The Bride Series (Omnibus Edition)

by Bittner, Rosanne

  “Someday we’ll have time for those things,” she answered. “You’ll work the ranch and I’ll do the woman’s work by day; and at night we’ll sit and study. We’ll be Mr. and Mrs. Brand Selby, and life will be good.”

  The strong arm moved around her, pressing her close. “Yes. It will be very good.”

  She clung to his arm as he turned the horse, and her eyes stung with tears at having to leave the little cabin where she would rather stay forever. The afternoon had been filled with ecstasy, love, and passion. She wasn’t even sure how many times they had made love, and she didn’t care. She could go back and do it again this very moment. A delicious ache caressed her insides, and she had never felt more loved, more beautiful.

  If only Josh would accept this now, she could bear the ridicule of any others. She knew that waiting a few days was best—to tell Josh and to keep the town calm; and especially to throw Jules Webber off her scent. She had to do this, for Brand’s sake. But the pain of being apart would be close to unbearable.

  They rode off, while farther north more riders were headed for Austin—Jason Brown and his men. Jason rode them hard, hoping to get home in time for the Saturday dance, where he hoped to announce his engagement to Miss Rachael Rivers.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rachael sat on her bed studying the carved wolf and wondering how she was going to bear the next seven days. Waiting seemed the only answer, and she wished Josh would come soon so she could get it over with. She set aside the wolf, rose, and walked to the window. Pulling aside a lace curtain, Rachael looked into the darkness. She knew the landscape without being able to see it. The hills behind Lacy’s house rolled away in a sea of buffalo grass. Here and there an elm tree or pine tree dotted the landscape; but she knew that far to the north and west the land was much more barren, a hot, wild land where renegade Comanche still lived. Texas would not give up to civilized settlement any easier than would the remaining Comanche.

  Poor Brand was a man stuck in the middle of it all. Surely in spite of his strength and bravery, inside there was a man terribly confused and hurt. Because of his Indian blood, whites thought him incapable of loving, literally denied him the right to love whomever he chose. But she would prove otherwise. No matter what the cost, she would show people that Brand Selby was just a man.

  She turned when someone knocked at the door. “Lacy?”

  “Yes. Let me in quick, honey.”

  Rachael went to the door and Lacy slipped inside. “He’s here.”

  “Who?” Rachael’s heart tightened at the thought of Joshua or Jason having come.

  “Brand Selby.”

  “Brand!” Rachael whispered the name.

  “He came to my backdoor—said for you to meet him at the woodshed out back—he needs to talk to you.”

  Rachael quickly moved to the mirror, fussing with her hair a moment.

  “You’d better take a shawl. It’s cool outside,” Lacy told her. She put a hand to her chest. “I forgot just how handsome that man is,” she added. “He looks mighty fine tonight.”

  Rachael smiled, reaching for her shawl. “Did he seem all right? Was he upset?”

  “Who can tell with that one? You be careful now. And don’t go riding off without telling me.”

  “I won’t, Lacy.”

  Rachael hurried out, watching to be sure neither of the two boarders saw her. But no one was about, and she remembered that only Bert Peters was there at the moment, and he was in his room. She hurried through the kitchen and out the backdoor, walking through the moonlight to the woodshed. “Brand?”

  “Here.” He stepped out of the woodshed, and she realized that if she didn’t know who it was, she would be terrified. In the moonlight he looked like some mighty warrior anyone in his right mind would be afraid of.

  “Brand!” In an instant she was in his arms. They had been apart only a little over twenty-four hours, but she felt as though it had been weeks.

  “I couldn’t stay away,” he told her softly.

  “Oh, Brand, hold me. It’s dangerous for you, but I’m still glad you came.”

  They took a moment just to enjoy holding each other. She turned her face to his, and their lips met in a hungry, urgent kiss. The kiss lingered, their breathing coming in desperate gasps, their bodies pressed hard against each other.

  “I wasn’t sure what your landlady would do,” he told her, moving his lips to her soft cheek.

