Follow The Wind

by Janelle Taylor

  “Gran told me what happened,” Mary Louise said. “I’m sure Wilbur wouldn’t do such a horrible thing.”

  Jessie was exhausted and tense. “What did you do, complain to Wilbur about your chores so he lessened them by destroying our milk cows? Instead of siding with him, why don’t you use your charms and talents to get him to stop attacking us?”

  “Jessica Lane, that’s mean and untrue!”

  “Maybe so. I’m tired and upset. I’m going to bed. Don’t jump on me tonight, little sister, because I’m not in the mood to be nice.”

  On Wednesday, Navarro suggested that he and Jessie sneak over to Fletcher’s ranch to inflict damage there. “Fletcher thinks we’ll be on alert and scared to strike at him again. But if I have him figured right, he’ll have his men on patrol just in case he’s mistaken. That means his settlement will be vulnerable. We can strike at his critters without harming them.” He revealed his daring plan.

  Jessie grinned. “You’re so clever. We can’t sit around waiting for him to hit us again. We won’t tell Papa or the others so they won’t try to stop us or worry. We’ll sneak out after dark and slip over there.”

  She explained how.

  Jessie and Navarro rode to the boundary between Lane and Fletcher land. He cut the top strand of barbwire so their horses could jump over without risking injury. Afterward, he tied a strip of rawhide to the sharp end and secured the gap so it wouldn’t be noticed by anyone riding fence tonight. They made their way to the area where Fletcher had built his many structures. It was fortunate for them that their enemy had spaced their targets away from his home and bunkhouse. Too, there were trees to aid their secrecy.

  The redhead and the desperado left their mounts a safe distance from the bunkhouse. With care, they sneaked to the first object of their mission. The pigs were rousted from sleep and urged toward the open gate, but their grunts weren’t loud enough to endanger the couple. As if enjoying their freedom, the rotund creatures trotted off in several directions. By morning they would be scattered far and wide. The chickens weren’t as cooperative; many clucked in panic at the intrusion. Navarro hurried them along by tossing a lantern into the roosting shed. The dry wood caught fire.

  “Let’s make tracks, woman,” he ordered.

  The couple rushed to the cover of the first tree, then slipped to the next and next until they were back to their horses. Commotion filled the area left behind. They mounted and walked their horses to prevent noisy galloping that would give away their location. Soon they picked up their pace and rode for home.

  They didn’t even make it to the cut fence before they heard riders coming. They halted and concealed themselves behind a group of trees. The men rushed past them, responding to the alarm bell that was ringing near Fletcher’s home. When the men were out of sight, Jessie and Navarro returned to Lane land. With the barbwire he had dropped nearby, he rapidly repaired the damaged section, having learned how from Matt weeks ago.

  They rode for thirty minutes before deciding it was safe to stop and talk.

  “That was fun,” Jessie remarked amidst laughter. “I can see his men trying to capture those hens and pigs. He’ll be steaming like hot coffee.”

  “If we’re lucky he’ll pull men in to guard his house and barns tomorrow night. We’ll cut a few fences and scatter his herd. I’m glad his ranch isn’t as big as yours or there’d be too much land for us to cover. Fletcher should figure that we’ll strike near his settlement again. He should think we’ll believe that he expects us to hit a new target—his land—but we’ll go after the same one again.”

  “What if he reasons like you, Navarro, and guards his fences and herds?”

  “From what you’ve told me about him, he’s too vain to think we’re as clever as him. He doesn’t realize how smart we are yet, but he’ll figure it out soon. Right now, by trying to outwit us, he’ll outwit himself.”

  “You’re clever, Navarro. If you weren’t here, I’d do exactly what he’d reason we’d do: hit the house again, expecting him to be on the range.”

  “That’s why you hired me, so I’m only doing my job, Miss Lane.” His tone altered as he remarked, “You were real upset last night. Are you all right now?”

  “What he did to those cows threw me like a wild mustang. Killing is one thing, but mutilating is an atrocity beyond words. I needed you to hold me so badly.”

