His heart lurched. “I know. And I know how important this is to you.”
“No,” she said, and tilted her head back to look at him with shining emerald eyes. “I’m home in your arms. It is the only home I will ever need.”
Had she been reading his mind? He felt his throat tightening with emotion and he lowered his head, kissing her tenderly. “My sweet pixie. Whatever did I do to deserve you?”
“You smoked a peyote cigarette with me on top of a roof. You owned my heart from that moment on.”
He chuckled and pressed another quick kiss to her lips, then turned with her and they walked up to the cocina together. The doors flew open before they had even tried to handle, and Olivia stood there, here belly beginning to show a small bump where a baby grew, her face elated.
“Serena!” she cried, and tears fell down her face as she pulled Serena into her arms. “Oh, thank God. I’ve been so worried. When Cade told me all that happened...”
“He did what?” Serena demanded in shock.
“Oh, that man can’t keep a secret from me. I had the full story from him within half a day of him getting home. He’s really sorry he broke your confidence, but he didn’t stand a chance with me.”
Serena smiled and took a step back and gently nudged Trevor. Having Olivia’s attention, Trevor pulled off his hat and nodded to her. “Hello, Mrs—”
“Oh, just call me Olivia. After all you’ve done for Serena, you are on a first name basis with the family.” She stepped forward and gave him a hug. “Thank you. We owe you so much. Now come inside. Everyone else is going to be thrilled to see you!”
The welcome home was full of tears and laughter, and soon the men were separated from the women, discussing the victory in battle as the women fussed over Serena and wanted to know the details of her relationship with Trevor. From a short distance, Trevor could see Serena blushing, something that rarely occurred for her. Their eyes locked briefly, and they exchanged knowing smiles.
When they finally had a break, Trevor captured Serena and gave her a quick kiss without any of the others seeing. “I have spoken with your grandfather,” Trevor murmured in her ear, “and he has given me permission to marry you.”
She looked at him, startled. It seemed she hadn’t expected him to follow the formal process and ask her grandfather, but it obviously pleased her that he had. It was a nod towards their beliefs and ideals, and it brought great joy to her.
“So, Miss Torres, may I have your hand in marriage?”
Serena smiled brightly. “Yes, Captain Daniels. Absolutely yes.”
“There is one more thing I must tend to before we are wed. And then I will be free to finally be happy.”
The fort held the Indian captives and prisoners that had been captured aiding in the raids and trying to take advantage of the misfortunes of others. But there was only one man Trevor wanted to see.
The guards brought him forward, and the gambling man was a poor resemblance of his former self. His usually slicked back hair was matted and filthy, and his usually meticulously trimmed mustache and beard had grown wild and dirty, too. He was a shadow of the man he remembered shooting his father so many years ago.
“What would you have us do with him?” the guard closest to him asked.
Trevor had thought of this moment for so long, the question surprised him, because he no longer seemed to have the answer. He glanced back at Serena, who stood not far away. She had insisted on coming with him to support him and be by his side. And he couldn’t be more grateful.
Trevor had imagined squaring off with his father’s killer and shooting him in the gut so he would die slow and painfully. He had thought of strangling the man and watching the life go out of his eyes. He had thought of shooting him dead where he stood just to have it over with.
But now, with Serena with him, with the joy now surrounding his life, he didn’t want those things. But he did want justice. “Bring me one of the warriors. One who has done well while here.”
The guards exchanged glances, then one left to do as he bid. “What’s the matter, son? Can’t face me yourself?”
Trevor smiled at him. “I’m not your son, and I thank God for that. And you should thank God for the opportunity that is about to be handed to you.”
The man’s face crinkled in confusion, and Trevor wanted to shake his head. How could he have ever been afraid of this man? The man was a coward.
The other soldier returned, bringing with him a warrior that looked like he could handle himself in battle very well. Though he was thin from his time at the Fort, he was still muscular, and there was still an alertness about him that spoke to his internal fortitude.
“Do you speak English?” Trevor asked the Indian.
The Indian stared at him for several long moments, sizing him up. Then he nodded curtly. The two guards exchanged confused glances, then asking him hesitantly what Trevor wanted to do with the two prisoners. Trevor walked up to the warrior and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Do you plan to attack again once you leave here? Will you rejoin a war party?”
The Indian stared back at him, never taking his eyes off of Trevor’s. “No. I want find my family. I have wife and two sons. I want be with them.”
Trevor watched the warrior’s eyes the entire time he talked. Then he turned back to the guards. “Unshackle the men,” he said, and the two guards were almost comical in their reactions.
“But, sir, they are criminals—”
“They must be punished for their crimes—”
Trevor turned and walked a few feet away from both men. Then he reached inside his boot and threw a knife at the foot of the warrior. Then he faced his father’s killer and pulled a knife from the other boot and threw it at his feet.
“They will have a true warrior’s fight. They will battle each other until one is dead. At that point, whichever one has succeeded, he will be set free.”
His father’s killer began to laugh, a harsh, grating sound. “Are you really that foolish? You want to put a knife in my hands? You might as well scalp him and let me walk free. I have won plenty of knife fights.”
