Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
“ U ncle Coop, I need to talk to you.” Ricky and Bella stood there together hand-in-hand, staring at him, and there were tears on the little girl’s face.
He didn’t need this.
Coop didn’t need this right now. There wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t hurt.
He’d gotten kicked good and hard right in the hip, and the bruise on his belly was—well, it would have been scary if he hadn’t been kicked ten thousand times before, but damn.
There was something about a horse that was so much worse than a bull. Probably those damn hooves.
Not only that, but he’d been working on cutting some molding, and he’d sliced the fuck out of his hand, and supergluing that shit closed had burned like fire.
He’d had to drive up to the school not once, not twice, but three separate times.
One because Mina had had an absolute temper tantrum and peed herself.
Second, because. Johnny had gotten himself beat up at the school, and now he was saying he wasn’t going back.
And of course, Mason had gotten suspended for three days because he’d beaten the hell out of the kid who’d beaten up Johnny.
He wasn’t even sure how to be mad about that, because wasn’t that what they were supposed to do?
Defend their little brother from all-comers?
Finally, and most spectacularly, Lucy had started her first period in kind of a hallway-in-the-Overlook Hotel-from- The Shining sort of way. Thank God he’d had trash bags in the truck to save his seat.
Who knew there were so many different kinds of things to soak up a woman’s monthlies?
Him.
That was who. He knew.
That basically meant that the only child who had not had some kind of an issue today was the one standing in front of him with a crying girl.
As soon as this conversation was over—no matter what the conversation was—he was getting a beer.
He didn’t sigh. “All right. Shoot.”
“I think we need to sit down.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Coop didn’t want to have any conversation that required sitting down. Not today.
Still, what was he supposed to do, say no? Let’s not sit down. Let’s not talk about whatever it is that was fixing to just change his entire goddamn life, and he somehow knew it.
Because, sure as shit, Ricky was going to say that this little girl’s parents were fighting again and couldn’t she spend the night? Well, she probably couldn’t spend the night because spending the night with a boy was bad. And he didn’t hold with that and?—
Fuck.
“Sure, y’all, let’s all go sit. Everyone else has been, you know, been sent to their separate corners, so you got my attention. ”
The kids sat down side by side, Ricky still gripping little Bella’s hand.
Coop sat in his recliner, forcing himself not to cry out as he got all the way down.
Damn, that was sore. He was going to take that fucking stallion out and shoot the son of a bitch.
Cut off the head and mail it to fucking Australia.
“Uncle Coop, we got a problem.”
Of course they did. “Well, we’ll fix it, whatever it is.”
God help him.
“We’re pregnant.”
The entire world just fell right out from underneath him like a giant vacuum had fastened onto his ass and poof , sucked him right to China.
He didn’t even know what to say.
He literally didn’t know what to say.
These kids were sixteen. That was too young to have a baby, but there were tons of teenagers who had babies. And if she didn’t want to have a baby, she didn’t have to have the baby or keep the baby.
But he didn’t want to say that because what if that was offensive?
He didn’t know.
“All right.”
Ricky held his gaze, and Coop could see how it was killing the kid to not cry himself, and Coop respected the hell out of that.
“I don’t want you to be mad at me. We’ve been using protection, but obviously it wasn’t enough.
But Uncle Coop, I love her, and I am going to be seventeen in three days.
I’ll do whatever I have to do. But we love each other and we want to stay together, get married, and have this baby. ”
Little Bella was beginning to cry again, the little gal crumpling like a wet tissue.
“Well, what do your folks say, girl?”
Big blue eyes stared up, the tears sliding like diamonds. “ They called me a whore, and they told me not to…not…that I couldn’t come back home.”
“Oh, honey.” Those people were fuckers. You didn’t do kids that way. He sighed softly. “You do know that that’s not true, don’t you?”
Ricky held her as she cried, and then those dark eyes fastened on him. “Are you gonna—I mean? I’ve got a couple—please don’t. Please don’t make us go. Let us stay?”
He frowned deep. No. No, that wasn’t how this was going to work.
“Hey, what did I tell you when you came here? I told you you had a place here. That didn’t come with strings.
” He looked at little Bella. “And it doesn’t come with strings for you either, girl.
I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we’re family, and, here? Family stays together.”
Ricky closed his eyes for a second, and fuck, they were so goddamn young. “See, Bella? I told you he wouldn’t just let us fall. Don’t worry. We’re gonna figure this out, I promise you. I will be a good dad. You’ll be a great mom.”
