Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
He wasn’t ever going to get used to riding in a truck and not being able to see.
It just was too fucking weird.
“Where are we going, y’all?”
Coke’s voice sounded right beside his ear and he could see the motion, the dark of Coke’s cap, just out of the corner of his eye. “We’re going for a ride down pasture, just so we can talk without your momma hearing, you know?”
Bax’s chuckle came from the other side. “She’s got a nose for news, that’s for sure.”
“She’s a momma.” She was fixin’ to drive him crazy. “What all do we have to talk on? Coke, you’re fixin’ to have to go soon?”
“I got two weeks, still, maybe three. I got a hold of AJ. He’s in, so’s his woman.”
“Coke says we’ll have Nate, too. Maybe Dillon. We can talk on it. On who all you’re comfortable with.” They bumped off the track, Bax finally slowing to a stop.
“Where are we?” This was his fucking land. He shouldn’t have to ask, Goddamn it.
“Just the pond, man. Come on.” The air changed the minute Bax opened the door, which kinda freaked him out.
Jesus.
He closed his eyes tight, waiting for Coke to slide out before he headed for the passenger’s door. He could feel the sun on his face, knew then, that the pond had to be in front of the truck.
“Come on, son.” Coke’s hand felt warm and heavy on his arm. It was funny, but he could feel the kindness through Gramps’ touch.
“I… Yeah. I’m coming.” He wrapped his fingers around Coke’s arm, surprised, sort of, at how thick it was. “You getting fat, Coke?”
“Shit. That’s pure muscle, man.” Coke flexed, snorted. “I got to play bull-tag.” The muscles popped right up under his fingers, proving Coke right.
“Hey, no feeling up Coke,” Bax said, sounding far away. It was fucking strange, how distance affected things when you couldn’t see them.
“Man, I can’t do nothing…don’t drive the truck, don’t feel up the bullfighter, don’t yell at Momma.”
“There’s plenty you can do real well, Mini.” Oh. Oh, Lord, listen to that man. That was Bax’s bedroom voice.
He ducked his head, grinned. “Yeah, we’ll see. Did y’all bring lawn chairs or are we walking?”
“We’re walking, or hobbling in my case,” Bax said before Coke could even draw a breath. “Just to get your feet under you. This is going to be a long process, Mini. We been talking.”
“Yeah? Cause I been thinking, and I don’t know how we can pull this off. I’m not that smart.”
“Bullshit. You’re a wily fucker, Jason. Possibly the smartest bastard out there since Ace Porter retired.” Coke’s voice got a little excited. “Oh. Ace. Ace could help…”
Bax laughed. “He sure could. He has an in with the management. The biggest thing is going to be the cameras.”
“I don’t know if I want Ace knowing.” Ace was… Shit. Ace was everything any cowboy wanted to be.
“Sure, son. I can see that.” Coke patted his hand, starting to lead him down the slope he knew led to the pond. “If he don’t, though, and he finds out…”
Jason’s boots slipped a little and it was hard not to panic, not to toss and jerk like a balky mule. “Fuck. I can’t do this. I can’t even walk!”
“Stop.” Bax pulled him away from Coke, holding his arms, shaking him. “Did you ride the first calf you got on? No. You got to work at it a little at a time, Mini.”
“You try it. Shit, Bax. I gotta start all over at fucking everything!” Oh, it felt good to just holler.
“I know. I know, Jase. I’m fucking sorry for it, but I ain’t sorry you’re still here. ‘Sides, I ain’t walking no better. Could be it was me who made you slip.” One thumb rubbed against his cheek, Bax touching him, letting him know someone was there.
He nodded, took a deep fucking breath to calm himself down. He could smell the water.
Really.
Weird.
Coke cleared his throat. “So. We’ll have to go to AJ’s, start there. Get you on the barrel.”
“What are we going to tell Momma?” He could do a barrel blind. He could ride.
It was the rest that scared him.
“Well, I figure we’ll tell her AJ’s is more private. Or at least Coke will.” Bax’s chuckle had him smiling, too. Yeah, Momma was a lot more likely to believe Coke.
“AJ’s got that little mother-in-law house deal, too. You and Bax can work on details without the whole world looking at you.”
Sometimes he thought Coke was a fucking genius.
“Come on, Jase. Walk with us.” Bax looped an arm through his, Coke holding the other side. They didn’t pull him, though. They let him pick his way. It got easier, once they hit level ground. He trusted them not to let him go flying and he finally relaxed, wandered a bit.
