by Andrew Grey
Brodie understood now. “If he wants to grow, he needs more water.”
Aunt Rita nodded. “It’s going to come to the point that eventually he’s not going to have the water he needs to keep himself going as he is. Your cousin isn’t cautious with his resources. If he were, he’d have built better water-use methods into the ranch. He hasn’t because a water shortage would ‘never happen to him.’” She did a pretty good imitation of his cousin.
“That sounds like my cousin.” Brodie smiled and got up to check on Emily. “What are you doing?” Brodie asked when he found her sitting up in bed.
“Do!” she said forcefully, and Brodie picked her up. “Do.” She squirmed, and as soon as he let her down, she hurried after the dogs. Brodie followed her and scooped her back up, returned to the kitchen, and held her on his lap.
Aunt Rita cleared the table and poured more coffee, then sat back down. She seemed to be watching both of them, and Brodie did his best to behave, even though Ky kept drawing his gaze, and more than once, Brodie found him looking back. “What are we going to do about Jacob?” she asked Ky.
“Stay away from him. I have no intention of selling.” Ky’s jaw was set, and his eyes grew even darker.
“You know he’s only going to keep spreading rumors about you. That man still has a bee in his bonnet. Courts be damned.” She sipped more of her coffee. “I heard him spouting last week that he was going to try suing you for civil damages. Like that was going to work.” She rolled her eyes in a way worthy of any teenager.
“I can’t afford something like that,” Ky said. “Though that’s what I’m guessing he’s betting on.”
“The original case was dismissed, and the judge chastised the sheriff and the prosecutor for bringing a case with so little merit. If it was close, he might have had a chance, but this wasn’t that at all. What he’s doing is trying to make some noise and get support for his ridiculousness.” She took another sip of her coffee. “And what, may I ask, does your cousin want with you?”
“Emily,” Brodie answered flatly before he could stop himself. “When I showed up, they were nice enough for a few days, and they said they’d help us. To them that meant they practically whisked Emily away and said that I could work on the ranch. They would give me a place in the bunkhouse, and Chandra would love to take care of Emily.” Brodie swallowed hard.
“Is that why you ended up camping in the woods?” Ky asked, and Brodie nodded.
“I had to get Emily away from them. They were going to let me work, but when I wanted to see Emily, she was sleeping, or Chandra was taking her to town for clothes, or they were going out to dinner. I couldn’t let them steal her. So I said that I wanted to spend some time with her, take her to the park, but we took off instead. I had to get her fed, and I figured we could stay in the woods for a day or so until I could get away.” He sighed and lowered his gaze, tears welling in his eyes. “I couldn’t let them just take her away, and I know that was what they wanted to do. Every time Chandra looked at Emily, I could see how she wanted to take her.” He lifted his gaze. “I just couldn’t let her go. Chandra the pole dancer is not going to raise my sister.”
“Of course you couldn’t,” Aunt Rita said. “Personally, I wouldn’t let Chandra raise a goat or a mule, let alone a baby. That woman is….” She shivered and then smiled. “Pole dancer.” She must have just gotten it, because she chuckled. “I always thought that there was something off about her, and now I get it. Pole dancer is about right.” She put her hand over her mouth. “It’s unchristian to talk that way, but….”
“Oh, give it up, Aunt Rita,” Ky said. “When the shoe fits—or in this case, if the pole fits in their bedroom—you just gotta go with it.” He laughed outright.
“Well, all I can say is that you did the right thing.” She leaned forward to grin at Emily. “Don’t think I’ve changed my mind on all this gay business, because I haven’t. Maybe we can agree to disagree on this one.”
Brodie figured that was a win as far as Ky was concerned and just let it go.
“But that little girl does not deserve to be raised by Jacob Tyler and his pole-dancing wife.” She was clearly enthralled with the idea. She stood and leaned close to Emily. “You be good for your brother and Ky. Okay? I’ll come back, and you and I can have some more girl time.”
Emily grinned and reached for Aunt Rita’s glasses. Thankfully, Aunt Rita was fast enough that Emily couldn’t get hold of them.
“Thank you for looking after her, Aunt Rita,” Ky said, getting up to walk her out.
Now that Brodie had eaten and had had plenty to drink, fatigue caught up with him, and he figured that maybe it was time for him and Emily to take a nap. After getting her something to drink, he put her on the bed. Emily fussed for a few minutes and fell to sleep with Misty near her and Prince sprawled at the foot of the bed. King lay on the floor, and Brodie figured that there wasn’t going to be room for him, so he went to the living room and settled on the sofa.
“What are you doing?” Brodie asked as Ky brought in his boots and began pulling them on.
“There’s always work to be done. Stay in here and rest. I have some chores that have to be finished.” Ky patted his shoulder as he passed, and Brodie thought he could get used to those kinds of small touches. He figured that to Ky they were just normal by the casual way he did it, but to Brodie, well, he was starting to crave them.
His gaze followed Ky as he left, and then Brodie turned on the television to watch reruns and doze off. He didn’t want to sleep too much or too long, because he wanted to be sure to hear Emily when she woke. After napping for a little while, he sat up, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and went to check on Emily, who was still sound asleep. All three dogs lifted their heads to blink at him, as if to say that they had this. It was sweet, and those dogs were really taken with her.
