by Andrew Grey
Brodie stood, placing his hand on Ky’s shoulder. “It isn’t that I don’t want to.” He waited as Ky turned around. “Being with you is special, and there are times when I have to stop myself from jumping your bones. But I can’t just….”
Ky nodded. “I understand. There has to be a time for work and a time for play.” He opened the file and looked over the deed once again. Brodie did the same, reading down past the basic description of the land.
“Ky,” Brodie said, excitedly, reading the passage in the original language once again. “Is that what I think it is?” He blinked, and Ky grinned.
“That answers a number of questions, doesn’t it?” The glint in Ky’s eyes broke down the last of Brodie’s willpower. Ky set the documents aside and kissed him hard. “Now can we go to bed?” Ky was already guiding Brodie toward the door. It seemed work was truly done for the night.
Brodie supposed herd records could wait.
C hapter Eleven
“Don’t you dare stop,” Brodie said.
Ky didn’t even take the time to wonder if what had preceded that wasn’t some of the weirdest sex talk in the history of man. All he knew was that Brodie was so into him that he had been babbling for the last few minutes about anything that came to mind, his head rolling back and forth on the pillow. And those eyes, intense and bright, bore into him as he slid deep into Brodie’s intense heat.
“Darlin’, I have no intention of stopping for any reason,” Ky whispered before taking Brodie’s lips and tugging on them with his, rolling his hips. Ky loved the way Brodie wrapped his arms around him so tightly. It was like he was afraid Ky was going to try to get away, which Ky had no intention of doing. This place was right where he wanted to be, and now with Brodie and Emily, he had the family that he’d always wanted.
“That’s it, oh God.” Brodie did this thing with his toes. They flicked softly. At first Ky had wondered about it, but now he knew it was his big toes moving back and forth, a telltale sign that his lover, the man who had captured his heart practically from the day he’d found him in that damned orange tent, was about to lose control in the best way possible. “Cowboy… I….”
Brodie had taken to referring to him like that a few times, but this was the first time in bed.
“I know. Maybe next time I’ll wear my hat when I ride you.” He had meant to tease, but Brodie gasped and clenched around him as his climax seemed to barrel into him, full force, within seconds. Ky grinned and sank inward for a second, letting his own release take hold and wash over him.
“I think you found my kink,” Brodie whispered a few minutes later as Ky settled on the bed next to him.
“What, me taking my hat to bed?’ He nuzzled Brodie’s neck. “That gets your motor running?” Even in the dim light from the nightlight in the hall in case Emily needed them, he could see that Brodie was turning deep red. “Darlin’, whatever makes you happy—as long as it involves me, I’ll do my darndest to make happen.” He held Brodie in the dark and closed his eyes just as Emily screamed at the top of her lungs, all three dogs barking like crazy.
Ky was out of bed and down the hall without even thinking that he was still naked. Brodie hurried past him in a pair of boxers. Calming shushes followed, and then Brodie emerged with Emily on his shoulder, rocking slowly.
“What happened?” Ky asked as he pulled on his pants.
“I’m not sure. Something really scared her, but I’m don’t know if it was just a nightmare of some kind.” He continued calming her as Ky went to the front door to have a look outside. Prince and King bounded out past him, barking up a storm as they took off away from the house. He wasn’t sure if there was a person or an animal out there, but the dogs came trotting back a few minutes later. Ky went back inside and gave each of the dogs a treat, including Misty for staying near Emily.
“Was someone out there?” Brodie asked, lightly rubbing Emily’s back.
“I’m not sure. The dogs chased them away if there was.” Ky took a good look at Emily, her tear tracks drying on her face. “Let’s put her back to bed, and we can take a look around in the morning. The doors are locked, and the dogs are keyed up enough that they’ll alert us if anything happens.” Ky figured anxiety would keep him up after this too.
Still, they got Emily back to sleep, and Ky took Brodie to bed and rubbed his back until he fell asleep. Ky joined him in slumber at some point during the night.
