She was as generous as always.
Seth got to the room just as Connor fell asleep in his arms. He found Callie up and wearing a clean white dress, her dark hair washed and braided in a way that covered most of the damage done by the doctor’s clippers. She was so darkly tanned it was hard to judge if she was weakened by blood loss or fatigue, but how could she not be?
Callie set a fork down on an empty plate as Seth came in.
“How is she, Mrs. Frew?” Seth had a hard time taking his eyes off his pretty wife. Callie was looking right back, but Seth thought he saw something other than admiration in her gaze.
“Better. The bath and clean clothes helped. A good meal and a good night’s sleep, too. I’ll go along now.” Mrs. Frew gathered up the dishes from the small table where Callie sat.
They said their goodbyes and thank-yous. Seth laid Connor down on the folded blankets, where the boy had spent the night. Then he sat on the bed. Callie was on a chair pulled up to a bedside table.
“How are you?” They were only a few inches apart.
“I’m steady. Not full strength but I’ll survive. The doctor came while you were out. He thought I needed to rest a few days because of the blood I lost, but I’m ready to get out of this town.”
“We can head out, then. It’s a long ride home, and if you wear out along the trail, we can camp for the night. Ethan’s house is closer than mine, so if you last long enough we can stop there. I’ve got supplies at the general store and horses to carry things home. Some of the trails are too narrow and too hard a pull for a wagon.”
“Did you have a good time carrying my son around town?” She had enough strength to shoot arrows at him with her eyes.
“He’s a fine boy, Callie. I’m sorry I—”
“I’ve heard ‘I’m sorry’ enough,” Callie cut him off. “Let’s get on for home.”
Seth hesitated. There was something about the fire in her black eyes that drew him like a moth. “You’re hurt. Can I say I’m sorry about that?”
She shrugged. “Saying you’re sorry doesn’t change anything.”
“I know. And wishing I’d gotten there sooner so I could help you doesn’t do a bit of good. But I’d have spared you the danger you were in if I could.” He lifted a hand and drew it along a scratch on her cheek. “The town is buzzing about the woman who stood off a band of outlaws. The stage driver and the man riding shotgun are well known and well liked. They’re both going to live because of you.”
“I’m glad. They were tough men. They put off the moment when I’d be fighting on my own. And the driver got us closer to town than he might have. That gave the parson a chance to get away and to protect his wife and Connor. We all worked mighty hard to survive that holdup yesterday. It wasn’t all my doin’.”
They were so close, it was easy to lean forward and steal a kiss. He pulled back and she followed after his lips for a second.
She caught herself. “There won’t be any of that.”
But he’d seen it. Her words didn’t match the way she moved. But he also knew he couldn’t use the powerful draw between them to tame her. It would be cheating.
“Sorry is just a word, Callie. You’ll believe me when I prove it. I reckon I deserve every bit of your distrust. I aim to spend as much time as it takes to earn it back.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you.” Callie’s eyes had a hopeless look as she drew a gentle finger down his cheek. “I’m sure you mean it when you say you’re sorry. And maybe you even care about me to the extent you can remember. It’s just that until I’m sure you won’t run off again, I don’t dare to trust you. Being left alone in Georgia was a heartbreaking thing. I went home to my pa, and he took care of me through Connor’s birth.”
For some reason that lifted Seth’s heart mightily. “So he wasn’t born before I left?”
Callie frowned. “Can’t you even remember that?”
“Had you told me he was on the way?”
There was an extended silence. Finally she said, “No. I didn’t know about him yet. We’d only been married a short time. I knew you were still sick. I knew you were haunted by the war and weak from your wounds. I never should have married you when—”
He kissed her until he was sure she would quit blaming herself in any way. “I can’t remember what sent me running for home, and I don’t know enough about being sick in the head to understand why I’ve forgotten someone as sweet as you.”
And as handy with a gun.
“It was bound to be a hard business getting here, and I don’t remember much of it. I was turned aside for a time. But, Callie, what you stir up in me is fierce. I suspect we’ll have our hands full keeping ourselves from . . . from having . . . well . . . any of that.”
He watched her until he was sure she understood just what that was. “The truth is, I’m not sure I’m going to be much help avoiding that. But we’ll get through this and that. I promise you we’ll be fine.”
“Are you still having your nightmares?”
Seth straightened, surprised. “I don’t remember having a nightmare last night.”
“You never woke me up with one, anyway.”
“I was up with Connor twice, so maybe that interrupted my sleep before the nightmares could take hold.” Seth smiled.
“Connor woke up and I slept through it?” Callie twisted to look behind her to reassure herself the boy was alive and well. Seth saw her wince with pain.
“Yesterday was a real hard day for you, honey. I reckon you’d’ve woken up if I hadn’t heard him before he so much as whimpered. I fed him down in the hotel dining room.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Yep. And changed his diaper twice. The night clerk helped me. Having a son wake me up in the night might be the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Connor normally sleeps soundly all night. I’m sure he’s stirred up from the traveling.”
“And the gunfight.”
“Yeah, that too.” Callie turned back to Seth. “Latta told me she and the parson didn’t send you out to the stage to help me. How’d you come to be on that trail?”
