I launch myself at him, making him fall back.
“No more teasing. I’m not sore anymore, Cash. Gimme what’s mine now.”
He smiles. “Yes, ma’am.” Then he takes my mouth. We start pulling at each other’s clothes, then Cash suddenly stops. I start to protest, but his hand goes over my mouth. He makes a shushing motion with his other hand.
“Hurry up. I just saw them all head to the bunkhouse,” I hear June say, instantly recognizing her voice. I really get what Cash meant about it driving him crazy now.
I hear a splash, like liquid is being poured onto the ground.
“Should we let the horses out?” Cash’s face fills with rage at the sound of Billy’s voice.
“No. It might draw attention. Just light it already,” June replies, and that’s when I smell the gas.
“When I let you go, you’ll get down that ladder and you run,” Cash whispers to me. “Promise me. You’ll get down that ladder and run. You clear those doors and you get Earl.”
I nod and he kisses me briskly, then he drags us both to our feet. He jumps right over the side, not bothering with the ladder. I follow down as quickly as I can. I see him on top of Billy, June just standing there, looking on in shock. I just turn and run like Cash told me to.
When I clear the barn doors I start screaming. I see Earl and two other hands come flying out of his little cabin in a dead run towards me. I point to the barn and they run past me.
I don’t know what to do. Cash told me to get out of the barn. It takes everything in me to stay rooted to my spot, and thank God Cash comes out just a few minutes later. I jump on him and he catches me.
“Thank you, sweetheart. You don’t know how important it is when I tell you to do something out here and you do it. It means I don’t have to worry.”
I smile at him. “I hope you just mean on the farm because that won’t work so well anywhere else.”
“Wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The doors start to push open and Cash puts me on my feet as Billy and June are pulled out of the barn. Each is held by the arm. Billy looks like he can barely stand. Blood is gushing from his nose and one eye is already starting to swell shut.
I can’t stop the gasp that leaves my mouth.
“He tried to light our barn on fire, sweetheart. With you in it. He’s lucky he can breathe, let alone walk,” Cash says between clenched teeth, like the words taste like acid in his mouth.
I place one hand around his arm, trying to get him to calm down a little.
June just sobs. She jerks from Earl’s hold and he lets her go. She tumbles in a pile on the dirt.
I turn at the sound of a truck I don’t recognize coming up the drive.
It comes to a stop about twenty feet from us, and a man who looks to be in his fifties pulls himself from the truck.
“Daddy. I didn’t do anything!” June sobs from the ground.
The man just shakes his head like he’s not real sure what to do with his sobbing daughter.
“You going to call the Sheriff?” he finally asks.
“That depends,” Cash says, turning to fully face the man. His eyes come towards me as if just seeing me for the first time, and Cash steps in front of me, making me want to thump him on the head. I hear Earl chuckle behind me.
“Don’t,” Cash growls, and I know he’s really on edge. I place my hands on his back and he leans into them a little.
“On what?” June’s father asks.
“I want him gone,” he says referring to Billy, “and you have got to do something with your daughter. They just tried to burn my fucking barn down with my wife inside.”
“We didn’t know you were in there!” June screams, admitting her own guilt.
Everyone just ignores her. Cash continues. “This leads me to believe that they also had a hand in the half dozen other incidents I’ve had happen all over my and my wife’s land.”
My heart melts a little at his sweet words. I don’t even think he caught what he said or what it means to me.
“I guess I have no choice. He’s gone, but my farm will go with him. I don’t have a foreman, and God knows I can’t do it myself anymore. My arthritis barely lets me get out of bed.”
“Jim, that’s not my problem, but if you want I’ll let you have Brandon. I’m sure he’d jump at the chance to be a foreman for a farm, not to mention having him over there might cool this little war that has built between these two farms. I know I don’t want you losing your land. I’d probably get saddled next to God knows who.”
“Don’t do it, Daddy.” June has stopped crying and her anger is plain on her face.
“Get in the truck, June.”
“But, Daddy, I—”
“Get in the goddamn truck!”
June gasps and stomps towards the truck. She gets in and slams the door.
“Billy, you’re fired,” Jim says. His voice makes me feel a little sorry for Billy. “Thank you, Cash, for not calling the cops. I don’t know what’s gotten into June, but I’ll get it all worked out and you have my word she won’t be bothering you again.”
“I’ll talk to Brandon tonight and send him over first thing tomorrow morning to work out all the details.”
“Sounds good.”
“And, Jim, I really think you should think my offer over again. I’ll buy it all, even keep the men you got working over there, if you want out. Take you and your wife a little closer to the city. Retire.”
“I think I might take you up on that. I’ll let you know tomorrow.” I hear the truck door close and pull off.
Cash turns to look down at me, his eyes going soft.