all alive all the time.’’
Wes understood. When there’s a chance a man might die any minute he doesn’t spend too much time worrying about how many head of cattle he’s lost. Also, during the hard times of war, a man spends his free time dreaming of once there’s peace. But what does a man dream of when there’s peace? Wes hadn’t figured it out yet.
‘‘What I wouldn’t give for an adventure about now. Something to make my blood pump.’’ Wolf stared out into the loneliness of the land.
Wes handed him the map as he made up his mind. He couldn’t follow Allie around for the rest of his life waiting for her to heal. If she didn’t want him, she didn’t want him. It was as simple as that. Wolf was right, he needed something to get his mind off her. ‘‘Want to go treasure hunting?’’
Wolf looked at the map, interested but not excited.
‘‘Thirty years ago when Texas fought for independence from Mexico, men congregated at an old mission about two days south of here called Goliad. As the Alamo fell, they were headed in that direction to help. A few days out, they were attacked and captured. Santa Anna’s men held them in the mission chapel then marched them out on Palm Sunday morning of 1836 to be killed.’’
Wolf forgot his pipe and leaned closer to Wes. Interested.
‘‘Legend has it, hundreds of men buried all their valuables in a tunnel running below the mission. But the few who escaped were never able to go back and claim the treasure.’’
Wolf shook his head in doubt. ‘‘Thirty years is a long time to have a map around. Someone’s been there before you.’’
Wes smiled. ‘‘Only thing I forgot to tell you, the treasure’s cursed. Men have died over just the map. They say the ghosts of Goliad protect it.’’
Wolf raised and lowered his eyebrows several times. ‘‘Sounds interesting, but I’m not fool enough to believe in ghosts. If I were, a company or more are bound to be following me around trying to haunt me.’’
‘‘If I knew Allie was safe, I’d be on the trail by tomorrow morning.’’ Wes folded the map. ‘‘Time’s running out, and I’d love a shot at finding the treasure.’’
‘‘I am safe,’’ a voice drifted from the trapdoor opening. A moment later, Allie was in sight. ‘‘Both your brothers have offered to have Jason and me stay with them. Jason is excited about going with Adam. He says he will learn all about doctoring then take care of horses, not people.’’
She stepped over Wolf’s legs and sat down next to Wes. ‘‘Victoria also offered to let me stay for a while if I liked, though she said nothing about believing I’m her granddaughter. Not that it matters. I’m not staying.’’
Wes kept his voice calm. ‘‘You’re going with Adam?’’
‘‘No.’’ She looked him directly in the eyes. ‘‘I’m going with you. You said I could stay with you until I found a home.’’
Wes took a long draw on his breakfast. ‘‘Goliad’s no place for a woman. I’ll take you back to my ranch.’’
‘‘The treasure will not wait forever. We should go. We could leave at first light tomorrow morning. I can keep up with you.’’
Wes glanced at Wolf for support.
‘‘Don’t look at me. I took my little sister with me to war. What do I know?’’ Wolf stood and headed down the steps. ‘‘I’ll be ready when you decide to ride out. I don’t know about going treasure hunting, but I’ll travel with you until the road splits.’’
He vanished, leaving Wes and Allie alone.
She faced the sunrise. Silence drifted between them, reminding Wes of how very little she talked to him. At first her voice had seemed stilted, hesitant, as if she were getting accustomed to every word. But over time, he’d grown used to her ways. So much so that other women’s conversations seemed hurried and high pitched.
Finally, when her words came, they were soft, carried on the wind. ‘‘I have a place to go to deep in the hill country. A cave with robes and pots, everything I need to be safe. I remember your friend, Vincent, saying his grandfather ran from Goliad to the Guadalupe River. That is the river that runs close to my cave. All I would have to do is follow it upstream once we look for your gold.’’
Wes listened, wondering why she’d never told him of this place. Had she been afraid he’d follow her? Had what happened between them made her want to be alone?
