CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Olivia’s head throbbed from hanging upside down for too long. She decided against mentioning it to Rodrigo since his fingers were digging into her back again. She could hear several horses and knew Elena had not been alone.

She had been more angry than anything when Rodrigo had taken her. Then when Elena had appeared, along with the others, fear crept up her spine. Why were there so many of them? What did they want with her?

Logic told her Rodrigo had decided to take over Jeb’s business for himself and eliminate the middleman. That meant he had followed them back to Texas, and possibly arranged for them to escape from Lucinda’s root cellar. If that was true, then she and Brody were still playing the outlaw’s game.

She didn’t want to be a pawn for Rodrigo, or for anyone. Her frustration grew at the thought that she had no control over what would happen to her. The idea of being tied up and at a man’s mercy made her ire rise.

The horse walked through water, splashing cold water on her face. She twisted her head to avoid it, but it got in her eyes and nose and she started to cough. By the time they reached the other side, she was having trouble pulling in a breath.

In a split second, she was torn from the horse and thrown to the ground. She hit the dirt hard and stars exploded in her head. Olivia rolled over, pressing her face into the cool grass, desperate for air. Her throat was tight, so tight no air could pass.

Someone slapped her back and she was finally able to suck in a breath. The next slap was to the side of her head. Dirt and pebbles filled her mouth. As she spat them out, a third slap landed right on her ear.

“Puta.” Elena sounded different, wild and harsh. “Stop being so stupid and pretending to choke.”

“I wasn’t pretending.” Olivia’s ear rang from the blow while the pain in her pounding head grew.

“Una mentira.”

“I don’t lie, you bitch.” Olivia had no idea what possessed her to snarl, but it felt damn good to do it. “Don’t you dare fucking hit me again.” The curses tasted like hot candy in her mouth, a perfect side dish to her fury over how she was being treated.

Rodrigo chuckled. “She does not like to be hit, hermana .”

“Puta.” Elena spat on the ground beside Olivia.

Looking up through her hair at the other woman, Olivia was not entirely surprised to see the snarling visage of a mad woman. Rodrigo was dangerous but his was a cool, calculating manner. His sister was a different story.

“Why do you keep calling me whore?” Olivia decided to keep pushing and poking at Elena. Perhaps she could get the woman to lose control, and change the odds in Olivia’s favor. “You’re the one who whored yourself to me and to my man. Didn’t I see you on your knees because your brother told you to?”

Elena lunged at Olivia with her fingers curved into claws, but her brother snatched her by the waist.

“No, you will not kill her. We need her.” Rodrigo’s voice was hard as granite and it had the desired effect on Elena. She seemed to shake off the fury that had driven her to slap Olivia. However, she wasn’t done yet.

She kicked Olivia in the stomach, driving out the breath she’d just been able to suck in.

“Matarlo, puta.” Elena’s threat was deadlier than Rodrigo’s. There was true venom in her voice. She intended to kill Olivia.

If she were smart, Olivia would be afraid of the enraged woman. However, her brain told her to be strong, and her heart told her to not give in. A Graham never gave in.

“Try it and I promise you I won’t be the one dead, puta.” Olivia bared her teeth and was pleased to see Elena blink hard.

“Enough playing, chicas. We need to move behind these trees.” Rodrigo pulled Olivia to her feet. He grinned at her, a darkly amused expression on his face. “I may decide to keep you after all, querida. You have fire.”

Olivia drew on every bit of her fury and spit in his face. The amused look vanished, replaced by cold hatred. He backhanded her across the cheek with a snap of his wrist. Blood filled her mouth and she felt a loose tooth, along with pain. She spat again; this time blood coated his face too.

Despite the throbbing in her face, she stood tall with her back straight and her pride intact. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the woods. Olivia tried to bite his hand or arm but couldn’t reach.

The small rocks littering the bank of the creek scraped her legs and knees raw. The leaves and pine needles offered some relief but stung the already open wounds. In another moment, her hair would rip out by its roots. She’d been beaten, slapped and kicked, but the pain from her hair brought tears to her eyes.

