AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I still can’t get away if that’s what you’re asking. Knockin’ on the door of calving season.”
“It’s not. I’ve been trying to reach Dusty, and he’s not answering. I was hoping you could tell me—”
“Sorry, can’t help you.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it. “What? Why?”
“Nope. It’s the rules. Never rat out a brother.”
“Oh, come on.” I smacked my head back against the wall behind my bed. “I’m not asking you to rat anyone out or even do anything except tell me if he’s okay.”
“I guess he is. Haven’t seen him all week.”
I cut back a sigh of frustration. It was like pulling teeth! “Did he go to California with Cody?”
“And Emily. Yep.”
I drummed my fingers. Why would Luke make a point of telling me that? A green, nauseated sensation washed through my stomach. A feeling I’d never been familiar with…jealousy. I’d never cared about anything enough to be jealous over it before, and now that I did, I hated it. The insecurity of not knowing was a hideous feeling—and it was exactly what I’d done to Dusty.
But I’d have to cry about that later. My best hope now was getting Luke to talk, and he didn’t seem very inclined to do it. “What about Dusty’s phone? Haven’t you talked to him?”
“Nah, he left it here. Got tired of everyone buggin’ him.”
He probably got tired ofLukebugging him, I thought sourly. At least it explained why Dusty wasn’t answering his phone. There was so much more I needed to know, though. “Well, can you tell me when they’re going to be back?”
The phone sounded muffled like he’d covered the mouthpiece or dropped it. I thought I heard Evan’s voice in the background, but mostly, I heard swooshing and static. “Luke?”
He came back, clearing his throat. “Yeah? What was that?”
“Dusty! When is he going to be back?”
“When he gets back.”
“Luke! Please, I’m just asking a simple question! Why are you being so difficult?”
He didn’t answer. I could imagine him sitting there, with the phone to his ear and an obstinate look on his face, just waiting me out until I exploded. Well, fine. If he was going to be that way, I’d have to get specific and ask yes or no questions. “Did they start driving home today?”
“No.”
“Tomorrow?”
Luke hesitated. “Probably.”
“‘Probably?’ Didn’t they know their plans?”
“Ah, you know how those cutters are. Twitchy, obsessed bunch. Worse than ropers, if you ask me. If there’s a cow, they gotta chase it, schedule be hanged. Cody’s just doing his job. He’ll head home when he’s danged good and ready.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Fine. Can you ask Dusty to call me when you see him? Or if you talk to Cody?”
“What for?”
“None of your business, Luke!” I snapped. I probably should have just told him, begged him to share what he knew of Dusty’s heart, and pleaded with him to help me win the cowboy I loved. But I swear, Luke prided himself on being a pain in the rear when the mood struck him. He was tweaking my last nerve, and he knew it. He was probably loving every second of it.
“Whatever. I’ll tell him when I get around to it.” There was a buzzing of voices in the background and Luke muffled the phone again. “Crap. We got a cow down. Gotta go.” And he hung up.
Chapter 24
Dusty
