His Brother's Wife (31 page)

Jesse jerked his hat off
his head, the snow that had settled on the brim falling to the
floor. "You son of a bitch. I told you she wasn't for
you!"

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

Rafe left Grace in the
parlor, tears staining her cheeks. He grabbed his coat and hat, and
exited the house to the sound of her crying. His heart broke all
over again.

Jesse had run from the
room after catching them kissing, his venomous screams piercing
Rafe's heart until he couldn't breathe past it. As much as Jesse
catching them unnerved him, he was just glad the boy hadn't been
ten minutes sooner in getting home.

The thought sent chills up
his spine while that traitorous voice in the back of his head
taunted him, telling him he should have never touched her. She was
his brother's wife. Not his.

The door to the barn was
open and Rafe hurried inside, pulling the heavy wood closed behind
him. Jesse was saddling his horse, his face red and tear
streaked.

Rafe inhaled a deep
breath. "Jesse…"

"I don't want to hear a
word you have to say, Rafe!" Jesse turned his back to him,
tightening the saddle cinch before grabbing the bridle.

A hundred thoughts went
through Rafe's mind as he watched Jesse. And not one of those
thoughts gave him any clear indication on what to say. What could
he say? I love the woman you requested for your wife? I'm sorry but
she loves me, too?

Either of those things
seemed a bit cruel even though they were the truth.

He pulled his hat off, ran
a hand through his hair and slammed the leather back onto his head,
frustrated. "Damn it, Jesse, what do you want me to
say."

"Nothing. I already told
you that." Jesse turned, led the horse from the stall and glared at
him. "I knew you was no good, Rafe. I knew it when I realized you'd
left ma and pa to work this ranch all alone. They worked themselves
to the grave trying to keep us fed and they're both dead because
you was off licking your wounds cause some girl didn't want you.
Well, guess what, big brother? You still ain't wanted around here
so you're welcome to leave anytime now."

Rafe blocked Jesse's path
and stood his ground. "I'm not going anywhere. Hate me all you
like, Jesse, but I'm here to stay."

"Fine then. I'll
leave."

Rafe reached out to grab
the horses bridle. "Not this time. We've been avoiding this fight
for months now. Let's just get it all out there, shall
we?"

If possible, Jesse's face
turned a shade of red Rafe had never seen. The green of his eyes
darkened, his jaw clenching as his body tensed. A vein throbbed in
his throat and angry tears filled his eyes. "I hate you, Rafe. I
wish you'd been the one who died."

The words stung but they
were exactly what he figured Jesse would say given the chance. Rafe
nodded his head. "I figured as much. Anything else?"

"Yes. I want you to leave.
I don't need you here. I was doing just fine until you got here.
I'm man enough to take care of myself."

"Is that so?" Rafe leaned
his weight on one leg and loosened his hold on the horse. "Do you
have any idea how many of our cattle are left?" He waited for an
answer even though he knew Jesse didn't have one. "Ben claims to
have a letter written by pa before he died giving him rights to
this land. He purposely gave our birthright away because you
weren't old enough to handle it. The only reason you aren't taking
orders from Ben right now is because I'm here."

"Oh, so I should be
thankful you came home when you did? Is that what you're saying?"
Jesse laughed, the sound bitter and full of scorn. "You're a liar,
Rafe. Pa wouldn't give Ben this ranch. You're just saying that to
make yourself look useful when we both know you ain't. You ain't
needed here, or wanted, by no one. I can take care of myself. I got
everything I need and once you leave, Grace won't have no problem
marrying me."

"Jesse," Rafe sighed and
rubbed a hand over his face. "Grace isn't going to marry you. I've
told you this repeatedly."

"Only because you're
here!" Spittle flew from Jesse's mouth when he yelled. "When you're
gone, she'll marry me, just like she said she would in her
letter."

The tears filling Jesse's
eyes broke Rafe's heart. His brother still believed Grace was going
to marry him. His next words would forever break what ever
tentative bond he had with his brother. "She loves me, Jesse. I'm
going to ask her to marry me and I know she'll say yes."

Jesse rushed at him so
quickly, Rafe didn't have time to brace himself. They both flew
backwards, knocking into the feed bin, overturning it. Precious
grain spilled onto the floor as Jesse's screams filled the barn.
The animals responded, kicking up a fuss, screeching as Jesse threw
punches that Rafe let him have.

Rafe did nothing but block
a few blows, letting Jesse do as he pleased, and a good fist to the
side of his head dazed him enough that he didn't hear Grace
screaming at them. Jesse's horse reared in the ruckus, his front
hooves dancing in the air seconds before coming down with force.
Rafe's eyes widened when he saw her, Grace's name yelled in the
chaos, but it was too late.

The horse struck her. When
she fell, blood spilled across her face and for the first time in
his life, Rafe felt true fear. He pushed Jesse away and climbed to
his feet, grabbing the horse as he tried to rear again. "Jesse!
Move her away."

It took precious long
moments to get the horse to calm. Rafe tied his reins to the back
stall fence and rushed back across the barn. Grace was cradled in
Jesse lap, blood pouring from a gash in her head. All those blonde
curls marred crimson and brown.

His heart was beating so
fast, he didn't know how he was still standing. Without saying a
word, Rafe scooped Grace into his arms and ran to the house with
her. He put her on his bed, propping her head on his pillow and hit
his knees beside of her.

