A/N: Words between * show Tessa's thoughts and \ show Grisham's thoughts.
Their thoughts are shown simultaneously so be aware of the asterisks and
slashes, but it won't be that hard considering they will be using pronouns
and names. Btw, this chapter is kinda R-rated for one obscene word (As far
as I know, and guess who said it.) and gets more hairier from here on.
Enjoy!
"Truth Behold"
Since the successful capture of El Cazador by the cavalry, Montoya was in good spirits to say the least. Gone were the surly attitudes and shouting frenzy. Instead, the colonel was almost too friendly to the point of annoyance. Whenever Gaston would bring up about El Cazador, Montoya would smoothly change the topic. Gaston suspected nothing. He was rather enjoying himself in the parties that Montoya held for him, including this farewell ball for the departing Captain Gaston with the infamous Huntley.
~/~
"It has been a while, but this town has seen better days."
"Yes, I am glad that Montoya decided to have this celebration party."
"When was the last time we've been to a social?"
"Oh, since that dreadful fever swept the town. He was completely better after a few days thanks to some doctor."
"His name was Dr. Helm."
"No matter, as long as Montoya's alive, our taxes are his air."
"Hahahhaa. You do have the most interesting comparisons."
"Let's go home."
"But what about the party?"
"The only thing we will miss is Montoya's God-awful speeches. Some people actually enjoyed them."
"I enjoyed them."
"Well, that says a lot about you. Buenos noche, my friend."
Tessa watched the pair of partygoers weave through the crowd to their awaiting carriages. She couldn't help, but overhear their conversation, they provided a better entertainment than the kind of music the band was ordered to play by the colonel.
Montoya was very eager to have this party in celebration of El Cazador's capture, as well as Gaston and his cavalry's departure on the following day. The colonel was one happy individual; everything was going according to his plan again. El Cazador was locked under tight security, deemed a lunatic by the military. Gaston had no interest in Huntley's frenzied screams of "treacherous colonel." Montoya was able to use his slick personality to lock in Gaston's trust. He had also sent Grisham away "to recuperate"- to give him time to change his mind about renouncing his loyalty to the colonel. Yes, everything was going smoothly again.
Laughing and smiling with the other guests, he didn't even notice the missing rancheros and a particular senorita that had gone home early.
~/~
Sighing in frustration, Tessa was a little annoyed that she didn't see Grisham at the party tonight. Usually, he was wherever Montoya wanted him to be. Now, she hardly saw him in the pueblo; that day with Juanita had been a rarity.
Going over Marta's words over in her head, Tessa admitted that it was true. She had fallen hard for the captain. She met other men like him before, but what made him different?
*Sure his looks aren't bad---all right, I'll admit it, he's incredibly sexy. Although he could do without the goatee- his mouth hides behind it. He sometimes looks like the Devil himself. That's it; he's a symbol of impure thoughts and of lascivious acts. He made my skin crawl every time he was within my distance. But in a good way. The way his hand would brushes mine sometimes........Whoa! Where did that come from?! No. He is uncouth and selfish and......................Then there's the shadowy part about him being one of my father's murderers.*
She thought of calling Marta to ask for her guidance then she remembered that Marta was staying over at Jose's to help take care of Juanita and the children that had become orphans when Huntley invaded their town.
The thought of the bandido leader made her blood boil. Tessa had never met a man like him in all her life. They were all ruthless in many ways; some wanted revenge; others were like that out of necessity, because that was the way they were brought up, or even to try to fight against the oppression brought on by the supposed authorities. Huntley..... Huntley killed people for the sheer thrill of power it brought to him.
Feeling restless, Tessa changed into her black outfit and donned her lace mask. She was going out for a ride.
~/~
Pages after pages of Grisham's "journal" were carelessly thrown into the small fire in front him. As each page caught fire and slowly burn to ashes, he felt his heart go along with it. But his conscience was telling him that leaving Santa Helena and Tessa Alvarado was the right thing to do. The town would hardly notice if he was gone and Tessa would want someone who could give her the kind of happiness she deserved. \She doesn't want me. She could care less if I was gone. It's better for her this way. She should go marry a prince or someone like that.\
Grisham paused to look down when his hand was poised to rip through a charcoal portrait of Tessa. The particular picture took him several weeks to complete. He wanted to capture the essence of her face. That was what made it stand out and made him remember it so well. He was burning his journal piece by piece without much thought, but this portrait in his hand was giving him doubt. He carefully ripped it from its binding and tucked the paper into his breast pocket.
