C
HAPTER
T
WELVE
M
att had taken to wearing a pistol on his hip. It had been his Pa’s from the war, now his, and he felt safer with it close by. Even though they were simply getting ready for the barbecue, he was armed. And with good reason apparently. A fancy horse and buggy was approaching the house.
He immediately sent Catherine inside, but she came right back out with Hannah and Olivia. Matt wanted to yell at all of them to get inside the house, but didn’t want to be distracted by the inevitable bickering that would ensue. Instead he stood his ground, hand on his pistol.
Behind him, he knew Lorenzo, Nick, and Caleb had retrieved rifles and were standing there like a well-armed line of defense. He’d sent Javier into the barn to watch the horses. They’d lost half a dozen the last time strangers had come to the Circle Eight. Several had perished in the fire, and others had been taken by the murdering sons-of-bitches who had dared defile the ground with Graham blood.
The air crackled with anticipation as the buggy drew closer. It had fringe around the top like a fancy decoration in a rich man’s house. He didn’t recognize the rig or the horses and therefore wouldn’t relax his guard.
He smelled Hannah’s scent before she even spoke. She’d walked up directly behind him.
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know. Now get back in the house with the girls.”
He could almost hear her cursing him silently.
“I’ll do no such thing. I’m your wife and I will stand by your side no matter what.”
She reminded him of his mother, so strong and fierce. It surprised the hell out of him. Initially, Hannah had been so meek and soft-spoken. Two weeks of marriage had shown him she was merely hiding her lioness inside. While it made him proud to be married to such a woman, at the same time he wanted to spank her. She was distracting him just as he’d feared.
“Step back now,” he growled under his breath.
To his shock, she appeared beside him, holding a rifle. His mouth dropped open.
“Before you ask, I know how to shoot it. Don’t order me around anymore, Matthew Graham.” She gripped the rifle in the right places, her hands so tight the knuckles were white. “I will protect this family with you.”
Matt’s brain was spinning. Hannah probably didn’t even realize just how much she had turned him on his ear. Was there a day that she wouldn’t surprise him?
He was going to yell at her again to get inside but the buggy had arrived, and he had no time to spend on chastising his wife. Not that she would listen to him anyway.
A man and a woman rode in the buggy. They were unfamiliar and Matt cursed under his breath to have all the children out in plain view.
The buggy stopped in front of them and the man hopped out. He was dressed in black trousers and a black coat, white shirt with a silver string tie. His face was marked with a jagged scar on his jaw and a pair of cold blue eyes Matt could see fifteen feet away. On the man’s head sat a flat brimmed black hat to match the black, dusty boots on his feet. The shirt and his eyes were the only break in the darkness of the stranger. His gaze flickered to the pistol in Matt’s hand.
He stepped around to the other side of the buggy and helped the woman down. She was older than the man, probably around Eva’s age, with her salt and pepper hair in a tight bun beneath a straw hat. Her clothing was of good quality, a gray traveling suit with shiny brass buttons.
When her gaze found Matt’s, a tremor shook him from head to foot. Something told him the woman was the bearer of bad news and he didn’t want to hear it.
“Good afternoon.” The woman’s voice was tense. Her syllables were as sharp as her gaze. “I’m looking for Matthew Graham.”
“That’d be me.” Matt didn’t move his hand from the pistol.
“I’m Mrs. Leticia Markum. I’ve been asked to investigate a claim of fraud by the land claim office.”
His gut twisted and the taste of bile coated his throat. Fraud? Hannah sucked in an audible breath beside him.
“Fraud with regard to what?” Hannah sounded so much smarter than he was.
“And you are?” Mrs. Markum speared Hannah with her fierce gaze.
“I’m Hannah Graham, Matthew’s wife.”
Mrs. Markum’s grin was not at all friendly. “Fraud with regard to being married as he purported to be on the land claim form.”
“I assure you, Mrs. Markum, we are well and truly married.” Hannah nodded to the buggy. “There’s no reason for any investigation.”
“We received a letter stating you had not been truthful on your land claim.” Mrs. Markum remained as stiff as a board. “I must investigate.”
“And your driver?” Matt watched the man. He didn’t appear to be armed, but he could have a weapon hidden anywhere on him.
“Ranger Brody Armstrong. He’s here for my protection and to ensure my investigation proceeds as it should.” Mrs. Markum nodded to the man.
Matt wondered why a Texas Ranger was minding this bitch when he could have been fighting at the frontier. It wasn’t a wise move to ask, but he sure as hell wanted to. He had noticed a hitch in the man’s step, so perhaps he’d been wounded in the war.
“What do you want, Mrs. Markum?” Matt asked impatiently.
“I need to verify that your marriage is legal and valid. This is a formal investigation, Mr. Graham. While the government of the Republic of Texas is in its infancy, we will follow the laws or slide into anarchy.” She somehow straightened her already impossibly straight shoulders. “My husband serves in the government and I assist him in this capacity. Wives often do that for their husbands.”
It was damn odd to have a woman investigator, but maybe her husband was one of Sam Houston’s friends. Mrs. Markum liked to push people around, that was obvious. Matt recognized the look of annoyance on the ranger’s face and his opinion of the man went up.
“What exactly does that entail?” Hannah hadn’t relaxed her stance either. She was definitely not the meek girl he thought he’d married.
“I need to see your marriage certificate, examine your sleeping quarters, and question others on your supposed marriage.” Mrs. Markum gestured to the house. “With your permission, we can begin in the house.”
Matt’s teeth ground together. “There’s no way I’m letting you in my house, lady. I don’t even know who you are or what you really want, but it ain’t happening.”
