Another Chance - Book Two

By Zarek Dragon

 

When they got to the ranch, Joe started working with Sunshine while Jim saddled Gold and went to look for Ben Brodie. He talked with Gold the whole time as he headed for the rodeo arena. As he approached the arena, he saw a sign for the first time that caught his eye. He read it and couldn't believe his eyes.

Brodie had just finished securing the sign when Jim rode up. "What do you think?"

"That sign is huge, wouldn't surprise me if they can see it down in El Paso," Jim chuckled. "I'm guessing Mom gave you the picture of Dad? Unless you know the picture, you can't tell it's him, but it does seem appropriate."

"She did, and we want people to be able to see it for miles. We want that weekend to be spectacular," Brodie grinned.

"I thought you were just donating one day; you're going to give the whole weekend's profit?" Jim asked.

"Jackson and I have been talking and we think this is a very good cause. Half the profits will go to William Mason to help them really get started and we are thinking of giving the other half to something like MADD. We really want to honor your dad in a big way," Brodie explained. Jim started to cry. "We also decided that every year, we will have Jon Bolt Day on his birthday, or the weekend closest, to it and do a one-day rodeo. All profits will go to Mason's group. Then we will have our actual Rodeo the weekend after school lets out."

"That sounds awesome," Jim sobbed.

"And I want you and Gold to do awesome in the rodeo. We are doing the barrel racing that Friday night, on your dad's birthday. I want to work with you and Gold because I so want you to win, but you have to earn that win. I don't think you would want us to just give it to you."

"I thought that you wanted me to use your horse," Jim looked puzzled.

"I do, but for the demonstration. Ever since this mustang was broke, he has trained for barrel racing daily. So you basically just have to ride along, almost. I don't know if you and Gold could beat you on the mustang or not, but I don't want you demonstrating on Gold because I don't want you tipping your hand. The barrel racing will be on your dad's birthday, your dad gave you Gold, did he not?" Jim nodded. "I think it would be so fitting for you to earn that trophy, and a silver buckle with your dad's face, while riding Gold on your dad's birthday."

"If you're trying to see how much I can cry, I think you're succeeding," Jim laughed. "Now, I understand why you want me using the mustang."

"I'm glad. It's nothing against Gold, but I want your time on Gold in the rodeo to be that much more special. And at the demo, when I downplay you riding Gold in the rodeo, don't take it personal. I really hope that you win and want it to be a surprise," Brodie stated.

"How do you plan to downplay it?" Jim asked. He didn't want anyone saying anything bad about Gold for ANY reason.

"I'm going to be honest and say that while you are riding the mustang, it has trained for the barrel racing and nothing else. But you'll be riding Gold in the actual rodeo and he hasn't really trained for it so they shouldn't worry about the time that you set in the demo."

"OK, I can go with that," Jim smiled.

Jim worked hard getting used to how the mustang handled and the route around the barrels. Other than Monday when he and Joe were going to the dojo, Jim was putting five hours a day after school working with the mustang and Gold. Ben Brodie was impressed with how good Gold was doing for never being trained. He was having times very close to that of the mustang's time.

Good Friday was the last day of school before Spring Break. Principal Duncan called a general assembly. There was much discussion about Spring Break and what the teens should avoid doing. They were reminded of what was discussed in the last general assembly. And to end the general assembly, Jackson was able to discuss the Junior Rodeo celebration that would be happening. He asked the teachers to hand out one free ticket to every student as they left the auditorium.

Easter Sunday, the boys pulled in to work, and Jackson greeted them in the parking lot. "I want you boys to get done as fast as possible. It's Easter and you should be with your families," he told them.

"What about unloading the truck," Chris asked.

"It won't show until tomorrow," Zac informed him. "We'll just take care of the horses and head home today."

"And I will give you the option, you can either be paid double for it being a holiday, or I can pay you for your regular hours," Jackson offered.

"That's a no brainer, we won't even put in half the time, so 'regular hours' is better," Jim replied. Everyone agreed.

"Great, I'll just put you boys in the computer for your normal Sunday hours, then this is Ryan's and my first Easter with Colt, so we're going out for breakfast. Colt doesn't know it, but we have a couple hands hiding a dozen eggs while we're out, and leaving a note. They're also going to put three Easter baskets inside."