Ky was up early. He made some rounds around the house, but he didn’t find anything that explained the goings-on of the night before. Still, there might have been footsteps around the house. It was difficult to tell. Whatever it was left no real signs behind, and Ky got breakfast going so it would be ready when Brodie and Emily got up.
“Is there coffee?” Aunt Rita asked just as he was starting a pot. She must have used the key she’d had for years and breezed in the back door like she’d been up for hours. “I had dinner last night with a few friends. You remember Violet and Christie? It was a nice enough dinner, though Christie could burn water, I swear. Still, I was able to pass on the information that you asked me to, and it seems the ladies were very interested.” She sat down at the table, and Ky handed her a mug once the coffee was done.
“Will they be able to trace it back to us?”
Aunt Rita looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Do you think I was born yesterday? I told them that I had been told the information in confidence, but that I wasn’t sure if it was true. They ate it up like a starving man gorges on a buffet. It’ll get passed on sure enough. So be extra careful around here, and we’ll see if our little trap doesn’t catch us something.”
“Morning,” Brodie said as he came in, his feet dragging, before slumping into a chair. “Emily’s still asleep.”
Ky handed him some coffee.
“Teething?” Aunt Rita asked.
“That and something scared her last night. Ky let the dogs out, and they took off after something.” Brodie sipped his coffee. “Did you tell her what we found?”
Ky shook his head and sat down. “In the office last night, we found all of the original paperwork for the ranch, including the deed, which has an interesting stipulation. It seems that the original deed, the one that was written up to incorporate the main portion of the original ranch, allows for the construction of a dam not to exceed twelve feet, for the purposes of irrigation. It gives a location, which is the perfect place to build one.” Ky sat down as Aunt Rita’s lips worked slowly without making a sound.
“Holy shit,” she whispered. “That’s why Jacob is so intent on getting the land. I bet he found a copy in the county records or something. He could use that deed restriction as long-granted and grandfathered permission to build a dam. He’d regulate the flow of water off the land, but he’d have all the water he needed.” She leaned closer. “You could build the dam if you wanted.”
“No, I don’t need it. Obviously it was something that my great-grandfather wanted, but it was never built. But Jacob would have no such compunction. He’d build the dam, flood part of the land, and then use it to control everyone downstream. They’d all be at his mercy, and when times got dry, he’d be the one to dole out the water.” Ky shook his head. “Can you imagine the kind of asshole he’d be? The other ranchers would sue, then the government would get involved, and it would be years before anything was worked out. And in the meantime, Jacob would simply buy out the other ranches because they couldn’t afford to fight any longer. One by one, the suits would be dropped, Jacob would have his lake, and that would be it.”
“That explains why he wants the ranch so badly,” Aunt Rita agreed. “And why if he can make your life hard enough, he hopes to just buy you out.”
Brodie swore under his breath. “I knew I hated that man.”
“I wonder how long he’s known?” Aunt Rita asked.
Ky was about to ask the same thing when Brodie jumped up and hurried out of the room. The door to the office squeaked a little, and Ky shared a look with Aunt Rita. Brod
ie returned and placed some papers on the table.
“I found these too. I wasn’t sure what they were, so I set them aside. They were from Jacob to your mother.” Brodie handed them to him.
Ky looked them over, unable to believe what he was seeing. “He was trying to buy the ranch while he had me in jail for something I didn’t do? Get her to sell so she could pay my legal bills?”
Aunt Rita nodded.
He was so angry. “You knew?”
“About the offer? Yes. And that your mother told him to take it and shove it up his ass. Literally. She didn’t know where she was going to get the money, but she was going to keep her son and her ranch.” Aunt Rita took his hand, and Brodie placed one on his leg. Ky had never felt so supported in his life. “She did it, though.” Aunt Rita squeezed his hand. “Your mother and father were good people, the best, and they wanted a future for you. So don’t you dare think of giving in to that old ass for a second.”
