Waiting for You

by Kasey Croshaw

  “I love you too, Nick, so much. I’ve known since forever that we should be together and now it’s going to happen,” Dave said, planting a big sloppy kiss on my mouth.

  Parka, hat, gloves, service weapon, I was out the door. The snow was swirling, making it difficult to see. I had the Tahoe in gear and plowing through the snow-covered road as I headed up the road to the Gas-N-Go.

  I pushed the mic button on my radio, “10-8, Sloan in service Highway 30, Onyx Gas-N-Go.”

  “Copy,” dispatch answered. “Any signs of life out there?”

  “Negative,” I answered. “It’s quiet here. Any word on I-80?”

  “Still closed,” dispatch said, “10-75 from Maintenance Department. County plows headed your way.” There was a harsh blast of squelch.

  “Copy. Notify Maintenance I will follow with lights as a safety precaution,” I said.

  “10-4, over,” the dispatcher said.

  It was quiet in the vehicle, and dark, except for the eerie glow from the computer monitor. On graveyard shift, I was glad to have a voice on the other end of that radio to keep me company when it got too quiet out here on this lonely highway. An hour or so later, I saw the yellow flashing lights approaching. I flipped my overheads to give the drivers notice of my location. There were two snow plows, one in front of the other, with the rear truck spreading sand as the cleared the road. I spoke briefly with the drivers, and then, we proceeded in a caravan north on Highway 30.

  The morning brought a break in the clouds, and I left the snow plows after they had cleaned the main streets of Onyx and headed back to Sinclair. Dave was already up and ready to leave for the café when I walked in the door. I told him about the streets being cleared of snow and that the El Dorado might be a little busy for with the breakfast crowd this morning. We kissed goodbye as he left for work and I locked up my service weapon and pulled on a pair of sweats. The kids were still asleep, and I went to work contacting the Ohio County Coroner’s Office about having Natalie’s body shipped home. This also involved making arrangements for a funeral home in Wheeling for a casket and embalming the body, and the airline to fly her body to Salt Lake. I would have to wait a couple of hours until businesses started to open before I started calling. Simpson’s Funeral Home was very helpful and took control of everything, except for the services.

  I heard Noah fusing. I went into Amber’s bedroom where we had set up Noah’s crib temporarily. He was awake and in need of a diaper change. Amber was also awake, just lying in her bed smiling. After I got the kids cleaned up and fed them some breakfast, I loaded them in the cruiser and drove up to Grandma Betty’s for some help with the remaining funeral arrangements.

  “Grandma Great,” Amber squealed, running into through the back door.

  “Good morning, sweetie,” Grandma Betty said.

  She kissed Amber on the head while the little girl hugged her legs. Grandma Betty held out her arms for Noah, and I handed him over to her loving embrace. We sat at the kitchen table.

  “Sorry, Nick. No coffee. We Mormon’s don’t drink coffee,” she said.

  “Not a problem, Grandma Betty, I’ve already had my coffee this morning.” I brought her up-to-date on what I had already accomplished that morning.

  Still holding Noah, she got up from the table and dialed from her old avocado green wall phone. “Good Morning, Bishop Moore, this is Betty Spencer. The reason I’m calling is that my granddaughter, Natalie, has passed away.”

  I reached out for and took Noah from her and could only Grandma’s side of the conversation with her bishop. “Thank you, Bishop, for your sympathies. We would like to have the services at the church next Thursday. No, no, Simpson’s Funeral Home over in Sinclair will be bringing the body here from Salt Lake. Okay, well, thank you.”

  “We have the chapel reserved for 11 a.m. the Thursday after the New Year,” she said to me as she hit the receiver and dialed another number. “Hello, Claire. This is Betty. I have some bad news. My granddaughter died Christmas Eve. You know, Georgia’s daughter, Natalie. Oh, you know, she’s grieving, but it was a blessing. Natalie had been having problems the last few years. Uh, huh, the poor little darling is here with me this morning. No, Nick brought her over. She’s living with him and Dave. I told you about them having custody of that Deets girl’s baby. Why he’s just the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?”

