by D. L. Roan
“Sorry about this,” he offered to Dani’s dads as he followed Beau to the Jeep. “I shouldn’t be long.”
“Actually, son, hold up there a second,” Pops called after him. “I know you wanted to give them the official tour, but Levi called me over to the breedin’ barn right before you two showed up,” he said, his bushy white eyebrows pinching together as he squinted against the afternoon sun up at Dani’s dads. “I know you just got here, but if you’re up for it, you’re welcome to join me. I figure the ride over’ll give us dads a chance to get acquainted.”
“That would be great,” Mason offered with an exuberance that betrayed his usual reserve.
Well, at least that was something. Maybe his brother, Levi, could help bridge the gap between them. Yeah. Maybe. The knot in his stomach eased a bit as he considered the idea, shocked he hadn’t thought of it before. Levi was the most diplomatic of his three brothers. He certainly had better wingman skills than Beau or Pops. Levi and Mason also shared similar interests in breeding and genetics.
“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Matt clapped his hand over Mason’s shoulder. “Nothin’ Mace here loves more than mixin’ it with a randy bull.”
Mason elbowed Matt in the ribs, extracting a painful grunt. Grey’s full-throated laugh matched Virgil’s, the moment breaking through the awkwardness that had bloomed between them.
“You’ll love our brother, Levi, then,” Beau laughed with them. “He lives and breathes bull sperm.” His brother gave them a mock salute and headed to the Jeep. “I’ll drop Lover Boy off at the lab when we’re done.”
His head throbbing, Clay climbed into the Jeep. As soon as they reached the end of the driveway, he pulled out his cellphone. “What the fuck?” he protested when Beau snatched it from his hand.
“What are you doin’?” Beau demanded.
“I’m calling Levi.” Clay grabbed his phone back, scowling at his brother as he dialed Levi’s number. “Lover Boy? Really?”
Beau seized the phone back and tossed it into the backseat. “I meant, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Clay countered, grunting as he reached into the back seat, fingering the corner of his phone until it bounced into reach. “Why do you have to be such an asshole?”
“I don’t have to.” Beau shrugged. “But I genuinely enjoy it.”
“Bastard,” Clay mumbled through his clenched teeth.
Beau jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I don’t know who that was back there, but it sure as hell wasn’t you,” he said. “You’re so uptight around them you squeak when you walk, or trip through the fuckin’ front door,” he added with a smirk.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Levi said when he answered.
“Oh, thank God,” Clay breathed into the phone. Levi was usually so engrossed in his work he rarely answered his calls. He was more of a leave-a-message-and-he-might-call-you-back-never kind of guy.
“Look at you,” Beau scolded beside him. “You’re goddamn hyperventilating.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Clay snarled.
“Do I need to be here for this conversation?” Levi’s tone conveyed his obvious annoyance at being interrupted.
“Shit, sorry.” Clay flinched away when Beau tried to take the phone again.
“He’s losin’ his shit!” Beau yelled into the phone.
Clay shoved him away, the Jeep swerving before Beau righted the steering wheel. “Listen, man. Pops is bringing Dani’s dads to meet you at the breeding barn,” he rushed to advise Levi, ignoring Beau’s incredulous smirk.
“Great,” Levi said. “That’ll save me some time—wait—aren’t you with them?”
“No, I’m on my way to Beau’s cabin to get my eye stitched up.”
“Damn.” Levi let out a long whistle. “So, they just got right to the beat down part of their visit, huh?”
“No, dammit.” Clay pulled the bloody dishtowel from his brow but quickly pressed it back when more blood trickled down into his eye. “It’s a long story.”
“So, what’s the problem?” Levi asked.
Clay drew in a deep breath. “You remember when I told you about Mason finding me and Dani in the barn, right?”
“Yeah.” Levi chuckled again. “That was classic. Serves you right for knocking boots with her on my desk while I was in Denver.”
“Whatever,” Clay grumbled. “Listen, I’m obviously not Mason’s favorite person, and I was thinking that since the two of you have so much in common, you might be able to…you know…talk me up a little.”
