“I mean about the attacks,” Juan said.
“I don’t know how I can do anything until I figure out who’s behind them and what the person is trying to achieve. It would have been easier to understand if all the incidents had happened since I arrived, but the gazebo must have been weakened earlier.”
“Do you think that was planned?”
“Yes. Someone is out to cause trouble, but the sabotage seems to be aimed at the ranch rather than any one person.”
“Do you think they’re trying to drive you out?”
“Why? I’ve told everyone I’m going back to Texas.”
“With you in Texas and Miguel out of commission, Maria would be left in complete control.”
Rafe controlled the surge of anger. “Are you implying that Maria could have anything to do with these attacks?”
“No,” Juan hastened to say. “I was just thinking that Dolores might think she’d have a better chance of moving back with you and Miguel gone.”
Rafe could well believe Dolores would use her beauty to persuade some idealistic drunk she was a helpless female in need of his assistance, but he didn’t think she was capable of planning the attack on Miguel or of finding someone to execute it.
“Let’s get Miguel moved to the house. I need to talk to Broc.”
“He doesn’t strike me as a man who’s likely to miss much.” Rafe would have said that about himself until these attacks started. Now it was obvious he had missed something important. At the very least, he had failed to see something in its proper context. There had to be a thread that connected the attacks, that explained the reason for all of them, but he couldn’t see it. Nothing could explain the attack on Broc unless the killer had mistaken Broc for him. Still, what could the killer be trying to achieve? Even if Rafe were dead, the ranch would be managed by the lawyer and held in trust for Luis. No matter how he viewed what had happened, he couldn’t put all four of the attacks in the same frame. He had failed to see a clue, had missed some piece of information that would tie everything together. Maybe Maria would know.
“How is Miguel doing?” Rafe asked Maria.
“He was able to sit up to eat dinner.” Maria shook her head at the memory. “He would have eaten a better dinner if he hadn’t been worried about forcing you to do his work.”
Maria had tried to convince Miguel that Rafe enjoyed the work, was good at it, that he should have been doing it. After a lifetime of selfless service, no one, least of all Rafe, would begrudge Miguel the time to rest and recover.
“Did he try to convince you he was well enough to get out of bed?”
“Three times.”
They were in a room Maria had rarely entered—Rafe’s mother’s sitting room. Rafe preferred its sunny location and floral patterns to the heavy darkness of his father’s office. He had encouraged Maria to make it her office rather than use a cramped corner in her bedroom. Luis had gone to bed. With Dolores and Broc in Cíbola, she and Rafe were alone each evening. It was a situation Maria knew she should avoid, but she’d given up trying.
“Do your best to convince him to stay in bed for two or three more days.”
“I’ve done my best, but he insists he feels fine. He wants to be in the saddle tomorrow.”
“Tell him that’s impossible. I’ve given orders to everyone in that stable not to allow him near a horse. If he insists, they’re to call me immediately.”
Maria indulged in an inward sigh. Rafe had taken over management of the ranch as though he hadn’t been away for ten years. The job fit him so naturally, she couldn’t understand why he would ever want to return to Texas. Even if his sense of responsibility hadn’t made him want to stay, his obvious enjoyment of the work should have. Yet he was going back to Texas because there was nothing in California he wanted, nobody he liked enough to stay.
And that included her.
The knowledge hurt, yet she had no one but herself to blame. He’d never made a secret of his plans. Though he was affectionate to her, he’d never promised anything more than some shared kisses. In fact, he’d admitted his lack of experience made it difficult to know the exact nature of his feelings, to know if he could learn to trust again. She wouldn’t have minded the experimentation if she could have benefitted from it, but she didn’t like being used to benefit some unknown Texas female in the future.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked. “I ought to be sitting with Miguel.”
“Rosana and Margarita can do that.”
“Do you think they can take better care of him than I can?”
Rafe moved to the chair next to her, sat down, and took her hand in his. She wanted to pull back, to tell him to save his attentions for that woman in his future, but she couldn’t.
“There’s nobody on this ranch who can do anything better than you. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Maria’s heart suddenly beat faster. What was Rafe going to say? Surely it would be about his staying in California. A man didn’t say that kind of thing about a woman unless he was serious about her, did he? He wouldn’t be holding her hand if he didn’t want her to be part of his future. Nor would he be looking at her in a way that caused her heart to skip beats unless he felt about her the way she felt about him. She hadn’t expected him to change his mind about going back to Texas, but perhaps Miguel’s injury had caused him to rethink his decision. The ranch needed him. She didn’t like coming in second to the ranch, possibly even third behind Luis, but only a fool would allow pride to get in the way of happiness. She’d waited too long to make that mistake. She gave Rafe’s hand a squeeze. “What did you want to say?”
“Miguel would have been forced to retire soon even if he hadn’t been injured. There’s no one who knows this ranch better than you. No one I’d rather entrust it to. I want you to take over its management.”
Maria was unable to speak. She was pleased Rafe thought so much of her abilities that he’d entrust the future of the ranch to her, but that in no way compensated for the almost unbearable sense of disappointment she felt. Her hopes had been crushed. Her future looked too bleak to be endured.
