Somewhere in the distance she heard Max’s yaps, but he sounded as if he were miles away. Her fingernails clawed into the dry, red earth beside her as a wave of pleasure swelled inside. She had to stop him now or she’d probably explode. Her fingers threaded into his damp hair.
“Antonio.”
He ignored her. She counted, only making it to four before the sky above her burst, raining down a white hot fire that consumed her. She shuddered involuntarily, then reached up to wipe away a lone tear that slipped from the corner of her eye. What the hell was that?
He moved up her body, sleek as a cat and held himself over her on balled fists. “Was that adequate? Did you find pleasure?” His tongue slipped out to taste his lips, and she shuddered at the eroticism of the gesture, then nodded. Reaching up, she pushed a lock of wet hair from his beautiful, tanned face to better gaze into his eyes. “Oh, yeah. I’m good. Real, real, real, real good. Why’d you do that?”
“Two of Sonny’s men wanted to trade their horses to me in exchange for you. I told them you belonged to me but they did not believe me. One Ear wants you for his wife. He doesn’t believe we’re lovers and has challenged me to a fight. A moment ago he was watching us over the ridge, but he’s since gone. I hope what he’s seen today has satisfied him and he’ll no longer be trouble.”
Halle shivered as he rested part his weight on her hip, then dipped to nuzzle her ear. They were so close she could feel his heartbeat against her own. She inclined the side of her neck to him, allowing him access. “Then what you’re telling me is that I have to marry you in order to remain safe?”
“That is only one reason.”
“Is there another?”
He kissed the hollow of her throat. “You need a man to take care of you.”
Under other circumstances she might have disagreed. But this time period was vastly different than the twenty first century. Men ruled the world and women were often treated no better than property. Those who were fortunate enough to nab a decent man were the luckiest women of all. “Are those the only reasons, Antonio?”
He ducked down to take one nipple into his mouth, obviously avoiding her question. For a man who had proposed marriage, he was certainly evasive. And he had said nothing about loving her. Pleasure mounted and once again she was lost in her overwhelming need to connect with him physically.
“I promise to never abuse you,” he murmured against her damp breast. “And I will not come to our marriage bed until you ask me to join you. But I want you, Halle. And we both know that someday soon you’ll take me inside your body whether or not we are married and that a child may come of it.”
Her need for him grew as he suckled. She did love him. Of that she was certain. But why couldn’t he say the words? Why couldn’t she? Possibly because she knew instinctively he didn’t feel the same way. Would she only be a convenient body to warm his bed at night? A woman to raise his motherless child and bear him more kids?
“How long will I be your wife?” Hot tears sprung into her eyes. “If I piss you off will you give me to another man?”
He stilled, raised his head slightly to look up at her. “The Navajo never give women away like property.”
“But you could have more than one wife if you choose?”
He hesitated. “Yes, I could, but I do not want another wife. I want you. Onlyyou.”
Easing away, he rose to his feet and began pulling on his pants. Halle realized she’d wounded his pride. She gathered her clothes and was about to dress when he hurriedly returned and yanked her to her feet. His hands seized her by the shoulders as his smoldering gaze perused her breasts, then her face.
“Most women would appreciate a marriage offer from a man of my standing.”
She gasped at his audacity. “What, is being an outlaw something to be proud of? She snorted a laugh. “You are so full of yourself, Antonio.”
“I have been accused of worse.” Releasing her, he backed away and snatched up his shirt. “Perhaps we will speak later when you are reasonable.”
“Oh, I’m not ever going to be ‘reasonable’ about this situation, so if you have something to say you’d better come back and say it now, mister.”
He paused and turned around, then threw out his hands. “I must be insane for even attempting a civil conversation with you.”
Halle grabbed her clothes. ”Know what I think?” She shimmied into the shirt. “I think from the beginning—from the moment we met— it’s only been sex you really wanted from me.”
“The day I found you unconscious and near death?” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Do you believe I am an animal who would take advantage of a woman in her infirmity?”
“You looked at me the way a man looks at a woman when he wants to sleep with her.”
He laughed harshly. “For one who claims to have no sexual experience you should talk.”
She started to speak, then snapped her mouth shut. Okay. He had a point. “But you kissed me.”
“You condemn me for finding you attractive?”
“You touched my breasts.”
He pursed his lips together and glanced down at the ground.
“And when you returned to Elena’s the other day—when you burst through the door and found me in her boudoir, wearing her gown—I saw the look in your eyes.”
His gaze lifted to meet hers. “I thought you were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. I could not believe it was truly you.”
She swallowed hard. Crap. Not the response she expected. A few moments of awkward silence stretched between them.
Finally, he took a step toward her. “I can only do so much to protect you. I am out numbered forty to one. I promise on my life that if you are my woman—my wife—no harm will come to you from these people.”
Halle’s knees buckled as the reality of what he was asking began to sink in. He wanted her to live with him and the Navajo, to cook and clean for him and possibly bear more children. Even if she did consent, what kind of life was he offering, that of a fugitive’s? She wanted to cry at the hopelessness of the situation. She loved him—the first guy she’d ever given her heart to—and it hurt so damned bad because it was all wrong. There was no future for them as a couple, only the here and now. Only sweet kisses and tender caresses in his arms. Would that be enough for how ever long they had together?
