Cowboy's Law

by B. A. Tortuga

  “Oh, you found him!” Dawn was in the kitchen, heating milk for cocoa. “Hot chocolate or tea?”

  “Mmm. Hot chocolate,” Seth said.

  Law didn’t argue. Not if Seth thought something sounded good. Win presented Seth with two crullers, as well.

  “Oh, you do love me. Thanks, buddy.”

  “Tractor-tire donuts are the best. I bought a whole dozen.”

  Horse snorted. “Had to go to a donut place too. No crullers at the grocery here.”

  “Not like Texas,” Win agreed. “The H-E-B always has them.”

  “I appreciate it. I love conchas, but Pistol introduced me to these.”

  Law got Seth down in his recliner and got the man settled.

  The hot chocolate appeared, Dawnie winking at him. He would have half coffee with his and eat a few chocolate donuts, just like Jordan.

  The dogs started barking like mad beasts, and Law felt his chest tighten a little bit. He wasn’t ready.

  He got a curious look from Win and an encouraging smile from Seth.

  “Be right back. Coming back with four more big dudes, okay?”

  “You want me to come out, honey?”

  “You stay put. Eat.” Seth was halfway through the second donut. No way was he wasting that.

  “I’ll make more cocoa,” Dawnie said, vanishing into the kitchen.

  Law headed outside. “Fuzzy! Domino. Y’all get down.”

  Hunter stepped out of the big SUV first, and Law blinked. Whoa.

  Whoa.

  Hunter was sporting a do-rag, an earring, and a huge freedom beard. Law barely recognized the guy. Really.

  Harries still looked regulation, all high-top and clean-cut. Trainor looked like he’d been at the beach for a year, all sun-streaked and tanned, and Nickel was… well, the man had clearly been injured. He was pale and skinny. Nickel had still been deployed, last he’d heard.

  “Hey.” Law grinned, going to Hunter first.

  “Manny. Damn, babe. You look fucking amazing.” Hunter grabbed him up in a hard hug. “How’s your man?”

  “Tired.” He pounded Hunter’s back, suddenly beyond glad to see him. “Y’all will have to be gentle.”

  “We won’t eat him. I’ve already warned the guys off. Mostly.” Hunter’s bright blue eyes twinkled with pure mischief.

  “You suck.” He slapped that butt, and his hand bounced like he’d hit a big fitness ball. “You look fantastic.”

  “What are we, chopped liver?”

  He turned to give Nickel a hug, way more careful with this one. “You’re sarcastic, is what you are. Great to see you, man.”

  “Fucking fabulous to be Stateside and seen. It’s cold here, man. I thought New Mexico was hot.”

  “Well, it’s winter, man.” He pulled back to look Nickel in his hazel eyes. “You okay?”

  “Getting there.”

  Trainor grabbed Law and spun him into a hug. “You look better than last time I saw you.”

  “Last time you saw me, my guts were hanging out. Pleased to have you, man.” He looked back at the house, where Keira and Jordan were staring with rapt gazes.

  “Hey, you.” He man-hugged Harries, who was grinning but hanging back. “Come on and meet the fam, huh?”

  “Absolutely. I can’t wait to meet your sibs.”

  He led the guys inside. “There’s coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, and our hero, Win, bought donuts this morning.”

  “Win?”

  Win stood up from where he was sitting on the couch. “Howdy, fellers.” He came to shake hands, and so did Horse.

  “And this is Seth. Seth, this is Hunter and the guys, Nickel, Trainor, and Harries.”

  Hunter strode right over to shake Seth’s hand. “Thanks for giving this guy a place to land, man. He needed it.”

  “This is his home. Welcome and happy Thanksgiving. We were tickled y’all could come.” Seth smiled at Hunter, trying to get to his feet.

  “Hey, don’t get up. We’ve all been there. In fact, I’m gonna ask if Nickel can have a sit while we round up drinks and these donuts we heard about.”

  “Of course. Please, sit. Bethany, honey, can you get that footstool for Mr. Nickel?” Seth smiled at Nickel, nodded sympathetically.

  “Yes, Uncle.”

  “Thanks.” Nickel eased down, face all but gray, and Law was going to have to ask Hunter what the hell was going on.

  “Who wants what? I’ll help serve,” Win said.

