beautiful
blue, like Jesse’s. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to
get wound up in that boy’s business. Since he was a kid, it
was like living with a bunch of honeybees in the house.
Things always seemed to get stirred up around him.”
I sat back, studied the worry in his face. This wasn’t
about Alpine and it wasn’t about a little head-knocking in
the middle of the night. We must have been louder than I
thought, out on the couch in the studio. “I like Jesse a lot.
He’s smart. I like listening to him talk about his art.
Anything else going on between us, it’s not going to be a
problem. Not for me. I hope not for you. We’re just learning
how to be friends, getting to know each other.”
He waved this away like he was brushing off one of
those honeybees. “I’m not trying to get into your business. I
was just worried. Jesse could talk an Eskimo into buying an
icemaker.”
Okay, I got it now. “He didn’t talk me into anything.
I’m….” Something seemed to catch in my throat, and The
Original got up, poured me a cup of coffee. He set it down on
the table and looked away so I could say it out loud and not
be embarrassed. “I’ve always been with men. You know, that
way.”
“Well, that’s your business, like I said.” He sighed,
poured another cup of coffee and sat down at the table. “It
must have been hard in the corps.”
Marathon Cowboys | Sarah Black
54
“No harder than anything else. Most of the time, we
were too busy working to worry about it.” And he grinned at
me then. “If you feel uncomfortable with this, then you just
tell me, and I’ll find my own way. Things are getting more
complicated than I expected, pretty damn fast too. I don’t
intend to bring trouble into your house.”
“I think we’re good.”
“Sir…. That man, the one Jesse calls the dipshit. He
suggested your granddaughter may have a problem with
drugs. That’s why Jesse hit him. But if it’s true, she might
need some help. From a doctor, or a clinic.”
He drank his coffee real slow, eyes squinted like he was
looking into the sun. “It’s crossed my mind. I’ll look into it.”
“I think I’m going back to bed.” I walked down the hall,
stopped in the door of my bedroom.
Jesse poked his head out of the room next door. “Well?
Are we in trouble?”
“You might be.” I grinned at the look on his face when
we heard The Original shouting down the hall.
“Jesse! Get your butt in here, son.”
I listened to them yelling at each other for a few
minutes, then Jesse walked down the hall and stuck his
head in my door. I had to laugh at the comical look of
outrage on his face. “Can you believe it?” He was whispering.
“He thinks I lured you away to the dark side! You better ’fess
up, cupcake.”
I rolled over. “I got cartoons to draw.”
EARLY the next morning, the truck with Jesse’s painting
supplies arrived. I enjoyed lying in bed, listening to him
moan and complain, then the excitement when he started
Marathon Cowboys | Sarah Black
55
unpacking his gear. I suspected we wouldn’t be seeing him
for the rest of the day.
It was after ten when I finally got up, and I filled up the
bottle he’d given me and went out for a run. Out in the sun,
the heat was brutal, but the shade wasn’t bad. Every dog in
town raised a head to watch me, then went back to sleeping
in the shade of their porches. I got a shower back home,
pulled on my jeans, and went into the kitchen. The Original
was sitting at the table, drinking coffee. “Son, you feeling
hungry? Want a sandwich?”
“That sounds good. I’ll make them. What do you want?”
“I think we’ve got some sliced ham, and we’ve got some
Velveeta, if you want a grilled cheese.”
I studied the inside of the fridge. “Too hot for grilled
cheese. You’ve got some ripe tomatoes. That might go good
with the ham.” I made a big pile of sandwiches, left a couple
wrapped up
blue, like Jesse’s. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to
get wound up in that boy’s business. Since he was a kid, it
was like living with a bunch of honeybees in the house.
Things always seemed to get stirred up around him.”
I sat back, studied the worry in his face. This wasn’t
about Alpine and it wasn’t about a little head-knocking in
the middle of the night. We must have been louder than I
thought, out on the couch in the studio. “I like Jesse a lot.
He’s smart. I like listening to him talk about his art.
Anything else going on between us, it’s not going to be a
problem. Not for me. I hope not for you. We’re just learning
how to be friends, getting to know each other.”
He waved this away like he was brushing off one of
those honeybees. “I’m not trying to get into your business. I
was just worried. Jesse could talk an Eskimo into buying an
icemaker.”
Okay, I got it now. “He didn’t talk me into anything.
I’m….” Something seemed to catch in my throat, and The
Original got up, poured me a cup of coffee. He set it down on
the table and looked away so I could say it out loud and not
be embarrassed. “I’ve always been with men. You know, that
way.”
“Well, that’s your business, like I said.” He sighed,
poured another cup of coffee and sat down at the table. “It
must have been hard in the corps.”
Marathon Cowboys | Sarah Black
54
“No harder than anything else. Most of the time, we
were too busy working to worry about it.” And he grinned at
me then. “If you feel uncomfortable with this, then you just
tell me, and I’ll find my own way. Things are getting more
complicated than I expected, pretty damn fast too. I don’t
intend to bring trouble into your house.”
“I think we’re good.”
“Sir…. That man, the one Jesse calls the dipshit. He
suggested your granddaughter may have a problem with
drugs. That’s why Jesse hit him. But if it’s true, she might
need some help. From a doctor, or a clinic.”
He drank his coffee real slow, eyes squinted like he was
looking into the sun. “It’s crossed my mind. I’ll look into it.”
“I think I’m going back to bed.” I walked down the hall,
stopped in the door of my bedroom.
Jesse poked his head out of the room next door. “Well?
Are we in trouble?”
“You might be.” I grinned at the look on his face when
we heard The Original shouting down the hall.
“Jesse! Get your butt in here, son.”
I listened to them yelling at each other for a few
minutes, then Jesse walked down the hall and stuck his
head in my door. I had to laugh at the comical look of
outrage on his face. “Can you believe it?” He was whispering.
“He thinks I lured you away to the dark side! You better ’fess
up, cupcake.”
I rolled over. “I got cartoons to draw.”
EARLY the next morning, the truck with Jesse’s painting
supplies arrived. I enjoyed lying in bed, listening to him
moan and complain, then the excitement when he started
Marathon Cowboys | Sarah Black
55
unpacking his gear. I suspected we wouldn’t be seeing him
for the rest of the day.
It was after ten when I finally got up, and I filled up the
bottle he’d given me and went out for a run. Out in the sun,
the heat was brutal, but the shade wasn’t bad. Every dog in
town raised a head to watch me, then went back to sleeping
in the shade of their porches. I got a shower back home,
pulled on my jeans, and went into the kitchen. The Original
was sitting at the table, drinking coffee. “Son, you feeling
hungry? Want a sandwich?”
“That sounds good. I’ll make them. What do you want?”
“I think we’ve got some sliced ham, and we’ve got some
Velveeta, if you want a grilled cheese.”
I studied the inside of the fridge. “Too hot for grilled
cheese. You’ve got some ripe tomatoes. That might go good
with the ham.” I made a big pile of sandwiches, left a couple
wrapped up
Similar Books
