Texas Heat

by Holly Castillo

  Serena straightened her spine stiffly, but kept her face passive. “I only want to be kissed by a real man. I made a mistake thinking that was what I was doing.” She stood and crossed over the ridge of the roof and had disappeared down the side before he even had a chance to react.

  In the dark, alone on the roof, he shook his head at himself. It was for the best. He could never give her the things she deserved, and, if anything, her life could be at risk if she was around him. Besides, there was never the option of being shackled to a woman. He treasured his freedom far too much.

  He had worked hard to stay isolated from a relationship, even though he had been around several alluring women, ready to serve dutifully as a wife to a ranger. But he wanted nothing to do with it. The women only wanted him because of what they thought he was, and the idea of being responsible for that woman, and being required to return to her every chance he had, was an idea that made him think of a death sentence. But there was something different about Serena than any of those other women. She wanted nothing from him.

  His eyes turned down to the street and he saw the gentle sway of a buckskin clad rear heading off in the dark. What the hell had he just done?

  Chapter Four

  The day had finally arrived. March nineteenth, 1840. A day she knew would finally bring peace between the Texans and the Comanche. At least, she prayed it would. She had woken in the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep with the excitement bubbling through her.

  She had gotten very little sleep to begin with. After climbing down from her perch on the roof the previous night, her heart pounding furiously in her chest, it had taken a long time for her to calm down and breathe evenly again.

  Ranger Trevor had broken through a barrier she hadn’t allowed anyone to get through. She had let him get close, and she had let herself feel something for him. She had seen how her sisters had changed because of a man. She wouldn’t allow herself to ever be that soft, to ever be vulnerable to the power an emotion could control over her every action. And, yet, she had let him in, let her heart feel something towards him, and had experienced her very first kiss.

  She couldn’t resist him as he had leaned down towards her and it seemed her heart was going to pound through her chest. She hadn’t spent much time wondering what a kiss would be like, as she had been certain no man would ever want to be around someone as wild as she. But he had wanted her. She had felt his desire from the firmness of his kiss, and the way it had gentled to mold to her own lips. She had the sensation that she was standing at the edge of a platform, about to jump off into the dark abyss, but happy and thrilled at the adventures it could take her on.

  She wiped a hand down her tired face. She had paced her room for God knew how long as she had tried to come to terms with what had happened. Ultimately, exhaustion had won and she had fallen asleep in bed, still wearing her buckskin pants and baggy shirt. In her dreams she had been haunted by the light touches of Trevor’s fingers on her skin and the warmth of his mouth.

  She awoke, breathing hard, and feeling as if she had just been in his arms. To find herself alone and the room empty, she clenched her hands into fists and gave up on her fight to sleep. She hastily slipped into the skirt and shirtwaist that Olivia approved of and had drifted quietly into the kitchen. It would be at least another hour before the sun came up, but she could at least get started making the dozens upon dozens of tortillas they would need.

  She had finished the dough and was starting to roll it out when she heard revelry not far away, raising the troops from their slumber. She clenched her jaw and went back to rolling. If they killed an Indian... if they created a problem... they had no idea the wrath that would reign down upon them.

  Yes, she respected the Comanche and believed they were being treated unjustly. But she also saw the way they retaliated, sometimes to completely innocent people, and their justice was brutal and cruel and completely inappropriate for the crime. So she understood both sides.

  Carefully, she lit a fire and began to cook the tortillas on a hot plate. She had only done a few of them when she heard a floorboard creak and she whirled, ready to throw a hot tortilla on her attacker’s face to get the chance to run for her gun stuffed under her bed.

  Olivia’s eyes widened. “Serena, what are you doing?”

  Serena let her breath out slowly, trying to get her heart to slow down to a pace that wasn’t going to leap through her chest. Finally, she could speak. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  Olivia rubbed her eyes and sighed. “Neither could I. Today is a big day, isn’t it?”

  Serena suddenly realized why Olivia was so tense. “All will go fine, today. Cade is going to come home to you, same as he does every afternoon. He’s not going to be a part of the main meeting. He won’t even be in the building. He’ll just be serving his role as a sheriff on the streets.”

  Olivia gave her a weak smile. “That’s what Cade says. But, where there’s adventure, you’ll find Cade.” She hesitated, watching Serena continuing her work on the tortillas. “There are so many strangers here. So many people that want to see what is going to happen. Did you know the hotel is almost full? They are almost full of people who are only here to see if something exciting happens. Don’t they realize that if something exciting happens, it will more than likely mean bloodshed?”

  Serena stood and grabbed another chair, then pulled Olivia over to it and made her sit down. “Worrying about this isn’t going to get us anywhere. We need to occupy our minds with something else.”

  “Why are you worried about it?” Olivia asked, her head tilted to the side, her eyes quizzical.

  “You know how I feel about all of this, Olivia,” Serena said almost harshly, before remembering that Olivia wasn’t the problem. “We need peace. And if anything goes wrong... we just need for there to finally be peace. Angie and Lorenzo need to be comfortable living out in their own home and not afraid of an Indian raid. All of the killing must stop.”