Perhaps it was all they’d ever have.
But before she said yes, she had to be certain of one thing in particular.
“If I agree to become your wife, do you promise to never to hand me over to Frank Cole—for any reason?”
”I promise.”
“How will you get money to buy food and guns?”
“I’m not certain, but somehow I will raise the money I need to aid my family. But if you will agree to live with me as my wife, I will take care of you.”
She was about to ask him if he’d give her more time to consider his proposal, but he snatched up his boots and walked away.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Antonio had mounted up and was preparing to leave when Halle caught up with him. He didn’t look at her or acknowledge her presence. Sonny had tethered his own horse to an ancient pinion tree and was stretched out on the rocks, leisurely whittling a piece of wood. The other men were gone.
Without speaking to her or his cousin, Antonio clucked to his horse and trotted away.
Fear seized her as a million questions hit her all at once. Where was he going? To join the men who’d ridden ahead? Would he return soon? Or at all? She looked to Sonny, who politely acknowledged her, then resumed whittling as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
“Antonio!” She ran after him. “Don’t leave! Come back!”
“Do not fear,” the other man called. “My cousin will return before the sun appears tomorrow.”
Halle’s jaw dropped. Sonny spoke English? A devious thought flitted through her mind. She’d pick his brain and find out exactly what Antonio and those men were up to.
“W
here did Antonio go, to raid or to get weapons?”
Sonny said nothing, confirming her suspicions Antonio was involved in illegal activities. She’d recently read in a newspaper that Union troops had moved into the Arizona territory to round up and remove the Navajo to a detention center in Bosque Redondo in the New Mexico Territory. The Mescalero Apaches were already there.
Because of their resistance, General James Carleton had ordered the slaughter of all Navajo males and the capture of Navajo women and children. She recalled from college history class about these people’s pursuit by the army, the Long Walk, and four years of forced incarceration. Thousands died, not only from the grueling trek hundreds of miles to the detention camps, but from starvation and disease. When the survivors were released four years later, it was only to a portion of their former homelands.
She had to warn Antonio of the impending danger, and the fate awaiting these people, but how? He’d never believe she’d come from the future. Sonny wouldn’t believe her story either.
“Tell me where Antonio’s gone,” she asked, not wanting to know the truth, but needing to. “Was it to Fort Dennison?”
Sonny stared, although she detected the answer in his eyes. Antonio had gone to raid a fort.
“You ask too many questions for a woman. Go tend the fire before it dies.” He set aside his knife and wood carving, then patted his belly. “I am starting to be hungry. You will cook tonight. Antonio says you cook well.”
Halle lifted a brow. Why, of all the nerve. Did this rude man expect her to wait on him? She was no servant. She was a seamstress-slash-hairstylist-slash secretary. Oh hell. Scratch that job title. She was fast becoming a nineteenth century gangster’s moll.
“I will rest while you gather more wood.” Sonny placed his hands behind his head and stretched out leisurely as if for a nap. “Antonio said you were hungry. The little dog ...” He glanced at Max who sat at her feet. “We could eat him.”
Halle’s heart dipped. Was he serious? She scooped Max into her arms, just in case. “You stay away from my dog. If you harm one hair on his teeny little knot head, there will be hell to pay!”
The man shrugged disinterestedly as if her outburst hadn’t affected him in the least. “Not enough meat on your dog anyway. We will eat rats instead.”
Halle’s stomach lurched. Rats? She was hungrier than she’d ever been, but with God as her witness, she and Max would never resort to eating rats. She lifted her chin a notch. “I am not your servant, Mr. Sonny, and I draw the line at eating vermin.” Her stomach did another dip at the image in her mind of this man feasting on crispy, spit-roasted rodents.
A few minutes later after her stomach settled, she said, “If you want rats for dinner, be my guest, but you’ll cook them. My dog and I on will wait for real food.”
He shrugged. “If that is your wish, I will not catch any for you.”
“Oh, believe me, it’s definitely my wish.”
“There will be nothing for you to eat.”
She scratched Max’s muzzle. “No problem.”
A faint smile quirked the corners of his mouth. “Perhaps it is Antonio you are hungry for instead?”
Halle’s face warmed at the idea that Sonny might have spied them at the pool earlier. How much had Antonio told him about their relationship? “Where I come from a real gentleman would never say such an improper thing to a lady.” Of course, that wasn’t true. At Elena’s Gentleman’s Parlor men were pretty specific about what they wanted. Nothing had changed in the twenty first century either.
Sonny looked her up and down. “And where you come from—” He gestured to her clothes, “a lady wears nothing but a man’s shirt? Your legs are bare. My people would find this improper. Would yours not find this improper as well?”
Oh, this man was as infuriating as his cousin! “I lost my clothes. They were bloody after a fall. Antonio burned them so wild animals wouldn’t eat me for dinner. His shirt is all I had to wear. Do you honestly believe I would traipse about in nothing more than a man’s shirt if given a choice? Exactly what kind of woman do you take me for, mister?”
