“Did many of the men have families?”
She shook her head. “No—at least not locally. Some of them may have family back East. I do know my foreman has a wife and four children in St. Louis, although only one child is still at home. He was saving every penny he made, since he intended to bring them out here next spring. I’ll have to let them know. I need to make arrangements. See to their welfare or bring them out here as he would’ve wanted.”
“Yes, we’ll see that they’re cared for.”
That was the second time Jared used the word we. He meant it too.
Talia gazed at him, gratitude lighting her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here. I know I’ve said it many times, but I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You won’t ever have to find out,” he said, mentally re-reading the telegram still in his coat pocket. Should he risk testing the depth of her love or not? She never needed to know about his brother’s offer. All he had to do as soon as the lines were back up was wire his brother with a polite “Thanks, but no thanks”. But doing so wouldn’t solve Talia’s financial problems or allow him to support her instead of the other way around.
“We’ll get through this together, Talia.”
“I truly believe we can.” She grasped his wrists with her long, elegant fingers. Raising his work-hardened hands to her mouth, she kissed each knuckle. “Did you see the sheriff? Is he going to arrest me?” she asked carefully.
“Moulton told me that Ojeda had hidden out in a deserted cabin. Dead from the cold. And he didn’t have one red cent on him, which we both took to mean no one paid him to kill your husband. As far as the sheriff and I are concerned, you’re officially cleared of his murder.”
Her mouth pulled into a somewhat guarded smile. “And now I trust you’ll communicate that to the Montrose family.”
“You bet your sweet lips. In fact, I left a message to be sent as soon as the telegraph wires are repaired.”
“Will they be satisfied?” she asked.
“Whether or not they’ll be satisfied, I doubt it. But there’s nothing they can do if the sheriff says you’re in the clear.”
“Your assignment here is complete. You could leave.” Her tone was calm, but he detected a slight quaver.
He took her hands in his. “I said I would never leave you, and I meant it.”
“But what about Pinkerton’s?” She kept her gaze averted as if fearing his response. “Won’t they mind?”
“Talia, I was a Pinkerton employee, not their indentured slave. When the wire about Ojeda goes through, it also contains my resignation. ”
Her warm gaze met his. “Is it really that simple? You just send a telegram saying you’re through?”
“Yes, it’s just that simple.”
True, resigning was easy enough, though the pull of loyalty to the organization which had given him a new start was strong. Only his love for Talia could have induced him to consider resigning.
On the other hand, his brother’s telegram was another deal entirely. The call of family was ever-present. It wasn’t his father’s death that disturbed him so much as the thought of a reunion with his brother and what was left of their family. It’d been over ten years since he’d graced the family home. Since being disowned, he and his brother hadn’t been close. Perhaps too much time had passed. Could they really make a life in New York? How in hell could he convince Talia to move when he had so many doubts?
Black sheep. Wastrel. No-good. Those were some of the names his father labeled him with. Too bad he couldn’t prove the old man wrong. Maybe—no, not maybe—the names had fit Jared ten years ago when he’d gambled away his mother’s inheritance without a second thought. But he was a man now. And while the lure of cards and dice might still plague him on occasion, his power to resist was stronger, especially now that the stakes were so high.
“What’s wrong? There’s more?” Her cool hand trembled. She pleaded with her eyes for him to tell her she was mistaken.
Better to tell her now than later. He cleared his throat, stalling for the right words. “Before the lines went down, I had a telegram from my brother telling me my father passed away a week ago.”
Her dark gaze softened as she spoke. “I’m so sorry, but he wasn’t good to you, was he?”
“No. But then I wasn’t a very good son most of the time.” Hard-headed, strong-willed—more names his father called him.
“No!” Her hands clenched in front of her. “He was cruel to you when you were a child.”
Jared’s breath caught in his throat. He could barely utter the words, “How could you possibly know?”
He watched as she took a deep breath and then let it out, her full breasts rising and falling with the effort. “The fever—you ranted a bit—enough for me to understand what your childhood must’ve been like.” She caressed the back of his hand as if she could wash away all his pain. “It broke my heart to hear you, and I comforted you the best I could.”
Never dreaming she knew so much about his early life, Jared clenched his jaw. She’d seen him at his weakest and most vulnerable and never let on until now. He watched for the inevitable pity to appear in her expression.
“You’re a wonderful man, Jared. The past may influence who we are now, but the future is more important. Our future, if that is what you desire.”
There was no sign of pity in her warm gaze. Instead, he saw acceptance and, yes, love. Still, his old doubts nagged him. Was it enough love that she’d abandon the only life she’d ever known?
He covered her hands with his. “There’s more.”
“More?”
“My brother wants me to return to the bosom of the family, so to speak.”
She straightened and raised her chin. “Then you must go. Your family needs you.” Again there was the slightest quaver in her voice.
Setting his hands on her shoulders, he pleaded his case. “Come with me. I’ll take my place in the family business. I’ll be able to support you. We can have a fabulous life in New York. We’ll have money, a luxurious home. You won’t have to worry about blizzards and the price of cattle. As for the herd—sell what’s left. Sell the land too. That’ll give you a small fortune for your personal use.”
