Page 23 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
It was his only damn option, since he didn’t have a horse to go fly on right now.
He’d stopped on the way up to Coop’s and gotten some damn pot gummies, since that was legal, and he would take one when he got back to his room.
At least that way tonight he might get some sleep.
Coop wokeup the next morning, trying to remember what day it was. What did he have to get the kids to for today. Was it?—
Okay, yesterday had been 4-H and Girl Scouts, so today was Friday. So school. But that was it. Right?
The clock told him it was six, so when he heard the door out to the porch open, he went on high alert. What the ever-loving fuck?
He was up and on his feet before he could even think and was moving across the room. He had a door to the porch from his bedroom, and that thing had been WD40’d to within an inch of its life.
He slipped out trying to figure which kid was outhere trying to do what thing. The kids weren’t bad as a rule, but teenagers were teenagers were teenagers. And every so often, one of the little ones would decide to go wander off and pet one of the Chiaras’ cows.
The cold hit him like a brickbat, but he didn’t let it stop him, no sir. Halloween was going to be bitter this year, his knees knew.
When he came out and it was Brooks Whitehead, Coop damn near decked him. Just bang.
It was shock of seeing somebody that tall, to be honest. He could see where Mason and Johnny got their length of leg. Benji and Ricky were both built like him—more, not short but nowhere near tall and broad through the shoulders, not lean.
“Christ, man, you startled me.” Thank God he didn’t sleep naked anymore, but he was still out there in bare feet and all fuzzy chest for the whole world to see.
“Do you always sleep inNightmare Before Christmaspants?” Brooks asked him.
He shook his head. “Only on Halloween. I have all sorts.” It was an easy thing for folks to remember to give him, so he had tons—all sorts, all holidays. He donated more pairs of brand-new pajama pants than he’d ever worn.
“You just trying to get your times back to rights? I can make a pot of coffee.” Coop was going to need one. The kids would start getting up in half an hour, at least Mina and Johnny would. “Or are you a tea guy now? Don’t they drink tea in Australia?”
“They drink both. I’d love a cup of coffee, unless you make shitty coffee.” Brooks winked at him, grinning.
“Buck right off, man. Go on in, let me grab my robe and some damn house shoes. It’s cold out here.” His balls were going to climb right up into his body and never peek out again.
“You have a door to the porch from your room?”
“Door to this porch, the inside courtyard, and the back porch.” So did Benji, so it worked out. He was too cold to answer more questions. “See you in two shakes.”
“Sure.” Brooks waved him off, and he headed back inside. Let the guy commune with the damn freezing cold.
Coop pulled on a sweatshirt, slippers, and a robe, because damn, and made his way to the kitchen to start the coffee. Which hadhimgrinning now. Never let a cowboy make the coffee was ringing in his head.
But he made good coffee, not shitty. Seriously.
Brooks came in on a burst of cold air, and Coop shivered. “Ugh.”
“I know. But it woke me up.” Brooks wore a pair of sweats, a ratty old T-shirt that readSurf Bondiand a big cardigan. He was a cardigan guy, which seemed off-brand, really.
“Yessir. It gets crisp around here.” Coop started his morning routine, water, coffee beans in the grinder. Then he put down fresh water for the pups and started making lunches while the coffee made.
Two creamy peanut butter and grape jelly. One crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jam. Two ham and cheese with mustard. Three Swiss cake rolls, one oatmeal cookie. One Dorito, one Frito, one Cheeto. Two juice boxes. Three bananas, three bags of grapes, six mandarin oranges, and two-dollar bills along with a five.
Brooks leaned against the opposite counter, arms straight behind him, staring. He didn’t think it was rude.
Coop kinda thought the man had no idea what to do with himself.
The beagles came wandering in, along with Suki, who immediately remembered he didn’t know Brooks and started barking like a fiend.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. You wake up those babies and I will personallybeat you until you can’t breathe.” He winked at Brooks so the man knew he was teasing, then he tossed him a salmon jerky treat, which set the beagles off like nothing else. So Brooks threw them both the jerky treat. Thor caught his. Loki did not.
