by Connie Mason
“She is gone, Don Rodrigo,” Manuel replied, his shoulders drooping in defeat.
“Gone! Gone where?”
“Who knows.”
“Are you telling me she left her child behind?” Rod would have believed anything of Elena but somehow the thought that she had gone away and left her child was repugnant to him.
“Si, patron,” Manuel nodded sadly. “Elena promised we would leave here, all three of us. She said she would devote herself to me and our child. But I should have known Elena could not live the life I was able to provide.”
“Surely you didn’t squander all the money I gave to her?”
“Money? I don’t understand, señor. I know nothing of money.”
“When Elena left the rancho I gave her enough money to keep her in comfort for years to come.”
“Ah, that explains much. I should never have agreed to help her. I never wanted to harm Dona Julie. But … Elena can be very persuasive.”
“I know,” flushed Rod, recalling vividly his own experiences with Elena. “You had better start from the beginning. If either of you laid a hand on my wife, your life is forefeit.”
“We did not harm Dona Julie, not physically, that is. The plan was all Elena’s but that does not absolve me from guilt in the matter.”
Rod burned with impatience but steeled himself to listen until Manuel finished speaking. At the end his self control was nearly shattered when he learned the full extent of Elena’s perfidity.
“How could you stand by and allow Elena to hurt my wife in such a vile manner?” he shouted, clenching his fists in barely suppressed rage. “My wife is eight months pregnant! How despicable of you to use your own child to bring her harm! She left me thinking I neither loved nor wanted her. Only God knows where she has gone and what condition she is in. Are you certain she came here last night as Elena arranged?”
“Si. Elena saw Dona Julie at the French doors looking in. We did not proceed with Elena’s plan until we knew for certain she was watching.”
Rod fought the urge to kill Manuel outright. Only the child in Manuel’s arms prevented him. Did he have the right to make an orphan of an innocent child? “I ought to kill you, Rojas. Thank your son that you still live.”
“I did wrong, Don Rodrigo. It is no more than right that you should punish me. Especially for my part in arranging with Pedro to take Dona Julie, knowing what might happen to her.”
“I suspected Elena engineered Julie’s abduction from what Julie told me, but I had no idea how it was done,” Rod said grimly.
“Pedro is my cousin,” Manuel confided. “Elena promised him gold if he would get rid of Dona Julie for her. Murieta was gone, leaving Pedro free to accept Elena’s offer. Elena wanted Dona Julie out of the way permanently.
“Dios! exploded Rod. “I should have killed Elena instead of turning her out of the rancho. Had she not been expecting a child—” His words drifted off.
“I wish to make amends for my mistake, señor. Let me help you find her.”
“What makes you think I would believe you, Rojas?” Rod blasted wrathfully. Learning the truth concerning Julie’s abduction from one of the perpetrators only served to further enrage him.
“I swear on the head of my son,” Manuel vowed solemnly.
Rod exhibited surprise at Manuel’s obvious love for his son. “I may be loco but I believe you, Manuel, and will accept your help. My own vaqueros are ready to take to the trail. But don’t expect me to forget and forgive so easily. What will you do with your son in our absence?”
“Elena left without a thought to his welfare,” Manuel spat scornfully. “When I awoke this morning, my wife was gone and my son crying from hunger.”
“The child must have a wet nurse,” Rod said. “Take him to Padre Juan. He will find someone to care for him until he is old enough to be weaned.”
“Si,” agreed Manuel gratefully. “I will take him immediately. Then we will find Dona Julie.”
Rod wished it was that simple. While Manuel was gone he considered his options. Where would a pregnant woman who had just suffered an emotional shock go? If only Julie had come to me, Rod thought in retrospect, all her doubts and fears could have been laid to rest.
