Rain Shadow(34)

Rain Shadow seethed with anger. How dare he show up here again! Why  couldn't he leave her alone to get on with her life? What on earth was  the morbid attraction he held for her? She drew a cleansing breath to  calm herself. "What do you want?"

"You do not believe I wanted to apologize?"

"Some apology."

"The farmer made a mistake."

"I made the mistake, Miguel, in ever getting involved with you in the first place."

He struck a match, cupped his bare hands around it and lit a long, thin  cheroot, illuminating his stark features in sharp relief. He blew out  the match, and the cigar tip glowed orange in the darkness. "Si, I made a  mistake, too. I still wish for you to hear me out."

How could she ever have fallen for his smooth line? The thought that  she'd been intimate with the man at one time revolted her. "Talk."

"Put the gun away and we will talk."

"Talk, Miguel."

"You are in such a hurry, little one." He took a half step toward her,  stopped by the sound of her hammer cocking. "Very well. I want you to  marry me."

"You chose another woman over me" she blurted.

"But I am no longer married to the comtesse. "

"Did you find riper pickings?"

He paused before answering. "She did."

"I don't believe you."

"It is difficult to believe she liked another man better. I regret my mistakes, and I want you now."

"Even if that were true, I wouldn't marry you."

"No?" He puffed, and the moonlight illuminated a drifting smoke ring.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm already married."

He was silent for a long minute. "The farmer?"

"The farmer," she agreed, hating herself for using Anton again, but helpless to stop.

He studied the end of his cheroot. "And the child?"

"The child is his."

"How can that be?"

"I believe you know where children come from. I met Anton after the  London tour," she lied again. "He was married to another woman at the  time, and was very unhappy. We fell in love. I knew it was wrong so I  left. I didn't want our baby to bring scandal to Anton and his family. I  learned recently that she'd died, so I came to see for myself."

"How convenient."

"You can see there's no reason for you to hang around any longer. I'm not leaving."                       
       
           



       

"Do you not have a contest in the spring?"

So, he knew about that. "We will travel to Philadelphia, but I'll return. This is my home now."

The cigar glowed eerily against the darkness, and the acrid scent assaulted her nostrils.

"Sleep with me, then. Tonight while he is gone."

Disgust shrouded her heart, shock sinking into every cell. How could she  have been enamored of this contemptible person? How could she have let  him touch her? Anger seared a red-hot blur before her eyes, and she  prayed he didn't make a move until it cleared. "You're insane."

"Not at all. I want you. I will settle for making love to you one last time."

"You don't love me."

"I want you."

Rain Shadow had never shot a person in her life. She'd shot  animals-foxes, squirrels, birds of all feather. She'd killed a wolf  once. She imagined pulling the trigger now, seeing Miguel jerk as the  bullet hit his body. She pictured him on the ground, his life's blood  oozing from a neat hole.

She hated him. Despised him.

But she couldn't do it.

Leveling the barrel, she took careful aim in the bleached moonlight. A split second later, Ruiz' hat jerked into the air.

Miguel flinched and shot a glance over his shoulder in the direction his hat had sailed.

"The next bullet will be between your hateful eyes," she spat. "Get out of here, and don't come back."

Slowly, he mounted his horse, sat the saddle tall and straight. "You  frustrate me, querida, but never doubt I will be back." The horse turned  away at his invisible command. "You have something I want," he said  over his shoulder.

"Mama, what was that shot? Are you out there?"

In horror, Rain Shadow turned and saw Slade step into the circle of lantern light. "Slade, go back to the house. Now!"

Miguel guided the stallion in a semicircle, turning back. Heart  thudding, Rain Shadow shot a glance to make certain Slade was gone, and  relief surged into her soul.

Miguel's horse snorted and broke into a run. She listened to the hoof  beats fade into the distance. He wasn't finished. His threat seized her  in its unholy talons. She could only pray he believed the lie about her  son's parentage. If he ever saw Slade up close, he would know the truth.  Slade was dark like her, but his black eyes and narrow, handsome face  were Miguel's. What then? What if he knew he'd fathered her child? He  would use him toward his ultimate purpose. He could take him to spite  her-spirit him away somewhere- and do it legally.

"Mama, is he gone?"

Her son's anxious voice brought quick tears to her throat. She  swallowed. Nothing would happen to him as long as she drew breath. "He's  gone. I told you to go back to the house."

"I couldn't leave you alone."

She walked to where he stood. "I should punish you for not minding me."  Instead, she bent and hugged him close. "Go in with Nikky now."

He pushed away and hopped toward the house. If she left, Miguel would follow. She couldn't expose Slade to that danger.

Several silent minutes passed before she heard hoof beats growing  steadily closer from the opposite direction Miguel had gone. Anton  appeared, followed closely by Franz and Two Feathers. Relief washed over  her.

With unsteady hands, she hung the lantern on the outside of the barn. She drew a deep breath and met them on the drive.

Anton took one long, assessing look at her and slid from his horse. "Ruiz?"

She nodded. "He's gone."

"I will stay with you tonight, daughter." Winded, Two Feathers slid from his mount.

"We were fools to let him trick us like this!" Anton swore, picked up a  rock from the drive and pitched it forcefully into the darkness.

"I agree." Franz spoke from atop his horse. "But I don't think he'll be back tonight. I'm heading home."

Rain Shadow watched him gallop down the drive, ashamed of the extra work  and concern she'd put the family through. Two Feathers walked his mount  toward the corral.

"Anton."

Obviously irritated, he turned toward her, hand on hip. "What."                       
       
           



       

"I'll marry you." The words hung between them so long, she wondered if  he'd heard her. He exhaled, a long white gust releasing some emotion she  wondered at. "Tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? "Is that possible?"

"We'll ride into town-or Pittsburgh if you'd rather."

"Either. I don't care."

"Butler is closer. We'll all go together."

"That's fine."

"There's a lawyer I've talked to about adopting him. We can fill out the papers after the ceremony."

She found her voice. "You want to adopt Slade?"

"It's a sure way to see that Ruiz has no rights. You'll say Slade's real  father died, and we'll sign the papers. They'll go to Philadelphia and  be returned for the final signatures within a month."

"What about...?"

"What?"

She peered at him from beneath the brim of her hat. "What will happen after this ordeal is over? I mean, when Miguel is gone."

"We can have the marriage annulled."

She remembered his previous explanation, the part about not consummating the marriage. "Oh."

He slid his hat off, combed his fingers through his hair and settled the Stetson once again.

She glanced toward the house, considering the restraint and frustration  involved. Feeling as she did about Anton, would it be possible to share a  house without touching? Kissing? Without giving in to the feelings she  had for him? Only if his self-control was much stronger than hers.

From a dark, hidden corner of her mind, worry about making Slade Anton's  legal son hovered, too. She couldn't think about that right now.  Protecting him came first. She would deal with other matters when the  time arose.

"Tomorrow, then. Good night, Anton."

"'Night."

He watched her small figure walk to the house. Her acceptance of his  help had been imperative-he'd been almost desperate for her to go along  with this marriage plan. But why was he marrying another woman who  didn't love him? He'd be marrying for the sake of convenience when he  knew the risk involved.

He'd been prepared to marry Sissy for convenience. This was the same  difference, only better-he knew ahead of time this marriage wouldn't  last. This time, knowing it was a sham-both of them knowing it was a  sham-he wouldn't knock himself out to please her. He wouldn't have to  try to figure out how to make it work, because it wouldn't matter. He'd  get rid of Ruiz, see Slade's future started off on the right foot and be  done with it.