Renegade Love (Rancheros)

by Fletcher, Donna

  “You don’t need to drink yourself into a stupor or cower beneath a blanket for fear of me claiming my husbandly rights. I have no intentions of touching you now... or ever. I will move into the adjoining room, you will have these quarters all to yourself.”

  Rosa didn’t know what to say. She was pleased that he would not share a bed with her or was she? What kind of life would it be to have a husband and yet not have a husband? And what of children? She had always wanted several. Children brought joy and laughter to a home, something that she had noticed was sadly missing from the Cesare hacienda.

  He turned and reached for a white shirt on the chair, and she gasped at the sight of the numerous thin scars that crisscrossed his back. He didn’t turn around until he reached the door.

  “As you can see the whip was used on me often, don’t make me use it on you. Your skin is far too soft and beautiful to bear such ugly scars.”

  Rosa jumped when the door shivered shut from the slam. And she did the same... shivered. Would he forever send a chill of fear through her? She sat up holding the blanket over her breasts, in case he should enter again, and stared at the door. She thought of last night when he had tended her while she retched and how he had gotten her out of layers of lace and undergarments and put her to bed. Were those the actions of a man who would raise a whip to her?

  She shook her head. Her new husband was a puzzle. He protected her against harm and yet he threatened her with harm. It made no sense and it made her curious. Everyone gossiped about how barbaric Esteban had become running with the renegades. But no one, not one, ever gave thought to what he had suffered. And that was something she wanted to find out about, though she had no doubt that it would not be an easy task. It was, however, one she felt compelled to tend to.

  She was relieved to spy a silk white robe lying across the foot of the bed and quickly reached for it and slipped it on. She knotted the soft belt as she got out of bed and walked over to the dark wood wardrobe. Two gowns hung inside, though neither suited her. She much preferred a simple skirt and blouse and her comfortable sandals. Her hair she usually wore either unfretted or braided.

  She stared at the gowns. Each day since she had been moved to the hacienda Dona Valerianna had done her best to instruct Rosa on her responsibilities as Esteban’s wife. One of them was dressing appropriately. The thought of being stuck in a fancy gown all day was not at all to her liking. And the way Dona Valerianna had servants waiting on her was something Rosa would never want or grow accustomed to. She hadn’t even started her new life yet and she was already missing her old one... somewhat.

  At least here though, no one raised a hand or strap to her.

  Don’t make me use the whip on you.

  Was she foolish in believing that he would not do such a thing? Should she truly fear him?

  She fumbled around in the bottom of the wardrobe until she finally found the bundle she searched for. In the bundle was all she possessed. She took out her mother’s faded blue lace dress and hung it on one of the many pegs in the wardrobe. She then unfolded her faded orange skirt and pale yellow blouse. They might not be fancy but she had kept her garments mended and clean. She also retrieved her sandals, near to threadbare from constant wear. Lola had warned her that once the sandals wore through that she would not be given another pair. And while most of the women went barefoot, she did not like the way the dry dirt collected between her toes and so she chose to wear her sandals more often than she should have.

  Rosa glanced between the fancy dresses and her skirt and blouse. She did not wish to spend most of the day inside as Dona Valerianna often did. Dare she break the mundane routine and explore the various gardens that surrounded the hacienda and perhaps stroll through the orchards and enjoy fruit picked fresh from the trees?

  The thought was too inviting to ignore and besides who would worry about her whereabouts. Don Alejandro and Dona Valerianna would not dare venture into their son’s bedchamber and Esteban made it clear that he wished nothing to do with her. So the day belonged to her and the thought of such freedom filled her with joyous anticipation.

  She hurried to slip into her peasant garb and hoped that perhaps she could sneak to the kitchen, gather a basket of food for herself and be off before anyone spotted her and could bear witness to her departure.

  Once her sandals were on and her hair quickly braided, she rushed from the house to the kitchen in no time, pleased that she met no one along the way. It was earlier than she first thought and it appeared as if the hacienda was just stirring to life, though she doubted that, the vaqueros no doubt had been up and working since before sunrise.

  The kitchen was empty but the delicious scents let her know that Dolores had already been busy cooking. She had made a friend of Dolores and knew well her routine. She was probably at the hen house collecting eggs and she wasted no time in gathering bread and cheese, careful not to take too much. She would add the fresh fruit she picked to it and picnic by the stream she had discovered that ran not far from the hacienda. She grabbed a cloth from the stack neatly folded on a narrow table under the lone window in the kitchen, draped it over the modest meal she placed in a basket, and then once again hurried off before anyone saw her.

  The day was hers to enjoy and the decadent thought had her blessing herself as she hurried her steps, eager to taste freedom. She made her way through one of the many hacienda gardens, though didn’t stop to admire the numerous beautiful flowers. She was anxious to reach the orchards and find a fat orange or lemon and of course she could not resist the red plump grapes that beckoned from several arbors scattered throughout the various gardens, not to mention the ones in the vineyards.

  Rosa dropped her head back to allow the warmth of the sun to kiss her face. It was a beautiful day and being free of chores and obligations, if only for this day, made it all the more beautiful.