“I know you’re amazing.” She stared at Ricky like he hung the moon, just adoring him.
Holy hell.
“Well, now. The first thing I reckon we’ll do is talk to your folks, see if they were just mad or if you’re really kicked out. I can do that.” Coop started making lists. “Then I reckon we need to get you to a doctor.”
Did he need to get her parents to sign some sort of power of attorney? He’d have to ask Kase and Ryder about that. Surely they would know, or they could ask their social worker.
Bella’s eyes looked like holes in the snow, they were so big and a little swollen. “Okay. My folks are really angry.”
“Well, this is a big thing, and y’all have to really make some plans, huh?” Coop wanted to cry himself. “Have you talked to Benji yet? ”
“No.” Ricky got all stubborn faced. “He’s not around, is he?”
“Ricky.” Bella gave Ricky a look. “He’s working. You know that.”
“I know. I know, I just—I could have—He’s my big brother.”
And Ricky was in deep, life-altering shit.
“You might oughta call him, then tell him to call me, if he needs to.” His head was pounding.
“Okay. I will. Can, um, can Bella stay in my room?”
He wanted to snap that it was a tad late to worry about sleeping arrangements and being all proper, but he wasn’t going to put that on them. They were stressed enough.
“Yeah. And when Brooks gets back, we’ll talk to him about y’all moving into the second master suite, if you want. So you have room for the baby. He’s pretty much sharing my suite now…”
Although if the son of a bitch didn’t come home?—
“Y’all go on. I need a beer, and a minute. Things have a way of working out in time, or so they tell me.”
He stood, fighting the need to cry with the jolt of sheer agony that hit his gut. He’d fought a bull with his back broke, he could do this.
“Thanks, Uncle Coop. Seriously.”
“You’re welcome, son. You’re okay. So are you, Bella.”
She smiled, her lips only quivering a bit. “Thanks, Uncle Coop.” And they were off like their asses were on fire.
He managed to make it to the fridge, got his beer, and then headed for his bedroom. He was so tense his body hurt even worse than it needed to, so he grabbed a couple of Tylenol from the bathroom, too.
He had spent a long few months being what amounted to a single father to these kids, but he was getting used to being part of a duo .
Then he dialed Brooks.
It was time for the motherfucker to come home.
Now.
Brooks sat with his feet up on the porch rail of the bunkhouse he was staying in, because he was the sole person there at three o’clock in the bloody afternoon.
Pete had promised to make a decision today, but he noticed that the close of any real business was in about two hours, and he still didn’t have an answer about who the damn man was hiring.
And his beer was flat and warm and he hated it.
He frowned as his phone rang and frowned deeper as Coop’s name showed up.
It was awful late for Coop to be calling.
“Hey, babe, how?—”
“I want you home. Now. You get your ass on a plane and you fucking come home or you can stay down there!”
Oh. Whoa. Damn, he’d never heard Cooper Adams sound…panicked.
“Coop? What’s going on?” He put his feet down, sitting upright. Something told him he needed to be ready to get up and be action figure Brooks.
“What’s going on? Well, let’s see. I sliced my hand open, I’m pissing blood because that fucking stallion kicked me, and Lucy had her first period. Johnny’s got a black eye, Mason is on a three-day school suspension, Ricky and Bella are pregnant, and Mina peed herself at school! I want you home!”
Bellering.
Coop was bellering.
He sifted through all of that and came up with a list in order of importance. “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the doctor?”
“No. I’ll be fine, although I have decided that fucker and me, we’re not friends.” Coop growled low. “I’m serious, man. I am deadly serious.”
“Okay. Okay, Coop. I’ll arrange for a flight today. I’ll talk to Pete, and then I’ll head for the airport.” He wanted to go home so bad.
“Good. I need you. I can’t do this shit, and now there’s a baby, and Benji—fuck.”
“Jesus. Has she taken a test, or do they just think so?” Brooks needed all the details. Just to be prepared. He rose, heading into the bunkhouse to pack his bag.
“I didn’t ask. I was trying not to scream. She was crying and Ricky was stressing. Her folks threw her out. She’s here now.” Coop was going to hyperventilate. He knew it. “You have to come home.”
“I’m serious, Coop. I’m packing now.” He threw clothes into his suitcase. I’ll go to Pete once we’re off the phone and get my check, and I’ll be home in a day and a half.”