“You’re probably trying to think of a way to tell me you can’t handle such a job, but I know you can. You’re the most capable woman I’ve ever met.”
Then why didn’t he love her? Was his love reserved for women like Dolores, women who were beautiful but incapable of taking care of themselves, much less anyone else? She couldn’t pretend to be helpless. She didn’t know how. Would that condemn her to spinsterhood for the rest of her life? It wasn’t fair, but she already knew life wasn’t fair. Not even to Dolores.
“Naturally you’ll want to hire help,” Rafe continued, “someone to do the kind of supervision you won’t have time for. You can hire as many people as you want.”
She had to stop sitting like a statue. She was sure her expression was so dazed, Rafe must be wondering if she was listening to anything he said. Maybe he was already regretting his decision. Maybe he would change his mind and let the lawyer make all the decisions.
“You don’t have to worry about taking on all of Miguel’s responsibilities at once,” Rafe assured her. “I’ll ease you into the job.”
“I can’t do that,” Maria said, finally managing to find her voice.
“It’ll take you a while to become familiar with everything, but in a month or two you should have everything under control.”
If she couldn’t control her heart, how could she tackle anything as vast and complex as this ranch? “That’s not what I meant,” she said. “I can do it. It would take more than a month or two, but I could learn.”
Rafe gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Of course you could.”
Maria snatched her hand from his grasp. “Stop talking to me like I’m a child. I’ve never considered taking on responsibility for the ranch, but I have no doubt I could handle it.”
“Then what’s the—?”
“Will you stop interrupting and let me
finish!” He’d interrupted only once, but she was in no condition to be fair. She was fighting to keep from bursting into tears. She longed to lock herself in her room and not come out until she’d cried out the heartache and disappointment that was choking her.
“I won’t speak again until you tell me what’s wrong.”
She wasn’t sure whether he was hurt, angry, or simply tolerating her mood, but she didn’t have the emotional energy to care right now. “I didn’t mean to raise my voice, but my nerves are on edge.”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
“If something like this can upset me so badly, perhaps I’m not the best person to take on Miguel’s responsibilities. Maybe you ought to put everything in the lawyer’s hands.”
He shook his head but didn’t speak.
“There are several reasons why I’m not the right person for this job. My lack of experience is an obvious one.”
He made no comment.
“Even if I could learn what to grow and when, how to balance produce against demand, and where to find the best markets, there’s a real question about how the men would react to being told what to do by a woman. That runs counter to Spanish culture. As far as I’ve been able to tell, it’s the same for Anglos.”
She waited for him to speak, but he didn’t.
“I don’t feel I can give proper attention to Luis’s education, manage the house, and oversee the running of the ranch at the same time. That’s a job for at least two people. Say something,” she said when he still didn’t speak.
“I understand your concerns, but I think you can do it all.”
“What if I don’t want to do it?” She had to calm down. She was beginning to sound hysterical. Though hysteria might convince him she wasn’t the right person to manage the ranch, it would also convince him she wasn’t the right person to fall in love with. “I’m flattered you think I can take on so much responsibility, but I don’t want it.”
“Why not? You would be in a position to make all of your own decisions.”
Why couldn’t Rafe understand that being in a position of absolute power wasn’t something she wanted? She didn’t want control over other people’s lives, especially not when she didn’t feel she had control over her own.
“What?”
“Rancho los Alamitos is your home and your inheritance. The obvious solution, the right solution, is for you to stay in California and step into your father’s shoes.”
Chapter Twenty-two
Rafe didn’t want to hear her solution. He didn’t even want to think about it. “You know I’m going back to Texas. I told you that from the beginning.”
“I know what you said, and I understand why you said it, but the situation has changed. If you hadn’t come back, all of us could have gone on as we were. Now that’s impossible.”
He hadn’t wanted to return. He’d resisted when Pilar had insisted it was his responsibility. He’d agreed only when it appeared Laveau was headed to California, and Cade and the others had asked him to follow the traitor. He owed it to the members of his troop, especially those who had died, to do everything he could to bring Laveau to justice.
“I didn’t come back to change anything here.”
“Maybe not, but you have. Now it’s your responsibility to make sure the changes are good ones.”
How could he possibly do anything good? He hadn’t forgiven his father or himself for being absent when his father died. Would he have come back if he had known? He’d been so filled with anger and bitterness it was hard to say.
“What are these changes?”
“The most important is Luis.”
“He has you. He doesn’t need me.”
“He needs a brother, someone to look up to, a man he can learn from, model himself after.”
“There are plenty of other men, better men to model himself after.”
“None of them is a brother he adores and thinks can do no wrong.”
“I’m only his half brother.” He knew he was quibbling, but he didn’t want to be drawn into a family relationship. That would lead to too many opportunities for hurt. Between the war and his family, he’d had enough hurt for a lifetime.
“That isn’t the only reason I think you should stay,” Maria said. “This is your home. You love this place, and the people love you.”
“They have Miguel.”
