Texas Heat

by Holly Castillo

  Serena looked back at the ceiling, fighting the hot tears that burned her eyes. “Will you do me a favor?”

  “Anything, Serri. You know that.”

  “Don’t let anything happen to his home. I want to be the one to go through it.”

  “I’ll do everything I can. The best I can do is gather all of his belongings and save them for you. Otherwise, his place will be looted before you can physically get there.”

  Serena nodded. “I need to say thank you to the ranger.”

  “You mean Trevor? He certainly was concerned about you.”

  Serena’s heart doubled in beat. Stay with me, pixie. “He’s a good man.”

  Angie stroked some of her curls off of her forehead. “Get some rest now, Serri. Tomorrow will bring many more challenges.”

  Chapter Seven

  Despite her sisters’ protests, Serena was up the next day, ready to work in the cocina. Lying in bed only brought on horrible memories of the carnage she had witnessed. While she was still in pain, she needed to get up and get moving or she would be tormented in her own personal hell.

  Olivia forbade her to work in the kitchen. Behind her back, Angie built Serena a sling for her arm and helped her get an apron on over her head and around the sling. Serena kissed her sister on the cheek, thanked her, and swept past Olivia into the dining area, carrying the water pitcher and the coffee canister.

  The room was rather subdued that morning as everyone was trying to cope with what had happened yesterday. It wasn’t only Indians who had died. There were several strong men that had fallen in the madness. And then the carnage had moved on outside of the council house and into the area where the Indian women and children were waiting, and some of the blood-thirsty men had shot and killed several women and children. It was one thing to kill a Comanche warrior. It was something entirely different to kill a child that was clinging to his mother in fear.

  Serena moved about the room quietly, refilling cups of coffee and glasses of water. Some of the patrons were having conversations, though their voices were low and solemn.

  “What do you think will happen now?”

  “We killed their chiefs. They won’t know what to do without them.”

  “I don’t think so. There’s always someone who is willing to take the place of the chief and lead their tribe.”

  “Are you afraid?”

  “Hell, yes, I’m afraid! You should be too. The army is going to stay here for only a short time longer. And eventually the rangers will leave as well. Who will protect us, then? Who will stop them from burning the entire town?”

  A sliver of fear slid down Serena’s spine and she headed back into the kitchen and nearly collided with Olivia. “Serena! I told you that you couldn’t work today!”

  Serena sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Finally, she opened them and gave Olivia a half smile. “I’ll only help for a little while—until I get tired. Then, I’ll go back to my room. Please, Olivia... I need this right now.”

  Olivia’s frown slowly faded. “Well, I prefer you needing this than one of your crazy adventures outside. Just please be careful.”

  Serena stood on her tiptoes to kiss her sister’s cheek. It was hard being the runt of the family. She was barely five-foot-tall, and that was if she really stretched herself out on the measuring tape. And her frame was so small that people constantly asked her if she had eaten enough and wanted to give her all sorts of pies and cakes and other heavenly desserts to make her stronger. If only they knew how strong she was, even though she looked like she could barely lift a bag of flour.

  They had always thought she was going to grow taller and her frame would fill out as she got older. At the age of fifteen, her grandmother had declared that she must be an elf or a... pixie. Trevor had no way of knowing that her Abuela had said that to her so long ago. But it was another one of those things that made him so intriguing to her.

  She was carefully balancing a few plates as she headed back into the dining room when the pain in her chest increased. She winced, but tried to force herself to block it. She was able to smile when she delivered the first two plates. But the last one was hard, though she tried desperately to paste on a smile as she carefully set down the plate.

  “Pixie?”

  The sound of his voice made her heart start to beat rapidly and she raised her eyes to see Trevor watching her intently, a frown on his face. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he said softly so the other patrons wouldn’t hear him.

  She could feel the racing throb of her heart in her wound and tiny beads of sweat built on her forehead. “I-I couldn’t stay locked up in that room. I couldn’t...” Her voice died off. She couldn’t tell him how she felt. He wouldn’t understand it. “I just needed to be busy,” she finally said softly.

  He reached out and caught her free hand before she could react. Her eyes searched his face, and the anger was gone, replaced by deep concern. “Even beaten and shot, you are still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  Serena knew at this point that she was imagining things. She must have drifted into some form of delirium. But his compliment did make her heart beat even faster. “Trevor... I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for me yesterday. I was a fool, and I realize that. I was naïve about how brutal the Comanche could be.”

  He sighed and stroked her hand. “Your interactions with the Comanche had been positive with an old man who was past his prime for fighting and, for some reason, we will probably never know, had been kicked out of the elder community.”

  “He was fighting with them to make peace with the white people. He wouldn’t stop telling them how much easier our lives would be. And so they forced him to leave. I should have realized that if they were willing to get rid of one of their own, they would have no problem destroying us.”

  Trevor shook his head. “There is no one to blame in what happened yesterday. Both sides came prepared to do battle. And that’s exactly what happened.”

