First Love Wild Love

by Janelle Taylor

  “But,” Salina opened her mouth to dispute his statements.

  “No buts!” he snarled. “You think I don’t know how you’ve been treating her. I’m surprised she hasn’t fired you or punished you.”

  Salina bit her tongue to keep from blurting out, she wouldn’t dare! “What has she been telling you?” Salina asked, emphasizing the “she”. “I do not understand why you act and talk this salvaje way.”

  “I spoke with Rankin about the conflict between you two. Callie didn’t want to cause trouble, so she’s kept silent. From now on, I’m demanding she tell me everything. She’s been taking your crap for months to avoid problems. No longer, Salina. If you work for the Cardones, that includes my wife. If you can’t endure her, then I suggest you start looking elsewhere for another job,” he stated coldly.

  Salina paled. “Where would I go? I have lived and worked here for five years! Where? How?”

  “Things have changed, Salina, but you’re refusing to accept those changes. It’s time you decide if you want to remain with us.”

  “Lynx, let me give you my side,” Salina entreated fearfully.

  “Alto! Ya se acabo! That’s what I’m talking about!” he thundered, switching to English for his wife’s benefit. Exasperated, his fist struck the table, sloshing coffee from their cups, causing both women to jump in surprise. “There are no sides to be taken! I’ve never met anyone easier to get along with than Cal. If you give it some help, you two could get along fine. Is that clear?” When Salina nodded, he said, “Good, now leave us alone.”

  Salina left quickly. Lynx looked over at his wife, frowning. “Think I was too harsh?” he speculated.

  “I should say yes, but I can’t. I don’t know if that scolding will help or hurt. But I promise to do my best with her, Lynx. She just resents me so much. Thanks,” she murmured sweetly.

  “It will help if you constantly remember you’re a Cardone.”

  She lifted her left hand and gazed at her ring. “I will.”

  Calinda stood in the yard watching Lynx ride away from home, failing to move until even his dust vanished. She sighed, this time happily rather than angrily. For the first time, she was convinced they had a bright future together. She resolved that nothing and no one would dampen her gaiety or destroy her trust and happiness.

  Today was Monday, July 1, 1878. With good luck and smiling fate, Lynx should be home before the end of this month…

  Chapter Fifteen

  As the days passed, Rankin noticed a pleasing change in Calinda. There was a serene glow to her cheeks and a happy sparkle in her eyes; she hummed merrily as if the entire world was in love and at peace. She didn’t appear the least worried about her close call with peril. It was obvious; Calinda was deeply in love with Lynx.

  As they talked, dined, and played cards, her laughter was bubbly and frequent. When Lynx was mentioned, a twinkle filled her eyes and spread warmth over her face. They didn’t discuss his location or purpose. They merely enjoyed each other’s company and wit.

  To Salina’s surprise, Calinda didn’t become bossy and smug. It was as if Calinda was content to let Salina continue with her chores in her own way. When Calinda wanted to perform a particular task or help with one, she didn’t ask; she simply did it. Salina couldn’t believe the lack of gloating in the victorious Calinda. The new Mrs. Cardone seemed too preoccupied to notice what went on around her or be troubled by any menial problems.

  Salina wisely accepted this curious behavior, observing it closely with intrigue. Until things settled down, she would make herself as unnoticeable as possible. She would be as quiet as a field mouse and as sweet as wild honey! Her time would come…

  When Thursday arrived, Calinda told Rankin she didn’t want to go to the July fourth celebration in town. She explained her motives for wanting to stay home, which included her absent husband. She told Rankin she didn’t want to risk running into any of Stevens’ men or Stevens himself, just in case they had hung around this area. When Rankin debated her points, Cal reminded him she couldn’t identify any of the bandits. That notorious outlaw could stroll right up to her face, and she wouldn’t know when to scream or run.