Rodrigo let her go as soon as they reached deeper cover behind the trees. She lay there for a few moments, trying to block the pain but only succeeding in breathing. It was enough to give her the strength to sit up.

She glanced around and couldn’t help the gasp of surprise that flew from her mouth. Rodrigo didn’t just have Elena with him. A group of men stood by, heavily armed, all of them hidden from view from anyone in the creek or on the opposite bank.

It would be a slaughter.

“Who do you think is coming after me? Brody is, ah, gone. He left hours ago. I wasn’t enough for him.” Real emotion filled her voice and her throat tightened. “No one else will follow. I was just staying the night in the barn at that ranch.”

Rodrigo shook his head. “Now that is una mentira. You lie, querida.” He squatted down and cupped the same cheek he had backhanded. “I knew who you were the second I saw you. Your eyes told the story I needed to know. That boy with your eyes was a diablo too. He had a big mouth and he kicked anyone who got near him. I sold him to a rancher who would teach him manners.”

True horror blossomed inside her at the realization that he’d known she was Benjy’s sister all along. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“That is your family at that ranch. I see things, I hear things, I know things. No more lies, eh? You are a brave woman, Olivia, but it is time to stop playing games.” Rodrigo’s accent disappeared again and she saw the real man reflected in his eyes. He was emotionless, conniving and calculating.

She realized it was the second time he’d called her Olivia. He knew her name. He knew where Benjy was. He knew her family. He was going to kill her and them.

Hopelessness shredded through her and she struggled to keep that brave face so he wouldn’t know how badly he’d wounded her.

“What do you want from me?” she whispered.

Rodrigo smiled. “That’s better. I want you to be a pretty target for the men following us. They crashed through the woods like cattle after you. I heard them a mile away. When they get here, you will lure them over so I can kill them.” He tapped the barrel of the pistol against her nose. “If you don’t, I kill you first and then them.”

“Why?” Her voice was raw and shaking. “My family never did anything to hurt you.”

He cocked his head. “Business, querida. I want the merchandise at your ranch, and a place to do business in Texas. I need to get rid of those who would stop me. This will be an easy way.”

Oh, God. Oh, God. She had to stop him. Rodrigo would murder half her family, and decimate the rest, scattering them to the winds like dandelion puffs. Her stomach roiled and for a moment, she thought she would vomit on his vaquero boots. He must have sensed what she was close to doing because he stood up and backed away.

“I will kill you if you make a sound. Don’t doubt that, querida.” He put his finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

The sound of cracking branches and shuffling carried on the wind from the opposite bank of the creek. Olivia clenched her hands into fists, knowing she was about to witness the massacre of her family.

She couldn’t let that happen.

 

Brody kept his face calm and his hands steady, but his guts churned like a twister. He was the ex-soldier and Texas Ranger; he shouldn’t be such a mess. Olivia had turned him inside out and he didn’t know how to change himself back. Deep down, he didn’t want to.

Caleb led them back through the woods and around in a large half-circle. It took a lot longer than Brody wanted but he couldn’t fault the boy. Caleb was sure in his steps and kept a brisk pace they could all follow.

When they reached a creek, Caleb stopped and dismounted. The other three did the same, securing their horses to the trees and out of sight. Brody waited by the edge of the water, a knot in his stomach. Caleb appeared beside him.

Brody glanced down the creek. “How far upstream are we?”

“About two miles. It’s marshy most of the way, so they won’t hear us coming.” Caleb turned to look at Brody, his eyes too much like Olivia’s. For a young man, his lashes were ridiculously long. “Do you think we’ll find her?”

Brody grimaced. “We’ll find her, but I don’t plan on leaving anything of him to find.” He would kill Rodrigo and bury the son of a bitch in a hole deep enough to reach hell.

“How deep are the woods we’re walking through? Is the creek straight or does it twist and turn?” He noted the water was two feet deep where they stood. “And does the water depth change?”

“The woods are thicker in places, but it’s mostly like this. The creek is shallow, never more than three feet.” Caleb pointed at the water. “It’s straight for another mile and a half, then it winds west like a snake. That’s a good spot for an ambush.”

