Two Sides of the Same Coin (19 page)

“You should get a tetanus shot, Jeff. Maybe rabies too.” Everyone laughed.

“I’m up to date on tetanus. That’s part of livin’ on a ranch. I’ll pass on the rabies though.”

“Did you really keep callin’ him Porky?”

“Yep, it just seemed to fit.”

Mike grinned and added, “Porky felt all brave with his knife, but he was no match for Jeffy.” He gave me one of them looks that made me want to kiss him right in front of the girls. Instead I just smiled at him. He smiled back.

“I’m glad you did that, Jeff.” Sandy smiled at me. “I got one big bruise where that bastard pinched me. Mike says you broke his nose?”

“I reckon so. If nothing else, he’ll think twice before insultin’ a lady again.”

“I wouldn’t count on that, Jeffy. He seemed awful stupid.” Mike laughed.

I walked over to the cupboard and got a mug, then to the stove and poured myself some coffee. It was good, strong, and thick. Sandy looked at me.

“Mike made the coffee. He figured he knows how you like it. Oh and by the way, he just told Maria and me that last night was your first date.” I looked over at Mike. He was red, but had a big smile on his face.

“I reckon it was. So since it’s official that we’re datin’, get that pretty ass over here and give me a good mornin’ kiss.” Mike turned even redder, but came over and gave me a quick kiss on the mouth. I moved over to the table and sat next to him.

“So how does everyone want their eggs?” Maria opted for scrambled, and Mike and I both wanted over easy. Sandy had made some biscuits too. She got those out of the oven. Within just a few minutes, we were all sitting down to a nice breakfast. Maria was the first to break the silence that had settled over us as we ate.

“Thank you, Sandy, this is really good.”

“Yeah, I appreciate it too, Sandy,” I added, and Mike nodded, then looked at me.

“So what’s on the agenda today to get ready for the dudes?”

“Well, buddy, I was hopin’ you could bring over maybe three or four of the horses and put ’em in the little corral in back. If ya could throw the tack on the back porch, too, that would be great. Get the gentle ones too. I’m sure little Harrison and his sister are gonna want to ride. I don’t know about the others, but it don’t look like they’ve ridden a lot. I got a bunch of steaks outta the freezer last night. I can coat those with spice rub. Sandy’s gonna help me make cowboy spuds, cowboy beans, and corn salad. I gotta taste for coleslaw, so let’s make some of that too.”

“Do you mind if I go with Mike, Jeff? It’s been a while since I have been around horses, and I miss it.”

“Of course not, Maria. Hey, buddy, one other thought, I noticed your buckle from the Methow Valley rodeo. It looks like you can rope, so why don’t you get a couple of steers also. We can treat the kids to a mini-rodeo, ropin’, steer ridin’, and we got that horse that Dad bought before… not too long ago. He ain’t broke yet, so we can do some bronc bustin’ for them too.”

“No problem, Jeff, that’ll be easy.”

Sandy was lookin’ at me. “You’re a good man, Jeff. Those kids are gonna have a vacation they’ll never forget.”

“That’s the plan. Now let’s get movin’. We finished our breakfast pretty quick. Mike and Maria headed off to the barn and horses. I told Sandy to relax a bit, and I’d clean up. She grabbed a cup of coffee, put enough sugar and milk in it to choke a horse. I cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes. In no time it seemed Sandy and I had the steaks seasoned with cowboy rub, and we’d made a big bowl of corn salad and another of coleslaw. A big pot of beans was boiling with some salt pork. Sandy peeled the potatoes. She’d suggested cowboy spuds, so only fair she did the peeling. All that was left to do was to add some onions, chili powder, spices, and beer to the beans, finish the potatoes, and grill the steaks. Just as we were finishing, I heard Mike and Maria come in. Mike was talking.

“You’re really good on a horse, Maria. Did you grow up on a ranch too?”

“Yes, I did. I remember helping with roundup every year. I haven’t done it in years though. It was fun.” We’d been working several hours to get ready, but we figured we had time for a beer before the guests got here. We headed to the front porch and sat down on the chairs out there. We’d also dished some chips and dip, chips and salsa, and some bean dip for snacks. The afternoon sun was bright, and it had warmed up the day. The aspens on the hills were all golden, and the grass was dry and brown. It was a beautiful day. The four of us sat in companionable silence. José and Josh were off for the weekend in Wenatchee. Wayne’s trailer was dark too. He hadn’t stopped by this morning for breakfast. I hoped he was getting some well deserved rest. After the shooting earlier this week, he certainly deserved some time off. I hoped that whoever he was seeing was taking good care of him. I went in and put the potatoes in the oven and the seasonings and beer in the beans.

