Page 63 (1/2)
Bull and Tanner exchanged glances They were clearly worried about her At least it was a relief, knowing she’d been wrong about Bull
After pro Bull that she’d be careful, Rose joined Tanner in the truck “Better?” Tanner asked her as they headed back toward her property
Rose nodded “But I feel like a fool I’lad it wasn’t Bull who killed my lambs But the idea that theback” She let the words trail off The truth was, she was nervous about being alone, even with a gun
“I’ve got work today,” Tanner said “But do you want ht?”
“I was hoping you’d ask” As Rose laid her head against his shoulder, she felt her world slip back into place
Tanner would be coht o’clock Rose, in a reckless moment, had promised him a home-cooked , and Rose had never fancied herself ood Mexican dishes She decided on enchiladas, with a fresh salad froarden Once she’d settled on a rocery store
María had ht in the villagedried chiles and spices in her stonethin, unifore clay griddle that let the air bubbles in the center rise up and for the tortillas to perfection
Rose had never , but she had loved watching María cook Now the e and the need to flee froood couple who’d taken her in and treated her as one of their own She reht her to cook and sew and even made her a pretty dress for her fifteenth birthday celebration, and how Rarief swept over her as she realized howtheir deaths If she could, she would kill Refugio and the rest of the cartel, too, and free the sad little village that would never be the saain
Rose splashed her face to dry her tears Soht now she had a ood Noas back in her life, but would he stay? In case the answer turned out to be no, she would be wise to hold back her heart to keep hi it
In town, she picked up dressing for the salad, a six-pack of beer, a can of prepared enchilada sauce, a block of cheese, a half-pound of cooked chicken, and a packet of tortillas that looked like cardboard and would probably taste like it, too She would do her best to ood Maybe someday she would have a real kitchen where she could at least try to cook like María
By the time Tanner was due to arrive, Rose had the table set and the salad arden The enchiladas had turned out all right, though they couldn’t compare to the made-from-scratch version
But this wasn’t about the enchiladas It was about the man who’d walked out of her life and co
me back—and what she would do if he didn’t stay
Just when she ondering whether she’d been forgotten, Tanner showed up in his truck—late, but barely “Sh the open door and locking it behind hione to a lot of trouble” He paused a ht, Rose? If you had a phone, I’d have called you”
“I’m fine Just one more loop on the roller coaster” Rose showed hi to convince myself you’re really back in town After the last tiood”