Cowboy Logic - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,76
subdued with him these days.
“I like your dress.” She’d changed into a pink ruffly dress and a denim jacket with her little cowboy boots.
“Thank you. I’m a rodeo princess today.” She twirled happily, the skirt spinning out.
“I like it.” He wanted to dance her around, but he felt very… constrained. Both kids were awkward right now. “Gran will love it. You know how she loves the rodeo.”
“I do. Can I bring my tablet? For when y’all are talking?”
“Okay, but only get it out if we get talking deep, huh?”
“Yessir.” She got her little bag, and off they went, singing softly to the radio. He missed the bellowing, which was bizarre. He missed the easy way they had all been before Anderson came.
Part of him said that wasn’t fair.
Part of him didn’t give a shit.
Tammy had gotten them a table, and he ignored the weird swimming pool scent just like he did every time they went there. Did Logic have a favorite Mexican place? It had to be different in California.
He bet it was fancy-assed and full of fish.
“Hey, y’all!” Tammy opened her arms, and Ellie ran to her, hugging her tight.
“Granny, can I come home to your house tonight?”
“Um, did you ask your daddy yet?”
Ellie shot him a guilty look. “No, but Travis is at Kody’s. I think Daddy needs some time to himself. He’s sad.”
“He is?”
“I’m not.”
“You are too.” Ellie frowned at him. “Please, Granny?”
“Sure baby. Let’s have supper. Then we’ll deal with sleepovers, okay?”
Jericho was going to just sink through the floor. He was sad. He was also fixin’ to be mad.
“Okay.” Ellie bounced to her seat. “Can I have veggie nachos?”
“Of course you can.” Tammy gave him a searching kind of look. “Hey, Jer.”
“Hey, lady.” He bent to kiss her cheek before sitting.
“Margarita?” She pushed over the chips and salsa. “Sounds like y’all are having a week.”
“Yes, please.” He salted the chips because she never salted anything, including mashed potatoes. “And yeah. It’s been something.”
“Okay. Well, we’ll talk about it over queso. All things are improved with cheese.”
“God, yes.” He relaxed enough to grin at her, and he zoned a little when she asked Ellie about her day. It felt good to get out of the house.
Ellie chattered happily, and he ordered the queso and beef enchiladas and veggie nachos. That was enough for all of them to share. The margarita went a long way to making the world a better place.
Tammy waited until Ellie had food before giving him another one of those looks. “How’s Anderson?”
He tried not to roll his eyes. “Who?”
“Don’t make me beat you, young man.”
“I don’t know. He didn’t answer my calls or call back, so I gave up.” He kept his voice even by sheer will.
She winced. “I’m sorry. That sucks. I… I got nothing else.”
Ellie looked over, pinning him with a surprisingly adult look. “I think Daddy gave up very fast.”
“What?”
“Kristoff didn’t give up on Anna. Anna didn’t give up on Elsa. You can’t give up if it’s true love.”
He just blinked at her for a minute. “I’m not a Disney prince, baby. Or a princess, for that matter.”
“But you said you loved him. I heard you.” She nodded as if that was that.
“Well, it’s not that easy. Not for guys like me.”
Tammy tilted her head and stared at him. “Why the hell not, son?”
He gave her a look, eyes wide and lips pressed together. “Because it’s not.”
“Bullshit.” She wasn’t helping, and he kept staring. “Am I supposed to buy into the ‘you deserve to be alone and miserable’ nonsense? I didn’t get the memo.”
“I have kids. A ranch. What the hell am I supposed to do?” He tried to keep his voice down.
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. I can’t think about that.” Didn’t she get it? He was stuck.
“Why not? Does he not want you there? Did you ask?” She looked honestly confused, and this was his opportunity to stop this, to throw Logic under the bus.
“He asked me to go with him” was what came out.
“Daddy! And you said no?” Ellie’s eyes were wide. “Why? We could come with you. Me and Travis. We will go. Right now.”
“Oh, baby girl, what’s a cowboy like me gonna do where Logic lives?” That was it, wasn’t it? He was only good at one thing.
“Whatever you want, Daddy. You could go to college. You can do anything.”
“She is a good girl with one hell of a point. I mean, Anderson’s wealthy, happy, lives somewhere gorgeous, he wants y’all,