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Chapter 19
“Are you sure you are up to this?” Charlie asked yet again as he and Rafe walked along the path. “It was only a few hours since you were unconscious….”
“For the sixth time since we left the house, I’m doing this.” Rafe frowned at his friend. “The sooner we do this, the sooner we might have answers about what’s going on. And I’m not about to sit in my bed twiddling my thumbs while you have all the fun.”
“You think this is fun?”
“You know I like to get my hands dirty. This is no different to our time out in the wilderness.”
Charlie grunted.
“This isn’t the wilderness anymore, and we’re not tracking bison. You’re an earl now, and we’re looking for the person who shot that young soldier.”
“How is that any different? Tracking a person is easier than a wild animal.”
“Just because they’re nearer our size doesn’t mean they’re any less dangerous. Asante was a known marksman in the army. He could be lying in wait for us.”
Rafe snorted.
“I doubt it. Not if you were tracking him. He won’t know what’s hit him once we meet with him.”
Charlie still didn’t look happy. Rafe knew he was trying to talk him out of it, especially after what happened that morning, but Rafe was going to do this. Asante had a lot of things to answer for. If he was the one who also tried to kill him while he was riding Paco….
Rafe wasn’t one to step back and let other people do a job he could do himself. Even if his head did hurt. The doctor said he had taken a nasty knock, and because he had been unconscious, there was a chance that he had what the doctor called a concussion.
Rafe didn’t know what one of those was, but apparently, it was something that made the person in question confused and disoriented. All it was giving him now was a bad headache, which made Rafe want to lie down. Not yet, though.
At least Paco was relatively all right. Jessop had checked the horse over, and there was a cut on his back, right where Rafe would have been sitting. It looked nasty, but Jessop had been able to clean it up and was taking good care of Paco. He wasn’t in any condition to ride for a while, but he was going to be fine eventually.
That was something. He was an innocent horse. Both of them could have been killed, especially if the spikes had pierced a little deeper near Paco’s spine. Rafe didn’t want to think about how his brother’s horse could have died because someone was trying to kill Rafe.
If it had happened while they were out riding, and no one was around….
Rafe didn’t want to think about that. He needed to focus on demanding answers from Asante. He needed to be out of the house while he dealt with his own thoughts.
Manning had told him about Gregory Hayward’s visit. He had been listening in, a habit Rafe didn’t approve of. And he had told Rafe about Hayward suggesting he and Victoria have an affair. The fact he was under Rafe’s roof and even suggesting that his wife committed adultery was just shocking. What was he thinking? Rafe couldn’t even comprehend what was going on.
At least Victoria had refused and told him to leave. Rafe knew he would be devastated if Victoria had an affair with someone else. Things had been progressing well between them, and if she turned to another man now, Rafe would be broken-hearted.
It had been painful the first time after knowing his closest friend was dead. But this time, it would be worse. The betrayal would be too much.
“You’re thinking again, Rafe,” Charlie grunted. “You need to stop that. It’s making me nervous when you’re quiet.”
“I was thinking of other things.”
“Like….” Charlie paused. “Oh, I see. About Hayward’s visit.”
“Am I that obvious?”
“If I was married and I heard about someone propositioning my wife, I’d be furious as well.” Charlie glanced at him. “Have you spoken to Victoria about it?”
“No, I haven’t. I’ve made the most of the doctor’s orders to rest and stayed in my room.”
Rafe knew it was cowardly to hide away, but he didn’t know if he could talk to his wife without getting angry. Even though he knew she hadn’t accepted the offer, just thinking about it made Rafe upset. Victoria didn’t deserve his anger directed at her.
“You’re going to need to soon.”
“I know, Charlie. You seem to think I don’t know how to talk to women.”
