“As long as I’m alive, he won’t.”
Wolf looked him up and down, considering. “She’s that important to you?”
Jake hesitated. When had it become personal? He’d wanted to catch Harrison for years, almost from that day in El Paso, when he’d gone with his father to the scene of a gruesome murder and glimpsed the mangled body of a prostitute. When he’d been assigned to go after the Harrison gang, it was his job as a Texas Ranger to bring the outlaws to justice. He knew it was dangerous and he might not survive. He accepted that. But when had he decided he’d die to protect Rachel? When had she become his reason to live?
He turned back to Duchess, his mind in turmoil. Wolf’s chuckle surprised him. He’d forgotten the other man was there.
“I know how it feels. My Emily had me tied up in knots from the moment I laid eyes on her. Just be warned, Ranger. Once they get in your heart, they stay there. Nothing you do will shake her loose.”
Jake didn’t bother to respond. Instead he led the little packhorse into the corral. Wolf followed, so he left the horses in the man’s care and went to get Griffin. Jake led his horse into the sunshine and saddled him. He was tightening the cinches when Hank Gerard rode up.
Rachel came out of the cabin to meet him. She wore a clean white apron over her blue dress and her eyes sparkled with laughter at something one of the boys must have said. Sunlight glinted off her blonde hair, forming a halo around her head. Jake stared at her, committing every detail to memory. He wanted this beautiful sight to be the last thing he remembered if Harrison got lucky with a bullet.
•♥•
“Hello, Mr. Gerard.” Rachel stepped off the porch and joined the men near the lean-to. It felt good to be out in the sun again. She knew it was silly, since they’d walked back from town in the sunshine less than an hour ago. But she couldn’t help feeling like the cabin was her prison, now.
“You shouldn’t be out here.” Jake took her arm to lead her back to the porch.
“I need some fresh air. Just for a minute or two. Please, Jake,” she pleaded, desperate to be near him.
She felt him give in, the pressure of his fingers becoming a caress just before he released her.
“Only for a couple of minutes. Then, you go back inside and stay there unless you’re with Wolf.”
Hank Gerard dismounted. “I hope you are well, Miss Rachel. You gave us quite a scare.”
She smiled at the man who’d been such a good friend. “I know, and I’m sorry for it, but when I saw that monster’s hands on Calvin, I didn’t think. I just ran.”
“You must not do that again, Miss Rachel.” He smoothed an imagined wrinkle from the brim of his hat.
“I won’t. I promise.” Rachel kissed his cheek, an impulsive gesture of friendship. She smiled again as a blush washed over Hank’s cheekbones.
“You should be careful, Miss Rachel,” he teased. “Your Ranger McCain is a jealous man.”
“He’s not my—”
She broke off when Jake approached.
“You ready to ride, Gerard?”
Hank tipped his hat to Rachel and went to check his gear one last time. Jake walked with her a few steps away from the others. Her heart started pounding and fear crept in to steal the warmth of the sun.
“You do whatever Richards tells you. Promise me, honey.”
She nodded, afraid if she tried to speak she’d start to cry. Jake lifted her chin with a gentle touch and waited. She stared over his shoulder, then down at the buttons on his shirt, anywhere but his eyes.
“Look at me, pretty girl.”
She shook her head, but Jake didn’t let go. Knowing she had no choice, she raised her gaze to his. The heat in his green eyes took her breath away. The tears she’d sworn not to cry slipped down her cheeks. Jake leaned forward and kissed one away, then another.
“Don’t cry for me, honey. I’ll be back.”
“Promise me,” she gave him back his own words.
A smile curved one corner of his mouth as he nodded. He kissed her again, a soft melding of lips, before releasing her and walking to his horse. She thought he waved as he left, but she couldn’t be sure through the tears. She wiped them away with her apron, wanting to see him one last time. Wolf’s mare whinnied to the disappearing horses, unhappy at being left behind. Rachel knew just how the animal felt.
“Let’s get inside, Miss Hudson.” Wolf took her by the elbow. Rachel resisted until Jake rode out of sight.
