Circle Eight: Vaughn (12 page)

Tobias didn’t appear convinced but he did take the razor and step up to the small mirror Vaughn had hung on the tree. He was glad the Gibsons had kept his traveling bag and all his belongings, including the mirror. As the other man used soap to lather up his face, Vaughn sat on the tree stump and thought about how to teach him what he needed to know.

“First thing is to speak in short sentences. Don’t use the word ain’t and don’t use double negatives.”

“I ain’t using no double negatives, whatever that is.” Tobias ran the razor on the strop.

Vaughn shook his head. “Listen to how I speak and repeat it.”

“Repeat what?”

“Everything I say.”

“Like a fuckin’ monkey?” Tobias loomed over him, razor in hand. Vaughn was right handy with a pistol but the blade had never been his forte. He watched the other man’s movements, ready to move.

“No, like a man who wants to get his deed back.”

“And his money.”

“And his money.” Vaughn noted Tobias’s hands shook with anger. This was not a good thing.

“If it weren’t for Pops I’d cut your throat and rightly enjoy watching you bleed into the very ground you stole.” The emotion in his voice belayed the violence of it.

“I’ve already apologized. I do things for money, same as you.” Vaughn was tired of explaining his actions.

“I don’t cheat people.”

Vaughn jumped to his feet. “No, but you kidnap people, beat them, burn down innocent people’s ranches and try to kill old ladies.” Neither one of them was innocent of crimes against others.

Tobias opened his mouth to speak then shut it again and turned back to the tree and the makeshift shaving station. Vaughn let out a breath, glad to not have to make the choice to kill another man. He didn’t like Tobias but he respected what he was trying to do, cockeyed as his methods were. The man had balls of steel.

“Fine. We’re both sons of bitches who deserve a comeuppance.” Tobias shaved until his jaw shone in the dappled sunlight. After he wiped off the traces of soap and whiskers, he ran his hand along the clean skin. “I forgot what this felt like.”

Vaughn took in Gibson’s changed appearance with a fresh eye. “You’ve got the look of a gentleman. Now we just need to teach you how to act like one.”

“I don’t think I’m gonna like that.” Tobias put his hands on his hips.

“No, I guarantee you won’t but you’ll do it.” Vaughn waited for him to disagree but the other man didn’t.

“Fine. Let’s get your horse saddled and fetch Miss Graham.”

Vaughn’s instincts slammed into alert mode. “Since when is she Miss Graham? I don’t think you’ve used her proper name before now.”

“That’s her name, ain’t it?” Tobias stomped around the side of the house toward the lean-to that held the horses. Gibson was behaving odd and Vaughn needed to find out why.

“You can’t run away. We’re partners now.” He was satisfied to see the other man’s shoulder’s tighten.

“We ain’t partners,” Tobias threw over his shoulder.

Vaughn wasn’t giving up. His half-baked scheme wouldn’t work if he didn’t know all the information. The last thing they needed were surprises along the way. It was bad enough they were headed for Houston without time to get his partners ready. Not that they were truly partners because the entire situation was forced, even if he deserved every wretched moment of it.

He found Tobias currying his horse, which looked a bit tired from their journey. “You are supposed to be her brother.”

“But I ain’t.”

“No, you aren’t, but if this is to work, we have to explain your presence. If she’s my wife, who are you? My brother?” Vaughn regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. His brother died in the dirt on a farm, beaten to death by an uncaring bastard. He would never have another brother, another family. That way brought pain and heartache. He only needed his own company. Vaughn trusted no one but he would do what he had to survive. That was all that mattered.

Survival.

“I got enough of those. Sure as hell don’t need another one.” Tobias brushed without looking up. “I don’t think I can pretend to be her brother.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Vaughn crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the open building.

“A cousin.”

“That won’t work. Boyd will smell that from ten miles away. There would be no reason for her cousin to be there unless he’s a sycophant, in which case I’d leave you at some port.” Vaughn had to be smarter than Boyd, which he would do, but it would take careful planning and smarts.

Tobias sighed. “I don’t know what a syco-somethin’ is but I cain’t be her brother.”

“Why not?” Vaughn pushed a bit more. There was something there, he just knew it.

“’Cause I burned down her house and barn, ’cause I kidnapped her. She hates me and she ain’t gonna want to be all brotherly with me.” Tobias moved to the other side of the horse.

