For the Love of the Broken Man (Love & Cowboys #3)

6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Things in Holloway hadn’t gone smoothly at all. Working at the Katydid was great, but they didn’t have enough work to keep someone as inexperienced as Jase busy every day. Jase got the impression the only people willing to teach him things at the farm were Josh Simmons and Ethan Sachs, who also helped at the Circle C.

Of course, Ethan had grown up around the ranch hands, so while everyone treated him like a member of the family, they didn’t hold the same affection for Jase. When he’d called Savannah on the prepaid phone that she and Andy had given him, he could hear she was upset.

“What do you mean Matt doesn’t want you there?” Savannah had asked.

“Vanna, I don’t know why, but the man doesn’t like me. Hell, they shipped me off to live with Tim’s aunt and uncle, which is okay, but when I go to the Circle C, Matt watches me like I’m a common criminal. Tim taught me the computer programs he designed for the ranch, and I’m able to do the maintenance from the Katydid as long as somebody sends me the numbers, but they don’t do it every day. Let’s chalk it up as a failure, okay?” Savannah had been nail-spitting mad, and Jase loved her for it.

Fortunately, a few days later, Miss Katie suggested Jase might be happier working at Wonderland Farm, where Mickey Warren and Jon Wells owned a successful horse farm outside of Richmond. They had the same automated farm management system in place, and Jase might be better at keeping up with it than Mickey, or so Miss Katie had told him.

Jase had jumped at the chance to go anywhere other than Holloway because he knew Matt Collins had it in for him, along with a lot of the other people around the ranch. It was ultimately a blessing.

As he packed his duffel, including a pair of rubber muck boots Josh Simmons had given him, Jase realized yet another good reason to get away from Holloway—the gorgeous Danny Johnson. The way Jase figured it, Matt and Tim had their own shit to figure out because apparently, Matt Collins was jealous of Jason for reasons the teen couldn’t begin to understand.

It didn’t have anything to do with Jase, as he saw it’ It was a lack of trust between the men. He wished them luck because they seemed to be great guys, and their little boys were fun to hang out with. Both boys depended on their fathers, it was clear, and Jase was happy for them. Everyone needed someone to depend upon.

What bothered Jase was the way he caught Danny Johnson staring at him with a smile one minute but ignoring him the next. It was driving him to madness.

To Jase, the handsome sandy-blond man was an incredible guy, most of the time. The other guys at both ranches seemed to respect Dan, and no one ever seemed to question his decisions. Jase could tell the man had a pretty good sense of humor when he’d let down his guard, which was rare, and he wished they could get to know each other under different circumstances.

Then, there was adorable little Kayley, who he’d miss a lot. She’d lifted his spirits every time Dan brought her to the ranch when Jase was working. She liked to tell him about the places she went with the day camp she attended, and she’d drawn him pictures to decorate his room, which he had taken down to take with him. Yes, he’d miss Kayley Johnson a lot.

It seemed to Jase the other hands didn’t accept him because he wasn’t out in the barns cleaning stalls, feeding animals, or fixing fence like all the hands did on a daily basis. Jase would have done it if anyone had asked and was willing to show him how to do the tasks properly.

In the end, the cold shoulder he’d received was too much, and Jase had asked if he could work at the Katydid and take care of the books from there. Josh and Katie agreed, but the hands at the Katydid didn’t like him any better than the hands at the Circle C, though they never showed it in front of Josh Simmons or Heath Sachs.

Jase really didn’t have high hopes for his time with Mickey Warren, who he’d never met, but he was willing to try. I must fit in somewhere, right?

“I’m ready,” Jase announced two hours later when he reentered the kitchen from taking a walk to kill time while Dan had gone home to pack and collect his daughter, who he was bringing with them to Dillwyn. Kayley was packing cookies into a plastic bin, and Danny watched the girl and Miss Katie interact. Jase knew he’d miss all of them.

