CHAPTER ELEVEN
Brody pushed the big man off with effort, the body rolling into the dirt. He took a moment to catch his breath before he got to his feet. Someone had probably heard the gunshot. Perhaps they’d thought it had happened out in the street. The earthen walls would muffle it somewhat, but they had to move fast.
Olivia stood with the gun in her hand, staring down at Manuel’s body. She’d committed more acts of violence in the time they’d been together than she had in her entire life. Now she had killed a man again for him. He would owe her his life a few times over.
He took the gun from her without a blink. She looked at him with pain in her eyes. He wanted to take that away from her but he didn’t know how.
“We need to go. Now.”
She nodded but didn’t move. He took her by the hand and led her up the stairs, keeping the sound to a minimum. Before they got completely up, he peered around but didn’t see anyone. The kitchen was quiet so he took a chance and they climbed out of the trapdoor.
He shut the door as carefully as he could, then realized they weren’t alone in the kitchen.
Elena.
She didn’t say a word but stared at them in her intense way. Her hair was down, out of the perpetual braid she wore. The long black waves only accentuated how beautiful she was. Too bad she was all icing and little cake.
“We’re leaving.” He found Olivia’s hand and pulled her close.
“Bueno.” Her gaze flicked to Olivia’s. “You will not find him here.”
Olivia caught her breath. “What?”
“The boy you look for. You will not find him here.”
“Can you—” Olivia never finished her question. A crash out in the main tavern stopped all of them.
Elena started walking toward the corner of the kitchen. “Come.”
Brody would have made his own decision two weeks ago. Today he looked to the woman at his side and when she nodded, they both followed Elena.
It appeared as though she was taking them straight toward a solid wall, and then she disappeared from view.
“What the hell?” Brody caught up to Elena and realized there was a hidden door behind the wall. It was built to blend in perfectly with the wall.
They squeezed through the small opening into a dark space. He had to trust Elena was not leading them into a trap as he followed her blindly. Olivia kept close behind him, her hand firmly attached to his.
After what seemed like twenty minutes, although was probably three, light penetrated the gloom. Elena held another small door open, gesturing with her hand to hurry.
What choice did he have? They might only have minutes before they were discovered. He had no reason to trust Elena, but who else could he trust? No one in this place.
Olivia poked him in the back. “What are you waiting for? Go.”
She was right, of course. They either escaped or they were killed or captured again. Standing in the cramped passageway was only going to give him cobwebs in his hair or a crick in his neck.
Brody started moving again and crowded through the small door. To his surprise, they were in a barn. He hadn’t realized the buildings were connected. Either they had walked underground, which was unlikely because the passageway wasn’t sloped, or the passage was camouflaged from the outside. Anyone walking past wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Lucinda and Rodrigo were smart, he knew that, but they were smarter than he’d thought.
Elena led them to the stalls where their horses munched placidly on feed. She stood there staring as Olivia and Brody started to saddle their horses with as little noise as possible.
He had just smoothed the blanket on the gelding’s back when Elena appeared beside him.
“You must leave Mexico.”
“I figured that one out on my own.” Brody reached for the saddle. “I appreciate your help getting us out of there.”
She waved her hand as though dismissing his gratitude. “My mother and brother do not own me. I do as I want, not as they want.” She leaned in close, her breasts pushing into his arm. “You must tell her not to come back. The boy is not here.”
As Brody looked into Elena’s dark eyes, he thought he might be hearing the truth for the first time. “Where is he?”
“I do not know. Three boys were sold to work haciendas in Texas. One was not.” She blinked rapidly. “He was left near the arroyo east of here.”
Brody’s jaw tightened to the point he heard teeth crack. “Who killed him?”
“Rodrigo. I do not know which boy, but I do know the one you seek is not here.” Her fingers bit into his arm. “You must never come back.”
After he nodded, she moved away. Brody would sort out all she’d told him later. For now, he would heed her warning and hightail it out of town. He finished saddling the horse and checked on Olivia. To his surprise, she was finished as well. He kept forgetting she was a rancher’s daughter and likely spent every day on a horse.
