“You went back east to your mother’s people, right?”
“Yes.”
“After you left for West Point, there was trouble and Lone Eagle feared for my safety. With Broken Horse’s help, Lone Eagle put me on a stage back east.” Celia laughed thinly. “Though she paid for my ticket, my grandmother wasn’t happy to see me. Then the members of Charleston society weren’t exactly pleased to share in my company either. So rather than turn out her only granddaughter to the streets which would’ve been a scandal in itself, she sent me to finishing school.” Celia paused a long moment as she watched the flames dance in the fire. Straightening her spine, she continued, “I graduated with honors and afterward applied to the hospital at Fort Sumter. It took me seven years to work my way up from ward maid to a position as a surgical assistant or nurse as some call the job.”
“That’s wonderful.” Sarcasm oozed from each word. “I’m glad to finally know what happened to you. Since you got an education, why couldn’t you write?” He glared at her with reproachful eyes.
His words stung. Celia steeled her composure. Inwardly, she tamped down the urge to lash out. “I tried to contact you. I wrote letter after letter, but they were all returned.”
“Letters?” His brow rose incredulously.
“Yes, I wrote every week once I learned how. I even saved up and telegraphed you.”
Seth cut her a disbelieving look. “Uh-huh.”
Celia gritted her teeth. “I’m telling the truth, Seth. My letters were returned unopened. I thought…I thought you…What was I to believe?” Celia’s brow creased in frustration. “No word from you other than a bunch of unopened letters stuffed in a box with no explanation or reply included. I thought you didn’t want me anymore. Besides, it looked as though you’d moved on. I blamed you though I knew better.”
“Yeah, moved on,” Seth repeated to no one in particular.
Despite the tone of his words, Celia felt a burning need to defend herself. “I didn’t know what to think. I had only the unopened letters.”
Cool and smooth without missing a beat, Seth glared at her. “I never got any damn letters.”
It took her a minute, to process that new information. Celia snapped back quickly though, “Oh, yes, well how convenient you never received them.” She wanted to hurt him. How was she going to believe him when she still didn’t know if he was an outlaw or not? It was becoming harder and harder to sit still. Her breath came out in a huff. “Are you trying to say it was my fault I never heard from you?”
“How was I supposed to get in touch with you when you disappeared? I couldn’t find a soul who could tell me what had happened to you, Celia!” Seth dropped his head toward the fire. “If they did, they wouldn’t tell me,” he muttered tersely.
Celia could tell he was angry. She said no more. What could she say? That Seth’s father had banished them from the land surrounding the ranch. Or he’d threatened killing all of her people if they didn’t leave for good. That Earl Loflin had accused her of murder. No, despite what he thought, Celia refused to torture Seth with those facts. “I tried to make the best of things. With no word from you, I had nothing else to believe.” Celia winched inwardly. Nothing else – that’s what she’d ended up with. The education, the caring for others was all she’d had on those lonely nights to keep her warm. Celia shook her head. She wouldn’t look back, she couldn’t.
“Who’s waiting on you back there, Celia?” The question was curt and edged with anger.
Celia glanced at the smoldering temper in his face and understanding his meaning, looked away quickly. “No one.”
Silence filled the air as they both continued to stare into the fire.
Seth rose and threw the stick he’d been poking the fire with into the flames. “Get some sleep. We’ll be leaving early,” he snapped. He turned his back to her and returned to his side of the fire.
Forcing guilt mingled with pain to the back of her mind, Celia unrolled the bedding and prepared to get ready to try to sleep. Lying there, Celia glanced across the fire at her white knight. He lay with his back to her. Their conversation hadn’t turned out like she’d planned. Sighing, Celia turned her back to the fire as well.
Her thoughts drifted back to that summer long ago.
“Father, why? Why must I go? I want to stay with you…”
“Celia, my child, time will answer all your questions. Remember who you are.”
Remember who you are. In the world of the Comanche, she was Little One and the only child of Lone Eagle, the great chief.
