The Circle Eight: Caleb (2 page)

“Well, look who decided to come for a visit.” She turned her horse back toward the house. “Thunder has been waiting to challenge that sorry gelding to a race. Ready?”

He shouldn’t race her. Hell, she shouldn’t race at all. She was supposed to be a young girl, not a wild creature, but her behavior told a different story.

Caleb grinned. “Loser has to rub down both horses.”

“Deal.” She leaned forward in the saddle and flicked her gaze back to his. “Go!”

She kneed her horse into motion and soon was a blur. Caleb was behind her, noting that her lithe, long form was at one with the animal. His little sister was quite a horsewoman, put the rest of the Graham women to shame. He came within six feet of her, the pounding hooves and the heat from the horses surrounding them. The thrill of the race made him laugh. She turned to glare at him and he stuck out his tongue.

“Jackass.” With that, she found an extra burst of speed and the horse pulled ahead of his, way ahead.

Damn, the girl beat him by at least ten seconds. He was astonished to find his sister had that kind of skill and a horse with that type of speed. Plenty of yelling and exclamations split the air as the horses galloped into the yard. His family was noisier than hell, never quiet even when they slept. The Grahams were a group of snorers.

Nicholas appeared from the barn and the lanky twenty-year-old broke out into a wide grin when he saw Caleb. Then he scowled at Catherine. “You’re supposed to be exercising him in the corral, not by racing hell for leather, stupid.”

“I won, I won, I won!” Catherine ignored Nicholas’s acerbic remark and pranced around as though she’d just won the county fair.

Caleb dismounted and shook his brother’s hand. It surprised him how much his younger brother favored Matt. He had the same wavy brown hair and brown eyes, even had the same build without the muscle. Matt had ten years of hard ranching and the bulk to go along with it. Nicholas was bigger than he had been six months earlier. The spring was the hardest on a cattle ranch, with the cutting and culling of the herd.

“I won, I won, I won!” Catherine crowed again.

Caleb wanted to spank her. Nicholas shook his head at her antics. “Brat.”

“You would know.” She rode off behind the barn, leaving another cloud of dirt behind. Catherine hadn’t even stopped long enough to say hello or talk to him. All she’d wanted was a race and a victory—he’d handed her both. Ah well, it was a short visit anyway. At least he could say he had seen his youngest sister.

“I’ve got to unsaddle my horse before dinner. Need a fresh one for the afternoon. Not all of us have a horse like yours.” A wry grin split Nicholas’s face as he walked back toward the barn. Caleb followed. “What brings you by? You staying for a visit?”

A pinch of guilt made Caleb frown at the horizon. He pushed away the unwelcome thought and focused on the fact he had orders. His life belonged to the Republic of Texas—there was no disputing that fact.

“A quick one. I’ve got orders and a hard ride to get there. It’s about two hundred miles away.” Caleb breathed deep when he stepped into the barn. The familiarity of it all sent an arrow through him. The dented bucket still hung on the bent horseshoe nail on the wall. The pitchforks, one with a bent tine, stood beside it waiting for mucking duty. The smell of fresh hay and horse filled the air.

“Damn. Liv will pitch a fit when she finds out you were here and she missed you.” Their older sister lived with her husband, Brody, on his farm fifty miles away.

“Don’t tell her.” Caleb walked deeper into the barn, taking note of changes in the midst of the sameness and familiarity.

“Hmph. We are talking about Olivia. Our sister? You think she won’t find out from one of the girls?” Nicholas snorted. “Unlikely. You’ll have to endure a tongue lashing the next time you see her.”

Caleb shrugged, knowing no matter what he said, Olivia would talk his ear off for not visiting more often. When she found out he stopped when she wasn’t there, she would probably explode into a thousand pieces of suffering sisterhood.

“Is everybody coming in for dinner?” Now that he was here, he wanted to see everyone. His gut told him it was because he missed them but his head told it to shut up. There were other things in life than the Graham family and the Circle Eight. The wide world offered so much, he’d barely had a chance for a small taste of it over the last four years. Most of that had been the shit on his shoes—he wanted more.

