Cowboys 08 - Luke

by Leigh Greenwood

  "She ran smack dab into my chest," Zeke said, grinning. "She took one look at me and backed right into Hawk. That's when she fainted."

  "Throw some water on her," Luke said.

  "Don't you fancy ladies carry smelling salts?" Zeke asked. "My old mistress did."

  "Everything is packed," Valeria said.

  Luke delivered two sharp slaps to the maid's cheeks. She came out of her faint with a start. She looked from Luke to Hawk and Zeke. Her eyes got wide again.

  "Don't faint," Luke said, "or I'll dunk you in the horse trough. These men are my brothers."

  "B-brothers," the maid stammered.

  "Obviously we're adopted," Luke said. "Now pull yourself together and get into the coach. You've made us late."

  "Have some compassion," Valeria said. "She still hasn't gotten used to your country. You can't know how different it is from ours."

  "I've been to your country," Luke said. "I've seen your royal palace."

  Valeria looked so skeptical, Luke laughed. "I'll describe it to you."

  "I know what it looks like," she said.

  "But you don't believe I know. I can see it in your eyes. Now get your maid in the coach. We can't afford to wait any longer."

  Elvira didn't wait for Valeria's help. She practically flung herself into the coach, to escape Zeke and Hawk, Luke guessed.

  When Luke had first accepted the job, he'd purchased an old mail coach, had it cleaned and the seats recovered. Valeria's elegance made it look shabby.

  "You'll never get that woman out again," Zeke said with a laugh that sounded as mocking as it did lacking in sympathy.

  "I'll let you take her food to her," Luke said.

  He ignored Zeke's flash of anger. "Want me to help?" Luke asked Valeria when she paused, contemplating how to enter the coach. He could see she wanted to refuse, but he knew she'd never get inside without assistance. She probably didn't know how, especially not in those cumbersome skirts.

  "You'll end up showing more than an ankle if you try it on your own," he said.

  "Is that what you've been waiting for?"

  "I'm in no hurry. I expect I'll see a great deal more than an ankle before this trip is over."

  "And just what do you mean by that?"

  If she hadn't looked so ridiculously overdressed, it would have been funny. Maybe ridiculous wasn't the right word. She'd made a very poor choice of what to wear, but she looked lovely. "A trip like this doesn't allow for privacy of the kind you're used to."

  "Why not?"

  "You'll soon find out. Now, do you want me to help you into the coach?"

  "Please." The word sounded more like a curse.

  "When I lift you, put both feet on that step. You'll be able to climb up on your own after that." He didn't wait for the protest he knew trembled on Valeria's lips. He stepped behind her, caught her under the arms, and lifted her into the air. He kept his hands on her back while she put a foot on the second step, then stepped up into the coach.

  "Next time I'll wait for Hans or Otto," she said.

  "Next time you'll have to," Luke said as he closed the door and turned his back. He didn't mean to get near her again unless he had to. Just looking at her disturbed him. Touching her upset his equilibrium, destroyed his feeling of detachment, and that threatened his ability to do his work. He couldn't have that. Luke didn't have anything he could point to with pride, except his work. He wouldn't allow anything to jeopardize it.

  "I want you to stay with the horses," Luke said, turning back to Zeke. "Hawk will scout around for good camping places and keep a lookout for trouble. When we camp at night, I want you two to sleep on opposite sides of the camp."

  "It sounds like you're expecting trouble." "I'm certain of it."

  "Then leave the horses behind."

  "It's not the horses."

  "The woman?"

  Luke nodded.

  "If I were looking to rob you, I'd settle for the horses or the wagons."

  "I expect somebody will try," Luke said. "She should have left it all in New Orleans, but I guess she wants as much of her past around her as possible."

  "She'll never survive."

  "She's spoiled and temperamental, but she's tough." Zeke's gaze narrowed. "You sound like you admire her."

  "People like her have survived as heads of state in Europe for hundreds of years. When it comes to making decisions, there's not an ounce of sentiment in them. Their hearts would put a cash register to shame. She's like a snow-capped mountain, filled with fire deep inside, but cold enough to freeze anyone who tries to conquer her."

  "And I was beginning to think you liked her."

  Luke stopped. He hadn't realized he knew half the things he'd just told Zeke until the words were out of his mouth. That wasn't like him. To Luke, women were objects of desire, for companions for an evening to soothe his spirit and satisfy his body. He never bothered looking beneath the surface. Occasionally he might remember a name, but most of the time women were interchangeable.

  But not Valeria. The moment she'd walked into that hotel-tired, irritable, imperious-he'd felt something inside him jump. A muscle twitch. A spasm. A sensitive nerve. He didn't know. He just knew he had a definite reaction to her, and that wasn't good. He needed to be immune to all women, unaffected by anything and anyone around him.

  "Time to get moving," Luke said, "or we'll still be within sight of Bonner when we camp tonight."

  "Move 'em out!" Zeke shouted, then headed toward his horse.

