He didn’t need them, had planned to work with her on handguns and they would only have thirty minutes to do that before the class started. But if the old man wanted to set his guns out early that was fine with him.
“They’ll be safe with me,” he said.
“I would hope so,” Buck said. “You being a SEAL, I’d trust you with my life and my guns. Got no wife to worry about.”
Both men laughed.
“I had a wife back when I was younger,” Buck said. “You?”
“Twice,” Travis said. “Neither worked out.”
“I got Emma to cook for me here, and her cookin’ is really good,” Buck said, “And I live over the barn, to keep an eye on things. Not set up for a wife, here, so it’s good I ain’t got one.” Buck chuckled. “Life is simpler. And If I’m wantin’ closer female company, I can always head to town.”
Travis grinned at him. Buck was easy to be around. A real cowboy, like his dad had grown up with. He wondered.
“I’ve got a son, Scotty, he’s five,” he said. “Lost his mother to cancer.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Buck said.
“So, it’s just him and me now.,” Travis said. “That’s why I left the teams.”
Buck nodded. “Great place to raise a boy.”
“It is,” Travis agreed.
“Does he like horses?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t had a chance …”
Buck interrupted. “Well, you bring him on out here, and I’ll show him around. We can get him up on one.”
“Thanks, Buck, that would be great,” Travis said.
“Welcome,” he said. “You ride?”
“I do,” Travis said. “SEALs can do just about everything you can think of, and some things you didn’t.”
Buck laughed heartily. They’d reached the range and he’d set his guns down on one of the tables. “I’ll just bet you do. We’ll have to swap stories one night around the fire. You can bring your boy.”
“He’d like that. He loves stories.”
“Most little boys do.” Buck said. He glanced over to where Ellen was walking toward the range from the main house. “And little girls too.”
Travis watched her approaching. Ellen was a knockout. Underneath that old baggy t-shirt she’d worn to the range last time was a figure with curves in all the right places.
Today she was wearing a red t-shirt with an American flag on the front right across her breasts, which drew his eyes to it. The shirt fit her exactly. No more baggie t-shirt.
He highly approved. With blue jeans and tennis shoes she looked very much the all-American girl. But she was no little girl. Though small, she was all woman.
“Good morning, Ellen,” Buck said.
“Good morning to you both,” she answered, her voice soft and low. It made Travis want to lean in, to hear her better.
“Morning,” he said and sent her a smile.
She smiled back.
“I’ll see you two later,” Buck said, and he turned to head to the barn, not waiting for an answer.