Perhaps their kidnapper had developed an entendre for Ellie. That would complicate things if he was supposed to be her brother.

“The daughter of a shipping magnate might need protection. Maybe you could be her bodyguard. She’d received threats against her life and her father insisted on protection. That might work.” Vaughn could definitely see the angry young man as muscle.

“A bodyguard looks after people?” Tobias finally stopped brushing the horse.

“Yes. They carry guns and other weapons and sometimes have to give their lives. This situation with Boyd might be dangerous. As a bodyguard you’ll be a bigger target.” Vaughn didn’t want Tobias to be surprised if someone took a shot at him.

“That don’t bother me. There ain’t nothing I cain’t handle.” It might have sounded pompous coming from most men, but the younger man didn’t appear to be boasting. He had little fear, and it wasn’t due to lack of smarts.

Vaughn nodded. “Then you’re hired as Mrs. Montgomery’s bodyguard. It will make it easier since you won’t have to talk much.”

“Good, ’cause I ain’t gonna be a very good student.” Tobias put a blanket on the gelding, followed by the saddle. “You’d best make sure to spend your time teaching Miss Graham how to talk fancy.”

Vaughn’s hackles rose. The man spent far too much time thinking about Ellie. Hell, Tobias had no right to even speak to her. “You’d best make sure you carry a gun strapped to your thigh. And don’t call her Miss Graham. From now on, she’s Mrs. Montgomery.”

He turned on his heel and left Tobias to finish saddling the horses. The other man was right. Vaughn needed to focus on Ellie and getting her ready to play a part she had no experience with and shouldn’t need to play. He wasn’t going to feel guilty. It wasn’t his fault. Vaughn was only doing what he had to make money.

A tiny voice inside him wondered why he was helping them get back what they lost if he didn’t feel guilt. He told that tiny voice to shut up.

Vaughn spent the next ten minutes pacing in front of the front door to the cabin. He was never nervous around women. Ever. Ellie wasn’t like any other woman. She had given herself to him, wholly, and then acted as though it was nothing. To him, it was much more than that.

He didn’t want to be involved with her, but circumstances had forced them together. She was tough as hell, taught him a thing or two about how to stay strong. Now he would have to be the one to guide her, keep her safe and somehow get the Gibsons’ land and money back.

Vaughn’s feet turned south and his legs told him to run. Run as far as he could for as long as he could.

He didn’t.

It was his chance to disappear before anyone noticed he was missing. Yet he stood there, arms hanging at his sides, immobile. The sun’s warmth pushed at his back, urging him to leave.

He didn’t.

Vaughn didn’t know how it had happened but somehow he had gotten involved with a woman. Feelings and emotions buffeted him, smacked his face and pinched his heart. His knees wobbled and he about discovered what the ground tasted like.

The naked truth was too much to accept. He cared about Ellie and Martha, in a different way of course. Vaughn was out of sorts with this revelation. Hell, he didn’t even know how to manage it. It was going to be awkward. Almost painful.

He’d endured worse and survived harsher situations. He threw his shoulders back and walked into the cabin. Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed, a book in hand, the three little ones surrounding her. They all glanced up as he walked in. She looked natural with the boys around her. He could see her as a big sister or as a mother.

A mother.

A shock of epic proportions moved through him, leaving him immobile.

“Vaughn?”

“Uhhhnn.” He choked out a syllable. The image of Elizabeth as a mother was a gut punch he couldn’t shake.

“Are you ready to leave? I’ve packed the things Pops offered to me. I’m afraid I don’t have proper shoes but that can’t be helped. My serviceable boots will have to do.” She blinked when he didn’t reply. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, we’re ready to go. Tobias saddled the horses. If we could get some food, we could be on our way.”

She whispered to the boy next to her and handed him the book. With the natural grace she was born with, she got to her feet and approached him. Her expression told him the conversation would not be one he would enjoy.

She pinched his elbow, quite painfully, and pulled him to the corner of the cabin. “These people have no money because of what you did. Their pantry is almost empty. They eat when they hunt. We will not take what little they have.”

Guilt washed over him again and he had to bite back an apology. “We can hunt too.”

She nodded tightly and returned to the boys. “I have to go now. You practice your letters so you can read to each other and Pops.”

