Chapter Forty-Seven - Westin

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

WESTIN

It's summer now, and I'm getting married next month.

I can't wrap my head around how quickly things have changed. For years, I had an empty home and cold bed waiting for me at night. Then, one day, I decided to attend a business meeting concerning some cattle feed, and now, I'm whipped for a little blonde woman who keeps rearranging my house.

I didn't go down to Carter Farms that day looking for a bride, but here I am, waking up to the prettiest bride-to-be every morning.

"Do you feel like it's not real?" I ask Sovereign one day as we watch some of the wranglers bring in rogue cattle from the eastern pasture.

Sovereign sits on Shadow, eyes narrowed against the dust. His hat is pulled low, his hands stacked on the saddle horn. He's more relaxed now that he's married. It looks good on him.

"What's that?" He doesn't take his eyes from the cattle.

"Do you feel like you'll just wake up and Keira's not real?"

Between his brows creases. "No. Why would I think that?"

I shake my head. Sometimes I forget that, despite how he's changed since meeting Keira, he's still himself. We sit in silence for a while. Last summer and during the winter, we drifted apart, both consumed by our own problems. Now, we're back to how we've always been—companionable silence unless something needs saying.

"Did you ever ask Diane what the Garrisons did to her?" Sovereign says after a while.

I nod. "Thomas Garrison beat her. David Carter watched and let him."

A muscle in Sovereign's jaw twitches. "What's your plan then?"

"I can't think of anything bad enough," I say. "If I'd known what Thomas did, I would have done a lot worse than what he got. David deserves the worst. I want to catapult that motherfucker off a cliff."

There's a long silence. Sovereign clears his throat. "You could…do that," he says. "It's a viable option."

I glance over—he has my interest. "How's that?"

He shrugs. "I'm not the executioner—you are. But pitching somebody off a cliff at high velocity…that would make it hard to put the pieces together. Literally and figuratively."

My mind clicks into high gear. I've thought over the problem of how to kill David quickly and cleanly without traumatizing Diane. She can't know what's happening. He'll just disappear, and if she asks, I'll tell her only what she has to know.

For the first time, a plan forms in my head.

Sovereign and I don't discuss it again. We finish moving the runaway cattle back into the right pasture, and then we head back to the ranch and leave the horses standing by the watering trough in the barn. The lunch bell rings. Sovereign pauses on his way to the house, noticing I'm not following him.

"Not hungry?" he asks.

"I've got something to take care of," I say.

He nods, taking off his hat, and heading back to the house. I go to the blacksmith shop and shut the door. There's a stack of paper and a carpenter pencil by the wall. I take them out and lean my elbows on the table, thinking.

I'll need a lot of tension, which means some kind of pulley system so I can manage it by myself, something that can be drawn back and hooked into place in advance .

My pencil hovers over the paper. My brain sits empty for several minutes. Then, it hits me, and my hand starts moving over the paper. This is what I do best. It's the way I got our ranch to the untouchable position it's in now. Sovereign lets me know what needs done. I work out how to do it.

I spend the rest of the lunch hour sketching prototypes. After a while, I have a pretty good idea of what I'll need. It'll just take some time to work out the kinks and make sure it functions.

I'll have one chance.

And, God, it'll be so satisfying.

I stow the papers and go to the house to wash up. Sovereign is in the living room, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, talking to Jensen. Beyond them, I see Keira and Diane sitting on the couch. They have several bolts of fabric piled on the floor, and they're doing something with pale pink ribbons.

I pause in the doorway. Diane sees me and smiles.

"I didn't see you at lunch," she says.

"I was busy."

Sovereign glances at me, but his expression doesn't change. "We need to check the pond in the south pasture. Jensen says we've got some shit jamming up the river again."

"We need to reroute that section of the river someday," I say. "Are we clearing that out this afternoon?"

"Yeah, let's get it done."

I nod again, and Diane gives me a wistful look, like she wishes I didn't have to work so much. Jensen reaches for his hat, and Sovereign goes to say something under his breath to Keira. Then, they head back down the hall, and I follow them, grabbing a roll from the dining table. I'm on the porch when I hear Diane's feet pattering after me.

I turn. The door slams as Jensen and Sovereign disappear on the porch. I catch the faint scent of cigarettes, so I know I have a second.

"We sent out the invites," Diane says. "Everyone said yes from the list you gave me. "

"Even Vince Cassidy?" I'm surprised by that one. He knows Sovereign, but not me.

She nods. "He did. Keira asked Sovereign to put in a good word."

"Good," I say, jerking my head towards the living room. "What are you two doing in there?"

"Making decorations," she says.

She smiles, and I see her like she's a photograph. Golden hair soft and loose down her back. Body relaxed, beautiful curves filled out because she has plenty to eat now. She's not afraid of anything.

I did this by doing what I do best.

Taking my hat off, I beckon her closer. "Give me a kiss, darling," I say. "I've got to get back to work."

She smiles, coming close until her curves meld into me. I slide my fingers in her hair and lean down to kiss her, making sure she tastes how much I can't wait for the day to be over so we can be alone. When we break apart, she smiles and bites her lower lip.

"You better go, sir, or we might have to take a detour," she says.

"If I wasn't in a hurry, I might."

She slips from my arms and heads back to the living room, making sure I see her skirt twitch and her hips sway. I shake my head, put my hat on, and go back to work.

My mind is occupied the rest of the day. Jensen needs a ride back to his house, so I drive him and swing by the home improvement store. In the back aisle, I spend a long time picking out wire rope cables. They have to be hard enough to propel properly when they meet a solid object, but buoyant enough that they can be drawn back for sufficient tension.

I pay for everything with cash and leave the store with the bed of my truck full. When I get back to Sovereign Mountain, it's late. The air is warm, and the moon glows full over the tree by the gatehouse.

Diane is at the table in her slip. I go and kiss the top of her head, and she looks up, offering her mouth for another.

"What's that?" I ask, tapping the paper.

"Guest list," she says, biting her lip. "David didn't accept earlier, and that makes me mad. "

I sink down. She has her lips pursed, the way she does when something pisses her off.

"I'll go talk to him and smooth things over," I promise.

She turns in her seat. "No, I asked Sovereign. He did something, and now David is coming, apparently."

"That's the easy way out," I say. "No one wants to be in his bad graces."

She studies me for a moment. "Does Sovereign know what Thomas did?"

I nod. "He was the one who told me to ask what happened."

She looks down, picking at her nails. "Keira told me they're trying to have a baby. I think they'd both make really good parents."

I nod, staying silent. She offers me a tired smile, reaching out to touch my hand.

"I'm going to bed," she says.

We go upstairs and shower. After we're both in bed, my arm tucked over her body, she lets out a little sigh.

"Did they build the road yet?" she whispers.

"No," I say. "Not yet. But don't worry, I have the entire thing handled."

"I wish you'd tell me what you're going to do," she whispers. "I saw you talking to Deacon. I see you having secret discussions with Sovereign. You have a plan."

"I have a plan, darling."

"Is it horrible?" Her voice is fragile, like a spider's web.

"Not for you," I say. "It'll be the best day of your life. You'll wake up with everything you've ever wanted."

"My land," she says sleepily. "My gunslinger."

"Is that enough?"

"It's more than enough."

Her breathing deepens, and her body goes limp. She'd hate it if I said anything, but she snores when she's all worn out. Not a lot, just faint snorts I can hear when the house is silent. She also mumbles in her sleep and frowns a lot, like she's mad at somebody in her dream. Maybe me. I love it; sometimes, I stay up just to watch her sleep .

Someday soon, we'll be in bed like this in our new home at Carter Farms.

Not too long now.