Rex was in town two days later ordering  things for the ranch.
He was standing in line at the feed store as the cashier slowly rang him out.

"I ordered two pounds of dig biscuits and eight pounds of the dry horse feed as well," He added.

"Okay."

"Well, if it isn't my best old friend, a voice ran from behind him."

He turned and saw Bubba Baldwin making his way across the store towards him.

He turned back around, handing the clerk the credit card the ranch used. He was planning to ignore the older man.

He could smell the other man well before he actually reached his side.

"Hey there, old buddy," Bubba spoke.

Rex took the card, the clerk handed him, and slid it back into his wallet.

"Hey, listen, I'm a little short on cash,do you mind?" Bubba placed a few items on the belt.

The clerk looked between the two men. With a heavy sigh, Rex fished out some bills from his wallet, and she began to ring up the items.

"Thanks," Bubba commented, taking the plastic bag the clerk offered and also the change that wasn't his.

Rex grabbed his own bags and started for the door, aware he was being followed.

He pushed his aviator sunglasses on and tried to ignore his tag along as he walked down the sidewalk.

"How's my little girl been?" Bubba asked.

"Fine," Rex replied

"Are you enjoying your investment?" Bubba teased, his voice almost cruel sounding.

"She's a hard worker," Rex replied through clenched teeth.

"I'm sure she is."

Rex was thankful when they reached his truck. He opened the back door and set his bags inside. A young kid who had been following with a wagon full of the larger items began putting them in the truck bed.

"So, listen while your offer of buying my daughter was generous. I think I'm going to need to reconsider."

Rex slammed the truck door a little harder than nessecary, turning for the first time to face the other man. He cracked his neck to one side before he spoke.

"What?"

"The thing is well, she's my only child. I gotta look after her. I won't lie. The money was nice while it lasted, but she needs a more long-term agreement."

"She's not a damned dog."

"Thomas is willing to marry her, set her up in a nice house, kids, keep me an open line of credit as a thank you to his father in law. I just can't throw that away."

"How much?" Rex asked.

"Sorry?"

"How much money will it take to get you out of her life permanently?"

"You can't afford it, I mean, he's offering endless credit. I will tell you what I can do. Give me whatever you have right now, and...I'll buy you a few more days with her. I'll tell Thomas she's away for a few days."

Rex glanced around the town. The last thing he wanted was to be seen buying a woman or conspiring with Bubba Baldwin, but it was clear this wasn't going to stop.
Her father knew he had a weak spot and money, and there was nothing stopping him from extorting it.

He couldn't keep paying out money. He couldn't keep her safe like this, but letting her go back wasn't an option.

"Alright," He pulled his wallet from his jacket pocket and handed over every dollar inside.

"Just give me until the weekend," He said.

"Very well, I want her back the same condition she was when she left."

"You mean beat to hell and back?" Rex snapped.

"That was a misunderstanding. You know how young girls are. So...dramatic and over opinionated about what they want."

Behind, then the kid shut the tailgate on the truck and headed back to the store.

"I mean no diseases, no brats in the oven either." Her father said.

"Sure thing," Rex replied.

"I don't know if you're as generous with your women as you are your money. Make sure those boys you have working under you wrap it up."

Rex hands balled into a fist so tight he could feel his knuckles popping.

"You've got three days, I'll be out to collect my daughter. No more deposits."

Bubba folded the money Rex gave him and shoved it into his pocket and turned wandering down the sidewalk.

Rex watched him go. He wanted to rip the man from limb to limb. He wanted to beat his face until nothing was left, but he made a promise to Mr. Wilder that he wouldn't start trouble if he could stay on the ranch.

He looked around at the small shops in town, his mind reeling. There had to be an answer.
A way to keep her safe until she could stand on her own two feet.

If she ran Bubba and Thomaw would follow, there had to be a way.

He was climbing into his truck when he heard the church bells chiming, and he felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, but he had an answer.

He drove to the bar two streets over where Nicole worked.

Walking in, he noticed the place was empty, but it was a weekday, and only around eleven in the morning.

She was wiping down counters when she saw him. She smiled and tossed down the towel she'd been using and made her way to him.

She went onto her tiptoes for a kiss, but he turned his head, her lips falling on his beard covered cheek.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"Poor me a drink?" He asked.

"Of course."

She walked behind the bar and poured him a shot, sliding to the end as he sat down on a stool, sitting his hat on the vacant seat beside him and his sunglasses on the bar.

He ran a hand through his thick dark hair and then downed the shot.

"Are you okay?" She asked, pouring him another.

"I...I'm sorry, Nic...I can't keep doing this. I cant...keep seeing you. I care about you and..."

"Rex, stop. We promised nothing serious, right?"

He gave her a slow nod.

"I'm fine. Believe me, I will be fine if you want to call this off."

"Yeah, I need to call this off," He said gently.

"So, what's going on? Drinking to drown your sorrows over a breakup doesn't sound like you," she teased.

"No, I'm celebrating. Can't you tell?" He asked bitterly.

"Celebrating what?"

He downed the second shot, settled his hat on his head, and walked to the door.

"Rex! What's going on?" She called.

He paused and slid on his sunglasses with a heavy sigh.

"I'm getting married."

He opened the door and was gone.