Page 23 of Once Upon a Reckless Rogue

Tomas came up behind her and put his hand on her waist as they watched the two make their way down the path to the beach below. “That was very nice of you.”

“I cannot abide seeing people in pain. If I can help I will.”

“I admire that about you. Your empathy towards your fellow man. I am especially grateful for it. I would not be here without your quick thinking and care.”

She stepped away lest she turn in his arms and kiss him. Then they would never make it to the next village. “I did not want to at first,” she began. “Then I saw what they did to you, and I could not let you be in pain.” Her thoughts flew to the first time she had seen him lying limp on the table. Battered and bleeding and moaning in pain. The sight of the room at the fort where the damage had been done and where so much of his blood remained was etched in her memory now.

“You must have resented me for taking you away from your life?”

“I did, but I resented the French more. They were monsters, and I would not give them the satisfaction of killing you. I swore to myself I would keep you alive just to spite them. Of course, that would have been very selfish of me, and soon all thoughts of revenge were drowned in the bucket of your bloodied bandages. There was no way I was going to let them kill you, though I had no idea who you were or why they were taking such pleasure in torturing you.”

She took up the donkey’s lead and began to walk. She could see that the man and boy had made it to the beach far below. “I thought of my brother Juan when I made the decision to drug you. Had anyone tried to help him? I knew then I had no say in what came next for you, but I could try my hardest to keep you out of pain.”

“Your father and brother would be very proud of you.”

“Maybe. My father would have said it was kinder to help you on your way to the creator. Juan would have said let the Englishman die. You are lucky neither of them are around to have persuaded me to take another course.”

“I am glad you let me live, though there were times when I would have agreed with your father and your brother. I would not have resented you for ending me.”

“Life is a gift. Who am I to take it away if I can heal you instead?”

“What would have happened to the boy if he had kept on to the village?”

“The old man would have made the trip for nothing, and his grandson would have healed in a few days, but why be in pain when there is no need?”

“Elena Diaz, you are handy to have around. I think you will be missed more than you realize in the village.”

She stopped walking and turned to study him. When he grinned, her heart gave a little flutter. What was wrong with her? Tugging on the donkey’s lead, she walked on down the path. This was going to be a long journey.

Chapter Eight

They set up camp about half a mile off the path, and although he was exhausted, he went off to find firewood. By the time he returned, Elena had set up their beds in the tray of the cart. It was a warm night, and so he rigged up a light netting over the cart. They hobbled the donkey, and it happily ate the summer grass while they enjoyed a meal of sausage, cheese, and boiled eggs. It was simple fare, but it filled his belly as he contentedly watched the flames leap and crackle before him. Elena put a small pot on the fire to make tea. It was a ritual she did every night before sleep, and he enjoyed watching her. By the time they crawled into the cart, every muscle in his body was screaming. He moaned and settled on his back to look up at the stars.

“You should take your pants off.”

“Miss Diaz!” he joked.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I need to massage your legs. After so much walking they will cramp.”

Again, something he would never have thought of. He wiggled out of his breeches with just the blanket covering his top half. She raised a brow but said nothing as she opened her jar of salve.

“What is in that?” he asked. “It smells nice.”

“A mix of arnica, lavender, and ginger with olive oil. It is good for many things but especially muscle aches.”

Elena rubbed it between her hands before applying it to one aching calf. It hurt like hell, but it also felt so good. “You are a miracle worker.”

“It is not me. It is Mother Earth. She provides everything we need.”

“I am thankful for Mother Earth, don’t get me wrong, but your hands are what help the salve to work.”

Elena smiled, and he found himself smiling in return. As she administered more salve to his other leg, he found himself drifting off to sleep. The first day of their journey was done, and it would only be a few more days until they reached La Barossa. Then what? Would he be able to persuade her to stay in the town and not follow him to Cadiz? He told himself that this was the best way to settle her in her new home before returning to his. There was no way his heart could take leaving her if she was unhappy there.

When he woke up in the morning, it was to find himself wrapped around Elena. Warm, soft woman curled nicely against his chest, her hand over his heart. So young she looked in the morning light, so at peace, so…beautiful. When she sighed, he couldn’t help but smile and wonder what she dreamed of. Potions and lotions perhaps? He wished his dreams were full of sighs. His dreams were always dark and full of regret.

He had killed men, and though they were the enemy, their faces never left him. All the should-haves or might-have-beens in his life were adding up. He was plagued by guilt over Lucinda, his ward, and the manner in which he had left his mother and sister. They had begged him to stay home a little longer this time. Mother’s intuition, perhaps? He wished he had listened. It would have saved him a lot of pain and suffering, and a finger. But he loved his position at the Ring. His position meant he could still contribute to England’s safety. Despite Napoleon’s confinement on Saint Helena Island, there were French devils still at work.

Gently extracting himself from her embrace, he dressed and went to find more firewood and check the donkey. When he arrived back, she was stretching in the most alluring way. Dropping the wood, he went to her. Elena smiled at him sleepily, and his heart skipped a beat. What was wrong with him? She fell into his arms and laughed as he spun her around with one arm.