by Jodi Payne
He wasn’t going to stop smiling for weeks. “Well, then maybe it won’t be a thing. Maybe they’ll just learn you can love everybody, right? Men or women? As far as examples for your kids go, that’s a pretty good one.”
“I’m trying. I want to make a place that I want to live in. The world outside the ranch might be harder, but my space? I want it to be a good one.” Matthew chuckled softly, the sound wry. “It’s easy to say that when you inherit a ranch from your grandparents.”
“It’s not easy to do though. Aren’t there people that don’t approve? It’s not New York. I think it’s brave.”
The guacamole and cheese dip came, and the smell of spice and tomato was delicious.
Matthew beamed at him. “Thank you. I—I pray I’m doing things right.”
“None of us knows for sure, right?” The promise of warm, melty cheese was too much to ignore. He picked up another chip. “Oh…cheese. Good call.”
“Spicy melted cheese. At some point, we’ll go get queso flameado.” Matthew winked. “Flaming cheese is a magical animal, honey.”
“What? Flaming? Like on fire?” Surely Matthew was joking. “Flaming cheese.”
“Like on fire. It is amazing.” Matthew scooped up a big bite of guacamole. “We’ll go.”
“We will.” They had to. And then he’d send a picture back to Peter, who shared his cheese obsession. “I’m going to weigh a thousand pounds, and I don’t care.” Actually, he barely weighed a hundred and sixty now, so that seemed pretty unlikely.
“There’s the pool, plenty of things to do and see. We’ll go on the boat, ride four-wheelers. You’ll work up an appetite.”
“I hope so. I want to make the most of this vacation.” He sipped his Coke thinking about that word and wondering if this was a vacation or a trial run, or what. “I haven’t really slept in a few days. I woke up this morning and just said ‘fuck it’ and texted you. I called the bar from the airport and—” Quit. He’d said, “I quit.” But Les had said no and told him it was a vacation. “I took some time off. I know I look awful. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I felt much better after I did all of that.”
“You’ve been running hard in your heart for a bit. Maybe you just need to breathe and lay your load down.” Matthew’s phone began to ring, and he answered. “’Lo? Yep, I have him. I’m feeding him, and I’ll pick y’all up on my way home. Yes, we’ll be home way before it’s time to do feeding. Yes, it’s still your turn to feed and water the dogs.”
“Rats, they still have to do their chores,” Tyler whispered, smiling, and had another scoop of glorious hot cheese.
Matthew’s eyes went wide, playful, and he mouthed, “Poor abused babies.” Then louder, he kept on, “Emma, what do you really want? No, ma’am. I am not telling your granny anything. She says no stealing the chocolate chips, you’d better not.”
“You’re so mean. Your friend Tyler would let them have chocolate.” He winked.
Matthew snorted, shoulders shaking with laughter. “What? Nothing. I’ll see y’all soon. Be good. I love you too. Bye.” Matthew hung up and hooted. “Oh, you are wicked! We’ll have to grab some and whatever it is you like for drinks and snacks on the way home.”
He laughed. “I may never need to eat again after this. We haven’t even had our—oh…here they come.”
The server set down plates in front of each of them with tortillas and cheese and beans and sauce and…whoa. “This looks so good.”
“We can take home whatever we don’t eat and warm it up for later.” Matthew poured part of the queso over the enchilada, unwrapped the tamale, and dug in.
He did exactly the same thing, watching Matthew carefully. He was sold from the first bite. “Oh. Mmm.” These leftovers would be fantastic at midnight.
“Bueno, huh?”
They ate until he couldn’t take another bite. He was full, happy, and Matthew was right there.
Tyler leaned back in his chair and groaned. “That was so good. Thank you. We should go get those girls before they get themselves in trouble.”
“We should. We’ll hit an HEB on the way.” Matthew handed over a card and asked for to-go boxes.
“HEB? Is that groceries?”
“Yessir. The Walmart’s another option—if you need swim trunks or stuff.”
“I will. I’m not that great in the pool though. I mean, I can swim, I just don’t know all the fancy strokes and stuff. I just kind of…fake it.” There wasn’t a lot of swimming in the city. His mother had made him take lessons at the YMCA when he was young, but otherwise he’d just been to the beach a few times with friends.
