by Terry Towers
“I’ve known you since you were a kid and you’ve always been so damned pig-headed.”
“Yeah.” I looked out the side widow from the passenger seat though all I could see was darkness. Swallowing down my pride, I said, “Thank you for staying late. I was fortunate that you were around to help move the gate that collapsed on my leg.” Admittedly, I’d have had to wait and hope Ryker would find me when he got home, otherwise I would have been stuck there all night, trapped under a steel gate. The cows had gotten a little rowdy and several knocked into the railing which had been taken off the main unit in order for me to finish fixing the machine. It was one of those freak incidents that would never have been anticipated, though it should have been.
“Wow, a thank you.” He grinned. “Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”
Raising a brow, I looked back at the older man who’d become like a father to Ryker and me since our parents’ death. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say that.”
“I would have never thought Ryker would find someone, but he seems to be happy and anxious to settle down.”
“Ryker’s an idiot.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Did he tell you where he met Nina?”
Kent shook his head. “Nope. I never asked. I’m just glad to see he’s settling down.”
“He met her online.”
Kent shrugged. “Isn’t that the trend nowadays with the kids? Especially with a town this small. I’ve seen the local talent; there’s not a single winner in the lot. You got the only good one.”
I chuckled. “He met her on a mail-order bride site.”
“What?” Kent frowned as his expression took on a look of disbelief. “A mail-order bride site? Didn’t even think mail-order brides existed anymore. He paid for her?”
“Not exactly. Women who want to come to the US sign up and then men from here pay the site to match them up. There’s a bunch of different fees, I don’t know the exact process, was never interested in his foolish ideas.”
“Where’s she from?”
“Russia.”
“Hmmm.” He nodded and stared out the windshield to the darkened road. There were no street lights out this far so all we had for light was the headlights, so you needed to be vigilant when driving at night. We’d been driving this same stretch of road for so many years we could almost drive it without looking. “I was figuring something along those lines, didn’t realize she was fresh off the boat though, her English seems very good. At least from what I could gauge from the very brief encounters I’ve had with her over the past couple of days.”
“Yeah.”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about but wasn’t quite sure if it was my place or not.”
Staring at him, I sighed. “If you feel it might be out of place then let’s run with that thought.”
“I have been, but I think we need to discuss it.”
Well hell. Haven’t I suffered enough for one day?
“Okay. Fine. Out with it. The least I could do since you had to haul my ass all the way to the hospital.”
“It may not be none of my business, but I think it’s time for you to get out there and find yourself a good woman.”
I laughed loudly and shook my head. What was it with people and trying to fix me up recently? I didn’t need another woman. Why couldn’t they get it through their damned heads? I. Was. Fine.
…But deep down, I knew I wasn’t nearly as fine as I was letting on. Way, way down, I hurt. Giving Nina one of Allison’s dresses this afternoon had been hard, even though I’d brushed it off as no big deal. I knew keeping Allison’s clothing in the closet wasn’t healthy; I should have donated it a long time ago. I kept on coming up with reasons not to. I kept telling myself I was too busy, even though I could make time. Ryker was right, with the exception of today when the machinery broke down, the place ran like a well-oiled machine.
Considering I now had a broken leg, it meant I was going to be forced to take it easy for a few days. Doctor’s orders. As much as I was stubborn about getting to work, I wasn’t stupid. I didn’t need to prolong my downtime by being foolish.
Kent must have taken my silence as a prompt to continue. “I know the dating pool is rather slim here but I’m sure there are tons of women in the city that would love to meet a man like you. You’re in your prime, successful —”
“I really don’t need you to stroke my dick for me. That’s not the issue. I’m not going to find another woman like Allison so what’s the point?”
“Let me tell you something, son. When my Elizabeth died not too long before your Allison, I felt like my world had ended. I felt I couldn’t find anyone else who could compliment me like she did. But you know what, I did. Tonya will never replace Elizabeth, no one will, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love her any less. You can love more than one person, Calvin. People are meant to love and share their lives with others. Allison wouldn’t want you living like this.”
