Page 57 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
With Coop.
Chapter Fourteen
Christmas shopping for six kids plus their girlfriends, best friends, and a bunch of foster kids was like, the third level of hell, Coop thought. No wait, was that gluttony? Okay, so maybe that was appropriate in a way, but what was anger…
“Brooks, I am fixin’ to be done, honey.”
Brooks glanced up from his list, and from the laden Walmart cart, his grin infectious. “Well,we’realmost done, so that’s good. We’ll go get lunch after this. The cooler is in the truck and it’s frigid out there, so none of the food will go bad.”
Coop rolled his head on his neck. “What’s left?”
“We just got to get Benji a couple of work shirts and Ricky one more…something. A wallet maybe?”
“To hold all his condoms?” Coop quipped, then felt guilty. Kids were kids. Teenagers lusted after their girlfriends and boyfriends.
Brooks thought it was hilarious, though. He hooted, then bumped hips with him to show he wasn’t upset, Coop thought.
“So what do you want for lunch?” Brooks asked. “I mean, we’re in Farmington. So we got choices.”
They’d avoided Espanola or Santa Fe in favor of a smaller town for the Walmart run, and he was grateful.
“We do. There’s a million Mexican places, but there’s a good brewpub.”
“Hell, let’s do that. We got good Mexican in our neck of the woods.”
True. Tequila’s was pretty tasty.
“Okay. Let’s get this shit done.” He hated shopping, but he loved spending time with Brooks.
Even if they had yet to use the condoms they’d gotten the day after Thanksgiving. The kids had seen to that.
They managed to get through the line—the long, endless line—without getting into a fight or passing out, which honestly seemed like the best possible outcome, and they drove the trailer around the back of the store to load up the bicycles and the huge television that was going in the media room and lock them up good.
It was their big family gift, and Coop reckoned it was going to go over like a house afire.
“Whew.” Brooks leaned on the trailer for a moment. “Come on. Let’s go eat.”
“Mmm. I might could even have a beer. Just one.” He was driving after all.
The brewpub was busy but not peak lunch time, so they got a table, and he liked sitting down across from Brooks when they had the chance like this and just having some adult conversation.
“I’m thinking about getting fried goodies—just because I can.” Onion rings, Texas toothpicks, and fried cheese with ranch—it sounded perfect, and he wanted to be naughty.
“Yeah? I’m getting a burger and fries. Or maybe fish and chips.I like both.”
“Fried fish is an amazing thing, yessir.” He had his mouth set, though. “So, I think we’re mostly ready for Santa, thank God for small favors.”
Brooks nodded to him, smiled. “I think we are.”
“Good. I think I’m gonna set Benji to putting bicycles together at his house.”
“Can I make a suggestion?”
Coop looked at Brooks, his eyebrow raised. “Well, I would hope so.”
It’s not like the man had hesitated in making any suggestions till now, so far as he knew.
“Ricky is kind of amazing at building stuff. I’d like to pay him a couple hundred bucks to put it all together. That gives him some cash money for gifts or what have you and work on his truck.”
