Texas Strong Read Free Page A

starting to run together.”
    “Sweetgrass could use someone like you, if you ever get tired of the rat race. And didn’t you tell us your sister-in-law had just gone to work at Ruby’s?”
    Jake nodded. “Chrissy, my wife’s younger sister. You’ve met her?”
    Bridger shook his head. “I’ve seen her, but business is too good at Ruby’s with all of Jackson’s geeks moving in, plus they’re shorthanded without Scarlett.”
    “Jackson’s geeks?”
    “My brother-in-law. He owns Enigma Games out of Seattle, but he moved back last year and has set up headquarters in Sweetgrass. Some of his game designers and such have relocated.”
    “Tech geeks in a tiny Texas town.” Jake shook his head. “With no Starbucks, right? A little culture shock?”
    Bridger grinned. “You have no idea.”
    “Wait—Enigma Games. That’s Doom Star and Lone Assassin , right?”
    Bridger nodded.
    Jake whistled. “My sons spent half their lives in front of the game console playing those. Battled them a few times myself. Good stuff.” He shook his head. “Can’t wrap my mind around those being created in a little Texas burg.”
    “Jackson has a family now, and he wants to raise them there. Sweetgrass might surprise you. You and your wife should come visit sometime. My wife was a hotshot lawyer in D.C. and lives there now, and another brother-in-law was a big Hollywood stuntman who trains horses for the movies mostly in Sweetgrass these days. Plus we get visits from folks like Josh Marshall and Walker Roundtree.”
    “The country music star? And wasn’t Marshall—”
    “ Sexiest Man Alive ? Yeah. Though we don’t talk about that stuff in Sweetgrass. They’re just part of the community. They do put their pants on one leg at a time, you know.”
    “Sweetgrass Springs is a surprise. Laura has been wanting to go check out where her sister is working, anyway. Chrissy’s hoping to move to Sweetgrass, I hear. Right now she and her two kids still live in Austin.”
    “I think she’s moving into Arnie’s house.”
    Jake frowned. “Who’s Arnie? Chrissy doesn’t need any more man trouble.”
    Bridger chuckled. “Arnie is in his seventies. He’s Ruby’s husband—at last. He proposed for nearly twenty years.”
    Jake blinked. “Sounds like a story there.”
    “Yeah. Sweetgrass is full of them. Anyway, Arnie gave up on getting Ruby to move to his place, so he’s living with her in her big old house behind the cafe, a family home she manages regularly to fill with every stray she can lay hands on. From what my wife tells me, they’ve managed to convince Chrissy she’d be doing Arnie a favor to take care of his house for him, and that way she has a place to move her kids into.”
    “Really? That sounds odd for Chrissy. We do what we can, but she’s resistant to accepting help. She’s a sweetheart, and that no-good ex of hers gives her no help, only trouble.” He hesitated. “Sweetgrass does sound like a place we need to check out. Is there a hotel where we could stay if Chrissy doesn’t have room?”
    “There’s one B&B just opened, and Jackson’s working on more accommodations, since some of his employees rotate in and out from Seattle.”
    “Give me your number, and if I ever get two days off in a row again, we’ll come check out the town.”
    “Big city ER is a tough game,” Bridger sympathized.
    “Yeah. Most of the time I love it, but—”
    “I was a SEAL, then a big city firefighter and paramedic. I get the adrenaline rush. Wears on you, though.”
    The doctor’s eyes spoke of his weariness. “It takes a toll, for sure.” A frown crossed his features. “In more ways than one.”
    Bridger started to ask, to push his case while Jake was susceptible, but he understood the allure of the adrenaline junkie’s life. He’d been ready for the change of pace, but you couldn’t force that on someone else. “Well, I’m keeping you standing when you probably need to be horizontal. Gotta grab those combat