Page 68 of Cowboy's Last Stand
“Do you have kids?”
“No.”
“Do you know how babies are made?”
Jason almost choked on a bite of eggs.He wasn’t sure how to answer.
“I know,” Marcus said.“My mom told me.”
“OK,” Jason said.
Marcus leaned forward.“I want a little brother.”
Jason realized, with some chagrin, that Marcus expected him to deliver on this request.He chuckled under his breath.“You remember what I said when you asked if I was going to marry your mom?”
“No.”
“I said it was too early to talk about.The same goes for babies.”
Marcus forked pancakes into his mouth.“I need a little brother before I grow up.”
Jason made a noncommittal sound and focused on his own plate.Marcus did the same.They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast.After they were finished, Jason settled the bill and ordered a blueberry muffin to go for Natalie.Then he took Marcus to a store that sold Western goods.He grabbed two sets of clothes for himself, along with a new Stetson.His hiking boots were pretty beat up, so he tried on a pair of roper boots while Marcus browsed the hats.He found a dun-colored Cattleman style, just like Jason’s, in his size.It was adorable, and Jason would have bought it, but Marcus got distracted by another shelf.He abandoned the hat for a far more exciting object: a slingshot.Marcus looked at him with pleading eyes.The item seemed harmless enough, so Jason added it to his purchases.
When they returned, Marcus played in the front yard with the slingshot.He found that the seed balls from the sycamore tree made great ammo.He amused himself for over an hour.Then he went inside to play video games.
Jason took his phone out of his pocket and contemplated it.His dad had left a voicemail a few days ago.Biting the bullet, he returned the call.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Dad.”
“Jason?Is that you?”
“It’s me.”
“I thought you’d fallen into a canyon.”
Jason chuckled wryly.“How’s it going up north?”
His dad gave him an update on the weather.It was fifteen degrees.Snow was in the forecast for next week.After that was established, Jeff Reed went on to describe the winter preparations he’d made to the house and a project he wanted to tackle over the holidays.He’d had a problem with the chimney sweep, so he’d done it himself.
“Jesus, Dad.”
“What?”
“You’re going to break your leg.”
His dad pointed out the fact that Jason was the one who’d broken his leg recently.Jason resented his father’s industriousness and his stubborn refusal to slow down or admit weakness.He resented the fact that they were alike.
“How’s Anna?”Jason asked, changing the subject.
“She’s fine.Leigh had the baby last week.”
Leigh was Anna’s daughter from her first marriage.“Did she?”
“A girl.Eight pounds.”
Jason could hear the warmth in his voice as he reported the good news.“That’s great.Tell her I said congrats.”
