Chapter Twenty-Five

"Nick, you, me, Thomas, Frank and Wendell are going to take two hundred head of cattle into town. The army placed a big order and they got a train coming in early tomorrow morning. That means we'll leave tonight and have them there waiting," Brody said the next day around noon as he caught Nick and Aiden coming out of the barn.

Nick wondered if Brody knew that they had been alone in the small barn for nearly an hour instead of doing the jobs they'd been assigned to do. Nick wasn't normally the type to shirk his duties but Aiden had come to him and asked for him to rub at a particularly knotted spot on his back and that had been all it had taken. Nick was ashamed of the fact that he hadn't been doing his job but as he enjoyed that tingling sensation still coursing through his legs, he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

"Are us four all you're bringing with you?" Nick questioned. The idea of leaving Aiden alone with the other hands for a night didn't sit well with him. Yes everything had gone smoothly last night and this morning but without Nick there to protect him, Aiden would be a lot more vulnerable.

Brody raised a brow and glanced at Aiden who watching the ponies in the corral, "Yeah, that's all I'm bringing," he replied. "I don't need anybody distracted," he added pointedly. Nick sighed and nodded, he had no choice but to agree. This was his job and Brody was his boss—when Liz wasn't around.

"Alright then. When are we leaving?"

"We're gonna get to wrangling them cattle up now. They're done off to themselves since I've been waiting on this train for a good solid two weeks. We'll leave out just as soon as that's done."

"Well I'll get on in to Ellie then and see if she needs any help with the cooking she's doing for the party tomorrow," Aiden stated. Nick saw Brody's brow rise even further on his brow.

"Cooking?" Brody questioned.

Aiden flushed, "Yes cooking! I'm pretty damn good at it too. Suppose you don't think a man should cook?"

Nick chuckled as he scratched at his jaw and watched Brody study Aiden. Brody took a slow draw off his cigarette and then blew the smoke out slowly, "Ain't nothing wrong with a man knowing how to cook. Hell I can cook a hell of a lot better than the boss can."

"Well thanks," Aiden mumbled. He walked around them, offering Nick a smile before moving away from him.

Brody grinned and winked at Nick, "Of course only a little woman would be so eager about cooking supper."

Aiden's shoulders stiffened and he turned to face Brody with an amused smile on his face, "Then I guess that makes me a woman then. But go ahead and ask Nick, I'm a damn good one."

It was Brody's turn to seem flustered and Nick would be damned if he didn't see the slightest bit of color on the man's cheeks. Brody cleared his throat, shook his head with a chuckle, turned his gaze to Nick and then hooked his thumb toward one of the larger barns, "Let's get those horses ready."

***

"Elizabeth, I want you to stay at the ranch house tonight," Brody stated as he hooked his whip onto his gun belt.

"Why?" Elizabeth questioned. She knew Brody must mean business because he had called her Elizabeth which he didn't do very often.

"Because we found two new holes in the fence and a letter saying we'd go to hell for harboring abominations. Now dammit I won't be runnin' scared from these bastards but I'd still rather be safe than sorry. I'd feel better with you and the babies here with everyone else close by while I'm gone."

"There were more holes?" Elizabeth demanded, her temper rising. Who was doing this?!

"Yeah. Two of them in the fences where we were keeping the two hundred head for the army." Brody looked toward Nick, Wendell, Frank and Kent who were standing around the two hundred head of cattle all crammed into their largest corral. Brody had decided against taking Thomas when the new holes had been discovered... but not because of the holes.

"Brody, there is something else you're not telling me, I can see it in your eyes," Elizabeth warned as she lay her hand upon his scared cheek, "You better get to telling me now."

"Whoever it was left a letter warning me that we'd burn in hell for allowing those abominations to live here and that they were going to be the ones to send us there."

"They threatened our lives?!" Elizabeth gasped, her hand instantly going to the revolver on her hip as she looked at her children tossing a leather covered ball back and forth.

"Yes," Brody's voice was tight with tension and temper.

"Do you have any ideas who it might be?" Elizabeth asked.

Brody pulled a piece of folded paper from his pocket and handed it to her. Elizabeth read the letter so full of hatred toward her family and her newest ranch hand and his man. She could not believe that one person could harbor such ill-will toward anyone. And she was also fairly certain she recognized the handwriting.

"That looks like Burt's handwriting," she swallowed hard as she handed the letter back to her husband, "You gotta take that to Ty and tell him I said so."

"Dammit, boss, this is ridiculous. I have a reputation around here of being a man that no one wants to fool around with and these fucking men, because I'm convinced he ain't doing this alone given that I saw at least two or three different sets of tracks, are trying to make a fool out of me."

"Did they hurt any of the cattle?" Elizabeth questioned.

"They killed three."