\Great! Now I'm pining for her. I am turning into a sentimental sap! First I was some kind of a stalker following her around and right now I'm feeling the lover's torment of leaving her. We haven't even kissed! Well, except for when that fever swept the town. Those sensuous red lips, and skin so soft like buttermilk....Whoa Marcus! I seriously need to get my head checked. Or my heart removed...........but she already has it.\
Lingering on the last sentence, Grisham grimaced. Even his callous side couldn't save him from forming such pathetic poetry. Imagine Montoya hearing him say that. The colonel would laugh himself to death.
Glancing down at the journal in his hands, the symbol of his secret infatuation with the raven beauty and everything he could never have with her, he felt his pent up frustration exploding inside.
~/~
The sound of the tortured roar bounced off the desert boulders and reached Tessa's ears as the wind blew around her. The sound frightened Chico so badly that he almost threw Tessa, but her experience with horses kept her securely in the saddle. After calming her horse down, she took off, galloping in the direction that the alarming sound had come from.
It took her a moment to reach Grisham, but when she saw him with a book held over his hand, something tightened inside of her. She knew that journal. He was going to throw it into the fire! Something inside of her stirred her to action. She would not let that happen!
The loud crack of a whip made Grisham look up to see his book whipped from his hands and into the Queen of Swords'.
Tessa was angry, although she wasn't quite sure what ticked her off. But she was mad that Grisham wanted to destroy his creations. A small part of her knew that she was disappointed that he wanted to ruin drawings of her.
The Queen of Swords stood quietly waiting for Grisham to start his furious rants. She wasn't let down, Grisham stomped his way towards her.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?!!"
"I could ask you the same, Captain."
"Go away!!!"
"Hmmmm......nice........I didn't know you like Senorita Alvarado." Tessa commented as she leafed through the remaining pages of the battered journal. "Wow. You must like her a lot."
Grisham was suddenly very suspicious of her off-handed comments. "What are you planning? If you hurt her in any way, I'll........"
"You will what? Seems like you're packing for a long trip or moving out of here. Aren't you still the Captain of the Guard?"
That shut him up. He regarded her carefully; he wasn't sure he could trust her enough to tell her anything. "Montoya put me on hiatus."
"Really?!" This peaked the Queen's interest.
"Don't go chafing your corset. I'm sure Gaston or whoever can take over. They don't need me."
*But I need you.*
"Are you serious?! Montoya has him fluffed up like whipped cream, Gaston doesn't even know what's going on under his nose." Tessa couldn't help but burst out laughing at the prospect of the rookie captain taking over Santa Helena."
Grisham couldn't help but grin at the comparison. For once they were actually agreeing on something. Then his grim face reappeared. "I'm not much different."
"What are you talking about?" Her laughter stopped as his statement confused her.
"For one thing, I know what's going on inside Montoya's corrupted mind. I just didn't care. I'm his henchman. What's the difference?" It took courage for him to say that out loud. He remembered when he was trapped inside the mine with the Queen; he had tried to embellish his image by stating his "unique" relationship with the colonel.
\Oh well...........it was going to come out sooner or later.\
"I think you're better than that."
He gaped at the Queen; he couldn't believe what his ears were telling him.
"You saved my life and helped me defeat El Cazador."
"You know I was going to ask you about that. Is there some rivalry between you two?" Grisham wondered aloud.
"Yeah, something like that. And don't try to change the subject!" Tessa scolded.
"Bossy bitch", he muttered under his breath.
"I heard that."
"Look, I helped you because I hate El Cazador's guts. And I saved you because there's no gain for me to kill you. With you gone, I'll be out of a job. My soldiers couldn't handle a butter knife even if God came down and ordered them to. I needed someone who knows how to fight with a sword the way you do."
"So all this time I've been your playmate?!" Tessa was slightly outraged, but deep down she knew it was a rare compliment from the arrogant captain.
His trademark smirk emerged. "Well, yeah. It would be a lot less fun around here without you."
"But you're the one who wants to leave."
"What? You're saying you gonna miss me?"
