Page 87 of Cowboy Seeks Husband

“Not in my kitchen, you’re not.” Tessa patted his hand. “Maybe that means he’s more sincere than anyone else. Does he have a job? Family? Something else tying him down?”

Not the job, Walker thought. “I don’t know.”

Tessa raised an eyebrow at him. “Well then maybe you oughta find out, Walker Reed. Before you dismiss him off the bat.”

“I’m not dismissing him,” Walker mumbled, knowing he was turning red.

“Ohhhhh,” Dad crowed. “Did you get laid?”

“Joe, you’re embarrassing the boy.” Tessa’s twinkling eyes turned toward him. “Well? Did you?”

“Oh, please, get your minds out of the gutter.”

Tessa shrugged, reaching for her own coffee. “Well, the way I see it, it’s simple. You either want to keep Roan in the running until the end, and see how it goes, or you go along with Mike’s charade. Both are perfectly fine, baby. You just need to make up your mind.”

“Simple as that, huh.”

“I didn’t say it would be simple.” She smiled. “So who are you sending home next?”

“I don’t know.” Walker pushed away from the table and kissed his step-mama’s forehead. “Thanks for breakfast. I’m going to go for a ride.”

“Wait.” Dad held on to his arm when Walker patted his shoulder. “You like him? This Roan guy?”

“Yeah, but liking someone wasn’t the plan. I just wanted to get the money and get out unscathed.”

“Love very rarely goes to plan, Walker. I’d say just go with it. If he’s the one you want, you owe it to yourself to try.” His bushy gray eyebrows drew down, but Walker could see the teasing glint in his eyes. “Did I raise you to be afraid, boy?”

“No, sir.”

“Did I raise you to do the right thing?”

“I think that was Tess,” Walker said, grinning. Dad puffed up his chest and growled at him, but Walker just laughed. “Yes, you both did.”

“Trust your feelings, Walker. You’ll know if it’s right.”

Walker ran his hands over the rough, wooden kitchen table. The knots and cracks were as familiar to him as his own face. “But I don’t know if I can trust his feelings,” he admitted very quietly. “I don’t want to get hurt.”

Tessa touched his shoulder, and he looked up. “That’s something you can never know, baby. No matter when or where you meet someone. It’s a chance you have to take. All you have to do is decide whether or not it’s worth it.”

Walker sighed and patted her hand. “Don’t mind me, I’m just being moody.”

“Nothing new there,” Dad said.

“Whatever you decide, be nice to the boy,” Tessa added.

“But not too nice,” Dad interjected. “Make sure he’ll want to make an honest man out of you before you let him put his dick—”

“I can’t hear you!” Walker yelled, cupping his hands over his ears as he left. God, his parents were insane.

He ran by the stables and quickly talked to Marlon about what needed to be done for the day, planned the rest of the week with him, and then saddled Cormac and rode off into the sleepy dawn. Grateful for the cool, light fog still blanketing his cows as they slumbered.

The heat of the day would be on him soon enough.