Lily left him there to consider it. She knew perfectly well why Elizabeth's husband had hired someone to take over the Emporium. Her father was already well into his cups, and it was scarcely noon. What dowry her sisters had was wrapped up in the Emporium, and a drinking man could destroy it easily. She wouldn't begrudge Elizabeth saving what she could, but her sister could have been a little softer on their father's pride.
Lily didn't understand what made a man turn to drink when he knew what he was doing to himself and to his family. Whenever her father picked up a bottle, it was as if he were rejecting her. Every day put that much more distance between them. She would respect him as her father, but he couldn't influence her life any longer.
Juanita sent her a sidelong look when Lily entered the kitchen, but the contentment in Lily's expression was evident even beneath the frown over her father's behavior.
"No esta un monstruo?" she asked innocently as Lily checked the pots cooking over the fire.
Lily blushed and blamed the heat from the flames. "Cade is not a monster. He is a good man."
"There is no such thing, just different levels of evil. They are all of the devil."
That was quite a mouthful from Juanita. Lily put down her spoon and confronted the smaller woman. "I have been fortunate in the men I've known. My father drinks too much and makes my family unhappy, but he is not evil, nor is he a devil. He is a good father when he is not drinking. Jim was not a particularly brave man or a wise one, but he did his best to be fair. Did you ever see anything evil about him?"
Juanita shook her head. "But he desired land like other men desire women. He could have been."
"Desire is not evil. You desire children, don't you?"
Juanita looked uncomfortable and returned to kneading her bread rather than answer.
"I know you do. That desire isn't evil. Stealing a child might be evil, but desiring one isn't. Those men back in town desired you. That wouldn't have been evil if they'd come to court you and showed you respect. But they were drunk and wicked and they took what they wanted instead of earning it. That was evil, but it does not make them devils."
"You are wrong. There are devils. You just don't wish to know of them. Ask your husband sometime. He knows of devils."
Lily gave up. Juanita's beliefs were ingrained, and there was no chance of persuading her out of them. She doubted that Cade had any superstitions, but Indians were known for their strange beliefs. Perhaps he did.
But Juanita wouldn't leave the subject alone. That night when they gathered around the table for supper, she daringly spoke directly to Cade—unheard of for a woman who seldom said two words to any man and only then if coerced.
"You will tell her the devil exists." Juanita slammed a plate down in front of Cade as he took his seat.
Cade took the demand in stride. Reaching for a piece of bread, he broke it in half and without even inquiring as to the origin of the subject, answered, "I've seen him walk on two legs, yes."
Lily glared at him. "Shame on you. Don't encourage her nonsense. She will be feeding us ground cactus to prevent hexes if you don't watch out."
Cade raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction, then proceeded to slather his bread with the newly made butter. "No ground cactus for me, Juanita. Good is the best preventive against evil."
Lily threw up her hands in disgust and returned to cutting Serena's food into small pieces. Roy was the one who eagerly grasped the topic.
"Have you seen the devil, Cade? Granddad read me a story about the devil in the Bible."
"There are many sorts of devils, Roy. Your main concern is not to become one. It's very easy to do if you turn your eyes away from what is right."
That wasn't what an eight-year-old wanted to hear. He persisted. "How do you know a devil when you see one?"
"By his actions. He thrives on the pain and suffering he brings to those around him. Now eat your meal."
Roy chewed on his thoughts along with his food and soon returned to the subject that bothered him. "There was a man in town yesterday after you and Mama left. I heard some of the men call him a Spanish devil. I saw him kick a dog, but the lady he was with seemed to like him real well."
"That's just Ollie's friend from Bexar," Lily objected. "The men don't like him because he's Mexican, but he's been helping Bert Dixon with the boundary lines. There are a lot of Mexicans who are making claims to some of the lands west of here. Just because he's different doesn't make him a devil."
"A man who kicks dogs isn't a saint," Cade said drily. "What is his name?"
Lily frowned as she tried to remember. "He's not around often or for very long. Ralph or Bert mentioned his name once. Ricardo?"
Cade froze, then slowly lowered his knife to the table. "Ricardo? Short, distinguished-looking? Gray at his temples?"
Lily looked surprised. "I suppose. I only caught a glimpse of him once. Like I said, he's not here much."
Cade looked to the small woman hovering near the fire who refused to eat with them. "Juanita, he is the one?"
Hesitantly, Juanita nodded.
Cade picked up his knife again. "Juanita is right. Evil walks on two legs. Stay away from this man."
When he said nothing else, Lily wanted to kick him, but Roy had been distracted by the pie Juanita placed on the table, and she wasn't ready to expand upon the subject for his benefit.
Later, Lily was too flustered by her father's ribald comments to Cade as she prepared the children for bed to return to the subject of Ricardo and evil. Her father's suggestive words seemed to roll right off Cade's broad back as he put up a shelf Lily had requested beside the fireplace. But Lily's face felt like it was on fire when it was time for her to retire. She tried not to show it, but pregnancy made her sleepy, and there was never time to sneak a quick nap.
"I'll not keep Cade up too long," Ephraim called to her as Lily tried to slip out the door to the dogtrot. "I figure he'll pound a hole in that wall if he has to wait much longer."
