by Smith, Bobbi
Malo was hot and thirsty as he rode into Mesa Roja. Exhausted from his desperate flight to safety, he was only concerned with finding the nearest saloon and washing the dust from his parched throat with something stronger than the stale water he’d been drinking. Stopping at the livery, he dismounted and handed the reins over to the man who came out to meet him.
“What can I do for you, stranger?”
“Bed him down for the night and feed him extra,” Malo instructed curtly as he pulled his rifle from the scabbard and swung his saddlebags over his shoulder.
“Right. That’ll be twenty-five cents.”
Malo counted out the money. “Where’s the nearest place to get something to drink?”
“That’ll be Dolly’s, ’bout two blocks down.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” he told him curtly and headed toward the saloon.
Though he was tired, Malo was also filled with a great sense of relief. He’d made it! That first day after he’d spotted the Indians, he’d almost ridden his mount into the ground in his desperation to get away, but when he’d realized that they weren’t chasing him, he’d finally slowed his breakneck pace. The last few days crossing the desert had given him plenty of time to think and to plan, but for right now, all he wanted was a good bottle and a good night’s sleep.
It was late afternoon when Billy tied his horse in front of the hotel and hurried inside, anxious to collect the second half of his wages. The lobby was deserted, as usual, and he climbed the steps to Eve’s second floor room without hesitation and knocked on her door.
Eve opened the door promptly for she had seen him ride up and she was expecting him. “Billy, I’m so glad you’re back. Come in and tell me how it went. Did Mr. McCaine get the letter?”
Taking off his hat, he entered the room and waited as she shut the door behind them. “No, ma’am. He was gone. But I did leave the note with Miss Teran. She’s the housekeeper, and she said that she’d make sure he got it.”
“That was the right thing to do.” Hiding her disappointment, Eve asked, “Did this housekeeper say when she expected him to return?”
“No, ma’am. She said that there had been trouble and that he’d ridden out over a week ago and that she didn’t know when he’d be getting back.”
“Trouble? What kind of trouble?”
“She said something about Miss Jennie being kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped? But why? By whom?”
“She really didn’t say. Miss Teran just said she’d been taken by some outlaws and that Mr. McCaine had gone after her.”
“Outlaws? But how would they have gotten her?” Eve wondered out loud.
“I don’t know, Mrs. McCaine. That was all she told me.”
“Yes, well ...” Eve hurried to get him the money she owed him. “If you should hear any more about this, you let me know right away. All right, Billy?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’d be glad to.” He took the money excitedly and started for the door. “And thanks again, Mrs. McCaine.”
“You’re welcome,” Eve told him distantly, as she let him out of the room.
When he’d gone, she locked the door behind him and sank down on the bed to think. What was she going to do? Her funds were running dangerously low, and she knew what little money she had wouldn’t last for more than another week—If Mac didn’t get back before then. Refusing to worry about something before it actually happened, she dismissed the thought. Mac would be back and when he did show up, she was going to get everything she needed from him.
Since there was nothing more she could do right then, Eve decided to lie down and rest for a while, but as she stretched out on the lumpy bed, she thought of what Billy had just told her. Jennie had been kidnapped.
Getting up, Eve went to her trunk and rummaged through her belongings until she found what she was looking for: a small gold locket. Frowning, not having the remotest idea why she felt it was necessary, she opened it and stared down at the two young faces pictured there in the miniature portraits. Jake and Jennie. She felt little emotion as she gazed at their pictures, and she wondered idly why she’d ever bothered to save the charm. Snapping it shut, Eve put it away, but as she moved to sit back down on the bed, she couldn’t help wondering what her children looked like now. She had some idea of the coloring of the older two, but Carrie—She hadn’t seen her youngest since infancy. Shrugging it off as unimportant, she lay down again and closed her eyes.
Dolly’s saloon was reasonably quiet as Malo entered, and he stood silhouetted in the doorway for a long minute just to make sure that it was safe. Finally, when no one paid any particular attention to him, he ambled toward the bar.
“What’ll it be?” the barkeep asked gruffly.
“Tequila—a bottle,” Malo told him as he moved to the deserted end of the counter.
“Let’s see the color of your money.”
At any other time, he probably would have shown him the barrel of his gun, but today Malo was too tired to take insult. Flipping a coin on the counter, the bartender grunted his satisfaction that the man had means and set a glass and bottle in front of him.
“Name’s Ed. You’re new in town, aren’t ya?”
“Yep.”
“Stayin’ long?”
Malo eyed him coldly. “I don’t like nosy people, and it seems to me you must be about the nosiest person in these here parts.”
Ed shrugged indifferently, “Not nosy, just interested.”
“I don’t like interested people, either.”
“Right.” He turned to go, but Malo stopped him.
“I need a room. You rent ’em here?”
“Sure do. Seventy-five cents.”
“Here.” He shoved more money across the bar.
“Take your pick,” he said. “At the top of the stairs.”
“I’ll be needin’ a bath, too.”
“There’s a bathhouse right up the street.”