Another reason he felt at home with her at his side. They were a perfect match, even if he didn’t say it out loud.
“Lead the way.” He turned to Elena but she was gone. “Shit.”
“We need to go east, back toward Forgata. Then we can turn toward home.” Olivia held up a sack. “She even gave me food.”
The mystery of Elena would likely never be solved. She did things no woman ought to, yet she had showed remarkable kindness to them as well.
“She told me there’s a back door to the barn that we can use.” Olivia tied a dark cloth around her head to disguise her hair. She took her mare’s reins and led the way.
Brody wondered how many women would be so calm in the face of mortal danger, or the aftermath of killing a man, or if any woman would have followed him this far into hell. Likely not.
“Here it is.” She walked into another stall and sure enough there was a door just large enough for a horse to fit through if it ducked its head. Another clever escape route unnoticeable to most.
She went through the door first with Mariposa and he brought up the rear. They were hidden from view from almost every building in town since there were few with windows facing east.
“She also told me to avoid the arroyo just east of here but wouldn’t tell me why.” Olivia mounted her horse and turned to him, a challenge in her eyes. “You know, don’t you?”
He avoided her gaze as he got on his own horse. They had to keep the horses as quiet as possible until they were out of earshot of town. That meant they couldn’t do much more than a canter for now.
“I don’t know.”
“You have never lied to me, Brody. Don’t start now. If you don’t tell me why, I will head for that arroyo and find out what you’re hiding.” She kneed her horse into motion beside his.
He debated what to tell her but in the end kept silent. She didn’t say anything for the next ten minutes as they put distance between themselves and town. He hoped she’d forgotten it.
But she hadn’t.
“You have about two more minutes.” Olivia leaned down and patted her horse’s neck. “Mariposa is going to fly soon.”
Brody glanced behind her at the town. “No one is following yet. We can pick up the pace now.”
He urged his horse into a gallop and heard Liv do the same. If he wasn’t careful she would find that arroyo and the body left out there by Rodrigo. The question was, should he tell her about it or let her find out herself?
“Elena said your brother wasn’t there anymore.”
“I know that. She told me too.”
Brody hesitated. “One boy did end up in the arroyo but there—”
Before he could finish telling her there was no way to know which boy it was, she had taken off in a dead run. Her horse was fast as hell too.
Shit.
Olivia saw the edge of the arroyo from far away. She leaned down low over the horse, not caring what happened to her. She had to get to that arroyo. God whispered in her ear that she would not like what she found, but she would not be dissuaded from riding hell for leather toward it.
It couldn’t be Benjy. It wouldn’t be Benjy.
She did not want to be the person who found his body. What would she tell her family? Her heart ached so hard, tears stung her eyes and her breath stuck in her throat.
Closer, yet closer still. She couldn’t get there fast enough. Why couldn’t she reach the arroyo? Olivia didn’t realize she was crying until the wind cooled the tears on her cheeks.
She finally got close enough to recognize a lump at the edge of the dry creek. That shape was definitely a human body, a small human body. Her stomach clenched up enough to send bile into the back of her throat. She had to remember that whatever she found, her family would survive. She would survive.
Olivia pulled Mariposa up hard, a cloud of dust bursting from her hooves. She jumped off the horse, wrenching her ankle but not stopping to care.
“Olivia, wait!” Brody’s voice came from far away, too far for her to worry.
The smell hit her first, the rancid, familiar stench of rotting flesh. Then the sound of buzzing flies filled her ears. A small moan crept up her throat. She could do this.
She dropped to her knees and forced herself to look at the body. It was a small boy, dressed in tattered pants and shirt. His left arm was thrown up over his face, as though warding off a blow, and dusty hair was the only thing she could see.
The size and age were right. It could be Benjy. Her stomach roiled, pushing burning bile up her throat. She swallowed with difficulty but the taste remained on the back of her tongue.
