Another Chance - Book Two

by Zarek Dragon

 

Jim entered the house and started for the stairs, clutching the Palomino to his chest. He was planning to go to his room and cry himself to sleep. As he got to the first step, he heard someone behind him. "Daddy, why are you cwying?" the person asked.

"Because I went to the home to pick up Jakey and someone else took…him… Jakey?" Jim turned around and dropped to his knees. Jakey ran up to him and gave him a big hug. Jim wrapped his arms around Jakey and never wanted to let go. "They told me that you went to a foster home and Zac said that his parents were turned down. How are you here?"

"Gwandma came and got me. She's my new fosta mommy until you can adopt me," Jakey smiled.

Jim gave Jakey a kiss on the cheek and hugged him some more. "Jackson gave me this stuffed Palomino for you," Jim said handing over the stuffed animal he had been clutching when he thought he wouldn't see Jakey again.

"You're welcome," Jim heard his mom say behind him. Jim stood up and hugged Heather, giving her a kiss.

"What happened, I mean how?" Jim asked. "And thank you so very much."

"Marilyn called me and said that she and Vince were turned down, so I called Sallie Dewitt, or Aunt Sallie, as Jake knows her by. I told her about the fourth bedroom being built and she sees no problem with me fostering Jakey until you and Zac get married," Heather explained.

"I hope you know how much I love you. I know that you really love me more than I can ever imagine. Thank you so very much," Jim hugged Heather again and gave her another kiss.

"Can we go to wanch? I want to tank Jackson for the horsey Gold," Jakey requested.

"Supper will be ready in two hours, so you have time," Heather let them know.

"Come on, Jakey. Hopefully Zac hasn't left yet so we can tell him the good news," Jim smiled as he picked Jake up and carried him out to his car. Heather got on the phone and called the ranch. Zac answered.

"Jim's on his way out to the ranch. He's hoping that you don't leave before he gets there so he can surprise you," Heather told him.

"He liked his surprise, I take it?" Zac asked.

"Only time I've seen him happier is when he's with you. He started heading for the stairs and Jake asked him why he was crying. It was so cute watching his reaction. I did record it," Zac heard her giggle like a school girl.

"I just hope that he's not too upset that I knew," Zac expressed.

"I doubt he will be. He's too happy seeing Jakey. Besides, even if he did get upset, you kiss him and he'll forgive you," Zac could hear Heather smiling in her voice. They chatted until Zac saw Jim pull into the parking lot.

Zac hurried out to Jim's car. As Jim got out, Zac looked at him and asked if he were alright. "I have a surprise for you," Jim smiled and they walked around to the passenger's side. Jim opened the door and showed Zac Jakey.

"Hi, Daddy, he was surpwised just like you said," Jakey stated. Jim turned to look at Zac.

"You knew all along?" Jim asked.

"Hope you're not mad at me," Zac said.

"Mad at you, you let me think the whole time that I had lost Jakey. My chest was aching because I missed him so much. I don't think it hurt this bad when I lost Shadow." Jim was ranting.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it would tear you up this much; all I thought about was the surprise that you would have when you got inside," Zac explained.

"And then you didn't even walk me to the door to make sure I made it. Mad at you? Just because you helped plan the second best surprise you ever could have? No, I'm not mad at you. I want to kiss you so deeply right now," Jim grinned.

"Second best? What would have been first?" Zac asked.

"If I have to tell you, then maybe I should look for a new boyfriend," Jim smiled.

"OH, that would be a difficult surprise to pull off any more, AND not much of a surprise," Zac laughed.

"So, was Jackson in on the surprise?" Jim asked.

"To be one hundred percent honest, my parents were told yesterday. Your mom had talked to Aunt Sallie last night. Jackson gave you that stuffed animal to help keep you from knowing. You have no idea how hard it was not telling you," Zac admitted.

"I don't know if I should be honored y'all went to all the trouble to surprise me, or be upset," Jim exclaimed. Just then, Jakey B gave Jim a kiss on the cheek. "OK, definitely honored."

"You know, since your mom is his foster mom, we don't have to marry right away and he'd still be with us," Zac teased Jim.

"Until Mom and Nick get married. Then they may say that she doesn't have the room or they denied Vince because he's head of Jackson's security. What will they say about Nick being the Sheriff? Sure we may be too young to fully understand the responsibilities of being married, but aren't we virtually married already and we have our families ready to help us. I want to marry you, Zac Bolt," Jim averred.

