In Too Deep (29 page)

Audra laid a finger on his lips. “I like knowing I fought back. I think I finally believe I'm a strong woman.”

“I've believed it for a long time.”

“And you faced that cavern. I know you hate it down there, but you faced it despite that.”

“I did.”

“God took our weakness and made things come out perfectly.”

“I don't think I'd have a broken leg if things were completely perfect,” Seth added.

Ethan looked at Seth and smiled. He knew, even if Seth didn't, that he never would have gone into the cavern if Seth had been able to. Yes, a broken leg seemed like a hard result for poor old Seth, but he'd heal. And now Ethan's fear was broken while Audra had a new confidence. Their lives together would be better now.

Ethan knew it was still a hard land, but without outlaws on their trail, things were going to calm down.

Finally, life would be good.

“This town suits you then, Jasper?” Trixie sounded exhausted.

Jasper didn't blame her. She'd wanted to stop now for hundreds of miles. Jasper had dragged her along until they'd reached Colorado City. This was close enough.

“Yes, and the man at the station said he knows of a house or two for sale. The bank is the place to ask.”

“Let's go to the hotel and worry about a house tomorrow.” Trixie moved slowly down the board sidewalks. Jasper knew his joints were creaky; it looked like hers were, too. “I can't face making a decision this important without a good night's sleep.”

“If you'll trust me with this, you can go lie down for a while and I'll scout out the houses. It's a good-sized town. I'll make sure there's a yard for chickens and a garden and a barn for a milk cow or two.” It sounded like Jasper's very own vision of death.

The drudgery of the life she wanted to live made him want to growl like a mangy wolf.

“There's the bank, and the hotel isn't in sight.” Trixie pointed to a sign, swinging over the bank's front door just ahead of them. “I'll go with you. I want to hear about the houses and help pick out the one we buy.”

Biting back his impatience, Jasper smiled. He'd hoped to get to the post office and see if there was a letter for him. Maybe Mitch would have left word with details about Jasper's money.

He didn't want to even ask for that letter with Trixie watching.

The bank had exactly two houses for sale. Trixie picked the bigger one, which ended up being real little.

“We can be happy here.” Trixie leaned against Jasper as they stopped and looked at the house.

“It's a nice house, all right.” Jasper lost the impatient feeling that rode him most of the time. It
was
a nice house. Two stories. Board instead of log. Glass windows and a solid-looking porch with a row of spindles along the front. The house was on the edge of town with a wooded lot behind it that came with the place, and mountains and forest stretching away forever beyond their property line.

Jasper's hunger to get his money faded as he gazed at the house. “It's almost familiar,” he said under his breath.

“What?”

Jasper tore his eyes away from the house and turned to Trixie, smiling. “It feels like home already.”

“Let's go inside.” She handed him the key the banker had given them once the papers were signed and the money handed over.

They reached the front door, and Jasper used considerable flourish to unlock it. He swung the door open and turned to look at Trixie. Jasper's house in Houston was a mansion. Of course he'd borrowed heavily against it when he'd converted his holdings to something far easier to carry. This whole house would fit in one corner of his Houston place.

“We're home.” How strange that it almost sounded good. Jasper was nearly fifty, but he suddenly felt as awkward as a teenager.

With a smile he swept Trixie into his arms. With a little squeak of surprise, she grabbed his shoulders. Their eyes met and she laughed and hugged him tight. Jasper carried her in. He kicked the door shut and set her on her feet, then leaned down to kiss her.

She pressed her palms flat on his chest to stop him. “Jasper, I want to say something now that we're really in our own home.”

A twist of frustration tightened his jaw, but he straightened away from her and said with an easy smile, “Say it, wife.”

Her expression grew somber as she studied him. Finally, when Jasper began to think maybe she wasn't going to speak at all, she said, “I know you, Jasper Duff, better I think than you know yourself.”

Jasper sincerely hoped not.

“I know you came along with me, even married me, mainly because I had money and bullets were flying.”

Jasper did his best to control a flinch. She did know him. “Now, Trixie, that's not—”

“Let me finish.”

With a mocking sweep of his hand, Jasper said, “Fine, go on.”

“I know you're still crazy to get back what was stolen from you. And I know that your mind is twisted with ideas of revenge, of regaining power, of continuing on with the dishonesty that's been part and parcel of who you've been your whole life.”

Not his
whole
life. Just the last forty years.

“So here's the thing.” Trixie crossed her arms.

