“Spirits get broken out here.”
Bart shook his head again, exhaling loudly. Gabe had never been one to change his mind once it was made up and it was unlikely he would start now—Tess Kinley or no Tess Kinley.
“Are you figuring on staying a while then?” Gabe asked.
“I reckon, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh hell, Bart, this is your home, too, you know,” Gabe said. “Although I was kind of hoping she’d have some company on her trip back to the city.”
Tess appeared in the doorway at that moment, looking more defiant than ever.
“Gabriel,” she said steadily, “I’ve told you before—I am not leaving.”
“Gabriel?” Bart choked. “You let her call you Gabriel?”
“That is his name, isn’t it?” Tess huffed, thrusting the money toward him.
“Well, yeah, a’ course it is, but howlin’ Leonard, I ain’t never heard no one call him that—not even Mama.”
“I don’t see why not,” Tess snipped. “It’s a fine name for a man—especially him.”
Bart’s eyes widened with laughter as he stared from Gabe to Tess and back again. Gabe knew he should be bothered by it, but God help him, he liked hearing her say his name—he couldn’t help himself. Still, he had a point to make. . . .
“Yes,” he said pointedly at Bart, “she uses my full name, and, yes, Tess”—he turned back to face her—“you will leave.”
Tess tossed her head and moved to stand behind Bart. She closed her eyes and mumbled quietly before she spoke.
“Well, Gabriel, I don’t really think you have a say in the matter anymore.”
“What?” he bellowed. “You’re damn right I have a say in the matter—this is my house!”
“It’s also Bart’s. You just said so yourself.”
Gabe’s mouth fell open. “That doesn’t mean . . .”
“Yes,” she said, her voice gaining strength with each word. “It means everything. If Bart stays, so do I since, if we want to get picky about it, I do belong to him, don’t I?”
“What?” It was Bart who hollered this time. “Look here, woman, you don’t belong to me or anyone, and I don’t give a good God damn if you stay or not. I came out here for two reasons. The first bein’ to tell you your old friend Gribbs escaped and is probably gonna come lookin’ for you.”
“Who’s Gribbs?” she asked.
Bart repeated his explanation as quickly as possible and returned his attention to his food.
“Why on earth would he come for me?” Tess asked, eyes widening.
“’Cause I guess he figures you’re still his property and you got some sort of value to him.”
“But . . .”
“We’ll go talk to Sheriff Nicholls tomorrow and see if he’s heard anything about Gribbs.”
Tess pursed her lips, eyeing each brother in turn. Bart was as stubborn as his older brother, both of them sitting there as if they had the last word in this predicament. She’d show them.
“What was the second reason?” she asked with surprising calm.
“I got some unfinished business with my brother, and I mean to straighten it out once and for all.”
“So you will be staying here at El Cielo?”
“Yup.”
Tess’s brain picked up steam. “If Mr. Gribbs has escaped custody, wouldn’t I be safer here with the two of you than on a stage back to Butte by myself?”
Bart looked at Gabe expectantly. When Gabe made no attempt to answer, Bart’s brown eyes narrowed first at him, then at Tess.
“Look, Tess, if you got designs on stayin’ here, then you best work something out with my brother ’cause it ain’t got nothin’ to do with me no more.”
Gabe’s told-you-so grin made her want to slap both of them.
“Now don’t go and get yourself all in a lather, Tess,” he chortled in his best I-told-you-so way. “I’ll bring in the tub for you and you can have yourself one of those long baths you like so much while Bart and I go have a talk, how’s that?”
A warm bath versus slapping the condescending Calloway brothers. Tess weighed the choices and wisely opted for the former. Slapping them would not win her any ground, but at least with a bath she could relax and form a new strategy.
