"WHOA! I didn't talk you into nothin'. You were happy to go shot for shot. I woke up on your couch, Dan. Anyway, thank ya for lettin' me sleep here. Matt sent me a text he needs a favor, so I best get back to the ranch. I guess I'll see ya Monday," Mickey told him as he headed toward the front door to leave.
After walking to Pete's to get Tim's truck - happy it hadn't been towed - Mickey hit the McDonald's drive-thru for some coffee and a biscuit sandwich before heading to the ranch, not sure what his boss needed him to do. He prayed it didn’t involve working in the hot sun.
"For fuck's sakes, why me?" Mickey asked as he sat at the kitchen table eating an omelet Tim had made for him. It was just him, Matt, and Tim in the kitchen, so he felt free to voice his opinion…especially since he believed they weren't being exactly up front about the details.
"We can't go because the boys got shit goin' on. We trust you to be there while Charlie does his job, and she'll have a check. What's the problem?" Matt asked him.
"Danny would be better, likely," Mickey stated.
Tim laughed, which threw him off a bit. "Danny hates horses, Mick. You love riding Charlie, and I'd bet Ms. Granger wants to see him ridden before he breeds her mare. I've already made you a reservation at the Holiday Inn Express, and they have a stall for him at the farm. All we're asking is for you to take him and make sure he doesn't get hurt, nor does he hurt the mares. It's only a few hours away," Tim reminded.
Mickey took a deep breath. He loved working at the ranch as much as he loved working at Katydid, and he knew he'd have to learn to adapt to situations that would arise because his bosses had kids, but hauling that huge stallion for a booty call hadn’t figured into the things Mickey believed Tim and Matt would ask him to do. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t do it, but he hadn’t considered it might be one of his responsibilities. "Okay, where am I goin'?"
"Give me your phone. I'll program your GPS. You can take Matt's truck and the short trailer. Use the motel, Mick. Don't sleep in the damn truck. Ms. Granger's very interested in Charlie, and the stud fee is pretty hefty. You'll be fine," Tim told him as he got up and left the room.
Mickey chuckled. "Am I goin' to the gallows?"
With a huge grin, Matt reached into his pocket and handed Mickey the keys. "Look, we love you like family, and as a family, we won't think twice about askin' for favors. It's not meant to…" he began before Tim walked back in and took Matt's hand.
"What Matty meant is, thank you for doing this for us. You handle Charlie as well Matt, and we've got to pick up the boys and get going with errands. If she says she doesn't want to breed her mares to him, just thank her, load him up, and bring him home. There are plenty of other mares waiting for his magic touch and special sauce," Tim joked with a wink.
Mickey and Matt laughed, and without further questions, Mickey went down to his room to shower and pack a bag. He hooked up the big truck to the smaller trailer and after he loaded the crown jewel of the Circle C, he made certain he had the directions on his phone where he could access them easily. After he had the saddle, tack, and some of the premium feed they used at the ranch loaded in the trailer, he went up to the house to get a coffee to go, grateful he was feeling better. As disgusting as it was, throwing up at Dan's house was probably the best thing that could have happened to him that morning.
"Okay, fellas. We're gettin' on the road. I'll take care of him, don’t you worry," Mickey told the two of them while they were cleaning up the kitchen.
Tim walked over to him and smiled. "Mick, make sure you stick around until you put him to bed tonight. Our insurance doesn't cover him unless someone from the ranch is there to supervise. I think the lady has a breeding manager, but please watch Charlie. We truly appreciate you doing this for us," Tim stated as he handed him a credit card with the ranch's name emblazoned across it with his name underneath.
Mickey was a bit confused because for some reason it seemed as if the two of them were acting like he was going off to college or something. He tried to chalk it up to their concern about the stallion and the hefty stud fee he'd bring, and he'd do everything he could to protect the animal. They needn't worry so much.
After deciding to take state roads instead of the interstates, Mickey settled in for a nice drive, although it would take a few hours. He decided he'd stop halfway to check on the stallion, and take a bathroom break for himself.
