CHAPTER TWELVE
As she climbed into the bath, Eva and Hannah looked at Olivia with pity in their gazes. She knew she’d lost weight, but she didn’t think she was that awful.
“Why are you two looking at me like that?”
Hannah looked guilty, her brown eyes wide. “You’ve been gone for a week alone with a man and you come back dirtier than any human being ought to be. You’re thin, angry and about to bust from holding something in you need to let out.”
Her sister-in-law was uncanny in her ability to read people. And dammit, she was right again.
Olivia tilted her head back and closed her eyes lest any tears decide to leak out. “It was a hard trip.”
Eva cursed in Spanish under her breath. “That man is a diablo to keep you away from home so long.”
“Not his fault, Eva. I made him do it. He would have left me behind the first day if he had a choice.” Olivia took a deep breath. “I never gave him the chance.”
The silence in the bedroom was broken only by breathing and by the low sound of murmuring from outside and in the kitchen.
“Did you find him?” Eva’s soft question popped Olivia’s self-control like an ax to an apple. There was no need to ask who “him” was—Benjy was always on everyone’s mind.
“No.” This time she let the emotions come, then accepted the comfort of Eva’s embrace and Hannah’s hands clasping her own. Safe in the fold of her family, Olivia told them her story, stopping only to take a breath.
The women were a rapt audience, caught up in the adventure of a lifetime. One that ended in sorrow and disappointment. And no Benjy.
She didn’t tell them she’d fallen in love with the ranger, or that he’d rejected her, that she was just his obligation. There were things she couldn’t share yet. Neither one of them pushed for more information, but she could see in their faces they knew it wasn’t the whole story.
The bathwater grew cold and Olivia asked Hannah and Eva for privacy. They excused themselves and went to the kitchen to check on supper. Olivia took her time drying off, relishing these moments alone for the first time in a week.
She stood in her room and looked around. It was the place where she’d been a child, but now she was a woman. She was not the same person who had left the ranch, full of righteousness and brimming with energy. Now she was exhausted beyond measure and her view of the world jaded by what she’d seen, what she’d done and what she’d experienced.
The world was an ugly place outside the walls of this house and now she knew that firsthand. There were dangers waiting to surprise unsuspecting girls. There were men who would take advantage of them.
If she was fair to Brody, she had to admit he hadn’t taken advantage of her. She’d bullied him into taking her with him and making her his partner. The first joining had also been her idea. She had been so certain she was in the know about it all. Now she recognized she had known nothing.
Brody had taught her a great deal in his own gruff way. Her own stupidity had taught her as well. There were images burned into her memory she could never scrub away. She had done things she could never undo.
Olivia would never be the same person again. It wasn’t a bad thing, but it wasn’t a good thing either. She couldn’t go back to being the same naïve girl she’d been. Brody’s touch would never be erased from her skin or her heart.
No matter what, she loved him and it would take an exceptionally long time for that to change. He had taken her heart and she didn’t know how to get it back.
She pulled on a clean chemise, another one the talented Hannah had made for her, and crawled into her bed. The familiar scent and feel surrounded her and her breath caught. Home. She had finally come home. As sleep swept over her, she had the thought it was the first time in days she’d slept without Brody by her side.
And she missed him.
Olivia sat up straight in bed, startled to find herself back at the ranch and in her room. Her heart pounded as though it would jump out of her chest. She’d been dreaming of running from danger, but she’d kept tripping and falling, never getting any distance between herself and whatever chased her.
She had shouted his name. That’s what woke her up. In her bad dream, Olivia had reached for Brody and he wasn’t there. The dream didn’t just scare her. It disturbed her at an elemental level that even her sleeping mind needed him.
She had to see him.
Olivia slipped on a clean dress, amazed by the feel of clean clothes and clean skin. Astonishing what she had gotten used to out on the trail, where a bath was splashing in a creek with a sliver of soap or just sand to get clean.
It never occurred to her he might have left already. He wouldn’t go without saying good-bye, not even he was that low. That meant he was sleeping somewhere on the ranch and she had to find him.
Barefoot, she crept out of her room and into the kitchen. A shadow moved near the table and she stifled a scream.
“Relax, Liv, it’s me.” Matt’s soft voice came from the head of the table.
She squinted into the darkness, making out his form in the meager moonlight. “What are you doing?”
“Couldn’t sleep. I was drinking some milk. Hannah’s idea, even though I don’t think it will work.” He yawned so hard, his jaw cracked. “But she could have been right.”
Olivia put her hands on the back of the other chair. “I need to talk to him.”
She didn’t have to specify whom. Matt wasn’t stupid. He had probably already talked to Brody, and hopefully hadn’t shot him or punched him.