"Of course not! But aren't you going to miss her?" Tessa indicated her portrait inside the binding.
"Why do you fuckin' care?!" Tessa had hit a nerve. "She seems important to you. Won't she cry because you're leaving her?"
"I doubt if she would cry for me. She doesn't know."
"Huh."
"What?!" The Queen always had a way of annoying him, in the same way that he annoyed her.
"You could just tell her how you feel. Most women would just swoon if some guy told them how beautiful they are and that they love them with all their heart. Of course, I am an exception." Tessa quickly added the last part.
"Sure you are. But Tessa is special. She deserves someone better, as much as my ego hates to admit it. She would never trust me enough to be with me. If you can't see, I'm not exactly grade A material that the daughter of a don would look for." He didn't stop himself from confessing his true feelings. He somehow knew that now the Queen wouldn't betray his trust.
*How can you say that? You don't even know how I feel.*
There it was again. The familiar tension that Grisham felt whenever Tessa was around. Except the Queen of Swords was here with her back towards him instead of her. He rubbed his temples; he was going out of his mind. Probably just thinking about the senorita would simply drive him over the edge.
Turning around to face the captain Tessa tried to put on a sly smile, although her heart was feeling everything but. "If you're going to think that way, maybe you don't deserve her after all. You just assume plainly that she won't even like you the way you are. I think that, inside, you're simply afraid that she really does care for you, but your lack of self- confidence made you think that she would be like the kind of women you've met before. The love em' and leave 'em types like you are merely insecure boys hiding inside their tough masculine exteriors. Maybe it's her luck that you're leaving." Tessa didn't know what came over her, but she felt the need to make things clear to him, even if she wasn't in "person" at the moment. She had finally understood why he had been so cold to her...........he did it to push her away to make her find a better man.
*But I don't want a better man. I want him.*
Grisham stood up in anger. He couldn't believe the Queen had the nerve to say those things in his face, even if she was right. He felt his pride deflate. "So what if you're right? I don't think she would be as 'understanding' as you do!"
Tessa turned around to face him. "Then you really didn't think much of her. You underestimate her too much, Captain."
*Am I that shallow?! He thinks I can't empathize with him!*
\Because Tessa doesn't know. She doesn't know I'm partly responsible for her father's death.\
"You obviously don't know what you're talking about."
Tessa replied with new source of anger. "Oh I think I do. It's apparent that we're both going round in circles and being stubborn as you are I'm not going to argue with you all night. I need get some rest and you need to sort out your feelings regarding Senorita Alvarado, although I doubt you even know how to make the best decisions. Good night, Captain Grisham. Think about what I said." With those last words, Tessa mounted and took off with Grisham's journal in her gloved hands.
"Hey! Give back my book!" He groaned in frustration as the Queen used his journal to wave goodbye in mock respect.
Sighing in despair, he sat back down on the boulder and contemplated his choices. Running his rough hands through his hair, Grisham began to recall all the months seeing Tessa since that fateful kidnapping by El Cazador.
He was so afraid and over protective of her. Keeping her alive and safe had become one of his top priorities. He forgot about self-preservation and constantly worried about her security. And in no time he had become totally besieged by images of her everywhere. He couldn't get her out of his mind. Vera had become a distant memory of the past.
Patting his charger, he whispered, "Should I go tell her, boy? Would she understand?" Montero snorted in response. "You're one lucky horse, you don't have some nice brown mare to get your heart in a twist about."
~/~
*Why can't he see that I am already in love with him?! I don't need a rich somebody to make me happy. I need him, because I'm in love with his compassion, perseverance, and more so since he loves me as well. If he truly loves me, he could've stayed and try to prove his feelings. Instead, he chose the easy way out. He wanted to escape from this place and hopefully I will just forget about him.*
Grumbling under her breath, Tessa changed into her nightgown. She was emotionally exhausted. Being around Grisham always sent her emotions and senses haywire. If she had known long ago that simple banter between him and the Queen would lead to revelations of tormented love, she would have ignored him.
"Ha! If that were so easy! Grisham is not the kind of person one could ignore easily." Tessa declared to her reflection in the mirror over her vanity table.
