Chapter Fourteen

"It's been a while since I went for a ride just to be riding," Cavanaugh admitted as he and Nicole followed the winding mountain path. The warm breeze was blowing against their skin and the sun was bringing out all the golden and red highlights in Nicole's long hair.

Cavanaugh felt the stirrings of guilt in his stomach as his eyes roamed over her soft body swaying temptingly back and forth with the motion of the horse. He quickly fought to push those feelings back down. Leah was gone and there wasn't a thing wrong with thinking another woman was attractive.

He was impressed by how well Nicole handled the large buckskin. It was clear that the horse loved and respected her and that told Cavanaugh a lot about the person she was. Horses, especially ones who had been abused, were perfect judges of character. He was sure that Gemini had been abused. Not only was he covered in scars but he didn't trust newcomers. The fact that Nicole had taken a chance on such a horse made his respect for her grow.

Cavanaugh had always loved horses. He knew that's why, when his family had been taken from him, he had sought refuge at a ranch. Being with the animals; feeling the air on his face and the freedom it provided, was the only thing he'd found that had given him peace.

"It's been a good couple of weeks since I've been out here and ridden. I normally try to come a couple nights a week but I guess I just got busy and caught up with other things," Nicole replied as she patted Gemini's neck.

"You look like a natural. I didn't think that people would still know how to ride horses since they all ride around in those gasoline machines now."

Nicole laughed lightly, "I've never heard them called gasoline machines before," she admitted.

Cavanaugh just shrugged as he pulled a cigarette and matches from his pocket.

"I bought you that lighter for a reason," Nicole told him, "It's easier."

"Easier isn't always better," Cavanaugh countered.

Nicole just shook her head. Moody and stubborn. Looked like she had her work cut out for her. She sighed and decided to return to his comment about people riding horses, "Most people don't know how to ride horses anymore. It's a dying way of life I guess. My dad always liked them and I guess it rubbed off on me."

"So you shoot guns and ride horses, are you sure you aren't an outlaw form 1875 yourself?"

"Pretty sure." she replied, flashing Cavanaugh a smile that had him looking away quickly. Nicole in the sunshine, on a horse, with a smile on her face, was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen in his entire life.

They were getting high in the mountains by now and the view was breathtaking over the cliff line to his right. He had missed the scenery of these mountains while he'd been working on that ranch in Wyoming, though a big part of him was already missing the plains and sunsets that that land offered.

He absentmindedly rubbed at his constantly aching left thigh as he thought about what he would be doing if he was still back in his time. He would be on his long journey by horseback to Wyoming more than likely. Away from his brothers and never having met Nicole. He wondered why both of those thoughts made him sad. He hadn't been with all his brothers at once in eleven long years and now after the last week or so with all of them he couldn't imagine going another eleven years away from them. Except perhaps for Jamison. He could go a long time without seeing that self righteous bastard and be just fine.

And then there was Nicole..... He shook his head. He still wasn't ready to explore that thought any further.

"Are you okay?" Nicole's voice broke through his thoughts. He looked over at her and frowned questioningly. She pointed at his hand that was still rubbing his thigh. "Is your leg hurting?"

"Oh," Cavanaugh stopped rubbing it quickly and shifted uncomfortably in the saddle. "It's fine. Just an old injury that aches now and then."

Nicole knew that that injury had something to do with what had happened to his family and her heart cried out in earnest to help that sadness in his eyes, "Can I ask what happened to you?" she asked, trying to keep the question, and her voice, casual.

"I was shot and my leg got broke. Now it always aches."

"I've never met someone who was actually shot before," Nicole admitted. "How did it happen."

She saw a haunted look come into Cavanaugh's deep blue eyes and regretted asking that question. Cavanaugh took a long draw off his cigarette and then sighed as he blew it out, "Same way it always happens I guess. Somebody pulled a trigger." he replied without looking at her. When he finally did turn to look at her, the haunted look was gone and he wore a smile. "And you have met people who have been shot. Jamison has taken a couple bullets and Ian got shot in the backside once."

