“To the ranch,” Jesse said with a beleaguered sigh. “Or to me. Keep it simple.”
I tried again. “Lucas to the ranch,” I said, my voice suddenly very aware of itself. “Copy?”
The radio on the counter—his I assume—crackled.
Jesse released my hands and stepped back, arms folding across his chest. Distance snapped back into place. “Good,” he said. “That’s how you do it.”
“Icouldjust use my phone, like normal people in the twenty-first century,” I said, with so much sarcasm I’m surprised I didn’t fall over with it.
His mouth thinned, then he shook his head in condescension.
“Jeez, City, you’ll be lucky to find a signal five minutes past the tree line,” he said. “Out there, this is what works to get hold of people on the ranch.”
He reached out and tapped the radio once, then stared at me, his gaze sharp, assessing.
“And you answer,” he added. “Every time.”
I swallowed.
“Oh,” I said again.
“And you always, and I meanalways, let someone know where you’re going.”
I bristled. “I don’t need to be checked on, I own?—”
“In case you get lost, or hurt, and you need us to save your stupid ass.”
I blinked at him. “Oh, yeah, sure.”
He huffed his disappointment in me, then disappeared into the room he called his bedroom.
I clipped the radio to my jacket, put on my boots, and headed out to survey the kingdom I’d inherited. Not too far today, my right hip hurt, and my left knee ached from overcompensation.
Still, there was no way I was staying inside.
Before I left the yard, I checked my phone without really thinking about it, thumb hovering over Dalton’s name as I tried to figure out what time it was back home. I really needed to vent to someone, and my best friend was the only one who’d give me the time to let me get all my feelings out. He’d be at his desk, halfway through his second coffee, swearing at spreadsheets and pretending he wasn’t already behind.
Except—no. I frowned. Sunday. “How is it Sunday?”Which meant, he wasn’t in the office, which meant, he had no excuse not to answer, and before I could overthink it, I hit call.
It rang twice.
“Hey!” Dalton said.
“Thank god you answered.”
“Wow,” Dalton said, voice warm with amusement. “To what do I owe this deeply emotional outreach? Did a cow upset you?”
“Very funny.”
“Is it a cow?” he pushed. “Please tell me it’s a cow.”
“It’s not a cow.”
“Disappointing.”
I leaned back against the fence, staring at the house, and knowing that grumpy, sexy, cowboy asshole was inside. “Jesse gave me a radio and was all riled up about it.”
There was a beat, then, “Okay… and?”
