Roma Arroyo - The Will Austin Adventure Series. Jackie Boone's Phillips

He sat up, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, and glared around the room in search of the man who had been with him.

      “Roy!” he shouted, his voice hoarse with emotion.

      Startled, Elizabeth asked, “Who is Roy?”

      Will whipped his face around, praying to find another man in the room with him. “Roy is my deputy, and my best friend.” He glanced from the empty room up to Elizabeth, his eyes pleading. “Please, where is he?”

      Elizabeth paused, and Will’s heart sank. He looked deeply into her eyes and read the truth there. “He didn’t survive, did he?” he asked quietly.

      The woman shook her head, her face falling. “No, he was dead when my children found you. You were the only one to survive.”

      Will nodded, closing in on the rest of the memory. “Mary,” he murmured, his eyes drawing shut. The tears came then, as they always did when he thought of his wife. Within moments he could feel them running down his face, wetting the pillow under his head. “Oh Mary,” he moaned.

      The woman above him murmured in sympathy and gathered him to her chest, holding him as he sobbed, and supporting his wounded shoulder. It had been months since he’d felt the warmth and comfort of a woman’s arms, and the action – much to Will’s embarrassment – brought a bout of fresh tears. The loss of his wife, the loss of his friend, the pain of his wounds, and a deep fear for his future came together in a sudden wave of emotion, drowning his relief at finding himself alive. Will resisted, then gave himself up to the emotion, turning his face into the woman’s neck and seeking what comfort he could find there. She held his shaking form until his sobs eased, then laid him gently back down on the bed.

      “Would you like to talk?” she asked quietly.

      Will turned away, wishing with everything in his heart that he didn’t have to. Wishing that there was nothing to talk about. He tried to close his heart off again, to forget what he had suddenly remembered. To go back to the fogginess with which he had awoken, before the pain had torn through his mind. Sighing, though, he turned back to the woman who had saved him.

      “I am sorry for this display of emotion. I know that you are trying to help me. I know you saved my life, and I am very grateful. You have put yourself at great risk for me, though I do not know why. Some part of me recognizes you as a friend, though I cannot explain why. A large part of me wants to trust you.”

      Elizabeth nodded, hesitant to interrupt, and Will continued.

      “Mary is…” he paused, swallowing heavily. “I mean, she was my wife. Roy … was my deputy. I am the Sheriff of Roma, Texas. Roy and I have been looking for a band of Mexican outlaws. The Gomez Gang escaped from jail several weeks ago, and came to my home while I was away for few hours. They murdered Mary.”

      Elizabeth gasped. “The Gomez Gang! I have heard of them.” She paused, thinking. “Why would they come to your house specifically? Were they looking for you?”

      “I was the sheriff that put them all in jail.”

      “So they killed your wife in retribution.” Elizabeth’s voice was low and sympathetic.

      Will nodded silently, then went on. “We had tracked them this far when we decided to stop for the night. We made camp in what must be your forest, and slept. In the morning they ambushed us, though they did not catch us completely defenseless. I shot and killed both the leader, Pedro Gomez, and his younger brother, Santos, who was on a horse to his left. I believe that Roy shot a cousin, Zenon. I also remember the shot that killed Roy. It was from Galeno’s gun. How many bodies did your children find, including Roy’s?”

      Elizabeth thought for a moment. “Three Mexican men and your friend Roy. Four bodies.”

      Will cursed. “That means that two escaped. It must Galeno and Jose. The others were certainly killed.” He tried again to sit up again, but fell back into the bed when his shoulder began to throb.

      Elizabeth reached up and tucked the blanket around his shoulders. “You should really rest, sir. You have some very serious wounds, and will need time to recover. I know your type, and I know that you want to go after the men who escaped, but they will have to wait. Is there anything you need right now?”

      Will sighed, knowing that she was right. He wouldn’t do anyone any good in his current condition, and he would never be able to stand up to the remains of the Gomez Gang on his own, or wounded. “Food,” he said quietly. “I could certainly use some food. And then … if you have nowhere else to be, will you sit with me for a time? The memories that are coming back … I believe that your presence will help to keep away the nightmares.”

      Elizabeth smiled and nodded. “I will go the kitchen now, to get you food. The cook has prepared tamales tonight, and the nourishment will do you good. After you have eaten, we will talk, and you will sleep.”