Stupid!
The clothes shopping went quickly, and Ali didn’t protest too much when I bought the same pair of jeans, same color, and same size. She thought I should have black, khaki, stone washed… I did however let her pick out a ton of shirts for me. She found a grey hoodie that “You must wear” and a black leather vest to go over whatever shirt I was wearing. I almost balked, but saw the pockets in the vest would hold the magazines of my next purchase perfectly. Besides, it’d look good with the black Stetson I snagged on my way in.
“You’re going to look so hot…”
“All the ladies will be lining up to dance with me,” I told her, smiling when she frowned.
“Don’t you joke about that-” Really? She had a jealous streak too?
“What, that you are dressing me up to put me on show?” I joked.
“Ok, ok. But I was having fun. It’s not every day that you get to play with a life sized Ken doll,” she said running her hand across my stomach, feeling the muscles that I’d been neglecting for the last week and a half since I left the desert.
“Easy now, easy. We still have one more stop to go before we go back to the ranch.”
“I know, I know. Boys and their toys,” she tried to sound exasperated, but I knew she was faking it.
“Do you like to shoot?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she grinned, and my heart flip flopped.
We drove to the other end of town where the Guns Galore Emporium was. Not much changed since I left when I was a kid, but I still loved the place. Row upon row of rifles lined the aisle way. Mostly hunting stuff. The pistols were behind a glass case and the back wall was dedicated to more specialized guns, most of them were the scary “black guns” that folks worry about in the news. Those were what I was interested in. I had to smile though, the guy who walked out of the side door to help us, looked like Barney Fife, if Barney had only had full sleeved tattoos and a nose ring.
“What can I help you two with today?” He asked me, his gaze lingering on Alison longer than I’d like.
“I’m looking for something like those,” I motioned to the AR platforms behind and to his left. “But I want something special. If you don’t have it, I’d like to order the parts for a build.”
“Really? You know guns?”
“As if my life depended on it,” I smiled back at him, wondering if he’d ever served. Goofy mug like his, he would have made a perfect Special Forces guy.
“Navy or Marines?” He asked me, looking at me for the first time and smiling.
“Neither, Army,” I guessed he was Navy, judging by the tattoos.
“Nobody’s perfect.”
“Hey, I’ve heard that one before,” Ali poked me in the side and I gave her the glare when it startled me.
“Yeah, me too,” I told the both of them.
“So what kind of Excalibur you looking for?”
“An AR with an upper in 7.62/.308 and a heavy barrel. A good Leopold scope and the mounts to make her fit on a Picatinny rail. Some 30 round mags would be nice, but I’ll take a bunch of 10’s if you have them.
The clerk whistled low and looked me over again, then back at Ali.
“Howdy again miss,” He told her, but Ali just giggled and gave him a little wave. “You want an expensive toy, or you going coyote hunting?”
“I want something familiar, and yes, coyotes are getting bad,” I dropped him a wink.
“Heard that the sheriff’s nephew took a shot at you yesterday.”
“Aw shit,” how did folks hear about this already, and how did he know it was me? “Yeah, that was me. Honestly, I’m hoping the trouble is over, but if I’m sticking around, I want something like my service rifle. Remington’s are great, but I only played with those in practice.”
“You were a shooter,” it was a statement, not a question and I could see Barney’s eyes looking into me. One killer to another.
“Yeah. I’m hoping those days are over, but you never know when you get treed by some wild hogs.”
“Amen brother.”
“Uh, guys, this might be fun to you all but, I’m lost here,” Alison said, her voice a sweet melody to my ears.
“We’re talking gun porn Miss. Here, check out this Beretta,” he handed her a pistol after making sure the chamber was empty.
“This gun I know. Dad has the bigger model in the safe,” Ali said, her eyes opened wide, but she slid the chamber back, making sure the gun was unloaded and then pointed it in a safe direction, feeling the balance. I turned back to Barney.
“Got anything like I’m talking about?”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve got two. One of them is mine, and it’s not for sale, the other was a custom order that didn’t get picked up. I have the barrel you want, make you a good deal on it. It’s about twice as much as a base AR pricewise.”
“I expected as much. I’m also going to want a Colt Gold Cup .45.”
“And that Beretta. Looks like your lady is in love.”
I turned, and sure enough, Alison was smiling. To the astonishment of Barney and me, she started field stripping the gun. She looked at every piece, and then put it back together within minutes. I looked at Barney with raised eyebrows, trying to silently ask him WTF? He just shrugged and went to the back shelf. When he came back he had a stack of ammo. 7.62, .45 and 9mm. I shook my head, but I was smiling. I tapped the box of .45 and 7.62 a few times and he went back for more.
“Now for the gun. Let me show you.”
He disappeared behind the curtain where he had come out of. A few moments later, he came back carrying the civilian version of the M4’s big brother. He had one 30 round magazine and it looked like three ten round magazines.
“What do you think?” he asked me, already knowing.
My mouth had gone dry and the memories of holding almost this exact rifle flooded into my mind. I worked the bolt, feeling how smooth the action was. I could work with this, and it even had a decent scope already on it.