Brodie left the room with the door open, returned to the living room, and put his feet up. He felt a little like a slacker. Ky was out working, and so was Ben. He had to be here with Emily, but he still felt he should be doing something to contribute, though he wasn’t exactly sure what.
Emily began to cry, and he hurried in and lifted her off the bed. “Did you have a good nap?” Brodie changed her full diaper and then got her something to drink before sitting her down with him and finding something kid-appropriate on television. The dogs all filed in, with Misty taking her place on the sofa. If Ky thought these dogs were still his, Brodie figured he was mistaken.
C hapter Five
Ky was exhausted. Between the heat and the chores, he was wiped out, but at least he had made some headway. Of course, now that the day’s outdoor work was done, the office and paperwork called to him. Still, he could do that in the comfort of air-conditioning. He made a pass through the barn to make sure Ben didn’t need anything and found him sitting quietly, fixing some of the old tack. Ky left him alone and headed inside.
The kitchen smelled amazing. “What is that?”
“A potato casserole that Mom used to make. It has potato shreds, sausage, cheese, and of course, cream of chicken soup, because that, or cream of mushroom, goes in every casserole known to man. It should be ready to go in about ten minutes.”
“Where did you find the stuff?” Ky hadn’t remembered having those things in the house.
“Aunt Rita called after you left and asked if we needed anything. I told her about this, and she got me the ingredients.” Brodie grinned. “I think your aunt likes me. And I think part of her church-lady schtick is just that. She thinks that’s how she has to act, so she does.” He shrugged and then leaned closer. “I gave her a beer when she returned, and good God, you’d have thought it was manna from heaven. She drank it down like she was dying of thirst and then burped like a sailor.”
Ky rolled his eyes in disbelief. “You’re kidding me. Aunt Rita doesn’t drink, just like she doesn’t smoke or even swear.” Brodie had to be putting him on, and he laughed as he got plates and silverware out.
“She likes people to think she’s all straitlaced and uptight, but she’s a hoot, and she thinks I’m really cute. She told me if she were twenty years younger and I played for her team, she’d whisk me off to Paris. But since none of that is true, she and I talked some more, and I plied her with the last of your beer.”
Ky went into the living room and peered out the front window. “Why is her car still here?”
“Because after three beers, she began slurring her words and I had her lie down for a while.” Brodie grinned big-time, and Ky had no words. None.
“You’re telling me—” He blinked and gaped. “—that my church-lady aunt is sleeping one off somewhere in the house?” Now that was something that didn’t happen every day.
“It was three beers, and she was a little tired. I told her to lie down for a little bit and she’d feel better.” Brodie finished setting the table. “She’ll be fine in a little while. Her hair has been tied so tight for so long that she needed to let it down a little bit. So she and I had a nice talk while you were working, and I told her I’d make her dinner and handed her a beer, then another… and well, you get the picture.”
“The woman is a bird, and after three beers….” Ky couldn’t help laughing. “You got my aunt Rita drunk.”
“I don’t think it’s the first time. What I do think is that your aunt is lonely and needs her nephew to take more of an interest in including her, and second… she needs to find herself someone nice who will care for her and be a good companion.” Brodie seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
“You want me to try to set her up with men? Aunt Rita?” There was no way on God’s green earth that was going to happen.
Brodie rolled his eyes again. “No. But your aunt is different after a few beers. I’m just saying that there’s more to her than just being a church lady or your aunt.”
“And you know this because…?”
Brodie shrugged. “I gave her a few beers and let her talk.” He acted as though the answer was obvious. The timer went off, and Brodie got up and pulled the casserole out of the oven. “Would you go wake her? She should be feeling better and will need something to eat.”
Ky’s own belly rumbled as the scent filled the room.
“I’ll get everything ready here if you go wake your aunt and let Ben know that dinner is ready.”
Ky wasn’t sure if he wanted to smack or kiss that smug look off Brodie’s face. He pushed the idea out of his head, because the more he thought about it, the better the idea of kissing it away sounded. And as much as the idea of kissing Brodie—and more—appealed to him, Ky knew it wasn’t a good idea. The last time he’d done something like that, someone had died.
Ky turned away and went to his room. He found his aunt on his bed under a throw blanket, sound asleep, sawing logs. “Aunt Rita,” he said gently. “Aunt Rita, dinner is ready.”
“Oh,” she said, her eyes sliding open. “I guess I was a little more tired than I thought.” It seemed the church lady was sliding back into place, or at least she was trying to.
“Yeah. Three beers will do that to you,” he told her. “Come on. Join us for dinner and you’ll feel even better.” He waited as she stood.
“If you tell anyone…,” she began in her sternest tone.
“Your secret is safe with me, and just for the record, you can come over here and have a beer any time you like. You can even swear and take the Lord’s name in vain if you want, and none of us will ever mention it.” He grinned, thinking maybe now that he was getting a glimpse of the real person under the façade, they might actually come to see things each other’s way.
