Texas Desire

by Holly Castillo

  “Colonel Ramirez!” Cade shouted, having come down the slope of the hill while the colonel had been distracted by Olivia. “Your issue is with me. Face me like a real man and we can settle this once and for all.”

  The colonel held the gun on Olivia as he turned sideways to face Cade. “I’ll get to you soon, traitor. But you’re going to watch your woman and daughter die first.”

  Cade began to step forward, his face full of rage, but the colonel pulled back the hammer on his pistol, making Cade stop instantly. “Don’t rush this for me,” he said lightly. “I want to enjoy killing all of you. Even your friends who stand behind you will die by either my gun or my blade today. It should have happened far sooner.”

  Olivia couldn’t let him kill Cade and certainly not Bella. Holding the bayonet in her hand she lunged at him, a growling scream in her throat. Startled, he stumbled backwards and she lunged for his gun.

  The struggle between the two of them was difficult, and Olivia bit down hard on his hand, hard enough to taste blood and he roared in pain. From the corner of her eye she saw Cade rushing towards them, and realized she could not let him gain control of his gun again, for he would surely kill Cade.

  She struggled with him, keeping a firm hold on the bayonet. And then a gunshot tore through the silence.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Cade ran through the muddy field as fast as he could to get to Olivia and Bella. He had nearly fallen to his knees earlier when he had seen Bella alive and strong, and the relief and joy had nearly been overwhelming.

  But now Olivia was fighting for her life, and for Bella’s, from a madman intent on destroying his family. Time seemed to stand still when the sound of the pistol shot pierced the air. Olivia and the colonel continued wrestling for the gun, before Olivia finally gained control of it. With hands that shook she backed away from him, holding the gun pointed at her.

  But she had already wounded him dearly. As they had struggled, she slammed the sharp, jagged edge of the bayonet into his neck, and he was carefully trying to pull it out as he stared at Olivia with pure hatred.

  But it was more of a mistake for him to pull it out, for when he did so, his blood began squirting from the wound, and he tried desperately to staunch the flow of blood with his fingers, but it was too little, too late. His face grew incredibly pale, and Olivia turned quickly to Bella, blocking her view and smiling down at her.

  “Now, you see? That bad man can’t get to you anymore. It’s all over.” But Bella didn’t seemed calmed by the news. Instead, she was staring at Olivia’s dress. Olivia looked down and saw blood all over her. “Bella, I’m fine. That man just bled a lot.”

  “Bella!” Cade was running to them again, but it didn’t seem as if his legs could move fast enough.

  “Papa? Papa, papa!” Bella took off for Cade, and when they reached each other, Cade swept Bella up in his arms, lifting her high, then bringing her in for a tight hug. “My dear, sweet Bella. Are you okay? You weren’t hurt were you?”

  Bella smiled at him, then wiped at his cheeks. “Why crying, Papa? I’m okay.”

  He hadn’t realized he had started crying, but it didn’t surprise him. The joy pouring through his heart couldn’t be contained. “I’m just so very, very happy to have you back, sweetheart. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”

  Bella stopped wiping at his cheeks and frowned at him. “Scratches. Papa, your face has thorns.”

  Cade laughed through his tears. “Papa needs to shave, and will do so very, very soon.” He kissed the top of her head, her cheek, her neck, and inhaled her sweet, youthful scent. She had grown so much since he had last seen her. It had been nearly three months. Never again, he vowed to himself.

  Suddenly, she was wiggling in his arms, trying to get down. “Papa, down!” She grunted in frustration and reluctantly he set her on the ground, but was startled when she took off and started running away from him. “Bella!”

  “Mama! Mama!”

  She nearly made Olivia fall when she threw her arms around her from behind, and Olivia turned, a beautiful smile on her face as she gazed down at the child that was his only life.

  “Mama, up.” Bella had her arms extended out to her and Olivia instantly reached down and picked her up, moving her to her hip in a way that seemed almost natural to her. “Don’t leave us, Mama.”

