Texas Passion

by Sara Orwig

  “Why? There’s no Elias Johnson.”

  “If we ask, it’ll look as if there is. If we ask, and then Dan Overton comes along quizzing people behind us, he’ll know we’re looking for Elias Johnson. If I had really had a husband who had come out here, he could have been killed on the way.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Lord, I feel as if I’ll have to run forever.”

  She patted his arm. “No, you won’t. Soon we’ll have our own place; it’ll be good. They say people out here don’t ask questions about a man’s past, because many of them have fled from things they don’t want known.”

  “All I know is fighting and raising cotton. Running a plantation with field hands to do all the work. This is going to be different, Rachel.”

  “It won’t be so different that we can’t do it. Look at all the grassland we’ve come across. They say you can fatten up cattle on it and take them north to market and sell them for a big profit. Pa, we heard in Fort Worth in the store that they’re paying up to sixteen cents a pound for beef up north.”

  Suddenly Eb’s eyes filled with tears as he looked at her. “You should be home letting a beau call on you, and Abigail should be, too. Josh should have lessons and a tutor.”

  “Pa, we can’t survive if we look back, and I won’t do it! I don’t need a beau. I have a family. And Abigail will meet some nice men. Mr. Overton said she would, that pretty women are scarce out here. And we can teach Josh and Lissa their lessons.”

  “Lord, I hope,” Eb said, wiping his eyes. She clamped her jaw closed, wanting to get Pa to safety, wanting to lead an ordinary life again. She thought of Dan Overton, remembering his strong arms around her, stirring feelings she had never experienced, making her long for things she knew she couldn’t have, a husband, her own home, her own little girl.

  They stopped to build a fire late in the afternoon and eat buffalo meat from the hunt. After eating and cleaning, they moved on, Dan going behind with a willow branch to smooth away tracks again. Hours later when it was dusk, they camped. As she sat in the darkness listening to Dan talk, she wondered if it was the last night she would get to sit and talk to him like this? Would he leave them tomorrow?

  She watched him, her eyes adjusted to the night, and she felt more drawn to him than ever, seeing a side to him that was different from anything she had ever known.

  They rose before dawn and were moving southeast long before the sun slanted over the horizon.

  As the sun climbed, they rode to the southeast and in early afternoon, Josh rode on the wagon seat beside her. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he stood up. “Look, Rachel! There it is. See the church!”

  Above treetops, she spotted a dark cross against the blue sky. San Antonio. They had crossed Louisiana and Texas, through ambush and attacks and they were almost to their destination.

  Dan looked over his shoulder. His gaze resting solemnly on her, and as she stared back, she had conflicting feelings about him. When they reached San Antonio she would tell him goodbye. The prospect hurt more than she would have ever thought possible. At the same time she was growing more concerned that he would arrest Pa. She had the rifle beneath the plank seat, ready to draw. Soon they would know if he was after Pa, because San Antonio would be the place to take Pa to the sheriff.

  Another quarter of an hour, and the trail emptied onto a dusty tree-lined street. Their wagon rolled into town along Calle de Las Flores past adobe houses.

  “We’re here!” Abigail shouted clapping her hands. “We’re in San Antonio!”

  Dan Overton wheeled his horse around, riding back to them, the reins in one hand, his other hand on his thigh, near his pistol.

  She picked up the rifle to place it on the seat. If he tried to take Pa, she would fight him.

  “We’re in town,” he said, riding alongside Pa who held the reins.

  “We’ll go to a hotel to freshen up. You’ve taken good care of us, Dan. I’ll get your room tonight,” Pa said.

  “Thank you, sir, that isn’t necessary,” he answered brusquely.

  “Rachel wants to ask about Elias’s place, so as soon as we find out where it is, we’ll move on. We’d like to have you meet Elias.”

  Rachel glanced at Eb, amazed because she knew how difficult it was for Pa to fabricate a lie. Her gaze shifted to Dan Overton’s impassive features. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking except in moments of passion when he made no effort to hide his feelings.

  “That’s mighty hospitable. I’d like to meet Mr. Johnson,” he said, glancing at her. She blushed, looking away. What kind of wife did he think she was, letting him fondle and kiss her?

