Randall Pride (6 page)

Toby was in no hurry. He had no plans for Friday night, even though the twins had asked him to go with them to the local bar. He wasn’t interested.

He’d rubbed down Cocoa and put away his gear, waiting for the others to finish up, when he heard a scream.

He didn’t know how, but he recognized the scream as Elizabeth’s. Without any hesitation, he shoved open the barn door just as a second scream ripped through the air.

He hauled leather toward the house. Halfway there, he heard her scream again and realized she was in the front seat of a car.

He yanked open the door as he recognized the man attacking her. Grabbing Elizabeth around the waist, he pulled her out into his arms and immediately saw the red stain on her cheek.

The back door of the house opened and several of the women came out. He called to them to take care of Elizabeth and rounded the car before the man inside could react. Toby pulled him out of the vehicle and leveled his fist into the man’s face.

Toby didn’t speak. He followed Cleve down to the ground and nailed him again. Any man who struck a
woman deserved to be beaten. Any man who beat Elizabeth had no right to live.

“Dad! Dad, stop him. Don’t let him kill Cleve.”

Hard hands seized his arms and shoulders, but he didn’t stop. It angered him that Elizabeth would plead for the man when he’d tried to rape her. Did she love the animal that much?

“Toby! Son, stop, we’ll call the sheriff. Back off.” Jake’s voice penetrated his murderous haze.

“He—” Toby tried to get out, still pulling against his father and uncles. “He was attacking Elizabeth!”

Toby turned his head to stare at her, to see if she was all right. She was surrounded by the women in the family.

Chad crossed to the group. “Elizabeth? Megan, is she all right?”

The other women stepped back, leaving Elizabeth, with Megan’s arms around her, in front of her father. She had a bruise forming on one cheekbone, and her blouse hung from her body in shreds.

Chad took one look and turned to lunge for Cleve as he lay on the ground. Pete and Brett released Toby to his father’s care and grabbed their brother.

“We’ll take care of him, Uncle Chad,” the twins and Jim and Josh shouted.

“Whoa!” Jake roared, bringing everyone to a halt. “We’re not going to end up in jail. So no one is going to take advantage of the man. We’re going to wait for the sheriff and press charges.” Everyone stood
there. He turned and looked at Elizabeth. “Right, Elizabeth?”

Toby waited tensely for her response. After all, she’d pleaded for Cleve, not him.

“Yes, Uncle Jake. I don’t want any of you going to jail because of my stupidity.”

“Good girl,” Jake said with a grim smile. “Has anyone called the sheriff?”

“I did,” B.J. said, smiling at her husband. “He’s on his way.”

“That’s my girl.”

Toby was glad his father was happy. He wasn’t. He’d have liked to land a few more punches. And he’d have liked to have known for sure what Elizabeth was thinking. Would she regret that he came to her rescue? Or would she be grateful? And what was going to happen now?

Some women didn’t handle violence well.

And how could he stand not taking her into his arms and reassuring her? Telling her he’d never let anyone hurt again? Because if he did that, he’d never let her go. And how could he face his dad and uncle then?

Elizabeth felt like an idiot. It had never occurred to her that Cleve would react so violently. At her own home! Did he think she’d allow him to rape her without protest?

The sheriff took her inside for questioning, with only her mother beside her. She explained what had happened. The sheriff assured her she’d behaved as she should have. Then her mother had taken her upstairs.

She wanted to be there when the sheriff talked to Cleve…and to Toby. She wanted to make sure that no harm came to Toby for his rescue.

When her father came upstairs, and she heard the sheriff drive away, along with Cleve’s car, Elizabeth met him at the top of the stairs.

“Did Toby get in trouble?”

“Nope, in spite of the man trying.”

“You mean Cleve?”

“Yeah, he tried to convince the sheriff that he was
within his rights because you were his fiancée and you were refusing to have sex!”

Elizabeth stared at her father, stunned. “He said we were—were intimate?”

“Yeah,” Chad said in disgust.