“Stop!” Talia covered her ears. “I’ve heard enough.” Her eyes blazed. “How dare you? Sell my land, the land for which I suffered eight long—and I must add miserable—years. This land is mine. I’ll never give it up. Haven’t you been listening? I thought you understood me, but if this is your facile solution to my problems, you’re not the man I thought you were. Not at all. Cattle ranching is difficult in the best of times, and if you’re not willing to stand beside me, we don’t have a future.”
Each furious utterance slammed Jared like blows to the gut. Worse, because it demonstrated how little she thought of him and his desire to support her as any man worth his salt would. As he’d feared, she just didn’t love him enough.
He reached for her and clasped her in his arms. “Talia,” he began, “you have it all wrong. I need to be more than your glorified ranch hand. I want to support you on my own terms—financially. And I can’t do that unless I return to New York. I don’t know the terms of my father’s will. There may or may not be anything for me, but reading between the lines of my brother’s telegram, I’m sure I can make a good life for us there.”
“I’ve never cared about luxury or a place in society.” She gave her head a furious shake. “I’ve already had one husband who treated me like a piece of the furniture. Marriage to Reginald was all for show. Never a true partnership. But somehow I fooled myself into thinking you were different.” Her eyes shining with unshed tears, she pulled away. “I can’t believe I was ready to give up my independence for you. You, a man who can’t weather a little snow.”
Damn, it was going all wrong. Better he should try a different approach. “It’s not the weather or the hardships. I thought you loved me, and anywhere I was, you’d want to be.”
“You, Jared. I wa
nted you.” Her voice broke as if she could barely get the words out. “I didn’t care if you were the son of a rich man or a farmer. I wanted you at my side. I wanted to have your children. Damn it, I would’ve signed the land over to you. We would’ve been full partners.”
Jared shook his head. “I wouldn’t let you do that. This is your land, Talia. You’re damned straight you’ve earned it. I don’t care about the hardships. After the last week, we’ve proved we can get through anything. But can you blame a man—a real man, because you obviously weren’t married to one—for wanting to support his wife?”
Rising to her feet, she gazed down at him in disbelief. “So selling and moving to New York is about your male pride?”
“Yes…what little I have left.” He shifted his leg, hating to admit how pathetic he sounded. “Before I received the news of my father’s death, I was going to humble myself and ask him for the money to rebuild the herd and save your ranch.”
“After he was so unkind, you would’ve done that for me?” Tears glimmered in her dusky eyes, then started trickling down her cheeks. She sniffed and wiped the moisture away with the back of her hand.
“I would,” he said simply, although in reality, swallowing his pride wouldn’t have been easy. He stood to face her.
“And now? Will you still return to your family?” She stepped closer, sliding her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. “Wouldn’t you at least like to see your brother—for a visit?”
Unbelievably, she seemed able to read his mind as if she knew him better than he knew himself. He shook his head. “Not now. Not without you, Talia. And if you allow me to stay, to be your partner, then there’s too much work to do with the ranch. We have to rebuild your herd—”
She caressed his cheek. “Mi amado, we could have the rest of our lives.”
“Do you mean it?”
“Sí, with all my heart.”
“Talia, will you still marry me, such as I am? All I may ever have is my vow to love you until I draw my last breath.”
“Sí, Jared, I have not changed my mind. I will marry you. All that matters is that we face life together. I love you so much…even more than my land.”
“More than your land?” Jared let out a sharp bark of laughter. “That’s saying something. ‘Cause I know how you love this land, this ranch.”
“But I warn you. I’m not always an easy woman be around. ”
“You’re easy to love,” he said, drawing her close. “No other woman has ever made me feel what I feel when I’m with you. It doesn’t matter if we’re mucking out the stable or making love on the kitchen table…”
“I had no idea you were such a poet,” she said with a quiet laugh, putting her fingers to his lips. “Shh, you must never let Sarita know. You promise?”
“I promise,” he said with a smile. “Our secret forever.” Clasping her hands, he swung her around. “Now, let’s go tell Sarita and Pedro—”
“You promised!”
“—our good news,” he finished with a smile. “Silly woman.”
Epilogue
The late July sun beat down on Natalia while she watched Sarita gathering herbs from the small garden at the back of the patio. New cattle were grazing on the distant hills, while horses trotted around the pasture. After the unceasing cold of the last winter, the heat was welcome indeed. She rubbed her huge belly, wishing the nagging twinges she’d experienced all day would go away. She shifted uncomfortably on the wrought-iron chair. Dios! Now her back was aching as well.
Unthinking, she let out a loud sigh. Sarita’s head turned sharply in Natalia’s direction. “Is it the bebé?”
“No, but now my back is aching.” Without warning, a rush of warm fluid gushed between her thighs and spattered on the patio tile. “I’m all wet.” She rose clumsily from the chair, clutching the table to steady herself. A sharp cramp started in the middle of her back, circled to each side, then met in the middle of her belly. The sharp pain arrowed down to her lower belly.
Sarita straightened. “It is the bebé.”
“No, not yet. Jared’s in town. He won’t be back in time.”
