Out of Control (10 page)

“No, it's dangerous.”

“If we stay here, I'll be able to continue exploring. I'll be able to write papers on what I find. I'll get them published and earn money that way. This is a really fascinating, unique cavern, Rafe. I could find fossils maybe of some creature that's never been seen. And if I could find proof that this mountain was once underwater, that would—”

“I told you I'd take you down there one more time. Then that's it. You can't keep going.”

“Of course I can. I have to. That's the main reason I hate the thought of moving. I need to explore that cavern.”

“What about that rope?”

The fire went out of her flashing green eyes, as if he'd drowned her excitement in ice water. He had a talent for bringing coldness to the world. He hated doing it to this fiery woman.

“Who could have done such a thing?” She raised her hands to clutch her wild red curls.

“I don't know. But I aim to find out.” Rafe suddenly thought of Ethan. Ethan was always easygoing. Always happy. But deep things stirred in Ethan. Old pain that was trapped inside him. Ethan had come home at the same time someone had played a cruel, possibly deadly trick on Julia. And Ethan hated that cavern.

Rafe shook off the thought. Not possible. Ethan wasn't capable of such a thing.

“But how can you find who did it?”

“The
how
will come, but while I'm figuring it out, I'm going to make sure you're safe.”

“So you'll come down with me?” Her excitement flared to life again.

Rafe couldn't stand to douse it. “One more time.”

She looked a little doused. “I need more than once.”

Rafe was silent for too long. “I'll let you have a good long look around. Maybe if you see something you think needs to be studied, we could go back again.”

“Oh, Rafe. Thank you.” She threw herself into his arms.

He wrapped his arms around the grateful little thing. “You like that idea, huh?”

“Very much.”

“So, all I've got to do to keep you happy is . . . let you do anything you want?” Rafe pulled back just enough to see her smile.

His eyes flickered to her pink lips. What came to his mind was more dangerous than anything he'd ever faced. But he wanted to
feel
something.

He tightened his hold on her and lowered his head.

Fast-moving footsteps pulled Rafe's attention away from Julia. His Colt was out and cocked by the time he moved between her and whoever approached. Ethan rounded the corner of the house from the back. Steele was right behind him.

“Good, you're here.” Rafe holstered his pistol and started for the house—doing his best to ignore the remembered warmth of her arms and the frost that was softening in his heart.

As he came around the house, Ethan noticed Rafe standing way too close to the pretty lady he'd pulled out of the belly of the earth.

Rafe had saved her. Ethan could imagine how good that felt. Saving someone, coming through, was a yardstick Ethan measured himself with. He always came up short.

“I don't think there's much you can do for him, Steele.” Rafe strode toward them, ignoring Ethan to focus on his ranch foreman. Rafe would pay attention to Ethan when he had some orders to issue. That twisted Ethan's temper, but he covered his anger with a smile.

The ranch foreman was right on Ethan's heels, carrying a pack as big as Ethan's. He was spry for an old-timer.

“Tell me what's wrong.” Gray brows lowered over eyes as black as a raven.

Rafe gave a quick, cold outline of Wendell's condition.

Ethan didn't know medicine and he didn't know Steele Coulter. But he knew hopeless.

His thoughts immediately went to the fragile woman who must be inside with her husband. With a quick glance at Julia, he asked, “Is Audra with him?”

“She's in there.” Rafe looked grim.

“I'll go look at the arm. Doubt there's anything . . .” Steele's eyes slid to Julia. “Sorry, miss. It sure sounds like things are serious for your pa.”

“Let's go in.” Julia started toward the cabin.

Rafe turned to take the lead, as always, but Ethan grabbed his arm. “Wait a minute.”

With an impatient glare, Rafe said, “We should be in there.”

Julia went inside with Steele tagging after her.

“There's not room for us to be in there, and you know it.”

“There's room. They might need something.” Rafe jerked at Ethan's hold.

Hanging on doggedly, Ethan said, “Let Steele have a minute alone with the family.”

Rafe's jaw tensed, but Ethan was right.

“I saw your chain ladder tossed on the ground beside the cave. And the rope is lying there, coiled up. So nobody can be down there, right? There'd have to be a rope or ladder hanging down. That's the only way in or out.”

“Unless someone went down and another person pulled up the ladder.”

“Which would mean two people hiding around here. And they couldn't be together because whoever trapped Julia would've also had to trap the other man. Not real likely.”

Nodding, Rafe glared at Ethan as if he were only holding himself out of the cabin by pure force of will.

“So, whoever scared her and stranded her is out here.” Ethan looked around and felt the forest pressing on him. Someone could be watching just a few yards away.

“He's got to be around somewhere.”

“Maybe ducked down in a clump of scrub pines or hiding behind a boulder or over that ledge.” Ethan jabbed a thumb to indicate all the possible places a man could conceal himself. “Did you get any idea who'd done it? Did you see any tracks?”

“No. I didn't take the time to track anyone. It was full dark and I was busy with a hysterical woman.”

“Anyone low-down enough to do that to a woman is a danger to all of us.” Ethan looked at the cabin, thinking of the hacksaw Steele had packed. He felt as if the cabin held the terrors of Hades. Not unlike that cavern.

All that grief, crying, bleeding, dying. Ethan didn't want any part of it.

He didn't want any part of the cavern, either. But tracking—
that
he could do.

“I'm going to go see if there's a trail. Try and follow it.”

“You're needed here, Ethan.”

A sudden cry came from the cabin—must be Audra. Steele must have just given his opinion of Wendell's wounds.

“I'll be back after a while.” Ethan ran from the commotion inside that cabin. He was good at running. Good at being useless when someone needed him.

