The Rancher (33 page)

“Go get your horse.  I’ll be right there,”

he whispered, almost inaudibly, as he headed up the mountain to retrieve Maverick.

Chapter Sixteen

A gun shot pierced the stillness of thenight, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.  Abby jerked her head toward the sound.  Jack reared and snorted.

“Calm, boy,” she soothed as she ran a hand over his shoulder.  She unlatched her rifle from Jack’s side and pulled it under her arm.

Where is he?
  
She demanded in her

mind as she quickly untied Jack from the tree branch, searching for some sign of Cole.  Men’s voices in the distance and the sound of restless horses carried on the

wind. Still, she waited.

She twisted the riding glove she’d

pulled from Jack’s saddle bag and swatted it against her hand. Stomping her foot, she turned to mount the old stud when a lone rider charged down the mountain toward her.  She took a step away to get a better

look.

It was Cole.

He reached down as he passed andscooped her up onto his horse behind him,not breaking stride.  Another shot echoedin the trees around her.   A thin wirybranch splintered away from its base veryclose to her head.  She looked up to seetwo men on foot, running in theirdirection, guns in hand.

Jack.

The horse was one of her father’s mostprized studs.  She’d seen the collection ofhorses the men had corralled into the

small round-up.   These heavies were horse rustlers and now they would have Jack too.

Papa’s gonna kill me.

She pulled her rifle into her hand and wrapped her arms securely around Cole’s waist. “Turn around,” she yelled to him.

“No,” he shot back at her.

“We need to get Jack,” she bellowed, gripping him even tighter as he picked up the pace.

Cole didn’t say anything else, but pushed the horse back toward home.

Once they crossed onto McCallister land, Cole slowed his pace some, but still kept the horse at a good even tempo.

The excitement of the day was taking its toll on Abby and with little sleep, she was finding it difficult to keep herself upright

on the horse without a saddle.   She scooted herself forward on the horse’s

back, closed her eyes, and laid her face against the smooth angles of Cole’s back and shoulders.

Cole finally stopped, but it was toosoon to be home just yet.

“What’s wrong?” Abby asked, shiftingher weight forward again.

Despite Abby’s weak attempts atprotest, Cole grabbed a hold of her by theunderarm and swung her in front of him.  Her legs hung off the side of the horse.  Both of his arms locked around her,cradling her, as he gathered and held fastto Maverick’s reins.

Abby, too tired to be angry right now,rested her rifle on her lap and leaned intohis shoulder.   The safety she found in

Cole’s arms counteracted the intenseemotions that had heightened her sensesand she nestled a little closer into hisfortified embrace. She closed her eyes,her head burrowing into the nook createdby Cole’s arm and shoulder. She fitperfectly.

Her reasons for being upset with herhusband were becoming less clear.

Abby awoke to her name being called.  Reluctantly,   she   opened   her   eyes.  Snuggled into the warmth Cole’s chestprovided, she was acutely aware of thesensations his nearness stirred within her.  She tried to shove away from him, but themuscles in her arms would not cooperate.  How she drifted off at the pace they’d

been traveling escaped her.

They were home. Cole dismounted with her still in his arms.  She closed her eyes once again and rested her head against the curve of his neck.  He smelled of cedar

and spice and a soft moan escaped her

throat of its own accord.

He carried her into the house and intotheir bedroom.  Abby tried to open hereyes, but they would not obey.  She felt thewarmth of the bed quilt being tucked allaround her.

“We have to tell my father, Cole.”  Abby tried to focus on her words.  Shewas so tired she was sure her wordsslurred. “Rustlers.”

“I will,” was his only reply.

Her eyes fluttered open briefly and

closed again.  He brushed a stray strand of

hair from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear.  She smiled.  When she

felt his weight leave her side, she felt an inexplicable void.  She took a deep breath and all went quiet as she mused aloud, “I’m falling in love with my husband.”

She smiled as sleep overtook her.

There was no time to ponder Abby’ssleep induced confession.  It was time for Cole to decide whether or not he trusted Clay McCallister.  He’d already wokenhis brothers and they were at the stablesprepping their horses. Nearly a quarterhour had passed while he’d stood in frontof Clay’s door, debating his next move. Inhis gut, he knew Clay was a good man, buthis head still bickered for caution.

