Loving the Broken Man (The Cowboys of Katydid Farm Book 3) Read online

  The eventual compromise reached between the Circle C and the Katydid was that Jase would continue to work part-time at the Circle C, but he'd use the office in the house instead of the one at the barn. Dan hoped it meant he'd still get to pick up the guy and see him at lunch time. Jase Langston was starting to grow on him.

  "What do ya mean he's leavin'?" Dan asked as he stood inside the farmhouse at the Katydid. He'd stopped by to pick up Jase for work at the Circle C on a Friday morning. When Miss Katie met him at the door with a hard look on her face, he was worried.

  "I mean, Josh is takin' him to Dillwyn to work at Wonderland. Y'all are so goddamn harsh over there, it occurred to me you don't know how to nurture a young man who's tryin' to figure out his life, so I called Mickey. He can encourage the boy better than any of you. Hell, Tim and Matt won't let the boy stay at the ranch because of Rocky and Ryan. I'm ashamed of them for that behavior.

  "That boy came here lookin' for anybody to give a fiddler's damn about him and maybe give him a shot at makin’ somethin’ of himself, and all y'all acted like damn fools. I don't wanna see or talk to any of ya for a while so I'm goin' to Florida to see my cousin Freda. I really feel for poor Kayley with the likes of you bein' her parent. Don't mess up that little girl, Daniel," she announced before she walked down the hallway, leaving him to stand alone in the kitchen, feeling like he’d just been kicked in the gut.

  Dan knew everyone at the Circle C had been in a tizzy since the kid had shown up, but he didn't think it had been as bad as Katie had made it sound. Of course, he didn't know the boy's story before he’d shown up in Holloway, and as he thought about it, if Jase had come out to his parents and they didn't take it well, Dan could see how it could have gone south and led to the kid leaving home. Hell, he hadn't had the guts to come out to his own mother, though Zach knew. Of course, there was nothing going on in Dan's life worth mentioning to his mother, which was likely why Zach felt like it was okay to leave their mother in Dan’s care. He had the time.

  Danny stood there pondering why he'd been so shitty to the younger guy, and he knew why before the question actually registered in his mind…he was very attracted to Jason Langston. The boy had him tied up in knots, and the fact there was nine years between them only made Dan feel guiltier.

  When Josh walked into the house with a frown on his face, Dan was immediately on alert. "Where's…" Dan began.

  "What the fuck do you people…never mind. I'm takin' the boy to Mickey and Jon's, so you let those yahoos over at the Circle C know y'all won't have to deal with him anymore. Mick is excited to have him there to help with Terry and Meggie, along with the business. I think we've lost a good hand with a lot of promise, but you jackasses at the Circle C oughta be happy again, I s'pose," he announced as he poured himself a cup of coffee without looking at Dan.

  Hank Sacks walked into the house in stocking feet before Dan could respond to Josh. "Hey, boss. You gonna bring back the hinny?"

  Josh sipped his coffee. "Nope. I'm leavin' her for Mick to train for Meggie when she gets older. Blossom has gaited horse in her, thanks to Chief, so she should do well for that little girl. Mick told me Meggie won't get too tall, so that little hinny should be perfect for her," he explained.

  Hank laughed. "I'll break the news gently to Henry because he was lookin' forward to seein' her. He still wishes he hadn't grown out of ridin' Josie."

  Dan knew the history behind their discussion and he really wished Mickey and Jon lived closer because he counted Mickey Warren as one of his best friends, and he really needed guidance in that moment. His heart felt heavy at the idea of Jason Langston leaving Holloway. He'd fallen asleep every night for a month to the smile on the young man's face as it appeared behind his eyelids. The thought of not seeing it every day made his chest tighten.

  "Yeah, well, they're family, and Meggie loves Josie. Mick talked about a bad hoof, and if I was willin' to talk to my son-in-law, I'd send him to Dillwyn to take a look because she can't wear a shoe. Since I ain't talkin' to 'em, I'm gonna call Bart Grant and ask him to call a vet in the area to go take a look at my expense," Josh explained.

  "Why ain't you talkin' to Tim and Matt?" Dan asked, totally out of turn.

  Josh frowned. "The boy won't work over there because he's afraid of Matthew, and there has to be a reason, though Jase won't tell me why. Obviously, this hasn't been good situation for him, so goin' to Dillwyn seems like the best answer," Josh explained.

