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

21. Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-one

Danny sat on the front porch swing of the house Jason had rented when he got to town. The little house where Danny and Kayley lived didn’t hold a candle to Jase’s, but Kayley was used to the smaller house, and Dan wasn’t in a hurry to cause more disruption in the girl’s life by moving them into Jase’s larger home… or so he told himself. The fact was, Jase hadn’t asked for them to move in.

With Jase’s sudden reappearance after graduating college and Danny’s stint in rehab, Dan worried Kayley would be emotionally traumatized due to the volume of changes in her life recently. Yes, she was his daughter, legally, but Dan still worried if he was the best influence for the girl.

Jase had been incredible with Kayley since his return, and Danny was so grateful for the way the man felt about his daughter. It was remarkable to witness. The week before, Jase surprised him by admitting he knew how to sew things by hand, and he’d shown Kayley how to sew her badges on her Girl Scout vest, along with embroidering some blocks for a quilt to be raffled off for a food bank at Christmas.

Miss Katie and Miss Jeri had volunteered to quilt it over the fall, and somehow, Jase had come up with the proper fabric for it. Danny continued to thank his lucky stars for the younger man.

When Jase’s Ford pulled into the driveway, Dan hopped up from the porch swing and walked down the stairs to greet his man. “How was the trip down?” he asked as he relieved Jase of his overnight bag.

One Friday a month, Jase had to travel to the headquarters for his job in Rockville, leaving on Thursday night and staying in a hotel near his office. Dan missed him, but it was another thing they’d taken in stride.

On Thursday evening, Danny and Kayley had a father-daughter date after she got home from school. Dan worked a half-day and went to an earlier meeting in Blacksburg so his evening was free to spend with Kayley and Jase.

Jase’s face was sullen, and he worried. “What’s wrong, babe?”

Jase reached into the pocket of his suit coat and handed Dan a crinkled, pink paper, not saying anything as he pulled out his overnight bag from the truck. Danny opened the document he’d been handed, seeing it was entitled, Notice of Furlough . He scanned the pink paper but didn’t understand anything else he read. The title was enough.

He followed Jase up the stairs and into the house where Kayley was standing in the kitchen with a knife, slathering butter over slices of bread. A package of cheese was on the counter next to her. “Can I turn on the stove now, Jase?”

The tall brunet dropped to his knees and hugged her tightly. “I love you, Little Bit. You wanna make grilled cheese? You bet we can.” Jase reached for the pan the girl had put on the counter and placed it on the stove.

He turned to Danny and grinned. “I’m gonna go change. I’ll be right back.”

Dan nodded and watched him hurry down the hallway, not certain what to do. He turned to Kayley with a smile, hoping to cover up the worry she might have sensed in Jase when he breezed through the kitchen. “Should we see if Jase has tomato soup? I always liked it with grilled cheese.”

Kayley nodded and walked over to the cabinet, finding two cans of tomato soup. She grabbed a saucepan from the cabinet next to the stove, opened the cans, and poured them inside, turning to Dan. “Can you turn on the heat. Jase looks sad. Is he okay?” Kayley’s voice fell to a whisper.

Dan kissed her forehead. “He’ll be fine after this special dinner, Sweet Pea. You’re a shining star, you know that?” Danny felt his throat clog with emotion, knowing the words were true and thinking how proud his mother and sister would be of Kayley.

Jase walked into the kitchen in a pair of jeans and one of Danny’s flannel shirts he must have liberated from Dan’s house after a sleepover. He rubbed his hands together and looked at the two of them with a big grin.

“Grilled cheese and soup? My favorites. How about after we eat, we light a fire in the pit outside and make s’mores? I bought marshmallows and graham crackers at the store the other day before I went to Rockville.”

Kayley’s squeal was nearly deafening.

After dinner dishes were loaded into the dishwasher, Jase made cinnamon cocoa for the three of them before they retired to the backyard where he had a little, copper fire pit on the deck. There was a plate with all the ingredients to make the perfect s’mores, including banana slices, which Kayley loved. Danny knew, for a fact, that Jase was the man for him. As unlikely as it might seem, they were a well-oiled machine.

Jase came out with three mugs and sat down on the wicker couch next to Danny. There was a little wicker rocking chair that was Kayley’s, and she sat with a skewer at the ready. “Can I put marshies on this?” She whipped the rod in the air.

