Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Those things will kill you,” Logan stated as he walked up.
Duke looked down at the cigarette between his fingers, raised it to his mouth, and offered one to Logan. Logan shook his head on a chuckle then took the pack and pulled out one for himself. He wasn’t a smoker, but he enjoyed one from time to time.
Logan lit the cigarette and pulled the smoke deep into his lungs, watching Duke as he did this. Duke had something to say, and Logan wasn’t going to rush him.
“Chance shouldn’t be taken lightly,” Duke finally began, pausing to draw in more smoke. “Right now, he’s probably grieving his father. That scene today, his battle cry, it was more about loss. Kenzie is trying to defy him, which means she’s defying his father, but he’ll recover once the grief wears off. And when he does, this will get uglier.
“Justice was a hard man with a chip on his shoulder because his own father was a drunk bastard. He hated being poor, hated anyone with money, so he set out to become rich. He was a bull rider in his day, and good at it. So good that when he won a championship, he bought the land Bear Claw Ranch sits on.
“He kept riding and winning. And buying up land. Then came the cattle. But he never stopped. And the more land he bought, the more cattle he purchased, the more money he made—the more untouchable he felt. And he was to an extent, since he owned politicians, law enforcement, and judges. Chance has inherited that power now, so you need to watch your back.”
Logan eyed Duke carefully, wondering just who Justice Bear had owned. “Did he own you, Duke? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Duke drew on his cigarette before answering. “No. Not me. But I’m a police officer in a small town where nothing much happens. He didn’t need to own me. If I arrested one of his people for disorderly conduct, he just put in a call to a judge and the man was released. Chance knows the drill, too. He doesn’t like losing any more than his father did, so he’ll push back because he wants revenge for Justice against the only man who beat him.”
“Beat him by winning the land?”
“The land, yes. And Sarah. I was there that night, did you know?”
“The night he lost the land?”
Duke nodded. “Justice had literally just bought the five hundred acres in question. He’d coveted it for years, and finally got the family to sell it to him. He had the deed on him when he showed up at the poker game without an invite, and not much cash on him. Seems he had just come from the bank when he heard someone mention the game.
“This is where his arrogance got the better of him. He was so sure of his ability to beat any man at their own game, that when Daniel raised the bet, he said he would honor any loss the next day. But Daniel didn’t trust him and told him so. Justice was insulted, but rather than stepping away from the table, his sense of superiority got the better of him. He threw the deed on the table and called the hand . . . And lost.”
“So this feud, as Kenzie called it, will continue due to Justice raising Chance to hate his mother and his siblings because of land he lost?”
“It goes deeper than that for Chance. Justice loved his son as much as a man like him could, but he was hard on the boy, showering him with equal parts affection and brute force like his father did before him. But he isolated Chance from his mother, so the only thing that grew in regard to Sarah was hatred. Chance worshiped his father, even when he was hard on him, and since his father’s dying wish was for him to ruin the James family, he’ll honor it. The problem is, I don’t know how far he’ll go to avenge the only person he thought cared about him,” Duke warned, “so keep your gun close.”
Logan raised a brow at the comment. “My gun?”
Duke threw the rest of his cigarette on the ground and snuffed it out with the toe of his boot before grinning at Logan. “Should I have said guns?”
“Is that a problem for you?”
“Not as long as you draw it in self-defense,” Duke chuckled, sticking out his hand for Logan to shake. “Relax, son. I ran your information this afternoon to make sure you were solid. Daniel James was a good friend. A good man. I’m not about to let someone near his daughter without checking him out first.”
Logan took his hand and shook it. “You’ll have no problems from me. I’ve seen enough death. I want simple, now. Peaceful.”