River to Cross, A by Yvonne Harris Read Free Book Online Page B

now.
    “You’ll be at their house three or four days until I learn if Diego was involved or not. Then I’ll come get you and take you home.”
    Her chin lifted. “And what if something happens to you?”
    “My friend knows what to do. He’ll take you across the Rio Grande to the nearest Ranger river patrol in Texas. He’ll get you to them, and the Rangers will take you to Fort Bliss.” His mouth was tight and serious. “Know this: You will be in no more danger with him than with me. I’d trust Ricardo with my life.”
    He’d taken his hat off and dropped it to one side. In the firelight, the hair falling over his forehead had a reddish cast to it.
    White-faced, Elizabeth stood. Lips trembling, she said, “I see. It’s all arranged. Why didn’t you trust me? I would have helped you any way I could. You see me as a woman with nothing to contribute except needlepoint and children. Well, Captain, I have a degree to go along with my needlework. I am not a silly socialite. I was raised with politics and confidentiality and the consequences of war. Patriotism is not the exclusive domain of males. Like you—and Lloyd—I also love my country. When I get back to Texas, I’m going to run his newspaper.”
    She turned and walked away from the fire, toward the cave wall where their blankets were spread.
    Jake threw his hand out. “Elizabeth, I’m sorry. Wait . . .”
    She waved him off without answering. He heard a little choking sound as she disappeared into the darkness.
    He pulled in a slow breath. Guilt flashed through his mind. She was about to cry.
    Half an hour later, Jake grabbed a lantern and climbed to his feet. “I’m going to check the horses.” Without waiting for a reply, he started for the back of the cave. The lantern’s swinging light threw his shadow, huge and dark, onto the cave wall alongside.

     
    Gus reached into his jacket and pulled out a flask of whiskey. “How many times he gonna check? That’s the third time he went down there.”
    Fred held out his cup so Gus could pour drinks for them both. “It’s not the horses he’s checking, you know. He passes the bed sacks on the way.” Gus sighed. “I hate to see him look like that. He’s miserable. Did you see the look on his face the first time he came back and said she was crying?”
    “Yeah.” Fred picked up Jake’s empty cup. “Pour some of that in here to take his mind off her.”
    Gus snorted quietly. “He won’t touch it. His old man was a drunk. Told me he left home at fifteen to get away from him. In all the years I’ve known Jake, I’ve never seen him take a drink.”
    “Then hide it in his coffee,” Fred said. “He needs something tonight. And do it now—he’s coming back. I see his lantern.”
    “Gotcha. Give me his cup.”

     
    A few moments later, Gus asked, “Horses all right, Jake?”
    “Yeah, they’re fine.”
    “How’s our duchess doing? Still crying?”
    “Yeah.”
    “She’ll be all right tomorrow. Come on over here and have some coffee.”
    Jake took the coffee and then sat and leaned his back against the cave wall. Staring at the fire, he sipped it and said, “Coffee tastes different—what is it?”
    “Some of that Mexican coffee. Got it from their supplies. You like it?”
    “Dunno. It’s kind of spicy.” But it wasn’t long before he’d drained the cup. He held it out for a refill. “You really think she’ll be all right tomorrow?”
    Gus took the cup and turned around to the coffeepot and his flask, his back to Jake. “Sure. Women are like that. Get all stirred up about the littlest of things, and then it’s all over and they get on with their lives. While us poor guys stew for days.”
    Fred pulled out a deck of cards. “How about a couple hands to take your mind off things?”
    Elizabeth’s angry blue eyes floated across his mind, eyes fighting back tears.
    “I’m in,” Jake said. Five minutes later, so was Elizabeth—still in his mind, settled in for the night