  Olivia placed a tortilla on the hot plate and smiled at Serena. “What do you think Grandma will say when she sees we’ve already made the tortillas for the morning meal?”

  Serena laughed softly. “She’ll just ask why Angie didn’t get up with us to make the empanadas!”

  “No. She won’t even have that to complain about.” Their sister’s voice wafted into the room as she walked in, tying her apron on. She stepped forward and the three siblings embraced tightly, holding on to each other with hearts full of love. “Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together,” Angie said softly. “Whatever happens.”

  Serena’s pulse increased. That was exactly what she was afraid of. Whatever happened.

  Breakfast service was extremely busy. The people in town visiting for the meeting had heard of the cocina, and it seemed they all wanted to try it. At one point, Olivia even had them roll a couple of old tables out on the porch so they could feed everyone. Everywhere Serena turned, she heard people talking about the “filthy savages” and that it was about time they agreed to a peace treaty or they would all be killed by the army and the rangers.

  Serena felt sick to her stomach. So much hate filled the room, she could almost touch it. And she wanted nothing more than to get away from it. But she couldn’t leave her sisters when there was so much work to be done.

  Most of the customers had finally left and they were cleaning dishes when Serena heard a young boy outside call to his friend to come see the redskins. She nearly dropped the dish she had just dried, but Olivia caught it and met her eyes. “Go, if you must. Just promise to be careful.” Serena planted a kiss on her sister’s cheek as she untied her apron and raced out the door.

  She made her way towards Main Plaza, but was drawn up short by all the people standing in her way, blocking her view. It was one of the rare times she was grateful that she was petite, because she shimmied and squeezed her way through, even though she got some resentful looks from a few people around her. She just flashed them one of her bright smiles and plowed fo
rward.

  Finally, she stood at the front and was in absolute awe. She had to remind herself to close her mouth to not be rude. There were more Indians marching into town than she could count. It was obvious which ones were the chiefs. They wore brightly colored headdresses with feathers that trailed down their backs. Their faces were painted in bright colors as well, though there was nothing bright about their expressions. Their expressions were stoic, and their pace was purposeful, though by no means speedy.

  Along with the chiefs were several warriors, and, much to Serena’s surprise, many women and children. And then there were the two hostages. They were kept towards the center of the group, and it was hard to get a good look at them, but it was obvious they were filthy and very thin.

  A knot formed in Serena’s stomach. If the council representatives felt the captives had been treated poorly, they would show little mercy. On top of that, there should be far more hostages to be returned to them. She searched the crowd of Indians, hoping to see more captives, but they were all walking so closely together, she couldn’t see any further.

  As the large group of Indians passed, the crowd began to press forward, and Serena had no choice but to move forward with them. But she didn’t want to stay back, anyway. She had full intentions on being a part of everything that went on.

  Only men were allowed in the council house meeting, but she had that covered. Dodging quickly to the side she moved between a couple of houses and ran down behind the back of one. Pressing her back against the wall she paused, trying to calm her breathing. She glanced around quickly to make sure no one was around, and she realized everyone was headed to the council house.

  Holding her breath, she quickly unfastened her skirt and her shirtwaist, stepping out of her clothes wearing her buckskin pants and shirt. She pulled a loose cloth cap out from the waistband of her pants and began to hastily stuff her hair into it. She was cursing her maddening curls that seemed to take hours to cram up under her hat. But eventually she succeeded.

  Leaving her other clothes behind, she took off at a run behind the buildings, trying to catch up with the men as they entered the Council House. She caught up to them just as they were escorting the chiefs into the building, and she cursed low under her breath. She was going to have to sneak in with them.

  Cautiously she moved forward, and pressed upon the group the same as the crowd did. All she needed was the right gap—

  “I said stand back!” The deep voice bellowed, and Serena’s eyes darted to the source—Olivia’s husband, Cade.

  Serena had conveniently forgotten he was going to be there. He stood before the crowd, his hands gesturing for the people to move back. When he turned to face one side of the crowd, Serena made her move. She dashed quickly to the side of one of the larger Indians as he entered the house, and used her small frame to her advantage once again. But once she was in the house, she felt a little lost. Men were lined up along the walls and crowding the room with the chiefs lined up at the back of the house. Their warriors stood in a variety of areas, their eyes searching the room anxiously.

  She could only imagine what they were thinking as they stood in a room full of strangers who held guns and looked more prepared to do battle than to talk peace. The chiefs at the back of the house stood tall and proud, their eyes fixated on the delegates that had been assigned to lead the peace talks, and, ultimately, sign a peace treaty. Though the look in their eyes held signs of doubt and distrust, sending a cold shiver down her spine. She slid through the crowd of people and towards a corner where she would be able to watch everything that transpired. After months of anticipation, she would be damned if she missed the actual discussion and negotiation for peace.

  After several long minutes, the delegates gained control of the room and it fell silent except for a whisper here and there. One of the delegates spoke loudly and clearly, with the interpreter speaking quickly to the chiefs being addressed. There was the expected greeting and words of welcome. But the tone changed quickly, forcing Serena’s eyes towards the delegates.

