Matthew: The Circle Eight (21 page)

Read Matthew: The Circle Eight Online

Authors: Emma Lang

“Not right yet, pumpkin. Daddy is finishing up some business.” Stinson patted her head as though she were a pet, rather than his nineteen-year-old daughter.
“I know the strip of land also borders McRae’s ranch.” He turned to find red-haired Angus McRae in the crowd. “He probably needs to get across it, too.”
Angus nodded his shaggy head. “Aye, that’s true.”
“What do you say, Stinson?” Matt asked, forcing his own smile.
“For my neighbors, yes, I’ll let you use the land. I need to see a map, of course, to make sure I know the patch of land you’re referring to.” Stinson’s smile was as fake as Matt’s.
That’s when he became certain Stinson was behind everything. Armstrong was right about all of it. Son of a bitch! Why couldn’t he have seen before now just how evil men could be? His father had been such an honorable, strong man, it had never occurred to Matt that others could be so different.
Matt gestured to the house. “I have the map the land grant office gave me. I can show it to you now.”
Stinson tutted. “No need to stop the fun because of a business deal. We can talk tomorrow and let folks enjoy the rest of the evening.”
“Why don’t we meet tomorrow at Angus’s ranch at nine? We can make our arrangements then.” Matt didn’t want Stinson on his land any more than necessary. He figured by putting the meeting on another rancher’s property, Stinson might actually agree to it.
“That sounds fine, young Graham. Now why don’t you have your Mexican boys start playing again so folks can dance.” Stinson’s leering gaze landed on Hannah and Matt couldn’t stop the growl in his throat.
Javier and Lorenzo must’ve sensed the tension was about ready to bust wide open because guitar music floated through the air again. Hannah’s fingers dug into his arm and he recognized just how close he was to losing control. He was actually vibrating with anger.
“Come dance with me.” Her whisper tickled his ear, pulling him from the edge.
“I can’t dance.”
“Me neither, so we’ll make fools of ourselves together.” She tugged on his arm. “C’mon, cowboy.”
Matt didn’t want to dance, but he didn’t want to commit murder in front of half the county either. He let Hannah lead him toward the open area folks had been dancing in. Javier starting singing a Mexican ballad.
Hannah managed to wrap her arms around him and took his hand. “Now dance.”
They swung back and forth like a bell, neither one of them had a lick of rhythm. Somehow just touching her, breathing in her air as she let it out, calmed him. She had some kind of magic in her and he was glad for at least the dozenth time that day that she was his wife.
Other guests joined them and soon ten couples were swaying to Javier’s beautiful ballad. By the time the last notes fell away, Matt felt better. He didn’t want Hannah to know how close he’d come to accusing Stinson of murder. It would’ve jeopardized Armstrong’s investigation and any chance of actually catching the bastard.
To his surprise, he spotted Armstrong talking to Olivia on the side of the porch. He assumed the ranger was just pursuing his investigation but Matt would have to keep his eye on the other man just the same.
“Better?” Hannah took his hand and looked at him inquiringly.
“Yeah. I won’t shoot anybody. Yet.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Why don’t you go check on Eva and I’ll go talk to Armstrong?”
Hannah frowned but she squeezed his hand and walked away, leaving him to his own choices. He could kick Stinson’s ass but that wouldn’t get him anything. Instead he went toward Armstrong, and to his consternation, Olivia walked the other way as soon as he got close.
“What are you doing with my sister, Armstrong?”
“Just talking. Can’t investigate without talking to folks.” Armstrong nodded. “Nice work getting Stinson out of his house tomorrow. I can be in and out while he’s gone. I expect the son to go with the father to McRae’s house. He follows his Pa around like a puppy.”
Matt hadn’t thought of it before, but it was true Whenever he saw Frederick Stinson, Jeb was two steps behind him. It wasn’t strange for a son to want to be like his father, but by the time he was sixteen, Matt had been working the ranch and not following his father around. Jeb was nice enough, but the man didn’t have any skills beyond smiling and flirting.
“Now we need to make sure the girl is gone, too. I asked your sister to invite her for tea or something.” Armstrong frowned at Olivia’s retreating back. “She’s got quite a mouth on her for a young lady.”
Matt didn’t really care if Olivia cussed at the ranger, but he felt better somehow knowing she didn’t have romantic notions about the man.
“Good idea. Livy and Margaret are friends.” Matt didn’t want his sister to feel obligated to help, but knowing her, she heard a lot more than she ought to about what was going on. “Then what do we do?”
“
We
don’t do anything. I go in and snoop around.” Armstrong’s gaze dared Matt to contradict him.
“You can’t get in there and out without someone noticing you. Stinson has fifty people working for him. You’re not a ghost, Armstrong.” Matt folded his arms across his chest. “You have someone you trust to be your lookout?”
Armstrong stared off into the distance for a few moments before his cool gaze met Matt’s. “No, but I don’t need one.”
“I don’t necessarily believe you, but I’m trusting that you will do what you can to find what you need.”
“I’ll be leaving now. Make sure you get on over to McRae’s by nine. I’m counting on you.” Armstrong melted into the deepening darkness behind him, leaving Matt to wonder if he was trusting the right person.
He had to be because if he wasn’t, the future of the Graham ranch might never happen.
Hannah washed the dishes with a feeling of relief. She absolutely hated washing dishes, but the normalcy of the chore somehow calmed her frayed nerves. The entire day had been like a dream, perhaps more of a nightmare.
Eva left her in the kitchen, seeming to understand that Hannah needed to be alone. The low hum of conversation outside centered around the bonfire the boys had built just beyond the barn. Peace had settled over the Graham ranch, and the guests were nearly gone.