Nicole couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her, "He got shot in the ass?" she gasped as she tried to calm herself. Cavanaugh's laughter filled the air as well and she loved that sound. It was deep and good natured and it took every bit of the hardness and sorrow from his face, making him look years younger.

"Yes he did."

"Can I ask why?" Nicole chortled.

Cavanaugh laid his hand over his aching stomach. It had been a long time since he had laughed this hard and he couldn't seem to make himself stop, "He went after the wrong mans wife."

Nicole's laughter grew and she felt her chest burning from lack of air, "Does he do that often?" she managed to gasp.

"Gets him in trouble quite a bit." Cavanaugh replied with a nod, as he gulped in deep breaths and calmed his laughter. He saw Nicole's green eyes watering and her face flush as she too tried desperately to stop her laughter.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they came to the top of the trail and pulled their horses to a stop. Neither said a word as they looked at the green mountains rolling as far as their eyes could see.

"It is good to see that not much has changed." Cavanaugh finally said.

Nicole smiled, "In other places it has," she admitted. "But for the most part it's still all wilderness here."

Cavanaugh looked back down the trail, "We should probably head back now." He knew that being out here alone with her was dangerous. His attraction to her could not be denied and he didn't want to give her the wrong impression. He didn't want to give in to his desire and cause her to think he wanted more than just a quick bedding.

"Okay." Cavanaugh heard the smallest bit of disappointment in her voice but chose to ignore it as he turned Saraphine and headed back down the winding trail.

"She's a good horse," he said as he patted her neck.

"My mother always loved her."

"Where is your mother?" Cavanaugh asked. He hadn't seen any of her family since being here and hadn't heard her even speak about them until now.

"She's dead. She died of cancer."

"Cancer?" Cavanaugh asked with a frown.

"It's a disease. Some people live through it and some don't. My mother didn't. My father died too, not long after her. He went crazy once the doctors told us she was going to die and he found his salvation in a bottle. Of course that led to him wrapping his car around a tree."

Cavanaugh wasn't exactly certain what she meant by wrapping a car around a tree but he recognized the pain when he heard it in her voice, "I'm sorry."

Nicole could hear the sincerity in his voice. It nearly brought her to tears. Jamison had said he was sorry as well, countless people had said they were sorry, but there was something about Cavanaugh saying those words; something about the knowledge that he truly understood great pain and loss that made his sorry mean something more.

"Things happen," Nicole replied with a shrug, trying to brush off the pain. "You can either let them break you or you can carry on and live your life."

"Sometimes they just breaks you without giving you that choice." Cavanaugh said quietly.

Nicole longed to lay her hand on his tense cheek, "We always have a choice." she replied gently.

Cavanaugh didn't like where this conversation was heading. Who cared if the words Nicole was speaking made sense? Cavanaugh had been living the way he had for too long now. He wasn't going to dishonor his wife and children by carrying on as if they had never existed.

"I thought these horses needed exercise?" he asked.

Nicole sighed and nodded. She had thought she was getting somewhere with Cavanaugh but now he was letting her know the conversation was over. She heard her grandmother's voice telling her that 'patience is a virtue'. She silently told grandma dearest to shut up.

"They do," she replied to Cavanaugh.

He grinned and she saw the flash of a mischievous child in his eyes, "Then let's give them what they need," he urged and he pushed Saraphine into a gallop and took off down the trail.

Nicole smiled and followed after him. He may not want to talk about his past but she couldn't help but notice that he seemed happier today and she hoped that that had something to do with her. It might just be the horses and fresh air but a woman could dream, couldn't she?

***

"Dammit, my shoulders are killing me!" Ian exclaimed as he stood straight and rolled his shoulders in a desperate attempt to ease the aching muscles.

"What's the matter, young gun?" Jamison asked with amusement as he leaned his own shovel against the barn. They finally had all the holes dug for the corral fence and Ian had done nothing but complain for the last two hours. "Are you not used to hard work?"

