I know You
CASH
AUGUST
Isucked greedy breaths of air down my throat, my hands pressed to the back of my head to open up my lungs. Between the heat outside and the fire behind me, sweat soaked through my clothes. My limbs trembled, my heart still racing in my chest.
I still couldn’t believe Ryder, True, and I managed to knock down that wall in Country Road’s stall.
But thank God we had when we did; I don’t know if she’d have made it out if we’d taken much longer.
Chey was tending to the mare now, trying to wrap the bleeding gash on her leg.
She’d gotten a large, sharp piece of wood splintered into her hock.
A nasty fucking injury—one I worried might end up fatal if we weren’t careful.
The fire department had finally gotten here and had started fighting against the raging behemoth at my back.
Dad was shouting out orders and directing the other hands who’d come from Hux’s ranch around, telling them where to put extra horses and cattle.
Maverick had managed to catch most of the horses in the barn I’d gotten out.
Whatever ones had gotten by, everyone else was working on getting a hold of.
But we were outnumbered by loose cattle, like, ten to one. Everything was a shitshow.
“Cash! Look out!”
Maverick’s deep shout drew my attention, and I whipped around just in time to find a smoking black horse charging toward me out of the barn.
No, not just any horse. Black Betty. Fear blazed in her eyes as she barreled forward, looking like some hell horse summoned from the fiery depths of the underworld.
I dove out of her path, narrowly missing being clipped by her.
Maverick defied all logic though, and stepped toward her, trying to soothe her as he usually did so well.
But not even Mav’s magical horsemanship abilities did a damn thing for his mare this time.
She tossed her head, whinnied, and shifted directions, darting off into the night and nearly taking out one of Hux’s ranch hands.
“Fuck!” Maverick took a step in her direction. “I gotta go get her. She’s gonna get herself hurt.”
As much as I hated that damn horse, I understood they shared a deeper bond than any other horse and rider I knew.
This whole ordeal was like reliving a nightmare for them.
But we couldn’t go after her right now. Not when shit was still on fire, and everything was chaos.
“You’re gonna go chasin’ after a black horse in the night?
That’s like tryin’ to find a needle in a stack of needles. ”
He made to argue, but I cut him off. “In the mornin’, when it’s light out and we can find her. She’s all jacked up now and likely gonna get herself hurt if we try to bring her back. We got enough shit to deal with here.”
He opened his mouth to argue before letting out a dejected sigh. A scowl formed on his lips, but he nodded. Okay,” he managed to get out before looking to the barn. “Wait. Who got her out?”
My heart skipped a beat, fear sprouting in my chest. Wait. Ollie…
I glanced around at all the chaos. But of all the faces I saw, not a single one was hers.
“Fuck. Ollie’s in there.” I lunged toward the barn. How come she hadn’t come out yet?
Pulling the bandana back up over my face, I stormed once more into the smoke.
My eyes watered and struggled to adjust as I raced forward.
I should’ve stopped helping True and Ryder when she’d said she was going to let out Black Betty.
What if she’d gotten hurt? Oh God, what if Betty trampled her?
I wouldn’t be surprised with that damn mare.
“Ollie!” I shouted, my lungs searing as I inhaled. My mind felt foggy, my limbs heavy and tired. Fuck, this wasn’t good. Where the hell was she?
Something shifted in the darkness, and I noticed a body sway before toppling toward the ground.
“Fuck, Ollie!”
I lunged for her, breaking her fall. But the dead weight of her set me off-balance and I couldn’t stop us from falling. At least, I was able to somewhat catch her.
Her head lolled to the side, and I cursed. Shit shit shit.
Gathering her in my arms, I stood, biting back another series of coughs as I carried her toward the entrance. Beams fell, wood cracked and splintered. The entire place groaned, and I sent up a silent prayer that we made it out of here without the whole place crashing down on us.
“Hold on, Ol,” I murmured. “I got you.”
A groan fell from her lips, and fuck me, but something stirred in my chest.
