“Jesus Chandler, he can get you benched from games for that shit!”
“He needs to worry about catching a psycho running around campus that’s blackmailing women, not an angry football player who was rude for two minutes.”
JJ interrupts, whispering, “Shhh!” And then glances around at each of our teammates suiting up to make sure no one overheard us.
“Why should I be quiet? I’ve already thought it over. If he wants to get me in trouble for any of it, I’ll go to the media. I’ve sat by and waited just like he told us to do three days ago and then he goes and fucks it all up!”
“I get it that you’re upset man,” I try to reason a little with him. “Hell, we all are, but you need to calm down.” Stratton will have his pants in a wad if he gets wind that we’re caught up in this mess, so close to the bowl.
“Seriously, Owens?” Chan growls. “I’ve spent nearly every waking moment that I’m not at practice with these two women, and now they’re terrified that he’s going to come for them or post the videos all over the place. It’s my fault for getting them to steal the stuff in the first place. I should’ve turned that phone in to the police when I had the chance, and then they’d already have him.”
“I’m sorry they’re freaking out, and I can see that you’ve clearly started to care for them, both of them, but this is their fight, not yours. It may make me sound like a dick, but you’re already doing enough by being around to protect them and help them stand up to Briggs. You should be proud man, not beating yourself up about it all. You did the right thing, we all did.”
JJ claps him on the back. “You need to let the cops do their job, C.”
With a few deep breaths, Chandler nods. “I’ll try to calm down, but it’s all wrong. Practice should help, I hope anyway. I don’t like feeling as if I’m helpless and right now I’m basically twirling my thumbs like an asshole.”
“I know man, I know. You can tackle some of the second strings to help get it all out.”
It’s the only way that I know how to help him. I’ve never dealt with this sort of thing before, but I also know that it’s not good for Chandler to be losing his shit after he’s done nothing but support the chicks and try to get some sort of justice. We have at least five games left, and I need him one hundred percent in all of them.
Pulling my phone free, I send a text to Kadence.
Me: Don’t forget to pack your bags for tomorrow.
Pretty Girl: Are we leaving right after the game again?
Me: Yes.
Pretty Girl: I can’t wait. I love you.
Me: I love you.
At least one good thing came from today—the knowledge that I’ll be with Kadence tomorrow.
Pulling up to the ranch, I’m so happy to be here again and that the guys won their home game today. Last weekend they lost, and their coach made them practice all weekend as punishment. I only got to see Tyler twice this past week and alone time with him is much needed at this point. I get it that football takes commitment, but I want a chance to be selfish with him and have him be all mine. I can handle sharing him with his brothers for a bit, but the rest is me being glued to his hip.
With his admission this past week of him telling me that he loves me, it’s seemed like the longest few days ever, waiting for him to have time off. People think football players show up for practice and play a game each weekend, But I’ve learned that it’s usually a cardio session in the morning, practice in the afternoon where they run plays, and weight training in the evenings. It’s complete dedication and discipline.
It’s crazy and overwhelms me when I don’t even play for the team. Occasionally they won’t have such a busy day, and that’s when Tyler and I will sneak in a date or lunch or a movie, anything. Then there’s also travel time for them if they have away games. One week, Tyler was gone for the entire week between traveling and two different games. It’s amazing that he keeps up with a full schedule and manages to get good grades while he’s at it.
“You ready, Pretty?” Tyler asks as he turns his truck off, parked in front of the large, old white house he calls home.
“Yes, I’m excited.”
“Good.”
“Why did you make me promise you so many times to come, though? I loved our visit out here last time.”
“You’re trying to get it out of the way, huh? Never patient.” He chuckles.
“So there is another reason you brought me then?”
“Yes, but I was hoping to at least unload the truck before we got into it.”
“Oh, is it bad?”
“Why do people always assume it’s something negative and then asks that?”
“I don’t know because those words usually mean bad news of some sort.”
“No Kay, you don’t have to worry about it being anything bad whenever I need to talk to you. We’ve been apart a lot lately, and we need to get caught up.”
“Okay, that makes me feel so much better then.”
“Come on, goof.” He kisses my hand before he hops out, stepping aside so I can scoot out of his side as well.
“Hey, it’s the sexy one and my asshole brother!” Nate calls from his perch on the porch. He’s going to wear a hole into that chair if he doesn’t stop sitting there so much.
“Don’t you ever work?” Tyler yells, grabbing our bags out of the back.
“I work. We’re not all pretty boy football players you know,” Nate taunts him, and Ty tosses his bag at Nate’s head.
“Hey!” His brother protests, grabbing the flying object quickly.
“Don’t hate me because I’m the pretty one and the talented one out of us three,” Ty taunts.
Laughing at them both, I hug Nate, “Hey Trouble.” It comes out more like a squeak as he squeezes me tightly, trying to egg on his brother by holding me tighter than needed. He’ll pay for it later. I know Tyler will mix a ton of pepper in his food or let all the air out of his truck tire. I’ve learned that he’s all for pulling pranks on his older brothers, and I love every minute of it. I can only imagine how they were when they were younger; I bet their mom was always after them for something.