“Then we’ll stop there. You’ll need them. And honey, I can drag myself across the pool, but I ain’t no Michael Phelps. I’m way more of a floaty with a beer can holder or a bubble in the hot tub type.”
“Oh, we’ll get along well in the pool then. You have those noodle things? I love those.”
“We have noodles, floaties of all shapes and sizes, water games—the girls are spoiled rotten.” Matthew grabbed the to-go boxes and stood. “You ready, honey?”
“Yep.” He pushed his chair back and stood up, following Matthew out to the truck. “So full. God, it’s warm here. That’s going to take some getting used to.”
“It’s not terrible warm there in the summer with all that concrete?”
“In July and August yes, but June is cooler. The summer can be brutal. I just wasn’t there yet.” He grinned. He didn’t mind it at all.
“Ah, I hear you.” Matthew winked at him. “I bet we’ll be able to get in the pool ten months a year, easy.” The truck beeped and started up before they got to it. “I’ll get the air started.”
“Fancy, fancy.” He would never see that much money in this lifetime or the next. But he didn’t mind enjoying Matthew’s luck. He climbed into the truck, feeling the cool air and settled into the comfy seat. This was quite a life, and he wasn’t sure he deserved it. But somehow he’d make sure he was worthy of Matthew.
8
They did the Walmart—getting ginger ale and grapes, swim trunks and flip-flops, SPF 10,000 sunscreen, and three new pool noodles. They got chocolate, cheap sunglasses, and some glo-sticks for the girls to play with in the pool at night.
Matthew pulled up to Daddy’s, with poor, exhausted Tyler sacked out in the cab. Someone needed some care and rest, a little fun and some loving. “Honey, I’m gonna run in and get the kids. I’ll be right back.”
“I’m good. We’re here?” Tyler jerked awake and sat up, blinking. “I’m good.”
“You want to meet the folks? They’ll love you.” He killed the engine and opened the door, Rosebud and Twitchy—Daddy’s bloodhounds—bounding around the side of the house, baying like they hadn’t just seen him a few hours ago.
“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Tyler rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “Okay. I’m awake.” Hopefully awake enough for a big dog named “Twitchy”.” He jumped out of the truck and had hardly hit the ground before the dogs were barking.
“Rosebud! Twitchy! Sit.” Two butts hit the ground, tails going ninety to nothing. “Meet the sniffing hooligans. They’re good babies, just loud as fuck.”
“Daddy! You said a cuss!” Emma ran out wearing a bright orange sequined evening dress that was at least twenty sizes too big, leaping at him, and he caught her. “Mamaw let us play dress up from her fancy clothes!”
Ah yes. The Goodwill closet. Momma bought up all the formals to cut up for crazy quilts, but the girls loved to ‘dress up’ in the ones that were still hanging up. “I can see that. Say hello to my good friend, Mister Tyler. Tyler, this is Emma.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Tyler.” She held out one hand. “Welcome to Texas.”
Tyler smiled broadly, and Matthew beamed. His babies were so pretty and so polite. Tyler took her hand and shook it. “Hello, Emma. I am very happy to meet you. Your dad has told me so much about you and your sister. Thank you for the welcome. It’s my first time in Texas.”
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“We will show you everything.” Emma looked at Tyler, her little face so serious. “We have goats.”
Matthew fought his laugh with all he was. “Yes, ma’am. We sure do.”
“I have never met a goat, so I can’t wait for you to show me.” Tyler looked right at Emma, looking just as serious.
“Emma, Mamaw says to come put your stuff away!” Sophia stepped out on the porch and offered Tyler a shy wave. “Hi. Glad you made it, sir.”
“Thank you, Sophia. Good to be here.” Tyler reached out to pet the dogs and looked at him. “They’re better in person than in pictures. Nice work, Dad.”
Matthew beamed and tipped his hat, then led Tyler up onto the big covered porch. It looked a lot like his porch—wrapping around the house, with chairs and tables, rockers, huge fans to cool things off. The big difference was that his had a Coke machine and an ice machine that he’d found at this crazy auction. “Come on in.” He held the door open. “Momma? Daddy? Come meet Tyler real quick. I got chocolate melting in the truck. Girls, don’t dawdle!”
