Page 1 of Cole
CHAPTER ONE
“Cole, what happened?” asked his father.
Ham McDonald wasn’t just an average man. He was a former SEAL and part of one of the most prestigious security companies in the world. To top it off, his grandfather was a SEAL, and so were all of his uncles.
If that weren’t bad enough, Cole’s mother was a fierce woman who made her presence and opinions known. Secretly, she was the one he worried about disappointing.
“I don’t know,” muttered Cole, staring at his shoes.
“Son, you know what happened. You were there. I’m not angry, Cole. I just want to know why you broke that kids nose.”
“You promise you’re not mad?” he asked wiping his tears.
“I’m not mad.” Ham was trying to remember all the reasons he wouldn’t be mad at his son for breaking another boy’s nose. But his philosophy about hitting other kids was that it was never okay.
“He said something nasty about Ambry and Bailey,” said Cole with a shy blush.
“Something nasty?” repeated his father. “Is this boy in your class?”
“No. He’s not even at our school. He’s in eighth grade.” Ham stared at his son, then looked back at the other men who had come with him to sort things out.
They’d received a call that Cole was being questioned by local authorities because a boy claimed he’d broken his nose. They were in front of the General Store where the incident had occurred. Ham looked up at the sheriff who cursed under his breath.
“How old is your boy, Ham?” asked the man.
“He’s only ten,” said Ham. “If this boy is in eighth grade, he has to be thirteen at least. What did he say about your sisters, Cole?”
“I can’t use those words,” he sniffed. Angel was staring down at his great-grandson, noticing that his right hand was tucked between his knees.
“Cole? Is your hand hurt?” he asked kneeling beside him.
“Yes, sir. I didn’t tuck my hand right and I think I broke my fingers. Mom’s gonna be so mad at me.” The men could only smirk in his direction, realizing he was probably right. Sadie would lecture him later on how to prepare for a fist fight.
“Let me see,” smiled Angel. He looked up at Doc and the two of them frowned seeing the swollen, broken fingers.
“Cole, in order for the sheriff to address this appropriately, we have to know what he said about your sisters. You won’t get in trouble for it, we promise. Who was this boy?”
“Arnie Moore. He’s always bothering Ambry and Bailey and usually when I show up he leaves but he didn’t this time. He said…” Cole stared at all the men around him, the anticipation on their faces evident. “He said ‘I bet your sisters pussy smells like dead fish.’ So I punched him in the nose.”
“Well, that’s a statement worthy of punching someone,” said Ham frowning at the sheriff.
“You’re not mad?” asked Cole.
“No, Cole. I’m not mad. If he’s bothered the girls before and you warned him-“
“I did Dad, I swear. I warned him every time.”
“Okay. If you warned him, then I’d say this was a fair fight, especially considering that you’re at least three yearsyounger than he is. It was inappropriate of him to say something like that.”
“I’ll handle this with the Moore family, Ham,” said the sheriff. “That boy has been in trouble before, usually picking fights with younger kids that are afraid of him. He obviously didn’t realize that y’all raise your children differently.”
“Cole said he doesn’t even attend our schools,” said Doc.
“Nope. He attends the public school down the road but he takes a bus right out on River Road. Usually the kids stay in their groups but he’s just a troublemaker.”
“Are his folks a problem?” asked Ham.
“Oddly enough, no. His father works long hours on the rigs, his mother works at a little dress shop. Nice folks with two other kids that are terrific. I think this is just the one that got away.”