Brody grimaced. “Then that’s where they’ll be.” He turned back to Matt and young Nicholas. “Last chance to turn back. It’s going to be vicious and bloody.” He didn’t want Olivia’s brothers to die because he’d let her down.

“We’re in this together, Ranger. Not a one of us is backing out now.” Matt put his hands on his hips. “A Graham stands with his family, no matter what.”

“Just wanted to give you the chance to change your mind. I wouldn’t think any less of you for it. Hell, I’ve been in battles that made me shit my drawers, but I’ve never been more scared of not beating the enemy than now.” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. The last thing he needed was them thinking he was a coward.

Sweat crept down his back as Matt stared at him for a full minute before he spoke. “It’s different when you’re fighting for someone you love.”

Brody took a deep breath. “I do plan on asking her to marry me.”

Matt nodded. “Good thing. I wouldn’t want to have to shoot you. Hannah would be mad at me if I did.”

Brody felt the urge to grin, but it passed quickly. After he had Olivia back in his arms, he would celebrate with her and her family. Now he had to kill the man who’d taken her.

“Same rules. Hand on your gun, keep low and keep quiet. Walk the same steps as the man in front of you.” He looked at each of them in turn. “I’m glad to be fighting alongside brothers again.”

He could see Matt wanted to ask questions, but now wasn’t the time. They waded across the creek single file, then walked into the marshy area. There was no conversation and very little noise. The tall grass and saturated ground masked their steps.

Brody focused on the woods around him and on the other side of the creek. The two miles should have taken thirty minutes at most, but it felt more like twenty hours. The drone of insects, the song of birds and the chatter of squirrels went on around them as though they didn’t exist. That was fine by him; they needed to be as invisible as possible.

Once they arrived at the bend in the creek, he changed the pace to a slow walk. Within moments, the sound of a horse’s bridle made him freeze in his tracks. He held up his hand and everyone else stopped. Brody drew his pistol and crouched down. His heart thumped, pushing the blood through his body in a steady tattoo. He strained to listen while he peered through the trees.

There, in the distance, was the flash of a horse’s tail in a patch of sunlight.

Yes.

The battle wasn’t won yet, but the fact they’d tracked Rodrigo down tasted sweet. He crept forward slower than a turtle, keeping his gaze locked on the spot he’d seen the horse. When they were fifty yards away, he could distinguish more than one horse between the trees.

It didn’t surprise him Rodrigo had men with him. He’d expected it, but he didn’t like it, especially with a sixteen-year-old along. He didn’t want anyone he fought with killed, especially since they were all Olivia’s brothers.

He crawled through the grass, the mud squishing through his fingers and soaking his trousers. Before he could use his gun, he’d need to dry off his hands. He couldn’t risk losing his grip because his hands were slippery.

The low murmur of voices carried in the air. Brody stopped again, unsure if the Grahams were behind him until he turned around. They were all on their knees, even quieter than he was. He nodded and turned his attention back to the horses ahead.

From what he could see, there were seven of them. Jesus Christmas. Seven? That meant he and the Grahams were definitely outnumbered, but if they had the element of surprise, they could overpower Rodrigo. The most important thing was to protect Olivia from harm.

Conchos winked in the sunlight, so Rodrigo’s men were likely Mexican vaqueros or banditos. The saddles themselves looked well cared for, with the exception of two of them that were practically falling apart. A man appeared in his line of vision and Brody hoped like hell the tall grass hid him from view. It was the first time in his life he wished he hadn’t worn black.

He’d never told Olivia why he always wore black and only black. Another confession he’d need to make to her when he had her by his side again.

The Graham boys were in browns and blues, disguising them much better than Brody. Too late to change his clothes, or his habits, now. He just remained as still as possible, ignoring the mosquito whining near his ear and the ants crawling on his boot.

The man moved away without raising an alarm or even looking in their direction. Brody let out his breath slowly while his pulse pounded in his head. He turned to look back at the Grahams, gesturing them to move closer.

