Chapter Fifteen
Josie sat on the edge of her bed, her scalp hot in the sun that blazed through her window as she held Samuel closely. It was his midday nap, and the only moment she’d had to herself to think since she’d gone to town with Clara.
The moment she’d stepped into the general store, the uneasiness had descended on her, and it hadn’t left her since. The trip was supposed to be a fun outing. Shopping with a new friend. Some time to distract herself from her worries and fears.
At first, she’d thought it was just nerves. She hadn’t done anything as relaxed as that as long as she could remember—she’d spent so many months on edge. Ever since Amelia had come pounding on her door in the middle of the night, on the run from Randall Pierce.
For nine months, she’d been waiting for something to happen; for some kind of dynamite to blow up whatever semblance of a life she had built.
And it had. Over and over and over again. For almost a year now, she’d been constantly looking over her shoulder, waiting for Randall to find her, or someone else.
When she had seen that man in the general store watching her too closely, her skin had crawled.
It was the unmistakable sensation that the next stick of dynamite had just been lit—about to blow up everything she’d been working on building in the last few weeks.
And the feeling had gotten far worse as he’d questioned her with no discernible motive.
She hadn’t had a moment’s rest since then. Now, she felt as though she might vomit as her nerves battled against her body.
Fear was getting to her. It was clawing at her, gripping hold of her with everything it had.
Samuel’s tiny breaths puffed slowly against her neck as she leaned against the headboard, trying to reason through what she already knew for certain.
His name was Grayson Remington. He wanted the Montgomery ranch. He had asked her questions.
Questions that felt too pointed to be casual conversation. It really did feel like he had recognized her—but she didn’t know who he was. She had never seen him before.
I have no choice now.
She had to leave. If Grayson Remington recognized her somehow—if he’d already known who she was—then he was going to cause a lot more problems for the Montgomery brothers than she had ever intended.
She had to go, for their sakes as well as hers and Samuel’s.
She curled her arms tighter around Samuel, pressing her face into his soft hair as silent tears wet the pillow beneath her. I wasn’t careful enough. I got too comfortable.
She had thought she was being safe, lying low at the ranch. Why had she let herself agree to a big to-do ceremony with Cash? Gone into town just to shop? Lived the aspects of a normal life that she shouldn’t have dared to do?
Why, oh, why had she done any of it? She was an exile, only pretending to have a home here.
She’d wanted to earn her own money and then escape.
So why didn’t I? Why had she gotten married and stayed? Of course it could never have bought her more time.
What a fool I was!
Samuel’s life depended on her doing the right things. Making the right decisions. How could she have been so careless?
Her chest ached as she lay there, staring at the ceiling.
She needed to leave.
But what about Cash?
This was first place that had felt like safety in a long, long time.
And she knew that Cash was the reason. Good or bad, indifferent or not, he had done a lot for her.
It didn’t matter that he grumbled more than he spoke, or that he had a habit of staring at her like she had two heads.
None of that mattered. Not really. He had provided her safety, and he had been good to her.
She shook her head with a sigh that was more like a sob. It didn’t matter. What difference did it make whether or not he had moments of gentleness or had done her all the good in the world? It didn’t matter if she felt drawn to him or safe with him.
She had to leave. Quick.
Even if the little incident in town was nothing for now, it could quickly turn into a nightmare all over again.
I have to leave—tonight.
***
Josie moved as silently as possible, packing what little she had—a change of clothes, a small pouch of coins, and a bottle of milk for Samuel, one of the bottles that the boys had graciously bought her.
Fortunately, he was starting to eat regular food now, too. But he still needed milk. And she was grateful to have a bottle. Hopefully it would be enough to buy her a little time to get somewhere and figure something else out.
The house was dark. Everyone had long since gone to sleep. The only other person in the house was Cash, and he was sleeping alone in his room. Luke and Beau were out in the bunkhouse with Hank and the new hires.
The only sounds in the entire place came from the faint creak of the floorboards beneath her bare feet as she tiptoed through the hallway, Samuel folded up tightly in a blanket in her arms. He was asleep. Thankfully. He was getting bigger. Heavier.
She slipped down the hall, past the room where Cash slept, heart thundering with each and every step. She held her breath the entire way, worried that she was too loud, that Samuel would stir before she got out of earshot.
But before she knew it, she had already made it out of the house, all the way to the gate on the other side of the barn. She’d made up her mind earlier that night that she was going to cut through the pasture to the woods on the other side.
And after that…? She wasn’t sure. But she had to go.
She wanted to run. Get as far away as possible—but she didn’t want to wake Samuel. Besides, she was mere yards from the fence. She could afford patience for a few seconds longer.
Almost there.
Then—without warning—her foot caught on something sharp, and fierce, burning pain sliced through her ankle, shooting up her leg.
For one horrible moment, she was tumbling forward, just barely remembering to grip Samuel tighter—and then she hit the dirt hard. A cry was forced from her lips, and Samuel let out a startled wail, his tiny fists clutching at her dress.
She bit back a sob, blinking through blinding pain. She did her best to stay as still as possible, feeling sharp edges pricking at the flesh on her leg. She didn’t want to look at her ankle. She knew it was bad. She could feel that. But she had to know how bad.
The darn fence—pieces of it still littered the ground. Jagged edges that hadn’t been visible in the dark. She’d tripped over them.
Her leg throbbed, and when she tried to move, worse pain lanced through her.
No, no, no.
She tried again, but she couldn’t get to her feet. Tears of frustration and fear blurred her vision, even worse than the pain.
I can’t even run away properly…
Suddenly—“Who’s there?”
If she wasn’t injured, she would’ve shot to her feet like a cat at Cash’s voice emerging from the darkness close by. Before she could even reply, she felt a warm, steady hand on her shoulder. Startled, she snapped her head around to stare up at him.
Cash.
His face was tight. His blue eyes were so bright in the light of the lantern he held that she could see them clearly in the shadows across his face. “What in the world are you doin’ out here?”
His voice was no longer stoic—it was a growl. Rough with something that sounded almost like worry… or anger.
“I—” Josie swallowed hard, her throat thick with emotion. “I was…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say it. For some reason, looking him in the face now, she couldn’t admit that she had been about to leave.
His eyes fell to her leg, and his jaw clenched. “Blasted fence…” He was a bit quieter now. Softer. “Come on.”
Before Josie could even begin to protest, he lifted her up off the ground, one strong arm beneath her legs and the other steady against her back. Her breath caught in her throat as she cradled Samuel tighter. His sobs quickly faded.
She should have pushed Cash away. Should have insisted she could walk. But she knew she couldn’t. She had already tried that.
So she kept silent, letting him carry her, trying to ignore the pain burning up her leg.
And the burn of his touch against her skin. There was something about it that set her trembling—but not from fear.
He shouldn’t hold me like this. Warmth was spreading further across her body with every second she spent in this man’s arms.
He was strong. So strong that it seemed as though she must not have weighed anything to him. She leaned into him, trusting his strength despite herself as he carried her through the field.
All the way back to the ranch.
Great. Back to where I started—only worse. The gash in her leg throbbed dully. Her heart pounded.
But when his eyes looked down to meet hers—eyes that were not angry… but something else—her breath hitched.
She wasn’t sure what was writhing in her chest. Anger, disappointment, sadness—all at the same time, in a big complicated tangle. It was intense. And it took her breath quicker than even the pain.
Yet she couldn’t look away from him, and it didn’t seem like he could, either.