She wasn’t sure if she could touch him, but did she have a choice? Her heart pounded so hard, her ears hurt, but she reached with a shaking hand for the small arm.
“I just need to see your face, little one. I just need to see who you are.” Her tears fell in the dust and her hands trembled as she moved his arm from his face. She clenched her eyes closed for a moment, then another until she had the courage to look into the face of the dead child.
It wasn’t Benjy.
Grief welled up inside her, traveling through her heart, into her throat and finally exploding out of her mouth. She screamed with all the pent-up agony flowing through her. Tears fell in rivers from her eyes. She cried for herself, for Benjy, for her family and for the nameless child tossed away like a piece of refuse.
The little body was barely larger than the rock beside it, coated with dried, rusty blood. The sound of the flies filled her ears, the stench of death filled her nose, her mouth. She couldn’t stop sobbing, couldn’t stop the overwhelming anguish, couldn’t find a way to pull herself out of the deep, dark hole she’d fallen into.
She wanted to hurt someone, cause as much damage to them as had been done to her. Her hands turned into claws, her nails digging into skin. She didn’t realize Brody had come near her until she felt his hand at the center of her back.
“Liv, it’s not him. Even I can see there’s no resemblance.”
She threw off his touch, turning to snarl at him. “I know it’s not him. Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“No, I never thought that.”
“Liar.” She scrambled to her feet, not caring that snot and tears mingled on her face. “You thought me stupid from the moment you met me. I forced you to take me with you. And now this.” A sob burst from her throat. “This poor child is dead and no one will bury him. His parents will never know what happened to him.”
She could easily picture Benjy here, in the dirt and covered with maggots, left to rot in the sun. It could be him. A fresh wave of grief scraped her battered heart.
Brody’s expression was pained, but she had no time for his hurt. He seemed to understand she just needed to let it all fly. There was no room for anything but her primal rage and sorrow. “He’s in Texas.”
It took a few moments for Olivia’s mind to recognize what he’d said. Her heart jammed into her throat so fast, she choked.
“What?” She grabbed his arm. “How do you know?”
“Elena.”
Mention of the whore, no matter whether she was a willing participant in her trade or not, made Olivia’s fury rise. She punched him once, then twice, then found herself beating his chest, sobbing. Her mind, heart and soul screamed for Benjy, cried for the unknown boy and wept for her own pain.
She dropped to the ground, not caring that she sat in dirt and muck. The world was a dark, dangerous place and she had had enough. Her heart slowly cracked into a thousand pieces, the pain radiating out to every ounce of her being.
As she slipped further toward the precipice of nothingness, she vaguely recognized that Brody had picked her up. His strong arms held her boneless form. She didn’t care where he took her. She couldn’t care anymore. She had nothing left inside her to care.
Olivia had given up.
Brody had never been frightened before now. Oh, he’d been in situations where he felt a pinch of fear, but he’d kept his head and got through it. Seeing Olivia collapse into a pile of despair scared him to his bones.
She had been hard as nails, with brass balls any man would be happy to have. The discovery of the dead boy, who was not her brother, had broken her. It was the last thing he’d expected and he damn sure didn’t know what to do about it.
The woman had been through hell and back without batting an eyelash, and yet the body of a child destroyed her. It was right sad what had happened to the boy, but he was nobody to her, just a nameless child. Brody didn’t understand what had happened to Liv. It upset and scared him.
He didn’t like it one little bit.
Olivia was strong, smart, clever and, dammit, he had already admitted to himself that he loved her. He hadn’t found the courage to tell her yet and now he could’ve lost the chance. His stomach quivered at the thought she might not come back from this. He didn’t think he would ever be the same if she didn’t.
Brody carried her to her horse, realizing she probably wouldn’t sit on the mare. He couldn’t throw her over the saddle belly down or she would fall off, which meant he had to carry her on his own horse.
They were only half an hour outside of the town they’d just escaped from. No chance they could sit there until she found her head again. They had to keep moving and fast.