  “They lost $50,000 on me, Rankin, surely more than any stage carries. They might try to snatch me again. I’d feel safer and happier here. I would be asked buckets of questions about Lynx’s constant absences; I hate making phony excuses. I’m not a good liar or actress. I don’t want people playing guessing games or starting rumors. Besides, it’s hot and noisy in town. I heard you assign half the hands as guards this morning and half of them for this afternoon. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

  “I suppose you’re right, Cal. But I’ll miss you with me today. It’ll be hard to explain your absence since we don’t want to let anyone know about the kidnapping. I warned Salina and my men not to say anything to anyone.” But Calinda didn’t know the real motive behind keeping it quiet, to protect Lynx’s identity. Still, he didn’t want any gossip about his family. From what Lynx had said, he had rescued Calinda just in the nick of time to spare her any degradation.

  So, the holiday passed with Calinda under heavy guard, reading a book while Rankin had a merry time in town.

  Under Ranger McNelly’s leadership on Friday, Lynx and Tom Peters set a trap for Cole Stevens and his gang. Five miles before reaching Big Sandy Creek, they halted the stage. The three passengers were taken aside to be picked up after the foiled robbery; they were to wait in the wagon until the lawmen returned with their prisoners. The three Rangers hid themselves inside the coach and headed to defeat the outlaws. McNelly told them to wait until the stage was stopped and the bandits were nearby, to shoot anyone who tried to escape.

  All went as planned. As the driver slowed to ford the wide creek, the stage was approached by four heavily armed outlaws. As instructed, the driver and guard didn’t make any precarious moves.

  “Throw down that strong-box, and we’ll be on our way without any shooting,” Cole ordered the driver, lazily propping his crossed wrists on his saddle horn, his gun pointing negligently into the air.

  The guard struggled to lift the heavy metal box and tossed it to the ground. Instantly he and the driver sank into the protective area in the shotgun box at their feet. The coach door sprang open, McNelly bravely exposing himself as Tom and Lynx simultaneously appeared in the windows. The three Rangers sent forth warning shots.

  McNelly shouted, “Rangers! Throw down your guns or be killed!”

  Two of the outlaws quickly obeyed, tossing away their guns and lifting their hands. Oggie and Will didn’t want to challenge such deadly odds. As if prearranged, Little Red and Cole Stevens fled in opposite directions. The three Rangers bounded from the stage. Tom trained his two pistols on Oggie and Will. Glancing in both directions, McNelly shouted to Lynx. “You take Stevens! That way.”

  McNelly knew how much Lynx wanted to defeat his foe, so he fired at the fleeing carrot-haired Little Red, winging him with skill.

  Lynx fumed at Cole’s flight. Lynx wanted to yank Cole off his saddle and beat him senseless. Without Star to pursue him, Lynx had no choice but to shoot or let Cole make his escape. He aimed his Colt and squeezed the trigger twice, striking Cole in the left thigh and right arm, the one gripping his reins. The bandit wavered and fell off his horse, the frightened animal continuing his terrified pace.

  Lynx rushed to where Cole had fallen. Cole was holding his wounded arm across his stomach and gripping the profusely bleeding wound on his leg with his left hand. When Lynx swaggered to where Cole sat in agonizing pain, Lynx towered over him, grinning in pleasure.

  Cole stared at him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Helping the Rangers clear this land of rattlesnakes,” Lynx sneered, kicking his injured leg, recalling Cole’s treatment of Calinda.

  Cole grimaced in anguish. Lynx snarled at him, “You’d best be glad you didn’t hurt my wife any worse than you did, Cole, or you’d be choking on your own blood right this moment. The Rangers wi
ll put you away a long time, if they don’t hang you, you bloody bastard!”

  Cole scoffed, “You’re just riled that Unknown Ranger saved her instead of you. Did the little wife fall for that courageous man?”

  “How could she? She’s in love with me,” Lynx stated smugly.

  “Didn’t look that way to me. She was even willing to do anything I said to earn her freedom. She’s a damn good kisser with fiery blood.”

  “Forget it, Cole. The Ranger was outside the window when you forced her to kiss you to gain some fresh air. It might interest you to know that’s why she asked for the window up and the light out. If her hands hadn’t been tied, she would have scratched out your eyeballs. She said she nearly puked when she followed the Ranger’s orders.”

  Cole stiffened in fury. “That good for nothing bitch! If I ever get my hands on her again, I’ll…”

  Lynx grabbed Cole by the front of his shirt and yanked him to his feet. He delivered several blows into Cole’s face and gut with lightning speed and forceful strength. “I’ll kill you if you even think about her in passing,” Lynx warned ominously at Cole’s threat.

