Deborah Fletcher Mello - A Stallion Dream

The old man could barely hold his exuberance as he shared his joke. “It was spring in the Old West. The cowboys rode the trails looking for cattle that had survived the winter. As one cowboy’s horse went around the narrow trail, it came upon a rattlesnake warming itself in the spring sunshine. The horse reared, and the cowboy drew his six-gun to shoot the snake. ‘Hold on there, partner,’ said the snake. ‘Don’t shoot! I’m an enchanted rattlesnake, and if you don’t shoot me, I’ll give you any three wishes you want.’

“The cowboy decided to take a chance. He knew he was safely out of the snake’s striking range. He said, ‘Okay, first, I’d like to have a face like Denzel, then I’d like a body like that wrestler they call the Rock, and finally, I’d like sexual equipment like this here horse I’m riding.’ The rattlesnake said, ‘All right, when you get back to the bunkhouse you’ll have all three wishes.’ The cowboy turned his horse around and galloped at full speed all the way to the bunkhouse. He dismounted and went straight inside to the mirror.

“Staring back at him in the mirror was the face of Denzel. He ripped the shirt off his back and revealed bulging, rippling muscles, just like the Rock. Really excited now, he tore down his jeans, looked at his crotch and shouted, ‘Oh, my God, I was riding the mare!’”

Collin burst out laughing with the older members of the family. Irene and Gabby exchanged a look.

“I don’t get it,” fifteen-year-old Gabby said, looking around the table. Her eyes were wide, and bewilderment swept over her face.

“You don’t need to get it,” John answered. He raised his eyebrows and tossed his wife a look.

Marah only shook her head in response.

Irene leaned to whisper in Gabrielle’s ear. Both girls suddenly burst out laughing.

Collin was suddenly reminded of his high school graduation, when the girls had been eight and twelve and had thought it amusing to announce at family breakfast that they’d seen him playing with his penis after bursting into his room unannounced. He’d been mortified with embarrassment. Despite his insistence that he’d only been adjusting himself in his boxer briefs as he dressed, the moment had become fodder for too many jokes among the family. He stole a glance at Luke, who was grinning at him.

He shook his head. “Don’t go there, Uncle Luke.”

“You must have read my mind.”

Matthew laughed, “I’m sure we all thought the same thing, but I agree with Collin. Time to let that go.”

“Time to change the subject,” Marah intoned. “Everyone needs to eat up. We need to get ready to leave for church and from the looks of things some of you need a little more God than others!” She narrowed her gaze on the girls, her head waving from side to side.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes, then zeroed in on Collin. Everyone had been extolling praises on him, admonishing the younger crowd to be more like their big cousin. She wasn’t quite as impressed and had no qualms about saying so. Picking on Collin had been her and Irene’s favorite thing to do for as long as she could remember.

“Collin, can we ride to church with you? We want to ride in your new car.”

He gave her a look back, not easily swayed by her sweet smile and the doe-eyed gaze she was giving him. He had no doubt that Trouble One and Trouble Two had other plans up their sleeves that probably involved him driving them to the mall after Sunday service. Before he could respond, his uncle Mason bellowed from the other end of the table, saving him from what surely would have turned into a moment of discord, with him being the villain.

“Sorry, girls, but Collin is chauffeuring us boys to church this morning. He promised me, Jake, Fletcher and Cole a ride. You two will have to catch him next time.”

Collin shot his uncle a grateful look. He winked at his cousins, and the girls pouted profusely at having their plans usurped. “Sorry, girls,” he said as he reached for the platter of bacon and took a second helping.

“What about after church?” Irene asked, shifting forward as she batted her lashes at him.

“I’m going horseback riding. I haven’t been down to the stables since I got home. I need to check on my horse and I’m sure the stalls probably need mucking and the horses need to be brushed. Maybe you two could come and help me out?”

“Yuck!” both said in unison, their faces twisted with aversion.

“Let’s not,” Irene said with a shake of her head.

“And just say we did!” Gabrielle concluded as she finished her favorite cousin’s new favorite saying.

Breakfast was the best of everything Collin loved about his family. Laughter was abundant, advice was as generous as the food, and standing there in the shadows of the men he loved most, Collin knew that whatever worries he might have had, he had more than his fair share of support to help him get through. Home had never felt better.

Chapter 2

London Jacobs eyed her two best friends with a raised brow. The two women stood in her office, peeking through the closed blinds and out toward the conference room. They were giggling like grade-schoolers. Paula Graves and Felicia Tyson waved her inside, closing the door as she stepped over the threshold.

“What’s going on?” London asked as she moved to the executive’s chair made of leather, dropping her purse into the desk drawer and her leather attaché on the desktop.

Paula waved a hand in her direction. “Good morning! The new guy is here.”

“And he’s absolutely gorgeous!” Felicia exclaimed. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to work with him and stay focused.”

London laughed, “You two are unbelievable!” She moved to the glass and pulled the blinds open. Just as she did, she came face-to-face with the firm’s director of operations, who was standing on the other side of the glass. Perry Swann was headed toward the conference room. He came to an abrupt halt, his eyes shifting to stare at the three of them. He suddenly gestured for their attention, waving them to follow him.

“This can’t be good,” Felicia said. She shot London a look.

“It’s not even nine o’clock yet,” Paula muttered, her head waving.

London gave the man a nod and slight smile, then watched as he turned and disappeared into the meeting room. She focused back on her friends, her eyes rolling skyward. “I’m sure it’s fine. You two need to stop being so dramatic.”

“After the weekend I’ve had, I deserve to be dramatic,” Felicia said. “Gary came home and all he did was argue with the old people,” she said, referring to her brother. Her wayward sibling had been a boil on the family’s good name since his first arrest when he was sixteen. Their father was a state representative who’d focused his election on the social evils of addiction and crime. Representative Tyson had lifted his only son up as an example of his understanding of the plight facing the families in his district. London could only begin to imagine their turmoil with Gary’s current release for yet another petty crime. She nodded, reaching to give the young woman a hug.

The three women exhaled simultaneously, low gusts of air blowing past glossy lips. Their gazes shifted back and forth, and then they laughed.

London moved to the door and pulled it open. “Let’s go meet the new guy,” she said.

* * *

“Ladies, good morning,” Perry said as he greeted the trio with a stern stare. He met each of their gazes as he beckoned them into the room.

“Good morning, Perry,” London said, narrowing her gaze as she met his. “To what do we owe the honor this morning?”

Most of the staff was sitting around, sipping cups of coffee and eating doughnuts from Jarams Artisan Donuts. The shop was a north Dallas fixture that specialized in pretty confections. Three white baker’s boxes held fried rings of dough filled with an assortment of creams, drizzled with glazes and sprinkled with powdered sugar, nuts and candies. They scented the whole room with an abundance of sweet fragrance.