The Outlaw's Lady

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“I’m sorry, but my hair is just so thick and heavy, and it’s so very hot. I hope you don’t mind,” she said.

“Mind? Of course not!” Delgado exclaimed, and Sandoval saw that he, too, was unable to take his eyes from her graceful neck and shoulders. “I want above all things that you should be comfortable here, Señorita Tess. And it happens that I have just the thing for you,” he added, crossing the room to a mahogany desk and opening a drawer. When he turned around, he held out an object to her—an ivory-handled fan.

“A gift for you, Señorita Tess,” Delgado murmured, watching in patent delight as she opened it and admired the hand-painted floral design revealed when she unfurled it. The breeze she created with the fan fluttered the fiery-red, curling tendrils about her forehead.

“Oh, but I could not accept such a lovely thing. I’ll just use it while I am here tonight.”

“Nonsense, I want you to have it,” the outlaw leader insisted. “Now come, dinner awaits you. I hope it will be to your liking.”

Delgado gestured toward one end of a long, rectangular table lit by long beeswax tapers flickering in a pair of silver candelabra. Three place settings of elaborately painted china, heavy silverware, and cut-glass goblets stood at the ready. A nearby sideboard was heaped with an array of savory-smelling dishes.

Delgado held a chair for Tess on his right and indicated that Sandoval was to take the seat on his left, so that Sandoval was sitting opposite her. Delores came forward and filled the cut-glass crystal goblets with claret from a crystal decanter.

“I…Would it be possible for me to have water instead, please, Mr. Delgado?” Tess asked, looking uneasily at the blood-red liquid. “I…I don’t drink spirits, you see.”

Delgado blinked. “You are…how do you say it? A teetotaler? I see,” he said when she nodded shyly. “Delores! Agua para la señorita, por favor,” he said, and the old woman came forward with another glass and a pitcher. “That is most commendable, señorita.” He turned to Sandoval. “I think we should toast our lovely guest, do you not? ¡Salud!” he said, lifting his glass, and Sandoval did likewise. “To our guest, Tess Hennessy, a long and happy life!”

Sandoval watched as a faint flush of color rose up Tess’s cheeks. “Thank you,” she said, leaving her eyes downcast. Sandoval suspected she had never been toasted before in her life, and marveled at the blindness of Anglo men.

“Delores has surpassed herself tonight,” Delgado announced, indicating the dishes on the sideboard. “We have chicken with mole sauce, which I warn you is rather spicy, carne asada, ensalada guacamole, as well as the usual black beans and rice.”

“All of this is for the three of us?” Tess asked, her eyes wide.

“Sí, to celebrate your arrival. Of course, my table does not look like this every night, you understand,” Delgado told her, obviously reveling in being the bountiful host. “On nights when we have come home late from a raid, I am lucky to get a bowl of warm soup, eh, Delores?”

The stolid-faced old woman nodded.

“Please, allow me to place a sampling of the dishes on your plate,” Delgado said to Tess, “and when you have decided what you like, you must have more, eh? But save room for dessert at the end,” he warned.

“Only a little, please,” Tess pleaded. “At home we do not have such a big meal at night.”

“Ah, but at home you do not sleep through lunch, do you?” Delgado asked with a chuckle. “Don’t worry. I like a woman with a hearty appetite.”

Sandoval saw Tess dart a look at Delgado that plainly said, “I don’t care what kind of woman you like,” but Delgado was concentrating on serving her and didn’t see it. Once he had placed the plate in front of her, she hesitated, and Sandoval thought she was waiting for Delgado and himself to make their selections, too. But when they had both done so, she still did not lift her fork. Surely she wasn’t refusing to eat? But then he saw her duck her head and close her eyes for a moment, and realized she was silently saying grace.

How long had it been since he had thanked God for what he put in his mouth? Pilar had always been the one to bless the family dinners.

He saw that Delgado had also noticed what she was doing. Then Tess raised her head, and both men picked up their knives and forks and pretended they had not been watching her.

“Tell me about yourself, señorita,” Delgado invited, after a moment or two. “I know little about you except that you are a lady photographer. Tell me of your family.”

Tess shrugged, unconscious that the gesture called attention to her lovely shoulders. “There’s not much to tell,” she said, and went on to tell Delgado what Sandoval already knew of her family.

“Have you ever been away from home like this?” Delgado asked.