  Dan rode beside the wagon, his thoughts in a turmoil. Now was the time to have it over and done. Arrest him! Dan ground his teeth together, wiping perspiration off his face. Send the family to a hotel. He wasn’t escorting all of them back to Mississippi. They could go to the coast, take a boat to New Orleans, and have a safe trip from New Orleans to Vicksburg.

  There was no Elias Johnson. Mary Benton was a virgin, as innocent as May flowers. Arrest him! Dan knotted his fist. He had never faced this problem before, never hated to do his job. He was quitting Pinkertons the instant he turned Eb Kearney over to the Mississippi authorities. He hurt inside for all of them. Eb Kearney was a good man.

  Dan glanced at Josh who smiled in return, and a sharp pain shot through Dan. Rachel was a flame, beautiful, hot, intense. Sweet and fiery in all her innocence, she was a woman devoted to her family, willing to sacrifice herself for them. He was going to hurt them all so badly, a deep unending hurt forever.

  Arrest him now, he thought savagely. Stop worrying and dreading it. Get it done!

  Dan thought about the reward on top of his regular payment. He had promised the money to his father. His parents were hanging on, trying to rebuild their lives from the ruin of war. This reward money would give them back some of the comfort and security they had lost.

  Dan yanked on the reins, turning the sorrel, looking at Eb who was driving the team. His hat was pushed to the back of his head, gray hairs showing in his brown hair. Josh sat between Rachel and Eb, making the moment even more hated. Dan dreaded seeing the betrayal and disappointment Josh would feel.

  Setting his jaw, knowing he had a job to do, Dan rode toward him. His hand slid to the grip of his revolver, and he looked at Rachel who watched him. One of her hands was on the wagon seat, and he wondered if he would have to take the rifle from her. Keep Eb between them, and she would have to surrender it.

  Arrest him now, take him to the alcalde, wire Pinkerton’s, and start back to Mississippi. The family could stay at the hotel, and he would tell the alcalde to watch out for them, or they could travel to Galveston, get a ship, and be home when he got there with Eb. Dan’s palms were sweaty, and he hurt inside. It will be done and over in minutes.

  As he rode up to the wagon, Lissa scrambled up on the seat. She held out her arms to him. “Mr. Overton!”

  Something inside him seemed to twist like a chain wrapping around his heart. Her big blue eyes sparkled while she gazed at him with expectation and trust.

  “Mr. Overton. I want to ride.” She waved her arms.

  “Dammit,” he whispered, suddenly reaching out and pulling her onto the horse in front of him. While her arms went around his neck, she squealed with pleasure. She was small and soft and smelled sweet. Josh laughed, looking at him with just as much trust, and Dan hurt all over. His gaze shifted to Rachel and he looked into eyes that held only questions. How much did she suspect? Or was she just wary of everyone?

  The moment passed. He couldn’t arrest Eb now while he was holding Lissa. He would do it later when the family was settled in the hotel.

  Should he just call Pinkertons and quit the agency, warn Eb Kearney, let his own father down? As swiftly as the question came, he rejected it. Peter Benton had broken the law and killed a man. Dan clamped his jaw closed and held Lissa in front of him as he turned his horse and rode ahead of the wagon.

  As h
e rode away, Rachel watched Dan, wondering at the look of anger in his eyes. She hadn’t mistaken it that Lissa caught him by surprise. For a moment he hadn’t wanted to take Lissa on his horse. The look of cold fury had been brief, but Rachel’s suspicions returned full force. What was driving him? What had angered him about Lissa? Who was Dan Overton, and why was he staying with them?

  She stopped puzzling over him as she gazed in wonder at San Antonio. More houses appeared; children played in the streets and flowers bloomed. With adobe houses and tall cottonwoods, San Antonio was different from home, but it looked beautiful.

  “Oh, Pa, please, let’s stay a few days,” Abby asked.

  He glanced at Rachel who shook her head. “Pa, we can’t.”

  “It’ll look worse if we don’t, Rachel,” he said solemnly. “If we weren’t running from the law and you were searching for a husband, you’d stay.”

  “I think every hour here is a risk.”

  “We need supplies. I want to buy cattle, talk to the land office. We have to find land, a place to settle. I want to buy livestock. We all need a hot bath. We need a hot meal.”

