Texas Heat

by Holly Castillo

  “No, no, no. Your bed is over there,” he gestured to the cot. “My bed is on the floor.”

  “Absolutely not. I will not have you give up your bed for me. It isn’t right.”

  “It isn’t...” Trevor mumbled under his breath and picked up Serena before she could even be aware of what was happening to her. Instantly her arms wrapped around his neck in surprise and shock.

  “What are you... Trevor, you better not. Trevor, I’m warning you!” she let out the smallest of squeals when she landed on the cot. “I already told you, Trevor—”

  “I am still the captain of this militia. You wanted so much to be a part of it, well, now you have to listen to and follow my orders. And I order you to sleep on this cot.”

  He pulled the blankets up so high that they fell down on her face and she clawed her way out to see him moving the “bed” she had made to a spot right next to the cot. He got under the blanket and propped his head on the saddle and, within minutes, he was sound asleep.

  Serena awoke slowly, feeling warm and content and afraid to move anything lest it ache in protest. She didn’t remember drifting off to sleep, though she was fairly certain it was only a couple of hours before the sun had started to create a foggy dawn.

  She drew a deep breath and slowly yet reluctantly began to stretch her stiff muscles. But she froze as soon as she moved. She was lying against something very large and very warm, and not only was she lying against it, she was lying halfway on top of it. She let her fingers lightly feel what she was pressed up against, and she felt the distinct ripple of muscles beneath her hands.

  Gradually, she lifted her head and looked up, her eyes still heavy-lidded with sleep. And she stared into a pair of silver eyes so deep and limitless with possibility.

  “Good morning,” he said softly, and lifted his head to hers.

  He placed his lips gently against hers, moving them softly, caressing them in a way that left her breathless and hungry for more. When he pulled back a fraction, his breath blew across her cheek and she licked her lips, trying to taste his very essence. He caught her chin and pulled her close again and she eagerly accepted his lips, molding hers to fit his.

  He finally broke it apart and rested his forehead against hers. “We better stop, my sweet pixie. Your protectors are going to be up and about soon, and it will not look good for them to find us like this.”

  Slowly it dawned on Serena that she was no longer in the cot. She didn’t remember it happening at all, but at some time during the night she had slid out and snuggled against Trevor. He had wrapped her in his embrace, pulling the blanket over her, and shifting her weight so that she lay halfway on top of him.

  “Trevor... How did... I mean, I don’t remember...” She fumbled for words and felt heat building in her cheeks.

  He smiled down at her, then gently helped her sit up, moving his arm that had been shot gingerly. “You couldn’t fall asleep. You were tossing and turning and acting like you had ants in your pants. The next thing I know, you’re on the ground next to me. And you finally slept.”

  Serena looked down and realized she only wore her longer chemise that she had packed in her saddlebags. That she did remember. It had been so hard to sleep with the buckskin rubbing against her skin that she had changed swiftly. Now she wondered if he had watched her dis-robing and slipping on the gown the entire time.

  But the feel of her soft chemise and warmth of his skin had been like a sweet lullaby. And he had been talking to her, she remembered suddenly. They had been small things, such as “Sleep now, my little pixie,” and “I won’t let anyone hurt you,” and “You’re safe with me.” And, in between each comment, he had kissed the top of her head, her forehead, her cheeks. And she had been able to let go of the stress that pulled at her and slowly fade into a calm, healing sleep.

  She stood slowly and began to get dressed in her buckskin clothing. “You took care of me and helped me sleep, but what about you? Did you get any sleep at all?”

  “I slept better last night than I have in weeks. Perhaps you truly are a pixie with magical abilities.”

  She smiled at him and began to pull her chemise over her head, then hesitated. Then she remembered he had seen her entire body the night before, so it really didn’t matter. She quickly shed the chemise and Trevor was instant on his feet, standing directly in front of her. She looked up at him and was surprised at the number of emotions that swept across his face.

  “Serena.” He breathed softly, his hands sliding around her waist and she gasped at the intimate touch, the feeling of his calloused hands against her smooth skin.

  And something inside her leapt to life, as if it had its own heartbeat and goals, and the goal at the moment was to get Trevor to touch her even more. His hands slid down to her buckskin clad hips and she moaned softly when he clenched them.

  Then, suddenly, his hands were gone. “Serena,” he said again, his voice gruff. “You can’t just take your clothes off around strange men. You don’t know what could happen to you.”

  “I only take my clothes off in front of you, Trevor, and I’d agree that you are strange, but I see no threat that you pose.”

  “You have no idea, pixie. Right now, all I want to do is toss you onto that cot and make love to you. But we can’t do that. But don’t be so fast to trust my willpower next time.”

  He let go of her and began packing up their items, getting ready for their departure. He wanted to make love to her? He found her that attractive that he wanted to be with her, to intimately hold her and touch her? A shiver went down Serena’s spine, a shiver of anticipation and excitement. Could she really cause him to lose control?

  She pulled on her plaid shirt and quickly buttoned it up and tossed her buckskin jacket over on top. Trevor had finished packing up everything in the tent and was rolling up her bedroll when there was a cough at the tent flap and then, “Captain? Cade and Lorenzo. May we enter?”

