Page 97 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
“Yeah. Love you, man.” And with that, Coop was snoring.
Thank God for small favors.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Coop woke up in a rush, trying to figure out what time it was, what day it was, did the kids have to go to school? Did somebody need to get fed? What the hell was going on?
He grabbed his phone, and that answered a couple of questions.
One, it was ten thirty in the morning, which was very late. Two, it was Saturday, so nobody had to go to school. Three, somebody probably needed to get fed. Four, it was very quiet in the house.
He’d worry more about that, except he could see Brooks’s good traveling boots sitting there at the end of the bed. He could see Brooks’s bag, his hat hanging on the rack. So it was all good.
Better than.
Brooks was home.
It took him at least a month to get up to get out there to pee, but he managed. Hell, he did his business, got his teeth brushed, and his face cleaned up. Lord, he needed a haircut.Maybe he’d get Momma to buzz it while she was here. He wasn’t feeling like sitting in a barber’s chair right now.
He stepped into his slippers and kind of crept out to the main room searching for Brooks or kids or folks.
Somebody.
Momma was standing in the kitchen buttering a blueberry muffin, and she smiled when she saw him. “Baby, what you doing up?”
“Well, I woke up, and I was looking for my kids, I think. Those smell good.”
“You want half of one and some milk?”
“What I want is a cup of coffee.”
“Baby, your belly is not ready for coffee. You got it split open. We’re just going to have to wait on that. Milk, juice, water.”
“Beer?” he teased.
She rolled her eyes. “Have a muffin.”
“Thanks, Momma. Where is everybody?”
“Oh, they’re all outside. Seriously, how you feeling?”
He thought on that a minute. “Sore, real sore, but comparatively? I think I might live.”
“Well, that’s good. I’m going to take that little Bella girl of Ricky’s out and about today, since I know everybody’s okay. I need to get her some prenatal vitamins and some clothes. She and I need to have some talks together, woman to woman.”
“Oh. Well, that’s awful nice of you, Momma.” Coop wasn’t sure what to say to that. He wasn’t sure what to say to Bella. She was like a little ghost, sliding in and out of Ricky’s room.
“No, I’m just doing what her folks should have been doing, thank you.” Momma rolled her eyes like thrown dice. “You know, it’s not right. That little girl made a mistake and caught pregnant. It happens. It’s unfortunate and not verygood timing, but this is my first great-grandbaby, and it is going to be a blessing. Dammit.”
He could almost hear her go,“So there, ha”.
“What can I do? Do you wanna see if Lucy wants to come with you? Get some girl time?”
“I did ask,” Momma said. “She said, no thank you. I think perhaps all three of the girls and I should have girl dates together while I’m here. Your dad’s gonna take the three boys. Just, you know, some one-on-one time with us.” She stopped, pursed her lips. “That little boy, the youngest boy, Johnny. He’s special, son.”
Oh, she was not going to speak against his youngest boy. No way. That little guy was brilliant, smarter than all of the rest of them put together. “They’re all special, Momma.”
“Oh, stop it, you know what I mean.” She stared at him until he looked down. “I just think you might think about putting him in some super-good classes. That Watson, the teacher? He’s smart. I can also get your brother David out here, possibly your sister. You never know with her, but I think he needs to be engaged.”
