The Circle Eight: Caleb (22 page)

“I’m going to fight you or Texas or whoever I need to.” She tightened the grip on the gun. “I might just keep this weapon so I can shoot them.”

“Don’t shoot me, Aurora. I won’t kick you out of your home.” He sounded so sincere. She wanted to believe him.

“You already did.”

He frowned at her. “No, I saved your life when you fell out of a tree.”

“Same result. I lost my home and now I’m alone hundreds of miles away.” Her fear of the men chasing them got mixed up with her feelings for Caleb.

“You’re not alone.” He put his hand over hers, the weight no doubt making the pain worse, but he hung on. “I’m right beside you.”

She stared into his blue-green eyes and her heart twisted. “For how long?” That was the question she wanted to ask, the one she needed the answer to. Yes, they had kissed and even been intimate, but what did it mean? Did he want something more with her? She needed to ask herself that question too.

His expression changed, becoming more guarded. “I don’t think either one of us knows that.”

At least he didn’t lie to her. “You’re the first man I’ve met to treat me like a woman.”

“You are a woman. A beautiful, strong one with a big hammer.” He managed a small smile.

She shook her head. “I’m not beautiful but I am strong and I can swing my hammer. You are crazy if you think I’m anything but plain.”

“No, you tried to hide yourself as plain. You cut your hair, wear trousers and that ugly leather apron. And you put your heart and soul into that forge.” He squeezed her fingers. “There are other things to put them toward.”

“Like you?” Her heart leapt at the idea. He was a hell of a man and she was already falling in love with him.

“Like me. Aurora, would you—” He stopped in mid-question, his jaw clenching tight and his gaze beyond her shoulder. The butt of a gun pressed against the back of her head.

“Look at what I found.”

She recognized Garza’s voice and her stomach dropped to her feet. She’d been so involved in talking about their future, she ignored everything else. Her own foolishness had put them both in danger. They wouldn’t survive if she failed to protect them.

“Drop the gun, bitch. Now.”

She had no choice but to let the pistol drop into the leaves. Another man picked it up. She wanted to kick him in the balls.

“Where is my son?” Garza’s hot breath burst across her neck.

She slid her hand toward the hammer, its wooden grip familiar. The
patron
pushed the gun harder against her head, scraping an inch of skin from her scalp. She hissed and tightened her grip on the hammer.

“Get that thing off me, you son of a bitch.” Her snarl startled Caleb. “I’ll kill you where you stand.”

“Brave words,
chica
. You come to my house, my doctor saves your life and how do you repay me? For all the iron I bought from you and kept you fed?” He humphed his disapproval. “I should use the same bullet to kill you and your ranger.”

“He ain’t my ranger.” A lie, oh yes, a big fat lie.

“Then I can kill him first.” Garza moved the gun until the muzzle was next to her cheek and pointed straight at Caleb.

She had seconds to say good-bye to him or to save them both. His gaze snapped to hers and she saw a wealth of emotion in his eyes. She saw what she needed to see, enough to give her the courage to do what had to be done.

“I’d like to stay with you, Caleb. Call me a fool but I love you.”

Rory swung her hammer.

Matt rode like the hounds of hell were chasing him. Nicholas, Lorenzo and Javier rode behind him, their presence a comfort. He had no idea what he was up against, just that Caleb was shot and in danger. It had to be the same men who had been looking for him.

Now he knew whatever decision Caleb had made involved Benjy. He’d put his own life in danger to rescue their brother. Matt was proud of both of his brothers and he’d give anything to make sure Caleb survived. He didn’t know where he’d found their missing brother or what he’d done, but Matt would back him up no matter what.

A shot echoed ahead and he leaned down low over Winston, his gelding, and whispered in the horse’s ears. “C’mon, boy. Give me everything you got. Don’t let my brother die.”

He saw a group of three men on horses, with two additional mounts without riders. They turned to him in surprise, but he was already clearing leather. He picked off two before the third shot back. One of his own men got off a shot and the last man went down.

That left two more but where were they?

“Bitch!” A scream, and another shot echoed through the forest.

Matt turned toward the sound, praying he was on time.

Caleb stared at the body of Pablo Garza, his arm broken in an L-shape and a bullet hole square in his forehead. His warrior goddess, Rory, wrestled with the second man. She was stronger than the stranger expected and they were evenly matched.

He wanted to help her, but he could barely move, weakened from blood loss and pain. He’d managed to get the gun and end Garza’s reign of terror, but he couldn’t get to the other man unless he could flip over. Frustration roared through him and he forced himself to slide forward.

“Bitch!” The stranger swung his fist, connecting with Rory’s cheek.

She stumbled backward but didn’t fall. It brought her closer to the hammer and damned if she didn’t pick it up and swing it again. The man screeched and backed away from her, his gaze never leaving the hammer.

Caleb slid again, making stars of pain exploded behind his eyes. He clenched his teeth to keep from losing consciousness. If he did, Rory still had more men to handle without any help. He wouldn’t let that happen. Hell the woman told him she loved him.
She loved him!

His heart had closed around her, and she was now permanently in there, never to leave again. Damned if he would give up what he could have with her. There wasn’t another woman for him, and he was damn lucky he’d found her. Now he had to help her or die trying.

He rolled on his belly, his heart in his throat, pulse pounding so hard his ears hurt. Almost there, another roll onto his wounded side and he could shoot. The gun was slippery in his hand, slick with sweat and blood.

“Come closer, you coward,” she growled at the stranger. “You afraid of a woman?”

“You are
loca, puta
.” The man jumped away, trying to circle back around behind her.

She followed, not letting him get the upper hand. She was an avenging angel of old, like a Norse goddess swinging a hammer and snarling, blood on her clothes and skin, sporting trousers and a stained shirt.