"He's the kind that quickly insinuates himself into your life and disappears just as fast without your knowledge until you start longing for him. A regular Don Juan if you met one." Her grumbles dribbled down to sleepy mumbles on her bed as Tessa's eyes blinked several times before falling into deep sleep.
~/~
A lone somnolent soldier of Gaston's army came down to the jail cell to check on the wild looking madman on the other side of the bars. El Cazador was to be shipped off the next day and that night the air was filled with the inevitable air of death. However, the soldier lost all thoughts of sleep when he saw the bars of the window had been cut through and a clanking nail file was the only sound in the empty jail cell.
The church bells rang the alarm all throughout Santa Helena, but Huntley took no notice. Since the loss of all his loot due to the failed invasion, he was focused on achieving one of his goals. Huntley was planning on paying a visit to a Senorita Alvarado. If he couldn't recover his financial losses, he was willing to settle for her.
Shushing his horse, he slowly crept towards Tessa's bedroom window. No one could accuse him of being sloppy. Huntley had already memorized the outline of the Alvarado hacienda the moment he set foot in Santa Helena's territory. Teeth gleaming under Diana's light, Huntley smiled through the window to see a sleeping Tessa in her canopy bed. Like a tiger on the prowl, Huntley slowly eased himself into the room after he jimmied the window lock open. Staring bluntly through the thin sheets, he could make out the contours of the young lady dressed in a virgin white cotton nightgown. Thoughts running through Huntley's mind were anything but "virgin".
Tessa had sensed a presence in the room the moment Huntley stuck one of his legs through the window. As he was about to turn her over, Tessa grabbed the hand on her shoulder and flipped him squarely onto her bed. She slid out of the double bed to get her sword. But, snapping out of his daze, he was able to trip her in the dark and Tessa was knocked unconscious by that underhanded deed. He tied her with the rope he managed to steal from the stable; in a matter of minutes he had her placed upon his getaway horse. Kicking his horse to action, Huntley and his unconscious captive took off across the open desert, leaving the hacienda in a large cloud of dust.
~/~
Freezing in his tracks, Grisham felt a pang of dread in his heart. There was something wrong. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something inside was telling him that Tessa was in trouble. It didn't take long for him to get on his charger and take off for the Alvarado hacienda.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ooopps! Sorry for the cliffhanger. You knew that was coming, right?! Anyhoo, thanks for all the people who stuck by me. And you know the drill. So r/r!
"Truth Behold"
Since the successful capture of El Cazador by the cavalry, Montoya was in good spirits to say the least. Gone were the surly attitudes and shouting frenzy. Instead, the colonel was almost too friendly to the point of annoyance. Whenever Gaston would bring up about El Cazador, Montoya would smoothly change the topic. Gaston suspected nothing. He was rather enjoying himself in the parties that Montoya held for him, including this farewell ball for the departing Captain Gaston with the infamous Huntley.
~/~
"It has been a while, but this town has seen better days."
"Yes, I am glad that Montoya decided to have this celebration party."
"When was the last time we've been to a social?"
"Oh, since that dreadful fever swept the town. He was completely better after a few days thanks to some doctor."
"His name was Dr. Helm."
"No matter, as long as Montoya's alive, our taxes are his air."
"Hahahhaa. You do have the most interesting comparisons."
"Let's go home."
"But what about the party?"
"The only thing we will miss is Montoya's God-awful speeches. Some people actually enjoyed them."
"I enjoyed them."
"Well, that says a lot about you. Buenos noche, my friend."
Tessa watched the pair of partygoers weave through the crowd to their awaiting carriages. She couldn't help, but overhear their conversation, they provided a better entertainment than the kind of music the band was ordered to play by the colonel.
Montoya was very eager to have this party in celebration of El Cazador's capture, as well as Gaston and his cavalry's departure on the following day. The colonel was one happy individual; everything was going according to his plan again. El Cazador was locked under tight security, deemed a lunatic by the military. Gaston had no interest in Huntley's frenzied screams of "treacherous colonel." Montoya was able to use his slick personality to lock in Gaston's trust. He had also sent Grisham away "to recuperate"- to give him time to change his mind about renouncing his loyalty to the colonel. Yes, everything was going smoothly again.
Laughing and smiling with the other guests, he didn't even notice the missing rancheros and a particular senorita that had gone home early.