  Without really thinking things through, Dan spoke up. "Let me take Jase to Dillwyn. I'll take Kayley because she's been complainin' about not seein' Terry and Meggie. I'll get a referral from Doc Grant, though I'm pretty damn sure Mick knows a good vet. Ally Wells runs high-priced stock, Josh," he reminded.

  The older cowboy laughed. "Yeah, you're right. I'd bet she could buy us with her pen money. Anyway, if Josie's not doin' well, bring her home. It's comin' on summer and I know Megan would like to have a mount, but if Josie's not seriously lame, it won't take long for her to heal up. If she's in bad shape, bring her home. She was Ryan's first mount and…well, bring her home. Take my small trailer, just in case," Josh demanded. Dan nodded and turned to the stairs when he heard Jason walk down with that green duffel with his last name on the outside.

  "Oh, um, Dan. I guess this is good-bye," Jase told him.

  Danny laughed. "Now, you're not gettin' away from me so quick. I'm takin' ya to Dillwyn. I'll be back in two hours to pick ya up and we'll get on the road. I gotta get Kayley and pack some bags, but I'll be back." He saw the boy was surprised, but Danny hoped to hell he could clear some shit up between them on the ride. He'd start to sort it in his head as he drove home, and pray it wouldn't be a disaster.

  Chapter Six

  Things in Holloway hadn't gone smoothly at all. Working at the Katydid was great, but they didn't really have enough work to keep someone as inexperienced as Jase busy every day, and he got the impression the only people willing to teach him things at the farm were Josh Simmons and Henry Sachs, who also helped out at the Circle C.

  Of course, Henry had grown up around the ranch hands, so while everyone treated him like a member of the family, they didn't hold the same affection for Jase. When he'd called Savannah on the prepaid phone she and Andy had given him, he could hear she was upset.

  "What do you mean Matt doesn't want you there?" she asked.

  "Vanna, I don't know why, but the man doesn't like me. Hell, they shipped me off to live with Tim's aunt and uncle, which is okay, but when I go to the Circle C, Matt watches me like I'm a common criminal. Tim taught me the computer programs he designed for the ranch, and I'm able to do the maintenance from the Katydid as long as somebody sends me the numbers, but they don't do it every day. Let's just chalk it up as a failure, okay?" he's suggested. She was mad, and he loved her for it.

  Fortunately, a few days later, Miss Katie suggested Jase might be happier working at 'Wonderland Farm' where Mickey Warren and Jon Wells owned a large horse farm outside of Richmond. They had the same automated farm management system in place, and Jase might be better at keeping up with it than Mickey, or so Miss Katie had told him. He'd jumped on the chance to go anywhere other than Holloway because he knew Matt Collins had it in for him, along with a lot of the other people around the ranch. It was really a blessing.

  As he packed his duffel, including a pair of rubber 'barn' boots Josh Simmons had given him, he realized yet another good reason to get away from Holloway…the gorgeous Danny Johnson. The way he figured it, Matt and Tim had their own shit to figure out because apparently, Matt Collins was jealous of Jason for reasons the teen couldn't begin to understand. It really didn't have anything to do with Jase, as he saw it because he thought it to be a matter of trust between the men. He wished them luck because they seemed to be really great guys, and their little boys were fun to hang out with and they depended on their fathers.

  What really bothered Jase was the way he caught Danny Johnson staring at him with a smile one minute, but then ignoring him t
he next. It was driving him crazy. To Jase, the sandy blonde was really an incredible guy…most of the time. The other guys at both ranches seemed to respect Dan and no one ever seemed to question his decisions. Jase could tell the man had a pretty good sense of humor when he'd let down his guard, which was rare, and he wished they could get to know each other under different circumstances.

  Then, there was adorable, little Kayley, who he'd miss a lot. She lifted Jase's spirits every time Dan brought her to the ranch when Jase was working. She liked to tell him about the places she went with the day camp she attended, and she'd draw him pictures to decorate his room, which he had taken down to take with him. Yes, he'd definitely miss her a lot.

