“That was Willy.” Harrison laughed. “I got there a little late, and he’d already handled everything. I was real proud of him that day. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”
Wolf surged upward, but Harrison countered the move and slammed the butt of his gun against the side of Wolf’s head. Wolf collapsed back to his knees, and blood trickled from a cut near the corner of his eye, but he didn’t go down. “Anybody tell you your brother is dead?”
The sudden silence in the room was deafening. “What the hell do you mean?” He shoved the long barrel of the revolver into Wolf’s ear. “Talk. Fast.”
Wolf glanced his way, but there was nothing Jake could do but watch. He clenched his fists in impotent fury. This was his fault. Somehow, he should have known the difference between the brothers—and killed the right one.
The taste of failure was bitter, but not as bad as knowing he wouldn’t be able to keep Rachel safe. Four more lives depending on him. Four ghosts he couldn’t live with. He had to get Harrison away from Wolf, but how?
If he hadn’t been looking at Wolf, Jake would have missed it. The trapper was staring behind him, toward where Rachel should be. His eyes moved to the right, then back at Rachel. Jake didn’t dare turn his head. What the hell was she doing?
Rachel was terrified. She froze in place when Harrison hit Wolf, but she didn’t make a sound. When she looked back at the trapper, Wolf was watching her. He glanced toward the rifle leaning against the wall behind her, then back at her, the movements so quick she thought she might have imagined it. When he slid to the floor with a loud groan of pain, dragging Harrison off-balance, she realized what he wanted.
Harrison rounded on Wolf and she seized the opportunity. The rifle felt almost familiar as she yanked back the hammer. “Get down!”
Jake dove for his gun belt as Rachel and Harrison pulled the triggers. The twin explosions were deafening in the little room. The force of the rifle blast threw her back against the hearth. Nathan screamed her name as two more shots rang out. Then the room fell silent.
Rachel lay where she’d been thrown by the force of the rifle blast. After the noise of the gunshots, the quiet was oppressive.
Jake crawled to her side. “Rachel. Honey, talk to me. Please. Rachel?”
“Is he dead?” She thought she heard Jake mutter an oath as he sagged to the floor beside her.
“Yeah, honey, he’s dead.”
“But don’t look.” Nathan stood between her and the outlaw, blocking her view. “There’s blood everywhere.”
“Nathan, are you all right?” She took a slow, deep breath, taking inventory to be sure everything still worked. Her ears were ringing, and she couldn’t quite remember how she ended up on the floor.
“Sure. He didn’t have time to do anything before you shot him.”
“Wolf? Calvin?” She lifted her head enough to assure herself they were alive. She winced at the damage done to the tracker’s face.
“He’s fine, and I’ll live,” Wolf limped to her side, leaning on his son for support. “Thanks to you.”
“What the hell were you thinking?”
She flinched away from Jake’s shout before anger flowed in to fill the places where fear had been. Turning on him, she let her temper boil over. “I thought I was saving your sorry hide, Jake McCain. What was I supposed to do, stand there while he filled you with bullets, then started on the rest of us?”
She struggled to sit up, her chest heaving with indignation. “I’m through letting people walk on me. And that overgrown bully just happened to be in the way when I decided I’d had enough.”
“Here’s the bullet he fired.” Everyone turned to where Calvin examined a new hole in the wall behind her.
“Damned lucky it’s buried in wood and not in you.” Jake swore again. “Next time, let me handle it.” He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her until she protested. He loosened his grip but didn’t let go. “I don’t think my heart can stand another scare like that.”
Rachel leaned back to look into his eyes. She lifted a hand to skim the lines around his mouth. “Get used to it, Ranger McCain. I protect what’s mine—now that I know how to shoot.”
A grin crinkled the corners of his eyes and her heart did a funny flip in her chest.
“Well, at least our lives will never be boring.” Jake helped her to her feet. “Can you stand on your own, pretty girl?”
“Of course.” She gave him a little shove and walked in a small circle to prove it. “See? I’m fine.”
