Fingerprints and Muddy Feet

by Carol Lynne

Chapter Four

  Nate stared at the small pinched clay bowl that sat on the kitchen table. Will had informed him it was for his mom’s rings that she no longer wore, but when they went to look for the rings to put them in the bowl, the rings had been nowhere to be found. Nate had an idea someone had retrieved the rings and placed them on Laura’s finger before she was buried. Whether the gesture had been done for appearances or because someone assumed Laura had simply forgotten to put them on the day she was killed, Nate didn’t know, would probably never know.

  Hannah appeared in the doorway, wearing oversized pyjamas and her hair in a haphazard ponytail on top of her head. “Where’s squirt?”

  “In the family room playing video games.” Nate gestured to the stove. “We saved some bacon and scrambled eggs for you.”

  Hannah groaned. “Bacon breaks my face out,” she declared.

  “You wouldn’t know it. Your complexion’s beautiful.” Nate retrieved a soft yellow plate from the cupboard and spooned a helping of eggs onto it before setting it on the table. “Juice?”

  “Sure.” Hannah plopped down in the chair and stared at her breakfast. “Is this cheese?” she asked, poking the eggs with her fork.

  “Yeah. Will said that’s the way your mom made them.” Nate handed her a large glass of orange juice.

  Hannah smiled and shook her head. “It’s the way Will used to beg my mom to make them, but she said too much cheese wasn’t good for us.”

  Nate had never heard such a thing. “That’s crazy. You can never have too much cheese.” He went to the stove and popped a piece of bacon into his mouth. When he turned around Hannah was staring at him. He glanced down to make sure he was decently covered. “What?”

  Hannah shook her head. “Why have I never met you?”

  Nate wiped his mouth as he joined Hannah at the table. “Well,” he began. He was unsure of how much a twelve-year-old would understand. “What do you know about me?”

  “That you’re my dad’s gay brother,” she said, sipping her juice.

  Nate noticed she hadn’t touched her eggs. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Your grandfather didn’t approve of me, so he made me sign some papers when I was eighteen stating I was no longer a member of the family.” He got back up to retrieve another piece of bacon. “With my new independence also came enough money to start a new life. My father didn’t care where I went as long as it was far away from him. I was prohibited from contacting anyone in my family, including your dad.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Grandfather’s a”—she paused before flashing a grin—“dinosaur,” she finished.

  Nate chuckled. “I’ll agree with that.”

  “I need to be honest. I don’t want to move.” Hannah gave up all pretence of eating and shoved her plate aside. “Will used to have a lot of trouble with other kids in school, but he’s finally made a friend. It may sound stupid, but it’s kind of a big deal. As much as I hate living with my grandparents, I think it’s better for Will to keep his friend.”

  Nate stood and carried Hannah’s plate to the sink. “Your grandfather was planning to send Will off to a Catholic boarding school in California,” he informed her. “I know it’ll be tough, but all I can ask is for you to give Cattle Valley a chance. If we get there and you or Will are unhappy with the town and your classes, we’ll talk about coming back here.” He took a deep breath, unsure how much Hannah knew of his partners. “Did your mom happen to mention Ryan and Rio?”

  Hannah shifted in her chair. “Yeah.” She shrugged. “Sounds kinda weird to me.”

  Nate grinned. “I suppose it is, but in Cattle Valley, people aren’t judged like they are out here. I’m the mayor, Ryan’s the sheriff and the three of us own a gym.” Uncomfortable, he reached for the pinch pot Will had made for his mother. “Our town seems to embrace different. It’s what attracted us to it in the first place.” He glanced up at Hannah. “I know it seems strange that we live together, but I need you to know that I love those two men with everything I am. I’m not saying we don’t occasionally argue, but we’re strongly committed to making our relationship work for the long haul.”

  “Then you’re doing better than my parents did,” Hannah replied.

  It was a subject Nate hated to broach but was glad Hannah had brought it up. “Will said your dad slept in the guestroom.”

