“No.”
Silence seemed to deafen her. She couldn’t think of anything to say or ask. So he lay back down on the grass, and they sat for another half hour waiting for the fish to bite.
“Are you hungry?” Serena asked when she heard his stomach growl.
“Yeah.” He glanced up at the sky. “A little food would be nice.”
She stood and walked over to the leather pouch containing leftovers from earlier. Refusing to dwell on Pa’s anger when he would find out they hadn’t caught any fish, she pulled out biscuits and corn bread left from breakfast and chunks of smoked ham and laid them on a cloth. The canteens held plenty of water.
“Here we are,” she said, doing her best to sound cheerful. Spreading the cloth between them, she urged him to eat, but she had no appetite, no fish for Pa, and no endearing words from Chet.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, after downing a thick biscuit with a layer of ham tucked inside.
“No, go ahead. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Will you still be here for my birthday, like you said last night?” She held her breath, almost afraid of his reply.
Chet wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and took a swallow of water. “Serena,” he said softly.
She peered into his face, and if somebody had asked her, she wouldn’t have known her own name.
“We both know why the cap’n is expecting a whole mess of fish.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. A noisy blue jay chased a squirrel up a tree, reminding her of Pa chasing Chet.
“So what are we gonna do about it?” he asked.
The gurgling sound of the river hitting the rocks masked her fluttering heart. She wet her lips and tried to form her words. “I don’t know.”
“I’ve been praying for what’s right—not saying a word to you and abiding by your pa or speaking my mind.”
Her heart pounded so hard, she could barely breathe. “Since you spoke up, what have you decided?”
“Aw,” and he tossed a pebble into the water, skimming it in wide circles. “Both.”
Stunned, Serena gazed into his eyes, then hastily glanced away. “Then say your piece.”
He leaned on his side again, still balancing the fishing pole with his boots. “I need to tell you how I feel. Not sure why, except I’m about to explode like a hundred shotgun blasts.” Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I believe I’ve fallen in love with you, Serena, and your pa would have my hide for saying it.”
She felt herself trembling. How many nights had she lain awake dreaming of Chet telling her those words? Did she dare reply? “I…I feel the same,” she managed.
He snapped off a blade of grass. “Might be easier if you didn’t. I didn’t mean to stir up any more trouble than I already have.”
She fidgeted with the petals of her wildflower. “So you believe there’s nothing we can do?”
The tension between them could have been split with an axe.
“Well, I certainly hadn’t planned on this, and life with me wouldn’t be easy. I reckon I could give up rangering. It might ease things with your pa.”
Serena shook her head. “You belong with the Rangers. It’s your life, like breathing. I wouldn’t ever ask you to give it up. There’s bound to be another way.”
He chuckled and squinted up at her with the blade of grass sticking out his mouth. “Sure wish God would tell me what to do.”
“Me, too.”
“Funny how I’ve known you all this time and never thought about you as more than a friend….”
“James Talbot’s little girl.”
He grinned. “And now I can’t seem to get you off my mind.”
About then his pole jerked, and he grabbed it. Sure enough, Chet had a fish. “By golly, look at the size of that bass,” he said, pulling in the line.
“And there’s bound to be more.” She studied her line. It wiggled and bobbed up and down. “Chet, I’ve got one, too.”
A moment later, she pulled in a huge bass, bigger than his.
Suddenly they both started to laugh. How utterly ridiculous to become so excited about two fish, yet they were. They both quickly baited their lines and tossed them out again. Before she could consider what was happening, Chet swooped her up into his arms and whirled her around.
That started the trouble. The moment his hands touched her waist, she felt her arms chill and her toes grow numb. Chet must have sensed her feelings, for his gaze softened and he lowered her to the ground. His fingers reached to brush across her cheek, then trace her lips. He lifted her chin, and she felt her pulse race faster than she believed possible. Staring into his pine green eyes, she believed her dreams had come true.
