Unexpected (10 page)

Cogan remained unmoved.
Although he didn’t act like it, he knew exactly what, or who, Butch was referring to. 

Josie.

Butch however, seemed to think he needed a little more information because of his lack of response. “I pride myself in beautiful things Mr. Reid, and Josephine Hamilton has to be the prettiest gal in Bakersfield.  Hell, she’s probably the prettiest gal in the entire state.  She’s beautifully made don’t you think?  Carved to perfection from God himself.”  Several of his men grumbled their agreements. “Any man would risk his hide for a sample of her sweet nectar
.
I mean, men would wage wars over a pretty filly like that,” he prodded further watching Cogan’s expression carefully.  He knew he hit a nerve when the large man began to speak despite the lack of corresponding expression.

“I’d
be careful.  You underestimate me Mr. McAllister, because I’d be taking more than just their hide if a man touches her,” Cogan finally stated softly in warning. His eyes narrowed and lightened slightly while scanning the room full of men to get his threat across.  No one noticed the change in hue because it wasn’t light enough in the room. His expression, on the other hand, didn’t go unnoticed and several of the men could not look at him directly.  The stupid ones did.  Their placement with Butch made them feel superior and omnipotent.  They would most likely be the first to die.

Butch
saw the menacing shift in his expression then, and heard the deadly intent in his tone but it didn’t sway him. If anything, it just fed his ego that he’d finally pegged the unreadable Mr. Reid. Oh, there was no denying that he was dangerous. However, now he knew his weakness. His intelligent eyes met Cogan’s unwavering. He was feeling smug about hitting a nerve.  He was certain not many could brag about that.

Cogan wasn’t done threatening him.
He just gave him a few seconds of silence to let it sink in. “That goes for you too mister.  I’ll kill you just as easily as snuffing out a candle.”

Butch smiled slightly accepting the challenge. “I’ve heard that many times.”

“Not from me you haven’t.”

Cogan’s voice was steady and calm.
Too damn calm, like he knew something more than Butch did. It actually took him back slightly. His smile faltered a little but he quickly recovered.  Inside he was raging at the brass balls Cogan seemed to think he possessed.  No one talked to him like that and lived to see the end of day. He would make sure that he paid for it, but not now.  Although he could’ve easily shot him where he stood, he also knew this wasn’t the time.  He wanted to taste the revenge that was going to come when he killed this man slowly.

Despite his rage his voice was as steady as Cogan’s.
He reached up and smoothed the tip of his mustache with his thumb and forefinger. “Like I said.  Money, power and women.  Only I may have screwed the order up where you’re concerned. That’s not a mistake I’ll repeat.” His eyes went down his long large form taking in the clothing he wore and the custom made six shooters strapped to his hips. He slanted his head slightly in realization. “Unless, you already have money.  I’m wondering.” Butch took another long draw off his cigar as he contemplated that discovery. That left power, but this man seemed powerful in his own right.  Yet, he felt there was something more. His intelligent cold eyes never left Cogan’s as he pondered that inwardly. “Tell you what.  You get her and her brother to sign over the land, and I’ll promise that no harm comes to them.” Despite that promise, he would still have Josie.  Some things just could not be let go.

“
It’s not up to me. Furthermore, I’m pretty sure Ryker told your men his decision when they tried to lynch him.”

“Ah yes.  That was unfortunate.  Elroy got a little carried away.
  He felt bad about that,” he lied. 

His slight smile betrayed him.  He didn’t even try an
d hide it.  Cogan felt the urge to push back. “It seems that happens a lot with your men.” Cogan shot a look past him to Deak who took a position by the window that overlooked the street below where Josie and Thomas waited.  Deak averted his gaze.  He was young and it was unfortunate, most likely because Cogan would end up killing him if he kept following Butch’s orders. 

“Well, I can’t always control what they do.” He grinned arrogantly
this time just reinforcing that his sympathy was false. “Good help is hard to find.”

“Apparently
, because your men are easy to kill.” Cogan’s expression finally broke as his hard mouth slid into a mocking smile.

Butch ground his teeth together and forced
one of his own. “When they’re ambushed.”

“Just know that I’ll keep putting bullets in them if they threaten that family again.” Something flickered across Butch’s expression.
It was rage. Obviously he’d never been threatened before.

Cogan knew he was doing his best to hide his anger
but the insistent ticking of his left eyelid made him know he was unsuccessful.  This man prided himself on his appearance and any loss of control of his emotions would be seen as weakness by Cogan.

Butch meticulously maintained his composure, though inside he was burning with
revenge. “No one is that righteous.”

“
One is often guilty by being too just.”

Now that made him pause which was rare.  Butch knew things, he read a lot.  He was never bestowed with a proper education, so he made up for it when he had the time
, more than people knew. However, out of all of his travels and experience he sure as hell didn’t expect a gunslinger quoting Corneille; a seventeenth century poet that wrote tragedies.  It was rare, rare indeed.  Yet, the man was letting him know that he was more than just muscle.  It was as if that just reinforced the threats he just gave him.  He was a cunning man, yes he was.  Butch chose to ignore the quote but not underestimate the abilities of this man. “Why them? The Hamiltons?  Why not work for me?”

“They’re good people.”

“That’s it?” He was completely astounded by the admission. He’d never met a man that could turn down good money.

“Pretty much.”
Cogan studied him for a moment, “Your disbelief is an indication why I won’t work for you if you can’t understand why.”

“So you’re a gunman with morals.
Just my luck.” Butch said sarcastically.

