Chapter Ten
Cash held his steaming mug of coffee tightly. His jaw had been set since last night, and he couldn’t seem to work it loose.
He was so darn mad that he wasn’t sure how to act.
The scent of eggs filled the kitchen. It was Luke’s turn to cook, and the boy couldn’t do anything except scrambled eggs, which were Cash’s least favorite. But today, he didn’t make a single comment, despite the smell burning his nostrils.
He had been up since before dawn, all over again. This time, though, it wasn’t Samuel’s crying. It wasn’t the horses, or even Remington.
It was Josie Tate.
Their conversation from yesterday had been rattling around in his head nonstop.
She isn’t Samuel’s mother.
He was still reeling from what she’d confided in him. She was Samuel’s aunt. She wasn’t married, but whoever Samuel’s father was, she was terrified of him.
She shouldn’t have had to do any of that.
Grieving a deceased sister; running from the brute of a man who was Samuel’s father; taking care of a year-old child… She should have had the chance to live her own life—perhaps get married, have her own babies.
Not this.
Cash felt pity for her. Sorrow, fear. She deserved a better life than going on the run with no promise of safety or rest.
It hadn’t taken a genius to figure out she had been running from something. He’d even guessed pretty early on that she was running from a man. But the situation wasn’t quite what he thought, and knowing the truth now made him angrier than before, not calmer.
At least before, he’d somewhat understood.
Even last night, he’d thought he’d understood.
Or at least, he could have understood her experience, in some strange way.
He’d thought that this Randall Pierce was after her because he was in love with her; that he had lost her and wanted her, and his son, back.
But this?
Miss Tate’s sister had been the one married to Randall, and she’d had to flee—along with her sister and child—because the man she’d married was the type of man to harm her and his son.
And knowing that she and her sister had been hiding from him to keep the boy safe... that didn’t sit well with Cash. Not at all. He’d always despised the men who were beast enough that their strength became cruelty against their wives. It was despicable.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Cash looked up as Beau strolled into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he reached for the pot of coffee. “Or are you brooding again?”
Cash grunted. “I don’t brood,” he said snapping his gaze to Luke, who was still trying his best to scramble eggs.
Luke merely laughed as he stirred the eggs in the cast iron. “You’ve definitely been brooding.”
Cash made a face, trying his best to ignore how burnt the eggs were already.
“That’s all you do when there’s a woman involved.” Beau took a sip of his coffee, still watching Cash “So. You gonna tell us what’s eatin’ you, or do we have to guess?”
Hank came in and joined them, and all three men took seats around the kitchen table, every eye glued to Cash.
He exhaled sharply. “It’s Miss Tate.”
Hank leaned back in his chair, chuckling. “We figured as much.”
It’s not that,” Cash snapped irritably. “She went into town yesterday to try for a seamstress job. Didn’t work out. Taking care of Samuel makes it impossible for her to work.”
The table fell quiet.
“She wants to leave,” he continued, running a hand through his hair. “Wants to make her own way. And that’s admirable—and likely for the best—but there ain’t a way for a woman alone, not with a baby. She’s got no money, no home, nothing.”
Beau frowned. “And she’s set on leaving?”
Cash hesitated. “I don’t know. But she’s scared. That much is clear.”
Hank, who had been quietly observing, let out a slow breath. “Trouble at home? …Man after her?”
It was a shrewd guess. Cash’s hands tightened around his mug. “Someone is after her.”
Luke scratched at his jaw. “Who?”
Cash sighed. “Her late sister’s husband. Samuel—he isn’t her son. Turns out he’s her nephew. She told me last night. She lost her sister weeks back to a fever. They were on the run from her sister’s husband, to keep Samuel safe.”
Beau drummed his fingers on the table, a shadow crossing his face.
“We can’t just let her stay indefinitely.
You know how people talk. A young woman, alone with a baby, living under the same roof as four unmarried men?
Won’t take long before folks start whispering.
And that ain’t gonna do her any good in a place like this, not if she’s wanting to stay in Austin. ”
Cash gritted his teeth, trying not to snap again. “So what do you suggest? We can’t just toss her out.” Not only did he not want to do that… he wasn’t sure he could. Not after what she’d told him.
“Of course not!” Beau scowled. “Just saying we need to think about the long term.”
Then Hank cleared his throat. “I got an idea.”
All three brothers turned to him, and he shrugged, resting his elbows on the table. “Cash should marry her.”
Cash nearly choked on his coffee. “What?” he sputtered as Luke laughed and pounded him unhelpfully on the back.
Hank shrugged, as though there was nothing particularly astonishing about it.
“Solves all the problems, don’t it? She needs a home.
You can give her one. She needs protection.
You can offer that, too. And it keeps everyone’s reputation from getting dragged through the dirt.
Not that I care about mine.” He laughed, but Cash didn’t.
He simply stared at the man.
“Have you lost your mind?” he managed. “That’s ridiculous!” Feeling a headache already forming, he pinched the bridge of his nose, still grumbling.
“Is it?” Luke mused, rubbing his chin. “It’s logical.”
“Logical?” Cash turned on him sharply. “You’re young, but I didn’t think you were a fool.”
“You won’t even consider a solution to all your problems,” Luke jabbed. “Who’s the bigger fool?”
