“But this is his ranch. You’re his wife. We don’t need that guy here. We don’t need anybody else.”
Willa stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “Nobody can replace your dad, son. I know that. I wouldn’t even try.”
He stepped backward, out of her reach. “Maybe you aren’t. But Trent is. He’s trying to take over. Don’t you see it?”
“No, I don’t. Look, you know I didn’t want to sell the land. But we need the money, Robbie. Daniel Trent is honest, at least. He’s willing to help out if he can, and he’s willing to learn what he doesn’t know. We were lucky to get him as a neighbor, instead of someone who would let his cattle knock down fences, who would dam up the creeks we depend on and try to take over more than he deserves.”
“You said he wouldn’t stay. You said he’d be gone by Christmas.”
“I know I did. I didn’t see how he could succeed.”
“He is succeeding, though, because we’re helping him. I’m up there every day doing work that makes it easier for him to stick around. Did you think about that, when you decided to punish me? You’re making me help him keep part of our land.”
She hadn’t thought of it that way. “I’m sorry the situation is painful for you. But you made a bad decision when you stole that gun. You made another one when you took it to school. And you lied to me about it, Roberto. You wanted me to believe that Daniel encouraged you, showed you the weapon and told you stories about the war. Did you think there would be no consequences to lying and stealing? Was I supposed to look the other way?”
“You were supposed to get mad and get rid of him!”
Willa felt as if she’d had the breath knocked out of her. “You made up this scheme just to get Daniel to leave? Why would you do something so…so underhanded and cruel?”
“To protect us. Protect you.” He held out his arms, as if to embrace the land around them. “To protect this place.”
“From Daniel? What are you afraid of?”
“He wants the Blue Moon, Mom. And he’s using you, and the rest of the family, to get it.”
She lowered her voice, trying to soften the edge of hysteria she could hear in Robbie’s. “Son, you and Susannah and Toby are Mercados, born and raised. This ranch will always belong to you.”
“Maybe you really think that.” His tone only sharpened. “But he’s going to get it all when he fools you into marrying him. He’ll take over the Blue Moon, and you won’t be able to stop him.”
She wished she could tell him she’d never thought about marrying Daniel, but that would be a lie. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she’d let herself think about how lovely it would be to have him there to hold her. She’d fantasized about how strong he was, how steady and calm, and how good it would be to have his support as she managed the Blue Moon. “You’re wrong, Robbie. I would never deprive you of your rights to this land.”
“I’ve seen the way you look at him. He’ll be so convincing, you’ll do whatever he wants, little by little…until one day, everything Dad worked for, everything he loved, will belong to Daniel Trent.” He stopped, and she could hear his breathing, harsh in the darkness. “You’ll probably even let him adopt us. We won’t even be Mercados anymore!”
“Roberto, no—” She reached for him, horrified.
Before she could touch him, Robbie spun on his heel and took off at a run in the direction of the barn. Willa didn’t want him out alone in the dark, especially not with rustlers prowling the desert. But if she went after him, he wouldn’t relent. And she couldn’t wrestle her son to the ground—he outweighed her by twenty pounds or more.
She sat down in one of the rockers on the veranda to wait. The night grew cold, and she went inside for a blanket to wrap around her shoulders, then returned to her post. At midnight, Robbie hadn’t returned. Shivering, dozing off and on, Willa startled into complete wakefulness at 2:00 a.m. and stumbled into the house. Toby and Susannah had, indeed, fallen asleep in front of the television. They looked comfortable enough, stretched out on the two big couches, so she made sure they were warm enough, turned off the TV and the lights and left them alone.
She walked down the hall to the bedrooms, afraid of what she’d find when she reached Robbie’s room. If he wasn’t back, she’d have to go look for him…
But the door was locked, with a band of light showing underneath. The bass line of his music vibrated through the panel. He’d returned and barricaded himself in his private realm. Not a terrific outcome to their argument, but at least she knew he was safe.
