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Authors: Emma Lang

Matthew: The Circle Eight (24 page)

BOOK: Matthew: The Circle Eight
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Matt leapt off his horse the moment he neared the Stinson ranch. There were no horses tied up outside, but that didn’t mean no one was home. Without waiting for anyone to open the door, he crashed through it, shouting Hannah’s name.
He scared the housekeeper and a cat, but he didn’t care enough to even apologize. Shouting his wife’s name, he stalked through the house until he reached the veranda doors. He slammed through them too and found Jeb sitting at a table.
The surprise on Jeb’s face looked genuine. He set a sandwich down and picked up a mug of what looked like tea.
“Matthew Graham, I never thought you were the rude sort. What are you doing here howling like a fool?” Jeb was either a fantastic thespian or a complete lunatic.
“Where are they?” Matt growled.
“Who? I’m here alone. Margaret went to town with your sister. My father was supposed to be with you.” Jeb took a sip of the tea. “I’d offer you a drink but I’m certain you’d refuse. Something sure has put a bee in your bonnet.”
Matt stalked over to Jeb and grabbed him by the shirt. They were similar in size, but Matt’s daily labors and his fury made him twice as strong.
“I will snatch the life right out of you if you’ve hurt them.”
Jeb’s eyes widened and Matt saw a dollop of fear in his blue gaze. “I haven’t hurt anyone.”
“You killed my parents.” Matt’s voice was raw with pain and rage. The thought of giving this murderer his friendship made him sick. It didn’t matter a bit if he’d been as fooled as everyone else.
“Matt, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Matt shook him, his arms shaking with the effort of not killing Jeb outright. “I will not give you another piece of my life. I’m going to ask you one more time, where are my wife and sister?”
Jeb’s gaze moved past him. “Hannah, tell your husband you’re okay.”
Matt turned, hope making him blind to the danger Jeb presented. Too late, he realized his mistake. Jeb brought the cast iron teapot down on Matt’s head with a resounding thud. His teeth slammed together and the ground slapped him in the face.
Armstrong couldn’t find the women. He knew they were in the house, but damned if Jeb hadn’t stashed them someplace good. He’d looked in at every door in the entire house. To his surprise, he’d found nothing. Where were they?
The scarf hadn’t appeared out of nowhere and he knew exactly why Hannah was wearing it. She wouldn’t willingly give it up. Someone had done something to both women, and it was up to Armstrong to find out just what it was.
A commotion in the back of the house brought him running as quietly as he could. He peered out the window in the office and saw Matt shaking Jeb like a dog. Armstrong didn’t know what the hell Graham was up to, but he needed to put a stop to it.
Armstrong checked his pistol before he stepped cautiously outside. When Jeb slammed the teapot against Matt’s head, Armstrong realized he’d been investigating the wrong Stinson. Matt had obviously figured it out, and the ranger was embarrassed to be so slow to recognize the truth.
Now he had to save Graham, as well as the man’s sister and wife. Armstrong wasn’t prepared for Jeb to pull out a gun and point it at him.
“You know, I was wondering when you would make an appearance.” Jeb cocked the pistol. “I was watching you last night, making cow eyes at my intended bride.”
“I wasn’t making cow eyes at anyone. Mr. Graham invited me to the barbecue when we met last week. I was much obliged for the invite.” Armstrong held up his hands. “I followed him over here because he was talking crazy.”
“Damn right he was talking crazy. He tried to kill me.” Jeb set the pot down on the table. “I never saw such a thing.”
Armstrong wondered whether Stinson’s innocuous behavior was all an act or whether he was facing one of the smartest killers he’d ever met.
“Why don’t you put that pistol away so I can arrest Graham for attacking you?” Armstrong kept his voice even, calm, although his gut was churning like a twister.
“Oh, no, I can’t do that. Matt threatened my life. I won’t put the gun down in his presence again.” Jeb turned the pistol on Matt’s inert form. “I have to protect myself.”
Two things happened so fast Armstrong had to blink to be sure he wasn’t seeing things. First, Hannah appeared behind Jeb, covered in blood, her hair a wild cloud both blood-streaked and dirty. Then Olivia ran past him, also bloody and bruised, screaming like a banshee from a tale his granny used to tell.
“Don’t you hurt my brother!” She threw herself at Jeb just as Hannah conked the man on the head with some kind of metal bar.
