The Ranger Takes a Bride (10 page)

Silence stretched between them again, as Anna resumed her sewing, too. But the quiet was torture. Too many memories fought for attention. She couldn't let them surface, or she would lose control. Clearing her throat, Alejandra searched for a new conversation topic. One that would surely be safe. "Would you like me to put out your nativity scene? Since today is Las Posadas?"

Anna's brows almost met as her forehead wrinkled. "Las Posadas? What does that mean?"

"It's the celebration when we set out the nativity. Then Papa would lead our friends in a parade to the scene. The same way Joseph and Mary searched for the inn."

A light filled Anna's eyes. "What a great idea." But her mouth pinched. "Unfortunately, we don't have a crèche. But I'll make sure Jacob remedies that before next year."

They didn't have a nativity set? "Do you…celebrate Navidad?"

Anna blinked. "Christmas? Oh, yes. That's one of my favorite holidays. It might be simpler this year, because of my…condition." She motioned toward her expanded middle.

Alejandra sat straighter. "But that's why we're here. Tell me what you normally do, and I'll make sure it's taken care of." Finally, she'd be able to really make a difference.

A smile spread across Anna's mouth. "Okay, then. I guess we should talk about the Christmas dinner first."

Chapter Eleven

The
day before Navidad—or Christmas as the Americans called it—a special mood seemed to fill the air. A sense of anticipation. It shimmered in the eyes of the vaqueros as they sat around the breakfast table. The spark even shone in Edward's eyes. Until she shot him a hard glare. That snuffed it out quickly enough. It still didn't seem fathomable that a woman as kind and sweet as Anna could have a brother who was a soldier.

As soon as the men left the house and the breakfast dishes were cleared, Anna brought out a huge bowl that had been tucked in the storage closet. She uncovered it for the women to see. "I thought we could string some popped corn for the Christmas tree."

Emmaline clapped her hands. "Goodie!"

They settled into chairs around the fire in the living room, and with the group of them working, had several strings of popped corn assembled in no time. Although, Alejandra still wasn't quite sure what they would do with it now that the strings were complete.

The front door opened, and the sounds of scraping and shuffling echoed from the hall. "Did someone ask for a Christmas tree?" a male voice called.

"Papa!" Emmaline squealed, jumping up from her perch on the floor and leaping toward the hall.

A man appeared in the doorway, his broad shoulders not disguised under the wool coat. Edward. Her stomach did a flutter before she squashed the feeling. He carried something as he shuffled backward. Something big and bushy.

A tree. Alejandra stared at the man-sized pine tree Edward and Señor O'Brien hauled into the room and leaned against a wall in the corner. When Anna talked about a Christmas tree, she'd thought it would be some kind of decorated evergreen clippings or maybe even a waist-high shrub. Not this massive tree. They'd need to string popped corn all day to have any hope of making the strands wrap around these branches more than twice.

Emmaline danced around the men as they worked to secure it in a wood platform Señor O'Brien brought in. "May I string the corn now? Please?"

Edward chuckled, the rich sound rising from his chest. "All right, Emmie-bug. Bring a rope of it over."

The child scooped an armful and carried it to the tree, plopping it on the floor. "Where do we start?"

"Well." He squatted beside the girl. "The first thing every cowgirl needs to learn is how to take care of her equipment." He picked up the popcorn string at one end, and began looping it loosely over his hand. "You have to keep your lasso from getting tangled up. See?"

He was so gentle with the child. Holding the loop and following her around while she placed it just so on the tree. How could this man be a soldier who murdered people and tore apart families? It didn't make sense.

After the tree was garnished, Anna called for Emmaline to take her daily nap.

"Mama, can I please stay up and watch the tree a while longer?" The little girl turned those pleading blue eyes on her mother. How in the world could Anna say no? But one look at her friend showed a resolute expression that wouldn't allow her mind to be changed.

Alejandra stepped forward and scooped up Emmaline's hand. "Come, niña. I'll tell you a story about my favorite Navidad before you go to sleep?"

Emmaline gripped Alejandra's hand with her soft chubby one as they left the room and headed up the stairs. The trust in that action started a longing in Alejandra's chest. How wonderful it was to have a child to love.