Katie walked over to him, smiling brightly as she took his hand. “You listen to me, young man. This is your home now, and you’re always welcome here. I’ll handle this business around here, but Mickey and Jon will be good for ya. You call on Sundays, ya hear?”

Jase smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I appreciate you taking me in. I’m sorry…” he trailed off because his emotions overtook him. Katie Simmons reminded him of his mother, and Josh reminded him of a father he’d never had.

“Hush now. You did nothin’ wrong.” Miss Katie wiped her thumbs over his cheeks, drying tears Jase didn’t know he was crying.

“I’ll see you in a few months.” She kissed his cheek before she left the kitchen.

“We need to get on the road. It’ll take us a few hours, as it is.” Danny grabbed Jase’s duffel and carried it out to the driveway.

Jase squatted in front of Kayley. “You got enough cookies?”

She pushed hair behind her ears and smiled. “Yep.” She hopped off the stool and pointed to the lid. Jase secured it and took her hand, leading her out to the truck on the driveway. There was an empty horse trailer behind it which surprised him.

“It’s empty.” Jase pointed to the stainless trailer before helping Kayley into her booster in the back seat of the double cab pickup.

“Yeah, and I hope I don’t have to use it.” The handsome sandy-blond man started the truck and drove down the driveway of the Katydid. Jase had no idea what the man meant by his comment, but he could wait for answers. He had so many questions in his head it was all he could do—wait.

“Jason, you’re supposed to kiss me back.” Jase was with Claire Haskell outside the gym after Prom.

Their moms were coworkers at the Post Office. Claire’s mother had asked Jase to take her daughter to the dance because with her smarter-than-everyone temperament, she hadn’t been asked by anyone else. Of course, he was the queer guy nobody knew about, who didn’t have a date either, so he’d done as his mother asked and took the girl to prom. He’d been miserable the whole night.

“I don’t like to kiss, Claire.” Jase had hoped to put her off.

“Oh, it’s the braces. I’m sorry. I just…” She began crying, covering her mouth which was full of wire braces. Jase’s guilt was nearly all-consuming.

“Who’s hungry?” A voice registered in Jase’s mind, waking him from a nap. He looked around and was appreciative of two things: he wasn’t still in high school, and he wasn’t trying to explain himself to Claire Haskell without outing his orientation or hurting her fragile feelings.

That night had turned south as soon as they walked out of the gym and she’d jumped him, but he was able to calm her enough to take her home without tears. His mother never mentioned anything to him, so he hoped Claire’s mother had kept it to herself if Claire had spilled the beans. His first kiss wasn’t going to be with a girl. Case closed.

Jase opened his eyes to see a family restaurant, and as if on cue his stomach rumbled bringing a giggle from the little girl in the back. He looked out the front window at the establishment. “I could eat.”

He glanced at Danny and saw the sexy smile he’d hoped to avoid. He felt the blood flow south, so he hopped out and pulled down his T-shirt to cover his jeans. It was embarrassing as all hell.

Jase opened the back door and released Kayley from her booster. “What’s your favorite?” He settled her on his hip.

The girl wiggled until he put her down. She smiled at him and took his hand. “Blueberry pancakes. They’re sooo good. Meggie likes apple ones, just so you know.” Kayley removed her hand from his and tightened her crooked ponytail.

The three of them got a table and settled in. Jase and Kayley ordered breakfast while Dan ordered a dinner of fried chicken. Jase and Kayley played tic-tac-toe with crayons on place mats while they waited for their food.

When the waitress brought their plates, she smiled at them. “We have two blueberry short stacks with bacon. An order of scrambled eggs and home fries, and fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. Can I get you anything else?”

Without glancing up, Jase began cutting Kayley’s pancakes and pouring syrup over them. After she was settled, he looked after his own food. He glanced up to see Danny assessing him. “You got any brothers or sisters?”

Jase chewed and swallowed a mouth full of food before he stared Danny in the eye. “I wish I did, but I guess it’s best I don’t. I’m an only. You?”

