Chapter 22
Hyacinth wiggled her hands, which were tied behind her back.
The leather strap bit into her wrists, making her wince where the flesh was raw.
She’d been working at getting the binding loose for the past few hours since she’d been captured by the small band of ruffians, but she hadn’t been able to free herself yet.
Once she did, then she could untie the strap around her feet.
From her spot on the dirt floor of the thatched adobe hut, she had a perfect view of the men, one at each of the low windows with their guns drawn. The leader of the group—whom she’d learned was named Alvarado—was waiting off to the side of the open door facing the trail that led to the hideout.
It was a miserable and filthy place, crowded with overturned crates serving as chairs, empty liquor bottles, dirty bedrolls, and a blackened pot on the hearth among the ashes. Flies buzzed around the greasy bones on several plates. A pot in the corner stank of urine.
After leaving the bridge, the men had gathered their horses, which had been hidden in a different location. Then they’d ridden quite a distance to reach the hideout, stopping only once at a run-down ranch to pay a boy to deliver a message to Beckett.
She hadn’t yet figured out why the men had been under the bridge. They’d obviously heard of Beckett’s return. Maybe they’d been planning to sneak up on the ranch and try to capture Beckett? Or shoot him? And take revenge for his killing of Alvarado’s brother those many years ago?
Beckett had alluded to the brutality of his last year living in Texas. Perhaps the killing of Alvarado’s brother had happened as part of the Peeler’s War.
Whatever the case, she’d been foolish to fall into the group’s hands. And yes, she could admit she’d been foolish for attempting to walk into town by herself. If she could go back in time and redo the morning, she would wait for Beckett to wake up, then insist he take her himself.
He would have tried to talk her into staying, but she would have proven to him and to herself that she was stronger than her mother and could resist a smooth-talking man.
She had no doubt Beckett would come after her and try to rescue her from the ruffians.
He would do his best to free her, but in doing so, he would put himself in great danger.
Although she couldn’t understand anything Alvarado and his men discussed, it was clear enough they wanted to kill Beckett and were using her to lure him there and out into the open.
Even though she wanted to leave Beckett and the Double T, she loved him and didn’t want him to get hurt—and especially not die. She couldn’t let that happen.
That was why she had to get loose. Then maybe when the men were distracted, she could somehow manage to crawl outside.
She wasn’t exactly sure how that would happen, since every window and doorway was occupied.
But she had to do something. She couldn’t just sit back and let Beckett put his life in danger.
She blew out an exasperated breath, which drew Alvarado’s attention and the barrel of his gun her way.
She suspected the man had killed many times in his life and wouldn’t hesitate to kill her too.
But for a reason she couldn’t explain, she wasn’t afraid of him.
Maybe because of the haggardness in his expression or the sorrow in his eyes.
Instead, all she felt was pity for him. He’d lost someone he’d loved in a terrible war, and he’d lived with that hurt for years, probably letting it fester the same as Beckett.
“Just so you know,” she offered as sincerely as she could, “Beckett has nightmares from all that happened during that last year he was here at the ranch.”
“Is that right?” Alvarado’s voice was tinged with sarcasm. “Poor chico.”
“He didn’t want to come back.” Now she knew partly why—he hadn’t wanted to stir up old hatreds. “But now that he’s here, he wants to make up for the past mistakes that his pa and Sargeant made.”
“There’s no way to make up for killing someone.”
“Except for living with the guilt forever.” Sweat trickled down her back, which meant it had to be nearing midday under the high noon sun blazing down and turning everything hot and dry.
Surely it wouldn’t be much longer before Beckett arrived. No doubt he would bring the small army of men, but she had the feeling no number of men would save her—or him—today.
“I won’t have any guilt for killing Beckett Thorpe.” Alvarado shifted his gun back to the door and peered outside.
“But you will have guilt if you kill me, because you know I don’t deserve to die any more than your brother did. Maybe even less because I haven’t been a part of this conflict in any way.”
Alvarado didn’t respond, but the muscle in his hand flexed against his gun.
She was taking a dangerous path in being so bold with him.
He might even now be thinking of silencing her with a bullet.
Yet now that she’d started the honest conversation, she may as well say her piece.