Willa couldn’t stop shaking, though, even wearing her warmest pajamas, with two pairs of socks on her feet and two extra blankets on top of the covers on her bed. She lay there, shivering, for more than an hour, before finally surrendering to the need building inside her. Without turning on the light, she fumbled for the phone by her bed.
Daniel picked up on the second ring. “H’lo?” His drowsy voice brought tears to her eyes. She couldn’t speak.
“Willa?” His guess provoked a sob, which she barely choked back. “Willa, are you okay?”
“Yes,” she gasped. “Everything’s okay. I just—”
“What time is it?” The bed clothes rustled as he rolled over. “What’s keeping you awake at three in the morning?”
“It’s nothing. An argument with Robbie.”
“He was pretty tense all day.”
“Yes.”
“Maybe talking it out will make things better.”
“I’m not so sure.”
He accepted her concern without argument. “You’ll work it out. Grieving doesn’t happen all at once. You go through stages. But most people come to acceptance eventually. I think Rob will.”
“I hope so.” She could feel her fingers and toes again. Daniel’s warm voice was melting the ice in her veins.
“You need to take care of yourself, too, you know.”
His words broke something deep inside of her. She buried her face in the pillow, hoping to stifle the sound of her sobs.
“Willa…”
Chapter Twelve
When Willa woke up again, the morning sun shone brightly through the blinds on her windows…she’d obviously slept through her usual 5:00 a.m. alarm. The phone rested on the pillow beside her head. She’d cried herself to sleep, with Daniel on the other end of the line. And she’d slept better than she could remember having done in weeks.
He didn’t answer his phone when she pressed Redial—he’d be outside working, as she should be. What did you say to a man you’d left hanging on the phone while you sobbed and snored?
Once showered and dressed, Willa hurried to the kitchen, planning to breakfast on coffee and a piece of toast before starting her belated chores. She stopped dead on the threshold, though, and let the swinging door hit her in the rear end.
“’Morning, Mom!” Toby waved a piece of toast in her direction. “Susannah and I fed and watered the horses already.”
“I’ll make you an omelet.” Lili got up from the table and went to the stove. “Spinach, cheese and bacon?”
“Um…sure.” She couldn’t quite focus, couldn’t quit staring at the man across the room. “Has, um, anyone seen Robbie?”
“He left a cereal bowl in the sink and a note saying he was going out on Tar for a long ride.” Rosa smiled at her. “And, as you see, Daniel finally took us up on our offer to stop by for breakfast one morning.”
He sat between Toby and Susannah, calmly buttering his toast. But his gaze searched her face as he looked up. “How are you today?” Did everyone hear the meaning behind his words, or was she extra-sensitive?
“I’m good,” she told him, realizing she meant it. Lili poured coffee into the mug at her regular seat and Willa sat down. “I don’t usually sleep this late.”
“Well, it is Sunday,” Rosa pointed out. “There’s no harm in taking a Sunday off now and then.”
“But—”
“In fact, we were just talking about making up a picnic lun
ch for you and Daniel to take with you on your ride today.”
Willa choked on her coffee. “Ride?”
“I thought we could ride the fences on my place and yours,” he said. “Check the herds.”
“So you really would be working.” Lili set a plate in front of her, laden with a large omelet and a healthy pile of hash brown potatoes. “The weather is supposed to be cool and clear.”
Resistance would be futile. “What can I say?” Willa toasted Daniel and then her family with coffee. “Here’s to a full day’s work.”
AS THEY HAD EVERY SUNDAY OF their lives except when they were sick, Rosa and Lili left the Blue Moon at ten-fifteen and drove into Zapata to attend church. They brought Toby and Susannah with them—their youth group would be spending the afternoon giving puppet shows and enjoying a pizza party with some of the town’s disadvantaged children.
Once the van carrying the group had left the parking lot after the service, Lili and Rosa turned toward their own car…and found Nate Hernandez parked right next to them.
