Benjamin (16 page)

Grace threw herself up on Swift and waited while the men took off into the night before she followed them.

The night swallowed them as they moved through the woods. It was so dark, she could barely see the other horses. She used her ears to follow as closely as she dared. She hoped Caleb knew the terrain or they were risking more than their horses’ health. If the animals were injured, they wouldn’t make it to the Circle Eight.

As the hours ticked by, Grace’s exhaustion grew. She had no idea what time it was or where they were going other than to the Graham family ranch. What would they think of her? A woman who had traveled with Ben alone without the benefit of marriage or a chaperone until now.

Not that Grace had been a good wife when she’d been married. She had respected her husband and had been faithful, if not the easiest partner. Grace had to learn to cook and keep house, although her true skills had been outside the walls of a house. Alfred was a good man and they had become close, best friends rather than man and wife.

Becoming a mother had turned her life upside down and inside out. Henry had become her world. She was the one who had taught him how to ride, how to be safe with a rifle, and how to throw a punch. Now he was a different child, someone she didn’t know but still loved with every fiber of her being.

Grief for the simple but good life she’d had, and the child who would never be the same, washed through her. Then self-pity followed. Grace let herself cry silently as the wind whistled past her ears, drying her cheeks and hiding her indulgence. It all went unnoticed by the three males who rode in front of her.

“We need to stop.” Ben’s voice broke through her reverie.

They reined in the horses in an open field. Ben got down quickly and helped Henry down. Grace scrambled to find out what was happening. Her legs almost buckled when she hit the ground. They’d been riding hard for so long, she was numb from the waist down.

She hobbled over to her son. “Are you all right, Henry?”

He whispered to Ben, much to Grace’s disappointment.

“He’s got to, ah, do his business. The beans are moving fast.” Ben led him over to a small bush while Grace watched them. Helpless and heartbroken.

Would she ever get her son back?

‡

D
ominic yawned and
opened his eyes as the sunrise painted the horizon. They’d arrived just outside the Circle Eight property the night before. He’d contemplated riding into the darkness to pick off the damn Grahams, but that meant all of them were in the same area. All armed and not as easy to pick off.

He decided to wait until the morning, until after the men had gone off to perform their ranching duties. Dominic could kill the women and children first and then wait for the men to return in small groups. Easier to make sure they were all dead that way.

He rolled over and closed his eyes. The plan was to wait until mid-morning before he rode in with the men.

The thirty armed gunmen he had with him would eliminate the Grahams in a hail of bullets and blood. Then he could return home to his women.

He’d taken most of the men with him, but with his mother left at the compound, order would reign. She was the brains behind their ranch and had kept it going after his brothers’ deaths. If Dominic had his way, he would spend his days gambling and his nights fucking. Sometimes more than one woman at once.

While he’d respected his brothers, he didn’t feel one way or the other about their deaths. What he did today was for Mama. She was the only person in the world who loved him.

There wasn’t anything Dominic wouldn’t do for his mother. Including going to battle with the fucking bastards who killed his brothers. There would be a measure of satisfaction in spilling their blood. He might even take a few women. His mother wouldn’t notice a few more females.

That would be the best kind of revenge.

*

The hours began
to blur together. They had to rest every six hours or risk being too exhausted to put up a fight. Ben sweated to the point he stank enough to offend his own senses. Henry sat in front of him, still as a statue, but a natural rider. Not a lick of trouble since they’d left the compound.

It hadn’t escaped Ben’s notice that the frantic ride from the compound to the Circle Eight was reminiscent of ten years earlier. This time, he was the rescuer and Henry the boy. The original trip was a blur of pain and confusion. Ben didn’t want to think about it, but he couldn’t stop the memories.

To his surprise, he realized how lucky he’d been. Caleb had met Rory, which led to an accident where she’d been hurt, and that led them to the compound for help from the doctor who lived at there. It was that sequence of events that led his brother to find him, to rescue him.

Ben had been grateful but so very lost. It had taken ten years for him to come to terms with what had happened to him and to begin to move past it. He’d scoffed at his siblings’ marriages and the professions of love they exchanged daily. Now he knew what they felt, how they felt and how much loving a woman could change him.

This little boy was part of her and she was hurting because of Henry’s inability to even look at her. Ben would explain it to her when he could. For now they could only ride as hard as they could to get home.

Home.

It was a place he’d not expected to return to, and sure as hell not riding in with gun in hand to save his families’ lives.

As the second night fell, they knew they were at least eight hours from home but everyone needed a rest, including the horses. The silky blue of twilight surrounded them as they found a small pond. Ben dismounted and pulled a sleeping Henry down with him. He turned to Grace.

