In Too Deep (9 page)

Ethan wanted to punch his brother.

Seth disappeared out the bedroom door, and Audra turned to follow. Ethan caught her arm and whispered, “You need to be careful around Seth when he's having a nightmare. He could hurt you.”

Audra turned. Ethan realized the sun must be near the horizon, though it rose late here in the shadow of Pike's Peak. “Seth would never hurt me.”

Dropping his voice lower, he snapped, “He'd have punched you in the face if I hadn't gotten in the way.”

“He needs kindness, Ethan. He needs a safe place, good food, kind words, gentle touches. I think we can really help him if we just pour kindness out on him.”

“I agree that he needs all those things, but you need to be careful, too. I've helped wake Seth up from a few nightmares, and I've learned to stay back until he's awake.”

Audra reached up and touched Ethan's temple. “Not this morning you didn't.”

The touch helped Ethan get control of his anger. “I saw his fist coming right at you. I had to do something.”

Her hand trailed down his cheek as gently as a breath of air. It still hurt. He'd probably end up with a black eye.

She lifted her hand away. “I need to get on with breakfast.”

Kindness, gentle touches. Good food.

As she left, Ethan wondered if Audra was treating him the same way she treated Seth. And if so, did that mean she thought he was a crazy man, too?

I'm crazy to let that man kiss me.

Audra pulled her clothes on quickly and rushed downstairs. She got coffee started and had just measured out the flour for biscuits when Maggie yowled. She turned back and nearly ran into Ethan. She'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard him coming down. And besides, those stairs were so well built they didn't squeak a bit.

“I'll get her. Better hurry before she wakes the baby.” Ethan wheeled around and rushed back up to the bedroom.

Audra was glad for the moment alone. And it would only be a moment, she knew. Seth had a fire crackling in the stove and was probably fetching kindling, for the woodbox was empty. Ethan would be down right away with Maggie.

Savoring the quiet moment, she finished making the biscuits. She didn't bother lighting a lantern in the gray light of dawn. No sense wasting kerosene.

She took stock of her supplies. Plenty of venison left from last night. Eggs. A basketful of them sitting on a long, highly polished oak counter. There was milk in a pail. A rasher of bacon hung from a meat hook over a sink that had cold running water coming right into the house. And the sink had a drain that went right back out, no water to haul. Such luxury! Ethan said the drain emptied onto the kitchen garden to water the vegetables.

There was a nice square cast-iron oven with a baking chamber and water wells. A quick check told her the wells were full. She quickly sliced bacon into a big skillet. As the meat sizzled, she heard Ethan's low voice. Maggie giggled. Maybe he was changing her diaper and getting her ready for the day.

Audra sincerely doubted it. But she did thank God quietly that, though she hadn't married for love this time, she'd at least married a kind man. She thought of how he'd kissed her last night, and her cheeks heated as she turned the bacon. But she didn't for one second blame the heat of the stove for the blush.

Holding Ethan was more pleasant than anything that had ever passed between her and Wendell, and she'd had two babies with the old goat.

A hiss sounded from inside the tall black coffeepot. The bacon sizzled. She began cracking eggs into a bowl to pour in after the bacon was done, surprised by just how delighted she was with her new life.

Ethan only stabbed himself in the finger twice while he changed Maggie's diaper.

He'd taken her out of the bedroom she shared with her baby sister, dragging along the diapers, and laid her on the floor in his own bedroom.

There was a lot of wiggling involved, and Ethan had his hands full until the diaper was in place and he was done stabbing himself. With some pride he realized he hadn't stabbed the baby. He was proving to be a mighty good pa.

He took Maggie downstairs and found his very own personal, God-blessed wife, cooking at the stove. It was a wonderful sight.

She turned from flipping bacon.

“I got her diaper changed.” Ethan smiled.

“You did, really?” Audra smiled back. A real smile. Big and so happy that Ethan decided he'd change as many diapers as he could.

“I really did.”

