Texas Heat

by Holly Castillo

  She didn’t bother looking over at him the entire time, but he took the full advantage to examine her alluring figure. His eyes trailed down her long, elegant neck to her bountiful breasts that he knew from their recent experience would fit into his hands perfectly. She was thin, though not overly thin. But he could tell she needed more to eat than she’d been getting. Her hips flared out gently, and she had pulled on her buckskin pants before he could see any further treasure.

  He quickly began to dress afraid she would know all too well his thoughts were on her body if she glanced over at him. When they had the last of their clothes on, she grabbed her chemise and tried to squeeze out the excess water.

  When they had made it to camp, he ordered her to hide behind a large tree and shrubs. When he came back, he was armed with plenty of ammunition. Cade and Lorenzo strode along beside him, and their eyes became saucers as their eyes fell upon Serena.

  “What do you think you’re doing here?”

  “Good Lord Almighty! We specifically told you not to get involved in this. The entire family did! Why are you here?”

  Serena frowned at each and every one of them and put her hands on her hips. “I could just as easily push on forward. We’re only wasting time standing around like this.”

  They seemed to not have heard her as they started making plans. “Cade,” Trevor said, “you have the least experience in a full-out battle, so it would be wisest for you to be the one to take Serena back home.”

  “I agree, though I hate to leave you out here. I’ll get her handed off and then ride back here as fast as I can.”

  “Excuse me!” Serena interrupted, her voice elevated. “You talk about me as if I’m a package to be delivered, not as a woman who can actually help you out here!”

  Trevor turned his eyes on Serena and frowned. “You lost the right to contribute to this decision the moment you made the foolish attempt to dress as a man and sneak into the ranks of our militia. You don’t get any say in the matter.”

  “The hell I don’t!”

  “Serena!” Lorenzo chastised and she turned on him. “Lorenzo, I am no longer a child you can order around. I’m a woman, and I’ll make the decisions I want. And, right now, I deserve to have my say.”

  All of the men looked at her skeptically, but gave her a few moments to make her stand. “I know all of you want to protect me, and I am grateful. But I have a lot to offer on this journey, and it will be beneficial for me to join you. I am very familiar with the Comanche ways, and I speak their language. I can help us negotiate if we are able to get through to that point and your men don’t let bloodlust drive them to a point where you can’t control them.”

  Trevor drew in a deep breath and lowered his head in frustration. She couldn’t stay with them. He couldn’t allow it. She could be hurt... she could be murdered. He couldn’t let that decision rest on his shoulders, knowing he could end this foolishness now.

  He lifted his head to politely rebuff her decision when Cade spoke up. “She makes a valid point. We don’t have anyone who can give us a good idea of what they are saying, their movements, or even help us get closer to peace without too much of a battle.”

  Trevor couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you two really considering on her staying here with us and chasing the most violent Indian tribe we’ve ever known? You’re willing to put her in that kind of risk?”

  “She really won’t be exposed to too much action as long as we keep her away from any battle, when and if one comes,” Lorenzo added.

  Trevor looked at both of them as if they had lost their minds. “Do you realize what you are saying? Let’s think about it this way. If it was Angie insisting to be out here with us, Lorenzo, would you let her stay?”

  Lorenzo’s face darkened. “She was out involved in all of the spying during the revolution. I’d be thrilled to have her out here with me. Her knowledge and skills...”

  “Fine. Same question to you, Cade. Would you want Olivia out here?”

  “I don’t know of anyone I trust more to ride by my side,” he committed. “Present company excluded, of course.”

  “Both of you are willing to place your wives lives in danger, to expose them to a potential war?”

  Cade and Lorenzo looked uncomfortable at that statement.

  Cade finally spoke up, “No. No, we wouldn’t. But I’ve seen Serena do some of the craziest things—things she learned by spending hours and hours with a Comanche. Her knowledge could save us from going to war.”

  Trevor ran his hands through his hair and realized it was still wet. He looked over at Serena and the determination in her face was very similar to the look he had when he had made the decision to find his father’s killer. But she didn’t belong in the middle of a battle field.

  “No, I just can’t take the risk.”

  “If you send me home, I’ll ride back out on my own at the first chance I get. You can’t stop me from doing this. But you can determine whether I do it with or without you.”

  She would do it. She was just as hardheaded as anyone else, and she really would turn around and race back to them. He had lost.

  But he didn’t want her to know right away. “Then it sounds like you’ll be doing a lot of rough riding,” he said gruffly. “Let’s get back to camp. Morning will be here far too soon.”

  Chapter Twelve

  As they entered the camp, the men all looked stunned at the woman that walked with them. Then they looked her up and down, recognized her clothing, and began to make themselves look like fools as they hooped and hollered.

  “Enough!” Trevor’s roar at the men was actually loud enough to stop them all from making any noise, and it had made Serena jump. Good. She should be afraid of me. “This is Serena Torres. She snuck into our militia in order to aide in the battle against the Comanche. While she is with us, I expect you to behave like gentlemen. If I get word of even one man being unkind to her in any way, I will take the whip to you. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” came from the men all around the camp.