“Serena, I have to kiss you this once. I may never have a chance again.”
When he bent to lightly touch his lips to hers, she encircled his neck and allowed him to draw her closer. His kiss deepened, and she gladly melted into his arms.
“Oh, Serena,” he whispered, “I shouldn’t have done this, but I can’t help myself.” He drew his fingers through her hair.
“What is going on here?”
Serena and Chet instantly stiffened. James Talbot stood before them, pistol in hand.
Chapter 7
Serena instantly tore herself away from Chet’s embrace. With a gasp, she felt a tinge dizzy and her knees weakened. Pa stared at her as though she’d done something terrible. And he looked at Chet as though he’d done something worse.
Ma dismounted from her bay mare and touched Pa’s shoulder. “Easy, James. We talked about this,” she said, but the scowl on his face could have carved out a mountain.
“Pa,” Serena said, lifting her chin. “Nothing’s going on here. We…”
Chet touched her arm. “This is my fault. I’ll handle it.”
“Like you handled my daughter today?” her pa asked evenly. He handed Ma the reins to his horse while his finger rested a hair’s span from the trigger.
“I’d like to explain, Cap’n, if you’d give me a chance.”
Chet’s words relayed confidence, but a sideways glance at him told Serena he felt anything but self-assured. Serena refused to move, believing her silence might hold Pa back from ending the dilemma about her and Chet once and for all.
“I have eyes,” Pa said, slowly nodding his head to emphasize each word. “Didn’t I tell you what wouldn’t happen between you and Serena?”
“You did the talkin’ and I listened,” Chet said. “I understand how you feel about your daughter, but you don’t understand how we feel about each other.”
The surroundings grew oddly quiet. A few insects braved the tension, and a mockingbird seemed to mock them. The air grew hot and humid.
“Maybe you need to calm a bit, James,” Ma said, breaking the silence. “Serena’s old enough to know her mind.”
Thanks, Ma. Lord help us. We’ve got ourselves in a fine fix.
“Not when it comes to Texas Rangers,” Pa said. His voice sounded cold and steady. “Rachel, you and Serena head back to the cabin. Chet and I have business right here.”
“Please, Pa. You’re sending me away like a child.”
“Serena.” His voice rose.
She stopped herself, knowing better than to defy her pa when he had his mind set. She glanced at Chet, and he motioned for her to step toward Ma.
“Cap’n, forbidding me and Serena to see each other isn’t going to help the situation at all.”
“I’ll be the judge of that, since I’m her pa.”
“By filling me full of holes once the women are gone?”
“I might.”
“James, you and Chet have no business fussin’ with each other right now. Won’t solve a thing,” Rachel said, slipping her arms around Serena’s waist. “You two have been friends for quite a spell, and this is not the way to end it.”
“You’re right,” her pa said, not once glancing at Ma or Serena. His fingers still rested entirely too close to th
e trigger. “So I’m a fixin’ to send him on ahead to meet the other boys. You two head back to the cabin, and I’ll give the lieutenant his orders. He might need special instructions, since he appears to be hard of hearing.”
Serena saw an angry spark in Chet’s eyes. How could the two men she loved be at such odds with each other?
“Cap’n, this won’t work,” Chet said, crossing his arms defiantly and standing square. “You can send me on ahead, but you can’t stop me from having feelings for Serena.”
“Feel what you want—but you ain’t touching my daughter again.”
“You make it sound like I’ve done a bad thing here.”
Ma urged Serena to take Pa’s horse. Grasping the reins, she climbed on the saddle, braving one last look at Chet. His composed expression gave her the chills. No wonder he was one of Pa’s best rangers. She wouldn’t want to face either one of them knee-deep in trouble.
Brokenhearted, she pulled Pa’s horse behind the mare. How could he not understand a man and a woman in love? As they passed the men, Chet made a comment, but Pa bellowed about God intending for a man to respect another man’s words.
