I heard Seth shift his feet beside me, but kept my eyes on Mr. Bowen as he went to a safe in the wall and hid his motions to tap in a code. He swung the safe open, removed a brown envelope, and brought it over. “One hundred, two hundred…” He counted out the cash, adding small bills from his wallet and rounding up to the nearest dollar. I didn’t argue about accepting the pennies.
“Sign there.” He pointed at a line on the receipt and handed me a pen.
I signed, my hand steadier than I expected, and put the cash in my wallet. “Thank you, sir.”
Mr. Bowen eased back down in his chair and looked up to meet my eyes. “Call me Kendrick. All the regular hands do. If I had a place to offer, you’d have earned it. I’ve heard nothing but good about you, and not just from Seth. John speaks highly of you. So does Davis. But I’m not a sentimental man. I can’t afford to be.”
I didn’t point out that keeping a seven-year-old beef cow in a box stall was a bit sentimental. I liked that there was an exception to his rule, even if it wasn’t me.
“Come back first of March, if you want to,” he directed. “That’s when I start taking on hands for calving season. The folks who’ve worked for me before get first consideration, and I’ll put your name high on that list.”
“I’ll do that, sir.”
“Kendrick.”
I managed to come out with, “Kendrick.” Dad would’ve popped me a good one if I called his friends by their first names.
He pulled open a lower drawer and slid my receipt into a file folder. “Where will you go now?”
“I’ll start with Tolberg,” I said, not looking at Seth. “See if there’s work in town. If not, I’ll head on down the highway and keep looking. Cost of living’s probably better out here, farther from San Francisco.”
“That it is. California, I tell you. I love my state, but it ain’t cheap.” Kendrick stood and held out a hand. “Good luck, son. Fill that truck of yours from our tank. One last bonus. And keep in touch. Seth said you don’t have a phone number yet?”
I shook hands, my palm damp against his dry one. “No, s— No.”
“Let me know when you do.” Kendrick swept his gaze across the other guys. “Now, I’m going to go unpack and then take a look at Ebony. Seth, ask John to meet me there and he can brief me on the herd. Davis, you got plans for our lunch?”
“Haven’t been to the store, so I figured chili and fry bread.”
“Works for me.” Kendrick nodded to us in a way that could only be considered dismissal.
I backed out of the room and headed for the boot tray, then carried my wet Durangos to the front door. Seth and Davis followed. In the entry, Davis stopped me with a hand on my arm. “I’ll say goodbye now, but I wasn’t just shining Kendrick on for Seth’s sake when I said you were worth keeping. You’re green, but you work hard and you’ve got critter sense. Even the dogs like you. Come on back when you can. And Austin?” He peered into my face, his gray eyes intent. “Don’t be a stranger. Don’t blow Seth off for the sake of independence, you hear me? It’s okay to lean on your friends if you need to, and we’re your friends.”
“Okay,” I managed, my throat tight.
He clapped his hat on his head and tugged me into a fast hug. “Don’t get stupid, the pair of you. ’Bout time this ranch had a happy ever after.” Davis swung the door open, letting in a blast of winter air, and ducked out, shutting Seth and me back in our warm space.
I turned to Seth, wondering if he’d heard Davis. Not that it mattered now. “I guess I’m off.”
“We’ll fill up your truck first.” He didn’t look at me.
“Yeah, but…” I wanted to say goodbye without folks around. He’d refused to let me get the word out that morning.
“Don’t.” Seth laid his palm against my cheek and finally met my gaze. “Just remember you’re coming back, right? You go into the first big box store you find and get a burner phone and call me so I have your number. Here.” He grabbed my wrist, pushed my sleeve up to bare the underside of my forearm, and pulled a Sharpie from his pocket. “This is me. Don’t forget.” He wrote a string of numbers on my skin.
I felt a bit like a kid being sent off to kindergarten, but also like I wanted to get a tattoo of that black scrawl. “I’m not likely to forget.”
Behind us, we heard Kendrick’s footsteps climbing the wooden staircase to the second floor. I got the nerve to lean up and kiss Seth, fast but hard.
He caught the back of my head and kissed me back like I was oxygen and he was drowning. But then he stepped away and began shoving his feet into his boots, so I did the same.
“Chili for lunch,” I joked. “Guess I won’t be the only one getting gas.”
Instead of laughing, Seth said, “You could stay for lunch, I’m sure. Kendrick wouldn’t make you leave unfed.”
“Nah. I want to get on the road.” I tugged my sleeve down over his number. “Now I have to hope Tilly starts after a week off.”
“Right.” Seth unearthed his gloves from his pockets and put them on. “Okay, gas, and a jump if you need one.” He pulled the door open.
