“Did you hear me, Torres? A great hunter wouldn’t have missed that shot at the church.”
Sorrow rushed through Torres. How sad that Dominic was fighting against the knowledge of the greatness of Ramon Torres. It would diminish the glory of Dominic’s death.
It was time. He cocked the rifle. He couldn’t see Dominic, but he knew he was there in front of the huge boulder. He drew a deep breath and then dashed from behind the boulder, his rifle pumping shots at Dominic in a deadly battery of bullets.
But it wasn’t Dominic! It was only Dominic’s rifle propped on the rocks.
“Torres.”
He whirled to see Dominic sitting on the lowest branch of the beech tree smiling down at him. The colt forty five in his hand was leveled directly at Torres’s chest.
A thrill of terror shot through Torres. Cornered. Helpless. Prey. He frantically lifted his rifle.
The bullet tore through Torres’s chest, knocking him to the ground. He tried to lift his rifle but he couldn’t move. Cold. Why was he so cold? He dimly saw Dominic climb down from the tree and come to stand over him. Dominic’s expression was grim and his face pale in the moonlight. It was all wrong, Torres thought. He should be standing over Dominic, watching the life flutter from behind his eyes. That was the way it should be. Dominic was the prey. He, Torres, was the one who was the hunter. It was all wrong…
Dawn was breaking and Elspeth was awake when Dominic returned to camp. She took one look at his face, and her worried frown faded to be replaced by understanding. “Torres?”
Dominic nodded as he unsaddled Blanco. “He won’t bother us anymore.”
Elspeth shivered. “I was so frightened when I woke and found you weren’t here.” Her eyes were suddenly blazing fiercely. “Don’t you ever leave me alone that way again. I was sitting here imagining all kind of horrors.”
“Then you imagined right.” A little shock ran through her as he turned to face her, and she saw the desolation in his eyes. He took her in his arms. “It’s always a horror.”
Her arms went around him in fierce protectiveness and her voice was almost a maternal croon. “It’s all right now. Everything will be all right.”
“Yes.” His arms tightened around her. “For now.”
It must not happen again, she thought desperately. She could feel his pain and weariness. He mustn’t ever have to go through this again. An iron-hard resolve formed within her, even as she held him and tenderly rocked him as if he were a beloved child.
This would not happen again, she vowed silently.
Patrick came upon Shamus and his band of men two days ride out of Rosario. He reined in and quickly motioned to Consuela that all was well. The woman’s experience with bands, as ragtaggle as the Killara riders did not inspire confidence.
The surprise that flickered across Shamus’s face was immediately replaced by a sardonic smile. He inclined his head. “Patrick. Do you suppose I could be enlightened as to what the hell you’re doing down here? The last I heard you’d taken off after Rising Star to try to bring her back to Killara.” His glance shifted to the Mexican woman riding behind him, a papoose strapped to her back. The woman stared back at him without expression. “Who’s your lady friend?”
“Consuela,” Patrick said. “And she’s the lady friend of a bandit named Indino. He sent her with me to wet-nurse Kevin.”
“Kevin?” Shamus repeated.
Patrick’s gaze turned to Joshua riding beside Shamus. “Rising Star’s son.”
Shock turned Joshua pale. “My son.”
Patrick shook his head. “Rising Star’s son,” he repeated deliberately. “Not yours. You didn’t want him, remember?”
“What are you talking about?” Joshua’s voice was hoarse. “How can you have my son? What’s Rising Star doing down here in Mexico? She was going back to her village.”
“If you’d followed her when she left Killara, you’d have found out she never intended to go back to her people.” Patrick smiled bitterly. “She had no people. We Delaneys took that away from her too.”
Shamus’s eyes narrowed. “She followed Dominic and Elspeth on that wild goose chase?”
“No wild goose chase. Kantalan was there, and so was the treasure. Dom and Elspeth are on their way back with enough gold and jewels in their saddlebags to buy everything west of the Mississippi.”
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Shamus murmured.
“And Kevin’s share will make him damn near rich enough to be considered a human being,” Patrick said. “Maybe not worthy of being a Delaney, but close.”
“Naturally Rising Star’s and the boy’s share will go to Joshua,” Shamus said, his thoughts on the possibilities Patrick’s news opened to him. “They’re family and-”
“No way in hell,” Patrick interrupted. “Rising Star’s share goes to Kevin and he keeps control of his share.”
“Patrick, this is none of your concern,” Joshua said quietly. “Star and I will talk about it and decide-”
“Rising Star is dead.”
Joshua made a low sound deep in his throat. His hands tightened on the reins. “No,” he whispered.
Patrick gazed at him unflinchingly. “She died in childbirth. Kevin’s twin sister died too.”
“She should never have left Killara. The journey was too much for her.”
“Killara was too much for her. We were too much for her. What the hell did you expect her to do? You told her you didn’t want the child-” He broke off, trying to stifle the helpless rage burning within him, the rage that had possessed him since he stood over Rising Star’s grave. “My God, how could you do that to her?”
“Patrick.” Shamus’s voice was stern. “Don’t talk to your uncle like that. He’s just suffered a grievous loss.”
“So have I.” Patrick’s gaze was fixed implacably on Joshua. “So have we all. God, some of you don’t even know that. She was… wonderful.”
Joshua stared at him in helpless misery.
“Patrick, I won’t have this,” Shamus said. “You straighten up and keep a civil tongue in your head.”
“I’ve said all I wanted to say to him.” Patrick’s gaze shifted to Shamus. “Now I have a few words to say to you, Gran-da.”
“They’d better be a hell of a lot more respectful than the ones you’ve just spoken to your uncle,” Shamus said.
“Don’t count on it. I don’t feel very respectful at the moment. I feel mad as hell. There’s going to be a few changes at Killara.”
Shamus winged brow lifted. “Indeed?”
“Rising Star’s son is going to be treated as a Delaney. I’m not saying you have to love him, but by God, you’re going to accept him as one of us.”
“I don’t take orders, Patrick.”
“Too bad,” Patrick said. “Because you’re going to take this one. If you don’t, I’ll find a way of taking Killara from you, Gran-da. I’m going to be rich as bejesus in my own right and I’ll learn how to use that power.” A flicker of pain crossed his face. “I figure the treasure may come in handy to buy more than emerald watchfobs and Oriental dancing girls.”
Shamus gazed at him, his expression unrevealing. “You’re upset, boy. We’ll talk about this when we get back to Killara.”
Patrick shook his head. “This is how it’s going to be. Kevin is going to be treated like a crown prince in this kingdom the Kantalan treasure is going to buy because I’m going to be there to make sure he is. I’m moving back up to the house and I’ll be watching you, Gran-da.”
Shamus smiled genially. “Your grandmother will be glad to see you back under our roof. She never did like the idea of you down at the Mex village. There’s too much mischief a boy can get into down there.”
“I mean it, Gran-da.”
The smile faded. “I know you do. I’m not an unreasonable man. Maybe we can come to an agreement.”
“No maybe about it.” Patrick turned his horse and began edging around the column of riders. He glanced over his shoulder. “There had been no sign of Torres when I left Dom and Elspeth.”
“He was in Rosario. He’s after Dom all right.” Shamus frowned. “Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving Consuela and the baby at Rosario with Father Leon. Kevin’s too young to make the trip home to
