by Faith Gibson
“Yeah. I can’t believe he’s being paroled so soon. I have to admit, I’m not opposed to carrying my pistol. It’ll feel natural having it on my hip again.”
“I feel you,” Andy said. He wished he could feel Bryan, but that ship had sailed.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“You wanna tell me what was going on when you called Tyler ‘limp dick’?” Bryan asked.
Andy burst out laughing. “You are not going to believe this shit. Tyler was so drunk last night he couldn’t get his dick back in his pants after he took a piss. Cade did the honors.”
“Cade stuck Tyler’s dick back in his pants? Where was Mal?”
“From the glare he was giving them both, I would say he as standing right there with them. He was not too happy about it either.”
“I imagine so. I couldn’t do it.”
“What, touch another man’s dick?” Andy asked before he thought of how it sounded.
“No, disrespect my boyfriend that way,” Bryan snapped. Now that Andy thought about it, he could see where Mal and Bryan were coming from.
They finished the dishes in silence, and once Andy had dried his hands, he headed into the living room to watch the game. Bryan sat at the other end of the couch, and Andy did his best to concentrate. It didn’t work. When Mal and Cade came back inside, the game was over and another one had started. Andy had relived the previous night over and over, but every time he moved to kiss Bryan, he’d not pulled away. More than once, Andy had to put the pillow over his lap so Bryan wouldn’t see the hard-on. Yeah, Andy definitely needed to go find someone to take the edge off.
When he thought about doing that, though, it scared him. The last time a stranger touched him, things hadn’t gone so well. Andy would have to make sure whoever he found to help with his release was small enough he wouldn’t get the upper hand if he tried.
Chapter Eighteen
Bryan
Bryan couldn’t believe the Cade Anderson was upstairs taking a shower with Mal. Other than him tucking Tyler’s dick in his jeans for him, Cade was cool. Down-to-earth. Bryan still found it crazy that a world-famous rock star had fallen in love with a small-time cowboy. And the way he’d gone all alpha when talking about keeping Mal safe had added to his awesomeness. Bryan hadn’t missed the way Andy couldn’t keep his eyes off Cade, but Bryan could understand why. Cade was a good-looking guy. And his nipple piercings? Those had Bryan’s attention. That shit had to hurt. When he watched porn, Bryan had been intrigued with the guys licking and sucking on each other’s nipples. He knew women liked it, but he had no idea men did too. Next time he jerked off, he was going to play with his and see what it felt like.
The first ballgame ended, and Bryan stood to stretch. Andy had been unusually quiet throughout the entire game. Every once in a while, he’d shift in his seat, but he never said a word. Bryan wondered if it had anything to do with their awkward moment in Bryan’s bedroom. Whatever it was, Andy needed to work through it. He’d wanted to kiss Andy, but he didn’t want to do it with so many people in the house. When he finally gave in to being with Andy, he wanted to do it the right way. “You want something to drink?” he asked as he headed to the kitchen.
“No, I’m good.”
Bryan inhaled the aroma of something heavenly. Mal’s crockpot was on the counter, and if Bryan’s nose wasn’t failing him, it was a roast. Bryan could go for some meat. Are you sure about that? Why did his inner voice have to be such a doubter? For Andy, yeah, he could do it. Bryan pulled the sweet tea out of the fridge and poured what was left in a glass. The jug was almost empty, thanks to Cade, so he found some tea bags in the pantry and put them on to boil. He was learning his way around the kitchen, thanks to Andy, and sweet tea was one thing he was able to make without screwing it up.
While waiting for the tea to steep, Cade ran down the stairs like his ass was on fire. “Everything okay?” Bryan asked on alert. By that time, Andy was standing in the kitchen, too.
“My mom’s had a heart attack. I have to go. Please take care of Mal for me,” Cade begged.
“You have my word,” Bryan promised.
Cade hurried out the door, and Andy said, “That sucks.”
“Yeah, it does. I hope she’s gonna be okay. At least Cade can be there with her.”
Mal came down the stairs with a funny look on his face. Instead of following Cade outside, Mal headed straight for the office. Maybe he was going to book a flight and go after his boyfriend. That’s what Bryan would do if it were him.
