Ride The Wind (Vincente 3)

by Constance O'Banyon

  Saber licked her dry lips, and her throat grew tight with fear. "Are you sure he isn't going to attack us?"

  "Put your mind at rest. He just gave me the peace sign. But do as I warned and don't move or speak. He's riding in."

  Saber felt her body quaking with fear as the tall Indian broke away from the others and rode down the hill toward them.

  When he had reached them, he dismounted in a smooth motion and clasped hands with Reese while his dark eyes moved over Saber. She cringed with fear and stepped behind Reese.

  Reese and Quanah spoke in the Comanche language. Then Reese nodded and gathered up the reins of Saber's horse and handed them to the Indian. Quanah then pointed to the pack mule, and Reese nodded his agreement.

  Saber watched with amazement as the Indian mounted and led her horse and the pack mule away. That left them only one horse! She watched the Indian ride out of sight, still unsure whether he would gather his tribe and come storming down on them.

  She gripped Reese's arm. "Will he come back?"

  "I don't think so. He has what he came for. Just be glad horses were all he wanted."

  "What will we do with only the one horse?"

  "We thank God we're still alive, and we ride double. We're lucky that he left us my horse."

  She turned toward him, and his gaze moved over her features. Her face was so smudged with dirt he could hardly tell what she looked like, but she appeared to be none too pretty. But what did it matter? She had the Vincente money behind her, and Matthew loved her.

  Again, he felt the unwelcome tightening of his loins, and the swelling of his desire, which had momentarily distracted him. "Ma'am," he called, stopping Saber in her tracks. "If you'll get your business over with, we need to ride on."

  "Is it safe now?"

  "Yes, ma'am. As I said, Quanah gave me the peace sign, and he would never go back on his word."

  "What I don't understand is, if you knew this was Comanche land, why did you choose to ride this way?" she said, turning and stalking away.

  Reese stared after her. Even with her ill-fitting trousers, he could see that her hips were softly rounded and she had long, shapely legs. Her slow, easy steps were provocative and enticing. She had a good shape to her, all right. And he'd reacted to her body moments ago, until he reminded himself that she belonged to Matthew.

  He glanced at the rise where Quanah had just appeared and waved to him. He heard the sound of the Indians riding away and relaxed.

  When Saber rejoined Reese, he wasn't in a very good mood. "Ma'am."

  "Yes."

  "To answer your earlier question, I rode this way because it's unlikely that anyone will follow us into Comanche territory."

  She was startled by his reasoning. "So this way, all we had to worry about was the whole Comanche nation."

  "I'd hoped if we ran into Quanah, he'd remember me. Apparently he did." He mounted his horse and reached for her hand. "Let's ride. I want to put some miles between us and the Comanche."

  She took his hand and he pulled her up, placing her behind him. When they started off at a trot, she had to put her arms around him to keep from falling off. After they had ridden for some time, her head fell against his strong back, and she was somehow comforted by the steady beating of his heart. She could feel the strength that radiated from him. She closed her eyes, feeling as if nothing in the world could harm her when she was with him.

  Her eyes flew open. He was the reason she had been ripped from her family and Matthew! She should fear him more than she did the Comanche!

  Reese was setting up camp when Saber walked down to the small creek. She was eager to wash her face and hands. Walking around the thornbush and down a slight incline, she found a shallow creek. Going down on her knees, she broke the ice, cupped her hands, and drank thirstily of the cold water. She shivered as she washed her face and hands; then she tried to work the worst of the tangles out of her hair and braided it into one long braid. Tearing a strip of cloth from her shirt, she secured the end of the braid and felt somewhat better.

  When Saber returned to camp, Reese had unsaddled the horse and tossed the saddle on the ground. "I'm afraid well have to eat a cold meal," he told her. "I don't want to remind the Comanche that we're on their land and taking advantage of their hospitality."

  "I'm starved," she said, going down beside him. "I don't care what I eat as long as it's filling."