The driveway came into view and he flicked on the blinker before slowing the truck and turning in. I didn’t respond to his comment. I had no idea what to say or how to respond. Maybe he was right. But the problem was that I had no idea how to let go. If I were to be brutally honest with myself, I was too much of a coward to start over.
“Well, you’re home. You need me to give you a hand?”
I put my hand up, stopping him. “You’ve done more than enough for me. Thank you for everything, Kent.”
“Promise you’ll think of what I said.”
“Yeah. I’ll give it some thought.” Opening the door, I slid out and onto my good foot, keeping my broken leg up. Grabbing my crutches from the back seat of the cab, I pulled them out. Leaning against the truck, I slammed the door closed and hobbled my way to the house.
Kent sat in the cab watching. Bugger wouldn’t leave until I was in the house; it made me feel even more helpless than I felt already.
Chapter 16
Nina
It was a fun night. I’d been nervous at first, but he’d shown me that he had eyes for only me. I’d felt the stares of many of the women in the bar on us and instead of letting it make me feel intimidated, I forced myself to look at it a different way. I felt empowered. It was me he went to Russia to bring home. It was me he was marrying. They had their chance and he picked me. As long as I kept that knowledge close to me, it would keep the insecurity and jealousy at bay.
“What the hell?” Ryker broke the silence as he pulled onto the driveway.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“Kent is still here.” As he spoke, my gaze fell onto the truck in the distance and then onto the passenger side door as it opened and a silhouette that could only be Calvin stepped out. Stepped out was being an overstatement though; he hopped on one foot, grabbed a set of crutches, closed the door and began to hobble up the steps.
The truck pulled away but didn’t go far. Kent pulled up to our vehicle and rolled down his window. Ryker stopped his truck and did the same.
“Hey, Ryker, your brother had a little accident and broke his leg. Doctor said he’s to be off it and not overdoing things until the cast comes off.”
Ryker frowned and a little groan left his lips. “Good luck with us trying to do that.”
Kent adjusted his Stetson hat and continued, “There’s more.”
“Great. What’s that?”
“He’s not capable of driving or standing for any length of time, so he’s going to need you to go to the livestock show and auction this weekend.”
“Well fuck me. I hate those things. Calvin is so damned particular on what he wants and what he’s willing to pay.”
Kent shrugged. “You’ll have to discuss that with him. I’m just preparing you for what you’re about to walk in on. Night.” With a little tip of his hat, he smiled directly at me, then rolled up the window and sped off.
“One thing after another.” Ryker shook his head, putting the vehicle back into drive and proceeding to pa
rk in the spot he’d unofficially claimed as his. “Bet Calvin is in a livid mood. He hates being hurt, he’s so damned stubborn.”
Getting out of the jeep, I followed him into the house. Entering, we found Calvin sitting at the kitchen table drinking a beer with his casted leg stretched out in front of him.
“Hey, Calvin, I was just talking to Kent. What happened?”
“Damn steel gate tipped over and fell onto me. I’d forgotten how heavy it was. It fell just the right way to fuck up my leg. Now I can’t go to that livestock show. It can’t be missed; I have a list of cattle, goats and other odds and ends we need.”
“I’m not so sure about goat’s milk, Calvin.”
“I am. We’re getting into it; we already have the machines on order. Trust me, it’ll work out.”
Ryker threw his hands up in the air. “Fine.”
He finished his beer and stumbled to his feet. Ryker rushed forward and took one of his arms to help steady him.
“Painkillers and beer. May have been a bad choice.”
“You think?” Ryker shook his head as they made their way to the staircase. “You’re supposed to be the one with common sense. You told me you weren’t going to finish with the machinery until tomorrow.”
“Guess I lied,” he grumbled. “I had Kent. And it’s done with the exception of putting the gate back into place.”