“Do you love him?”
Olivia expected the question and answered without even a second’s hesitation. “Yes. But I’m not so sure he feels the same.”
“Oh, I think you’d be surprised.” Matt sipped the milk. “He told me what happened. Most of it anyway. I expect there were parts he didn’t share.”
Good thing it was dark enough he couldn’t see her heated cheeks. No doubt they were flushed and guilty looking.
“We didn’t find him.” The sorrow couldn’t be contained.
“No, but you found out where he’d been. That’s one piece of the puzzle.” His chair scraped the floor as he stood and rounded the table. “You have got to be the most amazing woman I know, aside from my wife that is.”
Her brother’s unexpected praise made her eyes prick with tears. She was a lucky woman to have such love from her family. It was a blessing she sometimes took for granted.
“I did what you would have done if you’d been here.”
He pulled her into a hug. “Nope, I would have stayed here with Hannah and let Armstrong do the work he’s paid badly by Texas to do. You, dear sister, are a helluva fighter.”
Olivia smiled into his shoulder. “Thank you.” She had missed the noisy Grahams so much, even Catherine’s constant chatter and Rebecca’s posturing to be more grown up than she was. What she missed most was the way they were a family, despite all their faults and mistakes. They were the circle eight and she would spend the rest of her life trying to make it complete again by finding Benjy.
“Where is he?”
“In the bunkroom. Lorenzo and Javier are sleeping under the stars tonight.” He kissed her forehead. “Be careful, little sister.”
Olivia couldn’t answer him. The last thing she’d been was careful around the ranger. She’d thrown her arms wide open and embraced the danger that filled his life. Now she would throw caution to the wind once more and try to convince him that he couldn’t live without her.
She would get her man, come hell or high water.
Brody dreamt of Olivia: the softness of her skin, the smell of her hair, the sweetness of her taste. She surrounded him, drew him into her world with that mischievous smile and incredible body. He hardened instantly, aching for her.
Her nimble fingers danced up and down his shaft, making his balls tighten. He grew an inch when she squeezed the head with her other hand. Then her mouth closed around the head of his cock and he gripped the bed. Pure fire leapt from the hot, wet recesses of her mouth. Her tongue lapped at him, even as her mouth sucked.
Her hand cupped his balls, her thumb pressing against the base of his dick. As she bobbed up and down on his length, he groaned aloud, coming fully awake.
It wasn’t a dream.
Olivia was here, giving him the pleasure of a lifetime. He reached out and found her soft, clean hair and ran his fingers through it.
“You’re really here.”
He felt her chuckle against his taut skin. She nibbled at the sensitive head and he sucked in a breath.
“God, that feels good.”
“Goddess.”
It was his turn to chuckle. Olivia might be a loudmouthed, stubborn, tenacious woman but she was his woman. There wasn’t another one in the world like her, not that the world could have handled another one.
When his cock touched the back of her throat, he almost came right then and there. His fingers dug into the wooden frame of the cot, embedding a few splinters in the skin.
“Whoa, you need to stop.”
“Nuh-uh.” She did it again, going deep, pulling and sucking at him.
His eyes rolled back in his head. “If you don’t, ah, don’t stop, ah, I’m gonna ... come right in your mouth.”
Brody couldn’t stop it. He’d warned her, told her to stop, but she kept going, sucking, licking and nibbling him. The orgasm rolled through him and he tried to pull her head away but she remained firm. He was blind for a moment, lost in the sweet rush of ecstasy as she continued to pleasure him even as he twitched.
Guilt filled him. “I’m sorry, honey.”
She finally let him loose. “Don’t be. I wanted to pleasure you, to feel your life, to conquer you.” She chuckled. “Are you conquered?”
He smiled. “More than you know.”
Before she could protest, he jumped off the bed and pulled her to her feet. A waft of soap and clean woman made him pause. He realized she smelled wonderful and he smelled like the wrong end of a cow.
“I stink.”
“You could use a bath.” She offered. “But you don’t stink.”
He pulled off her dress, followed quickly by her chemise, and then she was wonderfully naked. She shivered and her nipples hardened in the cool night air.
“God, I mean, Goddess, you are perfect.” With something akin to reverence, he reached out and cupped the perfect orbs waiting for him. Her skin was softer than anything he’d ever touched, the nipples begging him to taste.
Now it was his turn to get on his knees. He laid her down on the narrow cot as though she was more precious than anything. Then he took off the rest of his clothes and he knelt down.