Rays of bright light from the arena pierced through the thick black smoke, and I hurried forward. Every muscle in my body screamed, my lungs aching for clean air, but a few more steps and I made it through the burning doors.
The shock of cleaner air in my lungs was enough to make my legs wobble and give out from the weight of both of us. It’s like all the strength I had in me was gone. Vanished now that she was safe.
“Help!” I croaked out, my words turning into yet another cough fit.
Maverick seemed to appear out of nowhere. “I got y’all.”
I don’t know how much time passed. Ollie was still unconscious and being seen by the paramedics who’d shown up with the fire department.
The barn still burned, the roof had caved in not even ten minutes after we’d gotten out.
The big man upstairs must’ve been looking out for us or something.
Most of the western pasture had burned out, leaving nothing but ash and smoke in its wake, but there was still plenty of chaos to go around.
Like the fact we didn’t have anywhere for the horses in the barn to go.
No pasture for any of the bucking horses to go into without putting them with the damn cattle.
Not to mention all the animals still on the loose.
It was like a losing battle, and the weight of it all felt like it would crash down on me at any moment.
At least Maverick seemed to be doing okay. The minute we’d gotten to the barn, there’d been this look on his face. One that I think would haunt me for the rest of my life—all the pain and suffering he’d gone through shining in his wide, terror-filled gaze.
And while he hadn’t gone into the barn, which I honestly couldn’t even fathom him doing, he hadn’t shut down either. He was still talking. So there was that.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you—” a familiar, smoky voice growled out. “I’m not going to the hospital, so cut the bullshit.”
I paused in watering one of the horses tied up to my dad’s horse trailer and made a beeline toward the voice.
Relief washed through me and I blew out a low chuckle as I took Ollie in.
She sat up on a stretcher, waving her facemask around as she snapped at the medic.
Dirt, bruises, and small cuts peppered her skin, and her left wrist was wrapped up like she’d sprained it or something, but for the most part she looked whole.
“You would be fightin’ with someone tryin’ to help you, sugar,” I murmured as I came up to her side.
As if drawn together like magnets, her mismatched gaze shot to mine. “Cash.” My name was but a breath on her lips.
The paramedic glanced at me. “Your girlfriend really should go to the hospital. She inhaled a lot of smoke. And that wrist needs x-rays, at the very least.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Ollie all but hissed before I could even utter a word. “And as long as I’m not actively dying, I’m not going anywhere.”
“But—” The word died on his lips and he raised his hands in a placating gesture as she pegged him with a withering glare. “Alright, you win, miss.”
I tried to offer the guy a reassuring grin. “Thanks for your help, man. Is she good to move around?”
“I’m fine.” Ollie snapped, sliding off the stretcher they had her on.
I didn’t miss the flash of pain in her eyes as she put weight on her wrist, but she didn’t make a sound other than a grumbled out, “thanks” to the medic and strode back into the fray of the night—morning? I wasn’t even sure anymore.
“You coming, Mooney?” she called over her shoulder.
The medic glanced between us, a hint of amusement lingering in his tone as he said, “You got your hands full there, bud.”
I blew out a breath. “Trust me, I know.” After thanking him, I trotted off toward Ollie. “You sure you don—”
She whirled to me. “I’m fine. I’m alive, breathing, and nothing’s broken. Besides, I’m not paying for a stupid ER bill. Not to mention, do you know how expensive it is to ride in a goddamn ambulance?”
I did, but that was beside the fact. I wanted to point out that she didn’t know if anything wasn’t broken, and that if she needed money I had plenty to help her out, but it’d likely just piss her off.
Nodding, I let out a sigh and then, “Alright.”
She gave me a long, appraising look before blowing out a sigh herself. “So, what can I help with?”
The sunrise played peekaboo on the eastern horizon. Everything smelled like smoke. The air, my clothes, my hair even. My skin was sticky with sweat mixed with ash. God, how I wanted to shower.
Goodie and my dad just left with a batch of horses to take to my dad’s ranch.