Jasper braced himself.

“I'm going to hide the money I have left. I'll hide it just as carefully as I hid it before.”

“Do you think I'd steal your money?”

“I think you've got a rare knack of justifying anything you want to do.”

Which was no more than the plain truth. “It's your money—do with it whatever you want.”

“I will.” Trixie's expression was firm, but there was real kindness behind it. She really did love him. “I want you to give up on all the madness of finding your money. We've got enough. We need to live
quietly
. If suddenly we're rich, if we live in a big house in a big city, we'll be found out. You know the Hardeseys have arms that reach a long, long way, especially in a city. They'll find us and they'll kill you. And I'll probably take a bullet because I'm standing next to you.”

Jasper felt a pang of regret for the truth in that statement.

“So I'm home now. I'm staying here.” She looked around the modest entry area of the little house and seemed to plant herself solidly and deeply right there in the front entrance.

It reminded Jasper a bit of the house he'd grown up in. It reminded him that he'd loved his mother. His father, too. He wondered for the first time if his father had ever regretted turning all his fury on Jasper. Had his father, possibly, in the depths of his grief, gone a bit mad? Had he struck out at his son only to regret it later, when it was too late?

Jasper had been too hurt, too twisted up with his own grief and anger and guilt to ever go back to see.

“I'm not stupid, Jasper. I know you picked this place for a reason. So I'm guessing you're thinking to search for your money from here. If you go, if you set out on this madness to find money that will almost certainly destroy you, then don't come back. Don't come in here with the wealth you're so hungry for and expect me to be excited and leave with you to some mansion that will get us killed.”

“I'm not going to lie to you, Trix. I have one place I want to check. I want to see if my men left a letter for me in this town.”

“You can read your letter, but when you leave to chase after whatever that letter tells you, don't bother coming back.”

Jasper wondered if he could do it. He had to read the letter, if it was even there. What if there was enough information to send him off on the hunt? What would he do? Trixie was right about that money being as good as a noose. He'd want to spend it. He'd want a big house and silk shirts. He'd live high. And he'd be found out. And he'd die.

Jasper was struck by the strange business of being honest with someone. And was impressed with just how smart Trixie was. He wondered for the first time if maybe he really could find happiness in a small house with a chicken coop in the backyard.

Ethan flinched with sympathy as he lifted Seth astride his horse. Seth's jaw was tight with pain, but no words of complaint escaped his lips.

“I'll ride ahead, Seth. Audra, you bring up the rear and keep an eye out for any sign of those outlaws.” Ethan was pretty sure there weren't any bad guys, so he took some pleasure in leaving his feisty little wife as the rear guard.

She smiled so sweetly it was all Ethan could do to not laugh at her wish to be tough. But he didn't laugh because handling two dangerous hombres was all the proof anyone needed that she was a lot stronger than she looked.

They rode slowly toward the Kincaid Ranch. Ethan planned to mark the trail when he got to the place Rafe and Julia should intersect with on their way home from Rawhide. When they finally reached the red rock wall, Ethan glanced back and knew they had to take a break before Seth fell off his horse.

He reined in his mount and swung down. “Let's rest.”

“I don't need rest, Eth.” Seth spoke through clenched teeth. “Don't stop for me.”

“There's a spring near here. We can have a drink of cold water and the jerky and biscuits.”

“Ethan, stop acting like—”

Ethan came to his side and dragged him off his horse. Seth tried to stand on his good leg and his knee gave out.

Catching him before he could fall, Ethan as good as carried him to the wall. When they got close, Seth sank to the ground and twisted to look at a tree that seemed to grow right out of the rock. “Look at that.”

“What?” Ethan turned to see what Seth was so interested in.

“Is that a . . . cave?” The sun was getting low in the sky, and although they were in a nice clearing, it was heavily shaded.

With a sinking stomach, Ethan looked closer. Then closer still. “Yep. It's a cave.”

Ethan had made his peace with that cavern, but he didn't think he was ever going to really
love
caves like Seth. He tried to distract Seth from this one. “This looks like the best place for you to build your cabin.” Except for that cave. He nodded at a little spring. “Fresh water, year-round.”

“I remember this spring from when we were kids.” Seth licked his lips, and it reminded Ethan that they hadn't eaten or had more than a sip of water yet today. “Can you get my canteen, Eth?”

While Ethan fetched the canteen, he said, “That spring never runs dry. And we're about halfway between my place and Rafe's. So it's within easy riding distance. You could come and eat with us most of the time.”

