The Circle Eight: Caleb (30 page)

Rory eased her grip on the child, her cheeks warm from embarrassment. “Sorry, sweetie.”

“Mama, how long until we get there?” Meredith looked up at her mother. “I want to see the baby.”

“It’ll take a while. Uncle Caleb has to drive slow since there are so many of us in the wagon.”

Catherine trotted alongside the wagon, her face wreathed in smiles as the wind caressed her skin. She was stunning at age eleven, natural on a horse, with grace and beauty to spare. When she grew up, her brothers would have a hard time keeping the boys off the ranch. All of the Graham girls were attractive, but Catherine was gorgeous.

Benjy watched her, longing on his face as he watched the horse. Other than riding alongside Caleb and Rory, she guessed the boy hadn’t been on a horse since he’d been taken from the Circle Eight. She would have to mention it to Eva and perhaps get the boy a mount of his own to ride.

The girls demanded a story, and Hannah set to telling one about a princess who lived in a castle. Fanciful stuff, things Rory had never heard. Hannah was a good storyteller, with lively expressions and different voices. The girls were enraptured, their gazes glued to their mother.

After Hannah finished, others took turns, weaving tales from sweet to scary to funny. Rory thoroughly enjoyed each one, her envy over the Graham family growing. It was a wonderful way to pass the time. The little girls finally succumbed to the rocking motion of the wagon and fell asleep.

Rory closed her eyes, the exhaustion of the last week and her recovery from the wound and fever catching up to her. She dreamt of Caleb’s touch, his mouth on hers, waking up beside him. Then there was a little girl with amber eyes and Caleb’s brown wavy hair. She laughed as Caleb swung her around in a circle, her little feet pointing like arrows in the wind. Joy swept through Rory. It was a perfect moment.

“Aurora?” Caleb’s voice startled her and she woke, gasping. He frowned at her. “Are you okay? Your face is flushed.”

She glanced around and saw everyone preparing to jump out of the wagon. A small white house sat against a clear blue sky, fields of symmetrical lines of plump green plants dotted the landscape behind it. Rory heard an infant cry and her confusion sharpened.

“We just got to my sister’s place. You were sleeping pretty hard.” He picked her up out of the wagon and set her on her feet. “Stand there and get your bearings for a minute.”

A tall man with black hair and blue eyes stepped off the front porch, grinning. The twins jumped on his legs and he laughed, dragging his steps as they squealed. The older girls gave him a brief hug before Eva took over and squeezed him so hard, Rory thought she heard a bone crack.

“
Hijo
. I am so happy for you. A boy!” She cupped his cheek. “How is she?”

“She’s good. The midwife is still here. Liv will be glad to see you all.” The man looked at Caleb and his brows went up. “Ranger Graham.”

Caleb glanced at the ground and toed the dirt. That was by far the most interesting response she’d ever seen from the rough ranger. He obviously respected this man a great deal.

“Brody. I, uh, brought all the women.” Caleb grinned. “You are a lucky man to have a boy. We’ve got females coming out our ears at the Circle Eight. You’re not wearing that fancy pistol of yours anymore?”

“Nah, Liv doesn’t want either of us carrying weapons anymore since we’re parents now.” The man laughed.

Either of us carrying weapons?
Did that mean Caleb’s sister carried a gun too? The Graham family was still an unfolding puzzle Rory had yet to figure out.

Caleb laughed too. “That sounds like a reasonable argument to me. Besides I was always afraid she’d find a reason to shoot one of her brothers.”

The man called Brody shook Caleb’s hand. “How did you get this assignment? The captain run out of jobs for a Texas Ranger?”

“Nah, I got shot. It’s a long story.” Caleb watched Benjy climb down out of the wagon. “I have a surprise for Liv and for you.”

Brody’s expression changed from amused to serious in a blink. If this was Olivia’s husband, the ex-ranger, Rory was suitably impressed by his ferocity. She’d thought Caleb was intimidating, but this man had his brother-in-law beat.

“You found him.” Brody’s voice had dropped to a husky whisper.