After finishing making the tea, Bryan returned to the ballgame. After a while, Mal still hadn’t come out of the office. “Do you think we should check on him?” he asked Andy. When the office door opened, they both watched Mal storm down the hall and into the kitchen. Bryan and Andy looked at each other, jumped up from the couch, and followed their boss. Andy stopped quickly, and Bryan ran into his back, grabbing onto him to keep them both from falling. It would have probably been comical if Mal wasn’t on a tear about whatever was bothering him. Without a word, he filled a cooler full of beer and stormed outside.
“Holy shit!” Andy declared. “I wonder what that’s about?”
“No idea, but we should probably keep an eye on him. I’ve not seen him drunk, but as much beer as he put in the cooler, I’d say he will be before too long.”
While Andy took the lid off the crockpot and peered inside, Bryan looked out the window. Instead of going back to the ballgame, they stayed in the kitchen where they could keep an eye on Mal. He had started a fire and sat down against a hay bale, opening one beer after another. Bryan peeled potatoes and carrots, adding them to the roast. Neither one of them wanted to bother Mal, but they both wanted to know what was going on. At what point did they say “to hell with it” and intrude on his business?
Since Mal was tossing his empties in the fire, they had no idea how much he’d had to drink. When he stood to take a leak and stumbled a little, Bryan decided it was time to go talk to the man. Not getting too close, he asked, “You hungry, Mal? The roast is ready.”
“Nope.” Mal managed to sit back down without falling into the pit. He opened another beer, tossing the cap into the fire.
“You wanna talk about it?”
“Nope.”
“Fair enough.” Bryan left Mal to his misery. What the fuck could be so bad?
When it was dark and Mal still hadn’t come inside, Bryan and Andy agreed to sit outside and watch him together. They’d spent the last few hours taking guesses at what could have happened from the time Cade left until Mal came downstairs and hid out in his office. They walked out the back door to Mal’s drunken laughter. Bryan looked at Andy and raised his eyebrows. Could Mal have worked through his problems? When Mal began talking, Bryan saw he was on the phone.
Mal slurred as he said, “I’m goin’ to call my pilot… Oh, god… Do you know how ridiculous this all is? You and your fancy jet, and your fancy mansion in the hills, and your fancy red sports car. Ain’t a goddamn thing fancy ‘bout me. Just a worthless redneck you saw as a challenge. I tell you what, Rock Star – I’m gonna make you some more money. I’m gonna bust my fuckin’ ass to make you enough money to buy another fancy car. I’m gonna make a go of the farm so when you finally retire from tourin’, you can find a nice fancy man to settle down with, and I’ll still be here, tendin’ the cattle on your goddamn fancy farm. Goodbye, Cade.” It took several tries, but Mal found the off button. The phone rang, but Mal tossed the phone behind him, landing at Bryan’s feet.
Mal took a drink of his beer but spit it back out. He flung the bottle into the fire before pulling another out of the cooler. Bryan couldn’t believe how much Mal was drinking without passing out. His phone continued to ring, but neither Bryan nor Andy answered it.
About an hour later, Mal finally slumped over on the ground. Moe and Curly whined, concerned about their master. Bryan and Andy picked him up and carried him upstairs. They pulled off his boots, but left
his clothes on. Bryan glanced around the bedroom. It was quite a bit larger than his, but other than that, it wasn’t anything special. Andy pulled the covers up around Mal’s chest and stared down at the man. When Andy turned, he was frowning. He didn’t say anything, just pointed to the hallway. Andy turned the light off and closed the door behind them.
When they got downstairs, Mal’s phone rang for the nine millionth time. Of course, that was an exaggeration, but it sure felt like Cade had called that many times. As soon as it stopped ringing, Bryan’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. It showed an unknown number, but he had a feeling he knew who it was.
“Hello?”
“Bryan, thank god. Is he okay?”
“If by okay you mean passed out from drinking, then yes.”
“Jesus fucking Christ. I screwed up.”
