Page 33 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
“Right.” He sighed softly. “I’m sorry. That was a dumb thing to say. You’ve been incredibly good to them.”
“No problem. You love them, I can tell. They are desperate for that connection too.”
“I’m not glad that they’d had it so hard, but I am happy they want to get to know me. I’ll figure out something as far as housing, though, so I’m not in your pocket.” He wasn’t going to say he was taking the kids with him, because that pissed off both Coop and Benji, so he would let that come naturally if it did.
He’d learned that lesson.
“If you want to, sure, but if the room suits you, it’s yours for as long as you want it. It’s fixin’ to head into holiday season, and—” Coop shrugged. “Well, I’ll be honest, that’s hard on the babies, and only their second without their folks. It would be a blessing to have another set of hands, another heart.”
Brooks’s cheeks heated. “Yeah. Okay, I don’t want to have to start from scratch alone.”
“Listen, we have two birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, along with all the school things between now and three months.”
“Jesus.”
“Right. Times six.” Coop finished his pancakes. “Those were amazing.Thank you.”
“My mom always did pancakes and bacon on Saturdays. Always.”
“Are you church folks? Benji said no, and none of the kiddos have asked.”
He shook his head. “Sunday the rodeo runs early. So we had biscuits and sausage and we took them with us to the arena. What about you?”
Coop shook his head. “My dad loves to cook, so we had all sorts of things, when he wasn’t on the road.”
“Yeah? But you never learned?”
“I was the kind of kid who could burn water. I assemble instead of cooking.”
Brooks chuckled. “Well, then I’ll hang about, if that’s okay. I can pay for groceries and stuff for the kids.”
“Okay. But I know you’re not working, so if that’s a hardship?—”
“Shit, Coop.” Brooks laughed. “I had not a damn thing to spend my money on for years in Australia. I’m not worried.”
“Fair enough. Now, before the rest of the crush shows up, you want to go see those barns? Ricky will wash up along with Lucy.”
“I can’t think of anything I want more.” He put his plate in the sink, and he was feeling far more settled.
This might just work.
Chapter Eight
“Uncle Coop! Uncle Coop!” Johnny was in tears, screaming from the front room.
Again.
“Mason broke the antenna off my costume! On purpose!”
Oh, damn that little shit. He couldn’t help but torture his baby brother. It drove easy-going Mason crazy that Johnny had skipped two grades and they were in the same grade now. Mason’s football buddies were being shits.
“I did not! I was trying to help! Uncle Coop! I was trying to help!”
“You were not!”
“You are a whiny titty baby!”
“Shut up!”