  The call reminded Luke of the days when he lived with Jake and Isabelle, working the ranch with all the orphans, going on trail drives with the Randolph family. They had been good days, but all the boys had been filled with hate, anger, jealousy, distrust, a thirst for revenge, a desire to hurt someone because they'd been hurt so badly. For some, the anger gradually worked itself out and faded away. Others learned to keep it under control.

  For Luke it remained just below the surface, festering, infecting everything he did, until he couldn't stand it any longer. One day he'd simply taken his guns and ridden out. Within a month he'd taken his first job, killed his first man. It was something he could do, something he did better than others. He kept on doing it until he became known as the best.

  Now he didn't know how to do anything else.

  Hans burst from the hotel, waving and shouting, "Wait for me."

  The silly fool. He could get himself killed running in front of a wagon. "Get in the coach with the princess," Luke said.

  "No one rides with the princess except her maid," he said. "It's not proper."

  "You'll ride in the coach, or you'll walk," Luke said. "Now where the hell is Otto?"

  "He and the landlord can't agree on the bill."

  Luke uttered a volley of curses and headed toward the hotel. Inside he found Otto and the landlord shouting at each other. "How much does he owe you?" Luke asked the landlord.

  "Two hundred and forty-seven dollars."

  "This flea-infested hovel isn't worth seven dollars," Otta said.

  "Give me your wallet," Luke said to Otto.

  Otto clutched his coat protectively.

  "Give it to me, or I'll take it from you." Luke drew his gun, gripped it by the barrel, and raised the butt in the direction of Otto's head. Otto quickly withdrew a wallet from inside his coat and handed it to Luke. Luke holstered his gun, opened the wallet, and pulled out three hundred dollars.

  "Here," he said to the landlord. "Keep the extra. I'm sure you deserve it."

  "Thank you." The landlord took the money and shoved it into his pocket. He made no attempt to hide his triumphant grin.

  "That's robbery," Otto shouted.

  "I'm sure you paid more than that for hotels in London and Paris," Luke said.

  "But they were elegant."

  "This is the most elegant hotel in Bonner. Now get in that coach. I won't wait for you any longer."

  "I'm in charge of the princess," Otto said, swelling up like a blow toad. "I'll say when-"
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  Luke grabbed him by his shirt front and pulled him close until their noses were only inches apart. "You were in charge until you hired me. Now I decide when you get up, when you go to bed, when you eat, when you relieve yourself. You try my patience, and I'll leave you in the desert for the coyotes to pick your bones. If this isn't to your liking, stay here. Otherwise, shut the hell up and get in that coach."

  Otto was so off balance when Luke released him, he nearly fell.

  "I will speak to the Duke about this," Otto said, trying to maintain his dignity but sounding spiteful.

  "Speak to anybody you want," Luke said. "But if you annoy me too much, I'll cut your tongue out."

  Luke strode from the room, Otto's stunned reaction bringing a rare smile to his face.

  Valeria had never spent a more miserable morning in her entire life. Luke had assured her the coach was one of the finest made, that its suspension was the best that could be had, that the seats rode on additional springs to absorb shock. If all that were true, she couldn't imagine the torture of riding in a normal coach. She had been jostled and tossed about until she wanted to scream. Every part of her body would be covered with bruises before nightfall.

  But nothing could compare to the heat. They had opened the leather curtains earlier, but reluctantly gave up. The sun poured in, baking whoever was unfortunate enough to be in its path. The dust choked them.

  "I'm so sorry, Your Highness," Hans said for the hundredth time. "If I had known things would be this bad, I'd never have brought you here."

  "You had nothing to do with it," Otto said. "I'm in charge of the princess."

  "For the time being, Mr. Attmore is in charge," Valeria said. "And I'm going to tell him to stop and let us rest for a while. I can't wait for a drink of cool water."

  "Here, drink some of mine," Hans said, holding out a canteen.

  Valeria recoiled at the idea of drinking from such a vessel. "Where did you get that thing?"

  "At the hotel. The landlord said there would be no water in the desert, that we all ought to have canteens."

  "There has to be water out here," Valeria said. "If I had needed a canteen, I'm certain Mr. Attmore would have said so. That looks exactly like the kind of thing he would take pleasure in forcing me to drink from."

  Valeria lifted the leather curtain. After the dimness of the interior, the sunlight nearly blinded her. She closed her eyes, then opened them gradually until they adjusted to the light. Distant mountains rose abruptly out of the flatness, almost as though God had punched his fist through the earth's surface without disturbing the surrounding land. They didn't form a chain but were scattered, breaking up this seemingly limitless, parched plain.

  Nowhere did she see any sign of shade. They hadn't crossed a single stream, creek, or wash containing a drop of water. Nor did she see any sign of animal life. If the native animals had forsaken this part of the Arizona Territory, how were people supposed to survive?

  She put her head out of the window and was able to see the wagons that went before and behind her coach, but not Luke. She pulled her head back inside and lowered the leather curtain.

  "He must be on your side," she said to Elvira. "Exchange places with me."

