Comanche Haven (The Loflin Legacy: Book 1) (15 page)

Pouring fresh water into the washbowl,
Celia scooped up a handful and splashed the water into her face.
Immediately sucking in air as the chill of the water revived her
senses, Celia felt her head start to clear.

She caught sight of the young woman in
the mirror. For all she’d been through, she looked about the same.
It humbled her as she realized how much difference a day could make
in a person’s life. Celia watched as droplets of water slid down
her cheeks and reminded her of the tears she’d shed over the past
couple of days. Looking closely at her reflection in the mirror,
Celia reminded herself she was still alive, and though her heart
was broken, she vowed she wouldn’t fall into despair and be
engulfed in grief. She had things she had to do.

There was a knock at the door. “Who is
it?” she asked, toweling her face dry.

“
It’s Maggie, dear. Are you
presentable? I’ve brought your breakfast.”

Moving to the bedside, Celia donned her
wrapper. “Yes, Maggie, please come in.”

The housekeeper swept into the room
carrying a tray covered with a linen cloth. “I didn’t know what you
might be hungry for, so I brought a helping of everything from this
morning’s table.” Sweeping the napkin away, Maggie presented Celia
with a bounty of delectable morsels. “Now don’t be bashful. You
just eat as much as you can stand, all right? You’ll make ol’
Maggie feel a whole lot better once we get some food in
you.”

The housekeeper set the tray down and
then took Celia by the arms. Guiding her to the table nearby,
Maggie settled Celia in the chair. “Now eat!” she commanded. Her
words, coated in a soft brogue, still held the mists of
Ireland.

Celia considered her stomach might
rebel. She was slightly embarrassed when it gave a very unladylike
growl of hunger. Knowing Maggie’s feelings were paramount, Celia
took a deep breath and released it slowly. Picking up the fork, she
forced herself to take a bit of the fluffy eggs and steaming grits.
The taste of the food was delicious. To her relief and Maggie’s
great satisfaction, the hunger pains soon overrode the queasiness.
With Maggie beaming a smile of approval, Celia dug in. Before she
knew it, Celia had polished off half the biscuits and eggs, along
with a goodly portion of the grits, as well as the ham for good
measure. Black coffee made her feel almost whole again, and she
found herself grateful to the housekeeper for her persistence. With
an exaggerated sigh, Celia leaned back in the chair and patted her
stomach gently. “That was marvelous, Maggie. Thank you.”

“
I’m pleased you enjoyed it
dear.” Smiling broadly, Maggie began to remove sheets from the
bed.

Feeling stronger than she had in days,
Celia considered broaching the unpopular subject of leaving.
“Maggie, I can’t stay here. You understand that, don’t you?” Before
Maggie could protest, Celia continued, “My being here puts all your
lives in danger.”

Maggie simply frowned.

“
I need to get to town and
make arrangements to…
to
what
?” Celia mused as she rose from the
little table and edged closer to the fire. She had no place to go.
Maybe she could get a room at the hotel. But she had no money.
She’d get a job. But who was going to hire a half-breed in a Texas
town? With considerably less bravado than she’d possessed moments
before, Celia looked at Maggie again. “Could you…”

Maggie cut her off with a stern wave of
her hand. “You don’t worry your pretty head about such things this
fine morning. What you need to concern yourself with at the present
is getting back on your feet. It won’t matter to anyone where you
are now. You’re in no shape to travel.” She stepped around the bed
as after flinging the sheet out and tucking in one
corner.

Her stern words were like the tools she
used in settling the matter, Celia decided.

“
And besides, even if you
weren’t here, the Comanche are still going to suspect the boys of
being the ones who did it.”

Slowly Maggie rose to stand. Her eyes
skittered to Celia briefly and then away again. Smoothing the front
of her apron in a telling gesture, Maggie hurried over to the small
table, scooping up the tray before heading for the door. “You’re
gonna want to see a bit of the spread today, I’d imagine.” She made
the comment as if they’d been discussing nothing more than the
weather. Pausing just inside the door, she cut Celia a keen eye.
“Besides, the fresh air will do you good.”