  “Matt did a good job of comforting you,” he said before thinking.

  “Jealous?” she teased, then reached over to caress his cheek.

  “Yep,” he admitted to her surprise, “but I have no right to be.”

  “You’re right. You have no reason to be. Matt is like an older brother to me. He half raised me. We’ve been good friends for years. He’s one of the nicest, most honest, and sincere people I know. He would do anything for a friend.”

  “I don’t think he sees you as a little sister or only a close friend. I’ve watched him watching you, Jessie. Don’t you realize he’s in love with you?”

  Jessie’s eyes widened with surprise. “Mary Louise hinted at it several times, but I didn’t believe her. I hope he’s not, Navarro. I wouldn’t want him hurt. He’s never tried to romance me.”

  “A man doesn’t go after what he doesn’t think he can win, Jessie.”

  “Does that mean you knew I was leaning in your direction, cowpoke?”

  “We both felt the pull between us. It was too strong to fight. If I hadn’t gotten your signals, I wouldn’t have made a move toward you.”

  “That’s why I sent them, so you would have the courage to come after me.”

  “But I shouldn’t have. A person shouldn’t offer what he can’t give.”

  “You’ve given everything you offered. You made certain I understood your position before I surrendered. You haven’t misled me, Navarro. You’ve been clear and honest from the beginning. I appreciate and respect that.”

  Clear, but not totally honest, my love, his mind refuted, and guilt plagued him. “Only because a woman like you deserves to know where I stand.”

  “A woman like me only finds a man like you once in her life, Navarro. I wasn’t about to lose what little time I could have with you.”

  “I wish it could be more, Jessie, honestly I do.”

  His tone and gaze touched her deep inside. “I know.”

  He pulled his eyes from her lovely face and said abruptly, “We have to get back. Fletcher’s men might be on the move. We don’t want to be discovered out here alone by either side. If we can’t sneak back, what will you tell Jed?”

  “The truth, that we outfoxed our enemy tonight. Since you’ll be leaving when this is over, I don’t think it’s wise to tell Papa—or anyone—about us.”

  “I hate to make you be deceitful for me.”

  “People do what they have to do, Navarro. Right now you’re more important to me than being fully honest with my father and family. It’s strange, but I don’t feel very guilty about it. Does that change your high opinion of me?”

  “Nothing could ever change my high opinion of you, Jessica Lane. You don’t know what you’ve given me and brought into my life.”

  “I know what you’ve done for me. Do I get a kiss before we leave?”

  Navarro lifted her from her horse and placed her across his legs. He caressed her face, then hugged her with longing. His mouth covered hers.

  For several minutes they kissed, caressed, and embraced. Bittersweet feelings surged through them. Their bond was powerful; their future was impossible. He knew it, and she suspected it. Yet they couldn’t resist each other for as long as fate allowed them to remain together.

  Navarro replaced her on her horse, then smiled sadly at the woman who had stolen his heart, who offered a beautiful dream that he could never capture. “Let’s go before we get into more trouble.”

  At the ranch, the fugitive felt Mathew Cordell’s gaze on him from the foreman’s private room at the end of the bunkhouse. None of the other men along the two rows of bunks move
d or spoke, and the desperado knew he hadn’t disturbed any of them with his comings and goings. He was glad Matt didn’t come out and question his behavior, but he would tell him of this night’s work tomorrow to prevent trouble and suspicion, just as Jessie would tell her father. No doubt, Jed would be upset.

  * * *

  At first, Jed was angry, then he calmed himself. He was proud of his daughter’s courage and wits. Yet he didn’t like the time she was spending alone with the gunslinging drifter. He recalled what Roy had said about a spy, but he reasoned it couldn’t be Navarro Jones. Surely no hireling of Fletcher’s would destroy his boss’s property, even if the villain could easily replace it. Still, that was a good way to win their trust …

  When Jed mentioned that fear to Jessie, she gaped at him in disbelief and disappointment. “Surely you don’t think such a terrible thing, Papa. Look how he’s helped us. Besides, I found him and hired him in San Angelo. We met by accident, and he didn’t know who I was.”

