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

7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

“I’m at Wonderland, and the vet’s here with Josie. She got an abscess on her right front hoof. Mick says it’s from the shoes the farrier put on her. Says they don’t fit right.” Danny was reporting to Matt as Mickey led Kayley and Jase up toward the house.

“Shit. Is she gonna be alright?” Based on the fact Matt didn’t seem too surprised Dan was in Dillwyn, he guessed Katie or Josh had called him and filled him in on what was happening.

“Yeah, she’s gonna be fine. Vet drained it and has her soakin’ it ‘fore she wraps it up. Seems the vet’s an equine specialist, and Mick trusts her. Anyway, Kayley and me are stayin’ the weekend so y’all hold down the fort. If any semen comes in, make sure ya put it in the tank, Matt. If it thaws, it’s ruined.” Dan hoped his boss listened to him. That shit was expensive as hell.

They were about to begin the breeding season, and Dan knew Tim had ordered some specialty semen out of an Amerifax bull from some place in Nebraska. He and Matt had read an article on the breed in a cattle magazine and were excited to use it for the first time.

The calves were supposed to be easily birthed but grew to be large animals. Cows from the breed were touted to be breedable for a long time with no fertility issues. Dan read up on it, and it sounded like something they should test, especially with the other breeds they had on the ranch, which would be prime to crossbreed. It sounded promising.

“ Yeah, well, I could hold it against Tim’s ass, and it would stay frozen.” Matt’s comment made Dan laugh .

“You brought that shit on yourself—all by yourself. Jason Langston is a nice kid who woulda been a damn good hand, but you let your insecurities show and everybody, includin’ me, treated that guy like shit. We all oughta be ashamed of ourselves. Anyway, you better work on thawin’ out Tim before you become a miserable bastard and the hands all go on strike. I’ll see y’all sometime on Monday mornin’.” Dan said goodbye and hung up.

Danny hopped in the truck to move the trailer off to the side, away from the vet’s truck so she wouldn’t be blocked in. He grabbed his and Kayley’s bags and headed toward the house, where Jase, Mickey, and Kayley were standing by the swimming pool in the backyard.

Kayley reached down to put her fingers into the water, and it seemed as if on instinct, Jase reached for her and held onto her waist so she wouldn’t fall in. It touched Dan and made him totally uncomfortable in kind, because he thought it was adorable the young man would worry so much about the child’s safety.

Dan walked up to the gate and opened the latch, placing their bags atop one of the many tables surrounding the pool deck. The whole area was beautiful, and he was happy for Mickey. He’d settled into a nice life, and as Dan thought about it, it was a privilege to witness.

Of course, it reminded Dan how he had nothing to offer a guy if he’d ever let himself have feelings for anyone. He’d tried with Sean O’Dowd, but they were just too different to make a go of it. Sean was a car salesman who seemed to long for the finer things in life—things Dan couldn’t give him on a ranch foreman’s salary, much less a ranch foreman with a daughter and mother under his care.

When Sean moved to Roanoke to work for a bigger dealership, Dan thought they’d do the long-distance thing for a while and maybe decide to get serious in a year or so. He didn’t love the man, but he liked him enough to think they could make a life together, eventually.

Dan found out the hard way that Sean’s move to Roanoke was because he didn’t want to be a surrogate parent to Kayley. He never wanted kids at all.

“Look Dan,” Sean had said. “I’m not the parenting type. Don’t get me wrong—Kayley is a sweet girl, and if she came to visit on occasion, I’d be happy to go out for pizza and a movie with the two of you. We’d have fun, and you’d drop her off at home with her parents. That’s not the case, and I’m not a babysitter.

“I moved here because you need to think about which one of us you want in your life full time—your niece or me. I was all prepared to give you the ultimatum, but it’s a moot point now.”

Dan’s stomach had climbed into his throat, but Sean wasn’t done with his speech. It was about to get a whole lot more painful.