  “I just got off the phone with Bishop Moore. We have the chapel reserved for the funeral on January 4th at eleven. Could you do me a favor and call some of the Relief Society[iv] women to help with the funeral? We can take care of the floral arrangements and the obit, but if you and Verda Faye would take care of the program, we’d really appreciate it. Thanks, Claire, you’re a good friend.”

  Grandma Betty had this drill down. It had always been a tradition in the town that the women of her church did the work of helping families, especially when there was a death involved. They would marshal their resources and have music and speakers arranged and provide a meal for friends and family after the services. These were good people, and we all tried to take care of one another, even if we didn’t share the same faith.

  We sat and talked and made calls that morning, getting the obit placed in the Sinclair Free Press and the flowers ordered. Grandma and I decided that we would split the costs between us so that Georgia didn’t bear the full financial brunt. These were the things that families in grief shouldn’t have to confront, but luckily we had the resources.

  A couple of hours went by, and we heard the roar of a snowmobile outside, then a knock at the back door. It was the Martin boy with a chicken casserole that his mother had sent over. During the summer, the boy had mowed Grandma Betty’s lawn, and that day he cleared the snow from her driveway and sidewalks. Fortunately, I had the next two days off and would be shoveling our walks and driveway.

  Chapter 10

  The next week was good. I was working days, which allowed me to be at home with Dave and the kids in the evenings. Even better was the fact that we got to sleep together. We talked about when we wanted to get married and decided it would be best to wait for a while after the funeral. Neither of us wanted a big wedding. We decided we would just go the courthouse in Sinclair and have a judge perform the ceremony.

  On New Year’s Eve, Georgia took the kids for the night, and I took Dave to the El Dorado for a few drinks to ring in the New Year. Josh and Andy decided to join us. Sam had brought in a band from Denver. It wasn’t like we could or would dance together, but it was fun. It was nice that we all got along as friends. Dave and I were happy that Josh and Andy were dating.

  It was severely cold out that night, so when we got home and in bed, we cuddled close to get warm. That warmth turned to heat. Sexual heat. Soon, we were tossing the covers aside to devour one another. He had me pinned beneath him as he made his way down my torso and swallowed my hard cock. I stopped fighting him for dominance at that point and enjoyed him lavishing his oral talents on my needy manhood. My hips bucked up to meet his mouth on every stroke. “Oh God, Dave. Yeah, just like that. Suck it, man. It feels so good,” I was groaning loudly. Without the kids in the house, we were allowed to be loud in our lovemaking. “Jesus, you’re gonna make me cum.”

  “That’s the idea, Nick, now shut up and enjoy it,” Dave said as he came up for breath.

  My hips bucked and my legs trembled and I knew I was about there. “I’m gonna shoot. Here it comes,” I shouted. I bowed my back and pushed my hips from the mattress to meet his suctioning lips on the head of my corpulent cock. I knew the feeling, and I was reveling in the eroticism of Dave pleasuring me. I blasted into his mouth, and he swallowed every jet I ejaculated.

  He kissed his way up my chest, and we locked our mouths together as I rolled him onto his back. Kissing down his neck to his furry chest was intoxicating. He smelled so good, so hot, so manly. I caught his throbbing cock in my hand and jacked it a few times before going down on it. He was leaking, making the head of his cock shiny, as I rolled his foreski
n back to expose my target. I sucked him gently at first while jacking him, but I built the suctioning and the speed until his legs were convulsing.

  “Shit. Nick that feels so good. My God, I’m gonna cuuummm,” his voice faltered as he blasted his load into my willing mouth. I swallowed all he had to give and licked my lips to savor every bit of it.

  We rolled around in bed for a while, kissing and playing with one another until we both felt the need once more. Our erections were pushed against one another’s bellies as we humped and pumped. I moved around until my head was at his crotch and his head was at mine. We sixty-nined until both of us shot another load. After that, we were spent, at least until morning in the shower, where we made love one more time before we had to dress and pick up the kids.

  It was New Year’s Day, the start of a new chapter for Dave and me, now we had Amber and Noah to think about as part of our family. I was in love with Dave, there was no doubt about it, and he was in love with me. We would be married soon and after that who knew what would happen, but we would always have each other to love and cherish.

  The café was closed for the holiday, and I didn’t have to go on patrol until late afternoon. Dave and I had coffee together in the kitchen and talked.

