"You'll see more and more of these as the trees thin out," Luke said. "The farther you get from the Rim, the closer you get to desert."
She should have known they weren't far from the desert. She hoped Rudolf had chosen a spot in the forest to build the ranch house. She loved the clean scent of pine.
"Have you decided what to do about Rudolf?" Luke asked.
"There's nothing to do. I'll tell him I don't want to marry him, and he'll leave."
"How are you going to make him leave if he doesn't want to?"
"That's your job."
"My job ends once you reach the ranch."
"But you won't leave me there," Valeria said, throwing him a knowing look. "You'll stay to make sure nothing happens."
"So you plan to let me take care of everything."
"Yes. Isn't that what men are for? I'm just a poor, helpless female." She nearly burst out laughing at his expression. Maybe he hadn't thought she could catch on to being an American so fast. Neither had she, but it just came naturally. The more angry she got at Luke, the more natural it became.
"I'm beginning to think you've been playing me for a fool all along," Luke said.
"Why should I when you're so determined to do it yourself?"
She didn't care if he got angry. It would do him good. Maybe it would melt some of that icy control, let some feelings out. She was certain he had them. He'd just buried them so deeply he'd forgotten about them.
"Is that the ranch?" she asked, pointing to some buildings visible through the trees.
"It looks that way. Get ready to meet your ex-fiance."
Valeria hadn't noticed the riders approaching through the trees north of the ranch buildings. She saw at once how Luke knew it was Rudolf. He wore his army uniform. Even the men riding with him were in uniform. Obviously, being in America hadn't changed Rudolf.
His greeting contained none of the friendliness that had characterized their meetings in Belgravia.
"Where have you been? I had begun to think this man had run off with you."
He said this man as though Luke were some nameless servant beneath his notice. It shocked Valeria to realize that only a few weeks ago she wouldn't have noticed his attitude. She cringed inwardly at the memory of her own behavior.
"After the second attack, he decided to bring me by a different route," she explained.
"It was extremely rash of you to leave the wagons. Anything could have happened."
"I could have stayed with the train and been killed in the next attack. I nearly was, you know."
"Those men who brought the wagons told me what happened. Have you no more appreciation of what is due your rank than to be traveling with people like that? And what happened to your clothes? You look like a gutter wench."
Valeria had been feeling a little guilty about refusing to marry Rudolf after having promised to do so, but his attitude changed that. Even if they didn't go back to Belgravia, he would expect her to behave the way her mother had behaved, her mother before that, and countless mothers back into the mists of history. Their marriage would have been a disaster, even if they'd loved each other. She had changed, but he'd stayed the same.
"You can't ride horseback in court dress," Valeria said, impatient to be done with this greeting. "Did Zeke tell you Luke tore up the marriage contracts?"
"I don't talk to people like him. Or the other one. He was an Indian."
"You should have talked to him, Rudolf. He was supposed to tell you I've decided not to marry you."
"One of my men told me he said something like that. Naturally I didn't believe it."
"It's true. I've decided I don't want to go back to Europe, not even if you could regain your throne. I want to stay in this country. I want to choose my own husband."
"You're suffering from too much sun," Rudolf said. "Come up to the house. You'll feel better in a few days."
"Didn't you hear a word I said? I'm not going to marry you. This is my ranch. I'm thinking about living here and breeding horses. You'll have to leave."
Rudolf looked at her as though she'd suddenly gone stark raving mad. "Elvira said you hadn't been acting like yourself since you got off the train."
"Elvira is still here?"
"Yes. And a good thing, too. From the way you look, even she will have a difficult time making you presentable by dinner." He reached out and took hold of her horse's bridle. "I've had a priest waiting for nearly a month. We'll be married immediately after we dine."
Valeria tried unsuccessfully to break Rudolf's hold on her mount's bridle. "I've already told you I'm not going to marry you, Rudolf. Not tonight or any other night."
"As soon as I can arrange for the transfer of your money to my bank, we'll return to Europe. It'll take at least a year to make preparations for an invasion." He pulled on the horse's bridle, forcing it to follow him.
"Let go of her horse," Luke said.
Rudolf looked at Luke as though seeing him for the first time. "You may leave. Your services are no longer needed."
"Let go of her horse," Luke repeated.
Rudolf turned to the four men who'd accompanied him. "Take care of him," he said over his shoulder as he started toward the ranch, forcing Valeria's mount to follow.
At Rudolf's command, the four men drew their swords and started toward Luke.
Chapter Twenty-four
A volley of shots shattered the silence, sending birds squawking through the trees. Four swords flew through the air. The shots had been so close together, it was impossible to tell how many times Luke had fired his gun, but Valeria knew it was only four. Luke didn't miss.
"Now I will tell you once more to let go of that horse's bridle," Luke said to Rudolf. "If you don't, I'll put a bullet through your hand."
Rudolf looked stunned. When his hand fell to his side, Valeria turned her horse back toward Luke.
