Page 27 of My Cowboy Freedom
“Got it.” Tad took a last swig of coffee, tilting his head back to catch every drop.
Chandler came to stand beside me. He dropped his hand on my shoulder, startling me. “New guy here needs boots, a decent hat, gloves, and real cowboy jeans that ain’t gonna fall off his skinny ass.”
“Sorry.” I tugged nervously at the waistband of my thrift-shop specials, too big and too low, with thinning fabric on the seat and knees.
“You don’t want to lose your pants while you’re herding cattle. You’ll moooooooon the cows... Get it?” Chandler’s joke was so dumb I couldn’t help laughing.
Tad scrunched up his face like he smelled something bad. “That was terrible.”
“I know. I know.” Chandler playfully knocked Tad’s hat askew before he went to get his own coffee. He sat down with us and made small talk while we finished up our food.
Tad stood to clear his place.
Chandler stopped him before he left. “See if Elena needs anything from town before you go, all right?”
Tad gave him a nod. “I’ll check in with her when I get the keys.”
“Where’s Rock this morning?” Even though it wasn’t too smart, I couldn’t stop myself from asking. I hadn’t spotted him yet, and it’s not like you could miss him.
“Rock?” Chandler and Tad exchanged a look I couldn’t read. “He’s probably out doing his usual thing. Why?”
I gestured toward the picnic table. “He doesn’t eat with the hands in the morning?”
“He eats with Elena.”
“Does he pitch in with the cattle sometimes?” I asked, glancing from Tad to Chandler, sure there was something I was missing, but unable to decipher what it was. Information is currency. I was curious about Rock precisely because everyone was so cagey about him. I wanted to know why he needed Maisy, among other things.
Tad said nothing, and Chandler looked like he was debating how much he should say. “Rock don’t ride.”
“How come?” At this I lost all caution. Why didn’t Rock ride? I couldn’t bear being near all those horses if I didn’t get to ride eventually. “I mean, I guess you’d need a big horse. Is he horse shy? Did he take a bad fall? Is that—”
“It ain’t that.”
Because they were being so stingy with answers, I tried a different question.
“What’s Maisy trained for?”
That stopped the conversation cold.
They both stared at me, stony-faced. I guess I’d stepped right on a land mine. I wished I knew what it was. so I could avoid it next time. Well, if I was honest, I wanted answers. I’d just be more careful who I asked.
“If Rock wants you to know about Maisy, he’ll be the one to tell you.” Chandler turned toward the still-dark western horizon. Then his expression hardened. “But I’d take it as a personal favor to me if you’d keep your distance from Rock. For a lot of reasons, he’s best left to Elena.”
Well, that isn’t cryptic or anything.
“Okay.” I pulled myself back from the edge. “I’m here to do a job, boss. Point me in the right direction and prepare to be awestruck.”
Everyone laughed at that.
“I’ll hold you to that. But first, Tad there”—he motioned—“is all set to help you get what you need in town.”
Tad stood. “Yessir. I figure I’ll take him to Dent’s. You okay with that?”
“Dent’s.”Chandler muttered the name like a curse. “You don’t have to take him to Dent’s. Why not Walmart? You could—”
“Dent’s will have everything he needs. You really want to give your money to Sam Walton instead of your own—”
“All right.” Chandler cut him off. “Take him wherever. Get him outfitted and get back here and stop wasting time.”