  “They’ve been fighting a lot.” Hannah rolled her eyes. “When he was here, which wasn’t very often.” Her bottom lip began to quiver, prompting Nate to move around the table to sit next to her. “She didn’t want to go on that trip, but he insisted.” She wiped at a few stray tears that had slipped down her cheek. “I think she was just so tired of fighting with him that she finally gave in.” Hannah glanced at Nate. “Now she’s gone, and Grandmother wouldn’t even allow us to go to the cemetery to say goodbye.”

  “What? I saw you at the memorial service,” Nate pointed out.

  Hannah nodded. “Yeah, she let us do that, but said it would be too hard for us to see where Mom was being buried.”

  “That’s bullshit.” Nate quickly covered his mouth. “Sorry. I’m not used to watching what I say.”

  “That’s okay,” Hannah said. “I slip sometimes, too.”

  “If you and Will would like to go, I’ll take you right now.” Nate reached for the pinch pot. “Maybe Will would like to leave this for Laura.”

  Hannah stood. “Let me talk to Will.”

  * * * *

  Nate decided to call Rio as he waited in the car for Hannah and Will to spend some alone time at the gravesite.

  “Hey, baby,” Rio answered. “How’s it going?”

  “Good, I think. We’re at the cemetery. The kids wanted some time alone with their mom.” Nate watched out the windshield as Hannah gathered Will into her arms. He was glad they had each other for comfort.

  “What about their dad?” Rio asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nate confessed. “They don’t talk much about Robby, just that he wasn’t home much. It sounds like Robby and Laura’s marriage was falling apart, but I’d already guessed that.”

  “Yeah,” Rio agreed.

  “Did you find the Christmas decorations?” Nate asked. “Laura really does it up, so I think it’d make the kids feel more at home.”

  “I found the boxes of stuff we usually put up, but I asked Tyler if he could go through his store and come up with some more. I was thinking about putting Christmas lights on the barn this year. You think they’ll like it?”

  “They’ll love it.” Nate just hoped Hannah and Will felt the same way about Rio and Ryan. “Just remember not to try too hard.”

  “So you think I shouldn’t put lights on the barn?” Rio questioned.

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. Put the lights up. They’ll love it and so will I.” Nate rested his head back against the seat and sighed. “I’m just worried because it’s been too easy with them. It’s like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  “They’re probably a little numb still, but the good thing is maybe they’ll be used to us by the time the real hurt begins,” Rio said.

  Nate smiled, feeling better. “Remind me to give you a blow job tomorrow night.”

  Rio chuckled. “I’ll let you suck on my cock for a minute, but I plan to empty myself in your other hole.”

  Nate’s cock hardened. “Shit. The kids are on their way back to the car, and I’m sitting here like a dirty old man with a boner.”

  “Christ, cover that thing up with a coat or something.”

  “Hang on, I have to put the phone down.” Nate set the phone on the passenger seat as he shrugged out of his cashmere coat and draped it over his lap seconds before the back door opened. He retrieved his phone. “I’ll call ya later before I go to bed. Ryan’s not working the late shift, is he?”

  “You evidently haven’t been watching the news. We got dumped on again overnight. Ryan’s been out all day trying to get the town dug out.”

  “Poor baby. You should make him so
me of that potato soup he likes so much. That’ll warm him up when he finally gets home,” Nate suggested. As much as they loved Cattle Valley, the snow was dangerous and a pain in the ass to remove.

  “I’ve already bought the potatoes.”

  Nate glanced in the rear-view mirror at the kids. Both of them had red-rimmed eyes, but otherwise they seemed relatively calm. “I’d better get going. Love you.”

  “I love you, too, babe,” Rio said before hanging up.

  Nate held up his phone. “Rio. He said Cattle Valley got quite a snow last night. It’ll be a white Christmas.” He glanced over his shoulder at Will. “Do you like to go sledding? There’s a great hill in the back of the property. Maybe we could get some of the kids from the Second Chance Ranch and make a regular bonfire party of it.” Nate knew he was prattling, but he wanted Hannah and Will to like Cattle Valley so much. Although he knew he could make it in Baltimore if he had to, he wasn’t so sure about Ryan and Rio. It wouldn’t be fair to even ask them to give up the town and the life they’d finally found together.

