slept would bring with it such a measure of completeness.
Despite his reputation, in spite of her wariness, she had to trust him a little or her breathing would have never evened out, grown shallow, and become as lyrical as a lullaby. It lulled him into a serenity he wasn’t certain he’d ever experienced, made him long for a life that he knew he could never possess.
“Lee?” Alejandro whispered harshly.
“Shh. She’s sleeping,” he murmured, skimming his fingers over the magnificent tresses. He wanted to see the morning sunlight turn them into flames.
“It’s been two hours,” Alejandro pointed out unnecessarily.
She sighed, stretched, and turned away from him. If Alejandro were not crouched nearby, Leemight have followed and wrapped himself around her, anything to retain the false peace a little longer. Instead, he rolled into a sitting position and pushed himself to his feet. The sun was barely beginning to ease over the horizon. Rubbing his arm, he glanced at the woman. How did she measure the day?
“What’s wrong with that arm?” Alejandro asked. “I thought she shot the other one.”
“She slept on it. It’s just numb…and keep your voice down.” He walked to the edge of the clearing, ignored the prickling in his right arm, and watched as sunlight began to bathe the sky in various hues of orange, pink, and blue, Angela’s favorite color. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken pleasure in the arrival of dawn.
“How is the wound?”
He clenched his left fist and twisted his arm slightly. “Tender, but I’ll survive.”
“You should have let me treat it yesterday.”
He remembered Alejandro voicing his objection when Lee had first ordered them to ride out. “You worry like an ancient woman, Alejandro.”
“Because you do not. Take off your shirt and I’ll tend to it now.”
“Angela already did. She sewed it up last night.” With a gentle touch that he would remember long after they slipped a noose around his neck.
“You trusted her with a needle in her hand?”
“ Loco , I know, but I thought she felt guilty.” An emotion he knew only too well, but understood not at all. “I wanted her to be able to sleep.”
“Unlike you, who can never sleep. I don’t know whose nightmares are worse, yours or Juanita’s.”
“Juanita’s,” he murmured without hesitation. His dear, sweet, little sister’s cries in the night tore at his soul.
“Yet the dreams are the same, aren’t they?”
“No, they are very different and I don’t want to talk about them.” Crouching, he rested his elbows on his thighs.
“What do you think you are doing? We need to ride,” Alejandro said, his voice edged with impatience.
“Angela is sleeping well. A few more moments won’t make a difference.”
Kneeling beside him, Alejandro extended his hat. “Your face is burned. Use my sombrero today.”
Lee shook his head. “She is a smart one. She has already guessed too much. I do not need to confirm what she suspects.”
“Another day without the protection of some shade, and you are going to blister. You do not have Juanita’s salve to ease the pain of a burn.”
A natural healer, Juanita wasn’t gifted enough to heal herself.
“Be cautious, and she will never know you are wearing my hat,” Alejandro continued.
Reluctantly acknowledging the truth of Alejandro’s words, Lee took his brother’s offering and settled it into place. “ Gracias .”
“Don’t thank me. She is causing you to take chances that will get your neck stretched.”
“I killed a man, Alejandro. Perhaps I deserve to get my neck stretched.” He pulled a blade of grass from the earth and slipped it between his teeth. “She called me a vicious murderer.”
“Juanita calls you a savior.”
“I am not a savior. I got there too late to save her.” Lee knew that night haunted her, would always haunt her more than it did the others. She was not the child she had once been or the young woman she
Despite his reputation, in spite of her wariness, she had to trust him a little or her breathing would have never evened out, grown shallow, and become as lyrical as a lullaby. It lulled him into a serenity he wasn’t certain he’d ever experienced, made him long for a life that he knew he could never possess.
“Lee?” Alejandro whispered harshly.
“Shh. She’s sleeping,” he murmured, skimming his fingers over the magnificent tresses. He wanted to see the morning sunlight turn them into flames.
“It’s been two hours,” Alejandro pointed out unnecessarily.
She sighed, stretched, and turned away from him. If Alejandro were not crouched nearby, Leemight have followed and wrapped himself around her, anything to retain the false peace a little longer. Instead, he rolled into a sitting position and pushed himself to his feet. The sun was barely beginning to ease over the horizon. Rubbing his arm, he glanced at the woman. How did she measure the day?
“What’s wrong with that arm?” Alejandro asked. “I thought she shot the other one.”
“She slept on it. It’s just numb…and keep your voice down.” He walked to the edge of the clearing, ignored the prickling in his right arm, and watched as sunlight began to bathe the sky in various hues of orange, pink, and blue, Angela’s favorite color. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken pleasure in the arrival of dawn.
“How is the wound?”
He clenched his left fist and twisted his arm slightly. “Tender, but I’ll survive.”
“You should have let me treat it yesterday.”
He remembered Alejandro voicing his objection when Lee had first ordered them to ride out. “You worry like an ancient woman, Alejandro.”
“Because you do not. Take off your shirt and I’ll tend to it now.”
“Angela already did. She sewed it up last night.” With a gentle touch that he would remember long after they slipped a noose around his neck.
“You trusted her with a needle in her hand?”
“ Loco , I know, but I thought she felt guilty.” An emotion he knew only too well, but understood not at all. “I wanted her to be able to sleep.”
“Unlike you, who can never sleep. I don’t know whose nightmares are worse, yours or Juanita’s.”
“Juanita’s,” he murmured without hesitation. His dear, sweet, little sister’s cries in the night tore at his soul.
“Yet the dreams are the same, aren’t they?”
“No, they are very different and I don’t want to talk about them.” Crouching, he rested his elbows on his thighs.
“What do you think you are doing? We need to ride,” Alejandro said, his voice edged with impatience.
“Angela is sleeping well. A few more moments won’t make a difference.”
Kneeling beside him, Alejandro extended his hat. “Your face is burned. Use my sombrero today.”
Lee shook his head. “She is a smart one. She has already guessed too much. I do not need to confirm what she suspects.”
“Another day without the protection of some shade, and you are going to blister. You do not have Juanita’s salve to ease the pain of a burn.”
A natural healer, Juanita wasn’t gifted enough to heal herself.
“Be cautious, and she will never know you are wearing my hat,” Alejandro continued.
Reluctantly acknowledging the truth of Alejandro’s words, Lee took his brother’s offering and settled it into place. “ Gracias .”
“Don’t thank me. She is causing you to take chances that will get your neck stretched.”
“I killed a man, Alejandro. Perhaps I deserve to get my neck stretched.” He pulled a blade of grass from the earth and slipped it between his teeth. “She called me a vicious murderer.”
“Juanita calls you a savior.”
“I am not a savior. I got there too late to save her.” Lee knew that night haunted her, would always haunt her more than it did the others. She was not the child she had once been or the young woman she
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