“You want me to run interference for you.”
“No, not interference.” Clay tipped his hat back and ran his hand through his sweaty hair. “Just...try to work a few of my better qualities into your conversation. Let Mason know I’m not the asshole he thinks I am.”
“This girl has you so fucked up,” Beau mumbled beside him, shaking his head in amusement.
Clay shoved his fist in front of Beau’s face, his middle finger extended high.
“Gotcha,” Levi said. “You want me to lie.”
“Fuck you,” Clay snapped into the phone.
Levi’s laugh grated on his last nerve. They all knew how important this weekend was to him.
“Don’t take it personally, bro. We’re all assholes, but since I’m sure Beau’s being both a dick and an asshole, I’ve got your back,” Levi said with another chuckle. “You coming over to join us later?”
“Yeah.” Relieved, somewhat, Clay slouched in the seat as the Jeep bounced along the trail to the pond where Beau’s cabin sat. “I owe you one, man.”
“Later,” Levi said before the line went dead.
Beau shifted gears when they hit the straightaway in the dirt trail, and then pulled a cigarette from the pack he kept tucked above his visor.
“I thought you were trying to quit,” Clay said, taking advantage of the opportunity to talk about something else besides how screwed up he was.
“Only my second one today.” The cigarette bounced between Beau’s lips as he spoke, fumbling in his shirt pocket to retrieve his lighter. He lit the end and took a long draw, the smoke billowing out with his satisfied sigh. “I’ll tell you one thing,” he said, taking another long puff and blowing it out the open window. “It’ll be a cold day in hell before another woman gets that kind of grip on my balls.”
Clay snorted. “That’s funny coming from a guy who sleeps with more mule deer than women these days.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Beau with a woman, preferring to spend his time out on the trail as a hunting guide, camping out in the brush for weeks at a time even when he wasn’t on the job. “If your beard gets any longer, you’ll be a prime catch for the mountain goats this winter.”
“Screw you.” Quick as lightning, Beau landed a bruising punch to his thigh before Clay could twist away.
“Mother-fucker!” Rubbing out the sting, Clay punched him back, but Beau blocked him. The Jeep swerved off the road, and Beau jerked it back in line, both of them laughing despite nearly crashing into a cluster of thorny scrub brush.
He had another smart rebuke primed and ready to fire, but the taunt stuck in his throat when Beau’s smile faded and a familiar, remote look haunted his brother’s eyes. Clay studied him, watching as he took another drag from his cigarette, then flicked the ashes out the window. That’s when it hit him. He’d said another woman.
Holy shit.
Like Pop, Beau wasn’t big on sharing his feelings, or much of anything, for that matter, but they’d all known he hadn’t up and quit college for no reason ten years ago. Clay’d just joined the Air Force and was living in New Mexico when Beau had come home with his tail tucked between his legs. He hadn’t been there to witness the aftermath, but they’d all suspected a woman was behind his unexpected return, and subsequent years of isolation that followed. Which made no sense. No one could top his own fucked-up record with relationships, unless their kid brother, Jackson, had slept with Beau’s gir
lfriend, too.
The unwelcomed memory churned up the acid in his empty stomach and Clay shoved it from his mind. None of that mattered anymore. He had Dani now, and all he had to do was convince her dads that he was the right man for her. The only man for her.
Chapter Eleven
It was nearly dusk by the time Clay opened the front door on the house he was building for Dani, which was kind of silly considering the walls on either side were still two-by-four frames anyone could walk right through.
“They finished setting the rafters day before yesterday,” he said as he stepped inside, Dani’s dads filing in behind him. After three stitches, and one awkward tour of Levi’s lab in Sterling City, he’d parted ways with his dad and brothers and drove the McLendons ten miles west of the ranch to the plot of desert his grandfather had left him.
