Comanche Haven (The Loflin Legacy: Book 1) (29 page)

The dark eyes of the wolf glared from
under his Stetson. Seth’s jaw worked with tension. “I lost you once
and I don’t intend to lose you again.”

His words float through her mind. I
lost you once and I don’t intend to lose you again. Jolted out of
her head, Celia winched when his hand gripped her hard. “Seth,
you’re hurting me. Please…”

“
Remember what I said. I’m
not toying with you, Celia. Remember.”

“
Seth, be sensible.” She had
to try to convince him to be reasonable. “You’ll be courting
trouble with declarations like that. Besides, I understand how it
is – how it has to be.” She reached out and laid a hand on his arm.
This is the west and our people are enemies.

“
No, not this time,” his
words were shot with impatience. “I won’t hide you away in some
room to be visited when I get an urge. I intend to court you as is
proper.”

“
Seth…” He couldn’t have
shocked her more if he’d slapped her. She wasn’t even aware of his
arm on her elbow any longer, or their forward progress toward
Cole’s office. But Celia told herself Seth was making promises he
couldn’t afford to keep. He was the rancher and she was the
half-breed.

Somehow, she’d managed to accompany him
into the doors of Sheriff Cole’s office. Depleted and wary, Celia
struggled once again to focus on her mission.

***

“
Cole better be glad I
didn’t come with you.” Flouncing about the room, Maggie jutted her
chin. “The very idea of considering a charge against Casey! That
girl never stole a thing in her life.” Huffing out the words,
Maggie unleashed her temper on the room at large.

“
Maggie, please.” Seth could
see the whole day becoming a circus of drama fraught with one
female combatant after another. He’d already considered getting a
drink and it was only a little after mid-morning. “I assured Cole
that Casey wouldn’t go anywhere until this thing is resolved or the
Ranger drops the charge. I think the drunken bum left his gold back
at the camp under a rock or some such. Once he remembers where he
put it, we won’t hear any more out of him. Now, why don’t you see
about getting something for Celia from the kitchen before they
close until dinnertime?”

“
All right, all right, but
you know what I’m talkin’ about.” Maggie stomped to the door,
muttering under her breath. “Cole’s got a piece of my mind comin’,
that’s for sure.” The door closed behind her, but he could still
hear her grumbling to herself as she moved down the hall. The woman
had a sore spot when it came to Sheriff Cole.

Stepping to the balcony, Seth seated
himself in a chair and watched half-heartedly as Tyler went about
its business. He blamed the ache in his body on the lack of sleep.
The ache in his heart was another matter altogether. Running a hand
over his chest, he wondered if courting trouble was a defective
Loflin trait. It didn’t take long to answer the question as he
pushed back in his chair. His father’s temper had been a force to
reckon with. There was no denying he’d done his best to avoid it.
His sister, Casey, however had run head long into that temper the
night she stood up to their father in the saloon. If Seth wasn’t
mistaken, she’d taken after him with that trait.

Seth’s brooding turned inward as the
cheroot he’d lit glowed red in the encroaching darkness. He’d let
lust get the better of him, probably losing the one person who
meant more to him than life. Christ, what was wrong with him? Celia
probably wanted nothing else to do with him and he couldn’t blame
her. He’d acted no better than a rutting bull. God, but the need
for her overpowered his common sense. She was heaven in his arms.
Surely that couldn’t be wrong.

A knock came at the door and Ty poked
his head out. “You busy?”

“
Would it matter?” Seth
growled as he gave his brother a scowl before returning his
attentions to the street below their two-story view.

“
I wanted to let you know
that Sheriff Cole’s asking for Celia.” Ty waited a beat as Seth
slowly turned to face him.

“
What the hell for? We told
him everything this morning.”

“
His request isn’t about
Casey.” Ty stepped to the rail leaning on it as he surveyed the
street below.

Seth’s gut clinched. “Well hell, Ty.
Tell me what he said.”

Ty gave him an uneasy shrug. “Figures
Celia knows where Red Bear’s hold up.”