"Mmmm, that does have a nice ring to it. And speaking of rings, when we leave here, do you want to go pick out our rings?" Zac asked.

"How much longer until you can leave?" Jim asked.

"That's a silly question. You know that Jackson lets us pretty much decide when we can be here, other than the weekends, of course. I'll just let him know that I'm leaving," Zac replied.

"We'll go with you. Jakey wants to thank him," Jim offered.

"Can I carry Jakey? That is if Jakey wants me to carry him," Zac asked. Jakey reached over to Zac and grabbed his neck. Fortunately, Zac was close enough as Jim lost his grip and Zac grabbed him.

They walked to the office and Jackson was sitting at the desk. As soon as Jakey could see him, he started, "Tank you for my stuffed horsey Gold. I weally like him."

"Jakey, where did Jim find you?" Jackson acted surprised.

"Jim knows," Zac said.

"Yeah, thank you so very much for helping break my heart just so it could be made whole again with such a great surprise," Jim started off sounding mad but had the biggest smile on his face when he stopped talking.

"I felt so bad for you when we got you to your house, I really did, but I'm glad that you liked the surprise," Jackson apologized.

"We're going to go look at wedding bands," Zac informed him.

"Have fun," was all that Jackson said.

They headed for their vehicles and Zac put Jakey in Jim's car and buckled him in. Are you going wif us?" Jakey asked.

"I am, but I'm going to drive my truck, following you," Zac responded. And then looking at Jim, he asked, "Are we going to Rockstar Cowgirl's?" And then he chuckled.

"I'm not picking out MY wedding band at a place that sounds gaudy. I was thinking maybe Golden Buffalo Fine Jewelry," Jim stated.

"I was only teasing when I said it, but I think Golden Buffalo is a good choice, and plenty of other jewelers along Sheridan Avenue as well," Zac offered.

After spending some time at Golden Buffalo, they went to Cody Jewelry Co. Jim immediately saw four rings that he liked. The first was a black tungsten ring with a diamond and a sapphire. The jeweler explained that it was more of a promise ring but could be a wedding band. Zac didn't care much for that one. The second ring that Jim and Zac looked at was a titanium ring with a blue carbon inlay. They both liked it but wanted to look at other rings before deciding. Jim was really drawn towards the third ring. It was blue titanium with a black inlay with blue carbon going through it. The fourth ring that Jim liked was almost identical to the third, except it was black titanium. The jeweler explained that this ring also came with red carbon or green carbon.

"What do you think? We could get the blue carbon for me and the green carbon for you," Jim suggested.

"I like dis one," Jakey said picking up the second ring.

"You like that one over these other two?" Zac asked.

"Yup," Jakey grinned.

"We both liked that one, but I really like that fourth ring, especially since we can get them matching but with each of our favorite colors," Zac explained to Jakey.

"Actually, sir, we do have this band in green, or red as well," the jeweler informed them.

"And this one will look good, I pwomise," Jakey gave a sad puppy dog face.

"Awww, how can we NOT get the one that he likes with THAT face?" Jim asked. Then he kissed Jakey on the cheek.

Zac kissed Jakey on the forehead. "I guess since all three of us like that one, it will be our wedding band. The jeweler checked their sizes and grabbed a blue and a green of that second ring that they looked at. Then Jim paid for Zac's ring and Zac paid for Jim's.

"While you're here, would you like to look at some ring bearer pillows?" the jeweler asked.

"I suppose that it couldn't hurt. How upset will our moms be if we get one?" Zac asked looking at Jim.

"I don't think they'll be too upset, and if they are, then I guess we'll have a pillow for something," Jim replied as the jeweler came out with four different pillows. He was showing a red heart-shaped pillow with white lace, telling the boys that it's more traditional, but might be too feminine for them when Jakey grabbed one of the other pillows. It looked as though it were made of silver satin and was in a star shape. It was one foot from point to point and had no lace nor any ribbons to hold the rings on. "Jakey, what are you doing?" Jim asked.

"It's a star," Jakey smiled.

"Yes, but you shouldn't just grab things like that," Jim scolded.

"I sowwie," Jakey said looking down. Jim picked him up and held him as they looked at the rest of the pillows.

"So, the star pillow is the only one that doesn't have ribbons to hold the rings? I like it best as it's also the only one without lace, but I don't want to make this guy so worried that he might drop the rings," Jim said.

