“That’s alright, I probably deserved it after all the years you spent keeping us boys in line,” I said with a smile.
“Nah, you kids were pretty good guys, all-in-all. Listen, Sloan, the reason I wanted to talk to you is that I need another Deputy,” Sheriff Lassiter said, cutting to the chase.
“And?” I asked slowly.
“And I figured you’d be a good candidate. You don’t have a job yet do you?” he asked.
“Nope, but a Deputy Sheriff? Me?” I asked, surprised at the suggestion.
“Sure, you’re a natural. You just got out of the Army. You went through some of the toughest training in the world. You’re battle-tested and ready,” he said assuredly.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I’d look too good in a cowboy hat,” I said sarcastically.
“You’d get used to it, but we don’t wear cowboy hats or cowboy boots anymore, by my orders. I did away with that a year or so ago. A couple of the guys were starting to behave like Texas Rangers instead of remembering their jobs were to serve and protect. Besides, Davy would probably like to see you in uniform with a cowboy hat.” he said with a wry smile.
“Oh shit!” I said, thinking about Dave and me and this situation. “Pardon my French, Sheriff. About Dave and me,” I started to say.
“Don’t worry about cursing. You’re going to hear a lot worse than that around here. Don’t forget we work with criminals and they don’t use the best language, and as for you and Dave, no need to worry. My sister and her wife have kept me in the loop on the difficulties of living in rural areas. I get it, and having you as a deputy would be an honor, and having you and Dave for friends, even better.” He answered my worries in that little speech, and I was grateful.
“I just don’t want it to be a distraction Sheriff. There wasn’t any problem in the Army, but I didn’t have a partner then. I understand that there has to be complete trust between soldiers in a fighting unit and officers on the force,” I said.
“I trust you, and I’m sure you trust me,” he said. “The other guys will be fine with it, believe me.”
“Cool. What do I need to do?” I asked.
Sheriff Lassiter collected a bunch of papers for me to complete and informed me of the fourteen-week Peace Officer Standards and Training that I would need to complete over in Douglas. Of course, he assured me I could still come home on the weekends to be with Dave. I decided that I wanted this career, but I would have to discuss it with Dave, first and foremost.
On the back into town, I stopped at the El Dorado and picked up Amber from her Grandmother’s care. The little girl was happy to go home with me knowing that I would succumb to her asking for a Popsicle. I was giddy thinking that I had a career just fall in my lap from out of the blue. I had Amber playing with her doll on a blanket on the front porch while I mowed the lawn. Pushing that mower across the lawn, a glint of metal in the grass ahead caught my eye. Shutting down the machine, I walked right to it. It was a bullet casing. Feeling around in the grass, I found a second casing. Those must have been from the shots fired in the middle of the night the week before. Not thinking much beyond the thought of the shots fired in my front yard, I slipped the bullet cases into my front pocket, and promptly, forgot about them.
“Uncle Dave, Uncle Dave,” I heard Amber scream and run from the front porch to greet him. I let loose of the handle on the mower and that killed the engine. As Amber attempted to run by me, I scooped the little girl into my arms to keep her from running into the path of Dave’s truck.
Amber was giggling and squirming as she attempted to extract herself from my arms. It was futile. I kissed that sticky, grapy, mouth cover with melted Popsicle, making her giggle all the harder.
We were both hot and sweaty from work as Dave leaned in to kiss me before he gave Amber a peck on the lips. “Yum. Did Nick give you a grape Popsicle?” he asked.
“Yup, and he made me a special fort with a blanket on the porch so I could play with my doll in the shade,” she said proudly at having conned Nick into doing so.
“Do you want me to take her with me?” Dave asked.
“No, I want to stay with Nick,” Amber pouted.
“It’s okay Dave. You go ahead home and get showered. She’s fine here with me. I’m just going to finish up the lawn and then get a shower myself. I’m pretty ripe,” I said as I gave him another kiss on the lips.
“Yeah, you are stinky Nick,” Amber said pinching her nose.