“I’ve been searching for you for over a month. I had a broken leg when your letter came. I couldn’t start hunting for you right away, but Rafe and Ethan rode out as much as they could. But we didn’t know which trail you’d take. Since I’ve been fit, I’ve been combing the trails. I’ve probably ridden this trail a dozen times to meet the stage and see if you’d come. I’d go home for a few days and help Rafe and Ethan with my house for a while, then ride out again.”
The corner of Callie’s mouth turned up in a sad kind of smile. Seth thought of a thousand questions he needed to ask her, yet there wasn’t time for any of that now. “Are you sure you’re ready to ride?”
Callie nodded. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter
6
Callie kept moving just because it had been bred in the bone from her growing up in Texas. Every breath, every step hurt, and yet none of that stopped her.
Seth was a good cowboy; she’d give him that. It set wrong with her, but she stayed inside while he went off to saddle the horses, load the supplies, and talk to the sheriff one more time before they left town.
Most of Callie’s things had been delivered to the hotel, though Callie wanted her rifle and six-gun back. She left tracking them down to Seth while she sat in the hotel dining room. Seth had even arranged for a young boy to chase after Connor.
When Seth pushed through the swinging doors of the restaurant, Callie knew it was time to go. She gritted her teeth to keep from groaning as she stood.
Seth scooped Connor into his arms and Connor bounced and, if Callie wasn’t mistaken, said, “Papa.”
Of course, Connor called her papa, too. And he called his feet papa, and his milk. Still, it bothered her a little, especially since the little imp didn’t ever say mama.
Seth carried Connor and rested a hand on the small of her back. She wanted to hit
his hand away, except she needed the support. His touch was warm and it seemed to ease her aching muscles. Or maybe she was just too stubborn to topple over with her abandoning husband as a witness.
They were leaving the dining room when the hotel clerk rushed up to meet them. “You saved my brother’s life yesterday, Mrs. Kincaid. There’s no charge for the room or for anything else. You have my thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Callie nodded and it really hurt.
“Can you help me with this?” Seth shook out a strange-looking leather contraption.
“You got the carrier my wife sent over?” The clerk reached for it. “Good.”
Seth handed it over. “Help me get the boy situated.”
Callie watched curiously as the clerk slipped Connor’s chubby legs into the leather; then Seth let go of her, turned around, and put Connor on like a coat.
“You’re wearing Connor?”
With a smile, Seth put his hand back on her and she realized she’d missed his touch. It made her mad to admit it.
“I’ve got two little nieces, and their mom wears the baby like a papoose when she needs her hands free. I mentioned it to the clerk this morning and he said his wife had something she could fix up for us. All their children are old enough to ride on their own.” Seth urged her forward, which she appreciated, not wanting to stand—not even to accept gratitude—a minute longer than was necessary.
“You’ve got two nieces? You never mentioned your brothers being married.”
“We’ve got a lot to talk about, Callie. We’ll get to all of it.”
They stepped out on the street, and the stage driver was approaching, his head bandaged and one arm in a sling. “I’m glad I got here before you left, Mrs. Kincaid.”
Callie wasn’t all that glad. She did her best to smile.
The stage driver handed her a small cloth bag. “Our company has a standing one-hundred-dollar reward for anyone who heads off a robbery. And the sheriff went after those men yesterday and caught all four of them. Three of them have a price on their heads. It adds up to a five-hundred-dollar reward. The marshal will put the money in the bank here when it comes.”
Seth nodded at the bag. “We’ll take this with us.”
The driver nodded. “Much obliged, ma’am. My shotgun would’ve come, but he’s still at the doctor’s office. Although he took a hard hit, he’s going to make it, thanks to you.” The driver tipped his hat, and Seth urged her toward a beautiful little black mustang. One of five horses standing in front of the hotel hitching post. Three of them were loaded down with supplies.
Seth reached for her waist, and while it set wrong to be helped onto a horse, Callie didn’t think she’d make it on her own. Before he could lift, someone else could be heard treading the sidewalk toward them. The newcomer was on them before Callie could mount up and get shut of this friendly town.
Callie stifled a sigh, turned to be thanked again and looked at a half-grown boy who had Seth’s exact coloring. In fact, he looked enough like Seth to be his brother. Right down to a pair of wild blue eyes.
Seth felt like he was looking at Connor at about age ten. Maybe, though, this was just someone else who wanted to congratulate Callie for being a steady hand with her gun and the resemblance was nothing but a coincidence.
“You’re Seth Kincaid, right?” The boy had his fists clenched like he was getting ready to take a swing.
The youngster wasn’t here to thank Callie for nuthin’.
“That’s right,” Seth replied.
“I’ve been hunting you.” The kid looked killing mad.
Seth sort of wished he’d gotten Callie’s six-gun into her hands. He might need the help. Although a shootout with a ten-year-old was just plain embarrassing.
He’d tucked the gun in his saddlebag rather than hand it over for fear she might take a notion to use it on him. “Well, you’ve found me. What can I do for you?”
