Page 32 of Boston (Coral Canyon: Cowboys #12)

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

B oston just needed to finish up with a couple of horses in the stable, and then he could take a blissful cold shower to cool down. He’d been working outside all day to help the grounds crew and the animal care team stay caught up while he was gone.

He’d meticulously gone over the supplies and equipment that he would need to fix the roof at the cabin, and he could get it on a single horse and his food and clothing on the one he would ride.

It would take him all day tomorrow to get to the cabin, and he’d planned Thursday and Friday to fix the roof.

He hoped that was enough time, but he could only do what he could do, and he had to be back at Silver Sage for a hiking tour on Sunday afternoon and a hunting expedition on Monday, overnight to Tuesday.

Cash arrived that day, and management had only scheduled day-activities at Silver Sage, so that no one would have to be on any overnight trips until the Monday after the Fourth.

Just thinking about the Fourth of July made him focus on Cora. He smiled every time an image of her or even her name entered his mind, and today was no exception.

Everyone at cousin night seemed to like her, and he told himself, Of course they do. She’s really good with people. And not only that, she wasn’t fake, and Boston liked her simply because of that.

His phone chimed, but he didn’t pull it out of his pocket. He just wanted to finish, as it was so hot today. He kept working until Bacon Bits and Dolphin were cleaned up and back in their stalls.

He stopped by the thermostat on the way out, because Cotton kept it warmer when the horses were out in the pastures or working.

But now that they had all been put away, the temperature regulator needed to be bumped down again.

Boston couldn’t believe he was adjusting the air conditioning for horses, but Silver Sage had spared no expense when it came to their equines.

He’d just stepped out of the stable and locked the door when his phone rang. He wasn’t sure why, but he wasn’t in a great mood, and he simply wanted to go home and shower, call in an employee room order somewhere, and relax.

He should want to see Cora, and he’d text her when he got home. He couldn’t ignore the pealing of his phone, and he pulled it out of his pocket to see her name sitting there. Suddenly, he couldn’t swipe fast enough.

“Hey,” he said, still lifting the phone to his ear.

“There you are,” she said.

“Where else would I be?” he teased.

“So…I’m wondering how you feel about making a drive to Coral Canyon.”

Boston did not want to drive to Coral Canyon, but he managed to suck back the sigh threatening to fall from his mouth.

“Because my car came in.” Cora squealed just a moment after that, and Boston’s mood lightened instantly.

“Oh, so you need a ride to get your ride.”

“I need a ride to get my ride,” she said, practically yelling over the line. “And maybe we could go to dinner.”

“All right,” Boston said. “But I have to shower first. I just finished up with the horses.”

“I’m changing my shoes, and then I’ll meet you at your place.”

“Sounds good.” The call ended, and Boston moved with renewed purpose in his step, marveling at how the potential of a date with Cora had brightened him.

Before he made it to the road, his phone rang again.

This time he recognized the ringtone as one belonging to his mother.

Boston had never been able to put her off for long, and he wouldn’t say that he’d been putting his parents off, though he’d definitely told his father a couple of times that he would call him later and then… hadn’t.

Having a girlfriend took up a lot of time—time that Boston used to spend talking to his daddy.

“Hey, Momma,” he said. “What’s up?”

“I just haven’t heard from you in a while. You didn’t call me last Wednesday.”

“I was up at the eagle habitat. Remember?”

“Yes, I know,” Momma said. “And you’re going again tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Boston said.

“So I want my Wednesday update on Tuesday.”

Boston released the sigh he’d been holding back. “All right, but there’s not much going on.”

He thought about the things that he normally talked about on his Wednesday calls with his mother, because so much of his thought process revolved around Cora lately.

“Uh, I’m taking Coach and Dolphin up to the cabin with me tomorrow,” he said. “So at least I won’t have to walk the six miles with lumber on my back.” He chuckled.

“That’s great,” Momma said. “How was cousin night?”

Boston stepped onto the road, his feet grateful for the more even surface. “It was real fun,” he said, wondering why she’d asked. There had definitely been something in her tone, and they’d never really talked about cousin night before.

“Adam has a really nice backyard,” Boston said. “And my tin foil dinner didn’t turn out too bad either.”

“Yes, Bryce says yours was one of the more successful ones.”

Panic gripped Boston’s heart. If she’d spoken to Bryce in the past twenty-four hours…Boston suddenly knew why his mother was calling.

“He told you about Cora, didn’t he?”

