The Circle Eight: Tobias (15 page)

“I’ll go.” Tobias waited a moment. “But I’m finishing my coffee first.”
 

“Fair enough. I’ll go fetch a cup myself.” Ellis, a self-satisfied smile on his face, quit the room.
 

“Toby, are you leaving?” Will’s high-pitched voice cut through the silence.
 

“I have to.”
 

“No! You can’t leave me here.” Will looked truly panicked. Tobias didn’t know how to make him feel better. Hell, he was as scared as Will. If he left his younger brother, who would take care of him?
 

“The Doc is here.” Tobias shouldn’t throw responsibility on Rebecca, but he was desperate.
 

“She’s a pretty lady but I don’t know her, Toby.” Will tried to get out of the bed again, His agonized screeches of pain cutting through Tobias’s heart.
 

“Stop!” Tobias shouted and Will froze in mid-motion, his eyes so wide, he looked like a frog. “You need to heal, Will. You can’t come with me, but the Doc will be here. James will be back today. I’m sure of it.”
 

“Who’s James?” Will’s voice shook.
 

Tobias closed his eyes, his gut churning so hard he might have tasted yesterday’s coffee. “Jeb likes to be called James now. You don’t want to hurt his feelings, right?”
 

“No. He’s my brother. It’s not nice to hurt his feelings.” Will had been listening when someone taught him right from wrong.
 

“Then call him James.” Tobias looked at Rebecca. “He had to talk to the doc’s family but he’ll be here with you before you know it.” He damn well better be.
 

“I’m still scared.” Will’s eyes overflowed with tears.
 

Tobias’s heart clenched. “I know, Little Bit, but I have to go. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
 

It could be a year if Tobias ended up with a stupid judge. He was going to do his damndest to make this right for his family. He needed to be the man Pops wanted him to be, the man Tobias could only hope to be.
 

“Don’t leave me, Toby.”
 

Tobias looked to Rebecca for help. Her expression was as pained as he expected his was. She was a good woman, the best he’d ever met, and it wasn’t fair of him to leave his brother in her care. Rebecca might not be married but she obviously had a life of her own. It wasn’t her responsibility to make sure Will was taken care of. Tobias was terrified the young man would be a little boy forever and without someone to care for him, he wouldn’t survive.
 

She took Will’s hand and pressed it to her cheek. “Please don’t be afraid, Will. I promise I will not leave you alone. I’ve been taking care of you, haven’t I?”
 

Will hesitated and then swallowed. “Yeah. You’re very nice.”
 

“Then trust me to take care of you. Tobias does.” She dared him with her eyes to contradict that statement. He wouldn’t because it was true, no matter if she didn’t believe it.
 

“Can I have more eggs?” Will’s attention had been diverted from his fears to his stomach in the blink of an eye. Just like a boy’s would. Tobias didn’t want to accept that a grown man would be a child again for good.
 

“Of course.” Rebecca helped Will eat the eggs while Tobias drank the coffee he didn’t want anymore.
 

When footsteps sounded in the hallway, Tobias set the cup down and managed to swing his legs to the side of the cot. His head swam, but he gritted his teeth and scooted forward until he was at the edge of the thin mattress. Rebecca looked at him with that damn pity again and he surged to his feet.
 

Then promptly held onto the wall so he didn’t fall on his head. Nearly every inch of his body hurt but he was vertical. He wasn’t going to stop now.
 

Ellis stood in the doorway, a tin mug in his hand. “Not feeling so beat up now, Gibson? You’re on your feet.”
 

“He’s swaying on his feet, is likely lightheaded, and would fall if I pushed. No, he’s still beat up, Deputy. Yet you’re still marching him to jail.” Rebecca had that fierce tone again, the one that made him feel as though she could care for him. No doubt it was the same way she protected all her patients, the way she was protecting Will.
 

“Ain’t no use arguing with me now. Let’s get a move on.” Ellis narrowed his gaze. “You gonna give me any trouble?”
 

