Authors: Emma Lang

Matthew: The Circle Eight (13 page)

BOOK: Matthew: The Circle Eight

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“So what you’re saying is that he deliberately took the land that separated our current property from the new property?” Matt sounded so calm, but she heard the steel in his voice.

“It appears so.” Mr. Stinson pushed up his glasses again.

“Why would the Republic do that? Stinson obviously wanted to prevent my father from using both tracts of land.” Matt’s hand curled into a fist. “How is that fair?”

“Mr. Graham, if a legal resident of Texas has a claim to land, we grant it to them. It’s not up to the Republic to determine what’s fair.” Mr. Stinson spoke the words, but not very convincingly. He probably hadn’t realized what had been done, but now that he did, he was in the unenviable position of explaining it to her and Matt.

Hannah was flabbergasted by the implications of what they’d discovered. She didn’t know much about cattle, but making a forty-mile loop around a two-mile piece of land was ludicrous. It couldn’t possibly be good for the animals to walk that far on a regular basis.

“That’s a load of horse shit, pardon my language.” Matt sat back in the chair. “I either move my entire ranch forty miles, including my house, or I deal with Stinson for easement rights.”

“Well, I’m sorry about that, Mr. Graham, but it’s out of my hands.” Mr. Stinson folded his hands in front of him on the desk and gave Matt and Hannah an apologetic, weak look.

“Just give me my papers and we’ll be on our way.” Matt snatched the papers the other man held out to him. “Good day, sir.”

He took Hannah’s elbow with force, not enough to hurt her, but enough that she hurried along to leave the land grant office. She’d seen him annoyed but never so angry. However, she didn’t blame him one bit. Hannah was angry, too. The very idea that someone had deliberately put himself between the two tracts of land was horrible.

“Why did he do it?” Hannah asked when they were out on the street.

“Stinson? He’s a jackass with a big mouth and an even bigger ego. My father never liked him, for good reason apparently.” Matt almost marched down the street, his boots slamming into the hard-packed dirt.

“What will we do?” She was glad she had long legs to keep with him.

“Go home.”

“And after that?”

He stopped and turned to meet her gaze. “I don’t know, Hannah. I just don’t know.”

The ride back to the ranch was considerably less enjoyable than the trip to Houston. Matt pushed them and the horses until deep into the night. He didn’t want to stop until he reached home. Hannah tried talking to him, but he wasn’t in any mood to hold a conversation.

He was furious, more so than he’d ever been in his life. The legacy left by his father was now in jeopardy because of one man’s greed. His family would join him in the anger, but the burden to find a solution to the situation was on his shoulders.

Hannah was strong, he knew that, but that long fifteen hours in the saddle proved to him she was stronger than he’d thought. A lesser woman would have complained or insisted they stop, yet she didn’t. He was used to being in the saddle for long days, but she wasn’t even much of a rider.

Now she’d spent the better part of two days on a horse. For him. It was humbling.

By the time they rode into the ranch, he was about to fall out of the saddle. Matt stopped at the barn and slid to the ground, his legs barely able to straighten. He made it to Hannah’s horse and saw the lines cut into her face by sheer exhaustion.

“Come here, honey.” He plucked her off the saddle and into his arms. The horses’ heads hung down as they waited patiently for him to take care of them. First he had to take care of his wife.

Matt carried her toward the house and she shifted in his arms.

“What are you doing? Put me down. I’m too heavy for you.” She sounded so weak he could have mistaken her for a kitten.

“Hush now. We’re home.” He laid her on the bed gently. Then he took off her shoes and pulled up the quilt to cover her. He kissed her forehead, then returned to take care of the horses.

By the time he made it back to Hannah, she was snoring softly. After he removed his own boots, he crawled in beside her, never so glad to be home.

In the morning, he would talk to his family about what he’d learned. For now, he snuggled up beside Hannah and closed his eyes.

C
HAPTER
T
EN

H
annah’s thighs and behind were on fire. The burning sensation yanked her out of a deep sleep. She gasped as she came into full consciousness and the soreness slammed into her. The two days spent riding had taken their toll on her unprepared hindquarters. She opened her eyes and recognized their bedroom at the ranch. A hazy memory of Matt carrying her flitted through her mind. It must have really happened because she certainly hadn’t walked in there on her own. Heck, she wasn’t sure if she could walk.

She groaned and turned on her side. Her husband was there, fast asleep, with dark smudges of exhaustion beneath his eyes. It was the first time she’d been able to study him without his knowing. He looked so much younger asleep, as though slumber had washed away all the stresses of the ranch.

He had dark lashes, not overly long but thick. A bump on the bridge of his nose spoke of an injury earlier in his life. Another scar marred his skin just above his left eyebrow, perhaps an inch long and whitened with age. The stubble that graced his chin and cheeks was darker than the hair on his head. Unable to resist she reached out and touched one fingertip to his chin. He was a beautiful man, even in sleep.

