The Circle Eight: Tobias (10 page)

Rebecca pushed Ellis until he turned to leave, then she closed the door. She rushed over to the bed and helped him sit up. He was able to pull in much-needed air.
 

“Take a drink.” She held a cup to his lips and cool water slid past his lips.
 

“Thank you.” The words were torn from him. He wasn’t one to offer thanks to anyone at any time. The woman had saved his life this time, and he was stupidly in love with her. What else could go into the pile of shit that had become his life?
 

“You’re welcome. Now focus on healing. I’ve chased him away but he’ll be back.” She frowned. “I may need to send for some help.”
 

“Don’t you dare ask your family to help me.” Tobias couldn’t bear it. The Grahams hated him, for good reason, and he would not be beholden to them for anything.
 

“What if I only ask my brother-in-law, Brody? He’s not blood kin, but he was a Ranger.” She looked hopeful.
 

He, however, was not. “No, I met him and the man ain’t no friend to me.”
 

“But if I ask him—”
 

“No, dammit, I need to step up and fix this. It’s my responsibility, my family.”
 

She nodded. “I don’t agree but I’ll respect that. Do you know what foolishness Ellis wants to arrest you for?”
 

Tobias would have smiled at the fact she assumed the deputy was mistaken in his fervor to arrest Tobias. She somehow had faith in him, misplaced or mistaken, it was faith. He took another breath before he spoke. “I was in the barn last night, drinking, fell asleep in the stall. When I woke up, three men were in the barn talking about Will’s accident. They did it on purpose, Becca, hurt him, tried to kill him.” His throat tightened and the thought he’d almost lost Will made his eyes burn with unshed tears. These boys were his responsibility and he’d let them down again. It was untenable.
 

“Why would they want to kill him?” She glanced over at the unconscious Will.
 

“I don’t know. Yet. They were mad they didn’t make sure he was dead and that if James had known, he would’ve killed them.” Tobias had to sort out this tangle. “I went crazy after that, swinging my fists and trying to beat them into the ground. I can’t remember what happened after that, just waking up here.”
 

“Do you know these three men?”
 

“No, but Will and James do. I need to be able to talk to them.” Tobias didn’t know when Will would wake. “Where’s James?”
 

Rebecca’s cheeks pinkened. “I asked him to send someone to the Circle Eight and let them know I’d be gone longer than I expected. He said he’d go himself. I’m sorry, Tobias. I’ve seen many grown men who can’t be in a sickroom.”
 

Tobias didn’t blame James for leaving. He would have done the same thing; and he had. Hiding in the barn and drinking. The urge for liquor was there, lurking, pinching him for attention. Tobias had to fight it. He needed a clear head and, dammit, he had to stop drinking. He knew it, but it was easier to say than do. He hadn’t had a reason to stop before now. Until Rebecca.
 

She would never think of him as anything but a drunk until he stopped being one. No matter if she was kind to him. She was nice to all her patients, which was her nature. He wanted more though. Perhaps for the first time in his life.
 

Before he could think about Rebecca and a future, he had to get on his feet and find the men who tried to kill him and Will. The rest of his life might be five minutes after he confronted the three of them. He might get shot dead for trying to do the right thing. No matter what happened, he would avenge his brother’s injuries.
 

Or die trying.
 

Having something to focus on, something to live for, and die for, gave him a purpose. It surged through him, heightening his hunger for vengeance and his thirst for surviving. He hadn’t had that taste for a long time. Now it sustained him, pushed him to heal from the injuries.
 

“How long will it take him to get back?” Tobias was embarrassed to admit he had no idea where the Donovan ranch was.
 

“Since he left midday, it will be a day there and a day back. The weather should hold. There are plenty of muddy trails between there and here though, so it may take him longer than it normally would.” She had
brought a clean pail of water with her. Rebecca sat down calmly beside Will and started washing his inert form, humming under her breath as she did.
 

Tobias couldn’t stop the pinch of jealousy. She’d washed him from head to toe. It was only fair she washed Will too. He needed more nursing than Tobias did. It was stupid to feel jealous of his unconscious younger brother.
 

Yet he did. Foolishly.
 

She used care in touching Will but cleaned him as thoroughly as she could. She removed each bandage and inspected the healing wounds. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, Rebecca applied fresh bandages.
 

“He any better?” Tobias asked.
 

She frowned. “He’s not worse, but I wouldn’t say he’s better. He hasn’t woken since he was injured.”
 

“That ain’t good.” It wasn’t a question.
 

“No. It’s not. The brain can swell when a patient is hit hard enough on the head.”
 

“Like by a tree or a rock.” Tobias’s anger flamed up again. If only he could function as a man instead of lying like a loaf of bread on a shelf.
 

“Yes, unfortunately.” Rebecca cupped Will’s cheek, now rough with whisker growth. He was pale as milk. His chest rose and fell regular like, but Will was so damn silent.
 

“Don’t he need a real doctor?” He didn’t want to worry about Rebecca’s feelings. This was Will’s life they were talking about.
 

She closed her eyes and sighed, her hands dropping to her sides. “There isn’t anything a doctor in Texas can do for him that I haven’t. He can’t travel to far off places like Chicago or New York where there are big hospitals and fancy equipment. What he needs is rest and someone who cares for him by his side.”
 

Tobias ached to have someone speak of him the way Rebecca did of Will. She cared about the world around her, while Tobias had only cared for himself. Will’s injuries had yanked him from the self-pity pond he lived in and slapped him awake. The sad truth was it took a tragedy to wake him up.
 

His head pounded and his wounds throbbed. He embraced the pain because it reminded him that he survived the fight and he lived to fight again.
 

He would help his brothers the only way he knew how. Vengeance.
 

