Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
G od, Brooks was glad to be pulling into the drive with Kase driving and Coop in the backseat, stretched out sideways, finally allowed to come home.
The howl of beagles and Suki’s sharp barking made him smile like the Cheshire Cat. He’d missed them so bad.
In fact, he needed them desperately. He grinned at Kase. “Okay, buddy. Probably going to need to you help ride herd on kids and dogs so Coop can get inside and get pillows all piled around him so no one hurts him.”
“You got it, man.” Kase winked, then looked back over his shoulder. “Coop, you stay put. I got a couple of guys here helping. Let me text them, and we’ll get you inside. Brooks, you go say hey to everyone.”
“You got it.” He glanced at Coop too. “Behave.”
“Mmm.” Coop gave him a drowsy smile and a nod.
The kids had all come down over the weekend to see him, to hug his neck, and to bring presents to Coop. But this? This was coming home.
He hopped out of the truck and he headed for the porch, stopping to love on Thor and Loki and Suki. “Hey, you hairy beasts. I missed you. The cattle dogs at the station aren’t cuddlers, and the hospital was just no bueno.”
“Uncle Brooks!” Mina came pelting at him, running right into his arms. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too, baby doll! Look how pretty you are.” She was wearing a princess dress three sizes too big, at least, a huge string of fake pearls wrapped around her like four times. She also wore lipstick.
Or it was wearing her.
She kissed his cheek, no doubt leaving a huge smear.
“You playing dress-up, huh?”
“Uh-huh. Charlie sent me and Lucy a whole box of stuff from the thrift store where she lives. The makeup is new, though.”
“That’s really cool.” He hugged her tight, and she immediately burst into tears. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“I thoughted you and Uncle Coop went and weren’t coming baaaaaack. He almost died!” Half of the words were a long, drawn-out cry, so he picked her up, hugging on her.
“No, baby girl. We’ll always come home to you if we have to go. And I won’t ever go away as long as that again without all of you.”
“Promise to God? Everything is sad. My heart hurts all the time.”
“I’m so sorry you’re hurting, Miss Mina. I will help all I can. And I cross my heart.” He did just that, giving her a solemn vow.
“Okay, I trust you.” Her tears were killing him.
“Do you even know what that means?” He teased her.
“Uh-huh.” She nodded, so serious. “It means I believe in you like Jesus and Santa and Uncle Coop and Benji.”
Brooks found himself a little misty-eyed. That was some good damn company—Jesus, Santa, Coop, and her oldest brother. That meant something.
“Let’s go in and see everybody else. Mr. Kase is going to help Uncle Coop in when you all stop jumping around.”
Her eyes went wide. “We don’t want to hurt Uncle Coop. Johnny gotted some big owie on his face. Not as big as Uncle’s Coop’s, which was super icky.”
“It’s way better now, huh? The doc said he was real happy about how he was healing. What about Mason? How’s he doing?”
“He was in a big fight, you know? Mason said that his hand was harder than that kid’s face. And that kid was bad off, and that’s why he had to stay home for three days. Because he got in big trouble.” She stared at him. “He went to the principal’s office.”
“Wow.”
“Uh-huh. It’s been a bad, bad time. You have to stay home. You’re like a furry rabbit foot. You know, on the keychain.”
He blinked. “You mean like a lucky rabbit’s foot?”
“Uh-huh. Mason said they was real, but Lucy said no, they was fake. Because that would make me cry if you cut off a bunny’s foot because they couldn’t hippity hop.”
No wonder Coop had been losing his mind while Brooks was gone. He’d only been home for like seven seconds, and he’d already been compared to Jesus and a dismembered rabbit.
He walked into the house all the way, and Johnny glanced up at him, then hopped up. “Uncle Brooks? Where’s Uncle Coop.”
“He’s coming in with Kase. Can I get a hug?” He held out an arm, and Johnny ran to him. “You okay?” Brooks asked.
“Uh-huh. Some big boy called me names and hit me and was trying to make me eat dirt. Mason cleaned his clock. ”
“Well, I’m home, so it’s time to go back to school, huh? I’ll talk to the principal.”
“Okay. I’m glad you’re home.” Johnny squeezed him tight.
“Oh, man, me too. I’ll talk at you later. Where’s Lucy?”
“She’s fussing with Uncle Coop’s bed.”
“I’m right here.” She came running out. “Uncle Coop?—”
“Hey, Luce. He’s coming. Thanks for making it all nice for him.”
“Uncle Brooks. Hey! Welcome home. I got all the pillows around like you said, and I got that bed table in there that Ricky put together and all. And the baby gate for the beagles. Suki will be real gentle.”