"I agree with Jim on that," Zac stated.

"That pillow is only twenty dollars, less than half the cost of any of the others. For only five dollars more, I can get some plastic replicas of your rings and with a single silver thread, have them permanently attached to this pillow. Most couples don't use the actual rings, out of fear of losing them or being so nervous that they can't untie them. I can have it ready for you next Friday, unless you need it sooner," the jeweler offered.

"That will work," Jim and Zac said in unison.

When they returned to the house, Zac asked Marilyn and Vinnie to come over so he and Jim could show everyone their rings. Heather started commenting that it was more than the two hours but when the rings came out, she let it slide. Everyone commented about how much they liked the rings and Jakey smiled. "I picked them out."

"He did, too, and he picked out the ring bearer pillow. Hope that doesn't upset you," Jim said.

"What color is the pillow?" Heather asked.

"It's a silver star" Jakey calmly stated as though it only made sense.

"That could work perfectly with our theme," Heather declared.

"And the jeweler is going to have plastic replicas of our rings permanently attached," Jim informed her.

"OK, we can definitely work with a star pillow. As for the wedding, don't get us wrong, we want your input, this IS your wedding, we just meant that we were going to help plan it. You see something like a pillow that you would like, by all means, get it if you want it in your wedding. We are thinking a western theme and Jackson has already offered his ranch at no cost," Marilyn added. "Before we go any further, who's wearing the wedding dress?"

"Neither one of us," Jim and Zac averred together. Their eyes looked as though they were ready to pop out of their heads.

Heather and Marilyn started chuckling at the shocked looks on their boys' faces. "She was only teasing, but the look on your faces was priceless. Seriously though, your dad wanted a western wedding, but since my parents were paying for it, the only thing western was the cowboy boots he wore with his tux," Heather offered and put the boots on the table. They were black with an eagle stitched in white. Jim couldn't believe how polished they still looked. "Your dad had bought them custom made and only wore them to our wedding."

"He paid all that money for these to only wear them the one time?" Jim questioned.

"He did, and I believe they are your size, too. Try them on," Heather requested. Jim's foot slid into one of the boots as though they were made just for him. He walked around in it to get a feel. "Your dad would want you to have them, wear them for your wedding and use them whenever you dress up."

"I'd be honored to wear his boots," Jim said, his voice a little choked as he tried to stifle a tear while he hugged his mom.

"And if you would like a matching pair, we can get them made," Vince told Zac.

"Me too?" Jakey asked.

"We couldn't leave you out," Vince answered and tickled Jakey's belly.

"And we checked with the tuxedo shop, they have the perfect western tuxedos. They are made of blue denim with a western yoke. To rent them would cost a hundred dollars each, or we can buy them for two hundred dollars," Marilyn suggested.

"Do they have to be blue denim? I like the western yoke, but would like something along the lines of black, almost more traditional," Jim asked.

"I could go for black denim, but not sure I want a blue denim tuxedo. I mean, how often would we wear it? I would definitely go for a rental if we do blue denim," Zac reasoned.

"We can go look tomorrow when you get home from the ranch," Nick suggested.

After the plans were made to look at tuxes, Vince and Marilyn departed. Heather set out seven salad bowls and brought a salad out. Chris sat between Joe and his dad. Jakey sat between Jim and Zac. Jim added bacon bits to his salad even though some was already in the salad. Jakey asked for some as well. Then he poured three cheese ranch salad dressing over his salad.

After everyone had a bowl of salad, Heather cleared the table and brought out seven plates. She brought out a big bowl with mashed potatoes and everyone started dishing some onto their plate. While they were dishing up the potatoes, Heather brought out a plate of liver and onions. Not knowing if Jakey would like it, Jim put a small piece on his plate and cut it up for him. Everyone else grabbed a piece off the plate, leaving one more piece for Jakey if he liked it.

Jake took a bite of a piece of liver and made a face. He scrunched up his nose and grimaced something fierce before spitting the piece back on his plate. "I don't like this," Jakey said.

"You don't have to eat it," Heather said. "Would you like for me to fix you something else?"

"I'll fix him something, Mom. You worked hard on this meal, so enjoy it. Would you like a hamburger, Jakey? Or a cheeseburger with bacon?" Jim offered.

"BACON!!!" Jakey yelled, almost dancing in his chair. Everyone held their ears but chuckled at how excited Jakey became over bacon.

