Page 58 of Rainbow Rodeo

Dalton rolled his eyes, but headed off. Tank stretched his neck again, listening to it crack.

“You need to get a massage, Tank.” Deb’s hands landed on his neck, thumbs digging in.

His eyes rolled right back in his head. “Y’all need to get a chiropractor on tour.”

“I’ll talk to Pops.”

Jesus, she was good at that. He wondered if Dalton was too. Maybe he’d ask tonight. Good hands had to run in the family.

“Did y’all have fun in Glenwood? Dalton sent some neat pictures.”

“We had a ball. We hiked and ate and caught up.”

“Good.” Deb found a knot and dug in, making his eyes cross. “I’m glad. Dustin said that there was a little… unwelcome company?”

Tank tried not to tense all up. “Not sure if that’s mine to tell, lady, but Dalton was pretty worried. Guy was everywhere.”

“Huh.” That single sound said volumes.

“Yeah.” He hummed. “Thanks, lady. That helped a ton. Do I need to be worried about this guy?”

“Worried, nah. I mean, if Dalton isn’t worried, then you’re not, right?”

“Right.” He didn’t like that Rocket feller at all.

Deb sighed. “Maybe a little careful, though. He was… brutal.”

Brutal.What did that mean, exactly? “It ended bad, right? Dalton did say that.”

“Yeah. I had my Glock out.”

Jesus. He shook his head. Okay, he and Dalton needed to chat. “That’s bad, lady. Real bad.”

“It was. Just watch. Dalton didn’t tell Pops, so he’s not been banned.”

“Oh hell. I’ll keep an eye out.” And then some.

“Thank you. You’re a good man.”

“I got a thing for Dalton, lady. But you know I got your back and the rest of the family too.”

“I know. You take one of us, you get us all.”

“Jakoby clan. I get it.” Tank turned to give her a hug.

“You know it, you stud. Come on. You help Dalton with his hookups, you’ll have a way less grumpy grocery store buddy.”

“I’m on it.” Tank nodded and headed over to see if Dalton needed help. Sure enough, Dalton was cussing as he tried to get everything set on the trailer.

“Want me to hook up the bathroom, honey?”

“Please. This bitch is driving me crazy.”

“You got it.” Water in, waste out. The waste hookup at the site was a little corroded, so he trotted over to his truck for some duct tape.

They managed together without a load of drama and with only a few bit-out curses. All-in-all, it was a win.

He washed up just to check that the water was working, then moved his bag into the trailer. No sense leaving it in the truck.

---