  He handed her a chunk of jerked buffalo meat. "This will have to do until we are well away from here."

  She stood up, tearing a piece of dried meat with strong teeth. She was watching a flock of blackbirds flying in formation and didn't notice that Reese was watching her.

  Like a man caught in a dream, he couldn't drag his gaze away from the fragile beauty of Saber's face. Her skin was like satin, her lips full and rosy, and her long, thick lashes curled against her cheek. Her head was thrown back while she observed the birds, and it revealed her long, slender neck. He was speechless in the face of such beauty, and he wondered what had ever made him think she was homely. Hell, no wonder Graham Felton had wanted to kidnap her, and Matthew was so anxious to get her back. Saber Vincente was probably the most stunningly beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

  She glanced questioningly at him, and he was struck by her sapphire blue eyes. "How do you suppose they do that?"

  "How who does what?" he asked in a thick voice.

  "Birds fly in such a perfect formation. They seem to sense just when to turn, weave, or dip. They must communicate in some way, don't you think?"

  He tore his gaze away from her and glanced upward, his heart beating like a drum. "I've never thought much about it. I suppose every species communicates in one way or another." He was thinking that his body was communi eating with hers, and he wanted to reach out and touch her, to pull her into his arms, to protect her and never allow anyone to hurt her again.

  She glanced at him forlornly. "I envy them because they are free, and I'm not."

  He saw the suffering in her eyes and knew that it was time he told her who he was. "Sit down, Miss Vincente. I want to explain some things to you."

  She nodded and sat down, curling her legs beneath her. "I hope you are going to tell me why you had me kidnapped, Mr. Felton."

  "I didn't have you kidnapped."

  "Then why-"

  "I couldn't tell you who I was until I was certain that the Miller brothers weren't following us. My name is Reese Starrett, Miss Vincente. I'm a friend of Matthew's. I only pretended to be Felton to get you away from them."

  He watched several different emotions play across her face: disbelief, hope, doubt, and then joy. "Is it really you? I have heard so much about you from Matthew. Where is he?"

  "He's laid up with a sprained leg or else he'd be here himself. His horse fell on him when he was on the way to Fort Worth to meet you."

  Before Reese knew what happening, Saber lunged forward, throwing her body against his. Her arms went around his neck, and a sob broke from her throat.

  "Matthew has often written of you. I'm so happy it was you who found me!" She was shaking and trembling, and his arms went around her protectively.

  "There's nothing to cry about. You're safe now."

  She pressed her wet cheek against his rough one. "Thank you for what you did." Her head moved to his shoulder. "I don't know how I could ever have mistaken you for that awful Felton person. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were different from other men."

  His chest expanded, and he hadn't realized that he'd been holding his breath. "In what way?"

  Her head still nestled against his shoulder, and he found he liked it there. "You are everything Matthew said you were." She raised her head and smiled at him, feeling joy in her heart. "He thinks you are something of a hero, you know. And I'm inclined to agree with him." Tears sparkled in her eyes, and it took her a moment to go on. "I don't know how you found me, but I am so glad you did."

  He'd never been good at dealing with women's tears, and Saber's were te
aring his heart out. She hadn't cried when she'd thought he was her kid napper, but now that she was safe it seemed she couldn't stop crying. His eyebrows came together in a frown, and he thought he knew why she was crying. Maybe one or all of the Miller brothers had raped her. His arms tightened about her even more, and he cradled her body against his.

  "Nothing can be that bad, Miss Vincente. Please don't cry; everything will be all right now."

  She buried her face against his neck, and he felt his flesh come alive. His hands ran up and down her back, and the pleasure of touching her was so intense it alarmed him. When she drew in a deep breath and her breasts pressed against his chest, he could hardly breathe.

  Reese gloried in the female smell of her, and he envisioned what she'd look like lying naked beneath him. He'd never been dazzled by a woman before, but there was no other word for how he felt about her he was definitely dazzled by Saber! Heat shot through him and settled in his loins. He had to stop thinking about her in that way. She wasn't his she belonged to his friend!

