“I would never ask you to make that choice. Your family is a part of you. I may not know them all as well or love them nearly as much yet. But I am very fond of them. Whatever happens with Kid, he is your brother. And just let him come home and try to ignore you.” Her chin lifted.
Catching her needle wielding hand beneath his, he brushed his mouth over hers and smiled. “Yes, ma’am.” Nuzzling a kiss along her jaw, he teased the spot of her throat where her pulse suddenly beat rapidly.
“Jason,” she admonished. “We’re in the salon.”
Tracing his tongue in a lazy circle, he spared a minute section of his mind to scan the house. Miss Annabeth was upstairs with the babies. Lena was heading away from the house, a lunch basket in her hand and Noah on her mind. No one else was present. “We’re alone, we’re still newlywed and you said I should stop fretting.”
And he’d locked the door.
Tugging the sewing out of her hands, he tossed it on the table. Shutting the rest of the world out for the present, he lost himself in the pleasure of making her blush and moan.
* * *
It was a couple of hours before dawn when he made his third attempt. Leaving Olivia sleeping, he’d dressed and gone downstairs to the sitting room. He’d discussed what he needed to do with Sage and Scarlett. Twice before he’d tried without the amplifier present, but either the distance was too great or—as Olivia had pointed out—Jason’s concern hampered his reach. No matter which was truth, he was ready to try with the boost from the amplifier’s presence. Fortunately, she didn’t have to be awake to help. He’d only asked that she not dampen down her ability for the duration of the night.
Hands clasped, he bowed his head and reached. Over the years, he’d experimented with the extent of his capabilities. Most new minds required some form of eye contact, even in passing, for initial contact. However, once he’d seen a mind, all he had to do was be in the vicinity. Closing Kid out for years might have repercussions, but like with his father or Sam and Micah, Jason always recognized his brother’s mind.
He’d had to, in order to close them out.
And I’ve always known Olivia’s… Beneath that knowledge wriggled an understanding he’d failed to grasp before. Of course he knew Olivia’s mind, he’d read, recognized, and protected her from that first meeting. Was it possible for an emotion to create a muscle memory in his mind? So that it would react specifically to her.
Filing the thought away for future reference, Jason concentrated on his brother. Hearing nothing, and sensing less, he scowled.
“Relax,” Olivia’s voice whispered through his mind. She’d woken up. He would have to apologize. The safe spot in his mind, the place he kept her tucked away and safe muted her voice, but it still managed to resonate within him. “He feels things. Think about how you feel about him.”
Blinking, Jason glanced up at the ceiling as though he could see through the layers of the house to his wife. Had she given him the thought or had he only imagined it? No sooner did he form the question in his mind than he almost heard her impatient chuckle. “You love your brother, Jason. Use it.”
It had to be the most ridiculous—and ingenious idea. Guarding his emotions against Kid was second nature now, but he had to trust his brother if he wanted his brother to hear and perhaps one day trust him again. Resistance turned his muscles taut. Sleep. He sent to Olivia and barricaded that part of his mind further so she could rest. Opening himself to Kid was one thing, not her.
Loving her even more for her support and willingness to understand what even he didn’t, Jason added another layer to the barrier. Only when he found nothing but absolute peace and the certainty that she was safe on the other side of it, did he turn her words over in his mind.
He loved his brother. He reached.
Can you hear me?
Nothing.
Shaking his head, he closed his eyes. He thought back to his childhood—to laughing in the loft. To games played in the kitchen under the watchful eye of Miss Annabeth. To teaming up to play a prank on Micah. To arguments over toys. To the tearful face of his brother when their father disappointed him by not allowing Jason or Kid to join he, Micah and Sam on a long round up. Jason had given him a hand-carved horse he’d saved up his nickels to buy—it had made Kid smile even through the fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
The memory of his brother’s smile, and the trust shining in his eyes dislodged a stone inside Jason’s soul. It tumbled away with a crash and he reached, stretching out to find his baby brother. CAN YOU HEAR ME?
