Page 21 of Roaring Fork Wrangler

“My shift ends in a few minutes. Where are you?”

“Outside the movie theater.” I rolled my eyes like Grayson had.Technically, I was.

“There’s a tavern right next door. I don’t know about you, but I could go for a beer.”

“Sounds good. See ya there.”

I stuck my head in the theater and saw Juniper had moved to the row where her family sat. Rather than disrupt them all again, I sent her a text, saying I was meeting Pete next door but would be back as soon as I could.

When I saw him walk by, I hurried out to meet him.

“Seein’ a matinee?” he asked, looking up at the marquee.

“Juniper and her family are in there.”

He shook his head. “Paying to watch a movie they’ve seen a hundred times.”

I followed Pete inside the bar. “What are you drinking?” he asked.

“Whatever’s on tap is fine.”

“That’ll be a Blue,” he said just like Juni had last night, then motioned to a table in the back.

I nodded and took a seat with my back to the door. It made me uncomfortable, but I figured Pete would be more so.

A couple of minutes later, he set a beer in front of me, then slidinto the booth.

“Let’s start at the beginning, Cord. What’s a cowboy from Colorado doing in East Aurora right before Christmas?”

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

“Try me.” Based on the look on his face, I doubted he’d relent until I did.

I got it, though. If Hoss Schultz was trouble, it didn’t look good that I’d just rolled into town, saying he was my only contact.

“My father died about a year and a half ago,” I began. I told him about the trust, its stipulations, and how my siblings and I would lose everything if I didn’t adhere to what was required of me. “Four days ago, I got a call from the attorney, saying I needed to be here by Monday morning.”

“And you have to stay a full year?” he asked.

“That’s right.”

He signaled, and the bartender came to the table.

“Two more Blues and a couple shots of the good stuff. I figure you could use it,” he added after the guy walked away.

“You got that right.”

“Did the same guy tell you to make contact with Schultz?”

“He did,” I confirmed.

“Tell me about him.”

“If you mean the lawyer, I can assure you he’s not mixed up in whatever Schultz is. I’ve known him since we were kids. To be honest, I have no idea how he graduated from high school, let alone got a law degree.”

“He’s got brains enough to hold this over you and your siblings.”

“I don’t think he knows much more than we do. It seems more like he’s the messenger.”

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