Rebecca didn’t intend to fall asleep in the chair but after two straight days of nursing the Gibson brothers, she was exhausted. She could only push herself so far before her body threw up its hands and claimed some rest.
 

She dreamt of her family, playing outside with her nieces and nephews. The sunshine sparkled off the twins’ red hair and a gentle breeze ruffled the leaves overhead. It was a perfect spring day. They played hide and go seek and Rebecca was doing the seeking. The children giggled from their hiding places and she took her time not finding them.
 

Someone was up in the tree in the backyard, close to her parents’ graves. It was a favorite spot for the family. One that brought peace when life grew too chaotic. She ambled over and pretended to search around the base of the tree and then she looked up.
 

Tobias stared down at her.
 

The world fell away and she was transported back five years to the night. That night. Her life had changed forever.
 

They had ridden for hours without ceasing. Rebecca was sore from her waist to her knees, but she didn’t complain. Tobias was too serious and she was sure any complaining would not be appreciated.
 

Her mind drifted to the kiss. She hadn’t expected it and it had been her first. And by the man she planned to marry. Her prince, or rather, her dark prince. He was angry with her because Pops had died. His grandfather had been very old and sick. It was his time and that was the way of life. People arrived and people left. Pops had lived to be in his sixties, a long life full of boys who loved him and whom he loved dearly.
 

“I’m sorry about your grandfather.” She hadn’t intended on saying it aloud, but there it came out of her mouth unhindered.
 

In the light of the moon, she watched his shoulder stiffen. “Thanks.” It was said with a grudging tone and she knew he didn’t mean it.
 

It didn’t bother her because he was grieving for Pops. She knew what grief did to a soul. He would need time to heal, but in the meantime, his contentiousness had become worse. He’d become downright ornery.
 

“Do you know where we are or how long it will take to get to the Circle Eight?”
 

He grunted. “Do you think I don’t know where we’re at? I ain’t stupid.”
 

She counted to ten before she responded. It usually helped when she was angry at one of her brothers and sisters. “I didn’t say you were
stupid. It’s dark out here except for the moon. I haven’t any idea where we are.”
 

“I do and that’s all that matters.”
 

Her temper burbled, swirling in her gut. “No, it’s not all that matters.”
 

“Woman, I ain’t in the mood to quibble with you about foolish shit. Just ride so I can get you back home and out of my life.”
 

His words hit her with the force of a punch. She pressed her hand to her stomach. “You’re a bully.”
 

“I’m being truthful. Bullies are mean for the sake of being mean. You ain’t seen me bully.” He sounded so damn sure of himself.
 

“I don’t care what you profess. You are a damn bully.” She kicked her horse into a trot and pulled away from him. It was dumb and dangerous but at the moment, all she wanted to do was get away from him. He made her feel unwelcome and unimportant. That hurt at a level she didn’t want to acknowledge. He was supposed to be her future husband, not someone who didn’t care if she lived or died.
 

“Slow down, you idiot woman!” He was catching up to her, which only made her ride faster.
 

Rebecca was a Graham, nearly born in the saddle. Riding came as easily as breathing. She leaned forward and made herself one with the horse. The wind blew her hair out of its braid so it whipped around her cheeks, stinging her eyes, but she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was escape. Hide. Forget.
 

“Damn it!” His voice faded as she let Ocho have his head, guiding her through the thick trees and around obstacles. A Graham horse was prime stock, worth its weight in gold. She never understood why until now. If she’d been on any other equine, something awful would have happened already.
 

The silence of the night surrounded her and everything narrowed down to the sound of the hooves, her breathing and the beating of her heart. Rebecca closed her eyes and pictured her home. Perhaps wishing would guide her there, or her horse was smart enough to find its way. That wouldn’t surprise her.
 

In less than the time it took her to take a breath, she was hauled off the horse with a jerk. Her shoulder and arm screamed in pain and then whomp! She was facedown over a lap, a saddlehorn digging into her hip and side. All the breath left her body and stars danced behind her eyes.
 

“What in the hell were you thinking? You trying to kill yourself and your damn horse?” His voice hissed out, full of cold fury. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”
 

That was the end of her patience. Rebecca’s temper exploded. She twisted her body and threw her weight onto his. They both fell over backwards, tumbling off the moving horse. She landed hard, rolling on the scrubby, rocky ground before she came to a stop in some tall grass.
 

Then Tobias landed on top of her.
 

She woke with a start, her heart pounding at the memories that had snuck into her mind while she’d slept. Rebecca ran a hand down her face and blew out a shaky breath.
 

Being intimate with Tobias, even with only their hands, had dredged up the memories of that night five years earlier. The night that changed her life forever.
 

She sipped on water from a nearby glass, annoyed to find her hands shaking. Tobias always did that to her equilibrium. Rebecca hadn’t allowed herself to remember what happened but perhaps she should. To exorcise her demons for good.
 

She closed her eyes and threw herself back into the past once more.
 

Rebecca pushed against his weight, but to no avail. He didn’t budge even an inch. His hot breath bathed her face and a low grumbling sounded in his chest.
 

“Foolish woman. Are you trying to kill us?” The heat from his body seeped into hers. He was hard, smashing her softness into the ground.
 

“You started this, foolish man. I was riding home. Why don’t you let me continue on without you?” Her frustration had reached its pinnacle. “Get off my person and go back to your own home.”
 

He made a scoffing sound. “You couldn’t make it home on your own, girl. You ain’t got a clue where we are.”
 

“No, but my horse does. Now get off me.” She pushed at his shoulders again.
 

“Not until you agree to stop being stupid. You need me. If’n anything happened to you when you were on your way home, your brother would shoot me dead. Hell, all of ’em would.” He shifted his weight and landed
between her splayed legs. Her imagination, and the information given to her by her sisters and Eva, raced through her mind.