The four of them huddled together, nearly nose to nose. It wasn’t awkward being so close. The thirst for revenge and the common goal of rescuing Olivia created an instant camaraderie. It was always that way in battle, and he was pleased to see it was the case with this little band of soldiers.

Brody spoke so softly, he could barely hear himself but he dared not make too much noise.

“We’ve got to flank them. Nicholas, you stay with Matt on the left, come in from the woods. Caleb, stay near the edge of the creek and come from the right.”

“What about you?” Matt scowled.

“I’m going straight toward them to scatter the horses and cause confusion.” Brody picked a handful of grass. “And dry your hands before you handle your weapon.”

Each of them used the tall grass to get rid of as much mud as possible. Brody wiped his hands on his shirt to make sure he was ready. Dropping his gun would be suicide.

“Wait for my signal and then start shooting every vaquero you can see except Rodrigo. He’s about my size and he’ll be the one holding Olivia. Everyone else is fair game.” Brody gazed at his new family, his new battalion. They were ready. “Good luck.”

They formed a line side by side, each facing the direction assigned. Brody checked the rifle slung on his back, the knife in the scabbard tucked into his trousers, then the pistol. He took a deep breath and nodded to the others that it was time.

As they silently moved away, Brody focused on getting to the horses without being seen. If Rodrigo’s men spotted him, he would lose the element of surprise. Rodrigo might decide to kill all of them, starting with Olivia. No, he had to be stealthy and smart to outwit the outlaw.

He snatched up a handful of sweet grass and stuck it in his teeth, baring them as though he was an animal on the hunt. Inch by inch he made his way to the first horse he found, a paint with an intelligent gaze. The mare watched him as he crept up to her. She had obviously been trained to stay put no matter what.

Brody held out some of the sweet grass to her and she sniffed delicately before taking it off his palm. The gelding to her right was either nosy or hungry because he pushed her aside and went straight for the sweet grass in Brody’s mouth.

He didn’t want to hurt the animals so he had to do this right. After feeding the gelding, another horse bumped his back, sending him toward the ground. He stopped himself before he had a nasty accident with a rather large rock. When he turned around to look at the anxious horse, a large black stallion eyed him. This had to be Rodrigo’s horse.

With a triumphant grin, Brody untied the reins of the three horses, then held out the sweet grass to the stallion as he backed away slowly. The horse now bared his teeth, but he followed, as did the mare and the gelding, anxious for the delicious treat that wasn’t growing close enough for them to reach.

He led them to the patch of sweet grass, then left them happily gorging and returned to the other four horses. They were much closer to the voices and he couldn’t lure them away without being noticed.

Brody needed to see the men to know what he was up against. He crept up behind two horses that stood close together. The murmuring was in Spanish and he wished he had Olivia’s fluency with the language so he could understand everything. He understood enough to know they were talking about women.

He had to act fast or they would notice the horses missing. First, he made quick work of loosening the other horses’ reins from the tree branches. Then Brody peered through the scrubby brush until he could count five men and two women.

Shit. He sure as hell didn’t expect to see Elena there, but that liquid black hair was unmistakable.

Olivia’s hands were tied to a tree branch over her head, while she kneeled on the ground. Her face was a mass of welts, bruises and dried blood, her hair a matted snarl. The pretty dress she’d been wearing was torn and covered in dirt and blood, as though she’d been dragged.

Red fury slammed into him and he clenched his teeth. In the short time they’d had her, she’d already been beaten and treated worse than a mongrel dog.

He would kill every fucking one of them and leave Rodrigo for last. Only a coward beat a woman and he was one who deserved a bullet in his head.

This time Brody would not fail. He would not be responsible for his new brothers’ deaths as he had been for his actual brothers. This battle was personal and he intended to be the victor come hell or high water.

Brody got to his feet and positioned himself behind a tree. His heart pounded in a steady rhythm and he got his breath under control before he counted to three. Pistol in one hand and knife in the other, Brody stepped into view and let loose a Texas roar of rage they probably heard in Austin.

Then he started firing.

