my brothers."
"The hell I would," Sandoval replied. "I ain't blind. One's a half-breed and the other is black."
"We were adopted."
Sandoval grinned. "And all this time I thought you was brought up by a mountain lion."
"I was sired by a mad coyote and nursed by a rabid bitch," Luke muttered. "A mountain lion would have been better."
Luke's irritation increased. He rarely spoke about his adopted family, but he never mentioned his true parents. He had done his best to erase all memory of them from his mind. It irritated him that he was so riled up about Valeria he'd spoken without thinking.
Which was another problem. He wasn't thinking clearly these days. He usually avoided jobs involving women. He liked clean, neat jobs he could walk away from without having to look over his shoulder. Nothing about women was easy. There was always some kind of complication. He'd only accepted this job because of the money. He'd considered the princess only a small part of the job. More fool he.
Still, that didn't account for his staying after he'd been fired. Otto had even paid him for his time and inconvenience. Yet despite Valeria's objections and the insanity of carrying so much useless stuff through the desert, Luke felt obligated to honor his promise.
He hoped honor had been the deciding factor. He didn't want his decision to have anything to do with Valeria.
"I wouldn't turn my back on them for five seconds," Sandoval said.
"You shouldn't," Luke said. "Zeke can kill you in two seconds. Hawk can do it in one."
Sandoval shuddered. "And you grew up sharing a bunkhouse with those two?"
"And seven others, including my real brother."
"It's a good thing you had somebody to watch your back."
Chet had always watched Luke's back. He'd become a gunfighter so he could continue looking after his younger brother. But Chet had given up guns seven years ago, gotten married, gone back to Texas, and bought himself a ranch next to Jake and Isabelle's place. Last Luke heard, Chet had two boys and Melody was expecting again. Luke hadn't seen his brother's kids. Respectable women didn't want a man like him around. He couldn't fault them for that. He didn't think much of respectable women, either.
"Glad you could make it," Luke said when Zeke and Hawk brought their horses to a halt.
"When did you start helping settlers?" Hawk asked. "And why in hell would they go into the Rim country? Those ranchers will bum them out."
"They're not settlers," Luke said. "I'm taking a woman to her future husband's ranch. She was a princess, but her people threw her out, and his people threw him out. They decided to settle in the Arizona Territory."
"They've got to be crazy," Hawk said.
"That's not my worry," Luke said. "I'm just supposed to get her there."
"Are those horses going with us?" Zeke said, indicating the six blooded thoroughbreds.
Luke nodded.
"You trying to get us killed? That's what's going to happen if we travel nearly four hundred miles with those horses."
"I expect they'll be something of a problem," Luke said, "but it wouldn't be any safer to leave them here."
"It would have been safer to have left them where they came from," Zeke snapped.
"It's a little late for that."
"It's not too late for Hawk and me to turn around and ride out."
Luke didn't respond to Zeke's burst of temper. Jake and Isabelle had pounded the same belief in honor and loyalty into Hawk and Zeke as they had into their other adopted sons. Once committed, Hawk and Zeke wouldn't turn back. Unlike him, they hadn't put a price on their honor. Luke wondered why Jake and Isabelle had failed with him.
"Get acquainted with the drivers," Luke said. "Maybe you'll feel a little better after that."
"Hired some of your gun-toting friends, did you?" Hawk asked.
"I found me a full-blooded Apache and a couple of half-breeds."
Hawk's black eyes glowed, but his face remained impassive. He turned his horse and walked it toward the wagons.
"Why the hell did you have to go and say
"The hell I would," Sandoval replied. "I ain't blind. One's a half-breed and the other is black."
"We were adopted."
Sandoval grinned. "And all this time I thought you was brought up by a mountain lion."
"I was sired by a mad coyote and nursed by a rabid bitch," Luke muttered. "A mountain lion would have been better."
Luke's irritation increased. He rarely spoke about his adopted family, but he never mentioned his true parents. He had done his best to erase all memory of them from his mind. It irritated him that he was so riled up about Valeria he'd spoken without thinking.
Which was another problem. He wasn't thinking clearly these days. He usually avoided jobs involving women. He liked clean, neat jobs he could walk away from without having to look over his shoulder. Nothing about women was easy. There was always some kind of complication. He'd only accepted this job because of the money. He'd considered the princess only a small part of the job. More fool he.
Still, that didn't account for his staying after he'd been fired. Otto had even paid him for his time and inconvenience. Yet despite Valeria's objections and the insanity of carrying so much useless stuff through the desert, Luke felt obligated to honor his promise.
He hoped honor had been the deciding factor. He didn't want his decision to have anything to do with Valeria.
"I wouldn't turn my back on them for five seconds," Sandoval said.
"You shouldn't," Luke said. "Zeke can kill you in two seconds. Hawk can do it in one."
Sandoval shuddered. "And you grew up sharing a bunkhouse with those two?"
"And seven others, including my real brother."
"It's a good thing you had somebody to watch your back."
Chet had always watched Luke's back. He'd become a gunfighter so he could continue looking after his younger brother. But Chet had given up guns seven years ago, gotten married, gone back to Texas, and bought himself a ranch next to Jake and Isabelle's place. Last Luke heard, Chet had two boys and Melody was expecting again. Luke hadn't seen his brother's kids. Respectable women didn't want a man like him around. He couldn't fault them for that. He didn't think much of respectable women, either.
"Glad you could make it," Luke said when Zeke and Hawk brought their horses to a halt.
"When did you start helping settlers?" Hawk asked. "And why in hell would they go into the Rim country? Those ranchers will bum them out."
"They're not settlers," Luke said. "I'm taking a woman to her future husband's ranch. She was a princess, but her people threw her out, and his people threw him out. They decided to settle in the Arizona Territory."
"They've got to be crazy," Hawk said.
"That's not my worry," Luke said. "I'm just supposed to get her there."
"Are those horses going with us?" Zeke said, indicating the six blooded thoroughbreds.
Luke nodded.
"You trying to get us killed? That's what's going to happen if we travel nearly four hundred miles with those horses."
"I expect they'll be something of a problem," Luke said, "but it wouldn't be any safer to leave them here."
"It would have been safer to have left them where they came from," Zeke snapped.
"It's a little late for that."
"It's not too late for Hawk and me to turn around and ride out."
Luke didn't respond to Zeke's burst of temper. Jake and Isabelle had pounded the same belief in honor and loyalty into Hawk and Zeke as they had into their other adopted sons. Once committed, Hawk and Zeke wouldn't turn back. Unlike him, they hadn't put a price on their honor. Luke wondered why Jake and Isabelle had failed with him.
"Get acquainted with the drivers," Luke said. "Maybe you'll feel a little better after that."
"Hired some of your gun-toting friends, did you?" Hawk asked.
"I found me a full-blooded Apache and a couple of half-breeds."
Hawk's black eyes glowed, but his face remained impassive. He turned his horse and walked it toward the wagons.
"Why the hell did you have to go and say
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