by Andrew Grey
“If you have family in town, why were you and Emily sleeping in a tent?” That was the million-dollar question, but from the haunted expression in Brodie’s eyes, Ky wasn’t sure if he was going to get an answer or not.
C hapter Two
Brodie figured it was best if he just kept quiet. Since arriving a few days ago, it hadn’t taken him long to learn that his family wasn’t particularly well liked, and they had a reach that scared the hell out of him.
“If Jake Tyler was your cousin, would you advertise?” he asked, hoping to deflect the question. Once the storm was over and Emily had had a chance to rest, the two of them would get back on the road and he’d figure out what he was going to do next. One thing was for sure: he needed to get as far away from Jacob and his greedy, grabby wife as he possibly could.
Emily at least had stopped fussing and was filling her belly. Brodie had done his best to see to it that she had enough to eat. He’d used what little money he had to get her food. It had been simple fare for the last few days, but he’d done what he could. And now that she had eaten, Emily leaned against him and closed her eyes, holding her sippy cup.
“Do you want to put her down so she can rest?” Ky asked. “Poor little thing is just worn out.”
“In a minute, if that’s okay,” Brodie answered, and dug into his pasta, the hunger of the past few days taking him by surprise. He had to slow himself down or he’d eat too fast and make himself sick. At least that’s what his mother used to say.
“Go ahead and eat. I made plenty,” Ky said as he dished out some fruit.
Brodie continued eating, glancing at Ky when he thought the other man wasn’t looking. Ky was a strong man; that was plain by the way his shirt clinched his arms. He also had really broad shoulders and big brown eyes that peered out from under black hair that had grown long and flopped into his face sometimes. Brodie took another bite and couldn’t help looking again. Ky’s skin seemed almost as weathered as the fence posts he and Emily had passed in the car. But as harsh and angular as his face was, there was something kind in his eyes, and that had been the only reason he had done what Ky had said and come here. Storm or not, he had almost turned the other way at the main road and just kept going.
Emily continued sleeping as Brodie ate all he could. He didn’t know when he was going to eat again, so he wanted to make the most of it. The others had already finished, and Brodie sat back, cradling Emily against him and letting himself relax for a few minutes anyway. “Thank you,” he told Ky, knowing his mama would be looking down and very upset if he forgot his manners.
“If you want, you can lay her down on the sofa in the living room. There’s a blanket in there, and she’ll be okay.”
Brodie carried her in, and Emily rolled onto her side just as soon as he spread the hand-crocheted blanket over her. One of the three dogs jumped up onto the sofa and lay down near the end, while the two larger ones stayed on the floor. It seemed they were intent on watching over his sister.
“She’ll be okay. Misty will watch over her. And it seems the others have decided to hold a vigil as well.” Ky gently patted each one. “They’re all good dogs and won’t hurt her.”
“But those two are so big,” Brodie said. The two German shepherds were huge, even when curled into a ball. Still, their tongues lolled as Ky petted them. Brodie crouched down and held out his hand.
“That’s King, and the other is Prince,” Ky explained as they both scooted closer, and Brodie petted their heads. The dogs each closed their eyes, soaking up the attention. “These were all my mom’s dogs, and when she passed away, I inherited them along with the rest of the ranch. Misty still prowls the house sometimes looking for her as though Mom is hiding.” Ky stood and quietly left the room.
Brodie sat on the old polished-wood floor, staying close to Emily as he took a turn petting each of the dogs.
Ben peered into the room and then walked on through to leave by the door they’d all come in. The light was fading through the windows, but the rain seemed to have let up. The kitchen lights flashed on, and Brodie relaxed a little now that power had been restored. That meant that things were returning to normal, so once Emily had rested, he’d get their things and put as much distance between them and their cousin as possible.