“Well, we should put him in bed and get him all settled before everyone comes to love on him. Where’s Ricky?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Mason’s outside, cleaning up the barn. The cowboys have been helping but?—”
She looked at him and burst into tears and then leaped at him. “I missed you so much. We really needed you here, and we’re so glad you’re home. And not just for the spaghetti.” She offered him a watery smile and winked. “Although we’ve talked about the spaghetti a lot.”
“I can make that tonight if you want.”
“No, sir,” Kase said, helping Coop limp inside with the help of a redheaded cowboy who had so many freckles it made Brooks’s eyes cross. “There’s King Ranch casserole in the fridge. And the stuff for breakfast burritos tomorrow. No cooking until tomorrow night.”
“Oh, good. That way I can get Coop to sleep.”
“I’m not sleeping right away. I just need to sit for a second.” Coop lifted his head and scowled at him. Then he grinned. “Welcome home, huh?”
“Finally. I’m glad to be here. Let’s get you settled so I can get everyone in to see you and stuff. Do not let the dogs jump on you.”
He was going to stop that argument before Coop even made it because he knew what Coop would say.
Coop would say, “Those dogs aren’t going to hurt me a bit. They’re my beasts.”
So Brooks was going to bully the son of a bitch into bed and a mound of protective pillows and then let the dogs see he was okay before kicking them out.
Man, he needed a beer. And a shower once Coop was settled.
Also, he was ordering a hot tub. It seemed to be the New Mexico cowboy right to have a hot tub at every single house. Somehow, their house didn’t have one.
He was opposed to this as a rule.
So he was buying them a hot tub tomorrow, possibly tonight. He’d call Ryder and tell him, “Get me a hot tub. I’ll write you a check.”
He bet that son of a bitch had a hot tub here tomorrow. He’d do that as soon as he could go outside and talk to Kase.
“Come on, babe. Let’s get you in bed.” He took the cowboy’s place, nodding at him, and him and Kase got Coop to the bedroom, the kids trailing behind them.
“I texted Mason and Ricky,” Lucy said. “But I told Mason he has to wash up super good before he’s allowed to come see Uncle Coop.”
“That’s perfect, honey. We’ll all have to do that for a while. Uncle Coop had a real bad infection.”
“Uh-huh. I was reading all about it.”
Johnny sniffled as he trailed along behind them. “I was real scared.”
“I was too, son,” Coop said. “But guess what? Granny and Grandpa are staying for a bit, too. They just went to the store, is all.”
“Yeah?” Mina beamed. “They like ice cream.”
“Sure they do. Who doesn’t?” Coop smiled, but the strain was showing by the time they got him in bed and all comfy, the dogs up, then down, and the kids all gathered.
“Lucy, you make sure everyone follows the rules, okay? I’m gonna walk Mr. Kase out. And find Mason,” he mouthed at Coop, who nodded.
The kids always came first.
He walked Kase out to the truck, which was unloaded now, their bags on the porch, the freckled kid having pulled them out.
“Thanks, uh…”
“Hale. Nice to meet you, sir.”
“You too.”
Kase grinned at him, slapped him on the back. “Holler when you want your straws. They’re safely stored for whenever.”
“You got it, man. Thank you so much for everything.” He shook hands with the man.
“You let me know if you need anything.”
“A hot tub.”
Kase blinked. “Uh. What?”
“I want to put in a hot tub out by the deck. You and Ryder know anyone?”
“I’ll have him call you.”
“Thanks.” He grinned. “He’ll want to soak once he’s cleared.”
“Hell yes.” Kase clapped him on the back, then climbed into the truck, waving. The man no doubt wanted to finally be home with his own kids too. He and Ryder had been alternating three- or four-day shifts in Albuquerque.
He hauled their shit into the laundry room and changed from good boots into his work boots, which damn near made him cry.
His good boots were fine, but the work boots were like an old friend.
Then he headed out to the barns to ‘see the horses’, which was where he found Mason.
“Hey, you. Thanks for mucking out in here.”
“You’re welcome. You glad to be home?” Mason looked at him, hope clear on the boy’s face.
“You know it. I was sick of being stuck there, kiddo. I swear it. Both Oz and the hospital. Lucy is pulling out hamburger for noodles tomorrow night.”
“Oh, thank God. We went from pizza to boxed mac and cheese to we’re eating cereal at every meal.” Mason rolled his eyes. “Granny’s pretty good at making chili and stuff, though.”
“I’m looking forward to trying her chili. It is cool with y’all to call them Granny and Grandpa?”
“Uh-huh. Benji said our Nana and Pop wouldn’t care. He said he’s real sorry that he couldn’t stay for Uncle Coop coming home, but he had to fly out.”