Rafe cawed.  He had to hurry.

Cole knocked on Clay’s door and wassurprised when it opened immediately.

“I was wondering how long you wasgonna stand out there.” Clay scrubbed hisjaw line with the back of his fingers. “Something on yer mind, son?”

“Rustlers, sir.  Just over your propertyline a mile or so. With the Texas herd and

all the new horses, I thought we best be cautious.  My brothers are waiting outside for me now.  We figure there’s no need to wait for them to come to us.  We’re going

to them.”

“They comin’ here?”

“Don’t know.”

“I’d ask how you know, but I’m afraid I wouldn’t like the answer.” Clay grabbed a rifle from the inside wall of his bedroom.

“Well, let’s go.”

“Um, Mr. McCallister.” Cole looked down at Clay in his dingy red winter underwear.

Clay followed his eyes. “Aw. What?  You ain’t never seen a man in his nothinsbefore?”

He backed into his room, grumbling.  After grabbing a pair of trousers from thelarge pile on the floor at the foot of hisbed, he motioned for Cole to go on ahead.

“I just have to find my blamed hat.”

Cole nodded and ran out the door. When he reached the corral, Raine handedhim a lantern, already lit.

Rafe threw Maverick’s reins at Cole.

“Ready yet?” he asked with a raised

eyebrow.

Cole mounted.  He’d hitched Maverick

with a saddle this time.  Chasing rustlers was no time to ride bareback. The front

door slammed open and a fully dressed Clay appeared, rifle in hand.

“While you boys are going after them, I’ll get word out to the other ranches.  If we know they’re comin’, they’ll have a heck of a fight.” Clay ran past them and into the bunkhouse where lights were already lit and ranch hands scrambling to get dressed.

Raine, Rafe, and Cole rode side by sidethrough   the   darkness   toward   themarauder’s camp.  Rafe’s Remington riflesat easily in a holster across his back.  Raine’s Winchester rested at his side.  Allmen carried two revolvers, one in each

side strap, and Cole carried a double barreled shotgun across his lap.

Since Rafe was the closest thing to a lawman in town, Cole figured it was up to the Redbourne brothers to catch the small

band of thieves.  This would not be the first time they’d captured outlaws or recovered stolen horses together.  It irked Cole that rustlers had set up camp on his land. He was sure that wouldn’t go over very well when Clay found out.

The moment they reached Redbourne land, the men separated enough to cover both high and low ground.  Rafe took the mountainside trail Cole had used when he’d followed Abby.  Cole stayed on the main trail and Raine rode west of the area to scan the open meadows and glade areas. Each carried a lantern hooked to the

metal loop at the front hitching of their

saddle tack.

Cole was the first to arrive at the ridge.  He looked down into an empty camp andclosed his eyes in frustration.  He lookedup and spotted Rafe’s lantern flashing adull yellow glow through the mountainouswooded area.   Before long, a smallbouncing shimmer of light appeared to thewest.

When the three of them pulled alongsideone another, they sat on their horses at thetop of the edge that overlooked the smalldell where the rustler’s camp had been.

“They knew we’d come back.” Colebroke the silence.

Rafe pulled his horse to the right, Coleguessed in search of best trail down to thesite.  When he located the path on the far

side, the other two followed.

Rafe was already poking at the ash and coals left behind from the fire when Cole dismounted.

“Can’t track them ‘til mornin’,” Rafe said, throwing his poker stick on the ground.

“It’s time to tell Clay the truth, Charcoal.”   Raine, still on horseback, pulled up next to his two brothers.  “He needs to know.”

Cole’s gut tightened.

“I was hoping to gain Clay’s trustbefore telling him we own the land.”

“
 
You
 
own the land,” Raine corrected.  “Maybe that will be a good selling point for his new son-in-law.” Raine always tried to see a bright side.

“Were any of McCallister’s herd taken?

Cattle?   Horses?”   Rafe pulled himselfback up onto his mount.

“There’s no way to tell, tonight.  Martywas standing guard at the corral, but mostof the horses were taken out to the west