“Through a series of accidents, yes, we found him.” Caleb turned to his brother. “Benjy, this is Brody, Olivia’s husband.”

Benjy stared at the black-haired man with something like awe mixed with fear. Brody held out his hand to the boy.

“I’m very happy to meet you, Benjy.” The ex-ranger swallowed loud enough for Rory to hear it.

After a brief hesitation, Benjy shook his brother-in-law’s hand. Briefly, but he did shake it. She thought she saw the boy tremble a little but he stood with his shoulders and back straight. He was a hell of a person.

“Sir.”

“Call me Brody. I am married to Liv. She will be so happy to see you, Benjy. She never gave up hope.” Brody picked up the twins, one on each arm. “You two go to the barn and take a look at the piglets the sow just hatched.”

“Piglets!” The girls squealed and wiggled their way out of his grasp, running for the barn.

“Don’t climb up in the loft!” Hannah called after them, shaking her head with a small smile.

“Are you ready?” Brody asked the boy.

Benjy nodded and they walked into the house together. Rory followed, her heart beating fast for the reunion that was to follow. She barely noticed Caleb taking her elbow and leading her into the house.

It was a modest place with one large room to the left with a few pieces of furniture. A kitchen tucked into the right side with a homey appeal, including a table and two chairs with a square lace tablecloth on top, a vase with black-eyed susans in it.

Ahead lay an open door with the sound of an infant crying emanating from it. Hushed voices of the girls also came from within. Rory didn’t know Caleb’s sister or this dangerous looking man with the black hair. She was uncomfortable and out of place. If she’d known Caleb was driving the wagon or how she would react to the new baby, Rory would have refused to come. Her gut twisted with what she might call fear.

Brody walked through the door in front of them and his expression changed again. His entire face softened as he looked at whomever was in the room. It was pure love, unfiltered and unrestrained. It made Rory’s heart pittypat. She wished Caleb would look at her like that.

Then she wanted to smack herself for the thought.

Yet it was the bald truth and she couldn’t deny it. This hard man, Brody, loved his wife with a ferocity she recognized. It beat within her, waiting to be set loose. Caleb’s rejection had wounded her ferocious core, but she never lost its depth.

“Liv? Caleb is with the girls and he brought you a surprise.” When Brody turned to look at Caleb and Rory, his eyes were suspiciously wet.

Rory’s heart pounded hard now, the impending reunion between brother and sister, and fear of what she would witness, made her feel itchy and odd. She wasn’t used to so much emotion. It was overwhelming.

“Caleb came? What happened, did they want to punish him?” A woman’s soft, tired voice came from inside the room. The girls giggled.

“Come on. You deserve part of this.” Caleb stepped through the door and pulled Rory in with him.

A woman lay on the bed, her long brown hair in a braid on her shoulder. A tiny baby was bundled up beside her, an angelic face with a loud pair of lungs. He had quieted when they stepped in, blinking his owlish baby eyes at them.

The woman cocked her head and looked at Rory, making her feel self-conscious and foolish. She almost left the room but Caleb had a death grip on her arm. Benjy hovered behind her, his discomfort greater than her own.

Brody walked over to the bed and picked up the baby in his big hands. The infant waved his arms, instantly recognizing his father. “I’ll let your brother tell the story.”

“Liv, this is Aurora Foster, the woman who finally put a twist in my tail. Rory, this is Olivia Armstrong, my sister.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Rory. I knew there would be a woman one day who could do it.” Olivia smiled at her and Rory found herself smiling back. Caleb’s sister made a body feel at ease.

“And one more visitor for you.” Caleb pulled her to the side, exposing Benjy to his sister.

A hush fell over the room as Olivia’s amusement faded. Her face blanched and tears sprang to her eyes.

“Benjy? Oh my God. Benjy?” She crawled out of bed, ignoring her husband’s protests.

Olivia was shorter than Rory but she was taller than most of her sisters. She shuffled toward Benjy with her hands out, wearing a long white nightdress and an expression of disbelief and joy. She opened her arms and Benjy fell into them.