“The bacon is done.” Audra turned back to the stove. “Coffee, too.” She poured a bowl full of whipped-up eggs into the skillet that had held the bacon, and the hiss of them frying filled the kitchen.

Ethan sat Maggie on the floor, thinking to keep her away from the hot stove, and kept an eye on her. It wasn't necessary, as she noticed her wiggling toes and was fully occupied trying to put them in her mouth. “It smells terrific in here. I like having a wife more every second.”

He grabbed a cup and poured coffee.

Seth came in with an armload of wood. He looked at Maggie. “I think she might be hungry. Not much food in her toes.”

Ethan smiled at his chawing baby. Besides Maggie, he had a helpful little brother and his cooking wife, who hadn't cried once in nearly a whole day of marriage.

He could live like this forever.

Ethan almost got on his horse and rode away from his foreman five times before the noon meal.

“Rafe always kept the cattle in the south corral.” Steele twirled a lasso over his head and dabbed a loop on a pinto mustang.

Ethan fought down the need to bark at Steele. He ignored how he really felt and found his smile. He didn't want to care so much what anyone thought of him, but Steele couldn't have made his disrespect plainer.

Wanting to say something, Ethan couldn't figure out how to without admitting he cared. And he didn't. Much.

When Steele got the pony under control, Ethan walked over to him. “We need to talk about how this ranch is going to be run—Rafe's way or mine. If I want some changes, I'll make 'em. I lived on this ranch most of the first twenty years of my life, and I've got some ideas.”

Silence stretched between them. Finally, Steele said, “Rafe is a mighty knowing man. He had his reasons for doing things his way.” Steele's tone said he didn't think Ethan was man enough to run the ranch.

“I don't mind hearing how things worked before, but you've got a way about doing it that doesn't leave much room for me being the boss.” Ethan jerked his gloves off his hands and tucked them behind his belt buckle. “And that's what I am, the boss.”

“I heard Rafe is hiring hands over at his ranch.” Steele's voice dropped lower to keep the fact that he was making veiled threats quiet. “I might go see if he'll take me on if I'm not needed here.”

The silence continued to stretch as they measured each other. Ethan didn't want to lose the grizzled old-timer. He was a dependable cowhand and a leader the men respected. After a morning's work, Ethan could see they needed to keep Steele at the Kincaid place. None of the cowhands was very impressed with Ethan.

“Plan on coming to the house and having the noon meal with me.” Ethan did his best to make it sound like a friendly invitation rather than an order. But he ruined it by adding, “We can talk about Rafe's way and why you think I need to take orders from you.”

Steele's jaw worked for a few seconds as if he was afraid to speak what was in his head. Ethan countered by smiling.

Slowly, with narrow eyes, Steele nodded. “Now, where'd you want those cattle, boss?”

“Let's put 'em in the south corral . . . for now.”

“I'll get right to it.” Steele was too savvy a man to smirk at his boss.

Mitch came charging out of the general store in Colorado City, a letter clutched in his hand.

“Tracker left a letter for us.” Mitch had found it in the mail, addressed to Mr. J. Henry, General Delivery, Colorado City, Colorado. Jasper and Tracker had developed that system so Jasper, or the men Jasper sent, could get the latest news without the letter bearing Jasper's address in Houston. Mitch tore open the letter and read fast.

“ ‘Tracker got wind of Wendell. Calls himself Gill now. Tracker doesn't know exactly where Wendell is, but he's in this area. Tracker is setting off to start hunting through mining towns.' ”

“There's gotta be ten towns around these parts, all full of men who mind their own business,” Grove said. He looked like he wanted to grab the letter and make it say something else.

“I got a list of all of 'em.” Mitch frowned at the letter. “Says here Gill's not traveling alone. That's why it took Tracker so long to get a trace on him. He's got himself a family. A wife and children.”

“A wife?” An evil gleam flashed in Grove's eyes. Grove had a taste for hurting women.

“Women are mighty rare out here,” Mitch said, glancing at the letter again. “Children even more. If there's a woman to be found, it'll be easy. Even men who mind their own business will mention seeing a woman. Let's sniff around Colorado City awhile, then start going town to town.”