Danny squirmed before he tore into a chicken breast, offering Kayley some on what appeared to be instinct. “I have a younger brother who is a self-centered… We, uh, we’re not exactly on the same page right now. I had a sister, who was Kayley’s mother.”

Kayley’s gaze met Jase’s and she gave him a blueberry-smeared smile. “My momma’s in heaven.”

Unfortunately for Jason, he’d just taken a bite of his blueberry pancakes. When the cutest little girl he’d ever met responded casually her mother was in heaven, he choked on his food. Had a policeman with emergency medical training not been sitting three tables over, he’d have likely died right there at Bubba & Shirley’s Family Diner .

An hour later, they were settled in the truck and on their way again when Jase saw Dan check over his shoulder. Kayley was asleep. When he glanced back at Jase, he cleared his throat. “I wanna know exactly what happened at the Circle C and the Katydid that made you wanna leave.”

Jase did a double take and swallowed. “You were there when Matt came around. He didn’t want me working there, and the rest of you guys seemed to follow his lead. I felt about as welcome there as a whore in church. Things at the Katydid were a little better at first, but Ethan Sachs must have told the guys there that nobody at the ranch liked me because when Josh wasn’t around, they were assholes. I could go back to El Paso and be treated the same if I was fine with being treated like shit.” Jase’s confession left him raw.

Danny didn’t respond, so Jase closed his eyes and leaned his head against the head rest, hoping to fall asleep again. It would make the hell of being locked in a truck with Danny’s scent circling his head pass quicker. The way he’d situated his shirt over his jeans, he prayed Dan couldn’t see his hard-on through his Levi’s button fly. That would be the ultimate humiliation.

“Well, I’m sorry if we did that. We’re not used to newcomers. Mick can probably give ya more insight into it than I can. He was new to the Katydid once, and I expect it took time before the other guys respected him. It’s just that they don’t know what to make of ya. Hell, I remember when Tim started doin’ the bookwork at the Circle C. I don’t think we were too welcomin’ to him at first, either. Now, he’s runnin’ the place with Matt. We come around eventually, Jase. It takes some time.” Dan seemed to brush off Jase’s treatment as not important, but it was important to Jase.

Jase opened his eyes and turned his head. “I could take it from the others without much care, but a couple of the people were ones I thought I could look up to and maybe have as friends. I guess we were all wrong on that.”

Jase hoped he wasn’t giving away too much regarding his feelings for Danny. He closed his eyes and eventually drifted to sleep, praying he’d wake up in a better place, literally .

The sound of singing woke him sometime later. It was Kayley, and she was singing along with the music playing in the truck, adding all the singer’s nuances and ad libs like a pro. Jase grinned because he’d heard the song several times, and it surprised him Dan was a Taylor Swift fan.

“You a Swiftee?” Jase’s tone was teasing as he turned to see Danny concentrating on the two-lane road they were traversing. Jase had no idea where they were, but it was beautiful countryside with lots of trees and flowers in full bloom.

Dan glanced over. “What?”

“I asked if you were a Swiftee? That’s what her fans call themselves. Didn’t picture a cowboy like you to be a fan of girl power, man-hater songs.” Jase smirked.

Dan finally chuckled. “Kayley likes her. She gets restless on long rides, so I turn on this CD and she sings and entertains herself. You ain’t been sleepin’ well, have ya?”

Jase was surprised by the assessment, but he wondered how the man knew. “Bags under my eyes that visible?”

Dan didn’t answer for a minute. Finally, “Naw, you look fine, but I know a troubled k… man when I seem him. You don’t relax in your sleep, and from one troubled sleeper to another, I feel your pain.”

Jase doubted they were losing sleep for the same reasons. “Why don’t you sleep well?”

The amber-eyed, sandy-blond cowboy seemed to contemplate for a moment before he adjusted the stereo controls to move the sound to the back of the large truck’s cab. He glanced in the rearview before he turned his gaze to Jase.