  That was when she saw Trevor. His eyes were slowly scanning the room and she could tell he was very tense. She pulled her cap lower on her head to try and prevent him from seeing her and tried to focus on what was being said. The entire room suddenly seemed to be buzzing.

  “You neglected to bring the hostages we requested. The one girl you have brought shows that she has been severely abused at your hands. And she has informed us that there are fifteen more captives you plan to release through ransom. This violates the terms we agreed to in January, and it demonstrates your lack of willingness to cooperate with us.”

  Serena’s palms began to sweat. This was not going well. Not well at all. One of the chiefs, the one who appeared to be leading the group stepped forward and spoke fluently in his Comanche language, and Serena cringed. She had learned to speak Comanche from Talking Wolf, and their response wasn’t going to go over very well.

  Essentially the chief said that he couldn’t get all of the captives because they belonged to tribes that were outside of his territory. He finished with a comment that she knew would aggravate them.

  He said, “How do you like that answer?”

  His comment was translated back to the representatives and they sat up straighter in their chairs, facing the chiefs with looks of fierce animosity. But it was like watching a flame only burn brighter. The response the representatives gave made Serena’s heart begin to pound furiously in her chest. At first the translator looked at them with wide eyes and shook his head, but they insisted.

  He cleared his throat nervously, then repeated the representative’s words in Comanche. “Therefore we have made the decision that you will stay here as our hostages until you release your hostages.” He barely finished his words before he bolted out the door.

  Everyone in the room suddenly started pushing and shoving, and she heard a loud, horrific war whoop as one of the warriors launched at one of the soldiers blocking the doors from exiting. The warrior held a large, glistening knife in his hands and he plunged it down into the chest of the Texan soldier that was unfortunate enough to be in that place.

  Pandemonium erupted. Serena was hit and knocked around, and her hat was thrown from her head and her curls tumbled down. Instantly, she looked to where she had last seen Trevor, but her worries were misplaced. Instead, she should have been afraid for his safety. An Indian was trying to take him down with a large axe, but he was blocking the blow with his rifle, then shoved back hard and smacked the Indian down with the butt of his gun.

  When he raised his eyes, they connected with hers, and she saw a flash of anger across his face, but he was quickly distracted by another Indian that was about to fire an arrow at him. Serena was jostled again and she heard several gunshots go off. Dear God, what was happening?

  She suddenly realized she stood near an Indian chief, and he was glaring at everything going on around him. She turned slowly and swallowed a scream. One of the soldiers was directly in front of her, leveling his pistol at the Indian chief next to her. She didn’t think before she moved. It was almost as if her body acted on its own accord.

  The burning flame that burst into her shoulder and chest knocked her backwards and the Indian chief caught her before he reached around her and punched her assailant in the nose and he staggered backwards. A couple of the warriors looked at her, briefly assessing her before they returned their attention to the battle waging around them.

  Serena jumped forward and knocked aside the gun that was aimed at another chief. And then she grabbed an arrow out of the hands of an Indian warrior and snapped it in half. He turned murderous eyes on her and pulled out a knife and let forth a horrendous yell before his body jerked backwards from the force of the bullet striking him in the chest. He fell to the ground and didn’t move again.

  Another chief was in danger and she slammed her body forward, knocking the man with the gun forward and causing him to misfire into the roof. He whirled on her and his eyes wer
e nearly red with rage. He struck her across the face hard with the butt of his gun and she felt the room tilt. The last place she wanted to be was on the floor. With all of the boots and spurs stomping around, she surely wouldn’t survive.

  Someone’s arm looped around her waist, though, and set her back on her feet. She turned to face her rescuer, only to see one of the chiefs staring back at her blankly, a bright red splash of blood running down his chest. He fell to the ground, nearly pulling her with him, but she was able to pull away.

  But the room still seemed to be spinning, rotating end over end, and she felt like she was about to go down on her own. Suddenly, another arm wrapped around her waist and she lifted her eyes to a familiar face.

  “Trevor.” Her voice could barely be heard in the mayhem.

  “A little hard not to notice you here, pixie,” he said gruffly.

  His face was a mask of rage. But his face was slowly fading away from her vision as a dark cloud began to close in.

  “Don’t let me fall, Trevor. Don’t let me—” The room went black.

  Chapter Five

  Trevor was furious and terrified at the same time. She never should have been there and she never should have put herself in the dangerous position she had, and now she might pay the ultimate price.

  From the moment he had stepped into the council house, sweat had started to build on the back of his neck. And in direct contradiction with the sweat, a cold shiver had slid down his spine. Something didn’t feel right. The room was fairly small, and yet he knew they were bringing several people in. It was going to get tight and uncomfortable very fast.

  And he’d been right. By the time they had the last chief in the building, there was already jostling for space. The conversation began amicably enough. But it didn’t last that way for long at all. The tension between both sides had been so thick it seemed as if one could even touch it. And then the guards had moved to block the front door and all hell had broken loose.