Matthew: The Circle Eight (19 page)

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Authors: Emma Lang

BOOK: Matthew: The Circle Eight
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Eva appeared with a beautiful scarf in her hand. The colors were so vibrant, it looked like a sunset, with gold, red, green and orange, even pink and purple. They all blended together to form the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“Eva, I can’t use this.” She knew she’d either rip it or stain it with the food she’d be serving.
“Of course you can.” Eva helped her sit up. “Hold up your hair,
hija.
”
Hannah wanted to protest some more, but as soon as the scarf touched her bruised neck, she closed her eyes at the sensation. It was magnificent, the most wonderful fabric she’d ever had the privilege of touching. Eva tied the scarf to cover the bruises, then stepped back.
“¡Que bonita, hija!”
The housekeeper clapped her hands. “The color was made for you.”
Hannah wondered how Eva could possibly think she was beautiful, when plain was all she’d ever be. She got out of the bed, grateful to be on her feet. No one protested, so she walked over to the small mirror on the wall and peered at her reflection.
Her hair was a cloud of curls, forming a halo of brown. The scarf stood out as if someone had painted an explosion of color on her neck. Even her mud brown eyes looked different because of the scarf.
“Wow.”
“Sí, hija, muy bonita.”
Eva picked up the brush and worked on the snarls in Hannah’s hair. “Now let’s get you ready to meet the neighbors.”
Hannah endured ten minutes of discomfort until her hair was neatly contained, as much as possible anyway, in a braid. Eva stepped back to admire her handiwork, then turned to Granny.
“What do you think, Martha?”
“She’s a beauty, just like her mother was.” To Hannah’s surprise, tears appeared in her Granny’s eyes. “I can’t believe you’re all growed up and a married woman.”
Hannah took her grandmother’s hand. “I’m still the same girl.”
Granny held up Hannah’s hand, the silver band winking in the sunlight. “No, child, you’re not. And it’s a good thing.”
“A wagon is coming over the rise. We need to get ready.” Matt put one foot in the room, barked his orders, then turned and left.
Hannah wanted to kick him.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s deeper than he thinks he is.” Granny winked at her. “Now help me up so we can get cracking.”
The three women went outside together, prepared as best they could be for the day. Hannah’s throat hurt, but the scarf actually made her skin feel better.
“Wait, what if people ask me about the scarf?” Hannah kept her gaze on the very full wagon headed toward the house. Her stomach did a jig at the sight.
“No one will ask you why you are wearing it. If anything they will be jealous of how beautiful you look in it.” Eva smiled and took her arm.
Granny took her other arm. “Eva’s got the right of it. Just keep smiling.”
Hannah took a deep breath and got ready to face the second half of the hardest day of her life.
Matt was still seething inside. Nothing was going to quench that fire until he found who had hurt Hannah. Some lowdown snake thought a Graham would fold like a deck of cards. That fool was going to have the entire family on his ass, with blood in their eyes.
He managed to act polite for his neighbors, but he scrutinized every one of them for guilt. Throughout the next few hours, he also kept Hannah in his line of sight. Always.
At first he had trouble finding her until he realized she was the striking woman wearing a bright scarf. He’d never thought of her as beautiful, but the colors in the scarf made her shine like a vibrant flower in the sunlight.
He told himself he wasn’t staring at her because he was struck dumb by how pretty she looked. Hannah was his wife, so he didn’t need to be fussing about her looks. He watched her only out of concern for her safety.
Nick and Caleb, however, thought his fascination with his wife was hilarious. They kept coming up behind him and talking in a falsetto voice.
“Oh, Mattie, don’t I look pretty?”
“Mattie, will you kiss me?”
He punched them both at least once; then they got smart and moved out of the way before he could reach them. Of course that made them laugh harder. Matt found himself feeling angrier by the second, and wishing the entire barbecue would just be over.
Wishing it so did not make it happen, of course. Matt had to endure the teasing, be polite to the neighbors, and mind the pit. He kept his eye on Hannah while he searched the crowd for Ranger Armstrong. That man had a lot of questions to answer, starting with why someone would almost kill his wife to stop the two of them from talking.
Lorenzo and Javier pronounced the meat ready around four in the afternoon. With Nick and Caleb, the four of them managed to move the meat to the tables, already groaning with the food the neighbors had brought. Matt supervised, unwilling to leave his position where he could see just about everyone. The only neighbors who had not arrived were the Stinsons. He didn’t know if he should read anything into their absence. Guilt, perhaps?
“Looking for me?” Armstrong appeared beside him, much to Matt’s consternation. Still dressed in black from head to foot, the ranger was like a living shadow.
“Dammit, man, are you part Indian or something?”
Armstrong turned his cold blue gaze on Matt, but didn’t answer. Perhaps he was part Indian and Matt had just insulted him. It didn’t matter one way or the other. He wasn’t interested in the man’s feelings, just what he knew.
“I was looking for you.” Matt glanced at Hannah. “You see that scarf my wife is wearing?”
One dark eyebrow went up. “You wanted to show me your wife’s scarf?”
“No, I wanted to show you the bruises on her neck where some bastard almost choked the life out of her this morning.” The fury he’d felt came rushing back at him like a black cloud. Matt had to clench his fists and teeth to keep from howling.
Armstrong pulled him back toward the side of the barn before he spoke. “Tell me.”
“He gave her a message for me. Said to stop talking to you. He used your name, Armstrong.” Matt glanced at Hannah and a wave of worry for her hit him. She smiled and chatted with the neighbors as if she hadn’t been nearly killed eight hours earlier.
“What exactly did he say?” Armstrong’s jaw had a tic.