He glared at Ty in surprise before
biting down on the cheroot he’d been half-heartedly smoking.
“Damn!” Rising, he made his way back into the interior of the room
and aimed the butt of his smoke at the brass spittoon. “And just
why is he interested in Red Bear?” The words hadn’t left his mouth
good before he was waving a hand, to dismiss the question. He knew
all too well, why Cole was interested in Red Bear. It pained him to
think of his one-time friend coming under the scrutiny of the white
man’s law. “I know, I know – because he’s a renegade Comanche with
blood on his mind.” He shook his head. “Damn the whole situation to
hell and back!” Glancing back at Ty, he threw up a hand in
frustration. “Okay, so we’ll go back over and talk to Cole about
the whereabouts of Red Bear.”

“
Seth…” Ty garnered his
brother’s distracted attention once more before adding, “Brannon’s
the one that wants her.”

A cold chill gripped Seth’s insides.
The man was a walking demon from hell. After their encounter with
him in the street, Seth had done some checking. Rumors about his
trading in slaves with the Spanish ran rampant. He couldn’t let
Celia fall prey to the likes of Brannon. Betrayal by the Tyler
sheriff stabbed him like a blade between the shoulders. Cole wasn’t
accepting to the Comanche but he didn’t expect him to go off on a
witch hunt. Fleetingly he thought of spiriting her away. They’d
find an isolated spot in the sierras. There was gold up there. Seth
could see a small cabin and a secluded life with the woman he found
he couldn’t give up.

“
Brannon wants her to scout
for him.” Ty’s hands slid in his pockets with the glare from his
older brother.

“
So Brannon thinks he can
come in here and take whoever he wants, does he?” Seth swore low
and adamantly. “He’s in for a big surprise.” He turned again to
consider the street below. Scouting wasn’t all he wanted from her,
Seth thought. The request for her to accompany him in search for
Red Bear was a ruse and Seth wouldn’t allow the so-called Ranger to
waltz in and take his woman. He swore again and vowed silently he’d
deal with Brannon in his own way. To hell with the sheriff and the
law! To hell with right and wrong, Celia was his. A few silent
minutes went by while he reined in his temper. “Ty, suppose those
rumors of slave traders kidnapping Indian women are
true?”

“
I’d say it’s
likely.”

“
I’m saying, what if the
rumors are true. You know there weren’t any young women among the
dead back at Lone Eagle’s camp.” He glanced at Ty.

“
Now that you mentioned it,
I don’t recall any when we buried the dead. Do you think whoever
killed Lone Eagle’s bunch took the women to sell?” Ty angled his
head to peer at his brother.

“
We’ll go down and speak to
Cole ourselves. After that, we’ll share our information with Hawk.
He can do some investigating on Brannon. If Cole is in cahoots with
Brannon, then we’re gonna get nowhere with him. I’ll be damned if I
give him the truth now.” He strode to the bed and picked up his gun
belt, strapping it on as he headed for the door. “Find Maggie and
let her know what we’re doing. Make sure she understands to keep
this under wraps. She can’t tell Celia. Got that?”

“
Yeah, I got
that.”

***

The scream tore through the second
floor of the hotel like an alarm bell. Patrons on the lower level
gawked and frowned in confusion while the bellhop scurried up the
stairs to see what the commotion was.

Celia knew where the terrified scream
came from. She slipped into Casey’s room.

“
Now, boyo, there’s nothing
to be worrying about here. The girl’s just had a bad dream is all.
We’ll handle everything. All right?”

The bellhop craned his head to peer
down the hall after the Comanche half-breed. “But she sounded like
she was dying! Should I go for the sheriff or the doctor,
maybe?”

The screaming stopped and Maggie patted
the boy on the shoulder. “See, I told you, nothing to worry about.
There, there. Go on down and see if you can round us up some tea.
Will ya?”

Mollified, the bellhop slowly retraced
his steps back down the hall with a request from Maggie for some
broth and a pot of tea.

Reaching Casey, Celia first checked for
fever before trying to calm the girl. “There now, Casey. You’re
safe. No one’s going to hurt you. Do you understand?” With a cloth
soaked in cool water, she used hushed tones to sooth the young
woman’s agitation.