~ ~ ~

Alejandra
settled back in her chair and eyed the activity as their big Christmas meal dwindled to a close. It looked to have been a success, if the empty plates and dishes strewn across the mahogany wood surface was any indication. The food had been a challenge, for sure. The tamales and roasted turkey were familiar, but Anna also taught her how to make mashed potatoes, and a thick gray substance she called gravy. And then there was the apple pie, with a filling not unlike a sweet tamale, but the outside was so different from the corn batter. But, oh, she could still taste the amazing flavor on her tongue.

At least a few of the vaqueros seemed to like it, too. As she watched, Miguel reached for the pie tin that had only a single piece left. But Donato was too quick for him, grabbing the pan and almost dumping the sweet onto his plate.

"Hey." Miguel frowned, like a child who'd had his favorite toy taken away. Then a glimmer touched his eye, and he reached to scoop a forkful of pie from Donato's plate.

Donato elbowed him soundly in the side. But as the men loaded the sweet treat into their mouths, the friendly dispute ended as looks of pleasure came over both of their faces. Donato's eyes drifted shut as if he could savor the flavors better that way.

Warmth crept into Alejandra's chest. How different was her life now than just three months ago? Life had been steady enough with Papa in their little hut at Las Cuevas. But now, surrounded by this unlikely mixture of friends, a peace touched her spirit like she hadn't felt in a long time. If only Papa could be here to feel it, too.

A quiet sniff sounded beside her, and Alejandra glanced at Mama Sarita. The woman met her gaze, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. She reached for Mama's hand, and the older woman returned her squeeze. They'd lost so much, the two of them. But they had each other. And she wouldn't let that change.

Her eyes scanned the faces around the table again, snagging on the empty chair across from her. Edward. Anna had said he was called on an unexpected assignment this morning. What kind of work took a man from his family on Christmas day? Nothing respectable. That was for certain.

Señor O'Brien rose from his chair, and a hush came over the room. As he moved to a small side table in the corner, some of the men exchanged smiles. Did they know what was happening?

"Normally, Anna does the honors on Christmas," Señor O'Brien said as he picked up a stack of brown paper bundles and examined them. "But something tells me she's been on her feet more than she ought this morning, so I'm taking this job."

He began handing a package to each of the men. Not going down the row, but looking at the paper on each, then taking it to a specific vaquero.

Alejandra eyed Juan, who was one of the first to receive a paper bundle. His gnarled fingers fumbled with the paper, but he finally split the seam to reveal a bright red pañuelo. Or what did the Americans call it? A bandana. Something like that.

A smile split Juan's craggy brown face, lighting his eyes. He held the pañuelo up in one hand and a gold coin in the other. "Muchas gracious." He looked to Anna first, and then to Señor O'Brien who still passed out packages.

Anna's eyes shimmered as she met the older man's gaze. "You're welcome, Juan. It's only a small token, but given with all our love and appreciation."

Alejandra had to swallow down the lump in her throat. These people acted like part of the same family.

Someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to find Señor O'Brien holding a brown paper package out to her, a warm smile twinkling his blue eyes. "For you, Señorita."

What? She took the bundle without thinking. He moved on, leaving her to finger the coarse surface of the paper. The package was small—not much larger than the length and width of her hand. Alejandra glanced at Mama Sarita, who held a similar package, but she watched Alejandra.

"Open it, mija."

Her fingers found the slit, and eased the two edges apart. White cloth peeked up at her.  Alejandra opened the paper wider…and gasped. A beautiful white handkerchief lay in her hands, edged in lace, and with her initials A.D. embroidered in lovely script in a corner. She lifted the fabric and fingered the delicate edging. Something hard rolled out, and Alejandra grabbed at it. She caught it by the edge, and raised up a shiny gold coin.

Turning to Anna, she found the woman watching her with a soft smile. "It's been a long-standing custom that Jacob's Pa would give the men a five dollar gold piece each Christmas. My first year here, when I was just the cook, I made them all a new handkerchief. Papa O'Brien's not with us anymore, but we love the traditions."

Alejandra gazed at the elaborate handkerchief in her hands, then looked back at Anna. "You made this? Anna, it's beautiful."

Anna's smile wobbled and her chin ducked just a bit. "You like it?"

