pleased him that the woman had escaped, even though she'd jumped on a train heading in a direction she plainly hadn't wanted to go. He hoped for her sake that she'd left her problems behind.
Touching his fingertips to his chin, he looked at the blood and frowned. His problems were ahead of him.
It was too bad that he'd never see the red-haired woman again. She had the best breasts he'd ever wanted to put his hands on. She was one hell of a woman.
* * *
Jenny smoothed herself up the best she could, and stared down the people looking at her. Now that the fight was over, her hands started to shake. If that cowboy hadn't leaped into the fray, the second cousin would have stolen Graciela. She'd come that close—that close!—to letting Graciela get captured. A shudder ran down her spine.
Well, it hadn't happened. And she'd learned something. Marguarita hadn't been whittling soft wood when she claimed the cousins were a threat. They wanted Graciela, all right. And after getting an eyeful of Luis and Chulo, Jenny didn't doubt that either of them could drown Graciela or shoot her in a ravine and stroll away without a qualm.
"What are you doing?" she said when she became aware of Graciela's soft murmuring.
"I'm praying that the train will wreck and kill you,then Cousin Chulo and Cousin Luis will come and take me home."
"You see this?" Jenny pointed to the scab forming on her cheek. "And this?" She leaned her eye down toward Graciela, an eye that was swelling by the second. "I got these fighting your stinking cousins so they wouldn't capture you and kill you."
Outrage and disbelief stiffened Graciela's little shoulders. "My cousins would never hurt me! They came to rescue me from you and to take me home to Aunt Tete."
Jenny's mouthdropped, and she felt her heart fall through her body and hit the wooden seat. She knew the answer, but she asked the question anyway. "Didn't your mother tell you about your cousins?"
When Graciela just stared at her, she sighed and closed her eyes. Marguarita, you fricking coward.
A more generous approach would be to remember that Marguarita had been burdened with a lot of bad news tolay on the kid. Maybe she'd felt it was enough that she had to tell her child about the firing squad and that a stranger was going to take Graciela to a daddy she'd never met. Marguarita might have figured that informing a six-year-old that her nice cousins wanted to kill her was just too much. Or maybe Marguarita doubted her own assessment of the situation. Who the hell knew?
Jenny drew a breath. "All right, here's how it is. Luis and Chulo used to like you, but they don't anymore. Now they want to hurt you. It's my job to make sure they don't get you."
Tears welled in Graciela's eyes. "You are so mean to say that," she whispered. "My cousins love me. Cousin Luis brings me presents, and Cousin Chulo rides me on his horse. They would never hurt me. You're lying."
Jenny whirled on the seat and gripped Graciela's shoulders. She shook the kid until Graciela's teeth chattered. "Listen to me! I do not lie. Not ever. When Jenny Jones says a thing, that's how it is. Now, you don't have to like me. And you can call me any name you want to. You can pray that God strikes me down. But don't you ever, not ever, call me a liar. Do you understand that?"
Graciela shrank from Jenny's blazing eyes.
"Your mama could have picked from a dozen people to take you to your daddy. But she picked me. She picked me because I never lie. She didn't pick one of your son-of-a-bitch cousins because she knew they want to harm you. She told me so. Now, you just think about that for a while."
The miles rolled past, and Jenny started to calm down.
"Why would my cousins want to hurt me?" Graciela asked in a little voice. She looked up at Jenny with eyes that seemed too large for her face.
"It has to do with money, lots of money. If you're dead, your cousins get lots of money."
"My cousins would rather have money than me?"
"Your mama thought
Touching his fingertips to his chin, he looked at the blood and frowned. His problems were ahead of him.
It was too bad that he'd never see the red-haired woman again. She had the best breasts he'd ever wanted to put his hands on. She was one hell of a woman.
* * *
Jenny smoothed herself up the best she could, and stared down the people looking at her. Now that the fight was over, her hands started to shake. If that cowboy hadn't leaped into the fray, the second cousin would have stolen Graciela. She'd come that close—that close!—to letting Graciela get captured. A shudder ran down her spine.
Well, it hadn't happened. And she'd learned something. Marguarita hadn't been whittling soft wood when she claimed the cousins were a threat. They wanted Graciela, all right. And after getting an eyeful of Luis and Chulo, Jenny didn't doubt that either of them could drown Graciela or shoot her in a ravine and stroll away without a qualm.
"What are you doing?" she said when she became aware of Graciela's soft murmuring.
"I'm praying that the train will wreck and kill you,then Cousin Chulo and Cousin Luis will come and take me home."
"You see this?" Jenny pointed to the scab forming on her cheek. "And this?" She leaned her eye down toward Graciela, an eye that was swelling by the second. "I got these fighting your stinking cousins so they wouldn't capture you and kill you."
Outrage and disbelief stiffened Graciela's little shoulders. "My cousins would never hurt me! They came to rescue me from you and to take me home to Aunt Tete."
Jenny's mouthdropped, and she felt her heart fall through her body and hit the wooden seat. She knew the answer, but she asked the question anyway. "Didn't your mother tell you about your cousins?"
When Graciela just stared at her, she sighed and closed her eyes. Marguarita, you fricking coward.
A more generous approach would be to remember that Marguarita had been burdened with a lot of bad news tolay on the kid. Maybe she'd felt it was enough that she had to tell her child about the firing squad and that a stranger was going to take Graciela to a daddy she'd never met. Marguarita might have figured that informing a six-year-old that her nice cousins wanted to kill her was just too much. Or maybe Marguarita doubted her own assessment of the situation. Who the hell knew?
Jenny drew a breath. "All right, here's how it is. Luis and Chulo used to like you, but they don't anymore. Now they want to hurt you. It's my job to make sure they don't get you."
Tears welled in Graciela's eyes. "You are so mean to say that," she whispered. "My cousins love me. Cousin Luis brings me presents, and Cousin Chulo rides me on his horse. They would never hurt me. You're lying."
Jenny whirled on the seat and gripped Graciela's shoulders. She shook the kid until Graciela's teeth chattered. "Listen to me! I do not lie. Not ever. When Jenny Jones says a thing, that's how it is. Now, you don't have to like me. And you can call me any name you want to. You can pray that God strikes me down. But don't you ever, not ever, call me a liar. Do you understand that?"
Graciela shrank from Jenny's blazing eyes.
"Your mama could have picked from a dozen people to take you to your daddy. But she picked me. She picked me because I never lie. She didn't pick one of your son-of-a-bitch cousins because she knew they want to harm you. She told me so. Now, you just think about that for a while."
The miles rolled past, and Jenny started to calm down.
"Why would my cousins want to hurt me?" Graciela asked in a little voice. She looked up at Jenny with eyes that seemed too large for her face.
"It has to do with money, lots of money. If you're dead, your cousins get lots of money."
"My cousins would rather have money than me?"
"Your mama thought
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