Castillo couldn’t get over how alone and scared Caroline had looked, standing on that porch defending him to Miller. He was almost certain she’d never considered the ramifications when she’d done it. And while she had asked him to compromise her on his first night here at Jameson Ranch, he’d been certain she wouldn’t see it through. She cared too much for the people around her to hurt them so badly. It was one reason he admired her so much. There was a vein of strength in this woman that he respected, but she was soft when it came to her heart. When it counted.
As he walked toward the barn to confront Miller, he admitted that he could love her so damn easily. He closed his eyes for only a second and opened them to the sound of gunfire. His entire body tensed, but then Tanner stuck his head out of the barn and yelled, “We’re all fine. Coward had a gun, but he doesn’t anymore.” He laughed and walked back inside, closing the door behind him.
“Maybe we should’ve told him about the gang,” Hunter teased. “He seems to be enjoying himself.”
Castillo let out a breath and hurried his steps. He kept a small frame gun strapped above his ankle at all times. He’d use it if he had to. Opening the door, he saw that Miller sat on a crate with his arms tied to a beam behind him. Aside from the blows Castillo had delivered earlier, he didn’t look any worse. He glared at them when they came in and frowned, but kept his mouth shut. Tanner sat on another crate a few feet away, and the rest of the gang stood across the room, keeping watch.
“What’s he told you?” Castillo asked.
“Go ahead. Tell him what you told us,” Tanner prompted.
Miller gave them all a sullen glance, but must’ve figured the odds were against him. “I saw you at Victoria House and heard someone call you Jameson. I asked around. One of the whores said she had some information about you if I was willing to pay for it. I was.”
Castillo didn’t doubt that there were rumors, but Glory was the only one who knew his identity as leader of the Reyes Brothers. She wouldn’t betray him to a no one like Miller. “What information did she have?”
Miller rolled his eyes. “Nothing. Gossip that you might be tied to a criminal, and there was a shoot-out outside of town, and some people had seen you riding in that direction before it happened. But I didn’t really need evidence to make the Hartfords see that I’d be a better choice for their daughter. It’s pretty obvious who the better man is.” He grinned a toothy smile. “Honestly, I never expected you to be connected to that shoot-out. How fortuitous that bit of information turned out to be true.”
“No one ever said it was true,” Hunter said, walking around Castillo to stare down at Miller. “We just don’t like jackasses from back East coming out here starting trouble.”
Miller laughed. “Ah, so then I guess you’re really not looking for Derringer, are you?”
“What do you know about Derringer?” Hunter asked.
Miller laughed again, throwing his head back as he seemed to relish being the center of attention. “I know plenty about Derringer. More than you, I’d wager. Now there’s an idea. I tell you who Derringer is, you let me go.”
Castillo didn’t want to believe that Miller had any information. It seemed too good to be true. “What makes you think I’m looking for Derringer?”
“The whore overheard you questioning a man in the cellar of the brothel. I almost couldn’t believe we’d have the same acquaintance. You see, I knew Derringer back in Boston a few years ago. He owned a gaming house and I’m sad to admit that I lost quite a bit of money to him, primarily because he’s a known cheat and thief. He’s been blackmailing me ever since. Said he’d tell my father if I didn’t keep paying him, knowing I’d be disinherited if he did.” He paused and looked from Castillo to Hunter and back again. “Let me go and I’ll give you the names of his contacts in Boston. You may be able to find him.”
Hunter laughed. “We have the upper hand here, don’t get cocky.”
“I’m afraid you don’t. I won’t tell you until you let me go.”
The echoes of the ugly words Miller had said to Carolina earlier still lingering in his mind, Castillo stepped forward and backhanded the man. Miller spat blood onto the straw covered floor. “Tell us what you know or you won’t be walking out of here.”
For the first time, a look resembling genuine fear crossed Miller’s face. He looked around the barn, first to Castillo, then Hunter, then Tanner and the few ranch hands who’d gathered across the room. Perhaps all this time he’d thought he was dealing with gentlemen like the ones he knew from Boston. He probably had no idea who they really were and the things they had done. They’d questioned men before, tougher men than Miller.