Thankfully there was plenty of room there for the time being until we figured shit out.
A few of Hux’s ranch hands were helping mend the fence where the cattle broke through, while Quinn and Hux had reluctantly left to get things handled for the morning at their place.
They’d both promised to help anyway they could once they were done with things on their end.
Ollie had stayed, though that wasn’t really a shocker. She didn’t strike me as the type to give up easily. And leaving when there was still a bunch to do didn’t seem like her at all.
One thing was for sure though: she was a damn hard worker. She threw herself into anything she did. Loading horses, corralling cattle, watering animals. Working herself tirelessly for this place like it was her own. I was really grateful, that’s for sure.
I was helping Chey hold Country Roads still as she tried to redress her bloodied wound for what had to be the fourth or fifth time. Thankfully Doctor Winters was on his way, the wound looked nasty and I worried there might not be much they could do.
“Cash!”
I whirled toward the airy voice drifting on the breeze, a trickle of disappointment settling in my chest when I realized the owner wasn’t a certain dark haired she-devil. Jacie Lynn hurried toward me, worry lining her pretty face.
“Here, I’ve got her. You go reassure your little girlfriend,” Ollie said, her voice husky and full of some sort of emotion I couldn’t quite place. It’s like she’d appeared out of thin air. Like my thoughts had summoned her.
“You sure?”
One of her brows rose. “You should go ease her fears, Big Daddy.”
I didn’t quite know how to take her tone. I wouldn’t say it was angry, but it wasn’t resigned either. Maybe I was reading too much into it. She was probably just tired. I know I sure as hell was.
I only made it a few feet before Jacie crushed herself against my chest. She pulled back a moment later. “Oh my God, you're covered in ash. Are you okay? Burned? Hurt?”
“I’m fine. How’re Charlie and the kids? How’s Mama?” I asked, leading her away from everyone.
“They’re fine,” she reassured me, her hands reaching for my own at my sides. I felt no warmth in the touch. Nothing. “Your mom’s makin’ breakfast right now for everyone. Charlie’s gonna take the babies and Cason to her mom’s house for a bit so she can help out more.”
I nodded. “That’s good. Thanks for stayin’ and helpin’.”
She raised a hand to my cheek. “Of course, I’m happy to help.” Her gaze slid past me then, her brows squinching together ever so slightly. “I didn’t realize that she would be here.”
I glanced over my shoulder, my gaze locking on Ollie and Cheyenne talking quietly amongst themselves.
Ollie’s gaze met mine for the briefest moment and heat flooded my veins.
Turning back to Jacie, I took her in. Jealousy wasn’t a good look on her.
I could feel the heat of it bristle and flare with each passing second.
I was too tired for this shit. Too tired to reassure her nothing was going on.
And why should I? Last night I fully intended to call things off with her.
Might as well cut the cord now. I’d never been one for good timing in things like this.
“She works for Quinn and Hux. She’s been helping us all night.”
“Oh,” was all she said.
I took a step back and blew out a breath, wiping my sweat soaked brow. I don’t think it got below eighty degrees last night. And each second that sun rose in the sky, the temperature only climbed higher and higher.
“Look, Jacie Lynn, I don’t…I really don’t know how to say this without comin’ across like an asshole, but, uh…I um, I think we need to break up.”
Her denim blue gaze snapped to mine, hurt and sadness sprouting to life. “W-what?” she breathed. “Why?”
I chewed my bottom lip, raking my teeth over it before replying, “Let’s face it, we both’ve known for a while now that this story ain’t got no happily ever after.
You deserve someone who’s gonna treat you right.
Someone who loves and adores and appreciates you.
Someone a helluva lot better than me. I just…
” I blew out a breath and shrugged. “I ain’t ever gonna be that guy, Jacie Lynn. ”
A tear that looked like a drop of starlight slid down her cheek, her chin trembling as she tried to keep her tears in. And as sad as she looked, as bad as I wanted to feel, I didn’t.
It felt like a weight had suddenly been lifted off my chest.