Rodrigo left her alone in the stands and went to dress. She did not see him again until the opening parade across the ring, which involved all the participants in the spectacle. There were two matadors besides Rodrigo, and they all looked grand in their tight-fitting silken hose, knee-length pants, and brilliantly jeweled jackets. Most of the crowd was gaily dressed as well, the exceptionally warm weather allowing the women to wear sleeveless blouses. They wore flounced, colorful skirts, and their hair was rolled up under high combs and mantillas. But the Moorish influence was not entirely lost. Some women covered their heads and the lower half of their faces with embroidered linen, and their dresses were much more somber.
After the parade, the first bull was released and the maneuvers around him began. Then Rodrigo came out, the first matador to demonstrate his skill with the cape, and the tension increased palpably. For a while Jessie forgot her nagging backache and the overall discomfort the last week had brought her. She watched as he went through a series of passes, playing with the bull, testing the huge animal and she joined in the roar of “ole!” as the crowd cheered Rodrigo.
On her fourth “ole,” a sharp cramp made Jessie double over. There was so much more to see, the entrance of the picadors with their lances, more passes by the matador, the planting of the banderillas in the bull’s shoulders, then the final playing of the bull and the killing. But Jessie was going to miss all of it. She hoped she was mistaken but another cramp dispelled that hope.
She had to get out of here before the crowd dispersed and knocked against her. It wasn’t easy going, having to stop every few minutes to let a cramp pass then continue slowly. She felt like a huge cow.
She didn’t know where the hell she was going or what she was going to do when she got there. Why wasn’t Chase there to help her? He should have offered to come along. This was his baby, damn it. He should be there to take charge, to scold, to say he had told her not to make the journey, to tell her she would be all right. Where was he? Did he really hate her?
“Señora Summers!”
Jessie turned slowly, relief washing over her at the sight of Magdalena Carrasco, a woman she had met in Ronda, an old friend of Don Carlos’s. Magdalena had only to look once at Jessie’s pale, cramped expression to know what was happening.
“Where is your husband, Jessica?”
“He didn’t come today,” Jessie panted.
“And you should not have come either, ¡ Por Dios!”
Jessie nodded guiltily. “How will I get home?” She asked meekly.
“Home? Nonsense! It is too late for that. You will come with me, and I will see you settled in my house.”
“But... my husband?”
“He will be sent for,” Magdalena assured her firmly. “You have nothing more to concern yourself with.”
Jessie was more than glad to let Magdalena take charge. She had enough to worry about.
Chapter 47
JESSIE was losing track of time. The pain was so bad she could hardly keep from crying out. The constant waiting and hurting was taking a terrible toll. She couldn’t remember ever being so exhausted, yet Magdalena kept saying, “Relax, it will not be for some time yet.”
And then she thought she was dreaming. Chase was there. “I could wring your neck, you know?” His soft tone belied the words.
“I’ve heard that before.”
“This time you’ve gone too far, Jessie.” Anxiety marked his face.
“How was I supposed to know?” she retorted guiltily. “If you’ve come just to holler at me, you can—”
She had to stop. This time, just to spite him, when the pain was at its peak she let out a scream. She was satisfied to see Chase lose every bit of his coloring. Maybe now he wouldn’t snap at her for being such a fool. She knew she’d been a fool.
“Jessie, for God’s sake, you need a doctor!” he whispered urgently.
“I’ve seen a doctor,” Jessie said tiredly, “and Magdalena is in the next room.”
“Where is the doctor?”
“He’ll be back.”
“But he should be here now!”
“To do what? He can’t help me, not until later. I have a long wait yet, they tell me.”
“Christ!”
“I don’t see what you’re getting upset about. I thought you knew more about this than I did.”
“Not about the actual—are you all right? Can I get you something?”
She wanted to laugh.
“Well... there is something I—”
“Anything, Jessie, anything.”
“There is something you can clarify for me.” She had to wait for another pain to pass before continuing. “I... have such vague memories of everything that happened after the ranch burned. Did you... did you bring Kate to me somewhere?”
“Yes, at the hotel the morning before we left Cheyenne. I found her in one of the saloons. She didn’t want to face you, but I thought seeing her might bring you out of your shock. It didn’t.”
“Did I forgive Kate? What did we talk about? Were you right?”
He nodded. “If the woman felt no remorse all these years, I think she does now. If you ask me, that’s very little price she’s paying for what her silence did to you and Rachel. And you didn’t talk to her at all, just stared at her, then turned away.”
Jessie groaned. The pains were getting closer and more intense.
“What happened to Jeb and my men?”
“Jeb said he’d see to letting the others go, but he’d stick around and round up whatever cattle remained. I told him to keep whatever he found. Rachel paid off your debt as a wedding gift, so you owed no one. I didn’t think you’d mind letting Jeb do whatever he liked with the strays.”
“No, of course not. I’m glad. That was very thoughtful of you.”
“He earned it, Jessie.”
“Yes, he sure did. Oh! What about the sheriff?”
“I left descriptions and reward money for Clee, Charlie, and Blue Parker.”
“What about Laton Bowdre?”
“I couldn’t charge him with anything.”
“What?”
“Jessie, Bowdre left town the day before the fire, so he couldn’t be implicated. The man is smart. But maybe not quite smart enough.”
“Chase, tell me what—”
“Your recognizing his hirelings could be his downfall. I talked it out with the sheriff, and he agreed that if he caught any of the three, he would let them go if they volunteered the name of the man who hired them. Clee and Charlie may think loyalty comes first, but I doubt Parker will feel that way. It’s just a matter of finding at least one of them.”
“Do you think there’s any hope of finding them?” she asked anxiously.
“We can always up the reward later,” Chase said.
“With what?” she said sharply. “You’re not exactly rich, you know. And I’m wiped out.”
“Well,” he reminded her, “I did inherit a sizable sum when we found my father.”
“You’re going to keep it?” she asked, surprised.
“I’d be three kinds of a fool to let a bad mood decide the matter. Besides—”
Jessie had tried to hold it in, but this time she couldn’t. The scream sounded horrible even to her. Chase panicked, thinking something had gone wrong. He gripped her hand.
“Jessie, you can’t die, you can’t! I love you! If you die, so help me—”
“You’ll wring my neck?” Jessie said weakly. She looked at him for a long time. “Love me?” she said softly. “You have a fine way of showing it, the way you’ve treated me lately.”