Waving a hand toward the large clothing
cabinet in the corner of the room, Maggie sent Celia a slightly
flustered look. “You’ll find riding clothes in the armoire.” When
Celia only blinked, Maggie continued. “Well, go on and get about it
now. Jake will be by directly.” With another wave of her hand to
spur Celia into action, Maggie scurried from the room.

Celia listened to Maggie’s footsteps
clicking down the hallway as her words replayed in her mind. The
Comanche were a proud people. Naturally, revenge followed, she
mused. Her father’s other nephew, Red Bear, hadn’t been among the
dead. If he were still alive, Celia felt sure he would come seeking
revenge. The facts were simple. Lone Eagle had made camp on Shooter
Creek land. Logically, it meant Red Bear would come looking for
retribution from those who owned Shooter Creek land. He would be
looking for Seth, Ty, and all the others.

Could Red Bear be lurking here now?
Could he be watching? Was he waiting for the right time to make his
attack? A sliver of fear shot up Celia’s backbone.

Opening the doors to the armoire, Celia
began to rummage through its contents. Maggie said to make use of
the clothing she found in the beautiful wooden cabinet. If she had
to be beholden to the Loflins’ for their hospitality awhile longer,
she guessed she’d have to add whatever she wore from the large
clothing cabinet to her list of debts. In a strange twist of fate,
she’d been spared a terrible death. Of that, she was sure.
Remembering her words to Seth about finding those responsible and
bring them to justice, Celia knew any plans to leave would have to
wait.

With her presence at Shooter Creek,
everyone on the ranch was in danger. The Comanche possessed no
mercy. Staring into the cabinet as her hands stilled, Celia felt
the cool tingling of fear creep up her spine once more. She managed
to force down the tentacles of anxiety, which wanted to dig in. She
was reminded of how much she owed these people, and of how much
they’d helped her in the past. Glancing down at her hands, which
were none too steady now, Celia took a deep breath and closed her
eyes. Calling on her inner spirit for control, Celia released the
breath she’d been holding and strived for focus. At the feet of her
grandmother, Silver Fox, Celia had learned the art of focus. She’d
been an excellent student and had even incorporated the technique
many times as a surgical assistant. Panic only scattered one’s
thoughts, causing havoc and impotence. Willing the pain away, Celia
opened her eyes. First things first, she chided herself and chose a
suit to go riding in.

***

Jake appeared at the back door leading
to the kitchen not long after Maggie returned. Celia had just
arrived and was helping herself to another cup of coffee. Celia
looked up as her old friend snatched his Stetson from his head and
smoothed his thinning hair. Probably because he was ever mindful of
Maggie’s instructions, he made a noisy production of wiping his
feet on the worn stoop mat before entering the house. “Morning,
Maggie, got any coffee left? Hello, Miss Celia,” he said chipper as
a lark.

His well-practiced manners as well as
his greeting went unnoticed by Maggie, who bent over a pan
scrapping out scrapes from the breakfast dishes.

Celia stepped forward and reaching out,
gave Jake a warm hug. “It’s so good to see you, Jake.” Her eyes
misted as she peered at him.

“
Well, it’s good to see you
too, Miss Celia.” Holding her at arm’s length, he absorbed the
woman she’d become. “You’re a vision.”

Celia had to admit she felt better than
she had in days and smiled warmly at him. “You always could charm
the ladies, Jake.”

Jake looked mildly shocked. “I meant
every word.”

“
There now, she looks like a
proper young lady this morning, don’t she, Jake?” Maggie said as
she brought Jake a cup of coffee.

Jake blinked. “Yes, yes she does.”
Brushing a kiss along her cheek before stepping back, Jake pulled
out a chair and folded his long form into it. “Do we have time to
site and enjoy a cup of coffee?”

