The Cowboy's Promise (UNDER HEAVY REVISION)

Christmas at the Ranch

Elliot whips the blanket off of me. Glaring, I grab it back. He jumps on the bed, laughing as I push him away. I glance at the clock sleepily

"El, it is six in the morning. What do you want?" I sigh.

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" he yells. I cringe.

"God, tone it down a little."

"Then get up already," he says.

"Fine," I yawn.

I follow El downstairs to the kitchen in my boxers and T-shirt. He casually forgot to mention he invited his friend and Stephen. And Thalia's here. She smirks at me. Jamie glares. Faith dances by me, handing me the cake batter spoon. I give her a kiss on the check and start to lick the spoon before dipping in the laundry room. After pulling on sweat pants, I make my way to the living room, where our tree towers over everything. It's full of presents. The ornaments glitter every color imaginable. I love the tree, though. It itself is covered in red, gold, and burlap.

"Blake, breakfast!" Mama calls. I brush my hair back and walk into the kitchen. She puts a plate of waffles and bacon in front of me at the bar. I start on the bacon first.

The kitchen is filled with endless chatter. As it gets later, my aunts, uncles, and cousins come in. After a few minutes, I'm actually included in the conversation. But thankfully, my parents and siblings keep my latest medical scare a secret.

€*€

I vaguely hear someone mention my name. I look up from my food, looking for the source.

"Huh?" I ask, looking up from a waffle.

"You ready to open presents, Blake? Or do you want to finish?" Mama asks.

"Oh. Oh, just give me a second. And by the way, don't let any of the kids have eggnog. I think Daddy spiked it," I add. The other adults laugh.

I finish breakfast and head to the living room. All the kids had already picked out a present. Lane, my six year old cousin, tosses one at me. I look at it. It's an inch square and red with a gold bow. I hand Mama, Daddy, Faith, and my brothers their presents from me.

We all tear the gifts open. El and Faith immediately put on their hats and give me a hug. I get a necklace from my aunt May and simple silver stud earrings from my cousin Aaron. Much to Aunt Mary and Uncle Rob's dismay, he also has an earring and snakebites. Red walks by, handing me a glass of eggnog. I take a sip, feeling the sharp taste of bourbon. Yep, my dad spiked this. Not being a huge drinker, I wince as the bourbon rushes down my system like napalm.

"Is it a little strong?" Red asks, laughing.

"Uh-huh," I gasp, my face going red. I make a face at the drink and set it down where the kids can't get it.

"That's probably a good idea " he admits, snatching his glass from Lane's baby sister Amelia.

I watch them, laughing as they hand us present after present. I get a new halter for Grenade, the necklace and earring, an iTunes card, 30 Seconds to Mars cd, and a few other things. Mostly the subject is music or horses. I got Red a picture of Chase Outlaw signed by the guy himself. Chase is a PBR World Champion and ranked 18 in the World Top 20. Red loves him. And he's a cool kid. He's around 22 now, I think. And Red almost stokes out when I hand it to him. After hanging it in his room, he suggests a snowball fight.

€*€

Later, Mama calls us all in for supper. It sounds muffled to me. But maybe that's because I'm under a full foot of snow. I work one hand up through the snow and wave it. Two people come and dig me out. It's Red and another cousin, Sally.