Moving toward Tyra, she released Zach’s arm and reached out. Without hesitating, Tyra took her hands. They were cool and gentle.
“Zachariah has told me all about you, but I would imagine there are things he does not know. So perhaps we might visit a while.” Her accent was lyrical, the tone pleasant but firm. She glanced over her shoulder at him and laughed.
He returned the laugh. “Oh, I don’t doubt that at all. There are many things I don’t know.”
“Could the child and I talk alone? Would you mind?” She nodded the question toward Tyra.
Odd, she didn’t even mind being called a child by this lovely woman. No wonder she was called an angel. Yet Tyra cast a worried glance toward Zach, remembering his promise not to leave her.
He gestured off to his right. “I’ll just go stand in the shade and stare at my toes while you ladies talk.”
“Zach told me you saved his life, but not till we were almost at the gate. He holds back a lot.”
The beautiful woman glanced his way. “Indeed he does. I cannot take credit for saving his life. I cared for him and prayed for him. The rest was out of my hands.”
“He said you pray for lovers. What did he mean by that?”
Dolores laughed. “Oh, he said that, did he? Well, there’s a legend that persists around here about a pair of lovers running from the law. They came first to the Altar of the Sun there in our chapel. Then when the posse approached, they fled into the Valley of the Gun. The man was shot, and as he lay dying, she picked up his empty gun, aimed it, and they shot her down. We are said to have prayed for their souls to go to heaven.” She patted Tyra’s hands. “Certainly not out of the question.”
A hiccough caught in her throat, and for a moment Tyra couldn’t speak. How very close that legend had come to what could happen to her and Zach. “Is it true?”
“It’s just a legend.” Dolores took her hand and held it to her cheek. “You love him enough to die for him, don’t you?”
She could only nod in response.
“Then love him enough to live for him.”
Sobs burst from Tyra’s throat, and Dolores gathered her into her arms, held her close. She smelled clean and sunny. After a while her soothing manner calmed Tyra, and she quieted. “I can’t live without him.”
“That’s what she said. Said she couldn’t live without the man she loved.”
Tyra pushed back so she could look into Dolores’ face. “She? You mean the woman in the legend, don’t you? Only it’s not a legend, is it?”
Dolores smiled so sweetly Tyra wanted to kiss her cheek.
“You may stay here with me while he does what he has to do. And he will return and take you away somewhere where you can be together.”
“I want so badly to go with him. I’m a good gun hand. I could help him, keep him from being killed.”
“Or hinder him because he worries more about you than himself. That worry could get him killed. Tell me, child. How can you not care that he goes to take a life? Why do you not ask me to try to talk him out of this terrible thing he plans?”
“Because he needs to do it. If he doesn’t, he will go through the rest of his life hating himself for not avenging Josh’s murder, not trying to save his mother. And finally he would come to hate me too. Sometimes it is necessary to take a life. Don’t you believe there is evil in the world?”
A breeze stirred the lace covering Dolores’ head. She lifted her hands to adjust it, the sleeves of the dress spreading like wings. “Oh, yes, indeed I do. And I see you understand his heart. But I will pray that God will take care of this for him.”
An odd thing for the woman to say, but precisely what she did understand. “You have not said you don’t want him to kill this…this evil man either.”
Dolores regarded her with quiet eyes. “No, I have not said that. It is not my place to do so.”
“So you believe some men are evil and should be killed?”
A smile barely curled the corners of her mouth. “What I do believe is that some, like Zachariah, are called upon to make dreadful judgments. Certainly not by me, though. Only the very strong can accomplish such deeds. He is one of them.”
“And this is okay with your God?”
Dolores smiled again. “I have no idea. He doesn’t talk to me.”
The reply surprised her. “I thought ‘thou shalt not kill’ was a commandment.”
The woman tilted her head as if in agreement. “You are religious?”
“No, not at all. But it appears you are.”
“And do you think Zach is?”
“Zach is probably the best man I’ve ever met, the best person, even.”
“Ah, yes, indeed. I agree totally. But is he religious? And just what does that mean anyway?”
Tyra shook her head. “You are the strangest nun I’ve ever met.”
Another laugh from this woman who seemed to see humor in almost everything. “Perhaps that is because I am not a nun. We five live here together because we prefer the peace and quiet. The weather. The people.”
Off in the distance a horse whinnied. Another replied. Was someone coming? Had the law caught up with them? She glanced away from Dolores to check the gated entrance. It was empty.
“What is it, child? Is someone after you?”
Not ready to tell this woman any of Zach’s secrets, she shook her head. “No, I just thought I heard horses approaching, that’s all.”
“He told me what happened back there, and especially about Josh.” Dolores shook her head and frowned. “Sometimes life hands us terrible tribulations. None of us know how we would face someone else’s troubles.”
Tyra studied Dolores for a long moment. “What if Zach gets killed?”
“What if he does?”
“I shall die.”
“Then he will not be killed.”
