B00BWX9H30 EBOK (13 page)

* * *

Nathan was sure this Daniel character followed Ella from New York. He may well be her long lost illegitimate brother, but why wait so long to show himself after her father’s death? What was his game? It didn’t feel right. He’d only met the man once, but even then it felt off. He reminded Nathan of the snake oil salesmen that occasionally came to town. Had Daniel been lying in wait for Ella? How long had he been in town?

Nathan had his own questions for Mr. Daniel Adams.

* * *

Daniel arrived in a buggy from town. He probably didn’t know how to ride a horse so had to bring the buggy. Nathan had one of his men unhitch the horse take it to the barn and put him in an empty stall after rubbing him down and giving him some oats.

Supper was just beginning when Daniel arrived. Ella had a chair brought in and sat him between herself and Nathan. Smart girl thought Nathan. She was making sure he could hear the conversation as well. No doubt that Ella would keep him talking, plying him with questions about their father.

She didn’t disappoint. Martha told her to stay with her guest. She, Martha, would clean up the kitchen. Ella moved herself, Nathan and Daniel to the parlor where it was more conducive to conversation and much more comfortable as well.

“Daniel, tell me about father. He would disappear for weekends and sometimes a week, saying he had business in Boston. Mother never questioned it. I only did after he was dead and Joshua never had to take those same trips. Now I assume he was visiting you and your mother.”

He sipped his tea, which Ella fixed him especially, before answering. “Yes, we would see Father once a month for a weekend and then every few months for a week. My mother was always excited and she could barely contain herself the day before he came. It was the same each time. In their case, absence really did make the heart grow fonder.”

Ella set down her tea cup. She didn’t usually drink tea anymore. She said she preferred coffee, that it kept her going for all the work that needed doing each day. Apparently, that was only with Nathan. Just as well. He didn’t like tea anyway.

The two of them talked until late. Nathan didn’t add anything to the conversation and would have excused himself if it had been anyone other than Adams with Ella. For some reason he didn’t feel safe leaving her alone with him.

Finally he’d had enough. “Adams, you must excuse us. I’m afraid we don’t keep New York hours here. Work starts at daybreak on a ranch and earlier for Ella. We’ll show you to your room.”

Nathan held his hand out to Ella.

She looked up at him and took his hand without question. It pleased him immensely. “Yes, if you’ll follow us, please. I’ve already had your bag taken to the room.”

Nathan placed his hand on Ella’s waist as they walked side by side down the wide hall with Daniel following behind. Windows lined the courtyard side of the hall, light from the lamp Nathan carried bounced out into the dark night.

“You have quite an impressive home, Ravenclaw. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before.”

“Thank you. I designed it myself based on some Mexican hacienda’s I’d seen. I had them build it after the barn was built.”

“Why would you build the barn first?”

“Because the animals are more important. Without them, there is no ranch and no need for a home.”

“I see.”

“Here we are.” Nathan opened the door to the guest room, two doors down from theirs, went to the table by the bed and lit the lamp there. It was a small room, compared to theirs, but had all the necessary amenities needed for a guest…bed, wardrobe, commode and chamber pot. “See you in the morning for breakfast. Ella bangs the triangle to call the men to breakfast. Of course, if you’re up you can come down to the kitchen before that. There’s always coffee on the stove.”

“Yes, good night,” said Ella.

Daniel took her hand and kissed it. “Good night, sweet sister. See you in the morning.” He went into the room and closed the door behind him.

Nathan pressed Ella forward to their room. As soon as the door was closed behind them, he gathered her into his arms. “I thought the evening was never going to end,” he said just before his lips found hers. He wanted to brand her and seared her with his kiss. His beautiful Ella, responded as she always did. He loved her passion.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body flush with his. Her tongue plunged into his mouth and danced with his. It always surprised him when she did this, but pleased him that she wanted to take the lead. She gave as much as she took. Breathless, he broke away, placed his hand on her stomach and said, “Mine. You are both
mine
.”

She smiled, her hand atop his, “Yours. Ours.”

He swung her up into his arms and carried her to bed. By the time he was done there would be no question who she belonged to.

CHAPTER 8

Daniel waited for two hours after they’d dropped him at his room before he ventured forth. Taking the lamp from his bedside he made his way to the hillside. The Baker brothers met him there.

“Boss, the barn is behind the house. It’ll be where you’ll find the buggy.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Daniel followed the Bakers to the barn where they found what looked to be the most worn saddle and Frank cut partially through the main strap, up high, under the saddle where it was less likely to be seen. Hopefully, if he was lucky, Nathan would be the one using it and it wouldn’t give out until after Daniel left.

While Frank did the saddle, Bobby Joe sawed the axle on the buggy, just where Daniel showed him. It wouldn’t take too much for it to break clean through. Just a couple of good jolts. If they were going fast enough, it should throw whoever from the buggy, or better yet, drag them when the horses don’t stop.

He let the Bakers do the actual sabotage. Daniel refused to get his hands dirty with the labor involved, just wanted to make sure it got done right and quickly. He had no intention of going back to New York until he was sure Ella and Nathan were both eliminated. That would leave Joshua still alive and hopefully Daniels’ associates would resolve that issue before his return. He felt sure Ella was all that remained between him and his rightful inheritance.

* * *

Daniel spent two nights with them. The second night was not any more comfortable for Nathan than the first had been. All in all, having a tooth pulled was preferable to spending another evening listening to them ply each other with questions and then share what he was sure they thought were amusing stories. It did sound like Daniel really was Ella’s brother. That didn’t mean Nathan trusted him. Far from it. Daniel Adams was one of the least trustworthy men he’d ever met.

