sauntered out and headed to a large, round teak table with six thickly cushioned chairs arranged neatly in a circle. With a nod he said, “Let’s eat first, then you can get changed.”
The deck was a revelation. Multileveled, it conformed to the slope of the land, surrounding two standing red oaks, incorporating the woods into the design with a masterful touch.
Mouth full, I mumbled, “This is lovely.”
“Thanks. I’ve been building it for a couple of years. Still needs a little work.” He took a swallow of beer and waved at the dense woods. “We don’t have nothing like this where I hail from.”
“And that is...?”
“Waco area. Family’s got a ranch. We run mostly beef cattle, some reining horses.” Coach polished off the last of his sandwich and gave mine a stare.
“Forget it, Tex. This is mine.” Popping the last bit in my mouth I chewed slowly and swallowed.
Jack’s eyes bored into mine.
“Go ahead and ask.”
Flustered, I hesitated. The man was a mind reader. Had to be. Of course I had questions. But I wouldn’t begin with the most compelling. Definitely not the bit about the girls. Girls who would come with a handy ‘little woman’.
Jack squirmed a bit in the seat and it had nothing to do with it not accommodating his huge body. The vibe that he might be regretting the open invitation to an inquisition hit me loud and clear.
Twenty-two years with a lawyer had given me tutorials on a few skill sets. One of them was coming at a hostile witness sideways, planting a seed of interest, then letting them hang themselves. Robert had been the acknowledged master in the firm of Dougherty, Wills and McMahon.
So I decided not to ask. Instead I sighed, “I always wanted to ride a horse, but…” I shrugged, “we lived in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh. Not exactly conducive to equestrian pursuits.”
I explained how we couldn’t afford it, being gentile and strapped for cash after my father’s investments went south in a bull market. There were lots of things I’d wanted to try. Sports were free, relatively so.
"I had a little bit of talent." Ryan's eyebrows shot upward but he let me continue.
My father’s mind never recovered. To this day we were collateral damage, allowing him the emotional distance that kept him out of institutions and out of our lives in any significant sense. My mother on the other hand reluctantly accepted my gifts and the opportunities they offered.
The one thing she never accepted was me making that my dream.
“Means and ends. Sounds a little like my dad.” His voice was soft and deep, remembering. “Me and my brother, Cade, we outgrew the horses pretty quick. Cade’s my twin. Runs in the family.”
He rose to tap instructions onto the control panel on the six-person hot tub and gestured for me to join him. We stepped down a level, then one more onto a forest floor carpeted with moss and dried leaves.
“Watch your step. Got some holes alongside the path.”
I didn’t see a path exactly, just a faint opening between dense brush, twiggy new growth oak and maple and the occasional stand of rhododendron. I crunched my way behind Jack, admiring the view.
His shoulders were immense and well-muscled, not weight builder hefty, but substantial and he covered ground with a loose-hipped stride I could barely match. It wasn’t long before I was huffing and puffing while he continued with his story about growing up Texan, living—for me—the American dream.
“Yeah, my dad knew neither me or Cade was gonna take up ranching. We was both growing too fast. Then my twin discovered girls and I found my own form of religion.” He raised his right hand, palming an imaginary basketball.
“So your huff dad puff supported you?”
Jack slowed down and whispered, “I’m sorry, darlin’.” The Texas drawl was thick and smooth as velvet. He held out a hand and pulled me alongside.
We’d been climbing a steep rise. With Jack firmly clasping my left hand he
The deck was a revelation. Multileveled, it conformed to the slope of the land, surrounding two standing red oaks, incorporating the woods into the design with a masterful touch.
Mouth full, I mumbled, “This is lovely.”
“Thanks. I’ve been building it for a couple of years. Still needs a little work.” He took a swallow of beer and waved at the dense woods. “We don’t have nothing like this where I hail from.”
“And that is...?”
“Waco area. Family’s got a ranch. We run mostly beef cattle, some reining horses.” Coach polished off the last of his sandwich and gave mine a stare.
“Forget it, Tex. This is mine.” Popping the last bit in my mouth I chewed slowly and swallowed.
Jack’s eyes bored into mine.
“Go ahead and ask.”
Flustered, I hesitated. The man was a mind reader. Had to be. Of course I had questions. But I wouldn’t begin with the most compelling. Definitely not the bit about the girls. Girls who would come with a handy ‘little woman’.
Jack squirmed a bit in the seat and it had nothing to do with it not accommodating his huge body. The vibe that he might be regretting the open invitation to an inquisition hit me loud and clear.
Twenty-two years with a lawyer had given me tutorials on a few skill sets. One of them was coming at a hostile witness sideways, planting a seed of interest, then letting them hang themselves. Robert had been the acknowledged master in the firm of Dougherty, Wills and McMahon.
So I decided not to ask. Instead I sighed, “I always wanted to ride a horse, but…” I shrugged, “we lived in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh. Not exactly conducive to equestrian pursuits.”
I explained how we couldn’t afford it, being gentile and strapped for cash after my father’s investments went south in a bull market. There were lots of things I’d wanted to try. Sports were free, relatively so.
"I had a little bit of talent." Ryan's eyebrows shot upward but he let me continue.
My father’s mind never recovered. To this day we were collateral damage, allowing him the emotional distance that kept him out of institutions and out of our lives in any significant sense. My mother on the other hand reluctantly accepted my gifts and the opportunities they offered.
The one thing she never accepted was me making that my dream.
“Means and ends. Sounds a little like my dad.” His voice was soft and deep, remembering. “Me and my brother, Cade, we outgrew the horses pretty quick. Cade’s my twin. Runs in the family.”
He rose to tap instructions onto the control panel on the six-person hot tub and gestured for me to join him. We stepped down a level, then one more onto a forest floor carpeted with moss and dried leaves.
“Watch your step. Got some holes alongside the path.”
I didn’t see a path exactly, just a faint opening between dense brush, twiggy new growth oak and maple and the occasional stand of rhododendron. I crunched my way behind Jack, admiring the view.
His shoulders were immense and well-muscled, not weight builder hefty, but substantial and he covered ground with a loose-hipped stride I could barely match. It wasn’t long before I was huffing and puffing while he continued with his story about growing up Texan, living—for me—the American dream.
“Yeah, my dad knew neither me or Cade was gonna take up ranching. We was both growing too fast. Then my twin discovered girls and I found my own form of religion.” He raised his right hand, palming an imaginary basketball.
“So your huff dad puff supported you?”
Jack slowed down and whispered, “I’m sorry, darlin’.” The Texas drawl was thick and smooth as velvet. He held out a hand and pulled me alongside.
We’d been climbing a steep rise. With Jack firmly clasping my left hand he
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