Page 62 of After You

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“Not cowboys. Farmers,”Hannah said to Kade as she flipped the last page of his latest chapter.

“What?”

“You’re calling the guys cowboys. They’re not cowboys here. They’re farmers.”

“There’s a difference?”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Well, yeah. The cowboys are out in western Nebraska. Wyoming. Montana.”

“Texas.”

“Texas,” she agreed. “You seem intent on writing characters that should be Texans. Why don’t you just move your setting?”

“Because I like Aquamarine Ridge, Nebraska,” Kadesaid.

They were on the bed in Kade’s rooms at Ty’s place. Hannah was propped up on pillows against the wrought iron headboard, and Kade was facing her, leaning on pillows stacked against the footboard.

Hannah shivered. That name was more horrible every time she heard it. “Well, then you can’t call them cowboys.”

“You still haven’t explained the difference.”

“Cowboys are more like ranchers. They raise cattle and sheep. They have ranches. Farmers live on farms and raise crops…and some animals,” she said. “And they drive trucks. And tractors.”

She winced as she finished, knowing exactly what Kade was going to saynext.

“So there are no horses aroundhere?”

She sighed. “Yes, thereare.”

“And cattle…those are cows. There are no cowshere?”

“There are definitely cows here,” she admitted.

“And I didn’t realize that cowboys don’t drive trucks.”

“I’m sure that they do drive trucks sometimes,” Hannahsaid.

“So…”

“Just shut up.” Hannah rolled her eyes at his smirk. “In the middle of the country and this state, where the land is better for crops, they’re farmers. If you want cowboys, you need to move your stupidbook.”

“I’m not moving mybook.”

“Please,” she tried.

“No way. That gazebo is the perfect place for them to find the firstbody.”

Hannah shuddered. “I can’t believe you’re bringing a psychotic serial killer to town and offing beloved pillars of the community.”

“I haven’t decided if he’ll be a serial killer,” Kade toldher.

“But you’re leaning thatway.”

“We’ll see how the good citizens of Sapphire Falls treat their author-in-residence.”

“Author-in-residence,” Hannah repeated with a snort.

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