Page 32 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
Coop gave him a long look. “Sure. I could use the assistance, for sure.”
“Cool.” He added milk and eggs to the dry ingredients. “I haven’t had a Halloween in years.”
“No Halloween!” Nell made sad face.
“I know, kiddo. It’s just not a thing in a lot of Australia, and where I worked was way far away from town.”
“Farther than here?”
“Oh, yeah, luv. Way longer to get anywhere. You even have a pizza place that will deliver sometimes, according to Benji.”
“It’s cheaper to buy the crust,” Coop said quietly.
“I don’t judge. I love pizza.” He winked, getting a surprised grin in response.
“Tell us about Daustralia,” Mina said. “But no spiders.”
“Okay.” He pondered that. “Well, I lived on a cattle station. They don’t call them ranches. And it was huge. There were all kinds of critters, and I worked with horses.”
“Did you get to see the Great Barrier Reef?” Ricky asked when he wandered in.
“I did. And Uluru, which is the big red rock. And the Sydney Opera House, and the zoo, which is super cool.”
“I love zoos!” Lucy was standing near him all of a sudden,watching his every move. He would bet she was teaching herself to make pancakes. “We went to Denver and to Albuquerque.”
Mina scowled. “I don’t remember that.”
“You were too little to remember,” Mason said, surprisingly gentle for the kid who thought everyone was a nail and he was the hammer.
Her lip quivered, and Coop went to pick her up. “What else about Australia does everyone want to know. No spiders,” Coop reminded them all.
“Are kangaroos mean?”
“No, but they can be territorial. And they’re wicked strong.”
“And do you really see koalas on the road sometimes?”
“During fire season? Yeah.”
These kids were thirsty for all kinds of knowledge and kept him cooking and answering questions for the better part of an hour. Which was when the kids all trooped off to watch movies or play video games, respectively, and he and Coop got to eat.
“Thanks, man. That was amazing, how you churned out pancakes and bacon.”
“It’s kind of like feeding a bunch of stockmen at a gather.”
Coop hooted. “I reckon I can see that. You do that a lot?”
“I pitched in to help a lot at the times of year when there were a lot of folks who needed to be fed. I was the high-paid horse guy. If I didn’t go mingle with the lower classes,” he made air quotes, “I could get my ass handed to me. And I like to cook.”
“Well, good deal. I don’t mind it, but I’m limited to what I know and what I got time for, you know? I make a lot of eggs, a lot of meat and rolls and vegetables.” Coop grinned at him. “The older boys aren’t even interested, but Lucy tries, and Mason watches a lot of food shows.”
“Did you ever think you’d be living with six kids?”
“Nope, but a man has to do what the good Lord calls him to do, right?” There was no doubt in Coop’s eyes, and Brooks had to respect the hell out of him.
“He does. Yes. That’s why I came. I owe that to Andy. I’m the only family these kids have…”
Coop winced but lifted his chin. “The only biological family.”