Thank goodness he was gone. Supposedly, back to New York. Out of their lives forever if Nathan had his way, though he didn’t relax his guard on Ella. He didn’t really believe Daniel went back East but he had a mustang round up to do, though he wasn’t about to leave Ella unprotected. There was one man left at the ranch with explicit instructions to watch over Ella. Nathan would be gone for a week and he already missed her soft touch. He was starting to get used to a lot about Ella. Whenever he was away overnight, he missed her sweet rose scent, her lively conversation and the welcoming comfort of her body.

Just the thought of them in bed made him hard. The memory of his rough hand on her nipples…. He had to stop thinking about it. The more he did the more painful the ride became.

“Herd up ahead,” one of the cowboys called back.

“Alright, you all know what to do. Surround them and drive them to the corral.”

They’d roped off a makeshift corral in a copse of pine trees. It was large enough for about ten horses. This stallion and his harem were eight horses. The stallion, four mares and three foals. Just the foals alone would make this trip worth while. They could be raised to be incredible mounts.

Nathan kicked his horse into a gallop after the herd. In and out of the trees, around them, right and left. The stallion led them on a merry chase through the trees. Nathan gained on him, his own mustang the fastest he had and one of the fastest horses he’d ever seen. He’d have no trouble running this stallion to ground. The stallion cut sharp right, Nathan followed. He felt the saddle give as he went one way and his horse another.

He saw the rock just before he felt it. Then he saw nothing.

Pain. Shooting through his arm and behind his eyes.

“Boss. You okay? Nathan?”

He heard rather than saw his foreman, the pain in his head too intense to open his eyes.

“Jeb? What? What happened?”

“The strap on yer saddle broke. Ya fell off and hit yer head on a rock. Purty lucky it didn’t kill ya.”

“I don’t feel lucky right now. What’s wrong with my arm? It hurts like hell.”

“Looks like it’s busted. Probably when ya hit the ground. I got one of the boys looking for a couple straight sticks. We’ll get it set afore we head back,”

Nathan tried to nod. “Ow. Shit. That hurts.” He closed his eyes tight and put his right hand over them.

“Don’t move yer head, boss. Yer bleedin’. Soon as we get ya back to camp, I’ll have Cookie get ya cleaned up. Then we ken head on back home.”

“Did we get the horses? Tell me we got that big appaloosa stallion.”

“We did.” He could hear the smile in Jeb’s voice. “Got ’em all. They’ll be comin’ home with us.”

Nathan forced his eyes open. Stars were exploding in his brain, but at least they were little stars now. “What in the hell happened? Did you get my horse and saddle?”

“Sure did. Like I said, looks like the strap on the saddle gave way.”

“Impossible. Those straps were all replaced not two months ago. Check it again.”

“Yes, sir,” he said and left to get the saddle.

Nathan sat up, but his head spun and he had to lie back down. He tried more slowly, keeping his left arm at his waist and lifting himself with his right arm. He was a mess and, if he was right, damned lucky to be alive.

Jeb came running back to him. “You was right. The strap was cut. Not clean through, but enough that it broke when stressed like you did riding after that stallion.”

Nathan swallowed hard, his throat dry as the dirt he sat in. “Give me your canteen. Please.”

Jeb got the canteen from his saddle and handed it to him. He took a long swig and was finally able to speak clearly. “Gather up the men and bring me my horse. As soon as you get this arm set, I’m riding back home. You and the men follow with the horses. Put my saddle in the chuck wagon. I want to take a good look at it when we get back home.”

“Boss, you can’t ride by yerself all that way bareback, you bein’ busted up an all.”

“Don’t worry about it, Jeb, I’m used to it. That’s how I learned to ride. I’m half Indian, remember?”

“Yes, sir. I forgot. Me and the men will be home in a few days.”

One of the cowboys came up with two fairly straight tree branches. Jeb handed Nathan a small stick to bite down on while he straightened his arm. They didn’t want him to bite his tongue by accident when the pain got to him. Once it was in his mouth, Nathan nodded and Jeb pulled the arm until the bones were in line again. Then he placed a branch on either side of the arm, tying them tight with strips of cloth torn from the bottom of Nathan’s shirt. It was already ripped across the shoulder, no reason not to use it to bind his arm.

With his left arm broken, he needed a leg up on his stallion, but once there he kicked him into a gallop toward home. To Ella. His Ella. She had to be safe. What if Daniel was there right now? What if he’d hurt her? Nathan rode as hard and fast as he could. The terrain kept him from running the horse too long. It was hilly and rocky followed by long valleys where he could let the horse have it’s head. It was the longest four hours of his life.

He jumped off the horse on the side of the house by the kitchen door knowing Ella was most likely there. Slamming open the door his heart sank when he didn’t see her or Martha. He ran from room to room, calling for Ella, but they weren’t in the house. What if they went to town? Daniel was probably still there. Nathan had no doubt that he didn’t return to New York, he’d want to see the results of his handiwork. Nathan didn’t know or care about the reason behind it, he only knew Ella was in danger.

He ran to the barn. The buggy was gone. They could have gone to town or to John and Sarah’s, whose place was on the way to town. He started out of the barn, then stopped and, acting on a hunch, went over to where the buggy had been parked and found what he was looking for. It sent chills racing down his spine. Sawdust.

Running as fast as his long legs would carry him toward the house, he ran into Seth, the cowboy he’d left with Ella.

“Where is she?”

“Whoa, boss, what happened to yer arm?”

“Nevermind me.” Nathan grabbed him by the front of his shirt with his right hand nearly lifting the cowboy off the ground. “Where is she? Where is Ella?”

Seth’s eyes got wide. “She..she and Martha were going to the J bar A.”

“How long have they been gone?” he released his grip on Seth.

“Not long. Half hour maybe.”

“Why didn’t you go with her?”