He nodded and, picking up the bottle of tequila and his gear, he started up the stairs.
Malo chose a room facing the front and, after stowing his saddlebags and rifle, he paused to take a deep drink of the burning liquor. There was nothing he wanted to do more than drink himself insensible tonight, but first he was going to have that bath. Making sure to lock the door behind him, he left his room a few minutes later, bottle in hand, heading, almost eagerly, to the bathhouse.
The sun was dipping low in the west as he headed back to the saloon, feeling much better for having bathed and shaved, and he finished off the whole bottle of tequila. At Dolly’s the evening was just getting into full swing. A fumble-fingered piano player was attempting to bang out a boisterous tune, and the ladies who plied their trade there had just begun to emerge from their rooms and came downstairs to greet the men.
Malo entered the saloon unnoticed and he was glad. The fewer people who knew he was around, the better. Sidling up to the bar, he ordered his usual from Ed, who served him this time without saying a word.
“It’s true, I tell you!” Silas Stratton was saying with emphasis to those gathered around him at the far end of the bar. “Billy rode out there today, and he heard it from Hildago herself.”
“But how could it have happened?”
“I don’t know any of the particulars,” he continued, feeling very important for having been the bearer of such exciting news. “All I know is that she told Billy that Jennie had been kidnapped and that Mac and some of his men had gone out to rescue her.”
A low growl of nervousness spread through the men. “Whoever it was must have been stupid! You just don’t mess with Mac McCaine or his family!”
As he listened to the men of the town, Malo realized bitterly that they were right. If Cazador hadn’t brought the damned McCaine girl along, he would have had his gold by now! The thought of Cazador struck a nerve with him, and had he not been certain that the Apache had already killed him, he would have been planning a way to get even with the double-crossing back-stabbing bastard!
&nbs
p; “I know. I wish I knew the whole story, but I guess we’ll just have to wait until they get back. Surely, Mac or Jake will fill us in,” Silas continued.
Malo was tempted to snort in derision and tell them that their precious McCaines wouldn’t be coming back; that the Indians had taken real good care of them. But he held his tongue. They’d find out soon enough.
“Why did Billy ride out to the M Circle C?” someone else questioned.
“Now, that’s strange, too,” the stage clerk told them in a confiding tone. “This lady arrived on the stage today, and she registered at the hotel as Mrs. Mac McCaine.”
“But Mac’s wife is dead!” one of the men pointed out, scoffing at the thought.
Silas looked indignant. “I’m only telling you what Sally Bates told me, and that’s how she registered—Mrs. Mac McCaine.” He paused to take a drink of his beer. “It’ll sure be interesting to find out what’s going on with the McCaines when they all get back”
The talk moved on then to other subjects, and Malo’s attention waned until he caught sight of one of the girls working her way across the room toward him. She was attractive enough, but when he thought of Lucia, his desire for a woman disappeared.
“Hello,” she said throatily, her eyes roaming over him knowingly. “Buy me a beer, big guy?”
At another time, Malo would have delighted in strangling her for he did not tolerate any remarks about his height, but tonight, in this town, he refrained.
“No.” His answer was cold and final as he turned his back on her.
“Your loss,” she said and, giving him a disgusted look, she wandered off in pursuit of more willing prey.
Malo drained his drink and then started upstairs, wanting only to get a good night’s sleep.
It was noon and Eve was bored. She had deliberately slept late that morning just so the day wouldn’t seem so long, but now that she’d breakfasted late, there was absolutely nothing to do. She wanted to scream. Even the men in the town were dull! There hadn’t been a handsome one among them, and she had been looking!
Frustrated and disgusted, she flopped down on the bed. What in the world was she going to do with herself until Mac showed up? A sudden idea occurred to her, and she got up quickly and headed downstairs to find Mrs. Bates.
“Mrs. Bates?” Eve called as she waited again at the front desk.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I was wondering if you could have the young boy, Billy, come up to see me, please? I have another job for him.”
“I’ll get him for you right away, Mrs. McCaine.”
“Thank you,” she said demurely and then went back upstairs to await the youth’s arrival.
She didn’t have long to wait for he arrived within ten minutes, eager to do her bidding.
“Mrs. Bates said that you needed me?” he asked when she’d opened the door.
“Yes, I was wondering if you could drive me out to the McCaine ranch today?”
“Sure! But I’ll have to rent a buckboard.”
“Fine, do you know how much it’ll be?”
“No, but we won’t have to pay ’til we get back anyway. I’ll be right back to pick you up.” And jamming his hat on his head, he raced toward the stables.
The ride to the M Circle C was as tedious as she’d remembered it to be, but when they crested a small rise and the ranch house came into view, Eve caught her breath.
“My, my,” she murmured, admiring the size and splendor of Mac’s home. “He certainly has done well for himself, hasn’t he?”
“Excuse me, ma’am? Did you say something?” Bill asked.
“Oh, no, nothing important. Listen, I don’t want to go all the way down to the ranch.”