“We were not! Do you hear me, Dad? I never had sex with that man!”

Her father grinned. “I reckon the entire household hears you.”

“Good. I want them to. Did the sheriff believe him?”

“Nope. He said you explained that you were still a virgin. He asked the jerk if he wanted you examined.”

“Oh! How embarrassing!”

“Don’t worry about it. He’s being charged with attempted rape and assault and battery. I don’t think you’ll ever see him again.”

“Good!”

“Why didn’t you just tell him on the phone if you were getting rid of him?”

Megan grimaced at her husband. “Because that would be ill-mannered. You don’t end a personal relationship by phone.”

“So why didn’t you tell me that?” Chad demanded. “I’ve been worrying myself sick thinking she was going to elope.”

Elizabeth gasped.

“I told you to trust her,” Megan pointed out.

“Yeah, but—”

“I’m disappointed, Dad,” Elizabeth said softly.

He shook his head. “I know, I know. I should’ve listened to your mother.”

With a little smile, she kissed his cheek. “Or just trusted me to do what was right.”

“I’m sorry you got hurt, Lizzie.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Do you need to go to the doctor?”

“No. Is Toby okay?”

“Yeah. Mildred is patching up his hands, but he’s fine. He’s mad he didn’t get in a few more punches.”

Elizabeth hugged her dad tighter. “He’s so strong I was afraid he’d hurt Cleve and be arrested.”

“Nope, we’re all free and clear with the sheriff. Your ex has troubles to deal with, but I expect he’ll pay his bail and hightail it out of town.”

“Good.”

A
FTER ANNOUNCING
to her family that Cleve had lied, that she’d never slept with him, Elizabeth ate her dinner and retired to her room to read a novel. Then she slept well, better than she had in months.

When she came down to breakfast the next morning, several hours later than on weekdays, the men had been in the saddle quite a while. Saturday was a normal workday for them. She wanted to personally thank Toby for his rescue, but it seemed last night that he’d wanted to avoid her.

She did some schoolwork, preparing a game to teach the children their alphabet. She did her own laundry, even though her mother insisted the ladies
who cleaned the ranch house could do it. She paid bills, visited with Caroline, and her other cousins Torie and Jessica.

But her interest picked up when she heard the men coming in from the stables. She rushed to the window in her bedroom, staring down at them as they approached the house.

“Everyone okay?” Caroline asked.

“Looks like it.”

“What do you think about Toby?”

Elizabeth turned to stare at her cousin. “What do you mean?”

“How does he act around you?”

“He avoids me,” she said solemnly. “He’s friendly with the guys, but—he didn’t like Cleve.”

Caroline snorted. “Big surprise! No one but you liked him.”

“How could I have been so blind?” Elizabeth wailed.

“He was nice to you.”

“But—”

“You didn’t ask much from him. I don’t think you loved him.”

“If I didn’t love him, why would I agree to marry him?” she demanded.

Caroline sat silently, curled up on Elizabeth’s bed. Then she looked at her cousin. “Because you don’t expect to marry the man you love.”

“What? That makes no sense!”

“I’ve tried to tell myself that. At first, I was even
happy about Cleve. Then I started watching you. And now I realize it makes perfect sense.”

Elizabeth plumped down in the nearby chair. “What are you talking about?”

“I think you gave up on marrying for love when you were sixteen.” Caroline watched her, sympathy in her gaze that bothered Elizabeth.

“That’s ridiculous. I didn’t even know what love was when I was sixteen.” She stood up and walked back to the window. Everyone had gone inside.

“That’s when you discovered that Toby had a girlfriend.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Elizabeth demanded, aware that her color was rising.

“Lizzie, I love my brother, but I don’t
love
my brother. You do.”

“No! No, he’s my cousin. I—I love him like a cousin. That’s all. I wouldn’t— It would be— You’re wrong.” She crossed her arms around her waist and backed away from Caroline.

Caroline pushed the pillow behind her back and waited. Then she said softly, “Why are you backed into a corner?”