The younger Stinson fell to the ground beneath a heap of female anger. Armstrong was there in a blink, pulling both women up and out of harm’s way. Of course they didn’t seem to care for his assistance and scratched and bit at him.
“Olivia! Hannah! Stop. It’s me, Brody Armstrong!” He managed to pull them off Jeb, who looked as though he’d been tossed down a ravine.
“Your first name is Brody?” Olivia had dried blood all over her hair and forehead. He’d never been so glad to see a woman alive.
“Don’t remind me. My mother was a true Irish woman and thought I should have a strong Irish name.” He pulled both women to their feet. “Now what the hell happened here?”
Hannah was breathing hard as she pushed her hair out of her eyes, then spat a bloody wad on the ground. Armstrong thought he had seen everything, but these two had just proved him wrong.
“Jeb tried to kill us. We stopped him.” Her grin was positively feral and liberally sprinkled with blood.
Truthfully the women were making Armstrong nervous. “Your husband was hurt. You might want to tend to him.”
“Matt!” Hannah ran to him and knelt down, pulling his head into her lap. She touched the gash on his forehead with such tenderness, he had to look away.
Olivia had found Jeb’s gun and was currently pointing it at him. “I should kill him now.”
“Let the law handle him, Miss Graham.”
She snorted. “You should call me Olivia. I think we’re on a first name basis by now.”
Just then Frederick Stinson, Javier, Lorenzo, Nick, Caleb, and Angus McRae all barreled through the door. When they caught sight of the women, Jeb, and Matt, their expressions were almost comical.
“What in the name of God happened here?” The elder Stinson looked as though he might explode.
“I’m placing your son under arrest for murder, fraud, and kidnapping.” Armstrong pulled a length of leather from his pocket. “You can visit him in the jail.”
Hannah and Olivia threw their heads back and let loose a battle cry that had all of the men taking a step back. Armstrong could just imagine what kind of children Hannah and Matt would have. Too bad he couldn’t stick around to find out.
C
HAPTER
S
IXTEEN
 
M
att woke slowly, his head pounding as though it had been split open by an axe. He cracked one eye open and recognized his bedroom at the ranch. Confusion was replaced by panic when he remembered what had happened.
He sat up so fast, his stomach came right up with him. Matt bent over the side of the bed and a bucket appeared below him. As he vomited, a soft hand touched the back of his neck and he knew without looking it was Hannah.
When he had stopped making a fool of himself, he lay back on the bed and was finally able to look at Hannah. Her face was bruised an ugly shade of purple and green on one side, her lip split and swollen, and one eye was black, as though she’d been in a brawl. His mouth dropped open when she smiled.
“I’m so glad to see you awake. It’s been two days, Matt.” She took his hand and kissed the back of it. “You scared me.”
“
You’re
scaring
me,
Hannah. What the hell happened to you?” He didn’t dare touch her for fear he’d hurt her healing wounds.
“I’m fine. Just a bit bruised. You were really hurt.” She moved closer and touched the side of his head. “The doctor said Jeb might have cracked your skull. I wanted to beat him all over again when I heard that. Are you in pain?”
“My head does pain me something fierce.” Matt reached up, surprised to find a bandage wrapped around his head. The left side was particularly sore. He felt plenty of whiskers on his face. Matt hoped there wasn’t a mirror nearby because he didn’t want to see what he looked like.
He tried to remember what had happened. Images of blood and screaming women ran through his mind. He wondered if he’d dreamed it or if Hannah had really rescued him instead of the other way around. It shouldn’t surprise him. After all, his entire life had been turned on its head since they’d married.
“Did you and my sister attack Jeb?”
She blushed. “Kind of. He’d locked us in the root cellar and we got free. Then I saw he’d hurt you and I didn’t hesitate to defend you.”
Her brown gaze was so guileless, so completely full of love, he had to look away. His throat had tightened up, and he swallowed three times before he could speak.
“Thank you, Hannah. I, uh, ain’t so good with words.” He took her hand, embarrassed to see his own trembling. “When I asked you to marry me, I didn’t know what was in store for us. Now I can’t imagine my life without you.”
She blinked a few times and then nodded. “Neither can I.”
“Is it okay if you kiss me?” He really wanted to make slow, sweet love but that would likely have to wait at least until he could sit up without help.
Hannah smiled. “I think I can arrange it with your caretaker.”
She rose and leaned toward him, and her breath puffed against his lips. He closed his eyes and she kissed him so lightly, she could have been a butterfly.