“
Sure do.” Celia noted his
effort was slightly stiff. The years had been kind to him, his blue
eyes were a bit faded but still keen and his habitual vest was
still smooth leather and buttoned with brass buttons. The jaunty
feather he stuck in his hat brim was from the latest turkey he’d
bagged. Celia didn’t have to ask, because he always had a turkey
feather in his hat brim and he’d always bagged a turkey recently
when she’d asked. Celia had to smile at the thought. Had it really
been almost twelve years? His sandy blonde hair was going grey now
and he still walked with a bowlegged stroll but now he moved a bit
rigidly.

“
How are you?” Jake appeared
nervous over what to say. ”I’m fine. The trip was long and …” She
hesitated when the events of the last few days came to
mind.

Jake laid his big, lean hand over hers
and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Sure am sorry to hear about your Pa,
Miss Celia.”

Nodding, Celia tried to smile. The
tears, which threatened to fall would do no good. She sniffed and
straightened in the high-backed chair. “Thank you, Jake. To get out
and see the place would mean a lot to me.”

“
You know, I heard the men
talking ‘bout the pretty young thing Seth brought home with him
yesterday. He’s gonna have his hands full trying to keep them all
in line. You’re gonna have heads turning from here to Fort Worth.”
Jake gave her his best lopsided smile to go with the
teasing.

“
That’s the kind of
complement a girl likes to hear, Jake.” Reaching out she gave him a
quick peck on the cheek.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he
reddened slightly before becoming all business again. “Miss Celia,
I stopped by to see if you’d like to ride with me this morning and
see the spread.”

“
Yes, I would enjoy the ride
very much.” Looking over at Maggie, she continued, “Maggie, thank
you for a wonderful breakfast. It was delicious. You’ll have me
fattened up in no time, I’m sure.”

Maggie beamed. “Well, I’m glad you
enjoyed it, child. The boys have gone into Tyler to inform the
Sheriff of what’s happened, so I asked Jake to show you around a
bit. Now run along and enjoy the ride.” The housekeeper waved her
hand at the basket sitting on the counter. “I packed you a lunch.
You’ll be a long way from the ranch house by then,” she stated
firmly. “Have a good time.”

***

Celia considered Maggie’s reference to
the distance an exaggeration, but as the morning progressed, she
began to see her mistake in judgment. She thought she understood
how vast an area the ranch covered, but she soon discovered how
wrong she’d been. By lunchtime it occurred to her, they must be
near the Oklahoma territory, but Jake assured her they still hadn’t
seen a third of the spread. The sheer number of animals grazing on
the land was more than she could comprehend. “All these steers
belong to the ranch?” she finally asked Jake.

“
Yes, ma’am, Shooter Creek
has over four thousand head of cattle in this year’s herd. This
year’s calving has added another seven hundred to date. If all goes
well, we’ll see two-thirds of them raised off.”

They came to a bluff overlooking a
shallow valley and rested the horses. Jake settled his hands on the
saddle horn.

Celia noted the pride in his weathered
features as he shaded his eyes and took in the panoramic view.
“Raised off?” she asked. “What do you mean?”

“
I mean the ones who grow to
maturity. We’re bound to lose some to natural predators like the
coyote and the cougar. They roam these hills and when the cattle
graze too close, the calves are always easy pickens. Now we have to
worry about the Indians who take from the herd as well.” He coughed
suddenly as he realized, too late, he’d stuck his foot in his
mouth. Jake’s color heightened as he eyes skittered from
hers.

Meaning to comfort him, as well as put
his statement in prospective for them both, Celia spoke up. “It’s
all right, Jake.” She smiled sympathetically in an attempt to ease
his discomfort. “I understand my people have put the ranchers in
the position of defending their livelihoods. I only wish there was
something I could do to help.” She glanced out at the cattle
grazing in the shallow range below. Something gleamed and caught
her eyes from the hill across the range. It moved.

Was it a rifle?
Looking closer, she spotted a rider. There was a
lone figure on horseback with a crimson sash about his bare bronze
waist.
Red Bear!
A
faint gasp escaped her as she recognized her cousin. Realizing
she’d unconsciously stood up in the stirrups to get a better look,
she tried to recover without raising suspicion. She saw no others
with him and watched a moment longer as he maneuvered his horse
back in the direction he’d come before disappearing into the
pines.