Casey opened her eyes slowly and with
an obvious effort to focus, she hesitated before speaking.
“Where…am I?” The split along her lip opened with the effort and
she winced.

“
You’re in the hotel. You’re
safe and being cared for. There’s nothing to worry about now.” She
repositioned the cloth across Casey’s brow. “Do you remember last
night?”

“
Yes.” Yanking the cloth
from her temple, Casey gazed up at her with curiosity.

“
My name is Celia. I’m a
friend of your brother, Seth’s. We brought you here after the
attack last night.” Watching her closely, she considered that at
least she still had her senses. “I’m a nurse. I want to help you.
May I treat your lip? It needs some salve.”

Casey’s fearful eyes darted from her to
each corner of the room and back again. Her breathing came out
short and choppy. “Where’s Seth?”

“
At the moment, I’m not
sure, but he’s been here the whole time. Do you remember anything
about last night?” With practiced smoothness, Celia reached out and
brushed the blonde hair that had fallen into Casey’s face as the
fearful young woman searched frantically for her
bearings.

“
I said yes.” Casey shrunk
back as she deftly dabbed salve on her lip.

“
That’s all right. You need
to rest now and focus on getting well. This balm will help with the
healing - it’s made of Aloe.” Celia finished applying the salve
before explaining. “I’m going to give you some broth and a tea
laced with a dose of laudanum. It will help you sleep. You need all
the sleep you can get right now. Okay?”

Casey simply stared. Mistrust and
self-preservation romped across her face. “Why are you doing
this?”

Celia’s heart went out to the woman in
that moment. She thought she understood Casey’s reluctance.
“Because you were hurt and need help.” Reaching out gently, she
brushed Casey’s hair away from her mouth and the cut. “I’ll be
right here if you need me. Okay?”

There was a gentle knock before the
door opened. Maggie bustled in, carrying a tray. She paused as her
tear-filled eyes met Casey’s. “Darlin’, how are you
feelin’?”

Casey lay very still watching her.
“Maggie?”

Maggie moved to the table in the tiny
parlor area and poured the tea before coming over to the bed. “Here
now. Drink this and maybe have a bit of broth. You need
it.”

“
I don’t want anything. What
I want is to get the hell out of here.” Folding her arms over her
chest with only a small wince, Casey glowered impressively at
Celia. “Don’t need your help, that’s for sure.”

The stubbornness was expected, Celia
mused. She offered Casey her most stern look of concern. “The
doctor says you do. He wants you in bed and quiet so those ribs can
mend.” She gestured to the woman’s bandage wrapped
midsection.

Casey glanced down and then with a
mutant set to her mouth she started to rise up on an elbow. The
pain shot through her like a knife. With a cry and an oath that
Celia found vaguely familiar, Casey slumped back onto the bed and
stared hard at the opposite wall.

“
You’d do well to remember
that you can’t move much without pain. The medicine Doc Wheeler
prescribed is supposed to help if you give it a chance. I have some
herbs that’ll make a nice balm for your other bruises.”

Casey turned her head, giving Celia a
perfect look into those eyes that were on fire now. “Go to hell. I
don’t need or want your help. I don’t need anything from a damn
Injun.”

“
Casey!” Maggie’s gasp was
audible. She stepped forward, her hands on her hips. “Don’t insult
this family with your stupidity. Celia is here to help you and that
she will. I’ll see to it. In the meantime, you need to consider
your circumstances before you go spouting off at the mouth again.
For shame…” Maggie clucked her tongue and glowered at the girl who
did everything she could to ignore her tormentors.

Without another word, Maggie sat on the
side of the bed and picked up the laudanum. Swirling a dose into
the tea, she held out the cup for Casey to sip.

“
You mean don’t act like a
whore, don’t you, Maggie?” Casey cut a petulant glare in the older
woman’s direction. Her young eyes were spitefully cool.

Undoubtedly, that was all Maggie could
take, because she reached out and pinned Casey’s nose between her
fingers before tilting her head back with the pressure. “You’ll
remember that I don’t take taunting lying down, missy.”