“Thank you,” the captain said. Mitch stood there, awkwardly shaking his hand, while the passenger swayed on his feet and decided groveling might be a better choice than outright aggression.
“Just doing what needed to be done.” The exchange didn’t take more than a second, and he pushed the guy back to his row of seats.
“Can you move my laptop case, please?” He flashed a smile toward the flight attendant who remained close by to help.
“Yes, sir,” she said as she took the laptop and the case and stored them in the overhead bin.
“Man, I’m sorry. I got outta hand,” his detainee whined while they were still in the aisle.
“Shut up, sit down.” Mitch wasn’t in the mood for excuses.
“I’m a vice principal. I can’t have this on my record. You can’t do this to me.” The man began to sweat bullets, and his tone grew louder as he faced off with Mitch.
“Shut up and sit down,” Mitch repeated. Funny how everybody always had a reason as to why they should be excused from their shitty behavior.
“I just drank too much,” he tried again with the excuses. Mitch shoved him across the seats, barely catching his head before it slammed into the window. The action hadn’t stopped the guy’s flow of excuses as Mitch helped get him situated in the seat.
“Why are you doing this to me? I have rights, you know!” Mitch left a seat between them and sat down, staring straight forward. On a deep sigh, he realized this was going to be one long-ass flight.
Chapter 4
Cody turned off the county highway onto the long gravel road to his family’s farm in Kylie’s Corner, Texas. He slowed his truck, navigating the trail they’d created through the course of his entire life. A shrill scream filled the truck cab and broke his train of thought, startling him. He smiled at the ringtone he’d assigned his sister, then fumbled for his phone to answer before the second shriek could pierce his eardrums.
“I’ve got news,” Cody said, answering the phone.
“Well, you better! I tried to ignore your earlier call, but then I got worried. I was in an important meeting. It better be good, little Cody Turner!”
“I’m taller than you by eight inches,” he teased, ignoring her complaint. Sheila considered every meeting important.
“That means nothing in the life experience department. Besides, I changed your diapers and took you out on my dates. You’re still a little boy to me. Now, what did you want so late in the day on a Friday—since you’re clearly not hurt or anything?” While her tone could be off-putting to some, he found her endearing, and Sheila was always the first person he called for everything.
“I got the job!” he exclaimed.
“What job? What does that mean?” she asked, very confused.
“The mounted patrol job. The one I applied for months ago, remember?”
“No, you didn’t! No way! Congratulations, babe! When did you find out?” she asked. He knew she’d be excited.
“A little while ago. I got called into the chief’s office and he told me. It’s like a huge raise, and they have a mount waiting for me in Waco. I can stop by and see him on my way up,” Cody said as the main house came in view.
“Oh, Cody, I’m so proud of you. Congratulations. You’ve worked hard for that. You deserve it,” she praised.
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know that I’m pretty excited. I’m close to the house. Mason’s gonna be fit to be tied that I’m so late. I should go,” Cody said.
“Yeah, that’s right. This is your weekend to go to Dallas. Be safe, and remember, guys will make you lose your focus. Fuck ‘em and leave.” Sheila started to laugh.
“I’m not having this conversation with you. You’d think you’d have figured that out by now,” Cody said, taking a side trail to the barn.
“It’s just sex, Cody. I’ve done it a thousand times myself,” Sheila confessed, but he wasn’t in the mood to hear about his sister’s love life.
“Okay, too much information, I’m hanging up now.” Cody lowered the phone as he heard her yell her parting line.
“Be safe up there! And I’m proud of you, Cody. Good job!” He disconnected the call a little creeped out from hearing all that sex talk from his sister, but still incredibly happy. She’d been his number one supporter in his career.
He pulled his truck up beside Mason’s and got out. Mason, his oldest brother, ran the family farm. He did just about everything on his own. His dad had become a police officer back in the eighties to help support the family during the big Texas oil bust. He’d kept that job, eventually becoming the police chief in their town, letting Mason try his hand at running things when he got old enough. Mason had done a good job of building the place back up, making the farm viable and sustaining.