Jim got up and went into the kitchen. He heard Chris ask if he could have the extra piece of liver and his mom give him permission. It didn't take long for the two little hamburgers to cook and Jim slapped a piece of cheese on them. He had two slices of bacon cooking alongside the burgers, but the bacon was taking longer to crisp up. When the burger was done, Jim got a little plate and put the bottom halves of two slider buns on it. He thought slider size burgers were the perfect size for Jakey. He placed a burger on each bottom half and let the bacon cook just a few more seconds. He had also cooked a handful of fries since he knew Jakey wouldn't eat the mashed potatoes with the liver gravy on it.

When everything was done, Jim placed the plate in front of Jakey and sat down. He looked down at his plate and it was empty. "OK, who has my liver?" Jim asked. Zac was sitting with a full untouched plate in front of him, so Jim eyeballed him.

"What, you ate all yours before you went to fix Jakey a cheeseburger. I was waiting so I could eat with him," Zac teased.

"You lied, Daddy, you should get panked," Jakey scolded.

"You wanna spank me?" Zac asked Jakey as he handed Jim back his plate.

"No, you lied to Daddy, he should pank you," Jakey admonished.

"Yes, technically, I did lie…" Zac was trying to think of a way to explain that he was just playing but not give the kid the impression that lying was acceptable.

"That's alright, I'll let you off with a warning, this time," Jim stated as strictly as he could without laughing. "Hope you never lie to us Jakey. I never want to punish you, but if it comes down to it…"

"I know, you won't pank me unless I deserve it. Then it'll be 'cause you love me," Jakey smiled.

"And it'll break my heart when it happens," Jim added.

"I twy my best to be good. Me not wanna bweak your heart," Jakey said.

"Just be yourself, if you do something wrong, we'll talk like we did at the store. I want you to have fun, but I want you safe, too," Jim instructed Jakey.

"I fink I understand," Jakey admitted. Then he went back to eating his bacon cheeseburger and fries.

After they were done eating, Jim grabbed his and Jakey's plates and put them in the kitchen. Jakey got up and asked Jim if he wanted to go see his room. Jim followed Jakey up to the room that was built for Chris.

Walking in the room, Jim realized how dark the room was without any light on. The room had no windows. "I think you need a night light for when you wake up so you have some light," Jim stated.

"Gwandma said that she would get me one tomawoe," Jakey replied.

"Too bad I didn't know while we were out, we could have gotten one. For now, we can leave the bathroom light on and the door opened just a bit," Jim suggested.

"That's what Gwandma said," Jakey stated, grinning.

"She's a smart lady," Jim stated. "If you promise to take good care of them, I'm going to give you something."

"I pwomise," Jakey agreed, with his face lighting up. Jim disappeared to his room and came back with a box. Jakey opened the box and his face lit up even more. "For me?"

"Yes, these were mine growing up, and I saved them for when my cousin Austin comes to visit, plus I wanted to give them to my son," Jim stated.

"When Austin visits, we can share," Jakey agreed. Then he held up the 2007 Ford GT. "I like dis one."

"That's my favorite one, too," Jim admitted.

"You can play wif it if you want," Jakey offered.

"No, you play with that one and I'll play with this one," Jim said as he pulled out the blue Mustang.

"Dat's a cool car, too," Jakey acknowledged.

They were playing cars together until Heather came up and said that it was time for Jakey to get a bath and go to bed. "Gwandma, Daddy said that you's a smart lady," Jakey told.

"Shhhh, that was supposed to be a secret," Jim kidded and started laughing.

"Some secret, I already know you thought that," Heather laughed. "Now, he's my responsibility until you and Zac get married and take custody, so give him some play time in the tub, then I want him washed and in bed. Tomorrow, Jakey and I are going shopping until ten. That is when you start riding on Saturday's isn't it?"

"Yes, Mom. Are you planning to drop him off then?" Jim asked.

"Unless you don't want me to," she teased.

"Thank you Mom, I love you," Jim gave Heather a hug and Jakey decided to hug her also. "OK Jakey, you heard Grandma, I'll get your bubble bath ready, and you get the jammies that you want."

"Gwandma going widing wif us?" Jakey asked.

"Would you like for me to ride with you?" Heather asked.

"And Uncle Joe and Daddy," Jakey giggled.