  He stood up and put her away from him. Desire for her made his voice harsher than he'd intended. "You'd better get some sleep. We'll be riding on as soon as it's dark."

  "Why at night?"

  "Because we'll be harder to track if anyone is following us, and we'll be out of Comanche territory by dawn."

  "You wouldn't be worried if I weren't with you, would you?"

  "Not as much," he admitted. "Now get some sleep."

  Saber was too weary to argue, and lay back on her blanket. She dreaded the thought of riding all night, but she was more afraid of meeting up with a Comanche war party. She closed her eyes and felt Reese place a warm blanket over her. She was safe now that Reese Starrett was looking after her!

  It was a bitterly cold morning, but the air was sharp and clean. Saber loved riding and always had, but being in the open and exposed to the cold took the enjoyment out of it. She felt guilty again because her thoughts were not often of Matthew, but of Reese. Her arms were clasped about his waist, and she pressed her face against him. She could feel his taut stomach muscles and each intake of his breath.

  When they began backtracking she knew he was worried that they might have been followed. Suddenly he rode behind a thicket, cautioning her to be quiet. His hand rested on his gun, and she knew he could have it in his hand in an instant.

  Saber laughed when a herd of deer moved past their hiding place. "Don't worry, Mr. Starrett. I'll protect you from them," she said, laughing so hard she could hardly catch her breath.

  He glanced back at her, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I feel comforted by that, Miss Vincente. Let's ride on."

  They rode in companionable silence for most of the day, stopping often to rest the horse, since the animal had to carry them both. Late in the afternoon they ate a quick meal of dried meat before mounting up and riding on once more.

  As evening advanced, a serene quietness settled over the land. Reese halted the horse and spoke softly, as if any noise were an intrusion on the tranquillity. "It's going to be colder tonight, so I have to find shelter or we risk freezing."

  "If you hadn't let Quanah take our pack mule with the blankets, we'd have something to keep us warm."

  He gritted his teeth. "At the time it seemed the right thing to do." He shifted in the saddle and glared at her. "Do you see those dark clouds?" He rushed on without giving her a chance to answer. "A blizzard is heading our way."

  Even as he spoke, snow began to fall. In no time at all they couldn't see beyond the horse's head.

  "Are you always right?" she said with a pout on her lips.

  "Almost never since I met you," he mumbled.

  "I'm cold."

  He rubbed the back of his neck while he pondered the best thing to do to save her life. "I know of a place that might offer us some protection. It's only the remains of a burned-out squatter's cabin, but it's the closest place to us."

  He guided his tired mount down a small hill, hoping he could find the ruins in the blinding snow. After they had been riding for over an hour, he halted the horse.

  "There," he said, pointing to the dark ruins that seemed to have emerged out of nowhere. "I was afraid I would miss it in the snow. We can hole up there until the worst of the storm is over."

  He lifted Saber to the ground and led her toward the shelter. As luck would have it, one whole wall, part of the roof, and the stone fireplace were still standing. Reese seated Saber and draped his coat about her. "There's certainly lots of wood to start a fire," he said, beginning to pick up charred logs.

  Saber knew she should help him, but her teeth were chattering, and she was shaking from the cold.

  In no time a small fire was burning, but it seemed to Saber that it gave off little warmth.

  "Should we be afraid of the Indians or the Millers?"

  "The Indians already know we're here, and they seem to have granted us the right to pass through their land. As for the Millers, they hardly seem the sort who would go after anything in this kind of weather."

  "No," she said, holding her shaking hands to the flames. "We're the only fools out tonight."

  He staked the horse behind the shelter of the wall and left the horse blanket on the animal to keep it warm. "If we lose him, we walk. And when you're forced to walk out here, you're dead."

  "What will we do for cover?" she asked.

