Apache-Colton Series

by Janis Reams Hudson

  “We’re sending Granville Oury as Arizona’s first delegate to the Confederate Congress.”

  “Now what happens?”

  “Now we wait and see how he’s received when he gets there.”

  “Oury. I’ve heard that name before. Do you think he’ll be able to do us any good?”

  “If anyone can do us some good, he can, I suppose. He’s been here for several years and knows our problems as well as anyone else. He’s smart and he’s honest. And he seems to understand the inner workings of government. He’s probably the best man for the job.”

  Travis stopped and stared at Dani. It suddenly dawned on him that he’d never had a serious discussion of this sort with a woman before. He’d never been around a female who even cared about such things, much less understood them. The more he was around Dani, the more he learned about her, the better he liked her. He’d never liked a woman before, except his mother and the women who worked on the Triple C.

  The thought of his employees reminded him that the political meeting wasn’t the only thing that happened in Tucson yesterday. “Damn,” he muttered.

  “What?” Dani asked.

  “We started talking about that meeting and I forgot the real reason I came looking for you just now. There’s someone in my study I want you to meet.”

  “Now? But…“ She looked down at herself and brushed at her skirt, trying to knock the dirt from the flower bed off.

  “You’re just fine the way you are. They won’t mind.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Just come with me and you’ll see.”

  With a shrug of her shoulders, she took the arm he offered, and they walked back into the coolness of the house. When they entered the study, he smiled at her surprise when she saw the old Mexican woman and the young girl waiting for them.

  Dani’s first reaction was pure reflex: her hand went up and touched the white streak where it began at her temple. The two strangers responded automatically by following her hand with their eyes, but their facial expressions did not change. They each wore a tentative, hopeful smile.

  “Dani,” Travis began. “This is Señora Rivera and her granddaughter, Lucinda. They’re both looking for work. I thought perhaps Tucker and Simon could use someone to look after them. What do you think?”

  “Oh, Travis,” she cried. “I think it’s a marvelous idea. I’ve been so worried about them, up there all alone with no one to take care of them and see they eat properly.”

  “I thought you might feel that way.” Travis smiled down at her. “Lucinda says she’s had some experience with babies, and has agreed to come back here in a couple of months to help you, if you wish. In the mean time, she’ll go with her grandmother. If you like, we can take them up this afternoon. That is, if you feel up to it, and if Rosita says it’s all right.”

  Dani gazed up at him with gratitude shining in her eyes. He forced his breathing to remain normal, but he thought if she didn’t stop looking at him like that he might startle everyone present with his actions.

  “I feel fine,” she declared. “I’d like to see Tucker and Simon, and there are still a few things I’d like to bring from there. Can we take the wagon?”

  “I thought we would. We can start right after we eat whatever it is I smelled when I passed the kitchen earlier.”

  “You’re right,” Dani answered. “We must feed them first. We wouldn’t want them to have to eat Tucker’s cooking their first day there, or they might leave.” She smiled warmly at the two new employees, and they smiled back shyly in return.

  After dinner, Travis, Daniella, Lucinda, and Señora Rivera climbed into the wagon for the trip. The two-hour ride went fast for Daniella.

  When they arrived at El Valle, Tucker reached up and lifted her to the ground. With a laughing hoot, he said, “You’ve put on a few inches, girlie.”

  “A gentleman is not supposed to notice,” Daniella scolded.

  “Gentleman! Huh.”

  “We brought you a surprise,” she informed him. “Señora Rivera and her granddaughter, Lucinda, are here to cook and clean for you, and to generally keep you and Simon out of trouble.”

  “Well, ain’t that a wonder. They surely are welcome, ain’t they, Simon?”

  The silent giant grinned and nodded. As far as Daniella knew, Simon hadn’t said another word since the night of the fiesta.

  “We’re both a little tired of my cookin’ already,” Tucker added with a laugh.

  Daniella showed Senora Rivera and Lucinda around the house and grounds, then she had her remaining belongings, including her spinning wheel, loom, and a good supply of wool, loaded into the back of the wagon.

