Chapter 1

The fight had been incredible, the victor comporting himself with courage and cunning, made it even more spectacular because he sat in a wheelchair and fought using a cane. It took two men to hold back the irate man, who wasn’t done with his foe, even though the guy lay moaning on the floor of the Chowhound Saloon.

His dark eyes blazing with fury, Carter “Wheels” Ellis, yelled, “Get up! Get up so I can bash your head in some more!”

Two of his best friends, Brock and Aaron Guthrie, hauled him farther away from the object of Wheels’ rage.

Aaron said, “Wheels, I don’t think he’s getting back up. They’ll have to carry him out. Leave him be.”

Wheels calmed down a little. “Fine. You can let me go. Where’s Ollie? Is he okay?”

Brock said, “He’s behind the bar with Sandy.”

Wheels shrugged out of their grasps and spun around, heading for the bar before he went after his fallen enemy again. Rolling over to the bar, he whistled for his beloved Capuchin monkey, whom Sandy held.

“Is he hurt?” he asked her, worry replacing the rage in his dark eyes.

Sandy shook her head. “I went over him real well. Of course, he might have some bruises that we can’t see under his fur, but there’s no blood on him. It’s a good thing he has such good reflexes, so Luther’s punch mainly glanced off him.”

Wheels’ hands tightened around the cane he held across his lap. He forced the anger back, instead focusing on Ollie. He hung the cane on the back of his chair and patted his lap. The cane was useful for snagging things that were too high or low for him to reach from his chair. It was also a good weapon that helped even his fighting odds.

“C’mere, buddy. It’s okay,” he said, quietly. “C’mon.”

Reassured by Wheels’ soft tone, Ollie jumped from Sandy’s arms onto the bar and dropped onto Wheels’ lap. When he wrapped his arms around Wheels’ neck, Wheels hugged him back, soothing him with words and gentle petting.

“It’s all right. I took care of him. He won’t hurt you anymore.”

Sandy leaned over the bar. “If you hadn’t beat the shit out of him, I woulda shot him. But I’m glad you got to him first.”

Wheels smiled at the bar owner’s feisty statement, but he knew that Sandy meant it. “Thanks for taking care of Ollie for me.”

“Always my pleasure. Luther was just mad because Ollie beat him at poker. It takes a toll on a man’s pride when he’s out-smarted by a monkey.” Humor filled her voice.

Wheels laughed. “Ollie made fifty bucks tonight, too. That’ll buy him a lot of fruit.”

Wheels never used Ollie’s poker winnings for himself. He banked Ollie’s money and used it on the things he knew Ollie enjoyed. He figured that since Ollie earned it that he should keep it.

Aaron came over. “He’s gone. How’s Ollie?”

“Scared. He’s shaking like a leaf.” Wheels pulled out Ollie’s blanket, which he kept wedged between his back and the wheelchair. “Time for all good monkeys to go home to bed.”

Aaron and Sandy smiled as Wheels wrapped Ollie up as tenderly as he would have a baby. There was no doubt that Ollie was spoiled, but Ollie spoiled Wheels, too. They were a matched pair in that respect.

He handed Ollie to Aaron. “Will you hold him for me while I put my coat on?”

“Sure.”

Aaron cradled Ollie, talking to him while Wheels shrugged into his coat and buttoned it.

“Sorry about your floor, Sandy,” he said concerning the small amount of blood near the table where they’d been sitting.

“Don’t worry about it, Wheels. You and Ollie take care.”

“Will do.”

He took Ollie back from Aaron and started for the door. The noise level, which had gradually risen, died down a little again as Wheels rolled through the barroom. He stopped right by the door and spun around.

“If anyone ever touches Ollie like that again, you won’t be as lucky as Luther. I’ll put you in the ground.”

His gaze roamed around the barroom meeting a lot of eyes, some of which shifted away from him. Satisfied, he turned back around and followed Aaron out the door.

The next morning, Wheels woke up to find Ollie sitting on his chest, staring down at him.

“Time to go potty?”

Ollie bobbed his head and chirruped quietly. Wheels’ wind-up alarm clock told him that it was six-thirty, their usual time to get up. Ollie was as dependable as any clock and a lot cuter.

“Okay. Watch out.”

Ollie hopped down in the bed, pulling the covers with him. Wheels was perfectly capable of doing it himself, but there had been a time when he hadn’t been. Ollie remembered those times and still did things for Wheels that he’d done shortly after Wheels’ injury. Pulling covers down was just one of them.

“Thanks, buddy.”

Wheels never discouraged Ollie from doing the tasks he’d been trained to do because it would have confused his pal. Sitting up, Wheels lifted his legs out over the bed one at a time, sitting them on the floor. He did the same thing every morning. Got out of bed, went to the bathroom, showered, dressed, and went over to his family’s house to eat.