Chapter Seven
What on earth got into him?
Josie had spent most of the afternoon trying to push away the creeping sense of unease.
Cash Montgomery had seemed like a completely different person when he’d gotten back from town.
Distant. Rude, almost. Like he’d been when they first met—but worse.
It seemed like he was actively avoiding her now.
It wasn’t even necessarily the words he said. It was the way he said them. He had hardly said anything to her, in fact. But his shoulders were tighter. His footsteps were louder, angrier. He slammed cabinets and doors. His jaw was tight whenever he addressed her.
She began to wonder if he was ready for her to leave. She wanted to ask if something happened in town; asked why he seemed so cold.
It was clear that something was wrong—either that, or maybe he really had fooled her from the start.
I know better. Certainly well enough not to trust her first impression of a man.
It never seemed wise for a woman to put her trust into a man. All the ones she’d come to know well had been rotten apples. She’d seen that for herself with Randall and Amelia—the way he’d treated Amelia at the start, acting as though he was some kind of saint.
Maybe Cash Montgomery is the same way.
It was a horrible thought, and she pushed it away in fear almost as soon as it came. Don’t think about that. She was already here, and couldn’t leave yet. She’d only be making her situation worse by borrowing trouble like that.
Yet the fear that he was preparing to kick her out began to steadily grow on her all day.
Eventually, it became unbearable. Once she put Samuel down for his midday nap, she went back out to find Mr. Montgomery. She was not going to just let him kick her out, at least not without a discussion.
If it wasn’t something else he was worried about, and it was really only that she was a burden to him, she would go as soon as possible. Even if she didn’t have a plan yet.
It didn’t take her long to find out that he was in his room. She could hear him inside pacing, his heavy footsteps thudding so hard that the door practically shook on his hinges.
A rancher, in his room, in the middle of the day? That didn’t seem right. And by the way things seemed to be run around this ranch, it must not have been something he did very often.
The ranch was beautiful. Well maintained.
From what she could tell by looking out the windows, all the animals were, too.
Well-tended, well-cared for. Big enough that all three brothers, plus their farmhand Mr. Calloway, would have to work hard every day to keep it this well.
Cash Montgomery wasn’t the shirking type.
No, this man did his fair share of work. Josie could tell just by looking at him. She could see the muscles beneath his shirt. His hands were thick-skinned and calloused. Faint scars littered his forearms, not to mention the harsher one on his face. It was clear as day. The man worked.
So why isn’t he working now? Maybe it wasn’t just her. Maybe something about that man—Remington, whoever he was—had unsettled Mr. Montgomery
Josie swallowed hard and tapped on the door. A second later, Cash Montgomery jerked the door back quickly, too quickly not to be angry.
She forced herself to speak despite her fear. “Did everything go alright today?”
He barely spared her a glance. “Fine.”
He began to close the door, but she stuck her foot over the threshold, jamming it.
He stared at her, half-shocked, half-irritated—and the irritation grew. She curled her fingers in the fabric of her skirt, tugging at it nervously.
He really was different today. Colder. And after everything—after him protecting her, calming her after the gunshots, after making her feel like maybe, just maybe, she was safe for a little while—she hated that he was acting like this.
And how much it unsettled her.
You can’t rely on him. Or anybody. Get it together, Josie.
She nodded stiffly. “That’s good. I wanted to thank you for getting the formula. Samuel’s eating some real food. He’s almost a year. But the wet nurse sure has helped a lot.”
He didn’t respond, just stood there and looked at her. His eyes were normally beautiful, but in that moment, they were terrifying.
Josie let out a shaky breath.
Maybe she really had overstayed her welcome.
She decided to try again. “Is there anything I can do around the house to help y’all out? Cleaning, laundry, cooking?”
Mr. Montgomery shook his head and bit the inside of his cheek. “No,” he said brashly. “No, thank you. Just focus on resting up. Getting strong.”
“Could I have supper in my room tonight?” Josie asked, her voice almost shaky. If this was how things were going to be from now on, it was best she kept herself scarce.
Cash’s blue eyes met hers, his brows twisting in question.
“I just wanted to rest in bed,” she added quickly, hoping he’d accept the excuse.
The truth was that she couldn’t sit at that table with him acting this way.
She needed time—time to think, time to figure out what came next.
And the longer she spent around somebody this unpredictable, the more worried she’d become.
She couldn’t afford that kind of distraction, not when her and Samuel’s survival might very well depend on her own plans.
His jaw tightened like he wanted to argue, but he only gave a short nod. “I need to get some more chores done before dinner. Go rest, and I’ll send supper in after a while.”