  “You look good, girl,” Tucker told her when the two of them were alone. “They treatin’ you all right down there?”

  “Oh, yes.” Her eyes locked on Travis as he approached. She felt her heart swell. “Everyone is very good to me.”

  Travis reached her side. “It’s getting late,” he said. “Ready to go?”

  Daniella smiled. “Yes.” She was ready to go wherever he led.

  He helped her to the wagon seat, and after cheerful good-byes, he headed the wagon home. The trip was filled with easy, quiet talk and long, comfortable stretches of companionable silence. When Travis pulled to a halt before the ranch house, he helped Daniella down. She leaned heavily against him.

  “You’re tired,” he said. “We were gone too long. Why don’t you go rest for a while?”

  “Thank you for what you did today,” she said. “It was very thoughtful and kind of you to think of Tucker’s and Simon’s needs. I know they’re grateful, and so am I.” She stretched up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, then left him standing by the wagon with a wide grin on his face.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Juanita, would you please inform Dani we have guests, and ask her to join us?”

  “Sí, señor,” Juanita replied.

  Travis turned back to the two men in his study and poured them each another drink. Both men were about his age. One he’d known since childhood, the other was a stranger.

  Calvin Watson and Travis had played together as boys and had been best friends, then each drifted off to pursue his own dreams. Travis came West and became a rancher. Cal attended law school in Philadelphia, and then he, too, came West. He settled in Santa Fe and opened a law office.

  Cal was half a head shorter than Travis, and of a much lighter build, almost too thin in fact. His curly brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes gave him a carefree, boyish appearance.

  “My wife doesn’t know anything about these papers I asked you to prepare, Cal, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention the subject in her presence.”

  “She’s not in favor of the idea?” Cal asked in alarm. “You realize the papers aren’t valid unless she signs them willingly.” He rubbed the back of his neck as if it ached.

  “I understand that,” Travis replied, ignoring the questions in Cal’s eyes. “It’s just that the subject hasn’t come up yet. I’m hoping she’ll want this as much as I do, but if she doesn’t, well, it’s her decision.”

  Travis tried to shrug off the idea that Dani wouldn’t be pleased about this surprise he’d been planning for months. She surely would see it was the best thing for all concerned.

  He turned his attention to his other guest, not quite sure what to think of this man who called himself Tom Jeffords. Jeffords claimed to be a former captain in the U. S. Army, now operating a mail contract to and from Tucson and points east.

  Cal and Jeffords had met in Tucson and found out by accident that they were both headed for the same place—the Triple C.

  Cal’s excuse to Travis for coming to visit was that the mail was too unreliable, with Cochise shooting up everything that moved now that the Army was gone. He dismissed the danger of traveling by stagecoach along the Gila River, then south by horseback to Tucson, as so much nonsense. Travis figured at least part of the reason Cal was here was to get a look at the new Mrs. Colton.
Ever since Julia, Cal hadn’t trusted Travis’s judgment when it came to women.

  Besides, Travis had flatly stated for years that he’d never remarry. For Cal to get a letter from him stating he was marrying a woman who was already pregnant, with twins, and by another man, yet, was more than the lawyer could stand.

  Jeffords was also here because of the mail problem. His riders were being shot out of their saddles so often these days he claimed it was nearly impossible to find anyone willing to take on the job. And the reason was Cochise. Jeffords had it in his head that if someone just sat down and talked with Cochise, explaining that the mail and the riders who carried it were no threat to him, the problem could be resolved.

  To this end, he came to the Triple C looking for Woman of Magic. He’d been told she could lead him to Cochise.

  “What do you know about Woman of Magic, Jeffords?” Travis asked cautiously.

  “Not a whole helluva lot, really. Some Apaches who scouted for the Army just said she’s a white woman, and that the Apaches, the Chiricahua in particular, consider her big medicine. They say she’s got a streak of white in her hair, put there by their Great Spirit. That’s all I really know.”