  Her stomach grumbled and she patted it. “Be patient, we soon feast.” She laughed and hurried into the orchard to pick an orange or two.

  ~~~

  “They have missed breakfast and now they don’t show up for the noon meal,” Dona Valerianna said with a worried frown.

  Don Alejandro attempted to soothe his wife, though he too fretted over Esteban and Rosa’s absence.

  “Do you think she is all right?” Dona Valerianna asked with a whisper.

  Don Alejandro patted his wife’s arm. “They are getting to know each other. This is good.” He wanted to believe his own words, but he had doubts that haunted, though he tried not to feed them. Rosa was a good girl and would be good for his son. He had to hold on to that hope. Otherwise, he feared there was nothing that could save his son.

  “Perhaps we should have food taken to them,” Dona Valerianna suggested.

  “Who is too lazy not to get food for themselves?” Esteban asked striding into the dining room and taking a seat at the table.

  Dona Valerianna smiled at her son, half relieved to see him, but concerned that Rosa wasn’t with him.

  Alejandro looked to the door, his concern more obvious than his wife’s. And he was quick to say, “Why you and Rosa of course. You both missed breakfast and we worried you would miss the noon meal as well, but here you are. Will Rosa be along soon?”

  Esteban sat straight up in his chair. “I have not seen her since early this morning.”

  “Either have we,” Dona Valerianna said with a hint of alarm.

  Esteban bolted out of his chair and hurried out of the room without a word. When he reached his bed chambers and saw that Rosa was not there his heart began to hammer against his chest. He saw that the wardrobe was open and that her dresses hung there, so what had she worn.

  He returned with a rush to his parents. “She is not in my room.”

  Dona Valerianna grew pale with fear. “Could she have run off?”

  “Why do you think that, Mother?” Esteban asked accusingly. “Do you think I ravished her so badly that she has run away?”

  Dona Valerianna gasped and Alejandro
chastised her son. “Do not speak so rudely and crudely to your mother. She worries for you and your wife and wants only happiness for you both.”

  Esteban wanted to remind his parents that that would never be, but the sadness in his mother’s eyes had him holding his tongue and silently cursing himself for having spoken so improperly to her. He was worried himself about Rosa, but he didn’t want his parents to know. They would assume that he cared for the petite peasant woman, when it was nothing more than his husbandly duty to protect and keep his wife safe... or so he told himself.

  He refused to pay heed to the haunting images of her naked in his arms last night. No soon as he attempted to scatter them with a shake of his head, then they would return full force. As would blatant images of what he ached to do to her.

  But that had nothing to do with love. It was lust that taunted him and kept him aroused, and if he didn’t satisfy it soon he would find himself mounting his wife like a wild stallion after a mare in heat, just as he had done to the willing woman in Pacquito’s band of renegades.

  “I do not think Rosa would run away,” Don Alejandro said. “She has nowhere to go and she is a dutiful woman and would not abandon her responsibilities.”

  “She is obedient, I will give her that,” Esteban said annoyed, wishing that she had some fire to her nature. He had seen a spark of it last night when she had bravely spoken up to Roberto. She had even braced herself for the blow she had known would come, but then the wine had given her courage. She also had had the courage to stop him from killing Roberto, and he had had every intention of splitting the man from throat to groin as he had promised he would do if he dared to raise a hand to Rosa again.

  He hadn’t been sure what had stopped him. It could have been her gentle touch or the pleading look in her eyes. Whatever it had been, he didn’t know, though he had warned himself to be cautious, somehow she had affected him and no one had done that in a long time.

  Dolores entered the dining room and Esteban was quick to ask, “Have you seen my wife?”

  “No, senor, I have not, though...” Dolores hesitated.

  “Tell me,” Esteban ordered sharply.

  Dolores hurried to obey. “I noticed that a basket and some food, not much, were missing from the kitchen when I returned from collecting eggs. The items taken would barely feed one person.”

  “Thank you, Dolores, you may leave now,” Don Alejandro said.

  “Rosa seeks some solitude,” Dona Valerianna said with relief.

  “But she did not seek permission from her husband,” Alejandro reminded her. “It is not wise of her to wander off on her own. Our land spreads wide and there is no telling who lurks about.”

  Esteban felt his whole body grow taut and his heartbeat that had calmed, now once again slammed in his chest. He had wandered off on his own one day and it had taken him sixteen years to return home. He rushed out of the room, alarming his mother.

  Alejandro laid a comforting hand on his wife’s arm and smiled. “This is good; he worries about her.”

  Dona Valerianna sighed heavily. “But what will he do to her when he finds her?”

  Chapter Eight

  Rosa sat under the shade of a large oak tree, content after having a fine meal of bread, cheese and the plumpest orange she had ever seen. She was however worried that perhaps she should not have gone off on her own without telling anyone. It wasn’t that she was trying to be defiant, she had simply wanted... what? What had she wanted? Had she snuck away because she was fearful of facing Esteban again? Just thinking about him sent a shiver through her. How was she to learn about him if she kept her distance from him?

  She wondered if anyone had noticed her absence by now and would it matter to anyone. The Curros had been on her every minute of every day. She had barely had a free moment to herself, so today was a gift of sorts and while she thought it might be wise to return to the hacienda, she also didn’t want to relinquish this precious free time afforded her.

