The Circle Eight: Caleb (25 page)

She grunted but didn’t say anything further. Rory didn’t take her gaze away from what the doctor was doing. Caleb closed his eyes and tried to think about something besides the hot pain ripping through him as the doctor stitched him up.

“There is damage, but it doesn’t appear as though any of the organs were injured. You had an angel on your shoulder, young man.” The doctor chatted away as though he didn’t have his hands stuck in Caleb’s innards.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Rory whispered in his ear.

“Sit by my side and weep for my recovery.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She leaned her forehead against his shoulder. “I don’t belong here, Caleb. I’m a stranger in a strange place, with nothing but my tools and a bad attitude.”

He found himself smiling at her description of herself. “You have a lot more than that, Aurora.”

Instead of asking him what she meant, she asked a different question. “Why do you call me Aurora?”

His mind drifted and he had trouble focusing. “Aurora means the dawn. Did you know Aurora was the Roman goddess of the morning? The first time I saw you, it was the morning and you were hard at work at your forge. I was smitten.”

She chuckled. “Smitten? I don’t think that’s the right word. I tried to smash you with my hammer and smother you with smoke.”

His mind drifted back to the day they met. “I’ve never met a woman who stood toe to toe with me. You impressed me. And then I saw you naked.”

She gasped, something he never expected to hear from her. “Are you mad from the pain?”

“When you were naked and I took care of you, I couldn’t help but touch you.” Caleb forgot where he was and what was going on. He could only picture her smooth skin, taut muscles and beautiful body. “I think I fell in love with you then.”

She pulled her hand away and stood up, her face pale and drawn. “I know you’re out of your head from the pain but now you’re being cruel. I’m leaving before I can’t resist the urge to punch you.”

He tried to focus on her face but his eyes wouldn’t cooperate and her image wavered. “I’m not being cruel. I mean it. Don’t be mad.”

Rory stepped away and he reached for her. She hesitated and then sat back down. He held out his hand and didn’t put it down, although he shook like a leaf in the wind. She finally placed her hand in his and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Almost done, Caleb.” The doctor’s voice reminded him they were not alone. That meant someone else had listened to a private conversation. Caleb’s eyes flew open.

Ah hell.

Eva’s gaze flickered to his and she raised one brow. Caleb couldn’t shrug so he tried to tell her with his eyes that Rory meant a lot to him. No matter how foolish he acted or how blustery she got, there was something between them. Eva would understand.

“Aurora.” Eva tried to get the other woman’s attention.

“Please call me Rory.” Her voice was rough with emotion.

“Rory, could you get a fresh cup of water? I’m going to give him something to sleep.”

“That will shut him up for a while, right?” Rory got to her feet and left him for the sink. She obviously was done talking to him for a while and didn’t want to hear what he had to say.

He listened to her move around the kitchen, pumping water and filling a cup. She walked back to the table and spoke quietly to Eva. After another few moments, Rory stepped back up to his side. She held his neck and pressed the cup to his lips.

“What is it?” he spoke around the tin cup.

“Drink it, Ranger. It’s good for you.” She tipped the cup and he had choice but to swallow or choke. She poured it into his mouth, the gritty flavor making him gag a little.

When she pulled the cup away, he made a face at her. “That tasted like shit.”

Her lips twisted. “You have eaten shit before?”

He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips. “Nope, but I’ve smelled it and that stuff you poured down my throat was close enough.”

“It was laudanum the doctor brought with him. It will help you sleep.” To his surprise, she brushed the hair back from his forehead, a gentle gesture. “You need to heal.”

A wave of sleepiness hit him, followed by a roaring sound in his ears. He fought against it, unwilling to fall asleep because Rory wanted him to. She caressed his cheek and he leaned into her touch. Then promptly fell into the black hole that beckoned.

Rory let out a breath and met the housekeeper’s gaze. The older woman stood up to wrap the bandage around Caleb’s midsection. Rory took the end and together they managed to get the linen secured.

The doctor had risen, moving to the sink to clean his instruments and the basin he had used. Now that Caleb was asleep, things were less tense for Rory. She was still mortified he had talked about her body and being naked, but done was done. The housekeeper didn’t seem like the type of person to tell tales.

“Watch him for fever and seepage. If he gets worse, send one of the boys for me.” The doctor set his tools into his bag and patted Caleb’s shoulder. “He is a strong one. He should be fine.”

“
Sí
, he is strong and he has help to heal.” Eva’s gaze slid to Rory’s for a moment before she went to the door to see the doctor out.

“I’ll speak to Matthew and settle my bill.” The doctor nodded to both women before he disappeared out the open door.

That left Rory alone with an unconscious Caleb and a curious housekeeper. Before she could be interrogated, Caleb’s brothers came in with the two men she recognized from the woods. She didn’t realize so much time had passed since everyone appeared to be home. Her first thought was where Garza’s body was and whether he was on the Circle Eight.

“We’ve come to put him in bed.” Matt gestured to the others and the four of them surrounded the table.

“His bed is still empty. I will put clean linens on there quick.” Eva scurried out of the room.

The men waited, sneaking furtive glances at her. Matt apparently felt sorry for her because he stepped over to speak to her.

“You have blood all over you, Mrs. Foster. We’ll bring the tub in so you can get washed up.”

Rory glanced down, horrified by what she saw. A tub was a logical idea but she didn’t think it was worth the effort.

“I’ll just wash up at the pump in the back. No need to go to any trouble with the tub.” The stickiness of her hands, the coppery stench of blood and the other unnamed stains on her clothes made her stomach heave. It wasn’t all Caleb’s blood. Remnants of the men she’d fought still clung to her.