"Brody, this has to stop!" Elizabeth clenched her hands. "Take that letter to Ty and see what he says. At the very least Burt can be locked up a while and I'm sure you can convince him to leave town.... Wait, he would know about this order, Brody and he would know that you were going tonight! You don't think he's going to come after you while you're on the road do you?"

"I'm plenty capable of looking out for myself, cowgirl. And I want you to keep the kids at the ranch house tonight and do the same."

Elizabeth nodded, knowing that she would do as her husband asked because there was no way she'd leave Ellie, Thomas, Sally, Eli and Max alone, "You need to have a long talk with Burt, Brody, and convince him to leave this town."

Brody growled and shook his head, "He has threatened my family and killed some of my cattle, I can promise you now that he won't be leaving town on foot; it'll be in a pine box."

***

"Aiden, you better watch yourself," Nick warned, as he prepared to leave the ranch and take the cattle into town. This was the last thing he wanted to do. With the dead cattle, the holes in the fence and that hate spewed letter, Nick wanted to keep Aiden right where he could see him and protect him with his life if need be.

"I'll, be fine, Nick. There's plenty of us here and I doubt they'd actually attack the ranch house anyhow. They'd be signing their own death warrant if they did something like that," Aiden assured him and then he swallowed hard, "You take your own advice and watch yourself."

"I have Brody," Nick grinned, "Nothing and no one will mess with us."

Nick saw a smile pull at Aiden's lips but he knew the man was still scared. So with a heavy heart Nick swallowed his own fear and put on a brave face, "It's all gonna be just fine, Aiden. I'm sure this ain't nothing but talk from some men that are pissed off.'

"They killed three of those cattle," Aiden reminded him. "That's more than just talk."

"Killing cattle is a lot different from killing men, Aiden. And killing a man isn't something I think Burt has in him."

Aiden swallowed hard and gave Nick's hand a quick squeeze despite the eyes on them from a distance, "I hope not. You better come on back to me, Nick."

"Always," Nick assured him and then onlookers be damned Nick stooped down and pressed a quick kiss to Aiden's jaw before throwing himself up into his saddle and leaving him behind. All Nick could do now was pray that somehow Aiden would stay safe and that Nick would keep his word and come back to him—all of this worry just because they each loved a man. Life simply wasn't fair.

***

"It's only a couple of hours before dawn and all is still quiet," Cookie grumbled as the hound at his feet snorted. "Let's just get us some sleep, Aiden, I don't think there's anything gonna happen tonight."

"I'd say you're right," Aiden agreed. He was exhausted and no longer feared an attack on the ranch house tonight. Thomas had already gone back into the ranch house so he seemed to have decided all was quiet as well. Aiden was beginning to believe that Nick had been right and Burt was only trying to scare them all and really was no real threat.

He stepped into the bunkhouse with Cookie and realized that everyone else had long since gone to sleep. Truthfully it was more worry over Nick that had Aiden sitting up than fear that anything would happen here. Aiden hadn't realized how hard it would be to go an entire night without looking into Nick's eyes as he fell asleep.

Aiden slid off the gun belt that Brody had given him to wear, pulled off his boots and then climbed onto his cot and pulled the blanket over him. Sleep claimed his weary body much more quickly than he had thought it would and it didn't take long before his snores joined the others.

Aiden wasn't sure how much time had passed when the sound of crashing glass had him jerking awake and leaping to his feet.

Then he smelled the smoke and felt the heat. A gunshot sounded. Aiden heard scream and cries of shock coming from the beds around him and also from the ranch house.

The bunkhouse was on fire. Someone had thrown a lit bottle of whiskey into the bunkhouse and the dried wood was going up in flames quickly.

"Get out of here!" Vance yelled. "Get some water!"

Aiden grabbed up his gun belt and ran from the bunkhouse only to skid to a stop when he realized the ranch house was going up in flames as well.

Instantly he forgot about the bunkhouse and ran to save the people he knew were inside. Yellow and orange flames danced inside the broken first story windows. Aiden heard screams of fear from inside the house and knew instantly it was the children.

He didn't even have to think about what he was doing charging up onto the porch and busting through the front door. Thomas was coming out with Sally wrapped in his arms while she fought frantically against him,

"I have to help get the children!" she screamed.

"I will help get the children! You stay out here and out of the smoke!" Thomas shot back.

"Who did this?" Aiden demanded. Horses began screaming and panicking due to the heavy scent of smoke coming from the bunkhouse and ranch house. Men were yelling and filling buckets of water to attempt to save the main house. Aiden could hear Elizabeth shouting inside and the unmistakable sound of Lexi sobbing.

"I saw two men on horseback ride off that way," Thomas pointed toward town, the anger flashing in his scarred eye was like a bolt of lightning and his cheek tightened causing the scar across it to jump and twist. "I got a shot off but they kept going."

