WM02 - Texas Princess (20 page)

The kid didn’t look the least bit scared. Tobin frowned. His brothers would have threatened to shoot him, but despite the several spots of his body that would be sore or bruised tomorrow, Tobin couldn’t bring himself to promise anything he wouldn’t carry out.

He ran back to the house, wanting to get away from the son of Satan as fast as possible. There was only one reason the boy would risk trespassing on their land. He was stealing horses, or trying to.

Tobin almost col ided with Stel a on the back steps. She sat curled in a bal crying softly. When she looked up at him, she increased the volume.

He pul ed her up by the shoulders fearing that somehow in the chaos, she’d been hurt.

“What is it?” he asked, brushing her arm in awkward comfort. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. “I can’t stay here. I can’t. I hate this place. Death is coming here.

I can feel it. I can almost smel the blood in the air.”

She reminded him of an actress he’d seen once on stage, but Stel a had no reason to be acting. Something must have frightened her.

“Wil you take me to town, Tobin?” she begged. “I can’t stand ghting. I just know something bad is going to happen here. I felt it the minute we crossed the bridge.” She knotted the front of his shirt with her sts. “Your brother is just the beginning. Miss Liberty wil be the death of everyone on this ranch. I saw evil in the shadows around your brother and it’s only a matter of time before it closes in to claim us al .”

Tobin thought of shaking her hard. He couldn’t tel if she just wanted her share of attention or if she had truly snapped. One thing for sure, he already had his share of trouble tonight and he didn’t need a hysterical woman too. He’d wanted Stel a gone from the rst. “Al right,” he said, hoping he wasn’t lying. “I’l get you to town rst thing in the morning.”

“No,” she cried. “Please take me tonight or I swear I’l nd the way on my own. I’m not staying in this place.” Stel a now had a death grip on his shirt.

He needed to get to Teagen. His big brother was hurt and bleeding. Tobin didn’t have time for Stel a’s private blend of crazy and Gypsy witchcraft now.

He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Al right. I’l be glad to take you out of here.”

She nodded as if she’d nal y won.

Before she could say anything, he added, “Only rst, I’l know that my brother is out of danger.” He pul ed her into the kitchen. “So sit down and wait.”

Stel a opened her mouth to argue, but for once Tobin was faster. “Not a word. When Teagen’s been doctored, I’l saddle up and not before.”

He turned and headed down the long hal way to the library expecting to hear her complain, but for once Stel a remained silent.

He found the others where he knew he would, in the library. Teagen sat on a low stool near the re. Every lamp in the house circled around him. Libby was on his left, Martha on his right. Sage leaned against the desk behind Teagen. Al three women looked determined in what they were about to do.

“Get it done,” Teagen said between clenched teeth.

Tobin stepped closer as Sage turned to the supplies littering the desk. She lifted a needle in one hand and a towel in the other. “This is going to hurt,” she said calmly as she moved toward Teagen.

Teagen lowered his chin to his chest. “Just do it, Sage. I’ve been putting up with the bleeding long enough.”

Tobin circled in front of his brother and braced his hands on Teagen’s shoulders. If he jerked, Tobin would hold him down. If he passed out from the pain, it would take al three of them to keep him from fal ing. Teagen didn’t have an ounce of fat on him, but he was over two hundred pounds of solid muscle.

Sage moved up behind her brother.

Tobin looked at Libby. Her hands braced the back of his brother’s bloody scalp. Hair and blood covered her ngers, but her grip was steady. Wet rags were piled at her feet. Tobin guessed it had been Libby who cleaned the wound.

Martha watched Teagen’s face. She didn’t touch him or comfort him in any way. As always, the housekeeper saw herself as an observer even though she’d been part of the family for eighteen years.

Sage brushed the towel across the wound. It spotted red. She took a deep breath and began to stitch.

Tobin felt his brother’s muscles tighten in pain, but he didn’t move, didn’t cry out. No one said a word. There was no comfort or lies for what had to be done.

Final y, Sage whispered, “Can you pour the whisky, Libby?”

Libby reached behind her for the bottle. Whisky splattered over the stitched wound and onto them al . No one seemed to notice.

