Page 113 of My Cowboy Freedom
Ryder grinned back at me. “It’s brisket. You aren’t turning down a brisket sandwich. That’s like killing a bald eagle. It’s un-American.”
Brisket? I forgot about those fries. Meat and sugar turned out to be exactly what I needed, because as soon as he handed over the greasy, butcher-paper-wrapped monstrosity my appetite came back full force.
There is nothing barbecue sauce can’t cure.
“Oh, God. Smells so good.” Andi turned to face me. “Here, I’ve got hand sanitizer. Let me give you a squirt.”
I held out my hand and let her squeeze a generous dollop of foam onto my palm. She’s such a mom.
While I ate, Ry drove and Andi checked her phone.
“Rock, is there something going on between you and Dad’s new hand?”
“Why?” The brisket, which had tasted so rich and delicious seconds before, got stuck in my throat like a dog biscuit. “What’d you hear?”
She held her phone up and showed me a text from Julio.
“Julio says you should check your phone. He says the new hand is really worried about you.”
“It’s dead, you have a charger?” We searched the car. They did, and fortunately, it worked with my phone.
When I powered up, I had a text from an unknown phone. When the hell did he get a phone?
I swiped it to read.
Hey.
It’s me, Sky.
Happiness flooded me. Warmth, that sped from my phone to my eyes to my fingers and toes.
My sigh of relief left me weak.
Whether Sky knew it or not, the wordHeywas going to be a sly little joke between us from now on.
Suddenly, I was ravenous again.
Hey yourself, I typed.