  “Lacy is wonderful. She understands, Brand. I told her everything.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I decided we should see your brother together, and not in town. I have come to take you to his ranch. I cannot let you do all these things alone, Rachael. It isn’t right. I am not afraid to face anyone with this and I will not let you do it alone. If we leave tonight, perhaps we can get to your ranch before your brother even leaves for Austin. We can go quite far in this moonlight, and then we can sleep together under the stars.”

  He met her lips again, and she whimpered with great joy and passion. How good it felt to be in his arms.

  “What if someone comes looking for me?” she asked. “What would Lacy tell them?”

  “She can tell them you went to visit your brothers—that Joshua came and got you. I brought a packhorse with everything we need. All you need is a change of clothes. We will come back in a couple of days.”

  “Oh, Brand, what about all the work you need to do at your ranch?”

  “This is more important. Standing Horse and Gray Bear know what to do. If outlaws come through and rob me clean, so be it. You will not shoulder all of this alone. I am your husband, Rachael, whether it’s on paper or not.”

  She smiled through tears, resting her head against his chest. “I’m so glad you came. I’ve been so worried about how I would tell Josh, what he would say. It will be so much easier if we’re together.”

  “I should never have even considered letting you tell him alone. Go back inside now and tell Lacy. I will wait here for you.”

  She kissed him lightly. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered. She hurried back to the house, feeling greatly relieved. Yes, they would tell Josh together! Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of that? And surely Josh would accept her love for Brand once he met the man.

  Jason rode into Austin with Sam Greene and three new Rangers—men Sam and Jason had picked up in San Antonio, men no better than outlaws. Jason needed more Rangers on his side to help him open up new connections with marauding outlaws.

  They brought with them two horse thieves who were to be jailed in Austin and were awaiting a traveling judge. Bringing back criminals always made an impression on the people of this town, Jason knew, many of whom were now shouting out to him in greeting.

  “Good job, Brown,” someone yelled.

  Jason gave him a nod, sitting proud and straight in his saddle. Other than the outlaws with whom he dealt, he always made a point to “do his duty” in other ways when he went out on patrol. After all, people expected him and his men to help keep the peace and rid Texas of its trash. The worst trash was the Indians; next to that came runaway slaves from the South; and, of course, the men who came to Texas just to raid and rob and rustle.

  Two women whispered and pointed at the horse thieves as Jason rode by with them. It was so easy to play both sides. His cut from the Comancheros had been hefty this time, just for letting them through his territory to turn over their loot to men who had come up from Mexico. That loot had included a young girl from a wealthy Mexican family who had been stolen away by Comanche then handed over to the Comancheros to be ransomed back to her family for a great deal of gold. The Comanche renegades received new rifles for the girl, and the Comancheros received the gold from the Mexicans who came to get her.

  Jason patted his money belt. When he married Rachael, he intended to build her the finest house in Austin and dress her the way a girl that beautiful ought to be dressed. If she said yes this time, he would set the date right away. He was not about to wait any longer to make Rachael
Rivers his wife. The thought of getting inside her drove him crazy in the night. She was a little uppity, but he would break her spirit quick enough and show her what it was like to be with a real man. She would learn to like it soon enough, and that would be that. Pretty clothes and a fine house would keep her satisfied in every other way, and Jason Brown would be married to the prettiest girl in all of Texas.

  More people greeted them as they rode up to the small prison house where the thieves would be kept until the judge came. Jules Webber came out of the jail and nodded to Jason as Jason dismounted. Jason gave him a dark look.

  “You been staying away from the liquor while I was gone?” he asked warily.

  Jules nodded. “Sure have. You’ll be glad for the way I kept my eyes open while you were away, boss.” He grinned as Jason tied his horse. “You’re back just in time for the big dance. It’s only four days away. You takin’ that fancy teacher lady?”

  Jason removed his hat, ordering Sam Greene to herd in the thieves and lock them up. “After that, everybody go to the saloon of your choice and wet your whistle,” he told the other three. “You’ll like Austin, boys.”

