Cowboys 03 - My Cowboy Homecoming by Z.A. Maxfield

Author:Z.A. Maxfield [Maxfield, Z.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-12-02T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-one

By the time I got back to the J-Bar, it was dark. The air was thick with the scent of wood smoke, and when the ranch house came in sight, I could see why. The cowboys had all pulled plastic lawn chairs up around a fire pit inside which they had a cheerful fire going. Lucho sat in his wheelchair, next to Petey. Fausto leaned eagerly forward, laughing with them. All eyes seemed to be on me as I rolled up in the rental and parked.

“Are you kidding me?” Stu said as I unfolded myself from the damn thing. “Did you buy that piece of imported shit? Couldn’t you find a nice truck or a real car?”

“It’s a rental. My truck didn’t make it to Tucson today. Head gasket.”

“Ah, man. It was a scorching hot day too. Did you have to wait long for a tow?”

“Yeah.” I felt Lucho’s gaze on me even in the darkness. “I got a little sun.”

“Gotta wear sunscreen every day out here.” Crispin used a set of long tongs to reach into the glowing embers at the edge of the fire. He brought out a foil wrapped parcel, put whatever it was on a paper plate, and handed it to me. “Skin cancer’s a fact of life if you don’t.”

“No thanks,” I declined the food. “I ate dinner on the way home with Ma.”

“This is dessert,” Crispin pressed the plate into my hands. “Watch out. It’ll be molten hot. Take your time opening it up.”

It felt like a gas station burrito. “What is it?”

“It’s my specialty. A homemade tortilla with marshmallow, banana, peanut butter, and chocolate chunks melted inside. People go to war for these.”

“They go to war for a lot less.”

“Ah, man.” Crispin’s brows drew together. “I forgot. That was pretty flip. I never meant to—”

“No worries, Crispin, it’s just an expression.” Carefully, I peeled the foil package apart. Steam rose into the air. “Smells like heaven.”

“Nothing better,” Malloy said. “I may be partial.”

“You want something to drink?” Petey asked.

“I had a hell of a day. I could use a beer.” An unnatural silence fell over everyone at that. Jimmy jammed his hands in his pockets. I glanced up at the sea of uncomfortable faces. “What?”

“Turns out I have a drinking problem.” Jimmy’s gaze flicked to Eddie then back to the ground. “I spent a good part of the winter months getting sober. These guys aren’t real sure they trust me around a bottle of beer just yet.”

“Jimmy—” Eddie leaned forward. He looked appalled. “It’s not that. It’s—”

Jimmy grinned at him. “Gotcha.”

Eddie frowned. “Fucker.”

“I trust you or I wouldn’t let you set foot on this land.” Malloy said evenly.

“I know. I just like to see Eddie go all mother hen.” To me he added, “We haven’t really talked about things yet with Stu and Petey, but there’s no alcohol on the ranch right now. I have to live in a world full of bars, though. If you guys want a beer to unwind, it doesn’t make any difference to me.

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