“I’ve met someone, Dan, and we’ve been spending a lot of time together. He’s not into playing daddy to anyone but me if I’m interested. You won’t need to make the trip anymore. It’s best if you go your way, and I’ll go mine.” That was the final nail in the coffin.

Dan had chuckled, though it was without amusement. “Thanks a hell of a lot for letting me go through all the trouble of getting a babysitter and driving here so you could ease your fuckin’ conscience by tellin’ me in person that you’re cheatin’ with someone else. I’d have rather had a fuckin’ text and saved myself all the damn trouble.” Dan grabbed the overnight bag he’d brought along.

He’d wanted to take Sean out for a nice dinner at a steakhouse and talk about the future they could make together. He was prepared to commit to moving to Roanoke and finding a job. He’d even been looking into schools for Kayley in the area. He realized he’d been a mother fucking fool.

“Let’s get you and Kayley settled.” Mickey’s words brought him from the awful memory of the… Well, it wasn’t a breakup because one had to have something with someone to break before it qualified. He and Sean didn’t have anything except mutual fucking. There wasn’t much to lose, as Dan looked back on it.

They all went into the grand house, which was filled with delicious smells that quickly caught Danny’s attention. “Mmmm. That smells like brownies. Oh! Miss Katie sent cookies.” Kayley looked up at Mickey.

“Ursula’s here today.” Mickey turned to Jase and grinned. “You’ll take your meals here with the family. Ursula is our cook and housekeeper. She comes in twice a week to set us upon the path of cleanliness.” There was laughter from the kitchen.

An older woman appeared with a bright smile. Dan didn’t remember meeting her, but he’d tasted her food. “Ursula, this is Jase, a new hand here at Wonderland, and do you remember Kayley and Danny?”

The woman nodded. “I remember Kayley from when we all made crispy rice treats the last time she was at the farm, but I don’t believe I’ve ever met Danny in person. Ursula Pentergast. If this is your beautiful little girl, you’re a lucky dad. It’s nice to meet you.” Ursula combed her fingers through Kayley’s hair after pulling out the crooked ponytail. The smile on his niece’s face was glowing.

“She’s my niece, ma’am, but yeah, she’s a great girl. I hope we won’t be too much trouble.” Danny’s cheeks flushed. They hadn’t exactly been invited to stay, but he’d foisted this visit onto Mick and Jon, and he needed to think about the why of it.

It wasn’t really because Kayley missed her friend, Megan, though she did. There were reasons relating to Jason Langston that Dan was reluctant to consider, but he’d need to do it before he wasted another chance at something, though he wasn’t sure what it might be.

The kid was fresh out of high school, and Dan was a twenty-seven-year-old near cripple. What would the kid want with him?

“Nonsense. Let’s go get this one settled in Meg’s room because I’m pretty sure the two of them sleeping in separate rooms is a pipe dream. The room across the hall is all ready for you, Dan. Jason, if I may call you that, I’ll be back on Monday to acclimate you to the laundry room and the linen closet.

Ursula turned to Jase with a tender smile. “For now, I believe you’re set because Mickey was sweet enough to take care of cleaning out the carriage house and setting things up for you, since the stairs aren’t kind to my hip. I’ll show you where you can find clean linens, cleaning supplies, and food to stock your little kitchen for when you want privacy. We’ll figure out what else you need up there after you’ve had the weekend to think about it.” Dan noticed Jase’s face turn pink, and it was the most incredible sight he’d ever seen.

“Thank you, Mrs. Pentergast. I’m used to doing my own laundry, ma’am, and I can cook a few things for myself, if necessary.” Jase grinned as he looked around the fancy kitchen. Danny couldn’t take his eyes off the man.

Ursula smirked at Jase. “Now, don’t put me out of a job, young man.” They all chuckled as Ursula took Kayley’s bag and led her to the back stairs that went to the second floor.

Mickey clarified things for Jase. “Ursula has been here since Ally and Ham bought the place, and she refuses to leave us on our own. She loves Terry and Meg, and she’s been a great, grandmotherly influence for Meggie between the weekends we spend with Jon’s mom and dad.

