The Circle Eight: Caleb (20 page)

“Then let’s get moving.” He vaulted back into the saddle then leaned back to speak to Benjy. “You’re gonna have to hang on to me as much as you can. If you don’t, you might fall off and might get trampled by that mule.”

Benjy nodded and carefully placed his arms around Caleb’s waist, locking his hands. Satisfied the boy wouldn’t fall off, he kneed Justice into motion, waiting for Rory to start moving. When he heard the mule’s hooves behind him, he leaned down low and whistled in the gelding’s ear.

Soon they were flying through the night, moving as fast as they could to the Circle Eight. He could only hope they would be on time to stop whatever Garza had planned. If anything happened to his family, Caleb would tear the world apart until he hunted down that blond bastard.

They rode hard for two days, only stopping to water the animals or take care of personal needs. When Cora went down, Rory was nearly asleep in the saddle. The sun crept over the horizon, bathing the world around them in orange. She was nodding off, even as they tore across the countryside, the wind whipping around her.

Then the mule with the heart of gold was suddenly gone and Rory flew through the air, too surprised to do anything but tuck into a ball and roll when she landed. She had the wind knocked out of her, but she didn’t suffer any injuries other than some scrapes and bruises. Perhaps being half-asleep had saved her life.

She scrambled to her feet and tried to shake off the shock of the fall. Caleb hadn’t noticed what happened. He was a hundred yards away and nearly out of sight before she called to him. He immediately pulled his horse to a stop, almost unseating both of them.

Rory turned to Cora and found the mule lying on her side, her chest heaving, mouth frothing. She had given everything to her mistress, riding herself into the ground. Rory dropped to her knees and petted her neck. The mule’s brown eye looked up at her, full of pain.

“I’m sorry, girl.” She took the canteen off the saddle and dribbled some into the animal’s mouth. The froth covered her muzzle, giving her the appearance she’d been eating bubbles instead of dying on her feet.

Caleb’s hand landed on her shoulder. He didn’t speak platitudes or yell at her for letting the mule get to this desperate point. She appreciated that since her throat was tight with emotion. It was just an animal, but her impending death hit Rory like a fist to her gut. When she’d left her home, she had been half-awake and frightened. Now she was healing and very much conscious of what she’d lost.

Now she was about to lose another connection to her life, a thread broken. She had her father’s hammer and tongs, but everything else was gone. Perhaps never to come back into her life again.

“Fucking hell.” She pressed her forehead into Cora’s neck.

“I like a woman who knows how to cuss.” Caleb rubbed her back. “That way I don’t have to do it all.”

She appreciated his attempt at humor but it didn’t make a dent in her grief. Her throat worked to clear the tears she swallowed. She grieved for not only the mule, but for everything she’d lost in her life, which by her count, was a long list.

Benjy knelt beside her, petting Cora’s snout. The mule closed her eyes at his touch, and Rory could have kissed the boy for his sympathy. She wasn’t surprised to see him comfort the animal; the Graham family obviously cared a great deal about each other and that translated to those around them. She envied their closeness and the abundance of family.

“What do you want to do, Rory?” Caleb rubbed the center of her back.

It was cruel to let Cora suffer, knowing she would never recover from the injuries and damage to her body. The mule was already fifteen years old. She’d been her father’s purchase, much to her mother’s dismay. Rory had ridden the animal since then and she’d been a companion of sorts.

She would have to say good-bye.

With one last pet for Cora, Rory got to her feet, trembling with regret and sadness. She uncinched the saddle and started pulling things off the mule’s body. Benjy helped and she was glad of it. After she made a pile of everything she owned, which was a small pile, she turned to Caleb.

“Put her out of her misery.”

His expression was grim as he nodded and pulled his pistol from the holster. She turned away, unable to watch. The shot was muffled but loud enough to make her body jerk in response. It was done. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared down at the remnants of her life sitting in the dirt in the shadows of a Texas night.

Caleb stepped up beside her. “We’re about ten miles from my family’s property line. If we stick to the trees, you and Benjy can ride and I’ll lead you through.” He looked up at the sky. “Sun will rise in about three hours. We can make it.”

She nodded, unable to speak.

“We can come back for the saddle and blanket. I’ll tuck it over by that big oak. The rest of it we can bring with us.”

She appreciated his consideration for her things. Keeping at least most of it with her would help a little. Benjy crept up beside her and leaned against her. She put her arm around him and stood there with the two new men in her life, two Grahams, with a pitiful excuse for a woman and blacksmith between them. Her world couldn’t possibly get any worse.

An hour later, she knew she’d been wrong. The sounds of dozens of galloping hooves echoed through the night. Caleb stopped and looked up at her, his face grim.

Garza.

Matt Graham sat on the front porch in a rocking chair, staring off into the night. Ever since Elizabeth had raced up to him the day before talking of a blond man and a posse chasing Caleb, he’d been worried. More than that, he wanted to protect his younger brother but he didn’t know how.

He paced the house, then the front porch and the barn, until everyone, including the horses, kicked him out. Now he sat and waited. It stuck in his craw that he did nothing to help. His wife had lectured him on his responsibilities and his children, the ranch and his other siblings. He knew she was right but that didn’t make it any easier.

Matt was the oldest, the leader of the Circle Eight and when one of his family was in danger, he couldn’t sit idly by and do nothing. He needed to figure out what his brother was doing and how to help him.

The front door creaked and a figure stepped out onto the porch. Elizabeth was the tallest of the girls and easily recognizable even in the gloom of the night.

“Why are you up?”

“Same reason as you I reckon.” She sat in the chair beside him and rocked gently. “I don’t like doing nothing. You didn’t see those men, Matt. They meant to kill him for whatever he did.”