Rolling his eyes, Ty frogs Nate in the shoulder and takes off inside. Nate’s mouth drops open, and he lunges at him, releasing me just like Ty wanted.
Giggling at them fooling around, I follow them into the house. Tyler takes off out the back door with Nate hot on his heels as Clyde appears.
“Hey, Clyde.” I smile, shaking my head at his two younger brothers being silly, still acting like a bunch of kids.
“Kadence.” His big arms pull me into a side hug, making me feel welcome. “Was the drive all right?”
“Yep, it was fine, just had to listen to your brother sing the entire way here.”
His eyes squint like he’s remembering a certain time. “Ah, yeah, after a while he sounds more like a wallowing cat.”
Grinning, I hold back my laugh. “That’s not exactly what I was going for, but I can see it.”
“You hungry? I’m about to fire up the grill.”
“I swear, all you guys do is eat. Tyler’s constantly trying to feed me and every time I’m here, you’re cooking.”
He just shrugs, waiting for me to answer his initial question.
“I could eat.”
“Good, I’ll fix some potatoes too.”
“Oh, are they broken?”
“That depends...”
“On what?”
“If you keep being a smartass, and I need to toss one at you.”
“Gah, force-feeding and violent with the food.” The laugh slips free after that and Clyde huffs, amused. Being together with Tyler this time around when we visit is much easier going and everyone’s full of smiles. I love it.
“Grab the Kool-Aid, sister,” he orders on his way out. I swear my face may break with how my lips are pulled back so far, grinning like a loon at the nickname he’s given me.
I don’t care if everyone doubts me,
as long as I believe in myse
lf.
- @progressivesoccer
“Will you please tell me already?” Kadence tries again. It’s the fifth time since we’ve left the house. I’m getting the impression she’s not a fan of exercise or surprises.
“I wanted us to have a chance to check out the ranch and then talk about it on the way back.”
“How can we talk about it if you won’t tell me what we need to discuss? Your brother doesn’t have a building full of women or anything, right?”
“No more creepy movies with Clyde while I’m helping Nate with fence repair.”
Her shoulders bounce in a small shrug, while her eyebrow props up like it’s my fault she was subjected to watching some horror movie with my brother. She could’ve come along with Nate and me to replace the pickets.
“And we’ll talk about it once we get to where we need to be. We’re almost there anyhow.”
I had to get Clyde’s consent to even tell her about his side business. He thought it’d be better to show her and be able to thoroughly answer any questions she may have. If we hadn’t been together for this long and him know how serious I am about her, he’d never had agreed to it.
The walk from the house isn’t too far, and the breeze is refreshing as we trail under a cluster of trees toward a small shed heavily surrounded by brush and vines. If you didn’t know what to look for, you wouldn’t notice it. And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. My dad built the small building when Clyde was a baby and times got rough for him and my mom, trying to have enough money to keep up with the ranch.
My mom was a good woman. She never approved of my father’s ‘side hobby’ as she liked to call it, but she knew he had his reasons to do it. No matter how important following the law was to her, it never came above her love for her family and seeing that they had all they needed.
My father taught my brother the ropes at age ten and carried on the tradition with Nate and me. We can all work everything and help out if needed and we have many times. I’m not as involved as I used to be now that I’m away most the time. I like to give Nate shit for sitting on the porch all the time, but he’s really just keeping watch when Clyde’s off doing stuff. Our father always had someone outside, just in case we had an unexpected or unwanted guest show up.
“Oh God, I was right, wasn’t I?” Kadence mumbles as we head around the side to the only door.
Rolling my eyes, I grin at her dramatics. “No, Pretty. You trust me, right?”
“Of course, or I wouldn’t have come this far.”
“Good, because I’m trusting you too, with the well-being of myself and my family by letting you in here.”
Swallowing, she glances at me warily and nods.
“It’ll be fine, I promise.” Using the old bent up key, I unlock the top lock and the bottom and then pull hard to get the door open. I don’t know if someone smaller than myself would be able to wedge the heavy metal door open enough to even get inside.
There’s room for us to each squeeze inside through it, barely. I hold my hand out, gesturing for her to lead the way.
“Wha-what is all this?”
The opening lets in plenty of light, the shine glinting off the copper. I flip on the battery-powered lantern so she can see everything better.
“Is Clyde a scientist or something? What is this contraption?” She waves at the pipes and huge copper barrel, glancing over all the glass Mason jars we use to store the liquor in.
Chuckling, I pull her into my side and kiss her forehead. “No. Kay, this helps us make moonshine.”
“To drink?”
“Yes, it’s liquor.”
“You make it?” Her eyes grow wide, excited.
“Yep, all sorts of flavors too.”
“Geez, this is amazing. I’ve heard of people making it before, but I’ve never actually seen how they do it.”
“You haven’t watched it in a movie or anything?”
“No, I read, remember? TV isn’t my thing. I’ve read a bit about it, but it was mostly just about the actual liquor not about the process or the machines that are used.”