“The deck wood and felt were installed on the roof today, so we’re close to having it dried in. And the plumber’s coming next week, and the electrician, if the roof passes inspection.” Clay tucked his hands into his front pockets. He was babbling, for God’s sake. Instead of rambling on, he held his breath as her dads looked around the front room, a bead of sweat tickling its way down his spine. Christ, it was hot.
“Nice,” Grey said, his gaze taking in the high ceilings, or where they’d be once they were finished.
“Fireplace?” Matt asked, walking over to the large framed-out box where the slate chimney would soon be built.
“Yes, sir.” Clay hustled over to the drafting table in the corner and snatched up the building plans. The temperature climbed another hundred degrees as Grey, Matt, and Mason gathered around to look at them. “It’ll be a double fireplace,” he said, pointing to the spot on the floorplan. “You’re standing in the main living room, here, and that over there on the other side of the fireplace will be our bedroom, so we’ll have a warm fire in there, too, for when…it gets cold.” The last words came out as a whisper when he caught the dark warning in Grey’s eyes. “So…um…yeah…” Shit. “Let me show you around.”
He walked them through each room, the tour taking less time than he’d imagined it would, their lack of questions leaving an awkward tension hanging in the air between them once they’d circled back around to the front door.
“So, that’s it.” Clay rolled the floorplans up and walked them back over to the drafting table, his mind racing through the speech he’d rehearsed a hundred times before they arrived, still searching for the right place to begin. Now that they’d seen where Dani would be living, it was time to do what he should have done in the first place.
When he turned around to begin his speech, the three of them stood in the middle of the lofty room, their arms crossed over their chests, looking like an old western lynch mob with their stony features and wide-brimmed Stetsons. He cleared the lump of nerves from his throat, but as he was about to speak, Mason turned away and walked over to one of the framed-in squares where a large picture window would be installed soon, leaving them all staring at his back.
“Sure gonna be nice when she’s done,” Matt offered, his jovial voice echoing through the empty expanse.
“Four bedrooms, with two and a half baths,” Grey added, the awkwardness growing thicker every second. “That’s a lot of room for a couple just starting out.”
Clay gave him a tense nod and swallowed what felt like sandpaper. “One room will be an office,” he explained, struggling to speak against the dryness. “You know, for the business. And the others will work great for guests or a gym, whatever Dani wants, until we decide to start a family.”
“And how soon will that be?” Grey asked.
“C’mon, man.” Matt nudged Grey with his shoulder. “You promised.”
“It’s a fair question,” Grey insisted, the look in his eyes more amused than threatening. “Have the two of you talked about it?”
Clay cupped the back of his neck, swiping away more sweat. How in the hell was he supposed to answer that? “Not specifics,” he finally offered, deciding the truth couldn’t hurt, “but we definitely want to wait until Dani finishes school,” he added. “And our business is on more solid footing.”
“That’s what you said about getting married,” Mason grumbled from the window.
“Dammit,” Matt gritted out, pinning Mason with a stern warning glare. “Don’t do this.”
Mason’s stony expression remained frozen except for the angry tick in his jaw, his eyes shifting between Matt and Grey, then back to Clay. “It’s a fair statement, don’t you think?”
Clay’s heart thumped, his pulse racing so fast he could feel it throbbing in the cut on his brow. Dammit. So much for Levi’s influence. What in the hell was it with his family? How hard was it to say a few nice things?
“Graduating early was Dani’s decision,” he rushed to defend himself, but bit back any further argument. While true, he wouldn’t use Dani as a shield. This was not going the way he’d hoped, but if Mason had a bone to pick, now was as good a time as any to get it out in the open. He crossed his arms over his chest and met Mason’s gaze. “Having Cade at the wedding is important to Dani, and what’s important to her is important to me.”
Mason’s shoulders bounced with his incredulous huff. “You still sticking with that story after showing us this?” he asked, glancing up at the ceiling before he leveled an accusing glare at Clay.
“Mason,” Grey warned.
“Story?” Clay took a step back. Was he calling him a liar?
“Do you honestly expect us to believe you only broke ground on this house a few weeks ago, after she decided to quit college?”