"Don't bother telling your men to draw their pistols," Luke advised Rudolf as he drew a second gun. "I can shoot them out of their saddles before the first one can get his pistol out of his holster." Luke turned to the soldiers. "Go back to your barracks, your bunkhouse, or your kennel, wherever you stay. Collect anything that's yours and clear out. If you're here an hour from now, I'll kill you." One man glanced at his sword. "Leave them where they are."
The men turned and started toward the ranch.
"Come back here," Rudolf shouted, but they kept going. "You can't come in here and order my men off my ranch," he said, turning his regal fury on Luke.
"This isn't your ranch," Luke told him. "It belongs to Valeria. She's already told you she's not going to marry you. I'm giving you until noon tomorrow to be gone."
"I'll have you court marshaled! I'll have you shot!" Rudolf raged.
Luke laughed. Valeria was embarrassed to think she'd ever considered marrying such a fool.
"This isn't one of your toy kingdoms," Luke said. "Now show some courtesy to Valeria, or I'll run you off with your men."
"You can't possibly mean to trust yourself to this man," Rudolf said to Valeria.
"Since you couldn't be bothered to send anyone to meet me, I had no other choice. If it hadn't been for him, I'd be dead now."
"But he's not a gentleman," Rudolf said. "He's not one of us."
"It's you who aren't the gentleman, Rudolf. You were going to force me to marry you against my will." "But you signed a contract."
"Everything changed when I realized that contract could get me killed."
"But you'll be safe once you marry me."
"Even if I won't let you use my money to raise an army?"
"It will be my money when we marry," Rudolf said, the old arrogance coming through.
"I don't want you to recover your throne, Rudolf. You're a tyrant. You think people exist only to obey your wishes. When they're unwilling, you force them. I don't like that, and I won't have any part in it."
"What's come over you?"
"America's come over me."
"Why? It's nothing but a co
untry of deserts and peasants!"
"I'm finding deserts aren't as bad as I thought, and I actually like the peasants."
"Now I know you're suffering from brain fever. Come back to the house. I won't mention marriage again until you've had time to recover your senses."
"You have to be out of here by noon tomorrow," Luke said.
Rudolf puffed up, preparing to act like he was still an absolute monarch. Then he noticed Luke hadn't put his gun away. He exhaled slowly.
"I'll leave the ranch, but I won't leave the area until I'm certain Valeria is in her right mind."
"You can live in a pine tree for all I care," Luke said, "as long as you're off the ranch tomorrow."
"What are you going to do?"
"That depends on Valeria."
Rudolf turned to Valeria.
"I told you I'm thinking about breeding horses."
"But you can't live here by yourself."
"That won't be your concern," Luke said.
"Of course it's my concern," Rudolf shouted. "I can't allow my wife to live in the woods by herself. It makes her sound like a witch in some fairy tale."
"Aren't his ears attached to his brain?" Luke asked.
Valeria couldn't help smiling. "Rudolf doesn't like to be told no. He thinks if he keeps talking, I'll change my mind. Now I'm very tired. Wandering through the desert can be fun, but I want to get out of these clothes and take a hot bath. You do have hot water at the ranch, don't you?" she asked Rudolf.
"Of course. Certain amenities are absolutely necessary if one is to support life."
Rudolf had no idea how little was actually necessary to support life, but she wasn't in the mood to tell him. She'd deal with that once she'd had her bath.
"I was hoping you'd still be here," Luke said when he saw Zeke.
"You didn't think I'd leave without knowing what happened to you, did you?" Zeke asked.
"I wasn't sure old Rudolf would let you stay."
"He tried to get rid of us, but there's nine of us. That's more than his boys were willing to tackle." "How many does he have?"
"An even dozen that jabber away in something foreign. Nasty looking devils. I don't trust them not to be talking about cutting our throats with those swords they like to carry around. I was hoping you'd get here before they got tired of our faces."
"I came as fast as 1 could."
"The hell you say. I was beginning to think you'd decided to take your princess and ride off into the sunset. What the hell took you so long? I could have made love to that woman every night and still have gotten here before now."
Luke didn't know which part of his face gave him away, but comprehension suddenly changed Zeke's welcoming smile to a fierce scowl. "Dammit to hell! You did make love to her."
"Where's Hawk?"
"Don't try to change the subject."
"What I did is none of your business."
"It is when it keeps me sitting here with those foreign devils growling at me like a set of guard dogs. I thought your precious reputation was more important than any woman." Zeke's gaze narrowed. "You've fallen in love with her, haven't you?"
"What do you know about love? Or me or Hawk for that matter."
"Enough to know it's got you at last. You going to marry her?"
Luke could see no reason to pretend any longer. "You're not a fool, Zeke. What could I offer a woman like Valeria?"
"It depends on what she wants."
"Well, she sure as hell doesn't want a gunfighter with no home, no future, and no family."
"The no family part is your doing," Hawk said. He came out of a building Luke figured was the bunkhouse. He looked like he'd been taking a nap.
"Is she in love with you?" Zeke asked.
Luke felt hemmed in. "She doesn't know any more about love than the rest of us. Why else would she agree to marry a man like Rudolf?"
"That one's a back-stabber," Hawk said.
"He's an arrogant bastard who thinks he has the Godgiven right to step on anyone born below his station. He refuses to believe Valeria won't marry him."