“He stopped by the hospital to hug Coop’s neck.” He leaned against the stall, and Max came up to nuzzle him.
“Uncle Coop’s going to be okay for real?”
“He will. He’s going to need help, a lot of naps. Rest.”
“He could use that.” Mason sighed. “I screwed up, Uncle Brooks. But he deserved it.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah. I mean, he was making Johnny eat dirt. He was choking. He could have died.”
“That’s fair.” He was going to kill someone, there was no question about that.
“And they wanted me to apologize, and I won’t.”
“You’re not sorry?” He couldn’t blame Mason for that.
“No. I’m sorry I caused Uncle Coop problems, especially when you weren’t here. I wish he wasn’t so disappointed about the school, but I’m not going to say I didn’t mean it.” Mason stared him down. “Johnny is different, but he’s my brother, and no one will hurt him without having to answer to me.”
“Okay. I can see that.” Brooks wasn’t sure what to make of all that, so he just nodded, giving Mason the respect he deserved. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I promise.” Mason scraped another shovel of manure into the wheelbarrow. “Okay. You feed. I’ll go check all the water.”
“Sure.”
Okay, so that left Ricky. He wondered where that kid was. But he did have a job now, so maybe he was off at work.
He would need to remember to save some casserole for him and Bella if they weren’t there in time for supper.
“Hey, Miss Pansy,” he greeted his mare. “How are you? You gonna be mad at me?”
She stuck her head over the stall door, blowing at him gently. Max came back to look at him too, dark eyes searching for the food he was sure to have. Such a guy.
“Come on, let’s get you fed.”
Forty-five minutes later the horses were fed, he was washed up, and the casserole was in the oven. Amanda was making a salad, Dallas was dozing in one of the recliners, and Lucy was at the kitchen table working on her 4-H project.
So it was time to go see to Coop.
“Coop?” He grabbed his empty suitcase and ducked into their suite, the gloom making it hard to see to begin with.
He found his lover there, with Mina on one side and Johnny on the other, both sound asleep, their little bodies relaxed.
“Hey, honey. Good to be home?”
He nodded. “It totally is. Lucy is hanging with your folks, and I assume Bella and Ricky are working. What do you need? ”
“I took a pill. I’m hurting some, but it’s getting better. I bet you’re exhausted as all get-out.”
That was the understatement of the century, and he was ready to get in bed with Coop, but there was supper, and Johnny and Mina needed books read, and everyone needed to start to decompress.
“I’m pretty beat. But supper will be done soon, and all. I’ll save some for you for tomorrow. I bet tonight you’d rather just?—”
“Lucy brought me a bowl of ice cream while you were in the barn.”
“Okay.” He reached over to touch Coop’s cheek. “I’m so sorry about all this.”
“Oh, honey. I just need some rest. I’m on the mend now.” Coop sighed, leaning back on the pillows, his eyes already super heavy. “You okay with the kids or my folks? I’m sorry.”
“I’m good. No worries.” He was, too. He’d get Johnny and Mina up here in a bit to have supper, since it was late, and the others could entertain themselves. Hell, Ricky and Bella still weren’t home.
His phone buzzed, and he looked at the text, which was from Benji.
you home yet?
Yep. Making supper
Take care of Coop
will do
When he looked up from the texts, Coop was asleep, so he took a picture of the babies, curled against him.
Poor Coop. Jesus, the man looked tough, and it tore at him. Brooks felt like shit for staying gone so damn long.
He fed the kids, did their reading, they all played Uno, with Amanda being on a team with Mina.
He said hey to Ricky and Bella, hugging them both, one after the other.
Bella offered him a worried smile, but Ricky held his gaze.
“How’s Uncle Coop?”
“Okay. How are you two?”
“Working hard, saving money. I’m going to marry her once she’s seventeen, before the baby comes. I love her.”
“And I love him. He’s my person.”
There wasn’t anything else to say, so he waved at them as they went off, both of them looking exhausted.
Then he bathed and tucked in the little ones.
It was another damn hour after that before he’d showered, and then he realized he’d forgotten the kids’ gifts.
“Tomorrow.” He slipped into bed with Coop.
“What’s tomorrow, honey?” Coop murmured.
“The presents. How you feeling?”
“Like I had my guts surged on.” Coop chuckled a little. “But not hurtin’ so bad.”
“Good. Holler when you need to pee.”
“Oh, you’ll be asleep.”
“I can hack it.” He grinned at the ceiling. “I have time to make up for.”
“You sure do, cowboy,” Coop murmured. “Soon as I feel better. I missed the hell out of you.”
“I hear you. I’m glad as hell to be back where I belong.”
“Yeah. Love you, man.” And with that, Coop was snoring.
Thank God for small favors.