more. He's out of my life forever."
"I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you," Clay said softly.
"I don't need your protection, Clay. I handled Nathan just fine on my own."
"So I see."
"It's not that bad. In fact, it was worth it just to be done with him. I hope I never see him again as long as I live."
"You won't." Clay replied with certainty. Then unable to resist, he cupped her chin and tilted her face up to his. Without saying a word, he bent and kissed her injured cheek. "Once you're my wife, I'll see to it that nothing ever hurts you again."
The touch of his lips on her cheek sent a shiver of delight through her. She struggled to ignore it as she fought to deny any claim he might put on her.
"I am not going to be your wife," she declared, and when she tried to pull away from him again, he let her go.
"Reina, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you"
"Why don't I believe you?" she taunted, her sarcasm hiding the pain in her heart. He'd finally said the words she'd been longing to hear; the only trouble was, it was too late. She was certain he was only saying it as a way to convince her to marry him. If he'd really loved her, he wouldn't have let her go that morning.
"Look, I have no intention of leaving here until you agree to marry me." Clay was growing exasperated. He had never been in love or proposed before. He'd waited until he'd found the one woman he treasured above all others-Reina. He thought she loved him. After all she'd just told him so on the boat that morning. But now here she was, turning him down, refusing his marriage proposal. He was confused, to say the least.
"Then you're going to be here for a long time," she retorted angrily. "Because I have no intention of marrying you or anyone else!"
"You can't mean to raise my child by yourself? Don't you realize what that would do to your reputation, not to mention how the child would suffer?" He was horrified that she could have such a radical idea.
Inwardly, Reina groaned. Why couldn 't this man just leave her alone? How in the world had she gotten herself into this mess? "It'll have me and my father."