He pulled back on the reins, stopping Jasper cold so that he reared slightly in protest. He swiveled in his saddle, quickly counting four men.
And four guns leveled directly at his chest.
Chapter Sixteen
Caleb’s hand pressed against his hip where his gun used to be. Nothing. Not that it mattered. With two men in front and two behind, it was unlikely he’d be able to shoot his way out unscathed.
He was suddenly thankful Rachel was angry at him. At the rate she’d driven off, she’d be almost home by now. Safe.
That was all that mattered.
He held himself silent in the saddle. There was no point asking these men what they wanted. He could hazard a guess.
Kirkpatrick had sent them.
Caleb had known that as soon as Kirkpatrick discovered who’d paid off Robert’s debt there would be repercussions. He wished he’d had a chance to see Kirkpatrick’s face when he heard the news. It would have made the four-to-one odds worth it.
One of the men in front, with a jagged scar crisscrossing his cheek, motioned with his Colt. “Get down.”
Caleb hesitated, quickly scanning for any possible avenue of escape. But, fast as Jasper was, even he couldn’t outrun a bullet.
As if to punctuate the point, a gun was cocked behind him.
“Don’t try anything stupid.”
Caleb didn’t have any intention of being stupid. He eased himself off Jasper and looped the reins around the pommel. Someone moved behind him and he stiffened. A loud smack against horseflesh sounded and Jasper took off into the woods.
“This is gonna be easy,” the nasally voice from behind stated. “He ain’t even wearin’ no gun. What kinda man don’t wear a gun?”
The kind who has already killed his fair share, Caleb thought.
Scarface smirked. “Looks like Lady Luck ain’t travelin’ with you today.”
Caleb was pretty sure Lady Luck had lost track of his whereabouts a long time ago. “That a fact?”
His nonchalance seemed to irritate Scarface. His beady eyes narrowed. “You honestly think Mr. Kirkpatrick was gonna let you get away with interferin’ in his plans?”
Caleb shrugged. “Can’t say I gave it much consideration.”
“Well, you’re gonna be wishin’ you had, stranger. ’Cause he don’t cotton to such disrespect. Told us to teach you a little lesson about mindin’ your own business.”
“Then why don’t you quit jawin’ like an old woman and get on with it.”
The man behind him lunged. Caleb spun and managed to stop his approach with a left hook, but by then the other three had dismounted and rushed at him. For the first few minutes survival instinct took over and he didn’t feel the weight of the blows. But, bit by bit, his body tired and the pain made itself known. He knew he was going down, but not without taking as many of these miscreants with him as possible.
One already lay in the middle of the path. Another staggered away, leaning against a tree and holding his ribs. Caleb would have liked to do the same. His ribs pained like crazy, as did his quickly swelling eye. Blood streamed into the other eye from a cut on his forehead until eventually he was swinging blind, doing his best to ward off the hits coming his way and get in a few of his own. For a fleeting moment there was a glimmer of hope that he might prevail, but then something hard and heavy crashed down on the back of his skull. As his mind fought the rushing blackness, his battered body openly embraced it.
His knees hit the ground with a jarring thud.
His last thought was of Rachel. Had he given her enough time to arrive home safe and sound? And who would protect her if he didn’t make it back?
“Rachel, how come Mr. Beckett’s horse came home alone?”
Ethan stood by the door, peering through the screen and pointing.
Rachel dried her hands against her skirt. She’d spent the better part of an hour throwing herself into her chores trying to forget her argument with Caleb, but it was no use. The more she ran over it in her head the more she came across as...wrong.
The idea galled her.
With the heat of the moment gone, she knew she had been wrong to blame him for all her problems. Yes, he should have checked with her first, but it was as he said: he was only trying to help. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had done that.
No wonder her manners were so rusty.
Rachel walked over to the door and placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder as she looked out. Under the gnarled oak in the front yard, Jasper gnawed at the freshly growing grass, his reins dragging along the ground.
Caleb was nowhere to be seen. Fear crept up her spine. He would never leave Jasper saddled and unattended after the long ride from town. She scanned the horizon, hoping to see some hint of him or a clue to why he wasn’t here. There was nothing.