  Cole doubled over with pain. Blood seeped from cuts at the corner of his mouth and left eye. A shirt sleeve and pants leg were saturated with crimson liquid. “If I ever get loose, Cardone, I’ll kill you for this,” he mumbled, spitting blood on the dry ground.

  Torn between a desire for revenge and a duty to justice, Lynx scathingly declared, “If those Rangers weren’t standing over there, Cole, you’d be a dead man. I’m a fool all right; I should have come alone and dealt with you. I’ll see that you either hang or rot in prison. Mark my words,” he vowed confidently.

  When Lynx dragged Cole over to the waiting stage, Cole began protesting his beating, claiming a man wasn’t guilty until tried.

  McNelly glanced at the bloody Cole and stated calmly, “I didn’t see Cardone lift a finger against you, other than to prevent you from escaping after an attempted hold-up which I personally witnessed and will testify to in court. Seems I was busy with your surprise.”

  Lynx gaped at the belligerent and lovely female with fiery red curls. Little Red was a woman! He promptly realized how the successful scouting was carried out. Who would suspect an attractive woman of spying! His astonishment mounted when he learned her name, Callie O’Hara. “So you’re Darlin’ Nelle’s cousin,” he murmured reflectively, absorbing the image of past misconceptions. Two fiery-headed Callies.

  “So you’re Calinda Braxton’s husband,” she sneered hatefully. “Too bad Cole didn’t let his men work her over good. I doubt a Cardone would have taken back used goods.”

  McNelly glanced at Lynx, but Lynx merely smiled satanically at Cole and Callie. Lynx hoped McNelly didn’t suspect the truth. With each mission, more Rangers were discovering his identity and more people were suspecting it. He wished he could confide in McNelly, but he needed to keep silent a while longer. The more who knew, the less effect he had. Since Tom was Lynx’s contact with Jones, Tom was one of the few who knew who left that warning mark behind. How he wished he could tell Cal.

  McNelly promised to take care of Cole and his men before Lynx headed out for Waco to catch up on the news of the Bass gang. From Murphy’s traitorous reports, the gang was heading south from Dallas, their target either Waco or Round Rock. Murphy was to let Jones know something definite this week. Lynx had been ordered to remain at Waco until word arrived. Before leaving the Rangers, Lynx sent a telegram home, telling Rankin and Calinda about the defeat of the Stevens gang. He said he would send word again when possible.

  Lynx paced his room in Waco for three days before word came from Murphy, saying the target was the bank at Round Rock on Friday, either July 12 or 19, according to how things looked in town when they arrived. Most of the time Lynx could cover his involvement with his gunslinger reputation as a paid assistant or as a favor to a Ranger friend. But this mission would unavoidably reveal his identity to several noted lawmen. On July 8, Lynx rode out of Waco, heading for Round Rock to meet with Major Jones and other famed Rangers.

  It was Lynx’s assignment to mingle in the saloons, watching for any sign of Bass or his men. When Friday the twelfth came and went, it was concluded Bass would strike the next Friday. An urgent message came from Murphy: Round Rock Bank on the nineteenth.

  Lynx had a week to while away in that rowdy cowtown. He missed Calinda and wanted to get home. None of the Rangers were allowed to send telegrams or letters out of Round Rock—it was vital that they maintain a low profile. The days were arid and boring; the nights, long and stuffy. For the first time in his Ranger career, Lynx became edgy and restless. It had been over two weeks since he’d been with Calinda, with over another week to go before he could even think of heading toward her arms.

  At the ranch, things were going much the same for Calinda and Rankin. With the capture of the Cole Stevens gang, Rankin didn’t lower his guard. He was concerned over another outlaw trying where Cole had failed. Calinda often went riding with Rankin or helped with the stable chores. When the day was too hot or was rainy, she found tasks inside to occupy her mind.

  Lynx had sent a telegram on the sixth, but nothing since then. She fretted over his safety and the lack of word from him. Neighbors came to call several times, giving Calinda a chance to get better acquainted and to entertain. Twice she and Rankin went to visit friends of his, staying for dinner both times.