“Can you make a bed for him?”

She jumped from Swift and pulled off the bedroll. Within moments she had a bed for her son. As Ben set Henry down, she was there to smooth his hair back. A precious chance to touch him without him cringing. She glanced up at Ben.

“Thank you for taking care of him.”

“He’s a good boy. Strong.” Ben nodded toward the pond. “I need to wash up and then rest.”

She grabbed his hand. “I want to come with you.”

The air between them thrummed with unspoken need. He looked over at his brother, who was currently unsaddling the horses.

“Keep watch over Henry for a few minutes?” Ben tried to keep his voice casual but Caleb was no fool.

“Sure thing.” Caleb dusted off his hands and brought his bedroll over. “If I can survive the hellions I’m raising as daughters, I can watch over this little one.”

Grace took soap and another chewed-up garment to dry off with from the saddlebags. They walked hand-in-hand toward the pond. She let him lead along the narrow patch of grass until they reached a larger spot hidden from view.

The primitive need to mate with Grace took over. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with every ounce of pent-up need. Perhaps escaping what could have been certain death, facing his past, and running to save his family had sharpened his emotions.

Perhaps he just needed to make sure Grace was real. That she was his and he was hers.

Their mouths and tongues clashed with near frantic movements. His heart pounded as he backed her toward the tree behind her. When she stopped, he deepened the kiss, sweeping through her mouth, while he pressed his aching cock against her soft belly.

She moaned and scratched at his back. “More.”

He reached for the buttons on her blouse, but she batted his hands away and made quick work of her clothes. He almost fell on his head trying to do the same. She smiled at him, her beautiful body like a goddess, sleek and powerful.

“How about a bath, cowboy?”

She waded into the water and he couldn’t do anything else but follow her. The cool water stung against his healing knuckles but it would never be enough to keep him from following her. Anywhere.

Grace waited in waist-deep water. When he reached her, she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him into the deeper water. He was able to stand and hold her slippery body.

She wrapped her legs around him and just like that, he slipped inside her folds. The feel of the cool water contrasted with the heat of her core. He pressed his forehead to hers and floated joined together.

“You feel wonderful.”

He managed a strangled chuckle. “I don’t think wonderful is a strong enough a word to describe you, Gracie.”

She kissed his cheeks and neck. “I know there isn’t time for this but I needed you.”

I needed you.

Ben couldn’t remember a time in his life when anyone needed him. Knowing Grace did made his heart do a flip.

“Make love to me, Benjy.”

He didn’t know exactly what to do, but he let his body do what it wanted. Ben began to move within her slowly. The water lapped against them with each thrust. He dug his feet into the soft silt on the bottom of the pond and pushed harder, deeper, faster.

She hung on and moved with him, her strong thighs gripping him. Her breasts bobbed in front of him, tempting him to pleasure her. He plumped one up until he could capture it with his mouth.

Her sweet nipple was like honey in his mouth. He suckled and nibbled at the peak while she made chuffing noises. The night creatures’ songs filled the air around them, a symphony to accompany the dance between them as old as time.

Her eyes closed and she threw her head back. “
Benjy
.” Her voice was full of wonder as her body clenched around his, tight, tighter, tightest.

As his body rushed toward release, he found her mouth and kissed her. An endless wave of sweet ecstasy started somewhere near his toes and worked its way upward. He gripped her hips and drove into her deeper, making them one being, one heart, one soul.

After he’d caught his breath, he held her against him while their bodies beat together. The water cooled their bodies and they finally floated apart. He cupped her cheek and kissed her softly.

“You’re everything, Gracie.”

She leaned into his touch. “I love you, too, Benjy.”

*

Grace slept hard
for at least two hours before she woke with a start. The night still held them captive and it was likely four in the morning. In the murky light from the half moon, she could see Ben saddling the horses. Perhaps Caleb was refilling the canteens. She reached over to wake Henry, her hand hovering over his slender shoulder. Fear of rejection crowded her throat.

Ben saved her, once again, by scooping Henry up into his arms. “Give him time, Gracie.”

She nodded and busied herself cleaning up the bedroll. She pressed the warm fabric to her face and breathed in Henry’s scent. It was enough for now. It had to be.

Within minutes, they had dried meat in hand and were riding hard toward the Circle Eight. Soon the sun would rise and light their way. They were eight hours from the ranch. Were they too late to help? Was Dominic already there?

Grace’s mind raced with questions as they rode. She’d fought for her life more than once, but now she was fighting for other peoples’ lives. For Ben’s family, for the sister who put her on the path to find her brother, for the others she’d never met. The men, women, and children that made up the Circle Eight were faceless strangers, but she already felt an affinity with them.