Momma came bustling out of the kitchen drying her hands on a towel. “Tyler! My goodness, it’s good to finally meet you. I’m Peg. Matty talks about you all the time, I feel like I know you already.” Tyler put out a hand and smiled, but Momma waved him off and gave him a hug like he was family.
Tyler winked at him over her shoulder. “All the time, huh? It’s good to meet you too.”
“All the time. I thought we’d have a big old to do Saturday—Daddy says he’ll do brisket and a turkey breast, maybe sausage. We can swim and play horseshoes and cards and just have a ball.”
Oh lord. “What do you want us to bring, Momma?”
“Chips and dips and stuff for poppers. Sister is bringing desserts, and your brother is bringing the beer and Cokes. Aunt Kathy is hiring a bouncy castle for the girls and her grandbabies.”
“I tried to tell her that you might like a quiet weekend, since you just got here, but you know Momma.” Daddy gave him a pat on the shoulder and reached a hand out to Tyler. “Good to meet you, son. I’m Luke Whitehead.”
“Thank you. It’s—”
“Quiet weekend.” Momma snorted. “We’re all so happy to have you here.”
“Y’all want to come in and have a beer?” Daddy asked, and Matthew shook his head.
“I got chocolate in the truck. We’ll see y’all Saturday. Tyler needs a couple days of rest, I think.”
Emma and Sophia came down the stairs together on their best behavior, instead of racing each other as usual, and hugged their grandparents. “Everything is put away, Mamaw.”
“Thank you. Go on before your daddy’s chocolate melts.” Momma looked at him and winked. “Clever.”
“I’m a brilliant guy. Love you, Momma. Holler if you need me.” He kissed her forehead and winked at Daddy. “Love you. See you Saturday.”
“You’ll see me Friday. I’m running to the auctions in Luckenbach.”
Ah, the goat auction. “Good deal. I got room for another few Nubians and some Boehr.”
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”
“Shotgun!” Emma shouted and ran out the door.
“Emma! Tyler gets the front seat. Y’all get in the back seat.” He rolled his eyes. “I just need ten or twelve more kids.”
Daddy nodded. “See you Friday then.”
Tyler looked like he was trying to hold off a laugh as they left the house. “That took me a minute. I forgot what baby goats are called. I almost said something snarky and put my foot in it.”
Matthew chuckled and shook his head, just vaguely horrified. “Can you imagine? Two is enough, and they’re not teenagers yet.”
“I don’t know, maybe you need some boys.” Tyler grinned and hopped in the truck.
Emma leaned over the console from the back seat. “Where’s the chocolate, Daddy?”
“Can’t you wait until we get home, piggy?”
“You hush, Sister.”
“It’s in the cooler compartment in the back. You can have it when we get home. Seat belts.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tyler buckled in and looked over his shoulder at the girls. “You guys are going to laugh, but I’ve never been on a ranch. You’ll have to teach me everything, okay?”
Emma nodded. “We can. We’re cowboys. Sister is learning to do barrels and everything. We got chickens and geese and turkeys. Goats. Cattle. Horses.”
“Dogs. We got dogs and donkeys too,” Sophia added. “And we’re fixin’ to get rabbits and maybe llamas.”
“No piggies, though, ’cause they stink.” Emma bounced and wiggled in the rearview. “And we got a pond with fish! And we planted a garden. We’re growing watermelons and corns and cukes and ’maters and…”
Matthew whispered softly as the girls chattered. “We’ll be home soon. Five minutes. Our properties butt up on the one side.”
“No rush, I’m enjoying this.” Tyler smiled and seemed perfectly happy to jump back in with both feet. “Llamas? For real? And I love cucumbers. They’re one of my favorites.”
“Yeah. Aunt Kathy is too tired to take her of them, ’cause she says you got to give them blowjobs.”
Tyler looked square at him, eyes wide. “Is that so?”
He counted to five. Ten would have taken too long. “Baby, you have to blow the sticks out of their fur.” He was going to kill Kathy. With a bazooka. “You know, with a leaf blower?”
“Right. So cool. Are you going to blow the llamas with us, Tyler?”
