Page 6 of Tusks & Saddles

Chapter Four

Boone

I was going to ask her about leaving the money with Jacobus or her ma.

But then he lost all sense. All his marbles just dripped out of his green ears and clattered to the floor.

He heard his manners snap like cooked chicken bones because…

gods, she’s sexy. Her full breasts bouncing in her bra, those leggings like a second skin on her; he was a horny bastard memorizing every inch of her.

Boone learned a few things in that split second when she turned to face him.

Willamina Jones had another freckle on the left side of her ribcage, a small brown dot.

That he, Boone Larokson, was definitely thinking of closing the door behind him, instead of shutting it between them.

What I wouldn’t give to be on the other side, peeling off everything she just put on.

And he learned that Will needed a door with a lock on it.

That’s going on the list. Boone returned to Jacobus’ room and threw his book into his bag. The floppy haired guy beamed up from his bed where Boone left him. When the fool came back, dejected by his sister’s dismissal, Boone thought about the gold in his bag.

“Jacobus,” Boone grabbed his best friend by the shoulders and pressed into the meat of them. “We need to talk.”

“We are talking.” Jacobus blinked at him with confusion .

“I’m leaving you a list of things you have to do while we’re gone and the coin to do it.” Boone leveled his serious gaze on Jacobus.

“What?” Jacobus laughed at first before it sank in and his face fell. “You’re serious? I can’t hobble very fast, and you want me to do stuff?”

“Jacobus, the first thing you’re going to do is send for a healer.”

“Pfft,” Jacobus scoffed. “You got healer money?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh shit,” Jacobus blurted out.

“There should be one still on call in the Dreadflats. So, send a request to the cleric’s circle, use my name if they give you any flack.

Then, when your leg’s fixed up, you’re going to get a lock and install it on Will’s door.

” Boone pulled away from Jacobus and stalked to the other side of the bed.

When he stayed on the Ranch, he always offered to sleep in the bunkhouse, but Jacobus demanded he stay with him in the big house.

Thus, the stash of things in the bedside table.

A journal with a pencil being some of it, he started to jot down his notes.

When he was done, he tore the paper out and pinned it to the wall with one of the tacks Jacobus had still imbedded in the wood.

Long, long ago, Jacobus decorated the walls in drawings.

Boone watched them steadily be pulled down until the walls were empty.

“Woah, woah, hold up.” Jacobus tried and failed to stand up. “Boone, what’s all this?”

“You’re always complaining that Will doesn’t trust you enough to take care of the ranch yet.

Now’s the time to do something about it.

” Boone tucked the pencil and journal away again before fishing out the bag of coin.

When he turned back around to face Jacobus, his friend was already leaning a hand against the wall.

Steadying himself, Jacobus read over the list quickly, eyebrows furrowed but lips curled in amusement.

“Boone, half this list is a three-person job! Two of them will take six bodies, minimum.” Jacobus leaned back on his good leg to smirk at Boone. “You got hirin’ people money or—what’s that?”

Boone held the sack aloft before setting it on the bed.

Jacobus eyeballed it, slack-jawed. Boone cleared his throat before snatching up his bag and throwing it over his shoulder.

He’d been up for a while, having spent the morning slowly getting ready in the quiet of the house.

Tusks brushed, hair tamed, clothes changed, and even a little time for some light reading to wake up his brain.

“Boone, you’re doin’ too much.” Jacobus glanced up from the sack, a worried look on his face.

“No, I ain’t.” Boone would counter that maybe he wasn’t doing enough .

However, Jacobus didn’t want to hear that.

Something the Jones’ shared was their pride.

They didn’t ask nobody for help even when it would fix something ten times faster.

The late Herc Jones was the same way. A beacon for the community, that man wouldn’t ask a single soul for a single more coin than was necessary even if it would solve all his problems.

Boone pulled his spectacles off his face and tucked them away for safekeeping. He didn’t need them for anything but reading anyway. “Jacobus, do me one more favor while we’re gone.”

“Anything,” Jacobus took two shaky steps to the bed to hold onto the heavy, wooden post.

Boone cupped his shoulder, offering his best friend an apologetic smile. “Quit drinkin’.”

Jacobus’ face fell, but there was no hatred…just hurt. Just pain. Just dejection. “Boone… ”

“If you can’t do it for yourself, then do it for me.

Don’t make me bury another Jones because they drowned at the bottom of a bottle.

” Boone wanted Jacobus to do it for himself.

It would be better if the kid wanted to do better and be better, but Jacobus didn’t work that way.

He did everything for other people. So, despite how horrid it was to do, Boone added salt to the wound.

