Page 138 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

“Are you one hundred percent sure you want me to do this?” Lucas asked.

“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life, son,” Tiny said. “I’m donating my hair to a company that makes wigs for kids with cancer.”

“You are?” Lucas asked, his voice cracking.

“That’s right. You should feel good doing this,” Tiny said.

“You need to cut off his ponytail first,” Dare said. “And since he’s donating it, we want to get as much as possible, so give me a minute.” He took the elastic band that held Tiny’s hair in a ponytail off and resituated the ponytail at the center of his head. “Now hold it up with one hand, and cut with the other as close to his skull as you can.”

“I hope Wynnie forgives me,” Lucas said, and everyone laughed. With nervous hands and his uncles by his side, he cut off Tiny’s ponytail and handed it to him.

Tiny’s fist shot up in the air, waving his mane.

The room exploded with cheers.

As Lucas shaved Tiny’s head, Ezra, Hyde, and Taz started chanting, “Let’s go, Rodeo. Let’s go, Rodeo,” and all the guys joined in, cheering him on as he shaved Doc’s head, too.

When he was done, Tiny and Doc pushed to their feet, running their hands over their newly naked heads, and more cheers rang out. Doc pulled Lucas into a hug. “You did good, buddy.”

“Holy shit. Tiny has a neck,” Dare said.

“Did you guys know his ears were that big?” Cowboy joked, and laughter rang out.

Tiny laughed and said, “You wanna see how big my fist is?”

Cowboy and Dare tossed their cowboy hats on the table and sat in the chairs, and more chants rang out as Lucas shaved their heads. When he was done, Dare brought out a box of clippers and said, “Who’s next?”

Every man in the room rose to his feet, offering to go next. Doc had never felt prouder to be a member of the club than right at that moment. As they formed two lines, Lucas’s jaw dropped, and he said, “Are you guys making them do this?”

“No. I told them I was doing it, and they all jumped on board,” Doc explained. “Dwight wanted to be here to support you, even though he’s got nothing to shave off, but he had to cook Thanksgiving dinner.”

“So they’re all just doing it for me?” Lucas asked.

“That’s called brotherhood,” Tiny added. “Nobody outside of these four walls knows what’s going on in here. Not Billie or Sully or Sasha or any of the other guys’ families. It’s not anyone else’s business. They’re showing solidarity for a future member.”

Lucas beamed. He threw his shoulders back and held the clipper out for Doc. “Will you shave my head?”

“It would be my honor.”

ON THE WAY home, Doc said, “I need to check on a new rescue and the rehab horses, but I’ll drop you off so you can shower and get ready for dinner.” Juliette had texted earlier to say they’d had a rescue come in, but not to worry, she was handling it. “I’ll try to be quick so we’re not late meeting the guys.” They’d all agreed to meet in front of the main house so they could walk into dinner together and surprise everyone with what they’d done.

“Can I go with you?” Lucas asked.

He hadn’t joined Doc when he did rounds on rescues or rehab horses since receiving his diagnosis. “Are you sure you want to do that, buddy?”

“Mm-hm. I’m realizing that sick horses need even more love than well horses.”

“They sure do. Are you sure it won’t make you sad?”

“It will make me sad, but it’ll make them happy, and the truth is, it made me sad before I knew I had cancer. I stopped because I didn’t think I could handle it. But that was selfish.”

“No, it wasn’t. It was an act of self-care. Everyone has their limits, and I’m glad you know yours. I don’t want you to do anything that makes you unhappy.”

“I want to see them. I can handle it now.”

And he did. Beautifully.

What a joy it was to see Lucas showering the healing horses with love again. He talked about the horses as they drove home to get ready for dinner, and it was easy to see that spending time with them had not only helped the horses but also helped Lucas gain a little freedom from his fears. Doc loved seeing Lucas taking control of the aspects of his life he could control.