"For now, I believe you're set because Mickey was sweet enough to take care of cleaning out the carriage house and setting things up for you since the stairs aren't kind to my hip, but I'll show you where you can find clean linens, cleaning supplies, and food to stock your little kitchen for when you want privacy. We'll figure out what else you need up there after you've had the weekend to think about it," she offered. Dan saw Jase's face turn pink, and he thought it was the most incredible sight he'd ever seen.
"Thank you, Mrs. Pentergast. I'm used to doing my own laundry, ma'am, and I can cook a few things for myself, if necessary," Jase offered as he looked around the kitchen.
The woman smirked at him. "Now, don't put me out of a job, Jason."
They all chuckled as Ursula took Kayley's little bag and her little hand, leading her to the stairs that led up the back way to the second floor.
Mickey clarified things. "She's been here since Ally and Ham bought the place, and she refuses to leave us on our own. She loves Terry and Meg, and she's been a great, grandmotherly influence for Meggie between the weekends we spend with Ham and Ally.
"Anyway, I better get back down to the barn and check on the Doc. Make yourselves at home. There's sweet tea in the fridge, and beer if you're a mind for something harder. Terry should be home in about half-an-hour," Mickey explained before he darted out the back door, leaving Dan and Jase alone in the kitchen.
The sandy blonde noticed the tall brunette seemed a little nervous, and he didn't want it that way between them. "Show me your new place," Dan urged, seeing Jase smile.
They went out the back door after Dan left his bag by the stairs to follow Jase across the back patio and out the pool gate toward the large, two-car garage. "It's called a carriage house. Back in the day, apparently, the chauffeur lived above it so he was ready with the carriages anytime the owners wanted to go someplace. Mickey said Jon's done research on the family that built the property, and he told me Jon would happily bend my ear for hours if I was interested in ever hearing it.
"You think he'll like me? They seem to have a lot of money, and I'm just an Army brat. I'm not sure if I'll be his cup of tea…" Jase trailed off. Danny didn't respond because he'd met Jon and he knew the man to be quite cordial. He doubted the young guy would have any problems.
They climbed the stairs to the second floor where Jase led Dan inside a nice-sized apartment. It was clean and furnished with better stuff than Dan had at his small place in Holloway. "I think it's nice. Mickey said if the pool lights aren't on, don’t come down because he and Jon like to skinny dip. He also showed me where the switch was in case I had company and wanted to do the same. Who told him I'm gay?" Jase asked, seeming a little pissed.
Dan laughed. "Easy, tiger. Mickey has the best gaydar I've ever come across. Nobody told him, as far as I know. Hell, we were only speculatin' because the Colonel just said you were one of his daughter's friends. Knowin' the girl is a lesbian, well, I guess we jumped to conclusions. Sorry."
Jase exhaled. "No, don't worry about it. It's for the best, I think, maybe because I've only come out to Savannah and Andy, I'm too sensitive. I think my mom knows but she'd never say it out loud for fear my father would hear and beat me to death. He wanted…no, he insisted I join the Army and do my service, which is an admirable thing for anyone to do if they're so inclined, but it just wasn't…" Jase stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Danny, guilt evident on his face.
"No, no, don't think like that. We all take our own hide to the market, Jason. I don't blame you for not joinin' up if it wasn't somethin' you really wanted to do. I did, but maybe because I wanted to run away from home out of fear of what people would think if they found out who I really am. I don't think I'm afraid of that anymore, but I worry about how it would affect Kayley. She's my priority," he explained.
Jase nodded. "She's also your daughter, Danny. I know she's your niece, but she needs you to be her dad, not just her uncle. The labels we give parents are important. She'll start school in the fall, right? She needs a dad so she doesn't feel like she's missing out on something," the younger man explained.
Danny was struck dumb. He'd never thought about the impact of a stupid label on Kayley, but as he considered the younger man's words, he was pretty sure Jase was right. It would take him a little bit of time to warm up to being a father, which seemed to bring a whole other connotation than being an uncle, but his niece…daughter…deserved the best, and Danny was determined to be that man.