His mouth closed around her right nipple, so tight and hard. He sucked, nibbled and licked the pink peak. She shifted beneath him, a tiny moan coming from deep in her throat. He switched breasts, finding the left one just as tasty as the right. His hand closed around the now damp nipple, tweaking and tugging in rhythm with his mouth.
She tasted of sunshine, of woman, of Olivia. It was enough to make his cock roar to life, pulsing between his legs within minutes. He had to ignore it though. This was about Olivia and her pleasure.
He moved down her belly, kissing the angel-soft skin, biting and licking sensitive spots. She wiggled and shifted the lower he got. He gently pushed her legs open.
“Brody, what—”
“Shut up, Liv.” It was said with as much love as he could put in his voice, but it worked.
Without any further protests, he positioned himself between her legs, sliding up the cot to reach the bounty that awaited. He kissed his way up her legs, delighting in the spot behind her knee that made her gasp each time he licked it. Moving past her knee, he found her inner thighs were as soft as down.
As he drew closer to her core, the scent of her arousal filled his nose. It sent a pulse through him that made his cock, now buried in the blanket, twitch.
He spread her nether lips, the moist folds glistening in the meager light. She was perfect. He ran his fingers down the edges, delighting in the way she shivered at his touch. Brody leaned in and ran his tongue from top to bottom in one long swipe.
Her groan made one of the horses whinny.
He should have told her to be quiet but was enjoying her noises too much. With her musky flavor on his tongue, he dove in for more. He found her nubbin of pleasure swollen, ready for him. As he licked at it, he slowly pushed two fingers into her. She closed around him, pulling him in farther. His cock protested, wanting to bury itself inside her folds, but he ignored it.
“Brody, I can’t, it feels ...”
He continued to lick and nibble at her, his own body reacting with each gasp, moan and shiver she made. Her thighs closed in around his head and he knew she was close. He pushed a third finger into the perfect rosette beneath her pussy.
“Now, now, now,” she chanted.
He fucked her with his fingers and sucked her clit, feeling the flutter of her orgasm on his tongue as it began. She let loose a low keening cry and flooded his mouth with the sweet flavor of her pleasure. He kept sucking, licking and fucking her until she begged him to stop.
“Please, stop. I can’t even see anymore.”
Brody chuckled and kissed her one more time. She twitched and he smiled. He crawled up her body and lay on top of her. They had been in many positions over the week, but never in this one. She was a warm, soft body, but more than that, lying atop her felt like home, as though he had found where he belonged.
As he slid into her wet, tight folds, he shuddered at the emotions, the sensations overwhelming him. This wasn’t the first time they’d been together of course, but it was the first time he’d accepted the fact he made love to Olivia.
“Brody.” The sound of his name in her breathy tone made his eyes prick with tears even as his body hardened to the point of pain, wanting to move.
When he managed to get himself under control, he began to slide in and out. The delicious friction sent zings of pleasure through him. He clutched the blanket beneath them as he thrust into her welcoming core again, then again.
Her nails scratched at his back each time he pushed in. It was another tingle in the mass of pleasure flying through him. He leaned up on his elbows to look at her, to see the expression of ecstasy on her beautiful face.
Those unique green-blue eyes were half closed, her pupils wide, her expression full. She was exquisite, the most incredible sight he’d ever seen.
Brody loved Olivia. Completely, utterly.
“So close,” she whispered. “Close.”
He reached between them to find her clit, the swollen nubbin of pleasure slick with her juices. He flicked her once, twice, three times, then her eyes opened wide.
“I love you.” Her body clenched around him as she reached her climax.
Moments later, Brody’s orgasm roared through him. It was a powerful, knee-buckling force, slamming into him so that stars exploded behind his eyes. Pure joy flooded him as he found the ultimate ecstasy with the woman who owned his heart.
As he came back down to earth, reality hit him in the gut. A Texas Ranger couldn’t have a wife, couldn’t be tied down. He had to be ready to do his job at a moment’s notice.
Brody would have to choose between his job and his woman. He’d never been so unsure of anything in his life.
Olivia knew he was gone the moment she woke. The sounds and smells of the morning went on around her—the hay, the horses, the gentle murmur of voices from the barn. Yet the warmth she had slept with was missing.
And so was Brody.
With a certain amount of pain, she opened her eyes and glanced around. She had been right. His saddlebags, his boots and that blasted black flat-brimmed hat were no longer lying on or beneath Javier’s cot.
Still naked, she pulled on her chemise and dressed quickly, before anyone noted she was sleeping in Lorenzo’s bed alone. It was embarrassing enough to seduce a man, tell him she loved him, then have him disappear like a thief in the night.
She wouldn’t hold out hope that he was in the house having coffee and huevos with Eva. No, that wasn’t Brody’s way. He just did what he thought was necessary. In this case, leaving without saying good-bye.