  “All right,” she answered reluctantly, knowing it was a mistake. “Let’s get all the errands and buying done as soon as we get to town,” she said, watching Dan, thinking they might have to leave in haste.

  “Pa, please, can’t we stay longer!” Abby cried. “I’d rather live in town.”

  “We do what your sister says,” he answered Abigail solemnly, and she became silent. The houses changed, now looking like home with wrought iron fences surrounding two-story ornate Victorian structures with fancy woodwork.

  “Oh, look at the size of San Antonio!” Abigail said.

  Rachel felt the same eagerness, momentarily forgetting danger as she looked at the wide street. They rode past the Main Plaza, turning on Dolorosa. Vendors stood behind tables at chili stands, their tempting wares sending a delectable aroma into the air. Men dressed in white trousers and shirts wore hats with brims as wide as washboards, and Rachel was dazzled by the sights and the smells she hadn’t known at home. Streets like Calle de Obraje and Soledad were exotic names.

  Fascinated by her surroundings, Rachel looked at the buildings made of adobe, some painted soft pastel shades. These weren’t the fancy shuttered houses of Mississippi, but sturdy, thick-walled, one-story buildings. The sounds of someone singing in Spanish came from the open door of a house. They crossed the green San Antonio River. Shimmering in the sunlight, cottonwoods grew along the banks and the shade was welcome. As she gazed around her, she didn’t notice a man seated on a bench in front of a cantina, his booted feet propped on the hitchrack. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the Kearney wagon as it rolled past.

  He stood up abruptly, tossing away a cigar with an awkward throw, his hand sliding to his bandaged wrist as he stared at the wagon. He turned, striding away rapidly down Alameda.

  Chapter 10

  Feeling a sudden buoyancy, Rachel looked at the new sights. With every block they passed her spirits rose because Pa was safe! They had made it to Texas and now he was safe. She felt like jumping in the air for joy.

  She thought about Lyman McKissick who said he was going to San Antonio. It would be better to look for a man named Elias Johnson even though he didn’t exist. That would be safer than letting people know their true situation of two unwed women, two children, and a man who had lost his nerve. From now on, they wouldn’t have Dan Overton’s protection. Let people think there was a husband in the area.

  She longed tell Dan Overton the truth before they parted, yet she couldn’t take the risk. Overriding all her thoughts was the fact that Pa was free. No one knew his identity. No one here cared. There was no bounty hunter or marshal after him.

  They turned a corner, and she saw a large two-story red brick hotel. As the wagon slowed and stopped in front of the hotel, Rachel stared at it. “It’s as grand as anything at home!”

  “Oh, Rachel, can’t we just live here in town?” Abigail said. “It looks marvelous.”

  Rachel felt a momentary longing, yet they were people of the land, cotton farmers, Pa a plantation owner. They weren’t city people. Even so, the town looked inviting, and she could understand Abigail’s desire.

  “No, we can’t. Hopefully, we won’t have to live far from here and we can come into town often.” She jumped down from the wagon and looked up at Abigail, feeling some of her worries lift momentarily. “And if we get rich, Abby, we can build a townhouse.”

  “I’ll be as old as Pa by then and a spinster like you!”

  “Oh, Abby!” Rachel said, hugging Abigail as she climbed down beside her. Rachel felt buoyant, too elated to be bothered by Abigail’s remarks. “Abby, we made it here all the way from Mississippi! We’ll be all right. I just know we will if we made it this far!”

  “You don’t know any such thing.”

  “San Antonio’s a beautiful city and full of things we’ve never seen. Let’s unpack the wagon and get settled and look around a little.”

  “I want to look around for days.”

  “Ready, girls?” Pa asked, carrying two satchels. He crossed to the hotel desk. Dan entered, carrying Lissa. When he set her down, she ran to Abigail who took her by the hand. Dan gazed solemnly at Rachel before he crossed the room to the desk. So he would stay here, too, and a glimmer of worry diminished her joy. Why was he still staying where they were?

  They checked into the hotel, Pa and Josh in one room while Abigail, Lissa, and Rachel had an adjoining room. Dan crossed the lobby to her. “I talked to Eb. He said you’ll ask around town for Elias. I’ll accompany you, Rachel. I can ask in saloons. Eb said he needs to get supplies and cattle, so he’ll be busy today.”

