Texas Desire

by Holly Castillo

  Olivia smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t change too much. You are incredibly special as you are.”

  Serena’s face lit up. “I miss you, too, Vi.”

  “We all do,” Angie said, and collectively the family nodded. “Now all of us want to know how the gringo is. How is he recovering from his wounds?”

  “Slower than he’d like, but faster than I expected. He pushes himself every day.”

  “And does he take care of you? Does he behave the way he should?” Serena was the one asking the questions this time, and Olivia’s eyebrow lifted in surprise.

  “Yes, he does. He’s a gentleman.” She didn’t need to explain to them the many things they’d already overcome. “But there is much more to the man than we ever knew. And I need to help him, even though it is very dangerous.”

  She drew a deep breath and began to tell Cade’s story, leading up to his arrival at their home a few weeks prior. Her family listened intently, respectfully holding back questions. Until Olivia began to describe her plan.

  “Olivia, you can’t. It is far too great of a risk!” Angie spoke emphatically.

  Olivia turned to look at her younger sister with an eyebrow raised. “You are one to speak, Angie. You took far greater risks with Lorenzo...” Her voice died away as she saw Angie’s face at the mention of Lorenzo. She reached out and squeezed her hand gently.

  “Dear child, your plan puts you at the very heart of this war. I can’t allow it!”

  “Abuelo, I will move forward with this, with or without your approval. I am merely asking for your help.”

  “I can help.” Serena’s statement was the calm amongst the protest around them.

  Olivia pivoted to face Serena, doing her best to hide her surprise. “Serena, I won’t put you at risk.”

  “I know. And I know everything we need to do to get you ready.”

  Olivia hummed softly to herself as she rolled the tortilla dough into round spheres, ready to be rolled out and then tossed on the flat surface heating over the fire. Cade was enjoying the fresh morning air on the front porch, stretching his leg.

  Time was growing short. He was improving with every day, and now that they had two horses, thanks to Serena, he would be able to attempt to ride soon. And there was nothing she could do to stop him, even if she wanted to.

  But that was part of her problem. She wanted him to go after Bella. She wanted him to find her safely, and she wanted him to be happy once again. He deserved it after all that he had been through.

  She gasped in surprise as strong arms suddenly circled around her waist, but her lips pulled into a smile and leaned back into Cade’s warm embrace. “Aren’t you supposed to be stretching your leg?”

  “I’m able to stretch just fine standing here with you. And I find it far more enjoyable.”

  “If you want to have a fresh breakfast, it may help for you to find another location to stretch, because you are being very distracting right now.”

  “So I’m able to distract the extremely focused, highly serious Miss Torres? It can’t be possible.”

  Olivia lay her head back on his shoulder and turned her face to his, her lips seeking a kiss. She was quickly rewarded as his arms tightened around her, and then his lips roved lower to her neck and she sighed softly. “You are a bad influence, you know that, don’t you?”

  He chuckled against her neck and his whiskers tickled her, prompting her to let loose a soft chuckle as well and he pulled back, his eyes staring down at her. “You should do that more often.”

  “Do what?” she asked, her head still resting on his shoulder, her eyes gazing up at him. She never wanted the moment to end.

  “Laugh. I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard you laugh to be honest. It is a wonderful sound.” His blue eyes were shining from the sunlight that was faintly streaming through the window, and she felt mesmerized.

  “I can’t remember the last time I laughed. Perhaps you aren’t entirely a bad influence.”

  He smiled and planted another kiss on her lips. “Now, why don’t you teach me something, angel?”

  Olivia’s eyes widened. “Exactly what do you have in mind?”

  He chuckled again. “Don’t worry, it isn’t anything too complicated... at least I don’t think it is. Teach me how to make these tortillas.”

  “You want to learn how to make tortillas?” she asked in disbelief.

  “It will give me something new to teach Bella.”

  Olivia pressed him a solid kiss. “Something tells me that Bella will be a natural at this. But you may be all thumbs. So let’s see how you do.”

  She grabbed one of the spheres and sprinkled flour onto the board. “Now,” she said, sliding her hands over his and gently pulling them away from her waist and placing them on the rolling pin, “we roll out the dough into a circle.”

  As they rolled out the dough, he distracted her by constantly nuzzling her neck, and by the time they had finished, the dough was terribly deformed and shaped nothing like the circle it was meant to be.

  Olivia turned around within his arms and rubbed flour down his nose. “You, sir, are not meant to make tortillas.”

  He sighed heavily and feigned disappointment, then leaned in for another kiss. When he pulled back from her his eyes were serious. “Bella is going to love you.”

  The comment took Olivia completely by surprise. Her heart began to pound rapidly. “You are leaving for her soon, aren’t you?”

  “Thanks to your healing, I’ll be ready to go within a few days. I just need to make sure I can ride safely. It won’t do me any good to leave for her and not make it. She needs me, angel. And I need her.”

  Olivia forced a smile to her face and ran a hand through his hair. “Yes. But I’m giving you a shave and a haircut before you go anywhere. The way you look now you may scare her more than anything.”

  But inside her gut churned. He was almost healed. It was almost time for her to put her plan into action.