“I went into the Army right outta high school. After basic, I was sent to Ft. Riley, Kansas, to join the 1st Infantry Division. I was training to be deployed to the Middle East as a combat soldier, and I liked bein’ in the military.

“I was there for four months before I met a guy, Teddy Kendall. He was eighteen and scared, just like me, and we were both lonely, I ‘spect. We kinda started datin’ on the sly when we had a pass or even leave. ‘Bout two months after we started seein’ each other, Teddy and me went for a walk one evenin’ and ended up in the woods outside the barracks. We didn’t know it was where some of the more senior guys went to gamble and get high, and they caught us with our pants down around our knees jackin’ each other.”

“Oh, shit. What happened after they caught you?” Jase swallowed a lump in his throat.

“The monsters tied Teddy to a tree and took turns whippin’ him with a belt. I tried to fight back for Teddy, but two of ‘em stomped on my leg and broke it in three places before they went off and left us there. Teddy was able to untie himself and took off and left me out there by myself. One of the guys in my unit saw I hadn’t come back to barracks that night, so the next mornin’ after PT, he reported me AWOL to our Sergeant. I ended up crawlin’ back toward camp and one of the cooks in the chow hall found me when he was out havin’ a cigarette.”

“Damn, Dan. I’m sorry to hear that happened. My father’s military, so I know how some soldiers can be. What about your leg?” Jase didn’t explain his father would have probably applauded the attack. The idea of it made Jase sick to his stomach.

“I woke up in the hospital with a pin in it, which bought me a ticket home and right back to the small-minded ways of Holloway, Virginia, and the cattle farm my dad was barely keepin’ away from the bank. I had to go through rehab to get full use of my leg, and it took me a long time to get to the point where I don’t think about it every day. Got a job with Matt, runnin’ his place after my dad died from a heart attack. Had to sell the farm and cows to pay the bills, and now I take care of my mom and Kayley. I guess, for the most part, I’m over it, but I still have nightmares.”

It gave Jase chills to think of the barbaric acts Dan had described. It confirmed to Jase that he was lucky to be out of Texas before something similar happened to him. In that moment, he supposed other people had it a lot worse than he had.

“Whatever happened to Teddy? Did you two keep in touch?” Jase checked to see Kayley was still engrossed in Taylor Swift.

Dan chuckled, but Jase could tell it was without humor. “He stayed in, but he ended up eatin’ his gun a few years later. I guess we all have our demons.”

“Did you report the guys who did it to you?”

Again, Dan chuckled. “Kid, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell didn’t just apply to bein’ queer. I didn’t know the guys who did it, and if I’da admitted how I broke my leg, I’da been dishonorably discharged. At least most people think I was some kinda hero. Nobody alive knows the truth but the guys who did it, you, and me.”

It was an important secret the man had shared with him, and Jase felt the need to reassure him. “I’d never tell, Dan.”

“Thanks.” Dan slowed the truck and turned on a left-turn signal. Jase stared through the front windshield to see they were at a driveway with an entrance arch made of iron mounted atop two rock and mortar pillars on either side. The fence surrounding the property was made of rock as well, and Jase was sure, based on the view from the drive, the house would be damn incredible.

“Seems the lovebirds are doin’ some renovations. Good Lord, that musta cost a fortune.” Dan gave a little whistle as he stared at the rock fencing.

Dan turned into the driveway and slowly drove up a long, paved lane with lots of trees on both sides. It was all well-manicured, and suddenly, Jase wished he was back at the Katydid. The house he was seeing in the distance was definitely unlike anything he’d ever seen.

“Oh! We’re here!” Kayley gasped from the back seat. Jase heard her unbuckle her booster and step into the space between the front seats, leaning on the console between him and Dan.

“Think Meggie and Jonny are home yet?” she asked.

