Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cash couldn’t do it anymore. He wouldn’t.
He woke up the next morning with Josie’s kiss still lingering on his mind, on his lips. He could still feel her fingers in his hair, the warmth of her closeness. He hadn’t wanted that moment to ever end. The memory of it was impossible to brush aside.
It should’ve made things clearer that he was falling for her—but it only muddied the waters more. He knew that as long as he lived, he could never let anything happen to her.
He watched her that morning at breakfast, the way she moved around the kitchen, pouring coffee, fussing over Samuel, smiling faintly despite the exhaustion in her eyes. She was trying to be strong—for everyone’s sake—but he could see the weight she was carrying now.
She had always carried weight heavier than her—and it burned him up inside that she’d ever had to.
It was time to end this. Once and for all.
So, after finishing his morning chores, he went into Josie and Samuel’s bedroom, careful not to wake the boy from his mid-morning nap. He quietly laid a small kiss atop the boy’s forehead and backed out of the room as quickly as he’d walked in.
His kiss with Josie last night was a promise. And so was this.
I won’t let them take you. No matter what.
***
He saddled Ruby and rode out, pistol strapped to his side, while his brothers were still fixing the last fence in the furthest field.
He didn’t tell them where he was going. If they knew, they’d only try to stop him.
But this was something no one could stop.
And it was something he had to do completely alone.
Remington had a right to know that this fight wasn’t just about business or land. It was personal now.
He’s threatening my wife. As long as there was breath in his body, Cash wouldn’t let the man lay a finger on her.
By the time Cash reached the saloon, the sun was high and hot.
He didn’t care. The heat worked to his advantage, made him even angrier. And he needed to be good and angry for what he was about to do. He pushed through the double doors of the saloon, scanning the room to look for Remington.
It didn’t take long to find him. The man sat in the back corner, drink in hand, looking as smug as ever. Several men were crowded around him like he was some sort of king. One of them nudged him, gesturing to Cash.
Cash didn’t care. He strode right up to the table and slammed his hands down hard enough to make the glasses—and the men—jump.
“You and I need to talk,” he snarled at Remington through gritted teeth. “Now.”
Remington merely smirked and gestured for his men to leave. Like the dogs they were, they did, moving to another table to give the two men a chance to talk alone.
“Well, well,” Remington snickered. “Look who decided to grow a backbone.”
Cash’s jaw clenched. He wanted nothing more than to spit in the man’s face, but he restrained himself. “Call your men off. Don’t even think again about touching my fences, my ranch, or my wife. We can settle this as men. It’ll be between you and me, and you and me only.”
Remington chuckled, lifting his glass in a mock cheer. “That so?” He took a slow sip. “See, I disagree. I think this is about your whole family. And that pretty little thing you’re tryin’ so hard to protect has a nice little bounty attached to her, which makes it about her, too.”
Cash saw red. He lunged over the table, grabbed Remington by the front of his shirt, and hauled him halfway out of his chair. “Stay away from my family and my wife!”
The saloon went silent, save for a few scooting chairs. Every eye in the place turned to them.
Remington didn’t fight back. He just smiled, calm and collectedly as he looked around the room before fixing Cash with languid eyes. “Now, now,” he drawled. “That ain’t any way to negotiate. Who taught you manners? Those cows you got on the ranch?”
Cash shoved him back, breathing hard. “The man who raised me would have already put a bullet in you. In case you hadn’t figured it out already, this ain’t a negotiation. You leave Josie and my brothers alone, or I swear I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Remington smoothed his shirt with a cocky smirk that Cash wanted nothing more than to wipe right off his face.
“You’re in over your head, boy. You can’t win this fight.
I’ve won it already. Make a deal with me.
I might even let you live in that rundown shack of yours, and I promise Pierce will take real good care of your little wife. ”
That did it. Cash leapt to his feet and pulled Remington in by the shirt right onto his fist, hammering the man’s jaw hard enough to rattle his teeth.
Before Remington could even cry out in pain, Cash heaved forward and thrust him against the wall. Chairs scraped across the floor. Remington’s men were on their feet now, hands at their pistols.
Every bone in Cash’s body was screaming to pummel Remington into a bloody mess, but he stepped away, hands curling into fists. “We’ll see about that.” His fingers trembled as he contemplated pulling his gun.
There were less than twelve people in that saloon, and there had been hardly anyone in town when he’d ridden in.
No one on the streets, except a couple of old men playing cards in front of the bakery.
No one posted up outside the sheriff’s station, and if he knew Sheriff Carter, the man was likely having a free supper somewhere else right about now.