Matt was nowhere to be found; perhaps he was hiding someplace, too. After all they’d found out today, she wouldn’t blame him a bit. His neighbor was probably behind his parents’ murders and his brother’s disappearance. Missing children were generally thought of as dead, but the ranger’s information made it sound as if the children had been taken, not killed.
There were so many reasons why people chose evil, but when the life of a child was involved, she just couldn’t understand how anyone could commit such a crime. They were innocent, untouched by the ugliness of the world. Now Benjamin Graham was gone, subjected to who knew what. He would never regain the innocence snatched from him, but she prayed he was still alive.
Her heart hurt for the Graham family. She hoped that by helping Ranger Armstrong, they could put the ugly past behind them and really start living again. Oh, they ate, slept, and breathed each day, but Matt had just proven to her that he wasn’t living. He just existed from day to day.
Hannah knew he would never truly fall in love with her until he banished the demons that haunted his every moment. He had nightmares in his sleep, often moaning out loud. She hadn’t told him about it, for fear she’d embarrass him, but the unsolved crimes were slowly eating away at him, bite by bite.
She rinsed the last plate in the cool water in the bucket and set it on the pile. The barbecue had been a success, albeit one of the strangest days she could remember. Life at the boardinghouse had been so boring and mundane. Her new life on the Circle Eight was nothing if not unpredictable. She was up for the challenge though. Hannah was so glad she had accepted Matt’s proposal even if someone had tried to kill her because of it.
The memory brought jitters to her whole body, and she knew she had to sit down. The chair was blessedly solid beneath her.
“
Hija,
are you okay?” Eva poked her head in the kitchen from the hallway.
“Yes, no, I don’t know.” Hannah leaned forward and cradled her head with her arms.
Eva rubbed her back. “Ah,
hija,
you need sleep. In the morning, you will feel better.” She touched the scarf. “Let me check your throat.”
Hannah sat back up and untied the scarf. “Thank you for letting me use this. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever worn.”
“It is the person who makes a thing beautiful, not the other way around.” Eva smiled as her fingers gently explored Hannah’s neck. “There will be bruises so you keep the scarf.
Mi mama
would be happy for you to wear it.”
Hannah nodded, her throat tight with the generosity of this woman who barely knew her. “Thank you again.”
Eva kissed her forehead. “Anything for
mi hija.
” Eva turned to leave.
“Wait, I need to ask you—” Hannah’s eyes pricked with unshed tears. “Why?”
Eva frowned in confusion. “Why what?”
“Why did you welcome me into your home? Why do you treat me like one of your
hijas
? I’m not your daughter and you don’t even know me.” Hannah struggled not to burst into tears. “Why?”
Eva folded her into a hug. “You love with all your heart and soul, Hannah. I knew as soon as I met you that you were someone to trust, someone who will love Mateo with everything she has. Catherine loved you right away, too. She knows, just like me, you are one of us.”
Hannah had never realized what she’d been missing in a family. Granny had done her best, but she was old when Hannah came to live with her. Without brothers and sisters, without a mother and a father, Hannah had always been lonely. The Graham family had taken her in immediately, filling the hole in her heart.
“Thank you, Eva.”
“How about some tea before bed?” Eva stoked the fire in the stove to heat a pot of water. “I have some herbal tea I make myself.”
“Tea would be really nice.” Hannah was torn between being sad and being absurdly happy. She had everything she wanted, now she just had to find a way to keep it.
Tomorrow Matt would be at the McRae ranch for a while. Perhaps if she went over to the Stinsons, she might find something to help Armstrong with his case against the rancher. When she’d been at the ranch several days earlier, she had passed by what appeared to be Stinson’s office. If she went by for a visit, she might just get lost and end up there for a look around.
Hannah would help her husband whether or not he liked it.
Matt made sure the bonfire was completely out before he headed back to the house. Everything was dark except for a solitary light in the kitchen. Eva always left one burning if one of them wasn’t home when she went to bed. It kept everyone from getting bruised shins and it was a welcoming sight after a long day.
He made his way into the house and blew out the lantern. The night before, Hannah had bathed him, shown him how much she loved him without words. He grew hard at the memory, felt the rush of heat he’d experienced several times that day for Hannah.
It was late, nearly midnight, and she’d be long since asleep. She’d started the day by nearly getting killed, then played hostess to the biggest party they’d ever had at the Circle Eight without letting on once she had been attacked. Hannah had surprised him more than once that day, proving to him he’d found the right woman to be his wife. Even if it had been because of some turnips.
When he opened the bedroom door, he was surprised to see her standing at the window. She turned to face him and the moonlight turned her into an ethereal being. His body hardened almost painfully as he closed the door behind him.
“Hannah.” His voice was a rusty whisper in the stillness of the room.
“I’m yours.”
He shed his clothes quickly, almost falling while taking off his boots. As he approached her barefoot, his cock was like a divining rod pointing straight toward exactly what it wanted.
She opened her arms and he pulled her against him, his mouth slamming onto hers with a ferocity that he had never known before. Her softness cradled his hardness as his blood rushed around his body, pounding past his ears.

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