  The three men grinned and tied their mounts. “We’ll tend to these horses in time. I’m itching for a drink,” one of them said in reply.

  “Explore the town some, boys. And don’t forget, you’re Texas Rangers. Don’t give the Rangers a bad reputation.” He winked at them and turned to Jules. “Jules, this is Dan, Hank, and Wendel. They’ll be riding with us from now on.”

  Jules nodded to the three men. “Jules Webber.”

  “Glad to meet a fellow Ranger,” the one called Hank answered. Jules noticed one of Hank’s eyes wandered as though it wasn’t really seeing anything. He grinned knowingly. Hank and Dan were big men, well armed and perhaps in their thirties. The one called Wendel was more slender, a young man of perhaps twenty with a cocky look about him, the look of a young man who enjoyed trouble. All three of them rode sturdy horses and struck Jules as men who could take very good care of themselves.

  “See you boys around,” Jules told them before following Jason inside headquarters. Sam Greene followed with the prisoners.

  “They on our side?” Jules asked Jason of the three new-men.

  Jason remained silent until Sam herded the thieves into a cell. Then he nodded to Jules. “Found them in San Antonio—spruced them up and saw the head man there and got them approved. They’re good men, all three of them.” He patted his money belt again. “We did good this time. There’s more in my saddlebags.”

  Jules grinned as Jason sat down behind a desk. “What do you think of me running for some kind of office, Jules? Think I’m popular enough around here?”

  Jules rubbed at a stubbled chin. “I reckon you are, Jason.”

  Jason leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. Sam Greene came from the room where thick adobe walls and iron bars made by the local blacksmith now held the prisoners. He closed a door that separated the cells from the outer room.

  “Well, I’ve been thinking,” Jason was saying. “If I marry Rachael Rivers, I don’t want to be gone so much. And besides, she ought to have a husband with some status. If I could get into politics, I might be able to enhance our profits. You boys could keep things going out there while I drum up even more business. There’s a lot of money to be made just getting involved with the slavery issue, making deals with the Indians, you name it.”

  Sam laughed lightly, folding his arms and shaking his head. “You think of just about everything, Jason.”

  “That’s how a man gets ahead.” He sat up straighter, opening a desk drawer and taking out a cigar. “By the way, Jules, Lobo and his men are camped not too far north of here.”

  “The Comancheros? Kind of close to Austin for them, isn’t it?”

  “It is. But who’s going to stop them if they do any raiding? Besides, I have a job for them.”

  Jules looked at a grinning Sam while Jason lit the cigar and puffed on it for a moment. “The Comancheros are going to raid Joshua Rivers’s place—burn everything down and steal everything they can get their hands on. They’ll hit him the day after tomorrow and make sure all of those boys die.”

  Jules sobered in surprise. “Rachael Rivers’s brothers? I don’t get it. You always kept an eye on them.”

  “Only to impress Rachael.” Jason chewed on the end of the cigar, holding his chin up haughtily. “But I’ve been thinking about that. And I decided that I’ll make sure Rachael has no reason to turn me down when I ask her to marry me this time. Once her brothers are dead and the ranch destroyed, she won’t have anything left. She’ll need me. She’ll turn to me for comfort. And, of course, I’ll go after the renegades who murdered her brothers, and she’ll admire me for that. Lobo and his men will do the raiding—make it look like Indians. And we’ll go out and come back with a few stray renegades to blame it on. The bastards will hang for it before they know what hit them, and Rachael will be grateful to me for finding them.” He took the cigar from his mouth. “In fact, it might be real easy to put some blame on Brand Selby.”

  Jules chuckled and shook his head. “You’d do anything to get under that Rivers girl’s skirts, wouldn’t you?”

  Jason’s eyes were cool and calculating. “You bet I would. I would also do anything to get rid of Brand Selby. That sonuvabitch doesn’t fool me for a minute. He settled around here to give me trouble. He knows too much. I thought when he left this area he was gone for good. He’s going to regret coming back here.”

  “Well, you won’t have much trouble putting the blame on the breed,” Jules told him. “He’s been in town a time or two, and it makes folks right nervous. It would be easy to make people believe he’s behind any raiding that might take place.”