Elizabeth looked around her, realizing her cousin was right. She took a step forward. “I don’t know. But if you’ve known this for so long, why haven’t you said anything?”

“I figured you’d work it out on your own. Then Cleve came along.”

Elizabeth hung her head, her eyes closed, as a huge
weight dropped from her shoulders. She’d been fighting her feelings without even realizing it for a long time. “But, we
are
cousins.”

“Yes, but Mom says you’re not blood cousins. She said it would be unusual, but nothing illegal, if you two married.”

“You asked her?” Elizabeth asked in horror.

“Why not? I wanted to know if there was any hope.”

“Wasn’t she horrified?”

“Nope. She said you’d be a wonderful daughter-in-law and Toby would love his children having actual Randall blood.”

With a gasp, Elizabeth said, “But Toby’s not interested.”

“I’m not sure. He’s avoided us and home a long time for no good reason that I could see. What if he feels something for you but is afraid that it’s bad?”

“You’re being ridiculous!”

Caroline lifted one eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“No,” Elizabeth said breathlessly. “Yes! I’m sure. I know he’s seen a lot of beautiful women. He won’t have thought about me.”

“I’ve heard you called beautiful, too.”

“This is crazy, Caro. I won’t listen to it.” Elizabeth began pacing the room. “What are we going to do tonight?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“How about we go into town? Hang out with the crowd, see if there are any new guys I might like.”

Elizabeth grinned at her cousin. “You’re never in
terested in new guys. You still have medical school to get through.”

“I know. But I should keep my eyes open. And maybe you’ll prove me wrong and find someone you like better than my rotten brother.”

The challenge in Caroline’s eyes and voice stirred Elizabeth. Okay, maybe her cousin had a point. It was time to test it out, to either prove her wrong, or figure out what to do about her situation. “Okay, I’ll go. Do you mind if I call Abby Gaylord and ask her to meet us?”

“Abby?”

“We teach school together.”

“Sure, why not? I always liked her. Tell her we’ll meet her there in forty-five minutes. We can buy dinner there, but it’ll take me that long to pretty up.”

“You’ve got a deal.

T
OBY DREADED
going to dinner. He figured Elizabeth would try to corner him again to thank him. She’d thanked him in front of the family last night, but he’d read the frustration in her eyes when he’d ducked the earlier attempts to get him alone.

Hell, he didn’t want to be thanked. He was angry that they’d stopped him. He’d wanted to wipe off the man’s face, to destroy him. She was his cousin. That was good enough reason for his reaction. His other cousins had offered to take up where he’d left off.

That’s all it was. Defending his cousin.

Which left him an enormous difficulty. Now Eliz
abeth wasn’t engaged. Wasn’t about to be married, kept safe from his inappropriate feelings.

Damn, damn, damn. He was so glad to be back home. He didn’t want to leave again. He wasn’t ready to set up his own place. He wanted a little more time with his family. If he stayed, he’d have to keep his hands off Elizabeth. Could he do it?

He didn’t know the answer to that question. He only knew he had to face her tonight.

When he entered the kitchen, the ladies were putting dinner on the table, its sides filling up with hungry Randalls. He looked for Elizabeth, only because he intended to avoid her, of course.

“Where’s Elizabeth?” he demanded sharply. “Is she all right?”

His father grinned. “I guess so. She and Caroline went into town.”

“What for?”

Everyone stared at him. Then Rich said, “What do you usually go into town for on a Saturday night, Toby? You haven’t been gone so long that you’ve forgotten Saturday nights in Rawhide?”

Toby was stunned. She was practically raped yesterday, and she was heading into the meat market in Rawhide, where cowboys looked for ladies to share their evening with? Some of them with visions of dawn with the woman on the pillow next to them that they’d cut out of the herd.

Was she out of her mind?

“And you let her go?” Toby demanded of Chad.

“She’s with your sister,” Chad pointed out.

“You think Caroline is going to protect her?” Toby demanded, and his mother and father protested.