Having a plan, he turned on the radio to listen to a baseball game. The game was the Washington Nationals versus the Atlanta Braves, and while he wasn't exactly a baseball fan, it was better than any of the other shit he was getting on the radio since he didn't know how to use the satellite stations. His old Chevy only had an AM radio, and it had quit working years ago…before he even bought it from Mr. Kessler.
Driving along, taking in the sunny, late spring day, Mickey's thoughts wandered to events of the previous night. Danny, who he didn't know well before he sat down next to the man at the bar, was a really nice guy raising his sister's kid. He'd mentioned taking the day off to help someone move, but he didn't mention anything more about it. His brother, Zach, was also a nice guy, and he had joked about Mickey and Danny a little, which made Mick wonder if Danny was gay. He'd have never guessed it, but his gaydar wasn't exactly stellar.
Like with Jon Wells. He'd originally assessed the man as straight, but after the weekend he spent at the ranch, Mickey had reasoned he was likely bi and definitely searching for someone nothing like Mickey.
He'd had many dreams of Jon and him together, but that would be all they were…dreams. He needed to set his sights beyond the fantasy he seemed to have running on a loop in his subconscious. It wasn't doing him any good to continue to stew on something never to be.
He needed to give himself a major pep talk and get the fuck over it. There were probably a lot of guys out there who would be happy to date him, and after living at the Circle C, he'd seen how a gay couple could be as happy as any straight couple. They could also raise a family with lots of love and kindness…just as Matt and Tim were doing with Ryan and Rocky.
It was time to reassess his life's ambitions and make some plans for the future. He could move forward if he set goals for himself, and he had some things he'd been considering of late as possibilities to pursue. He thought about getting his GED and maybe taking some night classes or something. He'd seen stuff on TV touting the benefits of bettering one's self, and he'd pretty much squandered the last few years of his life without giving much consideration to what he wanted versus what he needed to do to get by. It was time to start planning a life and not just reacting to what came at him. He was an adult, after all.
Chapter Twelve
Jon was studiously checking his work email on his laptop when he heard a rumbling noise passing the main house. He looked out the window of his parents' office to see a burgundy pick-up pulling a one-horse trailer headed toward the barn. It was then he remembered his parents discussing something about a bar stall when they'd come into the house for lunch.
He hurried to the kitchen, which was thankfully empty, looking out the window facing the barn. He saw the truck door open and a very handsome figure step out. The view started with the boots, then the jeans which encased long legs and a very good-looking ass. The waist was trim, but the body flared into a broad back and nice shoulders as his gaze extended upward. There was a cowboy hat on his head, tipped back so the guy could see, he assumed.
Jon saw his parents walk out of the barn, his mother warmly greeting their guest with a hearty handshake while Jon admired the way the muscles in the cowboy's back moved under the form-fitting t-shirt. "Not a muscle head, but not a flabby weakling. Not bad. That ass is a work of art," he said quietly to himself as he continued to watch the man. His father shook the man's hand, and the three of them stood together, appearing to be in deep discussion.
"You know, you could go out there with them and then you wouldn't have to crane your neck so," Jon heard behind him. He turned to see Ursula with shopping bags. He must have
been pretty damn engrossed in the sights to miss hearing her come into the room.
Jon laughed a bit. "You caught me. Do you know what's going on?" he asked as he started helping her unload the bags to put away their contents.
"I believe your mother mentioned she's found a stud to breed Jazzy and Rosie. Apparently, a friend of hers sent a video from the internet and your mother was excited to see him. She offered to drive to the ranch, but the owner was nice enough to offer to bring the horse here so Ally could get a good look at him. That must be them," Ursula stated as she glanced toward the barn.
Jon was a bit concerned. His mother wasn't old…only fifty-four. She'd changed her schedule, scaling back to work part-time for the city of Richmond, only helping when necessary, but offering to train her replacement in preparation for the inevitable event of Allison’s retirement. His mother hadn’t told Jon why she’d decided to cut back, but he was hoping to hear a more detailed excuse over the weekend. He knew she still loved to ride, though she wasn't showing her horses any longer. He prayed it had nothing to do with her health.
