“You wanna ride?” Austin asked Mike, finally giving in to the catch he felt in his leg. He moved with a distinct limp as the cramp took hold.
“Sure. You did real good today.” Mike switched direction from his pick-up to Austin’s brand new Silverado. It arrived today, driven by one of his hidden security guards who sure didn’t stick around to lend a hand.
“I don’t know. I let a couple get through. You guys have it all down, nothing gets past you,” Austin said, climbing in the driver’s side. He gave a solid wince as he sat in the seat. His back muscles spasmed, and he felt like such a pansy about it all.
“It’s not the first time we’ve done somethin’ like this.” Mike easily climbed in and slammed the door closed several seconds before Austin even reached out to close his. It amazed him how hard these guys worked every single day.
“I guess not, but Rusty and Brent…wow. Micah has to be proud.”
“Yeah, they’re a good family, great kids. They have seven of them. Four girls, three boys. Those girls give Micah a run.” Mike explained before letting out a yawn. “I’m tired.”
“Tired? Thank God! I was beginning to think I must seriously be a lightweight. Every muscle in my body’s on fire.” Austin grimaced and tried to position himself so that all his body weight didn’t lie on the parts that ached the most. He winced, not succeeding in his attempts, and Mike chuckled.
“Yeah, you never get used to it. My body’s sore too. It’s just a part of it. Besides, it’s what you pay me to do. I never expected you out there all day today.” Mike gave Austin a sideway glance.
“I loved it. It’s been forever since I put in a hard day’s work. It grounds you. Everyone should have to do this kind of thing in their life.” Austin let his own yawn free.
It took them about ten minutes to get to Kitt’s stepmom’s house. It was called the main house, and it sat right off the road. The driveway was already full of cars, and as Austin pulled to the back of the drive, he saw a large patio filled with picnic tables. His men were already there, helping themselves to food, and Mrs. Kelly hovered over everyone, making sure they had everything they needed. Austin followed Mike up to the house.
“Kitt’s got two sisters. One’s away at college, the other’s seventeen. Let me make sure she isn’t here,” Mike said at the bottom of the step before heading up to the porch. He was back a minute later. “Mrs. Kelly sent her to her room, come in.”
“I don’t want her to have to stay in her room.” Austin immediately tried to retreat.
“No, trust me, she wants to stay in her room. I make her come out and socialize, but she absolutely doesn’t want to,” Mrs. Kelly said from behind Mike. “Come on in and fix your plate.”
It took him a minute to comply. He hated the idea of the girl being sent to her room, but abandoned all thought of it as he spotted the large pot of homemade spaghetti, green beans and garlic Texas toast. The food looked delicious and smelled exquisite. She’d made enough to feed a small army.
“Thank you for all this. I need to pay you for feeding all my men,” Austin said, standing at the back door taking it all in.
“No, absolutely not! I know what it’s like to get to a new place, get everything set up. Mike and I planned this.” She shook her head at him as she began to dish out loads of pasta and sauce.
“It looks incredible.” Austin watched as she piled on the green beans and several pieces of thick, buttered toast. Austin took his full plate from her and followed Mike back out on the porch. They took seats out of the direct light on the porch. A nice breeze blew and electric bug zappers hung in every corner. He was given a beer, but wasn’t treated any differently than anyone else. Mrs. Kelly monitored everyone, making sure plates and glasses stayed full. This whole world of blending in, just being another hand, was extraordinary. It allowed Austin the opportunity to sit back and relax. He ate a quiet meal without being the center of attention and on all the time.
A four-wheeler appeared from the dark, its headlights getting brighter the closer it came to the main house. Austin made out Kitt when it was a few hundred feet away. He watched Kitt drive all the way up, and kept on watching even as he parked and walked up the porch. Kitt had showered and wore cargo walking shorts, flip flops and a t-shirt. His hair was windblown dry and slightly disarrayed, and for the first time since Austin laid eyes on Kitt, he looked young and easy going, not the hardened cowboy Austin had grown accustomed to. He liked this side of Kitt. Hell, he liked all sides of Kitt.