“Oh, he has plenty of time,” Sarita said chuckling. “The first one is always the longest. You’ll see.” She slid her arm around Natalia’s waist. “Let’s get you into a clean gown and into the bed.”
“Where would I be without you, Sarita? You’ve always been here for me. A mother could’ve done no more than you have.” Tears started flowing down Natalia’s cheeks. “Why am I crying? What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing wrong with you. You’re having your bebé. Either a fine son like his papi or a beautiful daughter like her mami.”
“I want Jared. I want him here.”
“He will be. Never fear.”
Once inside her bedchamber, Natalia allowed her life-long friend to remove the wet skirt and slip a fine cotton shift over her head. She lay down, sinking into the soft feather mattress with a sigh.
Then the next pain hit, harder than any before, and her real labor began.
The keening sound knifed through Jared’s heart. Every pang Natalia suffered, he suffered. He sat at the kitchen table, staring unseeingly at his pocket watch. “How long has it been?” he asked Pedro, who merely poured another shot of whiskey and handed it to him.
Jared snapped the fob shut. “Useless. I’m so useless.”
Another gut-wrenching scream emanated from their bedroom.
“I can’t stand it. She sounds like she’s dying. She needs me.” He couldn’t lose her now. Not after all the struggles of the hardest winter he’d ever known. They’d married in the early spring, and he’d rejoiced when she told him she was with child. His child. He couldn’t lose her now. It wasn’t fair.
“Drink up, amigo. She doesn’t need you. Doesn’t want you to see her like that.” He shook his grizzled head. “This is women’s work.”
“I never thought it would be this bad. Women have had children for centuries. Why on earth would they go through pain like this?”
“For love, mi amigo. For family.” Pedro shrugged. “Women have the bebés, and men work to support them. That’s life.”
Jared downed the whiskey. Fine. Pedro could be as philosophical as he pleased, but it wasn’t his wife in agony two rooms away.
A scream—primal—unlike any he’d heard before tore him from his seat. “My God, it’s killing her!” Unsteadily, he got to his feet.
Then a squall sounded through the air. Angry, furious, and the most glorious sound Jared had ever heard. His knees weakened. Grabbing the table, where they might’ve actually conceived their baby, he sagged into the chair. The room swam before his eyes. All he could see were alternating splotches of green and black. He struggled to see his drinking partner.
“Head down, amigo,” Pedro ordered. “Between your knees.”
Though it made no sense, Jared complied. “Wha—”
“’Bout to pass out.” The man chortled. “Sí.”
With blood once again going to his head, Jared’s vision cleared, but he was still dizzier than he’d ever been in his entire life. “Glad you find me so amusing, a-mi-go.”
“They won’t let you in there until you can stand on your feet. Wouldn’t want to drop your bebé, now would you?”
“My baby?” He stood again, this time steadier. “My God. I have a baby.” Without waiting, Jared rushed toward their bedroom. The door was still closed. He hesitated for a moment, then tapped.
The door was opened immediately. “What took you so long, señor?” Sarita ask. “Your bebé and your wife, they are waiting for you.” She stepped back, and finally he could see the woman who meant everything to him. Tired but beautiful beyond his imagining, she smiled up at him, their baby bundled in the curve of her arms.
“I thought you were dying,” he said. “I wanted to die with you.”
“Don’t be silly. Are you ready to meet your”—a playful smile lit her face as she kissed the top of their baby’s
head—“son?”
“A son? We have a son?”
“Sí. He’s long. He’ll be tall and handsome like you one day. And I hope he’ll be as wonderful a man as his father.” She kissed their baby again. His son would grow up with love and an adoring mother and father. “What shall we name him?”
He smiled down at his wife and son. “Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been giving the name some thought. Now that my brother and I have resolved our issues over Father’s estate, I thought we might name him Garth—if that’s all right with you.”
Talia smiled and finger-combed the baby’s dark thatch of hair. “Well, little Señor Garth Fields, this is your father.” She glanced up. “Don’t you want to hold him?”
Still a little shaky, Jared played it safe and sat on the bed beside his wife. His hands shook as Talia passed the small, squirming bundle into his arms. His heart thundered. His child. Their child. To love and care for the rest of their lives.
“Support his head,” she warned.
He nodded, still unsteady.
Over by the door, a smiling Sarita stood wrapped in Pedro’s arms. Apparently his drinking partner had carried tales and told her of Jared’s nearly passing out.
“Are you happy?” he asked the mother of his child.
Talia gazed up at him, the love shining in her eyes. “I’ve never been so happy.” She reached up and caressed his cheek, causing his heart to swell with love.
“Neither have I. And this is only the beginning.” Luckiest man in the world couldn’t begin to describe how he felt. He had everything a man could ever want. A home, a beautiful and passionate wife, and now this precious babe.
Author’s Note
For anyone who wonders about the suddenness of the blizzard in the story, there really was a severe snowstorm in late October 1889. And according to reports of the time, it came without warning. The real storm was even more severe and tragic than depicted in this story in that there were no thawing winds from the southwest.
To read an actual account written at the time, go to:
Taming Talia Page 19