“Well, this is it. And it’s illegal, hence all the caution and not telling you about it the first time we visited the ranch.”
“No, I get it. I’m not generally excited about breaking the law in anyway, but this is neat. I don’t understand why it’s illegal in the first place. People have beer and wine kits; this should be allowed, too, as long as people are cautious. It can be dangerous, right?”
“Yes, very. Our father always made sure we were extremely careful though, and it’s made us responsible moonshiners.”
“There are so many layers to you, Tyler Owens.”
“Good layers, I hope?”
“Yes. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but when I first met you, I thought you were just some dumb jock with one thing on your mind, besides football. You’ve done nothing but prove me wrong each day. You have so much underneath that outer shell. I don’t get it; how am I the lucky one you chose?”
“Pretty, you know I’m the one who’s lucky. I love you, woman.”
She grins, popping up on her toes to press a soft kiss to my mouth. “I love you, too, Ty. Thank you for trusting me.”
I nod and gesture to my father’s creation. “Do you have any questions about this?”
“Can we make some moonshine? I haven’t tried it before, and you have me curious. Oh, and can we do a yummy flavor, like strawberry?”
“Not right now, it’s a process. One day I’ll definitely teach you, though.”
“Ohhh, another ranch visit?” She mutters happily following me back outside.
Latching the two locks, I turn to her. “Yes. Is that okay, if we come here when we have time off?” I don’t want her to get bored, but I need to be here when I have the chance to.
“Absolutely.”
“I don’t want you to think we can’t ever go somewhere else or stay on campus if you want. I just know my brothers need as much help as possible, so I like to come home when I can and pitch in.”
“You’re such a good man, Tyler. I understand, and honestly, I love it out here. When I visit my dad, he stays in a big house they call ‘the compound’ that was built for him and the other bikers. Anyhow, it’s like this.” She gestures around us. “Lots of trees, land, and no one bothering them. I love it.”
“I’m a little uneasy knowing you’re around a bunch of bikers, especially if they’re all as big as your dad,” I mutter as we begin our trek back toward the house. I probably sound like an over possessive ass, but what if they hurt her? She’s pint-sized compared to her dad.
“It’s not like that when I’m there. I mean sure a few have flirted with me...” I shoot her a glare, and she laughs. “They would never go there; my dad would turn ballistic. But what I was getting at is it’s not scary. It’s like having five dads, all there ready to protect me if needed and they make sure no one is ever disrespectful. I usually load up my Kindle before I visit and just read and relax the entire time I visit.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad, besides the flirting bit.” It comes out a bit gruff, but I can’t help being a little peeved at other guys chatting it up with her.
“It’s really not at all, and I didn’t even realize they were flirting with me until my dad told them to stop during one of my visits.”
That’s what I mean. She has no clue just how beautiful she truly is, and not just that, she’s so damn sweet inside too. It’s way too soon to put a ring on her finger, but it’s definitely in the overall plan. Hopefully, I get picked up by a good team this year, and she can move away with me. Flirting bikers can’t compete with a man who loves her like I do and will be able to spoil her with anything she dreams up.
“You’re um, happy, right?”
“What do you mean? Of course, I’m happy. I don’t think I could be any happier right now. Well, maybe if you were naked and dancing, but that’s beside the point.”
“Don’t rule it out; I can dance. The
helicopter counts, right?”
It makes her laugh, and I adore that sound coming from her lips.
“I mean are you happy being with me, as my girlfriend? If the NFL called me up and asked me to go somewhere, are you content with us and do you love me enough to pack up your belongings and come with me, if I asked you to?”
“Geez, we’re covering all sorts of stuff this trip, huh?”
I nod, waiting for her to think it over and respond.
She replies immediately, thank God. “Yes, to all of it. I’d pack my things and not look back because I can’t stand being away from you for two days, let alone an entire football season.”
“Good answer.” Beaming a bright smile her way, I reach out and brush her hair back behind her ear as we get closer to home.
“Just good?”
“More like the absolutely perfect answer. I don’t want to scare you off, but someday I hope that I get to ask you. I want you beside me wherever this road takes me.”
“Good answer,” she replies cheekily and winks.
“I think my brothers have been rubbing off on you.” Grinning, I open the front door for her.
“It is possible,” she acknowledges as Clyde comes around the corner.
“What’s possible?”
“I was telling Kadence that y’all are rubbing off on her.”
“Oh yeah, she likes us more, but she told me not to tell you.” His mouth pulls up in a smirk, and she huffs.
“I did not!”
It’s never ending around here; someone’s always getting hassled.
“She knows, I take it?” Clyde asks, nodding my way.
Tyler letting me in on the family secret has nearly floored me. I tried not to come off as too surprised about it all, but really, I was. Never in a million years would I have guessed that they make moonshine. I want to learn how. The machine they use is impressive considering his father actually built it by hand. They’re a family of many talents so it seems.
“Yep, I showed her everything.”
“Do you have any questions?” He mumbles, gazing at me curiously.
Nate comes in, interrupting us, “Hey, sister.” He greets me with the nickname he and Clyde have given me.
Freight Train Page 19