She wished her father wouldn't drink. He was a much nicer, more understanding man when he didn't. But he had so isolated himself from the world by now that the bottle was his only companion. Trying to be understanding, Lily slipped into her room and hastily washed.
Cade entered before she was done. It would take a while before she grew used to this. Jim had always politely waited until she was nearly asleep. Cade evidently didn’t intend to give her time to wash. He was unfastening his shirt as he came across the room toward her.
He took the soap she dropped in the washbowl and scrubbed himself while he watched her. She had removed her gown and pulled her chemise to her waist, leaving her breasts uncovered to his gaze. Lily thought of hiding herself, but it was a ridiculous thought considering what they had done.
As if she did this every night of the week, Lily pushed her chemise off and bent to pick it up and put it away.
"Don't tempt me, Lily. If you want to get some sleep, put your nightgown on and get in bed where I can't see you. I'm about to bust my pants just looking at you right now."
Lily held the chemise to her breasts as she looked at him. Cade had soap lathered across his chest and under his arms, but she let her gaze fall to the fastenings of his trousers. He wasn't being facetious. He had changed into old denims, and she was quite certain they were about to give way beneath the strain of what he kept hidden behind those buttons.
Her gaze traveled back to his. "I'm ready when you are," she murmured.
Cade sighed in relief and grinned as she sashayed back to the bed, providing him a full view of her swaying hips and firm buttocks. He had been told by other women that he asked too much. For a lady like Lily he was fully prepared to grant concessions, particularly when she carried his child. He was thoroughly relieved to discover that she meant to ask for none.
So the question of good and evil and a Spaniard called Ricardo disappeared with the night.
* * *
Lily caught a glimpse of Cade entering the barn, and grimly, she thr
ew off her apron and hurried out of the house after him. She was sick and tired of being confined to the house for one reason or another, and this time she had a bone to pick with Mr. Cade de Suela, one she preferred to pick in private.
Cade was taking a harness down from the wall when she entered. He continued what he was doing as she approached. Despite what went on behind their bedroom doors, he wasn't the kind of man to show any emotion outside of them. He nodded as Lily placed her hands on her hips.
"I heard you've got the men plowing under the cotton field."
Since there wasn't any particular reply he could make to that, Cade waited.
"Did they collect the late crop? If we're not going to get the cattle to market we'll need the extra seed next year."
"We won't be growing cotton." Finding the weak place in the harness he had been checking, Cade pulled the rotten piece of leather off and threw it in a stack to be repaired. Lily's words seemed to roll off his broad back.
She tried to hold her temper. "Don't you think that's something we ought to discuss? Don't I have some right in this decision?"
"Cotton requires too much labor. I won't hire slaves." As if that was the last word on the subject, Cade turned toward the door.
Lily ran around in front of him and slammed the door closed. "And I won't let you run this place into bankruptcy. Cotton is our only cash crop besides cattle. How do you propose we stay alive if we don't sell either?"
"Corn." He could easily lift her away from the door and walk out, but he kept his hands to himself and waited for her to move aside.
"There's no market for corn!" Lily declared with exasperation.
"There will be if we grind it. We can sell it here and save the shipping. If we were closer to San Antonio, we could sell milk and butter. People in the city can't supply their own."
"You want to make us backwoods farmers! One bad year and we could be wiped out. Grow corn if you want, though Lord knows where you'll find a mill to grind it, but I want cotton in that field. Go plow your own if you want corn."
Cade simply waited.
Lily glared at him with mounting fury. She was virtually helpless in this debate. The men would take orders only from Cade. If she told them to do something, they would consult Cade first. Except for Jack and one or two of the others, the hands they now employed had all been hired by Cade. They had no difficulty accepting his taciturn authority. Her frustration escalated when he refused even to discuss her opinions.
"I mean it, Cade. You told me this is my land. I ought to have at least some say in how it is used."
"I won't have slaves. You cannot have cotton without slaves."
"We can hire Ralph's for one more year, just until we have a little cash ahead."
"No."
"Damn you, I wish I'd fired you when Ollie told me to." Defeated but refusing to admit it, Lily swung on her heel, threw open the door, and marched out toward the paddock.
Before Lily could reach the horses, Cade was behind her, catching her waist and holding her kicking to his side. Always aware of his greater strength, he spread his legs and braced himself so he could pull her up against his chest where neither of them could harm the other.
Lily's head jerked angrily, and her long braid swung from her shoulder and down her back as she glared at him, face to face.
"If you ride, you must take someone with you."
"Says who? You're not my boss. Put me down, Cade. I'm a grown woman. I can go anywhere I want."
"Jim was a grown man, and he lost his life out there alone. Promise me you will go nowhere without company."
"And if I don't?" Here was an area where she could defy him, and Lily faced him triumphantly. The fact that Cade held her so close his belt buckle pressed into her stomach did not go unnoticed, but she was too angry to react differently.
"I will have Abraham follow you around all day. If you want to pay one of the men to watch over you, then defy me in this."
And Abraham would do anything Cade told him. Wriggling, Lily escaped his grasp and spat, "I hate you," before retreating indignantly to the house.