Sage patted the wound once more with a clean spot on the towel. There was less blood this time. She straightened. “It’s done. The wound is closed and with luck wil stay so. Try not to get clubbed again before it heals.”

Teagen raised his head slowly and took the bottle from Libby with his left hand. He downed a long drink then said, “Now my arm.”

Tobin had forgotten about Teagen’s arm. He helped his brother to the big leather chair.

Martha folded a towel to pil ow the back of his head while Teagen stretched out, took another drink, then closed his eyes.

He didn’t move while Sage examined his arm.

Martha handed her supplies as she cleaned and wrapped scrapes and cuts.

Tobin looked up to see Libby standing straight as a sentinel in front of the re. He moved behind her and circled his arms around her, pul ing her into his chest.

She leaned against him and slowly relaxed while they watched Sage work her magic.

His little sister had been fascinated with nursing ever since their grandfather told her that their mother had been a healer. By the time Sage was sixteen, she’d helped deliver babies and acted as nurse when the traveling doctor made his yearly visit.

Tobin was proud of her skil s.

He leaned close to Libby. “You al right?”

She nodded. “I’ve never done anything like that. I’m glad I was here to help.”

“So are we,” Sage said as she wrapped Teagen’s forearm. “No broken bones here, but looks like a horse dragged him by the arm.”

“That’s about what happened,” Teagen mumbled, without opening his eyes.

“I’l make you a sling. Three weeks and it wil be healed.” Sage looped a medicine pouch over Teagen’s head. “Wear this until I tel you to take it off.”

Martha, loaded down with bloody rags, bumped her way toward the door. “I’l toss these in water, then get him something to eat.” Tobin knew she wouldn’t be leaving the room unless she believed he was on the mend. “Tobin, you need to get your brother to his room before he’s too drunk to climb the stairs.”

“I’l be al right,” Teagen said after the housekeeper left. “Did you tie up Roak?”

“I did.” Tobin motioned for Libby to take the other chair by the re while he sat on the wide ledge of the replace. “What happened?”

Sage abandoned her cleanup on the desk and propped on the arm of Teagen’s chair not wanting to miss a word.

“I caught the kid taking down the fence in the far north corner.” Teagen took another drink. “I think his plan was to rope a horse and make the swim with him back across the river. Near as I could tel , the kid must have swam over and walked on foot until he saw the herd.”

Tobin shook his head. “That river is hard enough on horseback—to just swim it this time of year would be almost impossible.”

“That’s what I thought too. But we’ve lost two horses in that pasture since you’ve been gone and I’ve checked every day. No one else’s horse went near the river but ours, so the kid had to have come on foot.”

When Libby raised an eyebrow, Tobin explained, “We make a special horseshoe used only on our horses. Travis swears he could track a McMurray horse in a buffalo herd.”

Tobin continued questioning his brother. “You’re trying to tel me that kid caught them on foot and then rode them, no saddle or bridle across the river?”

Teagen nodded, then winced at the pain. “He gave me quite a ght. I don’t know why he wanted a horse—he can run faster than any stal ion raised and set traps better than most. But the fact is, he’s a horse thief. We’l turn him over to the marshal.”

“How old is the Roak?” Sage asked.

“Fifteen or sixteen. Another year or two and he’l be ful grown. I’m not sure I’d want to wrestle with him then.”

She stood. “The marshal wil treat him like a man, not a boy.”

Teagen nodded. “He did a man’s thieving. It’s not our problem how the marshal treats him.”

Sage frowned but didn’t say more.

Libby leaned forward, almost touching Tobin’s knee. “What wil happen to this Roak when the marshal comes?”

Tobin didn’t lie. “He’l hang. He’s a horse thief. A man who steals another man’s horse in this country is risking his life. He’l have a fair trial, then he’l hang.”

She nodded slowly. He guessed she didn’t like the answer any more than any of them did, but of al people in the room, Libby understood the law.

For the rst time Teagen focused on their guest. “You’re Liberty Mayeld. I remember now about your coming, but I almost didn’t recognize you al dressed up.” He raised an eyebrow at her trousers belted tight at her waist and her shirt that was far too big.

“How’d you get here, Miss Mayeld?”

She blushed. “I rode, Mr. McMurray.”

Tobin grinned remembering Teagen’s account of the spoiled senator’s daughter. She must look nothing like the girl he’d tried to sel a horse to a month ago.