“Sorry, no Leopold’s.” He apologized.
What was on there was good enough. In honesty, it was about the best civilian style scope for this rifle. It was a Bushnell’s. I know I could bore Alison with the details on it later, but it was perfect for the range I would be using this at.
“Good. So the rifle and these two pistols.”
“There’s just a little matter of paperwork, payment and wait time,” he said, smiling.
“I’ve got my ID here somewhere…” I dug through my wallet and pulled out my military ID and another one, one that most civilians don’t see. It was a class III FFL. I’d gotten it a couple years ago as part of some training and my love of all things that went BANG. I could literally purchase and own almost anything short of a tank.
“Ahhh. So I take it you have a concealed pistol license as well?”
“Yeah, they issued me one before I left,” I handed it over. “So I shouldn’t have to deal with the wait times. Oh, and I’ll need some belt holsters for the pistols.”
“Of course you do. Fill this out and I’ll find something for the lady,” he told me, sliding me a clipboard.
I hate forms, but I filled this one out, using Bill’s address for my background check. When I’d heard Mom had moved back into town, I already thought I knew it was to re-unite with Bill, but I had to put an address on something. My ID had the same sticker. I added my new cell phone number and stepped back to watch Barney and Alison. She had a black tooled holster on her right side, and Barney was showing her how to release the flap holding the gun secure to do somewhat of a quick draw. I smiled. I could teach her some things, but a quick draw artist I wasn’t.
“Don’t have too much fun over there,” I called.
“Hey, Barney says he’ll show me how to do a quick draw. You know how to do that?”
I started laughing. Hard. His name was Barney, of course it was. There is a god, and he’s got a sense of humor!!!!
“What’s so funny?” Alison asked me, with a puzz
led expression on her face.
“Nothing,” I managed to slow the humor in my voice.
“Don’t worry; I hear it all the time,” Barney told me, a smile on his face.
“What?” She was still confused.
“I’m sorry,” to Barney, “I’ll tell you later.” I told Alison.
I walked over to the shelf and found something that I thought would be perfect. When Barney (snicker) pulled the Gold Cup from the glass case, it slid in without an issue. A perfect fit. I was smiling and Barney gave me a nod and went to the cash register.
“Give me a second to put all this into the computer. You paying cash?”
“No, debit.”
“You call your bank ahead of time?”
“No…?”
“You just got back from overseas?”
“Yeah. I’ve been gone for seven years.”
“Ok, call your bank and make sure they approve this much of a charge. Things got funny a few years back and most places put a cap on one time purchases to protect folks from fraud. I want to catch up with Ms. Masterson a moment, you don’t mind do you?”
Did I mind? My guts clenched, but I just shrugged.
I wandered to the front of the store, calling the bank from my new phone. It was the same bank I had when I first went overseas, the one here in town. I explained who I was, confirmed my social security number and told them the amount. They put me on hold to do some computer magic and my gaze drifted out the window. The weasel dick from the hospital… James perhaps? He was walking down the street. He was talking into a phone. I followed his progress and saw a brown sheriff’s SUV pull over, and he climbed in the front seat. I strained to see who the driver was, but it wasn’t Tyler. That was when the lady from the bank came back online and told me my card would be ready for the purchase. I thanked her and hung up. No more fooling myself, I always knew I was coming home, hell, I was already here.
“I’m ready,” I told Barney, putting my card on the counter. He just nodded and hesitated before swiping the card.
“Is that enough ammo?” He asked Alison and me.
“I’m sure there’s more in the ranch’s gun safe if we ever get over-run by Indians,” I joked.
“Yeah, we probably have all of these calibers. Daddy has a ton of toys be bought from you,” she told Barney, and I sighed. Now I knew the connection that had worried me for half a second. I really had to get over this. It just felt so raw, so new. Love.
“Good,” I undid my belt and put the holster through it. “You don’t mind do you?” I asked Barney and he shook his head no.
The credit card receipt was printing when I started loading the magazine for the Gold Cup. I finished loading the fine pistol, and put the safety on before holstering it. I signed for it and Alison looked disappointed when I put hers in the box instead of on her belt.
“You don’t have a CPL.”
“It’s an open carry state!” She was pissed.
“In a car ma’am,” Barney said, “You need a CPL to have a loaded gun within reach.”
“Oh, I thought it was some misogynistic thing.”
“Hon, if that was the case, you would have shot me by now,” I teased her, and she promptly stuck out her tongue.
“I’m guessing you’re qualified to teach her about the gun that you bought for yourself, but are going to let her try out once in a while?” I almost had to think hard for a moment there, but yes, I bought the gun and he never asked for her credentials even though it was obvious I was buying it for her.
“Yeah, I was an E-7, with a B4 ASI,” I told him with a grin, thinking if he was a squid he wouldn’t understand what I was saying, but he just nodded.
“Good to know there’s another SF dude in town. We had some of you guys on the teams.”
I had to stop short there. I thought he was Special Forces, but this lanky Barney Fife biker look alike was a Seal.
“Did we ever meet before?”
“No, I bought the shop here three years back. Don’t think we’ve ever met, but if you want to split a case of Budweiser some night and talk war stories, just let me know.”