“You need to sleep and get better. Don’t worry; we’re taking care of everything.”
Sleep crept over him like a warm blanket. The last thing he saw was Hannah’s eyes. The last thing he heard was her quiet whisper.
The next morning, Hannah was up before the dawn again. Doing chores helped her to focus, to forget all the horrible things that had happened on the Stinson property. The relief she felt when Matt had opened his eyes had sent her outside to cry after he’d gone back to sleep. She wept for the love she’d thought she’d lost before ever really experiencing it. Hannah had sobbed until her throat was raw and she didn’t have a tear left to shed.
When she crawled into bed, she slept for the first time since Matt had been injured. He couldn’t spoon up behind her yet but his body warmth and even the sound of his breathing were enough for her. Now he was sleeping deeply and no longer unconscious. Hannah woke feeling refreshed and ready to get back to normal.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Granny came into the kitchen. Hannah was surprised to see her up so early.
“Mornin’.” From experience, Hannah didn’t engage in conversation with her grandmother just yet. Instead she poured a cup of hot coffee and set it down on the table.
“These old bones can’t get comfortable no more.” Granny sat down with a groan and snatched up the cup. She sniffed in the hot brew before taking a noisy slurp. “Your man wake up?”
“Yes, thank God.” Hannah started rolling out the biscuit dough. “He doesn’t remember much.”
“Good thing. He’d probably pitch a fit if he knew what you’d done.” Granny shook her head at her. “Not many women could do what you did.”
“What did she do?” Matt’s voice made Hannah slip and she nearly dropped the glass she was using to cut out the biscuits.
“She saved your life and captured the bastard who tried to kill you.” Granny slurped again.
Matt shuffled into the kitchen, his clothes messy but his eyes clear. His hair stuck up every which way on top of his head, pushed up by the bandages. He was pale and a little shaky, but Hannah thought he’d never looked so handsome and
alive.
He sat down and she gestured to her own cup. “Go ahead and drink it. I just poured it.”
With a grateful sigh, he wrapped his hands around the hot mug and sipped the coffee. “Now tell me what exactly you did to save my life.”
“She saved me, too.” Olivia didn’t look much better than her brother, but she had only been knocked out. The doctor said her skull was hard enough to survive the hit against the wall. Her knees were bruised and she winced when she walked. It would be a while before she could run, but she could get around just fine.
Matt frowned at Hannah. “I think I need to hear more starting with why you were at Stinson’s ranch in the first place.”
Hannah started putting biscuits in the pan without answering. Olivia poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down beside her brother.
“She asked me if she could go with me. When we got there, Margaret wasn’t home. Jeb invited us in and we realized he was the one who was behind the attacks, not his father.” Olivia met Hannah’s gaze; the bond between them had deepened now. “Jeb hit us, tied us up, and locked us in a root cellar of some kind. Hannah managed to untie us and get us out.”
Matt’s eyes widened. “How the hell did you do that?”
Hannah finished putting the biscuits in the oven and started cleaning up the mess she’d left behind. “My teeth, my willpower, my brain.” She shrugged. “Anybody could have done it.”
“Like hell.” Granny smacked the table with her open hand. “About time you stopped apologizing for being strong and smart.”
Hannah jumped at her grandmother’s loud pronouncement. “I’m not apologizing.”
“Damn right, you are. Tell your husband how you lost two teeth because Jeb hit you so hard. Tell him how you lost skin on your lips gnawing on the rope to get yourself free and how you used a metal bar to pry the door open. How you about carried Olivia upstairs.” Granny got to her feet. “Or tell him how you used that metal bar to knock some sense into Jeb’s stupid head.”
Matt’s mouth dropped open and Hannah couldn’t help squirming under his gaze. This was what she didn’t want, to have what she did laid out for everyone to talk about again. Never mind that Matt hadn’t heard it the first time; she still could hardly believe it was true and she’d lived it.
“You did all that?” Matt got to his feet and took her wrists, turning so he could see the chafing from the ropes. He kissed the inside of one wrist and a shiver ran down her arm.
“Yes.”
Matt wiped away her tear with his thumb. “I’ve got to be the luckiest man in Texas.”
Hannah’s heart thumped hard as she raised her gaze to meet his. “You lost so much.”
He shook his head. “I lost my parents and my brother, but that’s part of life. What I gained—Hannah, I can’t think of a man who would do what you did. You humble me.”
Hannah gave him a small smile. “I’m a Graham. I did what I had to.”