“BenjyBenjyBenjyBenjy.” She crooned as she rubbed his back, rocking back and forth with Benjy in her arms. Her voice crackled with a mixture of pain, joy and disbelief. Tears streamed down her cheeks unnoticed and unheeded. “I never gave up hope. Never.”

The other Graham sisters wept at the reunion, using discreet handkerchiefs from their sleeves. Brody let a few tears fall unchecked, which surprised and humbled Rory. Caleb sniffed beside her, wiping his eyes so no one would see he cried too.

Rory held the tears back, the emotion in the room pummeling her with the urge to let them loose. She didn’t know these people well but she knew what loneliness was. To be Benjy and have his family welcome him back, no matter what, that was worth a thousand days of mediocre with Horatio. Her marriage had been convenient but never full of love.

The Grahams showed her what true family was again, what she’d lost when her parents died. She wanted it again, bad enough she could taste it on her tongue. Even though they’d been separated for nearly half of Benjy’s life, the love was still there. Rory wanted to hug all of them, to absorb some of that love.

“How?” Olivia cupped her younger brother’s face. “Where?”

Benjy used his sleeve to wipe his eyes. “Rory and Caleb found me.”

Olivia looked at Rory. “Then I have another reason to thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything but get myself banged up.” Rory didn’t deserve the gratitude. Without Caleb, nothing would have happened. “Your brothers were the brave ones. I was along for the ride.”

“Don’t listen to her, Liv. Rory has brass balls.” Caleb’s bald statement made Eva gasp but his sisters shook their heads as though they expected it.

“
Hijo
, your language.” Eva snuck the baby out of Brody’s grasp and snuggled the little boy. “In front of the baby too.”

Olivia hugged Benjy again. “This is the best gift I could have received. A new child and my Benjy back in my arms.” She started weeping again, this time silently, and sat down on the bed, pulling him down beside her.

“I hope you can stay for a while.” She gripped Benjy’s hand as though he would fly away if she let go.

“We can stay a couple of days. After that the men will come after us.” Hannah smiled. “We took all the girls. None of those men can cook anything more than boiled water. We left two loaves of bread and a hock of ham.”

“They can figure it out. I want you to stay at least a week.” Olivia ignored her husband’s frown. “I can’t bear it if you leave sooner than that.”

“You have a new baby to take care of. You can see us anytime.” Eva cooed at the baby, as though she would leave a moment sooner than absolutely necessary.

“We can talk about all that later.” Caleb motioned to his sisters. “Let’s give Liv and Benjy time alone and you girls can make fools of yourselves over this little boy.”

“What’s his name?” Rory couldn’t help the question. It just popped out of her mouth.

Olivia smiled. “Stuart Armstrong. After our father.”

Caleb’s expression changed and Rory knew he’d been deeply moved by the baby’s name. If Rory ever had a child, not that she would, she would do the same thing Olivia did and name a boy after her Pa. It was a fitting tribute for a lost father.

“That’s a good name.” Caleb opened the door and shooed his sisters out, followed by Eva who didn’t appear to be giving up the baby soon, and Brody. He held out his hand to Rory. “C’mon, honey, let’s get some coffee.”

Rory looked back at Olivia and Benjy, heads bent together, and the longing for family hit her again. Hard. She wanted that for herself, that unconditional love. Unless Caleb accepted her as she was, and what she was, she wouldn’t get what she desired.

She joined the Grahams in the kitchen. Hannah already had coffee on the stove and was busy coordinating the baskets of food the girls were carrying in. Catherine ignored Brody’s raised brows at her trousers, while Elizabeth and Rebecca quietly worked to assist their sister-in-law. Eva found a rocking chair and was currently snuggling little Stuart.

Rory wasn’t sure what to do. Not only as she wearing trousers too, she was out of place in this house, in this family. She was about to leave for a breath of fresh air when Brody spoke to her.

“Tell me how you found him and how you came to tame this foolish man.” He sat down at the table and pulled out a chair for her.

Rory sat down, her discomfort with the black-haired man not completely gone. His blue eyes were intense, and would have been cold if she hadn’t seen the true love he had for his wife and child.