Page 83 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
His belly felt like he’d been—well, kicked, he guessed, and he was about raw from shoulder to knees.
“Is it true? That Ricky and Bella are going to have a baby, I mean.” Lucy’s eyes were huge, worried and wet. “Is it really true?”
“It’s really true.” And he didn’t want to talk about it right now. Of course, he knew he didn’t get a choice in that, so he sat there, listening to his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
“Have you talked to Benji yet?”
“He hasn’t called. I know your brother has.” He knewthere’d been screaming, but honestly, he didn’t need to get into it with anyone. He didn’t have the energy. Everything—and he did mean every fucking thing—in his body hurt.
“Okay. Are they in trouble?”
He didn’t know how to start to answer that question. “This wasn’t the smartest thing on earth for him to do, and I wish he hadn’t, but he has. And now there’s going to be a baby. They’re going to have to work really, really hard now to catch up and do all the things that kids want to do because they’re going to have a baby themselves. And that’s sad, but they say they’re going to do it.”
And that was just that. He didn’t have anything else to say.
“Are you going to let him stay?”
“Yes.”
“Are they going to get married?”
He counted to ten. “I think so, but I don’t know. And that’s really up to Ricky and Bella.”
“Is the baby going to live here?”
“Honey. It’s March. It’s going to be damn near Christmas before anybody has to make that decision, but if the baby wants to live here, the baby can live here with us, okay?”
She nodded and sighed. “Uncle Brooks is on his way?”
“Yes, ma’am. He is.” Brooks had texted his itinerary and a picture of the damn sizeable check less than fifteen minutes after Coop had called.
Thank God.
The jerk of a station owner had even paid for Brooks to have business class, which meant he could stretch out and sleep, which was good.
Because when Brooks got here, Coop might sleep for a week.
His phone rang, and it was Benji, so he grabbed it.
“What the fuck is going on there, Coop?”
“Which part?” He wasn’t going to explain himself to a fucking nineteen-year-old kid.
“Uh, the part where Mason is suspended, Johnny’s leaving school, Mina’s pissing herself, and Ricky’s pregnant, for fuck’s sake?”
“You watch your mouth, son,” he snapped. He didn’t deserve that. “Last time I checked, you and Brooks trusted me enough to leave me here with five kids so y’all could do what you wanted. I suggest you police your tone.”
“Shit. Shit. I’m sorry. I am. I just—what was he thinking?”
“That he was sixteen and he couldn’t keep it in his pants.” Some answers were easier than others.
“Idiot. Fucking idiot. I told him he was going to have to work to pay for all this, but he can’t get his PRCA card yet or anything.”
“He’s working at the pizza joint and he’s fixin’ tractors and all for the Chiaras, but he’s got to finish high school, and so does she.”
No one could manage well without a high school diploma, and, while he didn’t foresee Ricky as the college type, it wasn’t a big stretch for Bella.
“I—I’m so goddamn pissed at him, Coop. How could he do this?”
