Texas Homecoming

Texas Homecoming by Leigh Greenwood

Book: Texas Homecoming by Leigh Greenwood Read Free Book Online
Authors: Leigh Greenwood
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in the lake.” He gazed at the tub with a smile of anticipation. “Sinking in water up my neck will be a wonderful pleasure.”
    For most Texans, taking a bath on a regular basis wasn’t of primary importance. Water had to be carried inside by hand and heated with scarce fuel. As for bathing outside, no sensible man dived into a river in south Texas withoutfirst checking for poisonous snakes—and the water level. Most rivers went dry in the summer.
    Women
never
bathed in public.
    Owen and Jessie had volunteered to gather firewood. Earl spent the day at the corral, criticizing everything Cade and his friends did.
    “You going to work the kinks out of that buckskin?” he asked Cade when it came down to the last horse. It was late in the afternoon, and all the men were tired. Holt was looking longingly at the bath. Tendrils of steam had begun to rise from the surface of the water. “You can’t keep expecting your friends to do all the work for you. You could learn a few things from that Rafe fella, though. I don’t much like outsiders, but he knows how to handle a horse.”
    Pilar didn’t see that Rafe was any better than Cade. They were both tall and slim waisted with powerful shoulders. They both walked like they’d been born in boots and rode a horse like they didn’t know any other way to get from place to place. Rafe had been thrown one time more than Cade, even though they’d ridden the same number of horses.
    She had been counting.
    “Well, you’d better get on that horse if you’re going to,” Earl said. “I’m getting hungry for my supper. Ain’t it about time you start bustling about in the kitchen?” he asked Pilar.
    “It’ll be ready as soon as the men finish their baths.”
    “Baths!” Earl said with disgust, as though being clean was something to be ashamed of. “I can’t see why you want to go taking a bath. You’ll just get dirty all over again tomorrow.”
    “Then we’ll have to take another bath,” Cade said.
    “There’s not enough wood between here and Mexico forthat many baths. What do you think that girl will use to cook your supper?”
    “You won’t starve, old man. Now I’d better climb on that buckskin. I don’t want him to feel left out.”
    “You’re the one’s going to be left out when he pitches you tail first over the corral fence.”
    Cade had called his grandfather
old man
most of the day. She figured it was a sign of affection. He had been careful to make sure Earl didn’t get on any of the bad horses, but he’d also tried to make sure he didn’t feel left out. He asked his advice on which horses they ought to keep, which they might consider selling. He even asked whether Earl thought he should breed any of the Virginia mares to a young sorrel stallion he decided not to geld.
    “You won’t get nothing you can use,” Earl had said. “Those mares are too long-legged and skinny-rumped. Look at the hindquarters on that buckskin. He’s got enough power to throw you from here to San Antonio, then chase down a half dozen ornery steers.”
    Cade had pointed out advantages to be gained from the mares’ height and streamlined conformation. As testimony to his grandson’s persuasiveness, Earl had agreed it might be an interesting experiment.
    Cade had discarded his Confederate uniform for some old clothes, but his body had filled out during the last four years. Watching him move about in pants that fit him like a second skin kept Pilar in a state of constant turmoil. She couldn’t tell whether the heat in her face came from the fire or the internal flame ignited by the sight of Cade’s muscled thighs gripping the sides of a horse, his hand brushing dirt from his bottom after he landed in the dust. He had a habit of sliding his hands into his back pockets when he stopped to talk with one of the men. Pilar wonderedwhat it would be like to put
her
hands on his bottom.
    Even when she wasn’t looking at him, she could visualize his hands pressed tightly against

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