By the time Cody walked around the bed of the truck, Mason was heading out of the barn door, his cell phone stuck to his ear and a checkbook in his other hand. Chester, Cody’s lab, came busting around the corner, racing straight for him. Cody kneeled down, braced himself, and let Chester jump on him and lick him like crazy. He gave him a good rubdown and the doggie treat he’d brought as Mason approached.
“You’re late,” Mason said, the smile spreading across his face. Cody rose, figuring Mason had been talking to Sheila when he’d come out. Mason stuck out his hand, which Cody shook and got enveloped in a giant bear hug. They were similar in size and Mason gave him a good brotherly whack on the back. “Congratulations, man. I know how much you wanted that job.”
Chester was right there between them, jumping up to get in on the action. Man, he missed that dog.
“It was kind of a shock. I wasn’t expecting it at all.” Cody’s grin was as big as his brother’s. “I thought they’d given the job to someone else.”
“Oh come on. You were raised on the back of a horse. I had you up there with me when you were just a few years old,” Mason said. “Nobody rides better than you. Besides that, you’re badass at your job. I’m just real excited for you, man.”
“I heard my boy has some good news.” Cody’s mom hollered from the front porch. “You better get over here and share what’s going on with you,” she yelled. They both looked her way. She was a little bitty thing, but after corralling five children she had a voice that boomed across the pasture. Cody waved at her and turned back to his brother.
“I should go talk to her because otherwise she’ll hike all the way out here,” he commented.
“Here’s the checkbook. I wrote the farm’s address on the back. I called ‘em last night and you can stop by tonight or tomorrow. I’ll have my cell on me, let me know what you think of her,” Mason said.
“All right. Are you sure you want me to just write a check without you looking at her first?” Cody asked, walking back to his truck.
“Like I just said, you know horses better than any of us. You deem her acceptable, so will I,” Mason repeated, giving him a hard pat on the back. “I’m proud for you, Cody. Chester, come here, boy!”
Cody bent down and nuzzled the dog again before he loaded himself up and drove his truck to the main house where his mom stood. She was coming off the wrap-around porch, shielding her eyes against the glare of the afternoon sun as he got out of the truck. Her smile was as big as Mason’s had been.
“Sheila called, she told me you had good news and I needed to get out here.” His mom met him at his truck.
“Hi, Mom.” Cody leaned down to kiss her cheek. “I just met with my chief. I got that mounted patrol job I applied for all those months ago.”
“No kidding? I thought it passed you up,” she said, beaming bigger.
“That’s what I thought. The chief just said those things take longer.” Cody bent again to take her offered hug.
“I’m real proud of you, Son. None of my kids are as focused as you. You get something in your head and it’s just gonna work out like that. You make me proud,” she said again with another kiss on the cheek.
“I gotta get going, Mom. I’ll be
back for lunch on Sunday. I gotta work Sunday night.”
“No church on Sunday morning?” she asked.
“Probably not, but we’ll see. I love you.” Cody climbed back into the cab of his truck, started the engine, and rolled down the window.
“Be safe up there in Dallas. Those people aren’t as easygoing as we are down here. Did I tell you your dad’s up there with your brother? They decided to go to that police conference. Good thing you got your room reserved; they had a hard time finding a hotel. I think they had to go way far south, like Grand Prairie, to finally find a place to stay,” she said, shielding her eyes again as she glanced up at him to speak.
“I love you. Thanks, Mom.” Cody put the truck in reverse. She waved as he pulled away. Cody stopped at the main entrance of the road and dug through the file folder of information the chief had given him. He found the address of the stables in Waco currently boarding Ranger. He had wanted that to be his first stop, but he looked at the time and changed his mind.