It was only when she came to know her mother’s people, she learned how little the white man thought of the Comanche.
***
Seth shook with the chill of it. He wasn’t quite sure whether it was the cool night air or the dream, which had him shaking, but he didn’t like it. How long had he slept? The dream had him waking with a jolt. It had been a while since he’d had the dream. Renewed frustration burned inside him and he ran a hand over his face. Groaning, he rolled up to his elbow and wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead. With jerky fingers, he combed through hair he’d already set on end as he tried in vain to shake the remnants of the nightmare. Soon he found himself on the other side of the fire, watching her. The flames had died low to simmering embers, which danced and cast shadows on the ground.
Celia lay on her back, one arm flung over her head in relaxed sleep. She resembled an angel with her hair splayed over the bedroll, the moon glinting off it like stardust. Jesus, he didn’t need these feelings now!
He kept circling back to the fact she was part of what most people considered the enemy. Here in Texas, she would be seen as nothing more than a half-breed and wouldn’t be safe. If it weren’t the settlers’ attitudes toward Indians, it would be the Texas Rangers interference, but she would be in danger because of the color of her skin alone.
If she was telling the truth, then someone had returned her letters without his knowledge. Who could have been so manipulative? When the night refused to give up any answers to his questions, he padded silently back to his side of the fire. The scent of her still lingered on him. Seth cursed under his breath as he punched his bedroll in an attempt at submission.
Lying very still, Seth tried to quiet his mind. The stars, the same ones they’d laid under so long ago gleamed like jewels in the ink black sky. Seth couldn’t help but brood. He could still remember their first kiss so long ago, and how Celia had raised her beautiful chin, gazing at him with such trust and innocence. Her face was in his hands before he’d realized it. Gently, he brushed his thumb across her lips. Lowering his head, he hesitated just a moment and then his lips took hers. They were so soft. She felt warm and pliant in his arms. He could feel the yielding of her young body, and the rush of blood to his loins. It was his intention to kiss her but the desire, which washed over him, was staggering. He felt as if he were drowning. She sighed, and he covered her mouth with his once more and breathed her in.
If he had only known how the kiss would affect him, maybe he wouldn’t have shared the moment with her. On the other hand, maybe if he’d have bucked his father, and remained in Texas, he’d have made her his wife. It wasn’t long before he left for West Point. Time passed and when he returned home, Celia, Lone Eagle, along with the whole Comanche tribe were gone. He searched everywhere. She disappeared without a trace.
Now, here she was, and she needed him. The trouble between their people hadn’t changed a bit. Then there were the deep-rooted feelings he still harbored for her.
***
They both woke before dawn. Celia shifted on her pallet and surveyed her surroundings. The fire had gone out somewhere in the night. The morning dawned cold. Grateful for the warmth of Seth’s blanket, Celia clutched the folds close and watched as Seth gathered wood for a new fire.
Soon he had coffee going.
She rose to check on Broken Horse. Her cousin had a steady heart rate and his pupils were normal. The blow to his head was seeping. Celia tore a
bandage from her pantalets and replaced the one on his head.
“How is he?” Seth’s voice came from behind her.
“His vital signs are stable. The wound is still seeping. I wish I had some herbs for a poultice. Other than the threat of infection, he is doing well. The blow to the head is why he still sleeps.” She turned and glanced up at Seth, who stood holding a cup of coffee for her.
“Thank you.” She stood and took the cup. The first sip tasted good. There was always something about Seth’s camp coffee.
“I’ve got breakfast going. You’ll need to eat.” Seth turned back to a black skillet over the fire.
Celia watched him and couldn’t help herself. “After our conversation last night, I thought you’d be ready to get rid of the likes of me.” Her smile was woven with light sarcasm and Celia couldn’t help the slight salute she gave him with her cup. “Your camp coffee always was the best.” When he flicked a glance at her, she gave him a weak smile. “I’ll tolerate you if I can have another cup of your coffee.”