  “Like they do on TV?” Will asked.

  “Huh?” Nate was ashamed he’d been in his own thoughts instead of paying attention to the children.

  “Sledding. I’ve seen it in commercials and on TV and stuff, but we’ve never done it,” Will said.

  “Speak for yourself, squirt,” Hannah piped up.

  Will’s jaw dropped as he turned to face his sister. “You have? When?”

  “I went with Jessica and her brothers last year.” Hannah rolled her eyes. “It sucked. It was cold and wet and newsflash, once you slide down the hill you’re expected to climb back up it.”

  Will wiped his runny nose on his hand, prompting Nate to quickly fish a tissue from his coat pocket. “Here,” Nate offered.

  Will wiped his hand. “I think it sounds fun.” He looked at Nate. “I’d like to try it.”

  “Okay.” Nate attempted a grumpy face as he stared at Hannah. “You, young lady, will have to stay in the house with me. We’ll build a big fire and drink hot chocolate.”

  Hannah returned Nate’s expression, doing a damn good imitation. “What if I don’t want hot chocolate?”

  “Then you’ll have hot spiced cider,” Nate shot back.

  Hannah shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  Will nudged his sister with his forearm. “Don’t be mean.”

  “We’re just playing,” Nate said, trying to put Will at ease.

  “Maybe you were, but Hannah’s mean sometimes. She always fights with Mom and Dad.”

  “Past tense, squirt.” Hannah gestured to the front seat. “Can I please sit up there with you?”

  Nate considered it. “How old do you have to be in Maryland?”

  “Twelve,” Hannah replied.

  “Liar.” Will pointed at Hannah before looking at Nate. “She’s lying. You have to be thirteen.”

  “Sorry, honey, the law’s the law, and Ryan would have my hide if I broke it.” Nate moved his coat to the passenger seat before fastening his seatbelt. “So what are we doing now? We could drive through and take something home for dinner, or we could go to the mall and indulge in the food court.”

  “The mall sounds fine as long as it’s Towson,” Hannah said, her mood appearing to lighten. “Can I call one of my friends and see if her mom can drop her off at the mall?”

  Although he’d wanted to spend more time getting to know Will and Hannah, he understood Hannah’s need to be with her friends before they left. “Sure. It’ll give me and Will a chance to shop for Christmas presents.”

  Will’s eyebrows shot up. “Can we go to Brookstone?”

  The request surprised Nate. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand Will’s love of the electronic and technology store, but he hadn’t met another eight-year-old who had the same taste. “Absolutely. I love that store.”

  “I like to sit in their massage chairs. Have you done that?”

  “Sure, who hasn’t? Have you ever had a real massage?” Nate asked, putting the sedan in gear.

  Will giggled. “I don’t think I’d like it. I’m ticklish.”

  “We’ll have to try it sometime. They just opened a spa in the local ski lodge back home.” Nate pulled out and headed for the mall. He decided spending a few hours alone with Will would be a good thing. Other than the young boy’s preference in stores, Nate hadn’t noticed any of the signs the Senator had spoken of.

  * * * *

  After touching every gadget in Brookstone, Will looked up at Nate. “Can we go to Nordstrom?”

  Nate shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “Sure. It’s been a while since I’ve visited Nordstrom.”

  Nate took a deep breath as they entered the store. The combined scent of perfume and cologne that filled the air brought back a plethora of memories. He slowed his pace, hoping to enjoy the combination of sweet and musky air for a few extra moments.

  Will tugged on Nate’s hand. “What’re you doing?”

  “Don’t you smell that?” Nate asked, taking another deep breath.

  Will tilted his head back and sniffed several times. “It smells like Grandmother’s house.”

  Nate stilled, realising Will was right. Odd that the smell of his mother could feel so comforting. “I remember sneaking into your grandmother’s room when I was around your age. I loved to sit at her dressing table and go through all the bottles and compacts that made her so beautiful.” He also recalled being discovered by his mother the one time he’d applied the soft pink lipstick Collette favoured. Despite what his parents believed, he’d never wished he was a female. It had been the curiosity of a boy, nothing more, that had prompted him to see what lipstick felt like. The venomous words his mother had spewed that day had forever changed the way he saw the one person who was supposed to always be there for him.

