Love a Dark Rider

by Shirlee Busbee

  Sara didn't see any reason for prevaricating and she said simply, "It isn't anything that Tansy has done—" She stopped, thinking that if Tansy had killed Margaret, then Tansy had indeed done something. She began again. "Well, perhaps Tansy might have done something, but at this moment it is more what Tansy has said that has disturbed me." She flashed Yancy an uncertain look, took a deep breath and said in a rush, "Tansy knows that Margaret was murdered with Bartholomew's dagger!" But that wasn't strictly true, she realized instantly and added with painstaking honesty, "I mean, she didn't say that it was Bartholomew's dagger, but she did say a 'fine Spanish dagger,' and what else could she be talking about but Bartholomew's dagger?"

  His dark face revealing neither surprise nor dismay at her words, Yancy took the chair across from Sara and stretched his long legs out in front of him. His wide-brimmed black hat pushed back off his forehead, he suggested calmly, "Suppose you start at the beginning, hmm? And tell me exactly what Tansy said."

  And so Sara told of her visit to Tansy and what she had learned. When she finished speaking she looked expectantly at Yancy and was disappointed that he seemed just as relaxed and composed as when she had started speaking. "Doesn't that sound rather incriminating to you?" she asked anxiously. "I mean, how could she know about the knife unless she had seen it—in Margaret's breast, I might add!"

  "Just because she saw the knife doesn't necessarily mean anything particularly incriminating," he replied easily. At Sara's incredulous expression, he continued. 'Tansy could have seen the knife and yet not have had anything to do with Margaret's murder, you know. The servants were always up and about much earlier than the rest of the household, and she could have discovered the body before you did and simply kept her mouth shut." Yancy's face darkened. "Knowing Margaret's penchant for holding her liaisons in the gazebo, Tansy might have gone there first thing in the morning to start straightening up and might have found the body."

  Sara's face brightened. "Oh!" she exclaimed eagerly. "I never thought of thatV'

  Yancy sent her a look. "And now that you have," he drawled, "I suggest you forget about Tansy and Margaret's murder and think only of your husband." His lips quirked into a sensual smile. "Do you realize that it's been nearly twelve hours since I last kissed you?"

  Instantly diverted, Sara grinned and sprang up from her chair. Standing beside him, she pushed his hat the rest of the way off his head and, as it fell to the floor of the courtyard, dropped a chaste kiss on his brow. "There!" she murmured dulcetly. "Does that satisfy you?"

  Yancy's eyes darkened, and with something between a growl and a groan he dragged her onto his lap. Her arms went around his neck as his mouth found hers, and for several minutes there were no sounds in the courtyard except the gurgle of the fountain and the soft sighs of the lovers. Yancy's face was tight with raw desire and Sara's mouth was rosy and swollen when he finally finished kissing her. "I'll never be satisfied," he muttered. "Never!" One arm went around her shoulders, the other under her knees, and standing up with her in his arms, he asked bluntly, "Has your flow stopped? It's been five

  days ... and, sweetheart, I am famished for you!"

  Despite the intimacies between them, and despite already having had to stammer out her condition to him the previous month, Sara was still a little shy with him. She was particularly embarrassed about discussing her bodily functions with him, but with only a hint of a blush on her cheeks, she muttered, "Yes, it's stopped. We don't have to sleep chastely tonight."

  Yancy grinned at her discomfort. But dropping a kiss on her nose, he said, ''Buenol Now, before anyone comes and interrupts us, I think I most definitely need to show you just how much I've missed loving that sweet little body of yours these past endless nights!" Once the door to their room had closed behind them, he proceeded, to Sara's great enjoyment, to do just that.. ..

  Sometime later, lying naked and satiated in the arms of her husband, her fingers absently toying with crisp curls on his chest, Sara said softly, "It was lonely today without you around. Are you certain you won't change your mind and let me come out to the cattle camp with you?" She raised herself up on one elbow and smiled at him. "I promise I will not melt, and if I become too miserable from the heat, I will say something immediately."