~/~
Sighing in frustration, Tessa was a little annoyed that she didn't see Grisham at the party tonight. Usually, he was wherever Montoya wanted him to be. Now, she hardly saw him in the pueblo; that day with Juanita had been a rarity.
Going over Marta's words over in her head, Tessa admitted that it was true. She had fallen hard for the captain. She met other men like him before, but what made him different?
*Sure his looks aren't bad---all right, I'll admit it, he's incredibly sexy. Although he could do without the goatee- his mouth hides behind it. He sometimes looks like the Devil himself. That's it; he's a symbol of impure thoughts and of lascivious acts. He made my skin crawl every time he was within my distance. But in a good way. The way his hand would brushes mine sometimes........Whoa! Where did that come from?! No. He is uncouth and selfish and......................Then there's the shadowy part about him being one of my father's murderers.*
She thought of calling Marta to ask for her guidance then she remembered that Marta was staying over at Jose's to help take care of Juanita and the children that had become orphans when Huntley invaded their town.
The thought of the bandido leader made her blood boil. Tessa had never met a man like him in all her life. They were all ruthless in many ways; some wanted revenge; others were like that out of necessity, because that was the way they were brought up, or even to try to fight against the oppression brought on by the supposed authorities. Huntley..... Huntley killed people for the sheer thrill of power it brought to him.
Feeling restless, Tessa changed into her black outfit and donned her lace mask. She was going out for a ride.
~/~
Pages after pages of Grisham's "journal" were carelessly thrown into the small fire in front him. As each page caught fire and slowly burn to ashes, he felt his heart go along with it. But his conscience was telling him that leaving Santa Helena and Tessa Alvarado was the right thing to do. The town would hardly notice if he was gone and Tessa would want someone who could give her the kind of happiness she deserved. \She doesn't want me. She could care less if I was gone. It's better for her this way. She should go marry a prince or someone like that.\
Grisham paused to look down when his hand was poised to rip through a charcoal portrait of Tessa. The particular picture took him several weeks to complete. He wanted to capture the essence of her face. That was what made it stand out and made him remember it so well. He was burning his journal piece by piece without much thought, but this portrait in his hand was giving him doubt. He carefully ripped it from its binding and tucked the paper into his breast pocket.
\Great! Now I'm pining for her. I am turning into a sentimental sap! First I was some kind of a stalker following her around and right now I'm feeling the lover's torment of leaving her. We haven't even kissed! Well, except for when that fever swept the town. Those sensuous red lips, and skin so soft like buttermilk....Whoa Marcus! I seriously need to get my head checked. Or my heart removed...........but she already has it.\
Lingering on the last sentence, Grisham grimaced. Even his callous side couldn't save him from forming such pathetic poetry. Imagine Montoya hearing him say that. The colonel would laugh himself to death.
Glancing down at the journal in his hands, the symbol of his secret infatuation with the raven beauty and everything he could never have with her, he felt his pent up frustration exploding inside.
~/~
The sound of the tortured roar bounced off the desert boulders and reached Tessa's ears as the wind blew around her. The sound frightened Chico so badly that he almost threw Tessa, but her experience with horses kept her securely in the saddle. After calming her horse down, she took off, galloping in the direction that the alarming sound had come from.
It took her a moment to reach Grisham, but when she saw him with a book held over his hand, something tightened inside of her. She knew that journal. He was going to throw it into the fire! Something inside of her stirred her to action. She would not let that happen!
The loud crack of a whip made Grisham look up to see his book whipped from his hands and into the Queen of Swords'.
Tessa was angry, although she wasn't quite sure what ticked her off. But she was mad that Grisham wanted to destroy his creations. A small part of her knew that she was disappointed that he wanted to ruin drawings of her.
The Queen of Swords stood quietly waiting for Grisham to start his furious rants. She wasn't let down, Grisham stomped his way towards her.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?!!"
"I could ask you the same, Captain."
"Go away!!!"
"Hmmmm......nice........I didn't know you like Senorita Alvarado." Tessa commented as she leafed through the remaining pages of the battered journal. "Wow. You must like her a lot."
Grisham was suddenly very suspicious of her off-handed comments. "What are you planning? If you hurt her in any way, I'll........"
"You will what? Seems like you're packing for a long trip or moving out of here. Aren't you still the Captain of the Guard?"
