Final Encore by Scotty Cade Read Free Book Online Page B

here’s my cel and home, if you
    need me for anything,” signed with a big “I.” Bily folded
    the note and put it in his walet. As he puled out of the
    parking lot, he didn’t see the look of disgust on the face
    of the man lurking in the shadows.
    Bily smiled al the way home as he relived the
    entire night. It was almost four a.m., and he knew he
    wouldn’t get any sleep, but he couldn’t wait to get to his
    bunk so he could lie there and think about Ian. When he
    reached the bunkhouse, al was quiet. The first shift
    usualy woke about five o’clock and it was four twenty-
    five, so he thought he would start the coffee for the guys
    before he lay down for an hour or so. Then he took a
    quick shower before he crawled into his bunk and
    waited for sunrise.
    As the sun crept up over the horizon, Bily
    watched the daylight seep into the bunkhouse. He’d
    pretended to be asleep when the first shift crew had
    started moving around, as he wasn’t ready to talk to
    anyone. He’d spent the hour and a half thinking about
    the possibilities in both his professional and his personal
    life and wasn’t ready to let go of the fantasy just yet.
    When the other men finaly headed out, Bily got up and
    prepared for his day. By the time he reached the
    stables, the hands were already preparing the horses for
    the day’s ride. After making sure al the horses were
    ready, he took the golf cart over to the mess hal to pick
    up the box lunches for the tours. When he returned, the
    guides took the box lunches they would need and
    placed them in the saddle bags and then took a break
    while they waited for the riders to arrive.
    The day flew by, and before Bily knew it al the
    horses had returned and were unsaddled and put out to
    pasture for an hour or so. While the horses were
    enjoying a wel-deserved break and snack, Bily helped
    put the tack away and then hopped up on the fence to
    watch the horses. Glancing at his watch and noticing it
    was four o’clock, he reached for his walet and took
    out the note from Ian, dialing the first number.
    After two rings Bily heard, “Ian Dilon.”

    IAN’S day had passed in a blur. When he’d puled into
    his garage the night before, his heart had stil been as
    light as a feather, and he’d realized that since he’d left
    the saloon, he had been humming “The Love of a Man.”
    After a fast shower, he’d lain in bed, teling himself that
    Bily had just taken him by surprise and he would get
    this under control, al the while wondering if Bily was
    home yet and tucked into bed thinking about him.
    Work started with a breakfast meeting with his
    boss to tel him about Bily that lasted until almost noon.
    He had just enough time for a quick bite before heading
    to the rescheduled recording session he’d missed the
    night before. By four o’clock he was in his SUV and
    heading home when his cel phone rang. He looked at
    his caler ID and smiled. It was Bily. He opened the
    phone and said, “Ian Dilon.”
    “Ian, it’s Bily Eagan.”
    “Hey, Bily, how are you?”
    “Fine, thanks. How was your night?”
    “What was left of it by the time I got home was
    okay. I slept like a rock. How about you?”
    “No sleep for me,” Bily said. “By the time I got
    back to the ranch, I was afraid to go to sleep, figured I
    might not wake up on time, so I just stayed up. Ian, I
    know this is a long shot, but do you have plans for
    tomorrow?”
    “I don’t think so. I’m driving, but hang on a
    minute while I pul over and check my schedule,” Ian
    said. He crossed two lanes of traffic and puled over to
    a stop in the emergency lane. He brought up his
    schedule on his iPhone and took a look. “Al I have is a
    breakfast meeting that should be done by nine thirty or
    so. What do you have in mind?”
    “I have the next couple of days off, and I was
    hoping to see you.”
    Caution , Ian thought. Don’t do it . Before he
    could stop himself, he said, “I think that can be
    arranged.” Damn it, why did I