Suddenly it was very important to get herself clean. She pushed past Matt and out the door. The Graham women were out on the porch talking. They stopped to stare at her as she flew past. She ran around the corner of the house and focused on the red well pump. She yanked off her shirt and threw it on the ground, then pulled off Horatio’s big boots and trousers, putting them all in one pile.

She pumped the handle and squatted in front of the water and let it sluice all over her. A bar of soap sat in a basket next to the pump and she scooped it up. She scrubbed her face and arms, all over her body until her skin stung. Then she scooped up her clothes and did the same.

By the time she was done, her hands were red and raw, and her eyes stung. She didn’t realize she’d been crying until her face remained wet. Rory sat on the ground, half-naked and wet, weeping over the men she had killed.

A warm blanket landed on her shoulders and she shivered at the sudden covering. Hannah stood beside her, clean clothes on her arm. She didn’t look at Rory with pity, thank God, but with sympathy.

“The men are off doing manly chores. No one can see.” Hannah waited patiently while Rory regained her self-control.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Rory struggled to her feet and hugged the blanket around her. “I don’t normally walk around naked behind folks’ houses.”

“You’ve been through a lot the last week. There’s nothing to apologize for.” Hannah averted her gaze as Rory wiped her face on the blanket. Matt’s wife was a wonderful person, sweet and considerate.

Yet Rory felt foolish for what she’d done. “Thank you for bringing me the blanket.”

“Why don’t you slip on these clothes and the boots Catherine outgrew? You’re a bit taller than me but they should fit you. You and I both have ah, large endowments.” Hannah was right on that count. Big tits on both of them. “I guessed on the boots since you wore some that seemed too big.”

Rory took the clothes and dressed quickly, rinsing off her feet and muddy drawers after she slipped on the dress. The boots fit well. She wasn’t one to wear female fripperies but the clean clothes were welcome. It almost took away the darkness of what she’d done earlier. Almost.

“Why don’t you come into the house and have some coffee and dinner? Eva is making ham sandwiches and opening up some pickles and peaches.” Hannah smiled, her easy manner soothing to Rory, still raw and exposed.

Awkward didn’t even describe the feelings Rory experienced walking back into the Graham’s house. Not only was she wearing a dress that was too short, but it was a
dress
. Plus, she had been running around naked in their yard. She wondered how many of Caleb’s family had seen her ripping through the yard in the altogether and scrubbing herself. It didn’t matter, she supposed. The men had already seen her when she pissed on the ash. Eva had overheard Caleb’s embarrassing comments as well. Nothing like a good first impression for the Grahams.

When she stepped into the house, the twins ran up to Hannah calling her Mama. They looked up at Rory with curiosity.

“This is Uncle Caleb’s lady?” The outspoken one, Rory thought it was Meredith, tugged at her dress.

“Yes, I believe she is.”

Just like that Hannah brought her into the house, and into their home. The family all pitched in setting the table, pouring milk, slicing bread. All the while no one stared or whispered at Rory. She watched in amazement as this great big family put a meal on the table together.

How had they created such a jackass like Caleb?

In truth, she saw glimmers of this family in him but he was still heavy-handed and arrogant. He always assumed he was right and everyone else was wrong.

Hannah led her to the table and had her sit on the corner beside her. The twins sat between Hannah and Matt. Everyone else settled into what she assumed was their usual place. The conversation went on around her, no one silent or staring, except for Rory of course. She ate a bit of ham and a slice of bread with one pickle. However she wasn’t in the mood to eat.

She glanced around the table and noted two people were missing. Benjy and Caleb. She assumed the older one was sleeping off the potent laudanum she’d put down his throat. But where was Benjy?

Rory leaned over to her new friend. “Where is Benjy?”

Hannah shook her head. “He is sitting with Caleb. Eva tried to convince him to eat but he said he wasn’t hungry.”

Rory’s mouth dropped open. “Benjy told you he wasn’t hungry? With words?”

“Yes, with words.” Hannah frowned.

“He spoke?”

“Yes, he did.” Hannah glanced around. Everyone had stopped to look at Rory. Exactly what she didn’t want. “Was he silent before?”

“I’ve seen Benjy off and on the last year but he never spoke. All the while we were, ah, traveling together, he never spoke.” Rory glanced around at the family’s faces, expressions of sadness and sympathy met her gaze. “I guess he needed to be with his family to find his voice.”

Silence followed her words and she wanted to stuff them back in her mouth. It wasn’t her business. Hell, she would only be there for a short time. She had to find a way back to her property, to salvage what she could of her life and figure out what to do.

“Thank you.” Matt’s words startled Rory. She turned to look at him over the tops of his daughter’s heads.

“You don’t owe me thanks.”

“We do. All of us. I don’t know how any of this happened, but if Caleb hadn’t met you, he wouldn’t have found Benjy and we wouldn’t have him back.” Matt’s voice Matt’s voice, previously gruff and cold, was now full of emotion. Enough to make her throat tight. “He’s been gone five years and not a day went by that we didn’t miss him. Now, thanks to you, we have him back.”

“It was a series of accidents, I really—”

“No more.” Eva cut off Rory before she could continue. “There are no accidents. God always has a plan and you were part of it. For Benjamin and for Caleb.”

She didn’t want their gratitude because she didn’t feel she deserved it, but she wouldn’t argue. It was enough to be accepted and have a meal to eat, clean clothes. As soon as she knew Caleb was healed, she would make whatever decisions she needed to. For now, she would stay with the Grahams and try not to make too much of an ass of herself. Although she already had a head start.

The rest of the meal passed a bit more quietly and then the crew got to work cleaning up. Eva brought coffee to the older family members while the younger four did the dishes. It was efficient and impressive.

Rory sipped the coffee, strangely content in this family’s house. They put her at ease without meaning to, or perhaps they had meant to. Either way she experienced a measure of peace, at least for a few precious minutes.