Toby turned around and headed to the back door, grabbing his hat off the rack.

“Where you going?” Russ demanded.

Toby turned around, ready to fire back his intention, that of protecting Elizabeth. With the stares, he decided to add Caroline’s name. Then he decided not to be quite so specific. “I think I’ll go into town this evening.”

“But you said—” Russ began.

“I changed my mind,” he snapped.

“Hang on, I’ll go with you,” Russ said and stood.

That suited Toby. He didn’t want to be quite so obvious. “You, too, Rich?”

“Nope. I’ve already got plans with my lady. We’re going to the movies.”

“Fair enough. Sorry about dinner, Red,” Toby added as he waved goodbye. He and Russ hurried out the door.

“Interesting,” Jake muttered.

“Very,” Chad agreed.

“I
’M SO GLAD
you called me,” Abby said after sitting down at the table the two cousins had commandeered.

“I’m glad you could come,” Elizabeth assured her.

“Me, too,” Caroline added. “Catch me up with what’s going on in your life.”

They chatted a couple of minutes before the first cowboy stopped by the table. “Evenin’, ladies.”

“Hi, Larry,” Caroline said. “Nice to see you.”

“Aw, as pretty as you are, Caroline, you know I’m glad to see you. Your cousin done got herself engaged, and Abby won’t have anything to do with me. So how about a dance?”

Caroline grinned. “I’ll dance with you, but Elizabeth isn’t engaged anymore, and Abby can be sweet-talked, just like the rest of us.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the cowboy said, staring at the other two.

As they walked away toward the small dance floor, two more cowboys appeared. In no time, all three ladies were on the dance floor, doing the two-step.

I
N THE DARKNESS
of the cab of Toby’s truck, Russ broke the silence. “You worried about Elizabeth?”

“Hell yes, I’m worried about Elizabeth. These cowboys can be pretty rough.”

“Come on, Toby, they all know Elizabeth.”

“Strangers come in sometimes.” He stared straight ahead, driving fast.

“None of the guys would let anyone hurt her,” Russ assured him.

Toby didn’t respond. He didn’t want to tell Russ he was afraid Elizabeth wouldn’t want to be touched. That she might panic. And no one would understand. That he didn’t want anyone to touch her…except him. To protect her, of course.

They reached the edge of town.

“Better slow down. Sheriff gives lots of speeding tickets. Not a good way to start the evening.” Russ had himself braced, in case Toby threw on the brakes in a hurry.

He sighed as Toby took his advice. In a couple of minutes Toby parked near the bar where most of the singles in the area hung out. After all, there wasn’t much to do at night in Rawhide. The picture show only offered one movie every two weeks.

Toby and Russ stepped to the sidewalk, two impressive figures that drew the eye, especially Toby with his rodeo fame. When they crossed to the entrance and moved past the cowboys smoking outside, there were murmurs following them.

“I think you’re about to be recognized,” Russ whispered beside him.

Toby could hear the excitement in his voice, but the idea of people wanting his autograph was old hat. He had other things on his mind.

“I can’t see much. Have you found them yet?” he muttered at Russ.

“Who?” Russ asked, his gaze scanning the room.

“The girls, of course!”

“Hey! It’s Toby!” a cowboy called from the bar. A mad rush of men and women started, wanting to shake his hand, ask for an autograph, and, most of all, press the flesh. The women in particular kissed his cheek, his lips if they were very bold, or asked for a hug.

Toby tried to be patient, but over their heads he kept looking for Elizabeth. He figured she’d be sitting against the wall, half hiding from the sharks that cruised the room looking for women without dates.

But he couldn’t find her.

Then, one of his friends from his youth stepped away, leaving an opening that showed the dance floor. There, in a cowboy’s arms, was Elizabeth, throwing her head back and laughing.

Toby stepped forward, closely followed by the crowd. Why wasn’t this cowboy rushing to shake his hand? With a rueful smile, he reminded himself he wouldn’t choose shaking a rodeo star’s hand over holding Elizabeth.