Rosa glanced at her sister, who had started to blush. That meant Lili would be feeling too shy to speak to the man. So she would have to.
“Good morning, Nate.” She kept her hand at Lili’s elbow and drew her forward as they approached the foreman. “Isn’t the weather wonderful?”
He removed his hat and gave them a courtly nod. “’Mornin’, ladies. Doesn’t get any better than this. How are you today, Miss Lili? Miss Rosa?”
Rosa waited, giving Lili the opportunity to answer. “Fine, Nate,” she murmured after a hesitation. “How are you?”
“Real good, now that I’ve seen you two pretty ladies.”
A pause fell as the two of them gazed everywhere but at each other. Again, Rosa waited, until she thought she might scream in frustration.
“Are you working today, Nate?”
“No, ma’am. The boss insists I take Sundays off, even if I don’t want ’em.”
“He and Willa were going to ride the fence lines today on the Blue Moon and-and the New Moon,” Lili said unexpectedly. “You shouldn’t worry about not being there one day a week.”
Nate looked almost as surprised as Rosa at Lili’s speech. “Well, that’s good to know. The boss is the one who really needs a day off, though. He works himself hard enough during the day. I think he’s been spending nights keeping watch on the pastures, trying to catch them rustlers. Cain’t be getting a whole lot of sleep.”
After having said so much, both Lili and Nate relapsed into silence.
When a figure across the parking lot caught her attention, Rosa made an instantaneous decision. “I’m going home alone,” she declared, pulling the car keys out of her purse. She pushed them into Lili’s open hands. “You two should find somewhere to have lunch while the children are busy with the youth group. Either you’ll figure out a way to talk to each other, or you’ll have a very peaceful meal. The children will be back here at the church at four o’clock. I’ll see you sometime after that, Lili. Have a good day.”
She nodded at them and walked quickly away, catching up with Luis, the young hand who worked for Daniel. He saw her coming and waited with a sweet smile. “Can I help you, Miss Rosa?”
“Luis, would you mind taking me to the Blue Moon? Lili needs the car to bring Toby and Susannah home later.”
Whatever his plans, Luis politely agreed to drive her home. They chatted about the weather, the rodeo and other minor topics for most of the ride. As they approached the ranch entrance, though, Rosa said what was on her mind.
“I knew a Luis once, a long time ago. Luis Medina.”
Luis nodded. “That was my uncle, my mother’s brother. I was named after him.”
For once, Rosa was speechless. How could she have known that this boy was related to her Luis?
But she had known in her heart. “You look much like him,” she said, fighting to keep her voice steady.
“That’s what they say.” Luis glanced in the rearview mirror before taking the turn into the Blue Moon gates. “I’ve seen a couple of pictures. He got drafted, during that war in the sixties.”
“The Vietnam War.”
“That’s it. And he was missing in action for a while before they finally declared him dead.”
“Yes.” Rosa fingered the bracelet she never took off, then pulled it down her arm, out from underneath her sleeve. “This has his name on it.” She held her hand up to show Luis.
“Really?” He slowed down to look, then glanced at her with a puzzled expression. “How did you know my uncle? I mean, the Medina family isn’t on the same level with the Mercados, you know? He was just out of high school when he got drafted.”
“He worked for my father, helping with the horses. I loved to ride, then, and I was determined to gentle this wild pinto gelding, who was equally determined not to be ridden. Luis and I worked together that summer.” She sighed. “We never did tame the horse. Father sold him to a rodeo, and my Luis went to war.”
The young man stopped his car on the driveway in front of the house. “Your Luis? You had a…a thing?”
Rosa smiled at him. “We had a thing. My father was furious, of course, and so we were going to run away. But then…”
“Man.” Luis shook his head. “My mom doesn’t even know about this. She’ll be surprised when I tell her.”
“I’d like to hear from her if she wants to call.” Opening the door, Rosa got out of the car. “Thank you for the ride, Luis. And for telling me about your uncle.”
“Thank you, Miss Rosa. I’ll see you again, I hope.”