“Good.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her until her knees felt weak. She staggered a little when he released her, but the twinkle in his eyes said he knew why.
“Now, sit down in that rocking chair and don’t move while I take care of a few things.”
Rachel obediently sat in her chair while he and Wolf carried the body outside. Then, she got to work herself. “Nathan, we’ll need the lye soap. Calvin?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Will you bring in another bucket of water for me?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
She turned to face the pint-sized version of Wolf. “I’m not as fragile as Ranger McCain seems to think. There’s work to be done. Now, get to it.”
His grin was a mirror image of his father’s. “Yes, ma’am.” He raced out the door, snagging an empty bucket on the way. Nathan dug out the soap, tossed it onto the table, and went after his friend.
Rachel stoked both fires, put a full kettle on the stove to boil and set the remaining half-bucket of water on the hearth to warm. Then she went to pull out her herbs. Wolf would need her tonic. When she bent over to drag a heavy pot from a low shelf, she groaned in pain.
“I think I’ll make enough for two.” Rachel whimpered as she stretched aching muscles. What she needed was a long, hot bath, but there was too much to do. The tonic would have to suffice.
When the boys returned with an overflowing bucket, she poured the steaming water from the kettle into a washtub, added fresh water until it was cool enough to put her hand in, then shaved a generous portion of lye soap into the mix. When she reached for a rag, Nathan stopped her.
“We can do this. You don’t need to be cleaning up after the likes of him.”
Rachel stood back and watched the boys attack the mess until the sight and smell of the blood became too much for her. Turning her back on them, she searched for something to do. Anything. She had to keep busy, or she’d break down, and she refused to allow that to happen.
She refilled the kettle with cold water and put it on to heat. One minute went by. She walked to a window. It was still dark out, but dawn wasn’t far off. Another minute gone. When the kettle of water came to a boil for the second time, she poured a little into a cup and added the herbs for her tonic. She stirred in barely a tablespoon of whiskey, but just a whiff of the steam made her cough. Taking a deep breath, she gamely swallowed the concoction, choking it down until the cup was empty. “Oh, that really is awful.”
Refilling her cup with coffee, she sipped at it to chase away the lingering taste of herbs and alcohol. She measured another dose of herbs into another cup, added a healthy splash of whiskey and set it aside. She’d add the hot water to it when Wolf came inside.
The boys emptied the washtub three times before they were satisfied. Rachel hugged them both, holding Nathan a little longer than he liked.
“It’s really over, Sis. You can let go now.”
She shook her head and released him. “I just can’t believe there were two of them. Brothers. They looked so much alike.”
“They were the same inside, too,” Calvin observed. “Rotten.”
“And now they’re both dead,” Nathan declared. “I hope the devil enjoys having them around.” He leaned back to stare at Rachel. “What’s wrong?” He sounded a little panicked. “Why are you crying?”
Rachel was surprised to feel the wetness on her cheeks. “I’m just relieved it’s finally done. Mama can rest in
peace.”
Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist. “So can we.”
Before she could hug him back, he took off for his room. “Come on, Calvin. Let’s go upstairs.”
Rachel watched the boys disappear into the attic room. Nathan was growing up so fast, becoming a man before her eyes. Fresh tears welled. It was too soon. He should still be a child, but life had a way of shaping a person, and she couldn’t turn back the clock or undo his experiences.
Rachel went to the door to look for Jake. She didn’t see him, but she could hear his voice, coming from behind the house. She stepped onto the porch, intending to go to him, but hesitated. What if Harrison hadn’t been alone? Panic swept through her. “No,” she whispered, forcing herself to calm down. “Jake and Wolf would have thought of that already.” They’d have checked everywhere for danger before leaving her and the boys alone. If they were standing outside talking, no one was close to the house that shouldn’t be.
She went back inside and opened all the windows to let the night breeze blow away the lingering smell of violence and lye soap. Soon the scent of night-blooming wildflowers perfumed the air. She inhaled deeply, releasing a sigh and the last of her fear. “Be at peace, Mama,” she whispered. “He can’t hurt us anymore.”
