Cowboy Logic - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,30
fridge, finding the bowl unerringly.
This was amazing. He was having a cookout, he’d had a kiss, and he was having a ball.
And Anderson wanted to stay late. God, his life was so good right now he almost felt guilty. He wasn’t going to do that. Instead he would grab it with both hands and run with it.
Almost guilty was stupid.
“You need a touch of celery seed, if you have any in the spice rack.” Anderson started snooping in his cabinets.
“Yep. In the one to your left there.” He trusted Anderson to spice the potato salad while he went to rescue the pickling liquid. It was bubbling away, and yeah, ready to go.
“Okay! Ready to pickle,” he called when he brought it in.
Anderson slid the bowl of onions and mustard seeds over to him. “Pour!”
“Y’all are so weird.” Travis was laughing, though. “I gotta go to the bathroom.”
“Check on your sister on your way back through, please, sir?” He waited just long enough for Travis to leave to bump hips with Anderson.
“He’s a neat kid.” Anderson’s eyes never left him as he poured. “God, that promises to be tasty. It smells amazing.”
“He is. Thanks. I’m having more fun today, I swear.” It seemed important for Anderson to know that.
“I’m glad.” Anderson waited, watching him close. Then he took a deep breath and let it out. “So… did you read the books? At all?”
Jericho’s cheeks flamed, his body going tight again. “When is the next one out? I want it now. I loved them.”
“Oh.” Anderson’s entire face lit up, eyes dancing. “Oh, that’s so cool. Seriously man, that’s so cool.”
Was Anderson fluttering?
He thought so. “I love Wyatt, and God, that first scene with him and Leon is so freakin’ hot.”
“Yeah? You’re a Leon fan. He’s in the next novel. It’ll be fun as hell.” Anderson bounced on his toes. “The next novel is in the can waiting on publication. I’m working on the sixth.”
“Oh, too damn neat. I expected to be like, yeah, it was okay, but I love them. And I can see Texas in them. Is it okay to say that?”
“Yeah. It’s still weirdly home, you know? There are things I miss terribly.”
“Like what?” He knew it was nosy. Sue him.
“Oh Lord. The food—there’s nothing like TexMex. Bluebonnets in the spring, the sight of a cowboy hat on the dash of a pickup truck, the sound of y’all. I miss being proud that I was a Texan. It’s funny, because when I left, I didn’t tell anyone, but it was the only thing that made me special. I ran from Texas because everyone hated me, and I’ve used it to make two careers.”
Wow. He nodded, processing as much of that as he could. Hell, Jericho got it. There was a lot about where he lived that sucked, especially for guys like him and Anderson. “That’s the rub, huh? There’s some amazing shit here, and some totally awesome people. Some not so great.”
“That’s life. You have to find your spot in it. Mine’s on the beach with the sea lions.”
“Sea lions? Really?” Jericho thought of those, like, on some deserted island with no people. Nature films, not everyday life. “I’d pay to see that.”
“Tons of them. I have a place where you can see them from the second floor. I bought this crazy condo for the view. I work and look at the bay.” Anderson grinned at him, the nostalgia gone from those eyes, leaving them clear and focused. “I’d love to show it off. Come on anytime you can.”
For a moment he let himself believe that offer was real and that it was possible someday. That Anderson wasn’t only being polite. He smiled, knowing it was a pipe dream. Unless they did rodeo, cowboys were tied to the land. “That sounds amazing.”
“It doesn’t suck. Not at all.”
“You know how the view is here.” They grinned at each other and said, “Flat,” together.
“Uncle Logic?” Darcy came in with a tentative smile. “Can I have some apple fizzy water like Ellie has?”
Anderson looked to him. “It was a hit.”
“It was.” He poured a cup for Darcy. “There you go, hon. Do you think you can take some chips and dips out to the dining table for me? Travis can help.” Since Travis had turned up again…
“Oh. Okay, sure.” Darcy pinked, but took the chips with her when Trav grabbed the dip.
“If y’all want to come back and help, holler,” he called behind them.
“Bailey’s sending them in. It’ll be Dougie next.” Anderson leaned