With the canteen filled, he handed it to Seth, who took a long drink. Once his thirst was quenched, he gave the canteen back and began dragging himself along on the ground toward that blasted cave.

“Seth, leave it for now. I don't want you bumping that leg around.”

“I just want to look inside.” Seth poked his head in the cave, and his voice echoed. “I want to see if it's big or not.” Seth went the rest of the way in.

Ethan looked at Audra, who rolled her eyes. “Your brother is a very nice man, but he's a little strange, Ethan.”

“I think I might just live in here.” Seth's voice echoed a bit, but he hadn't gone in too far. Ethan hoped that meant the cave wasn't a big one. “What are the rules about homesteading? Do you have to build an actual house?”

The sound of hoofbeats turned Ethan and Audra around. Ethan's hand went to his gun just as Rafe rounded a bend in the wooded trail.

Looking away for a second, Ethan said, “Maybe they found the treasure. I've only thought that we didn't get to do any hunting, but if they found it, then it doesn't matter.”

They rode up. Rafe dismounted and wrapped his reins around a tree branch. Julia was at his side before Ethan and Audra could walk the few paces over to them.

“Where's Seth?” Rafe asked.

“I'm in here, Rafe.” Seth's voice sounded hollow from inside the cave. “I'm thinking of living in here.”

Rafe jammed his gloved fists on his hips. “Seth!” Rafe's voice could've shaken the cave, it was so loud. “Get out here.”

There was a scratching sound.

“Seth, right now.”

“I'm coming, Rafe.”

“How deep did he go into that dumb cave?” Ethan bent down to stare in the dark hole.

“What's taking him so long?” Rafe demanded. “I've got some questions for him.”

Ethan could see that something was bothering Rafe. It wasn't about Seth liking to explore caves. Rafe's usual icy temper looked fiery hot right now.

“He broke his leg.” Audra's announcement drew Rafe and Julia's attention.

“How?” Julia pulled her riding gloves off, her brow furrowed with concern.

“Those men, the ones who shot at you yesterday, attacked us.”

Julia gasped and looked from Audra to the children. “Are you all right?”

“We've got them.”

“Got them where? How?” Rafe's eyes narrowed on Ethan, and he realized he still had dried blood on his face.

“We trapped them in the cavern.” Audra patted Maggie on the back while Lily slept in her little pack.

“Audra single-handedly captured both of them, shoved them into that hole Seth got burned in, and by the time I got there, she was ready to just walk right out on her own.”

“That is not how it happened. You saved me.” Audra threw her free arm around Ethan's waist. He smiled down at her and tucked her under one arm, loving the feel of her.

“Audra got the best of two men?” Julia looked at Audra, impressed.

“You went into the cavern?” Rafe looked at Ethan, doubtful.

Audra and Ethan took turns telling about the day, but they made it quick.

“We need to get Seth home. He got knocked over a cliff.”

“Hi, Rafe.” Seth stuck his head out of the cave.

“You've got a broken leg?” Rafe stalked toward his brother.

“Yep. My ankle. Hurts like crazy, too.” Seth didn't sound all that upset about it as he came the rest of the way out, crawling on his hands and knees. His heavily splinted leg appeared last.

Rafe pulled a paper out of his shirt pocket. “Seth, I got a letter while I was in town.”

With his usual wild smile, Seth said, “That's nice. I don't reckon I've ever gotten a letter before.”

Rafe pulled a second piece of paper out and extended it toward Seth. “You have now. There were two of them—one to me, one to you. From. Your.
Wife
.”

Ethan felt his jaw drop open. He sputtered for a while before he could say, “Wife? Seth? You've got a wife?”

“Didn't you want to marry me a few weeks ago?” Audra stepped away from Ethan. Who braced himself to tackle her if Seth was in danger. His brother had a broken leg, after all.

“And I'm quite sure you expressed an interest in being married to me, too,” Julia said.

“But that was after you were already married to Rafe.” Seth took the letter slowly, staring at it as if it might bite. “There wasn't much chance of you actually saying yes.”

Seth opened the letter and read silently for a while. “Callie. Uh . . . she says we got . . . got . . . got . . .”

Rafe shook his head. “I think
married
is the word you're looking for, little brother.”

“You said her name once,” Ethan said, remembering.

Seth looked up from the letter. “I did? When?”

“Yesterday, when we got shot at. You said you didn't like the idea of building a cabin and living in it alone. Then you said you missed Callie.”