“You should know that if you kill Beckett, you won’t get any of the compensation he’s giving to all those who have been harmed by the Double T over the years. ”
Several of the other men glanced at her, which told her they understood her English.
“What is he giving?” Alvarado’s voice once again held cynicism.
“He intends to return stolen land and pay for stolen cattle and horses. He also wants to make amends to those he’s hurt.”
Alvarado stared at her for a long second. “Some hurts cannot be amended.”
She knew he was referring to the death of his brother, and she also knew he was right, that the slaying of a family member had a high price, perhaps even too high.
“Beckett might not ever be able to make up for your brother’s murder, but he can atone for many more of the ranch’s mistakes.
That’s what he’s come to Texas to do and why he wants to inherit the ranch.
Do you really want to stand in his way and keep him from helping many people? ”
Even as she asked the question of Alvarado, it pricked at her. Would her refusal to stay married to Beckett and live in Texas prevent him from correcting past mistakes?
She’d thought by leaving him that she was doing the right thing.
But maybe she was being selfish. After all, he wasn’t asking her to stay married to him to increase his own wealth or serve himself.
No, it was the opposite. He hadn’t wanted to come back to Texas and face his past, but he’d done it anyway in order to benefit many people.
His need for her was noble—to help others. Her father’s need for Mother had been to help himself. There was a big difference, and the least she could do was acknowledge that.
Could she stop being so afraid of turning out like her mother and give Beckett—give their relationship—a chance to be different? At the very least, Beckett held some attraction to her, and maybe his feelings would eventually develop into more.
If he never loved her, could she live with that? It would be hard to love someone without reciprocation. But could she really just walk away from him? Never see him again? And let Sunshine and Rodrigo find another woman for him?
No, she couldn’t do that. How could she bear to let him marry someone else? Not when everything within wanted to be the only one for him.
“How much land will Mr. Thorpe give back?” The question came from one of the other men, a slender old fellow with long braided gray hair.
“I don’t know.” She had to answer honestly, even if truthful answers didn’t bode well for her. “I’m not aware of the particulars of how much land his pa stole over the years.”
“One hundred acres of my family’s land,” said the old fellow bitterly, exchanging a look with the man standing near him. The two looked enough alike that they could be brothers.
Another man spat a stream of tobacco out the window. “Waverly Thorpe stole every good breeding horse my family raised and left only the lame and sick ones behind.”
“He burned down my family’s home and everything in it,” said another.
It sounded like Beckett’s pa was as bad as he’d indicated, even worse. Could she blame these men for being angry?
“I suppose you’re all just trying to right the wrongs as best you can,” she said. “But hurting more people won’t fix what happened. If you kill me and Beckett today, you might start another war. One in which more of the people you love will get hurt and more of your possessions will be lost.”
The room turned silent again, and all eyes landed on Alvarado, the leader. Would he see the wisdom in what she was saying? Or was his need for vengeance so strong that he wouldn’t be satisfied until Beckett was dead?
Before she could say more, the crack of a gunshot came from outside. Her captors rapidly crouched and lifted their guns in readiness again.
“Alvarado?” came Beckett’s shout. It was from a distance, which hopefully meant he had concealed himself and wasn’t rushing up to the house like a fool, although she wouldn’t put it past him to do that.
Alvarado answered by shooting his gun out the door. Although she couldn’t see much besides the clear blue sky out the windows, it didn’t look like the fellow had taken aim at anything in particular.
“If you hand over my wife to Cheno,” Beckett called, “then I’ll take her place as your prisoner, and you can do whatever you want to me.”
What was Beckett saying? Didn’t he know these men hated him and wanted to see him dead? If they got their hands on him, he wouldn’t walk away alive.
“No, Beckett!” she called. “I won’t let you do that.”
“Hyacinth?” His voice held a desperation she’d never heard there before. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“You’re unharmed?”
“I’m fine, Beckett. You don’t need to storm in here to get me.”
“It isn’t up to you, darlin’,” he called back.
“Oh yes, it is,” she retorted. “Don’t you dare try to exchange yourself for me.”
“I’m going to try it whether you want me to or not.”
She almost scoffed. They were in the middle of a hostage situation, and they were arguing. “Can we ever do anything without bickering?”