Carefully, Rod pieced together all the facts and came to the conclusion that Julie would have only one place to go … to her friends in San Francisco. Brett and Polly would offer shelter should either think Rod mistreated his wife. As far as he knew, Julie took nothing with her, neither money nor food. Distraught as she was, she probably gave little thought to the danger she faced. If he left immediately he could probably overtake her before she got too far. He could travel much faster on horseback than Julie could in a horse and buggy. By the time Manuel rejoined him and they rode back to the rancho to inform Carl of all that had happened, night had descended. As much as he ached to be on his way, Rod decided it best to wait until first light to leave. By that time Julie had a day and a half head-start.
The farther north Rod rode without finding any trace of Julie, the greater his fear became. When he unexpectedly came upon the remains of the still smoldering wagon train, icy panic twisted his gut into knots. It was obviously the work of bandits, Rod surmised, as he surveyed the dead bodies scattered about the wreckage. Just thinking that Julie might have met the same fate shattered him. Many of the bodies lying amidst the smoking ruins were charred beyond recognition, and with sinking heart Rod realized he could not leave the scene of such brutal carnage without burying the dead.
Immediately he and Manuel began their grisly task. The most difficult chore facing them was finding a spot level enough to dig a common grave. Once the site was selected, Rod found a shovel in the rubble and began digging, leaving it to Manuel to gather up the mutilated bodies. Hours later it was done but the two men were too exhausted to ride on so they built a fire and camped beside the road for the night.
After their meager meal had been consumed, Rod curled up in a blanket and prepared to bed down next to the fire. Rod was never certain what made him glance over at Manuel. The Mexican was bending over the fire intently examining several objects in his open palm.
“What have you there, Manuel?” quizzed Rod curiously.
Manuel stuttered guiltily. “I … I thought it a sin to bury the dead with their valuables, Don Rodrigo. There is enough gold in these rings to provide a good living for me and my son. Are you angry, señor?”
Rod was prepared to berate Manuel roundly for robbing the dead but thought better of it. The bandits had stolen nearly everything of value and if they had missed a few baubles there seemed no reason why Manuel shouldn’t have them for his trouble. “No, Manuel, I am not angry. Keep your treasure.”
Manuel smiled broadly, his large square teeth showing white in the firelight. “Look, señor,” he gestured, holding up one ring in particular for Rod to admire. “I don’t know how the bandits missed this one. It is delicately wrought and very heavy. There are even initials inside.”
Rod choked back a gasp of terror as sheer black fright swept through him. With shaking fingers he picked up the gold band and recognized immediately the initials he had ordered inscribed months ago when he bought the gold band for Julie in San Francisco.
“Madre de Dios!” cried out Rod as if in pain. “Where did you get this?” He became so pale that Manuel feared he was ill.
“It’s strange, señor,” Manuel revealed, scratching his thatch of thick hair, “but when I picked up one of the women, this ring fell from her mouth. I think she hid it there when the banditos attacked.”
“This ring belongs to my wife! I gave it to her myself. Was … was the woman who had the ring with child?” Rod had no idea he was holding his breath until Manuel answered his question, and then it came out in a painful whoosh. “No, señor,” Manuel quickly assured him. “There were no pregnant women among the dead. Or children under the age of five.”
Great shudders shook Rod’s powerful form. “Thank God! But … but how did the dead woman come by Julie
’s wedding band?” Rod puzzled, “unless …” His next thought was even more terrifying than finding her among the dead. “Por Dios! Do you think the banditos took her with them?”
“It is unlikely, patron. What use would they have for a heavily pregnant woman? She would only prove a hindrance. It is more likely that she would have met the same fate as those poor wretches on the wagon train, had she been with them.”
It sounded logical, Rod deduced with a sigh of relief. And if by chance they did take Julie, how is it that the ring was in the possesion of a dead woman? The answer came quickly. She had evidently traded it for supplies! He voiced his deduction aloud.
“Si,” agreed Manuel with alacrity. “I am certain we will find the señora somewhere ahead.”
Rod was not so easily convinced but he held his fears tightly in check. He placed the ring in his pocket with the intention of slipping it on Julie’s finger the moment he found her. Fate willed it to be longer than Rod would have liked.