Ky smiled. “I’m not.” Then he took Brodie’s hand. “We’re not. Instead, we’re going to nail his ass to the wall.” Jacob Tyler had caused enough pain for all of them.
“It will be okay,” Brodie told him before getting up and banging pans on the stove. “I’m tired of Jacob having a say in our lives. Every time we turn around, there he is, calling child services, trying to buy the ranch, hurting Ky.” He set the pans aside and wrapped his arms around Ky’s chest. “I just want him gone, and I want you. The rest doesn’t matter.”
“But it does. I want us to have a home and some safety. I want to be able to take you out to dinner without people trying to feed us garbage, and….” Ky’s feelings were way too close to the surface, and his instinct was to get out before they overwhelmed him. But Brodie held him tightly.
“Then that’s what we’ll do… if that’s what you want.” Brodie released his hold and stepped around in front of him. “Sometimes you just have to say what you want.” He held Ky’s gaze. “You took me in when I had nothing, and at first I wondered if you were just feeling sorry for me. But that isn’t you. Ky Archer doesn’t act out of pity. You act because you do what’s right. And I was so scared. Still am.”
Ky wanted to wipe away the fear that darkened Brodie’s eyes. “Why?”
“Because I have nothing to offer you.” Brodie looked around. “You have this ranch and family, and I have nothing to bring to you.”
“Except what I really want.” Ky drew Brodie to him, holding him tightly. “I want you and Emily here. I love both of you. I want to try to make this work.” He clamped his eyes closed and tightened his hold even more. “But I don’t want all of Jacob’s rumors and guilt hanging over your head and our lives. This has to come to an end, for your sake, for my sake, and for Emily. We deserve to be able to build a life where we’re all safe.” He held Brodie’s gaze. “You deserve that.”
Aunt Rita cleared her throat. “I’m going to check on Emily.” She hurried out of the room, and Ky groaned as he rested his head against Brodie’s chest.
“Do you think we scared your aunt?” Brodie seemed kind of tickled.
“Well, she didn’t run screaming out of the house, so that’s progress.” Ky smoothed the hair out of Brodie’s eyes. They were going to need haircuts or pretty soon no one was going to be able to tell them from the dogs.
“Your aunt isn’t the stick-in-the-mud we thought she was. Aunt Rita’s cool.” Brodie held Ky tighter.
“She is. She got the rumor mill buzzing, and now I think we just need to wait to see if shaking the trees actually bears us some fruit.” Ky released Brodie as Aunt Rita came back out with Emily in her arms.
“I changed her, and I think this one is ready for something to eat.” She put Emily in her seat, and Brodie got her some juice.
Ky knew he had plenty of work to do, but he sat in one of the chairs, wondering if he dared hope that this little group could actually become his family. He hadn’t had much luck on a personal level, and whenever he thought he might have found someone to share his life, it had been ripped away. He only hoped that didn’t happen again.
Ky had no idea how long they were going to have to wait or if anything was going to happen at all. Apparently the rumor had spread like wildfire, just like they had hoped it would. Ky was determined that they should do things they normally did, so the plan was to go out for dinner. Ruth had invited them out to the restaurant specifically because of the issues he and Brodie had had previously, and they figured they would take Emily this time. She needed to get out of the house as well. Sort of a family night out.
One thing that surprised Ky was how much longer it took to do anything when they needed to get Emily ready to go. Still, they were in Ky’s car with Emily’s strapped into her car seat in back.
“Do…,” she kept saying as they got her inside.
“No, sweetheart. The dogs can’t come, but they’ll be here when we get back.” She sounded like she was going to cry as they pulled out of the ranch drive. Brodie got her singing songs, and soon she was happy and singing along.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Ruth said once they were seated. “It seems quite a bit has changed since the last time you were in.”
“We’ll see,” Ky told her, pleased that their little story was gaining traction.
“Never liked Jacob Tyler anyway.” She filled their water glasses, and Brodie handed Emily a sippy cup. “I always figured it was only a matter of time before the truth came out.” She took their drink orders and left them alone to look over the menu.