The horses clipped along at a trot, single file along the path she and Chet had walked hours before. Behind her the muffled sounds of the arguing men churned her insides, and before her lay nothing but loneliness without Chet—before it had even begun.
When Ma slowed her mare to ride side by side with Serena, she could no longer contain her sorrow. “Ma, how could Pa be so mean?” she asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
She sighed and slowed her horse to a halt. “Oh…he simply sees too much of himself in Chet,” her ma replied. She gazed at her through pale blue eyes and smiled sadly. “I hate this for you because I remember all those same feelings.”
“But you two made it just fine.”
“Yes, we have. Your pa loves you, Serena, but he doesn’t want you spending night after night alone and worrying over the man you love.”
Serena stiffened, her heart beating furiously in righteous indignation. “Ma, I’m a full-grown woman. I know my heart and mind, and it’s with Chet.”
“Then you best be praying God does a mighty work in your pa ’cause his mind is dead set against any ranger courtin’ his daughter.” She sighed and glanced up into the treetops. “I ought to know, I spent the better part of the past few hours trying to convince him.”
Gratitude entwined with love washed over Serena. “Oh, Ma, I’m so sorry. You didn’t have to use your time with Pa discussing Chet and me. He and I will figure this out.”
Her mother raised a brow and peered into Serena’s face. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Ma, you know I mean we’re expecting God to work out this problem with Pa.”
“And He doesn’t need your help.”
Chet expelled a heavy sigh as he reined his horse away from the Talbot cabin. The orangey-red shadows of evening clung to him, reminding him a portion of his life was fading into a memory. He’d found love and lost it in two short days. He’d known Serena better than two years and liked her as a little girl—and loved her as a woman.
The cap’n had sure enough wanted to blow a hole through him. Never had he seen him so mad, and nothing Chet said could move him. Not once had the cap’n moved his hand away from his gun.
“I’m not out to hurt her,” he’d told the cap’n.
“Don’t you think being away from her all the time is gonna hurt her? It ain’t just hard, ya fool. The pain in a woman’s eyes stays with you all the time.”
He realized then how much James loved Serena. Maybe Chet needed to do some thinking on it. Maybe the cap’n made sense after all. He didn’t want to be selfish or come between a man and his daughter. Swallowing his pride, he had walked back to the barn, packed up his gear, and left, not once seeing Serena inside the cabin.
Now he rode alone to meet up with eighteen rangers who served under Cap’n Talbot. They’d be anxious to head for the Rio Grande as soon as they could. God have mercy on anyone who got in James’s way on this job, be it the enemy or a ranger.
Lord, I don’t want this to be hard on Serena. She looked powerfully unhappy riding away with her ma. Her sweet face seems to be branded on my mind and heart. What choice do I have but to turn it all over to You and let You work on my heart and her pa’s? So I’m trusting You with my love for Serena and whatever is best for her.
He felt better. A sense of peace settled upon him like a cool breeze on a hot day. No need to fret over the matter because God had already handled it. Chet would simply do his job, think about Serena when night folded in around him, and wait for the good Lord’s answer.
For a moment, he wondered if God had any idea how intolerable James Talbot could be when upset.
Days later, after a bloody battle with a gang of Comanches, Mexicans, and white raiders, scattering some bandidos by the wayside and others racing deep into Mexico, the cap’n approached him.
“You’re a good ranger, Chet, and I’ve always been able to depend on you.”
Surprised, since James hadn’t spoken more than two words to him in three weeks, Chet stuck out his hand. As the two men grasped calloused hands, he stared into the cap’n’s eyes and saw respect, nothing more.
“I hate this difference between us,” Chet said. “Wish we could talk it out.”
The cap’n expelled a heavy breath and released the handshake, as though contemplating Chet’s words. “Someday you might have a wife and family. Until then you won’t understand what I have to do to protect mine. There’s no changing my mind. You know my Serena is a frail thing. She couldn’t handle this life.”