Dan glanced in the rearview and grinned. “Don’t know, Sweet Pea. Mick told Miss Katie that Terry has one more week of school because they had a lot of snow days this past school year, so Meg was going to stay in her school in Richmond until he’s out. They’re both goin’ to some summer camps. Terry for football and some science camp, and Meg for… Well, I’m not sure, but you can ask Mick.”

Dan honked the horn as he drove up the road and took the right fork which led to a large brick barn with a green tin roof. The house they passed looked like an English manor Jase had seen in a movie he had to watch for literature class during his junior year of high school. He wasn’t a Jane Austin fan, but the movie, Persuasion, was pretty good. The lead actor was a hot blond who made the movie much more enjoyable—or at least kept him from falling asleep.

When they stopped outside the barn, a good-looking cowboy with a straw hat tipped back on his head stood next to a woman with brown hair and some sort of coveralls. She was wearing rubber boots, much like the ones Jase had with him, and the two seemed to be in adamant conversation.

The woman walked outside to a truck with lots of metal cabinets on the side of the tall panels situated on the bed. She opened what appeared to be a large compartment, pulling out lots of things Jase couldn’t identify before she opened another door and pulled out more things, including what looked to be silver duct tape. Jase was intrigued.

Danny opened his door, so Jase followed suit, closing it before he went to the back and helped Kayley out. As she started to take off, Dan grabbed the back of her little T-shirt. “How do we behave around horses?”

She stopped in her tracks and turned around. “Calm and quiet,” she whispered loudly, bringing a grin to Jase’s face. She was an amazing little girl, and he looked forward to getting to spend time with her, finally admitting to himself he was probably in love with—or had a mad crush on—her uncle for one stupid reason or another. If the warm feeling in his chest and stomach every time he was near Danny Johnson wasn’t some sort of newly developed heart condition, then he was guessing it was love.

Dan took the girl’s hand and motioned his head for Jase to follow him. When they walked up to the truck, the tall bronze-haired man smiled brightly before he pulled Dan into a hug. “You crusty ba… horse’s behind. How the heck are ya?”

The man looked down at Kayley and picked her up, giving her a smacking kiss on her cheek which elicited a giggle from the girl. “How are ya, pretty girl? We couldn’t tell Meggie you were coming because she’d have thrown a fit to stay home today, and they were going on a field trip she’s been looking forward to for a month.” The man returned her to the ground before he turned to smile at Jase.

He was damn good looking, and Jase decided the man was older than him but younger than Dan. He had a crooked grin and eyes the color of fresh, green grass. He seemed to smile with his whole body. “You must be Jason. Miss Katie talked my ear off about ya. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and welcome to Wonderland Farm. I look forward to getting to know ya.”

Dan laughed. “This fine-spoken gentleman is Mickey Warren. He’s in college now, which seems to be makin’ a proper gentleman outta him.”

“I’ll call ya a few names a proper gentleman won’t use in the presence of a lady, ya old fart. Come on down so I can introduce ya to Doc McCarren. Josie has an abscess on her hoof. I say it’s the way the new farrier is shoeing her, but we’re dealing with it. I’m sure Josie will be happy to see you, Kayley.” Mickey took the giggling girl’s hand and led all of them forward into the barn.

Jase looked around, admiring how clean the barn appeared to be. It reminded him of the barns at the Circle C and the Katydid, though he was fairly certain all barns weren’t so immaculate.

They walked up to a small horse tied to a ring in the hallway. Its enormous ears were shoulder-height to Jase, and it struck him as funny.

”Hello, Josie.” Kayley greeted the little animal with a bright smile as she patted it on the nose. Jase watched the horse sniff at her and then lower its head so the girl could rub its forehead and ears.

Dan scratched its back. “What’s wrong with her? I brought the trailer in case I need to take her back to Holloway.”

Jase saw the vet doing something to the horse’s foot, so he walked around the animal, touching her flank as he walked behind her, as he’d been taught to do. The woman was pouring something into a bucket with a few inches of water. She glanced up at him and smiled.