 

Olivia’s arms ached so badly she kept trying to stand up to relieve the pressure on them. Elena would kick her each time, forcing her back to her knees. It was a slow and insidious way to torture someone. The beautiful woman had obviously had practice at hurting people.

Olivia was about to ask for a drink of water when the most god-awful roar split the air, then gunshots rang out. Two vaqueros jumped to their feet only to be cut down, blood and brains splattering on the ground behind them.

Through the trees, she spotted Brody coming toward them, his face a mask of rage. He looked like an animal, snarling and gnashing his teeth as he fought with another vaquero. To her surprise, Matt appeared from another direction with Nicholas to take on two more of Rodrigo’s men.

That left Rodrigo and Elena. Caleb popped up behind Elena and when he grabbed her arm, she slashed him with the knife that appeared in her hand.

Death and gore was all around Olivia. She watched in horror as Elena stabbed Caleb in the shoulder, but he managed to knock the knife from her hand and it fell to the ground only a foot from Olivia. With a feral grin, he aimed his gun at Elena, but she kicked him in the balls, sending him into a crouch.

Olivia couldn’t stand by and let her family, and her man, die. Using her foot, she pulled the knife close enough that she could grab it with her knees. With every bit of strength she had, she got to her feet, the agony of pins and needles cutting into her useless arms and shoulders. The knife was still between her knees.

Shaking with effort, she grabbed the branch above her and slowly brought her knees up, the bloody knife getting closer and closer. Olivia caught a glimpse of Rodrigo and Brody rolling on the ground fighting and it gave her a final burst of strength. She reached the hilt with her fingers and pulled it from her knees.

Although she cut herself half a dozen times, it was nothing compared to Caleb’s knife wound. She cut the ropes and freed one hand. The second was free moments later.

Olivia shook her arms to try to stop the pain as the blood flowed back into them. She couldn’t keep standing there while her family continued fighting.

She couldn’t see Brody and Rodrigo, but she saw Elena on top of Caleb, a rock in her hand. Olivia ran toward her, letting out her own battle cry. She slammed into the other woman with a bone-jarring grunt.

They rolled onto the ground with Olivia on top, but Elena didn’t stop. She started kicking and punching, snapping her teeth as she tried to get close enough to bite Olivia. It was like fighting a wildcat, but Olivia managed to get to her knees, out of Elena’s grasp. She staggered out of reach.

“Puta. Come back here and let me show you how to fight.” Elena’s mouth was coated in blood as though she’d been feasting on raw flesh. Olivia didn’t want to know whose blood it was—she just wanted to stop her. The beautiful girl had turned into a hideous caricature of herself, completely mad and lost in a world of darkness.

Olivia held up the knife. “You come near me or my brother and I will kill you.”

Caleb interjected from behind her. “Don’t fight with her, Liv. Let me handle this.”

She didn’t reply, but in her heart she knew there was no way she would let her brave brother die for her.

“Stay out of this, Caleb. Find your own battle. This bitch is mine.” Now it was Olivia’s turn to bare her teeth in a snarl. “We have something to settle between us.”

Elena’s screeching laugh made Olivia’s ears hurt. “The only thing to settle is who will die first. You bleed, puta. Your hands shake and are slippery. The knife will slide from your hands quick.”

Olivia didn’t need a reminder of just how bad her hands were. The multiple cuts stung and her palms were wet with her own blood. Before she could change her mind, she yanked off her sleeve and wrapped it around her hand.

“Now I’ve got you.” Olivia circled around, waiting for Elena to strike. It was only a matter of seconds before she did, leaping at her with her fingers shaped like talons and her mouth open in a scream.

 

As battles raged around him, Brody had to focus on Rodrigo or he might lose him. The bastard had already broken his nose and knocked his knife into the woods. After a tussle on the ground, Rodrigo had retreated into the brush, hiding.

If he didn’t kill the outlaw now, Rodrigo would be a ghost haunting Brody for the rest of his life. He couldn’t lose sight of him, even though he ached to check on Olivia. But she was strong and had three brothers to help her. He had to believe the Grahams would survive.