“I need you to sit up here for a minute, honey.” He spoke softly into her ear and she moaned, a pitiful, disturbing sound. With a little bit of effort he got her up on his saddle, then held her there while he threw himself up behind her. It wasn’t comfortable but it would do. They needed to get out of the area before Rodrigo realized exactly what had happened.
Brody hadn’t intended on crossing the Mexican warlord. Rodrigo was smart, angry and hungry for power—three things that spelled trouble for anyone who got in his way. If Brody and Liv were lucky, Rodrigo would think they’d died after leaving his mother’s tavern. After all, the desert was an unforgiving place.
Perhaps it would be hours before Manuel’s body was discovered. Lord knew no one would believe Olivia had been the one to shoot him. Remembering just how close he’d come to dying at the big man’s hands made his stomach twist.
Now here she was in his arms, a shell of the woman who had faced down the world with nothing but gumption and a gun. He had to believe she was just exhausted and overwhelmed by everything that had happened.
He had to believe.
Mariposa stood placidly by, waiting. The mare was attached to her mistress in a deep way. He’d never seen the like before. He leaned down to catch the horse’s reins and lead her back to Texas. It was time to go home. Without Benjy.
As a man of the law, it stuck in his craw that they hadn’t been able to find the boy. Elena had told him three children had been sold to work at haciendas in Texas. He hadn’t lied to Olivia—one of those children was probably Benjamin Graham. Elena remembered the boy’s eyes because they were so much like Olivia’s.
His gelding was strong enough to carry both of them for a while, but not all day. He pushed him for the next two hours as fast as he could go without hurting the horse. They took the long way around Forgata, across the driest land he could find. The less evidence they left the better. In the softer soil, they would be easily tracked.
The next arroyo they found had water in it, which was lucky for them. He pulled the horses to a stop and glanced down at Olivia. Her eyes were open, but she wasn’t really there.
“I’m going to get off now. Can you sit by yourself for second?”
She didn’t answer but she sat up straighter. He took that as a positive sign and dismounted slowly, keeping his hand on her hip. Once his feet touched the ground, he reached up and pulled her off the saddle.
“We need to water the horses, then get going again.” He led her to the edge of the creek as though she was a child. “Let me check it to make sure it’s okay to drink.”
There was grass growing around the edge and what appeared to be animal tracks on the opposite bank. All good signs, but he learned down to test it himself before he let his horse drink. He knelt with Olivia standing beside him. They were in luck—the water was cool and clear, perhaps fed from a high stream somewhere.
“Drink, Olivia.”
To his surprise, she did as he told her without arguing or griping about how he ordered her around. This was not good at all. He had to snap her out of the trance she seemed to be in.
While she drank, Brody brought the anxious horses to the creek. He took in their surroundings, and watched the horizon for any movement. The air was still and fortunately there was no sign of anyone on their trail.
Ten minutes passed while the horses rested and Olivia sat on her haunches at the creek. He wondered if she was remembering the last arroyo and if she was still there. Damned if he had any idea how to ask or how to talk her out of the place she was hiding in.
He wondered if he ever would.
“Are you ready to ride?”
Quiet as the air around her, Olivia rose and took hold of Mariposa’s reins. Her silence was spooky. She kept her eyes somewhere behind him, never meeting his gaze.
“We’re going to have to ride hard again. I want to try to ride through the day and into the night if we can.”
She walked the mare out until she could get in the saddle, then waited for him. Before he’d met Olivia, Brody had thought he might have wanted a quiet woman who would be his mate. That was almost a joke now that he’d met and fallen in love with the storm named Olivia.
Now she’d been reduced to a whisper of a breeze.
The sun sank behind them as they made their way north and west toward Texas. Brody was surprised to see no one following them. He’d truly expected Rodrigo to come after them, if only for his pride. Yet there was nothing.
