“Good boy.” She kissed his cheek, nodded to Coke and headed into the front room, Jack waiting on her.
“Lord, this is a mess.” Coke started digging out food. “Sit, Andy, ‘fore you fall.”
“Thanks.” The little stool by the counter was just the right height to slump on, and Bax waited until the door clicked shut behind Momma and Jack before he glanced over at Coke. “He’s fixin’ to do something really stupid.”
Coke looked over at him, eyebrow arched. “What’re you saying, Andy?”
“I’m saying he asked me to take care of Momma for him, Coke.” Jesus, just saying that out loud made him queasy.
Coke went about gray, the pickle jar creaking in his fist. “No. No, that ain’t how this is gonna work.”
“Well, he’s thinking he’s done. So what are we gonna do?” Thank God someone else was with him on this. Momma was just too upset, and she’d let Jase walk on her because he was her baby. Coke would help him.
“Who says he has to be done?” The pickles got set down, Coke staring straight at him.
Bax almost fell off the stool. “He cain’t see, Coke.”
“So? He ain’t used his eyes for nothing more than getting away from the bulls. That’s why I’m there.”
His mouth just dropped right open, and he stared at Coke as if the man had two heads. “But you… I… That’s crazy.” Wasn’t it?
“Crazy? Crazier than watching him drink himself to death? Or put a bullet in his head?” Coke shook his head. “Shit, Andy. It’ll take time. Have him tell the fucking sponsors he’s hurt bad, needs a year off, and we’ll fucking train him to do this.”
Even while he was thinking of ways to tell Coke he was crazier than a bedbug, a little spark of hope lit up his belly. “You really think he can? I mean, I know he’s ridden bulls more than once with his eyes closed.”
“It’ll take time. We got time.” Coke came right up close, staring at him. “Shit, Andy, if it don’t work, if it can’t, it’ll give him something to hope for. Something to believe in ‘til we can figure him something else.”
Nodding, he held out his hand. “Shake on it. That way I know you mean it. I cain’t lose him.”
“No. We ain’t giving up on him.” Coke’s hand slapped into his, solid and sure as fuck. “He didn’t ride with his eyes. He ain’t lost, goddamn it.”
Bax decided to believe Coke. Right then and there. And Lord knew he believed in Jason. “Then we’ll do it. Not here, though. It will be too hard on Momma.”
“No. No, we’ll need to make us a plan, yeah? That’ll take a bit.” Coke stared him down. “The doc didn’t say he was gonna get better, did he?”
“No. He said all the swelling was gone. He can maybe see alittle. Shapes, light, that kind of shit.” The look on Jason’s face had all but broke him.
“Okay. Okay, so we know.” Coke closed his eyes, took a deep breath and Bax knew the man was praying. Gramps was a true believer, no matter what anyone said. “We’ll have to tell Nate, and we’ll need to find a place for him to train, to ride again. Somebody close that won’t say shit to the money men.”
“AJ.” It popped out before he even thought, but Aje had the ranch. Had the young bucking bulls. “You know he worships Jase.”
Coke tilted his head, lips pursed. “He’s got that huge spread, out in the middle of nowhere. Y’all’d know if the press was out and about.”
“Yep. And all those rug rats are homeschooled. So even when school’s in again we ain’t got to worry. Missy loves the way he is with Benji, too.” AJ would do it. So would Nate. They were both good ‘uns.
Coke nodded. “I got three weeks before the next event. Miz Scott says I can stay a bit. I’ll make some calls.”
“Are you gonna tell him with me? He’ll never believe just me.” Not that Jase didn’t trust him, but he knew how hard it was to hope.
“There ain’t no telling with that stubborn fucker.” Coke grinned, shook his head. “We’re just gonna do it. We’re not giving him a choice.”
“There you go.” He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off, even as he reached for Coke’s arm to pull himself up and go check on Jase. Hell, if it didn’t work, well…
It was better than just giving up, wasn’t it?
Chapter Sixteen
Jesus. What a fucking dream.