Cursing under his breath, Miller sighed and told him the names of the men Derringer had done business with back in Boston. “Best I can tell he faked his death a few years ago to get out of some gambling debts. He disappeared from Boston, but he didn’t stop siphoning money from me. A couple of times a year he’d demand a bank transfer or he claimed he’d contact my father. It wasn’t much, at first. But then he demanded more and more. He agreed to one final payoff. I couldn’t track him down to demand he stop his foolishness, so I had no choice but to find a wealthy bride.” Miller sniffed, a look of downright hate crossing his features. “After that night in the whorehouse—the night I saw you—his son, Bennett, came to my hotel to meet with me. He told me he’s been looking for you and asked me to help him lure you out.”
Castillo steeled himself against the disappointment roiling within him. Though this was as close as they’d come to Derringer, the story felt just like all the other stories they’d heard over the years. Someone knew Derringer, but had no real way to find him. Now the hunt could take him back to Boston to find some men who possibly knew him, just to come back out West again. It was a never-ending journey, and he was tired. So damned tired. “Do you have any idea where Derringer is hiding?”
Miller shook his head. “If I did I’d have gone to find him myself.”
Despite this new information, Derringer was still out of reach. Though maybe knowing his real identity would give them a better place to start with their search. Castillo sighed. “Help me find Derringer and we’ll get you out of your debt. No one has to know.”
Miller hesitated, glanced around the room again and nodded his consent.
Castillo let out a breath and thought of the woman who had come to mean more to him than he’d thought was possible in such a short time. What had she done with her hasty decision to defend him? Would Derringer try to hurt her now? He didn’t know, and the frustration of that was threatening to eat him up inside.
Tanner rose to his feet and grabbed his cane, leaving Hunter to deal with Miller. “Come on, Castillo. I suspect we have some people anxious to talk with us inside.”
Castillo had no doubt that was true, and followed Tanner out into the night. They were halfway across the yard to the house before Tanner broke the silence between them.
“I’m disappointed you didn’t come to me about this Derringer situation, son.”
“I’m not in the habit of coming to you with my problems.”
Tanner sighed, his shoulders slouching in a dejected manner. “I know, and I know that’s my fault. But I want to be better, Castillo.”
They’d just reached the porch and he turned to look at Castillo from the bottom step. The house was quiet, and Castillo hoped that meant everyone had gone to bed. Everyone except Carolina and her parents. He knew they’d be waiting up for him.
“Marisol and I grew apart. We probably never should’ve married in the first place.”
Castillo gave him a mirthless smile. “I’ve done the figuring. I realize I was born six months after your wedding. You don’t have to explain to me why you married her.”
Tanner gave him a solemn look. “That wasn’t your fault, and it’s no excuse for the father I’ve been to you. I sent letters and money and did everything but come down there myself. I know I could’ve tried harder when you were younger. I should’ve tried harder. Part of me thought it would be better for you if you didn’t have me in your life confusing everything. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about you.”
“It’s better you didn’t come. Papa had given orders you were to be shot on sight.” Castillo tried to make light of the situation, because he’d actually always assumed Tanner had never thought of him. Why would he think of a little boy he’d left behind when he had all this?
Tanner laughed. “I’m not surprised. Your grandfather always hated me.” Then he sobered and continued, “I want you to know that I will always support you. I don’t want you putting yourself at risk when I could help you.”
“It’s not your problem.” Castillo began, but Tanner shook his head.
“You are mine, Castillo, whether you want to be or not. My blood is in your veins. You are my son.” Then he took a deep breath and glanced toward the quiet house. “We don’t need to talk about the shoot-out and this Derringer situation right now, but I do need to know what we’re planning to do about this.” He pointed toward the door. “Was Caroline lying to give you an alibi?”
Castillo hesitated before answering. “I wasn’t with her…not that day.”