His eyes popped open and she froze in place. Her heart thumped hard as she waited for him to do something.

“Hannah.” The rasp of his voice sent a skitter across her skin.

“Matthew.”

Their gazes were locked and the air between them crackled. She wanted so badly to kiss him, but hesitated. They’d only been married a few short days, and although they’d been intimate, she was absolutely shy around him. Now she’d been caught ogling and fondling him. Perhaps what she’d done might not be considered fondling, she had been touching him.

“Where did you get the ring?”

She wasn’t expecting the question. “The ring?” She held up her left hand, just now noticing she still wore it. “Granny gave it to me. It belonged to her mother.”

“It fits you.” He touched the ring with one finger.

“Like I was supposed to wear it.”

His gaze snapped to hers and the moment stretched out. She leaned toward him and her muscles reminded her of just how much pain she was in. Hannah hissed in a breath and moved back to her side of the bed.

“Are you sore?” He shifted to a sitting position and the tension between them broke.

Hannah cursed her own foolishness and wondered if she would ever be strong enough to be a normal wife.

“Yes, a bit. Mostly on my, ah, the parts that rest on the saddle.” Those parts were currently throbbing with more than soreness from the ride.

“I’ve got some liniment. Thought we’d use it when we were on our trip, but I didn’t think we’d ride straight back either.” He rose from bed and Hannah was startled to see his erection clearly evident in his drawers. Was it like that every morning?

He fished around in the saddlebags on the floor before pulling out a tin. “Found it.”

She didn’t know what would happen when he rubbed the liniment on her, but she was filled with anticipation.

“Roll over and pull up your nightdress, Hannah.”

It didn’t sound sexy, but it sure made her feel naughty as she managed to do what he asked. Her muscles were in sorry shape, but it was the idea that his bare hands would be rubbing her that was foremost in her mind.

“My hands are a little rough.” He opened the tin and put some liniment on his hands.

“I don’t mind,” she confessed into the pillow. “I like your hands.”

He chuckled softly. “I’m glad to hear it. Just try to relax.”

Now that would be quite a challenge. She wanted to enjoy the experience, but her anxiety was warring with her need.

Matt touched her behind her knees, making circles as he worked his way up to her thighs. Although his fingers were strong, his touch wasn’t rough. She closed her eyes and focused on how good it felt.

Her sore muscles slowly unknotted under his hands. Matt’s thumbs swiped her inner thighs, so close to her pussy that she clenched her muscles. A jolt of pain slammed up her body at the sudden movement.

He stopped, his hands still touching her. “Easy, Hannah. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”

“I know. I, um, I’m not used to people touching me there.” She sounded foolish to her own ears.

“I’m not people. I’m your husband.”

Hannah was glad he couldn’t see her blushing. “Please keep going.”

After a moment, he started again. She wanted to show him how much she trusted him, truly she did, so she spread her legs wider.

He made a funny noise and his hands momentarily stopped. “You, ah, surprise me.”

“I hope so.” She spoke into her pillow but she hoped he heard her.

His thumbs traveled upward again, nearing her pulsing core, then slid past to her behind. He spread her cheeks with each circle, allowing cold air to land on her heated center. Cold. Hot. Cold. Hot.

When he kissed the nape of her neck, a moan popped out of her mouth. The massage had turned into something much more. His hardened staff brushed against her thigh.

“Hannah, I need you.”

“I need you, too. Please, Matt.” She pushed up against him until he was cradled right where she needed him most.

He jumped off the bed and shucked his drawers so quickly, her skin didn’t even cool in the time he was gone. His now naked cock brushed her thighs, raising goose bumps in its wake.

The head teased her opening. She pushed up against him again, and he slid in further. She raised her behind up even further until he was fully sheathed inside her. Hannah gasped at the feeling of rightness. This was where she belonged, where he belonged.

His arms shook beside her as he began to thrust in and out. With each movement, their joining made a soft, wet noise that was strangely exciting.

Hannah didn’t know people could make love back to front. The sensation was different, more intense. He slid deeper within her, joining them together in a profound way.

Her stomach fluttered as the pleasure burned low and deep in her belly. She gripped the bed, the scent of their lovemaking filling her nose. Her body recognized his, reached for the ultimate peak it would find only with Matt.

“Now, Hannah, now.” His arms shook harder as his pace grew faster. He slammed into her, tugging her into a whirl of sensations.

She gave herself over, falling into blinding ecstasy that raced through her. A thousand points of light echoed through her, bringing her to another realm. Matt whispered her name as he found his own peak.

They both shook with the power of their joining. Hannah didn’t know he had the power to bring her to such a place. She couldn’t imagine a more beautiful experience and knew she would eagerly await the next time.

He kissed her neck again, then rolled off her with a groan. “Remind me to rub liniment on you more often.”

Hannah giggled. In the privacy of their bedroom, Matt softened and became the man she had always dreamed of marrying. Outside the bedroom, he was the head of the ranch, bossy, and not at all the same person. She wouldn’t admit this to him, but her heart was becoming Matthew’s and she was helpless to stop it.