Although she told herself not to look, Olivia opened the door a crack and peered out into the murky barn. His gelding was no longer in the first stall where he’d been the night before when she’d crept in.
Her heart squeezed so hard she couldn’t get a breath in. When her former fiancée had left her following her parents’ murder, she’d been sad and angry. She’d thought she had been nursing a broken heart. Now she knew better.
A broken heart was the most excruciating pain she’d ever endured. She had put herself into his hands, her heart into his keeping, her life into his control. And he had left her behind like a piece of trash he didn’t need to keep.
She sank to her knees and pressed her forehead into the wood. Finally, she was able to suck in short choppy breaths, enough to make the rushing sound in her head subside. She wouldn’t cry; she had already shed enough tears to last a lifetime.
Her entire body shook as she rode the waves of pain racing through her. If only he had simply told her he was too devoted to being a ranger. Or even that he didn’t want a wife to complicate things. Anything but disappearing as though he didn’t care enough to even say good-bye.
Oh, God, it hurt. So damn much.
She didn’t know how many minutes had passed before she was able to get to her feet. It was pitiful enough she had to use the door to do it; she was absurdly grateful no one could see her. Eva and Hannah didn’t know the depth of her relationship with Brody. Thank God she hadn’t confessed how intimate they’d become, although Matt knew. The worst possible thing she could imagine would be pity from any of them.
With still trembling hands, she opened the door to return to her own bed. She hoped no one would speak to her because she wasn’t in any mood to converse.
Rodrigo stood there, the pistol in his hand pointed straight at her heart. “Querida, I’ve missed you. Why did you leave without saying good-bye?”
Brody rode back from town a changed man. He’d had every intention of riding away, back to Austin for good. Instead, he stopped five miles away and yelled at the sky until he recognized he couldn’t live without Olivia by his side.
He’d acted a coward running off like that. She would have confronted the situation head on, ready to fuss and argue about it. Yet he had been the weak one, the man too afraid to tell her he loved her.
Her soft “I love you” the night before had knocked him sideways. She loved him. For all his hard, unyielding and hardass ways, she loved him.
His brothers had loved him in their own way, loyal and steadfast. Yet neither of them had ever shown him what affection was, or that his life would change because of one loudmouthed woman with a gun and an attitude.
There was no other choice but to return to the Graham farm and ask her to marry him, although the prospect made him break out in hives. She was tough enough to live on the trail if need be. He hadn’t told her about the family farm he now owned but neglected. It was half a day’s ride from her family’s ranch, which was not too far from the Graham clan.
He couldn’t even consider the prospect of her saying no. That couldn’t happen. She’d said she loved him.
Then he’d snuck out and left her.
Granted, it was only for an hour but he had left. He winced at the thought she would be angry enough to say no, just because she was stubborn and hurt. If he was lucky, she hadn’t woken up yet. He had left before the sun rose.
The closer he got to the Graham ranch, the tighter his stomach got and the drier his mouth. He was no good with words, no good with women. He had his badge, his gun and his smarts. What else did he need?
Olivia.
He knew it was the truth. Somehow or other he’d found the woman who matched him in every way, who fought him like a soldier and loved him like a goddess. He’d be two times a fool if he let her get away.
His mind made up, Brody rode toward the ranch house with confidence mixed up with a whole lot of fear. She could still say no, after all.
The front door flew open and banged against the side of the house. Matt Graham stormed out, sparks shooting from his eyes.
“Where the hell is my sister?”
Brody’s excitement vanished to be replaced by a very different kind of fear. “I left her here sleeping an hour ago.”
“She isn’t in the barn or the house or anywhere. Mariposa is in her stall, which means Olivia is missing.” Matt pulled a shotgun out from behind him, keeping it pointed toward the ground. “I’m gonna ask you one more time, where is she?”
The air crackled with tension as Brody weighed what to do. He could shoot the rancher before the shotgun trigger was even touched. Not something he wanted to do. No, he had to do this the hard way and hope the other man could see reason.
Brody dismounted slowly, the creak of the saddle leather the only sound in the still morning air. As soon as his boot hit the ground, he raised his hands.
“I swear I don’t know where she is.” He figured this was the time for the truth. “We were in the bunkroom in the barn. That’s where she was when I left. Why don’t we go look there?”
“I already did.” Matt moved a little closer, although he didn’t yet point the muzzle of the shotgun at Brody. “She’s not there.”
Hannah appeared on the porch, her brown gaze frightened. “Matt, don’t shoot the man. He’s a ranger, for God’s sake. Besides, you sent her out there.”
