Heart Of Texas (Historical Romance) (14 page)

Gabe was waiting for them when Kate halted the
buckboard in front of the house.

Casey watched him walk toward them, and her
heart did a somersault. He was so handsome, tall,
lean. He was everything she had ever dreamed of
in a man.

He approached Casey's side of the wagon with
a grim expression on his face. "Miss Hamilton,
Sam, I need to talk to the two of you."

Kate took a sleeping Jenny in her arms. "I'll just
put this little one to bed for you."

"Sam," Gabe began, "the cattle we drove into
the pen yesterday are all dead." He looked from
Sam to Casey. "The deed was done deliberately,
and you can pretty well guess Cyrus was behind
it."

Sam was stunned and angry at the same time.
"They're all dead?"

"Just a newborn calf survived. I put it in one of the stalls in the barn and bottle-fed it, but I don't
think it'll live."

Sam looked from his sister to Gabe. "We should
ride into town and tell the sheriff what's happened. Surely he will do something about this."

"I wouldn't look for help in that direction.
Sheriff Burford owes his job to Cyrus. He might
as well be working for him, because he won't do
anything that goes against him. Besides, we have
no proof."

"Then what can we do?" Casey asked in frustration, feeling sick inside.

"There is nothing we can do tonight," Gabe
told them. "Let's get some sleep, and we'll talk
about it tomorrow."

Sam shook his head. "I want to ride over to
Casa Mesa right now and confront that man. He
has no right to kill our cattle!"

Casey laid her hand on her brother's shoulder.
"That's exactly what we shouldn't do, because it's
probably what Mr. Slaughter will expect." She
glanced up at Gabe for verification. "Am I right
about that?"

Gabe liked the way Casey gently nudged her
brother in the right direction. Once again he was
reminded of her strength and courage. And he
could see the tired lines around her eyes and
knew that worrying was taking a lot out of her.
He already knew she didn't get enough sleep. He
wanted to draw her to him and make everything
all right in her life. "You're exactly right."

"I don't want him to get away with this," Sam
stated with anger. "There has to be something we
can do."

"Slaughter won't get away with it, Sam," Casey
assured him. "But we can't do anything about it
tonight, so start unloading the wagon. I want to
speak to Gabe."

Sam looked like he wanted to object, but she
watched him walk to the back of the wagon, lift a
twenty-pound bag of flour on his back, and head
toward the house.

When she glanced back at Gabe, he could see
the uncertainty in her eyes. "I wish I could protect
Sam from this kind of worry. He's so young to
face such a bad situation."

Gabe's voice was deep with concern. "And you?
What about you?"

She smiled shyly at him. "In case you hadn't
noticed, we Hamilton women are a stubborn lot.
Surely you have noticed this trait in jenny."

He wanted to tell her that she was the one who
had the strength. It was she who held the family
together against impossible odds. He wanted to
make her heart and spirit his. "I have noticed that
trait in both of you."

Sam had returned for another load, and they
both watched him shoulder a bag of potatoes.
Casey was so aware of Gabe standing close to her
that if she followed her heart, she would reach
out and touch him. She could hear his intake of
breath, and she closed her eyes for a moment to marshal her thoughts in a different, safer direction.

"Gabe, you knew we had gone into Mariposa
Springs to see my uncle's attorney."

He watched as a slight breeze drifted through
her long, silken hair, rippling it at her shoulders.
He had to fight the urge to reach out and take a
handful of the soft curls and bury his face in
them. He was close enough to smell the sweet
scent she wore. He hadn't known women could
be soft and sweet, yet still strong. "You did mention that to me."

"My brother and I were stunned by what Mr.
Murdock told us." She glanced into his eyes. "My
uncle left us enough money to pay your salary and
hire other men to help you. I have talked this over
with Sam, and we both agreed that we would like
you to stay on as foreman of the Spanish Spur.
Later we can work out the details of your wages."
She looked uncertain as he propped his booted
foot on the wagon wheel. "Do you find that acceptable?"

"It's never been about the money-I think you
know that."

Casey heard the warmth in his voice, and she
tried to think why else he would stay on at a ranch
that was the target of Mr. Slaughter's greed. "My
family will always be indebted to you for offering
to stay on without pay. But we don't like to owe
anyone. Now, because of my uncle's generosity,
we can repay you for your kindness."

For a reason he didn't understand, Gabe suddenly felt anger boiling inside him. He wasn't
sure what he wanted from her, but it sure wasn't
her money. "Go on in the house and get some
rest. I'll help Sam unload the wagon."

"And you will consider staying on as foreman?"

"We'll speak of that another time."

She heard the anger in his voice and wondered
at the reason for it. What had she said wrong? "I
know I've already said this, but my family is indebted to you."

"Don't be," he said bitingly. "I have reasons of
my own for helping you."

Casey had drifted off to sleep, but she awoke
when a sharp pain shot through her shoulder.
She sat up in bed, wanting to cry, it hurt so badly.
Quietly she got up and went into the kitchen so
she could get a carrot. She then headed for the
horse paddock, a habit she had developed since
coming here. The chestnut gelding came over to
her and accepted his reward. She ran her hand
across the horse's sleek neck, and tried to forget
that her shoulder was bothering her.

Tonight her mind was particularly troubled
about the cattle that had been poisoned. And the
cattle that were missing, if what Mr. Murdock said
was true. What kind of man would do such a
thing? She shuddered.

What kind, indeed?

She absently ran her hand across the horse's mane. If she were looking for the silver lining in
their situation, as her father had always advised
her to do, she must be grateful that they had a
home, and that their uncle had left them money.