  Yancy's mouth twisted ruefully. "Bartholomew has informed me several times recently that my concentration would probably improve miraculously if I could bring it to bear fully on the task at hand, instead of dwelling almost exclusively on a certain green-eyed little wench at the hacienda. In view of that fact, I was going to suggest that no matter how hot it gets or how long I am to be gone from the hacienda, you come with me.

  Sara beamed at him and kissed him fully on his mouth. Since Yancy returned her kiss with great enthusiasm, it was several moments before she could speak.

  "Bartholomew is very wise, isn't he?" she asked breathlessly when she could.

  Through slitted eyes Yancy regarded her lazily. "Hmm, yes, but not quite as wise as I was to marry you!"

  Sara sent him an old-fashioned look, and Yancy laughed, pulled her back into his arms and kissed her. Kissing led to fondling and fondling to another sweet journey to the ecstasy that their bodies created together.

  That Yancy and Sara never left their room that evening, not even to eat a final meal, didn't come as any surprise to the inhabitants of the hacienda, although an openly envious expression crossed Ann's face. However, Maria's dark eyes as she served the Shelldrakes were full of satisfaction and delight. After the Shelldrakes had retired for the night, Maria smiled to herself as she placed a small tray filled with tempting food and drink near the door to Yancy and Sara's room. By this time next year, she was quite confident, the hacienda would ring with the joyous sounds of a newborn baby. The first of many, if she was any judge!

  The next morning as Sara rode Locuela out to the cattle camp with Yancy, who was on another favorite mount of his, a big black gelding, her thoughts were fixed on the possible arrival of a baby, too—but she viewed the idea with mixed emotions and wasn't quite as confident as Maria that it would happen any time soon. The fact that she had just experienced her second monthly flow since her marriage to Yancy preyed on her mind, and with a terrible feeling of foreboding, she had begun to wonder if she wasn't barren. And then there were still the annoying problems of Sam's will and Yancy's reasons for marrying her. . . . Her heart ached at the notion that it was his desire for a child for Paloma that drove him to make love to her so often and so thoroughly. She

  loved him and she believed that he loved her—despite his not-encouraging silence on the subject! She had to believe that he loved her and that one day very soon he would tell her so. She just hoped it was before she became pregnant. // she became pregnant.

  Sara must have made some small sound, for Yancy glanced inquiringly over at her, one black brow cocked in question. She smiled at him and, banishing her moody thoughts, said brightly, "Isn't it a glorious morning? Don't you just love this time of morning, when it is still cool and there is the entire day in front of you?"

  "And is it your pleasure in the morning that made you sigh so heavily and look so pensive?" he asked dryly.

  Sara made a face. Trust her discerning husband to notice everything, and especially everything that she didn't want him to notice! Not meeting his gaze, she muttered, "Of course not! I was just thinking of something else."

  "What?"

  A feeling of resentment welled up inside her. She might be married to him, which gave him certain rights, to be sure, but she didn't think it gave him the right to be privy to the workings of her mind. She was entitled to some privacy! Tartly, she said, "It couldn't have been anything very important, I'm sure—I've already forgotten what it was!"

  From beneath the brim of his black hat, Yancy sent her an unreadable glance. "Secrets, Sara?" he asked quietly after a long moment.

  She started to state exasperatedly that she didn't have any secrets— he was the one who kept things to himself!—when she remembered Hyru
m and Ann. She had wrestled for weeks now whether to tell him what she had seen, and she had come to no clear answer. Sara took a deep breath and said in a rush, "I'm sure that it is none of my business, none of our business, but did you know

  that Hyrum is in love with Ann Shelldrake? That they're having an affair?"

  To Sara's astonishment, Yancy looked very pleased at her words. He'd desperately wanted her to tell him about Ann and Hyrum, wanted proof that she trusted him implicitly—wanted fiercely for there to be no secrets between them. At her words, that faint gnawing in his gut vanished and he was aware of a warm wash of pleasure. "I've wondered," he merely said out loud, "how long it would take you to tell me about their affair."

  "You know about them?" Sara exclaimed incredulously.

  Yancy grimaced, suddenly realizing that the next few moments might be a bit rocky-—especially if Sara took umbrage at the revelation that he had assigned someone to discreetly watch over her every move since the rattlesnake had been discovered in her bed. He hoped she understood the subtle difference between "watch over" and "spy."