A smile tipped the corner of his mouth. “I like being called Mister. You may call me that.”
“Oh, I’d rather call you something else.”
Sonny quirked a brow in apparent understanding. “You are a woman who burns with the same fire as my cousin. You are a good match. I believe this is why he wants you for his own.”
Her heart did a pit a pat at the idea Antonio wanted her—that the marriage hadn’t entirely been Sonny’s idea. Had she misunderstood his intentions?
“Did Antonio tell you that he wanted me? What else did he say?”
Sonny frowned. “I have said too much.” He bent down and dipped his fingers into the gray ashes, then began to mark his face.
Hallie eyed him curiously. “You got a hot date tonight or something?”
He paused.
“I mean, you’re getting all prettied up for some occasion. I thought you might have a lady friend stashed behind a boulder somewhere.”
“It is growing dark. The ashes are for protection.” He pushed up from the ground and dusted his hands on the front of his pants. “I will hunt now.” Taking his rifle in hand, he paused before setting off. “Keep the fire going while I am gone and do not wander. I saw a female cougar earlier over on the rise. She might be looking for a kill.”
“You aren’t afraid I’ll run away?”
“You are not a foolish woman.”
The moment Antonio’s cousin left, Halle quickly went about the task of gathering more wood and scrub brush for the fire. There was no way in hell she or Max were becoming cat food. He was gone a short time and returned with two small animals, already skinned. Her heart slammed in her chest. No, that wasn’t…or was it? She eyed the sickening, pink fleshed creatures and wallowed hard as her stomach lurched. Prairie dogs? On second thoughts, maybe they were ground squirrels. While the fleshy carcasses of questionable origin roasted on a crudely-made spit, Sonny sat nearby, whittling another figurine. The first had been some type of bird.
“Is that one a horse?” she inquired.
Sonny nodded.
Halle eyed the man intently while he carved meticulously on a small piece of wood. His craftsmanship was quite impressive.
She piped up, hoping to start a conversation. “I’m an artist, too.”
“What do you carve?
“Well…I don’t exactly carve, but I work with paints and clays and…sometimes I design and sew clothes.”
He was silent, apparently unimpressed.
Wrapping Antonio’s blanket around her shoulders, she snuggled Max close and stroked his muzzle until he fell sound asleep.
Time dragged on and night closed in early. Waiting for Antonio became miserable hell. A disturbing thought crossed her mind. What if he never returned? What if he was killed or captured by soldiers? The stark realization crashed down upon her. She must be in love with him. Why else would she care this much?
Her mind reeled with a hundred excuses why she couldn’t—no, shouldn’t—love him and in particular, why they couldn’t marry. There was no hope for a future together. He was an outlaw who’d stand trial for his crimes against the government when caught. And she’d no doubt soldiers would eventually track them down. Antonio would be executed along with Son of the Old Ways—Sonny—and all those men and young boys she’d seen earlier.
Pain squeezed at her chest at the thought of Antonio dying. She tried not to give in to tears, but emotion overtook her. Quietly, she wept, mourning Antonio as if he were already gone. Her muffled sobs must have attracted Sonny’s attention. Twice he’d ventured over to check on her. Both times she pretended to be asleep, although Max growled at his approach and once had sprung from beneath the covers, snarling.
As she drifted to sleep, her last thoughts were of Antonio. They were at the pool again, making love.
* * * * *
The horse’s hooves tore at the dirt, sending a
swirling cloud of red dust trailing into the air. Antonio spurred his mount on, leaving the drunken, reveling group of young men straggling far behind. After leading them to the caves for the hidden crates of five-shot revolvers yesterday, they had ridden to Fort Dennison to raid the corrals and storage building before sunrise. Their attack had been successful, but not without incident. Two of Sonny’s men had been shot.
The night before, several of the younger men reclaimed a few Navajo sheep seized a month before by soldiers. They’d headed back north to the hidden Dine’ camps where his uncle, Chief Manuelito remained in hiding. One boy, barely fourteen, boasted that he had stolen the Colonel’s favorite horse.
Antonio headed in the direction of a fiery setting sun with thoughts of seeing Halle. He recalled their last moments by the pool. The silky smoothness of her skin beneath his roughened hands. The sweet innocent taste of her body. He had left in a rush, frustrated that he could not make her understand his only concern was for her safety. Marriage was the only suitable alternative under their circumstances. His family, particularly his maternal aunt would disapprove of their simply cohabitating without the formality of a marriage ceremony. Perhaps he might broach the subject again tonight.
It was long past nightfall when Antonio arrived back at Sonny’s camp. He found Halle sleeping soundly near a bright, hissing fire while Sonny kept watch.
“You are weary.” Sonny came to assist. “Rest, cousin. I made food.”
Antonio shook his head, then handed the reins over to Sonny. “I am too exhausted to eat. Two of our men died. Those who have rounded up livestock have returned to Dinetah. Others will arrive shortly with a few army horses, but I should warn you, some of the young men stole liquor.”
Sonny grimaced. “The fools will be sick as dogs. They will act crazy and be loud. The camp will reek of their stench.”
Ride The Wild Wind (Time Travel Historical Romance) Page 20