They gazed at her with adoration on their young faces. They nodded and surrounded her in a sandwich hug. She patted each of their heads and they released her with reluctance.

“Be good for Pops until your brothers return.”

More nods all around. She picked up an ancient looking travel case and turned back to him.

“I’m ready.”

“Where’s Pops?”

She pointed to the opposite corner of the cabin. “He was fatigued so I suggested he nap.”

“Should we leave the young ones here with him asleep?” He didn’t know much about children but an adult presence usually worked better.

She frowned, her ever-present scowl. “I get the idea he naps often. He’s quite old.”

Once again, Vaughn was intimidated by how much she knew with little experience in life other than a ranch in Texas. He’d lived in five states, had countless experiences, more women than he remembered, had eaten and drank the finest foods. Then the simple rancher’s daughter reminded him what he didn’t want to accept.

She was as smart, if not smarter, than him.

Perhaps that was the cause of his rogue feelings for the lady. She was beautiful in an unconventional way, smart, stubborn and strong as hell. If only he could ignore all those qualities and focus on her flaws. It was completely inconvenient for him to care for her.

Vaughn took the traveling case from her and opened the door. She stepped out into the sunlight, haloed by the bright rays. His heart thumped hard at the sight. With no small amount of reluctance, he followed.

The next two days would be hell.

As Elizabeth saddled her horse, Pops approached her although he was supposed to be napping. She didn’t know how to talk to him, this man who forced her to help his family. He wasn’t who she thought he was.

He rubbed his grizzled, white whiskers as he stood beside her, watching. “You remind me of Mary, my daughter.”

Elizabeth was startled enough to bump into the gelding. “You have a daughter?”

He shook his head. “She died. I ain’t done right by her and she died alone. Tobias almost died ’afore I found him. I ain’t got much but I give those boys what I can.”

Elizabeth’s throat tightened. “Family is all I have too.”

“I knewed you’d understand. Help my grandsons. I cain’t leave them with nothing.” His watery gaze held pride but also resignation. Pops knew he wasn’t going to be around forever. The boys he raised would need a place to live and a family.

“I won’t forgive them.” She had to be as honest as he was.

“Tobias done you wrong. I’ll make sure he gives you what’s due.”

She didn’t remind him that if Granny was dead, there would be no payment accepted. She would want to kill Tobias, plain and simple. Graham blood flowed through her veins, hot and proud.

“I want you to have this as my promise to ya.” Pops opened his wrinkled hand to show her a locket. It sparkled in the sunshine, like a golden puddle. The locket itself was oval with intricate filigree on the front.

“I can’t take that.” Elizabeth didn’t want this man to give her a prized possession. It wouldn’t be right.

“Yep, you can. I belonged to my daughter Mary. You is feisty, smart and tall like she was. She gave her life for her boy, and I reckon you’d do the same for your’n.” Pops pushed the locket into her hand.

She wanted to give it back but he stepped away, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“I can’t take this.” She held her palm open, eager to return the jewelry. It was warm on her skin, as though it pulsed with a life of its own. If this belonged to Tobias’s mother, she really didn’t want it.

“Nope, I ain’t taking it back. She be watchin’ over you, keepin’ you safe.” Pops turned and shuffled off.

Elizabeth frowned after him, her annoyance growing. How dare he burden her with his daughter’s legacy? A Graham who had been wronged by this woman’s son. It wasn’t right and she refused to accept it.

Ten minutes later, she growled under her breath. Pops had disappeared, leaving her with the locket. The men waited by the horses, impatient and ready to leave. She didn’t want to simply drop the locket in the house, for fear one of the young boys would lose it or worse. No, Pops knew what he was doing when he forced the jewelry on her.

Damn it.

It appeared Elizabeth would be riding with a ghost in her pocket.

As they rode, she sat stiffly on the saddle and kept her gaze straight ahead. They had left the Gibsons’ cabin three hours earlier and neither man had said a word since. For someone with a family who never shut their mouths, the silence was deafening. It made her uncomfortable and twitchy. For once she wanted to hear Vaughn’s charming voice to help her feel better.

Ridiculous but true.

She didn’t trust him but the fact was, he could have run off, leaving her to the Gibsons’ mercy. He didn’t and that fact alone had her more confused than ever. After accepting the fact he was a merciless swindler, he had taken the right path, righting a wrong. There might be hope for him to be a good person. Her silly heart and body were at odds with each other. She had given him her body because she wanted to. Foolish as it was, she wanted to do it again.

