“Why are you being like this?” she huffs, a little pout forming on her glossy lips. I really don’t want to be here for this. I would love to tell her to step back and keep away from my husband, but the truth is, I don’t want Cash to have feelings for another woman. It would be best to figure this out now before I sink deeper into him.
I don’t want something like that sitting in the back of my head, even less so if she’s going to be living right next door. It’d always be on my mind. It would already linger some if what I’m thinking about them is true.
“I’m not being like anything. I just don’t have time for your little games today. I’m not playing it. I’ve never played it.”
Her hands go to her hips, that pout dropping from her lips. “I can’t believe you’re going to marry her. If you wanted a wife, you knew I would do it. End this little war that has been going between our families. Bring the land together. We’d be good together. Why can’t you just accept that?”
I try to jerk out of Cash’s hold, desperate not to be standing in between them, but Cash just grips me tighter.
“This fucking town. I bet the ink on the marriage license wasn’t even dry before everyone knew,” Cash says.
“Yeah, because no one can believe you’re doing this. We’ve just been waiting for you to jerk your head out of your ass and ask me.”
“I’m marring Clare come Friday, so I reckon you and this town should get used to it.” His tone is still bored, like he doesn’t actually care if the town gets used to it or not. I doubt Cash cares what anyone thinks of him. He doesn’t seem the type to care about those things.
“Is that your mama’s ring?” she gasps in shock, taking a step towards me like she’s going to grab my hand, but before she can I’m once again over Cash’s shoulder.
“Go home, June, and don’t come back without an invitation,” Cash says, making his way towards the front door.
“Don’t do this, Cash. She’s not built for this life,” I hear her yell as the front door slams.
“Please put me down.” I hate how small my voice sounds. I don’t know what to make of what just happened. It hurt me a little, but in a way, I’d liked it. It hurt to think he’d been with her, that they’d shared something special at one time. She even knew his family. But I liked how Cash made it clear I was his and that was final.
He was so cold with her it made me think maybe she hurt him. It was clear he didn’t want to be with her. She offered herself up on a silver platter, but he turned her down like it was nothing. The emotions from the past twenty-four hours feel like they’re pressing down on me. The weight of them just makes me want to collapse into bed.
She might be right. I don’t know if I’m built for this life. I know Cash doesn’t think I am, considering how he treats me like I’m made of spun glass.
“Sweetheart, don’t do that.” I hear the lock click on the front door, then he lays me down on the couch and comes over me. “Get mad, but don’t do that with your voice.”
“My voice?”
His head nestles in my neck like he’s trying to nuzzle me, his short facial hair brushing my skin. “With no emotion. Go back to mad.”
“Should I be mad?”
“Yes,” he says, then places a kiss on my neck.
A feel a lump form in my throat. “Why should I be mad?”
“No one should question our getting married. It’s none of their business, but that's small-town life for you. Worse, she shouldn’t have said that shit in front of you. If the situation had been reversed, I’d be in jail right now.” He growls the last part like he’s actually mad at the imaginary scenario of someone offering to marry me.
“Cash, I wanna see your face.”
In one quick move, Cash pulls us into a sitting position, him under me as I straddle him.
“Why didn’t you take this June up on her offer of marriage instead of getting a mail-order bride? She must have really hurt you for you to do that.”
His big hands come to my face, his thumb brushing over my lips, making me lick them.
“No, sweetheart, she never hurt me. Irritated the shit out of me? Yes.” He lets out a breath like he doesn’t really want to talk about it. “We grew up together. Kind of, but not really. I didn’t pay her much mind. I wasn’t girl crazy growing up. More horse crazy than anything. If I wasn’t in school or helping my pa, I was on my horse. I didn’t give anything much mind. A girl like June doesn’t like that much.”
“What about when you got older?” I push, wanting to know more.
“She’d still try to get my attention. I always just thought it was because I was indifferent towards her. More of her ego wanting me then her. When I did start thinking about maybe finding a girl of my own, I wanted something like my ma and pa had. Then they passed.”
I see the pain flash across his eyes. I lean forward, placing a kiss on his lips, wanting to be closer to him.
“It was fast. A car crash when they’d taken a road trip. It was a lot to deal with then. Throw in that, and now I had a farm to run. People depending on me. All other shit went out the window.”
“Why now?” I ask.
He brings a hand to the back of my head, pulling me to him and making me lay my head on his shoulder. He starts playing with my hair. The sensation makes me close my eyes.