The connection reverberated as he locked onto his brother’s mind, miles and miles away.
Yes. Came the pained reply. Loud.
Shock and accomplishment ballooned in his chest. It took him a moment to consider his mental volume. Sorry, better? He’d meant no harm and wanted to kick himself for making the initial link too broad.
Much. Thank you. Gratitude echoed beneath the response. It was so much more than Jason expected that he nearly lost the thread of the connection altogether.
Difficult to reach you. It was a first for him, so he tried to compartmentalize, narrowing the focus to only his brother and shutting out all other distractions. Trying to adjust my focus to create a finite connection. Attempting to compensate. It might not make sense to Kid, but sweat slicked Jason’s back and he struggled to keep his respiration under control. The lack of immediate rejection, and the nuance of humor so similar to Kid’s natural voice elicited a shockwave of relief. He sent a flurry of thoughts about the search for the men hunting Evelyn.
Say again? Kid’s voice garbled, sharpened, and then muted again. It was like talking through a wall. But was it his wall or Kid’s? Hard to hear all of that.
Deciding to parcel the information. He paused every three to four syllables. Cody and Micah went to San Antonio regarding the matter of Evelyn Lang.
Go on. Kid encouraged him, and the words were sharper, closer and held interest.
Three men had been asking questions about her.
Are they still there? Anger discolored the words and the mental punch had Jason clenching his fists. It was impossible to mute the contact without losing it entirely, but he focused on his breathing. Calm. Kid’s anger wasn’t his. The protectiveness threading through the words was an echo of Jason’s own where Olivia was concerned. Evelyn Lang meant a great deal to his brother.
Certain he had it under control, Jason responded. Not at the moment. Micah said they arrived nearly three weeks after Miss Lang. They stayed about a month, but no one was willing to betray the Kane name.
So it’s a dead end?
Disappointment and frustration coated his mental voice. Kid’s emotions translated more cleanly in his thoughts than anything else. Olivia had been right about that. It didn’t prepare him for the appearance of Kid and a blonde woman sitting astride their horses in the middle of the sitting room.
Power surged through him and pulled. He locked up his mind, buttoning Olivia more securely and stared. “Kid?”
A second later they vanished.
What the hell?
Did you just see me? The uncertainty in the question mirrored Jason’s startlement. Jaw clenching, Jason studied the room and split his focus long enough to scan the house. Everyone seemed asleep and no strange minds lurked near his, but he’d sensed something in that surge.
Yes. Worry hardened the edge of the word. What was that?
Hold on.
And they reappeared, the power surge dragged through him, but he was braced for it this time and on guard. Kid and the woman who must be Evelyn sat astride their horses, hands clasped.
“Can you see us now?” Kid’s voice echoed inside and outside of Jason’s mind. It was the strangest experience and unsettled the hell out him.
“Yes. Explain please.” Rigid control maintained the contact, but it took every effort of his concentration to keep that drain away from the partition in his mind safeguarding Olivia.
“One moment. Evelyn, are you ok
ay?” Kid shunted all of his attention to the woman. The softness on his face and genuine concern rang an alarm. The third mind Jason felt pulling from him was hers. How much influence was she wielding over Kid? And was it reciprocal interest or someone using his brother?
He hoped for the former because if it were the latter, she would regret it.
“He’s not real. I’m—I can feel my gift working…” A trace of the north hung on her words and her expression held both disbelief and real fear.
Kid’s expression relaxed and filled with mirth. “He is real. Jason was reaching out to me mentally and I had to lower my shields. Then you touched me.” His delight and understanding dragged Jason’s attention to him. A sudden burst of laughter from Kid eased some of Jason’s worry, but the moment he felt the worry leeching away he frowned. Was Kid doing it? Or was seeing his happiness really helping the concern Jason felt?
The woman, Evelyn, scowled at his brother. “That’s impossible. I don’t create real people. Well, not real real. I can’t have brought him here.”