“She’ll be fine,” Ky said from the doorway, and Brodie got to his feet. “I put your wet clothes in the washer now that we have power, and Ben went to make a run into town. You and Emily just settle in for a spell and give yourselves a rest.” Ky took all the dishes to the sink and started washing. Brodie grabbed the towel that hung off the handle of the drawer and began drying, stacking the clean dishes on the table. Ky seemed as content as Brodie to just work and not try to carry on a conversation. Maybe it was true that cowboys were the strong, silent type.
Brodie kept glancing over at Ky, part of him wondering if the man was for real. No one was this nice, at least not in his experience. The guy had just taken him and Emily into his home, fed both of them, and was allowing them to stay. Brodie kept wondering if Ky was expecting something from him. Every now and then, Ky turned to look at him and then went back to doing the dishes. It was almost unnerving the way he could just say nothing. And it drove Brodie a little crazy.
Growing up, silence and quiet usually meant seething anger between his mother and father. They could go more rounds than a heavyweight boxing match, and in between each of those rounds was the period of quiet where everything festered for a few hours or even days. Then the fight would start again, invariably over money or some bill that his father thought was too high, which was, of course, back to money, something there was never enough of. Over and over again. The argument was finally settled permanently when his father died in a drunk driving incident. Brodie found out afterward that his father had been a raving alcoholic for years, hiding bottles in the garage, in the shed, at work. Thankfully, the only one killed had been his and Emily’s father… well, and the tree. Things got a lot quieter around home after that, especially since a month later, his mother started getting sick each and every morning.
“It looks like the weather is clearing up,” Brodie finally said. Not that he wasn’t comfortable with Ky—he actually was. It was the silence that he just couldn’t stand.
“Yeah. It should have gotten it out of its system, and hopefully it will be sunny tomorrow and we can check for damage.” Ky washed the last dish.
“What about the cows and stuff?”
Ky handed him the last plate. “It don’t bother them none. They just lay down and stay close to the ground… and eat. It’s what they do.” A phone vibrated somewhere, and Ky sighed, wiped his hands, and went off to find it. “Ben says that there are trees and stuff down between us and town. He got through, but it’s a mess.”
“Was it that bad?” Brodie asked. “I thought it was just a lot of rain.”
“Don’t know. There could have been a twister or something. It’s been known to happen with storms like that.” He turned, and Brodie looked away.
“I know. It was dangerous for me and Emily to be out in stuff like that with just a tent.” If it was a bad as it had looked—and from what Ky had said, it was—they might have been in real danger. “And I’m sorry about the fire.”
Ky emptied the sink and wiped his hands once more. “I’m not. If you hadn’t had one, you and Emily would still be out there. It was the only way I found you.”
“But you were so angry,” Brodie countered.
“More like surprised. We had some people camping on the property when I was a kid. Turned out to be some sort of religious group, and we had a devil of a time getting rid of them. I guess I clued in on that.” He turned away and rinsed out the sink before turning off the lights.
“Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t know, and I was trying to find a place where we’d be safe and I could get Emily fed and let her rest. I didn’t know I’d be stuck in a tornado or something.” Now he started wondering what had happened to the tent. He wished he’d had time to pack
it away before getting out of there. It was the only shelter, other than the car, that they had. He probably should have just stayed in that, but Emily deserved something hot after eating Cheerios, cheese, and the last of the milk from a cooler before they’d run out of ice. Being poor really sucked, and not having a home on top of it was even worse.
Ky nodded. “Let’s go into the living room. You can check on Emily.”
He led the way out, and the two big dogs gathered around him for attention as Ky sat down. Misty had shifted and lay next to Emily, so Brodie sat at the bottom of the sofa. As soon as he sat down, Emily stirred and began waking up. Misty jumped down and, after stretching, bounded up into Ky’s lap.
Emily was blinking and whined softly, so Brodie lifted her onto his lap.