“Anyway, I better get back down to the barn and check on the vet. Make yourselves at home. There’s sweet tea in the fridge, and beer if you’re of a mind for something harder. Terry should be home in about half an hour.” Mickey darted out the back door, leaving Dan and Jase alone in the kitchen.

Dan noticed Jase seemed a little nervous, and he didn’t want it that way between them. “Show me your new place,” Dan urged, seeing Jase smile.

They went out the back door after Dan left his bag by the stairs to follow Jase across the back patio and out the pool gate toward the large, two-car garage. “It’s called a carriage house. Back in the day, apparently, the chauffeur lived above so he was ready with the carriages anytime the owners wanted to go someplace. Mickey said Jon’s done research on the family that built the property, and he told me Jon would happily bend my ear for hours if I was interested in ever hearing it.

“You think he’ll like me? They seem to have a lot of money, and I’m just an Army brat. I’m not sure if I’ll be his cup of tea…” Jase trailed off, though Danny didn’t respond. He’d met Jon more than once, and he knew the man to be quite cordial. Dan doubted Jase would have any problems with the lawyer.

They climbed the stairs to the second floor where Jase let Dan inside a nice-sized apartment. It was clean and furnished with better stuff than Dan had at his small place in Holloway.

“It’s nice. Mickey said if the pool lights aren’t on, don’t come down because he and Jon like to skinny dip. He also showed me where the switch is in case I have company and want to do the same. Who told him I’m gay?” Jase seemed a little pissed.

Dan laughed. “Easy, tiger. Mickey has the best gaydar I’ve ever come across. Nobody told him, as far as I know. Hell, we were only speculatin’ because the Colonel just said you were one of his daughter’s friends. Knowin’ the girl is a lesbian, well, I guess we jumped to conclusions. Sorry.”

Jase exhaled. “No, don’t worry about it. It’s for the best—maybe because I’ve only come out to Savannah and Andy, I’m too sensitive. I’m sure my mom knows but she’d never say it out loud for fear my father would hear and beat me to death. He wanted—no, he insisted I join the Army and do my duty, which is an admirable thing for anyone to do if they’re so inclined, but it wasn’t…” Jase stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Danny, guilt evident on his face.

Danny figured out what had the guy upset—the story Danny told him on the way to Wonderland. “No, no, don’t think like that. We all take our own hide to the market, Jason. I don’t blame you for not joinin’ up if it wasn’t somethin’ you wanted to do. I did, but maybe because I wanted to run away from home out of fear of what people would think if they found out who I am. I don’t think I’m afraid of that anymore, but I worry about how it would affect Kayley. She’s my priority.”

Jase nodded. “She’s also your daughter, Danny. I know she’s your niece, but she needs you to be her dad, not just her uncle. The labels we give parents are important. She’ll start school in the fall, right? She needs a dad, so she doesn’t feel like she’s missing out on something.”

Danny was struck dumb. He’d never thought about the impact of a stupid label on Kayley, but as he considered the younger man’s words, he was pretty sure Jase was right. It would take him time to warm up to being a father, which seemed to bring a whole other connotation than being an uncle, but his niece—daughter—deserved the best, and Danny was determined to be that man.

Danny reached for the young man to bring him in closer, looking into his bright blue eyes. “You’re right, Jase. Look, I’m sorry I was a part of that shit at the Circle C, okay? You confuse me, and maybe I was cold and standoffish because I’m tryin’ to figure you out. I hate it that we drove you away because I wish we coulda gotten to know each other better while you were in town.”

Jase’s grin was bright, and it was the first time Dan noticed the dimples, which he immediately wanted to put his tongue in. “We can, um, talk. I have a prepaid cell, but it doesn’t get good service. I guess I’ll have access to a computer if I’m doing work here like I did for Tim. Do you have one?”

Dan swallowed the lump in his throat and quelled the fear in his gut. “No, but I’ll get one. Can I have your email address? We can email, right? I can call here, but I’m not sure when would be the right time, so maybe you should call my cell. I’ll give you my number.” Dan sure as hell hoped he wasn’t making an ass of himself and reading things wrong.

