Read Online Red Dirt Heart 03.5 by N R Walker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: N R Walker
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never cut down a Christmas tree?”
Travis shook his head, still grinning. “My grandfather would tell everyone we were going to pick a perfect tree, but he’d take me fishing instead and we’d just buy some random tree from a lot on the way home.”
Billy dropped the tree into the dirt and pushed Travis’s shoulder, which of course led to them trying to put each other in a headlock, which was only made more difficult because they were both laughin’ so hard. I looked at Texas, Trav’s horse. Even he didn’t look impressed. He just twitched his ears and swished his tail in a yep-they’re-idiots kind of way. “I know,” I told him. “You have no idea what I have to put up with.”
“Who are you talking to, Charlie?” Travis asked. They’d apparently stopped wrestling and were lookin’ at me.
“Your horse,” I answered seriously. “He thinks you’re both dickheads.”
Travis brushed himself down, though why, I’ll never know. Red dust got into everything here; there weren’t no escapin’ it. “I’ll never get used to the Australian display of affection of calling the people you’re supposed to like horrible names.”
I snorted out a laugh. “You’d think after a year you’d be used to it.”
Billy picked up his shovel and offered it to Trav. “Wanna shovel shit?”
“Um, gee, thanks, but no,” Trav replied, with an I-ain’t-stupid look on his face. “I have a Christmas tree to put up. Considering Christmas is three days away and no one seems to give a shit.”
I lifted up the horseshit covered shovel. “Texas does. Bags of it.”
He rolled his eyes at me and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Tell me, how damn hot is it? You know, Christmas should be cold, not one hundred and thirty freakin’ degrees.” Without waitin’ for an answer, he reached behind his head and pulled his T-shirt off. It was one of my old shirts, kinda threadbare, but I didn’t mind him wearin’ it. It clung to his body when he got all sweaty… Nah, I didn’t mind him wearin’ it at all. I minded even less when he took it off. Wearing just his jeans, boots and hat, he wrapped the shirt around the tree and lifted it easily onto one shoulder. I watched as the muscles in his back and arms flexed, all shiny with sweat, the way the red dirt smeared on his skin, and a lucky drop of sweat as it ran from the back of his hair, right down his spine and disappeared where his jeans slung low on his arse.
Jesus .
Billy snapped his fingers in my face. “You in there, boss?”
Travis turned around and, realising I’d been busted totally checkin’ him out, he grinned. And seeing that Billy wasn’t lookin’ at him, Travis licked his lips all suggestive like, and ran his free hand over his abs as he turned to walk out.
I flung horseshit at him.
He didn’t even turn around. He just laughed. As he walked away, he asked, “I can put this in the living room, right?”
“Would it matter what I said?” I called out after him.
His reply was distant as he reached the house. “Nope.”
Billy laughed, and I grumbled as we went back to shovelling shit. When we’d heard the screen door shut, Billy looked up to make sure Travis was gone. “He got no idea what you plannin’, does he, boss?”
I smiled as I kept on shovelin’. “None.”
* * * *
I found Travis in the lounge room. He was still shirtless, holding Nugget, and they were staring at the tree. Trav had stuck the tree in an old five-gallon oil drum filled with red dirt and it was shoved in the corner.
“I moved Nugget’s bed box,” he said. “He’s not happy about it.” He handed me the said-disgruntled wombat, who snuffled and blinked his disapproval. Travis was still frowning at the tree. “Have you got some tinsel or something?”
“I’m sure we do somewhere.” I put Nugget back down on the floor and went in search of Christmas decorations. Truth be told, we hadn’t used ’em in years. I got to the hallway and
Travis shook his head, still grinning. “My grandfather would tell everyone we were going to pick a perfect tree, but he’d take me fishing instead and we’d just buy some random tree from a lot on the way home.”
Billy dropped the tree into the dirt and pushed Travis’s shoulder, which of course led to them trying to put each other in a headlock, which was only made more difficult because they were both laughin’ so hard. I looked at Texas, Trav’s horse. Even he didn’t look impressed. He just twitched his ears and swished his tail in a yep-they’re-idiots kind of way. “I know,” I told him. “You have no idea what I have to put up with.”
“Who are you talking to, Charlie?” Travis asked. They’d apparently stopped wrestling and were lookin’ at me.
“Your horse,” I answered seriously. “He thinks you’re both dickheads.”
Travis brushed himself down, though why, I’ll never know. Red dust got into everything here; there weren’t no escapin’ it. “I’ll never get used to the Australian display of affection of calling the people you’re supposed to like horrible names.”
I snorted out a laugh. “You’d think after a year you’d be used to it.”
Billy picked up his shovel and offered it to Trav. “Wanna shovel shit?”
“Um, gee, thanks, but no,” Trav replied, with an I-ain’t-stupid look on his face. “I have a Christmas tree to put up. Considering Christmas is three days away and no one seems to give a shit.”
I lifted up the horseshit covered shovel. “Texas does. Bags of it.”
He rolled his eyes at me and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Tell me, how damn hot is it? You know, Christmas should be cold, not one hundred and thirty freakin’ degrees.” Without waitin’ for an answer, he reached behind his head and pulled his T-shirt off. It was one of my old shirts, kinda threadbare, but I didn’t mind him wearin’ it. It clung to his body when he got all sweaty… Nah, I didn’t mind him wearin’ it at all. I minded even less when he took it off. Wearing just his jeans, boots and hat, he wrapped the shirt around the tree and lifted it easily onto one shoulder. I watched as the muscles in his back and arms flexed, all shiny with sweat, the way the red dirt smeared on his skin, and a lucky drop of sweat as it ran from the back of his hair, right down his spine and disappeared where his jeans slung low on his arse.
Jesus .
Billy snapped his fingers in my face. “You in there, boss?”
Travis turned around and, realising I’d been busted totally checkin’ him out, he grinned. And seeing that Billy wasn’t lookin’ at him, Travis licked his lips all suggestive like, and ran his free hand over his abs as he turned to walk out.
I flung horseshit at him.
He didn’t even turn around. He just laughed. As he walked away, he asked, “I can put this in the living room, right?”
“Would it matter what I said?” I called out after him.
His reply was distant as he reached the house. “Nope.”
Billy laughed, and I grumbled as we went back to shovelling shit. When we’d heard the screen door shut, Billy looked up to make sure Travis was gone. “He got no idea what you plannin’, does he, boss?”
I smiled as I kept on shovelin’. “None.”
* * * *
I found Travis in the lounge room. He was still shirtless, holding Nugget, and they were staring at the tree. Trav had stuck the tree in an old five-gallon oil drum filled with red dirt and it was shoved in the corner.
“I moved Nugget’s bed box,” he said. “He’s not happy about it.” He handed me the said-disgruntled wombat, who snuffled and blinked his disapproval. Travis was still frowning at the tree. “Have you got some tinsel or something?”
“I’m sure we do somewhere.” I put Nugget back down on the floor and went in search of Christmas decorations. Truth be told, we hadn’t used ’em in years. I got to the hallway and
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