The next day they came upon Julie’s abandoned buggy and once more a cold knot formed in Rod’s gut. Upon examination he saw that a wheel was missing from the vehicle and so was the horse, leading him to believe that determined to reach San Francisco, Julie had somehow mounted the horse and continued her journey on horseback. Convinced he was right, Rod sent Manuel back to the rancho to inform Carl. Resolutely he pressed on, never dreaming that at that very moment Julie lay but a few miles away giving birth.
The city lay directly before him and Rod felt certain he was but a few hours behind Julie’s entrance into San Francisco. By now she was probably being pampered by Brett and Polly and put to bed to recuperate from her arduous trip, Rod tried to assure himself. If the truth be known, Rod was never so glad to see San Francisco as he was at that moment. Not only for the obvious reason but because something strange was happening to him that he did not like.
Since he had sent Manuel back to the rancho he was experiencing bouts of chills and lightheadedness and he was certain he had a fever. It took tremendous effort on his part to remain upright in the saddle and even more of a chore to hang on to consciousness. He could not become ill now, Rod thought groggily. Not when he was so near to finding Julie. There was so much he wanted to say to her, so much to make up for. But what fate wills, man fulfills.
Rod dismounted in front of Casey’s Pleasure Palace, staggering slightly before righting himself and lurching through the swinging doors. The casino was already filled and the din that assaulted Rod’s ears nearly bowled him over. Narrowing his overbright eyes against the glare, he searched frantically for a familiar face. Polly spotted him almost immediately, her face registering shock and dismay.
“Rod! My God!” she cried out, rushing to Rod’s side. “What happened to you? You look terrible!”
Hollow-eyed, disheveled, a blue stubble shadowing his jaw, Rod felt every bit as bad as Polly indicated. Not only was he exhausted beyond belief but he felt strangely vague and disoriented. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
“What is it, Rod?” Polly asked, frightened as well as concerned by Rod’s unexpected appearance. “Where is Julie? Oh my God! Has something happened to Julie?” she cried frantically, assuming the worst. “Is that it?”
Once again Rod’s mouth flopped wide but this time his eyes rolled upward until only the whites showed and his huge body spiraled downward as the floor came up to meet him.
Polly’s scream brought Brett Casey on the run and his shock at finding Rod decorating his floor was no less greater than Polly’s. “Jesus!” exploded Brett. “What’s he doing here? What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s burning with fever, Brett,” Polly replied as she bent over Rod’s prone form and put a slim hand to his forehead. “Hurry! Get him up to bed while I send someone for a doctor.”
“Did he say anything?” Brett asked hopefully. “Did he give you any reason at all for being in town? Did … did he mention Julie?”
Polly’s features softened. She was well aware of Brett’s love for Julie and had hoped that during these past months his feelings might have changed. She had done all in her power to make him forget Julie and in the process had fallen deeply in love with him herself. There were times when she felt her feelings were reciprocated but until he spoke of them to her, she must assume it was still Julie who held his affections.
“He said nothing, Brett,” answered Polly gently. Then she hurried away to summon help.
Rod’s fever was not unlike the illness that was so prevalent in this part of the country, the doctor informed an anxious Polly and Brett. There was nothing to do but keep him comfortable, sedate him with laudenum and let the fever run its natural course. For a week Rod alternately burned with fever and shook with chills. During the whole time nothing he said made sense. Though he often called out Julie’s name, his words were disjointed and incoherent, further frustrating Brett and Polly’s effort to discover Rod’s reason for being in San Francisco at a time when his wife was due to deliver his child.
The day Rod’s fever broke marked a milestone in his rapid recovery. He was young, strong and possessed of an iron constitution. From the moment he opened his eyes into full awareness and learned from a distraught Polly that Julie had not reached San Francisco, he was like a man possessed. Brett had to physically restrain him to keep him from dashing off then and there.
Brett had been devastated when he learned what had happened. He wanted to blame Rod, yet could not hold him responsible for the vile act of a jealous woman bent on vengeance.