As Jase stepped closer to Dan, they heard little feet on the stairs and a banging on the storm door of Jase’s new apartment. “Uncle Danny? Jase? It’s me, Kayley,” she shouted, which made them laugh.

“She’s subtle,” Jase joked.

“Just like me, I guess.”

Jase opened the door and smiled at the little sweetheart. “Terry’s home and wants to meet Jase. Can you come down or should I go get him? When Mr. Jon and Meggie get home, Mickey said we can swim before supper. He said I could use one of Meggie’s swimsuits and you guys could wear shorts. Can we?” Kayley had her hands clasped in front of her as if she were praying.

Dan turned to Jase and smiled at the expression on the younger man’s face. The guy was as much in love with Kayley as Danny, and at that moment, things didn’t seem so horrible. They could get to know each other through phone calls and emails—after Dan got Tim to set him up with a computer of his own.

He’d work on Matt to get over himself, and he’d damn well set the other hands straight at the Circle C or he’d—oh, he had some ideas about what he’d do. Things might work the way he hoped after all.

Pulling Megan and Kayley in the pool on a two-person raft shaped like a turtle, Danny found himself happier than he’d been in a long time. Jase was in the house with Mickey and Terry, and Jon was on a late conference call with a client.

In Dan’s mind, Jon Wells was extremely intelligent and a good judge of character, especially since he was smart enough to fall in love with Mickey Warren. The two of them had a beautiful life and seemed to be as happy as Dan had ever seen two people—even Matt and Tim.

When Mickey first started working at the Katydid, Dan had thought the guy was too young for him at the time. The idea made him chuckle because he was presently lusting after an eighteen-year-old guy with a dimpled smile and blue eyes. The nine year’s difference in ages was eating him alive, though.

“Can we get out of the water? My fingers are prumey, Mr. Dan.” Megan pushed up her purple glasses and held up her little fingers to prove it. Dan laughed. She was such a sweet, sweet child, much like his own… daughter.

Jase was right. She was his daughter now, and he’d have to get used to it. He needed to talk to Jon regarding how to make it formal and binding.

“Yeah, girls, let’s get out and dry off before dinner,” Dan suggested as he pulled the turtle over to the stairs, helping each of them out and placing them on the steps before he heaved the floating beast on the other side of the patio to get it out of the pool.

As he looked at the pool, Dan remembered Jase repeating Mickey’s comment. “Mickey said if the pool lights aren’t on, don’t come down because he and Jon like to skinny dip. He also showed me where the switch is, in case I have company and want to do the same.”

Dan hoped to hell Jase didn’t have a reason to turn off the pool lights, but he had no right to ask it of the guy. Jase was eighteen and likely a virgin if his shyness was any indication. Jase had not one aggressive bone in his body. Dan needed to step back and give the younger man some breathing room. Jase Langston was too young to settle down, and Dan needed to get it straight in his mind.

Just then, the back door opened, and Jase walked out with plates, flatware, and glasses, setting the table on the upper patio off the pool deck. He turned his eyes toward Dan and winked before he returned inside.

Dan got out of the pool and wrapped a large rainbow-striped towel around his waist as he walked over to where Kayley and Meggie were sitting on a chair with towels around them, chattering happily.

“We’ll be eatin’ in a little bit. You cold? Do we need to go inside and change into dry clothes?” Dan sat across from them.

“Oh, no, Mr. Dan,” Megan gasped. “After we eat, Poppy sets the timer for us and we wait thirty minutes, then we get back in the pool and play games. It’s not cold, and Poppy and Daddy like to play games in the pool with me. Terry does too, so we have to stay in our suits. We’ll go to the bathroom and wash our hands, though.” Megan took Kayley’s hand and led her inside the house.

The sweet little girl never ceased to amaze Dan. She was beautiful, and if one discounted her intelligence, they’d be easily and quickly embarrassed by a wrong assessment. She was sharp as a tack, and she made Dan see the world through her eyes. It was beautiful.