Brody didn’t relax his guard a bit though. He wouldn’t be surprised at any sort of retaliation or revenge from a man who was driven like Rodrigo was. He’d never met a man who was as smart, clever or downright conniving. If they’d been on the same side of the border, they might have been friends. He would grudgingly admit to himself that he respected Rodrigo. The man was a force to be reckoned with.
One who had threatened his woman.
Olivia was quiet for the journey, always looking ahead and never at him. Brody hadn’t realized just how much she colored the world around him until she had no color to give. He’d complained about her chatter, her enthusiasm and her stubbornness, but he’d do just about anything to get it all back.
“We’ll stop once we cross the Rio Grande. Maybe by then you’ll find your tongue again.” Brody could have been talking to a rock for as much response as he got.
He didn’t know who he was angrier at, Olivia or himself. Since their journey began, they had spent every waking and sleeping moment with each other, had the most amazing sex of his life and now here they were, together yet completely apart.
His brothers had died on the battlefield, alone and without family around them. His parents had died when he was a small boy, without family around them. Now he was alone in the world except for the brash, beautiful woman beside him. Was he dumb enough to throw their future away? To let her stay in her cave? If he did, then odds were Brody would die alone without family too.
“That’s it. I’m done with this foolishness.” Brody grabbed her reins and his and kicked his horse into a gallop. Mariposa had no choice but to follow at the same speed.
Olivia hung on, her hair flying behind her, shirt still open to her breasts, face darkened by the clay and from the sun beating down on her today. Those blue-green eyes stood out like jewels in a beautiful statue. His heart clenched at the sight of her. She was incredible and, dammit, he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.
They raced across the last few miles to the river, full dark closing in around them. He jumped off his gelding and then yanked her down off Mariposa.
“We’re crossing the river.” He took her hand and the horses’ reins, then led them across the shallow water.
When they reached the other side, he let the horses drink from the river while he found a place to stop for the night. In a cluster of bushes ten feet from the bank he set Olivia down on a rock.
“Stay here.”
She again did as she was told.
“You know you’re driving me completely loco.” He gritted his teeth in frustration as he walked back to retrieve the horses.
After securing them to a mesquite tree near the campsite, he unsaddled both of them and rubbed them down. They had been sturdy mounts, loyal to their masters, even when pushed to the limits of endurance. The sweet grass nearby would be enough for the animals to fill their bellies.
Now it was time to deal with Olivia.
Olivia let the white noise surround her, cocoon her, feeling safe in a bubble of nothing. She couldn’t let herself step out of the bubble or something bad would happen. There was pain out there and she wanted no part of it.
She knew Brody was taking care of her, guiding her horse, making her drink and talking to her. Through the bubble, she couldn’t hear him and she couldn’t respond to him. It was safe in there, so safe. Nothing could hurt her.
Brody picked her up and walked back toward the river. In the dark, the water looked almost menacing. She hung onto his neck, content in her bubble.
When he threw her in the water, the river grabbed her, pulling her under, filling her mouth, her nose, her ears. Olivia could have simply floated away on her bubble, free from pain and the ugliness in the world. She could have escaped for good.
“Dammit, Olivia, don’t you dare give up on me.”
Brody’s shout popped the bubble as though he’d slapped her. She scrambled for purchase, even as the weight of her wet clothes and the water’s current dragged her down. She sucked in a lungful of water and stars exploded behind her eyes. She was drowning.
As blackness crept in around her vision, she finally got her feet under her and tried to rise, only to fall down again. Brody’s hand found hers and she hung on, pulling herself up using the tether he offered. When her head broke the surface, she tried to pull in air, only to be blocked by the water already in her lungs.
She gasped and stared into his scowling face. He appeared to understand what was happening because he started slapping her back. Water gushed out of her mouth as she coughed up the river from within her. After she got a breath in, she retched up more water from her stomach. Brody held her hand as she stood there shaking in the dark.
“You tried to drown me.”
“Nope, if I had wanted that I would have let you float away. Hell, I could’ve shot you in the head and left you twenty miles back.” He snorted. “I saved you from a hell of your own making.”
