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He nodded and dropped his chin into his hand after resting an elbow on the counter. “Nothing, nowhere.”
“Something will come up. It always does,” she said with an encouraging smile. “In the meantime, what can I get you to eat?”
The pink flush of embarrassment worked his way up his neck. “Nothing. Too short on cash at the moment.” He started to push himself off the stool just as someone from the kitchen slid my plate onto the window ledge.
There was something so desolate in the kid’s voice and the slope of his shoulders that I couldn’t just let him leave empty-handed. I tried to meet his eye. “Hey, uh… you want to share mine? I already ate breakfast, so I’m not all that hungry. I just wanted to kill time.”
It was true that I’d already eaten, but I was still hungry as hell. Nothing worked up an appetite like ranch work, and I took every opportunity I could to gorge myself. Tyler wasn’t the only one short on cash at the moment, but I had enough for this.
He looked at me like I was an old man offering candy. “Uh, no, thanks, sir.”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh. I reached out a hand to shake. “My name is Richard Dunning. I work for Boone Hammond at the Silver Fork. I promise I’m only offering you half a turkey wrap. Nothing else.”
He shook my hand automatically but didn’t say anything.
When the woman set the plate in front of me and the kid saw the giant pile of hot french fries next to the wrap, I saw hunger flare in his eyes. What teenage boy could resist extra food?
I nodded at the server and asked for an extra plate. When she set it down, I quickly halved my meal and slid one of the plates over to him. “There you go.”
After a few beats, in which I took a bite out of the wrap and almost wept at the non-beef taste of it, the kid moved one stool closer to me. “Thank you. My name is Tyler.”
I nodded and kept eating for a minute, trying my best to keep myself from sticking my nose into his business. But keeping to myself had never been my forte. It was part of my charm.
“You a ranch hand?” When I heard the question come out of my own mouth without a verb in the sentence, I wanted to roll my eyes. I hadn’t even been here a full week, and I was already talking like a cowboy.
“Yes, sir. Been working cattle since I was four,” he said proudly.
“How old are you now?”
“Eighteen. Finishing high school online this semester, and then I’m free.”
I thought about that for a moment. Eighteen meant he was an adult who could make his own decisions. I smiled, knowing just how to help this kid, and bonus: I’d be doing Boone a favor at the same time.
“So you know your way around…” I struggled to remember the word Boone had used. “Partrumnfsghghs?” I mumbled the end of the word, hoping it was enough.
He looked at me oddly. “You mean… calving?”
I actually wasn’t sure what I meant, so I just nodded.
“I mean, yeah.”
I grinned. That was exactly the answer I was hoping for. “Perfect. They’re looking for extra help at the Silver Fork if you want to come see about work.”
The kid’s eyes lit up. “For real? You think they’ll let me hire on for the season?”
I shrugged, playing it cool. “Seems to be plenty of work to go around out there.”
This was a complete understatement. I couldn’t wait to see the look in Boone’s eyes when I showed up with an experienced ranch hand—exactly what he’d been looking for. Of course, there was a selfish angle to me getting Tyler hired on. Maybe if Boone didn’t have to work such long hours all the time, I’d actually get a chance to see him again. Perhaps even spend some time with him. My stomach twisted delightfully at the thought.
Suddenly, I was eager to get back to the ranch. “You have a way out there, or you want to catch a ride with me?”
“Ride with you, if you’re offering,” he said eagerly. “So long as you’re willing to bring me back into town if Boone says no.”
I laughed, remembering just how many times I’d heard everyone gripe about the lack of hands this season on the ranch. “He won’t say no.”
When the server came over to refill my water glass again, I noticed a divot of concern between her eyes. “You sure about that, Ty? Don’t you think you oughta talk to your daddy first?”
The teen’s face darkened, revealing something other than a humble plea for help. “What I do is none of his business anymore.”
Boy, did I know that feeling well, I thought to myself as I pulled cash out of my wallet to cover my meal. I stood up and nodded thanks to the woman behind the counter before turning to the kid. “Let’s go. I have to stop at the feed store, and then we need to get back.”