  “I can help, Wind! I can carry donuts!” Little Keira popped up like a jack in the box and grabbed Law’s hand and squeezed. “Your friends are tall like Horse.”

  “They are, huh?” He squeezed back. “Come on. No running with donuts, though, right?”

  “Yes, sir. Dawnie! I need you to reach the do-nos for the folks!”

  “You got it, kiddo. Crullers are for Win and Seth, though, okay?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Man, you got a lot of kiddos. How do you tell them apart?” Harries asked, and it was Seth who snorted.

  “Well, Wiley is the sixteen-year-old boy. Dawnie’s the cowgirl, Bethany’s my bookworm, Keira’s my dancer, and Miss Jordan is my Lego fanatic. Easy as pie.”

  “And you know, they happen to be my brother and sisters,” Law said. “I’ve known them since they were born.”

  “Even us, Uncle Law?” Jordan asked.

  “Yep. Pistol used to Skype with me so I could sing y’all to sleep.”

  “Wow… Is it okay that I don’t remember?”

  To the twins, Pistol was like Santa Claus, and Seth was basically the only parent they’d known.

  “Sure it is, kiddo. That’s why I tell you the stories.”

  “Hot chocolate!” Win handed out mugs. “Who all wants a shot of coffee? I’ll bring the pot around.”

  Hunter was the first one to settle in with mug and sweet. “Oh, it’s good to get the hell out of the car.”

  “Yeah, I bet.” Law handed tea to Nickel, which meant Dawnie was paying attention. He could smell honey and lemon. The man would be getting plied with chicken noodle soup soon. “Y’all, sit,” he told Trainor and Harries. “I’ll go get a few more chairs from the kitchen.”

  “Are you sure you’re going to be able to put us all up?” Hunter asked.

  “Yep. The casita is ready. There’s two beds, a pull-out couch, and an air mattress there.” Law moved to get chairs, Horse helping him out while grabbing another donut.

  “There’s two bedrooms in the ranch house too, y’all. Nice and comfy.” Horse stole a quick kiss from Win on the way by.

  “Cool.” Harries looked at Trainor, who shrugged. “We’ll call the casita, if that’s cool.”

  Hunter rolled his eyes. “I’ll crash with Nickel at the ranch house, then, just to make sure he can hit the head in the middle of the night.”

  “Jerk,” Nickel said mildly. “I can do anything but the air mattress.”

  “The beds are nicer at the house, sir.” Win offered. “Damn near as comfy as Seth and Law’s.”

  “I’m in, then.” Nickel gave Win a tired smile.

  Law decided right then and there to text Wiley and tell him to bring something for supper—something warm and easy and quick. He wanted to keep an eye on his man and Nickel.

  And they could all be lazy and warm and easy, hanging with the kids and cowboys when the night feeding happened.

  He grinned at Seth, who was waggling eyebrows at him. He shook his head. “I’m going to have Wiley stop and get green chile stew and biscuits and cornbread.”

  “Rock on.”

  Yeah, he figured Seth had read his mind.

  “I can heat up some of the chicken soup I made too,” Bethany said quietly, staring at Nickel.

  Nickel glanced at her, his smile brightening. “That would be a real kindness, hon. Bethany, right?”

  “Yes, sir. Bethany the Bookworm, right Uncle?” She beamed over at Seth, who rolled his eyes.

  “My brainy girl.”

  “You look sad,
Mr. Nickel,” Keira said, sliding onto the couch next to his buddy. “I’m not a bookworm like Bethany, but I could read you a story.”

  “I—I would love that. What are we reading?”

  Hunter was wide-eyed, but the other two shot each other a teasing look.

  “Hank the Cowdog. I read them with Jordan.” She showed him the book, which had a mangy-looking ranch dog on the cover. God, those were Pistol’s. Law had read those to his brother.

  “Can I sit with them too?” Jordan tugged his hand. “Please. I’m good.”

  “Sure, kiddo. How about between Seth and Nickel. No kicking your legs, though.”

  “Promise.” Jordan went to Seth, who snuggled her right in.

  “Mmm… hey, baby girl.”

  “Hey. I like Hank.”

  “I know. Okay, Keira, we’re ready.”