Danny reached for the young man to bring him in closer, looking into his bright blue eyes. "You're right, Jase. Look, I'm sorry I was a part of that shit at the Circle C, okay? You confuse me, and maybe I was cold and standoffish because I'm tryin' to figure you out. I hate it we drove you away because I really wish we coulda gotten to know each other better while you were in town."
The smile from Jase was bright, and it was the first time Dan noticed the dimples…which he immediately wanted to put his tongue in. "We can, um, talk. I have a prepaid cell, but it doesn't get good service. I guess I'll have access to a computer if I'm doing work here like I did for Tim. Do you have one?"
Dan swallowed the lump in his throat and quelled the fear in his stomach. "No, but I'll get one. Can I have your e-mail address? We can e-mail, right? I can call here, but I'm not sure when would be the right time, so maybe you should call my cell. I'll give you my number," Danny suggested, hoping he wasn't making an ass of himself and reading things wrong.
The smile on the tall kid's dimpled face was like a Broadway sign, or so Dan determined, having never actually seen a Broadway sign. New York was one place among many he'd never been, but some day…
As Jase stepped closer to Dan, they heard little feet on the stairs and a banging on the storm door of Jase's new apartment. "Uncle Danny? Jase? It's me, Kayley," she shouted, which made both of them laugh.
"She's subtle," Jase joked.
"Just like me, I guess," Danny responded, bringing laughter from both of them.
Jase opened the door and smiled at the little blonde. "Terry's home and wants to meet Jase. Can you come down or should I go get him? When Mr. Jon and Meggie get home, Mickey said we can swim before supper. He said I could use one of Meggie's suits and you guys could wear shorts. Can we?" she asked with her hands clasped in front of her as if she was praying.
Dan turned to look at Jase and smiled. The guy was as much in love with Kayley as Danny, and in that moment, things didn't seem so horrible. They could get to know each other with phone calls and e-mails…after Dan made Tim set him up with a computer of his own. He'd work on Matt to get over himself and he'd damn well set the other hands straight at the Circle C or he'd…well, he had some ideas about what he'd do. It just might work out.
Dan was in the pool with Meg and Kayley, pulling them around on a two-person raft shaped like a turtle. Jase was in the house with Mickey and Terry, and Jon was on a late conference call with a client.
Dan liked Jon Wells. The man was extremely smart and a good judge of character…if he was smart enough to fall in love with Mickey Warren. Dan had designs on Mickey when he first started working at the Katydid, but he thought him too young at the time. That made him chuckle because he was presently lusting after an eighteen-year-old guy with a dimpled smile and blue eyes. The nine-year’s difference was really eating him alive, though.
"Can we get out? My fingers are prumey, Mr. Dan," Megan requested. She held up her little hands to prove it after she pushed up her purple glasses, and Dan laughed. She was such a sweet, sweet child, much like his own…daughter. Jase was right. She was his daughter now and he'd have to get used to it. He needed to talk to Jon regarding how to make it formal and binding.
"Yeah, girls, let's get out and start to dry off before dinner," he suggested as he pulled the turtle over to the stairs, helping each of them out and placing them on the steps before he heaved the floating beast on the other side of the patio to get it out of the pool.
As he looked at the pool, he rem
embered Jase telling him, "Mickey said if the pool lights aren't on, don’t come down because he and Jon like to skinny dip. He also showed me where the switch was in case I had company and wanted to do the same."
Dan hoped to hell Jase didn't have a reason to turn off the pool lights, but he had no right to ask it of the guy. The kid was eighteen and likely a virgin if his shyness was any indication. The boy had not one aggressive bone in his body, he was sure. Dan needed to step back and give him some breathing room. Jase Langston was too young to settle down, and Dan needed to get it straight in his mind.
Just then, the back door opened and Jase walked out with plates, flatware, and glasses, setting the table on the upper patio off the pool deck. He looked to Dan and winked before he went back inside. Dan got out of the pool and wrapped a large rainbow-striped towel around his waist as he walked over to where Kayley and Meggie were sitting on a chair with towels around them, chattering happily.