“Kitt! Mom won’t let me get my belly button pierced!” A voice bellowed from above their heads. “Talk to her! Tell her everyone’s doin’ it.”
Kitt took a couple of steps back down off the porch and looked up. “Bryanne, you know I’m not gonna do that. Get your head back in that window and do your homework.”
“Gawd, Kitt! You act like you’re ninety!” The window slammed shut and it took a second, but everyone chuckled at the exchange.
Kitt resumed walking up the steps, brought his head back down and his gaze landed on Austin as a smile spread across his lips. The sight caused Austin to stop his fork midway to his mouth and just stare. Kitt’s firm square jaw and strong chin all eased when those full lips smiled, and that was definitely another first.
“Smells good,” Kitt muttered coming to stand in front of his stepmother. He gave her a light kiss on the cheek as she met him at the back door with a plate full of food.
“I made you a plate, but don’t get used to it, young man!” She teased with a wink.
“Never! And you didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” He took the plate and utensils she offered. Kitt pivoted on his heel looking around. He spotted Mike and began to walk toward their table. His eyes collided again with Austin’s, and at the last minute, he took a seat at another table with his back to Austin.
“Mike, you want seconds?” Mrs. Kelly asked with the pot in her hand, already scooping seconds on his plate before he could answer.
“Yes ma’am! I love your homemade spaghetti.” He smiled and dug straight in.
“Mr. Grainger?” She didn’t just automatically fill his plate but paused, waiting for him to answer.
“Please call me Austin, and I think I’m done. I haven’t worked this hard in years.” Austin patted his belly. Funny, since Kitt walked up, all the aches and pains in his body seemed to have magically disappeared.
“How about another beer?” She offered.
“I’ll get it.” He rose from his seat, and just like that, the magic disappeared. A pain filled groan escaped his lips, and they all laughed. He even got a sideways glance from Kitt, showing him that beautiful smile again.
Austin sidestepped Mrs. Kelly, determined to get another look at Kitt. He grabbed a beer for himself, one for Mike, and then one for Kitt. He walked the long way around the tables to stand right in front of Kitt as he walked by, and handed him the beer. He could tell the offering caught Kitt off guard. He looked up startled, taking the can. There was a pause when their eyes connected. Kitt finally gave him a nod seemingly unable to break the eye contact. Austin held it as long as he could; until he was forced to avert his gaze when the image of Kitt nude popped into his head. Austin got warm all over and his dick stirred a little, hardening as he walked back to his side of the table.
“Mr. Grainger, how is it that no one knows you’re here?” Mrs. Kelly asked. Most of the guys were done eating, and she doled out pieces of homemade chocolate pie. No one turned it away.
“I honestly don’t know how I pulled it off. I bought land in Montana in my name and bought this place in the name of a company I own together with my family. I’m guessing they just haven’t figured it out yet,” Austin said, taking a big bite of his pie, moaning as the delicious dessert hit his taste buds.
“You’re still a hot topic on the news. Everyone wants to know where you went,” Mrs. Kelly said easily, finally taking a seat at Kitt’s empty table.
“Still?” Austin asked between bites.
“Oh ye
ah,” Mike confirmed before Mrs. Kelly could.
“Huh. I’m not that interesting. They think I’m something I’m not. They just don’t know me.”
“Is Cara comin’ here?” Mrs. Kelly’s next question came out of the blue, and it took Austin a minute. He weighed his answer as he feigned he had his mouth full. He was so sick of lying. These people were good to him. On a whim, he decided honesty might be the best bet, at least there would be less to apologize for later.
“Probably not.” He left it right there, not acknowledging the silence the answer brought.
“How’re you likin’ it here?” Austin could have told Lily he loved her for how graciously she changed the subject.
“Ah, now that I have a ready answer for. I love it here. It’s great! I love the solitude, the quiet. Everyone I’ve met has been great. Mike’s got all my muscles sore, working me hard, getting me back in shape. I really like it,” Austin said easily, taking the last bite of pie.
