Page 25 of A Sweet Deal for the Cowboy

He spent too long looking for a piece of scrap paper and then gave up and decided on a paper plate instead. He wrote, “Out in the barn. Come on out if you want.” Then he stared at his note for far too long, wishing he had something more eloquent to say. But eventually he gave up and propped the paper plate up on salt and pepper shakers in the middle of the kitchen table.

Only then did he worry that Bull might think the note was for him, which would be unbearably weird. Bull might quit.

So, Gunner took the plate down from its perch and prefaced the note with “Nova,” before stepping back to survey his work. Still not great, but better. He glanced into the living room one last time to see if she had stirred, and she hadn’t.

So he went outside to start his morning chores. He wanted Nova to keep sleeping so she could wake up rested, but he was also excited for her to wake up so he could talk to her again.

Chapter 18

Adiscordant chorus of goat vocals woke Nova well after sunrise. Yellow light poured in through the large old windows helping her to remember where she was and why she had slept on such a lumpy couch. She sat up and stretched, marveling at how threadbare the armrests were. This poor man needed a new couch.

She was relieved to find Gunner busy with chores because as she had fallen asleep last night, she’d had an idea, and now with the fresh wisdom of morning informing that idea, it seemed like a good one.

But her van was still at the mechanic’s, and she was kind of stranded. She looked out the front window to see three trucks in the yard. One of those likely belonged to Rocky, right? So maybe she could borrow it? He probably wouldn’t be missing it anytime soon.

But then she saw Bull sliding things around in the bed of another truck.

She visited the bathroom and then hurried outside. “Good morning!” She tried to sound as chipper as she usually did. She was definitely a morning person, but this was a weird morning.

Bull looked at her sheepishly as if he wasn’t quite allowed to do so.

“Can you do me a big favor?”

He looked over her shoulder in the direction of the back pastures and the rear barn, as if he were afraid his boss was going to catch them doing something untoward.

“Could you give me a ride to the Bannon Ranch?”

He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know where that is.”

“I can show you,” she said quickly. “It’s not far.” Well it kind of was but not in western miles.

“I don’t know...” He glanced behind her again.

“Look, I’m not running away. I just have to run an errand.”

“Have you seen Gunner this morning?”

She shook her head. “I’m kind of in a hurry.” She was losing patience.

Bull sighed. “Okay, but if Gunner gets mad, I’m telling him that you forced me.”

This was laughable. The man was a giant. She couldn’t force him to do anything. She hopped into the truck, waiting for him to slide behind the wheel before saying, “After your help last night, I don’t think Gunner’s going to be mad at you for a while. Thank you for that, by the way.”

She waited until they were well under way with the Bridge Ranch shrinking in her side mirror before asking, “So, they call you Bull, but surely that’s not the name your mama gave you?”

Bull gave her a small smile and looked at her out of the side of his eye. “Mymama? Did I just detect a southern twang?”

“Not on purpose. I’ve been on the road for years with musicians and groupies from all over the country, and I’ve picked up a lot of their mannerisms. I don’t do it on purpose. Let me try again ...” She did her best to fake an aristocratic British accent. “What Christian name did your parents assign you at birth?”

He laughed again. “My name is Simon.”

“Simon. That’s a nice name. At the risk of offending you, would you prefer that Gunner call you by your name?”

Simon gave her a curious look. “If you’re looking for a way to throw your weight around, this isn’t a good one.”

That wasn’t what she was doing, not at all.

“I’m fine being called Bull. It suits me.”

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