“So are you, you probably need me to toss you in the sprinkler,” I teased.
“Oh, yeah, that would be fun,” she said, squirming to be let down from my arms.
Before I knew it, she was running through the sprinkler on the lawn I had just mowed.
“Amber,” Dave yelled, but she was bound and determined to get wet. Dave just shook his head and smiled. “Thanks for taking care of her as you do. I think she loves you.”
“Just like her Uncle?” I asked modestly.
“Yup,” Dave answered without hesitation.
“Good. Now, I need to get this lawn mowed and then get cleaned up. Something good happened today. Well, I think it’s good. I want to talk to you about it before dinner,” I said.
“Terrific,” Dave said with a big smile. He leaned in again and gave me a quick kiss. “Amber, you come with me. You’re wet, and we need to get you into dry clothes for dinner.”
Chapter 3
I was showered and dressed and resetting the sprinkler on the lawn when Dave came back to pick me up for dinner. Amber was sitting quietly in her booster seat in the back.
“What’s up with the little one?” I asked.
“I’m getting the silent treatment. She’s mad at me for making her change her clothes,” Dave said with a smile.
“I see,” I said, trying not to laugh and encourage her behavior. “I ran into Sheriff Lassiter this afternoon. It was more like he stopped me on a traffic stop for expired tags.”
“That doesn’t seem fair to get a ticket when you haven’t even been here long enough to get over to the Courthouse,” Dave said with a frown.
“He didn’t give me a ticket, but he did give me a job application,” I said with a huge smile.
Dave pulled his truck into the alley behind the café and parked. “A job application to be a deputy?”
“What’s a depady?” Amber asked, breaking her silence.
“A deputy is a policeman,” I answered.
“Good, you can arrest my daddy. Grandma says he is a dick,” Amber said in all seriousness.
“She said he is an addict,” Dave corrected the four-year-old.
“Yeah, that. He’s a bad man,” Amber said with an angry look on her little face.
“Do you know your daddy?” I asked.
“No, Grandma said he made my mommy leave me. I think he should go to jail,” the little girl explained.
Dave just looked at me sadly and nodded in agreement. “Do you think you want the job?” he asked.
“Sheriff Lassiter thinks I’d be good at it and I think I’d like being a Deputy Sheriff,” I answered. “But I wanted to get your take on it before I accepted. You know the job comes with a lot of risks.”
“That is the downside, but it’s not as high a risk as when you were in Iraq being shot at every day and night,” Dave said.
“You have a point, but I don’t want you to worry about me while I’m on duty,” I said. I was holding his hand as we talked.
“It’s up to you, Nick. I know you are capable of taking care of yourself. I think you should take the job, but where does that leave us? Dave asked.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I brought that up with Sheriff Lassiter. He told me that you and me being together won’t be a problem, says his sister is gay. She and her wife live over in Sheridan.
“Then definitely take the job, Nick,” Dave said with a big smile. He leaned over the console and gave me a peck on the cheek.
“Oh brother,” we heard from the backseat. “You guys are alway
s kissing.” Amber’s comment made us laugh.
As we walked through the back door to the café, I sprang the rest of the news on Dave about the fourteen-weeks training in Douglas.
“Training for what,” Georgia asked in the middle of our conversation.
“Police Officer Standards and Training,” I answered.
Georgia looked at me, and then, looked at Dave. “I waited for you for four years, I think I can wait fourteen weeks,” he said.
I smiled and pulled him into a hug. Amber ran to Georgia’s side, “Those guys are always kissing.”
“I know, honey, they’re in love,” Georgia responded. “So, you’re going to be a cop?”
“A Sheriff’s Deputy actually,” I said. “I ran into Sheriff Lassiter today, and he offered me the job.”
Dave pulled on an apron and went to work while Amber and I sat out front at the bar. The place wasn’t that crowded on a Tuesday, maybe the liver and onions special wasn’t the draw for which Georgia was hoping. I know it wasn’t a draw for me. Amber and I ended up sharing a burger and fries. She was little. She didn’t eat much.