“Mike, you shouldn’t work him so hard.” Mrs. Kelly scolded his foreman.
“Mrs. Kelly, poor people gotta work for a livin’,” Mike replied with his mouth full of pie, making everyone laugh. All of Austin’s crew on the back porch turned toward them, listening to the conversation. After Kitt polished off his plate, he got up and grabbed all the pie plates around him as he walked back into the kitchen.
“Kitt, I’ll get ’em.”
“No, sit. I need to wash my hands anyway. I’ll just put them on the counter,” Kitt said, and she let him do it. He grabbed a couple more plates as he made his way inside. Austin didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his and Mike’s plates. Mrs. Kelly tried to stop him.
“No Ma’am, I need to go to the bathroom.” Could he have sounded more lame had he tried? But, there was no way he wanted to miss this moment alone with Kitt. The way things had worked today, it might not ever happen again.
Austin pulled open the screen door and walked inside, shutting the sliding glass door behind him. He saw Kitt at the sink, rinsing the food off the plates as he stacked them to the side.
“Don’t tell me to stop. I see your leg’s hurtin’ you. It won’t take me but a minute,” Kitt said never looking back at Austin.
“I thought I was doing a better job at hiding all these aches and pains, but trust me, it’s more than just my legs that hurt.” Austin laughed softly and Kitt jerked around. The plate slid from his hands and hit the sink with a soapy thump.
“Kitt, I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I haven’t had a chance, yet.” Austin walked up to him. Kitt turned back to the sink and picked the plate back up, rinsed it and turned back to Austin almost immediately. The look on Kitt’s face was clear: he had no idea what Austin was talking about.
“With my men at the pond,” Austin explained. The nice view of Kitt’s ass ensured Austin stayed behind him as he spoke. Something about this man doing the dishes for his stepmom seemed incredibly sweet and still totally hot at the same time.
“I should be apologizin’ to you. I don’t usually lose it like that. They just weren’t takin’ no for an answer,” Kitt said, finishing the plate. He grabbed a hand towel, but didn’t turn around. He just kept looking down at the sink.
Austin took the chance to slide in behind Kitt, placing the dirty plates he carried in the sink. Kitt jerked forward, but the sink was in his way. He sidestepped Austin, immediately moving away from him as quickly as possible. His movements were jerky and rushed, making Austin smile. Maybe, Kitt wasn’t quite as unaffected as he pretended to be.
“Should I wash these?” Austin very casually asked, keeping his eyes on Kitt.
“No, I’ll do it,” Kitt said and clearly waited for Austin to move.
“I can do it,” Austin said finally looking down at the sink. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d washed a dish. Even now, a cleaning lady came in every morning to go over his house. Regardless, it didn’t seem too complicated. Soapy water on one side, clean water on the other. He began to wash his and Mike’s plates. “My men are paid to be protective of me, and I’m sorry it got out of hand. I talked to them, told them to stay off your property. I’ve been known to be a bit of a hard ass in my former life, they thought they were just following my orders.”
Kitt stayed silent. Austin glanced at him from the corner of his eye and drew out washing the second plate.
“Thanks for all the help today. You pretty much run the show whenever you’re around. The men here really respect you,” Austin said, putting the second plate in the drying rack. He looked around for a hand towel, and Kitt handed him the one he folded and unfolded in his hands.
“We all respect one another. It’s the way things work around here,” Kitt finally replied after a moment’s silence. Austin looked up to see his cheeks were stained with a blush, the sight catching him off guard. It took a second, but Austin realized he had to be responsible for the blush. His heart warmed with the knowledge he unnerved Kitt just as much as Kitt unnerved him. Everything inside Austin softened just a bit. He liked Kitt. This whole time he’d only thought of him as a sex toy, but in this moment, he knew there was more to it than he’d realized.
“You two! Kitt Kelly! I knew you were in here doin’ the dishes. And, Austin Grainger doin’ dishes in my house, no, absolutely not! You two, go. Everyone’s tryin’ to leave anyway. Early day tomorrow.” Mrs. Kelly grabbed the towel from Austin’s hand and shooed them toward the door.
“Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Kelly.” Austin chuckled at the look on her face.
“I’m Lily and you’re Austin and you’re welcome,” she said with a smile, standing in the door once they were back outside. “You’re welcome here for dinner anytime.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Kitt said. He was back to himself and again completely ignoring Austin as if none of their conversation had just happened. Kitt turned back, but only to give Lily a wink before he took the first step down. Austin wasn’t sure Lily was all that much older than Kitt. But, they seemed to like each other and it was clear Lily mothered Kitt.
Austin found Mike standing at the railing of the porch waiting for him. Kitt got a knuckle bump from him as he went by.
“Good night, everyone. Kitt, stop by for coffee in the mornin’, it’ll be ready.” Lily waved at them all before shutting the door.
“She’s lonely,” Mike said following Kitt down the stairs.
Kitt turned toward his four-wheeler and climbed on. “I know. Good night, see you in the mornin’.” He started the machine giving it gas as the engine fired to life.
“Good night,” Austin said quietly as he took the steps down a little slower. He watched as Kitt never looked back at him. His heart lingered in that moment with the bright red cheeks. Kitt certainly couldn’t hear Austin. He was already backed out and barreling away. “See you in the morning.”
Chapter 7
How many sheep did a guy need to count to get his brain to stop and allow him to get some shut eye? Kitt never had a problem sleeping. He never struggled. He fell into bed every night, closed his eyes and sleep came. But, in the last three nights, he’d only logged a handful of hours in. The problem stemmed from the fact most of his thoughts stayed fully focused on Austin which apparently translated to a stout case of insomnia.
After three full days of seeing Austin every single day, it wasn’t even so much a sexual thing anymore. Okay, completely not true, and Kitt rolled his eyes at the thought. It totally was a sexual thing, but that’s not what kept him up night after night.
Tonight, his mind stayed focused on how hard Austin Grainger actually worked. It was hard work, and they kept a grueling, back breaking pace. They let nothing get in their way. Kitt, Mike and Micah had worked like this together for years. They had it all down to a routine and knew each other well, but still Austin managed to fit in working side by side with them without problem. He instinctively fell in sync with their team.
Kitt knew the guy’s muscles had to ache. No way could Austin be used to putting in this much physical l
abor, but he never complained. Nor did he stop, and he never showed any sign of fatigue. Instead, Austin worked hard. On that first day, he’d been pretty rusty, but picked it all back up quickly. He’d even jumped on a stallion, handling him like a pro. Kitt finally let himself admit Austin looked hot as hell as he rode that horse. Austin had never done a Western in any of the movies he starred in. In Kitt’s mind, he’d missed his calling. Austin looked like a natural up on a horse. Rugged, manly, strong…
After the day’s work was done, Austin sat on his stepmom’s back porch like he truly was one of the guys. He acted like it was the most natural thing in the world to have a three time Academy Award winner eating homemade spaghetti at his parent’s house.
The only repeat Kitt ensured didn’t happen was getting stuck together with Austin in his stepmom’s kitchen. Kitt’s body had hardened to painful degrees when Austin slipped in behind him at the sink. It was a natural move, normal, and one he himself had done a hundred times. Just sliding your plate in the sink to help the washer out, but his body freaked. His heart plunged, his breathing turned into a pant and he had to get away. And then, Austin turned into a normal decent guy, apologizing and even complimenting him in the process.
What person in this world was on Austin’s level in life, yet kind enough to make sure the two of them were on good standing after the brawl over the fence? All those kind words about respect made Kitt blush like a little girl.
Kitt hadn’t been able to get out of that kitchen fast enough. He tried to stay the cool guy, feigning easy going and unaffected, but when his stepmother opened that door, he’d wanted to holler ‘Hallelujah!’ and kiss her right on the lips in appreciation for giving him an out. After that incident, Kitt made absolute certain he was never left alone with Austin again. If there was even the slightest hint of that happening, Kitt bailed on whatever task he worked and assigned it to another.
Texas Pride Page 8