"We'll be eatin' in a little bit. You cold? We need to go inside and change into dry clothes?" Dan asked as he sat across from them.
"Oh, no, Mr. Dan," Megan gasped. "After we eat, Poppy sets the timer for us and we wait thirty minutes, then we get back in the pool and play games. It's not cold, and Poppy and Daddy like to play games in the pool with me. Terry does too, so we have to stay in our suits. We'll go to the bathroom and wash our hands, though," she offered as she took Kayley's hand and led her inside the house."
The girl never ceased to amaze Dan. She was a beautiful little girl, and if one discounted her intelligence, they'd be easily and quickly embarrassed by a wrong assessment. She was sharp as a tack.
"I'm not saying we have to fire him, Jonny. I know Ally likes him, but I'm tellin' ya he's wrong about Josie's shoes. Matt knew what she needed, and we never had one problem with her feet when she lived at the Katydid or the Circle C. He's shoeing her wrong," Mickey stated as he walked out the back door with a tray in his hands.
Jase was behind him with another tray, and Jon was carrying two plates. It appeared they were having a feast. Dan walked over to the table and saw it was going to be a picnic-style spread, which was a bit of a relief. Mickey and Jon lived a different life than Dan was used to, and he never knew how to handle it graciously. If it would have been some fancy-type blowout, he didn't want to appear to be too picky.
Danny wasn't fond of seafood, other than crab cakes or fried shrimp, and he wasn't a fan of different ethnic foods, which he knew Jon and Mickey enjoyed. He was a steak and potato kind of guy which made him sound as if he was a pain in the ass, but he hadn’t ever been exposed to some of the things Jon and Mickey ate and he didn’t want to appear ungrateful if it was something he didn’t recognize.
Jon walked over to a large grill and opened the lid, laying out burgers and hot dogs as Mickey and Jase spread out potato salad, coleslaw, sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves, along with a platter of cheese and condiments galore. There was a basket of buns on the table, and everything looked delicious.
"You want a beer, Danny?" Mickey asked.
"Yeah, please," he responded as he watched Jase spreading out the plates and utensils, along with cloth napkins.
When Mickey returned with four beers, Dan was a bit puzzled. Who's that…" he pointed.
Jon laughed. "Seems the man I love is determined to commit a few misdemeanors with our new employee. I might be an officer of the court, but I'm not gonna turn myself in for aiding and abetting."
"Oh. Yeah, I guess if you're old enough to die for your country, you should be able to have a beer or two," Dan replied, remembering some Army buddies who bought him beers before shit went south in his Army career.
Terrence came rushing out of the house and walked up to Jon with his phone in hand. "It's three-two, Chelsea over Manchester. You wanna up the bet?" the boy asked with a smirk on his dark face.
Dan glanced to see Jase smile. He was happy to see there wouldn't be trouble regarding the people living at the farm. He wondered what they were doing wrong at the Circle C. Everyone seemed to love Rocky, who was a newcomer, so why didn't they accept Jason?
They all settled at the large glass and metal table to enjoy the meal. Dan watched as Mickey and Jase set up the girls with food. Terry had put this phone away and was asking about inviting a friend over the next day to swim while Jon approvingly watched the family in action. Dan grinned as he watched them, feeling something settle in his heart that he could only assume was yearning…longing for the same for himself.
"Okay, let's carry the plates inside and then, we'll play the memory game until our food settles before we take one last swim before bed, alright?" Mickey announced.
Dan was surprised to see Kayley and Megan wiggle down from their booster seats with the help from Jase as they all start grabbing up dishes to carry inside. As Jon was about to help, Dan walked around the table and stopped him. "Can I talk to ya? I need some legal advice."
"Sure, Dan. We can go into my office," Jon offered.
"Naw, let's just get a beer and go sit at that other table over there. I'm pretty sure what I want ain't gonna be too hard, but I need it done pretty quick," he stated, feeling it was the right thing to do.
Jon went to the outdoor fridge and grabbed two Buds, opening them and tossing the caps in the recycle before he nodded toward a table on the other side of the pool for Dan to take a seat.