“Why aren’t you going with him?” She didn’t mean for the words to sound like an accusation, but that was how Wolf heard them. She stood close enough to see the muscles in his jaw clench. Anger smoldered deep in his blue eyes.
“He asked me to stay here and protect you and the boys.”
Rachel nodded. “I appreciate it, though I know it must be difficult for you.”
He stared after Jake and Hank. “I’ll manage.”
She turned with him toward the porch. “You may as well call me Rachel. The cabin is too small to stay formal for long.”
The big man grinned, white teeth flashing between his shaggy mustache and beard. “Most folks call me Wolf. My mother called me Cain. Take your pick.”
Rachel looked up at Wolf. He was bigger than Jake, and his sable hair was shot through with silver. His skin was tanned from hours in the sun, and fine lines of grief and laughter set off eyes the color of a stormy sky. The hand he offered to help her up the stairs was huge, with calluses that proved he wasn’t afraid of work.
Wolf opened the door for her. The boys were waiting for them. “Sis, me and Calvin are hungry.”
“Calvin and I,” she corrected, squaring her shoulders. She knew Wolf watched her and she wasn’t going to give the man reason to think he’d been left with a weak, frightened female.
“Yes, ma’am,” Nathan mumbled. “I’ll bet Mr. Richards is, too,” he added, turning hopeful eyes in the man’s direction.
Wolf laughed, a deep booming sound Rachel felt to her toes. Now, she understood what must have drawn his wife to him. A woman could get used to that sound. She let herself smile a little in response.
“So am I, as a matter of fact.” Rachel gave Nathan’s nose a gentle tweak. “Let’s go see what we can find.”
With three helpers, it didn’t take long to put a passable meal on the table. She was grateful for Wolf’s presence as he steered the conversation to safe topics, keeping the mood light. Laughter rang repeatedly through the small cabin. When the food was gone, Wolf sent the boys upstairs to find something to keep busy with while he helped with the dishes. It reminded her so much of the time spent with Jake, Rachel nearly cried.
“Don’t fret, Rachel. It won’t help him, and worrying will only make you sick.”
“I know, but I’ll worry anyway. It’s the way I am.”
As he dried and stacked the last plate, Rachel poured more coffee for both of them. All the shutters were closed, making the cabin gloomy and cold. She lit a lamp to brighten the room a little and settled into the rocking chair with her cup. Wolf sat down at the table and sipped the steaming liquid. It was unusual to have a time of inactivity, and she found she liked sitting still with nothing more in her hands than a cup. With a small sigh, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
“How did you come to have my son?”
She started when his question broke the silence. “Jake brought him here yesterday. I don’t know much of what happened,” she explained when he raised one eyebrow in an obvious gesture of impatience.
“Tell me what you do know.”
Rachel shrugged, a little embarrassed to be the focus of his attention. She could stand in front of a room full of children and talk for hours, but this one man made her nervous. “I don’t know where to start.”
“How about at the beginning? We’ve got nowhere to go.”
She acknowledged the logic with a smile. “All right. The beginning.” She stared at the hearth, remembering. “Jake passed out on my porch in the middle of a b
lizzard.”
“I’m glad he found his way here. I managed to hide his horse from them, but I couldn’t stop the beating.”
“You were there? How could you let them do that?” She couldn’t keep the censure from her voice.
Wolf shrugged. “They’d have shot us both if I got in the way.” He traced a scratch on the old table with one thick finger. “I kept them from killing him. I couldn’t do anymore. I still had to find my children. My son,” he amended in a broken whisper.
“I’m so sorry about your daughter.”
Rachel looked away, giving him a moment of privacy.
“She was so pretty, just as beautiful as her mother. They were like twin suns, Amanda and my Emily.” He cleared his throat and swallowed some coffee. “Ranger McCain recovered.” He changed the subject, prompting her back to her story.
“He was hurt pretty badly. Fortunately, the cold had stopped most of the bleeding.”
Wolf glanced around the room. “Was it just you and your brother here that night?”
