The Rancher (28 page)

corner.

In the dim light, it was hard to make outthe faces of those who were talking.  Heleaned his head forward a few inches

more.

“He jes’ thinks he can waltz in ‘ere and take what’s mine?  Well, I’ll show ‘im.”

The voice belonged to Jeremiah, and Cole guessed his small band of friends

were with him.

The splintering sound of a cocking gun echoed in his ear.  A cold barrel nudged his back prodding him forward.

“Hey, boys.  Look here what I found.”

Light from a newly lit torch cast shadows on Cole’s surroundings. The man with the gun shoved him forward and onto the ground, his knee catching the majority of the fall.   He looked up to see five drunken faces, bruised green by the firelight, staring back at him.

Cole slowly stretched himself until he reached his full height.  He watched their eyes widen at the size of him, all being shorter than his six feet two inches.  A

look of fear flickered in each set of their

glass-like eyes.

Jeremiah stepped forward, a toothy grin

distorting his normally well-structured

features.

“You, Redbourne, have taken what’s

mine and I want it back.”

“Abby is not a thing to be had or taken.”  Cole eyed the man, disdain lacing every word.

“Do you really think I’m talking ‘bout Abby.”  His speech was very slurred and he took a bumbling step toward Cole.  “Yer a fool if that’s what yer thinkin’. She was jes the easiest way to gettin’ what I want. Timing was jes off a bit.”

Cole brushed his elbow against his side.  The angled butt of his colt protruded reassuringly from his belt.  He assessed the group.   Even when he’d been in England at school he’d not taken on five

men   alone.
 
I could sure use Raine’s

flawless sense of timing at a time like this,
 
he thought to himself.

“These odds seem a little uneven, don’t you think gentlemen? And I use the term, gentlemen, lightly.”

A familiar voice taunted Cole from just a few feet away. It wasn’t Raine.  Cole squinted and could see the outline of a man leaning up against the side of the barn, hat low and head bent.

“I’d hate to have you mess up my little brother’s pretty face, just after he took a new bride and all.   Then, I’d have to

return the favor.  And, honestly, I am a little busy right now trying to catch a man who makes you all look like spoiled little boys.”

A torch lit.   Cole saw a rakish grin spread across the man’s face.

“Rafe?”

Cole hadn’t seen his brother in over a

year.  He was sure glad to see him now.  His timing had always been as good as Raine’s or better.  He’d just proved that.  He looked like he was doing well in his fancy duster and spit-shined boots.  Cole had never seen anyone best Rafe in a fight, not even his brother William, who was a well-respected fighter in England.  Cole was grateful to Rafe for evening out the odds a little.

All eyes had turned to the stranger, except for Jeremiah’s who tried to take advantage of the distraction by taking a swing at Cole.  It didn’t take long for a brawl to break out.   One of Jeremiah’s cohorts went after Rafe.  Poor fellow.

A white hot pain seared the back of

Cole’s head.  The blow had come frombehind.  Someone had hit him with, whathe guessed was, one of the long logs thathad been cut for firewood.   He fell

forward.

For a moment, everything moved withan exaggeratedly slow speed.  His visionblurred somewhat, but he looked up to see Abby start running toward him.  He wassure he’d only imagined the look of sheerpanic daunting her expression as she methis gaze.

“Raine,” Abby screamed his brother’s

name.   He watched through half closed lids as the world around him seemed to slow its motion even more. Abby twisted around while still moving slowly toward him, leaving colorful, blurred streaks in her wake.

“Papa,” she screamed this time and Cole moved his head just enough to see both his oldest brother and her father making their way toward him.   He couldn’t hold his head up any longer and he collapsed to one knee.  Reaching out to her from his half kneeling position on the ground, he closed his eyes, fighting to clear his head of the fog that engulfed him.   He pushed off his bent leg and attempted to pull himself up from the ground.

Abby was directly in front of him now and he lifted a hand to her.  A man’s arm

reached out from behind her and grabbed Abby, pulling her up short before she could reach him.

Cole blinked. He willed his eyes to focus on Abby’s attacker.  He took a step

toward the man who struggled to keep a hold of Abby as she flailed and kicked at him.

His head finally started to clear, but before he could completely reclaim his senses, a rock hard fist connected with his gut and he hunched over again in unexpected pain, repentant for his stray in focus.  William would not be impressed.

Another fist flew toward him.   It belonged to Jeremiah Carson.

Grateful to his brother William for daily boxing lessons while at school, Cole pulled his arm in, tight to his body to protect his torso, and blocked his attacker from any more easy punches.  His eyes finally regained their focus and he returned a jab to Jeremiah’s already swelling jaw in a sharp upper cut.  The

man went sprawling backward. He landed with a thud and didn’t get up.   He appeared out cold.

Two more assailants grabbed him by the arms and a third began punching him in the gut.  Cole tested the strength of those holding him back.  He let his body fall limp for a moment.  Satisfied they would support him, he jumped up and kicked the man in front square in the chest, sending him stumbling backward into a large hay stack.

Cole bent forward throwing the two men who held him to fall off balance.  He

used   their   slight   confusion  to   his advantage, hitting each of them in the face with the backs of his clenched fists.  Rafe had the largest of the men on his knees, his hands tied in back of him.  Cole whirled

around frantically looking for Abby and

her attacker.

