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

10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Jase was busy in the office of the barn with Mickey, who was showing him how to maneuver his way around the farm management program Tim Moran had written for Wonderland. The premise for updating the system was easy to figure out. Where to get the information that needed to be tracked was a little more complicated.

“So, you weigh everything you give to the horses, why?” Jase was writing down everything Mickey told him.

“It’s supposed to help Ham and Ally at tax time, plus it gives them an accurate accounting of the expenses here at the farm so when they decide to sell one of the horses, they know what they spent over the course of ownership. It helps them decide the price, plus each record has all the horses’ pedigrees attached in another file which makes it easy to call up all of the information with a few keystrokes,” Mickey explained.

Jase noticed Mickey didn’t look convinced of the software’s value, but since Ally Wells owned the place and had paid Tim Moran a lot of money to set it up, Jase would do as he was told and maintain the records.

It also gave him the idea to bring up something about the situation with Matt and Tim. Jase hadn’t told Mickey what caused him to leave the Circle C in the first place.

Jase didn’t know how much anyone had told Mickey about his time there, so he decided it was time to take advantage of the quiet and ask about the bull rider and the computer whiz. “Can I ask you a question?”

Mickey smiled as his bright green eyes looked up, reminding Jase how handsome the man was and how lucky Jon Wells was to have him for a partner. “Sure. Shoot.”

“Nobody ever asked me why I didn’t want to work at the Circle C. What did they tell you?”

Mickey sighed. “Timmy told me it was because you weren’t comfortable with the hands there. Miss Katie told me the hands didn’t want to train ya because they were worried about who was gonna be fired since you’d been brought on board. I know how those guys are, trust me. I thought if I brought you here to train ya myself it might help grease the wheels if you decide you wanna go back. We do things very similar to how they do things at Katydid and Circle C, when it comes to the stock.

“If I teach you how to take care of the horses, it’ll give them one less thing to hold against ya. You have potential, kiddo, and I don’t wanna see that bunch of asses chase you off. You’ve taken to the horses, and the work it takes to keep ‘em happy pretty quickly, and I’m proud of ya.” Mickey patted him on the back.

Jase swallowed, hoping he wouldn’t piss off the cowboy—his new boss. “That’s kinda right, but the real reason is that Mr. Collins doesn’t trust me there with Mr. Moran. My first day he took me out on a Gator and explained things to me regarding the ranch. Then, he threatened me to stay away from Mr. Moran. Every time I was there for work, he’d watch me like a hawk, and when Mr. Moran came into the office to talk to me, Mr. Collins would come busting in with a look on his face like he caught us doing something we shouldn’t be doing. I’d never, ever, go after another man’s husband, especially a man as big as Matt Collins, Mick.”

He watched Mickey’s face for a few seconds to see a lot of different emotions flit across it but not anger, thankfully. Finally, Mickey started laughing, quickly falling off the leather desk chair where he sat. Jase tried not to laugh, but Mickey was doubled over, pounding his fist on the floor, and it was comical to witness.

Before Jase could ask what was so funny, Meg and Terry came into the office, both caught by surprise at their Daddy’s figure rolling on the floor with tears coming out of his eyes as he continued to laugh.

Meggie immediately looked worried and rushed over to where Mickey was still on the floor, kneeling next to him. “Daddy! Are you sick?” she asked as she brushed his reddish-brown hair off his face.

“Oh, baby girl, I’m just having a good ol’, gut-bustin’ laugh. I’m fine. Is Poppy at the house?” Mickey sat up. Jase noticed Terry giving his father a careful eye.

“I’m fine, I swear. I just heard the funniest story I’ve ever heard in my life. Terry, son, will you help Jase bring in the horses and put ‘em to bed for the night? I need to get up to the house and talk to Poppy.” Mickey picked Meg up and settled his old, crumpled cowboy hat on her head. Her giggle was contagious.

That evening they went for a swim before dinner, which was served at the glass and iron table on the patio deck. It was Ursula’s pepper, sausage, and polenta casserole, and it was set to become one of Jase’s favorites.

After everyone had eaten their fill, they started to clear the table. “Jase, wait,” Mickey requested as Jon and the kids took the dirty plates inside.

Jase sat back down and sipped his sweet tea, nervous for what Mickey wanted to talk about. He hoped he wasn’t going to get his walking papers from his third job since he’d come to Virginia.

“I called the Circle C today and spoke with Timmy. He and I are good friends, like Dan and me. He explained what happened, and I want you to know it’s not your fault. Matt’s touchy about his age, and you look like he did when he was younger. Tim has made him see the light that you’re not a threat to their marriage, okay?”