  Olivia’s eyes jerked to Cade’s, and he was doing his best to hide his surprise and disbelief. Bella had never been warm with other women that they met in town or a neighbor from a nearby ranch visiting. Instead she had been shy and reserved, and had stayed very close to Cade or her brother.

  And for her to call Olivia “Mama,” he was completely stunned. He moved towards them, a half smile on his face. “Were you trying to leave us?” Cade asked softly. “Now that I have Bella, have you decided all is finished?”

  Olivia’s eyes searched his. “I wanted to give you a private moment together. I will never leave without saying good bye.” She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “Bella, you are heavier than I thought.” She went to her knees and set Bella on her feet and smiled at her.

  Cade kneeled down next to them and watched Olivia with something close to amazement. “Bella has never called anyone ‘Mama.’ What happened between the two of you?”

  “Mama made the bad man go away,” Bella answered.

  Cade smiled at Bella, then looked back at Olivia. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done. You’ve saved me and now Bella. You truly are an angel.”

  He leaned forward and wrapped a hand at the back of her head and pressed his lips to hers, grateful beyond words to have his daughter back in his arms, along with the love of his life. He pulled back and tasted something coppery in his mouth. Blood?

  He looked at Olivia and she had a small drop of blood running down the corner of her mouth, but she seemed unaware of it. “I’m so happy you have Bella back. You can move forward with your life now.”

  “Olivia, are you hurt somewhere?” he demanded urgently, but her eyes had a glazed look as she hugged Bella.

  “I love you, Bella,” she said softly.

  When she turned to him, there were tears in her eyes. “I love you, too. I will forever.”

  “Angel, where are you hurt. Talk to me, please!” His eyes drifted down to her bloodied dress and he saw that the blood had spread even further. He felt along her dress until she gasped, and he could tell she was trying to restrain her cry of pain. “God, Olivia, you’ve been shot. That bastard shot you.”

  Cade stripped out of his shirt rapidly and pressed it up against Olivia’s wound, and he was scared at how fast it was getting red with her blood. His eyes searched the horizon where his friends had been, and they were slowly moving towards them. “Get help!” he yelled towards them. “She’s been shot! Get help!”

  Two of the men turned and took off towards the Texian camp. “Papa, what’s wrong with Mama?” Bella asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

  Cade didn’t know how to answer her. Olivia was starting to lean against him, and his eyes jerked from Bella back to Olivia, and her eyelids were drooping. “I love you,” she whispered again.

  “Angel, stay with me, please. I can’t lose you. Please, stay awake.”

  But she had no control after the massive loss of blood, and she fell limply in his arms. He lifted her quickly and looked down at Bella who now had tears falling down her face. “Everything is going to be okay,” he said, though he didn’t know which one of them he was trying to reassure. “Just stay close by me. We have to get her some help.” And, with that, he took off as fast as he could across the muddy ground towards the Texian camp. Dear God, let everything be okay.

  Pain. Blinding, white hot pain. It consumed her and wouldn’t allow her to breathe. Dear God, why was she in such horrible pain?

  She tried to open her eyes, but her lids felt weighted down. She needed to see what was going on. She tried to breathe deeply, but every attempt only seemed to make the pain worse.
/>   “Easy, Olivia, easy. Help is on the way.”

  The voice was very familiar, but she was struggling to put a name to the voice. She fought against the darkness pulling at her and was able to gradually open her eyes slightly, and she would have gasped had her body allowed it.

  “Lorenzo?” Her voice sounded odd—strained and breathless.

  He smiled at her warmly and kneeled down so he was closer to her. “You’re going to be alright, Olivia. Fatima and Gabriella are helping you, but it is going to hurt.”

  Olivia’s mind raced. Fatima was her aunt, and Gabriella was her cousin. But they both lived in Corpus Christi. Why were they here? Or had she lost a giant chunk of time and been moved to Corpus?

  “Why are they here? How are you here?” The image of his face in front of her was spinning, but she wasn’t going to let her eyes close until she had answers.