Lots of people had blue eyes. Seth tried to pull himself back from the crazy conclusions he’d jumped to.
“I understand you’re my brother,” the boy said.
Seth went right back to jumping. “Uh . . . no . . . I’m not.”
Yes, he was. Seth knew it even as he denied it. Those were his eyes. Eyes he shared with only one other person on earth. His pa. Oh wait, two people. His son had his eyes. Now there was a third.
“I’ve got a letter here, in my ma’s hand, saying my pa—”
“Your pa?” Seth interrupted.
“Yes, my pa. Gavin Kincaid.”
Seth had known that was coming.
“My ma told me, if I needed help to go find my brothers, Rafe, Ethan, and Seth Kincaid. She said you own a ranch near Rawhide, and a fourth of it’s mine.”
A dozen questions came to mind as Seth stared at the boy—who was way too old, considering Seth’s pa had been a married man until Seth reached the ripe old age of twelve.
———
The question that got out of Seth’s mouth first was, “How old are you?”
“I don’t have to answer any of your questions.” The boy bulled up. But it didn’t matter. Unless this child was no more than eight years old, he wasn’t near young enough.
“I’m twenty-one.” Schooling had never been Seth’s strength, but he could add and subtract. “My ma, Gavin Kincaid’s wife, died when I was twelve. If you’re not at least twelve years younger than I am”—and that didn’t even need to be said out loud since the kid was obviously older than that—“then we’ve got us a real big problem.”
“You’re telling me your ma was still alive until you were . . .” A dull red stole up the boy’s cheeks. Seth felt the shame.
Seth had a wife he couldn’t remember. He got kicked in the back by the son he’d never heard of before yesterday. There were a lot of people who’d accused him over the years of being crazy. Pretty much everyone he’d ever met, in fact.
As he stood there in that cool breeze of an October in Colorado, Seth wondered if he hadn’t oughta just forget all about being crazy. Sanity was proving to be stranger than any fevered notions his head could cook up.
A tug on his sleeve drew his addled mind back from the wild ride it was on. He turned away from his new brother and looked at Callie. He braced himself for his forgotten wife to tell him they had five children instead of one. And for the whole herd of blue-eyed sons and daughters to come charging out of the alley.
Instead of hooking a bunch more children on his back, she thrust the bag holding her reward money at Seth and said, “We’re gonna need to buy more horses.”
Chapter
7
Like every other time when she’d had dealings with her husband, right from the moment she’d found him feverish in an army hospital in Georgia, Callie had to do all the thinking.
And considering her blood loss from yesterday, thinking was quite a chore. But she could see clear as the sunrise that Seth wasn’t up to it.
“When did you eat last?” she asked the boy.
He looked half starved, as most growing boys always did. But he was gaunt and his cheeks were hollow.
The boy got a stubborn look in his eyes, and for a second Callie thought his pride might force him to refuse an offer of food. “I reckon it’s been a while.”
Callie nodded. “Seth,” she said, shoving the money bag in his hands, “go buy two more horses. And the general store oughta have some—” Callie stopped as she thought of all they needed to clothe and feed a young boy for the winter. She really didn’t have the strength, but Seth probably didn’t have the sense. Then the parson came walking down the street, whistling. A man this cheerful was clashing badly with the general mood of the Kincaid family. Fortunately he had his wife with him, and she seemed to be possessed of a practical nature.
“Just buy two more horses.”
“What do we need two horses for?” Seth’s brow furrowed.
“We’re gonna need another pack animal.”
“For what?” he asked, looking thorou
ghly confused.
“Just do it. And get saddles and leather for one of them, too. If you spend all that money, tell the bank to cover the bills out of what comes in from the price on those outlaws’ heads.” There went her reward money. “Then take the pack animal to the general store, load it with the things the parson and his wife are going to pick out for us, then come back to the hotel.” Callie turned to the newly discovered Kincaid brother. She sure hoped they weren’t all as crazy as Seth. Life was vexing enough.
“Go on into the hotel,” she told the boy. “Tell the clerk you want a meal, just as big as you want to make it. I’m Callie Kincaid. Tell them I’ll be in to pay directly. He can come out here and ask me if he needs to.”
She reached into Seth’s money pouch and got the price of dinner. She was just too tired to shop for all they needed. The boy must’ve been hungry, because he went straight inside.
Not ten seconds later the clerk stuck his head out the door. “This boy with you?”
“Yep,” Callie answered. Not waiting for Seth. “Go ahead and let him eat.”
“My pleasure, Mrs. Kincaid. On the house.”
“No, it’s not. I pay my bills.” She gave the man a look she’d learned from standing down men during the war in Texas, and as she had to fight her way across the West to find her husband.
It worked this time, too. The clerk nodded and ducked back inside just as the parson and his wife walked up.
Callie gave them direct, clear instructions and told them to ask the clerk at the general store to get the money out of a nonexistent bank account. She was supposed to be a town hero, so she’d use up her goodwill and get out of town fast. The parson and his wife headed for the store.
“Callie, honey, why are you buying all that stuff?”
“You don’t have a brain in your head, do you, Seth Kincaid?”
Seth shrugged.
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