Daisies in the Canyon(29)

“Thank you.” The response came from the running board on the other side.

“So,” Abby said softly, “you ready to talk?”

“Not here,” he said.

“What did you say, Abby?” Bonnie leaned around the end of the truck. “Were you askin’ me something?”

“No, I was asking Cooper about his day at the sheriff’s office,” she said quickly.

Cooper raised his voice so everyone could hear. “I was about to tell her what happened today. I lost a damn prisoner. We gave him yard duty, which means he was supposed to pick up trash and that kind of thing. And he walked off the courthouse lawn and disappeared.”

“What was he in jail for?” Abby asked.

“Drunk driving. I went out to the ranch where he’s a hired hand and they said he caught a ride, packed up his things, and was already headed back to Mexico. His cousin, a truck driver, runs a route from somewhere near El Paso to Amarillo, so they thought he caught a ride with him.”

“That happen often?” Bonnie asked.

“It’s the timing,” Rusty said. “It doesn’t look too good when this next year is an election year and there are rumors that Cooper’s deputy, Jim Westfall, is throwing his hat into the ring.”

“How long is a term?” Shiloh asked.

“Four years,” Cooper answered.

“You want to take it on for another four years?” Abby asked.

“Haven’t made up my mind, but I’d hate to lose due to mistakes in judgment.” Cooper changed the subject. “That’s burning fast out there. Y’all might get to go to the house by ten if it keeps on like this.”

“Ten?” Shiloh groaned.

“That’s better than midnight,” Rusty said.

“Ready for s’mores?” Abby asked.

“I’ll sharpen up five sticks,” Cooper answered. “You city girls know how to roast a marshmallow so it’s toasted on the outside and melted in the middle?”

“Who are you callin’ a city girl, cowboy?” Bonnie teased.

Cooper was the first one to get his cookie made and he held it out to Abby. When she reached for it, he shook his head. “No, ma’am, I don’t give my toys away. But you can have the first bite since you provided the stuff to make it.”

She was very careful to bite off a corner without letting her lips touch his fingers. The sparks flying off the burning mesquite bushes wouldn’t be anything compared to the sizzle if that happened.

Cooper had called the time just about right. The fires had burned down enough by ten o’clock that they could kick dirt over the ashes and call it a night.

“Now what?” Bonnie asked. “Want me to drive the tractor back to the barn?”

“No, it can stay here—we’ll plow the whole pasture tomorrow. It’s time to go home and get some rest. Tomorrow will be another long day,” Rusty said.

“Good night, everyone,” Cooper said.

“Thanks for the lesson,” Abby told him, wishing they had found a private moment to talk. Until they did, different ways that conversation could go would play through her mind on a continuous loop.

“You are very welcome. You’re a quick study, Abby.” Cooper slipped something in her hand when he passed by on his way to the fence. She quickly tucked the piece of paper into her pocket and joined the others at the truck.

Rusty dropped them at the house and went on to the bunkhouse. Abby made a mental note to walk back there sometime just to see where he did stay, but not tonight. As soon as she was in the house, she intended to call first shower and then fall into bed. Even a twenty-four-hour guard duty hadn’t worn her out like working out there in the fields all day long. She was so tired candy didn’t even sound good.

“I’m showering right now,” she said as soon as they were in the house.

“I want a bath,” Bonnie said. “Soon as you get finished in the shower, I’ll start it. When it’s done, Shiloh can get her shower while I’m in the tub. Organization is the key to getting to bed faster.”

“What if I don’t want to be in the bathroom at the same time you are?” Shiloh asked.

“Your choice. I’m calling second and I’m going to soak some of this grime off my body,” Bonnie said.

Abby left them to their argument, gathered up her things from her room, and went straight for the bathroom. Ten minutes later she came out with a towel around her head and one around her body. She nodded at Bonnie, waiting in the hallway, and carried her dirty clothing toward the utility room, where she intended to start a load of laundry before she went to bed.

She crammed all of her things into the washer, added detergent, and was about to shut the lid when she noticed a piece of paper on the top of her camo jacket.

“Cooper’s note!” she mumbled as she grabbed for it.

The only thing on it was a line of ten numbers, presumably his cell phone number, since he’d said they needed to talk. Strange as it was, they’d had sex, but neither of them had the other’s phone number. That had to be the most ass-backward way of doing things.

She carried the number to her bedroom, where she dressed in plaid pajama bottoms and an army-green T-shirt, brushed her hair out, and sat down in the gold chair. The door squeaked when Martha pushed her way into the room. She curled up beside the recliner.