Midnight Rider Read Free

another such woman. Lillian Schofield. Lily, with big blue eyes and pale blond hair. Lily—the woman he had almost come to love.
    He looked again at Fletcher Austin’s niece. This one was younger than Lily, but in time she would turn out the same … if she wasn’t that way already. Still, it might be interesting to bed her. She was certainly a temptation, and the small measure of revenge against her uncle would make the taking all the sweeter.
    Ah, but Austin was a powerful man, and in times like these it was far too dangerous. And there were others he must consider.
    He watched the girl talking to Royston Wardell, another of her uncle’s wealthy friends. She smiled up at him through her long dark-auburn lashes then laughed softly at something Wardell said. Yes, she was more than tempting. Perhaps he would wait and see.…
    â€œ Buenas noches, Don Ramon.”
    He glanced up to see Isabel Montoya standing right beside him. It surprised him that he had not heard her approach.
    â€œGood evening, Senorita Montoya. I hope you are enjoying the festivities.”
    Full red lips turned down in a pretty pout. “With mi novio away on business, I do not find it so much fun. It is sometimes difficult to entertain oneself, no?”
    He smiled. “ Si, senorita. It is always painful when a loved one is away.”
    Isabel smiled softly. She was black haired and dark eyed, young but flawlessly beautiful. “I wondered … I thought … perhaps … since you were also alone this eve we might entertain each other.”
    He frowned. “I do not think your betrothed would approve of such a notion. Besides, you are hardly alone. Your father and mother, your sister and brother are also here, as well as your duena, Louisa.”
    Big dark eyes ran over his face. Beneath her white lace mantilla, she looked even younger than her sixteen years. “Surely you are not afraid of my father … or even Don Carlos.” Her fingers moved along his lapel, brushing lightly, her eyes running over his face, unmistakable in their invitation. “I have heard it said that when it comes to the ladies, you—”
    He caught her wrist, stilling her words. “You are forgetting, senorita, Don Carlos Ramirez—your betrothed—is my friend. I will do nothing to impose upon that friendship.” He turned her around and gave her a gentle shove in the opposite direction. “And in the future, senorita, should I hear of such behavior as I have seen this night, you may be certain that I will inform your father. Perhaps a willow switch will entertain you well enough.”
    She spun to face him, her slender spine stiff and her dark eyes flashing fire. He stopped her before she could speak.
    â€œOne more word, niña, and I will do it now.”
    â€œYou—you are not a gentleman.”
    â€œAnd you, chica, are hardly behaving like a lady. Go now, and next time think before you speak.”
    Tears gathered in her pretty dark eyes. She turned and raced away.
    Ramon watched her go, thinking perhaps he should have proceeded with a little more restraint. “Women,” he muttered into the darkness. He pondered Isabel’s behavior and wondered if her father’s friendship with a growing number of Anglos was the reason she had dared to behave so boldly.
    He saw her brother, Alfredo, approaching and hoped that nothing else would go wrong. But it was not Alfredo’s words that broke the silence; it was the sound of pounding hooves, thrumming hard against the earth. A rider burst through the high back gate of the sprawling hacienda, shouting and waving his dusty brown felt hat in the air.
    â€œWhat is it?” Alfredo asked, starting in that direction. “What do you think has happened?”
    â€œI do not know,” Ramon said. Hurriedly, they walked toward the stable, where the man had jerked his horse to a sliding halt; and Fletcher Austin, William