Page 16 of Backup Cowboy

"Leo, oh, Leo,

We’re trapped by your attitude

And just want to leave

Leo, oh, Leo

So what’s it gonna be?"

“Did you just make that up on the spot? Not the words, but the melody?” My eyes are wide in surprise.

“Don’t make this into more than it is, Boots.”

I talk with my hands, palms face up. “I’m just saying you have an ear for music.”

“Thank you. I took guitar and piano my whole childhood.”

Cas plays a few more chords, the melody soft and unhurried. While the music fills the barn, Leo just blinks lazily at us like he has all day. And as beautiful as the melody is, with each second that passes, I get more frustrated until I can’t stand it anymore.

“He hasn’t budged, Caspian, and I need to get back to the lodge.” I pat the seat next to me. “He clearly doesn’t like me being near you. What if we make him jealous enough to move?”

Cas wiggles his eyebrows. “So calculating and manipulative, Ms. Tate. I like it.”

He sits next to me on the sofa, and I lean into his shoulder, letting my hair brush against his neck. I shift closer until our thighs are touching, maintaining eye contact as I play with the collar of his shirt.

“Alex.” His words are low and heated. He cups the back of my neck, his thumb tracing my cheek. “You’re beautiful.”

“Is Leo looking?”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

His mouth crashes into mine, tongues clashing, teeth clinking. Our breaths heave as our mouths take on a life of their own.

And just like that, we’re torn apart by the sound of a mournful foghorn having an existential crisis.

We both jump off the couch, startled to our bones, and see Leo sproinging to where Caspian was sitting seconds ago.

Freaking. Leo.

“I’ll see you later, Cowboy, and next time, we won’t need an audience.” I smooth my hair, trying to look composed, but if I look anything like Caspian, it’s a lost cause. His hat is on the floor and half his shirt is untucked. “Unless you’re into that sort of thing.”

I would pay money to have a photo of the expression on his face.

Chapter 8

Alexandra

Me: I’m leaving the radio and my work cell at the ranch, but you can reach me on my own cell for emergencies. I’ve instructed everyone to go through you.

Bree: Cal is already freaking out. He’s pacing back and forth in front of the printer.

Me:

The drive into Indigo Hills is nice. I am meeting Rebecca and Vanessa for lunch and then following them over to the festival grounds to look at its progress. The three of us met several times over Zoom over the last few months, so I’m glad they suggested it.

I listen to a true crime podcast to take my mind off work and am half-way through it when I hit town. I really do want to know what was hidden inside the couple’s wall, but that will have to wait until my drive back to the ranch because the architecture of this downtown is begging for my attention. I don’t know why I can’t look at buildings and listen at the same time, but I just can’t.

The business district is two streets over from the historical area, housing a mix of historic and modern buildings. The courthouse looks like many others, a white multi-story building probably built in the 1930s, flanked by enormous live oak trees and a small grassy courtyard.