Page 185 of Cowboy Daddies

“Hey!” she said. “We haven’t rock, paper, scissored for that!”

“You left the swing.” Wyatt shrugged. “Swing rules.”

Swing rules? What did that mean? Jeb was about to tell his son there was no such thing when the girl sighed and nodded.

“So true, small man-child. Can’t go against swing rules.”

Wyatt nodded. “Exactly.” He put the lollipop back in his mouth. Another thing that Jeb had to talk to him about. He knew better than to take candy from a stranger.

A wave of exhaustion washed through him. Sometimes he wondered if he was fucking everything up. His son seemed to hate him. The ranch was doing all right, but it took so much of his time and attention.

Was it worth it if Wyatt hated him?

“You look tired. Are you getting enough sleep?”

He glanced down at the girl in shock. Why was she asking him about his sleep? And he wasn’t the only one that looked tired. She had dark marks under her eyes.

“I only ask because your aura seems all out of whack,” she added.

“I don’t have an aura.”

“Everyone has an aura!” she exclaimed. “If you don’t have an aura, you’re soulless. Or a zombie. Basically the same thing, really.”

“Zombies are cool, though,” Wyatt said. “My dad isn’t cool.”

Great. Now he rated worse than a zombie. Could things get any worse?

Pounding footsteps had them all turning and he groaned as he saw Happy heading toward them.

“Hey! It’s Happy!” Wyatt said. “Happy’s so funny, Casey. You’ll like him.”

Casey? That was the girl’s name? It kind of suited her, he guessed. Although he’d thought she’d have a crazier name.

Like Moonbeam or Starburst.

Are you being narrow-minded?

Maybe he was. But she had been talking to him about his aura. That sounded like a load of horseshit to him.

“With a name like Happy, I’m sure I will,” Casey said.

Actually, Jeb didn’t think she would. Since Deputy Hapleston or Happy as everyone around here called him, was here to move her on. Jeb was starting to feel a bit guilty about messaging Tex. Especially after she’d tried to protect Wyatt from him. Even though he’d never hurt his son, she hadn’t known that. She was a tiny thing, getting into a large, strange man’s face.

And even though she acted and spoke weird, he was starting to rethink his initial thought that she might be on drugs.

“Hey, Jeb! Hey Wyatt!” Happy said as grew closer, still moving at high speed.

How the hell he’d managed to become a Deputy, Jeb had no clue. The guy was like a big retriever puppy. Eager to please and seriously clumsy.

Jeb actually had to hold out his arm to stop the guy from mowing right into Casey.

“Oh, thanks, Jeb. I always find that hill tricky, my feet get away from me.”

Both Jeb and Casey glanced behind him. At the very flat ground.

“Um, what hill?” Casey asked.

“That one.” He waved behind him. Then he scowled down at her. “You the person acting drunk and disorderly and harassing people?”