She sounded so damn grown up, it made him pause to soak it in. She’d turned sixteen and that didn’t mean she was a woman, but her actions and attitude told him she was.

“I sure as hell don’t like it either but I don’t even know where to start.” He stretched out his legs and crossed his arms. “If I could figure out where he was maybe I could help him.”

She was quiet for a few minutes and the sounds of the night echoed around them. “I’ve been thinking about all the facts and I think we have a place to start.”

Matt was immediately on alert. “I’m listening.”

“Caleb’s assignment to kick the squatter off the land? It was a blacksmith named Foster, about two hundred miles north of here near Marks Creek.” Elizabeth sounded quite sure of herself.

“How do you know all that?”

“I went through his saddlebags and found his orders.” She didn’t sound the least bit apologetic about going through her brother’s private things.

“You little sneak.” He was both surprised and impressed by what she’d done.

“I didn’t want to tell you because I figured you’d be mad but now it’s been a whole day and we still haven’t seen him.” She sighed but it didn’t appear to be with remorse. “I want to do something but a woman alone is no match for seven armed riders.”

“A woman is no match for one armed rider.” Matt wasn’t expecting the knuckle punch to his arm. “Ow!”

“Don’t ever think a woman can’t do something. We are strong, smart and capable, same as any man.” She bared her teeth, shining white in the moonlight. Damned if she didn’t look as fierce as any soldier he’d met. Where had sweet little Elizabeth gone?

Matt held up his hands. “I promise I won’t. Don’t punch me again. You only get one free pass in this family.”

“Fair enough. But you did deserve it.” She crossed her arms. “I figure something happened with the smithy, something that involved this rich blond man. Caleb does what he thinks is right no matter if he puts himself in danger. He always has.”

“Truer words were never spoken. He always knew how to find the mischief.” Matt had tried to rein in his brother, but there was no stopping a force that strong. “He could be anywhere between there and here. Two hundred miles is a long distance.”

“It’s a big hunting ground too.” Elizabeth’s reminder of the posse made Matt’s gut clench. “If we ride out with you, me, Nicholas, Javier and Lorenzo, we can fan out and head north. Ride close enough to hear a gunshot if we find something. We look until we find him or he finds us.”

It was a damn good plan. He didn’t want to show her too much enthusiasm yet. She was a girl and only sixteen. Obviously she’d gotten a bigger share of brains than most folks though. Smarter than most of them put together. He ran through what she said and stopped on the one suggestion he couldn’t abide.

“You’re not going with us.”

“Oh yes I am, and you can’t stop me. I can saddle my own horse, load my own rifle and ride faster than everyone except Catherine. You won’t keep me from this, Matt. I will go whether or not you like it.” This time she not only looked like Mama, she sounded like her.

Matt still missed his parents, but the reminder of just how much the younger siblings had lost was painful. Elizabeth had been eleven, a tender age before womanhood changed her. Losing their mother had forced her into growing up faster. Now she was a woman, hell, she could be married by now. It might kill him if she decided to do that, but he would accept it. However, letting her risk her life against a pack of angry, armed men? Not a chance.

“I don’t like it and I won’t let you go.” He ignored her sharp intake of breath, knowing the conversation wasn’t over with. She would probably wake up Hannah and Eva who would browbeat him until he gave in and let his little sister take up arms.

Matt knew he had little time to act before that happened. He left the porch and headed for the bunkhouse in the barn to wake up Javier and Lorenzo. It was time to do something to help his brother and fight for the Grahams.

Chapter Eight

Caleb heard the horses coming and knew there was little time to lose. It could be his family but he doubted it. They didn’t know where he was or what he was doing. Besides whoever rode those horses had no regard for their safety. In the deep recesses of the woods, there were plenty of dangers ready to snap a horse’s leg. That likely meant the horses were led by Garza, hunting them. Probably found the mule’s carcass and picked up their trail.

Damn.

They had at least five miles before hitting the property line for the Circle Eight. The only advantage he saw was his knowledge of the land and terrain. Garza was a stranger, one who was driven by dark thoughts without regard for anything but what he wanted. Caleb had spent most of his childhood here. He knew it better than anyone.

“Ride hard due south, follow the tree line until you see a big banyan tree. That’s the Circle Eight.” He didn’t expect Rory’s response.

“And leave you here without a horse and only one gun against however many men he has?” She scowled at him. “Not in a million years.”

“Jesus, Aurora, would you stop fighting me for once? I need to get you and Benjy to safety. You want to put him in danger because of your own stubbornness?” He held the reins so tightly, Justice tossed his head in protest.

“It’s not stubbornness. Together we can do better than apart. To hell with your manly stupidity.”

To Caleb’s consternation, Benjy speared him with the same expression Rory did. He told himself to hang onto his anger and not let it loose. They didn’t know they were acting like fools, either that or they didn’t care.

“Let’s keep moving. Together.” She kneed Justice and the damn gelding started moving. Caleb growled at them.

“You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Then we go down fighting. I won’t run like a coward to leave you to fight my battles. I made the choice to leave with you and help Benjy escape. I won’t turn yellow now.” She pointed south. “Run alongside and we’ll all get there together.”

Caleb wanted to argue with her but there was no time. He started running to keep with the horse. They wouldn’t get far at this pace, but he needed time to figure out what to do. At least moving meant they were getting closer to his family’s ranch and safety. He wouldn’t let Garza get his hands on Benjy again. No matter what he had to do.

He led the way, sprinting through the woods until he thought he might burst from breathing so hard. His discomfort didn’t matter though. All that mattered was getting to the ranch.

Justice stayed behind him, keeping his big body between Caleb and whoever was chasing them. The first bullet strike on a tree nearby startled him and he tripped on a tree root. Justice reared up, avoiding stomping his master to death, but unseating Rory and Benjy. The two of them hit the ground and rolled.