She walked toward the bank. “I didn’t make a hell. I was just, um, healing.”
“You were hiding.”
Olivia shivered as the night air hit her full force. She walked toward the horses, determined not to talk to him any longer. He had done something dangerous and she had almost paid the price with her life.
“You almost killed me.”
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her so she faced him. Moonlight lit his blue eyes, making them glow. “I had to do something to wake you up. Truth is, you scared me.”
She stared, momentarily silenced by his confession. If anyone had asked her whether the tough ranger was ever scared, she would’ve said no, never. He was unbendable, unbreakable steel, never blinking in the face of danger or mortal peril. The man was a rock, one she had clung to several times.
Now he told her she’d scared him. Scared him. Him! Her mind tried to take in that bit of information but found it was difficult to do. She’d hoped he had feelings for her since she was stupidly in love with him. Did this mean he did feel something? Being scared for her meant he cared about her. Didn’t it?
“Why?” she blurted out.
“Why what?” He snagged a blanket from the saddle sitting on a rock and wrapped it around her.
The wool provided welcome warmth. She snuggled into it as she tried to decide whether she should ask him what she really wanted to know.
Do you love me? Because I love you.
“Why did I scare you?” She wasn’t as brave as she wanted to be, that was for certain. This was the moment to open up her heart again, but she didn’t.
He picked up kindling around the base of the trees and bushes, ignoring her question. She waited before she repeated it, not willing to move too far out onto that limb she was perched on. Brody knelt by the rocks and set the kindling down.
While he built a fire, the moments passed by slower than molasses. She stood there dripping and wondering if she should tell him how she felt. What was the worst that could happen? He could laugh, in which case she’d punch him. But he could also tell her he loved her back.
The prospect made her heart clench.
She opened her mouth to speak. “Brody, I—”
“I saw lots of men acting like you were during the war. Staring at nothing, not talking, not there. Most of those men ate a bullet while no one was looking.” He snapped the sticks into smaller ones, the sound making her start. “I knew your brother would tan my hide if I brought you home like that.”
Her mouth stayed open from shock while her heart screeched in pain. He’d been worried about what her brother would do? That was his big area of concern. Her brother?
“You’re an ass.” She walked away, deliberately not stomping her feet as he probably thought she would, and found a nice tree to sit under. Her wet clothes reminded her of the last time she’d been in the Rio Grande, and the chafing that followed. She would be better off removing her clothes now and letting them dry before morning. It would give her the chance to keep away from Brody for a while so she didn’t punch him.
She set the blanket on the ground and started wrestling with her buttons to get them undone. Her temper rose and before she realized what she was about to do, she’d yanked hard enough to pop three of the buttons.
“Shit!”
“Did you need some help?” Damn the man for sounding amused.
“No, I don’t need help. Especially your help. After all, we wouldn’t want Matt to think you’d touched me, now would we?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” He reached for her, but she moved out of his way.
“You are not allowed to touch me right now. I’m liable to kick you in the balls.” Her chest heaved with the deep breaths she sucked in. Perhaps if she’d been a woman more in control of her emotions, she could be a lady. Well, she wasn’t and likely never would be.
He held his hands up and stepped back. “I almost want you quiet again so you won’t cut me to pieces with that tongue of yours.”
“Oh, you are one to talk.” She took off her blouse and threw it at him. The wet splat gave her a measure of satisfaction. “You just told me you saved me so my brother wouldn’t be angry. As though I was an order of wood left out in the rain.”
Hurt crept into her tone, much as she didn’t want it to. She turned her back on the man who had tied her in knots, then thrown her to the side. His retreating footsteps told her that her message had been received.
With clumsy fingers, she managed to get her riding skirt and boots off. She stood there, wet and naked, warming herself with the tears running down her cheeks.
Damn the man, he had reduced her to the one thing she hated: a crying woman.
