Leroy Watches Jr. & the Badass Bull (Bloodsong Series) Read Online Free
Author: Sandy Nathan
anything has since you were born.
“Go find her, son. Bring her home.”
Leroy stood, dumbstruck. He wanted a wife? He wanted children? That was why he built the cabin? The life coursing through him leapt forward, filling his body and mind with joy––and desire. His father wasn’t the dumbest Watches, wanting to fight bulls at his age. He was for not knowing what was going on inside himself .
4
YOUR DREAMS AREN’T MY DREAMS
The answer came while he was watching the National Finals Rodeo again. Austin recorded it every year, reveling in details he’d missed. The kids refused to watch it with him that year. They’d always watched it together in the past. It was a ritual. Sylvia was at Pilates. She’d never watch the rodeo. Too much of a wuss. He sat alone, watching the pageant he loved most. His home had become a strange world.
Austin knew that his family was in trouble. He knew that his marriage was beyond that. His nights with Sylvia proved that. She could have been a refrigerator for all the passion she showed. But it could be salvaged! Everything could be saved. They needed a change, something new.
A vacation would cure the Zemsky family’s woes.
He set about planning their trip with all the attention to detail you’d expect from a special agent in the FBI. He wanted to give his family a trip they would never forget; a trip that would make up for his lengthy absences and inability to talk about what he had done once he’d gotten home. He wanted to pick a place that would make Sylvia so happy that he could tell her that he was leaving again and she wouldn’t get upset.
This vacation had to be unforgettable.
He planned it in his home office, deliberating like a general. Involving his family in the planning never occurred to him. He’d never included them in anything he did. And he wanted to surprise them.
Brochures covered his big desk. They were the bricks and mortar of his plan. He felt like he was counting treasure in the sanctity of his den. The room was triple locked and sound proofed. Ages ago, he’d installed a window that could withstand an assault weapon. He scanned his office for bugs twice a day. Austin didn’t consider this any odder than keeping his family in the dark about their vacation.
One leaflet caught Austin’s eye: a photo of a neon sign in the shape of a rearing horse covered the front. It was styled to look like the 1950s. Paper brochures were old fashioned, but he liked to hold them and gaze at the exotic escapes that they portrayed. He had augmented the flyers with information from his laptop. He wanted glamour and adventure; adults only part of the time and parents and kids the rest. Also, he didn’t want to spend much money. Frugality was a virtue that Austin had plenty of.
Scanning a map of the United States, Austin’s finger kept returning to one place. Again and again, his personal Ouija board showed him where to go: Las Vegas, Nevada.
Everything came together in a way that spoke of miracles. The kids were out of school the week before Easter. Easter Sunday, March 30 th , was three days before he left on his mission, a perfect time to tell Sylvia if she was warmed up by the idyllic interlude. At that point, the stinking slush of spring in Washington DC would have reached its peak. Austin would escape a week of slogging mucky, half-melted snow.
Even Vegas’ climate was wonderful. In March, the area had an average low of 45 and a high of 75 degrees––toasty compared to DC. In Vegas, it never snowed and seldom rained.
Those were all good reasons to go to Las Vegas, but they weren’t the penultimate one. The burgeoning Internet brought him a glorious piece of intelligence. There was a rodeo in Vegas March 22 th and 23 th . It wasn’t the National Finals, but it was a respectable show with some good cowboys.
And a bullfighter he loved above all others: Leroy Watches, Sr. The guy was practically a giant, towering over everyone in the arena.
“Go find her, son. Bring her home.”
Leroy stood, dumbstruck. He wanted a wife? He wanted children? That was why he built the cabin? The life coursing through him leapt forward, filling his body and mind with joy––and desire. His father wasn’t the dumbest Watches, wanting to fight bulls at his age. He was for not knowing what was going on inside himself .
4
YOUR DREAMS AREN’T MY DREAMS
The answer came while he was watching the National Finals Rodeo again. Austin recorded it every year, reveling in details he’d missed. The kids refused to watch it with him that year. They’d always watched it together in the past. It was a ritual. Sylvia was at Pilates. She’d never watch the rodeo. Too much of a wuss. He sat alone, watching the pageant he loved most. His home had become a strange world.
Austin knew that his family was in trouble. He knew that his marriage was beyond that. His nights with Sylvia proved that. She could have been a refrigerator for all the passion she showed. But it could be salvaged! Everything could be saved. They needed a change, something new.
A vacation would cure the Zemsky family’s woes.
He set about planning their trip with all the attention to detail you’d expect from a special agent in the FBI. He wanted to give his family a trip they would never forget; a trip that would make up for his lengthy absences and inability to talk about what he had done once he’d gotten home. He wanted to pick a place that would make Sylvia so happy that he could tell her that he was leaving again and she wouldn’t get upset.
This vacation had to be unforgettable.
He planned it in his home office, deliberating like a general. Involving his family in the planning never occurred to him. He’d never included them in anything he did. And he wanted to surprise them.
Brochures covered his big desk. They were the bricks and mortar of his plan. He felt like he was counting treasure in the sanctity of his den. The room was triple locked and sound proofed. Ages ago, he’d installed a window that could withstand an assault weapon. He scanned his office for bugs twice a day. Austin didn’t consider this any odder than keeping his family in the dark about their vacation.
One leaflet caught Austin’s eye: a photo of a neon sign in the shape of a rearing horse covered the front. It was styled to look like the 1950s. Paper brochures were old fashioned, but he liked to hold them and gaze at the exotic escapes that they portrayed. He had augmented the flyers with information from his laptop. He wanted glamour and adventure; adults only part of the time and parents and kids the rest. Also, he didn’t want to spend much money. Frugality was a virtue that Austin had plenty of.
Scanning a map of the United States, Austin’s finger kept returning to one place. Again and again, his personal Ouija board showed him where to go: Las Vegas, Nevada.
Everything came together in a way that spoke of miracles. The kids were out of school the week before Easter. Easter Sunday, March 30 th , was three days before he left on his mission, a perfect time to tell Sylvia if she was warmed up by the idyllic interlude. At that point, the stinking slush of spring in Washington DC would have reached its peak. Austin would escape a week of slogging mucky, half-melted snow.
Even Vegas’ climate was wonderful. In March, the area had an average low of 45 and a high of 75 degrees––toasty compared to DC. In Vegas, it never snowed and seldom rained.
Those were all good reasons to go to Las Vegas, but they weren’t the penultimate one. The burgeoning Internet brought him a glorious piece of intelligence. There was a rodeo in Vegas March 22 th and 23 th . It wasn’t the National Finals, but it was a respectable show with some good cowboys.
And a bullfighter he loved above all others: Leroy Watches, Sr. The guy was practically a giant, towering over everyone in the arena.
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