“Is she thirsty? I have some apple juice.” Ky left and returned with a sippy cup. He handed it to her, and Emily began drinking. Brodie checked Emily’s bag and pulled out one of the last diapers. He was going to need to change her. The fact was that Brodie was down to the very end of just about everything. He had a few dollars and the diapers were near an end, as were the wipes, cream, clothes, and just about everything else he could think of. Maybe he should have taken his cousin’s help, but at the time, the cost had been so damned high. Now, after days on his own and with desperation setting in, he thought maybe he’d made the wrong decision.
Brodie jumped as boots sounded outside the door, and then Ben came back in. He carried a box of diapers, as well as bags with wipes and other things Brodie was almost out of, including diaper cream. Ben set them down next to him without saying a word and carried the rest to the kitchen. Brodie turned away and thought that if anyone said a single word to him, he was going to cry right there. This would get them through for a time, and he wasn’t going to have to worry about how he was going to take care of Emily, at least for the immediate future.
He managed to look toward Ky and saw that he had stood and was watching out the front window.
“I need to check on the horses for the night. After the storm, they need to be bedded down and stuff. If you need anything, just help yourself in the kitchen.” Ky left him and Emily alone.
Brodie sat back on the sofa and held Emily, letting himself go to pieces. There was no one here to see him. Emily wasn’t going to tell on him, and Brodie finally just allowed the hurt and grief to come to the surface. Dammit, why did Ky have to be so damned nice? The guy even made up some chore so he could get out of the house and let Brodie break down alone. Who the hell did that? And how had Ky understood that that was what he needed?
There was a stomp outside the door, and Brodie wiped his eyes one last time before tickling Emily a little to get her to laugh, which she did before sucking down some more of her juice.
“Everything is all set in the barn, and as far as I can tell, the ranch seems to be okay after the storm.”
“That’s good.”
“Also, Ben was able to find your tent. He rolled it up and put it on the porch. I think the poles are there, and it seemed to be in one piece, so it must have just collapsed. In the morning we can hang it out and give it a chance to dry.” Ky yawned and stretched, his shirt riding up just enough to give Brodie a glimpse of his flat stomach. “Why don’t I show you where you and Emily can sleep tonight?”
“Okay… thanks… I….” Brodie was so grateful that words failed him. It had been a while since he’d slept in a bed and not on the ground or in the car.
“Are you ready for night night?” Ky asked Emily with a smile, lightly tickling her belly. “I bet you are, pretty girl.”
Emily gave Ky a toothy grin, and then to Brodie’s surprise, she reached for him.
Ky looked shocked for about two seconds, then took her and carried her around the living room, making horsey noises. Emily grinned and then laughed out loud—a full-on, no-giggle laugh. To make it better, Ky continued playing with her, and she made goo-goo eyes at him as though she had won the lottery.
“You want a last horsey ride before you go to bed?”
“Ya!” Emily squealed, and Ky took her around the room once more before going down the hall to what seemed to be the guest bedroom. It had a bed, dresser, and boxes against the one wall, but it was a bedroom.
Ky flew Emily to the bed and laid her down. “I’ll see you in the morning, little princess,” he said, and they shared a smile. “There are extra towels in the bathroom. We get up really early, but you sleep as long as you need to.” He closed the door, and Emily immediately rolled over, stood up, and began jumping on the bed.
Brodie caught her and held her close. “You and I need to go to bed.”
“Do… do….” She pointed toward the door.
“We need to keep the door closed. Okay?” Where she’d picked up “door,” he wasn’t sure.
Emily squirmed, and Brodie set her on her feet. She hurried over to the door, slapped at it, and then reached for the knob. “Do… do…,” she kept saying.
Brodie lifted her again and slowly opened the door. Misty bounded into the room and onto the bed.
“Do… do…,” Emily babbled happily, and Brodie got it.
“You wanted the dog.”
“Do…,” she agreed.
“Okay. We need to get you ready for bed, and then you can sleep with the dog. But you have to promise to be good. Okay?”