"Ursula, why's she breeding those mares? I mean, I know after she had to put down Bernie, she decided not to show any longer. Has she changed her mind?" he asked the woman who he knew had more intel than she ever let on.
Ursula gazed at him with a gentle smile. "I'd say those are questions for you to ask your mother, sweet boy. Now, get out of my kitchen. I believe your parents will ask the cowboy to stay for dinner, so I'm going to make steaks and potatoes. If you can work it into the conversation without the drool slipping out of your mouth, ask him how he likes his steak, will you?"
Jon laughed at her as she pushed him toward the back door. He grabbed a pair of muck boots and slipped them on his bare feet before he headed to the barn. Suddenly, he heard a laugh that made him stop in his tracks. It can’t be…
"So, y'all want me to get him out?" the cowboy asked. Jon's spine tingled, and he wondered just how much of it was dumb luck or was it orchestrated between his meddling mother and the equally meddling Matthew Collins?
Jon was certain the bull rider had been watching him when he visited Holloway for the long weekend when Cindy Whipple passed, and he was guessing Matt wasn't as naïve as he led others to believe. The interaction Jon had with Mickey Warren had been friendly, and there was interest from both of them, he was sure Matt observed, but Jon and Mickey Warren? There was chemistry, but it was only sexual. They walked different paths in life and they’d never diverge into anything more than a one-night stand.
He remembered Ursula's words from that very morning. "There are many ways to find something in common if you look hard enough, Jon. Always remember that." If she was right, then it seemed as if Jon had been thrown a cosmic bone.
He hurried down to the barn to hear Mickey Warren's lyrical laugh. His heart skipped several beats as he listened to his parents join the man in laughter at whatever joke Mickey had tossed out in friendly conversation. He knew for a fact the cowboy was funny as hell, so it was no wonder the Wells' warmed up to him. Hell, Jon had as well, even without his own consent.
He heard the stallion pawing on the padded floor of the trailer, so without interrupting the discussion, Jon walked to the back and opened the door, seeing the huge horse was antsy to get out of the confined space. "Hey, fella. Remember me," he soothed as he placed his hand on Charlie's ass and eased up alongside him in order to untie the lead in the front. He brushed his hand over the beautiful creature's nose as he gently backed him out of the trailer without one moment's hesitation from the animal.
Jon walked him around the side of the trailer to stand next to Mickey. The stud horse, however, nudged the cowboy hat from his head causing the handsome man to quickly glance over his shoulder and offer a look of surprise. "What the fuck?" Mickey muttered.
He stepped forward so Mickey could see the animal hadn't developed magical powers so as to release himself from the trailer to join the conversation. "Hey, Michael. I had no idea Mom had picked Charlie to stud her mares," he offered, as calmly as possible. He didn't want to freak the guy out, but he definitely smelled a setup about which he was certain Mickey knew nothing.
"Well, I haven't picked him yet. I'd like to see him work and maybe ride him," Allison stated, leaving no room for argument.
"Mother, I rode him. He's an exemplary animal," Jon told her.
"Yes, and that's a bone I have to pick with you, Jonathon. I got an email from Ronni Turnberry recommending him as prime breeding stock and she mentioned she'd met you the same weekend she first saw this stallion. You didn't bother to give me a call regarding this horse, even though you know I'm always looking for a good stud to breed to my mares. How the hell did you end up at that ranch that weekend?" his mother scolded as if he was a bad boy. Jon started laughing, unable to hold back. He'd have to give credit to the Collins-Moran's; they knew how to work things.
"I'm a little confused, Jon," Mickey quietly announced.
"Oh, you know each other?" Allison observed.
"Mom, Matt Collins is a client of mine, as I’m sure you remember, and how do you know Ronni Turnberry? She's from Philly. Michael cares for the horses at Matt's ranch, including this handsome brute. It's mostly a cattle operation, but Tim bought this stallion…" he began explaining, leaving out any details that breached attorney/client privilege. He could see his father looking Mickey up and down and then he gave Jon a wink and a smile, about which Jon wasn't certain.