The honeymoon was over. Cade watched her slam into the cabin, and then he returned to the barn to get the poncho he had left there. The rain could turn to snow before the day was over. February weather was like that.
Chapter 22
With Lily's last words still ringing in his ears, Cade maneuvered his gelding through the dense thicket of trees in the direction of his father's camp. Her words had torn through him as no other's could, and he knew the injury inflicted would be slow to heal. He wanted Lily's respect, not her hatred. He was accustomed to hatred. He had learned to live with it. But not from Lily. He wasn't certain what to expect from a wife, but he wanted it to be more than he'd received in the past. He knew he was running away from the problem, but he hoped he was running in the direction of a solution.
The horse practically knew the way, so Cade had more than enough time to ponder the argument. He had desired Lily from the instant he had seen her wearing those hip-hugging denims and sitting straight in the saddle staring down a group of men. At the time he had considered her unobtainable, but when he had found just how obtainable she could be, he had not hesitated, even knowing the difficulties. Now he had to start resolving them.
He had wanted Lily because she was a lady. But because she was a lady, he couldn't treat her as he would a whore like Maria. A whore's pleas could be ignored to a great extent because she was paid to do as he pleased. In this case, the tables were turned. Lily was giving to him. Granted, Cade knew his knowledge of the land and the men who worked it was as valuable as the land itself, but it was not a tangible possession, and mankind thought in terms of tangible possessions. So in Lily's eyes he ought to be doing as she pleased, not the other way around.
But now that he had a lady wife and a child on the way and lands behind him, he was in a position to do more than just survive. There was a debt owed him that he had given up for lost many years before. Lily had returned hope and the need for a future. It was time to call in that debt. Knowing Ricardo was in the territory gave him a better incentive. The white man's arrow in Jim Brown's back was becoming just a little clearer.
This time, however, Cade would take the offensive. He wouldn't wait until Ricardo had him cornered, and he had no choice but to kill or be killed. The timing was wrong, though. With the damned rebels holed up in the Alamo, begging Santa Anna to come after them, it wasn't a time to be on the roads, particularly in that direction. He would have to decide whether to act now or wait to see what spring brought.
His father greeted him without surprise. The older man's fringed buckskin shirt hid most of his scars and tattoos, but he didn't look any less fierce for that. His warlock had turned gray but was still worn knotted long and decorated as became his status. The women and children went off chattering on their own business as father and son sat beside the fire sharing a pipe. Cade accepted the stew he was given and waited for his father to grant permission to speak.
"When will the child come?"
That wasn't the opening he had been hoping for, but Cade answered obediently, "When the corn reaches its height." He shouldn't be surprised by his father's knowledge. El Caballo had taught all his sons well. The youngest two walked boldly through town when they wanted and hid in the grass when it suited them to do so. They were only part of his father's eyes and ears.
"It is past time you raised warriors of your own. You have chosen your woman well. She will bear you many sons."
Unlike your mother, the unspoken words said. Cade wasn't here to argue with his father. "She is strong," he agreed. "But I would not have her travel when she is great with child. Have you had word from Bexar?"
His father drew deeply on the pipe before answering. "The walls are being rebuilt." He gave his son a long look. "It is not good to return to that place. Your sons will grow strong here."
"My mother's lands belong to me," Cade replied simply.
That was a concept
his father could understand. Cade’s mother had brought no dowry in the way of horses or any other wealth to add to the consequence of her children. Land was not something that could be possessed as far as El Caballo was concerned, but Cade had grown up with a white man's ways. If that was the dowry his mother possessed, then it was up to him to claim it. His father nodded a reluctant understanding.
"Their army approaches," he warned. "The snow slows them. They are fools to travel when the days are short."
It was going to be a race against time. Cade stiffened at that knowledge, considering all the possibilities to extract the probable ones. It was a dangerous game he played. He didn't want to involve Lily or the children in it.
Accepting his father's offer of a bed in his lodge rather than seeking out the tepee he had shared with Lily only a week before, Cade retired alone with his thoughts. He had slept alone most of his life, but this past week had taught him how much more desirable it was to share a bed with a warm and willing woman. Even when he could not be with Lily, he desired her. Surely that need would disappear with time, but for now just his wish to know how she and the child fared became a pressing urge. If it were not the height of foolishness to ride through the darkness, he would return to Lily and the cabin tonight.
Cade set out at daybreak, but he hadn't gone far before he realized he was being followed. Suspecting the identity of his followers, he hid his grin. He needed to talk with those two.
He carried a rifle, but he used it only when he needed game. He reached for it now. The slight rustle of an evergreen branch ahead could have been a squirrel. A white man might never have noticed, but a red man would. The boy had a lot to learn.
When the slight figure leapt for his back, Cade was ready. Twisting, he caught the boy in one arm while wheeling his horse from the path and the other mischief maker's attack. He caught the boy in the stomach with the stock of his rifle, knocking him from his pony and onto the pine needles of the path. Leaping from his saddle with a mighty whoop, carrying the younger one with him, Cade straddled one half brother while holding the other one throttled at the neck with his arm.
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