  Law listened to his little girl read, proud as he could be. He knew the other guys would probably rather have a tour or watch a movie, but they were on their best behavior right now. And this was magic—Bethany and Jordan listening, Keira telling Nickel about Hank’s tail and his ears, and Seth was home.

  Hunter looked over at him, his eyes glinting, but he wasn’t laughing. Law thought maybe his buddy was happy for him.

  He grinned at Hunter, because he was home, because this was his place, his family, his world, and it felt so good.

  So much for the nerves. The guys would settle in or they would move on, and that was that.

  Now all he had to do was turn out an amazing Thanksgiving feast. For the first time. By himself.

  Well, with Bethany. And he would bet Win would help. Horse liked his food, and Win needed to be busy.

  By the time the book was done, so were Nickel and Seth both, so Jordan headed to play with her Legos, and Keira hopped up to go play in the snow with Dawn.

  “Come on, guys,” Law said softly. “I’ll show you the casita, and you two can stow your gear while Hunter fills me in.”

  Hunter nodded and shot him a grin. “Sounds kick-ass. There’s a back end full of food too, in the vehicle.”

  “I’ll stay here, in case.” Bethany was settled in her chair with blanket and book.

  “Good deal. Holler if y’all need us.” He led the way out, knowing Bethany would keep an eye on the recovering pair. The eye that wasn’t devouring her book, at any rate.

  “You’ve got a nice setup, Manny. Seriously. How many acres do y’all have? Was this Pistol’s ranch or your man’s?” Hunter glanced around, appreciation in his eyes.

  “Seth’s. You’ll probably be staying at Pistol’s. This ranch is almost six hundred acres, and Pistol’s is eight hundred, and they border each other.” They had it good, and he knew it.

  Hunter shook his head. “Damn, that’s a lot to control. You have a lot of help?”

  “I do. We do.” Law found himself grinning like a fool. “We have some amazing guys. Bonner is a full-time hand. He has the foreman’s house over at Pistol’s. The other guys live in town, but they’re here all the time. And then there’s the community. I never understood how the kids managed so good, but we’re a huge, crazy family.” He inhaled deep, letting the sheer joy of being here, being home fill him up. Shit had hit the fan, and they hadn’t been alone. “Win and Horse have been living in a travel trailer, so I think they’re going to stay at Pistol’s place.”

  “Stay stay? Are you cool with that?”

  “The more the merrier, man. By the time the kids are thinking of taking over, we’ll all be ready to let them. The guys don’t have any relations to leave things to.” And that was their business, really. Hell, the acreage Seth had would support all of them, and he was coming to understand that cowboys weren’t solitary like the mythology said. There was too much work, too much danger, to be alone.

  They were a team on a ranch. A bunch of moving parts.

  “Well, cool. Here, help me with the food.”

  “Casita is right back there, guys. Bethany cleaned it this a.m., so be sure to tell her what a nice job she did later, huh?” He went to help Hunter with a load. “What the hell happened to Nickel?”

  “Transport hit a land mine. Damn thing flipped and crushed him.” Hunter shook his head. “He’s going to be okay, I think. He just needs some time.”

  “Shit, man, that sucks. I know from recovery. He looks like he’s recovering well already, if that’s what happened.” Looks like they were all out and free.

  “Nice little house, man. Seriously.” Harries grinned over his shoulder. “You’ve got a nice little domestic thing going on.”

  “It’s a fine place.” He tried not to let his shoulders rise up around his ears. Harries had a way with words.

  “It’s an amazing place.” Hunter’s voice sliced through like a hot knife through butter.

  “Thanks, man. Come on.”

  Trainor grabbed Harries and pulled him back toward the casita while Law and Hunter took another load. “Don’t let him get to you. I brought him because Trainor was worried he would do something stupid over the holidays.”

  “I won’t. I’m glad you’re here, man. Seriously. I’ve missed you.”

  “Ditto. Your sibs are rocking cool. Did I miss, uh, Wiley?”

  “He’s at the store.” He rolled his eyes. “With his girlfriend.”

  “Dude.” Hunter shook his head, looking horrified, and didn’t that crack his shit up? “No shit?”

  “No shit.”

  Hunter cracked up. “You did say he was going to get supper. I can totally chip in for that.”

  “Cool.” Law glanced at Hunter sideways. “What stupid would Harries do?”

