Lloyd sighed and they walked into the barn to get out of the cold weather. “Marcia and Jacobs have history. Not romantically, they were in the National Guard together. He was the one that hit that mountain with her.”
“Oh shit, did she know he was even coming?”
“Yes, she’s the one that invited him. I know you noticed that she had been on her phone a lot, well, she was texting with Tony. Before I went to California to help Jason and Ilsa, Marcia looped me into their messages. They talked like siblings. She deeply respects him, and I know for a fact, she’s going to want to give him a hug, however, you saw the samething I did, he’s about to fall over, and I don’t need either of them to crash to the ground. This cold weather has been hell on Marcia lately. I have to force her to take a bath and then I rub lotion on her at night to try to loosen her up. I’m thinking of going to Caleb to see what he recommends.”
“Damn,” Cole said with a shake of his head, and then he pointed to the golf cart as he came toward them.
“Well?” Lloyd asked with a grin after some color came back into Tony’s face. He had ridden with Ducky before and knew exactly how he felt.
“A cabin. The last one on the right. I like the fact that the front porch faces the east.”
“Good, give me your truck keys, and I’ll drive it over there.” It turned out that Lloyd drove Tony’s pick-up, and Cole drove the rental truck while Ducky took Tony back to the cabin in the golf cart. Tony couldn’t tell them not to, so Lloyd was able to bring his clothes, and take them into the house. Ducky said he’d bring some food over for him for the night, then once he was unloaded he’d come over and help him unpack. Once the others left, after only bringing in the essentials for him that night, Tony unpacked his clothes, went to the kitchen to see what it had, and grinned when he found a can of peas. He opened it, ate it cold out of the can, and then went to take a hot shower. Dressed in his boxers, he found his medication, took two pills, washed them down withwater, and climbed into the bed Cole helped him make. He only lay there for about twenty minutes before the pain medication kicked in and he was out like a light. He never heard Ducky enter his cabin, nor his bedroom. He wouldn’t know he had come until he woke the next morning and stumbled out to make a pot of coffee before taking another hot shower to start his day.
CHAPTER 5
With a little pepin his step, Tony hurried over to his front door and opened it after someone pounded on it.
“Help you?”
“Yes, are you Tony?”
“I am, and you are?”
“Manny Sanchez. One, I’m dating Ann, two, I served with Jammer.”
“Jammer?”
Manny laughed and grinned, which Tony found himself responding to. “Lloyd, because his last name is Berry, the guys on Delta Team called him all types of fruit. You know, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, stuff like that. When he transferred over to Echo Team, we called him Jam, you know berries make jam, but then somehow it turned into Jammer.”
“Wow, okay, so what can I do for you?”
“Jammer sent me over here to start on helping you unload your rental. The others are on the way, and it shouldn’t take us long.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Stop.” Manny held up his hand. “We are a family here. If you were ever in the military, and I know you were, then you know we are all brothers and sisters here. We help one another. Also, if Erin ever found out you refused help from us, she’d tan your hide and hang you out to dry.” He paused, then with a serious expression, he asked, “Besides, are you going to answer to Marcia if you refuse our help?”
“Fuck no,” Tony laughed, then invited Manny in to show him the bedroom he had taken. That was when Tony learned that Manny had been the one in charge of overseeing the cabins being built. Tony offered him some coffee as he went to get some socks, and when he returned, he dressed his feet and looked at Manny.
“If you’re dating Ann, do you ever come over to help in the barn?”
“Yes, I try to make it over here every day, but not always. You’ll learn, but there are eight of us men and women, totaling sixteen and most of the women work the rehabilitation center over at Broken. I’m not complaining, but that takes a lot of time, not only with the horses, but also with the outside clients that come in for the center. Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.”
Manny helped himself to a cup of coffee and refilled Tony’s. “Where does the truck have to be returned to?”
“On the other side of Fool’s Gold, but I’m going to have a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“How can I drive the rental truck and my personal truck at the same time. I’m going to need to get back here.”
“I’m going out on a limb here, but remember where I just said we’re a family here?”
“Yes, what about it?”
“We’re all busy, and someone, Cole’s girlfriend, Lois, has graciously volunteered to go grocery shopping for all of us. We give her a list and some money. It takes hours because she’s purchasing for roughly thirteen households. If you’re willing to help her, then I’m sure she can follow you with the truck and bring you home once she’s done with the shopping.”
“Better make that fourteen,” Tony said with a grin as he opened his refrigerator and it was completely empty except for a box of baking soda. They were laughing when the door opened and Lloyd walked in, followed by several other men. Tony recognized Clark, and he knew instinctively that they were all former military. Cole was the last one to enter, and he had a beautiful woman with him, who looked to be in her mid- to upper sixties.