Interesting talent and Jason considered the possibilities. Sage had amplified him and he’d reached his brother. Could the connection have fed the amplification through? “Improbable, but with a magnification effect of his emotional gift and my telepathic reach, not impossible.” He approached them, but the image flickered and resumed so they were always at an equal distance from him. “I cannot interact with your environment. I see you both on horseback, standing in the middle of the sitting room.”
Kid swung his head around and gawked at him. “Ma’s sitting room?” The wince, the worry, and the ripe “oh hell” in his expression amused Jason. Their father would have killed them all if they’d brought real horses into the house.
Jason knew, since he and Kid had actually tried it with a pony once.
“Yes.” He couldn’t help chuckling, and sought to soothe his brother’s worry. “Pa is in bed. I wanted to do this when there were few distractions because I wasn’t sure of my actual reach. I don’t think either of you can interact with my environment either. Try moving.”
Evelyn made a squeaking noise, but Kid jutted his chin forward. “Nudge Samson a couple of steps, darling.” The horses paced forward and stopped. Kid and Evelyn still held hands, but they didn’t actually move in the room. It intrigued the hell out of him and finding no other nascent threat through the contact, he let himself marvel at it.
“Fascinating.” Evelyn said the word in the same breath that Jason did.
“Well, that’s different,” Kid agreed.
The pull grew more intense and fatigue flooded through his muscles. If the woman’s gift created the images, and the connection with Kid transmitted them—they’d likely need a lot of energy. He knew some of it was coming from him and he monitored the pull, but didn’t cut it off. “With the uncertainty of what this is doing to either of you, let’s be brief. The three men remained in San Antonio for a month, but their hunt continued to be unsuccessful. To the best of our recollection, no one from the ranch visited the town during that period, however some of our workers building Dorado did.”
Kid’s expression hardened. He understood what it might mean. “And?”
“It is possible that they did give those men information about the ranch and the family. Three men fitting their description were seen at the fort as recently as a couple of weeks ago. Jimmy and Shane will confirm later today.” It was unfortunate he’d not thought to look for them when he’d gone to deal with Stanley. It would have saved everyone some aggravation.
“That’s three, where’s the fourth?” Kid asked.
“I have no information about the fourth and no actual visual to work from. The dreaming Quanto shared with all of us didn’t have enough accurate details.” Buck had pulled him into the dreaming with the shaman twice, but the indistinct images weren’t much to go on. Narrowing his focus on his brother, he tried a separate track to communicate with him only. Do you think she would show me?
Dislike tightened the lines around Kid’s eyes, but he nodded slightly and glanced at Evelyn. Following his brother’s gaze, Jason frowned. She did not look well. Kid must have agreed, because he asked, “Hey, is this hurting you?”
“Very fatigued.” Her whisper faded as Kid pulled free and the hard drag on Jason ceased. Blowing out a breath, Jason stared at where they’d been. His brother looked good, better than he had in all the months before he’d left for the mountain. Healthier—happier. She’s exhausted… Kid’s voice came through the channel they’d created cleanly. I’ll see about the image later.
No worries. Jason assured him. He’d scan every mind in the fort and San Antonio if that was what it took. He’d find those three and deal with them accordingly. Closing down the connection, he began to separate himself from his brother and then paused. Kid?
Yes? The immediate response added a board to the jagged chasm between them.
Thank you for trusting me. He didn’t try to bottle his emotions this time. He’d missed his brother.
A flicker of feeling—one Jason couldn’t quite identify—and then a measure of chagrinned humor. Thanks for not giving up on me.
Staggered, Jason sat down and exhaled harshly. Did he dare push it when it had gone so well? Talk when you’re home?
Yes.
The connection closed and Jason drew everything back, shutting out the world and then the sense of his brother faded. He was safe, for the time being, and happy. That was why his laughter had been so jarring, it had been a long time since Jason heard it. Something damp hit the back of his hand and he glanced down at the teardrop turning to ice on his skin.