After he finished his explanation, his mother smiled brightly. "Well, this is definitely serendipity. Jon, show Mr. Warren where to put Charlie in the barn. We've put hay and fresh water in the large stall at the end. He might like to stretch out a little from the cramped ride it took to get here. Let's go to the house and have a glass of iced tea for a little bit. Mr. Warren, please make yourself at home. Jon, get his bag from the truck. He's spending the night," his mother demanded.
He turned to see Mickey beginning to offer a protest, so he placed his hand on the man's back and smiled. "Give it up. She'll win every time. Think Jeri Collins and Audrey Langley rolled into one. Sweet, kind, fierce and manipulative. You'll never get a leg up," Jon assured the handsome, young man.
Jon saw his parents studying him as he interacted with the cowboy, so he promptly removed his hand from Mickey's back and smiled. "I'll show you where to get him settled. Oh, how do you like your steak?" he asked, remembering Ursula's request.
Mickey chuckled. "Well, I like my meat done well…oh, I mean medium. How about you…how do you like your meat, Jonny?" He knew the man was asking more than steak preferences, so he looked to see his parents were walking arm and arm toward the house.
Remembering what Ursula had told him regarding finding things in common, he smiled before he responded. "I like my meat hot and tender, Michael. I think we need to have a discussion before we go up to the house and I out myself to my parents by taking you on the dinner table," he answered honestly.
"You…you're bi, right?" Mickey asked him quietly.
Jon chuckled as he led the stallion behind them. "No. I left bi behind a long time ago. I thought you picked up on it when we were at the ranch and you kissed me and I kissed you back and we shared a bed."
Mickey took off his cowboy hat, raking his hand through his bronze hair. "Damn. I kinda thought maybe you were just bein’ nice to me because I was upset and then when you woke up, you freaked out about it and that’s why you ran like the goddamn wind. I got no true gaydar whatsoever. How the hell did I not…?" He didn't finish the question. He turned to look at the horse and placed a hand on his neck, seemingly lost in thought.
"Listen, Michael, I'm sorry if I was a prick, which I know I was, and we really need to have a talk, if you're amenable. For the record, my parents don't know I'm gay, and Audrey's parents don't know about her either. They're pretty sure we're going to get married any day now, and the two of us aren’t in any hurry to dissuade them of the notion. I'll talk to you about it later, okay?
“Ple
ase stay here tonight. I'll have Ursula make up the room across from mine if that’s okay. Mom and Pop are at the other end of the hall, and we can take some time and actually talk. What do you say?" Jon asked, batting his eyelashes like a teenage cheerleader.
Mickey sighed. "I'm so fuckin' confused, but yeah, I'd like to talk, Jonny."
They turned Charlie into the large stall, and Mickey laughed when the horse shook like a wet dog. After they were sure he was settled, they walked out of the barn. Mickey stopped and turned to Jon, worry on his face.
"Look, Matt already made me a reservation at a Holiday Inn. I wouldn't mind supper with y'all 'cause your momma seems like a nice lady and she seems to know horses. Plus, if she has questions about Charlie's lineage, I've got paperwork from Matt for her to look over. I think, though, maybe I better stay at the motel. I don't wanna blow up your life, Jon. I know we've got nothin' we could talk about for more than about ten minutes, so let's just leave it be," Mickey explained.
Jon Wells took a deep breath because he was going to say something he'd never said before in his life, and he was saying it to the most handsome man he believed he'd ever met. "Please stay. I honestly want to get to know you, Michael.
“I believe once we get to know each other, we'll find we have a lot more things to talk about than it appears on the surface, and I'd like us to discover what they are and explore them together. I'm so damned attracted to you I haven't slept peacefully since the night I slept with you next to me when Cindy Whipple died.
"I wish to fuck I hadn't been such a coward to run away before I really got to know you. I'm also disappointed in myself for leaving before I really got to know Rocky. Audrey keeps me sort of updated, and I know she's attached to him, but I feel like I'm missing out on a lot. Can we maybe have a mulligan?" Jon asked.
Seeing the confusion on Mickey's face made him smile. "I'm guessing you don't play golf?"
Loving the Lawyer (The Cowboys of Katydid Farm Book 2) Page 13