Page 96 of The Cowboy and the Stray

Finally, she said, “Does this make me a wolf now?”

“Not yet,” I told her. “But it’s a good start.”

She laughed, then bit me on the arm.

We sat there until the stars came out. The food was gone, and the lemonade was mostly water, but I didn’t care. I had her, and she had me, and for once, that was enough.

44. TESS

The morning started loudly, with Midge banging every cupboard in the kitchen like she was working out her anger on the plywood. I was sitting at the table with a mug of coffee, watching the sun come up through the kitchen windows. The world was already too bright for my taste. Ash came in the back door, hair flattened to one side, t-shirt inside out. She poured a bowl of cereal and ate it dry, straight from the box.

Calder appeared last, which was weird for him. He usually spent time out in the barn before breakfast and came back smelling like sweat and fresh air, but today he just wandered in, face unreadable.

I’d had him up a bit late last night. He’d needed a sleep in.

Hehe.

Midge was making eggs. She saw me watching and said, "Eat something or you'll blow away in the wind," then dumped a greasy heap on my plate.

I was trying to decide if it was worth the risk to ask Ash about her plan for the day when everyone swiveled their heads. I couldn’t help it. I started giggling.

Ash gave me a strange look and said, “What’s so funny?”

Midge cocked her head at me, which made me laugh, even harder. Through my laughter, I said, “I’m really sorry, but you guys all looked like a bunch of dogs who just heard someone ringing the doorbell.”

They stared at me for another second and then burst out laughing, but then they all swiveled their heads again, just like a pack of dogs, and Calder set his coffee down. Midge wiped her hands on a dish towel and stared at the front door, like she could make it evaporate with her mind. Ash grinned, showing all her teeth, and disappeared into the mudroom.

“What?” I asked. My anxiety skyrocketed.

“Truck in the driveway,” Calder said.

I stood up. Calder gave a short nod, and we filed out onto the porch, one by one. The sun was climbing, and the world was already hot. It didn't matter. We all had goosebumps.

The truck came into view around the last bend. The windows were tinted enough that I couldn't see who was inside. It was too clean for a Texas ranch, which told me a lot right there.

Ash was already crouched by the door, hand tucked under her shirt. I wasn't armed, dollars to donuts she was. Calder just stood there, arms crossed, watching the approach like he was bored.

The car came to a stop in front of the porch, engine idling. We waited. I spotted Buck, Gray, and Jace near the barn. They each had a gun belt on.

Midge squinted at the windshield, then made a snorting sound. "Well, I'll be damned," she said. "It's just Andy."

Ash groaned and stood up straight, arms in the air. "Stand down, boys and girls."

The tension evaporated all at once. “Who?” I asked.

Calder rubbed his face, then Midge said, "She runs the feed store. She's harmless unless you owe her money."

The door to the car swung open and out popped Andy, in overalls and a baseball cap that said GOATS RULE. She grabbed a bouquet of flowers from the passenger seat and trotted up to the porch.

"Morning, y'all," Andy said, and held out a vase of sunflowers big enough to block her entire torso. "Special delivery for this address. No name. Came in on the mail truck this morning."

She looked past Calder, past Ash, and right at me. "You're the new girl?"

"Depends who’s asking," I said, my voice barely working.

Andy shrugged. "Fair enough. Anyway, here you go."

Calder took the vase and set it on the porch rail. He looked at the flowers like maybe they were rigged to explode.