"I'd be happy to go riding with you. I'm sure Joe and Zac will, too," Heather gave Jakey a smile and went back downstairs. Jakey went into the bathroom and started to strip.

"You going to be alright by yourself or do you want me to stay in the room in case you need me?" Jim asked.

"You can play wif the bubbles wif me if you want," Jakey looked sad.

"OK, I'll play with the bubbles and then I'll wash your hair and your back. You can wash the rest of you, sound good?" Jim offered.

"Sound good," Jakey grinned at Jim.

After Jakey was done with his bath, Jim drained the tub and grabbed a big fluffy purple towel. The towel is one of Heather's that she had loaned to Jakey, so it was big enough to wrap Jakey a couple times from head to toe. And playing, Jim did just that. He heard Jakey mumble something and pulled the towel down off his face. "You say something?" Jim asked smiling.

"I couldn't bweave," Jakey said.

"You couldn't breathe? You wanted to breathe?" Jim kidded.

"I kinda gotta, silwie," Jakey grinned.

"Call me silly, will you," Jim picked Jakey up, still wrapped tightly in the towel. Jakey couldn't move his arms or legs. Jim carried him into the bedroom and dropped him in the middle of the bed from about a foot above it. Jakey started laughing. Then Jim started for the door, "Good night."

"Wait, Daddy. I don't have my jammies on yet," Jakey stated.

"What's taking you so long?" Jim teased.

"You playing wif me. Gwandma gonna pank you," Jakey chuckled.

"I don't think she'll mind too much. Not only is she a smart lady, but she's the best mom and grandma in the world," Jim said as he helped Jakey out of the towel.

Jakey was in his jammies and back in bed in no time. Kunoichi jumped up and laid down beside him. Colby laid on the other side of him, just like his first night. "I'll leave the door to the hall open so the dogs won't wake you if they decide to want out," Jim stated. He turned out the light and headed downstairs.

"That little boy really loves you. I'm not at all surprised with how fast he wormed his way into your heart. You've always found a way to love about everyone," Heather chimed.

"I fell in love with him and wanted to be a big brother or daddy to that boy the moment I laid eyes on him. As a few people have pointed out, he's almost a cross between Zac and me. It's as though someone had taken our DNA and cloned him from us," Jim declared.

"Are you sure that they didn't?" Heather teased.

"That would be interesting since I've only met Zac a little more than a year and a half ago, and Jakey is five. As for them obtaining our DNA, I'm sure there are many ways they could have without our knowing, but why would they get it from a twelve and thirteen-year-old?"

"From you, maybe because you are such a perfect son," Heather smiled.

"I'm not perfect, I mean, look how I was when we first moved here. I haven't a clue how much I hurt you and I truly regret that I did," Jim had sadness in his eyes as he reflected.

"You were still perfect, just hurting. And I only hurt because you were hurting. You didn't hurt me," Heather explained, brushing a lock of Jim's hair out of his face.

"I can't tell you enough, you are the best mom ever. And don't be surprised if that little munchkin tells you that I said that," Jim smiled.

"I do what I can, just know that everything I do, I think of you and Joe first. I am so glad that the two of you get along so well with Nick and Chris," Heather giggled.

"So if we didn't, you would have turned Nick down when he proposed?" Jim asked.

"As much as I love him and Chris, I would have," Heather stated.

"That would have been so unfair to you and Nick, and Chris already thinks of you as his mom," Jim responded.

"But that's the type of sacrifice a parent makes for their children sometimes. I saw that in you the first morning Jakey was here. I know how much you love bacon, but you let a certain little boy have yours because he wanted more," Heather smiled lovingly at her son.

"Speaking of which, you may want to stock up on bacon. He really loves it. And I'm glad that you didn't have to sacrifice Nick to keep me happy," Jim grinned as he hugged Heather.

The next morning, Jakey had just started walking downstairs as Jim came out of his room. "How did you sleep?" Jim asked.

"I dunno, I was asleep," Jakey stated flatly. Jim chuckled.

"Guess you slept soundly, then. Are you hungry?" Jim asked.

"Not for liver, yuck," Jakey said.

"No, I was thinking hash browns, scrambled eggs and if we have any more bacon, I'll fix it. Want a piggyback ride down the stairs?" Jim offered.

"YEA, A PIGGYBACK RIDE!!!" Jakey screamed.

"Shhhh, some people are still asleep. You don't want to wake them, they may eat all the bacon," Jim tried.