"Isn't Colt a little old for Easter egg hunts?" Joe asked.

"Perhaps, but this is our first Easter, abnd he's never had an Easter egg hunt. Besides, each egg has a twenty dollar bill inside," Jackson chuckled.

"Shoot, how do I get in on that?" Chris asked.

"By being Jackson's son," Jim grinned.

"No offense, I love Jackson as a friend, but I am happy with the dad I have," Chris stated.

"I see nothing offensive there," Jackson stated.

Jackson went in the house and the boys got to work. With the four of them, they were done taking care of horses within an hour. Then they spent a few minutes with their horses, well, all but Chris who didn't own a horse yet.

Heather was shocked to see them home early. "What happened?"

"Jackson was upset about something and fired us," Zac stated with a straight face.

"All four of you? What was he upset about?" Heather questioned.

"Something about us showing up on a holiday. He basically told us to take care of the horses and go home and not come back," Jim replied.

"Until tomorrow," Joe added.

"I'm gonna smack all four of you boys' rear ends," Heather said shaking her head and laughing.

"What did I do? I didn't say anything," Chris pled.

"No, which is just as bad," Heather smiled. She gave him a light tap on his ass and he smiled. Jim and Zac tried to hurry to Jim's room but Heather caught them and gave each a slightly harder tap than she gave Chris. They were surprised by how quick she still is, and laughed at how non-serious her tap was. Jim hugged his mom and told her how much he loves her.

Joe stayed where he was. He knew that she was just kidding with them, and besides, what did he really do wrong. It was him that let her know they were just having fun. She came back downstairs and gave Joe a kiss on the cheek.

Nick walked in and Chris looked at his dad. "Careful, she's being mean today," he said smiling.

"OH?"

"She spanked me for no reason," Chris mocked protesting. Heather was laughing.

"What did you do?" Nick asked.

"I didn't do anything," Chris swore. Nick looked at Heather.

"He's right, he didn't do anything. Zac and Jim were claiming that they were home early because Jackson fired them and he just stood there."

"So you lied?" Nick asked Chris sternly.

"I didn't say anything and they were just having fun," Chris was starting to worry that his dad was upset with him. He thought that maybe his picking on Heather back-fired on him.

"Not saying anything when you know someone else is lying is a lie of omission. I may have to ground you for a year," Nick looked at Chris, trying to keep a straight face, but the look on Chris's face made him chuckle.

"I hope that you laughing means you're not serious. You may be meaner than her," Chris smiled.

"So, are you wanting to change what you told Jackson?" Jim asked.

"No, it's still the truth. Even if he were serious, I hold what I told Jackson to be the truth," Chris proclaimed.

"What did you tell Jackson?" Nick asked.

"Well, he was having eggs hidden for Colt to find. I thought that Colt was too old for an Easter egg hunt and he said that he was giving Colt twenty dollars for each one. When he said that, I asked how I could get in on that," Chris started.

"Never mind you, how do I get in on it?" Nick chuckled.

"By being Jackson's son. That's exactly what I told Chris," Jim responded.

"And Chris said that he was happy with the dad that he has," Zac continued.

"Well, my dad died when I still believed in the Easter Bunny. Maybe I can convince Jackson to adopt me, even if I was his age when you were born," Nick laughed.

"Hmmm, that would make him my grandpa," Chris grinned.

"Yeah, but something tells me that he won't adopt you," Zac said looking at Nick.

"You're probably right, besides, I do make good money at my job," Nick agreed.

As they sat down to the table, Heather looked at Jim, "So, what time is William doing his speech and when are you demonstrating the barrel racing?"

"William won't do his speech until the actual rodeo. He'll be doing it on Dad's birthday. I'm doing it tomorrow. Ben originally asked if I could do it at noon, but I asked if it could be later so you'd be able to watch. Ben asked if four would work," Jim replied.

"I can be there at four, are you sure you want your mother there?" Heather teased. "Remember, I caused your father to have an accident."

"I'd be upset if you weren't there, but I'm not looking for you until after the demonstration," Jim proclaimed. Everyone laughed.

