Matters To Me

The evening fell as Billy and Jesse rode to a farmers house, instructed by Mr. Murphy to remind the farmer of his deal and contract he made yet kept breaking.

"What do you want?" The woman asked as she signaled her children inside.

"We are here on behalf of Mr. Murphy."

The farmer came out as his family headed inside. "What do you want with me?" He asked.

"We're just checking up," Jesse said. "We heard a man called John Tunstall, who owns a store in Lincoln, been collecting grain notes from farmers. You sign such a note?"

"Si."

"You're breaking your sworn agreement with Mr. Murphy. You owe him your grain."

The man shook his head.

"You signed an agreement with Mr. Murphy, you can't break it," Billy translated.

"The new gringo, Tunstall, offered me more money for my crops. Mr. Murphy has been cheating me."

"What's he saying?" Jesse asked.

"He's saying Murphy cheats them."

Jesse dismounted his horse angrily. "Listen to me, you fucking Mexican."

"Hey, Jesse," Billy tried to calm Jesse down.

"You're gonna honor your agreement to Mr. Murphy. The one that you signed," Jesse continued, poking the man's chest threateningly. "Or we're coming back here."

Billy dismounted his horse, approaching Jesse, ready to remove him if need be.

"Nod your fucking head. Do you understand?" Jesse asked, poking him again.

The man slowly nodded.

"Come on, Jesse," Billy said, placing a hand on his shoulder, diffusing the situation.

"You understand?" He asked again.

"You made your point," Billy told him.

Jesse spit on the man's feet, turning away, mounting his horse again as Billy slowly turned to his horse.

The two rode off back to camp.

Billy entered his tent as Missie seemed to have just returned from somewhere.

"Hi," she smiled.

Billy nodded as she came and kissed his cheek.

"Where did you go?" He asked.

"Oh just stopped into town," she replied, flippantly waving her hand.

Billy didn't remember her mentioning her plans to go into town and ignored the twinge of suspicion that she wasn't being totally honest with him as she kissed him.

"How was your day?" She asked.

Billy shrugged, not wanting to talk about it.

Missie nodded, patting his chest. "Dinner's waiting for you, I was expecting you home sooner."

Billy gently wrapped his arm around her waist. "I wanted to be home sooner."

Missie smiled before he kissed her, cupping her face. He feared she might pull away, however she didn't, easing his mind. She only pulled away for a moment of air as he softly tilted her chin back up to kiss her again.

Billy's frustration being replaced with a different kind of frustration as her hands danced on the back of his neck.

He kissed her hungrily, wrapping his arm around her waist as she slowly pushed on his chest.