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum was in Waco too. He definitely wanted to stop in there, and it was already rush hour traffic, with lots of miles to go to get to Waco. He’d do the museum tonight and stop by the stable in the morning. Decision made, he pulled his well-worn Texas Rangers Major League Baseball cap from the passenger seat and slid it easily on his head, grabbed his sunglasses off the visor, and hit the highway. He had some celebrating to do.
Five hours later, one drunken arrest, and all the DPD-required paperwork completed, Mitch stood in front of his sixth different hotel. All enquiries resulted in the same dreaded response, repeated with the same deep Texas twang, topped off with a sympathetic smile and shrug of the shoulders from the staff behind the front desk: No vacancy. Mitch was tired and grumpy, definitely past the polite Texas hospitality that kept leaving him without a bed. To top everything off, he hadn’t eaten since lunch. That clearly meant he was close to starvation, and now bunking down for the night in his rental car appeared to be a serious prospect.
To make matters worse, the latest establishment turned him away before he even took a step inside the lobby. What the hell? This was Dallas for Christ’s sake, he’d never had a problem finding a decent place to stay…ever. Who could have anticipated the International Police Association had chosen Dallas, Texas, for its annual conference, and apparently so had Geekfest—the same freaking weekend. What was there to possibly do in Dallas that could entertain all these officers and techies at the same time? Mitch stood on the front steps of the Omni hotel, waiting for his car to be brought back around. Because of that dumbass on the flight, he was hours behind schedule, his stomach had now begun to make annoying noises, and his patience had worn thin.
From out of nowhere, six beefy men stumbled across the steps where he stood. They were loud, wobbly, and clearly drunk. One lost his footing and took a nosedive, effectively taking out all the men in his group in an attempt to save himself from the fall. Mitch took one step backward, watching the whole scene play out in slow motion in front of him. Ahh…now it began to make sense why Dallas was the place for so many tourists and conventions in October—nice weather and lots of bars within walking distance from the hotels would draw them like flies to honey.
Mitch palmed his phone, then dialed the only other option he had. Colt picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?” Colt’s voice was gravely and thick. He’d clearly been sleeping.
“Please tell me you haven’t become such an old married man that you’re already asleep at ten o’clock at night,” Mitch teased.
“It’s eleven forty-five, and what’s wrong?” Colt asked.
“Who is it?” Mitch heard Jace’s muffled voice on the other end of the call. He’d clearly woken them both up. Damn.
“Mitch, babe,” Colt said to Jace.
“Is everything all right?” they both asked in unison.
“Listen, apparently there’re some conferences downtown. I got to the hotel late, and they gave my room away. I need a place to bunk for the night.” Mitch watched as his car pulled up in front of him. The human bowling ball and his pin men finally drew enough attention, and several of the hotel staff rushed out to help them up.
“We have an extra room. Need me to come get you?” Colt asked. Mitch had to take the long way around the men being carried inside to get to the valet. He grabbed his keys, handed the guy a ten dollar bill and was in the car driving toward North Dallas where Colt and Jace lived by the time Colt finished relaying the conversation to Jace.
“I got a rental. I’m headed there now. Turn the light on and for god’s sake make sure you put some clothes on. I don’t wanna see anything that’ll make you wanna kick my ass,” Mitch chuckled.
“That’s right! I still owe you an ass whoopin’,” Colt started, but there was some sort of commotion on the other end of the line, then he heard Jace’s voice.
“Ignore him. I’ll text you the new address. Call if you get lost, we’ll be waiting for you,” Jace replied.
“I have your address in my phone. It’s already giving me the directions. I’m on my way.” Mitch ended the call as he looped around Pearl Street to hit the North Dallas Tollway straight to the new Michaels-Montgomery casa.
Chapter 5
Mitch drove the quiet streets of the Preston Hollow neighborhood, amazed at the sizes of the homes. This part of Dallas reeked of money, but he had no idea places like this were tucked inside the city limits. The moonlight guided his path as he started slowing down to better read the addresses on the mailboxes. When he found his destination, he pulled in, his eyebrows lifting as he drove through a security gate into a circle driveway to one of the most beautiful homes he’d ever seen.