“Good. Good, I can’t—I’m overwhelmed, and I feel like shit.”
“Do you need to call Kase? He can help. He can get you the doc if you need him.” God, he hoped Coop wasn’t hurt bad or sick. “I’m sorry, babe. He’s been stringing me along.”
“Tell him—you know what? I give no shits right now. Tell him I’m going to start putting heads on pikes or?—”
“Uncle Coop! Uncle Coop! I had a nightmare!” Mina’s scream split the air.
“I have to go. Send your itinerary.” The phone went dead.
Shit. What the heck was going on with Mina? She sounded absolutely hysterical.
He got his Dopp kit out of the bathroom, then checked his area to make sure he hadn’t left anything. He grabbed his good boots and competition hat, which shared a custom carrier, and headed up to the main house by way of a golf cart that they kept at the bunks just for that.
His heart was racing, and he couldn’t breathe from the adrenaline coursing through him. Coop was—the man was invincible. So if he was freaking out, shit had to be bad, and Brooks needed to be there.
“Is he in his office, Mags?” he asked Pete’s assistant as he barged into the house.
“He is, but I don’t think he’s taking?—”
Brooks didn’t care. Brooks needed his money, his sperm, and to go home.
He waved at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll announce myself.” He barged to Pete’s office, reminding himself that he was a damned cowboy. He was not going to sink back into the ooze and wait for Pete to grow honesty.
He strode to Pete’s desk and slapped his hands down. “I need my check and my straws.”
“What? I told you, I just need?—”
“No, sir. Write my goddamn check.”
“Now, Brooks.”
He slapped the desk again, the sound like a shot. “You have been dicking me around for an extra week and a half. I want my check, and you can courier my straws to my ranch. I’ve already dealt with all the import details and certificates and the vet certifications.”
“I need a few more?—”
“No.” He stared Pete down. “My partner is hurt bad. My kids are in crisis, and I’m leaving !”
Pete’s wife, Wilma, walked in. “What on earth is going on with the kids? Pete, what are you doing?”
“Now, woman?—”
“Don’t you ‘woman’ me! Brooks?”
He sighed. “He’s holding off on a decision on the new breeding and show manager to keep me here. And Coop has one kid wetting the bed and having nightmares, one getting into fights, and one who got his girl pregnant.”
One eyebrow lifted. “Write the check, Pete, and I’ll have Darren Trotter bring your straws out next week. Put it in writing, Pete. Now.” Damn, she was a ball-buster.
He liked her a lot.
“Now, darl.”
“No. Now.” She crossed her arms and stared.
Brooks stood up and waited, watching as Pete blew out air and grabbed his checkbook. “Will you call Noori on the way to the airport and offer him the job, Brooks?”
“I will.” He held out his hand, and Pete slapped the signed check into it. And it had the pay he’d agreed on as well as the competition commission he’d gotten. Good deal.
“If you need me to consult, I’m happy to do it on Zoom. But this is too far to come now that I have kids and a partner.”
“Fair enough.” Pete twisted his lips. “I don’t suppose I can convince you to bring your brood out here?”
“God no. I can’t imagine that many moving parts. Maybe for a vacay sometime, but right now, we’ve got a baby on the way and they’re still getting over losing their folks and moving in with me and Coop… It’s a thing. But thank you.” He did appreciate Pete for his career. He did.
“Let the man go. Mags, get Brooks a flight—business class, as soon as humanly possible. It’s an emergency.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mags said to Wilma. “Go get your bags, Brooks, and I’ll get Jarvis to take you in and drop you so you can get to the airport.”
Jarvis was the helicopter jockey who got people places quick as a lizard drinking.
“My bag is in the cart.”
“Oh, good.” She beamed. She lifted the walkie-talkie she always carried. “Jarvis. Brooks is on his way to you. He’s flying back to the States.”
“Oi, already?”
Already? He’d been here three weeks too long.
“Just get the bird going.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Thanks, Mags. Wilma. I appreciate it so much. Pete. Send those straws.”
“I will, mate. I will.” Pete stood and came to man-hug and handshake him. “Be safe.”
“I’m going to do my best.” He headed out, and he drove down to the helipad, where Cookie met him, handing him a bag of biscuits, grinning.
“Travel snacks.”
“Thanks.” He hugged her. “Hang in there.”
“Will do.”
“You ready to get the fuck out of here, mate?” Cookie asked, and he grinned.
“You have no idea.”