  “Thank you. I’d like to freshen up first.”

  Abigail looked up at him with sparkling eyes. “Is there a fiesta here? Can you take us, Dan?”

  “Abigail!”

  Dan smiled, amused by Abigail’s boldness, feeling another wrench inside. He had waited all this time to arrest Eb, what would one night hurt? Let Rachel and Abigail go to a party. There would be damned few in their future for a long time after he arrested Eb. With cynicism he knew he was prolonging the moments with Rachel, postponing a dreaded duty.

  “I’ll ask if there’s a fiesta. If there is, Abigail, I’d be happy to take your whole family. Fiestas are for families. There will be children as well as adults.”

  “You don’t need to take us to a fiesta,” Rachel said, as Abby crossed the hotel lobby to talk to Eb, Dan looked at her, his amusement vanishing. “You saw her. She’s had a long, hard trip. A few hours at a fiesta is well-earned by all of you. Just one night.”

  One more night with Rachel. He would dance with her, hold her in his arms.

  “Pa says we can go!” Abigail said, returning.

  She looked up at Dan, her eyes sparkling, her expectation as trusting as Lissa’s, and he drew a deep breath. When he arrested Eb, he would ruin all their lives. Let her have her party. A few more hours. His gaze shifted to Rachel who was watching him. She would hate him, and he wouldn’t blame her.

  “I’ll carry this trunk upstairs for you,” he said abruptly. He picked up a satchel Pa had carried inside, and they climbed the stairs.

  “You’re staying here, too,” Rachel said, wondering about him. When would he leave them? Where was he going from here?

  “Yes. At least tonight.” He carried the satchel into their room. “Thirty minutes from now, I’ll be in the lobby. Eb, we can all go to the fiesta tonight,” he said, leaving the room with Pa who closed the door behind them.

  As soon as they were alone, Abigail shrieked with joy, climbing up on the high four-poster mahogany bed. “A real bed! Isn’t this room beautiful! Rachel, this is wonderful.”

  “It is,” Rachel said, looking at the mahogany furniture, the marble-topped tables and fancy oil lamps. She crossed the room, stepping through open doors onto a balcony above a courtyard filled with exotic blossoms she hadn’t seen before.
“This is paradise,” she said softly, loving Texas, feeling a haven of safety after a long dangerous trek.

  “Rachel!” Abby’s cry was filled with agony and Rachel turned in alarm. Abby stood in front of a commode staring into an ormolu mirror. “Look at me!”

  “You look all right. You look as if you’ve been traveling. We all—”

  “I’m brown! My skin looks as if I’ve lived in the sun for my whole life! My skin isn’t pale any more!” she wailed.

  “All of us have been in the sun and in this country, there’s no way to avoid it. Before everyone bathes and leaves the hotel, I want to talk to all of you. Let’s go to Pa’s room.”

  As they gathered in Eb’s room, Rachel faced them. “We can look around town. Abby and I will ask about Elias Johnson and we’ll take Lissa with us. Josh you stay with Pa. Mr. Overton said he would go with us. We’ll meet back here late this afternoon.”

  “The hotel clerk told me where to go to see about cattle,” Eb said. “I’m going to need at least two men to work for me. I’ll be back by six or as soon as possible.”

  Picking up Lissa, Rachel and Abby went back to their room where a copper tub of hot water was waiting.

  Abby crossed the room to study herself in the mirror again. “I’ll never get a beau!”

  “Of course, you will. We might even buy some material to make you a new dress,” Rachel said, knowing that would be of great importance to Abby.

  Abigail spun around, her eyes sparkling. “You think so?”

  “We’ll see what we can find and what it costs.” Rachel began to undress Lissa, barely listening to Abby’s moaning about her skin. The days were gone when they led pampered lives and could avoid the sun. Dark skin wasn’t fashionable for young ladies, but Rachel suspected Abby wouldn’t look any different from others her age in Texas. When Rachel lifted Lissa into the tub, Lissa shrieked with delight, splashing her hands on the surface of the water. They bathed Lissa first, washing her hair, and then Abby bathed and finally Rachel stepped into the copper tub of warm water.