Her heart, on the other hand, wanted to shoot him. The one bullet in her gun was meant for someone but she wasn’t sure whom yet. The trip to Houston might help her sort it out. She didn’t want to shoot Tobias. He was only doing right by his family, even if his methods were ruthless. Him she would never forgive for what he’d done.

But she could respect his reasons for doing it. Her family had committed many acts in the name of Graham they might not have been proud of. At the end of the day, she meant what she’d said to Vaughn—family was everything. He didn’t seem to understand and there was nothing she could do to make him. Her entire life had been around her family and she couldn’t imagine life without them.

How did he know what was important? Who did he spend Christmas with? And who celebrated his birthday? She didn’t have answers for any of it and she probably wouldn’t find them in the middle of nowhere. Her horse plodded along behind the others, his head hung low. They hadn’t stopped for hours and it was obvious the animals needed water and a respite.

“Mr. Gibson, do you plan on riding the horses into the ground?” She was surprised to hear how rough her voice was. Elizabeth didn’t sound like herself. Hell, she didn’t feel like herself either.

“What?” Tobias blinked as though she’d woken him up.

“The animals need water and I could use a stretch. This is beginning to feel like a kidnapping again.”

Tobias hmphed and glanced at his own mount. “I reckon we could take a rest. A short one. It’s been a long time since your beau stole from me. I’m itchin’ to get it all back.”

“He’s not my beau.” Her cheeks warmed, but she wasn’t sure if it was because it was a falsehood or because she wished it wasn’t. Elizabeth had never had a real beau. Young men weren’t lining up to marry a serious-minded bookkeeper with a fierce family of Grahams.

“Coulda fooled me. You’re sweet on him and he’s sweet on you.” Tobias looked at her and she saw something beneath his annoyance. Something foreign she didn’t recognize. The man was more confusing than Vaughn, which seemed impossible.

“I don’t know why you believe that.” Elizabeth made the mistake of looking back at Vaughn. He smiled at her, clearly amused by her discomfort. To make matters worse, she stuck her tongue out at him in frustration. It was childish and stupid but she did it anyway.

He winked.

Elizabeth almost imploded. She pulled on the horse’s reins and swung around toward him. His expression changed from one of fun to concern.

“What are you—?”

She slammed into him, knocking him from the horse. It stole the breath from her lungs but it filled her with immense satisfaction. “Don’t think I will stand idly by while you treat me like a doxy. I will not allow it.”

“I didn’t mean to treat you that way, Ellie. I have great respect for you, more than any other woman I’ve known.”

She nearly believed him. Honesty laced his words, but his brand of truth was generally colored by a falsehood.

“You about finished kickin’ his ass?” Tobias stared down at them, his expression blank. “We gotta a lot of miles to ride and this shit cain’t happen no more. You gotta stop poundin’ on him if’n you want people to think you’re man and wife.”

Elizabeth straddled Vaughn, her body pressed intimately against his. The very idea she had reacted so strongly was unacceptable. He forced her to lose control and become someone she wasn’t. With as much dignity as she could muster, she got to her feet and dusted off her already dirty dress. The ones for the ruse were neatly tucked into the saddlebags.

Although she told herself not to, she reached her hand down to help him up. The man was the most frustrating creature she’d ever met and now she was permanently linked to him. His callused hand closed around hers and she was reminded that although he looked like a dandy, the man had known hard work in his life.

“Thank you, Ellie. I’m sorry for making you feel like a doxy. It wasn’t my intention.” His polite, soft words were not lost on her. He should have been angry with her, treated her as she had treated him. That was what her siblings would have done.

She nodded tightly and walked back to her mount. The gelding tossed his head and stamped his hoof, as though he judged her behavior too. Behind her Tobias snorted. The males in this expedition were not in her good graces. She pulled herself up into the saddle and put her chin in the air. They would not break her dignity, even if she bent it a bit herself.

Vaughn dusted off his own suit. “I had brushed this off earlier. I’ll have to repeat that exercise again.”

Elizabeth didn’t reply. She kneed the horse into motion, not waiting to make sure the men would follow. There was no worry. All four of them were behind her. Jeb and Will watched her with wary gazes at her side. Their older brother continued to show amusement. However, he listened to her suggestion and they stopped for a rest.

