Page 68 of All in with the Maverick Montana

“No.”

“Has Amy asked you to back off?” Shane clarified.

“No,” Josh said again.

Ryder ran his hand through his hair, scratching at the back of his head. “Okay, I know I’m not exactly the person to be asking about committed relationships here, but seems to me like you want Amy, she wants you, and instead of making that happen, you’re sitting here with your cattle. Have I got that right?”

“That’s not what’s happening,” Josh said.

“That’s exactly what’s happening,” Shane muttered.

“Sounds to me like you’re feeling sorry for yourself,” Noah said. “You need to knock that off, follow your heart and go get your girl back.”

Josh huffed. Last time he’d followed his heart, Erica had stomped on it on her way out of town.

“You got company coming?” Shane asked as a car turned onto the property.

Josh whipped his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. Had the day really gotten away from him that quickly? He’d been expecting visitors, he’d just planned to be a little less sweaty when they arrived. “Yeah, actually. I’ve got a meeting.”

“Then I guess we’ll let you off the hook for now,” Ryder said, poking Josh playfully in the chest. “But next time we talk, you better have good news for us.”

“You just focus on yourself,” Josh said. “I heard you’re cycling through women so fast your mother’s stopped asking their names.”

Noah snickered, leading Ryder back to Shane’s truck.

“Call me later,” Shane said. “I’ll come out and help you finish up.”

“Thanks,” Josh said. “And thanks for this, I guess.” He wasn’t really in the mood for advice, but Shane’s heart was in the right place.

“Just sit with what we said for a while,” Shane said. “You’ll figure it out.”

“If you say so.” Josh waved as they left, then quickly packed up his tools and the excess lumber. He tossed it all into the bed of his pickup and drove over to the house. Mike Cooper had messaged him earlier in the day, asking if it was okay for Stanley Sanchez to swing by. He wanted to follow up about the conversation Mike and Josh had at the Tenacity Social Club regarding the rocks on the old Woodson property. Josh didn’t know how he’d found himself in the middle of Stanley’s investigation, and he wasn’t sure what kind of help he could be in the search for the Deroy family, but he’d agreed to talk to the man. He figured it was another way to keep his mind off Amy, though clearly his friends were determined to keep his thoughts there anyway.

He sighed, getting out of his truck.

“Hey there!” a man called, stepping out of his vehicle. He was older than Josh had expected, tufts of white hair visible under his black cowboy hat. He wore denim on denim and a leather vest.

“Hi,” Josh said. He headed over to greet him.

The man stuck out his hand. “Stanley Sanchez.”

Josh shook his hand. “Josh Aventura. Good to meet you. Mike said you’d be coming by.”

A door thudded and Josh looked up to see a woman come around the vehicle.

“This is my grandniece, Nina,” Stanley said.

Josh recognized her as the daughter of Tenacity locals Will and Nicole Sanchez. She was tall, with dark hair that reminded him of Amy. And a smile that reminded him of Amy. And…this not thinking about Amy thing was not going so well.

“Hi,” she said, smiling at him. “Hope we’re not interrupting your work.”

“No.” Josh glanced over his shoulder. “I mean, there’s always work but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t do with a break. So, Mike said you wanted to talk about what I told him?”

“Firstly we wanted to thank you for giving Mike that tip and for your part in helping us find ‘Juniper Rock,’” Stanley said.

“You found what you were looking for then?” Josh said.

Stanley tipped his head back and forth. “The people who live there now are not keen to let us on the property. I think they got spooked by the word investigation.”