“You’re a good nephew,” she told him, and checked herself in the mirror, straightening her blouse and making sure that her hair was just the way she wanted it. Ky could almost see her getting all wound up once again.
“And you need to learn to be who you really are,” Ky told her. “Oh, and Brodie thinks that we need to set about finding you a man.”
His aunt shook her head and scoffed. “That’s the last thing I need. Someone to boss me around and tell me what I should do at my own spread? No thank you.” She turned away from the mirror. Her eyes seemed to have turned to stone. “Maybe I could just find me a man for sex,” she said as she left the room.
Ky groaned. What the hell had Brodie done to his aunt, and why couldn’t someone have done it years ago? He really liked this version of her.
He headed to the kitchen and took a place at the table.
“Aunt Rita, sit down,” Brodie said brightly, and brought her a plate. Emily already had some of the potato casserole in a small bowl and was eating heartily. She always seemed to have such a good appetite.
“This is really g-good,” Ben said.
Brodie dished himself up some, then got out the salad and fresh fruit from the refrigerator and gave Emily a few pieces of melon.
“Was this something your mother made?” Aunt Rita asked.
“She used to make it for holiday breakfasts.” He grew quiet, and Ky turned to his aunt, then back to Brodie. He knew that meant that Brodie was brooding about something. Brodie talked a lot. It was part of his personality, and even after this short time, Ky knew that quiet meant worry.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do to grow the ranch?” Aunt Rita asked him. “You have plenty of land, but you’re going to need to grow if you want to survive.”
Ky nodded. “Right now I have all I can handle. Between Ben and me, we’re barely able to do all that needs to be done.” He knew he needed to determine how he could make some more money.
“Lilly Meyer is looking for a place to board a few of her horses,” Aunt Rita said. “And your barn is mostly empty. “I’ll talk to her. Ben, do you think you could manage with more horses?”
Ky already knew Ben’s answer, because the man loved horses above all else.
“But what will Lilly say?” He’d purposely kept pretty much to himself to stay out of Jacob’s way.
“She’ll listen to me over Jacob Tyler. There’s no love lost between the Tylers and the Meyers. Like I said, I’ll talk to her. You’ll need to fix up the paddocks and the old riding ring, but I think that’s something maybe Brodie can help you with.” She leaned over to Emily. “And I can watch this little one for you.” She smiled, but there was no joy in it. Ky was aware that his aunt had never been able to have children, and now he realized how much she’d wanted them.
“Don’t you have your own work to do?” Brodie asked.
“I guess. But it will be nice to be around a little one sometimes. Don’t you worry.” She grinned.
Ky actually smiled as he realized that he was getting part of his family back. The whole incident and trial had really done a number on him. He hadn’t realized just how deeply he’d dug himself into a hole until he started to pull himself out.
Aunt Rita ate a little more, slowly finishing her dinner. She drank her coffee and then said good night. “I’ll have Lilly call you.” She patted Brodie on the shoulder and then kissed his cheek before breezing out of the house.
“Wh-wh-what did you d-do to her?” Ben asked. “She’s….” He seemed at a loss for words, and Ky was flabbergasted as well.
“Apparently the two of them were drinking together and they bonded or something.” He was still trying to figure it out.
“She had a couple beers, and I think it loosened her up. She started talking, and I let her.” Brodie turned his attention to his plate and then to Emily. He refused to look at either of them.
“What else did you do? Feed her pot brownies or something?” Ky was pulling at straws, but it was the only explanation he could come up with.
“Really? I have three bucks to my name. How am I going to get pot? Secondly, how do you know about things like that? I think there’s a story there. And third, I did something most men don’t know about or even have a clue how to do—I listened.” Brodie shook his head. “You big, strong, silent cowboy types have no idea how much grief you could sav
e yourselves if you’d just listen and maybe talk a little more. She just wanted someone to listen.” He looked at Ky like he was dense for about two seconds, then grinned. “And the alcohol didn’t hurt either.” Maybe Ky should have tried that years ago. It could have saved him a ton of woes. “Your aunt was always on your side and she always knew you were innocent. It was the gay thing that bothered her. Maybe it always will, I don’t know. But talking to her helped.” Brodie started taking care of the dishes, and Ky tried to get his head around the fact that Brodie had somehow upended everything he thought he knew about his aunt and that in the end he’d come out with an ally.
Ky returned to eating his dinner as Emily decided she was done and banged on her tray. Brodie thankfully cleaned her up before she made too big a mess and got her out of the chair. The dogs had already scrambled to clean up any bits of food that might have gone astray.
Maybe Ky was the one who needed a drink.
“Is Emily asleep?” Ky asked once the house was quiet. Ben had retired to his part of the house, and Ky had finished his paperwork, or at least what he could before his eyes began to cross. He hated that part of the job, but it had to be done, and the business needed to be properly managed. Ky wondered how his mother had done it all those years. Growing up, his father had run the cattle and horses, and his mother had taken care of the house and kept the books. Sometimes he pulled down the old ledgers just to see the neat rows of numbers in her very familiar handwriting. Ky had transferred everything to computer now, but it was still a pain in the ass.
“Yes. Can I ask you why all the swearing a while ago?” Brodie sat down next to him on the sofa.