Page 4 of Catch Me, Cowboy
“The prodigal,” Jason muttered as Ty approached the bar.
It was a dour announcement, but Ty had spent enough times in Grey’s to know it was as close to an effusive greeting as he was ever going to get from the barkeep.
“One of many,” he said.
Jason gave him a thoughtful look. “Yeah. Guess so.” He poured a draft without asking and passed it across the bar. “Back for good?”
Again, very effusive for Jason, but Ty chalked it up to the fact the establishment was practically empty and no one would see Jason having an actual conversation.
“Depends on a few things.”
Jason nodded, then headed to the other end of the bar where he started unloading a tray of glassware.
Conversation over. His plan of catching up with the locals was shot all to hell by the fact that there were no locals there to talk to. He didn’t know the people sitting at the table in the far corner of the room, didn’t know if they were new to the area or passing through. He’d only been gone for four years, but Marietta had changed. It seemed busier and not only because the rodeo weekend was approaching. He’d noticed new businesses and new houses. But the beauty of Marietta was that it was too far away from Bozeman to become a bedroom community, so the people there were people invested in the community.
Ty sipped his beer, then took his life in his hands and sauntered down the bar.
When Jason raised his eyes to glare, Ty said, “I’m looking for temporary work and a place to stay.” He had some money tucked away, but hated to touch his emergency fund, which wasn’t exactly huge.
“I’ll keep my ears open.”
Meaning nothing sprang to mind.
“Thanks.” Ty gave a nod and made his way back to his stool, leaving Jason in peace. He finished his beer, pulled out his wallet and left some bills on the bar.
“Hey.”
Ty turned at the door, surprised that Jason had spoken to him.
“Try Callen. For a place to stay. Heard she needs another cowboy on the Circle C. A guy just quit.”
“Thanks.” Ty gave Jason a quick nod, then stepped out into the bright Montana sun. First he’d find a place to stay, then he’d plot out his next move with Shelby.
Chapter Two
“When were yougoing to tell me that Ty was back?”
Shelby looked over her shoulder at her grandfather, who’d just come around the barn, then turned her attention back to the mare she was unsaddling. “I didn’t tell you because I needed some time to process. How’d you find out?”
“I had to phone in a prescription refill.”
Carole Bingley. Of course. “I don’t know why that woman still has a job,” Shelby muttered as she pulled the latigo strap free of the cinch ring.
“That was him here this morning, wasn’t it?”
“It was,” Shelby agreed.
She pulled the saddle off the mare and Gramps automatically stepped forward to take it from her. After returning from the tack shed, he took a brush out of the bucket and started brushing the opposite of the horse from where Shelby was currying away sweat and grime.
“Looks like you gave her a workout.”
“She gave herself a workout.”
“Read your mood.”
“She did indeed.” Usually Shelby was able to put matters aside when she rode, lose herself as she communicated with the horse through her legs, seat, and hands. But not today.
Seeing Ty again had been almost surreal. She’d tried not to think about him over the years. Had done her damnedest to shove him out of her head, and she’d thought she had… until he’d driven to the ranch that morning. The impact of seeing him had made her want to curl up into a little ball somewhere dark and quiet and recover—which pissed her off to no end. That wasn’t how she did things. She rebounded. She didn’t curl up and feel sorry for herself.