He looked at her as if she were crazy. “You don’t?”
“No. Not if Mac’s not there.”
“But you’re family, aren’t you?” He was clearly confused.
“Yes, but I don’t want to impose until I’ve had a chance to renew my association with them. It’s been quite a few years since I saw them last,” she told him, wanting to quell his questions.
“Oh.”
“We can go on back now, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, sure, Mrs. McCaine, whatever you say.” And he efficiently turned the horses around and headed back toward town.
Later that afternoon, in the privacy of her room, Eve was glad that she’d taken the time to ride out to see the ranch. It had helped her to formulate a plan, and she now knew what she would do if Mac didn’t show up before her money ran out. A sly smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she tried to imagine the town’s reaction when she boldly ensconced herself as the lady of the manor, so to speak. Eve knew that Mac’s homecoming would be a delight if he found her comfortably settled in his house. For sure, Eve knew that she would have the upper hand in that situation. Glad that she now had something to look forward to, she settled in to maintain her dull vigil in town, almost hoping that he wouldn’t show up right away.
Malo sat in the back corner of the saloon with his feet propped up on a nearby chair and a half full bottle of liquor in his hand. Mesa Roja, he’d decided, was a very boring town. He’d been up and down the main street twice this morning, but aside from seeing a fancy-looking woman riding in a buckboard with a young boy, there had been little going on.
He sighed as he took another swig of the tequila. If he’d still had his men with him, he would have given serious consideration to raiding the McCaine ranch. But he knew that without some help to back him up, there was no point in trying to attack a good-sized spread like the M Circle C for there were, no doubt, many well-armed men around just for the purpose of defending against such assaults.
Malo knew he should probably be heading back to Mexico for it would be there that he would find men to ride with him, but he was in no particular rush as long as his money was holding out. Also, he found the thought of sticking around until the news came about the McCaines intriguing.
Settling back in his chair, Malo drained the rest of the liquor in long, hungry gulps and signaled the bartender for another bottle. Yes, he decided, he would just sit it out here in Mesa Roja for a while and take it easy. He thought of the woman who’d approached him last night and smiled. He was definitely feeling more mellow today, and maybe tonight he’d take her up on her unspoken offer. Yes, maybe he would.
Chapter Thirty
Her emotions in turmoil, Hildago stared down at the small portrait of Eve. It was now two days since the letter had arrived, and for those two days, Hildago had been miserable. Why had Eve McCaine come back after all these years? The question haunted her day and night. Hildago wanted to think that her reason was money, but a niggling doubt remained: Could there be something else?
When Hildago had come to work for Mac, she had thought him a widower. Sensing a great pain buried deep inside him, she had attributed it to having lost his beloved wife. Many times she had come upon him staring at the portrait of the lovely blond woman, an odd expression on his face.
In the beginning, Hildago never suspected that there was anything more to it, but once they’d become closer, Mac had finally told her the whole truth and she’d been shocked. How could Eve McCaine just up and leave her family? To this day, Hildago had never been able to understand. She had been glad when Mac had decided to keep the truth from the children, for she believed it was better that they think their mother dead than to know that she’d run off.
But now, Eve was back, and Hildago was worried about how Mac would handle it. Was there still a flicker of love buried beneath the hate he’d professed for her all these years? She shivered at the thought and turned away from Eve’s smiling picture.
“Hildago! Hildago! Senor Mac! He is coming!!”
At Benito’s excited call, Hildago rushed out onto the veranda to see Mac riding her way. Frightened when she saw that he was coming in alone, she ran desperately toward the main gate.
“Mac! Oh, Mac!” she cried. “Where are the others? Where is Jennie?”<
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Mac reined in quickly and swung out of the saddle to embrace her comfortingly. “We got her back,” he told her happily as he gazed down at her beloved face. “They’ll be along in a few minutes. I just rode ahead to have a few quiet minutes with you.”
“You are all right?” She looked him over anxiously.
“Hot and dirty, but fine.” He grinned and kissed her soundly. “I missed you.”
“And I missed you!” Hildago hugged him. “Everyone is all right then?”
Mac’s happiness faded as he related what had happened to Steve and the other ranch hand. “We had a run-in with the Apache. Steve was killed, Hildago, and another man.”
“I’m so sorry.” Her eyes saddened at the thought of two such brave men dying so prematurely.
Mac nodded. “We buried them in the mountains.”
“You’ve been in the mountains all this time?”
“Yes, the outlaws were after a gold mine, and we had to track them down up in the Superstitions.”
Hildago shivered at the thought. “Those mountains are dangerous.”
“Very,” he said before kissing her once again.
Then, after he gave his horse over to Benito, they started to walk toward the house.
“You must tell me everything!” she insisted.
“Well, we will have some company staying with us for a while,” he began.
“Company? Who? Todd?”
“Yes, I’m sure Todd will be staying.” He paused for effect. “At least until the wedding.”
“Wedding? Jennie finally agreed to marry him?”
“Jennie did finally agree to get married—but not to Todd,” he said to tease her.