Rachel nodded, sipping her coffee.
“That explains why the folks in town were so quick to believe Harrison.”
“But I didn’t know who he was,” she whispered. “I just saw men on horses. I didn’t recognize him.” She swallowed hard. Hiding her past was automatic, but with Wolf there was no reason for it. He’d already heard a version of the truth from Harrison. “Why did he lie about me?”
“He lives to hurt people.”
“Did you know he...he killed my mother?”
Wolf shook his head. “He never talked about the past. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“You weren’t there,” Rachel excused.
“Doesn’t matter. I understand how much it hurts.” His eyes held compassion and sorrow.
“I suppose you do.” Rachel let him refill their cups and waited for him to sit down again before continuing her story.
•♥•
Wolf leaned forward as Rachel finally fell silent. “Tell me about Calvin.”
Her brows drew together in concentration. “Jake left town as soon as the snow melted and returned several days later with Calvin. He wouldn’t say much, only that Calvin had been tied up and left behind with just a small amount of food and water.”
Wolf tried not to let his rage and hatred of Harrison show, but he wasn’t successful. Rachel shrank back from him, pressing into the rocking chair as far as she could go.
He closed his eyes and struggled to stuff his emotions back into the place, deep in his heart, where he kept them locked away. If they ever got loose, he doubted anyone within reach would be safe. When he thought he could look civilized again, he glanced at Rachel.
“Go on.”
She didn’t relax much. “We, uh...we cleaned him up and I treated the wounds the best I could. He stuck pretty close to Jake last night, but by this morning, he seemed more like a child again. We all walked into town and...well, you know what happened there.”
He nodded.
“Calvin had a small bundle with him when he arrived. I don’t know what’s in it, but he put it over there.”
She retrieved the bundle and laid it on the table in front of him. Wolf’s breath hitched when he recognized the blue cloth Calvin had used to tie everything together. Tears he could no longer hold back rolled down his cheeks to dampen the shawl. He buried his face in the soft cloth. It still held his wife’s scent. Sweet, gentle Emily. His heart broke all over again. He set the shawl aside and lifted a tiny doll from the bundle.
“This was Amanda’s,” he explained to Rachel. “Emily made it for her fifth birthday. Amanda never went anywhere without it.” He took a deep breath, fighting for control. “I didn’t realize it wasn’t in the house anymore.” He set the doll to one side, unable to look at it.
Wolf lifted his own pocket watch from the bundle. “Calvin loved this. I promised he could have it when he turned ten, but Emily told me he always carried it when I was off trapping.”
The rocker squeaked as Rachel shifted. “I don’t know what to say, Wolf.”
“Nothing to be said. It’s done.” He gathered everything together, stroking the shawl one last time before placing it with the rest.
“I’m glad he has you, Wolf. And I appreciate that you trust me with him. All the other parents believe me to be unfit to be near their children.”
“Not anymore, Miss Rachel. They want you back.”
“What?” She leaned toward him. “How do you know?”
“Just before he left, Jake told me some man named Miller promised the children would be back in school in the morning.”
Rachel jumped from her chair and spun in several quick circles, laughing and clapping her hands. “I knew they wouldn’t believe those men.” She did another quick turn. Wolf shook his head at her antics.
“I’m sorry,” she managed as she gasped for breath. “I just can’t seem to help myself.”
“No need to apologize,” he assured her, meaning it. “It’s good to see someone happy.”
“The Reverend would never approve.” She spun once more, her skirt billowing around her legs. “But I don’t care.”
“Who’s the Reverend?” Wolf refilled his coffee cup and walked from window to window, looking out across the landscape. He kept his movements casual, but checked every shadow, looking for anything that didn’t belong.
Rachel sank back into the rocker to catch her breath before giving him a brief description of her life with Reverend and Mrs. Hudson and how she came to be in Lucinda.
Wolf closed the last of the shutters. “I take it they were strict with you and Nathan.”
“They weren’t unkind,” she corrected. “Just very set in their ways.”