"I do plenty of hard work," Ian muttered and then he flashed a grin. "You think robbing stage coaches is easy? You should try it sometime and you'd change your mind."

"I would think it's about as hard as taking candy from a baby," Jamison countered dryly.

Ian laughed, "You think that's easy? Why don't you try to take candy from a baby just one good time? That's harder than breaking into a bank vault!"

"I'm not going to ask how you know what it's like to break into a bank vault but I have to ask this next question," Jamison said as he leaned against the barn, in the shade of the eave, and lit a cigar. "You have stolen candy from a baby?!"

Ian scoffed and tossed his shovel to the ground as he pulled his flask from his pocket, "Of course not!" he exclaimed and then his smile turned sheepish, "It was a pocket watch and the little brat wouldn't give it up." Jamison shook his head with a mixture of defeat and disgust and looked out over the yard, "I need to talk to you about Cav." he said as Ian took the top off his canteen and then shook it and scowled.

"That damn bastard hardly left me a swallow," Ian grumbled as he tipped the flask up and downed what was left. "What about Cav?" he asked, his voice strained from the heat of the whiskey burning its way down his throat.

"He won't talk to me. When he hears me trying to talk about Leah and the kids he just gets angry after what I did. So I need to talk to you."

"I already told you that Cav don't talk about it with anybody," Ian replied with a shrug. "I don't know what else I can tell you about it." Jamison sighed and chewed on his cigar for a moment, "That was nice land Cav had, wasn't it?" Jamison asked. He had only seen it once but as far as he could remember it was nice.

"Hell yeah. Plenty of water, lumber and even a lot of clear grazing land which is hard to come by in that area. And Cav got it at a steal because the old man that owned it before liked him real good. I still remember how mad that rich neighbor was when Cav got the land. That man tried over and over to get Cav to sell the land to him. He even offered Cav four times what it was worth but Cav wouldn't budge."

Jamison tucked that knowledge safely away and pulled his cigar from his mouth, "What was that neighbors name?"

Ian thought for a minute, sucking on his lip as he did so, "Crenshaw? Maxwell Crenshaw, I believe. Why?"

"Just a lead I intend to follow."

"You think Crenshaw had something to do with what happened to Cav's family? I mean the man was rich and used to getting his way but I never thought he was dangerous." The brothers shared a look and Ian nodded. Rich, powerful men were always dangerous.

"Like you said, Cav was never the kind of man that had enemies. It could have been a random act by some men riding through, I guess. The only way to be sure is to ask around and see if similar incidents happened anywhere near."

"You really act like you want to help him." Ian stated.

Jamison scowled at him, "Of course I do."

"Of course nothing," Ian countered. "You left home and turned your back on every one of us. You decided that you, and what you wanted, were the only things that mattered."

"And you became some reckless, law breaking outlaw just to get back at me didn't you?" Jamison demanded.

Ian shook his head, "Believe it or not, I never gave you a bit of thought."

Jamison shook his head with anger and then looked around, "Nicole and Cav have been gone a while." he stated.

Ian chuckled, "Hopefully brother dearest is out taking part in the oldest act between men and women."

"He better not be," Jamison argued. "He'll end up hurting that woman for sure if he rushes things. Cav's head isn't nearly in the right place for that."

"A man's head is always in the right place for bedding a pretty woman," Ian countered.

Jamison just shook his head again. His brother would never change and Jamison felt sorry for every young woman's heart he broke while he sowed his never-ending wild oats. Suddenly Jamison noticed how calm the early afternoon was and he frowned, "Where the hell is Andrew?"

"Oh he left a long time ago," Ian replied.

"Left?"

"Yeah with that Bethany girl."

"So you mean to tell me that our hyperactive, jittery, childish, gambling, alcoholic, woman chasing youngest brother is currently out there on his own running loose with an innocent young girl that has a grandfather who calls his favorite gun baby?" Jamison asked with trepidation.

Ian nodded as he fought back a laugh, "Yep, that's what I'm telling you."

Jamison ran his hand over his face and sighed, "Well that doesn't sound good."