“After our conversation last night, I would have thought you would want nothing more to do with me either.” He smiled weakly with his comeback. “Yet, you sit here drinking my coffee and eating my biscuits. A man’s gotta wonder what you’re up to.” His eyes remained hooded under the Stetson, but Celia saw his square jaw clinch.
“Rest assured sir, I don’t intend to run away if that’s what you’re thinking.” She smiled primly.
“Where would I get an idea like that?”
Seth’s smirk reminded her of the boy she’d loved once upon a time. The pure mischief in his look struck a chord with her. Celia made sure sincerity laced her next words, “I haven’t thanked you for saving us. Thank-you, Seth. We are in your dept.”
He glanced up at her. “You don’t owe me anything.” He waved the knife he was using as a cooking tool in her direction as he clarified, “You just about had those two outlaws under control. If I’d been just a couple of minutes later, I’d have got to help you tie them up.” He winked and then bit into his biscuit.
Celia laughed.
“You should do that more often.”
“What?” Celia looked quizzically at him.
“Laugh, it sounds good on you.”
Caught off guard and without a retort, Celia concentrated on her own meal. She reminded herself he was simply being kind because she was in need – nothing more. And whatever she saw in his eyes in those fleeting moments down by the creek were just her imagination.
“Look. I’m gonna take you back to Lone Eagle. The way I see it, we need to at least be civil to one another, okay?” He busied himself with scooping up hardtack and offered her a small tin plate.
“Okay.” Celia nodded. She sat up under the blanket and pulled her knees towards her chest. What he said made sense even if it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear.
“How do you feel this morning?” he asked. With his coffee cup in his hand, Seth hunkered down next to the fire.
Hesitantly, she glanced in his direction.
He was staring intently into the flames.
“Fine.” She would’ve liked to sound as in control as he did.
“No aches?”
Her mouth thinned. “I’m tougher than that, Seth.” She didn’t try too hard to hide the petulance which crept into her voice. Presenting her arms for him to examine, she rolled them to the right and then to the left. “See, no broken bones.” Where had the defensive response come from? She lowered her attention to her food. Their stilted conversation from last night replayed in her mind. She didn’t trust herself to look too closely at him in the light of day. She might lose control and tell him what she hadn’t told him last night.
“I’ll be saddling up here shortly, so we’ll be ready to leave when the sun reaches the top of the mesquite trees.” He used his chin to direct her attention to the straggly trees bordering the campsite and trailing off in all directions. Rubbing his hands across the thighs of his pants, he stood.
A quiver of a smile curved her lips despite her best effort to quell it. He’d used the Comanche way of telling time.
“What’s so funny?” Seth asked gruffly when he caught her fighting the smile.
“Nothing.”
He waited undeterred.
Celia knew she shouldn’t but something drove her to explain. “I was just remembering. Do you recall how we taught you to tell time using your surroundings as a sun dial?”
Seth nodded.
“We had some good times back then.” Celia smiled wistfully at him as she made the statement.
Seth found a sudden interest in the tree line. “Yeah…good times,” A moment passed in silence. “It was a long time ago.” His voice had reverted to the cool cowboy once more. Dusting the legs of his pants absently, he towered over her. “Get yourself ready, we’ll be leaving soon.”
His terse order stung. Celia was frustrated to find she wasn’t as well equipped this morning for an exchange of words with Mr. Loflin as she’d hoped. Something tugged at her heart as she watched him walk away again.
***
The soft grasses beneath the horse’s hooves gave way to trails beat out by the cattle, which roamed the ranch land. Birds flitted through the low growing mesquite and sycamores calling out to the riders as they passed by. The Kildee’s shrill call warned them not to venture too close to her babies nestled in the nearby scrub. Spring in Texas had always been her favorite time of year. Celia rode and absorbed the sounds and sights of the land. It was good to be back.
Preoccupied with everything, which had happened, Celia hadn’t had time to think about her new life. What would they find once they arrived at her father’s camp? “Have you seen my father since you got back from West Point?”