A movement in the bushes to his left revealed Rodrigo’s whereabouts. Brody lunged around to flank him, surprising the outlaw as he crouched down. He resembled a dark demon released from hell to wreak havoc on earth.

“Come on then, Ranger, shoot me.” Rodrigo got to his feet, his hand on the pistol strapped to his hip.

Brody was startled to realize the outlaw had called him “ranger.” Rodrigo knew exactly who he was and what his mission was.

“Ah, you are surprised, no? I know many things, Ranger. I know you are a coward who ran from battle and your brothers died.”

Brody reeled back as though Rodrigo had punched him. His breath was trapped in his throat, leaving him unable to speak or breathe. How could Rodrigo know?

“The second I saw you, I sent a man to Texas and he returned with much to say.” Rodrigo chuckled, a nerve-scraping sound. “I know you, Armstrong, and your cowardice.”

It had been his first battle, but not the last. Brody had made a horrible mistake. He’d been making up for it ever since. He wouldn’t let a piece of dog shit like Rodrigo make him feel guilty.

“And I know you, Robert Hansen.”

It was time for Rodrigo to be surprised. His mouth dropped open and he cocked his head as though listening to something only he could hear. Brody wanted to crow in triumph. He’d had a list of Texans who had worked for Mexico in the war. Based on the man’s stories, he’d hazarded a guess at the “real” Rodrigo. And Brody had been dead right.

“You’re not the only one who can find information. I’ll be sure to bring your dead body to your daddy so you can get a proper burial.” Brody’s colt cleared leather before Rodrigo’s gun did.

It was a test of speed, accuracy and courage. Gunshots echoed around them as Brody fired once, twice, three times. He felt a sting on his left side but ignored it.

When the smoke cleared, he stood and Rodrigo lay still on the ground. Blood leaked from three wounds in his chest, staining the leaves and pine needles beneath him with a crimson river. Brody took a deep breath to slow his heart.

An unholy scream came from his left. He turned to find Elena bearing down on him, blood dripping from the knife stuck in her chest. She wailed and threw herself on her brother’s body, then lay still.

He saw Nicholas, bleeding but alive, standing beside Caleb and Matt, also looking as though they’d been in a battle. The Graham boys had survived, but what about Olivia? He couldn’t see her anywhere and panic clawed at his heart.

Just as he stepped toward where he’d last seen her, a hand landed on his shoulder and he spun around, gun cocked. Olivia stood there, looking even worse than when he’d seen her ten minutes earlier. Her left hand was cut up and bloody, most of the top half of her dress was wrapped around her right hand, which was as bloody as the rest of her.

“I thought you’d left me.”

Brody dropped the gun and snatched her up in his arms, holding her tightly against him until he didn’t know where she ended and he began. Their blood mixed together, as did their tears.

He wept for what he’d almost lost and for the amazing gift he’d found. Words couldn’t even begin to express just how overwhelmed he was with gratitude. He’d almost lost her, the woman who owned his heart, his soul, his life.

Against impossible odds, they had triumphed, using heart and love to guide them. The Grahams had taught Brody so many things, but the most important was this: Nothing mattered at the end of the day except the woman in his arms and the men at his back. Family.

They had survived together.

 

They left the bodies where they lay, taking the horses back with them to the ranch. Olivia rode one of the vaquero ’s horses, unwilling to go near Elena’s or Rodrigo’s. As soon as they could, the Grahams would sell the animals to put money in their hands for winter.

Olivia wanted to ask all of them what had happened and how they had found her, and most of all, why Brody had left. She let him bandage her up as best he could; then he let her do the same to him. By the time they mounted up, everyone had some sort of clothing used as a bandage.

She was sore, exhausted and in pain, but she kept her back straight and rode home with her family. Brody rode beside her, shirtless, the gunshot wound in his side seeping blood through the makeshift bandage. She was worried about him, but he didn’t even wobble a bit in the saddle. Eva would be able to doctor him when they got home.

Home.

It was Olivia’s home but not Brody’s. Would he leave again? She wouldn’t know the answer to that until she found out why he had left the first time. After she’d told him she loved him, he hadn’t done the same. He had shown her the depth of his feelings by tracking the outlaws down and killing them, but the man hadn’t said a word to her since the fight was over.

