They explored Amsterdam. She was almost run over by a streetcar. John pulled her off the track in the nick of time and then had to whirl her around to avoid colliding with a cyclist.
He laughed. “Maybe we should get a cab or ride the streetcar,” he chuckled. “It seems dangerous to walk here!”
“Better yet, let’s get a ticket to the boats,” she insisted. “The clerk at the hotel said you can buy them in any shop.”
“Suits me. I’d love to see the canals. Although,” he whispered, “I’d rather be hogtied than fall in one.”
“Me, too!”
The canal tours were fun. There were other tourists from all over the world. They struck up a conversation with a couple from France who was fascinating to talk to, and a widow from Belgium who was informative about Dutch culture and history. How the boats managed to go under the bridges was wondrous to Josie, who noted that there was barely an inch of space spare as the boat headed into the tunnel.
“What an adventure!” she told John, her pale eyes glistening with delight.
He pulled her close. “What an adventure,” he echoed, and kissed her gently before they went on to some of the historic places on the guide map.
They arrived back at the Big Spur ten days later, exhausted by both sightseeing and passionate exploration.
Heather hugged them both. “You look like you had a very happy honeymoon,” she remarked while they hugged JJ and Cole.
“The best ever,” Josie sighed. “But it’s nice to be home!”
Heather grimaced and looked helplessly at Cole. “We have to tell him,” she said.
He grimaced, too.
“Tell me what...?” John’s face fell. “Precious?” he asked softly.
Cole nodded grimly. “Just this morning,” he replied. “We left him in his cage until you got here. What do you want to do about him?”
John took a deep breath. He looked down at Josie. “Would it be...?”
“No, it wouldn’t,” she replied firmly, seeing right into his mind.
Cole and Heather exchanged warm glances. They’d always had that sort of silent communication. It was great that John and Josie had it, too. It signaled a long and happy marriage, just like theirs.
JJ had been puzzled at the quiet communication between John and Josie, but he soon discovered what John had started to ask.
They all paraded out to the backyard, where a pet cemetery of years past had been cared for by the cowboys since all three Everett children had been small. There was a fresh hole, and Precious was inside a small cardboard box. John placed him in the hole. Josie had a handful of Heather’s amber chrysanthemums in a quart Mason jar with water. JJ was holding a small white cross that one of the cowboys had hastily assembled before John and Josie got home. Like the grave, already dug, Heather had been fairly certain about John’s decision concerning his pet.
They all stood over the grave. Everybody looked at John.
He took a deep breath and removed his hat, holding it at his side. “Precious, you were a sweet old snake. I know your reputation was pretty bad and you scared a lot of people. But you never bit anybody here, and you were a fascinating companion.”
“And John loved you,” JJ added. “I liked you very much, too.”
Josie looked from one to the other and finally looked at the small box in the hole. “Precious, I’m glad that you had John to look after you while you were here. And I think that you probably would have guarded him if he’d ever needed it. If there’s a place in the hereafter for snakes, I hope you go to one that has lots of grass and water and...” She hesitated. “And food,” she added, not sure that hunting would be allowed.
They nodded. The cowboy who’d been designated as the grave keeper started shoveling in dirt. When he finished, Josie put the container of chrysanthemums in water in a hollowed-out place on the grave. The cowboy settled the cross at its head.
On the cross was written, “Precious: the only nice rattlesnake in the history of Texas.”
They all looked at the cowboy.
He flushed. “Well, John, when you think about it, rattlesnakes don’t have many cheerleaders...?”
They all laughed. John clapped him on the shoulder and thanked him for his efforts.
They were walking back to the house. JJ ran ahead, full of energy, to tell the elder Everetts about the funeral.