When I got back out, we started talking about how to make the day real memorable for the kids. Maria volunteered to ride in the corral with Mike and me when we were doing the rodeo events. Her job would be to shoo away any animals that looked like they were going to step on us. Sandy volunteered to do some stake racing, and we thought it would be fun. I suggested she take the little girl, Lisa, with her. Right about two, our guests arrived. They came in two cars, the Sanders family was in one, and Jonathan drove by himself. As soon as Tom turned off the engine, Harrison and Lisa came running toward me screaming, “Uncle Jeff!”

“Howdy there, little lady!” I tipped my hat to Lisa, who giggled and hugged my leg.

“And howdy to you, buckaroo!” I stretched out my hand, and Harrison shook it seriously and then joined Lisa in hugging me. They next ran over to Sandy and gave her hugs too. I greeted the adults. They were really happy to be here. I introduced Mike and Maria around.

Harrison immediately piped up, “Are you a real cowboy too, Mike?”

He’d heard me call Harrison “buckaroo,” so he answered, “I sure am, buckaroo.”

“That’s right, Harrison, he sure is. He’s my partner like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, or like Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp.” Harrison looked like he was in heaven.

“And just for you, buckaroo, my buddy here and I are gonna put on a little rodeo. And if you want, you can ride a horse too.”

Tom looked at me. “A rodeo, Jeff? Isn’t that a pretty big undertaking?”

“Normally it is, but since both Mike and I compete, we practice once in a while. He and I are gonna do some header and heeler ropin’ steer ridin’ and wrestlin’, and bareback bronc ridin’. And Sandy was gonna show Lisa how to flag race. I can show Harrison, too, if that’s okay. We’ll both go pretty slow.”

“As long as it’s no trouble,” Ann added.

“None at all. Now let’s move in back. I got a cooler of beer and soda out there with a couple of hard lemonades for the ladies.”

We headed through the ranch house, and I gave a mini tour. It had been Dad’s dream home. It was a log home, surrounded by a covered porch. You went in through a mudroom, which had closets and a bathroom off it. The living room and dining room were part of a great room kind of construction. Over the kitchen, dining room, and the three downstairs bedrooms was the upstairs which had a loft with a rail, and three more bedrooms, two with bathrooms in the rooms, and one with a bathroom right next to it. Opposite the loft was a high cathedral type ceiling with the river rock fireplace in the middle. The rest of the wall was pretty much glass with a nice view of Lucky Jeff Bluff behind it. The house was all done up in Western style; both Dad and I liked it and it seemed to fit.

They all looked around, and Ann finally said, “This is a beautiful home, Jeff.” Everyone else nodded.

“It’s a nice place to hang my hat at night. I like it.”

Harrison piped up. “Did you shoot that deer over the fireplace?”

“Nope, buckaroo, my dad did. And that’s an elk. They’re a lot bigger than deer. But Mike and I are goin’ huntin’ next month, and maybe we’ll get an elk. If we do, you want the skin? That is if it’s okay with your mom and dad?” I looked over at Tom and Ann.

“If you don’t mind.” Tom looked at me.

“I must have at least fifteen tanned deer and elk skins. No problem at all.” I looked at Mike.

“Well, buddy, now we gotta shoot somethin’ so’s we don’t disappoint nobody.” I smiled at him and he grinned back.

“We’ll get the job done, Jeffy.” Sandy snickered and Mike turned red. She began leading everyone out through the back door past the hot tub and into the backyard area. Mike clapped his hand on my shoulder and then gestured for me to go. Ann held back as did Jonathan.

“How long have you two been together?” Ann asked. When we both looked at her, she quickly explained, “My younger brother is gay. Just watching you two, it’s obvious you’re together. I hope I didn’t offend you.”

“Not at all, Ann, I been out since I was sixteen, so no issues for me. My buddy here on the other hand is just kinda venturin’ outta the closet.”

“Jeff was lucky that his dad was acceptin’ of him. I wasn’t so lucky. My old man tried to beat it outta me until he just kicked me out. So it’s a bit harder for me to be open about who I am. Jeff is showin’ me, though, there’s nothin’ to be ashamed of.” Ann came forward and gave Mike a big hug.