As Sandoval listened, Diego Delgado effortlessly drew her out. She told them about being sent away to a fancy finishing school, which purported to be all that was needed for a young lady of good family to be ready to make a brilliant marriage.

Who knew that a notorious outlaw like Diego Delgado could be such a good host, Sandoval mused. He could see Tess relaxing in the midst of Delgado’s concentration on her answers and was glad for that, at least.

“But how did you develop an interest in photography?” Delgado inquired. “It is an unusual pastime for a lady, no?”

Spearing a piece of the spicy chicken and dipping it in the chocolate-based sauce, Tess told them about her uncle James, who had been a Brady photographer and had taught her all she knew, and about her goal of going to New York to work for Brady.

Sandoval pretended absorption in his beef as he fought the surprising sense of jealousy that twisted his gut. He should be the one plying Tess Hennessy with clever questions, drawing her out, not this scoundrel! She had been standoffish with him when they had met at Taylor’s, but surely with time and charm he could have won the right to court her.

And so he might have been the one, if he hadn’t decided first to use her to achieve his own goal regarding Delgado.

“Ah, you are a woman of amazing ambition,” Delgado purred, after taking a long draft of his wine. “Do you not wish for a home? A husband? Babies to dandle on your knee?”

Sandoval saw two spots of color spring to Tess’s cheeks and sparks flash from her eyes. “Jefe, I think your question may be a little too personal…” he began, but Tess found her voice before he could finish his sentence.

“I’d like to ask you a question or two, Diego,” she said, biting out the words. “Such as, how did you develop an interest in thievery? Especially thievery on such a grand scale?”

Slowly, deliberately, Delgado laid down his knife and fork in turn. The color had fled from his face. “How did I become Delgado, scourge of the Rio Grande Valley, you mean? This land is rightfully Mexican, Tess Hennessy. So I don’t really feel that I am doing anything wrong—I am merely taking back those possessions which should belong to my people.”

“But people have been killed who sought to protect their property from you and your men, Señor Delgado,” she protested.

Sandoval could see the nerve jumping in Delgado’s temple and knew the outlaw was perilously close to losing his temper at her outspokenness.

“I kill no one who does not resist us,” Delgado said.

“That is your excuse?”

Sandoval knew it was time to intervene. Delgado had been so affable a host before they got on this subject that Tess had forgotten who and what he was. Beneath the table, he very gently but firmly put his booted foot down on Tess’s foot. “I think you have said enough, Miss Hennessy,” he warned. “Do not forget you are a captive here, and dependent on Delgado’s goodwill.”

Yes, that’s it, he thought, when she transferred her indignant gaze to him. Show me your anger, not Delgado. It’s much safer.

He increased the pressure on her foot, hoping she’d take the hint and not insist on having the last word.

Her eyes were disks of ice as she stared at him, her mouth a thin, tight line, but she held her peace.

“I believe you will be pleased at the pictures Miss Hennessy took today, jefe,” Sandoval said, praying Delgado was ready to let go of the conflict, too. He turned to Delores, who’d been half dozing in a corner of the room, asking the old woman to bring the photographs from Tess’s hut.

Delores was back in a few moments, and Delgado was so thrilled with the results of Tess’s first session that he was once again beaming at her, all his wrath forgotten.

“You are a true artista, Señorita Tess,” Delgado enthused, kissing his fingers at her as if the past, tense moments had never happened. “A genius of daguerreotype, isn’t she, Sandoval?”

“Indeed she is,” Sandoval said, watching Tess warily.

“And it was masterful on your part to think of bringing her to me,” Delgado went on, slapping Sandoval on the back. “Thank you, my loyal amigo!” He turned back to Tess. “And you will be ready at dawn tomorrow to take the pictures of me on horseback, just before we ride out on our raid, sí?”

Tess nodded.

“That being the case, perhaps I should escort Miss Hennessy back to her quarters so that she can get her rest,” Sandoval said, rising.

“Oh, but we have not had our dessert,” Delgado protested. “Delores makes the best flan in Mexico, perhaps in the world!”

Tess rose also, protesting that she couldn’t eat another bite, as polite as any guest could be.

“Then go and get your beauty sleep, señorita,” Delgado said, bowing. “Sandoval, after you have seen her safe inside, summon my other lieutenants and come back. We need to plan our strategy, eh?”

Tess was silent until Delgado closed the door and she was alone with Parrish on the short path to her hut.

