Playing With Fire (Tangled in Texas, #2)(22)

Cowboy and I gave each other a puzzled look and then stepped out of the vehicle to head in the direction the fireman came from. We caught sight of a man with a scruffy gray beard and ratty clothes leaning against a nearby fence. “Damn you, Dan!” Cowboy yelled, making me jump. “I told you to stop setting shit on fire.”

The homely-looking man lifted his head and gave us a rotten-toothed grin. “Fuck you.”

“Watch your mouth. There’s a lady present.”

The old man grunted. “Well, f*ck her, too.”

Cowboy must’ve heard my small intake of breath because he rolled his eyes and whispered, “Just ignore him. He’s nothing but a grouchy, filthy-mouthed old man. He doesn’t like anyone telling him what to do.” Cowboy glanced back at the man. “Do you, Dan?”

Dan held up a middle finger on his grimy hand and said in a gruff, rancid voice, “Up yours, shit-for-brains.”

“He’s trying to provoke me,” Cowboy explained. “Whenever he wants a hot meal, Dan here does something illegal…like setting fires.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “H-he did this on purpose? But he could’ve killed someone.”

“Yeah, including himself.”

The old man guffawed. “Quit talking about me like I’m not standing right here. I know my rights. You gonna have me arrested or what?”

Cowboy nodded. “The sheriff will be here any minute. You’ll probably be stuck in a cell until Monday morning, and then you can go home to your wife.”

“Heeeeeell, no.” He shuddered. “Have you seen that woman?”

“Yeah, but you haven’t,” Cowboy told him. “You’re only imagining what she looks like.” I squinted at him, not understanding what he was talking about. “Dan’s legally blind,” he explained. “Has been for years.”

“Oh. I see.”

Dan stared stupidly at me. “Well, just rub it in, why don’t ya? You damn kids nowadays don’t think twice about making fun of someone with a handicap. In the good ol’ days, children respected their elders.”

As the sheriff pulled in, Cowboy said, “Your ride’s here, old man.”

Dan pushed off the fence and picked up an aluminum cane I hadn’t noticed leaning against his right leg. Then he started toward the sound of the cruiser, swinging the cane back and forth as it clattered on the pavement, while mumbling under his breath.

I looked up at Cowboy, still confused. “H-he’s not a vagrant?”

“No, but he’s still a bum. Every time he pisses off his wife, she refuses to cook for him and kicks him out. Then he pulls this crap.”

“So, he’s the town drunk, then?”

“Dan?” Cowboy chuckled at the thought. “Nah. He doesn’t touch the stuff. Besides, this place is too small for a town drunk. Instead, we all just take turns.”

Before I could respond, the fireman named Reynolds approached. “All clear, Captain? Or do you still want us to have the sheriff take her in for questioning?” he asked, grinning in amusement.

Lightning flashed in Cowboy’s eyes and he gave Reynolds a go-to-hell look, which prompted the young fireman to quickly turn and head for the hills.

I crossed my arms, glaring at him in disbelief. “You were going to have me arrested?”

Cowboy closed his eyes and let out a hard breath. When he opened them, the anger I’d seen in them was gone and only softness and sincerity remained. “No, I was just going to have him…talk to you, I guess. I thought maybe if it was somebody besides me asking the questions, you would—”

“What? Tell the truth? Because you still think I’m lying to you, right?” As he opened his mouth to speak, I knew an apology loomed on the tip of his tongue. But it was one I didn’t want to hear. His fury may have dissipated, but mine had just kicked into high gear. I shook my head and pulled the jacket from around my shoulders, shoving it into his chest. “Here. I guess it’s safe to say that I can go now.”

He took the jacket and reached for my hand. “Anna, wait…”

“Just leave me alone,” I said, walking quickly away from him.





Chapter Five


“Got my book?”

I’d seen Cowboy come through the library doors, but had refused to allow myself to acknowledge him until he spoke first. Even then, I only reached beneath the desk and handed him the book with the red spine.

“Guess you’re still mad,” he said.

I continued ignoring him.

He braced his hands on the counter. “Are you going to at least let me apologize for last night?”

“No.” I grabbed a couple of returned books I’d already scanned back into the system, rose and headed for the far aisles, away from prying eyes and bent ears.

He followed behind me, not giving up. “I talked to Bobbie Jo.”

“Good for you.”

“She vouched for you, so I’m letting it go…this time. I closed the report on the dumpster fire and chalked it up to an accident. She trusts you.” His tone sounded almost angry about it.

I kept walking, but glanced over my shoulder at him, noting his questioning eyes and the way he held his mouth in a flat, grim line. Suspicion and mistrust lit up his perfect face like a flashing neon sign. “Yet you still don’t.”