  “When do you want to get married,” I asked.

  “Mmm, maybe Valentines Day. It would be romantic,” Dave answered as he handed me a cup of coffee and kissed the top of my head.

  “I was hoping maybe we could do it a little sooner, maybe the week after next. We will have Natalie’s funeral taken care of and all, but I’m nervous about the prospects of keeping Noah. If he goes back to his mother, his life will be a living hell. Your mom has as much told us she wants us to adopt Amber. The way I see it, if we’re married, we stand a better chance of adopting Amber, and hopefully Noah, with fewer problems,” I explained.

  “You do have a good point, Nick. I agree. I love those two kids, and I think they would be better off with us,” Dave said. “Not that Amber living with Mom was a bad thing, but at the time, I didn’t have you back in my life. Mom talked to me a long time ago, before you came back home, about us adopting Amber when you did return.”

  “So, this has been on her mind for a while?” I asked.

  “Yup. She’s got a business to run, and she already raised her kids,” Dave said. “I think we should get married at the courthouse next Tuesday. That’s the least busy day at the café, and Mom and I can meet you after the lunch crowd breaks.”

  “I like that plan. Not very romantic, but last night made up for it,” I said with a giggle and a wiggle of my eyebrows.

  We picked up the kids from Georgia and went directly across the street to Grandma Betty’s for New Years. Dave had packed plenty of toys and snacks for the kids as he did every day, taking them to work at the café with him and Georgia. Amber was happy to see us, but Noah was giving us the cold shoulder. He wasn’t happy that we had left him for the night with Grandma Georgia. He liked her well enough, but he loved Dave and being without his Da Da for even one night did not sit well with him.

  “Come see papa,” I said, holding out my hands to Noah as he balanced himself at the back of a chair.

  “No!” he said defiantly.

  I picked him up and began to blow raspberries against his neck, making him giggle. That took away his piss and vinegar and decided that we weren’t so bad after all. I did understand that he probably had some abandonment issues and that was why it was all the more important for Dave and me to get married as soon as possible and see if there was some way to take permanent custody of Jessica.

  “Grandma great, can I have a glass of Kool-Aid?” Amber asked.

  “Sure sweetie, orange or cherry?” Grandma Betty asked.

  “Um, orange, please,” Amber replied.

  “Grandma Betty,” Dave spoke up, “Nick and I are planning on getting married next Tuesday at the courthouse over in Sinclair.”

  Grandma didn’t say anything while she mixed the concoction of sugar water and orange powder and contemplated what Dave had said.

  “The courthouse, huh? I was hoping that you two would get married in my living room,” Grandma Betty said with a somewhat hurt look on her face.

  “You want us to get married in your living room?” Dave asked, somewhat surprised.

  “Certainly, that’s where your mom and dad got married,” Grandma Betty said.

  “I was kinda hoping we could get married in your church, Grandma,” I said sarcastically.

  “Don’t be a smart aleck, Nick Sloan,” Grandma said swatting my shoulder.

  “Sorry. I thought it was funny,” I said with a big grin.

  “Not funny,” Dave said, even though he was trying not to laugh. “The thing is Grandma, we need to get married as soon as possible in case we have a chance to adopt Noah. So we just thought you and Mom could come to the courthouse with us and have a quiet ceremony.”

  “Oh, my, I didn’t think about Noah. Yes, by all means, we need to get you two hitched as soon as we can. What if we had a little reception here? It would be fun, and then, your friends could come and celebrate with us,” Grandma Betty said. She was thinking on her feet.

  “I like that idea,” Georgia said coming into the kitchen through the back door.

  “Then it's settled,” Grandma Betty said.

  Dave and I just looked one another. “I guess we have no say in the matter,” Dave said with a laugh.

  “Not while I’m the boss,” Grandma Betty said.

  Dave helped Grandma Betty, and Georgia prepared the ham for dinner while I played with Noah and Amber on the living room floor. Of course, there was football on TV, so that was a little distracting from the little ones until Amber plopped down on my lap and made me pay attention to her doll, who was reading me a story in Amber’s voice. It was a cute attempt at ventriloquism and Amber was gleeful reading me the story.