  “What if he was trailing you and watching you all along, Jess? What if that’s why he stepped in and rescued you. To win your confidence.”

  “You’re wrong, Papa. Navarro is a good man—different, but good and kind. Please don’t mention your doubts to him or the boys. If they started treating him strangely, he could leave before he helps us finish this job. We need him, Papa.”

  “Promise me you’ll be very careful around him. He worries me, and Matt, too.”

  Jessie knew why both men were concerned about her friendship with the handsome stranger. She cautioned herself to keep their relationship a secret. It wouldn’t do for either Matt or Jed to guess the truth. Her respectable father would insist they wed, and a bitter confrontation would ruin everything. Another woman might force the issue with hopes it would be resolved in her favor. But Jessie had been around men long enough to learn you never backed one into a corner. If Navarro stayed or returned, it had to be his decision. “I know what I’m doing, Papa. Don’t worry. I’ll be on guard.”

  * * *

  That night, to dispel Jed and Matt’s suspicions, Navarro took Carlos and Miguel along with Jessie and him. The four cut fences along Fletcher’s southern boundary and stampeded cattle from the man’s property. Navarro had guessed right: Fletcher had his settlement guarded heavily, and no one was on the range to halt their actions.

  On Friday, Jessie, Tom, and two hands went to the town of Fort Davis to purchase more barbwire and search for another milk cow. One wasn’t enough to supply the Box L with milk and butter.

  The group was almost home on Saturday when they were attacked by two men. They were going slow up a steep grade when shots rang out from behind rocks. Jessie saw Smokey fall off the seat to the ground and lie still. Pete fell back into the wagon where she and Tom were sitting, a bullet wound to his shoulder. The laboring horses stopped when the reins went slack, as did the cow tied behind the wagon.

  Jessie grabbed her rifle, but no more shots were heard. She knew the general area from which the others had come, and she watched it closely for signs of movement. Navarro and Matt prodded their horses past them and toward the gunmen’s location. While they waited, Jessie checked on Pete and kept Tom down. The cunning Navarro had been prepared for this, as he and Matt had been trailing them the entire time. But the assault had come too quickly to prevent Smokey from being killed and Pete from being wounded.

  Matt joined them and said, “I’ll get you home. Navarro’s gone after them.”

  “Alone?” Jessie asked, looking frightened. “I’ll take your horse and—”

  “No, Jessie. He can handle two men. You work on Pete in the wagon while I drive home. If more men are lying in wait ahead, I’ll need your guns.”

  “You’re right, Matt.” While the foreman recovered Smokey’s body and tied it to his horse, Jessie tore Pete’s shirt and bound his wound as best she could to staunch the bleeding. But her mind was riding with her love on the vengeance trail.

  At the ranch, Hank removed the bullet and bandaged Pete’s shoulder. Smokey was buried in a short ceremony. That left them with twelve hands, and one of those wouldn’t be able to work for weeks.

  When Navarro returned later, he reported that he had slain the two men who had attacked them. “I cut Fletcher’s north fence, sent the horses galloping home with their bodies tied to their saddles, and rode here. I figured, since the horses were unbranded, it wasn’t much good to save them for the sheriff. He couldn’t prove they were Fletcher’s men, but your enemy will get our message.”

  “Fletcher and his boys would only say they didn’t know them,” Jessie said.

  “No way to tie them to Fletcher, sir. I figured it would be better to let him know that if he attacks us, we’ll attack them. If some of his boys start getting killed, maybe it’ll worry the others. So far, they’ve been safe from harm. It’s time they learn it’s dangerous to work for Fletcher.”

  “I hate killing, Navarro, but you did right. Leastwise, we know they were guilty and deserved to die. We got Smokey buried, and Pete will be healed in a few weeks. I’m glad you and Matt trailed my daughter and son. If not for that, they could be dead now, too.”

  “I don’t think Fletcher will hurt your family, sir. He’s trying to scare off your hands. He expects that to change your mind.”