Jim had a restless night all night. He kept having dreams that the mustang lost its footing and crashed. In his dreams, he always woke up right after hearing a doctor say that he wasn't going to make it. After dreaming the same dream four times, he was too scared to go back to sleep and wanted to call off the demonstration. He was shaking so bad that he woke Zac up.

"I'd tell you it was just a dream, but the way your dreams are, I don't believe that," Zac said holding his arms around Jim.

"Do you think they would be upset if I called off doing it?" Jim asked, almost crying.

"Mr. Brodie might be, but I'm sure that he and Jackson would understand. If there is even a half a percent chance of your dream coming true, I don't want you to do it, but it's your decision," Zac replied, kissing Jim tenderly on the forehead. Jim felt safe in Zac's arms and started falling asleep.

"It's not your time, you will not die," he heard his dad saying.

"What?" Jim asked.

"I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but you will have many years ahead of you. You and Zac will enjoy seeing your great grandchildren," Jon told him. When he awoke, Jim couldn't remember what his dad had told him, but he felt safe and decided that he would do the demonstration.

He explained to Zac that he had a dream with his dad but couldn't remember it. He said that the dream did make him feel better and that he wanted to do as planned.

"OK, but if you kill yourself, I'll never speak to you again," Zac stated.

"Not even if I come visit you in a dream?" Jim asked.

"Not even then," Zac stood firm, with a smile on his face.

"Good thing I'm not going to die, then," Jim assured him.

At eleven, everyone doing a demonstration for the week took part in a parade to start the weeklong celebration. Jim was riding Gold and Jackson thought that he looked anxious. After the parade, while Jim was waiting to do his barrel racing, Jackson talked with him. "I'm calling the demonstration off!" Jackson demanded after Jim told him about his dreams.

"I don't think it's going to happen, Dad visited me and made me feel safe," Jim argued.

"But you're feeling anxious and might accidentally cause it," Jackson shot back.

"Please Jackson, let me do it," Jim begged.

"OK, but if you're still feeling the least bit nervous at four, I want to call it off. What do you think, Gold?" Jackson questioned. Gold put his head down as though he were praying.

Heather showed up a little after three, she found Jim and wished him luck. As she was making her way to a seat, Jim mounted the mustang. "You going to watch?" he asked Gold. Gold nodded his head.

Jim was getting the feel of the mustang as he waited for four to hit. "How are you feeling?" Jackson asked.

"As ready as I'm going to be. I trust the mustang and know we will put on a good show," Jim responded.

"Good, get ready," Jackson said as he headed to the microphone.

Jim could hear Jackson talking. "Ladies and gentlemen, you've all had to see the signs and we've discussed the junior rodeo coming up. Jon Bolt will be honored with our first annual Junior Rodeo Jon Bolt Day. Some of you may have watched him years ago in the junior rodeo. He could have gone on to being a rodeo star, but someone caught his heart. Then twenty-four years later, he was killed by a drunk driver. All proceeds for that weekend will go to a charity in his honor to help reduce drunk driving. Jon left behind not only his pretty wife, but also a son. His son is here today to demonstrate barrel racing. As he does, he'll come through that entrance and you can see that the barrels are in a triangle. He can choose either the right or left barrel, he'll do a loop around it and then do a loop around the other. Then after looping around the last barrel, he'll head back through the entrance he came in. This is called the clover leaf design because his route resembles a three-leaf clover. And without further ado, a big round of applause for Zarek Dragon. We don't normally do this, but Jim's going to walk his horse through the course so you can see the route, and then he'll run the course."

"And whatever time he sets here, think nothing of it. This horse has been trained for nothing except barrel racing. In the rodeo, he will be riding his horse which hasn't had any formal training," Brodie added.

Jim walked the mustang through the course as Jackson stated. It wasn't long after that he came riding hard and looped the barrel on his right. The mustang took off and they looped the barrel on the left. The crowd was loud but somehow Jim heard the high pitched squeal of a little boy, "He's not gonna make it!" He turned his head to see who said it and the mustang crashed right into the last barrel, stumbling and throwing Jim.