While the horses drank from the creek they’d found, Elizabeth knelt upstream and slaked her own thirst. She swiped a cool, wet hand down her face and blew out a breath. Traveling for so long was not a normal activity for her. It had been endless days, most of it hard riding. Her rear end was numb most of the time, her thighs would never forgive her, and her back ached.

What was she doing? Chasing after an elusive deed for a stranger, one who had done wrong against her family. Keeping company with a swindler. Her mother would have been ashamed of Elizabeth’s choices. The naked truth was, Elizabeth wasn’t sure she’d made the right ones. After hearing from Pops and understanding they had nothing, her heart made the decision to help them. Now, alone with the four men again on the way to Houston, she wasn’t so sure.

“I wanta thank you for helpin’ us.” Jeb stepped up beside her. He was about the same age as Nicholas, not much older than her. He looked younger, though, fresh faced and wide-eyed.

“I thought it was the right thing to do.” She didn’t want his gratitude. Elizabeth just wanted this farce done with so she could go home. Worry for Granny gnawed at her.

“Pops does his best. We ain’t really a family but he makes us one. And I just wanted to say thanks.” He turned to leave.

“Wait, what do you mean, you aren’t a family?” She had wondered about the six boys and the old man but sometimes families were an odd mixture of generations.

“Pops took us in and made us a family.” His explanation was cryptic enough to make her want to know more.

“You’re not his children or grandchildren?”

“Not blood kin. Tobias is but the rest of us got left behind. Pops got us and gave us a new home.” Jeb shrugged. “Tobias found the last two, Billy and Elijah, last year. All of us take care of each other.”

Elizabeth had never heard anything like it. For the first time in her memory, she was speechless. The tiny old man took in children that had been thrown away by others and built a home with them. He gave them love and protection where their own families had failed. Tears pricked her eyes and she looked away, blinking hard.

Jeb returned to the other men. After whispering to Will, both of them stared at her. She filled her canteen as though she hadn’t heard the most amazing tale, as though her world hadn’t tilted a bit. Family wasn’t just about blood. It was about love. Pops and his mismatched group of sons were proof of that. She still wouldn’t forgive Tobias for what she’d done but she would help him with a lighter heart.

“You ready?” This time Will came to her. His eyes were dark as pitch, as was his hair. Now she could see there was no resemblance to any of the rest of Pops’s family. This young man had yet to shave but his jaw was harder than a grown man’s, full of fire. He was intense, like her brother-in-law Brody, for one who had yet to leave his teen years.

She got to her feet. “Yes, I’m ready.”

Vaughn was lost in his thoughts for hours. They plodded along in silence, awkward and frustrating. The sun set without fanfare to their left, with the deepening darkness falling over the land like a cloak.

“There’s a field up yonder with trees behind it. Good place to stop for the night.” Tobias pointed off in the distance.

He squinted and saw nothing but shadows. Gibson must have traveled this route often enough to know where to stop. Tonight he would continue with his lessons for Ellie. She was smart enough to pick up what she needed to know quickly. He had no doubt she would be able to play the part of a haughty rich woman who was used to giving orders. It seemed to be her favorite pastime.

Tobias rode to the spot he chose and the rest followed. The sounds of the night surrounded them, a symphony of nature to greet them. It was a good sign. If the animals, insects, reptiles and birds were safe, they would sing to each other. If there was danger, silence was a warning. The oldest Gibson seemed satisfied with the spot and dismounted. Everyone followed his lead, which irked Vaughn for no reason other than he was used to being the leader.

“Jeb, get wood. Will, find water. I recall there’s a stream about fifty yards over yonder. Fill up the canteens, then take the horses and water ’em.” Tobias easily continued his command. “Miss Graham, we’d rightly appreciate some supper. There’s fixin’s in my saddlebags.”

“What about me?” Vaughn hated that he sounded peevish.

“Hell if I care. Sit there and look pretty. Maybe brush the dust off those fancy duds again.” Tobias wasn’t going to make things smooth. Resentment laced his words.

“I could have ridden off yesterday and left you to your own devices.”

“Why didn’t you?” Gibson stared at him hard.

“I couldn’t leave Ellie and I told Pops I would help get the deed back.” Soft words for such a hard promise to keep. A half-truth, deceiving no one.