“It sounds kinda familiar.”

“Well, it
oughta
be if you
married
the woman.” Ethan swatted Seth on the head with his hat.

Seth ducked and kept reading.

Rafe looked down at his own letter. “It says she's worried about you and has been looking for you ever since you ran off from her. She says you had nightmares from your time in the war and she doesn't know if you're thinking right.”

“She's got the right man,” Julia muttered.

“It also says she's coming here,” Rafe went on. “Apparently you talked about your family and she wants my help in finding you. In fact, she
demands
my help.”

Seth went on reading his letter, and his eyes got so wide that Ethan was afraid his eyeballs would fall right out of his head.

“If she knew your name, Rafe, why'd she take a year to come hunting for Seth? Don't seem like she cared much about him.”

“She doesn't say, but Seth told her he had family in Rawhide, and that's why she wrote to me here.” Rafe's eyes lifted from Seth to Ethan.

Seth squirmed from where he sat on the ground and stuck his nose even deeper in his letter. “Callie's really upset.”

“I think killing mad is a better description.” Rafe held his letter up. “Some of the time she sounds worried, then she kinda switches over to ‘he'd
better
be dead.' She's not happy with you, little brother.”

Seth's attention was riveted on the letter. Audra's fingers itched to see what the woman had written to so completely trap Seth in the words.

“Seth, for heaven's sake, you ran off and left the woman?” Julia looked tempted to start pounding on Seth. Ethan wondered if he'd have to protect his brother from both women.

“We've got to find her and help her. Get her out here.” Audra chewed on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

Ethan edged closer to her. She was strong. She'd beaten up two men today. She hadn't oughta ruin it now by crying.

“No Kincaid is going to abandon his wife. Not while I'm alive.” Rafe looked torn between pounding on Seth and mounting up to find Callie.

“Does she say how she's living?” Ethan asked. “How she's coming out? Can we go meet her? I hate to think of a woman alone, just like Audra and Julia. No one to protect her. Helpless.”

Julia swatted Ethan on the arm. “We weren't helpless.”

“My letter says she's headed for Rawhide.” Rafe handed the letter to Ethan. “She wrote the letter right before she started out on the train for Denver, planning to take a stagecoach the rest of the way.”

Julia frowned. “There aren't any stagecoaches to Rawhide.”

“I reckon she's finding that out about now.”

Seth looked up from his letter, his confusion giving way to determination. “We've got to go meet her. How will we find her? I wonder what she looks like.”

Julia slapped herself in the face with the palm of her hand and shook her head. Ethan heard a little groan of pain.

“This letter is at least a month old,” Rafe said. “You know how poor mail delivery is out here.” He looked back in the direction of Rawhide. “She could be here any minute.”

Seth tried to stand, and his gasp of pain reminded Ethan that the boy had a broken ankle. “Not sure how far I can ride.”

“I'll ride out in the morning.” Rafe looked at Julia. “
We'll
ride out in the morning. We'll head for Denver and hunt until we find her.”

“There's hardly a decent trail between here and Denver.” Ethan frowned. Then he remembered when he'd done nothing but smile. Ethan kind of wanted those old days back.

“And what trails there are wind from town to town,” Ethan went on. “She could be coming down a dozen different directions, probably on a freight wagon. You can't hope to find her, Rafe.”

“We've got to get those men out of the cave first,” Audra reminded them. “We really can't leave them in that hole. Worse yet, if they get out, they could attack us again.”

Ethan looked from Julia to Rafe. “You didn't find that money, did you?”

Rafe shook his head. “Had quite a while to look, too. I didn't even think of a letter.”

“I get mail from time to time. I thought of it,” Julia added.

“When she asked,” Rafe said, “they handed those to me. Eth, Callie's letter was to you and me both. Reckon Seth had nightmares about both of us.”

“That cave isn't deep enough to live in and there are no tunnels at all,” Seth said, pointing at the cave he'd just come out of, smiling. He'd been surprised for a few seconds about having a wife. But now he was his old loco self. “Where's the fun in that? I guess I'll need to build a cabin.”

“Big enough for a wife.” Ethan felt very sorry for poor, abandoned, forgotten Callie Kincaid.

Seth perked up and smiled wide at Audra. “Are you going to live here with me? And bring the babies? That'll be fun.”

“Maybe Callie shouldn't be in that big a hurry to get here,” Julia said. She sounded exhausted.