"Sawwie," Jakey responded quietly, as he climbed onto Jim's back.

As Jim carried Jakey down on his back, Kunoichi and then Colby ran past them. The dogs ran to the back door and waited. "I think the doggies have to go potty," Jim said.

"Looks that way," Jakey agreed.

Jim set Jakey down on a dining room chair and then helped him down. Then he let the dogs out, so now you know that answer. Jim and Jakey walked into the kitchen and there on the counter was a box of Bisquick pancake mix. "Looks like someone wants pancakes for breakfast. Do you like pancakes?" Jim asked.

"Uh huh," Jakey said rubbing his tummy and licking his lips. Jim looked at what he needed. He grabbed the last of the eggs out of the refrigerator. There were only three, just enough to make one and a half batches of pancake mix. There was also a pound and a half of bacon, so he grabbed that as well.

Jim started heating the griddle as he mixed the batter. He was able to cook four pancakes at a time and eight slices of bacon. He cooked a total of fourteen pancakes and used the rest of the batter to make shapes. He had seen a picture of pancakes and bacon that he thought Jakey would like. After making it as close as he could remember, he set it down in Jakey's place at the table. With Jim's help, Jakey got in his seat and looked at the pancakes. "It's a puppy," Jakey squealed. Colby let out a bark. And at that, Jim looked at the door seeing Colby and Kunoichi wanting in.

Joe came strolling into the dining room and looked at Jakey's plate, "Awww, I want doggy pancakes, too."

"They're not doggy pancakes, didn't you hear Jakey squeal?" Jim laughed as he closed the back door. Colby sat on the floor hoping Jakey dropped some food. Kunoichi watched as Jim prepared their food bowls and then went to prepare another plate of pancakes.

"Right, I want puppy pancakes," Joe said.

"Me, too," Zac added as he walked into the dining room.

Jakey had half his pancakes gone before Heather strolled in. She saw the puppy pancakes on Jim's, Joe's and Zac's plates and smiled. "Who are the rest of these pancakes and bacon for?" she asked.

"You and I figure Nick and Chris might be strolling in. By the way, we are out of eggs and bacon, now," Jim informed her.

"I knew we would be when I got the pancake mix down last night. Aunt Sallie advised me that someone likes pancakes," Heather responded as she made her puppy pancakes. She also prepared two plates, one each for Nick and Chris as they were coming in the back door.

After everyone ate, the four boys went to the ranch. Nick and Heather took Jakey shopping. They bought new purple sheets that Jakey liked. And a dark green bedspread. In the bedding area, they also found a horse night light. "Can you get two, Daddy might like it and want one," Jakey asked.

Heather smiled, "You might be right, and I bet that if you give it to him, he would use it. Now, we're going to the bath area. I'll get you green and purple towels and wash cloths. Did you like the size of the towel you used last night? And would you like a purple or green shower curtain?"

"Towel was big, I liked it. I don't know on showa cuttain," Jakey answered. Heather started looking at different shower curtains when Jakey yelled out, "Horsey Gold!!!"

Heather looked to where Jakey was looking, and sure enough, there was a shower curtain with a palomino on it. "Are you wanting that curtain?" she asked.

"Uh huh, Daddy, too," Jake replied.

"OH, I'm sure that if he sees yours, he would definitely want one. You sure are a generous little boy," Heather teased.

"He my daddy," Jake explained.

"Well let's go get some bacon and eggs, and a few other groceries, then we can check out, get the stuff home and put away so we can go meet Jim at the ranch."

It was a few minutes before ten when Matt and Gina showed up. Matt was surprised at seeing all the horses that Jim was preparing. "Why so many horses? Something up that you won't be able to ride with Gina and me? And where's the little guy?" he asked.

"Jakey's with my mom, they should be here soon. And if you don't mind it, he invited my mom, Joe and Zac to join us. Who knows, he may have asked Nick and Chris to join us, too," Jim informed Matt.

"Shoot, I don't mind them joining us. You had me worried for a second. Let me give you your tip now rather than in front of everyone. The extra is for Jakey," Matt said handing Jim some money.

"We have a bank that I let him put his tips in. I'll be sure that he gets it," Jim stated.

"As cute as he is, you keep bringing him out here and he'll be richer than me by the time he goes to college," Matt teased.

"Seriously doubt that, but he does make killer tips. And when he's not getting tips, I give him some of mine to put in," Jim chuckled.