Jase swallowed down his embarrassment. “Thank you.”

“I hate it happened in the first place, but Matt’s always been touchy about the fact Timmy’s as intelligent as he is. He thinks a smarter guy could steal his husband, and he believed you to be that smarter guy because Savannah Stanford told them how smart you were in school when she was asking them about hiring you.”

“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

Mickey scoffed. “Now, don’t you worry about that mess anymore. Tim and Matt are working it out, and if the day comes and you wanna go back to either the Katydid or the Circle C, I can guarantee you things will be fine. No worries, okay?” Mickey patted Jase’s hand that was resting on the table.

Jase exhaled. “I appreciate you talking to Tim about the situation, Mickey. I didn’t get why Mr. Collins was so upset about me being around because I don’t think we look anything alike, but if someone thinks we resemble each other, I’m flattered. I don’t want to come between them any more than I’d want to come between you and Jon. I already have someone I’m interested in.”

Jase worried he’d said too much, but Mickey smiled. “Yes, and I believe Danny is interested in you as well. Just give it time, okay? He needs some space to adjust this thinking, I’d say.”

Jase nodded because he believed Mickey to be right. Danny Johnson needed time to adjust.

A week later Jase sat at the desk in the barn office, trying to reconcile the feed bills with the spreadsheet Mickey had kept over the prior three months, because he hadn’t entered the data into the software program Tim had written specifically for them.

Mickey had told Jase, “ It’s kind of a pain in the ass when I’ve got so much other shit to do. I’ll gladly turn it over to your capable hands .”

It was late June, and things had been busy at Wonderland. Jase and Danny had emailed a few times, and Dan had called the farm once to talk to him because Jase’s cell phone didn’t get a good signal in Dillwyn.

“I hope I didn’t take ya away from somethin’,” Danny had said, and Jase could tell the man was embarrassed at having to call the land line.

“I called your cell, but it just rang and rang,” Danny had told him. There was a bite in his voice that put Jase on alert.

“I’m sorry. My phone is one of those prepaid deals, and I’m finding I don’t get a good signal here at the farm. How’ve you been? I was putting in a load of laundry, which is why I’m in the house in the first place,” Jase responded.

Danny chuckled. “Oh, well I won’t keep ya. I thought you were gonna call.”

“I, uh, I’ve been learning a lot, and my phone doesn’t work in the garage apartment. I don’t want you to think I’m some clingy kid who’s gonna bug you all the time. I miss you and Kayley,” Jase responded.

“Kayley misses you, too. I better let ya go.”

All Jase got out was, “Bye,” before the line went dead.

Aside from the signal situation, living at the farm was better than Jase could have imagined. He had learned so much from Mickey in a short time, and Jon was a great guy who was becoming a good friend as well. Terry and Meggie were busy, but on weekends, they all hung out to swim and ride together. It helped Jase not miss Kayley so much.

He’d called Savannah to check in when he rode one of the four-wheelers up to a ridge at the farm where he got a decent cell signal, and he was happy to hear she and Andy were still together and getting excited about going off to college. The Stanford family was still at Ft. Bliss since the Colonel had been named Brigadier General and put in charge. Jase also learned his father had been transferred, and he felt a huge stab of guilt because he’d never called his mother to check on her as he’d promised.

“What do you mean you don’t know where they went?” Jase had snapped at Savannah after she told him his mother and father had moved off-post because his father had been transferred.

“Don’t get pissy with me, Jason Langston. I can’t ask Daddy where your dad was transferred because all that shit is confidential. I only know they moved because Cass saw them packing a U-Haul, okay? I went to the Post Office and asked about your mother. They told me she’d resigned her job, but they wouldn’t give me any more details,” Savannah told him.

It had broken Jase’s heart to learn she was gone, because he hadn’t given his mother any way to get in touch with him, and he hadn’t called her at work as she’d suggested. He’d have to suck it up for the time being.

Jase was an adult, after all, and he’d have to hope things were going well for them, or at least for his mother, because he hated his father. He didn’t wish him dead, but Jase had determined he didn’t care what happened to Master Sergeant Langston. He only cared the woman who had married him, and he hoped someday they’d be able to see each other again.

Jase shucked off the memory of the phone call and opened his private email to see the messages from Dan, which made him smile. It had taken Danny a few weeks to set himself up with an account, and the wait had been excruciating for Jase. When he reread the first email, he smiled wider.

From: Johnson, DanielTo: Langston, JasonDate: 10 June (10:00 AM, EDT)Subject: Checking in

Jase-

I finally got myself together enough to get an email account. I bought a computer and had Tim set it up for me so I could get online. Other than sending this to you, I’m not sure why I should be online, but Kayley has shown me a few games that are pretty fun to play.