  Elvira stood up to allow Valeria to slide across the seat. The coach lurched, throwing Elvira into Hans's lap. Valeria couldn't decide who was more embarrassedHans, who blanched white, or Elvira, who plopped down in the seat next to her, red-faced, her gaze fixed on the floor of the coach.

  Valeria raised the leather curtain and stuck her head out. The landscape looked remarkably similar, with one exception. A belt of lush green meandered across the plain only a few hundred feet away. She didn't know the name of the tall trees with deep green leaves that rustled in the light breeze, but she thought they were incredibly beautiful. Trees meant shade. And water. The grass grew thicker, the bushes taller. The sight of a bird appearing momentarily above the trees before diving back into the shady coolness cheered her considerably. She didn't see Luke.

  "Stop the coach," she said to Hans. He pounded on the roof with his walking stick, but the coach continued to bump along. Repeated pounding did not good.

  "How do you stop a coach in America?" Valeria asked. "I don't know," Hans said.

  But Valeria knew who could stop it. She stuck her head through the window. She didn't see Luke. "Mr. Attmore." He might be the most obnoxious man in the world, but she couldn't believe he'd abandoned them. "Mr. Attmore!" she called again, more imperatively. Still, he didn't appear.

  She drew her head back inside. "He is the most insufferable man, forcing us on this horrible journey, then leaving us to others."

  "I'm sure he's close by," Hans said. "I don't believe he's a man to take his obligations lightly."

  "He takes the rest of us very lightly indeed," said Otto, still angry over Luke's overpaying the landlord.

  Valeria sometimes wondered if the money Otto saved didn't manage to find its way into his pocket. "If he's here, I wish he would do me the courtesy of answering," she said.

  She stuck her head through the window again and came practically nose to nose with a horse. She jumped back with such force she nearly knocked Elvira off the seat.

  Luke leaned low in the saddle until the window framed his face. "Did you want something?"

  Valeria struggled to regain her composure. Even though she'd nearly been kissed by his horse, she didn't want Luke to know it had upset her.

  "Pull this coach into the shade of those trees," she said, pointing to the inviting belt of green. "We're hot and thirsty."

  "We're all hot and thirsty," Luke said. "We'll stop for a short rest in a couple of hours."

  His head disappeared from the window. His horse moved away from the coach. Valeria thrust her head out the window. "I want to stop now."

  He didn't come back toward the coach or even turn around. "Not getting what you want will be good for you," he said. "It'll get you in shape for life on your husband's ranch."

  It took a moment for what he'd said to penetrate. "You can't refuse to do what I ask!"

  He turned toward her. "Look, woman, I know you're not stupid, so don't act like it."

  "Don't you dare address me as woman! I am a princess."

  "We don't have princesses in this country," Luke said. "Fortunately for you, we don't cut their heads off, either. We just strip them of their titles. What do you want me to call you?"

  "You must address her as your highness," Hans said.

  "We don't do that, either. Do you want me to call you Valeria?"

  "You wouldn't presume," Hans said.

  Luke grinned. "You have no idea how much I can presume. How about Miss Badenberg?"

  ""The proper form of address would be Your Highness, the Princess of Badenberg," Hans said.

  "No more argument," Luke snapped. "I'm calling her Valeria. That's the end of it."

  "Then I'll call you Luke."

  "Good. If you're still thirsty, drink some of Hans's water. He was the only one sensible enough to come supplied with a canteen. If you'd looked out your train windows in Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona, you'd have known this place is as dry as a bone."

  "But we're following a river," Valeria objected. "There's plenty of water there."

  "You'd better hope so. With all these animals, we'll need barrels of it."

  He dug his spurs into his horse's flanks and rode off toward the head of the column.

  "He's not going to stop," she reported unnecessarily. "Apparently he doesn't consider our comfort of any importance."

  "It must be even hotter riding in the sun," Hans observed.

  "He's not human," Elvira said. "He can't be and have grown up with those savages."

  "They were adopted," Valeria reminded her maid.

  "I don't care. How could he go to sleep with them in the same room?"

  "I wondered the same thing," Valeria said. "But then I remembered the people we saw in Bonner, all kinds mixed together, and nobody appearing to notice the diff
erence."

  "I would," Elvira insisted.

  "But Mr. Attmore-Luke-wouldn't, not if he'd been raised with Indians and black people." It was a strange notion. That would never have happened in her country, but after giving it some thought, she decided it might not be such a bad idea. It was certainly better than being afraid of everybody who was different.

  She doubted Rudolf would be as willing as Luke to accept people who weren't like him. She was curious to know how different people got along. Did most of them eat the same food, wear the same clothes? The people in Bonner hadn't eaten anything she could recognize. They certainly didn't dress like she did.

  She had heard many different languages from her window. She recognized French, German, and Italian, but there were others. She wondered how people of so many different nationalities had all ended up in Arizona. There must be something here that attracted them, kept them here, but she couldn't see what it was. If she had known what Arizona was like, she'd never have agreed to marry Rudolf.