Heather pulled into the parking lot just a few seconds before ten. She hurried to get Jakey out of her car and head over to where Jim was talking with Matt. "Sorry, we're late. Jakey wanted me to set up the surprise before we left," she apologized.

"You're not late, just right on time. See, Joe and Zac are on their way here now. So what's the surprise?" Jim responded.

"We can't tell you, it's a supwise," Jakey answered.

"A surprise for me?" Jim played along.

"Uh huh," Jakey grinned.

"Nick didn't join you?" Jim asked.

"No, yesterday was the last day for the Sheriff, so today is his first day of being in charge. He wanted to have a staff meeting to let everyone know that he's not planning any changes," Heather explained.

"At least now that he's the sheriff, he'll have most of his weekends free to be with me, er… I mean us. I'm glad that it's you I have to share him with," Chris smiled.

"Which horse is Jakey riding?" Matt asked.

"I widing Horsey Gold," Jakey said as though it were a given. He gave Matt a look that said, that was a silly question.

"Of course, silly me, I should have known that you'd be riding with Jim," Matt grinned.

Jim helped his mom get on Aurixi. After she had mounted, Jim started to get on Gold but Dusty and Cheyenne pulled into the lot. "Cool, more people, put their rentals on my bill," Matt said. Then as Dusty was getting closer, "Hey Dust Man, see you got an upgrade with your car."

"Yeah, the Challenger that was destroyed was last year's model, so now I have the same year as Jim. Other than color and his dragon, they are identical," Dusty smiled.

"So, if you two raced, it would be a matter of skill," Matt suggested.

"Pretty much, but I don't race," Dusty stated.

"I would love to race sometime, but in a car meant for racing and on a race track," Jim added.

"I didn't mean to suggest that the two of you race, I was just commenting that the machines were that identical. I apologize if I gave that impression," Matt looked flushed.

"No need to apologize, and I have a feeling that Jim might have given a slightly different answer if I weren't here," Heather smiled.

"What do you mean, Mom?" Jim asked looking a little surprised.

"Can you honestly say that you haven't once wondered what your car is capable of doing?" she questioned.

"Well yeah, what guy hasn't? But I would never race on the streets risking hurting anyone else, or damaging my car," Jim answered.

"Never said that you would, but if you were given the chance to drive your car and test it as well as test your skill at driving, with no risk to anyone else or your car, would you?"

"I'd have to think on that, but if there are no risks, I would definitely be tempted," Jim admitted.

"I rest my case," Heather smiled.

They went for their ride, ten people total on nine horses. Matt couldn't believe how many people were with him, all whom he considered some sort of friend to some degree. They all had a good time chatting with different people, but Heather felt a little weird being the only adult. Everyone did take time chatting with her trying to make her feel a part of the group, but it was still an odd feeling. And it didn't help that she was missing Nick.

The ride lasted much longer than usual, and when it was done, Nick was talking with Jackson as they returned. He helped Heather dismount and then they walked over to Chris. He hugged his dad like they had been apart for a week. "How did I get so lucky to have such a great relationship with a teenage son?" Nick asked.

"Same way I did, I guess. I can't believe the relationship I have with Jim, Joe and now Chris," Heather replied. "Guess that means we either did a good job raising them or maybe we were too lax."

"Him, too lax?" Chris said with a surprised look on his face. "He wasn't too strict, but he wouldn't let me get away with anything. But at least I knew that when I did get into trouble, he made sure that I knew he still loved me."

"And I always will. Even if you were to murder someone, I would let you know that I love you as I arrested you," Nick quipped. Nick took Jim, Zac and Jakey to look at tuxedos, Chris joined them.

"Nick, Chris, we would like you both to be attendees as well. You both have become a big part of our lives, it wouldn't feel right not having you as part of the wedding party. Jim and I had been discussing it ever since we decided to set the date," Zac asked as they drove.

Not seeing anything that they liked for their wedding, they all discussed what look they wanted. Everyone agreed that black Levi's with a western shirt sounded appropriate. They went with a white shirt with different colored yokes. And headed to Jake's Trading Post. They told Jake exactly what they wanted. "I want a sapphire blue yoke; Zac wants emerald green. Both of our best men's favorite color is red, so maybe a ruby red?"

"I think I have exactly what you want. You're getting married in June, so what about maybe an alexandrite purple for your ring bearer," Jake suggested, winking at Jakey.