“I will fight arrogant white man. When he dead, I go home my family.”
Trevor nodded and then looked at the guards who seemed too stunned to speak. “B-but captain—”
“You have your orders!” Trevor snapped at them, and the guards jumped and quickly unshackled the men.
Both quickly picked up the knife at their feet and began to circle each other. Trevor stepped back to give them room, and was startled when a small hand slipped into his. He looked to his side and Serena was looking up at him, her eyes telling him that she was there to support him no matter what the outcome.
He squeezed her hand gently and leaned down for a soft kiss. “You know you don’t have to watch this.”
“I know.” Yet she stayed anyway, and continued holding his hand. He couldn’t believe how blessed he was. He had thought long and hard about what to do with his father’s killer. The man deserved to be hung for murder. But it was something that happened nearly twenty-five years ago, and the judge wouldn’t want to be bothered by something so simple, especially given that the murderer had already confessed to his crime, nearly bragging about it.
His fight with the warrior only a few weeks ago gave him the idea for the way for the problem to be solved. He had come to terms with the possibility that he father’s killer might win the battle and go free. But he knew how hard the Comanche fought. And he prayed that he had made the right decision.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
His father’s killer’s eyes turned in his direction, and suddenly he turned and lunged towards them. Trevor immediately shoved Serena behind him, but there was no need. The warrior grabbed him by his hair and yanked him back into their circle, growling with anger. While the warrior could have easily slit the man’s throat, it was against the Comanche way to kill someone from behind. And it was also an act of weakness and disrespect to try to fle
e the fight.
As the murderer turned back to face his opponent, the warrior slashed out with the knife, cutting Lucius deeply across his arm. He yelled out at the pain, then lunged at the warrior. He was able to dodge the murderer and tripped him as he passed, causing him to land hard on the ground.
The warrior took advantage of the murderer’s prone position and pounced on him, rolling him over and straddling him, his knife raised for a killing blow. But the murderer punched the warrior hard in the gut, gaining himself a few valuable moments as the warrior attempted to recover.
The murderer shoved the Comanche off of him and quickly rolled back to his feet and lunged at the warrior now crouched on the ground. But the warrior surged to his feet in a heartbeat, his blade plunging into the murderer’s stomach.
Trevor watched as his father’s killer stumbled backwards, his hand touching his stomach and pulling it back, visibly shaking as he saw it covered in blood. With a roar he lunged at the Comanche, his blade held at an angle to slice his throat. But the obviously more agile and capable warrior slid only slightly to the side, out of the blade’s path, while driving his own blade deep within the murderer’s chest.
Again, Trevor watched his father’s killer stagger backwards, but this time his face was deathly pale, and he didn’t bother to feel where the blade had entered him.
He fell to his knees and turned his eyes to Trevor. “You got what you wanted, didn’t you, son,” he said with a vicious tone, blood bubbling out of his mouth as he spoke. “If I had the chance to do it all over again—I would have made sure I killed you, too.”
With those final words, he pitched forward into the dirt, his eyes slowly glazing over in death. Serena squeezed his hand, but he couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t quite come to grips with the realization that it was finally over. The nightmare that had haunted him for nearly twenty-five years of his life was finally over.
Swallowing hard, he looked down at Serena. She didn’t smile, she didn’t frown. She just looked at him with unrequited love.
She raised her hand and lightly stroked his cheek. “It’s over now,” she said softly. “I’ll wait for you while you finish up with the guards.”
He still couldn’t find his voice and could only nod at her and squeezed her hand in return, before reluctantly parting from her side. He had never thought that he would need support when this day would come. But having Serena with him through it all had made it somehow easier to get through.
He walked forward towards the Indian, and he could see the wariness in the man’s eyes. He didn’t know if he could trust Trevor or not. Trevor extended his hand, and the warrior willing handed him the blade. Trevor took it, but extended his hand again. The warrior looked at the outstretched hand and slowly reached out to grasp his arm in the way that he knew to shake hands, and Trevor nodded to him.
“You fought bravely and honorably. I made a promise to you, and I will uphold that promise.” He turned to one of the guards and asked for a horse to be saddled and brought to them immediately. The guard took off, even though his face showed confusion and even anger.
“Do you know how to find your family?” Trevor asked, watching the warrior closely to see if the story he had told him earlier was a lie.
But the warrior’s face remained solemn. “I know places my people go when they not wish be seen. I check there first. If not there, I must search.”
The guard came walking up with a saddled horse and Trevor took the reins from him. “I hope that you find your family. And I pray that you were honest with me earlier when you said you were never going to attack us again.”
The warrior shook his head. “I man of my word. That why my name Speaking Truth.”
Trevor raised an eyebrow in surprise, then nodded again to him as he handed him the reins. “Peace be with you always, Speaking Truth. May you find your family and your solace.”
Speaking Truth looked over at Serena, then back at Trevor. “She incredible woman. You most fortunate.”
Trevor’s lips twitched in a smile. “I agree. Safe travels.”