The silence in the kitchen was broken only by Catherine’s slurping of her milk. The rest of the Grahams and Eva stared at Matt with expressions of disbelief, anger, and confusion.

Matt’s anger had not truly dissipated. It had smoldered deep within him all the way back to the ranch. Making love to Hannah had allowed him to escape while they had been together. Yet reality came crashing down the moment he spread the map on the table and explained their problem.

“What does this all mean?” Olivia’s face was pale. “We have to move?”

“It means we have a two-mile gap between this ranch and our new land. We have a choice to make.” He looked at all of them in turn. “We can negotiate with Stinson to run our herd back and forth across his two-mile tract. We can try to buy it from him, or we can move everything we have to the new property and abandon this one.”

“That bastard.” Caleb slammed his fist into the table. “He did this on purpose.”

“I think so too, but that doesn’t change the fact we have to make a decision.” Matt wanted to tear the map to pieces and make Stinson eat every piece. “We probably have a fight on our hands.”

“Damn right we have a fight on our hands.” Nicholas’s expression matched Caleb’s. “If Pa were alive, he would fight that son of a bitch.”

“Nicholas,
hijo,
your language,” Eva scolded.

“He is a son of a bitch,” Nicholas mumbled under his breath.

Matt stared at the map, at the two miles standing between their dream and reality. Stinson had done it deliberately, there wasn’t a doubt about that, or the fact he was a bastard. Nick had that right.

“First thing we need to do is talk to him.” Olivia was still pale but calm. “Mr. Stinson is a reasonable man, and I’m sure Margaret can convince him to work with us.” Olivia cast a sideways glance at Hannah. “Too bad she didn’t marry you when you asked.”

Perhaps no one else saw it, but Matt did. Hannah flinched at Olivia’s nastiness.

“That’s enough, Livy. I was five years old. Ancient history. We don’t have money to buy the land straight out obviously. I want to offer Stinson a share of profits our first year to buy the land.” Matt had considered a great many possibilities on their return from Houston. The first one he discarded, since murder would only garner him a noose, not a ranch.

“Give him our profit?” Caleb shook his head.

“It’s logical.”

“It’s
loco
.”

“Papa would whoop his behind.”

“I’ll whoop yours if you don’t stop pushing me off the bench.”

“We can’t give him our hard-earned money.”

“That’s our blood, sweat, and tears, Matt.”

“I don’t sweat. I’m a lady.”

“You sweat and you stink.”

“Shut up.”

“Enough, all of you!” Matt had no patience for their bickering today. “Sometimes life doesn’t give you a good choice, but it does give you choices. We have to decide if it’s the best one.”

They all stopped yelling but there were glares around the table.

“What does Hannah think?” Catherine looked up at them, a milk mustache on her lip.

Everyone turned to look at Hannah. She’d been sipping her coffee quietly and paused with the cup halfway to her mouth.

“Me? I don’t have a say in this.”

“Yes, you do,” Rebecca piped up. “You’re a Graham now.”

Matt caught her gaze and held it, telling her with his eyes the girls were right. Regardless of Livy’s attitude, the rest of the family had accepted her. She was a Graham.

Hannah glanced at her grandmother, sitting in the corner on what was now “her stool.” The older woman nodded.

“The best way to catch flies is with honey, not vinegar. If you sweeten the pot, he just might accept the offer.” Hannah was a born diplomat if he ever met one.

“Hannah is right. We have to approach him as a neighbor with an offer.” He stared hard at Olivia. “Hannah and I will head over there in the morning.”

Matt walked out of the house because he didn’t want to listen to the yelling as it began again. He knew Olivia would be angry and likely Caleb would want to be part of the trip to the Stinsons’ ranch. Yet another family discussion stuck in the mire of too many opinions. He had too much on his mind to take grief from his siblings.

Winston was waiting in his stall for Matt. It was too late in the day for a ride, but he could spend time spoiling the gelding. After all, he’d been ridden hard on the trip to Houston. The least he could do was give the horse something back.

He didn’t admit to himself he was hiding. After all, he was a rancher, a man, and a landowner. He had no reason to hide.

Hannah checked her reflection in the tiny mirror for the tenth time, trying to smooth down the wayward curls that would not behave. They were leaving for the Stinsons’, riding over together as an old married couple would.

She didn’t have any fancy outfit, but her clothes were clean and pressed. Perhaps one day she’d get some fabric and make herself something new. Today she had to make do with what she had.

“Are you ready yet?” Matt’s voice sounded from the hallway, impatience evident in his tone.

“Yes, I’m ready.” She smoothed her blouse one more time, then opened the bedroom door.

He was dressed as he normally would on any other day, in a shirt and trousers, but at least his boots were clean. She suddenly felt overdressed.

“Should I change?”

BOOK: Matthew: The Circle Eight

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