That woman has got in her head that she’s going to get in my bed, and I don’t think I’ve ever said more than two words to her. She only sees my bank account and what I can give her. She doesn’t look at me the way Dotty does. She doesn’t hold a candle to my woman.
Mine.
“Dotty, go upstairs and get your ring,” I say in an even voice, and she looks down at her hand like she forgot it wasn’t on.
“Wait, you took your ring off?” her sister Kat asks as she follows Dotty’s eyes. “Why would you do that? It's so beautiful.”
Dotty makes a face like she can’t believe what her sister is saying. “Are you kidding me?” Then she shakes her head. “Now is not the time, Kat. Clay, please, if Judge comes in here, there’s going to be a scene, and I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
I whirl around when I hear the approaching truck stop and the engine shuts off. “Nobody is getting in a fight,” I say as I open the door and the women protest behind me. “Go get your ring and meet me outside.”
I step onto the porch and see the sun low in the sky, lighting it up with pink and orange. Judge opens the door to his black truck and hops down out of it. He’s wearing black jeans and a dark T-shirt with a baseball cap pulled down low.
Out of all the times I’ve talked to him, I never looked at him like I’m looking at him now. Like an opponent. He’s always been a fair businessman and someone I didn’t mind working with. But as I stand here now and look him up and down, I’m scrutinizing every inch of him.
We’re evenly matched on weight and build. You don’t grow up working on a farm without earning a solid foundation. His dark blond hair sticks out a little under his cap, and he looks like he’s in a hurry.
“I don’t want any trouble,” he says as he walks up on the porch.
“Then you should probably leave.”
I stand there staring at him for a second, and I feel him size me up for maybe the first time too. After a moment he looks past me at the front door, but I don’t feel Dotty there. She must still be inside or contemplating coming out here.
“I’m just here to get my bride.”
The word “bride” raises my hackles, and I clench my fists at my side. “I don’t want things to happen that I’ll regret, so why don’t you turn around and leave now?” Judge straightens up, and I see his own fists clench. “I won’t ask you again.”
When I take a step toward him on the porch, I can see the determination in his eyes, and I have to imagine it matches my own. What’s that saying about an immovable object meeting and unstoppable force? I guess we’re about to find out.
“Wait!” Dotty shouts from behind me as she comes out the front door and gets between me and Clay. She puts her hand on my chest and looks up at me. “Wait, let’s all just cool down.”
I see the ring isn’t on her finger, and my heart swells. That feeling is there again, but this time I finally know what it means. I take her hand in mine and bring it up to my mouth. I kiss her bare finger and hold her palm against my face. The touch is like a soothing balm, and it’s all I need in order to set me straight. She’s all I’ll ever need.
“Enough!” Judge shouts, and I can see that he’s angrier than ever. “I have my claim made, and a deal’s a deal. I’m not leaving here without my bride. She was promised to me, and that’s the end of it.”
Dotty turns in my arms, and I pull her back against my front. She might be standing between us, but I’ll lie dead on this land before I let anything happen to her.
“Judge, I’m sorry,” she begins, and he looks at her quickly, then looks away. “I know you made a deal with my father, but—”
“Your land is worthless and he’s going to lose the farm without my help. Is that what you really want to happen?”
I hurry to catch up with what I’m hearing and move Dotty behind me. “Her family isn’t losing anything.” A quick glance behind me shows me Kat in the doorway of the house watching all of this. “Judge, you know I’ve got more than enough to cover their debts, so why don’t I take that off your hands?”
“NO!” he roars, shocking all of us.
Normally he’s a pretty laid-back guy, but seeing him now coming after Dotty, I know that he’s not going to go quietly.
“If that’s the way you want it.” I begin to raise my fists when Dotty once again jumps between us.