Gold raced to Jim who was lying there not moving. He nudged Jim with his head and Jim began to stir. Jim opened his eyes to see his stallion there. "You gonna help me up?" Jim asked. Jim grabbed Gold's neck with his left hand, his right arm was throbbing and it hurt to move. His first thought was that he broke it. Medics, Jackson and Heather came running as Gold helped Jim get to his feet. The crowd roared with cheers as Jim stood up. He raised both hands above his head as though he were victorious, it was then that he realized his pain seemed to be gone.

The medic checked him out and thought everything seemed alright but insisted that he go to the hospital for a complete examination to be sure that no bones were broken. "I'm fine, I need to take care of Gold," Jim tried to say.

"You may think you're fine, but you never know what may have occurred. You could have hairline fractures, internal hemorrhaging, or other injuries," the medic advised.

"I'll take care of Gold," Zac, who had been standing in the arena, offered. Then turning to Gold, "You don't mind my taking care of you so Jim can go get checked out, do you?" Gold nodded his head and limped over to Zac. That didn't go unnoticed by Jim.

"Gold, are you alright? Can I check your right front hoof?" Jim asked.

Gold pulled his hoof up so Jim could inspect it. Not finding anything that caused Gold to limp made Jim  worry about why Gold was limping. As he was placed on the gurney, he watched Zac lead Gold out of the arena. Gold's limp seemed to have gone away. It puzzled Jim, and he also thought it strange being the same leg as his arm that was hurting before Gold helped him. Jim thought that maybe Gold was feeling his pain, except his pain was gone.

After running all the tests, the doctors gave Jim a complete clean bill of health. He had no broken bones, no internal bleeding, nothing was wrong with him. Jim was rather concerned with why Gold limped at all and his thoughts went to the mustang. Ben Brodie came in to check on Jim. "How's the mustang?" Jim asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"He's got some bruising, but will be alright in a day or two? How are you?" Ben questioned.

"I'm fine, only thing hurt was my pride. I'm sorry that I hurt the mustang, but glad that he'll be alright," Jim apologized.

"It happens, what caused you to turn your head, anyway?" Ben asked. Jim told Ben about his dream, revealing every detail. Then he told how he heard a little boy squeal exactly what the doctor said in his dream. "I would have probably turned my head, too," Ben replied. "If I had known about your dream, I may have called off the demonstration."

"Jackson wanted to call it off, but I also had a dream where my dad told me that I'd be alright. Don't ask me about that one because I don't really remember it, I just know my dad said everything would be fine," Jim told him.

"And everything is. Your mom rode with you in the ambulance, didn't she? I can give both of you a ride back to the ranch. Jackson wanted to come, but one of us had to stay there to finish up and I told him that I wanted to come check on you and make sure my insurance was covering everything, so he agreed," Ben offered.

"Yes, Mom came with me, and we do need a ride back. I really like Jackson, but am glad that you came so you could tell me about the mustang." Heather happened to walk in at that moment.

"Mr. Brodie, how's the mustang?" she asked.

"I just told Jim that he's a little banged up but should be perfectly fine in a day or two," Ben replied.

"Just so you know, if Jim would have been on Gold, I don't think this would have happened," she said sternly.

"You may be right, but at this time, we have no way of knowing for sure," Ben agreed.

Ben took Jim and Heather back to the ranch. Jim wanted to check on Gold, so he walked to the stables. As soon as Gold saw Jim, he opened his stall and ran to him. First thing Jim noticed was that the limp was completely gone. "Guess you're feeling better, too," Jim smiled as he hugged Gold. "Want to go back to the arena? I'd like to see Jackson and let him know I'm alright."

Gold lowered his head as if to say, "Climb on." Without even thinking about it, Jim did just that and Gold took off at a gentle pace toward the arena. Zac couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Jim riding without a saddle.

"You hit your head and went nuts, didn't you?" Zac asked.

"I didn't see a reason to put a saddle back on but I wanted to see Jackson," Jim stated.

"Things have wound down for the day, he's meeting people as they head out, so it might be awhile," Zac informed him. "So, how much pain are you in?"

"Surprisingly, none. I can't explain it, when I was lying there, I thought I had broken my arm. Then Gold helped me up and the pain was gone. And the doctor said there was no sign of a break or anything," Jim replied.

"So what happened? What caused you to crash? The mustang didn't lose his footing like you dreamt about," Zac questioned.

