Page 97 of My Cowboy Freedom
“I’m trying to do things differently with you. I’m trying to do things better.” He looked to me like I should reward him.Good boy. “Believe it or not, I’m trying to help.”
He’s trying to helpRock. I closed my eyes. “What can I do?”
“Rocky’s a lonely young man whose parents expect me to keep him on a short,shortleash. If they think he’ll lose his head over you, I’m afraid they’ll force him to come home.”
“Why wouldn’t he want that?” I’d give a lot to have a place to call home. Family that loved me.
“Oh, you know how it is,” Chandler dismounted and led his horse, Smokey Top, some distance away from the fire to ground tie him. “Rock and his folks have their differences. His mother wants to coddle him but young men need a certain amount of space. And since the accident—” He paused. “Since he was injured, he’s been very vocal about his leanings.”
I pictured Rock physically leaning. Imagined how far he could go without falling the hell over.
“And?”
The dying light caught Chandler’s eyes just so, and they glittered like knives. “I can bottom-line it for you, if the subject is getting tedious.”
That was Chandler’s patience getting thin. I had best watch my step. I couldn’t let him run me over or he would use it against me. On the other hand, I couldn’t argue with him. He’d see that as a personal challenge.
What would ’Nando do in this situation? What would he say to a guy like Sterling Chandler?
I had known ’Nando—I had loved him—long enough that I could wear him like a suit.
I dismounted to take care of my horse too, implying my horse was more important to me than he was right then.
When I was done, I dusted off my hands. “So? Bottom-line it.”
“Rocky’s off-limits. Stay away from him and we’re golden.”
Just to be certain, I asked, “So Rock doesn’t get to choose his doctororhis friends.”
“If I thought for one minute you guys were only friends, I wouldn’t have a problem, would I?”
“That’s just—” I searched for a noncombustible word.You can’t burn bridges, here. Rock needs you.“Awesome.”
“In fact—” The wiley old bastard had positioned his back to the setting sun so I had to squint to make out his expression. “I should fire you. That’d take away any temptation for Rock. His parents are counting on me to keep him on the straight and narrow.”
“Emphasis on the straight.”
He dismissed that with a shrug. “They love their boy. They’ll do what it takes to protect him, even from himself.”
“You want me to go?”
“I saidI shouldfire you. I didn’t say that I will.”
While I breathed a sigh of relief, the boss and I finished taking care of our mounts. He dropped his saddle near the fire and sat with his back to it. I put my saddle between Robbie and Jason’s.
Robbie had already started drinking. When I sat, he passed me a bottle. I sent it along to Jason and before it came back, Chandler produced some Coke. It took nerves of steel to open the plastic bottle, knowing he’d galloped along with it in his saddlebags. Warm, it hissed and spit and spilled all over. Shoot. That was going to draw ants. At least it gave me something to toast with.
Chandler lifted his bottle. “Skyler Brody, the newest hand at the Rocking C.”
I lifted my Coke. Robbie, Jason, and the others had flasks. “Thank you.”
They drank and we smoked some fancy cigars the boss brought for us. I dug that. Then one thing led to another and Julio, who’s a huge Blake Shelton fan, ended up singing a bunch of the singer’s music. Robbie sang along, horribly off-key.
After a while, Chandler settled on one hip so he could lean toward me. It was weird to be on the receiving end of that much attention from him, but he seemed determined to make sure we were on the same page where Rock was concerned.
“I watched you with Rock in Winters’s office this morning. That’s what made me think you’re going to make a great addition to the Rocking C permanently.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck. “What you saw today made yourethinkfiring me?”