Dan laughed. “You keep flingin’ the damn thing and your gonna poke out an eye.”

Kayley looked back at him and grinned. “I’m not doin’ anything. I’m just waitin’.”

And that comment hit home with Danny, reminding him he wasn’t doing anything either. He’d been waiting for Jason to make the next move, and maybe it was his turn to make a move?

It had been four months since Dan had come home from rehab, and he went to meetings religiously, but his relationship with Jase had progressed at a snail’s pace. It was time to shake things up.

Kayley handed the skewer to Jase, who loaded some large white puffs on the end. “Do not get close to that fire, Little Bit. Just hold them there.”

Jase picked up a paper plate and a large graham cracker, breaking it in half. He added part of a chocolate bar and four pieces of a cut-up banana to it as he watched Kayley roast two marshmallows. Danny noticed how Jase observed her, ensuring her safety first, and he knew there was no other choice.

After Kayley blew out the flaming puffs of sugary goo, Jase made her a sandwich. “Don’t eat that yet. It’s hot. Let it melt a little, okay?”

With every word out of the man’s mouth, Danny knew he’d made the right decision. After Kayley was settled, he turned to Jase and smiled. “I have a request.”

“What? You want me to make you one, too?” Jase’s eyes sparkled as he teased Dan.

“Yeah, I do, but I love you. You think you could find yourself happily married to a cowboy with a bum leg? Oh, I’ve got an alcohol problem, but with your help and love, I’ve got that under control. Oh, I’ve also got a hanger-on-er, too.” Dan pointed to Kayley, who was smiling at him.

“Hey! I’m a good kid. You’re lucky to have me, Daddy.” Kayley continued to eat her s’more, staring at Jase while waiting for an answer.

Dan saw a tear slip down Jase’s cheek, which surprised him. “I could, Dan. I really could.”

And, just like that, Danny found himself an engaged man… which was something he never thought would ever happen in his life. The three of them hugged and danced on the back deck after Jase turned on music and left the door open. It was more fantastic than Danny could have ever imagined.

Danny was humming a song he’d heard on the radio as he drove to work. Kayley was snuggled up in her bed at Jase’s house to spend the Saturday with him because she had soccer practice that morning.

They’d stayed at Jase’s house the night before, and they’d made plans, which had contributed to Dan’s good mood. Danny had thought about attending a meeting that morning, but he didn’t even have a craving for liquor as he’d had before Jase came back into his life. He’d slept in a little, feeling himself in Jase’s arms and not wanting to get up until he absolutely had to leave. They were shipping calves at the Circle C that morning, and he needed to be there to oversee the operation went off without any glitches.

As he pulled up the drive, he saw the cars and trucks of the hands from the Circle C and the Katydid. They helped each other out from time to time, and the cowhands at the ranch were always grateful for the cowboys from the Katydid when something was going on with the cattle.

When Danny walked into the kitchen that morning to check in with Matt, he saw Ethan Sachs sitting at the breakfast bar. He had a little bone to pick with the boy, so he didn’t hesitate to cuff him around the neck. Nobody else was in the kitchen, so it was as good a time as any.

“I know you went to Jase’s a while back and ended up sleepin’ over, but that’s the end of it, okay? He and I are gettin’ married, so you keep your scrawny ass away from his house unless I’m there, ya hear?” Dan was threatening the young guy, but not without a reason, and he meant every word he said.

Rocky walked in and looked at the two of them. The kid was damn big for seventeen, and he was a star athlete. He was also bigger than Dan or Ethan. “Hmm… confrontation. So, what are you two upset over?”

That kid would have sports scholarships coming out of his ass next year, but Danny had a feeling he might make a good psychiatrist… or maybe a psychic if they existed. Danny wouldn’t miss the chance to have another opinion on Ethan’s actions, though.

“How would you feel if someone showed up at your significant other’s home behind your back and propositioned him or her?” Danny snapped.

“Whoa! I did not proposition Jason. I wanted to try to find a friend back here because those assholes at the barn aren’t very nice. I’ve got my own boyfriend, okay? I have my own set of issues that go with the territory as well.” Ethan sounded earnest in his statement, so Dan let go of his neck.

They both looked at Rocky who shrugged. “I don’t have a significant other, so I can’t offer an opinion based on experience, but I’d probably be upset. I’d guess if y’all respect each other it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Dan chuckled. Jase had agreed to marry him, so Ethan wasn’t a threat. He turned to the kid and smiled. “Okay, no hard feelin’s. Thanks to you, Jase and I agreed to get married, so thank you for any part you had in that.”