But money wouldn't help them in the situation
they faced. Mr. Slaughter was the most vicious
man she had ever known. When she thought of
how he had treated his own son and daughter, it
made her sick inside. The daughter was dead, and
the son probably was too-at least Gabe had indicated that he might be.

How could her family survive in the face of such
evil? What would they do when Mr. Slaughter
came calling a second time?

Gabe stood in the shadows of the bunkhouse
watching Casey. He knew she came there almost
every night, and he found himself waiting for her
to appear. There was a part of him that wanted
to approach her, take her in his arms, and hold
her against his body. But the time would come
when she would discover who he was, and then
she would probably despise him.

He watched her lay her face against the horse's
neck. Then he heard her cry out in pain when
the horse made a sudden move that twisted her
body.

Casey leaned her head against the fence, not
allowing herself to cry. She could tell her shoulder was getting worse; she should have asked Kate today if there was a doctor in town who could take
a look at it.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?"

She lifted her head and found Gabe standing
beside her. "I... It's nothing. I injured it that day
our wagon got stuck in the Brazos. I thought it
would have healed by now, but it still bothers me
sometimes."

"And you haven't said anything about it before
now?"

"I didn't want to worry anyone."

"Is it getting worse?"

"I... Yes."

"Come with me." He left no room for argument. "I'll need to have a look at it in the light."

She started to follow him before she realized
he was heading toward the bunkhouse. "I can't
go in there with you."

He turned to her, took her hand, and urged
her forward. "Getting that shoulder tended to is
more important than your modesty, Miss Hamilton."

Hesitantly she took a step. "It isn't proper."

His clasp on her hand wasn't tight, but it was
firm, and he brought her forward. In that moment she had a feeling he could right every wrong
in her life if she would only allow it. She stepped
onto the porch, and he held the door for her to
go inside. She hadn't been there since the day
she'd cleaned it. In the soft lamplight, she noticed
that Gabe had neat habits.

His clothing was hung on pegs, and two pairs
of boots were lined up along the wall. He didn't
seem to have many possessions, and that made
her sad. Did he have so little that he could fit it
all into a saddlebag?

He led her closer to the lamp before he relinquished her hand. "Since you are so modest, just
turn your back to me and unbutton your gown
enough to slip it down so I can get a look at your
shoulder."

She backed away from him, shaking her head.
"I can't do that!"

He took her arm and gently pulled her forward.
"How else can I look at your shoulder?"

"I-"

"If it isn't healing, you may need a doctor to
look at it, but I won't know until I see for myself.
Would you like me to unbutton your gown?" His
gaze dipped to the swell of her breasts and then
he met her gaze. "Would you?"

"No." She turned her back to the lamp and unbuttoned two buttons. She felt his hand on her
shoulder and felt her stomach tighten, not in fear,
but with something else-a need to feel him
touch her all over. She swallowed as he slid the
edge of the dress off her shoulder.

"You will have to unbutton more buttons. I
can't see all of the injury."

With trembling fingers, she undid two more
buttons, then reluctantly a third.

His hands were gentle as he slid her gown down further. She closed her eyes when his hand
paused at the strap of her chemise; then he
pushed it down as well. He was silent as he looked
at her wound.

"Dammit, Casey, there's a deep cut here, and
there's bruising around it as well. Why didn't you
at least have Kate look at it before now?"

It was the first time he had spoken her name,
and she liked the way he pronounced it. "I really
thought it would get better on its own."

"I know you by now-you didn't want your
brother or sister to know you'd been hurt," he
said with certainty. "Didn't it occur to you that it
might get infected if it wasn't treated?"

"I hoped it wouldn't."

She looked delicate and soft, but anyone who
took that for a sign of weakness in her would be
wrong. Pulling his mind back to her injury, he
probed around the wound, trying not to notice
that her skin was every bit as smooth as he'd
thought it would be. The arch of her neck invited
his touch, and he ached to do just that. He
breathed deeply and tore his gaze away from the
creamy slope of her back. He slid his hand along
her shoulder blade and felt a tightening in his
gut.

"Does that hurt)"

She nodded. "Not so very much."

"I think it hurts like hell." His gaze went back
to her graceful neck, and he saw the blush that
tinted her cheek. He swore under his breath, knowing he was causing her embarrassment, and
he was about to cause her pain. "At least you
didn't dislocate your shoulder. But the wound is
deep, and I'm going to have to clean it."

"Will it be bad?"

"I won't lie to you. It'll hurt like hell."

He felt her tremble. "Just do it quickly."

He eased her down on the edge of his cot and
felt her body stiffen. If he didn't handle this right,
she would surely take flight. He attempted to put
her at ease by distracting her. "I found you a milk
cow at the Bolson farm. I put her in the barn, in
the second stall. Now you can stop worrying that
your brother and sister don't have milk to drink."

She smiled slightly. "Once again, I am in your
debt."

He had never wanted to kiss a woman as badly
as he wanted to kiss her at that moment. He could
only imagine how soft her lips would be beneath
his seeking mouth. "Just sit still," he said gruffly,
"while I gather what I need."

She glanced up at him while attempting to pull
the front of her gown together. "I will."

He would have liked nothing better at that moment than to lay her down on his bed and cover
her body with his. He felt himself swell and harden, and he cursed under his breath.

Gabe managed to drag his attention back to her
injury. In the not-too-distant future their lives
would take a different turn, and he would have
to leave. He knew if he kissed her, he would never be able to ride away when that time came.