  Serena’s eyes drifted to the faint stain of blood on the floor. Trevor’s hand tightened on hers and she looked back at him. “I had to do it, pixie. There was no other way. He was determined to kill everyone in this house, and then stay in here until the army forced him out. And there was no way to talk him down. He needed a warrior’s death. And so I gave him one.”

  Serena gave him a weak smile. “I can see now why you were made captain. You’re very good at what you do.”

  “If I was as good as I needed to be, you wouldn’t be hurt.”

  Serena’s smile lifted slightly. “You wouldn’t have been able to get me to stop no matter how hard you tried. I was determined to be in there to hear everything that happened.”

  Trevor shook his head at her, but there was no anger or disappointment or frustration on his face. “I don’t doubt it. You’re one of the most hardheaded women I’ve ever met. And, from the looks of it, you’re about to drop to the floor with exhaustion. Are you even vaguely aware of how much blood you lost yesterday? You should be in bed.”

  He stood and his tall frame towered over her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and began to guide her to the back of the house.

  “This isn’t very appropriate, you know,” she said feebly, realizing she had taken one of Olivia’s lines.

  He looked down at her. “I’d say that hardly any of our interactions together have been appropriate.”

  As he came into the back part of the house they ran into Angie who was holding a very fussy two-year old boy. “Trevor!” she said in surprise, then stepped aside when she saw his arm around Serena’s waist. “I hope you can talk some sense into her, because none of us can.”

  Olivia chuckled from behind them. “That’s the truth.”

  Serena couldn’t believe what she was seeing and hearing. Her sisters were completely comfortable with a man, a stranger at that, taking her back to her bedroom. Had they all lost their minds?

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he said, and Serena c
ould hear the smile in his voice. She wasn’t a child that needed to be tended to!

  She pulled away from him and glared at her sisters and Trevor. “I’m not a child and I won’t tolerate being treated like one. I’m going to go rest because I want to and I need to. Ranger, go finish your meal. Angie and Olivia, do whatever the hell you want.”

  She turned quickly, balanced herself against the wall then proceeded her way down the hall. She was struggling to catch her breath by the time she reached her room and nearly fell when the door opened for her. But a familiar arm caught her around the waist and held her upright.

  “Let go of me, ranger! I don’t need you!”

  He leaned down and she could feel his lips against her ears and she got gooseflesh all over. “You may not think you need me, but you want me.”

  She didn’t know how to respond to him. His statement was so shocking that she was left speechless. He smiled down at her and urged her into the bedroom. She stumbled over her own feet and suddenly found herself in his arms. “I’m not completely helpless.” She wished her voice was as strong as her words. “Why are you carrying me?”

  “Because I like to. I like the way you feel in my arms.”

  A blush crept up her neck, the first blush she had felt in a long time. Slowly, she slid her arms around his neck, watching his strong face the same as she had the other day. He stopped when they were at the side of her bed and he quickly pulled back the blanket and lay Serena down on the soft mattress. They used feathers and fabric to pad their beds, not the corn husks that so many others did. It meant they had some money for luxuries, though not an absurd amount.

  He pulled the light blanket up to her shoulders and smiled down at her. “Now, you need to get your strength back. No more heroics for today.”

  Serena lowered her lashes, unable to look at him completely. “I’m no hero. Or are you using that word as a way to make fun of me? I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  Trevor kneeled down next to her and with his fingers, turned her chin so she would look at him. “I wouldn’t make fun of you. Your heart and your intentions were all in the right place. You just didn’t know how brutal this entire affair has been.”

  Serena was suddenly struck by the fact that her sisters weren’t demanding he get out of her room. Olivia, especially, should be in there shooing him away. But no one was there. Somehow, Trevor must have won their support.

  Her eyes turned up to Trevor. “You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” It came out more like a statement than a question. She could sense it in her bones.

  Trevor was silent for several long seconds, then reached for her cinnamon hair and brushed it off her forehead. “Yes, pixie. I don’t know how soon, but we are expecting to get orders any day now.”

  “Is this all you are able to do? Live at the beck and call of the rangers, never settle down, never have something—different?”

  “I’m a farmer, pixie. Farmers run in my family. I’m a fifth generation farmer. Mainly, I grow cotton, but we also grow maize since it is so popular in this area.”

  Serena’s brows pulled together as she tried to concentrate. “How can that work, then? How can you be a ranger and a farmer?”

  He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “I go where the law requires me to go. They get a message to me that I’m needed, and I pack my horse and go. Then, once I’m done, I head back home.”

  “But you aren’t going home this time, are you?” Again, she spoke as if she already knew the answer.

  “No. Not this time,” he answered reluctantly. “Now you need to get some sleep...”

  “You’re going after the Indians, aren’t you?”

  “Not if they catch us first,” he said wryly, then shook his head. “Sorry, bad joke.”

  “Trevor, you can’t go. It’s far too dangerous. You saw what they were capable of doing here, can you imagine what they will do when they have all of their warriors with them?”

  Trever chuckled softly. “It’s nice to hear someone who really cares. It’s been too long since I’ve had that.”