Dan and Ethan hugged Rocky before they all made their way to the barn. They had a long day ahead of them but Dan was relieved he’d staked his claim on Jason so there was no confusion on Ethan’s part.

As Danny ran the portable scales Matt had hired for the day, he thought about how his life had come to this point. He was engaged to Jase? Dan hadn’t seen it coming, and this time, it turned out just the way Dan hoped.

Dan had learned, or he hoped he had, one didn’t know what they had in common with people until they got to know them—outside of the bedroom. It was what he and Jase had done, even if Dan had fucked it up in the first place, but he had a second chance he wouldn’t let slip by.

When Matt walked over to where they’d rigged the gates and chute to run the cattle over the scale, Dan saw a smile on his face. He glanced out to the field to see Tim on Chester, who was still a good horse despite his age, helping Josh and Heath Sachs cut out cows that had mingled with the herd.

“How they weighin’?” Matt asked.

“Average, six thirty-three. What you expected?” Dan responded, recording the figures on the manifest for the truck driver who was hauling the feeder calves to Wythe County Auction for the sale.

Matt laughed and chucked Dan on the shoulder. “Shoulda shipped a month ago. This program, Dan, I couldn’t do this without you and that man out there on that damn horse.” Matt pointed to Tim who was directing a couple of the younger cowboys from the Katydid.

The love on Matt’s face was something Dan could feel to his bones when he looked at Jason. It was something Dan could understood. He turned to his boss and smiled. “Is it customary to buy an engagement ring for your male fiancé?”

Matt chuckled. “I didn’t even think about it but… wait a minute. Did you and Jason…?”

Dan felt his face heat, but he gave an enthusiastic nod. “I asked him and he said yes. You’re over that bullshit jealousy thing, right? I damn well don’t wanna quit my job, but I can guarantee ya, Jase will win over you, Matthew.”

His boss cuffed him on the shoulder again and smiled. “I was a damn fool, as Timmy reminded me a few times. Sorry about that, Danny. Congratulations. Can I tell Tim?”

Dan nodded as another ten head of calves were driven up to the scale. He checked the numbers and wrote them down as Matt hurried out of the little trailer where Danny was working.

He watched as Matt flagged Tim over to the fence before the bull rider pulled the blond down and whispered to him. He saw Tim with a mile-wide grin as he pumped his fist in the air, bringing a matching smile to Danny’s face. In that moment, life was very good. Dan took out his cell and sent a text to Jase.

I know you’re busy, but can you come over to the ranch after you’re done? I told Tim and Matt about our engagement. Should I get you a ring, baby?

Danny laughed as he hit the Send icon and went back to work. He really wanted to tell the whole world about the fact he was going to marry Jase, but based on the look on Tim’s face, he wouldn’t have to tell anybody because the man was on the phone spreading the word and planning a party. One thing Dan knew about his other boss… he loved a party.

Danny’s phone buzzed as another ten feeder calves ran up the ramp to the scale. He double counted them to ensure it was the same number so the average would remain the same. Dan recorded the total weight in the book and on the manifest as the cattle were loaded into a large heavy-duty truck pulling a cattle trailer. He picked up the smartphone and hit the message button, seeing it was from Jase.

Ring? I only want one ring from you, Danny, and it’s the permanent one. As soon as Kayley’s done with practice, we’ll be there. Should I bring anything?

Dan laughed because it was typical of the man he loved. Jason fit into the family so well because he was one to want to help… with anything.

Jason had a career Danny couldn’t begin to understand, and the latest blow dealt by the company that had furloughed Jase was terrible, but it wasn’t enough to keep Jase down. Dan knew Jase wouldn’t have a problem finding another job, so he had no worries about money.

Besides, Dan made a good salary that could support the three of them for a while if necessary. Money didn’t matter to him at all because he’d loved the man since Jase was an eighteen-year-old kid who didn’t know his ass from apple butter.

Based on what Dan had witnessed among his friends, the Katydid had brought them together: Matt and Tim, Jon and Mick, and even Jase and him. It was never in the same way, but there was something about the little farm that was almost like magic. Love seemed to grow there, and it made Dan laugh because he wasn’t a sappy asshole, but even he had to admit… the Katydid brought Love and Cowboys together.