Cash stared at him in disbelief. “You think I should just marry a woman I barely know because it’s logical?”
Hank snorted. “You were gonna marry Jane, and we all saw how that turned out.”
Stiff silence fell over the kitchen. The others averted their eyes. Cash’s jaw clenched. The mention of his ex-fiancée made his stomach twist.
He had loved Jane. At least—he thought he had.
But had he really? When she’d called him heartless? How much could he have loved her if she really believed what she’d said about him loving the ranch more than he loved her?
As it turned out, she hadn’t been wrong. He did love the ranch more.
The ranch was home. The ranch wasn’t going anywhere. She’d up and gone.
Luke leaned back, crossing his arms. with something like a triumphant grin. “Admit it, Cash! Hank has a point. A marriage of convenience could work.”
Cash scowled. “And what about her? You think she’ll just agree to it? She’s got just as much of a say in this as I do!”
“She might agree,” Beau said. “She’s practical. She knows she needs help, and this makes some sense.”
Cash shook his head. “Marriage ain’t something you just jump into.”
“No,” Luke said, “But this wouldn’t be a real marriage, would it? It’d be a deal. You help her, she helps you.”
“And how is she helping me?” Cash shouted, losing his temper.
“You protect her and the baby, and in return, she takes care of things around here,” Hank explained.
“You boys could use a woman’s touch around here.
Someone to help with laundry and cleaning and cooking, so I don’t have to come over here and fix Luke’s eggs and Beau’s awful flapjacks.
Someone to have us supper ready at suppertime without us having to come in and fix it.
Someone to rear the boy, mend clothes, bring in a little extra money, if she still wants to be a seamstress.
There’s a lot of ways she could help. And we provide her home. Protection. Anything she needs.”
Cash’s gut twisted. He didn’t want to admit that it made sense.
He had never planned on getting married again. He had sworn off all ideas of settling down after Jane. She had destroyed him. For years, he’d avoided courting—even women—like the plague. And he still didn’t really trust himself to be with one.
Josie Tate wasn’t just any woman, though.
She was scared. Alone. Desperate. If she left the ranch, there was a real chance she wouldn’t make it far.
And what about Samuel? He couldn’t let Samuel leave without knowing he would be protected.
The other three were watching Cash now, waiting.
He exhaled sharply. “Fine. I’ll talk to her. But that’s all!”
***
Miss Tate was in the barn when he found her. She was brushing Red, and in a rare moment, Samuel wasn’t in her arms.
“Where’s Samuel?” Cash asked, surprised.
“I just got him back down,” she said, looking up at him, her brows twisting in confusion. “Why?”
He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Can we talk?”
She hesitated a moment. “Alright.”
He shifted on his feet, uncomfortable. “I spoke to my brothers this morning. About you… about your situation.”
Her expression shuttered. “I told you, I’ll figure something out.” She turned back to Red.
Cash bit back a sigh. It was obvious by looking at her that she wasn’t too keen on everyone knowing her business, either.
“Yeah,” he said quietly, fumbling for words. “But you don’t have to. Not alone. We talked about that.”
She glanced over her shoulder with a frown.
Cash took a slow breath.
This is going to be even harder than I thought.
“I think we came up with a way for you to stay here,” he said carefully. “Safe. With Samuel.”
Miss Tate turned sharply to look at him. “How?”
He forced himself to hold her gaze. “Marry me.”
Silence.
For a moment, all he could hear was the steady breathing of the horses in their stalls, the distant chirp of crickets in the fields. She was frozen still, and her face had gone pale, but he couldn’t read her expression.
Then she let out a sharp laugh. “That’s not funny.”
“I ain’t joking.”
Her smile faltered. “You—you’re serious?” Her brows twisted, confused.
Cash nodded. “It makes sense,” he said gruffly. “You need a home. The ranch needs a woman to help keep things in order. It’d be a practical arrangement.”
Josie stared at him, her lips parting slightly. “A marriage of convenience…” She trailed off, a slight tremor in her voice.
Cash nodded, pretending he hadn’t heard the tremble. If she wanted to talk about her own feelings, she would.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “You don’t even know me.”
Cash shrugged. “I know enough,” he said sincerely. And that was true.
Her green eyes searched his. “What about love?” she whispered, almost sadly. “What about companionship?”
It was a completely unexpected question, and Cash had no idea how to answer it. He felt a pang in his chest. “I ain’t looking for love,” he said at last.
She flinched, and guilt twisted in his stomach at the hurt that flashed in her eyes.
“But I can offer security,” he added. “And a home for Samuel. No demands, no expectations.”
Her breath became unsteady. “You really think this is the right thing to do?”
Cash hesitated. “I think it’s the only thing to do if you want to stay here. Not much else will work out better.”
Silence stretched between them again.
“Alright,” Miss Tate said at last, so quietly that he almost couldn’t hear.
“Alright?” he repeated, half-disbelieving her.
Is this really happening? Was that old man’s idea really something she was going to consider?
She nodded. “I’ll marry you.”
Then she turned and went back to brushing Red as though nothing had happened.
Cash let out a slow, shaky breath.
It was done. They were getting married.
Yet no matter how logical it was, he had the sinking feeling that nothing about this was going to be easy.