Chapter 25
The wagon thudded over another frozen rut, and Thomas shook the reins harder.
Faster. He had to go faster.
The horses strained against their harnesses, hooves churning the icy snow as they maneuvered curve after curve. The cold bit through his coat, but it didn’t matter. The weight of everything he’d just learned pressed on his chest like a millstone.
Within the day.
How long had it been since he’d left Walnut Springs? Ten minutes? Fifteen? The landscape blurred past. Each minute put the ranch in greater danger.
His mind raced through the possibilities. How many men did Reginald hire? Just those two from the saloon, or were there more? Would they attack openly or try stealth? Even now, were there men stationed around the house, planning to converge from multiple directions?
And what weapons did they have? Rifles, most likely. His brothers kept firearms in the house, but they weren’t expecting an attack. Weren’t prepared for an organized assault by men who’d been hired specifically to kill them.
All he could see were his brothers’ faces. Enoch’s steady gaze. James’s easy smile. Robert bent over a ledger, completely unaware that men were riding toward them with murder in their hearts.
Because of him.
The thought cut deeper than the wind.
He’d done this. His recklessness, his inability to leave well enough alone, his desperate need to play the hero in that Butte saloon—it had led those men straight to his family’s doorstep.
If he’d just walked away that night. If he’d ignored the girl and minded his own business like any sensible person would have done.
If he’d listened to the voice in his head that whispered this isn’t your fight…
But no. He’d had to interfere. Had to throw himself into danger without thinking, without planning, without considering for one moment what the consequences might be.
Just like always.
You’ve done it again. The voice in his head wasn’t a whisper anymore. It was a roar. Your mistake. Your recklessness. And now everyone will die because of you.
His hands tightened on the reins until his knuckles went white.
His poor reactions had already caused the death of one man. Charles, the brave valet who’d stepped in to protect others when Thomas failed.
Would this most recent example of his recklessness take the lives of the people he loved most? His brothers and their families and the woman who’d been like a mother to them all?
And his own wife…
Kate was safe in town though.
Except not for long.
As soon as the doctor returned, she’d get the medicine and rush to the ranch.
Maybe even at the same time as Jake and his comrades rode that exact trail. They’d gone into the saloon…to meet with other men? To get a final drink for courage? He had no way of knowing exactly when they’d come, only that it would likely be this day.
Quite possibly at the same time his wife traveled the same icy road.
If she saw the men, she would stay out of sight. She was smart. Savvy. She could protect herself.
Except she shouldn’t have to.
He had vowed to protect her. To cherish her. To make sure she never faced trials or dangers alone. To put her—and her safety—above all else.
He pulled back on the reins, slowing the team.
Did he dare take the time to go back for her? She’d be safer in town than coming to the ranch with the fight close at hand. Why hadn’t he thought to tell her to stay put until the danger was over? Until he came back for her?
He’d not been thinking. He’d only been reacting.
No more.
He reined the team all the way to a walk. Just ahead was a wider section where he could turn the wagon around.
Driving a wagon at high speeds through all this ice and snow was a foolish idea anyway. He should have taken time to get a single mount from the livery and leave the rig there. Later, when the danger was behind them, he could get all the animals sorted.
At last, he turned the team and set them in as fast a clip as he dared, back toward Walnut Springs.
Don’t let me meet those men on the road, Lord.
He’d get to Kate, make sure she was settled in safety for the coming battle, then grab a horse from the livery and ride like fury to the ranch to help his brothers prepare for the fight of their lives.