"You marry her," Hawk said. "That convince him."
"I'm not marrying anybody!" Luke snapped.
"You love her," Zeke said. "Why not?"
"Because I do love her," Luke replied.
Zeke rolled his eyes. "You were stubborn before. Love has made you stupid."
"You love her. She love you. What's the problem?" Hawk asked.
"We come from two different worlds. We have nothing in common. We'd hate each other in a few months. I don't want to talk about it anymore," Luke said when Zeke started to argue. "We've got something more important to do."
"What?"
"Come up with a battle plan. I figure Rudolf will try to kill me tonight. He may try to kill you and the drivers, too."
Valeria had expected to enjoy her return to a semicivilized life. Rudolf had done everything he could to make the ranch support his former way of life. The house itself was made of wood, but some of the walls had been painted to resemble marble. The main room was about thirty feet wide and sixty feet long, its ceiling supported by huge pine beams that had been carved and painted with classical scenes. Carpets covered the wood floor. Louis XVI furnishings formed an elegant contrast to the forest setting. Valeria thought he would have been better advised to decorate the ranch in the style of a hunting lodge. It would have been more comfortable and more appropriate. The French furnishings looked miserably out of place. Even the dining room, paneled and painted in white and gold, made her uncomfortable.
Dinner was like a court affair, consisting of seven courses, each served with its own wine. Rudolf hadn't wanted Luke to join them at the table, but Valeria had insisted. Now she wished she'd eaten in the kitchen with Zeke and Hawk. The three of them sat around the huge table, a servant standing behind each chair, avoiding the issues that hung in the air around them.
Luke didn't appear to be uncomfortable, but then, he hadn't bothered to dress up. Rudolf had worn his best dress uniform. Valeria had put one of her prettiest gowns. Luke had washed his face, changed his shirt, and come to the table in dusty boots.
Rudolf was furious.
Rudolf watched Luke like a hawk during dinner. She didn't know whether he expected Luke to use the wrong fork, ask for beer instead of wine, or steal the silver. Luke had surprised them both by appearing perfectly at ease. He'd stunned her by saying he liked the red wine served with the beef well enough, but that he preferred a burgundy. Rudolf turned the conversation to life in Belgravia.
Valeria wasn't interested in talking about Belgravia. She was even less interested in talking of Rudolf's pitiful lost kingdom, Ergonia, a place so small it made Belgravia seem large. She wanted to know about the ranch.
For the most part, Luke ate in silence.
By the time the dessert plates had been removed and liqueurs set on the table, Valeria was ready to throttle Rudolf.
"You must be relieved to finally get a decent meal," Rudolf said, justifiably proud of the dinner.
"Everything was wonderful," Valeria said, "but I feel heavy, almost drugged. I can't believe I used to eat like this all the time."
"It has to be better than anything cooked over a campfire. How did you survive? You know nothing about cooking."
"Luke cooked after we left the wagons."
"An all-around nursemaid," Rudolf sneered. "And he can shoot."
Luke poured out a small amount of a dark amber liquid into a liqueur glass. He swirled it around before taking a sip.
"I hope it meets the approval of your discriminating
palate," Rudolf snapped.
"It's very good," Luke said.
"It ought to be. It's Napoleon Brandy."
"I know," Luke said. "It's written on the bottle."
Valeria smothered a smile. "I think I'll go to bed." "It's early," Rudolf said.
"I was in the saddle before dawn. Luke doesn't believe in lounging in bed."
"I don't see how you managed t
o sleep at all."
"After being in the saddle all day, even rocks don't keep you awake."
"You can sleep as long as you want tomorrow."
"She needs to be up early," Luke said after swallowing the last of his brandy. "We plan to ride over the ranch." He looked directly at Rudolf. "That way you'll be gone when we get back."
Valeria was surprised to see Rudolf contain his anger. It was very much unlike him. "You'll find plenty of room in the bunkhouse."
"I'm sleeping in the room next to Valeria," Luke said. "You haven't been invited to sleep in the house." "I invited myself."
The two men stared at each other across the table. Rudolf was the first to look away. "The room hasn't been prepared."
"I can use my bedroll."
"I will give orders for the room to be prepared immediately," Rudolf said. "I will not allow anyone to say he had to sleep in a bedroll while a guest in my house."
Valeria started to point out that it was her house, then stopped. It must be hard for Rudolf to give up his plans to return to Ergonia. There was no point in making it more difficult. The two men rose when she stood.
"I'll go up with you," Luke said.
"Your room won't be ready for nearly an hour," Rudolf said.
"I have to check out Valeria's room." "There's no need. She-"
"She's still unmarried. Her uncle still inherits her estate if she dies."
"You didn't have to remind him of that," Valeria said after they left the room.
"Seemed like I did."
"Why are you coming to my room?" "To make sure you'll be safe."
"Surely you don't think my uncle would try to kill me here?"
"No."
"Then who?"
"Rudolf. I think he means to get rid of both of us, claim your uncle did it, and claim your estate as your husband."
"But I didn't marry him."
"If we're both dead, there won't be anybody to challenge anything he chooses to say."
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