“I’m not saying we have to fire him, Jonny. I know Ally likes him, but I’m tellin’ ya he’s wrong about Josie’s shoes. Matt knew what she needed, and we never had one problem with her feet when she lived at the Katydid or the Circle C. He’s shoeing her wrong.” Mickey walked out the back door with a tray in his hands.

Jase was behind him with another tray, and Jon was carrying two plates. It appeared they were having a feast.

Dan walked over to the table and saw it was going to be a picnic-style spread, which was a relief. Mickey and Jon lived a different life than Dan was used to, and he never knew how to handle it graciously. If it was some fancy-type blowout, Dan didn’t want to appear to be too picky.

Danny wasn’t fond of seafood, other than crab cakes or fried shrimp, and he wasn’t a fan of different ethnic foods, which he knew Jon and Mickey enjoyed. He was a steak and potato kind of guy, which made him sound as if he was a pain in the ass, but he hadn’t ever been exposed to some of the things Jon and Mickey ate. He didn’t want to appear ungrateful if it was something he didn’t recognize.

Jon walked over to a large grill and opened the lid, laying out burgers and hot dogs as Mickey and Jase spread out potato salad, coleslaw, sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves, along with a platter of cheese and condiments galore. There was a basket of buns on the table, and everything looked delicious.

“You want a beer, Danny?” Mickey was the ultimate host.

“Yeah, please.” Dan watched Jase spreading out the plates and utensils, along with cloth napkins. He seemed to belong at Wonderland.

When Mickey returned with four beers, Dan was a bit puzzled. Who’s that…” he pointed.

Jon laughed. “Seems the man I love is determined to commit a few misdemeanors with our new employee. I might be an officer of the court, but I’m not gonna turn myself in for aiding and abetting.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess if you’re old enough to die for your country, you should be able to have a beer or two.” Dan remembered some Army buddies who bought him beers before shit went south in his career.

Terrence came rushing out of the house and up to Jon with his phone in hand. “It’s three-two, Chelsea over Manchester. You wanna up the bet?” The boy was wearing a smirk on his happy face as Jon nodded.

Dan glanced to see Jase’s smile. He was happy there wouldn’t be trouble regarding the people living at Wonderland.

What were they doing wrong at the Circle C? Everyone seemed to love Rocky, who was a newcomer, so why didn’t they accept Jason?

They all settled at the large glass and iron table to enjoy the meal. Dan watched as Mickey and Jase set up the girls with food.

Terry had put his phone away and was asking about inviting a friend over the next day to swim while Jon approvingly watched the family in action. Dan grinned as he observed the activity, feeling something settle in his heart that he could only assume was yearning. He was longing for the same thing.

“Okay, let’s carry the plates inside. We’ll play the memory game until our food settles, and then we can take one last swim before bed, alright?” Mickey looked between the girls; his eyebrow lifted in question.

Much to Danny’s surprise, Kayley and Megan wiggled down from their booster seats at the table with help from Jase as they all started grabbing up dishes to carry inside. As Jon was about to help, Dan walked around the table and stopped him.

“Can I talk to ya? I need some legal advice.”

“Sure, Dan. We can go into my office.” Jon gave him a nod.

“Naw, let’s get a beer and go sit at that other table over there. I’m pretty sure what I want ain’t gonna be too hard, but I need it done pretty quick.” Dan was more certain that it was the right thing to do.

Jon went to the outdoor fridge and grabbed two Buds, opening them and tossing the caps in the recycle before he nodded toward a table on the other side of the pool for Dan to take a seat. After they were both comfortable, Jon smiled. “What can I do for ya, Dan?”

Danny took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I want to adopt Kayley so nobody can take her away from me. I’ll be named her guardian after my mother dies, but I don’t want to take any chances. I was able to talk my Aunt Rae outta takin’ her to raise, but I’m worried somebody might decide I’m not the right person to look after her, and they’d try to separate us. I don’t want that to happen.”

Jon nodded. “Okay, tell me how you came to have custody of Kayley right now.”