  He picked up one of her hands and held it gently between his two large ones. “Your sisters got word to Fatima about where you were headed, and they knew there would be the need for medical help should a battle occur. They’ve been tending to our wounded soldiers until you... well, until you were brought to us. They’re gathering what they need to tend to you now.

  “As for me... Bowie sent me on a special mission just days before the Alamo fell. I was able to sneak out and past Santa Anna’s troops and began on a hunt for General Houston to come to our aide. By the time I made it, the Alamo had fallen. I stayed on with General Houston, and I know Angie has been worried, but I haven’t been able to get word to her. I can’t wait to see her.”

  His image swirled a little faster and she felt the darkness pulling at her but she still had so many questions. “Fatima...”

  “She’s on her way, Olivia. She’s going to be with you very soon. Just stay strong and hold in there. We know how strong you are.”

  “Cade...” She managed to say before the darkness swallowed her.

  What she had thought was pain before was nothing like this. She heard someone sobbing and realized it was her own sobs. She forced her eyes open, and Gabby was staring down at her, wiping at her face with a towel.

  The sight of her cousin’s sweet, innocent face helped lessen the pain, but not enough. “Gabby,” she cried, “Gabby, make it stop, please.”

  Gabby’s usually cheerful face was pinched with concern. “Mama, she’s getting worse.”

  Olivia’s eyes turned slowly and she saw Aunt Fatima leaning over her from the other side of the bed and she tried to reach for her. “Tia,” she whispered. Her aunt, or tia, looked up at her with eyes full of compassion.

  “It will all be alright, hija, just try to stay still.”

  There was a stabbing pain in her side and she couldn’t stop herself from crying out.

  Gabby looked over at her mother. “She’s getting worse, Mama.”

  Fatima frowned deeply. “You know what must be done.”

  The pain was burning, stabbing, consuming. “Please, tia, please... make it stop.” But Fatima was focused on something else, concentrating hard on whatever she was trying to achieve.

  “Do as I said, Gabby,” Fatima ordered curtly when Olivia began to twist to avoid the pain.

  Olivia’s eyes drifted back to Gabby, and she saw Gabby pouring a liquid onto a cloth, and she suddenly knew what she was about to do. “No, Gabby, please don’t. I don’t want—”

  Gabby placed the cloth over Olivia’s face and Olivia felt desperate to breathe as she was assaulted by the smell of the chloroform and tried desperately to avoid it, turning her head from one side to the next. But then the tent went out of focus and she sobbed one last time before giving in to the darkness once more.

  There was such a deep silence around her, Olivia wondered if she was dead. Was this what it felt like to die? To be surrounded by silence and no feeling, no knowledge of anything around her—to just float?

  The gentle sound of trickling water greeted her ears, and she jumped slightly when a cool cloth pressed against her forehead. Her quiet, still existence had been disrupted. She opened her eyes slowly and her eyes felt gritty and dry.

  Gabby smiled down at Olivia, pressing a rag against her forehead and face, and Olivia realized the feel of the cool cloth actually felt good. “Gabby.” She tried to speak, but her voice was just a hoarse rasp.

  “Hi,” Gabby said, “I’ve missed you so much. I just wish I wasn’t seeing you like this.”

  Olivia tried to look around, but found herself too weak to even turn her head. “What happened?”

  “You don’t remember? Well, we’ve seen this with many patients who have gone through something as terrible as you have.” Gabby smoothed the cool cloth down Olivia’s temples. “You were shot, Olivia. It’s a true miracle that you are alive.”

  Olivia stared at the tent ceiling. “Where are we?”

  “We’re still at San Jacinto. You haven’t been asleep for long. You were only shot yesterday.”

  “The Texians?”

  Gabby smiled broadly. “Enjoying victory as much as they can. They still haven’t found Santa Anna... that coward is hiding somewhere around here. He couldn’t have gone far. But the Mexican Army lost soundly. We are finally a free republic.”

  Olivia tried to smile, and hoped it came through that way, as her energy was still so low. “Where’s your mother?”

  “She’s tending to a few of the Texian soldiers that were injured. We were expecting to come out here to help them. We never expected that we would be treating you, as well. Just wait until your sisters find out what you did.”

