Cousin Luis. "Ma'am, I have to say this. You are one hell of a fighter."
She put a hand on his chest and pushed him backward, sudden panic flaring in her blue eyes. "Graciela!"
The daughter pulled to her feet with a dazed expression. She touched the back of her head, looked around, then wobbled forward and fell to her knees. "Cousin Chulo!" Stricken eyes darted to Cousin Luis, then back, taking in the two unconscious men. She burst into tears, flung a look at the mother, and shouted, "I hate you!"
The mother nodded grimly,then lifted on her toes to look Ty square in the eyes. The experience was a new one. Not many women could look a six-foot-three man in the eyes. Maybe she was closer to six feet tall than he'd originally guessed. He forced himself to hold his gaze on her face and not let it slide down to those magnificent breasts.
She held his eyes, seemed to consider,then admitted, "We're having a goddamned family problem here."
He laughed, liking this tough woman who refused to let a man hit her without fighting back. Ty suspected old Cousin Luis would give it a second thought before he hit another woman.
"So it appears," he said, grinning at her.
"Cousin Chulo over there messed you up some," she stated, inspecting his face. Until she mentioned it, he hadn't noticed the blood dripping down his chin. He swiped at it with the back of his hand. "I'm thanking you, mister." She thrust out her hand, and he gripped it in a hard shake. "I don't know what I'd a done when the second one showed up. I'm glad you stepped in. Much obliged."
"It was my pleasure, ma'am," Ty said, meaning it. "It's a privilege to lend a hand to a fellow American." They'd moved into English about halfway through the brief conversation.
People had begun to drift off the platform, boarding the train, looking back at them over their shoulders. The woman stepped away from Ty and moved hastily around Cousin Luis and Cousin Chulo, picking up her hat, her cape, a heavy fabric traveling bag. When she had everything, she strode toward her daughter. Curious, Ty followed at a distance.
"We're leaving now. We're taking that train."
"No!" The child threw herself across Cousin Chulo's chest. "I'm not going!"
"Yeah. You are." Grim-faced and grinding her teeth, she grabbed the daughter by the arm and dragged her to the steps leading into the train. "Where's this train going?" she demanded, glaring into the conductor's eyes.
"The next stop is Hermita, Señora." The conductor stepped backward as if he feared that she'd take him on next.
"Where's that?"
"Fifty miles south of here, Señora."
"South?" She spit a string of cusswords that made Ty grin. "Well, it will have to do." She scowled back at the unconscious cousins,then gave the conductor a shove. "Get out of my way."
She dragged the daughter on board the train. Two minutes later, Ty spotted them through the window as the train chugged away from the depot.
He watched until the train rocked into a curve and puffed out of sight,then he shook his head, found his hat, and dusted off his pant legs. It occurred to him that it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to follow her example and put some space between himself and the cousins.
Fifteen minutes later he cantered out of Verde Flores, heading west toward the village that would mark the halfway point of a journey he hadn't wanted to make. The second part would be the hardest, taking Marguarita and her child back toCalifornia.
Because thinking about Marguarita made him mad, he turned his thoughts back to the woman at the depot.
He guessed he had it figured out. The red-haired woman was married to a Mexican husband. That accounted for the half-Mex daughter and the cousins. She was leaving the husband, and the daughter was torn between her parents, not wanting to leave her father. That accounted for her delight at spotting Cousin Luis and fighting with the mother. For some reason the father couldn't chase after them, so he'd sent the cousins in pursuit.
It
She put a hand on his chest and pushed him backward, sudden panic flaring in her blue eyes. "Graciela!"
The daughter pulled to her feet with a dazed expression. She touched the back of her head, looked around, then wobbled forward and fell to her knees. "Cousin Chulo!" Stricken eyes darted to Cousin Luis, then back, taking in the two unconscious men. She burst into tears, flung a look at the mother, and shouted, "I hate you!"
The mother nodded grimly,then lifted on her toes to look Ty square in the eyes. The experience was a new one. Not many women could look a six-foot-three man in the eyes. Maybe she was closer to six feet tall than he'd originally guessed. He forced himself to hold his gaze on her face and not let it slide down to those magnificent breasts.
She held his eyes, seemed to consider,then admitted, "We're having a goddamned family problem here."
He laughed, liking this tough woman who refused to let a man hit her without fighting back. Ty suspected old Cousin Luis would give it a second thought before he hit another woman.
"So it appears," he said, grinning at her.
"Cousin Chulo over there messed you up some," she stated, inspecting his face. Until she mentioned it, he hadn't noticed the blood dripping down his chin. He swiped at it with the back of his hand. "I'm thanking you, mister." She thrust out her hand, and he gripped it in a hard shake. "I don't know what I'd a done when the second one showed up. I'm glad you stepped in. Much obliged."
"It was my pleasure, ma'am," Ty said, meaning it. "It's a privilege to lend a hand to a fellow American." They'd moved into English about halfway through the brief conversation.
People had begun to drift off the platform, boarding the train, looking back at them over their shoulders. The woman stepped away from Ty and moved hastily around Cousin Luis and Cousin Chulo, picking up her hat, her cape, a heavy fabric traveling bag. When she had everything, she strode toward her daughter. Curious, Ty followed at a distance.
"We're leaving now. We're taking that train."
"No!" The child threw herself across Cousin Chulo's chest. "I'm not going!"
"Yeah. You are." Grim-faced and grinding her teeth, she grabbed the daughter by the arm and dragged her to the steps leading into the train. "Where's this train going?" she demanded, glaring into the conductor's eyes.
"The next stop is Hermita, Señora." The conductor stepped backward as if he feared that she'd take him on next.
"Where's that?"
"Fifty miles south of here, Señora."
"South?" She spit a string of cusswords that made Ty grin. "Well, it will have to do." She scowled back at the unconscious cousins,then gave the conductor a shove. "Get out of my way."
She dragged the daughter on board the train. Two minutes later, Ty spotted them through the window as the train chugged away from the depot.
He watched until the train rocked into a curve and puffed out of sight,then he shook his head, found his hat, and dusted off his pant legs. It occurred to him that it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to follow her example and put some space between himself and the cousins.
Fifteen minutes later he cantered out of Verde Flores, heading west toward the village that would mark the halfway point of a journey he hadn't wanted to make. The second part would be the hardest, taking Marguarita and her child back toCalifornia.
Because thinking about Marguarita made him mad, he turned his thoughts back to the woman at the depot.
He guessed he had it figured out. The red-haired woman was married to a Mexican husband. That accounted for the half-Mex daughter and the cousins. She was leaving the husband, and the daughter was torn between her parents, not wanting to leave her father. That accounted for her delight at spotting Cousin Luis and fighting with the mother. For some reason the father couldn't chase after them, so he'd sent the cousins in pursuit.
It
Similar Books