“Don’t let anybody tell you that you aren’t a good guy, Mike. When I look at the two of you, and at the friends you have, I think you must be a really special guy to have people like that around you. So how long have you been together?”

“Uh…,” Mike kinda stuttered out, “We just had our first date last night. We both figured it’s best to get a good friendship goin’, and everythin’ else will fall into place.” Mike was beet red, but had a smile on his face.

“I hope I didn’t betray you guys, but I told my sister and Bill and Helen and Walter about you two. Walter doesn’t believe me.”

“Not from my point of view at all. What about you, Mike?”

“It’s okay.” He looked a bit nervous, but smiled.

“See, buddy, I told you that you was gonna bust that closet door down.” I put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him against me for a second.

He looked at Ann and Jonathan, and they were both smilin’. He smiled back and said, “How about we head out there and make the kids’ vacation for ’em?” Ann and Jonathan were telling us how nice we were. Ann mentioned that the kids had talked about nothing but going out to the ranch where Uncle Jeff lives.

“I’m glad you came. So, buddy, you wanna do some ropin’ first?”

“You got it.”

We headed out to the back porch. I clapped a couple of times to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay folks, we’re gonna put on a little rodeo for ya. Harrison, Lisa, this is how real cowboys practice for the rodeo, and some of the events in the rodeo. First thing that we are gonna do is called team ropin’. When you do team ropin’, you got two cowboys on a team.”

Sandy piped up, “Or two cowgirls!”

I laughed and continued, “Right ya are, darlin’, the rodeos I compete in, both men and women can enter all events. So anyway, ya got two cow-persons on a team.” Everyone laughed at that one.

“One of the persons is the header, ’cause that person ropes the steer or calf around the head. The other person is the heeler, because that person ropes the steer’s back leg. Am I bein’ politically correct, darlin’?” I looked at Sandy, and she gave me the thumbs up. Maria was going to take care of the gate for this event. I continued to explain how it is a timed event, and Sandy had a stopwatch and whistle.

While Mike and I headed over and saddled up our horses, the men moved the picnic table benches over next to the corral. We’d talked earlier about who would head and who would heel. We would work together pretty good, as I’d scored before in heeling and Mike in heading. Maria let one of the steers out into the corral, and we were off. Mike galloped ahead and began swinging his lasso. I was herding the steer toward him. He threw and the loop settled right over the steer’s head and around its neck.

“Okay, Jeffy, it’s up to you now.”

“Easy as fallin’ off a horse.” I twirled my lasso and aimed for the back legs. I got one and jerked the rope up and tight. The steer was spread out in perfect form.

Sandy blew the whistle and said, “Twenty-two seconds! That was great guys!” Mike and I rode up to each other and high-fived. I’m a bit of a showoff, so I got my horse up into a gallop, set the reins on the horn, and stood up in the stirrups with my arms raised up in victory. I was able to guide the horse with my knees, and I galloped around the corral. Everyone started clapping.

“Showoff!” Mike yelled at me. “I ain’t never seen no one as cocky as you, Jeffy.”

“Not cocky, bud.” I winked at him. “I’m just plain good, and I admit it!”

We rode together to the back of the corral. When we were close together, Mike said, “I’ll be the judge of just how good ya are, Jeffy.”

I couldn’t resist telling Mike, “That you will, buddy; just be prepared to have your socks fucked off and to be ruined for other men, ’cause no one can compare to me.” I winked at him and laughed.

“You’re so humble, Jeffy. I like that in a man.”

While I was showing off, Mike had got the steer into the holding pen, and we were ready for the next one. We did four more tries at the team roping. We managed to rope the steer every time, but the first time gave us the best time. We decided that we’d do some steer wrestling next. Maria got on her horse to be the pick up lady, and Mike manned the gate. I rode over to the side of the corral where everyone was sitting.

“Next, I’m gonna do steer wrestlin’. What that means is Mike is gonna let a steer lose in the corral, and I’m gonna chase it down, jump on it, and wrestle it to the ground so all four hooves are pointin’ up in the air.” I rode over to by where the branding chutes were, got my horse in position, and yelled, “Pull!”

Mike let loose of the gate, and the steer trotted out into the corral. My horse, Charlie, was pretty well-trained, and he knew what was expected of him right away. He began chasing the steer and herded it out into the middle of the arena. He pulled alongside of it, and I leaned over. From the saddle, I was able to grab its horns and let myself fall. My body weight pulled the steer down and stopped it pretty quick. It took a bit, but I got the steer on its back.