“I’m glad,” Teagen said as he took a glass Sage had mixed water and a powder into.

He took a mouthful then washed the medicine down with whisky. “Thank you for your help, Miss Mayeld. You’re welcome here.”

They al stepped back as Martha brought in a tray of soup and bread. Sage packed up her medicine box, while Teagen complained that he wasn’t hungry.

Tobin went to the gun case and pul ed out a gun and holster for Libby. While he punched an extra hole in the belt so that it t around her smal waist, he told the women about Stel a’s determination to go to town.

Teagen, between bites, suggested they put her in the stal next to the Roak. Then the boy could swear and she could cry al night without anyone in the house losing sleep.

Libby looked from Sage to Tobin as if waiting for someone to tel her the oldest McMurray was kidding.

No one did.

Sage and Tobin agreed that Tobin should take Stel a into town and put her up at the Widow Dickerson’s place. She’d be safe enough there for a few days. After listening to her through supper, neither Sage nor Martha suggested comforting her to try to get the maid to stay.

Tobin didn’t want to leave Libby, even for the short time it would take him to drop Stel a off in town. Walking to the barn, he tried to gure out what to do. With Teagen hurt there was no one else to make the ride.

He wasn’t surprised when Libby fel into step beside him.

“I don’t think I should leave you,” he spoke his thoughts.

“I feel safe here and I’m ready to have a break from Stel a.”

Tobin smiled. “You don’t think she might be in league with the assassins?”

Libby laughed. “I think we both gave up on that idea days ago. I’ve come to the conclusion that Stel a lives in a drama of her own making.”

“She’s stil not convinced that you won’t forgive Buchanan and marry him anyway.”

They moved into the darkness of the barn. She stood close as he lit the lantern. When the light washed over her, Libby’s beauty took his breath away as it always did. In the light he could no longer see the reminders of her injuries.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, watching closely for a lie.

“I’m ne,” she answered. “But not so ne I’l ever forget what Samuel did. The bruises wil heal, but my memory won’t disappear. I’ve heard Stel a’s hints about forgiving him, but I’l never be that big a fool again.”

He brushed his hand along her arm. “What do you want me to do?”

“Take her to town. She’s miserable here and she’l make us al miserable too.”

“But I don’t want to leave you.”

“Sage is right. If you take the back path, you’l be back in a few hours. It’s twice as fast as the road and no one wil ever know you’ve left the ranch. This time of night no one in town wil see you deposit her. You could blindfold her to keep the way a secret. Not that she’d probably be able to nd it anyway.”

“And if she gets to town and somehow contacts the men who ambushed your father, or Buchanan?”

“Then we’l face that together. I wasn’t lying when I said I know how to use a gun. If trouble comes, I stand with you.”

She looked up, the light playing across her face. The general and the princess were both there.

“To hel with being friends,” he said as he pul ed her to him. “I need to kiss you once before we go back to being strangers.”

His mouth covered hers before she had time to argue. For a moment she was stiff in his arms, frozen. Then she melted into him and kissed him back. He’d meant the kiss to be hard and fast, but it turned tender with farewel .

A thud against one of the stal gates reminded them they were not alone.

When she pul ed away, he didn’t try to hold her. He knew he had to let her go. They’d

nish out these last few days together, but not as lovers.

“I’l take her as fast as I can. Promise you’l keep a gun near until I get back.”

She nodded. “Sage and I wil be on the porch waiting for you to return.”

She turned and walked away. He saddled the horses and checked on Roak. Then he rode out with Stel a complaining incessantly about the blindfold.

Al the night closed around him, but Tobin didn’t look back at the house. His mind l ed with the memory of Libby in his arms and nothing else seemed real.

He didn’t want to marry her, he reminded himself, and she didn’t want him.

Why, then, did the thought of never holding her again make his whole body ache with loss?

chapter 16

Y

“ Teagen wil sleep the night, and Martha never opens her door once she retires unless someone yel s re. You ready?” Sage whispered at Liberty’s bedroom door.

Liberty grabbed a slip of ribbon and tied back her hair. A quick pat at the handle of her holstered gun and she was dressed. Excitement danced in her’s eyes. “Ready.”