By the time Jake and Wolf returned, dawn was painting the eastern sky rose pink and shimmering gold. Both men looked ready to drop. They’d washed up at the well, and water still dripped from their hair.
She studied them as they came into the cabin. Wolf was tall and broad, a mountain of male. With his sable brown hair slicked back from his face, he looked younger, though the lines of fatigue and pain were etched deep in his tanned face.
Jake came toward her, drawing her attention. His lithe, lean frame made her heart race and her body flushed with desire. This was the man for her. His black hair gleamed in the firelight. His dark eyes glowed, reflecting Rachel’s image back to her. He held so much of himself inside, never sharing with the world all that he was, all that he knew, but it didn’t matter. She loved his shadows, his secrets. She loved him.
Wolf lowered himself to a bench at the table, biting back a curse. The sudden sound in the quiet room startled her. Rachel poured boiling water into the herbal tonic and set the steaming cup of liquid in front of him. “Drink it all. It will help you feel better.” Then she set to cleaning the gash in his head.
“After it makes you feel worse,” Jake quipped, dropping to a seat opposite him. “Drink it at your own peril.”
Rachel slapped at his hands as he tried to pull her into his lap. “There’s nothing wrong with my tonic.”
“I didn’t say there was,” he soothed. He watched Wolf take a swallow and come up coughing. A smile curved Jake’s lips. “But you really should warn a man. Nobody expects an angel to hand them a devil’s potion like that.”
“What the hell is in this stuff?” Wolf gasped. “Begging your pardon, Rachel,” he apologized around the coughing.
“Some healing herbs, a bit of molasses, and whiskey.” She rose to gather what she needed to treat the cut on Wolf’s head.
“Is that what it’s called around here?”
Jake laughed. “Just drink it. It really will help.”
“If it doesn’t kill me first.” Wolf took another, more cautious sip.
Rachel laughed. She couldn’t help it. Delight bubbled out of her, releasing all the tension and horror of the past weeks. Not even cleaning the blood from Wolf’s wound bothered her. That demon was laid to rest.
She dropped into Jake’s lap with a happy sigh. Everyone she loved was safe. She wiggled closer to Jake, wanting to melt into him and never emerge.
“I have something for you.” Jake caught up her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. He dug into his shirt pocket. “Do you recognize this?”
Rachel stared at the ring, almost afraid to take it. “Mama’s ring. Where did you find it?”
“Harrison had it.”
She brushed a finger across the three bands, two of silver, one of gold, woven together to create the ring. The marks and shadows of age and use were apparent. “Mama wore it every day. It was my great-grandmother’s wedding ring. She gave it to my grandmother, who passed it on to my mother just before she set out for El Paso, where she was supposed to meet her fiancé. It was to be mine when I married, but...”
He slipped it over the fourth finger of her left hand. It fit perfectly. “Now it’s back where it belongs.”
Rachel fisted her hand to keep the ring safely in place and looked at Jake with tears brimming in her eyes. “I love you, Jake McCain.”
Wolf coughed as he choked down the last of the tonic and went to wash out his cup. Rachel considered objecting to him doing her work, but it would take too much energy. She yawned and settled deeper into Jake.
“I think you need sleep, woman.” Jake’s voice rumbled in her ear.
“We all do,” Wolf agreed. “I’ll take the outside.”
“You most certainly will not.” Rachel roused herself enough to protest. “You’ll take my bed.”
“And where will you sleep?”
She smiled up at Jake. “I’m very comfortable right here, thank you.”
Wolf said something else, but she didn’t hear it over the pounding of her heart as Jake covered her lips with his. She felt Jake stand, lifting her with ease. Four steps of pure heaven, each footfall causing her body to brush his, then he lowered them both into the rocker, never breaking the kiss. The sun broke over the horizon, bathing them in warm, golden light. Rachel barely noticed. Her sun had risen the moment Jake McCain came into her life, and she was looking forward to a long life together before it set again.
•♥•
Breakfast came late the next morning, but no one minded. The past was finally laid to rest and the future waited.