Grove grunted his agreement.

“That'll take a long time.” Mitch scowled. “I'll leave a letter here for Jasper to find. He doesn't want any letters or telegraphs coming to Houston that might get into the wrong hands. If we run into trouble like Tracker did, Jasper will find the start of the trail right here.”

Grove pulled his reins loose from the hitching post and mounted up.

“I wonder what happened to Tracker.” What Mitch really wondered was how much money they were talking about. Jasper Henry was reported to be a very rich man. Was the money still in Gill's possession? Or had Tracker really taken it and run, as Mitch had suggested to Jasper back in Texas? “We could be at this for a year,” Grove muttered.

“We don't have a year.” Mitch forced himself to think of the fortune Wendell Gilliland had stolen. “If we don't find that money soon, the boss is going to chase us all the way to the ends of the earth, and then he'll send us to Hades.”

“Let's ride” was all Grove said.

Rafe came into the cabin and Julia pounced. “You're done with morning chores, right?”

Rafe didn't swing the door shut behind him, and for a minute Julia wondered if he'd run. She carefully set aside the fossil she'd been cleaning and stood with her very most charming smile. She was learning well that Rafe had a hard time denying her anything if she asked in a friendly way.

Though he'd sure enough been denying her the cavern.

“Now, Julia, honey, I've got—”

“Rafe, if you've got a good reason why we can't go, I'll understand.” She squared her shoulders, drew herself to her full height and looked her husband straight in the eye. “But I don't think you do. There will always be work to be done around this ranch, but we agreed we would explore in that cavern and I've been very patient.”

Rafe rubbed the scar on his temple and remained silent. Julia knew he was thinking. He was a very organized, sensible man. If he couldn't think of a real reason not to go down, he'd admit it. “I'll give you two hours. How does that—?”

Julia threw herself into his arms and kissed him. “Thank you, Rafe.”

“You'll be careful and you'll stay right with me and—”

“I'll be the most obedient wife you've ever seen or heard of.” She kissed him again as long as he was close.

Rolling his eyes, Rafe said, “That I will have to see to believe. Now, let me get the lantern and rope and—”

Julia had it all in her hands before he could finish the sentence. “I'm all packed. I've got my hammer and chisel as well as my bag for carrying out fossils if we find any we can get loose.”

They headed for the cavern within seconds of Julia getting his cooperation.

Julia looked back often, half expecting Rafe to have abandoned her.

Except he wouldn't.

Julia headed into the tunnel and moved fast, leading Rafe deeper and deeper, hoping he didn't recognize their trail. They entered a disaster. A cave so jumbled with rocks it was nearly impassable.

But
nearly
was the key. She hoped to get past all right.

“This is where Seth got shot and Tracker grabbed you. We shouldn't have come this way. Who knows if this cave will collapse some more.” Rafe came up beside her. Their torches flickered and light jumped against the walls.

“It's been weeks.” Julia turned to him, scowling. “We got married.”

“We sure did.” Rafe leaned down and kissed her.

She ignored the thrill of pleasure. “We built a cabin.”

“If we'd stayed home this morning, I had plans to build more chairs and I'd like to put shelves above the—”

“We got Audra and Ethan married and moved.”

Rafe laid his torch on its side on a waist-high boulder, took Julia's lantern away, set it down, and pulled her into his arms. “I especially like the part where they moved and took Seth with them. I like being alone with you.”

He kissed her until all that starch just flowed right out of her and she was wrapped around him.

“Rafe, stop.” But if she really meant that, she'd let loose of him instead of hanging on tighter.

“I had no idea,” Rafe whispered against her lips, “being married would be so great.”

“My point was—”

His kiss stopped her from talking again for a while, until she almost forgot her point. “Rafe, I've waited and waited.”

Sighing so long and hard that she expected him to deflate, he said, “I know. We're here, aren't we?”

“Yes, and I thank you for that. But I'd appreciate it if you quit distracting me. And stop all the complaining, too.”