She slipped into the next room and returned to the fire with a stack of books.
“What are those for?”
“School. It’s been several days since I’ve seen the children. I need to review the last lessons I taught and prepare for the next ones.”
Wolf picked up one of the books and flipped through a few pages. “This is important to you.”
“Oh, yes. Once I get back to teaching, everything will be the way it was before all this happened.” Rachel stopped. Was that what she wanted, to go back to the time before Jake had come into her life?
“Rachel.” Wolf crossed the room and sat on his heels in front of her. “You know that’s not possible.”
“But I want it to be,” she whispered. “At least, part of it. I can’t wish none of this had happened; then I wouldn’t have met Jake, and I don’t want to give him up.” Tears slipped down her cheeks as she gathered her books and escaped into her bedroom.
•♥•
Wolf stayed where he was for a long time, staring at the blanket she’d pulled across the doorway for privacy. Poor woman, he raged in silence. She didn’t deserve what the people of this town had done, but there was no going back. How well he knew.
He crossed to a window. The sun was setting behind the cabin, washing the landscape with golden light. He studied every shadow thoroughly before lifting the bar from the door. Sliding his pistol from its holster, he checked the load automatically before opening the door and heading outside. He needed to move. Staying behind while other men hunted the snake he’d sworn to kill didn’t set well with him. He understood the need to protect Rachel and the boys. He just didn’t want to be the one doing it.
The fresh air helped to clear his mind. A light breeze blew across the desert, bringing with it the scent of new growth and a hint of the warmth to come. Wolf circled the dwelling twice, going as far away as he dared. From the top of a small rise to the south, he could see all the way to town. Nothing moved but the wind.
Holstering his revolver, he closed his eyes and let the sounds and smells wash over him, sorting and identifying each one until he was satisfied nothing was out of place. If Harrison was sneaking back, he wasn’t nearby yet.
Wolf settled onto the ground and leaned back against a rock. This was
the kind of night his Emily would have loved, warm and peaceful. Grief filled him, making it hard to breathe. He missed her so much. When he’d told the Ranger you can’t get a woman out of your heart once she’s there, he’d spoken from experience. Wolf knew he’d never be the same without her. And he’d never fall in love again, the pain was too great.
He’d come home an hour too late. He could still see himself walking to their remote cabin, hear the tune he’d been whistling. The results of two weeks’ work were tied to his packhorse. The beaver and river otter pelts would bring a good price. It was late afternoon, and there’d been wash on the line. That was the first indication that something was wrong. He went inside, calling for Emily, but she didn’t answer. Breakfast dishes were on the table, drips of raspberry jam drying on the floor where they’d spilled. Then, he realized it wasn’t jam.
He found Emily in the bedroom, barely alive. They’d taken the children. She’d forced him to listen as she told him who the monsters had been, who he had to hunt down. He’d tried to help her, but it was too late. It took her hours more to die, and there was nothing he could do but watch.
He’d gone a little crazy that night. He didn’t remember much of the hours before dawn. He’d buried Emily the next morning on a hill much like this one, so she could see the valley she loved so much. Then, he went hunting.
If it hadn’t been for his children, he’d have torn William Harrison apart with his bare hands the second he saw him. But the snake had been the only link to his son and daughter. So he’d hidden his hatred, his rage, and talked his way into Harrison’s good graces, making himself indispensable. Would he have been able to do it if he’d known his daughter was dead, and how she’d died? Rage joined grief, growing until he couldn’t think. Blood pounded in his ears, drowning out everything else, demanding revenge.
“Pa?”
Wolf reacted, throwing himself to one side and drawing his pistol an instant before he recognized his son’s voice. The weapon shook in his hand as he pointed it away from Calvin and eased the hammer forward.
“I-I’m sorry, Pa. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Not your fault, Cal.” Wolf shook his head at his own foolishness. Here he was, supposed to be protecting Rachel, and he was so lost in thought he didn’t even hear his son coming. “I deserved it.” He resumed his original position against the rock.
Texas Gold Page 21