“We’ll head out tomorrow, at first light.” Wolf ruffled his son’s hair. “It’s time we got on with our lives.”
Calvin leaned into his touch. “I’m ready when you are, Pa.”
Rachel poured more coffee for him. “Are you sure you’re strong enough, Wolf?” The gash on his head looked a little better, but his right eye was bruised and swollen.
“We’ll have to take it easy for a few days, but I’ll manage.” He hugged his son close.
Rachel smiled at them. “Do you have enough supplies? There’s not much extra here, but I understand I have an outstanding credit at Mr. Miller’s store.” She raised one eyebrow at Jake in mock annoyance. “You’re welcome to whatever you need.”
Wolf was shaking his head before she finished. “I appreciate the offer, but we don’t need charity.”
“It isn’t charity,” Jake interrupted. “The money I put on account for Rachel came from one of Harrison’s men, the one you kept from shooting me.” He took a sip of coffee. “The man had a price on his head. Consider it the reward money.”
The big tracker hesitated a moment longer, then acquiesced with a nod. “In that case, I appreciate it. It’ll make the trip easier on both of us.”
“Where will you go?” Rachel excused Nathan and Calvin as she joined the men at the table. The boys raced each other out of the house, heading for the horses.
“Home,” he answered simply. “We have a lot of cleaning up to do, and there are ghosts that need to be laid to rest.”
Rachel slipped her hand into Jake’s. How difficult would it be for Wolf to return to the place where his wife and little girl had been so brutally ripped away from him?
“Don’t worry about us, Miss Rachel,” Wolf soothed, as if reading her mind. “We’ll make it just fine.” He finished his coffee. “What about you? Will you stay here, now that the threat is gone?”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing here for me. I’ll go wherever my husband leads.” She squeezed Jake’s hand and rose to clear the table.
“Husband?” Wolf looked from her to Jake. “I must have missed something while I was getting my head busted in.”
“
The strain finally got to her, I think,” Jake teased. “Hard as it is to believe, I asked her to marry me and she accepted.” He captured her hand and kissed it before tangling his fingers through hers. “We’ve already got the ring.”
Her eyes filled with tears as Jake brushed the band of silver and gold that connected her to all the women who’d gone before.
“You’re definitely getting the better end of the bargain, my friend,” Wolf quipped. “Congratulations, Rachel. I’m real happy for you both. When’s the wedding?”
Rachel shrugged. “There’s no preacher in Lucinda, much to the dismay of Mrs. Miller.” She resisted the urge to spit. Even saying that old biddy’s name left a bad taste in her mouth. “I suppose Jake will have to find one.”
Jake grinned. “We could always forgo that part, just tell folks we’re married.”
Rachel frowned at him, but his smile just got bigger.
“I’m just teasing. We’ll be married by the first preacher we find, pretty girl. I promise.” He leaned over and kissed her. She sure hoped Wolf was looking the other way, because she couldn’t seem to care about propriety when Jake touched her.
“Ahem.”
Jake broke off and grinned at Wolf before stealing another kiss.
“Let’s go, McCain. We have supplies to buy before the sun goes down.”
“I’m coming.” He brushed at a few strands of hair that had escaped her attempt to tame them. “You finish packing up what you want to take along, honey. We’ll be back before dark.”
He was true to his word. They returned just as the sun was setting, leading a mule pulling a small wagon into the yard. Rachel gathered her courage and met them near the corral.
“This is Daisy,” Jake introduced.
“Where did you get her?” Rachel studied the animal from a safe distance.
“I traded a saddle horse for her and the wagon.”
“Harrison’s horse?” Rachel guessed.
When Jake nodded, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t admit it to Jake, but she was glad the horse wouldn’t be going with them as a constant reminder of its previous owner. Gathering her courage, Rachel reached out to pet the mule. The hide on the animal’s cheek was stiff and scratchy, but its ear was soft as silk. Daisy looked at her through liquid brown eyes that showed hints of intelligence and more than a little pride. Rachel fell in love.
Texas Gold Page 29