Tobias wanted to say yes. He wanted to be nothing but trouble, but he wouldn’t. He needed to go with the deputy to keep Will safe. When James got back, he would take over Will’s care. Then Tobias could do what he needed to get free.
 

No matter what he had to do.
 

James rose in the dark and saddled his horse, intent on leaving the Circle Eight before the sun rose. After eating supper with the Grahams, he was still surprised how hospitable they were considering he was a Gibson.
 

He wasn’t sneaking away, at least that’s what he told himself. No, he wanted to head back to Donovan’s and make it there as quick as possible. It was a long ride and he didn’t want to spend another moment at the Circle Eight. He’d slept in the barn with the two ranch hands, the Mexican men who were polite but distant. None of them liked the Gibsons, but at least he wasn’t heading home with missing teeth or broken arms.
 

He didn’t want to admit he was leaving Circle Eight because of her. Miss Catherine Graham was a she-devil with blue eyes and golden-blonde hair. She had stuck to him like a burr and wouldn’t leave him be.
 

No matter what, he had to leave this ranch and never ride on the land again. He’d spent the entire time there trying to think of ways to hide from
Cat.
Hide
! James was a grown man, not a weak little boy who ran from girls.
 

He cinched the saddle and patted his horse on the neck. “Let’s get our asses out of here, boy.”
 

“Why do boys always talk to their mounts?” Her voice cut through the predawn stillness.
 

“Fucking hell.” He refused to look at her, choosing instead to lead his gelding out of the stall, pushing past her slender form.
 

“You weren’t going to say goodbye?” Her teasing tone scraped across his raw nerves.
 

“I talked to your brother last night and we said what needed saying.” James was very aware of every inch between him and the hellion. She had no restraint and followed no rules. He’d never met a female with a set of balls like she sported.
 

“Hmph. Matt is not the only Graham on this ranch.” She walked out of the barn leading her damn horse.
 

“What in the hell are you doing?” he blurted before he could stop himself.
 

“I always go for an early morning ride. Matt used to do it every day when I was growing up.” She shrugged. “I started doing it too when I was ten. He used to send me home but I kept doing it anyway.”
 

He could believe it. The young woman defined stubborn. “I ain’t going for a ride, I’m leaving for home, brat. Now get along and leave me be.”
 

She scowled at him. “Did you call me brat?”
 

James hoisted himself into the saddle. He kneed his horse into motion, ignoring her. He was done with Cat the brat. Time to head back to his own family.
 

Chapter Eight
 

Rebecca hadn’t watched Tobias leave. Her heart had slammed against her ribs while her eyes burned with tears she refused to shed. He’d made a choice to go with the lawman and leave Will in her care. It was a courageous and foolhardy thing to do. She couldn’t judge him for doing something that bordered on noble.
 

Yet she should be angry with him for leaving Will to her care. He didn’t recognize her and, with no word from James, she was now solely in charge of the wounded young man. He was as sweet as a little boy and he didn’t seem to understand anything that was happening.
 

Tobias had left first thing in the morning and now it was just she and Will. Mr. Donovan hadn’t even come to visit all day. The ranch was a busy place and no one had the time to sit around the house, especially considering all that had happened. Ranch hands injured, someone arrested, and now Will’s affliction. No doubt news of it spread around already.
 

She managed to coax him into eating eggs again, which was a good sign. He hadn’t eaten much at all since he’d been wounded. She could see he’d lost some weight in the days she’d been doctoring him. He was still a big man, but he needed sustenance to gain his strength back. With a broken leg, he wouldn’t be working for quite some time. It was up to her to make sure he was cared for.
 

Rebecca was torn between doing the right thing and thinking of herself and her other patients. This young man would heal physically but she feared he would never be the same person again. That meant he would be something of a burden because he had to be watched. A boy trapped in a man’s body could hurt himself or others.
 

The entire situation made her head ache and her heart break.
 

“Is Toby coming back?” Will stared at the doorway.
 

“I don’t know.” She couldn’t lie to him. She had to be truthful but kind. “I know he wants to and will do everything he can to come back.”
 