“Was there somewhere else she could have gone?” Brett asked hopefully. “A woman so far gone with child doesn’t just up and leave on a long journey by herself without a destination in mind.”
“You don’t know Julie if you think that,” replied Rod ruefully. “Manuel told me Elena convinced her I neither loved her nor wanted her. The little act Elena and Manuel put on for her benefit was the final humilation that sent her running from the rancho without a thought to her own safety.”
“Rod,” Polly said suddenly, “I have an idea that might bear looking into.”
Both men turned their rapt attention to the beautiful brunette with green eyes and pixie-like features whose face began to glow with excitement.
“Por Dios, Polly!” Rod exclaimed, “if you know anything, anything at all that might help, tell me, por favor.”
“Well,” Polly began eagerly. “If I were a woman about to give birth, and I needed help, I would go to one of the missions and seek refuge.”
Both men looked at each other, astounded by the simple logic of Polly’s words.
“Of course!” rejoiced Rod. “Why didn’t I think of that? My one consuming thought was that Julie would want to be with her friends. It never occurred to me that she might seek help at one of the missions.”
“Sometimes the simplest explanations often escape us,” Brett said wryly. “Do you feel able to travel? If so, I will go with you.”
“Able and ready,” nodded Rod impatiently. “There are three missions in the vicinity where Julie left the carriage. San Miguel, La Soledad and San Carlos Borromeo del Carmelo de Monterey.”
“That’s a start,” replied Brett.
“You’re not going without me,” asserted Polly forcefully. “When you do find Julie, she might need another woman.”
Brett smiled fondly at Polly. In a short time the exuberant, affectionate woman had come to mean a great deal to him. Though Julie would always occupy a special place in his heart, he was wise enough to realize her future lay with her husband, as did her love. In the past weeks he had viewed Polly through new eyes and liked what he saw. It was time he settled down and took a wife. He could do a hell of a lot worse than little bright-eyed Polly whose faithfulness he would have no cause to doubt in the years to come.
“I see no reason to leave you behind, sweetheart,” Brett smiled. “If Rodrigo has no objections, then neither do I.”
“As long as you can keep up, Polly, you are welcome to join
us,” Rod agreed curtly, his thoughts already on his happy reunion with Julie. He soon would have her home to await the brith of their child, he thought with joyful anticipation.
The next morning the trio left the raw, sprawling city behind to begin their search of the missions for Julie. Exactly ten days had elapsed from the time Rod collapsed in Brett Casey’s Pleasure Palace until they set out, their hopes high.
24
Slowly Julie surfaced into consciousness, surprised to find herself lying on a cot in one of the cell-like rooms in the mission now known as Carmel, being cared for by a competent Indian woman. The soft Spanish words and soothing hands brought immediate relief to Julie’s tortured mind and body. Thank God she had reached help in time and her child was safe. That’s all that mattered, she thought, as another pain ripped through her abdomen forcing a moan from her lips that could not be repressed.
Though the baby was a few weeks early it was not excessively so, and Julie was confident it would live. Many times during the long, pain-filled hours, Rod’s name slipped from her lips as she labored to bring forth their child.
Padre Enrico knew immediately the identity of the lovely lady who had shown up so mysteriously at the mission gate. He recognized her as the wife of Don Rodrigo Delgado from their overnight sojourn several months ago. But the good padre couldn’t even hazard a guess as to what brought her to the mission, alone and about to give birth. Because Julie was in no condition for lengthy explanations, the padre did what he thought best. He sent one of his flock on a swift horse to Rancho Delgado to summon Don Rodrigo to his wife’s side.
Julie’s son was born at exactly midnight. Though the birth was not difficult and the baby small, her labor was long and painful, leaving her weak and exhausted. The moment her squalling son was placed in her arms she was relieved to see that he appeared healthy, his lusty cries falling like music to her ears. Satisfied that all was well, Julie finally allowed herself the reward of a well earned sleep.