Page 7 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
He loved Australia, he loved it to death, but God help them, they didn’t know Mexican food from a hole in the ground.
He did his business in the bathroom, loving the fact the guest room had an en suite. He got himself all dressed in clean clothes and feeling damn near human, then he made the bed and headed out in his stocking feet.
The kitchen was huge, this blue-tiled monstrosity of a thing, and it was filled to the brim with Benes.
He had somehow expected just to see Wacey, but there was Wacey and his man, the Bene sisters, five or six little ones, plus two teenage boys who were eating breakfast burritos with their backpacks on.
Wacey nodded to him, smiled. “Martin’s going to take y’all to school, have a good one. You staying at your momma’s tonight, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ve got a football game tonight, Bean. Can you come?”
“Have I ever missed a game, Tommy?”
“Not one. Six o’clock. Momma says y’all can come to supper with us after.” The older boy grinned.
“Love you, Dad. Bean.”
“Love you, Aunties.”
“Love you.” Tank grinned at him. “Go.”
They both nodded to Brooks like they were the same kid, even though one was way taller than the other. “Have a good day. I was glad you got to spend the night. Bye.”
Then they were gone.
He stood there nodding to the ladies—Macey and Lacey Bene were forces of nature. “Morning.”
“Good morning, we just stopped to get some breakfast tacos on our way.” Macey smiled at him. “I’m going to see the horses.”
“And I’ve got ten thousand errands to run.” Lacey waved to the kids. “You good with the kids, Dub?”
“Always. They love their Uncle Bean.” Wacey was handling breakfast tacos like a short-order cook.
“Cool,” she said. “You coming with me, chief?”
Wacey’s man shook his head, stood. He was wearing his uniform, and Brooks had to admit, he was aging well. “No, ma’am, you know me. I got to get to the diner.” He kissed Wacey on the top of the head. “Sorry to have to run, but I’m holding court.”
Then all of a sudden, the entire house emptied out, leaving them and a handful of little ones.
Wacey chuckled softly. “You want a breakfast burrito? There are two left.”
“Am I keeping you from being at the diner with your man?”
“You’re not. I’ve got a Zoom meeting with my brother about the rodeo company, and I’m watching these hooligans until noon or so. The rodeo guys are fixin’ to come home for the winter, so I need to make sure that everybody’s ready for them to be here. Have a sit. You want salsa or are you good? It’s eggs, green chile, potatoes, bacon and cheese.”
All those words were amazing together. “That’s perfect. Coffee?”
“Always.” Wacey handed him a cup full of goodness. “Need anything in it?”
“No. No, I like it black as my soul.” He sipped, watching Wacey move around his kitchen, putting a plate together for him.
Once he was eating, Wacey sat across from him with hiscoffee cup, and Brooks felt a kick in his gut, because Wacey looked damn serious.
“So, what do you know, Dub?”
“Well, you know about Andy and Nora.”