So, how are the horses? I asked Jon to look out for ya, so are they being good to you? I miss seeing your smile.

I hope you’ll answer me soon. I sure miss you, and I’m sorry the phone call was so short. I’m not much of a talker.

Dan

Jase smiled and read the email he’d sent in return, having decided not to be an ass about taking time to respond because he knew how much it had to take out of Danny to send the message in the first place.

From: Langston, JasonTo: Johnson, DanielDate: 10 June (03:12 PM, EDT)Subject: Re(2): Checking in

Hi, Danny-

I was happy to hear from you on the phone, and I’m glad to get this email. I was afraid I’d been dreaming about the conversation and the kiss that happened between us before you and Kayley left here. How is she? Tell her I miss her.

I’m learning a lot here at the farm. Jon and Mickey are super great at showing me anything I want to learn, and they already treat me like a member of the family. Miss Ursula sneaks food over to my apartment so I have stuff if I want a snack in the middle of the night. Mickey makes sure I understand what it takes to run a horse farm like Wonderland, and I’ve learned how to exercise the horses.

I hope you and Kayley are both fine. Can you come visit anytime soon?

I miss you, too,

Jase

Before he could open the next of Danny’s emails to reread, the phone rang, bringing him out of his lovesick trance. He looked at the caller ID, seeing it wasn’t a number he recognized so he answered, “Wonderland Farm, Jase speaking.”

“ Hi, Jase, it’s Tim Moran.” The sound of his former boss’s voice made Jase more nervous than anything. He hadn’t spoken to anyone at the Circle C but Danny since he’d left, though he’d called Miss Katie a couple of times because she’d asked him to stay in touch. As far as he was concerned, they didn’t want him at the Circle C, and he didn’t want them either. Was the man calling to fuck things up for him with Mickey and Jon at Wonderland out of some sort of vendetta for Jase making Mr. Collins jealous?

“Hi, Mr. Moran. What can I do for you?” Jase held his breath.

“Is Mickey around? I need to talk to him.”

Jase wanted to ask why, but he’d been taught by his mother not to nose into someone else’s business. “He and Meggie are in the arena so she can ride Josie while Mick works with Blossom. Can I have him call you back?”

Tim exhaled loudly. “ Yes, please. Ask him to call me as soon as possible. It’s about Danny.”

Jase nearly swallowed his tongue at that news. If it was about Danny, Jase really needed to know. “Is Danny okay?”

“ Not really. His mother passed this morning. Have Mickey call me.”

“Sure, as soon as possible.”

Jase wanted to be with Danny, but if no one in Holloway knew about the relationship the two of them were trying to build, then it wasn’t his place to tell Danny’s private business. He needed to find Mickey and ask his advice, yet again.

Jase hurried out of the barn and found Mickey and Meggie in the large, indoor arena. Mickey was leading Blossom, the little hinny from Josie and Chief. She’d be infertile, but she was still an impressive-looking animal. Chief was an Appaloosa, so she had his coloring, along with her mother’s dark mane and tail. Her ears were dark, but her face was shades of gray, making her appear to be fitted together from two different animals. It made her a “cutie” as Meggie described her.

Jase scanned the area to see Meg with her purple helmet riding around the arena on the outside rail with a bright smile on her face. Josie had recovered from her foot malady, and they’d hired another farrier who seemed to listen to Mickey when it came to the horses housed at the farm.

Jase was yet to meet Ham or Ally, but he was told it was because they were in the Hamptons with the Langley’s for the summer. Jon and Mickey had been invited to join them, but Jon was running the firm in his father’s absence, and they couldn’t disappear because of the pending adoption and the need to be available for the social worker.

Jase raised his hand as Mickey and Blossom started walking toward the front gate of the arena. “Hey, Jase. What’s up?” Mickey greeted him as they closed the distance.

Jase was sure it wasn’t something he could announce to the man with his daughter in earshot, so he walked through the gate, slowly approaching Mickey so as not to scare the donkeys.

“Mr. Moran called and asked you to call him back. Seems Danny’s mother has passed.” Jase stood next to Mickey, petting the small animal’s nose as it nuzzled into this stomach.

“Shit.” Mickey’s comment was quiet as he peered around to see where Meggie was in the arena.

“Can you get her off Josie and have Megan help you settle both into their stalls for the night? I’ll call Jonny at work and then call the boys at the Circle C. We’ll need to pack for a few days, Jase. Do you have a suit?” Mickey’s question startled him.

“No sir, I don’t. Why would I need a suit? Someone needs to be here to look after the horses.” Jase took the hinny’s lead rope.