  “He’s not adjusting well. Won’t do the therapy the VA wants him to.”

  “I sort of hear that. I mean, I still go twice a week, but it’s PT.”

  “Well, you have a few less loose screws.” Hunter shrugged. “I told Trainor if he makes trouble, they’re out. Having Thanksgiving at the Golden Corral.”

  “It’ll be fine.”

  “Tell me about the guys we’ll be staying with?”

  “Win was a bullfighter, and Horse was a bulldogger for a while. Mostly he’s some sort of horse whisperer. They’re amazing—no one had to ask them to come.”

  “Cool. They seem solid.” Hunter grabbed more bags.

  “They totally are. What’s with the beard, man?” He had to tease.

  “Like you didn’t grow one. I needed it. My little rebellion.”

  “I didn’t, actually. They kept shaving me.” He winked. “It’s prodigious.”

  “You think I ought to shave it off?” Hunter stroked his beard.

  “I like it,” Horse said, coming to take a box of snacks from Hunter. “It’s a great color.”

  Hunter blinked at Horse, and then he turned bright red. “Thanks.”

  Law blinked too, then grinned. Look at that.

  Too bad Horse was taken. Like totally. Win was a little force of nature, a lot like Seth.

  Still, it was nice to see Hunter flirt a little, play. They’d all had a long row to hoe lately.

  Horse winked, then headed back out.

  “Those guys are both something else,” Hunter murmured.

  “No shit on that. I can’t imagine dealing with this without them. They literally saved my life when they showed up.” And he loved the idea of them staying, loved the whole thought of a place surrounded with friends.

  Seth would love it too, once he got the idea in his teeth. His lover was just not up to speed. Hell, Seth was still mostly sleeping twenty-one hours a day.

  Law peeked in on Seth and Nickel on their last pass. Jordan had crawled back up with them and was sound asleep too.

  He was worried the little girl was getting depressed or not sleeping or something. Maybe it was partly the weather.

  Maybe it was the upheaval. He might have to call the doc to see what he recommended. Maybe they just needed to let her rest with Seth.

  “Everything okay?” Hunter asked.

  “Yeah. It’s all
good. You want some coffee or something besides hot chocolate?”

  “Shit, you want to sit on the back porch and drink a beer?”

  “Yeah. I do. You think Trainor—”

  “He’ll keep Harries away.”

  “Thanks. I hate that I feel like that, man.”

  “He’s—conflicted.”

  No shit on that. The thing was, Law had enough shit to deal with. Harries’s shit wasn’t even on the list. He had to get his lover healed up, his kids through the holidays, and the buffalo the fuck off his ranch. And feed a mess of dozens for Thanksgiving.

  All of this.

  He gave no shits about Harries.

  They grabbed a beer and headed to the porch, both of them shrugging into their jackets. They had a patio heater too, so he turned it on.

  “This is cool, man. I bet you’re out here a lot.” Hunter sat, taking up all the room that he left behind.

  Law had to wonder if Seth had felt like that when he came.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I was just out here with Jordan. She’s had a lot of change.”

  “You mean overall, or the wreck?” Hunter watched him like his answer was important.

  “All of it. The twins were so young when our folks went, and then Pistol, and Keira’s the easy one. Jordan? She can find trouble without trying. Seth is the one solid thing in their whole world, and now this…” He grinned a little. “She told me I was her best friend.”

  “No shit? That had to make you feel good and bad at the same time. Is it going okay at school?”

  “Yeah. She’s had a few moments, but she’s been solid. She’s been… low energy. Sleepy.”

  “I can’t imagine how fucking scared she must be. Her folks die, Pistol shows up. Seth shows up, Pistol dies. You show up—”

  “Yeah.” Shit, he’d never even thought of that. “Well, Seth is recovering, so maybe she’ll start to believe.”

  “I bet, but you’ll have to know that’s a thing. It’s like PTSD, right? You have to head it off at the pass.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, okay. You’ve done a lot of therapy, huh?”

  Hunter flushed. “I’ve been back in school. I’m doing my master’s in psychology.”

  “No shit?” Well, look at that. “Good on you, man. Seriously.”

  “Thanks. I needed to do something while I was tied to a desk, recovering. You know?”