Will frowned. “Who will tuck me in? I need someone to tuck me.”
 

Rebecca managed a small smile. “I’ll be here until either of your brothers returns, James or Tobias. I won’t leave you.”
 

Just like that she made her decision. If all went well, James had reached the Circle Eight and would walk through the door any moment. She was a poor substitute for Will’s family, especially considering he didn’t remember her. Hell, he didn’t remember the last fifteen years of his life.
She was a shadow in a memory buried in a brain that had been damaged by the weight of a falling tree.
 

Will’s eyes slipped closed and he slept. This was different from the unconscious state he’d been in. This was true sleep and she blew out a breath, pleased to see he was on the mend.
 

She spent a few hours cleaning her bag, cataloging what herbs she’d used and entering notes on the treatments. It was quiet, peaceful and the afternoon passed in relative peace.
 

“Where’s Tobias?” James’s voice startled her and she dropped her pen. The nib dribbled ink on the floor and she dropped to her knees with a handkerchief to wipe it up.
 

“You scared me.” She looked up to find a dirty, whiskered, angry James.
 

“Who is that, Miss Becky?” Will had decided she needed a nickname too and called her Becky all day. His eyes were wide and frightened as he stared at his brother.
 

“Will?” James’s attention snapped to his younger brother. “He woke up.”
 

Rebecca smiled at Will and took his hand. “This is your brother James. You used to call him Jeb.” She glanced at James’s confused expression. “James, Will is confused about things.”
 

“Including who I am? That’s crazy.”
 

Will shrank back against the harsh words. “He’s not Jeb. Jeb don’t have any whiskers and he’s not a mean, scary man.”
 

James scowled at her. “Fix him.”
 

She gritted her teeth. “I can’t fix him. He is scared and you’re making things worse.” It was worse than when Tobias was there. He at least showed his brother kindness and patience. Unlike how he normally behaved. Tobias was the rudest person she ever met. It surprised her to see how gentle he could be.
 

“Why don’t we go outside in the hallway and talk?” Rebecca tried to stand but Will hung onto her arm like a two-hundred-pound bracelet.
 

“You said you wouldn’t leave me!”
 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll be right back.”
 

“No!”
 

James watched the byplay then yanked off his hat and slapped it on his leg. “At least my family is my problem. And here I’m away from your crazy family.” He plopped down onto the floor and braced his arms on his knees. “I’m sorry if I scared you, Will.”
 

Rebecca was surprised again by a Gibson. These men were rough around the edges, but they showed their love for each other when it mattered. She let out the breath she’d been holding.
 

Will leaned forward and peered at James. “Jeb?”
 

“I haven’t used that name for some time. Do you think you can call me James?”
 

“I guess so.” Will shrugged. “How come you and Toby got beards?”
 

“You have one too.” James smiled as Will felt his cheeks.
 

“Oh my God, I have a beard!” He looked at Rebecca. “You didn’t tell me.”
 

It was her turn to shrug. “I think you all look handsome with a beard.”
 

“I’m handsome too?” Will frowned. “I don’t like girls, Miss Becky, and especially don’t want one to think I’m handsome.”
 

Rebecca swallowed the smile that threatened. “I will keep that in mind.”
 

James caught her gaze. “Where is Tobias?” He patted the cot. “Last I saw him he could barely open one eye and now he’s gone.” The graveness of his tone told Rebecca he thought the worst.
 

“Toby had to leave with the bad man with the shiny star. He promised he’d be back.” Will answered before Rebecca could think of a suitable reply.
 

“He got arrested?” James’s brows slammed together. “Son of a bitch.”
 

“He didn’t want to go but he didn’t want to stir up more trouble. The men he fought with filed a complaint. Said he’d gone crazy and hurt them.” Rebecca had trouble accepting any judge would believe one man had overpowered three. Particularly given the extent of his injuries. She should have gone with him but she promised Will she wouldn’t leave him. Now things had changed now that James had returned.