Page 26 of Cole's Joy
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, what time did you want to go?”
“Since it’s an hour-long drive, I thought I’d pick you up around six, and we can be there between seven and seven-thirty. I already called and they said we wouldn’t need a reservation.”
“Really? I would think that a steakhouse on a Saturday night might be busy.”
“I said the same thing, and I was told that with this time of year, ranchers are more prone to stay home after working on the range all day, putting up hay, and harvesting their crops. They told me if it had been further in the fall or winter, then I would need a reservation.”
“Ah, that would mean the ranchers were done with the outside work for the year, and would go out like regular people would.”
“Correct, I know that’s true in my own life. I don’t work the fields, but I manage the horses and what’s going on with them.” He smiled for the first time since he arrived and set his hat on the table beside him. “I hate to ask, but do you have any water?”
“Sure, would you like that, or I have iced tea or lemonade.”
“I’ll take the iced tea if you don’t mind.” He started to stand, but she told him to settle back in the seat. When she brought them both a class of the cold liquid, he pointed to the TV. “I’ll drink this and get out of your hair.”
“You don’t have to,” Lois said as she settled onto the couch. “I was just watching a movie, you’re more than welcome to join me.”
Cole said he’d like that, and she handed him the remote and told him she’d be right back, but told him to rewind the show. When she returned, she held a bowl of popcorn, and before she could settle into her spot, Cole hopped over there and settled in, then had her snuggle up to him so they could both reach the popcorn.
Hours later, she walked him to the back door, and sighed when he bent down and gave her a kiss on the side of the mouth. Lois turned her head at the last minute, and their lips met. Minutes later, he lifted his head, smiled down at her, and told her he would see her on Saturday. She stood in the doorway and watched until his truck left her driveway. When she went to bed that night, she had a smile on her face.
The next day,instead of calling, Lois decided to drive over to The Broken Wheel to see Naomi in person. She hadn’t been there enough to know where she was going, and was grateful when she spotted her granddaughter.
“Nana, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Lorissa asked in concern.
“Everything’s fine, Lor. I’m just here to talk with Naomi.” She saw the other woman’s expression and shook her head. “Later.”
“Okay,” Lorissa laughed and walked her down a hallway. She knocked on the doorjamb and spoke, “Naomi, my grandmother is here and would like a word with you.”
“Send her in,” Naomi looked up from her paperwork and studied the two women. When Lois entered, Lorissa walkedaway. “You look like you have something to say. You can close the door if you wish.”
Lois closed the door, and took the seat offered. “I’m going to get right to the point.”
“Okay.”
“Did you know that Cole Mercury’s birthday is this Saturday and he’s going to be sixty-nine.”
Naomi stared at the older woman in shock, and did some quick mental calculations and frowned. “Holy crap, I’ve known Cole my entire life and for the life of me I can’t ever remember celebrating his birthday.”
“He said the last birthday he celebrated with anyone was when he turned sixteen.”
“Holy crap. Wait, how do you know his birthday is coming up?”
“Because he asked me to go out to dinner with him to celebrate. We’re going into Colorado Springs for dinner. I’m here to get your opinion on a thought I had.”
“What’s that?”
“How do you feel Cole would react if we had a get together on Sunday afternoon to celebrate his birthday. All of us. I’m not asking people to give him gifts, he seems like the type of person that wouldn’t want that. But I thought maybe a family BBQ, you know, like you all did when Lor and I visited, and when I had everyone over when she had troubles with Tom. I don’t know about everybody else, but I like those BBQs. It feels like having a family reunion and we can catch up with what’s going on in each other’s lives.”
“Yeah, I agree. I work with most of the men and women every day, but we don’t talk about our lives outside of the horses, and the clients we’re working on now. Nothing personal at work, but the BBQs are different.” She smiled and nodded her head. “Yeah,I like the idea of having the get together. Where do you want to do it?”
“That’s why I’m here. First, to see if you thought it would be a good idea, and two, where. We could have it over at the big cabins, or over at my place, or at Ducky’s, since that’s where Cole lives. Oh, and do you know what type of cake Cole likes? I can get a cake big enough for everyone.”
“No cake,” Naomi held her hands out, like she was warding her off. “I do remember that one day, I think it was my seventh or eighth birthday, everyone was eating cake except for Cole. When I asked him why, he said he didn’t like cake, he didn’t eat a lot of sweets, but when he did, his favorite was apple pie.” She cocked her head to the side and closed her eyes. “Yes, I’ve only ever seen him eat apple pie.”
“That’s good to know.” Lois nodded and began wondering if she had any apples at home. She knew a trip to town was in her future. “So, I can make him a pie, but in order for everyone to have a slice, I would have to make at least five or six of them.”