  “Lorenzo...”

  Gabby’s smile grew brighter. “He’s already on the road back to San Antonio. He can’t wait to see Angie.”

  This time Olivia was certain that her smile came through. “He is going to be very surprised.”

  Gabby cocked her head in curiosity, her eyes searching Olivia’s face. “Why is that? Angie didn’t give up on him, did she? Oh, he will be devastated if she is with another man.”

  Olivia felt sleep pulling at her again, but she had so many more questions to ask, so she fought it off with all of her ability. “You will find out soon enough. You and your mother will be coming to our house in a few months to welcome a new addition to the family.”

  Gabby nearly squealed in glee. “There’s going to be a new baby in the Torres home!”

  Olivia’s thoughts turned to something less pleasant. “Have many of the soldiers left?”

  “Some, yes. They were eager to get back to their old lives. Several have stayed to watch what happens once Santa Anna is found. Can you believe he is such a coward? Well, I shouldn’t be surprised. It is the type of behavior we should expect of such a horrible man.”

  Olivia had stopped listening when Gabby had said that some of the Texians had let to return to their old lives. Cade was gone. And Bella, too. She was certain of it. She never would have thought it possible to fall in love with someone as deeply as she had with Cade. The loss of him tore at her heart and made her ache.

  Just like her father, Bella had stolen her heart as well. To know that both of them were gone was devastating. They had already essentially said their goodbyes. And he wanted to get back to a normal life. And he very well might know that her injury was fatal.

  Her eyes refocused on Gabby. Sweet Gabby, only fourteen, nearly the same age as her sister Serena, already did so much to help her mother care for the sick and serve as a midwife. She was wise beyond her years. She was wringing out the cloth again to place on Olivia’s forehead, but she was biting her lower lip, something she usually only did when she was anxious about something.

  “Am I going to die?” Olivia asked bluntly, needing to know the truth.

  Gabby’s head whipped around to look at her, her eyes wide. “Olivia! Don’t think such things. You have me and mother here to help you.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Olivia replied, feeling the ache in her heart easing.

  It was best that Cade had left with Bella. He should
n’t have to live through her death, and shouldn’t have to explain it to Bella, either.

  “You need to save your energy, Olivia. You need to concentrate on healing.”

  Olivia sighed and closed her eyes. Without Cade and Bella, she was better off dead anyway.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Cade sat beside Olivia’s bed, holding her hand in both of his, staring at her pale, lifeless face. If only he had noticed the wound sooner, if only he had gotten her to help sooner... But he couldn’t turn back time. And now she was dying, and he hadn’t even been able to tell her he loved her.

  He took the rag Gabby had given him and bathed her feverish forehead with the cool water. The bullet had gone through her side, striking her in a very vulnerable area. Fortunately, it appeared no major damage had been done, but it was a vicious wound, and Fatima had to make the hole even larger so she could get the bullet out.

  That afternoon, after she had been shot, he had been relieved to find that Fatima and Gabby were Olivia’s family, and he knew they would take special care of her. But it had taken three men to hold him back from charging the tent when he had heard Olivia’s screams of pain as Fatima tried to pull out the bullet and the surrounding fragments.

  The bullet and particles were gone, but the wound had been so large she had a cross stitch forming and “X” on her side. And now she battled infection. If her fever didn’t break by the next day, Fatima was going to reopen the wound to try and find the source of the infection. He could only imagine what kind of pain that would put Olivia through.

  He lowered his head and couldn’t stop the tears. Dear God, don’t take her from me. Please, don’t take her. I need her in my life more than I need the air in my lungs. She is the love of my life. I cannot lose her. Please, God. Please.

  Suddenly, a warm hand touched his cheek lightly, and a hoarse voice whispered, “You shaved.”

  Cade’s head jerked up and Olivia was staring back at him, though her eyes were bright with fever. He smiled at her and tried to discretely wipe away his tears. “Yes, I did. For Bella, and for you, angel. I want to look my best for you.”