“Naw, where’s the fun in that?”
This time she did smile.
The men were glancing at her sideways, probably trying to make sense of her conversation with Beckett. She wanted to tell them good luck, that she never knew what to expect with Beckett either.
“I’m real sorry for arguing last night, though,” Beckett called.
“I am too.”
“You’ve got nothin’ to be sorry for. I’ve been the big oaf for using you, and I’ve decided I’m gonna see if I can find a way to give my half of the ranch to Rodrigo so that I can go back to Colorado with you.”
“No, you can’t do that.”
“I sure can. I’ll meet with Dickinson and at least give Rodrigo control of my portion.”
“You won’t need to do that, because I’ve already decided I’m going to stay.”
“I don’t want to use you—”
“I was wrong. You’re nothing like my father. You care about the people here and want to protect them. And you want to make peace with the ranch’s enemies.”
“That’s my plan.” This time Beckett’s words were clipped and for Alvarado.
Had Sargeant known, after all Beckett had experienced, that he had the potential to be the peacemaker, the one who could repair what was broken and rebuild trust with the ranch’s enemies?
It made sense. “I told these fellows you would return what the ranch had taken from them.”
“Yep. Every last peso and then some.”
Alvarado tightened his grip on his gun. “Money won’t bring back my brother.”
“I deeply regret my involvement in his death,” called Beckett. “But you killed my vaqueros—my friends and companions—and money won’t bring them back either.”
Alvarado shook his head. “I should kill your wife, and then you’ll see what it’s like to lose family.”
“If you harm her in any way”—Beckett’s voice turned deadly—“the next war will be on your head, because there will be a war.”
“I’m not harmed,” she called. “No war needed today. How about instead, the two of you come up with a deal? Beckett will repay everyone for their losses in exchange for my freedom.”
“I’ll work a deal,” Beckett called back in that deadly tone that was meant for her captors. “But I want my wife released first.”
Alvarado peeked out the door. “You show me the money first, then I’ll send her out.”
“And the deed to my family’s land,” whispered one of the other captors.
“And the deed to Flores’s land that your father stole.”
“I’ll have to ride into town and draw up papers with my lawyer.”
“We’ll be waiting here.”
Would this plan really work? Would Alvarado really let her go in exchange for reparations?
“I won’t leave my wife,” Beckett started belligerently.
“I’m fine, Beckett.” She leaned back against the wall and tried to rest, mostly so she could prove to herself that she really was fine. “Hurry and get everything you need to repay these men for the troubles the ranch caused them.”
“Alvarado,” Beckett called, “you’ll free her when I return?”
Alvarado hesitated, then nodded so that his men could sense his sincerity. “If you bring everything you owe and then some, I’ll let her go.”
“And not harm Beckett?” she said emphatically.
“As long as you’re safe,” Beckett interjected, “that’s all that matters.”
“I want you to be safe too.”
“Your life is more important than mine.”
“Not true.”
“It is, and there’s no arguing that fact.” He paused. “Or the fact that I love you.”
She drew in a sharp breath. Had he just said what she thought he had?
“Reckon I’ve loved you all along but was just a stubborn old mule who needed a kick in the hind end to admit you’re all that matters to me. Nothin’ else compares with having you, darlin’.”
She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again, but nothing came out.
“Holy moly.” Alvarado rolled his eyes. “Can we put an end to the love sonnets here? And can we get a move on making me and my amigos happy?”
Beckett didn’t respond for a moment. Then he finally called out again. “Give me the names of your men and what wrongs Double T ranch inflicted. Then I’ll be back before the afternoon is finished with what I owe each man.”
Hyacinth rested her head against the cool mud wall and closed her eyes.
He loved her. Beckett Thorpe really loved her.
Sweet warmth spread through her. His love alone was enough.
But even better was the realization that it wasn’t tied to what she could do for him.
He’d been willing to give up his inheritance and move back to Colorado to stay with her. That was true, genuine love.
If only they could ensure that they could be together. But they had no guarantee Alvarado would carry through with his end of the bargain and let them live. She prayed he would, because she wanted the chance to wrap her arms around Beckett and tell him she loved him too.