"Remember what I told you I heard a doctor say in the dream?" Jim responded.

"Yeah, he said that you…weren't going to make it," Zac choked up as he said it.

"Well, I heard a little boy say that right before I crashed. He said those exact words," Jim stated.

"I sorry," a little boy that neither Jim nor Zac had seen walking up to them said. "I the one who said that, did I cause your accident?" The boy looked like he was about to cry. He had the shaggiest dark hair that Jim had ever seen, and when Jim looked in his eyes, they were blue with brown specs.

"No, I caused my accident, I let myself get distracted, I am the one to blame. What's your name? How old are you? Where's your parents?" Jim asked the boy.

"I got no pawents. I wiv at the gwoup home. And I'm five years old," the little boy held his hand up showing four fingers and his thumb. Now Jim wanted to cry.

"What's your name?" Jim asked again.

"Jakey B," the boy said with a smile.

"You want a hug?" Jim asked

"I wuv to cuddle," Jakey B answered. Jim alit off Gold and knelt down holding his arms out. Jakey B ran into them and wrapped his arms around Jim as best as he could. Jim wrapped his arms around Jakey B and squeezed a little.

As they were hugging, a lady came towards them, "There you are, Jakey." Then looking at Jim, "He's not bothering you is he?"

"Not at all, he thought he caused my accident and wanted to apologize. What's his story, if you don't mind my asking?" Jim responded.

"He was dropped off at The First Baptist Church on Gerrans shortly after he was born. We had no birth certificate or anything. Checking the state database, there seems to be no record of him even being born, just a note printed from a computer asking us to take care of him, saying his name was Jakey B.," the lady told Jim.

"As cute as he is, you haven't found a family for him?" Zac asked.

"We've tried but they all brought him back saying that he just didn't fit in," the lady replied.

"I was thinking about becoming a Big Brother, is he by any chance in the program?" Jim asked.

"Only parents can sign their kids up and the boys that are in the program, need to be at least seven years old. If you would like, maybe we could work something out for the weekends?"

"I'm almost seventeen and Zac is almost eighteen. My mom is in the system for fostering, but right now, we have no spare bedrooms. Zac's family has one, though," Jim offered.

"Other than your age, the rest doesn't matter for you to be able to take him on the weekends like a big brother. Your mom being in the system does help. If you can stop by the office before Friday, we can get the paperwork out of the way, then if everything checks out, you can pick him up on Fridays and bring him back Sundays."

"Would you like to spend weekends with me, Jakey B?" Jim asked.

"You want me? Will you cuddle wif me?" Jakey B replied, sadness was in his eyes.

"I would love to cuddle with you," Jim said as he picked up Jakey. He looked at Gold and as if he were reading Jim's mind, Gold nodded his head. Jim put Jakey B on Gold's back, keeping his hands on Jake's waist.

"Horsey is big," Jakey said.

"With this being Spring Break, is there any way I can take him for this week? My mom is, as I said, in the system for foster care," Jim asked.

"I'll have to check with your mom to be sure it's alright with her, what's her name?" the lady asked. Jim gave Heather's name to the lady and she searched on her smart phone. "She is listed in the system, as long as she approves and promises to take responsibility, I can let Jakey go with you."

"Would you like that Jakey?" Jim questioned.

"Will horsey go wif us?" Jakey B asked.

"No, horsey is too big, but I'll be here every day and maybe tomorrow we can ride him," Jim suggested.

"Yea!!!" Jakey B was excited.

Jim pulled Jakey off Gold and carried him looking for his mom. "Jim, did you have a child while you were at the hospital?" Joe asked when he saw them.

"This is Jakey B. Where's Mom? I need her to give permission for Jakey to stay with us all week," Jim explained.

"I think she's talking to Jackson," Joe answered.

"Good, I wanted to see him as well," Jim commented. "Jakey, this is my brother Joe."

Jakey hugged Jim tighter, acting bashful. Joe thought he would try to get Jakey to talk, "Hi Jakey, did you like the show today?"

"All but him cwashing," Jakey responded, pointing at Jim.

"Yeah, I didn't like that part either. You look like you're enjoying Jim holding you," Joe continued.

"Him cuddle wif me, I like to cuddle," Jakey B replied.