  It seemed to Jase the other hands didn't accept him because he wasn't cleaning stalls, feeding animals, or fixing fence like they were, but he'd have done it if anyone asked and was willing to show him how to do the tasks properly. Finally, the cold shoulder was just too much and he asked if he could just work at the Katydid and take care of the books there. Josh and Katie agreed, but the hands at the Katydid didn't like him any better than the hands at the Circle C, though they never showed it in front of Josh Simmons or Hank Sachs.

  He didn't have high hopes for his time with Mickey Warren, who he'd never met, but he was willing to try. He had to fit in somewhere, right?

  "I'm ready," Jase announced two hours later when he re-entered the kitchen from taking a walk to kill time while Dan went home to pack and collect his daughter who he was bringing with them to Dillwyn. Kayley was packing up cookies into a plastic bin, and Danny was watching her and Miss Katie interact. He knew he’d miss them.

  Katie walked over to him, smiling brightly as she took his hand. "You listen to me, young man. This is your home now, and you're always welcome here. I'll handle this business around here, but Mickey and Jon will be good for ya. You call on Sundays, ya hear?" she demanded.

  Jase smiled. "Yes, ma'am. I appreciate you taking me in. I'm sorry…" he began before he was overtaken with emotion. Katie Simmons reminded him of his mother, and Josh reminded him of a father he wished he'd had.

  "Hush now," she told him as she wiped her thumbs over his cheeks, drying tears he didn't know he was crying.

  "I'll see you in a few months," she whispered as she kissed his cheek before she left the kitchen.

  "We need to get on the road. It'll take us a few hours, as it is," Danny Johnson announced. He had Jase's duffel in his hands and carried it out to the driveway.

  Jase walked over to Kayley and smiled. "You got enough cookies?" She pushed her hair behind her ears and smiled.

  "Yep," she announced as she hopped off the stool and pointed to the lid. Jase secured it and took her hand, leading her out to the truck on the driveway. There was an empty horse trailer behind it which surprised him.

  "It's empty," he pointed out to Danny after Jase settled Kayley in the back.

  "Yeah, and I hope I don't have to use it," the handsome sandy blonde responded as he started the truck and drove down the driveway of the Katydid. Jase had no idea what the man meant, but he could wait for answers. He had so many questions in his head it was all he could do…wait.

  "Jason, you're supposed to kiss me back," Claire Haskell told him outside the gym after Prom. Her mother was friends with his mother, as they both worked at the Post Office, and Claire wasn't the most beautiful girl on earth with her wire braces and thick glasses. Of course, he was the queer nobody knew about, so he'd done his mother the favor of taking the girl to prom because nobody was going to ask that girl to do anything.

  "I don't like to kiss, Claire," he'd explained hoping to put her off.

  "Oh, it's the braces. I'm sorry. I just…" she began crying. The guilt was nearly all-consuming.

  "Who's hungry?" Jase heard as the radio registered in his mind, waking him from a nap. He looked around and was appreciative of two things: he wasn't still in high school, and he wasn't trying to explain himself to Claire Haskell without outing his orientation, or hurting her fragile feelings. The night had turned south as soon as they walked out of the gym and she'd jumped him, but he was able to calm her enough to take her home without tears. His mother never mentioned it to him, so he hoped Claire's mother had kept it to herself if Claire had spilled the beans.

  Jase opened his eyes to see a family restaurant, and as if on cue his stomach rumbled bringing a giggle from the little girl in the back. He looked out the front window at the establishment and stated, "I could eat."

  He glanced at Danny and saw the sexy smile he'd hoped to avoid. He felt the blood flow south, so he hopped out and pulled down his t-shirt to cover his jeans. It was as embarrassing as all hell.

  He opened the back door and released Kayley from her booster. "What's your favorite," he asked as he settled her on his hip.

  She wiggled and when he put her down, she smiled, taking his hand. "Blueberry pancakes. They're sooo good. Meggie likes apple ones, just so you know," the girl explained.

  The three of them got a table and settled in. Jase and Kayley ordered breakfast while Dan ordered a dinner of fried chicken. Jase and Kayley played 'tic-tac-toe' with crayons on placemats while they waited for their food, and when the waitress brought their plates, she smiled at them. "We have two blueberry short stacks with bacon. An order of scrambled eggs and home fries, and fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. Can I get you anything else?" she asked.

  Without looking up, Jase began cutting Kayley's pancakes and pouring syrup over them. After she was settled, he looked after his own food. He glanced up to see Danny assessing him. "You got any brothers or sisters?"