Brody couldn’t contain his surprise. Her brother had sent her to the barn, where he knew Brody was sleeping? Their relationship must be more obvious than he’d thought. Either that or this would be a shotgun wedding.
“Can I go look for her? I know I’m not your favorite person right now, but I can track.” Brody moved toward the barn, wondering with each step if he was going to make it there without feeling the deadly heat of a shotgun blast.
“She’s not there.”
Brody ignored Matt and stepped back into the barn. There were fresh footprints in the dirt on the floor and what appeared to be a couple drag marks from bare feet. He squatted and stared at the markings. No rancher boot had made those prints. The heel was squared off and cut deeper than the toe.
“Any of your men wear vaquero boots?”
Matt stood in the door of the barn, watching, scowling so hard his eyebrows touched. “No. Lorenzo and Javier don’t much like them. Why?”
Brody got to his feet and glanced in, glad to see none of her clothes were left behind. That meant she was dressed when she left. Thank God. She could’ve been dragged out of there buck naked. “Did she have any shoes on last night?”
Matt threw up his hands. “No, she was barefoot. What the hell is going on, Armstrong?”
The realization of what had happened hit him square between the eyes. Holy hell.
They hadn’t lost Rodrigo after all. He had followed them all the way into Texas. To the Graham ranch, the very place where too much tragedy and bloodshed had already happened.
Brody’s stomach lurched straight up his throat and he had to swallow down the bile that filled his mouth. Cold, raw fear slid through him.
Sweet Jesus.
“Your sister’s been kidnapped.”
“What?” Matt’s eyes widened. “By who?”
“Who took Olivia?” Caleb’s face was flushed.
Nicholas made a grunting sound and charged at the barn like a teenage bull. Matt threw his arm out and stopped his younger brother before he hurt himself.
“Who?” Matt repeated.
“An outlaw named Rodrigo who fancies the title of caudillo. We had dealings with him when we were in Mexico. I can tell you more later, but know this, he is ruthless and isn’t afraid to kill to get what he wants.” Brody would wait until Matt was calmer before he told him the outlaw had sold Benjy six months earlier. “For now let’s get moving. They’ve already got a headstart.”
Matt’s blue-green eyes, so much like Olivia’s, bored into him. “I’ll agree to this for now. But later, you will tell me more about Rodrigo and how you got my sister wrapped up in this mess.”
“Fair enough.” Brody would tell him as much as he could, but there were things that would stay between Olivia and himself. There would be no discussion of who killed whom, or just how close the two of them had gotten. Or that she’d told him “I love you” and he had run off like a coward into the night. No, those would be his moments to hold onto.
“Everyone move. Now,” Matt barked and everyone jumped.
The Grahams were like an army, commanded by Matt, with Eva providing instructions when he wasn’t in earshot. The horses were saddled, food and water gathered, and guns loaded. Matt, Caleb and Nicholas had the fiercest expressions on their faces that Brody had ever seen. That was real love. Olivia had brought him a forever kind of love and the family he’d never truly had.
“I’m going to blame you if anything happens to her, Ranger.” Matt’s horse grew restless beneath him, but he kept it under control with his knees.
“So will I.” Brody would control his rage and fear for now. When he had Olivia back safely, he would let it all loose on Rodrigo. This time, the outlaw wouldn’t live to hurt anyone again.
Olivia was furious—with Rodrigo, with Brody, but most of all with herself. She was tied up like a turkey thrown over the rear end of Rodrigo’s horse. Rodrigo’s hand pressed down on her back, keeping her in place as he navigated his way through the dense woods. He had obviously chosen this place well since it was the thickest forest within twenty miles of her home.
“Querida, you shouldn’t have run from me.” He pushed down on her back so hard, she couldn’t get a breath in.
She considered kicking the horse to start it panicking, but knew she would get herself killed in the fall or trampled. However, she was running out of choices. Spots danced in front of her eyes as she maneuvered her bound feet to kick the horse right in its vulnerable leg. Just as she got in position, Rodrigo released the pressure and air rushed back into her lungs.
“I do not want to hurt you.”
“You have a strange way of showing that, maricon.” She had learned a few curse words from Javier and Lorenzo. That one tasted especially good since it shut him up for a few minutes.
He dug his fingers into her back but she closed her eyes and thought of Brody. The ranger wouldn’t whine or complain if he were in the same situation. Neither would she.
“You have a filthy mouth. I will take pleasure in making sure it’s too busy to talk.” His laugh sent a chill up her spine. “I will enjoy it too. Your hombre is too protective of you. He should have let us have our pleasure. Now I must kill him.”