After the café was closed and Dave and I were headed to the trailer, I told him that I would be home from POST every weekend and that I wanted him to think about moving in with me once I was done with my training. He agreed, making me a very happy man. Davy fell asleep in my lap while we watched TV.
I roused him after the news to send him home. He pulled on his boots and after a long goodnight kiss, headed back to his place for a good night's sleep. My sleep was restless that night as I thought about the possibilities of a being a Deputy Sheriff. The idea of having a career in law enforcement gave me a good feeling, and I decided it was the right choice, after all, Dave also thought it was a good idea.
I remember dreaming about that night last week when I heard the shots fired outside the trailer. I had nearly forgotten about it, thinking it was just boys out having a good time, but something didn’t seem quite right about the situation. In my dream, I saw two men pushing a dead body into the creek and watching it drift downstream. While I wasn’t one to believe in psychics or premonitions, I understood that sometimes the unconscious mind lets your brain connect thoughts that you might not otherwise make.
The next morning while I was waiting for the coffee to brew, I rummaged through my pants pockets in the laundry and found the two brass shell casings. Holding them in my fist, I wondered why anyone would be out shooting on a moonless night. I had searched along the creek banks, several times after that particular night and found nothing, except footprints. There was a newly created path where the tall weeds had been broken and bent by someone trampling through the undergrowth. What moron would be shooting at a target without any ambient light, unless that target was close enough to be seen in the blackness of night?
I made a mental note to tell the Sheriff about it when I turned in my application and stack of forms that I needed to complete. Finding a pen in my mother’s junk drawer, I began filling out paperwork. The application process was fairly intense, and I found myself calling the Department of the Army in D.C. to have them send me verification records. With application completed, I drove down the AG grocery and asked the manager if he would fax it over to the Sheriff’s Office for me.
It was after 1:00 p.m. by the time I got back home and my stomach growled to remind me that I hadn’t eaten. Fixing myself a sandwich, I thought about Dave and me. We still hadn’t had sex, and it was going on two weeks since I had been home. Sure, we had kissed and made out a lot, but no sex. My needs were getting the better of me, and my testosterone was surging. Just thinking of the guy had me thoroughly aroused. Lunch would have to wait for another manly need to be fulfilled. I rushed to my bedroom, taking matters into my own hands. I relieved myself in just a matter of minutes.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time my thoughts about Dave had evoked my passions, but it certainly was an intense climax. With each passing evening of being with him, my attraction and wanton desires were at a breaking point. Something had to change and soon. I made my mind up that Davy was moving into my place to live with me and I would tell him so tonight. The problem was that I couldn’t exactly tell him what to do. He was as hardheaded as his older brother.
No, this would take some persuasion, and I thought a little seduction was in order. I could cook him a nice meal at home, but I didn’t cook. There weren’t any real restaurants within an hour of home, so taking him out for a fancy dinner wasn’t in the cards. Then I hit on a great idea which I would make happen after we closed shop at the café.
Thinking of the café, I drove down to pick up Amber and bring her home with me for the afternoon. The least I could do was give Georgia a break, but it wasn’t like I wasn’t getting attached to that little girl. I had never been around kids, and this was a new experience for me. Unlike what we a learned the girls are made of sugar and spice, this one was made of piss and vinegar. She was hell on wheels and kept me laughing whenever I had her with me.
“Why are we stopping at Ace is the place?” Amber asked as I pulled up in front of Gary’s Ace Hardware.
“I have a surprise,” I told her.
Back in the Camry, Amber couldn’t keep quiet, but buckling her in the backseat in her booster kept her from bouncing around. I bought her a kiddie pool to set up in the backyard, and she was excited. I figured I could sit beside it on a lounge chair and watch her play. It was fun spoiling her just a little bit. I felt bad that Natalie had just walked away from her daughter and left Amber to be raised by her Grandmother. It’s not that Georgia wasn’t a great mother, but she had already raised her kids and was trying to make a living from a small café in a small town.
