“They seem to be Leary boys,” I said.
“Ah, that explains a lot.” Baker gave me a sympathetic look. “There are three adult Leary boys. Rip was in my class, his two younger brothers behind us. They’re all assholes. Troublemakers. Bigots. They tend to hover around the Owens clan. Bigoted shit attracting flies and all that. Ollie can fill you in as he’s had to deal with them for years. Rowdy, drunken fools. Ask me how I know just what kind of drunken shitters they are?”
“You used to drink with them?” Linc asked and got a nod from Baker.
“A bit, yeah, then I started to dry out and saw what kind of jerks they really are. Plus, they were always giving Ollie a hard time. Hell, any of the Cherokee were fair game, which started to come into clarity when I was sober. Not something that I’m proud of being tied to those twats.”
“Hey, you got sober and saw them for what they are. I’m proud of you for that hard work.” Hanley pecked Baker’s scruffy cheek. My older brother looked a little embarrassed.
“Agreed. You’re on the right side of things now, Baker.” Linc gave him a thump on the biceps with the side of his fist.
“Thanks. Anyways, if Dahn is playing with them boys, he’s surely hearing some hateful shit,” Baker concluded.
“Mona Lou is married to one of them,” Bella gently reminded us. “They hung my dress on a scarecrow.” Right, yes, thatwasone of them. “Perhaps it would be best to try to get Dahn to play with other children. Once school starts, he’ll be exposed to a wider variety of possible playmates.”
“Yeah, I’m going to have to get strict about his time spent with those boys.” I plunked my hat back on my head. “For the next week, you all know my mom and aunt are coming for a visit, to watch him show at the fair and catch up with us.” They all nodded and smiled. “Since space is at a minimum here, Dahn and I are going to crash with Ollie at his place in town.”
Every eyebrow in the barn, even the horses, although they didn’t technically have eyebrows but eye whiskers, flew upward. Maybe I was exaggerating about the horses, but maybe not, as the shock was palpable.
“Cool,” Linc finally said. The rest nodded along.
“Ollie and I are dating,” I said aloud.
“Yeah, we know,” they said in perfect unison.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea for the three of you to spend time together.” Bella gave my arm a light squeeze. “And I cannot wait to spend time with your mother and aunt. They must be exceptional women to have raised such a fine man.”
Now it was my turn to be embarrassed and just a little flattered. If only my son felt the same way about me…
***
Nothing quite beats killing time at an airport.
Tulsa International was a busy destination, and the airport itself was comfortable. Lots of places to eat, charging units by the seats, and friendly staff. I’d arrived an hour early just in case of an earlier than scheduled arrival but quickly learned that the flight from Sacramento was delayed due to a mechanical issue.
My mother and aunt were being moved to a new plane that would depart two hours later. Great. Super. Hefting a sigh, I left the airport to check out a western wear store I’d passed on the way. I’d noted that Dahn was lacking a good pair of boots to wear into the show ring while we’d been packing this morning. Packing consisted of him throwing clothes into a duffel and me taking them out to fold them and putting them back. All of this was done in crushing silence. Why I was buying the boy new boots when he’d been a stinker to me, I didn’t know. He’d not asked for the boots. I suppose I felt he should have the best he could when he was showing his prized doeling. So I shopped for a bit and bought him a mid-priced black set in his size.
After wasting an hour milling around that store—who knew there were that many varieties of cowboy boots—I slipped into a local grocery store to grab some boxed cereal and some fruit snacks. Then I found a steakhouse and had lunch. Mom and Aunt Joey, twin redheads squeezed into the small screen at the bottom of my phone, were chomping at the bit to get moving so they could see their boys. And the goats. Goats were big draws, it seemed. We chatted as I ate my rather good steak and salad, then finally, praise all the gods, their new flight was being announced.
“See you later this afternoon,” Mom and Aunt Joey said and then signed off to get in line to board.
After I ordered some coffee and a slice of pie, I texted the Bastian family chat to let them know about the delay. Ford had taken Dahn to the rec center as instructed and was now at thefeed mill picking up grain for the animals. Granny was worried about not having enough rhubarb thawed for her cake, so she was also making an apple crisp to go with the large pot of chili and cornbread for dinner. Smiling at the chitter-chatter amongst the Bastians, a call came in. Seeing it was from Ollie, I snuck out of the family text to take the call just as the waitress brought me my coffee and cherry pie.
“Hey,” I said with a warm pulse of deep affection unfurling in my chest.
“Hey,” he replied, his voice lacking that sensual little purr that it usually had when we talked. A chilly finger ran down my spine. He sounded off. Maybe he was just having a bad day. “So, I know you’re at the airport, but we have a situation here in town.”
“Oh-kay,” I drawled out, the pie not looking quite as good as it had a moment ago. “Was someone in an accident? Is everyone okay?”
“No one is hurt. Sorry, I should have said that right off the bat.” My exhale was huge. “I’ve got your son and his friends here in my office, Dodge. They were caught by my deputy defacing the statue of Isiah Bastian.”
I pushed the plate of pie away. Suddenly I no longer wanted it. “What? I don’t…he’s at the rec center for the last day of showmanship skills, and then he’s helping with the 4-H roundup tables and chairs.”
“Well, that’s where he was supposed to be, but he skipped out with the other boys and opted to spray paint a giant pink penis on the statue of your descendant.”
I just could notbelievewhat I was hearing. “Are you sure it was him?”
“My deputy drove past and caught them in the act, Dodge.”