“You’ll never get the chance. He will kill you for taking me.” Big words for a woman who had no idea where her man was. He’d already left, either scared or disgusted by her confession of love. He didn’t even know she’d been kidnapped.
“Ah, you lie to me, querida. He rode away an hour before I took back what he stole. I listened and watched you both and the others at the house.” He made a tsking sound with his mouth. “You lied to me, Olivia. Another sin to be punished for. Perhaps I will take the little blond girl for payment.”
Olivia knew her first pinch of fear. He had been watching her family, her home. The man had hunted her, and now knew where her family lived. He threatened to take Catherine, for God’s sake. Sweet, innocent Catherine.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stave off the panic that threatened. If she didn’t focus, she couldn’t get herself free or help her family. What she needed to do was assess the man, his weapons and the situation, then find his weak spot and strike. She needed a battle plan.
If she reacted to his threat, he would know he had her beaten. No, she needed to do the unexpected and throw him off balance.
“Of course I lied to you, foolish man. Those people don’t know what my life is or how I live it. Do you think I’m stupid? I chose to leave them, to live on the back of a horse, under the sky. Not cooped up in one place for all time.” She managed to lift her hips enough to relieve the pressure on her stomach. “We were planning on taking what we needed and leaving by tomorrow.”
Rodrigo was quiet for a few moments, perhaps gauging whether she was lying again or being truthful.
“Those people all look like you, the same eyes I think. I have seen eyes that color before.”
Her mouth tasted of cold fear, but she managed to form the words she needed to speak. “The youngest. We needed money for guns so I convinced Jeb to take him. There are too many mouths to feed anyway. One less left more for me.”
She told her stomach not to react, not to vomit for fear she would choke to death on it with her head hanging down. It was a difficult fight but, in the end, she managed not to throw up.
“You are a cold-hearted bitch, querida. I knew there was something about you I liked. You are like me. You want more than life gives you and you aren’t afraid to take it.” His hand moved to her rump, where he squeezed. “And you are round and soft in all the right places. We will be good together.”
The very idea of being with Rodrigo, knowing what he did, what he’d done, and what he intended to do, made fury rise inside her. That was good. Anger would keep fear and panic at bay while she figured out how to get away from him.
“I’m not a cheap whore you can just take.” She gritted her teeth.
“Ah, I did not think so.” He chuckled, the sound grating on her nerves. “You will be a challenge. This I like.”
Was there no putting this man off? He liked her docile. He liked her feisty. He liked her at his mercy. The man just wanted to own her, no matter how she behaved. He made her skin crawl. Fear fluttered back into her heart. Olivia dug deeply, way down to found another cup of courage.
“Well, I don’t like being belly down on this goddamn horse. If you want me to be accommodating, you’re going to have to be nicer to me.” She managed to bang her head into his back. Her ears rang from the contact, but she had the satisfaction of hearing him grunt from the blow.
“I could tie you to the back and drag you instead.” His playful tone had been replaced by one as sharp as the knife he’d held to her throat.
“I could bite off your dick too.” What possessed her to threaten him, she’d never know. Her heart thumped so hard, her ears hurt, but she hung on and kept working on the knots. She could only reach the knots with her fingertips, but picking at them made her feel better.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before they emerged from the woods. Being upside down, she could only see the ground and the horse’s hindquarters. She had no idea where they were, or what direction he had chosen to take. The sad fact was she hadn’t spent much time in the woods, or even beyond the boundaries of the Graham ranch, until she’d met Brody.
He had taken her on an adventure, shown her what was out there for her to discover. Now she regretted not taking the same opportunity at home. If she had, the ground, the rocks, something might have given her a clue as to where they were.
The sound of another horse’s whinny sounded in the morning air. He pulled the horse to a stop and she was thankful for the reprieve from the constant jarring. She lifted her head, but her hair covered her face, obscuring her view. Maybe Brody had followed Rodrigo after all. She couldn’t help the burst of hope in her belly.
The rapid-fire commands in Spanish told her it wasn’t Brody’s horse she’d heard, but someone with Rodrigo. Oh, God, he had brought one or possibly more of his followers. She had a chance against one, but not a group of men.
When she heard Elena’s voice, Olivia wondered if Rodrigo had kidnapped her as well, or if she had come willingly. Her brother was a dangerous man, commanding everything and everyone around him. His sister was no exception, regardless of the fact she’d helped Brody and Olivia escape.
“Vamanos.” Rodrigo kneed his horse into motion again and Olivia’s eyes pricked with tears.
She hadn’t cried and didn’t intend on crying but, dammit, this entire situation was wearing her down. Discomfort, pain and heartbreak overwhelmed her.