  Jase chewed and swallowed a mouth full of food before he looked Danny in the eye. "I wish I did, but I guess it's best I don't. I'm an only. You?"

  He saw the man squirm a bit before he tore into a chicken breast, offering Kayley some on what appeared to be instinct. "I have a younger brother who is a self-centered…well, we're not exactly on the same page right now. I had a sister, who was Kayley's mother."

  Kayley looked up and gave him a blueberry-smeared smile. "My momma's in heaven."

  Unfortunately for Jason, he'd just taken a bite of his blueberry pancakes. When the cutest little girl he'd ever met responded casually her mother was 'in heaven', he choked on his food, and had a policeman not been sitting three tables over, he'd have likely died right there at 'Bubba & Shirley's Family Diner'.

  An hour later, they were settled in the truck and on their way again when Jase saw Dan check over his shoulder to see Kayley was asleep. When he glanced back at Jase, he cleared his throat. "I wanna know exactly what happened at the Circle C and the Katydid that made you wanna leave."

  Jase actually did a double take and swallowed. "You were there when Matt would come around. He didn't want me working there and the rest of you guys seemed to follow his lead. I felt about as welcome there as a whore in church. Things at the Katydid were a little better at first, but I think Henry Sachs must have told the guys at the farm that nobody at the ranch liked me because when Josh wasn't around, they were assholes. I could go back to El Paso and be treated the same if I was fine with being treated like shit," he confessed quietly.

  Danny didn't respond to him, so Jase closed his eyes and leaned his head against the head rest, hoping to fall asleep again. It would make the hell of being locked in a truck with Danny's scent circling his head pass quicker. The way he'd situated his shirt over his jeans, he prayed Dan couldn't see his hard on through his Levi's button fly. That would be the ultimate humiliation.

  "Well, I'm sorry if we did that. We're not really used to newcomers. Mick can probably give ya more insight into it than I can. He was new to the Katydid once, and I expect it took him a little bit before the other guys respected him. It's just that they don't know what to make of ya. Hell, I remember when Tim started doin' the bookwork at the Circle C. I don't think we were too welcomin' to him at first, either. Now, he's runnin' the place with Matt. We come around eventually, Jase. It just takes so
me time," Dan explained to him.

  Jase opened his eyes and turned his head without lifting it. "I could take it from the others without much care, but a couple of the people were ones I thought I could look up to and maybe have as friends. I guess we were all wrong on this one," he responded, hoping he wasn't giving away too much. He closed his eyes and eventually drifted to sleep, praying he'd wake up in a better place, literally.

  The sound of singing woke him sometime later. It was Kayley, and she was singing a song with the radio, adding all of the singer's nuances and ad libs like a pro. It made Jase grin because he'd heard the song several times, and it surprised him Dan was a Taylor Swift fan.

  "You a Swiftee?" Jase teased as he turned to see Danny concentrating on the two-lane road they were traversing. Jase had no idea where they were, but it was beautiful countryside with lots of trees and flowers in full bloom.

  Dan turned to him with a look of worry. "What?"

  "I asked if you were a 'Swiftee'? That's what her fans call themselves. Didn't picture a cowboy like you to be a fan of girl power, man-hater songs," Jase replied with a smirk.

  Dan finally chuckled. "Kayley likes her. She gets restless on long rides, so I turn on this CD and she sings and entertains herself. You ain't been sleepin' well, have ya?"

  Jase was surprised by the assessment, but he wondered how the man knew it. "Bags under my eyes that visible?"

  Dan glanced at him but didn't answer for a minute. Finally, "Naw, you look fine, but I know a troubled k…man when I seem him. You don't relax in your sleep, and from one troubled sleeper to another, I feel your pain."

  Jase doubted they were losing sleep for the same reasons. "Why don't you sleep well?"

  The amber-eyed, sandy-blonde seemed to contemplate for a moment before he adjusted the stereo controls to move the sound to the back of the large truck's cab. He glanced in the rearview before he turned to look at Jase. "I went into the Army right outta high school. After basic, I was sent to Ft. Riley, Kansas, to join the 1st Infantry Division. I was training to be deployed to the Middle East as a combat soldier, and I liked bein' in the Army.