  Half of them sounded like little boys who had just been told not to touch something shiny.

  Serena seemed unfazed by any of it and followed, Cade, Lorenzo, and Trevor to the small tent they were using for Trevor to map their progress. Once inside, Trevor turned to Cade and Lorenzo. “Was there any sign of the shooter? Any trail at all?”

  “There was the start of a trail leading out of the bushes he had hidden in, but then the trail vanished from there—he used brush to drag behind him until he had rejoined the larger group, and at that point, the mix of so many others blurred out their tracks.”

  Trevor pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought, his face full of frustration. “There are so many complexities in this situation it is laughable.”

  “What makes it complex? Someone obviously wants you dead, and he tried to take a shot at you tonight. Which means we all need to watch your back from here on.” Cade folded his arms over his chest, his face both angry and determined.

  “What if it wasn’t me they were trying to hit?” Trevor voiced the question out loud that he had wanted to avoid.

  All eyes turned on Serena and she shrugged. “I may have an enemy or two.”

  “If anyone here knows of what went down during the council house meeting, as well as your views of the Comanche, they could certainly want you dead. Especially if they’ve lost anyone to a Comanche raid.” Lorenzo shook his head. “You’ve always been such a wild-child. And now your actions could have placed this camp in danger.”

  “You know I would never deliberately put anyone in danger. But you’re going to race in to battle the Comanche, and it is going to be a slaughter on both sides.”

  “As opposed to...” Cade left his words hanging in the air, waiting for her to finish the sentence.

  “As opposed to potentially negotiating with them. Let’s face it... neither side is perfect. We’ve killed their people, the buffalo which is their major food supply, moved on
to their sacred grounds...”

  “If you listen to the Comanche, the entire Republic of Texas is sacred ground,” Cade scoffed.

  “And, thus, the narrow-minded way of thinking that has brought us to this very point.”

  Cade frowned darkly, then turned to Trevor. “What are your plans from here?”

  “To get some sleep. We’ll meet here again before dawn breaks to decide where we go from that point.” They all nodded and began to leave when Trevor grabbed Serena’s arm and stopped her. “Not you. I’m not going to risk having you out there with those men. You’re staying here with me.”

  “Wait, wait, wait...” Cade and Lorenzo turned around, deep frowns on their faces. “We can’t just leave her with you. What about her reputation?”

  “I think her reputation was ruined the minute the men figured out she was swimming in the nude with me.”

  “She can’t just—wait—what?” Lorenzo’s face was beginning to darken.

  “I’ve done nothing with her, if that is what you fear. But I think worrying about her reputation is a bit too late.”

  The tension was so thick that, for a moment, Trevor thought they were going to fight. Fortunately, saner minds prevailed, and Cade said he would bring her the small amount of belongings she had in her saddlebags and her bed roll. With a final warning glance at Trevor, they left the tent.

  Trevor turned to Serena, keeping his expression passive. “Do you realize the danger you’ve put yourself in? Do you?”

  “The same danger that you’re in. Why does everyone make such a rage when a woman tries to do what a man does? It isn’t fair.”

  “You’re a distraction to my men. A distraction we can’t afford. And if the Comanche were to get a hold of you...” He paused for a few seconds, drawing in a shaky breath. “The Comanche are known for their cruelty to women. And that’s only if they let them live long enough to keep them around as toys.”

  He saw her swallow hard, but her look of determination didn’t go away. “I can help, Trevor. Let me be a part of this. Please—I know I can help.”

  Trevor sighed heavily. “We’ll make the decision in the morning but, for now—” He raised his hand to as though to wipe it all away temporarily and he winced as a burning pain streaked around his arm.

  Serena looked at him closely. “Trevor? What’s wrong?”

  With a furrowed brow he tried to look at his arm but saw nothing.

  But Serena did. “Trevor, you’re bleeding! Sit down, sit down. I need to look at it.”

  “It’s just a flesh wound. The bullet only grazed my skin.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that. Now, would you please sit down?”

  Reluctantly Trevor dropped down into his desk chair, expecting Serena to examine his wound, yet his mind hadn’t processed how she would need to do that. Suddenly her tiny, agile hands were on the buttons of his shirt, quickly unfastening. His hands caught hers and her incredible green eyes crashed into his and for a very brief moment he felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he finally asked.

  “I’m taking a look at your wound, just like I said I would. Now, how do you expect me to see it through your shirt?”

  He slowly counted to ten in his head. This woman was going to be the death of him. He wanted to send her to the other corner of the tent. He wanted to hold her close and kiss her with every drop of passion racing through his body.

  He released her hands and she continued, and soon he sat shirtless while she looked at his wound. “It didn’t go very deep, but it’s going to hurt for several days as it heals. Where do you keep your brandy?”

  “What? You plan on getting drunk on me, pixie?”

  The corners of her mouth lifted up, and he wanted to see her smile desperately. “No, though that isn’t a bad idea given the crazy circumstances we are in. I need it to clean the wound. So where is it?”