“He apologized afterward,” Momma said, that supreme satisfaction in her voice. “He said he didn’t know she was a secret.”

“She’s not a secret,” Boston said. “It’s just a really new relationship is all.”

Momma didn’t say anything, which left the door wide open for Boston to continue to tell her all about Cora. He honestly wasn’t sure what she wanted to know.

“Just ask me what you want to know,” he said, his earlier grumpiness returning.

“How did you meet her?” Momma asked, as if the question had been obvious.

Boston wanted to throw his phone and stamp on it with the heel of his boot, but that would only prompt his mother to get in the car and make the ninety-minute drive to Silver Sage to question him.

You won’t be here, his mind whispered, but that only meant that Momma would park in his driveway and confront him when he returned, probably with Cora’s hand in his.

“I actually met her here at the lodge,” he said. “Her horse spooked and took off, and I caught up to her and slowed him down.”

“Mm,” Momma said.

“Fine, she’s my boss,” Boston said. “Kind of. Not really.”

“Explain that,” Momma said.

“Her family owns this place,” Boston said. “She’s going to be taking it over when her mother retires.”

“So she’s the big boss,” Momma said. “Just not the boss directly over you.”

“Right.”

“I’m honestly not sure if that’s better or worse.”

“Momma, there’s nothing to worry about, really.”

“How many girlfriends have you had?” Momma asked.

A slip of embarrassment ran through Boston. He’d been out with girls in high school, of course, but a serious girlfriend? No, he hadn’t had one of those. Ever.

“The funny thing is,” he said. “You figure things out by doing them. Remember how many times you’ve told me that? I bet you said it to Lars at least once today already.”

Momma simply sat on the other end of the line, which somehow made Boston smile.

“I met her two weeks ago, so can you take the overprotective Southern momma down a couple notches?” He drew a breath. “This is why I didn’t tell you.”

“It’s not that I don’t think you can have a girlfriend,” Momma said.

“Really?” Boston blew out the breath he’d taken. “That’s exactly what it sounds like you think.”

“I’m just saying maybe you should go slow.”

“Did I call you and tell you we were engaged?” Boston glared at the innocent horizon. “We’ve been out a few times, and yeah, I took her to cousin night, because they allowed us to bring somebody. Corrine brought Wells, for crying out loud, and they’re in high school.”

“Yes, it’s been all the talk in the family,” Momma said.

“Not on any texts I’ve seen.”

Momma didn’t have to spell out that the adults in the Young family had their own private string. Boston couldn’t feel too bad about it, because he participated in the cousin string as well, where none of the adults got to see what they were saying.

“She’s nice, Momma,” Boston said. “I think you’ll probably like her.”

“Well, when you’re ready and the relationship is serious enough, I’m sure you’ll call me and tell me that you’d like me to meet her.”

“I’m sure of that too,” Boston drawled dryly. “Is that all you’ve got? You just wanted to be nosy about my love life?”

“Hey, I’m happy for you,” Momma said, her voice a bit defensive. “I’m glad you like her, and I’m glad she’s nice.”

“Me too,” Boston said, his frustration disappearing. “Tell Daddy I’m real sorry I haven’t been calling him back.”

“Well, now that we know about Cora, he’ll understand why,” she teased. “Especially if she’s right there on site with you.”

“Just around the corner,” Boston said, and he pressed his eyes closed for a couple of steps. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten that he’d invited Cora to the family Fourth of July party in the park. He would have definitely had to tell everyone about her before then.

“Is it okay if she comes to the party on the Fourth?”

“I can tell Cecily,” Momma said. “She just likes to plan to have enough food.”

“Okay,” Boston said. “I can text her too.”

“Me and your dad are going over there later today,” Momma said. “Your grandfather is not doing super well.”

Boston’s heart pumped out another beat. “Still?”

“The doctors can’t really seem to find what’s wrong.” Momma sighed, and Boston had definitely heard himself make a similarly frustrated noise. “His last round of blood work showed anemia, so they’re going to be treating that, and maybe that will help him be able to breathe better.”

“I hope so,” Boston said.

Both sets of his grandparents lived here in Coral Canyon—Mav’s parents and Momma’s mom and her stepdad. Boston had grown up with them all as his grandparents and simply called them all Grandma and Grandpa.

“I’ll keep you kids updated,” Momma said, and the sheer number of group texts that Boston participated in nearly overwhelmed him.

“Sounds good,” he said. “I’ll talk to you guys soon.”

“You behave yourself, son,” Momma said.