Timing (359 page)

206

Mary Calmes

DRIVING a tru

r c

u k with

h a tra

r ile

l r is ha

h rder than it looks. The whole

l

adventure

r bec

e ome

m s part

r ic

i ularly

l dicey when turning. I had cut the angle

l

too clo

l sel

e y

l , and I

I was backing out to try

r and ta

t ke anothe

h r shot at it. I

I

was outside

d looking at

t both the traile

l r and the

h sig

i npost for the ra

r nch. I

I

was so entrenc

n hed with how I

I was going to make

k the

h turn that I didn’t

’

hear the truck stop behind me.

“What the hell a

re

r y

ou doing?” s

omeone y

elle

l d.

I

I turn

r ed around, and you could have knocked me over with a

feather. “Rand.”

He closed

d his truck door

o as he got

t out and wa

w lk

l ed around the

h

front to the gravel. I

I mov

o ed forward, but I

I wasn’t quite sure how I was

doing it.

. I

I stoppe

p d a fe

f w fe

f et

t awa

w y and stare

r d at him. He

H had never

r

looked so good.

“I re

r peat,”

, he snapped at m

e, “what the

h hell are

r y

ou doing?

g ”

“Well, I just got bac

a k from dropping Phil at the Winston Pe

P tting

Zoo, and out

u was

s fi

f ne ’c

’ ause it

t was a straight

t shot, but in….” I

I winced,

turn

r ing back to look at the trail

i er. “I mean, I can’t

’ back up and go

stra

r ight because the

h re

r ’s th

t at dip on the othe

h r side of the ro

r ad, and if I

I

cut it too sharp, then—”

“I meant what are y

ou doing here

r ?”

“I just got back fr

f o

r m dropping off the cow,” I scowled at him.

“Were you not listening?”

“What cow?”

Timing

207

“My cow.”

“You don’t have a cow,” Rand assured me.

“Not anymore, no.” I agreed with him.

“Wait. When did you have a cow?”

“I had Phil.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Phil,” I reminded him, “Phil was my cow and he went to a

petting zoo today.”

“What?”

“Why are you having trouble grasping this?”

“Are you—Jesus, Stef, that was not your cow to—”

“Tyler said since you let me name him, he was mine, and Chris

and Everett agreed.”

“Did they?”

“Yessir,” I said, breathing in his manly scent, taking a step closer

to him. “How did the hiring go? Did you let someone else talk to the

guys, too, since you know you suck at it?”

“I suck at—”

“Tyler said you suck at hiring, remember? And you have to

admit, Pete was a really bad choice.”

“You never even met—”

“You know, I think I got this,” I said, turning to walk back to the

cab of the truck.

I was grabbed hard and spun around to face the man.

“What are you doing here, Stef?”

I squinted at him. “I live here.”

His eyes widened. “You what?”

“Isn’t that what you said you wanted? I could’ve sworn that’s

what you—”

“I thought you weren’t coming.”

208

Mary Calmes

“When did I say that?”

His breath came out in a rush of air. “I thought I….” A hand came

to my face, and he brushed a strand of hair back out of my eyes. “I was