  “Had any of those scouts ever seen her?” Travis was curious and concerned about the rumors about Dani.

  “Naw. They did say, though, that no Apache, be he Chiricahua, Mescalero, or whatever, would dare harm her. Apparently all their medicine men have warned them she’s not to be touched. Knowing one or two medicine men myself, I figure if she’s that important, she must be at least ninety, and if she’s got all her teeth missing and a wart on the end of her nose, I won’t be a bit surprised.”

  Travis had just taken a sip of whiskey when Jeffords made that last comment. He choked on the mouthful of liquid and nearly spewed it all over his guests, but finally managed to swallow it.

  “You all right, Travis?” Cal gave his friend a sharp slap on the back to help clear his throat.

  “Fine. Fine,” Travis gasped. A wart!

  When he could breathe again, he sighed with relief. It was good to hear that Dani’s protection extended to the other Apache tribes.

  But, a wart?

  Guests? Guests! Daniella rushed to the bedroom to change clothes.

  Well, perhaps “rushed” was too strong a word. She huffed and puffed, and moved as fast as she could, and it felt like rushing.

  She stripped off her peasant garb and washed herself as best she could from the ever-present pitcher of cool water. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and groaned. She was out of breath, her cheeks were flushed, and her hair streamed down her back in windblown snarls.

  She slipped into one of the dresses she’d made recently, which buttoned up the front so she didn’t need help getting into it. It was a simple, long-sleeved, scoop-necked, pale yellow muslin, and had a high waist to accommodate her girth. She liked the way the color complimented her skin. She put on a pair of tan kid slippers, left over from her days in Boston, then frantically yanked a brush through her hair and tied the curls at her nape with a yellow ribbon. Another yellow ribbon encircled her throat, hiding the scar.

  Whoever these guests were, Daniella was pleased Travis had asked her to join him. This was the first time they’d had guests since she’d been here. She only wished she’d had time to make herself more presentable.

  When Daniella, still breathless from having hurried, stepped into the study, all three men rose to their feet immediately. Travis held out his hand to her with a warm smile, while the other two men stared with identical stunned expressions.

  “Gentlemen, my wife, Daniella,” Travis announced proudly. Daniella’s eyes sparkled with pleasure when she read the admiration and total approval on her husband’s face.

  Travis stepped forward and met her in the middle of the room, then placed an arm about her waist. She leaned into him slightly, and when she raised her face to his, he placed a brief, tender kiss on her lips. For a long moment, they lost themselves in each other’s eyes.

  Cal snapped out of his trance and thought, My Lord, she’s breathtaking! His eyes went from the white streak in her coal black hair, over her glowing face, sparkling eyes, pert, turned-up nose, soft pink lips curled up in an intimate smile, down her dainty chin and the slim white column of her delicate throat, across her ample breasts, to her huge, protruding abdomen. His mind raced. Pregnant when I met her…Woman of Magic…white streak…big medicine…pregnant when I met her…

  Whatever Travis Colton had gotten himself into this time, he certainly seemed to be enjoying it. Cal burned with curiosity and vowed to find out all he could about this new Mrs. Colton. Was she as grasping and deceitful as Julia had been? She didn’t look the type, but then, Julia had been beautiful, too.

  Travis tore his gaze away from Dani and caught Cal’s expression. He could almost hear the questions whirling in the lawyer’s head. Cal never could stand a mystery.

  “Dani, I’d like you to meet my oldest and closest friend, Cal Watson, from Santa Fe. Cal, this is Daniella.”

  That was twice since she’d entered the room that Travis had called her Daniella. It was the first time he’d called her that since before they were married. His arm came around her back and he gripped her shoulder firmly. It struck Daniella that both gestures, the use of her full name and the grip on her shoulder, were blatant attempts to demonstrate his possession of her. She stole a quick glance at him and bit back a smile. He was jealous!

  She extended her hand to Cal, and with a flourish, Cal bowed and placed a kiss just above her knuckles in the best of old world tradition.

