Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) by Constance O'Banyon Page A

Matthew had praised Reese's valor, and wrote
that many lives had been saved that day. After
that, Matthew always seemed to mention Reese
in his letters. But even Saber's imaginings of
Reese could not have made him more perfect
than the real man.
    She slumped against his back, then drew her self up straight. "Please, can't we stop and camp
soon?

    He felt her limp hands clasped about his waist
and nodded. "Yes, I believe we can. If you can
make it for another mile, I know a place we can
camp and light a fire."
    She only hoped she would be able to make it
that extra mile without falling asleep.
    Reese had found a campsite on a plateau, where
they could see the countryside in every direction. For shelter, there was a rock formation
with a wide overhang and walls that would protect them from the wind. Bone-chilling wind rippled through the buffalo grass, which was as
high as a horse's haunches.
    Saber slid to the ground and blew on her fingers to warm them while Reese unsaddled their
horse. By the time he'd joined her, she was
having trouble keeping her eyes open. He laid a
fire and then placed the warmed blanket about
her. A contented sigh slipped through her lips.
    When he returned to camp after hobbling the
horse, he sat down with his rifle resting across
his lap. Saber was asleep, and he watched how
the dancing flames from the campfire flickered
across her pale skin. He allowed himself to feast
on her beauty. She was like the brightness of the
sun, and as far above him as the sun was from the earth. She was pure Texas aristocrat, and he
was just a broken-down cowboy with a small
ranch and a few hundred head of cattle.

    A strange, piercing ache filled his heart, fanning out through his chest. He could never have
her, or even touch her, as he wanted to. She was
silk, and he was leather. She was a lady, and she
belonged to his friend Matthew, and he would
never betray a friend.
    His body tensed when he thought of her lying
in Matthew's arms, Matthew touching her and
kissing those inviting lips yes, she belonged to
Matthew. He felt desire run wild through his
body as he considered what it would feel like to
have her beneath him.
    "Damn," he ground out, and shot to his feet.
He walked in the direction of the horse and
stood for a long time staring up at the moon. He
had to make a decision about what to do with
Miss Vincente. His first concern had to be her
safety. He didn't think it would be wise to take
her back to Fort Worth. Felton would be in Mexico now, waiting for the Miller brothers to deliver Saber to him. When he realized that he'd
been tricked, he would send someone else to find
her. Neither Felton nor the Millers knew Reese's
true identity, so she would be safe with him for
a while. There was no use sending the law to
Mexico after Felton; he would be gone before they could get there. There were the Miller
brothers to worry about, also. They would soon
find out that their brother, Earl, was dead, and
in their bungling way they would be a problem.
He could keep her at his ranch until either Matthew or her brother could come after her.

    He turned his face up to the night sky. There
was a storm coming-he could feel it in his
bones. He had to get her out of this weather as
soon as possible.
    Was he taking her to his ranch because he
wanted to keep her with him longer, or for her
own protection? Hell, he didn't know anymore.
    Saber woke to the aroma of frying bacon. She
blinked her eyes and found Reese kneeling beside her, offering her a cup of coffee.
    "Careful, the tin cup is hot," he cautioned.
    "Where did you get that?" she asked in amazement.
    "It was in my saddlebag."
    She gave him a smile and handed him back
his coat. "Thank you for this. Thank you foreverything. I know you risked your life to rescue
me."
    Then she looked into his eyes, and he almost
melted. "No thanks are necessary."
    She snuggled closer to the fire. "That's not the
way I see it."

    He shot