San Antonio Rogue by Cynthia Sterling

Author:Cynthia Sterling
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cynthia Sterling
Published: 2015-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The road shimmered in the harsh sunlight, mirages of water appearing and disappearing on its surface. Clouds of powdery dust rose as Brimstone’s shod hooves struck the ground. Michael pulled his forage cap lower to shade his eyes and tried not to think of the heat or his own weariness. He had stopped early this morning in a village near the border to feed and rest Brimstone and to steal a few hours’ sleep for himself. By nightfall, he’d be in Mesilla, where he could sleep all he liked and wait for the rest of his company to catch up.

Would they come with manacles and orders for his arrest? He rubbed his wrist, as if he could already feel the bite of the steel bonds. Dunleavy had looked in a bad way when he’d left him. He supposed he could hope the blow had been enough to erase his memory, but he doubted the chances of that were good. The odds were much higher that he would be arrested.

Peabody, who hated the Rangers, might side with him, but would that be enough? If he could convince the Army that he was more valuable to them than the Captain of the irregulars, he might escape with his life, though he’d be lucky if they didn’t buck him all the way down to private.

He sighed and squinted out at the vacant landscape. He’d heard bandits frequented this route, ready to attack lone travelers, but thus far he’d had the road to himself. A man could disappear out here and no one would be the wiser. At the next crossroads he could turn off the main road and lose himself in some little village. The Army might brand him a deserter, but then again, they might think he’d fallen victim to a highwayman. He wouldn’t hang, wouldn’t have to stand trial. He could make a new life for himself, maybe a better one.

The prospect pulled at him like a strong river current, but he might has well have been tied to the bank. He’d pledged to protect Ellen, to accompany her safely to her family in California. He wouldn’t abandon her.

He tightened his hands on the reins and cursed himself for a fool. What would that fine family of hers think of her marriage to a soldier with no money and no name? Would he be able to convince them that their union had been one of convenience only, and that his bride remained as pure and untouched as when she came to him?

Here, alone in the desert, the very idea struck him as ridiculous. What kind of man would agree to such an insane scheme? As for insanity, he might very well lose what mind he had if forced to continue in this charade. He wanted Ellen more than he had ever wanted a woman before. Should he take what she offered, as a temporary pleasure, and let her go in California to meet her family without him? They wouldn’t have to know about her temporary liaison with a man who was not her equal.

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