  He gave her directions to his saddlebags and she quickly found the amber liquid. “How did you know I would have brandy?” he asked, watching her as she came back to him, unable to take his eyes off the incredible body displayed in the clothes she wore.

  Her breasts weren’t overly large, but they fit her petite frame perfectly. In fact, every part of her body seemed to be measured out perfectly, just very small. He already knew, despite their difference in size, her body lined up against his in a way that made his heart start to beat faster.

  “You’re not the tequila type of man, and certainly not the bourbon type of man. You’re a little sophisticated and have the aura of higher education, so brandy seemed to be a logical choice for you.”

  “A little sophisticated? I’ve never heard of such an absurd way to think of a—ouch! Son of a bitch, that hurt!”

  Serena was screwing the cap back onto his bottle of brandy. “It may be a flawed system to guess what drink fits a person, but it distracts them long enough that I can get the job done.”

  Trevor almost started laughing. She had some talents, that was for sure. And he wanted to know what other talents she might have. “A little warning would have been nice.”

  “Not really,” she said from where she was rummaging through his saddlebags. “It would make you tense and anxious, and there’s just no point in that.”

  “I’m sorry I spoke so foul in front of you. I was just... surprised.”

  She approached him, carrying a small roll of fabric she had found in his saddlebags, and laughed. The sound was just as tiny and gentle as she was, though he was quickly learning she was far from truly being delicate. But the smile that lit up her face was worth the pain of his arm.

  “Now,” she said, after her laughter had subsided, “is it normal to carry around a roll of fabric to treat wounds? Is that what captains are expected to do?”

  Trevor shrugged. “I can be clumsy. Having bandages is always helpful.”

  She shook her head as she began to wrap the cloth tightly around his wound. “You continue to surprise me, Trevor. Or, am I supposed to call you Captain Daniels now?” She genuinely looked concerned that she had just addressed him incorrectly.

  “You aren’t a member of my militia. So you may continue to call me Trevor.”

  The tent flap flew open as Cade and Lorenzo returned with her belongings but they froze when they saw Trevor without his shirt on and Serena leaning over him.

  “You no-good, piece of—”

  “Lorenzo, please. Don’t make foolish assumptions. The man who shot at us earlier actually struck Trevor. I’m trying to mend the wound.”

  Lorenzo stopped in his furious approach towards them, and Trevor could see his rapid pulse in his neck. Even though she was their sister-in-law, these two men loved her as if she were blood and were willing to do whatever it took to keep her safe and protected from anything... and anyone. He felt sorry for any of her suitors. He could only imagine what they had to go through before they would even let the suitor spend a moment with Serena. The thought of her with a suitor unexpectedly bothered him, but he didn’t pause to consider it.

  Lorenzo eyed Trevor for several long seconds before he turned and set down Serena’s belongings. Cade set down the last bits he had carried as well, and they both turned and watched them as Serena finished the bandage. Trevor raised an eyebrow at them.

  “We’ll be staying nearby,” Lorenzo said, and also made eye contact with Serena so she would know what he was saying. “We can’t take any risks with some mad-man around here trying to kill one of you.”

  “I appreciate the extra protection.” Trevor nodded to them. “Now, it’s been a long night, and I, for one, could use some shut-eye. Thank you for helping us.”

  It was clearly a dismissal, but it took a while for Lorenzo and Cade to move out of the tent and slowly lower the flap. Serena was shaking her head in disgust when he glanced over at her.

  “Is there a reason for that unfortunate look?”

  “They both still treat me like a child, though I’m far from that. I’m an independ
ent, determined—”

  “Hardheaded, occasionally annoying, spoiled, irresponsible—”

  “You only think you know me,” she said harshly, her eyes shining with anger. What had he said that upset her so? She took a step back from him. “You think you know me—you think you can lump me in with other women you’ve met before. But I am nothing like them. You don’t know what I have been through or the horrors I’ve seen. So don’t start talking as if you know me.”

  Trevor stood and walked towards her, catching her upper arms when she tried to back away from him again. “Serena, look at me.”

  Slowly her eyes lifted to his and he saw pain, a deep pain that he wanted to take away from her. “I don’t consider you to be like any woman I’ve ever known before. You’re very different, and not all of it is in a bad way,” he said the last part in a teasing tone, hoping to pull her back away from whatever nightmares haunted her.

  She drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “I shouldn’t have done that,” she said, and he wondered if she was talking to herself or to him. “I’m sorry. You have been very kind and decent with me, and you don’t deserve my anger.”

  She’s the most complex woman I’ve ever met in my life. “It’s like I said earlier. Just when I think I’m starting to figure you out, something happens.”

  She ran a hand down her face, and Trevor was certain she was searching for any tears and to erase evidence of them. But her face was dry. “You’re right. It has been a long, exhausting day. Let’s go to sleep.”

  She left him and grabbed her bed roll, her saddle blanket, and her saddle and began to lay out her bed for the night not too far from the small fire that was keeping the tent warm against the sharp winds cutting from the west. She was about to crawl into her “bed” when Trevor caught her by the arm. “Just what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

  “I’m going to sleep,” she said tartly in response, trying to shake her arm free of his grip.