  “Yes,” Trevor said without glancing backwards at the flap. He stood as they entered and gathered up the saddlebags without addressing them. Serena watched it all with amusement as each man tried to appear indifferent to the actions of the other.

  Finally, it was Serena who broke the silence. “So, am I to go racing home with Cade now?”

  Trevor glanced around the tent, obviously checking to make sure he had gotten everything. Then his eyes fell on Serena. “No. I’ve thought about it long and hard, and I think it would be best for you to stay with us.”

  “What?” all three replied at the same time.

  Trevor shook his head. “You ask for something and then you are in disbelief when you get it. Do you all have such little faith in me?”

  Serena shook her head. “No, it’s nothing like that. It just seemed, from your statements last night, that nothing could sway your mind. What did convince you to let me stay?”

  “We need an aide. Someone who knows the Comanche’s ways, someone who can speak their language. You made a very valid point last night that you could help us with any type of negotiations. That and the fact that you and Cade could encounter more hostiles as you traveled home caused me to change my mind.”

  He turned his eyes to Cade and Lorenzo. “She is to stay with us at all times. If she wants to explore some tracks, at least one of us goes with her. If she sees something that she wants to investigate further, one or more of us goes with her. If she—”

  “Wants to do anything that takes her out of your eyesight, go with her. Does that just about cover it?” Serena said, her arms folded across her chest, her moccasin shoes tapping angrily against the ground.

  “It’s for your own safety, Serena. Just once, for the love of God, just once will you please join in what we are asking of you?” Lorenzo pleaded with her.

  “Of course I will! I’m here to help, even though it seems none of you think I can take care of myself.”

  “You have a very special skill, Serena,” Cade said, “and that is the skill to get into trouble no matter where you ar
e. You mean too much to us to have anything happen out here.” Then he turned and faced Trevor. “May I send one of the younger boys back to San Antonio with a missive to my wife that Serena is with us? I strongly suspect they are about to form a search party of their own right now.”

  Trevor nodded. “I have been thinking the same thing. We need to notify them and as quickly as possible.”

  Serena began to run a hand through her hair but found it to be a tangled mess. With a heavy sigh, she went to her saddlebag and pulled out a brush, sat on the cot, and began to work on her tangles as quickly as possible then wrapped it in a tight bun. She was having a hard time making eye contact with Trevor, especially after he had just admitted to her that he wanted to make love to her. “You don’t need to send anyone. Angie already knows I’m here.”

  “What? And she let you come!” The veins in Lorenzo’s neck were straining as he held back his shout.

  “She didn’t have a choice. I was going to go one way or the other.”

  “Let’s finish packing and move out,” Trevor ordered. “I want to be back on the trail in the next fifteen minutes. Oh, and Serena, you ride with me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Fortunately, he hadn’t meant that she would actually ride with him on the same horse, which was what Serena had mistakenly thought at his comment. But she did have to ride her horse alongside him in silence. She knew he was focused on the mission in front of him, and she was occupied by the fact that he was actually attracted to her.

  They still rode at a brisk pace, a fast trot or slow canter, and occasionally would walk the horses to allow them to cool down before taking off again, attempting to catch up with the Comanche that were raiding down the east, rapidly approaching the east coast of Texas. Serena wondered how far they had traveled already because home felt like it was an eternity away.

  “What will we do when we come upon them?” Serena asked after they had been riding for hours.

  Trevor glanced over at her. “Isn’t that what you agreed to help us with?”

  “Surely, you don’t expect me to simply walk up to a warring tribe and try to talk peace?” Serena asked incredulously. Was he out of his mind?

  “It would prove fascinating to watch but, no, that is not how we will handle it. We will take a small group with us—twenty at most—and carry the white flag. Once we have their attention, you will get the opportunity to talk.”

  Serena chewed on her inner cheek, thinking. “And what if they don’t like what I have to say? What if they don’t listen to me?”

  Trevor looked over at her for several long moments. “This is what you wanted, remember? You were the one that fought so hard for this.”

  “And I’m not asking to change that. I want to take every opportunity possible to reduce the bloodshed—on both sides. But what if the Comanche don’t want to hear what I have to say?”

  “Then we’ll do what we have to do to keep as many people safe as possible. My intentions in the first place,” he said gruffly.

  Does he think I believe he’s one of these bloodthirsty men that only wants to kill Indians? The idea shocked Serena, but when she looked at it from his perspective, she could see how he could think that way. “Trevor, I’ve never thought your intentions were anything different. What concerns me is this militia that you lead that are hungry for the death of every Comanche they see.”

  “Serena...” he began, then stopped with a heavy sigh. “Serena, you don’t know much about war, do you?”

  Serena narrowed her eyes at him, stopping her horse. He had no other choice than to stop, too, forcing the entire group to come to a halt. “Every day I wake up I wish I didn’t know as much about war as I do. Every day. You presume to know me, but you don’t know a damn thing.”

  She was so furious she couldn’t talk to him any further without crying, and there was no way she was going to let him see the tears in her eyes. She dug her heals into the sides of her horse and took off at a full canter. She was tired and hungry and didn’t need the condescending judgment from the man she thought just might care.