“Thank God for Kent. You could have been stuck out there all night.”
“I’ve been in worse situations.”
The stairs took a long time, with Ryker helping with one arm and me behind pushing at his back to keep him from tipping over and down the stairs. Though if he were to tumble backwards, I doubted my hundred and some odd pounds would do much to stop a man that was easily twice my size.
“I can handle it from here, dear.” Ryker said as he veered right at the top of the staircase and proceeded on to his brother’s room.
“Goodnight, Nina,” Calvin called over his shoulder.
“Goodnight.” With a sigh, I headed into our bedroom, grateful to be able to kick off my heels and relax my feet.
I was in the process of unzipping my dress when Ryker appeared in the doorway. “So it would appear that I’m going to need to make a little trip. Are you interested in seeing the city? It’s a couple hours drive there. It’s a full weekend thing so we wouldn’t be getting back until Monday. Each time we go to these things we come back with a trailer full of livestock. Calvin is pretty insistent on branching into goat products.”
Yes was on the tip of my tongue but I held back. If I went who would be around to help Calvin? “Does Calvin have anyone to give him a hand over the next couple of days with us gone?”
Ryker shrugged. “Calvin can be resourceful when he wants to be. Trust me, he’s not going to allow anyone to help him. The only reason he’s so docile now is because he’s drugged up. Tomorrow will be a different story.”
I wanted to go so badly. Seeing a real American city and maybe doing some shopping would be awesome but I could see it another time. Calvin needed help whether he wanted to admit it or not, and I couldn’t just leave him to his own defenses. Perhaps it would score me some points with him in the process. That couldn’t hurt, right?
“Then I think it would be best if I stayed back and gave him a hand.”
“I don’t know.” He looked skeptical.
“It’ll be fine. It’s the right thing to do.”
Throwing his hands up in defeat for a second time that night, he nodded his agreement. “If that’s what you want then so be it. I’m warning you now, he’s going to be a complete asshole tomorrow.”
I grinned. “And that’s different from any other day, how?”
Laughing, Ryker closed the bedroom door and then approached me, pulling me into his arms and lowering his lips to mine. “You’re an amazing person, Nina Kotov.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, Ryker Stone,” I whispered against his lips, pressing my body against his.
~*~ TT ~*~
Calvin
Grabbing the bottle of painkillers from my nightside table, I shook a couple into my hand and popped them into my mouth, washing them down with water from a glass that had been sitting on the table for a couple of days. To hell with it, it was water. Unless it was growing algae, I’d risk it.
Sleep the previous night was sporadic at best. The pain in my leg woke me on numerous occasions, making it difficult to go back to sleep. I’d guess I would have been lucky to get a couple hours of sleep throughout the whole night.
Turning my head, I peered out the window. Daylight had broken and it was time to get to work. Looking over at the analog clock on the back wall I was surprised to see it was later than I’d expected it to be; it was close to 9 a.m. Jesus, fuck! There was work to do! I never slept in past 5 a.m. Never.
Had Ryker gotten up and out? Had I been specific enough to ensure I got exactly what I needed. I forced my mind to clear the cobwebs as I sat up in the bed. There was a written-out list; had I given him the list?
Pulling the blankets back, I was surprised to see I was naked. Had Ryker stripped me and then put me into bed? Surely I’d have remembered something like that. Not like Ryker would do that anyhow. He wanted to see my dong about as much as I wanted to see his. Turning my head, I looked for my mobile phone. It wasn’t on the nightside table like it usually was; instead it was on the dresser.
Well shit.
Giving my head a little shake, I slid from the bed, putting all my weight on my good leg. I had to call him and make sure he’d left. I also had to take a major piss and had the hard-on to prove it.
Just as I was about to take my first step towards the dresser, a knock came at the door. I was about to ask who it was only to find my throat as dry as a camel’s ass. Tasted of camel’s ass to boot.