Aiden nodded and then ran into the house. The smoke was thick and his eyes began to water as his lungs burned. Flames were devouring the curtains and the heavy English furniture. Family portraits on wall were beginning to curl and burn. Aiden saw Elizabeth coming back down the hallway with Lexi clutched in her arms while Bryant hung onto her pants leg.

"Where's......" Aiden regretted the breath he had taken as soon as the smoke flooded his lungs and he began to cough. The sour scent and taste of it nearly made him gag. "Where's Nathan and Max?" he whispered hoarsely.

"The bedroom you and Nick stayed in. I couldn't get the handle to open! I'm going to take them out and come back....." It was clear that Elizabeth was scared and Lexi was screaming in her arms.

"I'll get them," Aiden promised. He ran down the hall, keeping his arm over his mouth and nose to try to filter out some of the heat and smoke from the air.

"Help!" he heard Nathan call out from behind the closed door he was heading for. Thicker smoke was rolling out from beneath it.

"I'm here!" Aiden assured the frightened boy. He reached out to grab the handle and yanked his hand back when he felt the heat radiating from the metal.

"There is fire in here!" Max screamed.

"Can you get to the window?" Aiden demanded.

"No!" came Nathan's frightened response.

Aiden glanced around and saw a decorative cloth lying over a tiny table. He grabbed it, wrapped it around his hand and then reached for the handle again.

He cried out with pain as the metal seared his skin but he turned the knob and managed to open the door, though he had to throw his shoulder against it as the heat was causing the wood to change shape and buckle.

Through watery eyes, Aiden saw the boys inside and he motioned to them with his free hand before yanking his other off the red hot handle and leaving skin behind.

"Get out of here!" Aiden rasped through his burning lungs. It was clear that whoever had done this, Aiden had no doubts it had been Burt and whoever he'd convinced to go along with him, had thrown a burning bottle directly into this room—the room that Nick and Aiden had been using the last time Burt had been here.

Rage filled Aiden as he got Max and Nathan outside and saw the chaos of men passing buckets, fighting flames and attempting to calm prize horses before they injured themselves.

Instantly Elizabeth and Sally ran to the boys and wrapped them up tight. "Are you okay?" Sally asked as she tipped her head toward Aiden's hand.

"Yeah... where's Ellie?"

Elizabeth glanced around as if realizing for the first time that the other woman wasn't there. Her green eyes were wide as she glanced at the burning house and as if on cue the sound of a baby crying came from inside.

Aiden saw Thomas mounting a horse, "Where are you going?" he demanded.

"After whoever did this," Thomas replied.

"I'll go with you but first help me get Ellie and Eli, they're still in there."

Thomas nodded and the two men ran into the house. The flames were consuming the stairs but the men didn't pause before jogging up them and taking them two at a time. Thankfully the flames had not made their way to the second story yet but the smoke was still thick.

Eli's cries were louder here and coming from the bedroom. "Ellie!" Thomas called out.

A moan was the only answer to his cry other than Eli's screams and wails. Aiden tried the door but it was locked, he looked at Thomas the other man nodded before kicking the door hard and sending it flying open with a splintering of wood.

The two men burst into the room and Aiden saw Ellie lying on the floor. It appeared that she had fallen and struck her head against the hope chest at the foot of her bed. She was beginning to stir around and Aiden pointed for Thomas to help her since he was the strongest out of the two of them.

Aiden ran to Eli and scooped the terrified boy up into his arms, nearly crying out as his burned hand rubbed against Eli's nightdress. Eli's sobs quieted and he gave a loud sniff, 'Ogee?' he whimpered.

"Yeah, Ogee's got you," Aiden assured the boy. He grabbed a shirt off the back of the arm chair and threw it over the boys head to protect him from the smoke before dashing back out of the room with Thomas behind him.

The fire was worse and Aiden could feel it burning the air from his arms and singing his skin. His lungs were burning terribly and as soon as they hit the fresh air outside he began to cough loudly.

"What happened to her?!" Elizabeth demanded as Thomas sat an addled Ellie on the ground a safe distance from the house.

"I... I fell..." Ellie replied her frantic blue eyes falling on Eli and then filling with relief. She held out her arms and Aiden placed the boy in them.

Aiden looked down at his blackened forearms covered in soot and knew that his face matched. Thomas grabbed his shoulder, "We need to get going. Are you coming?"

"Yes," Aiden replied with a nod.

"I should come...." Elizabeth began but Aiden shook his head.

"You stay here and look after the children. They need you right now."

Elizabeth nodded as she dropped to her knees and held Lexi and Bryant tightly. Nathan stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder. Thomas and Aiden wasted no more time. They quickly saddled Aiden's horse and then sped off into the night. Aiden simply followed Thomas who seemed to be tracking the men who had done this, though Aiden had no idea how he did so with only a small sliver of moonlight to see by. While they made their way Aiden could only hope and pray that Nick and the others were okay.