Julia came out of the cabin carrying Maggie just as Ethan dodged toward the back of the cabin.

“Ethan, you get back here.” Julia's voice froze Ethan in his tracks.

Dreading the thought of Audra sobbing over her no-account husband, Ethan turned to see Maggie sniffling, tears running down her face.

His panic subsided. A baby crying. He could handle that.

The baby snuggled against Julia and her heavy eyelids dropped shut. With a couple more whimpers, she fell asleep.

He slid a wary look between the baby and Julia. But he stayed.

“Where are you going?” Julia rubbed Maggie's back.

“I'm gonna try and pick up the trail of the man who trapped you in the cavern.”

Julia looked from the baby to Rafe to Ethan to the cabin, and whispered, “If Maggie stays asleep, can I come?”

“No, you can't come. Tracking's a one man job.” Ethan took a longing look over his shoulder, toward that cabin and the trail behind it.

“Steele wants to tend Father for a while. Maggie woke up, but she hasn't been asleep nearly long enough.” Julia rested a gentle hand on the baby's face. “I need to get out of the cabin. Every move I make bothers Audra or Maggie.”

“But Steele will bother them.” Ethan was looking forward to going off on his own. He had half a notion to just keep going, get away from all of them.

Then Ethan thought of the homecoming hug Rafe had given him and how long it'd been since anyone, even someone as bossy as his big brother, had cared if Ethan lived or died.

“Steele's being quiet, working on the wound. It was me moving around that was the problem.” Julia took a close look at Maggie. “She's out. Let me put her down.” Julia was looking straight at Rafe. “You wait for me.”

More orders.

Ethan looked at Rafe, who shrugged.

“Okay, go lay her down. Steele will look after your pa until we come back.”

Julia nodded eagerly and went inside.

“Tracking is a quiet business, Rafe. If we follow the tracks until we find someone, there could be trouble.”

“After this many hours, we'll be lucky to even read his sign, let alone follow him back to wherever he's hiding. If it looks like we might be coming on him, you can take Julia back and I'll go on after him.”

“Why don't you just give me a rattle to play with.” Ethan smiled at Rafe, when he wanted to growl. But nobody could out-growl Rafe, so why bother to try?

Rafe opened his mouth to say something bossy, Ethan was sure, just as Julia came back out. They set off.

“You really have to leave the house every day?” Ethan headed around the cabin and up the slope and down.

“Yes, that's the only way Audra gets a good rest. She shouldn't be having another baby so soon. She's gone into labor at least three times since we left home.”

Ethan wasn't real sure how a woman went into labor, then didn't go ahead and have the baby. He knew better than to ask—for fear Julia would answer. In detail. He crossed the stream and climbed.

“The first two times didn't amount to much, but the last time I thought the baby was coming. I've been trying to keep Audra still as much as possible, and I give her time to sleep whenever I can.” Julia almost caught Ethan, but he moved fast enough to stay ahead of her. Julia was going to lead this expedition if she could manage it. Even though she had no idea where they were going.

“That's why you found the cave?” Rafe brought up the rear.

“I'm used to being by myself wherever we lived. Wandering, exploring.” Julia was right on his heels as Ethan rounded the duck rock. “Father always left me on my own. I wonder if he had a false name in all those towns.”

“Audra had to know the right name.” Ethan glanced over his shoulder as they reached level ground. “She married him.”

Julia's brow beetled. “You know, now that you say that . . . The first time I met her was when Father brought her home after the wedding.”

“Your pa didn't
tell
you
he was getting married?” Ethan shook his head. “Surprise, huh?”

“Big surprise. I was within a few months of moving out. I'd told him I was going to find a job, be a schoolteacher, maybe. I hadn't been to school much, but I read a lot and thought I could do the job.” Julia caught up to Ethan as the path widened at the top of the gully. “I wasn't sure how to make it all work, but I was more or less on my own anyway. I thought I'd just as well get on with being an adult.”

Ethan saw the four Kincaid horses grazing where he and Steele had picketed them.

Rafe caught up. “And right after you told him you were leaving, he brought home a new wife?”

Julia's jaw went all tight, and she nodded with one quick jerk of her head. “Anyway, Audra said something about being Mrs. Wendell. I corrected her. ‘You mean Mrs. Wendell Gilliland.' She acted embarrassed and laughed about getting her own name mixed up.”

“You think your pa was calling himself by the last name of Wendell in Houston?” Rafe walked straight for that pit, and Ethan could go along or be left behind.

“Maybe. And when Audra was told he was Mr. Wendell, then found out that was wrong, it would be natural to just think she misunderstood it. I've never thought about it before.” Julia looked up at Rafe with a start. “If Father used a false name, is their marriage legal?”

“I wouldn't worry about the details at this point.”

Julia grimaced and neared the cavern entrance.

“Stay back!” Ethan snapped. He flinched at his tone. A man didn't need to shout to the whole world that he was a coward, now did he? And anyway, he didn't care. Not at all. Speaking more calmly, he added, “You're going to mess up any tracks that're left.”

Julia and Rafe stopped, and it occurred to Ethan he could toss an order around, too.

Ethan felt a flush of embarrassment as he studied the black hole and saw that rope lying coiled beside it. Rafe's chain ladder was still out, too. He always packed it back away, or he had when they were kids. Rafe took good care of all his things. Always organized. Always in control of everything and everyone.

Ethan looked at Rafe, knowing his brother could read him too well; it was all a man could do to keep the carefree smile on his face. “We both know I'm a better tracker'n you, right?”

“You couldn't out track me on your best day.” Rafe's temper flashed.