“I’m sure I can manage the rest of the way by myself,” she told him, her voice burning with suppressed fury. “Go summon the rest of his lieutenants as you were told.” She mimicked Delgado’s accent mockingly. “You have strategy to discuss, don’t you?”

“Woman, hold your tongue,” Sandoval snapped, taking hold of her elbow so tightly she almost squeaked at the sudden, unexpected roughness. He yanked her along and pushed her roughly inside the hut, and to her alarm, followed her inside. The interior was dimly lit by a flickering tallow candle burning in a niche in the adobe wall above a pallet like the one Tess had slept on.

“Now, just a minute,” she began, beginning to realize too late she might have pushed him too far. “I didn’t invite you in—”

Chapter Seven

His dark eyes smoldered down at her, frightening her with their intensity.

“I had to come in, since apparently you have no more sense than to mock me right outside Delgado’s quarters,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t care how you feel about me,” he told her, “but don’t you think he’d be listening at the window for what you might say? You can’t take hints, evidently, so I came inside to tell you what you need to hear.”

“Oh, and what is that, pray tell?” she retorted, with all the bravado she could muster.

“Don’t think you can be insolent with Delgado, Tess. He may act the courtier at times, but don’t forget he’s an unprincipled bandit. You’re going to have to mind that redheaded temper of yours and at least pretend to respect him and his men if you hope to get out of this situation unscathed.”

“How dare you, Sandoval Parrish?” she demanded, taking a step forward and thrusting her chin out. “I wouldn’t be in this situation, as you so charmingly put it, if it weren’t for your desire to curry favor with that same unprincipled killer!” She was too angry at him to care that they were alone in this hut, and she was very much at Sandoval Parrish’s mercy.

His head snapped back as if she had slapped him, and he paled. For several endless moments they stared at one another, breathing hard. Then Parrish walked past her and she thought he was leaving, but he only went to the door and stood there for a few moments, peering out into the darkness. Tess realized he was making sure no one was nearby.

He walked back to her. “You’re right, you wouldn’t. You have every right to think the worst of me, Tess Hennessy. And I can see why you’d think I had you kidnapped to make myself look good to Delgado—but I’m telling you that’s not exactly the case. There’s more to it than that, and it’s up to you whether you believe me or not. The best thing you can do is trust me, and mind what I tell you. I told you I wouldn’t let any harm come to you.”

“But why, Sandoval? What do you hope to gain?” she demanded, self-control slipping, the tears of outrage and fear suddenly threatening to spill over onto her cheeks.

His gaze became more intent then, and she realized she had unconsciously called him by his first name for the first time.

“I can’t tell you that, Tess,” he said. “Not yet, anyway. I…you may not believe this, but I’m not a bad man.”

Something about the softness of his tone and the kindness in his eyes was her undoing, and she gave in to her tears. Then suddenly he was holding her, patting her back as she wept. There was nothing disrespectful about the way he held her, but even so, Tess knew she should move out of his embrace. But it felt comforting and right, and she remained where she was until her tears stopped.

He took a step back from her then, regret that he must do so showing clearly in those dark eyes of his.

“Buenas noches, Tess,” he whispered. “Go to bed now. Delores will be along as soon as she has cleared Delgado’s table, and will sleep out here,” he said, indicating the rolled-up straw pallet. “No one will bother you.”

Dazed, Tess watched him turn and lift the blanket door, and then he was gone.

Leaving the candle lit in the wall niche for Delores, she walked into her bedroom area and saw that the lace-trimmed muslin nightgown she’d found in the trunk was laid out on the pallet for her. She changed quickly into it in the darkness, unpinned her hair, then lay down on the pallet, sure sleep would come with difficulty if it came at all.

Now that Parrish had held her—and she had allowed him to do so—she was more confused about who he was than ever before. What kind of a dangerous game was he playing with Delgado? She’d thought she knew why he’d kidnapped her, but he had said she was wrong, that she didn’t know the real reason. Could she—should she believe that he was on the right side?

Yes, her heart told her. He’d had her under his power moments ago, and could have done anything he wanted to her, then fobbed Delgado off with some excuse for why it had taken him so long to return. He had only held her—but what strength and comfort she had found in his embrace. She had felt at home there. It seemed to her he had been showing her a glimpse of his heart, showing her that despite the reasons he had for thrusting her into this dangerous situation, he cared for her. Or was that only what she wanted to believe?