Not really sure what to do, Mitch parked the rental in the middle of the drive and grabbed his bags from the backseat. Colt opened the front door before he’d made it halfway up the stone walkway.
“Hey, man, I’m glad you called us. You should’ve just planned on staying here to begin with,” Colt said, opening the door wider for Mitch to come inside.
“Thanks for taking me in.” Mitch stood in the foyer, admiring the high vaulted ceilings, large chandelier, and curved stairwell.
“Come in,” Colt said, drawing Mitch farther into the house.
“Who’d have thought so many police officers could leave their post to come party in big D? Nice place, man. I didn’t know cheerleading paid so well,” Mitch teased, smirking at Colt. Jace had become the primary breadwinner for their little family since Colt’s retirement from the NFL, something Colt had taken to amazingly well.
“Yeah, neither did I. You should see the wedding gift Jace bought me. It’s a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500. I have her parked in the garage in a special place of honor,” Colt announced, slapping Mitch hard on the back as he bragged.
“Fuck, man, I ended up in the wrong business from the looks of it.” Mitch gave Colt a grin.
“Yeah, you and me both. I spent all those years getting knocked in the head to make a buck. Who would have thought cheerleading was the ticket? Jace has done real well. My neighbor, a few houses over, just happens to be President Bush. He hasn’t invited us over for dinner yet, but I feel sure it’s just a matter of time.” That had Mitch laughing.
“Well, you might have had a chance if you hadn’t played for New York. No hard-core Dallas fan would ever rub elbows with the likes of a New York Panther,” Jace added loudly as he descended the stairs. “Good to see you, Mitch.”
“Great to see you, buddy.” For old times’ sake, Mitch waited for Jace to reach the bottom step and grabbed him before giving him a tight hug. Jace made a humming sound and Mitch couldn’t resist the urge to waggle his eyebrows at Colt.
“Jace, do you really have to encourage him?” Colt asked as Jace stepped back from the embrace. Mitch couldn’t help but laugh when Colt moved in and slid an arm around his husband, drawing him close to his side. Even after all this time, Colt felt the need to radiate his possessiveness. The grin Jace gave his love
r made Colt’s frown widen. “You’re too good-looking to have Mitch stay here. I think he needs to sleep in his car tonight. It’s nice out this time of year. It’ll be like a campout.”
“No, he’s not sleeping in his car. Come on, Mitch. I just changed the sheets in the guest bedroom. Have you had anything to eat?” Jace asked, motioning for Colt to grab the duffel by the front door. Mitch let Colt carry the bag as he brought up the rear while Jace led them to the guestroom.
It never ceased to amaze Mitch how Jace and Colt fit so well together. They had an easy way about them. The way Colt looked at Jace as if he were the only thing that mattered in the whole world, and the way Jace always knew exactly how to handle his man. Like normal, when he spent time with the two of them, Mitch felt a twinge of something pulling at his heart. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on whenever he watched them together. Was he jealous? Fuck yeah, he was, and that had him doing a mental shake to his overactive brain, quickly tamping the feeling down.
“Are you still vegan?” Mitch asked, changing the subject in his head. And that got a snicker from Colt.
“Of course, are you hungry?” Jace asked as they climbed the stairs.
“I grabbed a burger on the way.”
“I get bacon for breakfast,” Colt added, as if that proved he was still in charge of his own eating. Uh, yeah right. Mitch had to smile at that thought because he had firsthand experience watching Jace fuss over Colt’s eating habits. No way the guy ate much meat. The only meat Colt got was the big fat cut of prime beef Jace slipped him every night, lucky guy.
“Here, this is your room,” Jace stopped at the first doorway upstairs. He flipped on the lights, illuminating a large, gorgeous room with a huge king-size bed and a fifty inch flat-panel television. This was so much better than any hotel in the DFW area.
Nice Guys Collection With Added Bonus Material Page 34
