Page 118 of My Cowboy Freedom
Chapter 28
Rock
I’d failed to pick up their first call in time, so my parents tried again. I let that one go to voice mail too.
Goddamnit.
I held my phone between the palms of my hands, gathering the courage to answer the next call. Or to call back. The chair I sat in faced a bank of windows overlooking the Houston city skyline. At some point while I sat there, night fell, turning the vibrant blue sky first fiery, and then, a shade of purple so almost-black it looked like an ugly bruise.
Man-made lights overwhelmed the stars.
I wanted to cry.
A tap on my door preceded the sound of a key-card reader, and then Elena came in. Maisy rose and greeted her with a sniff. When she was satisfied, Maisy trotted back to her spot next to my feet where she curled into a tired fur ball.
“You going to sit in the dark all night?” Elena turned the light on. “You look rough, honey.”
Instantly, the city disappeared and the only thing in the window was my reflection. Still wearing the clothes I’d arrived in the night before, I sported a couple days’ worth of whiskers. Dark circles ringed my eyes. Rough didn’t begin to cover it.
“Room service is on its way with dessert. I’ll share.”
“I had supper with Foz.” She looked as lost as I felt. “He’s heading back to the ranch tonight.”
“What’s the word on the boss?”
Her quiet demeanor didn’t strike me as odd until she sat down next to me and took my hand. “Sterling has a slow bleed in his brain from a burst aneurism.”
Dread stole over me like frost. “Those kill people.”
“The affected area is small,” she qualified. “And they’ve put him in a medically induced coma to minimize damage. But I can’t lie. It’s bad.”
“Does Andi know?” Surely she wouldn’t have left if she knew. “Did she come back?”
“She, Declan, and Ryder talked with the surgeon.”
“And she still went back to Austin? Is she crazy?”
“Andi has to do what’s best for Henry and the others too. Music is their dream. She can’t just cancel a gig at the last minute. She’s the lead singer.”
I acknowledged the truth of that before I told her my worry. “My father called. Does his sudden interest in me have to do with Sterling being sick? Or is it because of Skyler?”
Had they set something into motion with my parents before last night?
When Elena didn’t speak, I knew.
Somehow, my folks had heard about Sky and now they were going to launch one of their schemes to get me back in line.
“Why’d you and Sterling even have to tell them about us?” Anger flared, bright and sharp as broken glass tumbling around inside my belly. I got up and paced. “Couldn’t you keep this thing between me and Sky quiet? You couldn’t even let me have two weeks?”
“Whoa.” Angrily, she raised her hands. “I didn’t say a word. I don’t think Sterling did either. You haven’t exactly been hiding your feelings.”
“What do you mean by that? I can’t have friends now?”
“Rocky—”
“No. You know what? This is bullshit.” I turned my back on her to look at the ghost city beyond our reflection. “It’sbullshit.What’s going to happen to Sky now? Without this job he’ll have to find work, transportation, and a place to live. Maybe he’ll have to go into transitional housing. Any little trouble could get him sent back to prison.”
“I know that.”