  “Uncle Nate?”

  Nate glanced down, promising to himself to always be there for Will no matter what. “Let’s go look at some clothes.”

  Will held back. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I thought that’s why you wanted to come.”

  Will shook his head. “I’d like to say goodbye to Mary Ellen and Nancy.”

  “Who are they?” Nate asked.

  “The ladies who sell the clothes in my mom’s favourite section.” Will huffed. “I’ve spent a lot of time there.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “They think I’m cute.”

  Nate glanced around, trying to determine which way to head.

  “This way,” Will said, pulling on Nate’s hand. “You have to walk by the purse counter.”

  It wasn’t only Mary Ellen and Nancy whom Will seemed to know. He waved at several people as they strolled to the designer area of the store. Nate began to wonder if his father had it all wrong. Perhaps the signs the Senator spoke of were nothing more than a boy who was used to trailing his mother around every day. Hannah had mentioned that Robby hadn’t been around much. Maybe all Will needed was to spend more time with men.

  * * * *

  At the end of a very long day, Ryan pulled into the garage. He was glad to see Rio had already ploughed because he didn’t think he had the energy to even shovel the walk to the house.

  The door to the house opened and Rio stood on the threshold, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

  “I hope that’s for me,” Ryan said, climbing out of the SUV.

  “It is.” Rio stepped back and waited for Ryan to take off his boots before giving him a quick kiss. “I’ve been listening to the scanner. Other than a few minor fender-benders, it seems like most people are staying home.”

  “Yeah.” Ryan took off his hat, gloves, and coat before easing into one of the kitchen chairs. “That crust of ice on top made for some dangerous conditions. Didn’t make ploughing the goddamn stuff any easier either.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Hear from Nate?”

  Rio spooned soup into a bowl. “He called earlier, but said he’d call again before he went to bed.” He set the bowl in front of Ryan with a spoon and
a package of saltines. “You look tired.”

  Ryan crushed a handful of crackers into his potato soup. “I am.” He wondered if he should voice the real problem that had been plaguing him. “I’ve been thinking about Hannah and Will all day. The situation worries me.”

  “You don’t think we can do a good job by them?” Rio asked, sounding affronted.

  “It’s not that.” Ryan took a bite while he gathered the needed words. Hell, how could he say what was in his heart without sounding like a complete asshole? “I’m not sure I’m ready for my life to change to the extent that I know it will. I like the way things are between us.”

  “So do I, but I think the kids will only enhance what we have. They’ll give us something bigger to focus on instead of just ourselves.”

  Ryan glanced up at Rio. Even now, as tired as he was, he wanted nothing more than to hold and make love to the man across from him. “Guess I’m just being greedy. Don’t pay any attention to me.”

  “Fat chance of that.” Rio crossed his arms on the tabletop and lay down to rest his chin on the back of his hand. “What’s really going on?”

  Ryan pushed his bowl to the side and reached across to touch Rio’s hand. “You hear all the time about marriages going stale after kids come into the picture. I know this sounds hateful. I mean, I feel sorry for Hannah and Will, but I don’t love them like I would kids of my own. I’m afraid I’m going to resent them for coming between the three of us, and it scares the shit out of me.”

  Rio stood and held out his hand. “Come on, I can reheat your soup later.”

  “I’m too tired for acrobatics,” Ryan reminded as they walked into the family room.

  “Don’t worry. This isn’t about sex.” Rio sat on the sofa and pulled Ryan down beside him. He wrapped his arms around Ryan and pulled him close.

  Ryan allowed himself to be cuddled, needing it more than he cared to admit. He’d seen Rio with kids and knew his partner was crazy about them, but Ryan had never cared all that much about being around children. Whether it went back to his childhood or not, he didn’t know, but he had never pictured himself in a father-figure role, especially not to two little people.