“She’d risk her reputation for you when she wasn’t even with you?” Tanner raised his brow.
Castillo knew at that moment that whatever barriers he was trying to keep between them would crumble beneath the force of her. He loved her. There was no maybe. He loved her. But he needed to keep her safe. That was the most important thing. And she wouldn’t be safe with him.
Tanner cleared his throat. “What do you plan to do about this situation?”
Castillo shook his head, still no closer to an answer. “The safest place for her is far away from me.”
Prudence stepped out the front door and drew up short when she saw them. “My apologies for interrupting, gentlemen. Caroline’s parents have asked to speak with you.”
* * *
Caroline couldn’t sit there any longer and fidget under her parents’ scrutiny. She rose and paced near the bookshelves on the opposite side of the room. It kept her parents from staring at her and for a few minutes that was enough. Then she started thinking of how angry Castillo had looked when she’d last seen him. Would he be angry when he came to the study? She didn’t know what would happen and started fidgeting all over again.
The only thing she did know was that she didn’t want to face him for the first time since the incident with her parents present. She wanted to talk to him alone first. With that goal in mind, she slipped out the door of the study and waited in the shadowed hallway. It was quiet and she hoped that Emmy had herded all the guests off to bed. She didn’t have to wait long before she heard their boots clicking on the hardwood floor.
Squaring her shoulders, she held her breath as Mr. Jameson, Castillo and Aunt Prudie came around the corner. Mr. Jameson inclined his head and gave her a gentle smile.
“I’d like to speak with Castillo alone for a minute first.” Caroline let her gaze float to each of them, briefly taking in Castillo’s unreadable expression, before looking back at Mr. Jameson. “If that’s all right,” she added.
Mr. Jameson looked to Aunt Prudie, who nodded. “I think that’ll be fine, dear. You have a lot to talk about. Don’t keep them waiting too long, though.” When Caroline gave her agreement, Mr. Jameson opened the door for her aunt, and then followed her inside the room.
Caroline’s breath nearly squeezed from her chest when they were left alone in the hallway. She wasn’t certain of what to say now, but she didn’t have to wait long for Castillo to start.
“Why did you do that?” The words were low and rough, pulled from deep in his chest.
She wanted to hold him, but held herself back. “I didn’t know how much he knew. I didn’t want anyone to suspect you.”
“That’s not your concern.”
She frowned up at him. “How can you think that it’s not my concern? I’m not the only one who feels what’s happening between us…am I?” What if she was? She didn’t think that was true, given how he looked at her and touched her, but what if it was?
He stared down at her, unmoving in his anger, and she didn’t know what to think. Finally, he relented, and a little bit of the tension left his shoulders. “No, you’re not the only one, but it doesn’t matter. This can’t happen, Carolina. No matter how I feel or how you feel, we can’t happen.”
She nodded, a little relieved that his objection wasn’t an emotional one. If it was simply an issue of logistics, then she could understand. “I know that it won’t be easy. I know we’re not an ideal couple, but I think we can figure it out.”
He exhaled a breath and shook his head. “You don’t understand.”
“What is there to understand? I—”
He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers before pulling her farther down the hallway, away from the study doors. His boots thumped over the thick rug and he turned his back to the rest of the world, blocking her in against the wall.
“I’m a wanted man.” He kept his voice low.
“Oh, that.” She nearly laughed because she thought he was going to say something far worse. “I think, once the facts are known, that the shoot-out will be seen as justifiable. You were defending yourself. But as of now, no one knows about it, and I won’t tell anyone you were involved.”
It was too shadowed in the hallway to see his eyes clearly, but he stared down at her so intensely she was certain that she was missing some vital piece of information. His next words confirmed it. “It’s not just the shoot-out. That’s bad enough, but there have been others. I’m the leader of a gang known as the Reyes Brothers. Have you heard of us?”
She searched her memory but couldn’t remember reading about them in the newspaper. “No. What do you mean by gang?”
