Page 82 of Mail-Order Viscountess

His heart slammed against his ribs. Had Jake and his companion already finished their business in the saloon? But they wouldn’t be coming from behind him. He’d meet them head-on.

He twisted in the seat, shifting the reins into one hand in case he needed to grab for the rifle.

A single rider emerged around the bend, pushing his horse hard through the snow.

Enoch.

Relief and confusion tangled inside him as his eldest brother closed the distance between them. Enoch’s face was set in hard lines, his dark beard frosted with ice crystals from the cold.

Thomas pulled the team to a halt, the horses heaving and stamping in the sudden stillness.

Enoch reined in beside the wagon, struggling to catch his own breath as his horse blew white clouds. “Clara’s taken a turn for the worse. Where’s Kate?”

“A turn for the worse?” His gut twisted. “But she was improving—the fever broke⁠—”

“It came back.” Enoch’s voice was grim. “Robert sent me after you in case you decided to spend the night in town. We thought Kate would want to know.”

Clara. Sweet, gentle Clara, who’d been so weak already. Kate would be devastated if anything happened to her.

But there was more pressing danger. Danger Enoch didn’t know about.

“Enoch, listen to me.” He leaned forward. “Those men I fought in Butte. They’re here. In Walnut Springs.”

Enoch frowned. “The ones from the saloon? Why does…?”

Thomas shook his head. “They’re working for Reginald. I saw them in the mercantile, sending a telegram.” Thomas’s throat tightened around the words. “To England. To Cumberland.”

Enoch reared back. “How in the…?”

“I know.” The connection seemed hard to fathom. “But I heard them. They said they found their ‘assignment’ right where he told them it would be. And they plan to finish the job within the day.”

Enoch went still. “Today.”

“They went into the saloon after sending the telegram. I left Kate in town to wait for the doctor and was heading back to warn you, but—” Thomas gestured helplessly at the wagon. “I realized partway back that I couldn’t leave her there. Not with those men so close.”

Enoch’s gaze cut toward Walnut Springs, then back to Thomas. The calculation behind those blue eyes was almost visible—weighing options, assessing threats.

“Where is Kate now?”

“Waiting to get Clara’s medicine.” Guilt twisted in his gut. “Then she’s planning to ride for the ranch. I can’t risk her running into those men on the trail. I have to make sure she’s safe.”

Enoch nodded once. “Go. Take care of Kate. I’ll ride back and get the others ready.”

“Enoch—”

“We’ve prepared for this.” His brother’s voice carried the steel of a man who’d spent his whole life expecting danger. “Ever since we came to Montana, we knew Reginald might find us eventually. The house can be defended. We have weapons, provisions, plans mapped out. How many do you think there are?”

“I only saw two in the mercantile. But probably more.” His mind raced through the possibilities. “They might be meeting the others in the saloon.”

Enoch gathered his reins. “Get Kate. Get her somewhere safe. Once you know she’s secure, if there’s time, come back to the ranch. But her safety comes first.”

The words should have chafed. Should have felt like another dismissal, another reminder that his brothers didn’t trust him with the important work.

Instead, they settled something inside him.

Kate was his responsibility. His wife. The woman he was beginning to love with everything in him. And protecting her—making sure she didn’t ride straight into danger—that wasn’t running away from the fight.

That was exactly where he needed to be.