Blinking, Bax flushed a little, not thinking about a weight machine at all. He was thinking on getting Jason up, though. “Sure.”
Coke’s lips twisted, head shaking. “So. I got to go back on tour. You gonna wait till I’m back to get him up on a bull?”
“No. No, I need you here, Coke. We’ll get him on a level one bull before you leave. When are you going?” Shit. It shouldn’t panic him so much, thinking of doing this without Coke.
“I’m heading out Saturday morning and I’ll be gone ten days, then I’ll be back.”
“Then we’ll do it Friday. I should be used to the new center of balance by then.” That would give them a few days to put Jason on the barrel again.
“Yeah. He does good, if he keeps his eyes open. I want him practicing walking around the practice arena, too. Trusting his feet.”
“Okay.” Yeah, they could work on that. They could get him out with some calves in a pen, too, just to work on the bodies brushing up on him.
“How’s he doing, mood-wise? He’s been damn quiet.”
How did he tell Coke that they’d been busy? Damned busy taking advantage of having a locking door and a decent-sized hot water heater?
“Growly. I don’t know what to do sometimes, Coke. He just… He’s frustrated.” And God knew, they couldn’t talk for shit. Bax just ended up taking Jason to bed.
“I imagine. I mean, shit. I can’t even start to figure how he copes.” Coke pulled into a Whataburger, ordered them some food. “I mean, I keep waiting for the big meltdown.”
“Shut up. I don’t know if we can deal with that right now.” Grinning a little, Bax scratched his leg, glad to finally be able to.
Coke snorted, rolling his head a little, or trying to. It was less like rolling and more like watching one of them weird puppet dolls. Damn, that looked sore, some. “When it happens, let Missy deal with it. She’s a tough broad.”
“You think? She’s got all those kids.” No way was hegonna question Missy’s toughness—he just wondered about her time.
“Well, she knows about temper tantrums, huh? She’ll hand him a Popsicle and tell him to grow up.”
Asshole.
Teasing, laughing asshole. Bax had to laugh, too. He was gonna miss Coke’s solid, steady presence and silly jokes. “You got it, I guess. She’s not one for bullshit.”
“Can you imagine having to deal with AJ if she was?”
That man was all over her, damn.
“Nope. She’s a fine woman, though. Hank says he’d take her in a heartbeat.” He probably would too, if he swung that way.
Coke tilted his head, paid for the burgers and handed a Dr. Pepper over. “Lord, that would be something. Hank and Missy’d tie it up.”
“Don’t even think about it. Somehow AJ will hear just the idea out in the ether, and next time he sees Hank he’ll sock him in the nose.” Oh, that food smelled good. It was amazing, how dragging around a cast made a man tired.
“Lord, can’t you see that? AJ just jumps that poor old boy’s ass and Hank not having done a thing.”
Although they all knew Hank was a horndog of mammoth proportions.
“Might actually be worth putting a word in with AJ.” Grinning, he sucked down part of his drink, leaning back. His leg throbbed like a bitch, too.
Coke chuckled and drove on, warbling with the radio, tuneless as a cricket dunked in moonshine.
Lord love him. Bax closed his eyes and tried not to listen. When he couldn’t take no more, he whapped Coke’s leg. “What can I do for Mini? To pass the time?”
“Take him fishing? Take him outside? I’m fearing that the hard bits ain’t gonna be the riding, Andy. I’m thinking it’sgonna be restaurants and cameras and meet and greets and the locker room.”
“He’s just got to keep those eyes open.” And not panic. Panic made Mini’s eyes do bad things.
“Yeah. And he’s got to learn to look straight ahead or something. I don’t know. He’ll figure it. He’s not stupid.”