“Mr. Graham, if you do not cooperate, I can only report that the claim of fraud is true.” Her teeth shone like a wolf’s in the bright sunlight.
“First of all, we need proof you are who you say you are,” Hannah challenged. “This ranch has suffered at the hands of strangers.”
Matt should have realized he was reacting with his heart instead of his head. Hannah was absolutely right. They didn’t trust strangers, and for good reason.
“Is that so?” Mrs. Markum frowned.
“Yes, it’s so. My parents were murdered and my brother disappeared this spring.” Matt almost spat the words, his jaw beginning to ache from clenching it so hard.
“I assume this was reported to the authorities?”
Matt almost leapt at her, but the ranger must’ve seen something in his gaze because he spoke up quickly.
“It’s true, ma’am. I read the report myself.” Armstrong’s voice was deep and dark.
“I see. Well, I have no nefarious intentions.”
“That remains to be seen.” Hannah sounded as angry as he felt. “Do you have any kind of verification of your investigation?”
Matt watched as Mrs. Markum’s steely expression faltered. “Verification?”
“Yes, ma’am. Papers that prove you are who you say you are. You must have something.” As Hannah kept after the other woman, Matt wanted to cheer for her.
“Of course I do. In my reticule. Mr. Armstrong, will you fetch it for me from the buggy?”
Ranger Armstrong shook his head and a chuckle threatened to pop out of Matt’s mouth. “Ma’am, I’m not an errand boy. I’m a Texas Ranger.”
Mrs. Markum huffed an impatient breath and walked back to the buggy herself. She fiddled around inside for a few minutes, then emerged with a sheaf of papers. Matt’s heart lodged in his throat.
“Here is the verification. I have a letter alleging the fraud and the original deed signed last week for the land grant.” Mrs. Markum shook the papers in the air.
“I will read them before we go any further.” Hannah stepped toward her. Matt wanted to yank her back but didn’t. His wife was a match for the other woman, and he was proud of her, even if it scared him to death to watch her walk toward the strangers.
Hannah took the papers in one hand, the rifle still in the other. She tucked the rifle under her arm, the barrel pointed at Mrs. Markum’s chest. After Hannah read through the documents, she handed them back.
“That’s my signature on that deed and my husband’s. I don’t know who wrote that letter, but it’s a pack of lies.” Hannah walked backward until she was beside Matt again.
“Then let me complete my investigation and I can be on my way.”
Matt wanted to tell the woman no and get her off the ranch right away. Yet his gut told him to finish this so the woman could get back to whatever hole she’d crawled out of.
“Then let’s get this done.”
Hannah led Mrs. Markum into the house while the ranger stayed outside by the buggy. Matt decided to remain with the man rather than follow the women. Something told him it would be a good idea for him to talk to Ranger Armstrong. For once his brothers and sisters were quiet and watchful.
“I don’t cotton to what Mrs. Markum is doing, but the Republic has to act like a government.” Armstrong lit up a cheroot. “That means making sure folks are following the law.”
“She’s a bitch.” Matt ignored the gasps behind him. His little sisters had heard worse, but no doubt Catherine and Olivia would chastise him later for his language.
“That she is.” The ranger puffed on his cheroot. “This your family?”
“Yep.”
“Look like a good group of folks.” Armstrong gestured to Matt. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Matt hesitated, not willing to be close enough to give the ranger room to outmaneuver him.
Armstrong held up his hands. “I’m unarmed. Left my weapons in the buggy.”
“Okay then, let’s talk.” Matt stepped toward him and they walked toward the back of the buggy.
“I wasn’t lying when I said I saw the report about your parents.” Armstrong’s eyes were a startling blue up close. “I think I can help.”
Hannah led the woman through the house, showing her each room and telling her who slept where. When they entered the master bedroom, she showed the woman her clothes hanging on the nails as well as the drawers in the chest with her meager possessions.
“How long have you lived here?”
“We’ve been married two weeks, but engaged for longer. I moved in here after we were officially married.” Hannah knew Matt had started the land grant claim before he had proposed. A little white lie about being engaged wouldn’t hurt.
“Do you have your marriage certificate?” Mrs. Markum’s gaze settled on Hannah’s ring.
“Yes, of course.” Hannah retrieved it from the small chest she kept her most prized possessions in. Her parents’ marriage certificate, her own hastily scribbled birth certificate, and the letter she’d written to God at age seven. Someday she would read it again and perhaps even share it with Matt. Today she just wanted this nasty woman out of her life.
Mrs. Markum perused the document, then handed it back to Hannah. “You were married after Mr. Graham filed for the land grant.”
Hannah folded the paper carefully. “Yes, but we were planning on getting married. I didn’t have any family to speak of, but his was still recovering from their parents’ murder. We were going to wait, but we didn’t want to lose the land grant.”
She hoped she sounded truthful. Her fantasies around the man she would one day marry had become so real in her dreams, she almost believed her own white lies.
“I see. Legally the grant was not signed until after the marriage, which means you either are telling me the truth or a spinster like you saw a chance to marry a handsome rancher about to become land rich.” Mrs. Markum’s gaze was more disconcerting than her words.
“Is your investigation complete?” Hannah kept the angry words she wanted to say behind her teeth but oh, how they wanted to escape.
Mrs. Markum stared at her for a few beats before she nodded tightly. “Yes, I believe the land grant is valid, however sideways your marriage came to be. The letter, however, will remain with the grant along with my report on what I found.”
Hannah gestured to the door and walked behind the officious woman, towering over her tiny stature. “Who wrote the letter?”
“Excuse me?” Mrs. Markum paused with her hand on the knob.