“Do it for Will who can’t lose another person. ”

“I know,” Jacobus sighed heavily, nodding more to himself. “I know. And I’m gonna get better, Boone. I swear on Daddy’s grave, no more. I’m cold turkey…besides, you’ve given me enough chores to keep me busy. Won’t have time for nothing.”

Boone chuckled. “And…imagine Will’s face when she gets back and sees you running the ranch like a well-greased machine.”

“Ooooh,” Jacobus snickered evilly, grinning at his best friend from pointy ear to pointy ear. “She’s gonna be spitting nails mad.”

“All the more reason.” Boone shrugged before throwing an arm around Jacobus’ shoulder. He squeezed his friend tight to his chest, Jacobus leaning into the touch. “See you soon, kid.”

“Go on, get breakfast while you can. Trust me, gonna be hard enough without a full belly…and Boone, do me a favor; don’t poke the bear.

That’s my job,” Jacobus teased before slipping out of Boone’s side hug.

He sank onto the bed, immediately rubbing his leg with an exhausted sigh.

The Paladin bowed out of the room. As much as he wanted to swear he wouldn’t be the problem on this job…

it was Will they were talking about. It was hard not to ‘poke the bear’. Especially after that morning.

Boone strode down the steps into the belly of the house, setting his duffle on top of the one packed for Will and the knapsack of food for the journey.

While they would have small stops along the way, and they would need to hunt here or there, the great thing about magic bags was the ability to tuck away a whole month’s worth of pantry into a lightweight picnic basket.

“Morning, Boone!” Roger looked up from his plate, offering the Paladin a sleepy smile.

While the minotaur wasn’t much for talking, he was always pleasant.

Boone and he got into a few conversations over the years he’d known him.

Roger was raised on the ranch, much like Levi the little, teal goblin.

While his mom was still alive, she worked on the train and would be gone for weeks or a month at a time.

A place Levi couldn’t follow. So, she struck a deal with the Ranch.

She’d send a few coins here and there and they took in the kiddo.

Taught the kid good life lessons, kept them out of trouble, and she always knew where he was.

“Mornin’, Roger.” He nodded at the fluffy bull who sipped his coffee slowly.

“Morning, Boone, hope you slept well.” Mrs. Jones stepped away from the stove with a massive plate piled high with food. Boone followed her lead and took the seat across from Will’s usual spot. The harpy left a motherly pat against his shoulder. “Eat up, you got a big day ahead.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Jones.” He stopped complaining she was feeding him too much long ago.

Especially after Mr. Jones laughed at him and told the Paladin to just accept the plate.

When the head of their house passed, Mrs. Jones seemed just as lost as her children.

While Will stepped up to the plate and Jacobus fell apart, Mrs. Jones was just trying to pretend like her heart wasn’t ripped out of her chest. “Slept just fine.”

“I don’t know how you do it. Jacobus sleeps like a trout out of water. Kicking and flopping all around.”

Boone twisted from his plate to find Will at the bottom of the steps, tying off her hair on top of her head. Warm flutters filled his chest. His fiery Enriyes stopped to press a kiss to her mother’s cheek before dropping into her seat. A plate was set in front of her.

“Hard to disturb a man who sleeps like a dead log, or that’s what Jacobus says,” Boone chuckled softly, taking up a bite of his sausage and egg casserole.

Flakey, buttery crust, peppers and tomatoes, cheesy eggs and chunks of sausage all in a massive scramble, he couldn’t be happier.

He liked eating over at the ranch anytime he could.

Mrs. Jones knew how to cook and made enough to feed a small army.

“Couldn’t be me,” Will sighed, taking a sip of the coffee first before digging in. “His incessant donkey kicks were the whole reason I used to toss his ass out of bed when we were youngins.”

“Well, unlike his soft sister, it’s like smacking a brick wall.” Boone motioned at himself vaguely.

“I ain’t soft,” Will sneered at him shortly before stuffing her mouth with food. She let out a happy, hungry moan behind her lips as she chewed. Will twisted after swallowing. “Momma, please tell me you sent us with some of this?”

“You know I did, baby,” Mrs. Jones chuckled, floating up behind her daughter’s chair. She pressed a kiss to the top of her daughter’s head before peeking up at Boone. “Was Jacobus up when you came down?”

“Yeah, he’s fucking up. Little shit burst in to ask if his leg was infected.

He broke it but not a cut on him.” Will rolled her eyes.

Mrs. Jones glared down at her daughter for the filthy words but said nothing.

Instead, she floated toward the stairs. Boone caught the split second that Will’s gaze followed her mother.

There was a sad expression on her face, but he wasn’t sure why.

However, with a blink, the look was gone, and Will was back to eating with gusto.

We got a job to do, after all.