His baby brother was well. Determination flooded through him. He had to find those men. Remove the blade of the threat pointed in Kid’s direction and make sure he stayed well. Swiping a hand across his eyes, he rose on shaking legs. Exhaustion swarmed over him.
Sleep first and then he’d hunt.
* * *
Three Days Later
* * *
“You’re sure they were there?” Jason checked the ties on his saddle and cut a look towards Jimmy. The sharpshooter nodded, and Shane, Jimmy’s personal shadow of late, echoed the nod a moment later. He trusted their judgment, but he still wanted to know why he was certain.
“Yes,” Jimmy repeated, with only a hint of the impatience on his face creeping into his voice. “I’ve made a habit of studying the way soldiers move. These three don’t walk like soldiers and they’re a fidgety bunch. The minute someone identified us as from the ranch, they made themselves scarce.”
“Then they tried to trail us back.” Shane laughed and it wasn’t a friendly sound. “Jimmy wouldn’t let me take care of them.” Nearly as tall as Jimmy and as broad in the shoulders, Shane was more man than boy, but too close to the line for anyone to be comfortable letting him ride headfirst into violence.
“Go find something useful to do,” Jimmy told him, but Shane balked.
“They’re at the fort then.” Olivia’s voice washed over Jason and he turned. She stood a few feet away, one hand on the fence that ran parallel to the barn entrance. She’d worn a bonnet, but the sun warmed her face and glinted off her silvery eyes. Her walking stick in hand, he resisted the urge to snarl at her because she was alone.
She’d given him far more than a couple of weeks before throwing off the blanket of protection he kept over her. At least, in this, she’d come directly to him. “Yes.” He gave the girth one last tug before walking over to her. “I’m going to the fort. I could be a few hours.”
Olivia didn’t care for this plan, but she’d been nothing but supportive. Confronted with the reality that he planned to deal with those men one way or the other—he’d prepared himself for rejection. Behind him, Jimmy tore a verbal strip of Shane’s hide in a series of low-toned remarks. But if Jason were aware of it, chances were Olivia heard every word.
“Be safe.” She brushed her fingers down his cheek. “I expect to find no new injuries or scars when you come h
ome, and I will inspect every inch of you for even a scratch.”
The fist around his heart gentled. “Yes, ma’am.” It was as meek as he could manage. Anger tinged with worry ratcheted up in Jimmy’s voice, and Olivia pressed her fingers to Jason’s lips.
“Shane,” she called and the argument ended abruptly. “Would you be so kind as to escort me to the house? I feel a little turned around.”
Had he not been staring at her when she said it, the vulnerable catch in her voice would have worried him, but the corners of her lips twitched and she caressed his cheek once before turning expectantly in Shane’s direction. The younger man looked poleaxed.
“Please?” she added with the barest hint of fatigue. “It was a long walk down from the house.”
“You are a wicked little vixen,” Jason murmured, impressed beyond all measure when Shane dismounted and his grumbling ceased. He gave Jason a polite look and took Olivia’s arm gently. She threaded her arm through the younger man’s and rested a hand on the crook of his elbow.
“Remember what I said, Jason.” She smiled at him, and then turned the wealth of her charm on the younger man. “So, Shane, tell me about you. I don’t think we’ve had that much time to chat.”
Jimmy walked up behind him and let out a low whistle as Shane, ears red and his head ducked, led Olivia up to the house. “She handled that beautifully.” Admiration punctuated the sentence.
“She knows just how to get her way.” Jason shook his head and caught the interest in Jimmy’s expression. Eyes narrowing he studied the other man.
“Almost a pity you saw her first.” Jimmy grinned. “Because if you hadn’t…”
Recognizing the barb for what it was helped to mitigate the chill in his response, but only a little. “But I did and she’s mine.”
Wanted: Fevered or Alive Page 29