  "I'll try to keep the fire going, and we'll just have to share the one blanket and my coat."

  She nodded when he took the blanket from her. She shook with cold as he held the blanket to the fire to warm it. He then placed it about her shoulders, and blissful heat worked its way through her body. She sighed with contentment, but then she saw that Reese was in his shirtsleeves.

  She held out the blanket. "You said we'd share."

  "Not until I have stacked plenty of wood up to last through the night." He proceeded to gather logs that had survived the fire. At last he sat down beside Saber, and she drew the blanket about him.

  "What happened to the house, do you know?"

  "Yeah. The Dickersons lived here until they got burned out by the Comanche."

  Saber shivered. "Were they killed?"

  "They weren't at home at the time. But if they had been, they would have been killed."

  "That's monstrous!"

  "If you build on Comanche land, you can expect retribution. It would be no different if some squatter built on your brother's land."

  "I'd like to think he'd be more understanding."

  "No, he wouldn't. A man's land is his life out here. No squatter, homesteader, or whatever they want to call themselves has a right to take it over."

  "I suppose, if you put it that way." She yawned and laid her head on his shoulder.

  "Here," he said, spreading his coat on the hard ground and laying her down close to the fire. Then he warmed the blanket again and placed it over her.

  She was still shaking so badly that he lay down beside her, drawing her into his arms. She snuggled against him, sliding one arm around his waist. He began rubbing his hand firmly up and down her back, trying to warm her. After a while he heard her sigh, and she fell asleep.

  Reese watched the snow sifting through the cracks, glad that the roof nearest the fireplace had been strong enough to withstand the fire. Saber snuggled her head against his neck, and he caught his breath, willing himself to think of her only as a warm body and not as a desirable woman.

  He carefully removed his gun from the holster and laid it within easy reach. His horse stomped and whinnied; then, after a while, all was quiet except for the crackling of the fire.

  It was a long time before Reese fell asleep.

  He jerked awake, his senses alert. Something had brushed against his face. He automatically reached for his gun, then realized it was only Saber's hair. He stiffened when he realized that she had crawled on top of him and was snuggled there.

  He groaned as she cuddled closer to his warmth, grinding her breasts against his chest. He
swallowed deeply when she shifted again and his painfully swollen erection fit snugly between her legs. He dared not move, and he hoped she didn't either, because every move ment only heated his blood more and made him want to slide inside her to find relief. He tried to think of anyone but the woman who was driving him slowly out of his mind.

  He reached up to brush her hair out of his face, but instead, when he touched the silky texture, his fingers moved through it. Her mouth was so near his that if he turned the slightest bit, his lips would touch hers. And he wanted tohe ached and throbbed to kiss her until her lips parted for him. He wanted to unfasten his trousers, rip hers off and-

  Oh, hell, he thought when she moved again, this time sighing against his ear.

  He remembered Matthew, his friend, and attempted to beat down the desire that threatened to dishonor him and the woman he had sworn to protect.

  He eased her off him, wrapped the blanket about her, and stacked more wood on the fire. While she slept, he watched the flames play across her face, and he felt a deep, burning need start in his loins and move to his heart. She had awakened something in him that went beyond desire.

  Saber Vincente had touched his heart.

  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't suppress the desire that coiled inside him, and he tightened the corded muscles that made his trousers damned tight and uncomfortable.

  Saber slept blissfully, not knowing that she was affecting Reese in any way. It was hours later when she heard the horse stomping and opened her eyes. Reese had already saddled the animal and was loading their meager supplies.

  She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "I slept the whole night through. I wasn't a bit uncomfortable, were you?"

  He glanced at her and turned away. "Put my coat on and wrap the blanket around your shoulders."

  "But you'll be cold. You keep your own coat. I'll be just fine with the blanket."

  "Miss Vincente, do as I said."

  She angrily shoved her hands into the sleeves and held out her arms so he could see that the sleeves were far too long. "Are you satisfied?"