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“The next time you think feeding him beans is wise,” Sue handed me Cole, “you’re changing him. It was like that mud pool you have out back for training.”
“Good job on making Mama do it.” I held up my hand and he hit it perfectly. “Come on. Let’s play!”
I took him to sit on the floor next to the massive window that looked over the lake. I loved being here with him. It was the safest place on Earth and the one place I could really let my guard down. Everyone settled into comfy chairs to enjoy a quiet moment. I lifted the cushioned top from the footstool and watched as his eyes widened and he smiled. He knew what was in there. It was our favorite game to play, and he loved it.
“This is tactical gear. Can you say tactical?” I held my homemade flipbook up so he could see it better, then flipped the page. “These are fatigues. Fa-tigues. You’ll wear these a lot.” I looked down and rolled my eyes at the light blue sweatpants Sue had put him in since his diaper explosion.Light blue, seriously?I made a face as I fingered the fabric. “Daddy’s gonna get you some fatigues even if I have to sew them myself.” I heard Sue snicker at that, but she said nothing. Cole kicked his legs and gurgled happily as he tried to grab the book. “This is a Barrett M90,” I continued.
“Some children get color and shape flipbooks, but your son gets a military grade weapons handbook.” Sue chuckled as she sat down on the stool next to us.
“Never too young to learn this stuff.” I held up another picture, and Cole reached out for it. “See, he’s interested.” I glared as he jammed the corner of the book in his mouth.
“He’s teething.” She chuckled.
I rolled onto my back, and two seconds later Cole climbed on top of me. “Come on,” I coached him, “climb over the daddy mountain.”
“Hey, Daniel?” Frank popped his head around the corner, then made a funny face at Cole, who laughed as I lifted him to fly like an airplane. “Our new weapons are here. We’re about to go over the inventory.”
“Oh.” I looked at my watch and was shocked at how I’d lost track of time. “All right, buddy,” I pushed Cole’s butt over toward Sue, “go do shapes and colors with Mama.” I winked at her. “Tomorrow, we learn about bush camping!”
General Edison Logan
I’d never forget that night. Cole was becoming quite the little man at seven and was damn fine with a toolbox already. Daniel and I were doing some repairs on his henhouse. Cole helped us out by hammering down the replacement planks. He attacked every nail like the chickens’ lives depended on it. The rain poured down, but that wouldn’t stop us. A job was a job.
A fox had managed to get in early that morning, and Daniel knew if it wasn’t fixed right away, that damn critter would have gone right back through the same hole he’d made before. Thankfully, the neighbor’s hound had set up a ruckus, and Daniel was able to chase him off before any chickens were harmed. There were plenty of feathers strewn around and some eggs eaten, but all in all, only a few very upset chickens came out of the whole episode.
Even though it was freezing and near dark, Cole kept at it. He was a fierce protector of all things, and he’d taken it personally that his chickens had been messed with.
As Daniel unloaded some supplies from my truck, I sat back on my heels to enjoy the camaraderie of us all working together. Winter set in early in Montana, and the shadows cast long across the yard. The lights we’d set up to work by provided some hilarious shapes as the hens moved about. I allowed myself a moment to wonder what life would be like if we’d never had Daniel. Life was good. I counted my blessings and knew I was a lucky man.
Cole rubbed his fingers together as he tried to massage some warmth back into his hands. The tarp I’d used to protect us from the rain held up well, but the rain made for cold, wet hands.
“There’s a pair of dry gloves on your dad’s workbench. You want me to grab them for you?”
“No, thanks, Grandpa.” Cole grimaced as he picked the hammer back up. “I’ll be fine.” He went back to work. I admired the fact that he was wired just like his father. In Montana we were often forced to work in extreme elements. It wasn’t unlike service in the military; you did what you had to. There was rarely a dry set of gloves, or a new pair of boots. No, you had to work with what you had. For a soldier, it was mind over matter and live or die. Cole was shaping up to be a fine candidate for the military someday. Even at such a young age you could see it.
“Grab that end, Cole,” Daniel called through the rain as he balanced a large piece of lumber. Cole scrambled to help.
Daniel never wanted the full-on stress of a proper farm. I understood that and didn’t blame him a bit. Although I loved it and believed that living off your own land was the best thing for your mind and body, it was hardly something Sue could handle on her own. When Daniel was away and Cole was at school, she couldn’t be expected to manage all the chores that needed to be done on a farm, even with Abby there full time. All that being said, the chickens certainly made the cut.
I laughed when Daniel told me he wanted some for his own property. He used to say they drove him crazy at our place. I knew he secretly loved them just as much as he did the goats. He claimed he loved the fresh eggs, but I’d caught him in the coop giving them pats and love more than once.
“Would you move it, Todd?” Cole nudged the rooster out of his way as he tried to fix the floorboard. I chuckled when it didn’t work. Todd wanted relief from the rain and was cold. Apparently, Cole’s jacket was what he wanted, and he was determined to win the battle. “Do you want this fixed, or do you want a big ol’ fox to come up through here?” He eyed him, but Todd just nuzzled against his boots and clucked something under his breath.
As I watched my son and grandson, I thought about Abby and how she had impacted all of us in some way. It was the best decision they’d ever made when they asked her to move in permanently. Abby had been traveling back and forth from her sister’s place in New York to here. After she sold her parent’s place, she’d become a bit of a drifter. Her heart was definitely in Montana, but she hated to live alone. She’d spent more time staying in Daniel and Sue’s guest room than anywhere else. Finally, they convinced her to move in, the argument being that Sue could really use the help with Cole. She finally agreed, but only if she took on the role of nanny. Cole couldn’t get enough of her, and neither could the rest of us. She was family. Now, we just needed to convince her sister June to move here, then things would be perfect all around.
“Did you hear that?” Cole asked as he stopped hammering. He had the hearing of an elephant. He looked over at the house and cocked his head to the side as he listened. “Dad, are we expecting company?” he called over to Daniel in a concerned voice.
“Not that I’m aware of.” Daniel strained to listen, but the drops on the tin roof made it difficult to hear, and the neighbor’s dog barking by the fence didn’t help. “Why don’t you go check on Abigail and see what’s up?”
Daniel knew better than to dismiss Cole’s concern if he thought something was off. He’d already proved to us at a very early age that he had great instincts.
His father nodded at Cole to get moving. Cole dropped his hammer back in the toolbox and began to make his way through the slushy path toward the house.
“Cole!” I called, wanting him to grab something for me, but he didn’t hear me and slipped inside the house. I tossed my gloves and trotted after him.
I caught up to him in the mudroom. He stood as still as a deer as he peered inside the kitchen. He put a finger to his lips as he felt me behind him. He was listening to something inside. We both moved forward a little to get a look. The light was on in the kitchen and made it easy to see. We spotted him then, a frail boy about Cole’s age. He was talking to Abigail. The kid looked frozen to the bone, and it was obvious to me he could use some clean clothes and a meal. His dark eyes seemed too big for his pale face.
“Who’s that?” I whispered as I stepped up onto the rubber mat so my boots didn’t make a noise.