The pronouncement settled around Tyra’s heart as a truth, and it gave her peace. The expression on Dolores’ face told her the conversation was at an end. Though Tyra wanted desperately to know how she reached that conclusion, there would be no reply now or later.
How could anyone deny the promise of an angel? She nodded. “All right, I will stay here with you.” An immediate peace washed over her. She had done the right thing.
Dolores put her arm around Tyra’s shoulder and kissed her cheek. “Now, go tell him you will remain here with us while he finishes what he must do.”
****
Zach couldn’t help but stare at the two women the whole time they talked. After a long while, Dolores hugged Tyra, then started back up the lane, the wind tugging at her long skirts. Tyra ran to him, threw her arms around him, but said nothing.
Had Dolores failed to convince her to remain here? He hated to ask but had to know. Before he could open his mouth to do so, she spoke.
“She wants me to stay here. What do you think? You know them better than I do.”
He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her so close her heartbeat thrummed against his chest. As if he’d never tried to talk her into this, he said, “I think it’s a great idea.”
“Only one thing. You promise to come back for me. Swear it. Because if you don’t, I’ll go after that SOB and kill him myself.” She held up a finger. “One more thing.” He waited for the words he already knew.
“Before you leave, you will tell me why.”
Lifting her off her feet, he swung her around. “God, girl, I love you. And I promise, swear, I’ll be back for you. Every evening just as the sun goes down, you sit on the patio out back and watch for me, and you’ll see me riding in. Do not give up. You understand?”
A nod. “When are you going? Can you stay all night here with me?”
He rested his chin on top of her head, kept both arms around her. “Yes, I’ll stay the night, but not in the house. Let’s camp down by the river, where we can bathe together. And I will tell you the whole story then.”
She laughed, punched his arm. “It will be my pleasure, sir.” She spoke in
her English tongue, exaggerating the accent, then went back to her more familiar western voice. “Sounds good to me, cowboy. After you tell me about how she saved your life and what happened that she had to, would you show me the scar?”
Walking beside her back to the horses, he peered down at her. “Scar? What scar?” Sometimes she totally baffled him.
“The scar. If she saved your life, then it must’ve left a scar, and it must be well hidden, since I’ve never seen it.”
eHHH He laughed. “So you think you’ve seen every inch of me, huh?”
“And something else, while we’re on this subject. You told me that when I took care of you was the first time you’d realized there were good people and that’s why you helped Callie and her son.”
“Yes, and so?”
“Well, Dolores saved your life. Didn’t she count as good people?”
He paused, captured the reins of the horses, and waited till she mounted Morgan before replying. “I guess I always thought of her as an angel, not really of this world. You, on the other hand, well, first time I met you, you shot me, so you have to admit it must’ve been a surprise when you turned around and helped Doc fix me up, and I found out you’d come back to take care of me.”
“So you really think that makes sense?”
He chuckled. “Well, yeah, I thought so at the time.” With a shrug, he clicked his tongue and rode off toward the river, not waiting to see if she followed. She would. Of that he was sure. He could hardly wait for the sun to go down so they could try out this river. Soon there wouldn’t be a river in the West they hadn’t made love in. All he wanted was not to think about tomorrow. Not yet. He had waited for this one last thing he must do, avenge Josh’s murder, for a long while, and now that it had come, he wished he hadn’t thought of it in that way. Because, now, the one last thing he really wanted was to ride off with Tyra at his side and build a life free of thoughts of Geronimo Lanigan and that one dreadful day in the Valley of the Gun when his life had changed forever. But he’d always believed that when he met up with Geronimo once more, it would be the final day of his life. It had never bothered him that much. How sad, that only now, when the time was upon him, had he found a reason to live.
She came to him in the moonlight, after he waded into the water to scare away the snakes. Her red hair loose in the night wind, shining in the moonlight. Long legs muscled from many days of riding. A body blessed with curves and breasts that were firm. That lovely face with finely sculpted features. A vision that nearly broke his heart. He could hardly catch his breath, watching her move into the water. How had he earned the right to love such a creature, have her love him in return? What a fool he was to even think of deserting her. A dark feeling that he would not survive tomorrow rushed over him like the flash-flood waters a few weeks earlier.
He reached out to her, swallowed the fear, and gathered her so close her legs, thighs, stomach, and breasts melted into him.
“You are more beautiful than ever before.” He buried his nose against her neck, nibbled at the warm flesh. All he wanted to do was keep her close like this.
Slowly he sank into the water till it lapped over his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. He could not lose this moment, had to cling to it, make it last forever. Trouble was, forever for him might not be very long.
The moving river rocked them, and she moved delicately so that she rested in his lap. “Now tell me.” It was whispered, but in such a way as to demand.
“Give me your hand a moment.” She did, and he guided it low over his stomach, spread the palm just where his right thigh joined his body, ran her fingers into the natural crease there. “Feel that?”
Those fingers trailed across the ridged scar, and he straightened the leg so she could touch its full length. “Yes. It must have been painful. You could have died.”