Gabe hauled in the huge metal tub while Bart filled the wood box and Tess busied herself with building up the fire and putting water on to heat. The two men closed the door behind them, and Tess watched from the window as they wandered to the corral and leaned over the fence. You’d never know to look at them that they were brothers unless you saw them walk. They both exhibited a self-assured confidence that to the unfamiliar onlooker seemed almost arrogant. The brothers did not merely walk, they moved with long, purposeful strides, their backs straight, heads high. Even at the corral, they both stood the same—their right feet resting on the lowest rail, their arms crossed over the top one, chins resting on their hands.
With a small sigh, she pulled the drapes closed and set about with her bath. She realized what a luxury this was, having two baths in less than three days. She relished every minute of it, climbing out only when the water had cooled almost to a chill.
Gabe and Bart stared silently out into the empty corral for long moments before Gabe spoke.
“How have you been?”
Bart shrugged. “All right I guess. Busy.”
Gabe nodded down toward the other man’s gun. “I reckon that there’s had a lot of use then, am I right?”
“Not as much as you’d think,” he answered. “I only use it when I have to.”
Another nod. “You plan on carrying it around with you while you’re here?”
Bart smirked. “Well now, that all depends. Am I going to have to defend Miss Kinley’s honor from my big bad brother?”
Gabe didn’t even pretend to smile. “I wish to hell she hadn’t come here, Bart.”
Bart’s smile faded. “That bad?”
Now Gabe did smile. “That good,” he corrected.
“You haven’t . . .”
“Hell no!” he bellowed, his smile belying the frown across his brow. “Not that I wouldn’t like to, mind you, but then I’d never get her outta here.”
Bart scratched his head. “I’m missin’ somethin’ here, Gabe. If you love her that much, why the hell would you want her to leave?”
Gabe backed away from his perch. “I never said I loved her.”
“Yeah, right.” Bart looked as though he was going to argue the point further, but thought better of it. “Whatever you say. Either way, why’re you so fired up that she leave? A body’s just gotta see the way she looks at you to know what’s on her mind.”
Gabe looked questioningly at his brother.
“You—you stupid ass! God only knows why, but she’s got it bad for you, brother. Hell, even I can see that an’ I’ve just got here.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m sure she’ll get over it.”
“I don’t think you’re givin’ her enough credit, Gabe. I say let her stay—if for no other reason than Rosa could probably use some help ’round here, couldn’t she?”
“Women—ladies—don’t belong out here, Bart, you know that. Look what happened to Mama.”
“Jesus Christ, Gabe, that was twenty-five years ago. It’s not like it used to be out here. Hell, there’s even talk of the railway goin’ through in the next couple years.”
Gabe shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Women like her belong with their own kind, not out here slopping pigs and cleaning chicken shit out of coops day after day.”
Bart eyed his brother carefully. When he spoke, his voice was low. “She’s not Catarina, Gabe.”
“I know that!” he bellowed again. “I never said she was—hell, I wouldn’t want her to be. But the fact remains, she’s Boston high society, not Porter Creek pig slop!”
“Catarina stayed because she thought the Calloway money would be enough for her. She left because it wasn’t. She wanted to live in the city; live high, have fr
illy dresses and silky underthings. Tess obviously don’t want that. She wants to be here—with you for some crazy reason. And if you think I’m even gonna think about askin’ her why, you’re sadly mistaken. Holy-oh-hell, I get a headache just thinkin’ ’bout how long it would take her to answer me.”
Gabe smiled toward the house. Bart was right, Tess was nothing like Catarina. Nothing at all. She was sexy, smart, funny, and knew exactly what she wanted. Catarina was a looker, there was no doubt about that, but the only thing she knew was that she wanted a rich man and it didn’t matter if she loved him or not. Money would buy her all the things she needed to be happy. Tess left her money behind to follow a dream she wanted more than anything else in the world. And for some godforsaken reason, that included Gabe Calloway.
Chapter 11
Gabe shook his head sadly. “She can’t stay,” he repeated more to himself than to Bart. “It’s not the place for someone like her.”
“Gabe . . .” Bart began.
“Let’s talk about something else.” Not talking about Tess was one thing, not thinking about her was another.