He had never seen such a beautiful thing in his life. Caleb rolled one more time and he gasped from the pain as he rolled onto the gunshot wound. The grunts and curses continued from the stand-off above him while he tried to catch his breath. The hardest part would be aiming his gun and not hitting the woman he wanted to marry.

Hell and damnation. Stupid time to suddenly realize she was his future wife, but there it was. Strangely enough, it helped calm him, to push away the pain and lift the gun. He closed one eye and aimed.

Rory swung the hammer as he pulled the trigger and the stranger went down with her on top of him. Caleb screamed in terror and he wondered if his bullet had hit his woman instead of his enemy.

He tried to crawl but he had no strength to move an inch. Growling, he scrabbled at the ground, dirt and twigs digging into his fingernails. He had to get to her.

“Aurora.” His voice was barely a whisper.

The sound of horses echoed through his body from the ground and he knew he had only moments to get to her. God, he couldn’t lose her now. When would he ever find a woman like her? No one and nowhere.

“Caleb!” His brother’s voice was like music to his ears. He didn’t know how Benjy had gotten back to the ranch to send Matt so fast, but he didn’t care at that point.

“Help her, Matt. Help her.” Caleb’s raw command ripped from his throat as he continued to crawl around the fallen log.

Matt’s boots came into view and his hand touched Caleb’s back. “You’re bleeding.”

“You’re so observant. Fuck my injury. Check Aurora, please. She went down when I fired.” Caleb’s voice cracked as he imagined the worse.

Then suddenly she was there beside him, her hands grabbing his. “I’m right here, Ranger. Right beside you.”

Something wet slid down his cheeks as relief coursed through him. She kissed his cheek and he surrendered to the blackness. It swallowed him whole and he knew no more.

Elizabeth let the wind take her tears. She wanted to stop and ask Benjy a thousand questions but it was more important to get back to the safety of the ranch. Matt could yell at her later for following them, but if she hadn’t been there, they would have had to be one man down to fight whatever danger Caleb was in.

Bringing her brother back to the house wasn’t what she had in mind when she left the ranch this morning. However, it was an important task, one she would gladly give anything to do. She didn’t know how Caleb found him, but her heart was whole for the first time in five years.

When the first bullet whizzed past her face, she was surprised but she didn’t hesitate to act.

“Make yourself as small as possible and ride like hell, Benjy.” She pulled the rifle from the scabbard and pulled her horse around to face whoever threatened them.

A lone rider was coming toward them, a rifle aimed straight at her head. She pulled her own up and lined up her sight. She took a few seconds to make sure her aim was true even as a bullet slammed into her thigh. It burned like a hot poker but she steadied her arm and fired.

The stranger flew backwards off the horse, leaving it riderless. She sucked in a breath and scanned the horizon for more. After a few minutes, she lowered the rifle and tucked it back into the scabbard. She tore off her sleeve and tied it off on her leg. It would slow the bleeding enough to get back to Eva for doctoring.

Her stomach heaved and she threw up what little she’d eaten that day. Her horse danced around a bit, disturbed by the smell. Elizabeth didn’t blame the mare at all. She didn’t like the smell or the fact she had puked after killing a man. She couldn’t be a tough defender of the Circle Eight if she got sick every time she shot someone.

She used water from the canteen to rinse her mouth before chasing after her brother. It wouldn’t be fair to leave him to explain everything when he arrived back at the ranch alone. She leaned down and whispered in her horse’s ear.

“Get him, girl.”

The mare jumped into motion, flying across the terrain with more speed than most horses could dream of. She was part-Pegasus, her hooves barely touching the ground. Within a few minutes, she saw Benjy ahead, still riding Justice fast. The quarter horse was fast but her mare was faster.

“Benjy!” she called without much hope that he would hear her. Yet he reacted, glancing behind him. She waved and he slowed the gelding down.

By the time she caught up to him, she was feeling a smidge lightheaded. Fortunately they would make it back to the house in ten minutes’ time. His eyes widened at the blood on her leg.

“It’s a flesh wound. I’ll be okay after Eva fixes me up.” Elizabeth hoped her smile was stronger than her voice. Her stomach roiled again and she swallowed back the bile that threatened.

“Eva?” Her brother’s voice crackled.

Elizabeth smiled. “Yes, Eva. She’s been waiting for you as long as the rest of us.”

Benjy nodded, his actions jerky and unsteady. She wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be all right. But she had a feeling it wouldn’t be that way for a while for him. He’d been lost to them for five years. She knew he had been sold, eavesdropping had been a useful pastime, but other than that, she didn’t know what he’d been through. Judging by the shadows in his eyes, it had been a dark place.

She gestured toward the house, barely a dot in the distance. “Come on, little brother, let’s go home.”

Rory didn’t know Caleb’s family but she knew that’s who these men were. One older, one younger, plus two Mexican men who seemed as concerned as the brothers. Her body vibrated with anger and fear, mixed with a little battle lust. She had enjoyed swinging that hammer, making her mark on the men who wanted to hurt her and who had already hurt both Caleb and Benjy.

It left a taste of sweet revenge mixed with regret in her mouth. She wasn’t a killer by nature but those men deserved it. Her hammer had never been used to cause harm and now she’d used it to defend herself and her man. Caleb was her man no matter what happened.

The older brother glanced around, taking it all in. His gaze landed on her and surprise spread across his face. He also spotted the hammer still in her clenched hand.

“You Foster, the smithy?”

She nodded. “You a Graham?”

“Matt Graham.” He gestured to the other three standing behind him. “That’s Nicholas, Javier and Lorenzo.”

“Caleb needs a doctor. He’s been shot.” She dropped the hammer. He was unconscious, pale and covered with blood. Her stomach picked that moment to flip. It was only through sheer force of will that she didn’t puke.