“You sure?” Heath sounded skeptical.
“I want you to come home with me for a time, and learn to obey your big brother. Let’s go.”
“Huh, never gonna happen,” Heath muttered.
“The men will have the cattle settled in by now so you don’t need to traipse over.” Rafe nodded at Ethan and Seth. “I’ll bring Connor home tomorrow. Julia’s all worked up about a letter I fetched from town this morning from some magazine. It sounds like they’re going to publish her writings. She’s gonna want more pictures, Callie. She’ll probably ride over with me in the morning to talk about it.”
Seth groaned.
“We’ll see about drawing when I’ve got some spare time,” Callie said.
Ethan said, “I’ve got horses in the corral on this side of the gulley, so I’ll head out from here. Bea can ride along.” He turned to Bea. “I’ll send some cowpokes to see you back to Colorado City. I’ll give you a couple of good horses to replace yours; it’ll cut hours off the trip to go this way. Seth, you take Bea’s horses on back to your place along with mine.”
Seth realized he was going to ride away from here with his wife. His lawfully wedded wife, and no one else. “I’ll get them home, Ethan. You can count on me.”
It struck Seth hard that it was true. His brothers could count on him and so could his wife and son.
Heath followed Rafe along the ledge side of the pit. They were soon lost from sight with Rafe’s lantern lighting the way.
Seth grabbed a torch, slid his other arm around Callie’s waist, and they all left the cavern behind.
Seth was surprised to see it was still full daylight. He felt as if he’d been in that cavern forever. Maybe for his whole life. But he’d won the fight.
“I want you to know I expect to pay for the crimes I committed today,” Bea said as they climbed the ladder.
“What crimes?” Callie asked. “Jasper’s who hit me.”
“Jasper hit you?” Seth turned to look Callie over.
“There’s nothing to see.” Callie patted Seth on the arm. “I’ve got a bump, but my hair covers it and I’ll heal.”
“I was party to it,” Bea said. “I was right at his side.”
“I heard you say he’d promised no one would get hurt,” Callie said.
“Don’t matter. I’m turning myself in. The law can decide, one way or another. Where’d Jasper’s diamonds ever get to, anyway?”
Dead silence fell over the group. Seth wasn’t sure the rest of them had thought of the diamonds up until now. But he sure had. He figured the rest of them were remembering exactly where those diamonds were. Ethan hadn’t been along when they’d stashed them, but he knew well enough. No tool, or ladder, or rope Seth could imagine would ever be able to get the diamonds out of that deep, deep hole.
Suddenly it struck Seth as purely ridiculous that they’d had so much trouble over a tiny pile of shiny rocks.
“We hid the diamonds in the cave that collapsed,” Seth replied. “They’re unreachable now.” He didn’t see the sense of giving a thorough explanation. “Jasper can guard those diamonds for all eternity.”
It might be better than the fate Jasper had before him, but who was to know how much time Jasper had to think as he fell to his death? Maybe enough time to make his peace with God.
“He wanted those diamonds more than he wanted a wife or love or God. I guess now he’s got them,” Bea said. After that, she didn’t mention Jasper or the diamonds again.
“I’ll be over tomorrow to round up those cattle.” Ethan touched the brim of his hat, and then he and Bea headed for the Kincaid Ranch.
Seth and Callie crossed the gulley, saddled up, and set out for home.
Chapter
32
Seth had his wife all to himself. He wasn’t sure how it happened, but he liked it. He had his hands full even missing little Connor, though he was glad the boy would be back home tomorrow.
“You really remember marrying me, Seth?” Callie asked.
Earlier they’d had a quiet dinner, and their time together was exactly what Seth needed.
“Every second of it,” he said. Seth sat next to her by the fire, enjoying the crackling flames without hearing a word they said. Maybe fire didn’t talk, after all. “More than anything else, I remember how much I love you.”
She turned from watching the fire and smiled. Her hair had flashes of flame in the black silk. He rose and pulled her out of the rocking chair, and she didn’t hesitate one second as he took her into his arms.
“And what about you, Callie? Can you ever love me after I abandoned you?”
