Exiled to an abandoned presidio in southwestern Texas, Father Alonzo Vargas is accustomed to being utterly alone except for his white donkey, Angelica. He is also fully acquainted with the corrupt and rotten sheriff, John Cullen, the man responsible for his semi-permanent exile. When he finds a victim of the sheriff hanging upside down from a tree, he immediately cuts the man down and vows to nurse him back to health.<br><br>Ben McKinnon has never done anything to cross Sheriff Cullen -- except defend the land he inherited from his father. The land Cullen covets. He's surprised when the exiled priest makes it clear that he will not only be a nurse, but will also become Ben's ally in the fight against Cullen. He's even more shocked when he realizes he doesn't just want Father Alonzo as a friend. Ben cherishes the other man's mind, his body, and his heart.<br><br>But Alonzo is not a free man. And if Sheriff Cullen has his way, they will both be dead men.

Those Who Cherish

“Sometimes. It’s been worse since I was sent to this presidio. I get bored with the sound of my own voice.” More water rolled down Ben’s spine, the drops running into each other and growing fat before sliding off his skin. The heat from the low fire dried them quickly. Alonzo’s hands followed the path of the droplets. “I write to them when I can be reasonably sure the post will eventually make it to them. But that’s not often.”


“I sometimes wonder if it would be worth it to find my mother’s tribe. To see if they would take me in as one of their own.” He caught his breath when Alonzo set the wet rag against the worst of the welts, one laid open and bare by multiple strokes of Cullen’s whip. He’d been able to ignore the pain from it by focusing on the overall throb, but now, with such careful attention focused on it alone, that was impossible. Several seconds went by before he was comfortable exhaling again.


Chapter 13