  “Jessie’s convinced me we have to keep fighting and holding on. Actions like these only tell me she’s right. I’m sure that snake would double cross me if I said I’d take his last offer. He can’t be trusted.”

  “At least Fletcher’s out four men, sir—the two we killed in that trap and these two today. We’re lucky we’ve only lost one to death and one to fear. I’ll try to make sure you don’t lose any more, Mr. Lane.”

  “Thanks, Navarro. Roy said he’d send a letter when he reached San Antonio. I can’t blame him for leaving; his hand might never heal right. It ain’t his land to fight and die over. Maybe when he’s safe, he’ll send evidence back to the sheriff about what really happened that night.”

  “Don’t count on it, Papa; he was scared.” Jessie sighed. “Smokey has a sister in Brownwood; we should write to her about his death and send her his belongings.”

  “Will you do it for me, Jess?” Jed asked wearily.

  “Sure, Papa, tonight,” she replied gently. As everyone was parting, she sent Navarro a smile that said, I’m glad you’re back safe.

  The month of April ended with a party to celebrate the completion of spring branding and no trouble from Fletcher for two weeks. During their respite, the hands and family had worked hard and fast catching up with chores with everyone doing more than his or her share. The cows and calves were back to grazing on the range, the garden was growing, and a big crop was anticipated. Soon fresh vegetables would replace canned and dried ones.

  The part for the well had arrived, and Big John had repaired the pump to the house. Pete’s shoulder had almost healed, and he was back doing light chores. The level of anger and frustration on the Box L had subsided during this peaceful reprieve.

  After quitting time each day, Navarro had worked with the hands to teach them tricks to use during fistfights, how to shoot better, and how to set ambushes. Tom had followed him around and devoured every word and action. But Jessie feared her love was preparing the men for his departure.

  When the hands played a practical joke on Navarro, it revealed to her how they felt about him. From what Jessie could see, Navarro appeared happy and relaxed at the ranch. She had seen him laughing and joking with the men. He had spent six weeks on their land—seven including the time alone with her—and Jessie wondered how much longer he could be persuaded to stay.

  As Jessie chatted with Navarro at the party, she said, “I’m relieved the boys’ joke didn’t upset you. It shows how much they accept you. I’m glad you’ve earned their respect and friendship. You deserve them, Navarro. You’ve worked hard for us and taken risks beyond what we’re paying you for.”

  “It’s a good thing you told me beforehand about their tric
ks. I would have thought they were making a fool of me and trying to get rid of me.” He nodded a greeting to Miguel, then continued. “Whew, that was the hottest chili I’ve had! When they all kept eating, I didn’t want to hurt Hank’s feelings. It took a bucket of water to cool my mouth and throat. My belly burned for hours.”

  Miguel had approached the two in the middle of Navarro’s accounting of the story, decked in Mexican finery again this evening. “We didn’t expect it to take so long for you to catch on to us, amigo. I was about to warn you when I saw smoke coming out your nose and ears, and your eyes were watering. You’ll get used to us. We’re good hombres.”

  “Yes, you are,” Jessie agreed with a bright smile.

  “Me and Carlos want to know if you will teach us to use the bow and knife as you have taught Jessie and Tom.”

  “Sure, Miguel. I thought we might need silent weapons when Fletcher goes on the warpath again. One job I had in Arizona called for silence, and I used them then,” he remarked, then wished he hadn’t made that slip. “Since you two are Mexican and have had trouble in the past with Apaches, I wasn’t sure if you’d want to work with Indian weapons.”

  “We have no problem with using them, amigo.”

  Mary Louise had joined them, too. “Would you like to dance, Navarro?” she asked. “The men are making merry music. There’s no need to waste it.”

  Navarro looked uncomfortable at the invitation and the girl’s sensual smile. “Sorry, Miss Lane, but I don’t dance, never have.”

  The blonde grasped his muscled arm and tugged on it encouragingly. “I’ll be delighted to teach you. It’s very easy and lots of fun.”