  I had to practically wolf down my dinner to get signed in on time to start my patrol. I kissed the kids goodbye and gave my man a long, slow kiss. It was cold out, and the snow from Christmas hadn’t melted. The roads were icy, and I was expecting a few slide-offs and maybe a DUI or two.

  “10-41, Sloan starting patrol. Onyx north to the Idaho border. Over,” I said. The radio spit back a blast of squelch. I stopped in at the Gas-N-Go to fill up. Outside sitting in a ’77 Chevy pickup were Jack Olsen, Ray Hall, and Elmer Tuttle, all crammed in on the bench seat. I knocked on the truck window as I passed by and went inside to pay. Jack rolled out of the driver’s side and followed me in, heading back to the beer cooler.

  These three honyocks were local cowboys, ranch hands. The three had palled around together for years working on ranches in the area. None of the three had ever been married, or if they had, it didn’t last long. Parents and family had long ago given up on these three. They would never amount to anything other than what they were. Now in their early seventies, work was hard to come by for these kinds of men. Bodies don’t work so well after so many years of abuse, breaking horses, and bucking hay. Jack was dressed in a sweat-stained chambray work shirt and dirty 501’s which were tucked into his worn-out old cowboy boots. His cowboy hat had seen better days and sat on a head of gray hair. He hadn’t shaved for a day or two, and the gray whiskers outlined a strong, rugged jawline.

  “Happy New Year’s, Jack,” I said in greeting.

  “Afternoon, Sheriff,” he said. His eyes were red, and he looked like he had been drinking most of the day. But like all good alcoholics, he didn’t stumble or slur his words, at least not yet. Too early in the day to show signs of inebriation. “Hey, ain’t you Roger Sloan’s boy? I used to work for him out at the mines, course that was right after the war.”

  “Right after the war?” I asked, thinking he was confused about WWII.

  “Yeah, Nam. Got drafted,” he said, “Your dad was a good man. Treated me real fair.”

  “Well, it’s good to see you, Jack. You fellas take it easy tonight. I don’t want to be pulling your drunk asses
out of a snow bank,” I said with a laugh.

  “No, sir,” he said, saluting me, which made him tilt off balance. “We’re just headed back to Elmer’s place and have a few.”

  I sat at the pumps and waited for Jack to pull out and drive up the road a piece before I started to follow. The beat up old pickup turned off the highway at the Tuttle ranch. Elmer’s parents and grandparents had ranched this place for nearly a hundred years. Once I knew they were going where Jack said they would, I continued on my patrol, hoping like hell, those old bastards stayed put for the night.

  The sanding trucks hadn’t been out for a couple of days, and the ice on the road was like black ice. I couldn’t drive faster than forty-five without sliding, so I just keep my speed low and made my way north.

  A few cars passed me headed south. Probably folks headed home after New Year’s dinner with relatives. The good part about having so many Mormons living in these parts was that there wasn’t much drinking and driving, except for their kids. The kids were a pain in my ass. I’d stop a car on suspicion of drunk driving, and there would be two or three Mormon kids crying, begging me not to call their parents. Of course, I wouldn’t, but I’d follow them home to make sure they were safe. I had no call to ruin somebody’s life for making stupid a mistake. However, if I caught the little bastards again, they went straight to jail, and I called their folks. I figured that was more effective punishment than any judge could mete out.

  On my way back south, it was all quiet. Not a soul on the road. I pulled through the Gas-N-Go and honked, and Denise waved back to let me know she was okay. That was our little ritual when I was on duty. I headed south, and it was the same slow go as it had been going north. No traffic and forty-five all the way. Most of the Deputies listen to talk radio this time of night, but that bored me. Those fuckers are crazy, seeing UFO’s and sit out here in the desert. No thanks. I liked the solitude and quiet.

  It was a little after 11:00 p.m. when I drove by the Gas-N-Go. The lights were off, and the closed sign was posted. As I drove slowly by, I noticed a red glow of taillights along the side of the building. I pulled the cruiser in behind, and by God, it was Jack’s old pickup truck. The motor was running, and he must have had his foot on the brakes making the tail lights shine brightly. I rapped my knuckles on the window and got no response. I reached for the door handle when the door swung open and hit me in the side. I backed away quickly as Jack sort of rolled out and stood tall, all 6’2” of him. He was a big man.