Page 10 of Cowboy

“You don’t know who the other man was?”

“No, I’m sorry. God, his wife. Annette is gravely ill. She has stage four colon cancer and has been in hospice for a while now. She was getting these experimental treatments, but they weren’t working. They both agreed that she would stop them. She just wanted to go peacefully in her sleep.”

“The news is reporting that they don’t expect her to live much longer.”

“They loved one another dearly,” she murmured. “They were so good to each other. He would have done anything for her. Ironically, the one thing she needed, he couldn’t give her. A cure for cancer.”

“You can rest now,” he said. “I’ll keep watch.” She nodded, lying back on the blanket.

“If I haven’t said it, thank you. Thank you for coming for me.” He watched her as she closed her eyes, already asleep.

Cowboy watched as the soft breeze blew her hair across her face. He rose and knelt beside her brushing the strand of hair away, tucking it behind her ear. He felt her ice-cold hands and pulled the blanket up higher to her neck, then felt for the pulses in her feet. Everything seemed to be okay. So far.

“My pleasure.”

CHAPTER SIX

Cowboy let her sleep for another few hours, then started fixing dinner. Fresh caught fish. The stream they were camped near was full of beautiful trout. Using some string from a pack in the plane and a metal rod, he fashioned a hook from wire and went to work catching their meal. It didn’t take long, and the fish were definitely biting.

“Something smells wonderful,” she said, sitting up.

“Fish,” he grinned. “I have some mushrooms and berries I found as well, but this will be our main meal.”

“Do you know which mushrooms and berries are poisonous and which are not?” she asked with concern.

“I promise. I know what I’m doing,” he grinned.

He watched as she stood, gingerly testing her ankle again. She walked toward the cover of the trees, no doubt to relieve herself. A few moments later, he heard her digging inside the plane.

“What are you doing?” he asked, frowning at her. She pulled out a box with chocolate bars, granola, and beef jerky.

“My emergency box,” she said, handing it to him. “Sometimes I have to wait for my passengers, and there isn’t a lot around the small private landing strips. So, I always make sure I have something to eat. I’m not a very nice person when I don’t eat.” Cowboy chuckled, shaking his head.

“Neither am I. Come on. Move away from the plane. It’s not stable.” She took his hand and was struck by how large it was. His callused palms were rough and scratchy. He wore no jewelry, just an expensive diver’s watch.

“Is your family worried about you?” she asked.

“It’s just me and my folks and extended family. We kind of work together. They all know where I am, and, in fact, they’re sending a few additional men to help us out in case there’s trouble.”

“Do we expect trouble?” she frowned, taking her seat again.

“Let’s just say trouble seems to find us whether we want it to or not. It’s just a precaution. They’re also trying to locate Liconitis. So far, no luck.”

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” she said, slowly shaking her head. “I know that people think he’s some sort of Greek mob boss in Vegas, but he’s really not. Yes, he owns two casinos and hotels. Yes, he’s rich. But I’ve seen that man send huge checks to schools, orphanages, veteran charities, and so much more.

“When I started flying him on a regular basis, Annette always flew with him. They didn’t like to be separated. They had family and business in Greece and, sometimes, would fly back home, but this jet doesn’t fly that far. Someone else would take them. Anyway, they wanted to know my story. So, I told them.”

“And what is your story?” smiled Cowboy.

“My parents deserted me when I was a kid. Left me with my grandmother, which I was more than happy with. She was, is, my rock. That woman taught me so much about life. Her husband was killed in Vietnam when my father was just an infant. She provided for them both, made that small ranch into something that would give her income.”

“She sounds amazing,” smiled Cowboy.

“You met her,” she laughed. “You should already know she’s the bomb. She doesn’t take shit from anyone, and I love that. But she also taught me how to fix my hair and do my makeup. She taught me how to waltz and two-step.”

“We’ll have to test out your two-step when that ankle heals,” he grinned. Tilting her head, she smiled at the handsome man.

“No wife? No girlfriend?”

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