Page 18 of My Cowboy Freedom
“I take them in for Elena after everyone eats,” he said.
“Thanks for showing me. Where do we eat when the weather doesn’t cooperate?”
“We can have supper in the ranch house kitchen or the bunkhouse but it’s cramped, so we eat outside whenever the weather lets us. There’ll be pie for dessert tonight. I can get you a piece now, if you want.”
“That’d be nice, but I can wait until later if—”
“It’s okay,” he whispered, “Elena makes a special one for me and Sterling. I’ll be right back.”
“Thank you,” I said the words as the screen door slammed shut behind him.
Rock came back a couple of minutes later with two slices of pie. “Apple today, with a crumb crust. Elena makes the best pies. My favorite is olallieberry pie.”
“That’s not even a thing. You’re making it up.”
“I’m not! Olallieberries look like the bastard children of blackberries and—” He frowned at me. “You’re teasing, right?”
“I am,” I admitted.
He grinned, and then bit his lip. “I got your pie with ice cream, is that okay?”
“I like ice cream.”
He handed me a plate and a fork, and we stood by the sink, eating glorious homemade apple crumb pie. Maisy sat staring, too well trained to beg, but not above hoping a morsel would fall her way.
Rock nudged her away. “Sorry, Maisy.”
She turned away as if the idea never occurred to her.
“It’s not healthy for her to eat people food.” He laid his fork on his plate and dug something brown and crumbly out of his pocket. “Here, Maize. You can have this. Look at me.”
Maisy met his gaze and took her treat happily. When she was done, her ears perked up. She wagged her tail and preened, hoping for another treat. Rock tossed the next one her way and she snatched it right out of the air.
“Good catch,” he praised.
The light had started to fade. The breeze was picking up, but it didn’t cool the air around us much.
“What now?” I asked.
He took the plate from me. “You should rest up. We’ll get started before dawn tomorrow.”
“Sure.” I was a light sleeper. In fact, as keyed up as I felt, I doubted I’d sleep much at all.
Rock took a cell phone out of his pocket and started tapping on it. “Gimme your digits in case the boss needs to get in touch.”
“I don’t have a cell phone.”
His mouth dropped open.“Shut up.”
“Nope.” It was almost comical how floored he was by that. “The warden didn’t like the prisoners ordering pizza at all hours.”
“I can’t imagine anyone not having a cell phone.” He stared at his like he was picturing going without it. “How did you stand it?”
“You don’t get much of a signal inside all that steel and concrete anyway.”
“We only get coverage by the ranch house, so we use the radios when the hands are moving cattle. But if you don’t have a phone, you can’t stream movies or play video games. You’d be bored to death at the doctor’s office. I can’t even—”
“I’ll get one when I can.” I stopped him before I had to tell him the last phone I used only made phone calls. “In the meantime, if you tell me what time you need me to show up and where, I’ll be there.”