“You wanna talk about it?” Bryan asked as he sat on his end of the couch. He cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder while he unlaced his boots. If Cade wanted to talk, Bryan wanted to be comfortable.
“I didn’t tell him I’m the one who bought the farm. I wanted to give him time to get things going really well before I sprang that on him.”
“I can see where that might not have been such a good idea. What are you going to do now?”
“All I can do – give him time. Bryan, I want you to program my number into your phone. I’m not asking you to betray Mal’s trust, but I want you to call if you feel there’s anything I should know. Like if someone comes snooping around that doesn’t belong.”
“You got it. Andy and I both have Mal’s back.”
“Thank you. I… I better go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Cade.”
Andy was sitting on the other end of the sofa waiting to hear Cade’s side of the conversation. Bryan told him that Cade owned the corporation that bought the farm. Neither one of them had seen that coming. Instead of hashing it out between themselves, they knew it was up to Mal to either forgive Cade for not telling him, or tell the man things between them were over. Bryan knew which one he’d do. Love was too fucking hard to come by. Yeah, Cade should have been honest, but keeping Mal from losing the only home he’d ever known was worth forgiving in his opinion. He and Andy said goodnight and retreated to their rooms.
Bryan closed his eyes, thinking about Mal and Cade’s situation. Bryan had saved almost all the money he made in the Marines over the last couple of years. It wasn’t a lot, but it was more than he’d ever had in his life. He thought paying cash for his truck had been something. He couldn’t fathom having so much money you could buy a farm just because you wanted to. Andy probably knew what having that kind of money felt like growing up. It had technically been his parents’ money, but Andy hadn’t wanted for anything. Well, materialistic, anyway. Bryan almost felt sorry for Mal. Almost. The man had everything he could want, yet it still wasn’t perfect. There was the threat of his father hanging over his head. But Cade said he was working on that, too. Bryan’s father was also in prison, but at least he loved his son and didn’t want him dead. Switching his thoughts to something more pleasant, like Andy’s naked body, Bryan drifted off to sleep.
When Mal made his way down the stairs the next morning, Bryan and Andy were already eating breakfast.
“Mornin’.”
“Good morning,” they both answered at the same time.
“Whoever put me in bed, thank you.” After Mal poured a cup of coffee, he sat down at the table and grabbed one of the biscuits Andy made.
“It was both of us. You were pretty out of it, Boss,” Andy told him.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have got like that, but sometimes…” Mal didn’t finish his thought.
“Your phone’s on the charger. You’ve had several calls and texts from Cade. When you didn’t answer, he called me, and I told him you were already asleep,” Bryan said. “It hasn’t stopped him from calling back this morning, though.”
“Thanks. He and I had a disagreement.” Mal shoved the rest of the biscuit in his mouth.
“I know you probably don’t want my opinion, Boss, but I’m gonna give it anyway.” Bryan took a sip of coffee giving Mal time to tell him to mind his own fucking business. When he sat there chewing, Bryan continued, “I know all about Cade’s past. You can’t be a fan of rock music and not read about 7’s Mistress. The guy in the tabloids is not the same guy who comes here to visit you. The one that comes here loves you. I don’t know what it is you’re upset about, but he’s just as upset. I finally turned the ringer off on your phone because I was tired of hearing it go off all night.”
“All night?” Mal looked around the kitchen. He stood from the table and went to his phone. “Jesus,” he muttered. After sliding the phone in his pocket, he said, “He bought the farm.”
“So, you have an issue being in love with your boss? Like a conflict of interest thing?” Bryan asked. He didn’t tell Mal they already knew this.
Mal shook his head. “No, I have an issue with the fact he bought it and didn’t tell me. Why lie about it?”
“How would you have reacted if he told you the truth? You already give him shit about his money,” Andy said.
“No, I don’t,” Mal argued.
“Boss, you do. You threw it up in his face pretty harsh last night, talking about all his fancy shit. I wasn’t eavesdropping. You were yelling, and I was worried,” Andy added.
“I think it’s more because he lied, you know? If he’d come clean about it when he first bought it, I would’ve had time to digest it. He never once let on that he bought the place, or that he was responsible for the new equipment or the horses. He has been behind everything that’s gone on around here and kept quiet. That’s what bothers me.”