People really were believing what they had started, and that had to be getting under Jacob’s skin. But Ky knew how snakes reacted, and they were going to need to be careful or else they’d get bit.
When their server, Martin, came to take their orders, he introduced himself and was extremely professional, polite, and efficient, leaving the table just as Jacob came in with Chandra. They were shown to a table at the other side of the dining room.
“Did you see who’s here?” Brodie asked.
Ky nodded. “Ignore them and let’s just enjoy our dinner.” He refused to even look their way, instead devouring his salad when Martin brought it, along with the fresh rolls.
“It’s difficult,” Brodie told him just above a whisper, then turned to give Emily a few pieces of his roll. “They’re right in my line of sight and… yes… I think Chandra just saw that we’re here. God, I hope she doesn’t….” Brodie sighed.
“Hello,” Chandra said as she stood next to Emily’s high chair. “Hi, sweetheart.” She bent down to Emily, who squawked and tossed a piece of roll at Chandra. It hit her and seemed to disappear into her ample cleavage. Ky pretended not to see. “You didn’t need to leave like that. I was just trying to take care of this little one.” She tried again, and Emily whined and tried to squirm away.
“It’s okay. Miss Chandra is being nice.” Brodie tried to soothe her, but she kept reaching for Brodie. “Thanks for coming over. Emily has been fussy all day—she’s teething.” He handed Emily the sippy cup, and she drank from it.
Ky gave Chandra a smile, and thankfully she went back over toward her own table. “That was interesting and strange,” Ky commented.
“As much as I don’t like her, I guess I feel sorry for her too. She’s married to my cousin, and maybe she’d be nice if everything about her wasn’t associated with him. I don’t know.”
Ky nodded, but not because he agreed. People were who they were as far as he was concerned. What struck him was how kind Brodie was, and that touched his heart. A lot of people in this world, like Brodie’s cousin, had no heart.
“Let’s just have our dinner.” He put a cracker from the bread basket on Emily’s tray, and she tried to shove the entire thing in her mouth at once. “And do our best to ignore them.”
“I am, but…,” Brodie began to blush. “They’re talking with someone at the next table and… they just turned away.” Brodie smiled and lowered his gaze. “Jacob is turning red, and the people at the next table are pointed
ly ignoring him. Now he’s looking over at us.” He took another bite before adding a piece of cucumber to Emily’s tray. “Jacob is really mad, and I think Chandra’s trying to calm him down, but I don’t think it’s working.”
Ky hazarded a glance, and Jacob did indeed seem like he was ready to explode. He stood and tossed his napkin on the table, storming out, with Chandra placing some money on the table and following behind. Now it was Ky’s turn to feel sorry for her.
“Thank you for dinner… and the floor show,” Brodie said with a chuckle as he buckled Emily into her car seat. She was probably going to be sound asleep before they reached the ranch. While Brodie finished and then slid into the passenger seat, Ky got the engine started and the air-conditioning working. “It was nice, though it was a shame Ruth didn’t have a few minutes to talk.”
Ky nodded as he backed out of the parking space. “She said she was a person short in the kitchen, so she was trying to help out.” He couldn’t help remembering how steamed Jacob had been. “I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to know what got Jacob so angry.”
“I can only guess,” Brodie said. “That’s the thing about rumors and public sentiment—the wind that blows one direction one day can switch the next.” He rested his hand on Ky’s thigh, heat spreading from the touch. “I suppose now we just have to wait.”
“Yes. Maybe nothing will come of it after all. He can be as angry as he wants, but that doesn’t mean he’ll do anything about it.”
Brodie hummed softly. “I think he’s been eaten up with guilt and remorse. After all, he lost his son, and you don’t just get over something like that. It stays with you and eats away at your soul. He can tell the world and himself whatever lies he wants, but the truth is still there and it won’t go away. Just like Jacob can tell his lies about you all over town, but that doesn’t mean you’re the man he describes. He can say what he wants, but you’re still you, and his talk and lies don’t change that.”