AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Shuffling sounds and murmurs crackled in his ear. “Hey Cord. You checkin’ up on me to see if I’m fucking around on my lunch break?”
Cord snorted. “Even if I was, you’d take your time getting back to work just to annoy me. I’m calling because I need a favor.”
“Yeah? Should I be worried about this favor you need since youneverask for nothin’?”
“Maybe Idon’task ’cause you pop off a bunch of smart-ass questions when I do.” And it’s easier just to handle things myself rather than deal with your excuses, Cord added silently.
Colby sighed. “Yeah, I am kind of a dick. So what’s up?”
“Any chance you can pick up Foster and Beau from the bus stop and keep them overnight, until noon tomorrow? I’m tryin’ to surprise AJ with a date night.”
“Ooh. Romantic,” Channing said, “AJ will love that. There’s no problem adding two more McKay boys to the mix of our own. Just call the school and send a message to their classrooms to have them get off at our bus stop.”
“Will do. And thanks.”
“One last thing before you hang up,” Colby said. “You want me to finish mowing that section of ditch you started yesterday?”
He frowned at his phone. “No. I can finish it on Monday. Why?”
“Soyou’redone workin’ for the day?” he said skeptically.
“Thought I made that clear?”
“What Colby is getting at,” Channing interjected, “is if you expect him to return to…umm…ranch stuff this afternoon, or if he can continue to hover over me until it’s time to pick up the kids.”
Ranch stuff. Lord. Was AJ the only woman in this family who understood what the daily grind of ranching entailed? And maybe, Cord thought bitterly, he’d like the chance to hover over his own wife, because apparently, he hadn’t been doing enough of that. “Don’t know why the hell you’re askin’ me. Colby does what he wants, when he wants…or not at all. “Shoot me a text when you’ve got the boys.”
Since Cord was in town, he stopped at the elementary school and signed off in person for the change in afterschool transportation plans for Avery, Foster and Beau. Then he popped into the community center and changed the pickup form for Vaughn.
He’d barely reached the outskirts of town when his phone rang. The caller ID on the truck’s display read Kyler. Frowning, he poked the answer button. “Ky? Everything all right?”
“Yeah. Is everything all right with the brat pack? I saw your truck at the school.”
Only Cord seemed bothered by Kyler referring to his siblings as the brat pack. “Everything is fine.” He paused and said sharply, “How’d you know I was there? Ain’t you supposed to be in class?”
“It’s lunchtime, Dad. A bunch of us were sitting outside. So what’s goin’ on? You’re never in town during workin’ hours.”
Another family member ascribing the wordneverto his behavior. Was he really that predictable? “I needed to dealwith a few things before I spring a surprise date night on AJ. Your brothers and sister are staying with their cousins. You still crashing with Hayden?”
“Yep, me’n Anton both are. We’ll probably hang out after the football game, see if anything is goin’ on in town.”
“Sorry we’ll miss the game tonight.”
“Not a big deal. We’re playing Belle and they suck so I think coach is gonna mostly rest his starters.”
“Have a good game anyway. And don’t you boys go out stirring up shit that’ll get your uncle Cam hot on your tail.”
Kyler laughed. “Anton is a good deterrent. He doesn’t wanna piss off his dad either, regardless if he’s in his deputy uniform.”
“Good. See ya tomorrow afternoon, son.”
Cord left the radio off as he drove back to the ranch, trying to come up with a more solid plan than a kid-free night. He didn’t want things to play out in the usual pattern—dinner out, home to fuck, then fall asleep. He wanted to specifically address her “the man he used to be” remark without any of this beating-around-the-bush bullshit.
Beating around the bush.
Huh.
He could work with that.