“Calvin, are you up?” Frowning, I stared at the door. Who in the hell was that? I didn’t respond, searching my mind for the answer. Just as I remembered, the door handle turned and Nina poked her head in. “Calvin —” A gasp followed my name as her green eyes dipped to my groin area and went as wide as saucers.
“What are you doing?” I’d finally found my voice, albeit it was sounding pretty rough.
“I — Um… I brought you breakfast.” Instead of backing away, she opened the door fully and showed me the tray which contained bacon, eggs, pancakes and syrup. She was already fully dressed, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and black halter top with spaghetti straps that showed off her midriff. Fuck me, if my dick wasn’t already erect, it would be well on its way to becoming hard after getting a glimpse of her.
Why is she still staring at my cock? I wasn’t sure what to do in this situation. Play modest and cover myself or let her stare until she’d had her fill. Considering I wasn’t exactly the most mobile of people at the moment, I decided on the latter. She’d already seen it all; what was the point in covering up now?
“Thanks. Is Ryker still here?” The question caused her to finally pull her gaze from my member to meet my eyes. I did have to chuckle at her though; her cheeks had gone from pale to bright crimson. It was clear that she was as uncomfortable and as confused as to what to do next as I was.
“No, he left a while ago.”
“Why didn’t you go with him?”
“I thought it would be best if I stayed here and gave you a hand. You weren’t looking so well last night.”
“Thank you but I’m perfectly fine. This isn’t the first bone I’ve broken and won’t be the last. I don’t need someone fussing over me.”
She entered the room and placed the tray onto the dresser. “I’m sure you don’t need it but it’s the least I can do.” Now that she’d torn her gaze from my dick, she was looking everywhere but at me.
“You don’t owe me anything.” Turning, I headed for the bathroom; she’d already seen my dick so letting her get a view of my ass wasn’t a big deal at this point. It was nice of her to cook me breakfast, and all the things that I loved, to boot. I had to
give her credit for that; she paid attention the first time we met. “Thank you for thinking of me though.”
“If you need anything, let me know.”
“I will,” I said, closing the bathroom door and locking it — just in case. I had my limits and having a woman watch me piss was my limit. Nina had already made this an uncomfortable situation.
Chapter 17
Nina
I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed. If I have been this embarrassed in the past, then this made my top five for sure. Why in the hell did I just walk in? Who just walks into a man’s bedroom without an invitation? And then instead of closing the door and walking away, I entered the room! What in the hell had been going on in my head? I just didn’t know.
Shaking my head at myself, I had no idea how I planned on facing him the rest of the day but I had to. I stayed back so I could make sure he was fine and didn’t overdo it. And it’s not like the house was so big that I could avoid him forever.
I’d have to just suck it up and pretend it never happened. Should be easy enough. It never happened.
Making my way downstairs, I headed for the kitchen so I could eat my share of the breakfast I’d made. I’d taken his up first to ensure it didn’t get cold; of course that meant my breakfast would be cold but there was a microwave so it was all good.
To my surprise, the food had remained relatively warm and tasted amazing. I was rinsing off my dishes and putting them into the dishwasher when I heard a thumping coming from upstairs. Calvin was up. No doubt he was going to attempt to make it down the stairs on his own. Rushing up the stairs, I found him surveying the stairs and about to proceed down with the breakfast tray in one hand, leaning on his crutches. It was a recipe for disaster.
“Stop. Wait!” I used my best, stern voice with him as I reached the top of the staircase. “You’re supposed to be in bed. Especially with those painkillers in your system.”
“I’m a grown-assed man. I think I can manage down some stairs.”
“Nope.” Planting my hands on my hips, I blocked his path. He’d eaten and gotten dressed quite quickly. He wasn’t able to get the jeans over his cast so he was wearing a pair of jogging pants, which looked really out of place in combination with a plaid shirt and cowboy hat. “I’m under strict orders.”