Josie nodded back, stepping away from the door. He wasn’t kicking her out, it seemed. He’d even agreed to what she’d asked for.
Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still wrong. Once inside her room, she let out a slow breath and looked toward Samuel, then to the pile of trousers she’d been mending for each of the men. The same trousers they had been wearing when she first met them.
She had hoped to thank them. Now, she needed to figure out how to leave. Quickly. It was clear that she was outstaying her welcome.
Her gaze dropped to Samuel, sleeping peacefully. She pursed her lips.
I should have known better.
She’d known from the start that this wasn’t home. That they couldn’t stay forever. If Cash Montgomery was going to start treating her like nothing more than an unwanted stray, then she had to leave as soon as possible—before he forced her out.
***
For the rest of the afternoon, Cash Montgomery busied himself with chores from sunup to sundown, making himself scarce.
Josie lingered near the porch, watching, waiting. Cash was unapproachable for the time being… but perhaps she could find some kind of direction from other quarters. When she finally spotted Luke and Beau near the barn, she hesitated. Will they treat me the same?
There was no way to know except to find out herself. Squaring her shoulders, she strode toward them.
The two brothers were laughing about something when they noticed her approach. Luke tipped his hat, a lazy grin spreading across his face. “Miss Tate.”
She twisted her hands together. “I—I was wondering if I could ask you both something.”
Beau’s brow furrowed. “‘Course. What’s on your mind?”
Josie took a deep breath. “I need to find work. Somewhere I can make enough money to find a place.”
Luke cocked his head, looking a little surprised. “You plannin’ on runnin’ off already?”
Josie stiffened. “It’s not running off. I just know that I can’t stay here forever. I—I have to keep moving. You all have been so kind to let me stay here, but I’m not your burden.”
Beau studied her for a long moment, his expression serious, and she felt like a display in a storefront window. “You scared of somethin’?”
She swallowed. “I just need get some things figured out.”
Luke sighed and smoothed a hand over the back of his neck. “Well, I might know someone. Miss Clara Whitmore—she’s got a dress shop in town. She’s been lookin’ for an extra pair of hands, and from the looks of our clothes, you seem to know your way around a needle.”
Josie’s heart leapt. A seamstress. Her hopes hadn’t been ill-founded, then. That was work she knew. Work she could do. “Do you think she’d hire me?” she asked, trying not to sound too eager.
Luke shrugged. “Can’t hurt to ask. I’ll send word tomorrow, see if she’s interested.”
It was a faint hope, but Josie still felt relief. “Thank you.”
Beau frowned. “You sure this is the best thing for you and the baby, ma’am? You working? In a place you don’t have family or nothin’? Not… goin’ back home?”
Josie flinched but forced herself to shake her head. “I don’t have a choice.”
Luke didn’t look convinced, but he also didn’t argue. “I’ll talk to Miss Whitmore.”
Josie nodded and turned back toward the house. She really was relieved… but the longer she walked, the more Beau’s question echoed in her head, bringing with it growing doubt.
Can I do this alone?
Could she really keep her promise to Amelia?
***
She should have been trying to sleep, but her mind was restless. Memories clawed at her, dragging her back to that night… the night Amelia had arrived at her doorstep, covered in bruises, lip split, crimson dripping to her chin, hands shaking as she held out Samuel, only days old.
“I had to run,” she’d sobbed, throwing herself into Josie’s arms, Samuel sandwiched between them. “I had to. He was going to—he was going to—”
She hadn’t finished. She hadn’t needed to. Josie had understood.
She’d seen the way Randall had treated her sister on plenty of occasions.
He was no good. And he did no good.
He had taken everything from Amelia. Her happiness, her safety, her sense of self… her family. For years, he had kept her away from friends, even from her own family. For years, he had estranged her from everything she had ever known.
Josie had begged for her to leave long before that night, but she hadn’t. She’d stayed, convinced she could endure it. That maybe one day, he’d change. And if he hadn’t, then at least Samuel would have a father.
It was foolish.
It was utterly foolish.
By the time Amelia had decided to run, it was almost too late.
Josie squeezed her eyes shut, her throat burning.
She should have had more time.
She should have had a life. And instead, she had died with nothing but regret, a fever burning through her body… a sister who had failed her.
I should have done something.
Why couldn’t she have done something?
Tears fell freely down her cheeks, and she sucked in a shaky breath, trying to force back the pain. She had to be strong. For Samuel. For both of them.
No one else was going to save them. Not even Cash Montgomery.