Page 41 of On the Land, We Shoot Straight
“No, you don’t get it. Ican’t.”
Grady studied him as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Cole’s black eyes were wide in his face, begging Grady for something he couldn’t begin to understand.
“Okay.”
“Not like I can’t, like someone said I can’t. I mean I can’t… I can’t get the words out.” Cole’s voice cracked, and Grady really wished he hadn’t asked.
“But if I could…”
Grady brought his arm behind his head and rested back. He kept his eyes on Cole and waited.
“If I could, I would. With you.”
Grady felt a twinge of something. He wasn’t sure what it was—affection? Concern?—whatever it was, he’d never felt it before and thought it was better left alone.
“All right.”
Cole nodded and Grady couldn’t see him to be sure, but he got the same feeling he got last time Cole acted like they’d settled something important between them. Cole lay back, and Grady listened to him breathing—deliberate and deep, the kind of breaths you make when you’re working real hard to keep them that way.
Grady lay awake a long time listening to those breaths, his eyes fixed on the sky. He didn’t let himself go to sleep until he heard Cole’s breathing shift to the quiet, even breaths that meant he was finally asleep.
25
T
he landline was alreadyringing when Grady walked up the front steps. He laughed under his breath. Cole raised an eyebrow. Grady shook his head. He went inside and over to the side table in the hallway and answered it.
“Grady speakin’.”
“Grady! I been callin’. That damn dog of yours—”
Grady held the phone away from his ear and smiled at Cole where he was standing in the entryway, leaning against the hallway wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Jacobs’s voice was clear as a tinny bell coming out of the phone: “Jeanine can’t even get out of the house, he’s been on our porch for days…”
Grady brought the phone back to his ear.
“I’m on my way.”
He hung up.
“Dog?” Cole asked.
“Who else,” Grady replied around a smile. He squeezed Cole’s hip as he passed him, and then went out and drove over to the Jacobses’ place.
Dog raised his head slightly from the porch and wagged his tail in slow thumps when Grady walked up. Grady shook his head and hid his smile. Dog let his head fall back and tracked Grady with his eyes, tail still thumping.
“You gonna get yourself shot one of these days.”
Grady leaned down and gave his belly a rub as Jacobs came out.
“Where ya been? I been callin’ for three days.”
Grady stood.
“Bringin’ the sheep in.”
Jacobs let the screen door slam shut behind him, crossed his arms above his large belly and muttered something unintelligible. Jeanine was behind the door, her hand at her chest as she shook her head in disapproval.
“Jeanine.” Grady nodded.