“I’m not saying he was right to keep the truth from you, but I do see where he might not want you to know. Andy’s right, Boss. You take issue with Cade’s money, whether you admit it or not. He can’t be all bad if he bought the farm to keep you from losing it. Sure, it’s technically his now, but doesn’t he let you make all the decisions?”
Mal nodded and rubbed his temples with his fingers. “He’s goin’ on tour next month, so it won’t matter anyway. He’ll be on the road, and I’ll be here by myself. It was a short-term thing.”
Andy and Bryan cut their eyes at each other. Bryan didn’t believe it was short term. Not the way they’d been with each other.
Changing the subject, Mal asked, “Do either of you know where the aspirin is?”
Bryan went to retrieve the aspirin while Andy heated up some biscuits for Mal. They had all planned on going fishing together, but Mal told them to go ahead without him. He was going to take Matilda to get an ice cream. Bryan hated to see the man so torn up, but there was nothing more he could say or do. Forgiving Cade was all up to Mal.
Hanging out at the pond alone with Andy turned out to be more fun than Bryan expected. He didn’t worry about the sexual tension he’d been feeling. He forgot about all the things that had gone wrong and focused on what the two of them did best. The two of them spent the day being nothing more than friends having a good time. They laughed when one would catch a fish that wasn’t big enough for bait or the other caught a big one only to lose it on the reel-in. Their plan had been to catch enough fish for supper to go with the crab legs Andy bought at the store. Bryan had never fished a day in his life and he sure as hell had never cleaned one. When he asked Andy if he knew how, his friend burst out laughing.
“Uh, no?”
After they figured out they couldn’t eat the fish, they began tossing them back into the pond as soon as they caught them. Before they headed back to the house, they rode the four wheelers around checking on some of the calves.
“I can’t get over how cute these little guys are,” Andy gushed as they watched a baby suckle from his mother. Bryan thought they were cute too, but that wouldn’t stop him from eating steak whenever possible. They had been blessed with an easy calving season so far. Mal had been a ball of nerves
before the births, saying if he failed the company, he could still lose everything. Now that he knew Cade was the owner, Mal had nothing to worry about, but Mal probably didn’t see it that way.
Bryan would give anything to have someone love him enough to buy his failing farm so he and his mom wouldn’t be put out on their asses with nothing but their clothes. Sure, Cade probably should have been up front with Mal from the start, but Mal had grumbled several times about their differences. He probably didn’t realize he did it. One breath he was singing Cade’s praises, and in the next, he was saying how they shouldn’t be together.
When they got back to the house, Andy set about boiling the crab legs while Bryan checked on the horses. He was enjoying learning to ride. He and Callie were becoming accustomed to each other, and she loved nipping at him. After giving equal attention to both Callie and Cochise, Bryan closed up the barn and stood outside alone. The sky was moving past twilight into dusk. He didn’t think he would ever get tired of being able to see all the stars. It was one of the few things he missed about being in the Marines. When he moved back into an apartment, the lights were too bright to ever see the glory of the sparkling heavens. Bryan saw a shooting star, and like a silly little girl, he made a wish on it.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He wasn’t surprised to see it was Cade.
“Hello.”
“Bryan, it’s Cade. Can you talk?”
“Yeah, Mal’s not here. Took his mom and Matilda out for ice cream earlier. He’s probably still hanging out at Walt’s.”
“I’ve called Gerard, and he’s going to look into more security. I’ll be going out on the road soon, and I need you to promise me you’ll take care of Mal.”
“You have my word, Cade. Not only is he my foreman, but he’s a friend. I like the guy, and I like working here. For what it’s worth, he’s hurting. He misses you, and he loves you. Give him time.” Bryan hoped like hell he wasn’t lying to Cade. He hadn’t seen a lot of couples in love, but he thought back to his parents. Even though his father committed some awful crimes, he did it out of love for Bryan’s mom. Somehow, she forgave him and stood by him until the day she died. If that wasn’t love, Bryan didn’t know what was.
