Salvation in the Rancher's Arms(92)

Life or death.

He hadn’t wanted to kill those men, not one of them. He’d done everything in his power to convince them to walk away. They had refused. Their choice had been death. Caleb had defended himself in the only way he could.

He had chosen life.

And now, he chose Rachel’s life. He wouldn’t let her die, as long as there was breath left in his body.

Another shot rang out. Caleb turned his face and buried it in Rachel’s hair, breathing in the scent of violets for the last time as he braced himself for the impact of the bullet that would finally end his life.





Chapter Twenty-Three

Warm sun and a light breeze slowly coaxed Rachel from the deep sleep she’d enjoyed. Bit by bit, she became more aware of the sounds around her. The normal sounds of her everyday life. The birds chirping, Freedom humming in the kitchen and somewhere in the distance, the men arriving at the main house for breakfast.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon cooking made her stomach growl, but she put off opening her eyes, unwilling to embrace the day, wishing desperately to return to the solace of the night.

Something nudged her.

“Open your eyes.”

She did as she was told, squinting against the sunlight filtering in from the window near her bed. Above her, Caleb’s face settled into view as he leaned over her. His smile deepened the lines etched into the corners of his eyes.

Relief swept through her. He was still here. He hadn’t left her. Shamus’s last shot had done nothing more than graze Caleb’s shoulder. It was the last evil thing the man ever did. As Caleb covered her, another shot had rung out, but it hadn’t been from Shamus. Hunter had followed her, only minutes behind. He’d arrived as Brody burst out of the house. Rushing in, he’d reached them as Shamus was about to make his final shot. Hunter beat him to it. Rachel had heard Shamus’s surprised grunt, then the sound of his body slumping to the floor.

It was over.

Caleb’s fingertips lightly touched her shoulder where her nightdress had slipped off to reveal the bruise the rifle stock had left. “How do you feel?”

“Better. I won’t break. I promise.”

Caleb shook his head, and the worry eased from his hazel eyes. A quiet breath lifted his chest. She could have stayed there all morning staring up at his handsome face and the depth of emotion mirrored there.

“What were you thinking, going after Kirkpatrick?”

“I was thinking I could stop you before you tried anything heroic.” Her admission shocked him, though he managed to keep his expression calm. She shrugged. “I didn’t get there in time. I wish I’d killed him,” she said, the memory of him holding a gun to Brody still filling her heart with fear and anger.

“You’re no killer, Rachel.” Caleb brushed a lock of hair from her brow.

She reached up and took his hand, bringing it down to rest against her heart. “Neither are you.”

His mouth twisted. “I’ve killed a lot of men. Your husband included.”

“Robert got himself killed. You were only defending yourself. I’m sorry Robert’s dead, but he brought it on himself. It isn’t your responsibility. I’m sorry I made you feel as though it was. I was angry you hadn’t told me.”

“I wanted to, that first night I met you in the restaurant. But it had been a hard day, and the news of the deed had been too much. I figured I’d best wait before I hit you with the worst of it. When I realized the problems you had with Kirkpatrick I didn’t want to leave you unprotected. If I’d told you then, you’d have kicked me off your land without hesitation.”

It was true. His presence had disturbed her from the first moment she’d laid eyes on him in the church. It had scared her, the sudden and powerful draw toward him. Fear and uncertainty had made her want to push him away.

“It wasn’t my land.”

He conceded the point with a tilt of his head.

“I wanted to tell you—” He stopped and shook his head, his gaze drifting to the window. “No. That’s a lie.”

“Caleb?”

When he looked back, pain had replaced worry, hardening his features, tightening the skin over his sharp cheekbones. “I didn’t want to tell you. Not when I saw how much he had hurt you. How much you were still hurting. I didn’t want to add to it. And after a bit, I didn’t want to leave you alone.”

“You wanted to protect me.”

A bitter smile flitted over his mouth before disappearing. “I wanted more than that.” Desire burned in his eyes, driving straight to her core, making her nerves dance to life. But that wasn’t the only thing she saw. There was something else. Something deeper.