He stepped back and Speaking Truth quickly mounted the horse. Without looking back, he rode out of the fort and took off to the north. Trevor turned back to the guards, both of whom looked furious.
“Do whatever you wish with the body of that man. His soul is black... he does not need any type of proper burial.”
“Sir, you just released a captured Comanche back out into the wild. He could kill any one of us the next time we come upon him.”
“I made an agreement with him,” Trevor said, his voice resonating authority. “It is my decision on how things are to be handled when it comes to these prisoners until another captain arrives to relieve me of these duties. Do you doubt my decision? Do you question my ability to make a good judgement?”
The guards squirmed under the scrutiny, obviously becoming aware that their actions and questions could be considered insubordination.
“No, captain,” they answered in unison, then turned and grabbed the body of the man that had haunted him and drug his lifeless body away.
It was finally over.
She hated dresses. With a passion. A good pair of buckskin pants and a simple shirt was her normal attire when she wasn’t working in the cocina. But today she loved her dress. She loved everything about it and had never felt more like a woman.
It was a simple dress with a fitted bodice and a full skirt. The once white dress had faded some and was almost ivory, but she didn’t mind. The lace detailing on the long sleeves and tiny pearls painstakingly sewn into spots across the skirt showed the love that had gone into making it.
Her mother had worn it more than twenty years before, and now she was getting to wear it as she walked down the aisle of the church to be united with Trevor forever. Their mother had been very petite and tiny, like Serena, and neither Angie nor Olivia had been able to use the dress for their own weddings. But they beamed with joy when they saw Serena in it. And both of them swiped at happy tears on their faces.
So much had happened in the few weeks since the fight at the fort. Serena and Trevor had the painful conversation with the family that she would be moving to his ranch and would be leaving San Antonio. She hadn’t known what to expect, but was shocked when both Angie and Olivia expressed joy for her. “You’ve always wanted to see more than San Antonio, Serri,” Olivia had said softly. “We’ll miss you dearly, but you will be so happy.”
“You’ll still come to visit us, though, right?” Angie had asked, smiling at her with tears in her eyes.
“As often as we can,” Trevor had replied. “Expect to see us at every holiday if not more.”
What had happened next, though, startled all of them. Grandpa and Grandma announced they were going to close the cocina. All three of the sisters had been stunned, then began to talk over each other about how important the cocina was to the community, and how important it was for the income.
Grandpa and Grandma confessed they had saved up a significant amount of money, enough for them to live off of for the remainder of their days. And with Cade earning an income as the Sheriff, and Lorenzo beginning his ranch, they were all able to provide for themselves.
But Olivia had refused to accept the idea. She had looked to Cade and he nodded at her, letting her know he was on the same page with her, regardless of which page that was. And that was when Olivia announced that she would take over the cocina.
Grandma and Grandpa had been shocked at first, but after listening to Olivia’s explanation that it was part of their family heritage, and part of the San Antonio community, they had agreed. The cocina was now Olivia’s. Grandpa and Grandma would still help from time to time, but they would also be enjoying a much simpler life and relaxing—something they had earned after decades of hard work.
All of these things ran through Serena’s mind as she walked towards Trevor. He had never looked more handsome. And he was about to belong to her forever. Her heart began to race and her lips pulled in
to a smile.
The ceremony was simple and sweet, and when his lips touched hers to seal their marriage, she had felt the spark begin, the spark that she knew he would finally be able to satisfy now that they were married.
The fandango that followed was full of laughter and joy. The fiddles and guitars played lively tunes as the town broke out into dance in the Main Plaza. The smell of delicious food filled the air, as several ladies in the town had gotten together to make enchiladas and beans and tacos and chalupas. Trevor and Serena danced to nearly every song, until Serena was too exhausted to go on.
A rakish grin touched Trevor’s face. “So, pixie, would you say you are ready to retire for the night?”
Serena felt the heat of a blush creeping up her neck and her heart thundered so loud she thought he could hear it. “Yes, ranger. Take me away.”
The End
If you enjoyed Texas Desire, you’ll love the next book in...
The Texas Legacy Series
Book 1: Texas Conquest
Book 2: Texas Desire
Book 3: Texas Heat
Book 4: Texas Christmas
If you love Texas historicals, don’t miss...
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After building a trading empire, establishing Whiskey River, and charming most of the females south of the Pedernales, Ronan “Booze” Kelly finds himself restless. Until his idea to start a ranch leads him to widowed rancher Marguerite McMasters. The Tejana beauty claims she’ll never sell her land—or succumb to the fiery connection between them.
Marguerite will let nothing stop her from realizing her dream of running a horse-breeding ranch—not lack of money, and certainly not her strong attraction to Booze Kelly. Much as she misses a man’s embrace, a schoolmarm can’t risk everything she has for him.
But there’s nothing Booze loves more than a challenge, whether it’s a new enterprise to begin—or a lady to beguile. Despite her convictions, can Marguerite continue to resist Booze—or will Booze be exactly what she never knew she was missing?
Texas Heat Page 27