He’d just held her so tightly she could hardly breathe, then examined all her wounds before bandaging the worst ones with his own shirt. As much as she enjoyed looking at him bare chested, in the bright sunlight, she saw the scars that littered his body. The one on his jaw stood out the most. It looked like a saber slice, possibly from the war since it was pinker than the other scars.

He was a mystery to her still, even after all the time they’d spent together. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, they crowded up her throat and she couldn’t get even one out.

Olivia stopped the horse, earning surprised glances from everyone.

“Liv, what are you doing?” The entire left side of Matt’s face was swollen and starting to purple. Someone must have hit him with a big branch.

“I need to talk to Brody.”

“Now?” Caleb had his arm in a sling, the knife wound from Elena’s mad attack making his left arm useless.

“Yes, now. You three take the rest of the horses. We’ll be along in a few minutes.”

“Jesus, Liv, I—” Matt began.

“Now.”

Although she knew they wanted to argue the point with her, they did as she asked, leaving her alone with her man. Was he her man though? He had never made a declaration of love or even commitment of any kind. Their deal had been to find Benjy, which they hadn’t, and return to Texas, which they had. Nothing else was said or promised.

“What’s wrong?” Brody’s voice was scratchy and exhausted sounding. He looked like he could sleep for a week.

“Why did you leave this morning?” She had to ask. She had to know.

He sighed, the sound making her heart pinch. “I’m a coward.”

Of all the things he could have said, that was the last she expected. In fact, she laughed at the notion.

“You? I might believe that of any other man, but you? No.” She shook her head.

He looked at the retreating group of horses and brothers. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

“Understatement.”

He clucked his tongue with a frustrated sound. “I know I don’t talk much and I’m a pain in the ass, but you talk a lot and are a bigger pain in the ass.”

“Flattering too.”

He threw up his hands. “I am a coward, a yellow-bellied coward who left his comrades to die at the hands of the Mexicans. I hid up a tree until they left, until the bodies of eighteen men were all that was left.” He rubbed his hands down his face, the rasp of whiskers loud in the quiet air. She tried to imagine Brody hiding from battle but couldn’t do it. “I was scared, Liv, shitting my pants scared. After I was sliced in the face, I ran. First battle off the farm and I wet myself. Because of my cowardice, my brothers died while I watched.”

She sucked in a breath. “Oh, Brody, I’m so sorry.”

His eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I told everyone I had been hit in the head and was unconscious during the battle. Said the Mexicans thought I was dead so they didn’t shoot me. The wound on my jaw lent truth to my story. Lies, all lies.”

Olivia moved her horse closer and took his hand. “You survived and that’s what your brothers would have wanted.”

“You don’t know that. I could only think about me and how small a man I was.” His chuckle sounded more like a painful sob. “After that I was a machine, fighting and killing, trying to win a shred of my pride back. Then the war was over and I still hadn’t found what I was looking for. Whatever it was I needed to be a man again.”

She kissed the back of his shaking hand, willing him to go on. This was what she needed to hear, what he needed to say.

He turned to look at her. “When I met you, you drove me loco, pushy and bossy as you were. Somewhere along the way my heart got involved and I got scared. When I left your ranch this morning, I was running again. Coward that I was. That’s when I realized, all that time I was fighting and killing, being a ranger and chasing people, I was searching for you.”

Olivia’s heart pounded hard against her ribs at the love in his eyes. She didn’t need to hear the words. He would say them in time.

“You found me.” She managed a smile although her entire face hurt at the effort.

“I almost lost you. Jesus, Liv, I almost lost you.” He squeezed her hand. “I ain’t a poet or even any good with words, but I’d be right pleased if you’d marry me.”

Shirtless, bloody and filthy, Brody Armstrong proposed to Olivia Graham, equally bloody and filthy. She didn’t even feel any pain when she launched herself onto his horse and kissed him. The saddle horn dug into her hip, but she didn’t care.

Like Brody, she had finally found what she was looking for. Love.