“Should be. It’s tortilla day so Eva should have fresh beans to go with them.” Nicholas’s stomach yawned and he grinned. “Talking about it makes my gut do a dance.”

Caleb returned the grin. “I’ve dreamed about those damn tortillas and the spicy beans she stuffs in them.”

“Then you came on the right day.” Nicholas clapped Caleb on the shoulder with enough force to make him move forward. Damn, he was getting to be a real man with enough force to move Caleb’s bulk.

The dinner bell rang and memories of how many times he’d rung it washed over him. Things never changed on the Circle Eight. He didn’t know if that was good or bad, but he was glad he had made the detour to come home.

Home.

As the two of them started for the house, he thought about what “home” was to him. For years it had been whatever spot he found to lay his head. Yet somewhere deep inside he had obviously retained the thought that the family ranch was still home. Caleb loved his family, God knew he did, but he couldn’t stay here forever. He needed the taste of the world on his tongue.

He didn’t have a woman like Hannah or two young ‘uns underfoot like Matt. Nothing to tie him down and that was fine by him. Coming back twice a year to the madness and mayhem was enough. For now, it was more than enough.

Little girl squeals rang in the afternoon air. Caleb spotted the Matt and Hannah’s twins, Margaret and Meredith, chasing each other around the big oak tree beside the house. It had been his mother’s favorite spot, where the flowers grew the most beautiful and where two weddings had taken place. It held a bit of magic and the three-year-olds obviously knew it.

“Hey, peach pits, what are you doing over there?” His nickname for the little girls with the auburn hair never failed to make them smile.

Their squeals reached a fevered pitch when they spotted him. Sixty pounds of pure joy ran at full speed. He squatted down and they flew at him so hard they knocked him on his ass.

“Uncle Caleb! Uncle Caleb! Uncle Caleb!” They covered him with sticky kisses, yanking on his hair and his shirt until he had to crawl out from under them.

“I give up.” He stayed on his knees until he caught his breath, then got to his feet. That’s when he spotted his pistol on the ground and Meredith reaching for it. “No!”

She started and jumped a foot in the air. Then she started crying.

“Ah, hell, Meredith, I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to get hurt. That’s dangerous, honey.” He slipped the pistol back in its holster and picked up both girls, one in either arm.

“You cussed. Mama says no cussing.” Margaret stuck her thumb in her mouth and eyeballed him with the suspicion of a sister protecting her kin.

“I know. I’m sorry.” He had apologized more to the girls just now than he had in a year. “Let’s go have dinner. Eva made tortillas and beans.”

The girls were easily distracted by the promise of the treat. Nicholas opened the door and Caleb carried the twins into the house. Then the real noise began. Screeching, yelling, cursing, back slapping and chastising all hit him at once. The Graham clan was known for their noise level and it grew every year, with each child they hatched.

“Caleb, what the hel—in the world are you doing here?” Matt smiled and took Meredith. His oldest brother had a few more lines around his eyes from life on the ranch, but living there suited him as he’d never looked happier. At twenty-seven, he was the oldest Graham, responsible for the entire brood, including his own little group.

“I had orders in this direction. I was over in Espejo and thought I’d stop by for a visit.” Caleb set Margaret down and hugged Matt briefly. “It’s good to see you.” To his surprise, Caleb meant it. For so long he had resented his brother, lived in his shadow, under his rule, especially after their parents were murdered nearly five years ago. Now that Caleb had his own life and was his own man, he no longer had any hard feelings for Matt.

“Caleb Ezekiel Graham.” Hannah, Matt’s wife of four years, was a beauty in her own way, with glossy brown hair and expressive brown eyes. She was also extremely pregnant.

Caleb’s mouth dropped open. “You’re having another one?”

“If you came around more than twice a year you might know that.” She swatted his arm and then pulled him into a hug. The babe in her belly picked that moment to kick him. “See, the baby agrees with me.”