Her strong, clever hands brushed across his shoulder. She slipped one hand in at his collar and touched his scars without flinching. “I don’t know if I really did love you when we got married, Seth.”
Those words hit hard. He felt his hopes fade as he considered what it would take to convince her to love a man like him.
“I was drawn to you, and I cared about you, and I was wildly attracted to you . . .”
That got his hopes up a little.
“. . . but I don’t know if a person can really love a stranger. And we didn’t know each other one bit. I realize that now.” After a short pause, she went on, “But, Seth, you’re not a stranger anymore. And if I didn’t love you enough before, then today I’ve fallen completely in love with you.”
“Why today of all days? Because I remembered?”
“No, although your remembering has given me hope that the worst of your burdens have been lifted. I hope your mind is working better, clearer. I hope it all goes together with besting your nightmares.”
“Then, what?”
“It was when you came running into that cave.”
Seth grinned and stole a kiss—though it couldn’t really be called stealing when she just handed the kiss right over. “Liked me being a hero, did you? Racing to the rescue.”
“Sure, I liked that. But what I loved is the way I felt when I saw you. Not that you’d saved me, but just that you were there. There was no denying how much I loved my husband showing up. It was love, pure and simple.” She stretched up and kissed him.
Seth wasn’t sure if she’d ever kissed him first before. She’d cooperated a few times when he kissed her, but she’d never started it. He gave the kiss right back in full measure—and then some.
“I shouldn’t say it before we go to sleep, but I don’t think I’m going to have nightmares anymore.” He tried to be subtle, yet he had no knack for subtlety. He did have a knack for sneaking around, though, and this was kind of the same thing. “Should we go on to bed? See if the nightmares come?”
“I reckon it’s time.” Callie smiled and kissed him again.
Time for what exactly, Seth couldn’t say. He wondered, though. He wondered mighty hard.
“I hope you’re right about the bad dreams,” she said. “If they’re gone for good, then we’ll thank the good Lord. If not, we’ll handle it.”
Nodding, Seth said, “Today I faced some of the things that have been haunting me since the accident. I feel like a weight is gone from my mind. For the first time I could look back at what happened without all the childish terror and confusion. I can even be . . . well, sort of proud of myself and my brothers.”
He thought of what Heath had said. The little pint-sized polecat might be the smartest Kincaid brother yet. “We were in a tight spot. I think we handled it pretty well.”
He led her to their room, and she came along so easily that Seth’s heart was pounding by the time they got there.
Once they’d settled in, Callie said, “You forgot to turn the lantern off, Seth.”
“I want to be able to see for a while yet.”
“Okay.” Callie must have decided she could trust him, because she came into his arms.
As they held each other, Seth knew that today, in that cavern, he’d found his soul and made his peace with God.
He knew he’d found his heart too, held in the steady hands of
his loving wife.
Now, as he kissed her and she returned his kisses without reservation, he found the safest, sanest place he’d ever been.
And he was here to stay.
Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is the author of the acclaimed Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie’s Daughters series. Mary has been nominated for a Christy Award, was a finalist for a RITA Award, and is a two-time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero, Ivan. They have four grown daughters—Joslyn, married to Matt; Wendy; Shelly, married to Aaron; and Katy—and two spectacular grandchildren, Elle and Isaac. Readers can learn more about Mary and her upcoming books at:
maryconnealy.com
mconnealy.blogspot.com
seekerville.blogspot.com
petticoatsandpistols.com
Books by Mary Connealy
FROM BETHANY HOUSE PUBLISHERS
THE KINCAID BRIDES
Out of Control
In Too Deep
Over the Edge
TROUBLE IN TEXAS
Swept Away
ALSO BY MARY CONNEALY
SOPHIE’S DAUGHTERS
Doctor in Petticoats
Wrangler in Petticoats
Sharpshooter in Petticoats
LASSOED IN TEXAS
Petticoat Ranch
Calico Canyon
Gingham Mountain
MONTANA MARRIAGES
Montana Rose
The Husband Tree
Wildflower Bride
WILD WEST WEDDINGS
Cowboy Christmas
Deep Trouble
Nosy in Nebraska (a cozy mystery collection)
Black Hills Blessing (a contemporary romance collection)
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