  No doubt she would have duties as Esteban’s wife, though from what she had seen of Dona Valerianna’s duties they appeared minimal, nothing close to what she had been accustomed to. Actually, Rosa thought that Dona Valerianna’s task was to always look beautiful and be there for her husband whenever he needed her. And then there was her stitching. Dona Valerianna was quite talented with a needle, creating the most beautiful embroidery pieces that Rosa had ever seen.

  Rosa scrunched her brow. Was that thunder she heard? She looked up, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand. The sky was a clear blue, not a threat of a storm in sight.

  The thunder grew louder until Rosa jumped to her feet, finally realizing that it wasn’t thunder at all but a fast approaching rider. She turned almost in a full circle before she saw him in the distance. And there was no denying who it was.

  The urge to run gripped Rosa like a tight hand squeezing the breath from her and yet she found herself frozen. She couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but watch her husband approach at a fast gait. The closer he got, the more clearly she could see how angry he was and the sudden thought of his warning rang in her head.

  Don’t make me take the whip to you.

  He no soon as brought the mighty stallion to a stop than he bolted off the horse and raced toward her, his face tight with anger

  Rosa reacted instinctively, she backed away from him until her back hit the old oak tree and she could go no further. Her eyes turned wide as he kept coming toward her and she braced herself, for what she didn’t know.

  She tensed as he slapped his hands against the tree on either side of her head, trapping her. Esteban didn’t say a word, he just stared at her, but then he needed to calm himself before he spoke or did something he would regret. His muscles were tense and ready to strike, ready to protect Rosa. He worried that he would find her embroiled in a dangerous situation, though more worried that he wouldn’t find her at all. When he had seen her in the distance, it had set his heart to hammering more wildly, though with relief this time. Then his anger sparked again.

  He brought his face down inches in front of hers. “Never, ever, go off anywhere without my permission.”

  She nodded rapidly.

  He could see her fear and sense it, but what caught his attention the most was her plump moist lips and the sweet scent of oranges that drifted off her. His groin suddenly tightened and the urge to kiss her overpowered him. If he didn’t back away from her now, put a good distance between them, he would surrender to the urge and he wasn’t sure if he would stop at just a kiss.

  “Never again,” he repeated. “Understand?”

  She nodded again and the tip of her tongue darted out to lick the center of her lips before darting back in and taking her lips with her, snagging them tightly closed as if locking them away from him.

  The thought irritated him, though he doubted she did it on purpose, but it definitely was instinctive, as if she was protecting herself against him... her husband.

  Turn away. Walk away. Far away.

  He didn’t listen to his warning. It seemed he wasn’t able to. He was too caught up in the closeness of their bodies. Her hard nipples poked at his shirt. All he had to do was lean a bit closer and they would poke his chest.

  Get away from her!

  Again he didn’t heed the warning. Instead he dared to lean closer and she shrank back away from him, though there was no place for her to go. And when his chest crushed against her breasts, she startled, her eyes turning wide.

  He thought to remind her that she was his wife and he could do as he wished with her, but that was not a reminder that he needed to know. It stiffened his already hardened groin. He didn’t realize that his lips had drifted close to hers and pulsated with such a desire to kiss her that it startled him.

  Get away now!

  This time he listened. He tore himself away from her, turning and stepping away. He’d be a fool to kiss her, for then he’d want to touch her, slip his hand beneath the peasant blouse she wore and caress her soft
skin, and then...

  He swerved around, his arm snapping out as he approached her and coiled around her waist to yank her hard against him, and then his mouth claimed hers.

  Rosa was too shocked to respond. She remained stiff in his arms. Her own arms spread out to her sides, while he kissed her with a hunger that she didn’t know was possible. And it wasn’t long before her body responded to his need or was it her need?

  Her hands drifted to his shoulders and rested there as she let instinct take control and she began to respond to his demands. She didn’t know when her hands slipped around his neck or her fingers drifted into his soft hair or when her body pressed against his, she only knew that she was enjoying this intimate moment with her husband.

  He groaned while he continued to devour her senses with his kiss. She moaned at the unexpected pleasures that were beginning to consume her. How could she be frightened of her husband and yet feel such pleasure?

  She didn’t know what was happening and there was a part of her that didn’t care. Oddly enough she felt safe in his arms and for some reason she felt that he wouldn’t hurt her.

  He suddenly grabbed a handful of hair at the back of her head and yanked it back, forcing their kiss to end. He pressed his lips to her exposed neck and mumbled, “I want to sink myself into you.”

  And the next thing Rosa knew she was down on the ground on her back and his hands were shoving her skirt up. When his fingers plunged between her legs, she cried out shocked at the intrusion and surprised at the unexpected tingle of pleasure.

  He was off her in an instant, turning away as he ordered, “Gather your things, we leave now.”

  Rosa wondered what she had done wrong, though she didn’t hesitate to obey him. She pushed her skirt down as she stumbled to her feet and hurried to get her basket. He didn’t have to tell her to follow him to the stallion that was grazing contentedly nearby.