Page 83 of Cowboy Seeks Husband
Walker was quiet beside them, and Roan glanced over. Clearing his throat, Walker finally asked, “Do you mean that? Do you hate it here?”
Roan blinked rapidly and went back to staring out of the window. The ranch spread out before them. Cows grazed in the distance. The sun rose red and yellow above the horizon, turning the sky pale blue and chasing the last of the stars away.
“No,” he whispered. “I don’t hate it here.”
“Good.”
“Lord, the two of you are gonna kill us all,” Peter muttered and rolled his eyes.
Walker’s hand twitched on the steering wheel, but he left it where it was, started the truck, and began to drive. He glanced in the rearview. “In New Orleans and during the date with Victor, the cameras were on us the entire time. Andy was there. He made me reshoot the same conversation with Victor three times. I figured he wouldn’t join us for this, especially since it’s out in the heat. Andy hates heat.” He grinned, including Peter in the joke with a quick glance, but Roan knew what he really wanted to say. Another chance for privacy if they could escape the watchful eyes of Molly and John.
They drove up to a gate, where Walker parked the Ford, and Roan was grateful for the boots at least because the field was swampy.
“What if they bite us?” Peter asked when Walker let Dane out of the truck bed. Two guys Roan had never seen before ambled up to the truck.
“There’s an ambulance over there,” Walker said nodding to where the others were coming up in the SUVs with an ambulance bouncing around behind them. “They have antivenon stocked. But don’t worry. You just have to be faster than them.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Walker looked at him. “No. But don’t freak out. Dana knows what we’re doing, and she’ll show us where to find the snakes.” He grabbed two shovels, passed one to Peter and one to Roan. “This is Marlon and Dennis. They’ll help out today. Don’t stray too close to the water unless one of us is with you.”
“Okay.” Peter eyed Marlon up and down and smiled winningly. “Hi, there.”
Walker smirked when Marlon put on his own charming smile and said, “Sorry, but you’re barking up the wrong tree, cher.”
Walker then tugged on Roan’s arm. “What’s up? You look like death.”
Roan gripped the shovel in two hands, knuckles going white. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“Okay.” Walker glanced over to the camera guys piling out of the SUV ready to roll. He stepped a little closer. “What do you have a problem with? The snakes? Or the killing?”
“Both.” Roan looked at him, then quickly away. “I’ve never killed anything. I don’t think I can.”
“I understand. We don’t do this lightly. And we have a license for it, like we did for the noodling. It’s not against the law as long as you don’t do it at night. Normally, I don’t worry much about them, but Hannah and a second cow being bitten is evidence that there are probably too many cottonmouths this year, so it’s encouraged. For the safety of the herd. And check this out.” Walker bent down and lifted the cuff of his jeans. Roan gasped at the scar on his calf. “That’s tissue damage after I was bitten by a cottonmouth in a field when I was ten.”
“Oh my God,” Peter breathed, hand pressed to his mouth.
“Yeah.” Walker straightened. “It’s not pretty.” He fiddled with his shovel, and Roan put a hand on his arm.
“I don’t care about pretty. That must’ve hurt.”
“It wasn’t a party, no. But all I meant is that we’re doing this for a reason. Not just because we’re a bunch of illiterate rednecks who enjoy killing things.”
Roan frowned. “That’s not what I think of you.”
“Good,” Walker said. “And like I said, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“Suck it up, guys,” Molly called out when the others joined them. “And let’s go kill some damn snakes.” She grabbed a shovel off Walker and cheerfully set off with Dennis by her side. Peter trailed behind them until he fell into step with John, and then stayed there.
They all walked the perimeter of the field, always aiming for the ponds, and Dana alerted them to two snakes. Roan looked away as Walker dealt with them, the shovel feeling like an awkward weight in his hand.
“I’m sorry,” Walker said when the silence dragged on. “I admit I had second thoughts about this date earlier. You know, after…” He cleared his throat.
Roan’s head snapped up, and he stared at Walker, who had a sad smile on his face. “You had second thoughts about a date with me?”
“No. About taking you snake hunting. After the noodling, it seemed like fun to rile you up again, but now I wish…”
“What?”