Mickey walked over to Josie and Meg, stopping them. “Baby, we need to go to the house and pack. Kayley’s gramma passed away.”

Jase watched the little girl dismount the animal and take off the riding helmet. “Oh, no. That’s so sad, Daddy.”

“I’m gonna go call Matt and Tim. Can you help Jase get the girls settled in their stalls for the night? I’ll call Pete and ask that he and Todd come over to take care of things in the morning. After you’re done, can you go to the house and start getting things together to take to Holloway? No toys, okay? We’ll have plenty of toys at the Katydid. I’ll call Miss Katie. Just clothes, Meggie, okay? Ursula’s at the house, so ask her if you get stuck. Can you do that? Remember jammies and underwear.” The little girl nodded before she took Josie’s lead and started walking toward the stalls with her.

He turned to Jase. “After you get things buttoned up down here, go to the house and start packing. Remember jammies and underwear.” Mickey gave him a wink and a smile.

Jase was a bit confused. “Why would I go? I didn’t know the lady, and I think I’d be better here helping Todd and Pete.”

“You care about Dan and Kayley, right?” Mickey’s tone was instantly harsh.

“Of course, I do.” Jase put as much sincerity in his voice as he could muster.

“They’ll need friends, Jase, and you and Dan are good friends. Kayley loves you, and she’ll need you there. Go pack your shit. We’ll get what you don’t have on the way.” It was as much of an order as Mickey had ever given him.

Jason was hesitant because he’d never had anyone he knew or was close to die. It was a little bit scary to him, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it, but if Dan and Kayley needed him, he’d be there if he had to crawl. “Sure. I’ll help Meggie and get my stuff together. What about Terry?”

Jase and Terry had spent time together playing basketball on the driveway after chores were done, and then they’d take a swim before bedtime. They’d gotten to know each other better while playing, and Jase believed the two of them were becoming good friends. It was nice spending time with the kid, even if that same kid had stomped his ass into the ground on the court.

“Shit! He’s on that camping thing. I’ll try to… I’ll see you at the house.” Mickey ran out of the arena, turning toward the barn doors nearest the house.

Jase and Meg finished up with the horses and placed the tack in the large tack room. He sent her up to the house while he finished checking on the rest of the horses, ensuring they had feed and water for the night.

After he was sure everything would be up to Mickey’s standards, Jase locked up and went to Meg’s room to help her pack up some of her things. Ursula showed up a few minutes later with a navy dress that appeared to be crisply pressed, relieving him of his duty.

Jase then went to his apartment and sat down on the bed, his crappy cell phone in hand. He dialed Danny’s number, surprised when it went through. “Hi, Jase.” The sound of Danny’s voice made his heart skip a beat.

“I heard about your mom, Danny. How are you? I mean, are you okay?”

“Can you… Are you able to get away? Can you come here?” Dan’s voice had a quiver.

Jase held the phone away and cleared his throat. “Babe, I’ll be here as soon as I can.” He hoped he wasn’t being presumptuous, but he felt like the endearment was appropriate.

“Stay with me and Kayley, please? I appreciate everybody comin’ to support me, but can you stay at the house?”

“You bet I can. I’ll get Mick and Jon to drop me off as soon as we get to town. You need anything?” Jase was so pleased he’d thought to ask.

Dan sniffed. “Just you.”

His voice was quiet, so Jase knew he needed to get to Danny as soon as possible. He was in pain, and Jase was prepared to help him through it as best he could.

At six o’clock that evening, they pulled into the driveway of Danny Johnson’s modest home, seeing a few cars parked on the street. “That’s Josh’s truck and Tim’s truck. Let’s go inside,” Mickey said.

Jase released Meg from her booster, holding her in his arms as he hopped out of the back seat of Jon’s new Escalade. Terry was going to stay at camp for the week, and that weekend, Ham and Ally were going to pick him up and stay at the farm with him so Ally could supervise Pete and Todd.

Jase felt uneasy. He had no idea what to say or do if Matt was there.

Mickey shook his head. “Come on. I’m right here. Nothing will happen, I promise. Hell, I don’t think Matt’s even here, Jase. Just concentrate on Dan and Kayley.”

Jon walked around to the back of the SUV and opened the tailgate, grabbing Jase’s Army duffel before he closed the vehicle. “You’re staying here, right?”

“Yeah, I am. He asked me to stay, and I wanna help him with whatever he needs right now,” Jase answered.

“As I suspected. Come on.” Jon shouldered the duffel as Mickey put his hand on Jase’s shoulder. Meggie’s arm wrapped around Jase’s neck, giving him the courage to walk into that house and be there to support the man he loved. Jase was prepared to do whatever Dan needed.