You are too strong to buckle under now, Liv. You killed three men to save my life. You are a survivor, not a quitter.
Brody’s voice was so clear in her head, she thought he was hanging right next to her. He was right. She’d be damned if she would give in now.
Olivia was ready to fight for her life.
Brody struggled with self-control. He wanted to howl at the heavens and beat his chest, screaming his fear and self-recrimination. Hiccups of bitter emotion bubbled up his throat and escaped as small grunts. He sounded like a wild boar and damned if he didn’t feel like one. He was angry, reckless and ready to kill anything that got in his way.
The Grahams, on the other hand, were cool and collected. The three of them rode with their backs straight and their eyes focused on the horizon. He’d never met Stuart Graham before he died, but the man obviously knew how to raise boys to be men.
Being a soldier, then a ranger, Brody had thought he knew everything about how to be a man. But Olivia and her brothers had taught him the true meaning of loyalty, honor and courage. It was as humbling as it was frustrating.
He wanted a pack of snarling beasts at his side, ready to tear open the enemy. Instead, he got the Graham boys, who might freeze their enemy to death before they shot him. They were shooting frozen daggers at him from their blue-green eyes right now.
He couldn’t look at them, to see the similarity between her brothers and Olivia. It reminded him of his failure to be the man she needed. He had to find her, to tell her he was sorry and that he loved her.
He loved her.
Why hadn’t he just accepted that hours ago? Days ago? Stupid idiot that he was, he had ridden away from what was as plain as day, and now he risked losing the most precious gift he’d ever received.
While his mind spun in circles, his eyes were trained on the ground, looking for signs. He found the hoof prints straight off, the deep impressions telling him the horse was carrying two people. They had headed west, off the Graham ranch and into wooded areas. That might have been to throw him off the trail but it had the opposite effect.
A horse tromping through trees and brush left more signs to track. He dismounted as soon as they reached the edge of the forest.
“What are you doing, Armstrong?” Matt snapped. “Get the hell back on your horse and get to tracking.”
“I am tracking, Graham. And if you think I’m going to let you order me around like you’re my captain, you are mistaken.” He turned a cool expression on the eldest Graham. “I am still a Texas Ranger. Right now I’m investigating a kidnapping.”
“My sister’s kidnapping,” Caleb growled, looking much older than his eighteen years.
“It helps me focus if I don’t think about her.” Brody faltered, his voice breaking as his heart stuttered. “I need to focus on the task, not the person.”
He pleaded silently for them to understand. Olivia was the most important thing in the world to him, and he couldn’t risk her by going loco. Her brothers were angry with him, rightfully so, but they had to give him a chance to do what he did best. Track and hunt criminals.
Matt’s expression relaxed a smidge. “You told me some of the story last night, but the boys don’t know yet. You tell us who he is and what happened in Mexico and we’ll help you catch him.”
It was likely the best offer he would get from them. “Fine. I’ll tell you what I know, but we need to keep moving.”
Matt dismounted. “Lead the way, Ranger. We’ll stay close so you can talk low.”
Brody nodded tightly. “Let’s go.”
They all led their horses into the woods, keeping their noise to a minimum. The soft bed of leaves and pine muffled the horses’ hooves and their boots.
“He has a tavern about two hours into Mexico. Small town, barely a dot on the map. But he owns it. He talks and they jump. Including his sister, who he whores out.” The memory of Elena’s attempted seduction made him frown. “Tried it with us, but it didn’t work. We convinced him we wanted to buy some merchandise, so he took us to his mother.”
“What? His mother?” Nicholas’s eyes widened and he stumbled on a tree root.
Brody caught his arm to steady him. “She’s the coldest bitch I’ve ever met and I don’t wonder where Rodrigo gets it from. We rode to her whorehouse in a bigger town. We tried to get her to buy the merchandise—”
“Wait, what merchandise?” Caleb frowned. “I thought you were looking for Benjy?”
Brody met Matt’s sad gaze and realized the younger Graham boys were not quite men yet. “He was the merchandise.”
Nicholas and Caleb’s faces were ashen at that bit of information, but they kept on walking.
“We tried to make a deal with her, but she got suspicious, put us in a root cellar tied up.” Brody had flashes of the root cellar and what had happened in the darkness—holding Olivia, kissing her, pleasuring her. He had to physically shake his head to stop the memories from overwhelming him.
“Then what happened?” Nicholas urged.
“We lured one of his men downstairs and killed him.” Brody couldn’t snatch the words back, but he sure as hell wanted to.
“Who killed him?”
“Olivia.”
“You turned my sister into a murderer?”
Brody held up his hand to stop the questions. “He was going to kill us. We survived.”