Matt pulled her into a hug. “My mother would have loved you, too.”
It was the closest she’d come to a confession of love from her husband, and she held onto it and tucked it away. Perhaps one day he might find the words. For now she could be content with what he’d given her because she loved him.
Matt sat on the porch with Armstrong in the afternoon. He felt so much better being out of bed that he ignored Eva and Hannah’s clucking and remained outside. The ranger had been staying in the tack room at the barn while everyone healed up.
“Where is he?”
Armstrong didn’t ask who; he didn’t have to. “Sheriff locked him up but I was supposed to take him to Houston yesterday.”
“I appreciate your waiting.” Matt knew the ranger was accountable to Sam Houston himself. “Will you get in trouble for not bringing him in?”
“Nah. I sent Sam a wire. I plan on leaving in the morning. I get itchy when I’m in one place for too long.” Armstrong took a drag off his cigarillo.
“Two weeks is too long?” Matt shook his head. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
“I love to wander.” Armstrong’s gaze flicked to the door as it opened. Olivia shuffled out and the ranger sat up straighter.
“Matt, your wife and Eva are about to come out here and haul you back to bed.” Her gaze skittered past the ranger and she looked out at the horizon.
Matt watched her as if she’d changed overnight. The one thing he could count on from his sister was her directness. Now she was acting shy with Armstrong. What else had happened while he’d been unconscious?
“I ain’t going back to bed.” Matt stretched out in the rocking chair, leaning back until his head just touched the back. “Me and the ranger are talking.”
“I can see that.” Olivia stepped out and shuffled to the other rocking chair beside Matt.
He didn’t know what to think of her behavior, so he ignored her. There was obviously something she wanted to know from Armstrong.
“Did you interrogate him?”
“Yes, but he didn’t tell me anything. Claimed he was attacked by your wife and sister.” Armstrong took another drag and blew it out before he spoke again. “Says he doesn’t know shit about your parents or brother, or about the other ranches. I’m still looking for evidence at the ranch.”
A slight breeze tickled Matt’s skin, cooling the sweat on his forehead. “What happens now?”
“We keep investigating him. His Pa is giving me free rein to search everything.” Armstrong glanced at Olivia. “I found the room where the girls were tied up.”
Matt’s hands tightened on the arms of the chair. “And?”
“Blood, rope, a couple teeth and a torn up door handle. Just like your wife said.”
“Jesus Christ.” Matt had heard what everyone had said, but to hear the ranger tell it so bluntly made his gut twist.
“We’ve got Jeb for the crimes against them. In the meantime, we keep digging until we find what we’re after.”
“That’s not good enough.” Matt choked on the frustration building inside him. “I want him to swing for my parents’ murder, and I want to know where Benjy is.” His voice rose until he was shouting, making his head throb in tune with his heart.
“I know, but right now you gotta be patient.” Armstrong rose to his feet. “I won’t be back before I leave.”
“No, you’re not leaving with him. Not until I talk to him.” Matt struggled to stand. “That bastard is going to have to answer to me.”
Armstrong put one arm on Matt’s shoulder. “Ain’t nothing you can do if you fall off a horse and break the other side of your head. Besides, your wife would likely shoot me if I let you.”
Matt’s fury had started to grow the more he thought about never finding out what he had to know. “I have to talk to him, Armstrong. I have to.”
The cool-eyed ranger stared down at him. “I’ll come by with him first thing on my way out of town. You get a few minutes but no more. I shouldn’t even let you have that. I could get my ass chapped for doing it. I got to follow the law.”
Matt wanted to say the hell with the law and kill Jeb himself. If he did he’d never find out what had happened, but he might not find out anyway. Armstrong was doing him a favor and he did appreciate it, even if he was angry enough to bite through steel.
“I guess I’ll see you in the morning then,” Matt said through clenched teeth.
“You’re welcome.” Armstrong’s mouth kicked up in some semblance of a grin. “See you in the morning.”
“Good-bye, Brody.” Olivia’s voice made the ranger almost miss a step.
“Damn.” It was a soft curse but the breeze carried it to Matt’s ears.
Olivia grinned. Matt shook his head. The ranger kept walking.
The predawn light turned the prairie into a gray world of shadows. Matt paced back and forth on the porch, watching the horizon for Armstrong to appear. He knew the ranger would be on his way early, and Matt had to talk to Jeb before he was taken to Houston.
BOOK: Matthew: The Circle Eight
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