  Quickly, he stood, raked his hair back, and settled his hat on his forehead. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. And then he was out the door.

  Serena stayed in bed the remainder of the day, and slept through nearly the entire next day. She awoke late in the evening, shivering in the cool room. March was often much warmer, but the winter didn’t seem willing to let go.

  A large, thick, and warm blanket was suddenly being draped over her and Serena looked up to see Olivia’s smiling face. She smiled up at her in return.

  “You’ve been sleeping so deeply, we were beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up,” Olivia quipped. “This blanket should soothe you back to sleep, though. I’ve had it warming by the fire for you.”

  Serena caught her sister’s hand when she tried to leave, and Olivia looked down at her in surprise. “Thank you, Olivia. I can’t thank you enough for taking care of me.” She shook her head. “You know what’s strange? I don’t even remember being shot. I don’t remember a sharp pain. I don’t remember the sound of the gun—nothing.”

  Olivia sat down on the edge of her bed and smoothed back her wayward curls. “I don’t either. I remember fighting the Mexican soldier for the gun, but all I was focused on was saving Bella’s life. I don’t remember feeling any pain until much, much later.”

  “Is it supposed to hurt so much still?” Serena smiled along with her question, knowing the answer full well, and knowing exactly how Olivia was going to react.

  “Oh, stop acting like a child! It will hurt for much longer. It gets better over time, just slowly.” When Olivia looked down at Serena and saw the smile on her face, she swatted at her face with a small towel. “You! When will things not be a joke for you?”

  Serena drew quiet at that question, and the carnage of the council house meeting came racing back to her in vivid detail. “I think it is already becoming that way,” she said softly.

  Olivia looked down at her again and sat down in the chair next to the bed. “You need to remember that what happened was not your fault. Not at all. It’s as Trevor said, there’s really little belief that either party wanted to see a peace treaty signed that day. Instead, they were out to test how all of them would handle an incredibly tense situation. And the test failed miserably.”

  “When did you talk to Trevor about all of this?”

  “Why? Are you jealous?”

  Serena was all too comfortable in her warm blankets to get irritated. “I’m not jealous. Is Cade?”

  Olivia’s soft laugh brought a smile to Serena’s face. It had been so long since they had heard their sister’s beautiful laughter that, when they heard it for the first time a few years ago, they had marveled at it. And it was still just as delightful to hear it now. “Cade has nothing to be jealous about,” Olivia said, still smiling. “That man means the world to me.”

  Serena felt a sense of wistfulness. Would she ever be able to find such joy and happiness as her sisters had found? Or would any man ever understand her enough to even wish to be with her?

  “But I do believe there is someone that is at risk to that man’s charms,” Olivia continued, a sly smile creeping up her face. “I don’t think he comes to the cocina just for our coffee and pan dulce.” She continued tucking Serena into a snug cocoon. “Especially given the fact that he just strolls back here to check on you while he sips his coffee.”

  “He does what?” Serena exclaimed, half mortified and half excited. He was coming to the cocina to see her every day?

  Olivia leaned over her and placed a kiss to her forehead. “That should give you some sweet dreams, I think. Good night, Serri.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Things aren’t looking good.”

  “Can you tell me a time they ever looked good?” Trevor asked with irritation, staring out the window of the small jail.

  “You know what I mean,” Cade said, frowning at the back of the ranger. “T
he stories are starting to come in. We’re going to need to act, and soon.”

  Trevor turned to face Cade, shaking his head. “We have to wait for word from President Lamar. If we try to do something now and he’s planning something entirely different—”

  “Which you know he isn’t.”

  “We could destroy everything.”

  “If we want everything destroyed, we wait it out a few more days and hear the reports of the raids.” Cade folded his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair.

  “So far all we have is rumors. We have to wait on Lamar.” Trevor felt like a caged animal.

  He knew the rumors were true, same as Cade. But there was nothing he could do about it without the blessings of the Texas President. And if President Lamar hadn’t issued orders yet, Trevor’s hands were tied.

  “What if it takes too long to get the orders from Lamar? Damnit, Trevor, they’re building an entire army of warriors. They will wipe out any white person they come across, and will probably burn their homes to the ground. We’ve only seen a little of what they’ve done compared to what we will face now.”

  “Cade, I’m on your side. I agree with you, so let’s stop the arguing. You know that my hands are tied. You know I ultimately report to Lamar. I can’t take my men and begin forming a posse to go after the Comanche until he tells me to do exactly that.”

  Cade ran a hand down his face in frustration. “It’s a ridiculous rule, if you ask me. Hell, you’re a captain. You should be able to make your own call on this.”

  “I would if I could.”

  They sat in silence for several long moments, drinking their hot, black coffee.

  Trevor couldn’t hold back asking any longer. “How is Serena?”

  A corner of Cade’s mouth lifted. “She’s fine. Almost back to her usual self. She’s been working in the cocina the last couple of days. Why haven’t you come?”

  “Training. I’m going to make sure my men are at the top of their game when this war starts. And, yes, I believe there is going to be a war, same as you.”