“I—uh.” Tyler snorted a laugh out his nose, trying to keep it together. “I can’t wait to meet… Aunt Kathy.”
And then the giggles won out, Tyler just rolling in his seat. “Oh… God.”
“Aunt Kathy is evil incarnate. She’s an artist. She has two kids, six grandbabies and twelve great-grandbabies. She and Momma are thick as thieves.” And she had a foul mouth. Evil wonderful old broad.
Tyler shook his head and leaned his blond head back in his seat. “Sorry, girls. Yes, I will help with the llamas, and anything else that needs to be done. Not to worry.”
“Daddy, Mr. Tyler likes llamas!”
Matthew chuckled. “He does!” But does he like blow jobs?
Tyler glanced at him. “It might be a waste of my considerable skills to blow a llama, however.”
He fought like a beast not to crack a smile. “Good to know. I’ll have to find you something else to…blow.”
“You devise a test and let me know how I do.” Tyler grinned. “Oh, hey! Is this the Flying W?”
“It is! Welcome home.” He hit the button for the huge iron gate, idling as it swung open. You couldn’t see the house from here—the grove of pecan trees hid it, but you could see the line of bunkhouses, the foreman’s house, and the first few barns.
“That’s not the house you showed me a picture of…”
“That’s not our house,” Sophia explained. “That’s Krissy’s house. She’s the foreman. You don’t have to be a man to be a foreman.”
“Oh.” Tyler laughed. “Good to know.”
“And that’s where the cowboys live.” Emma pointed out the window.
Matthew watched as Tyler craned his neck to see everything. “Whoa. I didn’t realize everyone actually lived right here. Wow.”
“Oh, Daddy! Lisa’s semi is in the drive!”
“Y’all ask Miz Krissy before you bother her. She might be sleeping.” And lord knew, if Krissy didn’t stop them, Lisa would have them in the house making cakes.
“Your driveway is big enough to park a tractor in?”
“Well, we built a space just for it, but we have a tractor barn—the four-wheelers are in there, and the boats and Ski-Doos, and there’s a spot for the fifth wheel.”
“Boats, plural? What’s a fifth wheel?” Tyler was just shaking his head in disbelief. “Crazy. This place is huge.”
“We got a couple little bass boats and a nicer speed boat to go on the lake with. A fifth wheel is—”
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br /> “The little trailer we take to camping! It has a shower and a potty and a kitchen and beds! It’s so fun!” Emma was ramping up.
“It is, Em. Let’s take turns talking, though, okay?” They were working on that. Hard.
“Oh. Right, Daddy. Sorry!”
“It’s okay, Em,” Sophia said. “That’s so hard to remember when you’re excited.”
“Honestly, I’m excited too. I get it.” Tyler looked over his shoulder and smiled at Emma. “But we have lots of time. I’ll be here long enough to see everything. There’s no rush, right?”
“None at all.” He made the turn and stopped, nodding to his house. Two-stories, Texas stone, a wrap-around porch, with rose bushes all around. The big old cottonwood in the front held a tire swing, and there were hummingbird feeders and bird feeders dotted all over. “Grab a couple of Walmart sacks before y’all head in, please.” He grinned at Tyler. “We’re here. Come on in.”
Tyler shouldered his backpack and followed, all wide-eyed, looking around and taking everything in. “Gorgeous house. It’s so pretty here.”
“Do you want to see my room?” Emma slipped her hand into Tyler’s and led him up to the porch.
“Y’all. Let Tyler get his stuff in, go pee maybe. He’s not going to disappear into smoke.” He stood there with all the bags and Tyler’s suitcase. “Sophia, put the code in?”
“Yessir!” She typed in a code, and the house unlocked. “Come on in.”
The main door opened into a great big foyer with his master suite to the left, the great room to the right, and the staircase to the second floor straight ahead. “You and I are here to the left, honey. Can you open the door and we’ll put your things down?”
The door opened into his den—a nice-sized man cave with a TV and his movies, the old leather couch, a pool table and a dart game set up, along with all the neon beer signs he’d collected. “You just walk through to the bedroom.”
“This is amazing, Matthew. This is…wow.” Tyler crossed the room and opened the bedroom door. “I feel like I’m in some fancy hotel.”