By the time Davey pulled into the driveway out front, Amber was napping on a blanket under the shade of a big cottonwood tree next to my chair.
Seeing his niece was asleep, Dave came up as quietly as could be and kissed me.
“How was work today?” I asked in a whispered voice.
“Same ol’, same ol’. What’s all this?” Davy asked, pointing to the kiddie pool.
“I figured since I’ve been picking her up in the afternoons, it might be a good idea to give her something to do besides sit around. She seems to like it. We may need to start swimming lessons soon. She likes being in the water,” I answered.
“Thanks for watching her in the afternoons. It’s been nice for Mom to have a break so she can take care of other things. Do you want me to take her home and get her dressed for dinner?” Dave asked.
“No, let her sleep a little while longer. She wore herself out in her new pool. Your Mom gave me a bag with a few of her things yesterday. I’ll get her up and dressed for dinner while you go home and shower. Truth be told, Dave, I like having her here. It feels more like a home, and it got me to thinking that when we are finally together, I would like to raise a kid or two with you. How do you feel about it?” I asked as he clutched my hand.
Dave was squatting beside my chair and looked up at me with tears in his eyes. “I can’t think of anything better, Nick. It’s what I’ve always wanted with you, to be together, living here, raising a family, carrying on tradition.”
I reached my hand out and pulled his head to mine and kissed him hard on the lips. “Then, that’s how it will be,” I said.
“Sorry for the tears, man. I feel like a big baby,” he said, wiping away the waterworks with the backs of his big hands.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve seen lots of big, strong men shed tears. That makes me love you even more,” I said with a sincere smile.
“Uncle Dave, guess what? Nick bought a swimming pool just for me.” Amber was talking a mile-a-minute as she ran out the front door into Dave’s arms.
“Does that mean you won’t share it with me?” Dave asked her.
“No, you are too big to get in the pool and so is Uncle Nick,” Amber said in all seriousness.
At hearing his niece call me Uncle Nick, Dave gave me an approving nod and
went to buckling her into the booster seat in the backseat of his pickup.
“Guess what else, Uncle Dave? We made Kool-Aid this afternoon and sat on the lawn on a blanket,” Amber said excitedly.
“Kool-Aid?” Dave asked as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow and a smile on his lips.
“Yup, and it was orange, and it was very good. Uncle Nick makes Kool-Aid better than Grandma,” Amber said. “Oops, don’t tell Grandma, I said that last part, okay?”
“I promise, it will be just between us,” Dave answered.
The café wasn’t that crowded when we walked in from the back. Georgia told Dave that she could handle the floor and he and I could have dinner together for a change. Happily, Dave walked through the swinging doors from the kitchen in front of me holding Amber in my arm with her little arms wrapped around my neck.
“Hey, Dave, Nick.” We heard a voice from the front of the café. It was Josh Luker. He was waving for us to come over to his table. He was looking very handsome in his tan deputy shirt, black trousers, and black boots.
Josh was a friend from high school to both Dave and me. He graduated with me, but he hung with both of us when we were in the wrestling squad together. We were all close friends, and I suspected that Josh knew that Dave and I had a thing between us, but he never said anything and never let on that it might bother him.
“Nick Sloan, it’s good to see you again,” Josh stuck out his hand for a shake. “And Dave, it’s always good to see you, buddy.”
“Deputy Luker, you’re looking mighty professional these days,” I said.
“Thanks, just graduated from the police academy over in Douglas last week. This is my first week with the Department. I talked to Sheriff Jim this morning, and he told me that you had submitted your application,” Josh said. “Sorry, have a seat. How about sharing a table for dinner?”
“Sounds good,” Dave said, taking Amber from my arms and placing her in a high chair at the end of the table.
“She your kid?” Josh asked, looking directly at me.
“No. This is Amber. She is Dave’s niece. You remember Natalie Weston. She was a couple of years older than us. Amber is her daughter,” I explained. Josh just nodded his understanding.
Waiting for You Page 4