“The hacienda was in trouble before my grandfather was murdered. There were rustlers, hired by ranchers in the area, taking our cattle and selling them across the border. I, along with some of our hands, went and took them back. Pretty soon we were being hired by other small ranches for protection, and the lines began to get blurred. Then Derringer entered the picture and I’ve spent the past few years looking for him. We’ve made enemies and sometimes we’ve had to kill those enemies. Sometimes self-defense looks a lot like murder.”
At some point her heart had begun to pound so hard against her ribs she thought it might actually try to force its way out of her chest. He was telling her he was a bad man, but what she had seen with her own eyes was completely different. “I don’t believe you’re bad.”
“Carolina, I’m telling you I’m a very bad, very dangerous man. It’s the truth.”
She touched his cheek to keep her connected to him. No matter what he said, he was the same man who had been so tender with her. Though she couldn’t see them now, every time she looked into his eyes, she saw an honest man. “I believe that you think that. But I only know what I see with my own eyes. You aren’t a bad person, Castillo. You’re kind and brave and honorable.”
He sighed, and she sensed even more of the tension leave his body. “None of that will save you from the bad things that I’ve done. I can’t bring you into my life. It’s too dangerous.” He brushed a strand of hair back from her cheek and tilted her head up a little. “If you’re connected to me, Derringer could find you and use you against me. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“It’s too late for that. I’m already connected to you.” Whether anyone else knew it, she was connected to him far more deeply than she’d ever realized was possible. When he hurt, she hurt. It was why she’d opened her mouth to protect him without even thinking through the consequences.
He groaned and slanted his mouth over hers, driving his tongue into her mouth in a kiss of possession that left her breathless. Careful of his wound, she curled her arms around his shoulders and pressed closer to him. Already his body was so familiar to her, a safe place where she felt protected and loved. When he pulled back, they were both breathing hard, his hand warm on her hip, while the fingers of his other hand wrapped lightly around the nape of her neck.
Finally, he spoke. “You’re right. You’re already connected to me, and it’s too late to change that.” Taking a deep breath, he added, “Then I suppose you need to decide what you want to happen now.”
She was too dazed from his kiss to think clearly. “What do you mean?”
“We have two options.” He waited for her to meet his gaze before continuing, and his fingers tightened on her a little. “We walk in there and tell your parents we’re getting married, or you leave here a compromised woman.”
Her mouth dropped open in a silent gasp. “Married?”
Castillo nodded, and the pad of his thumb ran over her bottom lip. “Yes. The way I see it when the guests leave here they’ll take their gossip with them and our names will be connected whether we want them to be or not. Derringer could hear about it and come for you. At least with my name—the Jameson name—I hope you can be protected.”
Oh. She didn’t know why, but her heart fell a little. Their marriage would be for her protection and nothing more. He must have seen her hesitation, because he hurried to continue.
“I’ll make certain nothing stands in the way of your going to school.”
She nodded.
“Do you think your parents will approve of me?” he asked.
She remembered his uncertainty that first night in her room, and it nearly broke her heart. “My father likes you, Castillo.”
He caught her omission and prompted, “And your mother?”
“She likes you, too, but she’s a traditionalist. And you’re a Jameson.”
“And foreign?”
She smiled. “You’re not foreign, but you’re not Boston society.”
He nodded. “If your parents object, I have money for tuition. Tanner bought a silver mine in my name. I used some of the profits to pay for Miguel’s tuition, and I would gladly use it for you.”
She nodded and looked down, but he gently tipped her face back up with his fingers on her chin. “Carolina?”
“So it would be a marriage of convenience…as they say?” She tried to smile but was certain whatever she’d mustered fell far short.
“If that’s what they name it.” He nodded. “I just want you to know that you’re taken care of.”
She didn’t know why she was hesitating. It was the perfect solution to her problems and she was already half in love with him. Pain twisted her heart and she had to admit the truth. No. She was in love with him all the way. That was why she hesitated. Could she stand to have him—but not have all of him?