“Yes, had it not been for Dolores, I would have. That’s when I finally came to believe someone else might be in charge once in a while. Finding her like I had, at just the right time. I look back now and wonder why I haven’t done more with my life, given that second chance like I was.”
She raised her face to place a kiss under his chin. “Do you really think someone might be helping us? If so, how do they choose? Why do we earn the right to be given that second chance and others don’t? Do we think we are more deserving?”
The questions were a trap, set in her innocent desire to keep him close, but he walked right into it without hesitation. “Yes, I do think there is help for us. I don’t know the answers to your questions. I certainly am not more deserving. I suppose it will always be a mystery.”
“Then you don’t need to go after this man. Let whoever’s in charge do it, and you stay here with me.”
No sense in replying to that, for it would lead nowhere. Instead, he made a shushing sound and ran the tips of his fingers over her temple, tilted his head, and sought out her lips with a feather-soft kiss that held on for a long while. She hummed under his touch, opened her mouth just enough to let his tongue in to explore the softness with a slow deliberation that made his head buzz. Her tongue moved slow and easy past his, stopped occasionally as if thinking where to go next. It was the best goddamned kiss he’d ever had, and he kept it as long as she would allow and then some.
If only this could go on forever. He moved the kiss to her jaw, down to her chin, over her throat to where the water lapped at her porcelain skin to kiss her as he did.
Again she wiggled around, this time rubbing her breasts against his chest.
“I love you.” Her voice sweet and soft as the touch of darkness.
Damn, he had to look at her, make sure she was placed forever in his mind. Hands on her shoulders, he leaned away a bit. A puzzled look crossed her features.
“I just want to make sure I never forget the beautiful face of the woman I love. If Josh were here, he would come up with just the right words for me to say to tell you how I feel. It’s kind of like if the sun went out today I wouldn’t miss it as much as I will miss you. I’m sorry I have to go.”
She put a palm over his mouth. “No, we won’t talk about your leaving. Only about how we feel this minute and the next, as long as we’re together. You freed me from a fear I thought I would always carry. A fear of loving and being loved. I thought it must be ugly and painful, yet now I know it is the most beautiful blessed feeling in this world. Without it we are lost. Thank you for that.”
He hooked an arm under her knees, another around her back, and rose. Water flowed from her in rainbow colors lit by the moon. He carried her to the bank and laid her on the blanket he had spread in the grass. Knelt beside her and fingered a lock of hair from her forehead. Light and shadow fell over her ivory skin. How in God’s name could he leave her and step back into that dark world?
She must have sensed his thoughts, for she caught his arm. “Lay down next to me. It’s time you told me about it.”
“First I want to make love to you. After you hear the story, you may not want to be near me. And even if you do, it will no longer be the same for us. So, please, let’s take this one last chance to enjoy each other.”
She rubbed her fingertips over his forehead, traced the planes of his face, then smiled sadly. “No matter what you tell me, it won’t change how I feel about you. But it is better if we make love first. You’re right. Besides, I think you are already prepared.” She reached between his legs and flicked at his growing erection. “Get on over here, you beautiful man.”
Her laughter brought his, and he bent to taste one rosy erect nipple, then the other. If only he could hold back from a passion that nearly exploded with her touch, he would make love to her all the night long, waiting to climax until the sun burst above the horizon, so that he could come with the first rays of morning. All bright and clean and new. Make love in every way he could imagine, until neither of them could move but could only lie, limbs tangled, matched heartbeats hammering, breath coming together in great gasps, while their love juices flowed from exh
austed bodies.
That’s what he wished for, but in truth all he really wanted lay in his arms this very moment. He went to her slowly, pleasuring her in every way he knew. His lips kissed, teeth nibbled, mouth suckled until she cried out with wild abandon. Between his legs, passion pounded, but he took his time laying her on her back, spreading her legs, crawling between them, and lifting her body to meet his. All the while she begged him to hurry, but he refused. She had to remember this last time too, and he would make sure of that.
Dragging in a full breath, he scooted forward, lifted her knees. He was about to explode, yet he held back. She whimpered and cried out, reached for him, couldn’t get hold.
“I want to need you so bad I can’t see or hear anything but passion boiling through my bloodstream.” The husky words ran together. Dizziness overcame him, and still he hesitated.
“Do something. Please do something.” The warmth from her words feathered across his flesh, her tongue lapped, her teeth nipped.
This angel, this woman. He enclosed her totally—breasts, arms, legs, lips, breath, vision—until the river and sky, the trees and earth, disappeared. As if together they floated somewhere above and out of it all.
He slid inside her, deeper and deeper, touching at last the tiny beating heart of her very being. And with that touch she screamed and exploded. One orgasm, then another, until he went crazy with a heated passion that seared his very soul.
Thunder enclosed his brain; lightning split through his body. Praying under his breath, begging God, the angels, even the son of God, to keep this woman safe for him, he pushed deep, pulled back, pushed again. Stopped because he didn’t want it to happen yet.
“Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.” She was praying now, or at least that’s what it sounded like. Still he hung in there, not moving while everything expanded, even his eyeballs and skin.
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