"I love it." A rasp tinged Alejandra's voice, as the sting of tears burned her throat.

~ ~ ~

Edward
nudged his horse into a canter as the Guadalupe River came into view on his right. After two weeks, he was getting close to home, and his muscles itched to be off the horse. If he was honest, they itched to take Alejandra in his arms, but that wasn't likely to happen. Not unless she'd had a sudden change of heart, or maybe hit her head with a frying pan. Not that he wished for the latter.

If she would just look at him without venom in her eyes. She acted like she had some kind of vendetta against him. Like she saw in him all the evil soldiers she'd met in the past. But how could a simple metal badge stir such a reaction? Whatever happened to her at the hands of soldiers in her past, must have been horrible, indeed.

As he neared the fencepost that marked the turn-off to the Double Rocking B, Edward reined his gelding down to a walk. The animal would need the long driveway to cool his muscles before they reached the barn.

The ranch buildings nestled at the end of the road struck a chord in his chest. He'd been gone a lot the last couple weeks since Christmas. Most of his trips lasted several days, and the most recent had kept him away almost a week. It had never bothered him before to travel all over the Southwest section of Texas. But the ranch had a new draw these days.

Alejandra was such an amazing woman. A hard worker, for sure. She had that house and kitchen in perfect order the first week she arrived. And her devotion and kindness to Mama Sarita were admirable. They weren't even blood relatives, from what he understood. She'd become a good friend for Anna too, especially now that the doctor told her to stay in bed until the baby was born. Not many women could be patient when Anna got cranky.

So why did she hate only him? He had to know. Had to find out how to fix this. Before it killed him.

After unsaddling the gelding and leaving him in Juan's capable hands, Edward jogged up the porch stairs and into the house. The place was quiet, almost eerily so. If Anna was following the doctor's orders, she would be in her bedroom on the lower level. He headed there.

Knocking on the open door, he peeked around the edge. "Anyone home?"

"Come in, little brother." Anna rested among the covers, her hair mussed and voice groggy from sleep.

"Did I wake you?" He stepped into the room and plopped on the chair near the bed.

"Not really. There's nothing to do all day except sleep and eat and sew." She pointed toward a mound of fabric on a trunk against the wall. "I've made enough baby clothes to last until the child turns twenty."

He offered a chuckle. "Where's your entertainment staff?"

"Mama Sarita and Alejandra took Emmaline to town with them. She's dying to see Aunt Laura, so I told them to spend the day."

Edward nodded. Now he could talk without being overheard. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Anna. Do you know what I've done to make Alejandra so angry?"

She raised both brows. Maybe his question had been a bit abrupt. No use beating around the bush, though. "What makes you think you've done something?" She tilted her chin suspiciously. "Is there something I should know about?"

He jerked back and held up his palms. "No, I haven't done a thing." He settled back with his elbows on his knees. "That I know of anyway. It's just…the first few times I saw her, she was plenty nice. Then that time she saw me riding out for work wearing my badge, she acted like I was gonna tie her up and haul her to jail. Ever since then, she gets spittin' mad just lookin' at me. Monty thinks she has something against soldiers, and my badge reminds her of it." He eyed her carefully. "Has she said anything to you about it?"

Anna sighed. The long, dramatic kind women do when they want you to know they're thinking hard about something. She gazed past him toward the open door, but her mind didn't seem to be where she was looking.

At long last, she focused on him. The sadness in her face caught his breath. "Edward. I wish I could make it better for you, I do. But it's not my story to tell. What I can say is, you need to find a way to prove to her you're a good soldier."

He met Anna's gaze, frustration welling in his chest. "But how do I do that? She won't get near me."

"I don't know, Eddie. I honestly don't. Have you prayed about it?"

He sat back in the chair. "Prayed? Yeah. I have. But God's not telling me what to do."

The corners of her mouth lifted a bit. "Keep praying. It has to come in His time. He'll make the way clear."

Anna's face pinched, and she slid a hand to the base of her huge middle.

Edward's heart seized. "What's wrong? Should I ride for the doctor?"

She grabbed his arm before he could jump up and head for the door. "No, silly. Just a twinge. This baby's as feisty as his daddy."