Page 48 of Wounded Cowboy
Realizing that the rest of his day would probably involve chasing after that damned goat, he shouldered his rope, and he strode toward where he’d parked his pickup.
On the way, he encountered Grandma Abigail, who perked up upon seeing him.
“Spring, dear! Just the person I wanted to see,” she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
He suppressed a sigh, trying to remain polite despite his growing irritation at the constant interruptions.“Grandma Abigail, sorry, not right now. Daisy escaped again, and I have to find her ASAP.”
“Oh, that goat again?” she asked airily.“I’m sure she’ll turn up. She always does.”
“A guest’s kid accidentally let her out of the pen a couple of hours ago. And I’ve got Chris Frederickson here right now to vaccinate the calves, so I don’t have time for this nonsense.” He didn’t try to hide his frustration from his grandmother.“Now if you’ll excuse me…”
He turned to go.
“Spring, stop. This won’t take long,” Grandma Abigail called, halting him in his tracks.“I was supposed to go to the Bearly Able to Sing concert in Bozeman this coming weekend with my friend Linda. Unfortunately, she just called to tell me she fell and broke her leg, so she can’t make it.”
Spring looked at his grandmother in surprise.Since when does Grandma Abigail like country-rock music?She’d always been more of an opera and symphony fan.
“Sorry to hear that,” Spring replied, his mind still occupied with where Daisy was most likely to have gone.“I’d be happy to go with you, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m sure Kelsey wouldn’t mind watching the girls on Saturday night if I pay her extra.”
Abigail shook her head, smiling.“Oh, no, dear. I can’t go either. I told Linda I’d stay at her place for the next few days and help her out. But, I was thinking—” She paused, and Spring recognized the sly look in her eyes.“Maybe you could take Kelsey to the concert instead?”
“Kelsey?” Spring repeated. He knew she liked the band, too. But… “Who’s gonna watch the girls if both Kelsey and I go?”
“Autumn said she’d be more than happy to watch Abby and April,” Abigail replied.“It would be a shame for the tickets to go to waste, and I think Kelsey would really enjoy the concert.”
Spring’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.So, Grandma Abigail just happened to buy tickets for a band that Kelsey and I both like,andshe’s already talked to my sister about babysitting the girls? Yeah, that’s not suspicious at all.
He dug in his heels. Hehatedbeing manipulated by anyone, even his grandmother.
“It’s nice of you to offer, but I don’t think it’ll work,” he said, then continued with fake innocence:“It’s probably just easier to get a refund. Or to sell the tickets. If the show’s sold out, you’ll have people begging to buy them.”
As he’d expected, Grandma Abigail looked affronted.“But it would be such a waste if they went to a stranger! Besides, I don’t know anyone else here in town who appreciates Bearly Able to Sing like you and Kelsey do.” She stared at him with an expression that dared him to argue further.
Though he knew exactly what she was trying to do—matchmaking—he couldn’t help but feel guilty. After all, his grandmother had probably gone through a lot of trouble to get those tickets for him. And she clearly wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Sighing, he reluctantly surrendered.“Okay, I’ll take the tickets. And I’ll think about asking Kelsey if she wants to go.”
Maybe she’ll let me kiss her again. He tried to quash the thought… but he didn’t try very hard.
“Good,” Abigail said with an impish smile that confirmed all his suspicions.“Now, go find that goat before she gets into trouble.”
“You meanmoretrouble.” Spring grinned at his grandmother.
He caught a flash of brown and white out of the corner of his eye and turned to take a closer look.
Sure enough, it was Daisy, half-hidden behind the beanpoles in his parents’ vegetable garden.
For once, the little delinquent was actually going to make it easy for him!
“Thank you for the tickets, Grandma!” he said over his shoulder as he sprinted toward the garden.“I’ll swing by your house to pick them up after I get Daisy back to her pen!”
As he got closer, he saw Daisy munching on his mother’s prized heirloom tomatoes, a look of pure contentment on her face.
Gotcha!Spring knew he had to be quick and stealthy if he was going to catch her off-guard. He slid the coil of rope from his shoulder, and stealthily crept closer.
Daisy seemed oblivious to his presence, her focus solely on the delicious feast before her.
As Spring prepared to throw the lasso, he couldn’t help wondering if his life would ever return to the predictability and routine he once enjoyed in the military.