The sun dipped lower beyond the horizon, em-blazing its crimson afterglow across the sky. Gabe couldn’t help but wonder if Tess could see it. She would stare in wonder until the very last speck of color disappeared out of sight—you’d think she’d never seen a sunset before. Gabe longed to call her outside, to share the moment, but he forced himself to stay rooted to his spot.
Bart cleared his throat loudly, intruding on Gabe’s thoughts.
“I got me somethin’ to say then, Gabe, and I’d be obliged if you’d let me get it out.”
Gabe nodded.
“I’ve come to the reasonin’ that maybe after Mama died I wasn’t the easiest kid in the world to deal with. I did some mighty fool things in my day and never thought ’bout the whys or the wherefores. I just done ’em.”
He stopped, inhaling deeply before he continued.
“You and Miguel had this place runnin’ like a fresh greased wheel, and I was always just ‘the other Calloway kid,’ Rosa’s little helper.” He held up his hand when Gabe started to interrupt. “Now I ain’t blamin’ you, I know now you were doin’ what you needed to do to keep this place runnin’ and now that I ain’t such a gawkarse, I surely do appreciate it. You had to make a lot of hard decisions and even harder sacrifices for the sake of this damned ranch, and I sure as hell wouldn’t change places with you for all the tea in China.”
He pushed back his hat and scratched his chin.
“The thing is, Gabe, I ain’t the same saphead I used to be. I’ve had time to look back on how things were and why they were that way. Guess I spent a lot of years bein’ pissed ’cuz I never felt like I was part of this place. It was yours. And Miguel’s. But now I know, we’re just different, you and me. Even if I’d a been you, I still don’t think I’d a taken on this place the way you have. It never interested me the way it did you. But even so . . . I want you to know . . . I’m sorry for the trouble I caused. I know it weren’t always easy having to chase after me and fix the messes I got myself into, and I’m sorry.”
Bart’s voice wavered as he trailed off, forcing him to cough over it.
“Oh, hell,” Gabe said, exhaling loudly. “It ain’t all your fault. I was so hardheaded and set on proving to Miguel and the rest of this damn fool town I wasn’t like the old man, I guess I never gave you a chance to prove yourself. It always seemed faster to do it myself than to try and explain how or what needed doing. I guess I figured you’d rather run around and have fun than hang out here and castrate bulls.” He paused, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Truth be told, some of the shit you pulled made me wish I could be more like you.”
The brothers shared a couple of lopsided grins.
“You’ll stay for a while then?” Gabe asked again.
“I reckon.” Bart nodded with a wry smile. “Like I said, Rosa could probably use some help around here, and if you’re bent on sendin’ Tess on her way . . .” He shot Gabe a grin, then added, “I best get my tail over to Rosa’s right now or I’ll be in for a whoopin’ an’ a half tomorrow.”
Gabe laughed as he watched Bart head off toward the cottage. Rosa would be thrilled—her prodigal son had returned.
“We’re bunking with Zeus,” he yelled after him. Bart waved his acknowledgment and pushed his way through the gate that led to Rosa and Miguel’s house.
Gabe was still chuckling as he made his way to the barn; Zeus and the rest of the horses would be looking for their food and water. He tended to his animals, taking time to speak softly to each one and give them a good rubdown before leaving them to the stillness of the evening.
He needed a good strong cup of coffee if he had any hope of getting through the ledgers tonight. The kitchen curtains remained closed, but surely Tess had finished her bath by now! He knocked softly on the door and when there was no answer, he banged louder.
“Tess?”
No answer. He took a deep, shaky breath and pushed the door open slightly.
“Tess?” he called again. No answer. He stepped inside and cast a quick glance through the room. The metal tub sat vacant in the middle of the kitchen—the only reminder Tess had been there moments before. Regret and relief both flooded through Gabe in waves—regret he’d missed seeing her, and relief he’d avoided the inevitable struggle between his passion and his probity.
While he waited for the coffee to boil, he set about emptying the huge tub and returned it to its corner in the pantry. Tess descended the stairs as though walking on a cloud, her nose sniffing the air eagerly.
