Free Comanche Haven (The Loflin Legacy: Book 1) by Catherine Wolffe Page A

last night
replayed in her mind. She didn’t trust herself to look too closely
at him in the light of day. She might lose control and tell him
what she hadn’t told him last night.
    “ I’ll be saddling up here
shortly, so we’ll be ready to leave when the sun reaches the top of
the mesquite trees.” He used his chin to direct her attention to
the straggly trees bordering the campsite and trailing off in all
directions. Rubbing his hands across the thighs of his pants, he
stood.
    A quiver of a smile curved her lips
despite her best effort to quell it. He’d used the Comanche way of
telling time.
    “ What’s so funny?” Seth
asked gruffly when he caught her fighting the smile.
    “ Nothing.”
    He waited undeterred.
    Celia knew she shouldn’t but something
drove her to explain. “I was just remembering. Do you recall how we
taught you to tell time using your surroundings as a sun
dial?”
    Seth nodded.
    “ We had some good times back
then.” Celia smiled wistfully at him as she made the
statement.
    Seth found a sudden interest in the
tree line. “Yeah…good times,” A moment passed in silence. “It was a
long time ago.” His voice had reverted to the cool cowboy once
more. Dusting the legs of his pants absently, he towered over her.
“Get yourself ready, we’ll be leaving soon.”
    His terse order stung. Celia was
frustrated to find she wasn’t as well equipped this morning for an
exchange of words with Mr. Loflin as she’d hoped. Something tugged
at her heart as she watched him walk away again.
    ***
    The soft grasses beneath the horse’s
hooves gave way to trails beat out by the cattle, which roamed the
ranch land. Birds flitted through the low growing mesquite and
sycamores calling out to the riders as they passed by. The Kildee’s
shrill call warned them not to venture too close to her babies
nestled in the nearby scrub. Spring in Texas had always been her
favorite time of year. Celia rode and absorbed the sounds and
sights of the land. It was good to be back.
    Preoccupied with everything, which had
happened, Celia hadn’t had time to think about her new life. What
would they find once they arrived at her father’s camp? “Have you
seen my father since you got back from West Point?”
    “ A couple of times. I did a
stint in the Army before mustering out as a lieutenant. I was gone
for about eight years.”
    “ Eight years…” Celia let the
words linger. “So, you were gone for a long time too.”
    “ If you’re trying to say I
have no right to question you about why you left, then I’d have to
say I think you’re wrong. I have every right.”
    “ I disagree. If you weren’t
here then you know nothing of our situation or what was going on.”
His defiance fueled her, and had her saying things she didn’t need
to say.
    “ Well, why don’t you tell me
what your situation was? Then maybe I could understand why you were
gone.”
    Seth’s words were surly and hard to
take in.
    “ We were forced to
leave.” Would he leave it at
that?
    “ By who?”
    “ Settlers.”
    “ Settlers. Mind telling me
their names?” Seth’s muscles tensed all around her.
    “ I don’t know who they
were.” She was glad she didn’t have to look him in the eyes. Lying
was much easier when you didn’t have to look the person in the
eye.
    “ How did you get passage
back to Charleston?”
    “ I told you Broken Horse
arranged it.”
    Seth glanced at the sled. “I’ll be glad
when he wakes. Isn’t there something we need to do for
him?”
    “ No, he will wake when he
gets ready.” Celia’s chest tightened when she thought of Broken
Horse and how her people would react to the attack. Red Bear,
Broken Horse’s brother, would want revenge. She was certain. From
what Broken Horse had told her in his letters, Red Bear hated the
white man – all white men indiscriminately, and saw war as the only
answer to keeping their land.
    “ I don’t understand why
Father and Red Bear haven’t come looking for us