"And he gives some of the best cuddles, too. There were times when I was scared and Jim made me feel better by cuddling me," Joe offered.

"You like to cuddle, too?" Jakey B asked.

"You bet I do," Joe grinned. Jakey B held his arms out at Joe, almost causing Jim to drop him. Joe took him and gave him a big hug. Then, carrying Jakey, Joe led them to Heather.

"Mrs. Bolt, my name is Sallie Dewill, but all the children at the group home call me Aunt Sallie. Your son has expressed an interest in being this little guy's big brother. With your permission, he'd like to have him at your house this week," the lady from the group home stated.

"Sure, Joe is welcome to take him home," Heather responded.

"Not him, Mom. I want to take this little guy home. I knew you wouldn't have a problem with it. She just needed your permission and agreement to be responsible for him," Jim explained.

"Yes, he's welcome in our home and I know my son will treat him right, so I do accept the responsibility," Heather confirmed.

"Very good, if you'll sign right here," Sallie requested, handing a stylus to Heather. "And if you want, you can come by the group home tomorrow to get some of his clothes."

"Bye Aunt Salwie," Jakey said as she started to walk away.

"You do realize that he'll be your responsibility while I'm at work?" Heather asked Jim.

"Yes, and he's going to help me ride Gold tomorrow," Jim said smiling.

"Help you?" Heather started to chuckle. "Does Gold know?"

"He's even agreed to it," Jim grinned.

"Will Uncle Joe wide wif us?" Jakey B asked.

"If you want me to, I will. And when did I become your uncle?" Joe was a little surprised.

"You Daddy's bruvver," Jakey B stated. Jim choked up when he heard him say that.

"Oh, honey, he's…" Heather started but Jim cut her off.

"If he wants to call me 'daddy', I don't mind," Jim stated. "I'd love to adopt him when I can."

"Jim is my son, so if you call him 'daddy', I would be your grandma," Heather smiled. She wasn't sure she was ready to be a grandmother, but she could see how much Jakey was becoming attached to Jim.

Jackson finished meeting with the last group of people and walked over. "Your mom said that they couldn't find anything wrong with you," he said and Jakey started hugging Jim tighter.

"Jakey, this is my boss," Jim told the little boy.

"Jakey? Wasn't Ms. Dewill asking about you? And now, they're gone," Jackson questioned.

"She found him, and I get to take care of him all week. If you don't mind, he'll be helping me ride Gold this week," Jim told Jackson.

"He might get you some bigger tips," Jackson smiled.

"Daddy, can we go home? I tired," Jakey asked as he stifled a yawn. Jackson looked at them funny.

"Sure, I just need to put Gold in his stable, then we can go," Jim told him.

Gold was standing right where Jim left him and Zac was there on Silver. He held his hands out for Jakey so Jim could get on his horse. "I wanna wide wif Daddy," Jakey said.

"You can, but he needs to hand you to me or put you down so that he can get… Wait, did you just call him daddy?" Zac was a bit taken aback.

"He called Joe Uncle Joe," Jim stated.

"Did we adopt him?" Zac asked.

"Not officially," Jim replied.

"Jakey, I'm your daddy's boyfriend and we plan to eventually get married," Zac told him.

"That make you my daddy, too?" Jakey questioned.

"Not really yet, but yes, I will be your daddy, also," Zac said smiling at Jakey.

"Cool, you can hold me, Daddy, while Daddy get on Gold," Jakey said. Zac smiled.

Jim got onto Gold's back and Zac handed him Jakey. Jim gave Jakey a hug and then sat him in front of him. "OK, go horsey Gold," Jakey said and Gold started walking toward the barns. "Yeah, he doed it."

"Yeah, Gold is a good horsey and I love him very much," Jim grinned.

"Go fast," Jakey tried.

"With us not having a saddle or reins, he won't go fast. He doesn't want us to fall off, but he can go a little faster," Jim explained and Gold picked up his speed a little.

After Gold was in his stall, Jim took Jake to his car. As he was putting Jakey in the back seat, Jakey said that he wanted to sit up front. "I'm sorry, buddy, but law says that you need to sit in back until you're nine. In fact, I could get in trouble for not having you in a booster seat," Jim apologized.