That shut him up. He regarded her carefully; he wasn't sure he could trust her enough to tell her anything. "Montoya put me on hiatus."
"Really?!" This peaked the Queen's interest.
"Don't go chafing your corset. I'm sure Gaston or whoever can take over. They don't need me."
*But I need you.*
"Are you serious?! Montoya has him fluffed up like whipped cream, Gaston doesn't even know what's going on under his nose." Tessa couldn't help but burst out laughing at the prospect of the rookie captain taking over Santa Helena."
Grisham couldn't help but grin at the comparison. For once they were actually agreeing on something. Then his grim face reappeared. "I'm not much different."
"What are you talking about?" Her laughter stopped as his statement confused her.
"For one thing, I know what's going on inside Montoya's corrupted mind. I just didn't care. I'm his henchman. What's the difference?" It took courage for him to say that out loud. He remembered when he was trapped inside the mine with the Queen; he had tried to embellish his image by stating his "unique" relationship with the colonel.
\Oh well...........it was going to come out sooner or later.\
"I think you're better than that."
He gaped at the Queen; he couldn't believe what his ears were telling him.
"You saved my life and helped me defeat El Cazador."
"You know I was going to ask you about that. Is there some rivalry between you two?" Grisham wondered aloud.
"Yeah, something like that. And don't try to change the subject!" Tessa scolded.
"Bossy bitch", he muttered under his breath.
"I heard that."
"Look, I helped you because I hate El Cazador's guts. And I saved you because there's no gain for me to kill you. With you gone, I'll be out of a job. My soldiers couldn't handle a butter knife even if God came down and ordered them to. I needed someone who knows how to fight with a sword the way you do."
"So all this time I've been your playmate?!" Tessa was slightly outraged, but deep down she knew it was a rare compliment from the arrogant captain.
His trademark smirk emerged. "Well, yeah. It would be a lot less fun around here without you."
"But you're the one who wants to leave."
"What? You're saying you gonna miss me?"
"Of course not! But aren't you going to miss her?" Tessa indicated her portrait inside the binding.
"Why do you fuckin' care?!" Tessa had hit a nerve. "She seems important to you. Won't she cry because you're leaving her?"
"I doubt if she would cry for me. She doesn't know."
"Huh."
"What?!" The Queen always had a way of annoying him, in the same way that he annoyed her.
"You could just tell her how you feel. Most women would just swoon if some guy told them how beautiful they are and that they love them with all their heart. Of course, I am an exception." Tessa quickly added the last part.
"Sure you are. But Tessa is special. She deserves someone better, as much as my ego hates to admit it. She would never trust me enough to be with me. If you can't see, I'm not exactly grade A material that the daughter of a don would look for." He didn't stop himself from confessing his true feelings. He somehow knew that now the Queen wouldn't betray his trust.
*How can you say that? You don't even know how I feel.*
There it was again. The familiar tension that Grisham felt whenever Tessa was around. Except the Queen of Swords was here with her back towards him instead of her. He rubbed his temples; he was going out of his mind. Probably just thinking about the senorita would simply drive him over the edge.
Turning around to face the captain Tessa tried to put on a sly smile, although her heart was feeling everything but. "If you're going to think that way, maybe you don't deserve her after all. You just assume plainly that she won't even like you the way you are. I think that, inside, you're simply afraid that she really does care for you, but your lack of self- confidence made you think that she would be like the kind of women you've met before. The love em' and leave 'em types like you are merely insecure boys hiding inside their tough masculine exteriors. Maybe it's her luck that you're leaving." Tessa didn't know what came over her, but she felt the need to make things clear to him, even if she wasn't in "person" at the moment. She had finally understood why he had been so cold to her...........he did it to push her away to make her find a better man.
*But I don't want a better man. I want him.*
Grisham stood up in anger. He couldn't believe the Queen had the nerve to say those things in his face, even if she was right. He felt his pride deflate. "So what if you're right? I don't think she would be as 'understanding' as you do!"
Tessa turned around to face him. "Then you really didn't think much of her. You underestimate her too much, Captain."
*Am I that shallow?! He thinks I can't empathize with him!*
\Because Tessa doesn't know. She doesn't know I'm partly responsible for her father's death.\
"You obviously don't know what you're talking about."