“I’m a
man
with morals,” he corrected. “Using my gun is the
least
of your worries.” Cogan knew he recognized the quote by Corneille.  He said it because he noticed the book authored by him sitting on the bookshelf against the far wall.  Normal vision wouldn’t be able to pick out the binder from where he stood, but well, Cogan wasn’t normal.

“This is the only
chance you’re going to get Mr. Reid.” Butch neglected to hear the deep warning in Cogan’s words while he was throwing out his own threats.

“
That goes both ways Mr. McAllister.” He turned to leave. Two of Butch’s men stepped in front of him blocking the door.  His eyes went back and forth between them in challenge. Again he smirked in amusement. Little did they know, he could snap their necks like twigs.

“
There’s going to be one time when you’re not there for her.  I only need once,” Butch added behind him. “I had a chance a few weeks ago.  Did she tell you that?  We got to know each other better. She has skin as soft as the finest silk.”  A few of his men chuckled.

Cogan
paused without turning around, only tilting his head slightly to the side to let him know he heard him.  No, Josie didn’t tell him, or probably anyone else.  He’d come to know that about her.  Of course it angered him but he wasn’t going to react this time because it didn’t do any good but give Butch leverage.  Butch already heard his warning and he wasn’t going to turn this into a pissing match.  His eyes went back to the two men standing in front of him.  This time his expression was unreadable. At that moment Butch nodded to his men and they stepped out of the way. Then without a word Cogan left.

Butch finally
let his rage show after the door was shut behind him. He pounded his fists on his expensive desk. “Find out who that man is!  No one who acts like that doesn’t have a reputation to follow.  Telegraph all of our contacts.” The men in the room jumped to do as he sad.

“
Yes sir,” Clancy said and left

Josie breathed a sigh of relief when Cogan emerged from the hotel doors. 
He stopped, tipped his hat up, and casually looked to the left where one of Butch’s men stood. Then as casually as he went into the hotel, he stepped forward and came down the steps and walked across the street toward Josie and Thomas.  Several men followed him out and stood beside the doors sneering at them.

“Is everything all right?” she said as he walked up to them.
  Her eyes darted to the men watching him from the hotel. Cogan never gave them another glance.

“Fine.”

Her gaze studied his.  “You are a terrible liar.”

“Some say.” He smirked without denying it.

She smiled and shook her head. 

Cogan looked down
both sides of the street before bringing his gaze back to her.  “We should leave.  Thomas, get in the wagon.”

“Yes sir.”

Thomas quickly did as Cogan asked, but Josie resisted. Her smile fell. “Cogan we just got here.  I need to go to the –wait— what aren’t you telling me?”  She tilted her lovely head in suspicion.

He cupped her elbow
gently and turned her back toward the wagon. “I can take care of myself easily enough, but I can’t look after you and Thomas in a town run by a crazy man.” He said in a low voice so Thomas wouldn’t hear.

“Oh.
I see.” She allowed him to help her back into the seat of the wagon before he got in next to her.

She waited for him to explain more to her, but he didn’t and finally twenty minutes out of town she asked.

“What exactly did he say?”

He cast
her a sideways glance but didn’t answer her.

It was obvious he wasn’t
going to.

“I’m not afraid of him
Cogan, and I’m no shrinking flower.  I can take whatever he said,” she stated further.

Amusement reached his expression, but not his eyes
. He was still angry at Butch’s threats, but was trying to ease her worries. “I can tell. However, that won’t stop you or Thomas from getting hurt.  That man has no soul Josie.  He won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”  It wasn’t just the Hamilton ranch he was after.  He had his eyes on Josie beyond what a man normally would desire.  Cogan wouldn’t tell her that.  She had enough to worry about without knowing that another man was obsessed with her. Butch was right though, Josie was a rare beauty.

After that Josie never said anything
on that subject again.  Cogan was worried for them and she should be cautious because she was sure he didn’t worry about much of anything. There was a good reason to heed what he said.  “Tomorrow is Sunday.  I would like to go to church,” she said after a long stretch of silence.

Cogan nodded.  It had been years since he stepped foot on sanctified ground, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t. 
His faith had betrayed him years ago, but he never stopped his own beliefs. He still didn’t like established religion. Nonetheless, she was asking him to go with her without saying it. “I’ll take you,” he offered after a moment of hesitation.

“Are you sure?”
she asked.

He nodded.
“Despite the way I look and act.  I am a religious man.  I believe in God. It’s just been—awhile.”

He pulled the wagon into the yard in front of the house and got down before turning to help her out.
Thomas leapt out of the back and rushed up the steps into the house. “Just pray the roof won’t cave in.”

She actually laughed.

She had a pretty laugh, just like the rest of her.  It was obvious she didn’t laugh enough just the same as seeing her beautiful smile.  Dimples formed at the corners of her mouth when she smiled and she was utterly breathtaking.  It actually lightened his heart tremendously when she did those things. “Just a warning.”

“I’m sure that there’s a special place in heaven for you too.  You’re a good man Cogan Reid.”

He stared down at her.  That phrase was one he was certain he never heard before.  If he had, he’d forgotten.

Women who looked the way she did could easily be married to someone with money and not work for a living, but she had a tremendous amount of pride and a set of morals he didn’t think many people possessed anymore
. He also hadn’t let go of her hand yet.  She had small delicate hands which possessed calluses on her fingertips.  He admired that she was a hard worker. Yet, the rest of her skin felt just as Butch had said;
skin as soft as the finest silk
. Her complexion was flawless and her face was slightly tanned by the sun making her eyes vibrant and deep like the Aegean Sea. It had been many years since had seen that color of blue, but it wasn’t something you could forget. It was stunning. “Butch said he’d gotten you alone a few weeks ago.” Her face flushed crimson and Cogan narrowed his eyes.  It was true then.