“There you go.” Coke sounded pleased as all get out.
It felt good, to stretch his legs, to be out in the sun again. Really good. Bax felt solid as a rock, even with the damned cast, which Bax was walking on more than he should. Coke was a little more gentle, but right there.
“We ought to swim,” Bax finally said, sounding relaxed and happy.
“Y’all go ahead. I bet the water’s great.” There was no way.
“Oh, no, son. Not without you.” God, Coke could convince a priest to take his collar off. “We’ll keep you afloat.”
“Coke. I don’t know.” Fuck, he couldn’t know where he was.
Bax squeezed his hand, fingers callused and firm. “The pond is just to our left. That big rock is almost right in front of you. We can put our clothes there.”
He was going to fucking freak out like a buckle bunny at a meet and greet.
“Mini.” Bax took his face between both hands, Coke fading away like a ghost off to his right. “Who do you trust? Who never lets you down?”
“That’s prob’ly cheating, man.” Still, he let Bax ease him down on the big rock, let Bax’s hands slide down his arms. “This is tough, Bax. I keep trying to cowboy up.”
“You’re doing great, Jase. I’d be freaking out.” His shirt got the same treatment, and if Coke wasn’t there it would be pretty hot.
“I kinda am. I mean, we were just swimming a few months ago…” He wrangled his belt undone, got his jeans open.
“Yeah. It’s—”
A low noise cut the rest off, Bax moving, the sound of cloth rustling seeming loud. He heard a whoop and a splash, and he had to laugh. Looked like Coke liked to cannonball.
“That son of a bitch does know how to live.”
“Sure he does. We should be so spry. Come on, Mini. Let’s live a little.” Strong fingers slid down his arm, palm pressed to his as Bax took his hand. “Slow and easy.”
It was fucking different—the mud felt slicker, the water colder. The sounds were different here, bouncing off the pond and caught by the wind. He held on to Bax’s hand, trusted that Bax wouldn’t let him fall.
“Look at you,” Coke said. “Way to go, boy.” One big hand clapped him on the back, then he could feel the water slap his side as Coke took off swimming.
“I don’t like this, Bax. Not one bit.”
“You love to swim.” Bax pulled him into the water, stopped them both out where it lapped at his chest. “I got you, Mini. I’m right here. Not gonna let go. Just float a minute, like you’re just closing your eyes on a normal day.”
Okay. Okay, he could do that. He’d done that. He closed his eyes, let himself relax. Float. Breathe.
“That’s it.” Moving right up to press against his ribs, Bax put one hand under his back, letting him rest there, keeping him steady. Hell, it wasn’t like Bax could float.
It took a bit to want to start moving, to actually do a little swimming.
Sure enough, when he did, though, Bax was there.
So was Coke. When he moved, they were like bats or something.
Bouncing things back for him so he could tell where he was.
They made it easier, made it feel like this was something he could handle. Something he could do.
“Looking good, Mini,” Bax whispered when Coke struck off swimming again. That breath ghosted across his ear, making him shiver.
“Yeah? You like?” He couldn’t help his grin, not at all.
“I do. You’re glowing in the dark, though. Good to be out in the sun.” Bax was still brown as a nut. He’d seen that in his dreams. All that brown against that bright blue…cast?
Shit.
“Bax? What about your leg? I mean, the water. Cast.” That… Shit, he was addled.
“Well, I wrapped it up while you were staggering around with Coke.” Poking him, Bax laughed. Andy had given up the crutches two days before, grunting and tossing them out the window.
“I wasn’t staggering.” Asshole.
“Oh. That musta been me.” They floated around some more, and he’d bet Bax was feeling good being weightless for a while, too.
“This is good. Real good. Is it all nice and green still?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s getting a little brown around the edges, like it always does this time of year.” Moving close again, Bax whispered low. “Coke’s ass is blinding.”
He hooted, damn near taking in water with it as he laughed good and hard.
“What are y’all cackling about that you’re trying to drown Mini?” Coke floated over and Jason had this terrible image of his white butt shining like a beacon.
Man, he wondered if it drew the fish.
Him and Bax got to cackling, both of them just rolling with it, just like it used to be, easy and stupid and fine.
The sound of water hitting Bax in the face made him laugh even harder.
When Bax let him go to breathe, Coke was right there to hold on to him, making sure he didn’t sink.
It made him start to believe. Just a little.
Maybe more than a little.
At least enough to try.