One Brave Cowboy Read Free Page B

pickup sits up pretty high.”
    Cougar nodded. “I gotta get rid of those monster tires. My little brother had the truck while I was gone, and he thought he was doing me a favor tricking it out like that. Coming home present, you know?”
    â€œHow do they ride?”
    â€œLike saddling up a plow horse. Somehow I gotta tell Eddie the monster truck days are behind me.”
    â€œThat’s hard. A gift is a gift.”
    â€œAnd the monster truck was a kid’s dream.” Cougar lifted his cup. “Good coffee. Tastes like Green Beans. Honor first, coffee second,” he recited, paying tribute to one of the few things he missed about being deployed in the Middle East.
    Logan smiled. “You and Mary were in the same outfit?”
    â€œNo, but she worked pretty closely with us. She’s a real specialist. I’m the guy nobody invites to the party.”
    â€œBut when the party turns ugly, it’s the guy with MP on his sleeve who kicks ass in a good way.”
    â€œThat’s what we’re all about. I’ve kicked a lot of ass.” He helped himself to a piece of frybread. “You’ve been over there?”
    â€œGulf War.” Logan claimed a piece of frybread and tore it in half. “I was a kid when I went over there. Came back desperate to find some kind of normal. I found myself a hot woman and married up. She cooled off real fast. Took off and left me with her two boys. Who became my two boys.” He took a bite out of the chewy deep-fried bread. “Did Mary tell you we’re gonna have a baby?”
    â€œAlready?”
    â€œHell, yeah. You know what else? Normal’s the name of a town somewhere. Who needs Normal when you’ve got Sinte, South Dakota? Or…Wyoming, right? Where in Wyoming? You probably—”
    â€œI probably didn’t say. Right now it’s wherever I park my outfit.” He nodded toward the front door. “Room to haul two horses and sleep two people.”
    â€œWhat else does a guy need?” Logan asked with a grin.
    â€œNot much.” Cougar gazed out the patio door and past the deck toward Logan’s corrals and pole barn. It wasn’t a fancy setup, but it was trim and orderly. “My brother and I have some land west of Fort Washakie. We own a quarter section, and we leased some grazing land, but he gave up the lease while I was gone.” He lifted a shoulder. “Can’t blame him. I was gone.”
    â€œWere you running cattle?”
    â€œI had horses. Eddie had to sell them.” But that wasn’t what he wanted to think about right now. He turned back to his new friend. “You know the people over at the Double D pretty well?”
    â€œI know Sally. She and Mary have been friends a long time. Hell of a woman, that Sally Night Horse. She has multiple sclerosis, but she doesn’t let it slow her down much.” Logan offered a knowing look. “She has a lot of volunteers coming in to help. What’s the name of the woman you met?”
    â€œCelia Banyon. The boy’s name is Mark.”
    â€œOh, sure. Celia’s a teacher.” Logan smiled. “Pretty little thing.”
    â€œPretty enough.” Logan’s smile was slightly irritating, but Cougar caught himself half smiling, too.
    â€œCareful,” Logan said. “You crack your face, you’re gonna feel it.”
    Cougar laughed. “Ouch. Damn, that smarts.”
    â€œIt looks good on you. Like you said, no harm done. Shake it off, cowboy.” Logan warmed up Cougar’s coffee with a refill. “What kind of horse are you looking for?”
    â€œA war pony. One that can go all day without complaining.”
    â€œYou do know it’s a contest.”
    â€œMary said you can train the horse for anything you want.”
    â€œYou have to turn out a useful horse. Not much call for war ponies these days.”
    â€œThat’s what I’m calling for. A war pony