  Chapter Sixteen

  March 29th, 1836

  The cold winter had turned into a soggy, muddy, messy spring. Which made it difficult to do anything outside, even though Olivia knew Cade craved to get out of the house. They enjoyed the time they had on the porch in the mornings and out back in the evenings as the sun set, but he yearned to move more. He was anxious to go after Bella.

  The last information Olivia had learned from her family was that the Mexican Army had crossed the Colorado River and was continuing to move east. Given that she had learned this only days earlier, the information could have been at least a week old or more. The whole war could have been won or lost by now for all they knew. And then where did that leave Bella? What was happening to her?

  Cade worked his way back and forth on the porch, listening to Olivia’s sweet humming inside. God, what an amazing woman. He had never expected to find someone like her ever in his life. His marriage to his wife had been pleasant. But it was formal and structured, and she shied away from any true displays of affection.

  Even in the bedroom, she had acted as though it was her responsibility as his wife to attend to his needs. It had seemed more of a chore to her than a thing of pleasure. But he had assumed that was the way it was supposed to be between a man and wife.

  But Olivia taught him something very different. She responded to his touch in ways that were honest and pure and made him desire her with such a power just with his thoughts that he had to sit in the old rocking chair placed at the corner of the porch.

  He took several deep breaths, trying to calm the passion that burned within him. She deserved so much more. She deserved a better man, a stronger man, and certainly not a man that came with an instant family. He had no doubt she would be good with Bella, but it was unfair of him to expect such a thing of any woman, let alone one as amazing as Olivia.

  Yet, his passion for her had stirred passion within her body as well, and she had responded to him so quickly and easily. But he had held back from pushing t
he passion on her again. She had already dealt with so much—he couldn’t try to seduce her. And he could never be the kind of man to lie with a woman and then leave her. That was not the man he was.

  But the gentle kisses and touches and caresses they had shared over the past several days had been extremely pleasurable, and had caused the fire within him to burn hotter than ever. But he had to exercise restraint. She was an incredible woman who deserved so much. He could offer her an unknown future—no home, no plan, nothing but a two-year-old daughter that would only add to the difficulties of the relationship. In the back of his mind, though, a small voice said Olivia was a woman who would say yes to that life, even with all of the uncertainties.

  She had lowered her inhibitions so much, and it felt as though they operated as one. Their days moved together seamlessly, and at night they stayed on each other’s designated side of the bed, but inevitably, their bodies gravitated towards each other, and they woke wrapped in each other’s arms.

  But the haunts of his past were what truly stopped him. He didn’t deserve a woman as pure and strong as Olivia. Everyone around him either died, or, in the case of his daughter, kidnapped by mad men with the ultimate end being death. His wife had died giving birth to his daughter. His son had died for his mistakes. And now his daughter’s life was on the line because of his choices. Before being captured by the Mexican Army, he had done things that had upset many people. Serving as the sheriff earned him many enemies. Olivia didn’t need to know about that. He feared it was his penance for hanging men who had murdered others. God hadn’t wanted him to be that final judge. He prayed about it daily. Was that why he was cursed?

  But he had come to enjoy his time with her far too much. He couldn’t forget Bella was out there, her life in danger every day that passed. It was time for him to test his strength. It was time for him to go save his daughter.

  Olivia stood by anxiously as Cade tried to haul himself up and into the saddle on the horse’s back. He used his upper body strength as much as possible, though he still had to rely on his legs to launch him up and swing his leg over the body of the mule.

  He was covered in a light sweat by the time he settled into the saddle, and was breathing deeply, but he flashed a smile at her. “The hard part is over, at least. I shouldn’t be gone longer than an hour.”

  She smiled at him in return. “That will be the perfect time for dinner.” Her smile slipped slightly and she stepped towards him, awkwardly guiding his boot a bit further into the stirrup. “Be careful, please? Don’t take any unnecessary risks, okay?

  He smiled and nodded at her, before turning the horse and gently nudging it out from the stables and away from the house. “You worry too much, angel. I will see you soon.”

  Olivia watched until she couldn’t see him anymore, then turned back to the house. It was only a matter of time now. If he felt comfortable enough to ride the horse, he would be ready to go in search of his daughter. And she still had so much to prepare before that happened.

  She stepped into the house and began to work quickly, taking the blankets out to air in the spring breeze, and beginning to wash the laundry out back. She had so many chores to tend to before he returned if she was going to pull off her plan.

  She was fastening the last of the laundry to the line to dry when she heard the sound of boots striking the porch. Had it already been an hour? No, she knew how long her dinner would take to cook. He must have returned early. She prayed it wasn’t because of his leg.

  “Cade? What happened? Are you alri—” Her words stuck in her throat and she stopped mid-step as the officer that had attacked, that had humiliated her, that had nearly raped her, came walking into the house, holding his riding gloves in one hand, slapping them against the palm of his other hand.

  Dear God, she had no way to defend herself. The gun was too far away. Her only hope was to run. She turned and grabbed her skirts, lifting them above her knees as she forced her legs to propel her forward. The trees were dense enough that she should be able to find a hiding place quickly.

