Page 11 of Cowboy

“No. As I said, I just retired as an active-duty SEAL. I think my whole family has had a similar philosophy of not getting involved with someone while you’re deployed or at risk of being deployed. What happened to your grandparents is exactly what worried us. I’ve seen too many men rush off to marry their girl because they were afraid she wouldn’t be there when they got home.”

“And were they? I mean, was she there when they got home?”

“Some were. In fairness, yes. Some were there. But many were not. They either couldn’t handle all the deployments or found their comfort elsewhere. That would kill me,” said Cowboy. “My folks have been married more than thirty years, and they love one another more today than the day they were married. I want that one day.”

He stared at the pretty woman, seeing the purple bruises peeking from her collar. Grabbing one of the small towels, he walked to the stream and dunked it into the icy-cold water, wringing it out. Walking back to her, he pressed against her collarbone.

“Ohhh,” she shivered. “That’s cold.”

“I think it’s supposed to be this time of year,” he smiled. “The cold will help with swelling and bruising.” Feeling the soft flesh beneath his fingertips, he pulled back and took his seat.

“So, your folks just walked away from you?” he said, clearing his throat.

“They’d done it on and off since I was born. My father said he hit it big at the roulette wheel, but neither me or Grandma bought it. He handed her an envelope of cash and said they weren’t meant to be parents.” She shrugged, and he frowned at the thought of leaving his own child. “I put the money in a bank account and used it to go to college. I knew Grandma wasn’t going to let me get my pilot’s license without a degree.”

“You’ve done everything you set out to do,” he smiled. “That’s great.”

“She never put limitations on me. Never. As you saw, we live pretty far out, so I didn’t have a lot of interaction with other kids. It was mostly adults around her age. I think it made me a little more serious than I should have been.” He smiled at her, and Autumn shivered, not from the cold but from the electricity creeping up her spine. “What will you do now that you’re no longer active duty?”

“Well, my family and friends own a security company. Almost all of us are former military or para-military. I’ll join them and make my home near all of them.” She nodded again as he plated their dinner, handing it to her.

“This is delicious,” she smiled. “You’re hired.” Cowboy laughed, shaking his head.

“Fish and beef are about it for me on an open fire. In a kitchen? You’ll starve, honey.” Autumn swallowed, staring at him. Honey. “Sorry, I’m from the south, and we use a lot of casual endearments. It’s just a term we use.”

“It’s okay. I mean, I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I mean, not mean anything. I mean, never mind.”

“Autumn? Do you have a boyfriend or husband?” he asked.

“I did. My ex-boyfriend ran one of the hotels outside Reno that Constantine owned. He wanted me to move there, and I didn’t want to leave my grandmother. He just started to be very demanding, and I didn’t respond well to that. Simple as that.”

“He should have never asked you to do something so difficult. She’s family.”

“She’s everything,” said Autumn. They both jumped as his phone rang. Cowboy grinned at her, wiggling the phone.

“Yea.”

“Hey, brother. We’re at the ranch, but there’s no one here. Ask the woman if we can use four of the horses,” said Mo. “I’m here with Ethan, Moose, and Red. Moose and Red are the new guys.”

“Man, I don’t care who they are. Glad you’re here. Hold on.” He placed his hand over the phone and looked at Autumn. “Your grandmother isn’t at the ranch. They just want someone to know that they’re going to take four horses.”

“Oh, of course. But it’ll be dark soon. They should probably wait until daylight. I wonder where she went off to?”

“She said you can take the horses, but you might want to wait until daylight. She was curious as to where her grandmother went.”

“Well, I’m not seeing anything suspicious,” said Mo. “The front door is locked, and the truck is gone.”

“I’m sure she went into town or something.”

“There are several bunks in the loft of the barn,” said Autumn. “They’re welcome to stay up there. Grandma always leaves it unlocked in case someone needs shelter.”

“Did you hear that?” he asked Mo.

“We heard, brother. We’re gonna get a few hours of sleep and head your way before dawn.”

“Sounds good. See you soon.” He looked at Autumn and smiled. “Cavalry is on the way.”

“Do we need the cavalry? I mean, I’m grateful for the help, but why all these men?”

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