Page 25 of Cowboy

“Course it could be Ilsa or Esther or—” Joey continues sing-songing the names.

“That’s enough,” Canyon warns of his daughter, and I glance over at Bull for an explanation.

“She likes to name the cows.”

Oh, God. I swallow the remaining lump in my mouth, reaching for my water glass and chugging the remainder of the liquid.

“Gonna not eat meat, too?” Joey questioningly sasses me, and I realize she must have heard what I said about milk and not drinking it. To prove her point, she picks up her glass and guzzles the entire thing, making a satisfying ah after finishing the refreshing liquid. She slaps the glass to the table and takes a large bite of her steak.

“How’s Bess taste to you?” I question, watching her chew without a conscience even though she tried to make me feel guilty for eating the cooked meat.

“She was done producing, so off to the slaughterhouse she went.” Joey draws a line along her throat.

Again, I peer over at Bull, who has returned to eating, ignoring his niece. Deciding this is a test, I move to my salad, no longer hungry for the rest of my savory steak.

“You know, you look familiar,” Joey continues.

“Stop torturing Bull’s guest,” Carly demands across the table.

“Oh, is that what we call you?” Joey asks, and the angry vibe coming off this teen raises the hackles on my neck, but I remember this age and this attitude. I had it myself.

“We’re friends,” I state, proud of the label.

“Ri-iiight. Friends,” Joey annunciates, rolling her eyes.

“JoJo,” Canyon warns of his daughter.

“So, are you someone? Because you look like someone famous. Are you hiding out here? Did you commit a crime?”

I wouldn’t say famous, but I can be recognized in certain circles. Convinced this teenager won’t know who I am, I proudly state my name. “I’m Scarlett Russell, and I don’t have any known felonies on record.”

Bull pauses again, glancing over at me with wide eyes.

“I’m teasing,” I state, choking back the joke.

Joey reaches into her lap and picks up a phone. Tapping at it quickly like kids can, she holds out the screen for me to view.

While this happens, her grandfather warns her about electronics at the table. Without breaking his rhythm to eat, Canyon reaches across his daughter to take her phone. However, when he brings the device before himself, his brows pinch.

“This you?” He holds up the screen so I can see my name in bold letters underneath an image of me. My makeup is done to perfection as I remember exactly where that photo was taken. The Emmy’s.

“That’s me.” I nod.

Canyon presses on the screen while his father reminds him no phones at the table. He ignores Harland and narrows his eyes.

“It says here you worked for KTEL at one of their entertainment rags.” Canyon hisses, and I instantly wonder if I ever reported on him. I haven’t done a search of his name, although Bull told me he was famous in his own right for a bit.

On his way somewhere, Bull explained.

Thankfully, Harland reaches over to his second son and yanks the device out of his hands. He tucks the phone under his leg and continues eating without breaking stride to finish his dinner. I glance back at Bull, who’s watching me.

“You never mentioned you were famous.”

“I’m not. And I no longer work for KTEL, obviously,” I say, noticing the table has grown quiet as I speak.

“What happened?” Joey asks, and Carly hisses her name again.

“I was fired because I was too old.”