Circle Eight: Vaughn (21 page)

The trip back to the Circle Eight was far different than the trip to Houston. Elizabeth rode with her brothers after parting with the Gibsons just outside the city. Tobias had promised her to be at the ranch in four days and she believed him. After the ill-fated kiss, he’d treated her like an untouchable stranger. It shouldn’t bother her since she had vowed to never forgive him for his actions, but it did. He had done what he did for family and she respected but hated it.

Nicholas brooded while Benjy stared at her when she figured he didn’t realize she knew it. The youngest Graham had struggled to be part of their family for four years, since he’d been found after five years of being missing. She had a better relationship with him than Nick, but it still wasn’t as close as she’d like. Benjy kept to himself a great deal, not to mention his unerring silence. No matter what, however, she would keep trying to get closer to him.

When they passed the big tree that marked the boundary of the Circle Eight, emotions clogged her throat. She had been a very different person when she left home. Now as she returned, she accepted how much she could never go back to who she was. More than anything she wanted to see the rest of her family.

“Almost home.” Benjy surprised her by speaking up.

“What’s left of it anyway. Those Gibsons better make good on their promise.” Nick had become cynical in the last five years. He made noise when no one else did, as though he wanted the attention it brought.

“They will. Pops will make sure they do.” She was certain the old man would do the right thing. His daughter’s locket was proof. One day she might wear it, but for now, she would keep it with her things as a treasured piece of memorabilia. Memories of people could fade but if she had a visual piece of them, Elizabeth would never forget.

“Who the hell is Pops?” Nick kicked his horse into a faster pace.

“Tobias’s grandfather. The head of the family.” She matched his pace, her senses on high alert. Benjy did the same.

“Did you pick yourself a new family along with a husband, Ellie? Jesus, you made some bad choices.” He had harped on her the entire way home and she was sick of it. Big brothers were sincere pains and she wished they would mind their own business.

Elizabeth leaned over the gelding’s neck and spoke into its ear. “Come on, boy, let’s beat them.”

The horse’s ears went up and then lay flat. Boom! She was flying across the countryside, the horse sprinting for all he was worth. Elizabeth’s borrowed hat blew from her head and she didn’t care. Happiness to be here pushed aside all the darker emotions. She was home!

The pounding of hooves behind her wasn’t a surprise. Boys couldn’t resist a race. Elizabeth knew she would win because she wanted it more, and her horse did too. Both of them had left the Circle Eight against their will and coming home was sweeter than anything.

As she neared the crest of the hill, her stomach tightened. The view of the ruins of the house and barn hit her hard and the joy she’d felt at being home faded to sadness. Yes, she was on her family’s ranch but it had been devastated by the rage of another. There was almost nothing left of the house aside from a heap of ash.

She urged the horse to gallop on, no matter how painful the sight was. The Grahams had dealt with tragedies as well as triumphs. They would rise again.

A few figures milled around the house and she recognized Matt, Brody and Caleb as well as Lorenzo and Javier. Her eyes stung as tears began to gather. She hadn’t realized how much she missed them. Her sisters and the children were likely not there since there was nowhere for them to sleep. No doubt Olivia’s house was still the playground for all of them.

The men stopped when they must have heard her hoof beats. Matt ran toward her as she grew closer. Elizabeth almost threw herself from the saddle before the horse stopped moving and straight into her brother’s arms. His warmth filled her and she let the tears fall.

“Ellie, holy shit. You’re alive. Thank God.” His husky words told her he’d probably been driving everyone to the brink with worry. He was the rock that held the Grahams together and as the oldest sibling in his thirties, he wore the cloak of responsibility like a king’s mantle—with pride and honor.

“I’m fine.” She choked the words out through her tear-filled throat. It had never felt so good to hug him. Not even after she’d been shot helping to bring Benjy home or after their parents had died. Being with Vaughn had helped her recognize what she had, how lucky she was, and how much her family meant to her.

“My turn.” Caleb tapped on her shoulder. “I refuse to be left out of this. I almost called out the entire Texas Rangers to find you.”

Eyes blurred with tears, Elizabeth turned and embraced her other brother. He smelled of smoke and horse, but she didn’t care. Her arms barely wrapped around him. Both of them were big men and made her feel small. Although with Vaughn she actually felt feminine.

“Where the hell have you been?” Matt had turned his attention Nick. “You were sent to make sure everything was all right and you disappear for a fucking week? We get a note from the doc telling us Granny is dead and you boys have ridden off after Ellie.”

“I did what I thought was right.” Nick was on the defensive right away. “She’s the one who got herself kidnapped.”

Caleb held her at arms’ length and frowned mightily. Although he hadn’t been a Texas Ranger for four years, he still exhibited the behaviors of a man of the law. His eyes, so much like her own, narrowed. “Kidnapped?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’d like to hear that story too.” Brody crossed his arms, his thunderous expression echoed in his brothers-in-law. Her sister Olivia’s husband was a hard, cold man except when it came to family. He was as devoted as if he’d been born a Graham.

“Don’t forget to tell them about your husband too.” Nick scowled at her as he stood beside his horse, appearing pleased to throw all blame in her direction.

“Husband?” This from Matt. As the oldest, he was used to telling everyone what to do. She braced herself. “You will tell me everything that happened. Now.”

Benjy quietly dismounted and stared at what was left of the house. It tugged at her heart strings. In his fourteen years, he had seen so much destruction and darkness, including the death of their parents. Now he’d lost home. Again.

“I can’t believe it’s really gone.” She walked through the ash, her boots leaving footprints as she moved forward. The men had obviously already started clearing the rubble and charred remains of the building.

“It is and I’m going to string up the men who did it.” This from Caleb.

