Page 52 of In Honor’s Defense

Lord help them.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

Luke squeezed Damaris’s hand, wishing he could have done more to cushion the blow. She did her best to hide her distress, but he felt it in the trembling of her fingers and saw it in the way her gaze automatically moved to the barn doorway where Nate had disappeared. It made Luke want to pummel something.

But he couldn’t pummel a company. Especially one based in a city located over a hundred miles away. Plus, he didn’t have any actual proof of wrongdoing. If Harbinger was anything like the unscrupulous land speculation companies he’d heard tales about, that proof would be hard to come by. They’d take measures to keep their hands clean. Hire others to do their dirty work. Cause accidents that couldn’t be traced back to them. Accidents like a strong swimmer drowning in a lake he had no reason to visit.

“Do you really think we’re in danger?” Damaris peered up at him, her gentle brown eyes larger than usual in her delicate face.

“Not immediate danger, perhaps, but in situations like this, it’s hard to know when things will start getting ugly.”

“And just what situation are we in?” She turned to face him, her backbone stiffening and her shoulders rolling backward.

She might be an elegant lady with hands more suited to needlework than war, but she wouldn’t shy from this fight. Already he sensed the change in her. Her voice had lost its wobble. She’d shoved the fear aside in favor of plotting a course that would allow her to protect her nephew.

“I stopped by the county land office in town to see if the Harbinger Land Development Company had been buying up other properties in the area. They have. In a pattern that seems to stretch between here and Navasota. My best guess is that they’re expecting the railroad to come through in the next few years, and they plan to turn a profit on the land.”

“But surely they wouldn’t actually harm someone just to increase their profits. What’s one piece of land when they have so many?”

Luke wished he could relieve her mind, assure her that everything would be fine, but sugarcoating danger only left a person ill-equipped to respond when it came calling.

“It isn’t just one piece of land, sweetheart. If you won’t sell, that jeopardizes the entire enterprise. The railroad won’t build if they don’t have a clear path between cities. If they choose a different route, all the land Harbinger bought to this point will be worthless. They’ll lose thousands of dollars.”

“You think that’s what happened to Douglas, don’t you? That someone tried to force him to sell and ended up killing him.”

Her chin dropped, and her hand slid from his. Heedless of sore muscles and irritated wounds, Luke wrapped his arm around her waist and steered her over to the back porch, limping only slightly. If he had his druthers, he would’ve just swept her into his arms and cradled her close to his chest. Sheltered her from the pain knocking at her heart. But she had enough surprises crashing over her at the moment. He wouldn’t add to them. So he settled for sitting next to her on the steps and tugging her into his side. He worried for a moment that he was being too presumptuous, but then she laid her head against his chest, and everything settled into place.

She needed him, and nothing was going to keep him from being there for her.

“Harbinger likely hired someone to force your brother’s hand,” he said.

Damaris tipped her face up to look him in the eye. “You’re sure it wasn’t Oliver Grimes?”

“I am now.”

Her brows arched.

He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “I ran into Grimes at the land office and learned he just sold a strip of land to Harbinger. The section that runs along your property line. Harbinger offered him three times as many acres to the west of his ranch in exchange. Now that his land no longer borders yours, there’s no motive for him to try to buy your place.”

“But there’s an even stronger motive for Harbinger.” Her voice flattened, and her cheek came to rest against his chest once more.

Luke laid his chin atop her hair and hugged her close. “’Fraid so.”

“What am I supposed to do?” She straightened and pulled a few inches away from him. “I can’t risk Nathaniel’s safety, but I don’t want to sell his birthright, either. This isn’t right. Can’t the sheriff do anything?”

“Not unless there’s proof that a crime’s been committed.” Luke ran a hand down his face and rubbed at the stubble under his jaw.

She’s right, God. It ain’t fair for greed and power to rule the day. Where is your justice? Where is your provision?

Lowering his hand, he gripped the edge of the step with enough strength that the wood bit into his hand. He was a Horseman, for pity’s sake. It was his job to fight injustice. To protect people like Damaris and Nate. But he didn’t know how to fight an invisible opponent. He needed his team.

“Maybe I should take Nathaniel home to St. Louis.”

The soft words struck him so hard he flinched. St. Louis? She might as well retreat to Boston or New York.

“As much as I would love to visit the Hangers,” she continued, “we can’t stay there permanently. We’d have to return here after a few days or perhaps a week, and the danger would have likely intensified while we were away. Nathaniel’s safety takes priority. I can protect him better in Missouri.”