Page 82 of Love, Lies, and Whiskey

“Okay.” Doc lifted his chin to Sasha and Tiny as they came to his window. “Hey, guys, this is Lucas. Lucas, this is my sister Sasha and my father, Tiny.”

“Hi,” Sasha and Lucas said in unison.

“Nice to meet you, son,” Tiny said. “For a minute there, I thought I was seeing things. You look a lot like Doc did at your age. You flew the coop the other night like he used to, too.”

Lucas glanced nervously at Doc. Doc gritted his teeth, sure Lucas was offended by his father’s correlation, but before he could string two words together to soften it, Tiny spoke.

“With any luck, you’ll grow up to be a hell of a man, just like my boy is.” Tiny smiled. “Welcome to the family, son. I look forward to getting to know you.”

“Thanks,” Lucas said. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Doc said you’re a great bull rider like he was,” Sasha said.

Surprise rose in Lucas’s eyes. “I guess so.”

“Let us know when your next competition is,” Sasha suggested. “We’ll come cheer you on.”

“Um…okay,” Lucas said tentatively.

Worried he was overwhelmed, Doc said, “We’d better get going.”

“It was really nice meeting you, Lucas. I hope we see more of you,” Sasha said.

“I do, too,” Tiny said, then more sternly, “You drive safe now, you hear?”

“Yes, sir,” Lucas said.

Tiny gave a curt nod, and as he and Sasha stepped back from the truck, Tiny crossed his arms, his thick fingers drumming.

As they drove away, Lucas exhaled like he’d been holding his breath that whole time. “Your father is a finger drummer, too.”

“Yeah,” Doc said with a grin. “He is.”

“Weird.”

“Sure is.” Doc showed him the clinic, and as they drove back toward the main road, he pointed in the direction of his own house. “I live down there. Want to see my place?”

“I guess.”

When they got to his house, Lucas instantly spotted his other truck. “Is that your old truck?”

“Yeah, it used to be my father’s.”

“Why do you need two trucks? Why don’t you sell one?”

“That truck isn’t going anywhere. It’s my old man’s legacy. But I needed a double cab and something more reliable I could take on longer trips to pick up horses.” The dogs barreled out of the woods beside the house. “And they’re my beasts.”

“Whoa. Are they all yours?” Lucas asked excitedly.

“Yep. Sadie’s the Irish setter, Mighty is the black Lab, and Pickles is the one barking up a storm.”

“I always wanted a dog, but my mom said she had her hands full with me and the horses. Can I get out and pet them?”

“They’d love that, but how about you put the truck in park and cut the engine first?”

Doc had never seen the dogs so enamored with anyone. They sniffed Lucas up and down, and Sadie whined for his attention despite the fact that he was showering her with it. Lucas didn’t just play with the dogs; he turned into a whole different kid, laughing and loving them up, tossing sticks, and cheering them on as they ran to retrieve them.

“Do you leave them out all day?” he asked, tossing a stick for Pickles.