“A couple of times. I did a stint in the Army before mustering out as a lieutenant. I was gone for about eight years.”
“Eight years…” Celia let the words linger. “So, you were gone for a long time too.”
“If you’re trying to say I have no right to question you about why you left, then I’d have to say I think you’re wrong. I have every right.”
“I disagree. If you weren’t here then you know nothing of our situation or what was going on.” His defiance fueled her, and had her saying things she didn’t need to say.
“Well, why don’t you tell me what your situation was? Then maybe I could understand why you were gone.”
Seth’s words were surly and hard to take in.
“We were forced to leave.” Would he leave it at that?
“By who?”
“Settlers.”
“Settlers. Mind telling me their names?” Seth’s muscles tensed all around her.
“I don’t know who they were.” She was glad she didn’t have to look him in the eyes. Lying was much easier when you didn’t have to look the person in the eye.
“How did you get passage back to Charleston?”
“I told you Broken Horse arranged it.”
Seth glanced at the sled. “I’ll be glad when he wakes. Isn’t there something we need to do for him?”
“No, he will wake when he gets ready.” Celia’s chest tightened when she thought of Broken Horse and how her people would react to the attack. Red Bear, Broken Horse’s brother, would want revenge. She was certain. From what Broken Horse had told her in his letters, Red Bear hated the white man – all white men indiscriminately, and saw war as the only answer to keeping their land.
“I don’t understand why Father and Red Bear haven’t come looking for us by now,” she said aloud.
“We’ll find them.”
***
“Get me off this damn thing!” the husky voice yelled behind Celia. She turned in the saddle and peered behind Seth to the sled. Broken Horse wrenched at the rope binding him. With a frustrated oath, he loosened his bonds and sat up wobbly.
“Well, it’s about time,” Seth offered as Celia scrambled down.
Her heart raced as she ran the short distanc
e. Reaching Broken Horse, she gripped him hard and hugged him fiercely. “I’m so glad you’re awake. How do you feel?”
“My head hurts like I’ve been hit with an anvil.” With Celia’s help he stood, but stepped away once he’d shook his head to clear the cob webs.
“How’s your vision?” Celia waited only a beat before snatching up his wrist to check his pulse and peer deep into his eyes.
“I see a couple of you.” He grinned at her look of concern. “I’m fine, Celia, really.” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Quit mothering me.”
“I was worried about you,” she proclaimed in defense of her attentions.
Seth gave her an amused cock of his eyebrow. “I thought he’d wake up when he woke up,” he chided.
Irritation flitted across her face when she cut her eyes at Seth. “It’s just good to see you up and around,” she told Broken Horse.
“Where are your clothes? What happened?” His features creased in deep lines.
Celia dropped her gaze to the ground briefly and waved her hand. “They took my clothes,” she said, shame painting her face red.
Seth cut in. “She was attacked. I happened upon her in the shallows of the creek near the site where those two discovered you. They had her cornered in the creek and were about to take her.” Seth lowered his head for a second and then swore. “I took care of them. Both of them were my men.” He raised his eyes to meet those of Broken Horse. “They’re dead.”
Broken Horse only nodded. Reaching out, he drew Celia to him.
She went willingly. Telling herself she wouldn’t cry, she fought to hold back the wash of emotion rushing over her. Wiping a stray tear, Celia looked up at her cousin. “I’m so glad you’re all right.” Clutching his tunic, she rested her head briefly on his chest.
Broken Horse turned back to Seth. “Where are you headed?”
“We’re looking for Lone Eagle’s camp. It’ll be good to have another eye.” Smiling for Broken Horse, Seth cocked his head in the direction of the horse. “Want a ride?”
“For a little while, til I get my legs back.” Broken Horse motioned for Celia and they both saddled up. “We can follow the creek from here. It shouldn’t be much further,” he assured them.
Comanche Haven (The Loflin Legacy: Book 1) Page 6