Getting Emily ready for bed was a production. First, they went into the bathroom, where he stripped her down and washed her up as best he could, and got her into a fresh diaper and a nightgown. Then he started the process of winding her down so she’d go to sleep. He spoke softly and dimmed all the lights to make it seem like quiet time. Sometimes Emily went for it, and other times she just babbled on for hours.
She must have been tired, because Brodie put her in bed right next to the wall and she curled up. “Do… Do.”
“Her name is Misty. Can you say that? Misty. Misty.”
“Mis… Mis…,” she said with a smile, and Misty must have heard enough. She settled right next to Emily. Brodie turned out the lights, and Emily yawned and babbled for a few minutes, telling him whatever it was that she wanted Brodie to know. He always imagined that she was telling him that she loved him and that everything was going to be all right.
“Go to sleep. In the morning we’ll figure everything out.” He lay there quietly, and thankfully it didn’t take very long for Emily to fall asleep. They’d had an eventful day, and it seemed to have caught up with her. Brodie, on the other hand, had too much to wonder and worry about. He stayed up for hours, even though he was exhausted.
Eventually he slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen, hoping that the offer of whatever they wanted from the fridge was still good. Brodie poured a glass of juice and sat at the table, sipping and wishing he could just go to sleep. But his life was too big a mess for him to just sleep through what could very well be his final night under a solid roof without having to worry about what might be lurking outside the tent.
“Can’t sleep?” Ky asked as he came into the kitchen.
Brodie nodded and drank some more juice, unable to take his eyes off Ky’s bare chest. Heat rose to his cheeks. He knew he shouldn’t be noticing things like that, or his quarter-sized nipples and the dusting of hair on his pecs. He certainly shouldn’t be looking at the way Ky’s hips narrowed or the thin line of hair that went from his belly button and disappeared into the shorts he was wearing.
“I’m sorry if I woke you.” Brodie drank more of his juice, using it as an excuse to turn away. “I should probably go back to bed and make sure Emily is okay.” He downed the last of the juice and rinsed the glass in the sink. Brodie could feel Ky behind him, watching. He didn’t know exactly what he was doing, but Ky leaned close, his imaginary hands reaching through Brodie’s thin shirt. God, he was tempted to turn around and press to that warmth and the solidity his strength represented. He closed his eyes and held still, waiting to see what Ky did. The heat streaming off Ky grew more intense. Brodie knew he was rig
ht behind him.
Ky opened the cupboard next to him and pulled out a glass. Brodie relaxed and berated himself for thinking the thoughts that had run rampant through his head. Ky had shown no interest in him other than to be nice, and he probably didn’t swing his way either, though he might have heard some snippets of talk in town. Brodie turned just as Ky put the carton of milk back in the refrigerator and was closing the door. The light shone on his skin, and Brodie’s cheeks heated once again.
“Good night,” he said softly, and hurried out of the kitchen and back down the hall to the room he was sharing with Emily.
Misty lifted her head as he came back, and Brodie gently stroked her before climbing back into bed and closing his eyes. Before, it had been his worries keeping him up. Now, it was images of Ky without his shirt and even imaginations of what Ky would look like if those low-hanging shorts just happen to lose their fight with gravity. He smiled and rolled over, chastising himself for his stupid little fantasies.
C hapter Three
Ky checked on Ben in the barn and then tinkered with the four-wheeler to get the stubborn thing started before heading out. He needed to check on the herd. At the top of the rise, he looked over the ranch. The cattle had spread over the land some and were grazing normally. The air smelled clean in the early-morning sun. It was almost fresh, but any hint of cool was only going to last a few more hours, and then the heat of the day would start to build and the humidity would rise as all the moisture from the previous day’s rain evaporated into the air. Still, he loved this time of day, when anything was possible and the realities of his life hadn’t had a chance to close in.
Ranching was a lonely life, spent miles away from town and the nearest neighbor. And that was how Ky wanted it. Close neighbors meant someone to look down on him or to spread rumors about him to town, and there were already plenty of those.