“Now dammit, Mason. That’s enough,” Matt insisted.
“Look at this place.” Mason threw his hands up and turned to his brothers. “It’s huge! There’s no way he got permits approved that fast, much less damn near time to have the roof finished.”
Clay opened his mouth to argue, but utter shock prevented him from forming any coherent words.
“Admit it. You put this whole marriage idea in her head.” Mason pointed an accusing finger at him. “And quitting school? Dani loves school,” he said. “Or she did, until she met you.”
“I…”
“And now she’s suddenly excited about moving away from Falcon Ridge?” Mason continued. “Forgive me if I don’t believe you, but that’s not the Dani I know, and if you knew her as well as I did, you’d understand my skepticism.”
Whatever Clay was about to say morphed into one long exhale instead. How was he supposed to respond to this? He glanced over at Matt, hoping for support, but found him pinching the bridge of his nose like he had a splitting headache, much like the one that was beginning to pound against his own skull, making the cut on his brow throb like a sonofabitch.
“You’re right,” Clay finally said in disbelief. “I mean, not about the house or school. Dani still loves school, but falling in love wasn’t part of her plan. It wasn’t part of mine either, but it happened.” Grey’s words on the day he found them in the barn together rang true. “Mine and Dani’s love for each other isn’t optional. It’s not something we can walk away from or put on hold until it’s more convenient.” He met Mason’s gaze to make sure there was no misunderstanding. “It’s never going away, and no matter how much you might wish it, neither am I.”
Mason’s features could have been carved from granite. He stood unmoving, glaring at Clay as if he could somehow make him disappear by sheer will alone.
Beneath the pressure, Clay blinked first. He peeled off his hat and wedged his hand into his sweaty hair. “I don’t know what else to say.” He shrugged. “I invited y’all here because your support is important to Dani. I know I didn’t go about this the traditional way, asking for your blessing before I proposed to her. I’d hoped to correct that today, but I can see it won’t make a damn bit of difference.”
“You have my blessing,” Matt said from where he stood leaning against a bare stud in the corner, tipping his hat in a nod of approval when Clay me
t his gaze. “I don’t care what these two think. I’d be proud to call you my son.”
A bittersweet grin pulled at the corner of Clay’s lips. He didn’t know what he’d done to earn Matt’s swift approval, but he was grateful for it none the less. “Thank you,” he offered, turning his hat in his hands, “but it’s not enough.”
Grey let out a longsuffering sigh, then took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, mirroring Clay’s earlier frustration as he spoke. “I’ve already said my piece about this.” His eyes narrowed when they met Clay’s. “I would rather you wait until Dani finishes college, but you both have my blessing regardless.” His boot heels scuffed along the bare concrete floor as he walked over and clamped a hand on Clay’s shoulder, squeezing hard enough to make him grit his teeth against the bruising grip. “As long as you understand that you will die a long and balless death if you ever hurt her.”
The promise in Grey’s eyes sent a jolt of searing pain straight to Clay’s threatened body parts. He made a mental note to one day ask him how he did that, for future reference in case he and Dani ever had a daughter, “Got it,” he gritted out, releasing a sigh of relief when Grey let him go.
Grey set his hat back on his head and pointed a finger at Mason. “Fight this all you want, but Clay’s right. Dani not only needs our support, she deserves it.”
The hard look in Mason’s eyes didn’t soften a bit as he glared at Clay, his clean-shaven jaw ticking in the silence that fell between them. Clay was about to give up and suggest they ride back to his pop’s house for an awkward dinner, when Mason finally spoke.
“Tell me the truth,” he insisted, his eyes narrowing with determined intent. “Did you coerce Dani into quitting college and getting married sooner?”
Clay shook his head in adamant denial. “No, sir. And just to be clear, she’s not quitting,” he clarified. “I did question her taking on so much, with her uncle so sick, planning the wedding, the move, and all the studying she’d need to do to test out early, but she insisted it was what she wanted.”