“Coffee?” She smiled. “Wonderful idea.”
Gabe stared speechless for a moment. Once again she was covered in his old red flannel shirt and Rosa’s pink wrapper, her hair in a tousle of tangles around her shoulders. Any other woman, Gabe was certain, would have been well aware of the effect she had on a man, but Tess didn’t have the first clue what she did to him.
“Tess,” he began, clearing his throat past the sudden hoarseness. “Don’t you think you should put something else on?”
She looked blank for a moment, then looked down at the wrapper.
“What’s wrong with this?” she asked. “I’m fully covered, Gabriel. I have your shirt on underneath.”
“Yes, I know,” he seethed through gritted teeth.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you want me to take it off? It’s just that I don’t have anything else to wear except my two dresses and—”
“No!” he bellowed straining against his contradictory libido. “I don’t want you to take it off. It’s not proper, is all.”
“Oh, Gabriel.” She smiled warmly. “You are so sweet—always thinking of my virtue.”
“Yeah,” he grunted. “Well, someone has to.”
She laughed lightly. Her roughened hands brushed his as she reached for her cup of coffee.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her eyes widening with their true innocence. The mere whisper of his touch sent fire raging through her—to places she had never even considered before. His gaze bore right through her, piercing her soul with the torment she saw there. Tess’s heart constricted in a painful knot.
She knew, without having any experience to call on, it would be so very easy to seduce him, to have him touch her the way she wanted him to. But she also knew he would grow to resent her for letting that happen. It would be tantamount to trapping him into a marriage and a life he had made clear to her he did not want. Despite her dreams, despite the heartache it would cause her to give it up, she simply could not do that to him, no matter how much she wanted to.
Tess pulled her gaze away and stepped back.
“Perhaps I’ll get a blanket to wrap around myself,” she said softly. “I was going to take my coffee out on the porch while I try to fight my way through these tangles. Would you like to join me?”
“I have work to do,” he muttered.
“Can I help?”
“No,
I don’t . . . oh, hell,” he growled, raking his hand through his own tousled hair. “The biggest help you could be to me is to go sit outside and stay out of my way.”
Tess bit her lip, swallowed hard, and nodded. She heard Gabe curse as she retrieved the blue and white crocheted blanket from the sofa and pushed past him out the door. She would not cry. She would not. He would probably expect her to—and God knew she wanted to—but she would not do it. Tears were for the weak and the frail—and she needed to prove she was strong and able-bodied.
She wrapped the thick blanket around her shoulders and sat, shivering, in the warm night air. This was not how she had imagined it would be. One minute Gabe was kissing her senseless and the next he was growling at her like a wild animal. Why couldn’t he love her back the way she believed he wanted to? It certainly seemed Gabe was as moved by their shared kiss as she had been, so what could possibly be wrong?
She pulled the comb through her hair slowly, deliberately, as she stared out at the corral, seeing nothing but Gabriel. She jumped when her eyes suddenly focused on Bart standing directly in front of her.
“Oh! You startled me.”
Bart smiled. “Looked like you were a thousand miles away, Miss Kinley.”
“No,” she answered honestly. “I was right here at El Cielo.”
Bart mounted the stairs and took up the rocker next to hers.
“He’s not an easy man to live with, Tess,” he said after awhile. “You might want to rethink things.”
“I’ve tried,” she said quietly. “I didn’t come here with the intention of falling in love with your brother, you have to know that. You made El Cielo seem just as its name implies—heaven on earth. My dream has always been to marry a man I loved—a man who loved me—to have a whole herd of children and to work together to build our life on a beautiful little ranch surrounded by cows, chickens, and sunsets like the one we had tonight.”
“Cattle.”
Tess frowned. “I beg your pardon?”
“They’re called cattle, not cows. Cows are the females in the herd; bulls are the males. Together they’re called cattle.”
“Cattle,” she repeated slowly.
Laura Drewry Page 9