  She could hear him behind her, could hear his heavy boots striking the earth as he ran closer and closer. She dodged around the trees, trying desperately to avoid the inevitable. This Officer was no fool. He anticipated her next moves and raced ahead, and before she could adjust her course, she slammed into his chest and fell backwards.

  The mad man was laughing, enjoying her fear. She scrambled backwards, then back to her feet and turned to run but was drawn up short by his arm snaking around her waist. His breath blew hard against her cheek and she cringed at the aroma of cigars and whiskey.

  “Look what I’ve found.” He chuckled. “I knew I’d find you eventually. And I knew you had to be lying about that sister living south of here. No woman would make that trip in the dark, especially with the Comanche starting to act up again. So now I have you all to myself.”

  She twisted and turned against his hold, trying to break free. “Do you pride yourself on preying on people weaker than you? Is that what you get such perverted joy out of this?”

  He whirled her around so that she was facing him and he began to rapidly pull on the strings of her dress, quickly working his way through her bodice. “No, my dear. I get joy out of this. Out of you squirming and writhing that sweet little body against me, of you crying for me to stop when you really want it.”

  Olivia shoved at him, but he was solid as a wall. “You’re delusional! You are absolutely out of your mind!”

  He had worked her bodice open and grabbed her breasts, rubbing and squeezing them. He shoved her back against a tree so hard her head snapped and hit the rough bark, and for a brief moment she was dazed.

  When she had regained her senses, she realized he was frantically unfastening his trousers while still trying to fondle her breasts. Rage suddenly filled her. She would not be his victim. She would not allow him to violate her and she certainly wouldn’t give him the satisfaction he sought.

  She drew her leg up sharply and he hissed in pain, falling to his knees. She turned to run but he grabbed her skirts, holding her back.

  “I won’t let you get away from me again.” He growled, though he was still huddled over.

  She turned and slammed her elbows down on his back, right on his spine, and he yelped in pain, falling to his side, but not releasing his grip on her skirts. She took the advantage and kicked him hard in the chest and he grunted, but still wouldn’t release his hold.

  She raised her leg to kick him again and was shocked when he grabbed her foot and yanked, causing her to fall to the ground with him. Instantly she flipped over and tried to pull herself to a standing position, but he had her legs pinned under his body, and he snapped her back over as he crawled up the length of hers.

  “Had I known you wanted it to be rough, I could have started it sooner.” He sneered, and his hand suddenly smacked her hard across the face.

  She looked back at him and smiled. “I should have expected something so weak from someone as pathetic as you.”

  The next crack across her face drew blood from the corner of her mouth and she could taste the coppery flavor inside her mouth as well. She took advantage of it and spit into his face.

  Obviously repulsed, he wiped her spit from his face. “You have made a terrible, terrible mistake, senorita. I was going to simply make love to you—and you would have enjoyed it. But now, the only thing I desire is to watch you die as painfully as possible.”

  Olivia’s heart was racing and her ears were ringing. She felt at a complete loss. How could she possibly defeat this man without a weapon?

  He stood slowly and she tried to get to her feet, but everything spun around her. She could hear his laughter, but it seemed to be coming from a distance. Then, suddenly, he was dragging her by her hair, and she couldn’t contain her cry of pain, even though she didn’t want to give the man any satisfaction.

  He propped her in a seated position against one of the trees and then straddled her, smiling in such an e
vil way Olivia wondered if she could actually be facing the devil.

  “Do you want to know how I’m going to kill you?”

  “You will die before I do,” Olivia said with much more conviction in her voice than she truly felt. Her hands were searching the ground around them for anything she could use as a weapon—a rock, a large limb, anything.

  He continued speaking as though she had said nothing. “I like for it to be very intimate when I kill people for fun. Oh, yes, my dear, you are hardly the first I’ve killed. Killing men in battle brings me some pleasure. But the real joy is when I get to watch their life drain from their eyes, watch them struggle to get in a gasp of air before their body quits on them. That is where I find real joy.”

  “You are insane. You are an absolute madman. What happened to you to make you so sick in the mind?”

  A muscle in his eye twitched, but he said nothing as he pulled the strings for her bodice free and held them in both hands. And suddenly it dawned on her. He was going to strangle her.

  She began to fight with him, shoving as hard as she could, but her strength was no match to his. And suddenly the ties were twisting around her neck, winding tighter and tighter. At first she clawed at them, trying to relieve the pressure, gasping desperately for air.

  When that proved unsuccessful she began to claw at him, at his face, at his hands, even at his cursed red jacket. But he just laughed, a horrible, terrifying laugh that told her she was dying by the hands of this man.

  She continued to claw at him and her fingers hit something hard within his jacket. She didn’t bother wondering what it was, she just used her frantic movements to conceal that she was getting it. Black spots were beginning to appear before her eyes, and she knew she didn’t have long. And he was still laughing. He truly did take pleasure out of watching the death of people.

  It was a knife. It was a long, sharp knife. And she had no time to think about what she would do with it, as she could already feel herself sliding down a dark, black hole. Without another thought, she shoved as hard as she could into his neck.