  It had been seventeen days since Lynx cheerfully rode away from the ranch. As if in a lull before a powerful storm, Calinda and Salina had practiced good conduct. They had been careful to avoid arguing or fencing; even their thinly veiled insults had ceased. They were civil to each other even when Rankin wasn’t around. It seemed as if each was finally resigned to the other’s role in the Cardone house.

  As the days slowly drifted by, Calinda experienced mild discontent and loneliness; she was too inactive. She missed Lynx terribly, but she also missed female companionship and the engrossing facets of society and civilization. She longed for exciting evenings at amusing plays, elaborate dinners, and gay parties. She missed the enthralling shops which larger towns offered. She loved Rankin and the ranch, but there was little to do but dreary chores or the same masculine games each day. Cal was educated and vivacious; she missed fascinating people and enlivening events. She liked the hired hands, but there was little in common with them. Amusement here might include a swim in the pond or a raucous game of horseshoes. If she were really lucky, there might be a taxing dinner or barbecue where the conversations centered on cattle, horses, the weather, or violence. The people here were kind and nice, but their sole interest appeared to be daily existence. Surely she would get accustomed to the monotonous routine and lack of diversions. If only she had at least one female friend, but the women here were too busy for such relationships.

  Calinda wondered if the hardships, sacrifices, boredom, and loneliness were the factors behind Laura’s misery and malicious behavior. Had Laura taken her unhappiness out on her husband and son? Calinda recalled Lynx’s allusions to Laura’s love of money and power; out here, those were critical defenses, means for survival. She couldn’t be right, for Laura had been blessed with her husband’s and son’s presence.

  When word failed to arrive from Lynx, Salina’s old suspicions surfaced and blossomed. She told herself that nasty scene in the kitchen had been for Calinda’s benefit, to further disarm and enchant her. Evidently Calinda didn’t feel secure in her role, or she would be taking over by now. Was Calinda afraid to test her importance? Perhaps Lynx had given her a scolding in private, warned her to behave or be sent on her way. Still, Calinda was settling in too firmly. Something had to done to shake her confidence and trust. Salina’s resentments had festered with time and suppression; they were ready to burst open and spew forth their viciousness. Salina couldn’t forget that revealing conversation between Rankin and Lynx, those dark secrets in her favor…

  It had been pouring rain for two days, and Calinda was confined
to the house. Lightning slashed across the dark sky. Violent claps of thunder rattled the windows; twice, windy gusts blew them open, allowing rain to soak the floor. The house was immaculate; laundry had to be postponed. There was little to do; Rankin was in Fort Worth on business.

  Calinda had read constantly for the past two days. She was bored and tense. An idea came to her restive mind; she could clean the attic. Attics were always fun. Hidden treasures were discovered; adventures could be imagined. Perhaps there was something of value stored there, perhaps old furniture which could be re-finished and used. Perhaps it contained boyhood prizes of her husband, items to warm her heart and lighten her mood on a dreary day. She almost invited Salina to go along, for she had been pleasant lately. Since they were the only two women around, it was foolish to be enemies. Calinda decided against it, dreading her invitation would send Salina off on one of her unpredictable tirades. At least, they were speaking and not quarreling. Perhaps in time…

  Calinda took a lantern and mounted the steps. Once inside, she glanced around. She grinned in pleasure. The attic was filled with boxes and trunks, old furniture, and such. She inched her way around, peeking here and there. She abruptly laughed. Never had she thought the day would come when a musty, cluttered attic was the highlight of her existence! But it would be different when Lynx came home.

  To her disappointment, most of the trunks were empty. She realized those were the ones which had contained Laura’s clothes. Two other trunks were sealed by rusty locks. There was an interesting crate of old books which she could check later. She found a beautifully carved wash-stand which would be lovely if refinished. She found boy’s clothing, snuggling them to her heart. She wondered what it would be like to have her own child, Lynx’s baby. There were two crates of old toys, some in excellent or fair condition and others irreparable. She trailed her fingers over a cradle, trying to envision her love tiny and crying inside of it. There were odds and ends which should be discarded.