  Daniella laughed gaily at his extravagant style. “Welcome to the Triple C, Mr. Watson. I’m delighted to meet a friend of Travis’s.”

  “Please, call me Cal. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Colton.”

  “Thank you. But if I’m to call you Cal, then you must call me Daniella.” She felt Travis relax when she used her full name. She smiled to herself.

  Travis turned her toward the other man in the room and introduced them to each other.

  “You’ve got a mean streak in you, Colton, letting me run off at the mouth that way, knowing what a fool I was making of myself.” Tom Jeffords shook Daniella’s hand in a firm, no-nonsense grip.

  Puzzled, she looked to Travis for an explanation.

  “Mr. Jeffords came here looking for Woman of Magic. He was under the impression that you were, uh, well, much older.”

  She knew by the smiles on their faces that there was more to it than that, but she let it go. “What can I do for you, Mr. Jeffords?” She sat down on the chair Travis had vacated. Travis stood behind her with his hands resting possessively on her shoulders.

  Cal and Jeffords resumed their seats, Cal leaning forward intently to catch every word.

  “Then you really are Woman of Magic?” Jeffords asked.

  “To some people, I am.” Surely if the man were here to scorn her, as others had, Travis wouldn’t have introduced him. She tried to relax.

  “Mrs. Colton,” Jeffords began. “I have a problem, and I’ve been told you might be able to help me with it. You see, I’ve contracted to carry the mail to Tucson over a couple of hundred miles of pretty rugged territory. For months now, my riders have been harassed by Cochise. Many of them have been killed. Now the way I see it, a man as powerful as Cochise must also be pretty smart. My men don’t carry any military dispatches, just civilian mail. What I’m hoping to do is explain this, in person, to Cochise, and try to convince him to let the mail carriers through. That’s where I need your help.”

  As Jeffords spoke, Daniella watched him carefully. He was a large, solid man, with a trim red beard and long auburn hair hanging down past his collar. But it was his eyes she searched. They were brown and keen, and they studied her carefully, even as she studied him. Her first, overall impression was that Jeffords was an honest, sincere man.

  “You want me to talk to Cochise about this? Is that why you’re here?”

  “Well, no
, ma’am. Truth is, I wanna talk with him myself, face to face. I just don’t know how to find him. All I want from you is some directions. I’m told you know where his stronghold is.”

  “I see,” she said slowly. “And if I give you these directions, how do I know you won’t lead the Army there to wipe him out?”

  “You don’t,” he answered bluntly. “But I’m not a complete fool, Mrs. Colton. I’d guess that it’d be near impossible to get within a day’s ride of Cochise without him knowin’ about it. He would definitely have the advantage, and he’d be able to wipe us out, probably without us ever even seeing him. I guess I’m asking you to trust me. I plan to go alone. I believe that’s my only chance of gettin’ to meet him.”

  Daniella thought hard. Should she trust this man, this stranger? If she did, and it was a trick, well, he was right—Cochise could definitely protect himself. And if it wasn’t a trick, if this man was sincere, it might be just what Cochise needed to see that Travis wasn’t the only white man he could trust. Cochise would certainly admire a man brave enough to enter the stronghold alone. If Jeffords made it in alive.

  “You put me in a difficult position, Mr. Jeffords. I think I trust you. But if I tell you how to find Cochise, and you should betray him, or harm him, I’d never forgive myself.”

  “You’re that close to him, then?” Jeffords asked intently.

  “He saved my life. That’s something I’ll never be able to repay him for. I would never willingly betray him.”

  Her candid answer obviously surprised him, but he seemed to recover quickly. “I understand your position, ma’am. All I can say is that I assure you, I’m going on my own, not as anyone’s messenger or representative, and all I want to do is talk with him. If you decide not to help me, I’ll just have to try some other way of locatin’ him.”

  Daniella didn’t know what to do. Her instincts told her this could be a good thing, both for Jeffords and Cochise. But the very fact that she was so willing to trust this stranger made her shy away from him. She needed time.