"Then we need something for our attendants," Zac commented.

"What about a garnet red? It's just a little darker than the ruby red ones, but enough to set them apart."

"That will work," Jim said. "You actually have all these colors?"

"Not really, but the colors are close enough so anyone would believe that they are the colors of the gems. I just have to order them and will have them in a week," Jake admitted.

"That works for us," Jim and Zac agreed and gave him a list of who was doing what for him to order the shirts.

With their "tuxes" planned, they went home and Jake pulled Jim to his bathroom to show him the "supwise". "OH wow, I want one," Jim exclaimed.

"Go look at your showa," Jakey said. Jim did and Jakey came running in with his hands behind his back. "And dis is for you," Jakey stated as he handed Jim the nightlight. Jim knelt down and gave Jakey a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

As the new week began, Jakey wasn't happy with Jim going to school, but knew that he had no choice. It took him all week to warm up to being with Marilyn. Jim did pick him up as soon as his last class let out and he took him wherever he was going, mainly the ranch, but also the dojo on Monday. Jakey was nervous watching as Jim practiced his barrel racing on Gold.

"Amazing, I've never seen anyone run faster times, not even on the mustang," Ben commented as he clapped his hands. "I am so glad that you didn't use Gold for the demo and show your hand."

"I give credit to Gold, he is just the most amazing horse ever," Jim said riding over to where Ben was standing. Jakey came running over.

At precisely four in the afternoon on the twenty-fourth of April, Ben started telling the audience why they were having this rodeo. "Some of you older guests may recall a young junior rodeo star many years ago up in Montana. That young rider was none other than Jon Alexander Bolt. Unfortunately, he's not able to be here as his life was tragically shortened by a drunk driver a couple of years ago. Today would have been his birthday, and I, along with the owner of this ranch, thought what better present are we able to give than for all the profit of this week to go to charities to help end the needless deaths and injuries caused by drunk drivers. Now, since Jon wasn't able to be here, we thought about having his wife be a guest speaker but she declined. Instead, his son Jim is here. He will talk briefly about his loss and then introduce our main speaker."

Everyone applauded as Jim came up to the podium. "First, I want to thank everyone here for attending. My dad would be so proud at how packed this arena is. I have to admit, when I lost my dad, I was devastated. But losing him was only the start. Mom did her best, but without my dad, we lost way too much to really talk about here. I also had a best friend who was hit by a drunk driver and he was actually considered dead for a while, but thanks to prayer, he came back. I can tell you that losing your father and almost losing your best friend really sucks. Don't ever be the one who causes that to happen to another person. I'm not much for speeches, but thank you for listening to my rambles. Now I would like to introduce you to a friend that I made. That may sound strange once you discover how we met, but he truly is a friend, William A. Mason."

As Mason walked to the podium, everyone clapped and cheered again.  "Thank you, but once you hear who I am, you may regret applauding for me. I don't deserve any of that," William started. "See, on my twenty-first birthday, friends took me out and I had my first drink of alcohol ever. Then, thinking that I was fine, I got behind the wheel of my car. That was January of 2013. I started skidding on ice and it was then that I realized the drink caused me not to think clearly. I slid into a man and killed him instantly." William took a moment to take a drink of water and recompose himself. Then he announced that the man he killed was Jon Bolt and how his life has changed forever because of that one incident.

After Mason finished speaking, Brodie approached the podium once again. "We will have other speakers tomorrow and Sunday, but now we want to get this rodeo started. But before we do, I want to personally thank all of the contestants tonight. All are giving their time to be here to make this one special rodeo. Our first event is the barrel racing."

The first contestant for racing set a time of 16.22. As he got close to Jim, he gave an evil grin, "Beat that if you can complete it without crashing."

"You've got a good time and given me a goal. As for crashing, I don't intend to this time," Jim retorted without sounding too cocky. The next contestant ran a time of 16.225. Jim was the last contestant to ride. Brodie planned it so that Jim's time wouldn't influence anyone in either direction, make them try harder or scare them.

After all the other contestants had run, the 16.22 was still the time to beat. Finally, it was Jim's turn to race and he mounted Gold. Jim had started his run and circled the barrel on his right. He was heading towards the second barrel and was circling it when he heard it. He couldn't help hear it, Marilyn was a bit loud. "I think my water broke," she shouted loud enough to be sure Vince heard her above the crowd.

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.

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