Page 29 of No Place for Single Cowboys

“He’s my boy,” Glenn said. “You’ll understand once that one’s out.” He nodded to her belly.

Maybe she would. But right now Cordy was terrified she’d be both jobless and homeless oncethat onewas out.

Chance’s evening was turning out to be as bad as his day had been.

The shitstorm had started with a busted fence this morning.Your fence is down, and your cows are outwere the most dreaded words a cowboy ever heard for a damn good reason.

Most of the herd had escaped into the wooded mountainside, and it had taken several hours to round them up. Fixing the fence took another few hours. All the while Quint had been down in the mouth and snappish, as if Chance were the one responsible for breaking the damn fence.

The final insult came after they’d hauled themselves all the way back to the house and remembered that no one had checked that the water was turned off in that pasture. So they’d had to drive back and turn it off, but not before the water trough was completely flooded.

Then, in the afternoon, Holden had insisted on coming with them to check the remaining fence lines, even though he looked like hell and should have stayed inside. Chance couldn’t stop worrying that the old man might keel over any moment, and Quint had been stuck under his own personal rain cloud. Rye at least had been in a semi-decent mood, but he was so quiet, it wasn’t like he was blowing sunshine up anyone’s ass.

It had been miserable for everyone.

“Well, I’m glad this day is over,” Chance announced to his brothers as they drove back to the house with Holden in the back seat. Quint glared out the front window like the late-afternoon sun was the worst thing he’d ever seen.

“Not over yet,” Rye said from the back. “Still have to make dinner.”

Chance didn’t want to eat yet another meal with them, not when everyone was so irritable, but he supposed he should stay to help cook.

Quint swung around to stare Chance down. “I don’t want to have to do this.”

“Okay then, don’t do whatever it is you were about to.”

His brother’s mouth set in a hard line. “Ruby heard about you and Cordy.”

“So?” Chance shrugged, even though he felt as tetchy as Quint. “I’m helping her out when no one else would. What’s Ruby’s problem with that?”

“She thinks you’re taking advantage, and I need to stop you.” There was a dark look from Quint. “As if I could.”

“If you can’t stop me, why are you bringing it up? And taking advantage how?”

“You’re helping Cordy with the birth class?” Rye asked.

“Yes,” Chance said, probably sharper than he needed to, “and now this entire town has to flap their gums about it.”

“Don’t talk about my wife’s gums,” Quint snapped.

“Wasn’t flapping anything,” Rye said under his breath. “Just curious, was all.”

“I’m sorry I ever implied your wife’s gums ever did anything so awful as to flap,” Chance said with heavy sarcasm. “Please tell Ruby I’m not taking advantage of Cordy, I’m helping her. She needs a partner for this one class. I’m her partner, and that’s it.”

“You don’t do things like that.”

Chance glanced back at Holden, wondering how much of this the old man was getting. His dad stared out the window, acting like he hadn’t heard anything.

“I help my friends,” Chance said from between his teeth.

“She’s the bartender,” Quint said, “not your friend. Ruby’s right to be worried.”

“What the hell? I’m not some predator.”

“Come on, Quint,” Rye said, “that’s not fair.”

They were pulling up to the house, so Chance let it go. If Quint thought Chance was so low he’d break a pregnant woman’s heart, Chance wouldn’t argue. It was all because Ruby was up Quint’s butt, anyway.

“I’m going to start dinner,” Quint said. “Hot dogs and fries.”

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