Her scream sounded more angry than

fearful.

“Let me go, Earl Spencer, right this instant or I will tell your pa you’ve all been paying the Simpson boys to do your chores.”

Cole stood there, mouth gaping, as the man twice Abby’s size released her with an unintentional shove and turned, running into the darkness.

“Sorry, Abby,” he yelled as he ran, fading in the distance.

Abby ran her hands down the front of her dress and reached up to replace a tendril that had fallen onto her forehead during her brief struggle.  She met Cole’s

eyes.

She ran to him, her hand’s reaching upto his chest as if to brace him. “Are youall right?” she asked. “They didn’t hurtyou, did they?”

Cole laughed irreverently.  Abby wasso much more than she let on.  “Are you?”he asked, his arm reaching around her andpulling her into him.

“They’re all pretty scared of their pa.  Brothers, all of them.” She pulled backand looked around him at the two fallen

men.  “Except Jeremiah, of course.”  She straightened and met Cole’s eyes with a smile.  “I’m glad you’re...not hurt.”

“Hey, Charcoal...I thought Raine was with you.”  Rafe was pulling his charge from his knees.

“I am.”

Cole craned his neck to see Raine

pulling the two fallen brothers off the ground by the napes of their necks.

“You always did have good timing,” Raine directed his comment to Rafe.  Cole wasn’t surprised they’d had the same thought.

Raine looked down at the two boys he had by the shirt collars. “Haven’t I seen you two before?”  He studied their faces. “Ah, yes.   I broke up your scrap yesterday.  You boys really need to find a better hobby.”  He walked them over to a large wood log and sat them both down.

“Nice of you to join us.”  Cole smirked at his oldest brother who now rested one foot on the log, stopping any hope they may have had for retreat.

“There were just five little ones.   I thought you could handle it on your own.”

Raine’s mouth broke into a wide grin.

“Six,” Rafe corrected.  Joining Raineon the lodge pole, he pointed at Abby’sfather.

“Here’s the other one.”   Clay had a hold of the man, who’d run away from Abby, by the back of the shirt.  He hauled him over to the others and pushed him onto the log.

“It’s so good to see you, Rafe.  How’ve you been?” Cole took the few steps between them in an instant and pulled his brother into a tight bear-like hug.

“Great.  Another Redbourne. Just how

many of you are there?”

Cole looked down at the Spencer boy who asked the question.

“Seven brothers.   Eight all together.  Even our baby sister could whoop the

likes of you,” Cole answered.  All three brothers looked at each other and then

together, all laughed in agreement.

“You smell smoke?”   Raine’s eyes widened even as he asked the question. Clouds of black smoke rose from behind a now illuminated hay stack.

“Where’s Carson?”   Cole suddenly scanned the area where Jeremiah had

fallen.  He was gone.

Chapter Fourteen

The acrid scent of smoke filled Cole’snostrils.   Flames from the burninghaystack licked the dry ground with vigor,searching for anything consumable.

“Caleb, go pull the water wagon aroundfrom the bunkhouse.”   Clay’s command

was obeyed in an instant.

Taggert had always provided a water wagon for his ranch hands to wash up and to use for drinking. He was glad to see it was not just his brother who was prepared with forward thinking.   Cole was extra grateful at this moment for Clay’s insight in having the water wagon close to the buildings.  He didn’t think they would be

able to extract the water from the well fast enough or in large enough quantities to thwart the damage.

The small creek and falls were not far

off the property, but to haul the water back to the ranch in large amounts would be time consuming and potentially fatal.

A handful of buckets were retrieved from the barn before the flames broke

through.  All the animals had been taken to the corral where the fire had already been extinguished.

Two lines were formed, one beginning at the house where water could be pumped and the other at the water wagon.  Both lines ended in the vicinity of the barn.  Each line was made up of eight to ten men with buckets of water being filled, passed, and thrown onto the fires.

Most of the townsfolk and ranchers hadalready gone home for the evening. Normally,   Cole   was   irritated   bystragglers, but tonight he was grateful forthe extra hands. The women had retreated

inside.  However, Cole was not surprised to see Abby, at the front of a line, hauling water to the fiery blaze.   Her face, streaked with ash and sweat, wore a determined expression and Cole was awed at her resolve.

“There’s someone inside!” a gangly red-headed boy, toward the front of the line, called out. He looked oddly familiar, but Cole couldn’t place him.

The kid couldn’t be a day over seventeen and his arm was in a sling, yet here he was doing what he could to help. Cole followed his gaze to the barn. The

flames were slowing their pace under the constant influx of water, but they still licked at the dry log walls, creating a smoky inferno.

Through  the   open  doors   of  the smoldering barn, Cole saw something

move.  He stepped a little closer. The heat created a contorted veil that blurred the air in front of him, but through the haze, Cole saw a flash of color stammer to the side wall. Cole recognized the face of the man who’d attacked him earlier tonight.  Jeremiah Carson was caught inside the sweltering death trap.

Cole’s conscience fought with his

anger.   It didn’t take long for his conscience to arise the victor, and after pouring a bucket full of water over his head to help protect him, he plunged