WM02 - Texas Princess by Jodi Thomas Read Free Book Online

with him to the barn. I made a point of bolting any stal in use.” Dermot looked up from his food. “Senator Mayeld weren’t trying to be cruel to her. He’s just a man who struggles with the meaning of fear. He never backed down from a ght in his life, not when he’s in the Senate or in his younger days when he was ghting pirates along the gulf. He even rode with Sam Houston at San Jacinto in ’thirty-six and he would have been with Zack Taylor at the border in ’forty-seven if he coulda. But by then, his battles were at the Capitol.”
    Tobin thought of asking how such a brave man would sire such a frightened child, but he decided to eat his pie instead.
    Dermot talked about al that was going on, mentioned several important people who would be coming in for the wedding, and ended by tel ing how Captain Buchanan’s troops were adding extra guards because, as usual, the senator was getting threats.
    Senator Mayeld’s insistence on improving relationships with Mexico was not popular with many Texans.
    Tobin politely listened to Dermot complain about the mule-headed leaders who wanted to slow progress, but while he understood the senator’s reasoning, he also remembered. He’d only been a boy, but the stories of the Alamo and Goliad were branded in his memory. Memories of how Santa Anna’s army had attacked the Alamo mission, outnumbering the Texans twenty to one. Rumors of how, after the Alamo fel , the Texans’ bodies were dismembered and burned. At Goliad, it had been worse.
    Those men, many from southern states, had surrendered, most believing they would be al owed to lay down their weapons and leave. But they’d faced a ring squad instead.
    Tobin’s jaw tightened. His father had been one who died. Oh, yes, he understood the men in Texas who didn’t want trade with Mexico, but he couldn’t condone them threatening the life of the senator for disagreeing with them. That very act went against everything his father had fought and died for.
    “How long wil ye be staying?” Dermot broke into To-bin’s thoughts.
    “A day or two. I thought I’d show Miss Liberty how to handle her new horse.”
    Dermot shook her head. “She won’t ride. I’d bet on it, but ye can try.”
    Surprisingly, Tobin wanted to. He couldn’t gure out if he just wanted to show off his horse, or if he wanted to see the lady one more time. The fact that he wanted to linger near anyone other than family forced him to his feet. He thanked Anna for the meal and headed back to the barn.
    In the shadows at the side of the house, he paused watching the dancers at the bal .
    Music drifted out to him as he stared at a sight unlike he’d ever seen. They al looked like china dol s twirling across marble, no more real or related to his life than the shadow of a rainbow.
    Just as he turned to go, he caught a glimpse of Liberty, circling the oor so graceful y she could have been gliding on ice. Tobin couldn’t help but stare. Her pale blue dress looked like it was made of a cloud whirling at her feet and her black hair danced over her shoulders as she turned slightly in the arms of a soldier in ful dress uniform. The picture they made was like something out of a dream.
    When the man turned slightly, Tobin recognized the captain. Looking closer, Tobin thought he saw a hardness in Buchanan’s grip, imprisoning, not holding, her. As the couple moved, Tobin saw Liberty’s face and al the beauty of the scene vanished. Her beautiful green eyes held the edge of panic as she stared out as if she were in prison.
    Tobin took a step toward the window, then remembered where he was. He couldn’t enter her world. He couldn’t save her. He could only watch. The fences that held her in were the barriers that kept him out.
    As the dance ended, he turned away and walked toward the barn. He needed to get out of this place as soon as possible. He’d not stand by and watch her again. She was surrounded by strong men who could save her; she