Jesse hit him on the arm
and said his name three times before he finally looked away from
her. He was holding a wet towel, his hand shaking. His face was no
longer red, but ashen white, his eyes large and
luminous.

Rafe took the towel,
dabbing at the gash on Grace's head and prayed under his breath
she'd be all right. She moaned, trying to turn her head away from
his hand, and the relief he should have felt never came.

The back door slammed a
few moments later. He clenched his jaw, anger filling him as he
looked down at Grace's slack features. Even though Jesse knew as
much about doctoring as he did, it would have been nice to have
someone burden the fear with him. Finding her half frozen in the
snow was enough to take ten years off his life. This would probably
do him in completely.

* * * *

Pain spiked through
Grace's body and a scream caught in her throat. She arched her
back, trying to get away from the burning sensation but she
couldn't move. Voices swam inside her head, calming words whispered
near her ear. The pain receded only to come again and again but
that voice came constant, gentle, soothing.

The pain eased, a cool
touch chased the fire away and she sighed, sinking back into the
softness. That voice was still there, along with another, and a
warm, light stroke fluttered against her cheek.

When the voices stopped,
that small touch on her cheek was felt again. Her name was
whispered low, deep, and throaty by her head. She fluttered her
eyes open and shut them again as the light caused her head to
pound. "Rafe…"

"I'm here."

Relief flooded her system
at the sound of his voice. She tried opening her eyes again,
blinking against the light. Her vision was blurry but it cleared
after a few moments.

Rafe was sitting beside
the bed, her hand held between his own. He looked haggard, his
clothes disheveled, eyes bloodshot, and if she wasn't mistaken,
there was a bruise on his jaw and his right eye looked a bit puffy.
"What happened?"

"The horse kicked you in
the head." His voice crack a bit as he told her. He smiled but she
could tell it was forced. "The new doctor stitched you up and said
you should be okay."

"The doctor is
here?"

Rafe nodded. "Jesse rode
to fetch him."

"I didn't know he'd
arrived in town yet."

"He came in on the
stagecoach the day the blizzard hit."

A man walked into the room
then and Grace assumed it was the new doctor everyone in Willow
Creek had been impatiently waiting on. He was tall, strongly built
and had a kind smile. When he approached the side of the bed, Rafe
stood and backed away.

"I'm glad to see you
awake, Grace." He took Rafe's vacated seat beside the bed. "I'm
Evan Reid, the new doctor in town. How do you feel?"

"My head hurts." Rafe
exited the room and Grace's gaze followed his retreating back until
she couldn't see him. The doctor continued talking and Grace tried
to listen. She could hear Jesse's voice in the other room and knew
he and Rafe were there in the kitchen. Knowing they were both
together gave her some sense of peace. Maybe her accident would be
the catalyst they needed to try and mend the bond time had
destroyed.

* * * *

"It's your fault she got
hurt."

Rafe threw an incredulous
look Jesse's way but ignored the accusation. He looked into the
coffee pot instead, noticing the grounds sitting in a good three
inches of sludge. As badly as he needed the jolt the drink
provided, he didn't think he could stomach the bitter taste waiting
for him if he drank it despite its thickness.

He put the lid back on the
pot and blew out a frustrated breath. His nerves were still shot
from hours of worry. Between Jesse walking in on them, the fight in
the barn, and the horse nearly killing Grace, Rafe didn't think
he'd ever be able to know a single moments peace again. He'd be
forever looking over his shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to
drop.

Jesse's barbs weren't
helping either. He let him rant, say things his pa would have
whipped him for and throw insult after insult without batting an
eye. He could take the boys anger. He could take his punches. He
could even take his hating him. He just wished it didn't hurt so
much.

The bedroom door opened
and closed and Rafe turned, watching the doctor walk into the
kitchen, his bag in one hand.

"She's real lucky," Evan
said, reaching for his coat and slipping it back on. "That horse
only nicked her. Any closer and we'd be having a very different
conversation right now." He buttoned his coat while eyeing them
both. "She needs to rest for a few days. Make sure she stays off
her feet as much as possible, too. She'll be a bit woozy for a
while I'd imagine but that should go away with time. Can one of you
take care of meals until she's ready to resume her
chores?"

Rafe and Jesse both said,
"Yes," at the same time.

Evan nodded and picked his
bag up. "I'll be back in a few days to check on her. If you need me
before then, don't hesitate to come get me."

Jesse walked across the
kitchen and entered Rafe's room without a word. The desire to rush
in to see Grace himself felt like a live thing crawling against his
skin but he grabbed his coat and hat and walked out of the house
behind the doctor. Evan was climbing into the seat of a small wagon
and nodding to Rafe when he saw him.

"Don't hesitate to call on
me if she starts acting peculiar."

Rafe stopped and stared up
at him. "What do you mean, if she starts acting
peculiar?"

The doctor blew out a
breath. "Head wounds are funny things. One minute a person seems
fine and the next…" He looked out across the backyard, his features
obscured by darkness. "She looks fine to me, Rafe, but that doesn't
mean she is. We've no way to tell what's going on inside her head
so just watch her. Make sure she takes it easy."

A nod was all he could
manage. The doctor left, Rafe watching his wagon until it was clean
out of sight before he ventured to the barn.