  “Exactly. Lobo and his men will hit a couple of other settlements, too, not just Joshua Rivers’s place. I don’t want Joshua to seem singled out. That might make Rachael suspicious. I’m sure she’d never think I could be behind something like that, but I want to make damned sure. Getting Brand Selby hanged for all of it will just be the icing on the cake.”

  “Pretty good plan, don’t you think, Jules?” Sam Greene put in. The man had pulled up a chair and turned it backward, straddling the seat as he sat down.

  Jules rubbed his chin. “Yeah, I reckon it will work.” He met Jason’s dark eyes. “Long as we can catch Brand Selby. That won’t be easy.”

  “Lobo can help us there,” Jason answered. “You know how ruthless he can be. And he has nine other men with him. That ought to be enough to take down Brand Selby, don’t you think?”

  Jules grinned. “Well it will definitely even the odds.”

  “You bet it will,” Jason told them. “And we’ll be along to help them. All we have to do right now is wait until the news begins trickling into Austin that some of the outlying settlers are being raided. In four or five days Rachael will find out her own brother’s place has been destroyed and her brothers are dead. Then we move out—bring in a few strays—and Brand Selby. They all get hanged. I’ve captured the killers of Rachael’s brothers, and she turns to me for comfort and out of gratitude.” He grinned, the cigar still in his teeth. “And she’s mine.”

  Jules and Sam both chuckled, and Jules leaned against a wall, taking a pouch of tobacco from his pants pocket and opening the little leather bag. He pinched some of the sweet-smelling tobacco between thumb and forefinger and shoved it into his mouth between gum and cheek.

  “By the way, Jason,” he said slowly. “You probably ought to know your bride-to-be goes trottin’ around town alone an awful lot. She’s takin’ a chance wandering around like that. One day I caught her comin’ through an alley—said she’d been for a walk alone away from town.”

  The man felt a personal satisfaction at the way Jason’s face darkened. “Rachael? Walking alone?”

  Jules nodded. “I told her she’d better be careful—laid it down about the kinds of things the Comanche do to women. She’s lucky that half-breed Selby
didn’t spot her and drag her off to his place. You know how men like that think about white women as pretty as Rachael Rivers.”

  Jason puffed on the cigar, his dark eyes showing their anger. “Why in hell would she do a thing like that?” Fire came into his eyes. “She isn’t seeing someone, is she?”

  Jules shrugged. “Don’t think so. I think she was just bored and wanted the exercise.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Course it wasn’t that I cared what happened to her. I only cared because of you. Far as I’m concerned, I still say you’d be better off sellin’ her to the Comancheros. That woman is worth a fortune.”

  Jason glowered at him. “I don’t want anymore of that kind of talk. That one belongs to me. I’ve known Rachael since she was fourteen years old. I’ve waited years for her to be ready to marry.”

  Jules snickered. “Good luck on your wedding night. She’s an uppity bitch, far as I’m concerned.”

  Jason took the cigar from his mouth and studied it a moment. “I’ll take care of that my own way.”

  Sam and Jules both grinned.

  “Jules, Sam’s trail weary,” Jason said. “Let him go to the bathhouse and get a drink and some rest. You watch the prisoners this afternoon. I’m going to get cleaned up myself and go see Rachael. And I think at the dance Saturday I’ll talk to Ted Miller—kind of feel him out about running for some kind of office. Maybe he can help me.” He rose then, the cigar between his teeth. “Oh, and look at this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box. “Lobo stole this for me down in Mexico City.”

  “I thought Lobo was quitting the Comancheros. Last time I talked to him, he was going to settle down in Mexico with all his loot.”

  “He always says that,” Jason answered. “But he can’t resist the excitement. Men like Lobo enjoy the killing and pillaging more than the money they get from all of it.” He opened the small box, displaying a set of rings. A huge diamond decorated one gold band, and the other band was set with several sparkling diamonds that fit around the engagement diamond in a swirling design. Jules whistled.