“I’d like that, I really would,” I said holding my hand out, smiling like an idiot. He returned the smile and handshake.
“Just one question, why not a Remington 700 system like the M24?”
“Extra firepower and the coyotes can’t hit a target 3000 feet out like I can with this little puppy.” I said patting the AR that was now in a cloth case for transport, compliments of the Emporium. “Besides, I upgraded my own system. Lost it in an IED setup and mortar attack. I want a new baby.”
“Sad.”
“I almost cried a week.”
“Oh my god. Can we go now?” Alison moaned, bored with us.
She was right. I could probably talk to Barney all day and throw around terms she didn’t recognize. I wasn’t out of the military that long and was already finding kindred souls. Dade and now Barney. Maybe life here wouldn’t be so bad once things settled down. Almost an afterthought, I sent another mental prayer up for Tim and his mother. Carl was still an ass in my mind for calling Ali a cunt, but over time, I’d forgive him too.
“Sure babe. Nice talking to you Barney,” I waved as we loaded up our loot, the ammo almost breaking the bottoms out of the bags.
Barney just waved back. I put the rest of the guns in the back behind the back jump seats and headed the Jeep back to the ranch.
“Who did that guy remind you of?” She asked me.
“You remember the old Andy Griffith Show?” I asked her.
“Yeah…?”
“The crazy deputy… Barney Fife, but imagine him with tattoos and piercings…”
She was silent for a moment, her brow furrowed. I turned to pay attention to the road again and missed the moment she remembered and she started laughing and beating on the dashboard. After a moment, I joined her too.
“It was just too perfect,” I told her.
“Yes, it was.”
Chapter 11 –
I pulled right up to the cabin. Alison grabbed my cell phone, so she could put numbers in it like Mom and Dad’s, Jackson’s and anybody else who’d be helpful to me. I carried in the guns. I knew I was going to have to tear down and sight in the new monster, before zeroing the scope but jet lag and switching time zones had me wiped out again. I loaded the magazine for the Beretta and brought it out to Ali who put it in her holster and went back inside and lay on the couch to rest my eyes for a moment. I was drifting off to sleep when Alison wedged herself partly on top of me, her back to the couch. She lazily rubbed her hands through my hair and I was out like a light after that.
The smells of cooking were what had woke me up. A soft murmuring of voices came from the kitchen and I recognized Jackson and Sandy’s voice along with Alison’s. All were being quiet, almost whispering.
“…Came out good so far.” Jackson
“..If it... Stable…”
“I’m awake,” I holler up, but not too loud, the cabin isn’t that big of a place.
“Oh good. Whispering sucks.”
“Boy, why are you always napping whenever company comes around? A person might think you aren’t a hospitable type of person,” Jackson’s voice said coming close. I sat up, rubbing my eyes.
“Still getting over the time change.”
“And two solid days of flight and jet lag and walking into a modern day range war and…”
“I get it, I get it.” I held up my hands in surrender.
Jackson sat down next to me, and eyed the AR on the coffee table next to me. He held it up lovingly and looked at me. I nodded permission and he pulled the bolt back, then dropped the magazine, put it back in.
“This is some kind of gun. What does it shoot?”
“A .308 or a 7.62 Nato round,” I yawned the last word out.
“A better varmint killer huh?”
“Yeah, once I get it zeroed in, you can have your lizard killer back.”
“Much appre
ciated,” he said.
“You know… I saw this movie, and I swear to god it was you in it.”
“What kind of crazy talk is this? You still dreaming?”
“Not crazy, it’s a western to boot.”
“Ok, that’s not all that crazy then. What is it?”
“You’re Mitchell, from an Unfinished Life, except you’ve never met a bear you couldn’t kill.”
“Is that the one where Morgan Freeman plays a cowboy?”
“Yeah. That’s the one.”
“Good, it’s Sandy’s favorite one too. She about broke my hips after watching it, she kind of favors…”
Gross!
“Stop, stop man,” I laughed and held my hands up in surrender again.
“What made you think of that?”
“We couldn’t get many movies to watch in our downtime. Westerns were always a safe bet. It was one that we wore out the disc on. Just dreaming of old times.”
“Ok. So, how long have you been awake?”
“Just when I hollered up. You all were being quiet.”
“Girls are finishing dinner, but Sandy and I just got here.”
“What’s cooking?”
“Some kind of pot roast and potatoes.”
“God, I must have been out a while.”
“Yeah, it’s almost 10 p.m.”
“Really?”
“Wow, you’re really out of it, aren’t you?”
“I must be. Damn, now I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight. Any word on Tim?”
“He’s in recovery. He’s still in a coma.”
“Coma? An induced one right?”
“Yeah. It was touch and go. Tyler had to leave for some business, but he came back for the news. Poor Cass almost broke down. Doc had to give her a sedative. Carl just sat there. I don’t want to be in their shoes. Not one bit.”
“How long are they going to keep him under?”
“A few days. We won’t know anything until Friday or so at the earliest.”
“I hope he gets better. That’s a lot for a family to deal with.”
Stepbrother Cowboy: A Western Romance Page 10