Page 129 of Dusty Spur Ranch Cowboys

She folds her arms on the table and studies me with a grin that tells me she’s already expecting trouble. “Where do I fit into this?”

“I was hoping you’d make one questionable decision tonight.”

“Oh?”

“Come to the ranch.”

She tilts her head. “For what?”

“Let’s have some drinks. Cards, maybe. See the guys…”

She smiles into her empty glass, turning it between her hands before her attention drifts toward the window. Her truck waits beneath the streetlamp outside, exactly where she left it.

She watches it for a beat, then taps her fingertips against the table instead of reaching for her keys. “You sure it isn’t too late for everyone?”

“Emmett’ll be glad you’re there. Red too.”

She holds my gaze for a beat, then gives a small nod as though she’s settled the question in her own mind. “Alright.”

I tilt my head. “Alright?”

“I’ll come for one drink.”

The grin spreads across my face before I can rein it in. “You’ll have a good time.”

We slide out of the booth together. I tuck enough cash beneath the empty glasses to keep Betty Lou happy, then pull the diner door open while Arizona steps outside ahead of me.

The evening has cooled since we came in. Main Street sits beneath the streetlights, and country music drifts from somewhere farther down the block where a few people are still making the most of the night.

Arizona stops beside her truck and rolls her keys across her palm.

“You can follow me,” I say as I nod toward my pickup.

She looks from her truck to mine. “Or?”

“You ride with me, and we’ll come back for yours tomorrow.”

She spins the keys around one finger, watching me with a smirk. “Sounds good.”

“I promise I won’t drive into a tree.”

She climbs into the passenger seat, and I circle around to the driver’s side before pulling out onto the road toward Dusty Spur.

The pines close in around us before giving way to open pasture. Headlights sweep across weathered fences, and Arizona rests her elbow on the open window while she watches the countryside roll by.

“It’s peaceful out here.”

“Yeah, when we aren’t having issues.”

She nods and looks back through the windshield. “I keep thinking about it.”

“So do we.”

The conversation fades without feeling unfinished. The tires roll over the familiar road while the night stretches around us until Arizona lifts a hand toward the fence line.

“Look.”

I glance across in time to see a deer disappear between the trees. “You spotted that fast.”