“I’m Mary McCarren. I’m gonna soak her foot in some Epsom salt. I just excised the infection, which is a nasty job, and after she soaks for a little while, I’ll apply a poultice and wrap her hoof. She’ll be good as new in a few days.”

“I’m Jase. I’ll be working here.” He started to extend his hand but saw hers were gloved.

Doctor McCarren nodded a greeting and walked out of the barn toward her truck. “She your usual vet?” Dan asked Mickey.

“She’s Ray McCarren’s daughter-in-law. He’s been the vet here for several years, and he brought her on board about the same time Jon and I moved here. She’s an equine specialist, which is great for us. I was afraid we were gonna have to send Josie home to y’all. Under that damn shoe, I couldn’t see an abscess. I said the stupid thing was too big, but the farrier, Pete Cross, thinks he knows a lot more about it than me.

“Anyway, seems Doc’s got this under control. Let’s go get Jase settled. I cleaned out the apartment over the garage because we thought you might be more comfortable in your own space. The furniture up there is old, but it’s still functional. That okay, or you wanna stay in the house?” Mickey grinned at Jase, his mere presence making Jase feel better.

Jase watched as Dan grabbed Mickey around the neck and pulled him close, kissing his cheek. “I knew that little country boy was still in there. We can get Jase settled in the apartment. You got somewhere for me and Kayley to bed down for the night? I’d like to see how Josie is tomorrow before I call Josh. I know Meg likes to ride her, and until Blossom gets to be of a size where she’s ready to go, he’d hate to leave Meg without a mount.”

Mickey laughed and hugged Danny in return. “Nonsense. You can stay the weekend. We’ll have a little party tomorrow since it’s been so long between visits. We need to celebrate, don’t we, Kayley?” The blonde girl nodded, giving the cowboy a glowing smile.

“Okay, okay. I need to call Matt and let him know. I didn’t tell him what I was doin’ today. I just told him I’d be back. He’s probably wonderin’ where I am.” Dan turned to Jase and grinned. “Get your pack outta the back and let Mick show ya where you’re gonna live. I’ll be along directly.”

Jase nodded and turned to go to the pickup, reaching over the side to get his green duffel and his backpack, along with his muck boots. He turned to see Mickey was talking to the vet again, so he waited.

Kayley stood next to Danny, playing with his fingers, which looked like it might hurt the way she was bending them back, but Dan was busy on his phone and didn’t seem to notice until one of them popped loudly and he jerked his hand away. “Damn, girl, that hurt!” The little girl started laughing loudly.

When Mickey came out of the barn, he swept the girl up in his arms and brought her along with him to where Jase was waiting. “Okay, let’s get goin’.” Mickey proceeded on a path of stones that led from the barn to a detached garage behind the large house.

“This is what they call a carriage house, but I call it a garage. Upstairs is where the apartment is located. It’s a one-bedroom with a full bath, living room, small kitchen, and a back balcony. There’s a gate over there so you can get to the pool without having to come through the house, but I’ll warn you, Jonny and I like to s-k-i-n-n-y d-i-p some nights, so if the pool lights are off, don’t come knockin’.” Mickey let out a huge laugh.

Jase needed clarity. “Who, um, who’s Jonny?” He’d heard the man referred to, but he didn’t know what the relationship was, and he didn’t want a repeat of what happened at the Circle C.

Mickey’s robust laugh made Jase grin. “Jonny’s my partner. My mister, I guess you could say. We didn’t get married like Tim and Matt, but we’re no less committed. We have two kids, a foster daughter, Megan, who’s almost six. She goes to school in Richmond.

“Our foster son, Terry, is almost fifteen. He goes to school here in town and should be home about four o’clock. He’s on the track team, and they have practice today. The last track meet is on Monday. You’re welcome to go with us if you’d like. Jonny’s only working a half day so he and Meggie can go. More the merrier.” Mickey’s welcoming attitude made Jase feel at ease. He was beginning to think Miss Katie was right. Wonderland Farm seemed to be the perfect fit.