"Me not want you in twouble. I sit back here," Jakey said.

"Remind me to give you an extra cuddle when we get home," Jim winked at Jakey. Jakey smiled.

Jim didn't go straight home. He made a stop at Wal-Mart to get the booster seat. Jakey had fallen asleep and Jim hated waking him, but he knew better than to just leave him. He unfastened Jakey's seatbelt and started picking him up when Jakey started to stir. "We home?" Jakey asked rubbing his eyes.

"Not yet, I made a stop so we can make you legal. I tried to not wake you," Jim apologized.

"It okay," Jakey said smiling at Jim.

Jim put Jakey in the cart and went towards the baby department. There was everything from newborn car seats to the booster seats he was looking for. Jim found one that was white molded plastic with blue padding and picked it up. As they were walking toward the cashiers, they started to pass the boy's clothing. "Want some new clothes? What's your favorite color?" Jim asked.

"I don't know, I like purple and gween," Jakey replied.

Jim looked at some shirts and held them up to Jakey. "Mind if I look at your shirt tag to see what size you wear?"

"You can," Jakey smiled. This was the first time that he actually felt like someone wanted him, and even though it's only been a short time, Jakey felt that he could trust Jim.

Jim found a green shirt with a cute purple dragon on it. He asked Jakey what he thought and the little boy grinned. Jim used his phone and figured out that Jakey was born year of the tiger, Jim grabbed a light blue shirt with a tiger on it as well. With four sets of clothes, plus underpants, pajamas, and the booster seat, Jim paid for his purchase and pushed the cart out to his car.

He set the booster seat up and put Jakey in it. "Now I is legal," Jakey said smiling.

"That you are and we can go home." Jim put the clothes in the trunk and fortunately was parked beside a cart corral. Jim started the engine and headed for his house. Since Jakey was boosted, he watched out the window the whole way home.

At the house, Jim got Jakey out and then grabbed the clothes from the trunk. Jakey wanted to be carried, so Jim obliged. As soon as he opened the front door, Kunoichi and Colby were there checking out the new person. "PUPPIES!!!" Jakey squealed right in Jim's ear. Jim put him down and Jakey put his arms around Colby's neck. Kunoichi started licking his face and Jakey started laughing.

"I thought you were tired," Jim commented.

"I was, but puppies waked me up," Jakey explained.

"OK, you can play with them for a few minutes, I'll take your clothes upstairs. Do you want a shower or bath before you go to sleep?"

"We hafta take showers at the home, can I have a baff?" Jakey asked.

"I picked up some Mr. Bubbles in case you wanted a bubble baff," Jim said.

"Yea, BUBBLES!!!" Jakey screamed.

Jim was smiling the whole time he walked up the stairs. He placed the bags on his dresser and went to start the water in the tub. When the tub was ready, Jim went to get Jakey. He was asleep with his head on Colby and his arms wrapped around him. Kunoichi was lying on the other side of Jakey. He looked so cute that Jim didn't want to wake him, but Jim took a picture with his phone and gently woke him.

Jim carried him upstairs and put him down in the bathroom. "Can you bathe yourself? I'll stay in here with you to make sure, you're safe, but if you can wash yourself, I'll let you do it," he suggested.

"Can you wash my back? I haff twouble weaching it," Jakey asked.

"I'll help you out however you need me," Jim offered.

"Can I pway in the bubbles befaw I wash?" Jakey begged.

"Isn't that what bubbles are for? If you're not gonna play with them, why have them?" Jim questioned.

"Yea!!! I get to pway in bubbles. You pway wif bubbles, too?"

"I'll put them on your head," Jim teased. Jakey squealed with laughter and started getting undressed. Jakey played with the bubbles and then Jim washed his back, leaving Jakey to wash the rest of himself. After Jakey was done, Jim drained the tub and used a glass to rinse the bubbles off of him, then wrapped him in a towel. Jim cuddled Jakey before drying him off.

Leaving Jakey wrapped in the towel, Jim told him to put his jammies on while he cleaned the tub. Jakey found his jammies on the bed. They were a purple one piece footed pair. Jakey was having a problem putting them on so he called for Jim, "Daddy, I can't do it."