  Suddenly, Trevor was riding right alongside her and reached over and grabbed the reigns of her horse near its mouth, pulling him to a sharp stop. She turned to glare at him, but the fury radiating from his eyes made her refrain from saying anything.

  “You little fool!” He snapped. “Are you aware how stupid it was to do what you just did? The Comanche could have been hiding behind these trees or in the shrubs, waiting for us to come along, and they will shoot the first rider they see. Not only that, but you’ve put my men in danger by leaving them out in the open for far too long while you’ve had your tantrum. We need to stay together at all times or we are all going to be killed.”

  “I-I just needed to feel the air,” she stuttered, stunned by his fury.

  He seemed stunned by her feeble response. “Why? Your actions leave me no choice but to discipline you. But right now I need to make sure my men are safe.”

  Still holding the reigns to her horse, he turned and they rode back to the militia. Lorenzo and Cade gave her odd looks when they rode up, but she ignored them. Trevor gave the signal for them to move forward once again, and they did so at a fast trot. But he had taken the reigns from her completely, so she had no choice but to ride along in miserable silence.

  Finally, they had entered the thick, piney area of East Texas. While the trees shaded them from the scorching sun, they also could serve as the perfect place for their enemy to hide before striking.

  It was right out the beginnings of the forest that Trevor called for a halt. The men shifted in their saddles as Trevor dismounted and pulled the rope from where it was tied to the side of his saddle. He didn’t give them the signal to dismount, but instead walked to Serena’s horse where he none too gently hauled her out of her saddle.

  “What are you doing?” Serena stared at him with widened eyes.

  He hoped she was scared. That was his intention. He couldn’t allow the men to see her put them all in danger without suffering consequences. It would make them question his leadership, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “Teaching you a lesson, pixie,” he said softly, grabbing both of her wrists and placing them through the loop of the rope and pulling it tight. He couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes as he looped the rope through again, ensuring she couldn’t free herself. Without saying another word to her, he walked back around his horse, tugging her behind him.

  “Trevor...” There was a slight tremor to her voice and he hated that it touched him.

  He had promised himself he would never hurt her—that he would always protect her. But he couldn’t allow her run around like a little fool and think only of her own needs any longer.

  She might have been the pampered princess when she growing up, but she made the decision to ride with his company of men, and he had no other choice than to make sure they all respected that he would be a fair leader to all of them.

  When he mounted his horse, it seemed to suddenly dawn on Serena what he was going to do, and panic began to set in. “Please, Trevor. I know what I did was wrong and disrespectful. And I didn’t think through my actions, which put you and the rest of the company at risk. I won’t ever do it again.”

  “I don’t doubt that Serena. But I have to be certain that you understand not to do anything without my express permission.” He caught the gazes of Cade and Lorenzo, and could almost feel the rage coming off of them. But he had to remain strong in front of his men.

  They began at a slow walk, pulling Serena by foot alongside him. But before long he had picked up the pace to a jarring trot, and Serena was beginning to struggle to keep up. He pulled them back down to a walk and Serena was gasping for her breath.

  “Please, Trevor, I don’t know what more I can do. I know I made a huge mistake, and I’m terribly sorry for what I did. I won’t put the camp in that kind of trouble ever again.”

  “Not that exact same trouble, no, you probably w
on’t. But what about other kinds of trouble when you aren’t satisfied with the way things are going for you? Do you see that?” He pointed behind her and she stumbled slightly as she struggled to look behind her. “Those are men who have walked away from loved ones, from the comforts of their home, with determination to follow their leader into war. And I’m that leader. If one of them acts out of line, I have to punish them. And the same holds true for you.”

  He kept their pace at a walk for a short while longer, then kicked it back up to a jog. He went from a walk to a jog and back again in various intervals for nearly an hour, until finally it was time for him to call for a rest for all of the men.

  He dismounted quickly and approached Serena who stood on quivering legs and looked like she would pass out at any moment. But her pride was holding her together, he could tell by the tilt of her chin and the way she refused to look at him. On the contrary, he could feel the eyes of all of his men watching him to see what would happen next.

  “I didn’t want to do this, Serena. But you left me with no choice.” God, he hoped he hadn’t lost the one beautiful thing in his life. “Do you understand?”

  “I already told you I understood what I had done wrong. You didn’t need to humiliate me in front of all of these men.”

  “I had to show them there will be punishment for any activity that could hurt us. I had to, Serena.”

  Slowly she lifted her eyes and they connected with his, and much to his relief they no longer held the animosity and fury. But they did lack the spirit he was used to seeing as well.

  “I understand, ranger. I know what had to be done, and trust me when I say that the lesson has been learned.”

  He gently removed the rope and winced as is he saw the red marks around her wrists from where the hard twine had rubbed her skin raw. “Does it hurt?” he asked and she shook her head.

  Her face held emotions he had never seen before. Remorse. Regret. He hated that he had been the one that had to make her an example to the rest of the men. But he couldn’t tolerate someone going rogue or making an impetuous or foolish choice that put them all in danger. She had needed the lesson.