She took another fifteen minutes to dry her face and let the night hide her swollen eyes. By the time she returned to Brody, he had built the fire and started a pot of coffee.
“You done yelling at me?” Brody didn’t even glance up from the flames.
“You done being a jackass?” Her back went up as quickly as the words left his mouth.
Neither one answered the question, which didn’t surprise her. The rest of the night passed in near silence. Brody stood guard, watching the horizon and feeding the tiny fire. He didn’t take off his wet things but chose to wear them as they dried. She didn’t care one way or the other. If he wanted chafed manly parts, that was his problem, not hers.
She sipped at the coffee in her hands, glad of the warmth, although she wasn’t going to tell him thank you. After hanging her clothing on a bush nearby, she had donned the other clothes in her saddlebags. They were wrinkly and not even remotely clean, but they were dry.
The next several days would be difficult beyond measure. Riding with Brody, knowing how he felt, would be like a small knife pressing into her heart, mile after mile. There would be no touching, holding or pleasuring.
It would be a journey of shame, of heartache and sorrow. Not only hadn’t she found Benjy, but she’d lost her heart and her hope.
The sight of the Graham ranch should have brought Brody relief. However, it had the opposite effect. His stomach curled into a ball, right next to the blackened remnants of his heart.
His adventure with Olivia was over.
The last few days had been downright torture. She barely spoke to him, rarely looked at him and sure as hell didn’t touch him. When she made up her mind about something, she did not change it.
Like a piece of granite, unable to do anything but be one shade.
The sun had darkened her skin after the mud staining had faded. Now freckles and a light tan made her look so healthy, so alive. If only her eyes were as alive as the rest of her. In the blue-green depths he saw dark emotions, pain and anger, disappointment and confusion. He recognized them as the same stupid emotions swimming around in his own heart. They had made a royal mess of everything and had no one to blame but themselves.
They were out of time and neither one of them was likely to fix anything now. His chest tightened as he watched her expression change from bleak to relieved at the sight of the ranch house.
“Home.” It was the first word she’d spoken in eight hours. Perhaps the last he would hear from her.
Movement near the barn told him that someone had already spotted them. He braced himself for the onslaught of Grahams and the possibility of Matt coming after him with a gun. The last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with Olivia’s big brother.
Dirt coated his hair, skin and clothes, creases of dust in every nook and cranny. Hell, he even had grit in his teeth. By the end of the day though, he knew he’d be on his way, grime and all. The Grahams wouldn’t be welcoming him.
She kneed Mariposa into a gallop, leaving him to bring up the rear. He was in no hurry to do so considering the reception he expected. All he could see was a cloud of dust; all he could hear was a round of squeals and shouts.
What would it feel like to come home to that kind of reception? To know that your family would be happy to see you no matter what? It was a foreign notion, one he couldn’t quite understand. A twinge of wistful need sliced through him. Somewhere deep inside he wanted to make that kind of family with Olivia, but his head smashed the notion. They had no future, no matter how much he might wish it.
By the time he arrived at the house, Olivia was in the midst of her three sisters, the girls squealing and hugging her like a pack of baby pigs. Caleb and Matt stood to the side, their gazes locked on Brody. The youngest brother, Nicholas, was on the porch with Eva and Hannah, Matt’s wife, watching the general foolishness.
“Armstrong.” Matt’s tight voice caught everyone’s attention. “Glad to see you brought her back alive.”
What could he say to that? Any response would get him an ass-whooping with at least two of them on him. He decided to play the diplomat instead and dismounted in front of the porch.
He tipped his hat to Eva and Hannah. “Evening, ladies. I’m glad to see you both again. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to get some water and be on my way.”
Eva’s brows went up and Hannah covered her mouth with one hand. Brody didn’t know if they were amused or shocked.
“Ranger, you ain’t leaving here that easy.” Matt appeared by his side, fury blazing from every pore. “You took my sister to God knows where and you bring her back looking like a cat drug through the mud by a pack of dogs. Not to mention—”
“Shut up, Matt,” Olivia snapped. “I’m tired and hungry and in no mood for a pissing match. I left and went with the ranger because I had to. The decision was mine, not his.”