Jim found Jakey with his arms in the sleeves and the legs behind him. Made Jim think of a purple tuxedo jacket and he smiled. "Let's try putting your feet in, then your arms," Jim suggested. Jakey followed Jim's advice and Jim helped him.

"Thank you, Daddy," Jakey said and gave Jim a hug.

"Did you have anything to eat at the rodeo demonstration?" Jim asked.

"Aunt Salwie bought us a hotdog," Jakey answered.

"So are you hungry?" Jim questioned.

"A little bit," Jakey answered.

"Then let's go see what we can eat," Jim suggested, picking Jakey up. They just got to the foot of the stairs when the front door opened. Heather and Joe walked in, each carrying a white bag.

"Have you eaten supper yet?" Heather asked.

"Not yet, we were just going to see what we wanted," Jim answered.

"Jackson sent home the cooked hamburgers and hotdogs," Joe told him.

"You want a hamburger or hotdog?" Jim asked Jakey.

"Hotdog," Jakey was quick to answer.

"Think I'm going to have a hamburger," Jim said.

"Then I want a hamburger, too," Jakey stated.

"Do you want a hotdog and a hamburger?" Heather inquired.

"Can I, Daddy?" Jakey asked looking at Jim.

"That's my mom asking you, so if you think you can eat both," Jim replied.

"Daddy, you gonna eat bofe, too?" Jakey asked.

"If you want me to so we are eating the same thing, I will," Jim answered, giving Jakey the most endearing cuddle.

"Yes, pwease," Little Jakey smiled to Heather.

Jakey sat beside Jim and when Jim took a bite of his hotdog, so did Jakey. Jim took a sip of his Coke and Jakey took a sip of his water. Jakey was mimicking Jim's actions. Heather smiled as she watched them. "He is definitely your son," she stated.

After they ate, Jim let Jakey play some more with Colby and Kunoichi. Jakey started to yawn and Jim decided that it was time to put him to bed. He dropped Jakey into the middle of the bed. Colby jumped up on the right side and Kunoichi on the left. "Guess I don't have to worry about you rolling out of bed," Jim teased.

"Nope, doggies make sure of that," Jakey cackled.

"I'll be up later to sleep beside you. Hopefully, doggies let me have my bed," Jim smiled. "Zac may sleep on the other side of you."

"Okay," Jakey said as he drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't long until Colby came downstairs whimpering at Jim. Jim got up and Colby went to the stairs. Jim followed him up to his room. The covers had a wet spot slowly growing around Jakey's mid-section. Jim woke him up, "Jakey, are you alright?"

Jakey realized that he had just wet the bed and started to cry, "I sorwie, I didn't mean to. Pwease don't punish me."

"Punish you? It was an accident, maybe because you're excited being here your first night, or maybe too much to drink before bedtime. I would never… Wait, did this happen when you went to the other homes?"

"Uh huh, and I got panked for it. Pwease don't hate me," Jakey begged.

"I could never hate you," Jim started crying, picked Jakey up and cuddled him. Wasn't long and Jim felt dampness in his shirt. "We need to get you out of these wet clothes and now I need to change my shirt, as well," Jim chuckled.

"I wuv you," Jakey said. Jim kissed him on the cheek, then put him down and helped him get out of his wet clothes.

"You want another pair of jammies, or just a clean pair of undershorts?"

"You sweep in jammies?" Jakey asked.

"No, I'll be sleeping in my boxers," Jim replied.

"Then I wanna sleep in boxers," Jakey said. Jakey ran naked to the bathroom and washed himself, then Jim helped him put on his shorts. Jim changed the bedding before putting Jake back to bed. It wasn't long after that, Zac and Jim evicted the dogs from the bed and laid beside Jakey. Kunoichi jumped back on the bed, lying between Jim's and Zac's legs, watching Jakey. Colby went to sleep with Joe.

I hope you enjoy the story and that it draws you in, wanting more. If you have any suggestions or concerns, don’t hesitate to email me.  Thoughts and suggestions are always welcomed and may or may not be implemented. Concerns will be considered and addressed as much as possible.

Also, I have created a mailing list.  If you would like to be added to it to be informed of new submission, please contact me at Zarek Dragon.  Please let me know that you read it on The Story Lovers' Website.