Brody Read Free

at him, her eyes getting a sheen that looked suspiciously like tears. Impossible. Not the unflappable, tough as nails Olivia Graham. She glanced away and cleared her throat.
    “Where are you going? Can you at least tell me that?”
    “I told you. Mexico. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks.” He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until she moved back and he sucked in a much needed gulp of air.
    “Isn’t it dangerous? I mean, it’s been such a short time since the war.” She frowned, the hint of tears gone.
    “Of course it’s dangerous. Being a Texas Ranger is about danger, but it’s also about doing what’s right for Texas and its citizens.” He patted her shoulder awkwardly. “I’ll be fine. I’ve done it before.” He didn’t have the suave tongue that others did. His skills were in fighting, tracking and shooting. None of which helped him now.
    Brody got up on his horse before she could grab him again. He tried not to look into her eyes, at the anger and confusion he would see there. She had to realize there were things a man did and things a woman did. He wasn’t about to involve her in his investigation. It was much bigger than the kidnapping of Benjamin Graham. The child’s disappearance was a piece in a larger puzzle, but Brody would do his best to find the boy, even though his discovery might bring the family as much heartache as his disappearance.
    As he rode away, he thought about all the things that could happen to a young white child in the wild. He could have been sold to an Indian tribe, to a Mexican family, or even another Texas family. No matter what the case, Benjy was not going to be the same little boy who’d disappeared six months earlier.
    It was a piece of truth he couldn’t bring himself to tell Olivia. If he did, she might not believe him, or worse, might try to find him herself. That was all kinds of wrong, more trouble than Brody cared to contemplate.
    It was best for all that Olivia Graham stayed put.
    He rode for two hours toward the deserted cabin that had held the stolen goods from Jeb’s gang. He thought hard as he rode, trying to puzzle out just what Jeb could have done with the people he’d taken. The women were easier to figure out than the children. Jeb had given the law no information after his arrest, and now that he’d hanged for his crimes, there would be none forthcoming.
    Then there was the disappearance of Jeb’s own sister, Margaret, who’d been missing for three months. Supposedly she’d been having tea with Olivia when she’d vanished without a trace. Their father, Frederick, was now a broken man who rarely left his house, and had sold most of his land and cattle.
    Jeb had decimated his own family for profit. That left a rotten taste in Brody’s mouth. No matter what he believed, family was blood and blood was thicker than anything. He and his brothers had been through hell and back, and he was the only one who’d survived. He sympathized with the Grahams and the pain of losing Benjamin.
    The loss of their parents had been bad enough, but at least death brought with it a kind of closure. Benjy’s disappearance kept their pain and grief alive, without any end in sight. The Grahams assured him they had moved on, but he knew they hadn‘t really. Every time he came to the ranch, they asked him about the boy. It killed him not to be able to give them news, any kind of news. The boy had vanished just as Margaret Stinson had. Into thin air.
    He slowed his horse to a slow walk as he got closer to where he thought the cabin was. He was always on guard, even if he didn’t see a speck of dust move or hear a peep. Being a Texas Ranger was a dangerous job, but after his brothers’ deaths, it seemed a good choice for him. He didn’t regret signing up, and when his year was over, he would continue on. He saw the good that could come of keeping law and order.
    He pulled the horse to a stop near a copse of trees. The cabin was tucked behind them, a tiny