Chapter 89

“No, Jimmy, sorry. Anything erotic would get pulled. But I’m hoping, if the right people review it, the game might get a bit of a gay following.”

Barry went on to say that people could make in-app purchases that would allow them to put different clothes on the game characters.

“Cool,” Jake said, finding that option in the game’s settings. “But my guy will stick to wearing red.”

* * * *

Christmas dinner was a rowdy affair, the men joshing with each other and generally getting into the holiday spirit.

Liam and Jake had spent some time trying to coax the old furnace into firing, but it had stubbornly refused to cooperate. Because of the lack of heat, the dining table had been moved into the kitchen. It was a tight fit, but somehow Barry felt it was more homey. They were a family, maybe not one set in the traditional mold, but a family nonetheless. Liam was the father figure, and the rest his sons. Barry refused to cast himself as a daughter or worse yet, a wife.

“So, what’re we supposed to do with these things?” Jake asked, picking up the brightly colored paper tube next to his plate.

“Back in England we call them crackers.”

That raised a snicker from a couple of the cowboys.

“I know, it has a different meaning over here,” Barry said.

Barry explained that when two people pulled at a cracker, the tube would separate and the person with the larger part got to keep the contents—a paper hat, a piece of paper with a corny joke, and a small plastic novelty. “And when it separates it goes bang, hence the name cracker.”

Naturally, it became a competition to see who could collect the most winning cracker pulls. Thankfully it worked out about even and everyone got something.

“Do we have to wear these silly hats?” Wayne asked, eying his with distain.

“Of course, it’s tradition, ain’t it, Barry?” Jimmy said.

“Exactly.”

The men swapped around so Jimmy and Jake could have blue and red hats respectively.

The beef vegetable soup Barry served made for a welcome and warming appetizer. Not that the kitchen was cold—the stove kept the room nice and cozy.

“What’s the glaze on the ham?” Wayne asked once Barry had served the main course.

“Ah, I didn’t want the whole meal to be English-themed, so I cooked the hams in what’s probably America’s greatest export.”

“Elvis Presley?” Wayne asked.

“Dumbass,” Liam said, making to punch Wayne’s arm. “He means Coca-Cola.”

“Really?” Wayne asked.

Barry nodded.

“Works really well,” Rory said.

If anything, the shy cowboy was even quieter than usual. Barry wondered if he was missing his family back in Kansas. It was impossible to know as Rory shared little about his background, other than that his mother was dead.

Barry was soon distracted by compliments and questions about the other things he’d served. The men were especially glad his sweet potato and marshmallow dish had been reprised.

After dessert—a flaming Christmas pudding which brought forth exclamations of surprise from Barry’s audience—gifts were exchanged. Barry promised to load the ranch game on the smart phones of those who wanted to try it out. Liam, who didn’t have a smart phone, was given one. Barry told the older cowboy it was a thank you for all the help he’d given

“And if anything doesn’t work in the game or you think it should be done differently, please let me know and I’ll see if I can add it before the game goes on general release.

Liam marveled at his new phone, which Barry tried to reassure him was a pay-as-you go model and wasn’t as expensive as he might think. Shaking his head, Liam said how he felt left behind by technology.

This was met by good-natured teasing about how old Liam must be.

Liam told everyone to shut their yaps because he had something to say.

The men soon quieted and looked expectantly at the foreman.

“I’ve spent more Christmases on this ranch than any of you guys. No disrespect to your mom, Jake, but this has been the best darn Christmas dinner I’ve ever eaten here. Heck, probably it’s the best Christmas dinner I’ve eaten, period.”

The other men agreed. Those who were closest to Barry patted him on the back.

“And,” Liam said, raising his bottle of beer. “Not only did Barry cook us this meal, he’s also given us gifts which, if what I think will happen does happen, will help keep the Double J afloat. So here’s to you, Barry Logan.”

The men raised their bottles and toasted a blushing Barry.

There was a chorus of “Speech” from the men.