Page 68 of A Cowboy in the Streets

Zack

Swinging through Aspen Springs on my way to Texas. Anyone up for the Painted Cat?

Brax

Hell yeah

Adam

On dad duty. Next time.

Zack

Let Ben have some granddad time. When was the last time all three of us went out together?

Adam

Not long ago enough to miss it.

Zack

Ouch. Wtf, man.

Brax

Ignore him. He's in a bad mood because his girlfriend dumped him.

Adam

She wasn’t my girlfriend, jackass.

Zack

Just texted Dad. He’s on board with watching Ben. You’re coming out with us.

Adam

You can't make me.

Brax

Ballsy thing to say to a steer wrestler, bro.

There were a million things I would rather be doing right now. Playing a cutthroat game of Sorry with Ben and Dad teaming up to take me down. Reading a chapter of the domestic thriller that had been on my nightstand for the past week now. Having my balls waxed by a sadistic Russian with a score to settle.

Literally, anything would be better than sharing a booth with my two asshole brothers, a mere twenty feet away from the bar where I had the perfect view of James having drinks with Essie, Chloe, and some blonde woman I didn’t recognize.

She was smiling. Laughing. Having a good time. Living her life like she didn’t care if I wasn’t part of it.

I took an aggressive slug of a whiskey that was meant to be sipped and let it burn through me. It hurt a hell of a lot less than James pretending I wasn’t sharing the same bar as her.

“Do you ever wonder,” Zack said in a way that had me steeling my nerves for hearing something I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I didn’t want to wonder about at all, “if we’re sitting in the exact spot where great-great granddaddy Thomas met great-great grandma Celine and bought an hour in her pussy?”

I slammed my glass down on the worn pine table. “No, I fucking do not.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Zack.” Brax curled his top lip in disgust. “Why do you say shit like that?”

Zack shrugged, unrepentant. “Pops into my head. No reason not to share. That’s how conversation works.”

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