Tessa replied with new source of anger. "Oh I think I do. It's apparent that we're both going round in circles and being stubborn as you are I'm not going to argue with you all night. I need get some rest and you need to sort out your feelings regarding Senorita Alvarado, although I doubt you even know how to make the best decisions. Good night, Captain Grisham. Think about what I said." With those last words, Tessa mounted and took off with Grisham's journal in her gloved hands.
"Hey! Give back my book!" He groaned in frustration as the Queen used his journal to wave goodbye in mock respect.
Sighing in despair, he sat back down on the boulder and contemplated his choices. Running his rough hands through his hair, Grisham began to recall all the months seeing Tessa since that fateful kidnapping by El Cazador.
He was so afraid and over protective of her. Keeping her alive and safe had become one of his top priorities. He forgot about self-preservation and constantly worried about her security. And in no time he had become totally besieged by images of her everywhere. He couldn't get her out of his mind. Vera had become a distant memory of the past.
Patting his charger, he whispered, "Should I go tell her, boy? Would she understand?" Montero snorted in response. "You're one lucky horse, you don't have some nice brown mare to get your heart in a twist about."
~/~
*Why can't he see that I am already in love with him?! I don't need a rich somebody to make me happy. I need him, because I'm in love with his compassion, perseverance, and more so since he loves me as well. If he truly loves me, he could've stayed and try to prove his feelings. Instead, he chose the easy way out. He wanted to escape from this place and hopefully I will just forget about him.*
Grumbling under her breath, Tessa changed into her nightgown. She was emotionally exhausted. Being around Grisham always sent her emotions and senses haywire. If she had known long ago that simple banter between him and the Queen would lead to revelations of tormented love, she would have ignored him.
"Ha! If that were so easy! Grisham is not the kind of person one could ignore easily." Tessa declared to her reflection in the mirror over her vanity table.
"He's the kind that quickly insinuates himself into your life and disappears just as fast without your knowledge until you start longing for him. A regular Don Juan if you met one." Her grumbles dribbled down to sleepy mumbles on her bed as Tessa's eyes blinked several times before falling into deep sleep.
~/~
A lone somnolent soldier of Gaston's army came down to the jail cell to check on the wild looking madman on the other side of the bars. El Cazador was to be shipped off the next day and that night the air was filled with the inevitable air of death. However, the soldier lost all thoughts of sleep when he saw the bars of the window had been cut through and a clanking nail file was the only sound in the empty jail cell.
The church bells rang the alarm all throughout Santa Helena, but Huntley took no notice. Since the loss of all his loot due to the failed invasion, he was focused on achieving one of his goals. Huntley was planning on paying a visit to a Senorita Alvarado. If he couldn't recover his financial losses, he was willing to settle for her.
Shushing his horse, he slowly crept towards Tessa's bedroom window. No one could accuse him of being sloppy. Huntley had already memorized the outline of the Alvarado hacienda the moment he set foot in Santa Helena's territory. Teeth gleaming under Diana's light, Huntley smiled through the window to see a sleeping Tessa in her canopy bed. Like a tiger on the prowl, Huntley slowly eased himself into the room after he jimmied the window lock open. Staring bluntly through the thin sheets, he could make out the contours of the young lady dressed in a virgin white cotton nightgown. Thoughts running through Huntley's mind were anything but "virgin".
Tessa had sensed a presence in the room the moment Huntley stuck one of his legs through the window. As he was about to turn her over, Tessa grabbed the hand on her shoulder and flipped him squarely onto her bed. She slid out of the double bed to get her sword. But, snapping out of his daze, he was able to trip her in the dark and Tessa was knocked unconscious by that underhanded deed. He tied her with the rope he managed to steal from the stable; in a matter of minutes he had her placed upon his getaway horse. Kicking his horse to action, Huntley and his unconscious captive took off across the open desert, leaving the hacienda in a large cloud of dust.
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Freezing in his tracks, Grisham felt a pang of dread in his heart. There was something wrong. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something inside was telling him that Tessa was in trouble. It didn't take long for him to get on his charger and take off for the Alvarado hacienda.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ooopps! Sorry for the cliffhanger. You knew that was coming, right?! Anyhoo, thanks for all the people who stuck by me. And you know the drill. So r/r!