She watched him pull out of the driveway and waved as he headed back toward the gates. A link had been made, connecting past and present. Luis and she had not been able to share children. But he lived on in a new generation.
And for Rosa, that would have to be enough.
WILLA AND DANIEL SPOTTED A CUT through the fence wire just before noon, almost as soon as they crossed onto New Moon land. No effort had been made to disguise the vandalism. Hoofprints indicated that cattle had left the pasture.
Daniel stood for minutes just staring, jaw clenched and hands fisted. Then he dragged himself onto his horse and urged the gelding into a lope, heading toward a distant ridge that overlooked a creek bed where the herd tended to gather.
“I count thirty-five out of fifty,” he said, when Willa caught up with him. “Thirty damn percent of the herd stolen.”
“You’ll have to call the sheriff.” She put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I feel responsible for your loss.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Your cattle or mine…I’m not sure it makes much difference. But it’s got to stop.” After a minute, he blew out a long breath. “Want to eat lunch down by the creek?”
“Sure.”
They made their way down the hillside at a walk, so as not to spook the cattle, and forded the shallow stream to keep the horses well away from the herd. Willa pointed out a stand of willows with a nice stretch of grass underneath where the horses could graze during the picnic.
A huge, flat-topped boulder right by the creek served as a luncheon table and seating. “The kids and I used to come here a lot.” She spread a blue-checked cloth over the rock. “In summer and fall, the banks are gentle and the water’s so low that I never worried about them swimming here.”
Daniel looked around, trying to get past the rage still pulsing through him. “Peaceful,” he agreed. “And safe. I find the herd hanging around here most of the time.”
Willa paused in the process of taking food out of the saddle bags. “It’s not so safe when the rains come. This dribble can turn torrential in a matter of hours. Further downstream, the sides of the creek get high and the water moves fast.” She shook her head. “Sometimes it seems like there are two sides to everything in Texas—and you’re never sure whether you’ll get the good side or the bad.”
“Most of the world is like that, I think. Iraq is largely barren desert, but I saw some really beautif
ul places there, too.”
“Maybe that’s just life?”
Daniel thought about the pleasures—and the pain—of the past two months. He’d started building his dream, only to find that it wouldn’t be complete without Willa to share it. “Yeah, I think that’s just life.”
After a quiet lunch, they packed up the empty food containers. Then Willa sat down on the rock beside Daniel. “Do you want to continue checking fence? Or we could go back to your place and call Hobbs Sutton.”
“Both, I guess. We can check the fence, and I’ll call tonight. There’s nothing he can do right now.” Putting a hand on her shoulder, he turned her slightly to face him. “Thanks for riding out with me today. I know you have other work to do.”
Her cheeks turned a bright red. “I owe you, after waking you up in the middle of the night, sobbing in your ear and then falling asleep on the phone.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Willa.” He skimmed his knuckles along the smooth line of her jaw. “But I’ll take whatever you want to give.”
Her palm covered the back of his hand. “I think Bev may be right. You are too good to be true.” Slipping her fingers through his hair, Willa drew his head down and pressed her lips against his mouth.
Daniel stayed still, eyes closed, and let Willa direct the moment. Each of his remaining senses came sharply to life. He heard the breeze rustling through the leaves above their heads and the grass in the pasture, the trickle of water over rock. The smells of cattle and dirt and water came to him, along with a sweet scent of flowers that belonged to Willa alone.
Most powerfully, he knew the shape of her mouth as she kissed his throat, his jawline, his chin. The firmness of her lips, the press of her fingers against his skull and the nape of his neck—each separate touch stoked the need inside him. Her mouth returned to his, and she bit gently on his lower lip, then slipped the tip of her tongue over the same spot.
He could endure only so much. Closing his arms around her, he pulled her against him and took control with deep, demanding kisses, with his hands on her skin under her shirt, with husky words muttered as they gasped for breath.
Christmas at Blue Moon Ranch Page 14