Dan could tell the man was wearing his lawyer hat, so he cut to the chase, giving Jon the story from his sister’s demise to his mother taking Kayley and finding out about her cancer.

“Right now, Mom’s in hospice care. The docs tell me it’s not looking good. I’m not sure what to expect when she passes. My brother, Zach, lives in DC, and he wasn’t able to take Kayley, but I don’t want him to have the chance to change his mind and want her now. Mom and I were raisin’ her together before Mom got sick. I want my custody of Kayley set in stone so it’s one less thing to worry about when my mom passes, okay?”

Jon seemed to get lost in thought for a minute before he asked, “Why do you think your brother would go after custody of Kayley now?”

Dan swallowed a sip of beer. “He knows I’m gay, and right now he’s fine with it because he’s got a new job and a girlfriend to occupy his time. I don’t want ‘em comin’ at me in a year after they decide they need to rescue Kayley from the queer uncle with bad intentions. I’m not a mother, but I can be a father, and I think one good parent is better than two bad ones or none at all.”

Jon reached over and put his hand over Danny’s, which surprised him but calmed his nerves. “This isn’t hard, Dan. I can draw up the petition, and we can get this done, likely by the end of the year. You’ll have to endure some home visits like Mick and I are having right now. We’ve petitioned to adopt the kids, and our lawyer is telling us it’d be easier if we got married. We’re fighting about it.” Jon’s sour expression made Dan laugh.

“Who wants to and who doesn’t?” Dan couldn’t help but ask.

“I want to get married, but Mickey doesn’t believe me because of some shit I used to say about marriage being a hetero thing. Until we became caretakers of those two beautiful kids, I had no idea how important a commitment could be, but Mickey still laughs at me about it.

“Audrey, my best friend, is our lawyer so she’s filed separate petitions for me to become Megan’s parent and Mick to become Terry’s. The one that’s giving her fits is Terry’s adoption, if you can believe it. A white man raising a biracial teen seems to be giving one of our social worker’s, whose actually biracial herself, some pause.”

Dan sighed, not looking forward to the scrutiny, but settling himself to deal with it because Kayley’s well-being was worth it. “What’s that like?”

Jon spoke calmly. “We have surprise social workers at the house all the damn time, it seems. They’re like secret agents, but we know it’s for the benefit of our children, so we endure it.”

Something suddenly dawned on Dan. “Oh! That’s why you’re putting Jase up in the carriage house? I get it now. Is that what’s goin’ on with Matt and Tim regarding Rocky?”

Jon smirked. “I can’t talk about my clients.” His head, however, was nodding like a bobblehead doll.

“I wish to hell they’d have told us the truth. They made it seem like they didn’t trust Jase to stay at the ranch with two adolescent boys, and I think everybody jumped to the wrong conclusion. Fuck! They think the kid’s some sort of pervert or somethin’. I’m gonna kill Matt when I get home.” Dan couldn’t help his reaction.

Jon laughed. “Maybe don’t kill him, but you can rough him up a bit. Mickey talked to Tim, and we know what’s going on at the Circle C. Tim’s pissed at Matt, and I’m not taking a position on the matter, but my partner, well, he has his own opinions. You, however, have feelings for young Jason, right?”

Dan was caught off guard by Jon’s comment, but he couldn’t really lie. He hated the position he’d found himself in, but he was determined to be honest about it. “I’m afraid I’ve lost my soul to him, but for fuck’s sake, he’s eighteen. How the hell do I deal with that?”

Jon chuckled. “How many years?”

“About nine. I can’t go fallin’ in love with a guy who’s nine years younger than me, Jon.” Danny sighed at the inevitable failure of the age gap. It would never work.

When Jon chuckled, Dan turned from looking at the pool where Mickey, Jase, and Terry were sitting with the girls to play a game. “Mickey is ten years younger than me, and while he was older when we started our life together, it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me, Danny. Yeah, he’s young, but how would you feel if he found somebody else?” That was yet another question Dan wasn’t ready to address head on.