“No, you won’t.” She stopped in the middle of what was the house and closed her eyes. The memory of eating supper at the big table her father had made flashed through her mind. There had been many happy times in the house. Now all that was left were those memories.

“I’ll damn well make sure whoever the bastard is pays for this.” Caleb snarled. “No one does this to us and gets away with it.”

“He apologized and he’ll be here in two days to help rebuild what burned.” She looked over at Benjy, who stared back at her with an ancient sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t do this.”

She wanted to hug him but wasn’t sure he would welcome her touch. Instead she walked up beside him and stood there, lending her presence.

“I remember sitting with Mama on the front porch at night. She’d hum as she rocked me.” Benjy’s voice was low and rough.

“She used to do the same with all of us.” Elizabeth smiled. “We’ll rebuild the porch and chairs and make new memories.”

He didn’t reply but he sighed. That would have to do for now. Perhaps if he helped with the building, he would feel more connected with the family again.

“Elizabeth. I need the story now.” Matt called to her. “We have a lot of work to do and it ain’t getting done while we’re waiting for you.”

Yep, she was home. Elizabeth turned and walked back to the men and told her tale.

Elizabeth knelt beside Granny Dolan’s grave with a sigh. They had buried her beside Elizabeth’s parents, beneath the big tree in the yard. One of the men had assembled a cross and carved “Martha Dolan” to honor her.

“I made a mess of things, Martha. I fell in love with an unsuitable man and did naughty things with him.” She picked a blade of grass and twirled it in her fingers. “I don’t regret it, though. Not for a moment. You would have cackled and told me to do it again.”

She smiled sadly at the cross. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me.” Tears stung her eyes. “I’m glad Nick was here, though. He might be an obnoxious brute but he loved you as much as I did.”

The wind was her only answer. She closed her eyes and wished for the hundredth time to hear Martha laugh once more. Losing her parents had been violent. Losing her surrogate grandmother had been hard, but as an adult, she accepted it more easily. Martha was over seventy, older than most folks she knew. Life and death were connected and she hoped that Martha was watching over her, sitting on the front porch in heaven with Elizabeth’s parents.

“You about done? It’d be nice to have coffee this morning.” Nicholas hadn’t lost any of his charm.

She got to her feet and brushed off her skirt. “One of you can make coffee.”

“That’s female work.” He walked away before she could smack him.

With a sigh, she left the family she’d lost and returned to their small campsite nearby. Living in a tent with five males was reminiscent of her time with the Gibsons. The smell had gotten unbearable so she opened the flaps to air it out each morning. It wasn’t perfect but it helped somewhat. At least Caleb slept in his cabin rather than in the tent.

Two days after she returned home, Elizabeth couldn’t help but wonder if Vaughn was on his way. Her brothers questioned her almost daily about him and she was ready for him to arrive, more than ready. She ground the coffee, put water in from the bucket and put it on the fire to boil. Cooking over the open fire was even worse than cooking inside. The black cookstove had survived the fire but needed to be scrubbed before it was used again.

“Riders!” Nick’s voice echoed across the morning air.

Elizabeth jumped to her feet, eager to see if Vaughn had arrived. Three men on horseback approached the property. Her heart sank when she recognized Tobias, Will and Jeb. The Gibsons had made good on their word. The real tension was about to begin when the Grahams faced them down.

A good distance behind the riders she spotted a wagon lumbering along. If she wasn’t mistaken it was full of lumber. Tobias had surprised her. She hadn’t expected him to keep his promise, but perhaps Pops might have had some say in his grandson’s actions. Elizabeth fingered the locket in her skirt pocket. She had opened it the night before to discover it was empty. Pops might have wanted her to fill it with mementos from her life. It would honor the memory of his daughter that way.

“Who is it?” Caleb walked up beside her, wiping his forehead with his neckerchief.

“The Gibsons.” She waited while that information sank in.

“Can I kill the big one?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “No. He is paying for his crimes. His grandfather made him recognize what he’d done was wrong. This is penance. A great deal of it.”

Her brothers would not give Tobias a chance. They would ride him hard, relentless and unforgiving. He was about to know what the nine circles of hell were like.

“Damn. I don’t like this, Ellie.” Caleb crossed his arms and stared at the approaching horses. “He did us wrong.”

“And he’s going to try to make it right.” She walked toward them. Although she wasn’t generally the peacekeeper in the family, in this instance she needed to be.

Tobias’s jaw was tight as he pulled his horse to a stop. He nodded at her and then at Caleb. Matt, Nick and Brody walked toward them while Benjy explored the rubble, looking for treasures. Javier and Lorenzo joined the youngest Graham and she didn’t blame them.

“Tobias.” She put her arm through Caleb’s. “This is my family. Caleb, Matt and Brody. You already know Nicholas.”

Nick growled while Matt and Brody appeared ready to flay the outsider alive.

“This is Tobias, Will and Jeb.” The younger Gibsons eyed the Grahams warily, as well they should. Her brothers were dangerous men who had killed for their family. It was up to her to stop any bloodshed before it started. “You will all be polite to each other. There is a lot of work to be done and we have to do it together.” She stared at each of them in turn until they lowered their gaze. Elizabeth had learned that glare from Eva, who was marvelous at keeping the males of the family in check.

“Fine. Then corral your horses over yonder with ours. Get busy helping clear the shit so we can start on the new buildings.” Matt was furious but controlled. He might not ever forgive her for having the Gibsons on their property, for touching the new Circle Eight buildings and leaving their mark. However, she understood deep down it was the way to heal all of them.

The men said little but they were all strong and able-bodied. With so many of them they were able to clear up the rest of the ash and rubble into a pile. Elizabeth would save some of it for a new garden and to make soap. The rest would be absorbed into the ground.