  Clearing his throat uneasily, he muttered, "Uh, well, ever since that blasted rattlesnake was found in your bed, I've had Esteban assign someone—" He cleared his throat again at the gathering comprehension on her face. "Uh, several someones, in fact, to keep an eye on you." His voice hardened. "I didn't want you getting any more unpleasant surprises, and in the course of your being watched, the affair between Ann and Hyrum was discovered."

  Sara drew in an outraged breath. "You set someone to spy on me?" she demanded furiously.

  "Not spy, sweetheart, watch over," Yancy replied doggedly, his jaw set.

  "Well! You'll excuse me if I view the situation in a vastly different manner!" she snapped, green eyes dancing with suppressed emotion, none of it gentle or mirthful. Her hands tightened on the reins and just before she

  kicked Locuela into a gallop, she said angrily, "When a person is set to 'watch over' someone, the someone knows about it—anything else is just plain spyingV

  A wry expression on his face, Yancy watched her gallop away toward the cattle camp, which was just coming into view. Glumly he admitted to himself the truth of Sara's angry statement. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. It seemed like he owed his bride an apology, and if he wanted to be back in her good graces, he had the distinct impression that he was going to have to do an awful lot of groveling and sweet-talking! He grinned. He might have to grovel, but he didn't mind the sweet-talking at all, and to have his Sara smiling and happy with him, he decided, was worth all the groveling in the world!

  Despite scattered areas of chaparral, the cattle camp was easily spotted on the wide plains. The place had been chosen not only for the winding, tree-lined creek that meandered through the area, but also for a series of deep, steep-sided washes which crisscrossed the grassy prairies and which, when blocked at one end, became natural pens. Harassed and harried by the vaqueros, the unsuspecting cattle and mustangs were ruthlessly herded into these washes, and before the frantic creatures found their race to freedom blocked at the other end, hidden gates were suddenly swung shut behind them, effectively trapping them. Beyond the pens, stout working corrals made of rough wooden rails had been constructed in which to drive the cattle or mustangs for culling and castrating. Several wagons in varying shapes and sizes were parked in the shade of the willow and locust trees near the creek, as were quite a few tents. Not far away, a strong rawhide line had been stretched between two trees and about a dozen saddle horses had been tied there.

  As Sara rode up, she was assaulted by an overpowering array of sights and scents. Men were briskly moving

  around, their voices carrying clearly; cattle bawled and horses neighed and the pleasing scents of woodsmoke, freshly brewed coffee and frying bacon drifted on the morning air.

  Sara took in a deep breath. She loved the cattle camp! And, she thought grimly as she dismounted from Locuela and tied her to the line with the other horses, she wasn't going to let Yancy ruin her enjoyment of it! Someone to watch over her, indeed!

  Ignoring her husband as he rode up behind her, Sara glanced around and spotted Hyrum near one of the fires, drinking a cup of coffee. Shooting Yancy a dark look, she strode off in that direction, a determinedly friendly smile on her face.

  If Hyrum was surprised to be the object of Sara's beguiling smile, since she normally treated him to little more than a cool nod these days, he gave no indication, his own face creasing into a grin at her approach.

  "Good morning, Hyrum," Sara said warmly when she came within speaking range. "How are you today?"

  Hyrum returned her greeting, and nodding to a large pot of coffee sitting on the coals of the fire, he asked, "Would you care for some? It's strong, but fresh."

  A cup of hot black coffee in her hands, Sara blew on the steam that rose from the cup and said lightly. "We haven't had much time to talk lately—how are you liking your work here at Paloma?"

  "I find that I'm enjoying it much more than I thought possible," Hyrum returned earnestly. "It's very different from raising cotton, and I've been surprised to discover just how very much I enjoy the constant variety of chores that must be done."

  Sara nodded eagerly. "Oh, I know! It seemed so simple when we used to talk about it, didn't it? I don't think either one of us ever envisioned the amount of just plain backbreaking work that would be involved."