Chet said nothing. God had already spoken to him about the cap’n’s daughter. In his heart, he knew God had a plan for him and Serena. He felt certain they would end up together.
Serena pulled a brush through her dark tresses, as always, her mind on Chet. Today marked her eighteenth birthday, and he’d promised to be there, but Pa had come in late last night alone. She’d been foolish to think Pa would allow Chet to visit.
Her pa had refused to talk about Chet before he left the last time, and their good-bye had been strained. She remembered her and Ma’s words.
“Why does Pa have to be so muleheaded?” she’d asked, digging her fingers into her palms as she and Ma watched Pa ride just beyond earshot.
“You’d be the best one to answer that,” Ma said, smiling and waving although she could no longer see him. “Since you’re both just alike in many respects. You, James, and Chet…stubborn and lovable.”
The reply stung and brought a well of tears to her eyes. She turned away and headed back inside the cabin. The truth always hurt more than she cared to admit.
She even confessed to Moira about the whole thing with Chet. Her dear friend listened and held Serena while she cried. Neither of them could think of a solution but to seek God for the answers.
They didn’t hear from Pa for nearly four weeks, and when he’d ridden in last night, Serena felt uncomfortable. Oh, she hugged him and welcomed him home, but uneasiness rested between them.
She wanted to tell him about the palomino and how the horse responded so well to her commands, but the words wouldn’t come.
She wanted to tell him how she’d worried he might have been hurt, but her heart ached to hear about Chet.
She wanted to cry on his big strong shoulders and tell him how miserable she felt since their parting, but she wanted Chet’s arms around her, too.
Serena knew she needed to talk to Pa and had prayed about it more than once, but the words refused to come. As the beginnings of light filtered through her tiny window on this, her birthday, Serena felt miserable. She wanted her relationship back with Pa and Chet. Had God forgotten her?
Rising and dressing in her favorite sky-blue dress, she attempted to concentrate on the Niall family coming later on in the afternoon. Yesterday she and Ma had cooked most of the day for the birthday dinner. It would be a wonderful celebration, and Se
rena vowed to cover her broken heart with a smile. No one would see how she truly felt about Chet Wilkinson, and she knew he dare not be there today. Pa had probably threatened to shoot him on sight.
As was her custom when Pa first arrived home, Serena went about making breakfast while her parents slept. But her determination did not stop a few tears trickling into the coffeepot.
All too soon she heard the murmuring of voices from the other room. Determined and inhaling deeply, she pasted on a smile.
“Mornin’, Little One,” Pa said, standing barefoot in the kitchen.
He sounded cheerful and it nearly broke her heart with the differences between them. “Mornin’, Pa. I’ve got coffee brewing outside.”
“Sounds good. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you, Pa.” She smiled into his eyes, the same color as hers. “I’ll fetch you some.” She snatched up a mug and started for the door.
“I’ll get it,” he said, his eyes searching hers. “I’d like to take a look at your horse.”
“She’s a fine mare.” Serena felt like her words were memorized from some book. She hurt all over.
“Would you go with me to take a look?”
She fought the urge to cry and tried to suppress every semblance of her emotions. “Sure, Pa, but breakfast is almost ready, and I don’t want it to burn.”
“We won’t be gone but a minute.”
They stepped through the door and saw Chet sitting atop his horse, leaning on the saddle horn.
“Cap’n, I told Serena I’d be here for her birthday.”
Chapter 8
Have you no more brains than a stunned mule, Wilkinson?” Pa asked, his fists clenched as he stepped toward Chet. “We settled this weeks ago. You’re not to see Serena, not now or ever.”
Chet’s gaze didn’t waver. He straightened and pushed back his weather-beaten hat. “I told her I’d be here, and I aim to keep my word.” He paused. “Although I discovered another matter over the past few days that should interest you.”
Pa’s eyes narrowed. “What might it be before I run you off?”
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