Page 49 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
“You two are going to have the best lives,” he told them. Jenny wasn’t breeding stock, and they were for the kids. A way to get Lucy prepared for some of the other horses, start her slow. It would be a miracle if Mina wasn’t out here riding next week.
He might even get Johnny out here.
He didn’t know, but there was something about these, this pair, they just needed somewhere to live out the rest of their lives. It felt good to be able to be that place.
He got them settled, then headed in with groceries. Hestashed it all, then cleaned the porch before he went in to wash up and then take over Mina care.
“Okay, I’ll be back,” Coop told him.
“You got trash bags?”
“I got all that and more. And good call on the Lysol and bleach wipes.”
“Yeah, I get them every year at flu season,” Brooks said. “It can be a real mess on a station with limited personnel.”
“Ugh.” Coop winked, then clapped him on the back. “Just keep washing your hands.”
“I promise.” He chuckled. “Want me to call in a pickup order for Pedialyte?”
“God yes. I’ll get it on the way home.”
“Gotcha.” He went to make sure Mina was okay, listening to Coop take off down the drive. Lord.
“Can I lay on the couch?” Mina asked, sniffling.
“Sure, kiddo. Let me put a couple of sheets down, okay?” That should help keep everything contained.
“Thank you.” She was dragging her little butt, and he felt so bad for her. He got her settled before going to check on Benji. He knocked on the bedroom door of the suite he would take over soon, and he heard Benji moan.
“Hey, do you need broth or juice or Sprite or something?”
“I would murder some Sprite. But just leave it on the table outside the door. I don’t want to make you sick too.”
“If Mina hasn’t already, you won’t. Coop went to get everyone else.”
“Oh. Maybe I’ll just die.”
“Well, that would suck. If you lived through all that shit for you to die from the runs.”
“You try puking and having the poops with a cracked pelvis.”
“Oh, BS, kiddo. You’re plenty healed.”
“Do not make me lick you, Uncle Brooks.”
He chuckled, heading to get some Sprite. He texted in an order for that, Pedialyte, chicken soup, and apple juice. They would need all the liquids, and if he and Coop got sick, neither of them would feel like going to the store again.
Then he texted Coop to tell him the order was in.
About forty-five minutes later, they had six sick kids, a smelly house, and chapped hands from washing up so much.
“How are you feeling, Coop?” Brooks asked.
“Well, so far so good, but we’ll see how it goes huh? We got about three days to make sure it hasn’t germinated.”
“Yeah.” That sounded like hell on earth, and he wanted to just hide in the barn, but he couldn’t do that to Coop. The dogs were doing that anyway. Hiding from the humans. The beagles would normally be right on the couch with Mina, but they were avoiding everyone like the plague.
Or like they had the plague.