  From the comer of her eye Sara was aware of her husband's approach, so she turned the full force of her charm on Hyrum and sent him a wide, dazzling smile. "But everything is coming along marvelously, don't you think?" she fairly gushed. "Just as we planned at Magnolia Grove!"

  Hyrum blinked at the blinding charm of her smile. What the hell was going on? he wondered suspiciously. Sara had been treating him like he'd contracted the plague lately, yet this morning ... He spied Yancy and, seeing the scowl on the other man's face, realized instantly what must have occurred. There was, it would seem, trouble in paradise for the lovers. Well, well. His luck seemed to have changed. Perhaps he would be granted a chance to get back into Sara's good graces, and from there ... Smiling back at Sara, Hyrum said casually, "I'm going to go out and help with the gathering of a new bunch of cattle this morning. Would you like to accompany me?"

  As Yancy came closer to the pair and heard Hyrum's invitation, his scowl deepened. Sara was smiling too damned happily at that bastard Bumell and responding just too damn enthusiastically to Hyrum's words, as far as he was concerned! The pair of them were standing a little apart from the rest of the men, obviously deeply involved in their own private conversation, and Yancy was conscious of a blaze of displeasure burning within him.

  He didn't like it at all that Sara and Hyrum were chatting in such a friendly, intimate manner, especially when Sara was angry with hiniy and he realized with a start that the savage emotion that suddenly roiled in his gut was just plain old jealousy! She was his wife, dammit! And he sure as hell wasn't going to meekly stand by and let her work her considerable wiles on someone else. Particularly not Hyrum Bumell!

  Before Sara could reply to Hymm's invitation, Yancy

  said sourly, "That's very thoughtful of you, Bumell, and while I'm sure my wife would enjoy rounding up cattle with you, I think she'd enjoy it far more with me! I plan to take her out with me in just a little while, so I'm afraid she'll have to decline your kind offer."

  Blandly ignoring Sara's outraged gasp and the fulminating look she flashed him, Yancy grabbed a tin cup sitting near the fire and poured himself a cup of coffee. Glancing over the rim of the cup, he stared at Sara and said grimly, "Isn't that so, sweetheart?"

  Sara would have liked nothing better than to throw her coffee in his arrogant face and shout aloud a vociferous denial, but she was suddenly aware of the vaqueros moving around who were covertly watching the scene unfold, and she knew that she would not defy Yancy in such a public manner. Choking back her indignation, she muttered, "Yes, that's right, darlingV" Then determined not to let him have th
e last word, she beamed a smile across to Hyrum and said huskily, "But that doesn't mean that we can't do it some other time, Hyrum. Perhaps when I am next at the camp?"

  Hyrum tipped his hat, and catching sight of the dangerous glitter in Yancy's eyes, he put down his cup and said hastily, "Whatever you say, ma'am. Be happy to oblige, but right now I think I'd better be going." It was one thing to encourage Sara and another to push her husband into violence! He beat a swift retreat.

  Over the rim of his tin cup, Yancy watched him mount one of the horses and ride off with several other vaqueros who were just leaving camp. He and Sara were alone for the moment, and glancing over at her, he growled, "I wouldn't encourage that relationship if I were you. Remember, he's already committing adultery with one woman! I doubt he'd have the stamina for two!"

  Sara took a deep, outraged breath. Glaring at him, she snapped, "You are the most overbearing, arrogant.

  enraging person it has ever been my misfortune to meet!" Driven by temper, she added rashly, "You can't know how often I wish I had never laid eyes on you, much less married you! I sometimes wonder why I did marry you!*'

  Her words stung and he shot back, "You didn't have much choice, as I recall!" While he had spoken the literal truth, it was not the wisest thing to have said, and Yancy knew it the moment the words had left his mouth. Now was not the time to remind Sara of the way he had forced her into marriage. He cursed his unruly tongue, admitting that never would have been too soon to have brought up the less-than-gentlemanly manner in which he had compelled her to marry him!

  Her emerald gaze bright with temper, Sara drew herself up and said wrathfully, "Well, thank you very much for reminding me of that unpleasant fact! You know, I'd almost forgotten what an unscrupulous, insensitive beast you can be! I won't," she finished hotly, "make that mistake again!"