There probably wasn’t more than a person or two inside the general store, either.
No help. He was on his own.
The buildings were all close together. If he fired, someone would hear.
It would cause a bit of a panic—and there were people loyal to Remington who might want to have a dog in the fight.
Remington might have more men nearby than the twelve already inside—even though more than half of them didn’t seem very interested in the fight.
But four of them definitely were. Cash’s fingers shook more and more.
Remington had apparently noticed his glance out the window. “Scared, Montgomery? ” he asked with a laugh. “Just realized you’re in a wolf’s den? Looking for an escape?”
Cash snorted, hand twitching toward the gun at his hip.
“Coward,” Remington sneered. “You ain’t gonna do anything!”
Cash pulled his gun.
“Go on! Shoot me!” Remington taunted, smiling over Cash’s shoulder at the four men surrounding them, guns drawn now.
“Leave him be!” he ordered them, breathing heavily from his nose.
There was a small drip of blood coming from the corner of his mouth where Cash had punched him. But he didn’t seem to care.
“You really think you can stop me? Boy, I’ve been playin’ this game longer than you’ve been alive. I’ve got friends in high places. And you?” He leaned forward, smiling with bloodied teeth, taunting. “You’re just a broke rancher playin’ house, all pride and no sense.”
Cash’s gut twisted. Remington wasn’t wrong. The ranch was struggling. They were barely holding on. He had thought most of it was Remington’s fault, but was it?
“You’ll regret pushin’ me,” he warned, holstering his gun.
Remington gave a chuckle. “Tell you what—I’ll give you a few more days to think about it. When you come to your senses, you know where to find me.”
When Cash didn’t respond, Remington continued. “You know, your pa must be rolling in his grave.”
Cash bristled at the mention of his father. He flashed a look of warning, but Remington continued, indifferent. “Old Montgomery never would've let things get this bad.”
“Don’t you speak about my pa,” Cash spat, baring his teeth.
“Hit a nerve, did I?” Remington chuckled. “He was a hard man, but he understood business. You’re all emotion, no reason.”
“This ain’t business,” Cash hissed. “This is personal.”
Remington leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Let me teach you something, boy. Everything’s business. Even that pretty wife of yours.”
Cash’s hand twitched toward his gun again. “What do you know about my wife?”
“I know she ain’t really yours,” Remington said with a sly smile. “Marriage of convenience, ain’t it? She needed protection, and you needed... well, I’m not sure what you thought you were getting, besides a pretty face and a pretty—”
Cash cut him off with a bark of rage. “You don’t know a thing—!”
Remington laughed. “I know Pierce wants her back something fierce. And I know that his reward money, along with the money I’ll give you for that little bit of land, would solve all your problems. Sell the girl, sell your land.
Simple business. You’d have enough to buy a smaller ranch you can actually take care of.
You’re a hard worker. I’d sell you one of the pieces of land I have just outside of town. ”
Cash recoiled a step in disgust. “Money? Is that all life and death is to you? Money?”
Remington shrugged. “What else is there?”
“Everything,” Cash replied bitterly, his hand still hovering over his holster. His breathing was ragged.
One shot. One single shot. That’s all it would take to shut him up for good.
Maybe he could end this now. Maybe Remington’s men would scatter without their thug of a leader.
Or maybe they’d gun him down on the spot. Would he be able to die with that risk—not knowing what would happen to Josie or Samuel or Luke or Beau or Hank after? Without him, they would all be even more vulnerable.
He’d come here half-cocked. Killing Remington now might not be the answer.
Quickly, he unclenched his fist, forcing the tension from his shoulders. This wasn’t the way. Not today, at least. He’d find another way, a smarter one.
“We’re done here,” he warned again in a growl. “But next time you come on my property, I’ll kill you as soon as I see you.”
He knew he shouldn’t give the man a chance, but he also didn’t want to deal with the hassle of getting arrested by Carter when Remington was the one causing the real trouble.
Shaking his head, he turned on his heel, trembling with anger as he went for the door. He needed to get out of there, before he did something he couldn’t take back.
Why did I even come here? Why don’t I just kill him and his men and get it over with? His trigger finger was itching a little too much for his liking.
But just as he reached the exit, a gunshot rang out—and a blaze of agony roared up his leg.
He froze. The whole saloon did. His breath came short, ears ringing. Slowly, he turned back around, shocked. Remington was still seated, a smirk playing on his lips. The only difference now was that his hand was raised, holding a smoking gun.
Cash’s vision swam, and his knees buckled to the ground.
He shot me… he shot me from behind.