‘‘After I ran during a raid, I made my home there for five winters. After years of never seeing anyone, I got careless and wandered too far from safety. I’ll not make that mistake again. I wish to return.’’
‘‘So you don’t want this pretense of a marriage anymore?’’
Allie looked down at the ring on her finger. ‘‘In this life, I will have no other husband.’’
‘‘And I will have no other wife,’’ he answered. ‘‘You’re the only woman who’s ever gotten under my skin. I’ve told myself it was just a need to protect you, but it’s more, Allie.’’
He stood suddenly, worried he’d say something he’d regret. ‘‘I’ll take you back to your home, if that’s what you want. Then I’ll look for the treasure.’’
‘‘No.’’ Allie faced him. ‘‘We go to Goliad first.’’
‘‘But-’’
‘‘We go to Goliad first, and each night we have left, you will hold me so that I can remember what it is like to sleep beside a husband.’’
‘‘And then we say good-bye.’’ Wes tried to keep his voice as void of emotion as hers.
‘‘Agreed.’’ She moved away, her head high. ‘‘If I help you find the treasure, I will have paid you back for some of the kindness you gave me. It is a fair bargain. Then I’ll follow the river, and you can head north to your home.’’
Wes watched the sun pull away from the earth on its journey. ‘‘It wasn’t kindness,’’ he whispered as she closed the trapdoor. He knew anything between them was hopeless. She’d set the rules. A part of him couldn’t help but be proud. A strength had blossomed inside her that surprised him.
The day filled with plans and preparations. Several men in Victoria’s army rode out, checking to make sure none of Michael’s men remained. Adam spent the day doctoring the sheriff and treating the signs of aging among the remaining troops. Wes and Daniel rode to town to see if anyone remembered the man who’d been asking questions, but the description the townfolks gave could have been half the men they knew.
Wes crossed Allie’s path several times as the day passed. Her manner was cold. He thought of reaching for her, if only just to touch, but she didn’t want a man. Allie only wanted a protector, a pretender who would hold her at night without any depth to his passion, without any warmth in his soul. She wanted the very thing he’d asked for in Angela Montago, a marriage without love, without passion.
At least she knew what she wanted, or, better yet, what she didn’t want. Wes had no idea. A month ago, he wanted to be rich. Then he’d seen Allie and he’d only wanted her safe. And last night, he wanted her beneath him.
By twilight everyone had returned to the headquarters, and Victoria’s staff cooked a feast. The warm autumn night allowed tables to be set up in the courtyard, but nothing improved Wes’s mood.
Forcing himself to look away from Allie, he watched Victoria’s staff. They made sure the old woman’s world of darkness held no surprises. Her meals were prepared so that nothing had to be cut. Her place setting was exactly the same as for the meal before. She didn’t seem handicapped by her blindness within the walls of her home.
As soon as Victoria finished, she excused herself to return to Maxwell Hardy’s side. Adam might be a great doctor, but the sheriff’s improvements could mostly be credited to the blind woman’s constant supervision.
As Victoria moved away, Wes leaned across the table toward Adam. ‘‘Is the old man going to live?’’
‘‘I don’t know. The bullet wouldn’t have killed him by itself, but with the broken leg, he was already short on blood.’’ Adam shrugged. ‘‘If he dies, he dies in the place he wants to be.’’
Wes agreed. ‘‘The old fellow’s crazy about Victoria. He’s spent his life worshipping her.’’
‘‘You should see her fuss over him. She checks and double-checks everything I do for him.’’
‘‘Wonder why they never married?’’ Wes kept his comment low.
‘‘Maybe all her life she needed him as a protector. A knight in shining armor to call. If they’d married, it might have diminished his role.’’
‘‘Maybe.’’ Wes nodded, wondering if that’s all he’d ever be to Allie. Someone to help her out when she was in trouble, but not someone to spend any more time with than necessary.
Suddenly the feast seemed too crowded. Wes excused himself and went upstairs to his room. He had an hour before his shift with the sheriff started. Miss Victoria might cover the days, but they all took turns keeping watch