She walked to the house, her shoulders back and head high. Damn, he really did love that woman so much. His foolish eyes even burned at the sight of her.
“Eva, would you mind asking the boys to get water for a bath while I eat?”
“Por supuesto, hija.” Eva put her arm around Olivia’s waist. “Come inside and eat. You are so skinny!”
The ladies all disappeared inside the house, followed by a sullen Nicholas and Caleb. Both of them shot daggers at Brody with their gazes. Those boys had too much vinegar in them yet.
“You have a lot of explaining to do.” Matt hadn’t given up. Although his anger was evident, he hadn’t shot Brody. Yet. “Where have you been?”
“I had some information I was following up on. Investigating the kidnappings and tracking the source.” Brody led his gelding over to the trough, fully expecting Matt to follow.
He didn’t disappoint.
“What in tarnation were you thinking when you took my sister with you?”
“Have you met your sister? I wasn’t thinking anything. She took over like she was an army general and made me dance to her tune.” Brody’s laugh lacked any humor. “I couldn’t say no.”
“Jesus, I know she’s like that. But it’s been almost a week, Armstrong. A week without a word.” Matt took off his hat and ran his hands through his brown hair. With at least a day or two worth of whiskers and a wrinkled shirt, he had obviously been on tenterhooks, waiting for Olivia’s return.
The idea that Brody had been the cause of such worry, no matter what he told the Grahams, made him sick to his stomach. He knew what the family had gone through in the last year. Adding onto that pile of tragedy was the last thing he wanted to do.
“I didn’t mean to cause any harm, Matt. Things got out of hand.” Brody tied off his horse and turned to the other man. “I’m sorry.”
Matt’s anger deflated at the apology. He pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “Did you find him?”
Brody contemplated how to tell Graham what they’d found. “Do you have any whiskey? I could use a drink to tell this story.”
“No, but I’ve got some of that homemade firewater from Eva’s cousin. It will take the paint off wood, but it’s a stiff drink when you need one.” Matt led him to the tack room in the barn where he pulled out a mason jar filled with clear liquid and two battered tin cups.
Brody sat down on one of the stools. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so damn tired. When Matt handed him a cup, he started.
“You falling asleep sitting up?”
“I haven’t slept in three days.” Brody tried to blink away the grit in his eyes. “I was keeping watch when we stopped for the night.”
Matt’s gaze narrowed. “I’m ready for the story now. Get to explaining, Ranger.”
Brody took a sip of the liquid, and it burned like a son of a bitch. Definitely firewater of the raunchiest caliber. Just what he needed. He took another sip and then a deep breath. There was so much to say, he started at the beginning, where his life took a hard right turn without his even knowing it.
He told Matt the story, from the moment Olivia latched onto him for information until their escape from Lucinda’s and the harrowing journey back. He excluded the more intimate moments out of self-preservation. At times, he thought Matt might just decide to wallop him anyway. Yet he kept on urging Brody to continue, intent on the tale.
By the time he finished, Matt had swallowed what was left in his cup and stood there by the door, hands on his hips.
“You sure she said he’s in Texas?” His question was full of hope and pain.
“No, she said three boys had been sold to haciendas in Texas and he could be one of them. She recognized Olivia because of the eye color.” Brody threw back the last of his cup of firewater. “It’s unique to your family.” When he got to his feet, the world tilted left and then right. He grabbed hold of the bench and tried to stand up straight.
“Whoa there, Ranger. Let’s get you in a bed before you fall on your head and break something.” Matt led him to a room in the back with two cots. They belonged to the Vasquez brothers, who were obviously not currently using them. “Sleep here. I’ll tell the boys to sleep under the stars tonight. They won’t mind.”
As Brody’s head hit the pillow, sleep claimed him almost immediately. It would’ve been perfect if Olivia had been at his side.