46
Pain. Intense pain radiated through her body. Ginny slowly opened her eyes, blinking as faces swam into view, then faded. She closed her eyes again, but heard the relief in Steve’s voice when he said, “She’s coming out of it.”
Then all was dark again, devoid of even dreams.
It took several days for Ginny to stay awake long enough to hear what had happened after she’d collapsed. It was Tante Celine who told her, smoothing back the damp hair from Ginny’s forehead as she spoke soothingly.
“The children are safe, ma petite. Do not fret. All is well.”
“Where…where am I?” Ginny licked dry lips with the tip of her tongue, grateful for the small amount of cool water Tante offered her.
“Laredo. As soon as you are able to travel, you will be going home.”
“Steve? Is he—?”
“Most impatient to visit with you. He has hardly left your side this past week.”
A week! Had she been asleep that long?
Tante Celine smiled. “The doctor gave you something to make you sleep as the pain was so great after he removed the bullet.”
Ginny’s hand reached out, curled around her aunt’s arm with surprising strength. “The senator?”
“Better now, though he nearly died from the wound he suffered when attacking the guard. Foolish man. But a brave one, n’est pas?”
“Yes.” Ginny managed a smile. “Very brave.”
“And it seems that the bullet already in his back was somehow moved by the new bullet. The surgeon was able to remove them both. Perhaps now he can walk without pain.”
After a moment, Ginny said softly, “I’m glad. It’s a comfort to know that he did not mean to harm the children.”
“No, though he is not blameless. He did misrepresent himself by sending the cable. He claims he meant only to provide a distraction so your husband would focus on them instead of what he was doing with the railroads and mines. Bah! The arrogant greed of men never ceases to amaze me.”
“I’m glad you were with the children,” Ginny murmured, and Tante sighed softly.
“Yes. Though I cannot like this savage country, I will stay as long as you need me, ma petite. But I must return to France in time for Pierre’s wedding.”
“Wedding? Don’t tell me—Lorna Prendergast.”
“Yes. They are very much in love. Perhaps soon I shall have grandchildren to hold close to my heart, though they will never replace Laura and Franco.”
Closing her eyes, Ginny surrendered to her body’s demand for sleep again. When she woke, Tante Celine was gone and Steve sat in a straight-backed chair beside her bed.
He looked gaunt, a dark beard stubble shadowing his cheeks, but a smile deepened the grooves on each side of his mouth. “Awake at last, lazy one?”
“Steve—” She reached out and he clasped her hand in his, warm and strong, his fingers pressing into her palms. “Steve, I want to go home.”
“Yes, my love. We’re going home as soon as you’re able to travel. Just concentrate on getting well.”
With a soft sigh of satisfaction, Ginny drew his hand to her face, lay her cheek in his broad palm. “I love you, Steve Morgan.”
With his other hand, he pushed the hair tenderly back from her face. “And I love you, my heart. Mi alma. Mi corazόn.”
“You won’t leave me again?”
“No, Ginny. Not again. We’re going home to Hacienda de la Nostalgia. I’ve decided to raise cattle and children.”
Her gaze lifted, and she saw in Steve’s eyes the love she had always yearned for, complete and encompassing, a love only for her, for all of time.
At last.
THE PROMISE
Epilogue
Zacatecas, September 1877
A cool breeze blew down from the mountains above Don Francisco’s hacienda. It shivered leaves on the towering oaks shading the sprawling house, cast dappled shadows over the adobe walls and filtered into open windows to bring the promise of autumn on brisk currents.
Ginny stood at an open window overlooking the courtyard. Her green eyes focused on Laura and Franco, who were happy now, the memories of their recent nightmare slowly fading. They played with a puppy, though Laura still waited impatiently for the arrival of her own spaniel. The dog had been left in Galveston with most of their baggage, but was now en route to them.
While Ginny stood watching the children, unable to get enough of the sight of them, a warm presence behind her drew close and put a hand upon her shoulder, its voice a husky murmur against her ear.
“I feel the same way.”
She half-turned, smiling up at Steve. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
“It’s obvious. God, when I think of what might have happened—” He broke off, his tone grim.
“But it didn’t. We found them. Despite all of the odds against us, we found them. You found them. How did you know where they would be?”
“I didn’t. It was a calculated guess based on my suspicion of the senator. Seems I was wrong about how involved he was. But he is to blame for endangering them. He brought them here. Delgado just took advantage of it.”
“I think I believe the senator when he says that he would never have harmed them, that he only wanted them to distract you so you’d stop your determined pursuit of his business plans. He knew you were trying to ruin him, Steve.”
“I did ruin him. Those plans, anyway. It’s unlikely he would have been able to build a railroad through Copper Canyon any time soon, but I was damned if I was going to let him extract money from backers to try. I’m familiar with how that works, how prices are jacked up too high and the men who started the scheme get rich while those more honest get swindled out of their money.”
Leaning against Steve, Ginny put a hand on his chest. He wore a light leather vest over a dark blue shirt, snug-fitting trousers and familiar boots. In deference to