The Grahams all nodded, thank God.
“How did you get away?” Matt’s gaze probed his. “You must have been watched.”
“Rodrigo’s sister, Elena, helped us. She did everything he said, but then she helped us. After we managed to get away, I thought Rodrigo wouldn’t bother to chase us down.” His words trailed off as he noted the horsehair stuck in the bark of a nearby tree and the broken leaves. The trail was easy to follow, almost too easy. Rodrigo wasn’t that stupid.
“He’s leading us somewhere. Setting a trap more than likely.” Brody stopped and listened. The only sounds around them were the normal birds, squirrels and drone of insects. Wherever he was, the outlaw wasn’t in the woods any longer.
A terrible realization hit him and he stopped in his tracks. Elena hadn’t bucked her brother’s authority when she’d led them out of Lucinda’s house. He had told her to.
“She let us go on purpose so they could follow us. Probably didn’t want his mama to know. Son of a bitch. It was a trap. A goddamn trap.” He wanted to punch himself for being dumb enough to fall for it. They had led Rodrigo and his army right to the Grahams’ doorstep.
After the terrible tragedy they had already suffered, now there was more to be had. Now that Rodrigo knew where the Grahams lived, he could pick them off one by one.
“Fucking bastard.” Brody punched the tree hard enough to draw blood.
“What do we do?” Matt was finally looking to Brody for his lead, an expression of confusion and fear on his face.
Brody stared at each Graham brother in turn. “We kill him and save Olivia.”
It was a moment when they could have all backed away, but none of them did. He saw young Nicholas swallow hard, but the boy held firm, his sixteen-year-old shoulders straight as an arrow. Brody gave them a lot of respect for their decision—they were ranchers, not men of the law. He knew Matt and Caleb had fought in the war, but this was much more personal.
It was family.
“The trail heads northwest, and I’m guessing it leads somewhere on the other side of these woods. He’s probably positioned himself and a few men there to pick us off like ducks in a pond.” Brody pulled out his pistol and checked to be sure it was loaded.
“What kind of pistol is that?” Nicholas stared at the weapon.
“It’s a Colt pistol. Friend of mine just patented it and gave me one.” He pointed to the cylinder. “This is a revolving cylinder that spins to the next bullet after you fire.”
Nicholas whistled. “That’s a nice gun, Mr. Armstrong.”
Brody told himself he would gift the gun to the boy if they all survived. “I’m hoping one of you knows your way around here so we can circle the other way and surprise them.”
“I do,” Caleb volunteered. “I was sneaking off to see a girl last year and her house isn’t far from here.”
Matt’s brows went up, but he didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the time.
“Good. We’re going to have to leave the horses at least half a mile from wherever he’s waiting to ambush us. Otherwise, he’ll hear us coming. How far do these woods go?” Brody pulled his rifle from its scabbard and checked it too. It wouldn’t be as handy as the pistol, but he would get at least one more shot with it.
“About five miles, then there is a creek, about fifty yards wide, then there’s more woods on the other side of it.” Caleb glanced around at them. “Are we going to die?”
It was a question all of them were probably asking themselves but only Caleb had the balls to ask it.
“I don’t know, but if we do nothing, Olivia will die.” It was a bald but true statement. “You three can go back home if you want. I won’t force you to put yourselves in harm’s way. I’m going after her.”
“Me too.”
“I’m not going home.”
“I’m staying too.”
Brody nodded at each of them. “I don’t know how many men he’ll have, but I’m sure he already knows how many you had at the house. He’s probably expecting all of you, including your ranch hands and me. If he thinks we have six men, then he’ll have seven, or give himself enough of an advantage to kill us all so he can take what he wants from your ranch.”
“Like the girls?” Nicholas’s frown looked so much like Matt’s, Brody had to bite back a snort.
“Yes, the girls, the horses, the cattle, the furniture, everything. He will take what he wants and leave the rest to rot or burn. I know what he is. He’s a locust, a man driven to conquer everything and everyone.” Brody hadn’t realized, however, to what lengths Rodrigo would go to win. Although he should have, considering the outlaw used his own sister as a whore.
“Then we kill him.” Matt had always struck him as a good man, but right about then he appeared more like an avenging angel of death. His grimace bared a few teeth and his eyes were burning with retribution.
It was time.
“We head back out of the woods and circle around. Have your hand on your weapon at all times and be ready to use it.” Brody turned his gelding around and the Grahams followed suit.
As they walked back out of the woods single file, Brody had the feeling they were heading into the most important battle of their lives. Someone was going to die that day. If it was him, he would accept it as long as he knew Olivia survived.
Nothing mattered but her. Nothing.