Page 85 of A Sweet Chat for the Cowboy

Wynona shrugged playfully. “If I can’t tell him your secrets, then I won’t tell you his.” She left off the truth that Holden had probably already figured out Tucker’s secret.

Tucker smiled, and she could swear she saw admiration in his eyes. “Fair enough.”

Something popped into her head, and she laughed, suddenly embarrassed.

“What?”

“I can’t believe I thought that I had met two different men in western South Dakota with a brother named Kash.”

Tucker shrugged. “There’s lots of hippies out there giving their kids hippie names.”

“I’m not sure Kash is a hippie name. I just feel kind of stupid for not figuring it out. What did I say that gave me away?”

He smiled, but he didn’t answer her. How curious. “What, are you not going to tell me?”

“Oh, I’m going to tell you someday. But I’d like to save it for a special occasion.”

That was pretty weird, and yet incredibly enticing. “What other secrets are you planning to keep from me?”

He laughed loudly. “Honestly? I don’t think I have a single other secret. Oh, wait, yeah there was that time that I went on a bank robbing spree.”

She laughed, but his face was deadpan. “You’re kidding, right?”

He waggled his eyebrows. “What do you think?”

“I think that unless the bank was out in the middle of the wilderness, that you wouldn’t have been interested.”

His eyes twinkled as he said, “Well if we’re being honest here, I will say that I do have a fondness for financial stability, so it’s worth it for me to go into town once in a while and deal with bankers.”

“I’m not sure bankers provide financial stability ...” She didn’t understand.

“No, I meant that I like to squirrel away my money so that I have financial stability. I’ve been called a miser before.”

“Does that mean that I’m buying breakfast?”

“Not on your life.” His phone chimed, and he ignored it.

“Aren’t you going to get that?”

He shook his head. “I meant to leave it in the truck. I wish that I had.”

It chimed again.

“What if it’s important?”

“It’s not.”

The third time it chimed, she actually grew concerned. “Will you please answer it to alleviate my anxiety?”

He pulled the phone out of his pocket, chuckling. But then, actual concern appeared on his face. Then he sighed, sounding annoyed.

“What is it?”

“Now I don’t know what to do. I shouldn’t have looked at my phone.”

“What?” She was worried they had shut down hunting season again.

“It’s Gunner. He’s having another goat crisis.”

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