Caleb laughed and hugged her back. They hadn’t started off as friends when Hannah married Matt, especially since it was a marriage of convenience. Yet he quickly discovered how strong and incredible his sister-in-law was. She was one of a kind and he had nothing but love for her.

Two brown-haired teenage girls watched him from the other side of the table. At sixteen, Elizabeth had their mother’s beauty and grace. She was also too smart for her own good, the quietest of the Grahams. Rebecca was wild at thirteen, not quite as wild as Catherine, but a close second. At least she was wearing a dress.

“
Hijo
.” Eva appeared at his elbow. The petite woman was much more than a housekeeper and cook. She was the heart of the family, the second mother they had known all their lives. When their parents died, Eva was there for them, kept their home together when they might have fallen to pieces.

Caleb found his throat tightening as he leaned down to hug her. She squeezed him surprisingly hard and he kept his touch gentle. The olive-skinned woman had aged gracefully, with beautiful black eyes and an elegance about her that few women had. She also always smelled good, like home.

Damn, there was that strange thought again. The Circle Eight hadn’t been his home in four years. He had to stop thinking it was the place to go. There was no way he would stay or, God forbid, settle there for good.

“I missed you,
hijo
.” Eva finally let him go and waved a finger in his face. “You stay away too long.”

“I have a job, Eva, an important one. The Republic of Texas doesn’t take a holiday.” He looked around and wasn’t surprised Catherine was missing. “Your angel baby whooped my as—me in a race. You need to get her out of those trousers and give her a sewing needle.”

Six females smacked him at once, on his arms, his shoulders, his back and even his knees. Exclamations of disgust preceded them leaving him alone. Finally. Too much family time made him break out in hives.

“Sit, everyone. It’s time to eat,” Eva ordered and they obeyed. Everyone sat down quickly, eager for the delicious treat ahead.

Caleb noted three empty chairs. One was obviously Catherine’s. “Lorenzo and Javier?”

“They had to go into town today for supplies. They might be back in time but I made enough for everyone. Even unexpected guests.” Eva raised one brown at him and emphasized the word guests.

Caleb didn’t want to think he was a guest, but at the same time he wanted to stop thinking of the Circle Eight as home. He couldn’t have it both ways.

“I get here when I can, Eva. I’m not avoiding you.” He sat in Catherine’s chair and hoped she appeared so he could make her try to move him. That would teach her to beat him in a horse race. Brat.

Everyone heaped their plates with hot tortillas, spicy beans and peppers. Eva was a traditional Mexican cook and her food was the best he had ever eaten, no exaggeration. The first bite of the stuffed tortilla made him groan aloud.

They all laughed and rolled their eyes. He didn’t care. The food was damn good. He might dream about it later it was so delicious. He ate in restaurants occasionally, but most days his food was whatever he had in his saddlebags and could cook up over the fire. Once in a while he got a rabbit or squirrel to eat. Once in a blue moon, a rancher treated him to a steak dinner.

But this food was the ultimate treat. He stuffed himself until his stomach was nearly bursting. Then he scooped up the leftover beans on his plate, sat back and belched loud enough to shake the walls.

Meredith and Margaret rolled their eyes. “Ewww.” Meredith seemed to be the outspoken sister.

“It’s how I compliment the cook.” Caleb grinned and caught the tortilla in mid-air that Rebecca had thrown at his head. “I see nothing has changed here.”

“Things change every day.” Rebecca got to her feet and Caleb noticed she had grown breasts. Well, damn. He sure as hell didn’t want to notice that. “You are too busy to be here and see it.” She stuck her nose in the air and started clearing the table, apparently done telling him what she thought.

Elizabeth got to her feet and looked at him, her green eyes very much like Matt’s. She was the old soul in the family, the one Graham who seemed to see everything the rest of them missed. He didn’t imagine the disappointment in her gaze though. She didn’t have to say a word to tell him what she thought.

“You are not nice to your sisters.” Eva mused. “Wait until Olivia gets here. She will do more than throw a tortilla.”

Caleb shook his head. “I can’t stay.”