“He’s really no different from them; he is someone hired to do a job. You’re the owner, the one who has given them a home and a good life.”
“My father did that.”
“You’re an extension of your father.”
He rebelled at that thought yet was comforted by it. How was it possible to have two such opposite reactions to one man?
If Dolores had never entered his life, Rafe would have said his father was a man of integrity and concern for others, a faithful husband and a loving father, a successful businessman and a genuine humanitarian. He would have remembered only how much fun it was to work alongside his father, how happy and proud he was when his father praised him for doing a good job.
Yet one woman had changed all that and destroyed two lives in the process.
“You may not want to hear it,” Maria continued, “but you are your father’s son. That’s how people here think of you.”
He wasn’t sure how he felt about that revelation. Nothing could break the physical link between Rafe and his father, but had the emotional bond been severed? No. Weakened, yes. Nearly cut, but at least one thread remained.
“Even if you do go back to Texas, you can’t leave any time soon,” Maria said. “Miguel can’t get back in the saddle for weeks, maybe even longer. Someone has to oversee the day-to-day operation of the ranch. Even if I had agreed to accept your offer, someone would have had to teach me everything I needed to know about its management. That will take months.”
“I’ll stay until you feel you can handle everything by yourself,” Rafe said.
“I still think you ought to put the ranch in the hands of your lawyer.”
“He’d probably jump at the chance, but he would see it only as a job. I want someone who will see Rancho los Alamitos as a community of people, and running it as a commitment to Luis’s future. You would do that. You couldn’t do anything else.”
“Yes, but you would do it so much better.”
He wasn’t sure, but it looked as if he was going to have a chance to find out.
“I haven’t found a single piece of evidence to tie Laveau to the attempt to kill you,” Broc said to Rafe, disgust evident in his expression and his voice. “He doesn’t seem to care about anything but being seen with Dolores on his arm. He’s forgotten we’re here to bring him to justice.”
“He hasn’t forgotten,” Rafe said. “He just knows there’s not much we can do without getting into trouble ourselves.”
“How are we supposed to catch him? It looks like we’re wasting our time.” Broc suddenly grinned. “The only fun I’ve had is seeing Dolores’s expression when she catches sight of my face.”
Rafe had come into Cíbola on business. He and Broc were having lunch in a little restaurant away from the center of town. It was quiet and offered some privacy. It was Rafe’s intention to talk Broc into returning to the ranch. The attack on Miguel had convinced him Broc was wasting his time following Laveau.
“Have you heard anything else that might have some bearing on the attacks?” Rafe asked.
“Not really. There’s one man named Anderson who hates your father, but nobody pays him any attention. He’s drunk half the time.”
That could explain the ineffectiveness of the attacks, but not their randomness. Besides, his father was dead, and Rafe didn’t know anybody named Anderson. “This isn’t the work of some dissatisfied worker. It’s got to be somebody who thinks he has something to gain.”
“Something really big to risk murder. Something like your whole ranch.”
“Which is impossible. Even if they get rid of me, everything goes to Luis
.”
“What if they get rid of Luis?”
“Without a will, everything would go to the state.”
“So they’re not trying to get rid of Luis, only you.”
“Don’t forget Miguel, Maria, and you.”
“No one is likely to be killed by falling from a horse or having a gazebo collapse on them. Being in the ring with three bulls is different. Besides, the shooter probably mistook me for you. Why would anybody have a reason to shoot me? I’ve never been in California before.”
Rafe didn’t know, but an idea was beginning to form in the back of his mind. It was like watching a group of seemingly random facts orbiting around a central core he couldn’t see.
“I don’t know who’s doing this or why, but there has to be a reason. In the meantime, I want you to come back to the ranch. I’m tired of Luis asking when you’ll return. He misses your stories.”
Broc laughed. “You mean my tall tales, don’t you?”
“He misses you. I’m such a dull, sober stick I need your foolishness as a counterweight.”
“I never expected to hear you say you needed anybody, especially not someone like me.”
“Well, it is something of an embarrassment, but I can’t deny you’re more entertaining than I am.”
They finished their lunch and left the restaurant. “Are you enjoying running things again?” Broc asked.
“Yes,” Rafe admitted.
“Will you stay?”
“I’m trying to talk Maria into taking over, but she thinks I ought to stay.”
“Do you agree with her?”
“I don’t know.”
“You used to love this place,” Broc reminded him. “Maybe you can love it again.”
Maybe, but there were too many painful memories attached to Rancho los Alamitos. It was easier to go back to Texas than to tackle so many ghosts.
Rafe didn’t want to admit it, but he was happier than he’d thought he ever could be again. During the last two weeks he’d spent most of his days in the saddle reacquainting himself with every part of the ranch, with all the crops and projects that were under way, with all the people who made the whole operation run smoothly. He loved being in the saddle at dawn. He loved watching the gradual maturing of a field of corn or the birth of a new crop of calves. He enjoyed his relationship with the people who lived and worked on the ranch. It was a feeling that they were joined together to create something really special and make all their lives better.
Someone Like You (Night Riders) Page 24