Read Circle Eight: Vaughn for Free Online

them and saw the culprit duly punished.” There was so much more to the story but that was Brody and Olivia’s story to tell.
    “I’m glad to hear it. Texas is a rough place. Many folks are killed for nothing more than scraps.” His voice had dropped to a rough whisper. “Sometimes for less than that.”
    Experience vibrated in his words. Someone he knew or loved had been murdered too. Another thing they had in common.
    “Who was it?” she asked quietly. Her coffee was only warm but she drank it, eager for something to do besides have such a serious conversation. Yet it was one of the defining moments in her life, and she couldn’t explain why.
    “No one of consequence.”
    This was the first time she’d heard a lie in his voice. She didn’t push him about it. Murder was a very personal, dark memory for anyone who had lived through it. Whatever secret he held in his heart was his to keep. She would not pry any further.
    They sipped the rest of their coffee in silence. The water bubbled on the stove and she rose. “I’ll put the tub in your, er, in the room you’ve sleeping in.” She went to the back porch and pulled the wooden tub in.
    It scraped as she pulled it across the floor, its weight heavy but not unmanageable.
    “Let me help you.” He tried to rise, then tottered before he dropped back on the bench.
    “Don’t be foolish. I can manage it. I’ve done it a thousand times without a man’s help.” Elizabeth had fought against her brothers’ idea of what was appropriate for a girl and what wasn’t. She could do anything she put her mind or heart to.
    “I can see that. You make it hard to be a gentleman.”
    “There ain’t much call for gentlemen in Texas. We need real men.” She dragged the tub down the hallway and into the room. She straightened and pressed her fists into her lower back to ease the stiffness. Elizabeth turned to find Vaughn at the door, watching her. More specifically, watching her breasts.
    For a moment, she was too stunned to speak. Her heart fluttered and darned if her nipples didn’t pop like buttons.
    “I, uh, came to see if I could help,” he offered weakly.
    “As you can see I’ve already got the tub set.” She needed to get out of the room. He was too big, too tall, too there. It wasn’t very ladylike, but she hurried from the room.
    The water bubbled merrily in the buckets. She picked up a rag and lifted the first bucket. Her return trip to his room was at a more sedate pace. The last thing she needed was to burn herself on the boiling water.
    Vaughn sat on the edge of the bed, his face drawn. She tipped the water into the tub with care. The steam billowed up around her and she closed her eyes for a moment to let it pass. When she opened them, he was watching her face. His study was unexpected and foreign. It made her uncomfortable. In all her life, no young man had looked at her like this stranger did.
    What did he see?
    “I’ll go get the other bucket and then some cold water.” She darted out of the room again. By the time she returned with the second bucket of hot water, he had removed his shirt. The sight of his chest, at the whorls of dark hair around his flat male nipples, sent a whoosh of sensation across her body.
    She couldn’t make her mouth form the right words, so she didn’t speak. Instead, she poured the water in too fast and it splashed on her arms. She hissed and dropped the bucket, which bounced off the tub and landed on her foot.
    “Goddammit!” She hopped around, her fascination with his half-naked form forgotten. If she’d broken her foot, she would have to ride for the doctor on her own. She couldn’t leave Granny alone and Vaughn would be of no help.
    His hand on her elbow stopped her mad dance. “Please sit down and let me look.”
    Elizabeth almost squeaked at the contact. “I’ll be fine.”
    “Maybe, but if you let me look at it, we’ll know for sure.” He led her to the bed and, like a dutiful woman, she allowed him to.