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.” He gestured to Hannah. “I can go get her and she can tell you herself.”
“Fine then. Go get her.” Armstrong was as bossy as he could be, but right about then, Matt didn’t care. He just wanted his family to be safe.
He walked over to where Hannah was chatting with young Maggie McRae, the fifteen-year-old daughter of the neighboring rancher. Matt took Hannah’s elbow and whispered in her ear.
“I need you.” He hadn’t meant to say it that way, but that’s what came out of his mouth. Of course, what he meant was he needed her to talk to Armstrong. Her reaction told him she read a lot more into his statement than intended. Hell, he didn’t know his ass from his head right about then. “The ranger is here.”
Her smile faded and she nodded. “Excuse me, Maggie. I’ll be right back.”
They walked over to where the ranger waited. Hannah didn’t take his arm or his hand, and he told himself he was not disappointed. Armstrong stood where Matt had left him. The lawman seemed as tough as leather the way he was so still, so unyielding.
“Ma’am.” He tipped his hat to Hannah. “Name’s Armstrong.”
“Mr. Armstrong. Pleased to meet you. I’m Hannah Fol—I mean Hannah Graham.” Her cheeks pinkened as she stumbled over her married name. Matt wasn’t bothered by it. Hell, he wasn’t used to introducing her as his wife.
“Your husband tells me someone gave you a message.” He gestured to the scarf. “One that left marks.”
Her gaze narrowed and the shyness disappeared. Hannah looked as angry as he felt. Her rusty voice was a testament to what she’d endured that morning. “Yes, some lowdown snake hid in the barn and choked me until I blacked out.” She glanced at Matt. “He told me my husband needed to stop talking to Armstrong or he’d never find my body or Catherine’s.”
Hannah’s words were like a slap. Matt reeled back, unhappy she hadn’t shared the entire message with him before now.
“What? Why didn’t you tell me that before now?”
“I told you.” Hannah frowned. “The important thing was Armstrong’s name.”
Matt took her arms and yanked her against him until they were nose to nose. “The important thing was that he threatened your life again, and the life of my sister. I don’t give a shit about Armstrong if you are in danger because I’m talking to him.”
Her gaze searched his. “Matthew.” The husky whisper was enough to drive him over the edge.
Before he realized what he was doing, his lips slammed into hers and he kissed her with all the pent-up fury and emotions churning inside him. Her mouth opened beneath his as his body hardened, inch by inch.
“Ahem, Graham, this isn’t really the place to do that.” Armstrong’s voice broke the haze of pure passion Matt had fallen into.
He stepped back from Hannah and took a shaky breath. Her lips were reddened and moist from his kisses. Damned if her nipples weren’t hard beneath her blouse, too. What the hell was wrong with him?
“Sorry. I, uh, let’s get back to the stranger.” His body throbbed with lust for his wife, but Matt managed to tear his gaze away from Hannah to look at Armstrong. “And why he would warn me away from you.”
Armstrong frowned. “There aren’t many who know I’m here, and if they do, they don’t know why I’m here.”
“Somebody does. I want to find out who.” Matt knew something dark was going on in their little corner of Texas and he wanted to know who was behind it.
“Not any more than I do. I’m supposed to be a ghost around here.” Armstrong glanced at Hannah. “Is there someplace private we can talk?”
“I’m going to hear what you have to say, Mr. Armstrong. Don’t think for a minute I’ll simply walk away.” Hannah surprised Matt again with the vehemence in her voice.
“Fine, but I don’t care if you’re a woman or not. If you repeat anything I tell you, I will take action.” Armstrong didn’t need to say what he would do, but Matt understood just the same.
“You don’t need to threaten my wife.”
“I’m not threatening her. I’m warning her and you.” Armstrong’s jaw clenched so tight, the scar on his face whitened. “I don’t share information, ever, but since you two are already involved, I reckon I need to tell you. Otherwise you might just keep being a thorn in my paw.”
“Then start talking.” Matt couldn’t imagine what the ranger was doing in their neck of the woods that was so secret, but he knew it was the key to what had happened to his parents, his brother, and his wife.
Armstrong looked hard at both of them for a few moments before speaking. “Sam Houston himself asked me to investigate what’s been happening. I told you about the other ranches. Word of the violence got to Sam’s ear and he wanted to find out who was behind killing the citizens of Texas.”
Matt was impressed. Sam Houston? Ranger Armstrong was rubbing elbows with some big men.
“What does that have to do with Hannah?”
“Someone saw me here talking to you yesterday. That means that person knows why I’m here.” Armstrong glanced at the crowd of people eating and talking. “More than likely one of those folks right there.”
Matt turned and realized he didn’t know whom to trust. His family, the people he loved, had a murderer in their midst. The thought made his blood run cold.
“How can we help?” Hannah pulled their attention back from the barbecue.
“I can’t ask you to do that. Just know that I’ll be around looking into things.” Armstrong frowned. “I don’t need you fiddling with my investigation.”
“I refuse to do nothing.” Hannah put her hands on her hips. “I was attacked and that vermin threatened my little sister.”
“Mrs. Graham, I can’t let you—”
“You won’t
let
me do anything.” Hannah poked one finger into the ranger’s chest. “I decide, not you.”
Armstrong stared down at her, his scowl deeper than the pit they’d dug for the barbecue.
“You’re bossy, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“So are you.” Hannah looked like a rabbit facing the big, bad wolf.
Matt didn’t know whether to spank her or kiss her, but Hannah seemed to change the ranger’s mind. He relaxed his stance and nodded.
“Fine, but if I tell you to get out of my way, you do it.”
“Agreed.” Hannah touched the scarf. “I don’t want to ever feel afraid again. I find myself ready to shoot the man who made me feel that way.”
Matt swore the ranger nearly cracked a smile.
“You’re quite a woman, Mrs. Graham. Too bad you’re married.” Armstrong pushed his hat back a smidge, staring at Hannah.

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