After they were both comfortable, Jon smiled. "What can I do for ya, Dan?"
Danny took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I want to adopt Kayley so nobody can take her away from me. I'll be named her guardian after my mother dies, but I don't want to take any chances. I was able to talk my Aunt Rae outta takin' her to raise, but I'm worried somebody might decide I'm not the right person to look after her, and they'd try to separate us. I don't want that to happen."
Jon nodded. "Okay, tell me how you came to have custody of Kayley at the moment."
Dan could tell the man was wearing his lawyer hat, so he cut to the chase, telling Jon the story from his sister's demise to his mother taking Kayley and then finding out about her cancer. He told him his mother was actually in hospice care, and he didn't know what to expect when she passed. He told him about Zach and stated he didn't want his brother to have a change of heart and come after Kayley because he hadn't really been around for the girl, ending with, "Mom and me were raisin' her before Mom got sick. I want it settled in stone, okay?" he told the lawyer.
"Why do you think your brother would go after custody of Kayley?" Jon asked.
Dan chuckled. "He knows I'm gay and right now he's fine with it because he's got a new job and a girlfriend to occupy his time. I don't want 'em comin' at me in a year after they decide they need to rescue Kayley from the queer uncle with bad intentions. I'm not a mother, but I can be a father, and I think one good parent is better than none," he reasoned.
Jon reached over and took his hand, which surprised him but it calmed his nerves. "This isn't hard, Dan. I can draw up the petition and we can get this done, likely by the end of the year, but you'll have to have home visits just like me and Mick. We've petitioned to adopt the kids and our lawyer is telling us it'd be easier if we got married. We're fighting about it," Jon explained which made Dan laugh.
"Who wants to and who doesn't?" Dan asked with a chuckle.
"I want to, but Mickey doesn't believe me because of some shit I used to say about marriage being a hetero thing. Until we became caretakers of those two beautiful kids, I had no idea how important a commitment could be, but Mickey still laughs at me about it.
"Audrey, my best friend, is our lawyer so she's filed separate petitions for me to become Megan's parent and Mick to become Terry's. The one that's giving her fits is Terry's if you can believe it. A white man raising a black teen seems to be giving one of our social worker's, whose actually bi-racial herself, some pause.
"We have surprise social workers at the house all the damn time, it seems. They're like secret agents, but we know it's for the benefit of our children so we e
ndure it," Jon finished.
Something suddenly dawned on Dan. "Oh! That's why you're putting Jase up in the carriage house? I get it now. Is that what's goin' on with Matt and Tim regarding Rocky?"
Jon smirked. "I can't talk about my clients." His head, however, was nodding like a bobble head doll.
"I wish to hell they'd have told any of us the truth. They made it seem like they didn't trust Jase to stay at the ranch with two adolescent boys, and I think everybody jumped to the wrong conclusion. Fuck! They think the kid's some sort of pervert or somethin'. I'm gonna kill Matt when I get home," Dan said out loud.
Jon laughed. "Maybe don't kill him, but you can rough him up a bit. Mickey talked to Tim, and we know what's going on at the Circle C. Tim's pissed at Matt, and I'm not taking a position on the matter, but my partner, well, he has his own opinions.
"You, however, have feelings for young Jason, right?" Jon asked.
Dan was caught off guard, but he couldn't really lie. He hated the position he'd found himself in, but he was determined to be honest about it. "I'm afraid I've lost my soul to him, but for fuck's sake, he's eighteen. How the hell do I deal with that?" Dan asked quietly.
Jon chuckled. "How many years?"
"About nine. I can't go fallin' in love with a guy who's nine years younger than me, Jon," he harped as the back door opened.
When the attorney laughed, Dan turned from looking at the pool area where Mickey, Jase, and Terry were sitting with the girls to play a game. "Mickey is ten years younger than me, and while he was older when we started our life together, it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me, Dan. Yeah, he's young, but how would you feel if he found somebody else?" Jon asked. That was yet another question Dan Johnson wasn't really ready to address head on.
Chapter Eight
Loving the Broken Man (The Cowboys of Katydid Farm Book 3) Page 7