Page 85 of Texas Destiny
Celebrations and hordes of people weren’t his style. Even when he helped Dallas herd his cattle north, Houston stayed on the outer fringe of the herd, circled the cattle at night, and kept his own counsel.
When he wasn’t herding cattle, his evenings were spent sitting on a porch, listening to night creatures come to life: the chatter of crickets, the occasional howl of a lonesome wolf. Sometimes, he whittled.
Mostly, he just sat and sought the peace that always eluded him, taunted him just beyond reach. If he thought about the past, the nightmares would come; if he thought about the future, the loneliness eased around him. He’d learned to be content with the present, taking each day as it came.
Damn Dallas for making him yearn for a future different from the one he’d accepted as his due.
Yet, here he stood, his left shoulder pressed against the cool adobe as he watched the men milling around. He could smell the beef cooked over a mesquite fire, the coffee, and the beans.
He could hear the deep-throated guffaws of the men. He could hear the sweet, gentle laughter of a woman. She was walking beside Dallas, her arm wrapped around his. They made a pretty picture: the gallant ranchman, the genteel lady.
Dallas was smiling broadly, looking happier than Houston had ever seen him.
Amelia was as lovely as ever. Wearing the green dress they’d purchased at Mimi St. Claire’s, she looked like a queen.
“Dallas said you weren’t coming.”
Houston jerked his head around and met Austin’s gaze. “Changed my mind.”
“I was afraid maybe you got to thinking about it and decided you needed to be mad at me about Black Thunder.”
“I’ll admit I was saddened to lose him, but he’s bound to have sired a colt or two somewhere. I’ll find him.”
“I’ll help you,” he said eagerly.
“I was counting on that.”
“I won’t let you down this time.”
“You didn’t let me down before.”
Austin looked away as though embarrassed. “I’m gonna get something to eat. You wanna come with me?”
“No, I won’t be staying that long.”
As Austin walked away, Houston turned his gaze back toward Amelia. She saw him, and her face lit up with such wondrous joy that it hurt his heart. He shoved himself away from the wall, his long strides eating up the distance between them. He told himself that he was trying to save Dallas some discomfort, but he knew in his heart that he just wanted to be near Amelia a little sooner.
He’d hurt her feelings yesterday morning, not for the first time, and probably not for the last, yet she’d comforted him when he’d lost his stallion and welcomed him now with a fierce hug before running her hands down his arms and slipping her fingers around his.
“We’re so glad you came.”
“I can’t stay long,” he said, focusing his gaze on Amelia, avoiding looking at his brother, knowing his brother was as grateful as he was that they had a woman to stare at instead of each other. Sometimes, he missed the easy camaraderie he’d shared with Dallas before the war. During the war, they had traveled side by side along different paths that had taken them away from each other.
Dallas cleared his throat. “We’ve got beef to eat.”
“I ate before I came.”
Dallas’s lips thinned, and Houston knew he’d given the wrong answer. He was always giving the wrong answers, doing the wrong things. He’d never been able to please his father, and he sure as hell couldn’t please his brother.
Dusk was settling in, and he thought about heading back home. He’d only have a sliver of a moon by which to travel tonight. It was a good excuse. He’d seen her. She looked happy. That was all he cared about.
A lanky cowboy, whose legs bowed out, approached and removed his hat. “Miss Carson, Cookie said he’d tune up his fiddle if you’d honor us with a dance.”
Amelia blushed prettily and gave a quick glance to Houston, before looking at Dallas.
He smiled with regret. “I can’t dance proper with this healing leg, but that’s no reason for you not to enjoy the music.”
She looked at Houston, and damn it, he knew she wanted him to step in for his brother, but if he didn’t set limits for himself now, he’d forever be stepping in where he shouldn’t.
