A Year Later
“IT TOOK so much longer than I expected,” Brantley said as he stood out in front of his property, looking at his newly completed home, which they’d just moved into. It was exactly what he’d hoped for and more. He’d built it low to the ground, using local stone and roofing that took its colors from the surrounding area, so the house looked like an extension of the land. A large porch ran the entire length of the front and around the side of the house, furnished for hours of conversation and evening lounging.
“Was it worth it?” Mack asked, slipping an arm around his waist.
“Yes. We have the main house, and your dad has his own rooms.” Brantley had insisted on building a suite for Lew with extra-large rooms so he could easily maneuver his chair around the bed and other furniture.
“Dad thinks he’s died and gone to heaven. And the family who bought my house was thrilled to pieces, so everything worked out.”
Brantley wished other things had worked out as well. Word had gotten out that gold had been found in the creek. His first instinct was to let people look, but when one of the yokels decided he was going to bring in digging equipment, Brantley had been forced to close off the path across his property from the street. It sucked that one person’s stupidity and greed had ended a fun thing for everyone.
A beep sounded, and Brantley guided Mack away from the drive as a familiar dark blue truck with the Soaring Eagle Ranch logo emblazoned on the side pulled in. Brantley hadn’t wanted to use his name for the ranch, and when a pair of eagles had decided to nest in the trees near the spring, he’d taken it as a sign. “Uncle Brantley,” Nathan cried as he climbed out of the truck and raced over to where they were standing.
Brantley scooped him up, swinging him around in circles to the sound of giggles and laughter that made his heart soar. “Did you have fun camping with your daddy?”
“Yes. We saw a fox and some birds, and the eagles made loud noises. Daddy said they were trying to scare off anything that got close to their babies. We cooked out and made hot dogs, and I roasted them over the fire.” Nathan chattered on about everything as fast as he could, barely stopping to take a breath.
“It sounds like you had a good time.” Brantley got a hug, and then Nathan squirmed over to Mack for another one.
“We did,” Denny said, walking over to where they stood. There were deep lines around his eyes and mouth that now seemed like permanent fixtures. “The D-I-V-O-R-C-E is final and done,” he said. “That part of our lives is over.”
Even from prison, Julie had tried to fight it, but she’d gotten no traction and only delayed the inevitable. Denny had been awarded all the assets, and in the end, Julie got nothing but a life sentence without the possibility of parole in a prison on the far side of the state. Brantley knew that Mack had called in a favor to get her placed as far away as possible. Denny thought it best that Nathan be given the chance to heal as much as possible. Brantley gave Denny credit—he’d answered all of Nathan’s questions honestly, and in the end, Nathan had clung to his father and now only rarely asked about his mother, who had lost custody of her son as part of the divorce settlement.
“Time to move on, then,” Brantley said, “and I have just the thing.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I want to expand the herd in a huge way. We’ve started slowly the last year, but it’s time we make the ranch a real going concern. So hire who you need, and let’s get to it.”
“You’re serious,” Denny said.
“You better believe it. You’re more than capable of running a large cattle operation, so let’s build one.”
Denny’s financial issues had been too much to overcome, so Brantley had bought his ranch rather than have it return to the bank, and he’d made Denny the manager of all the land. He and Nathan had stayed in their home, and Brantley had instantly acquired expert cattle knowledge. Brantley already had the business acumen needed. It was a win for all of them.
“I heard Gunther is looking to retire and sell up. He has great stock,” Denny said.
“See if he’s interested in selling, and I’ll negotiate a price,” Brantley said. “You’re going to need more hands other than William, so start hiring as we need them.”
Mack had thought he was a little crazy at the time, but Brantley had hired on William Turner, the veteran who’d shown up in town, to help him get his life together, and it turned out he was an amazing worker.
“We might need a bunkhouse,” Denny said, since William still lived in town in housing the church had helped him get.
“Then we’ll build one, and maybe a treehouse for this guy while we’re at it.” Brantley tickled Nathan’s belly, and he giggled before throwing his arms in the air in a show of joy and excitement. “Supper will be in an hour, and I’m cooking. So go home to get things put away and then come on back. We’ve got plenty to talk about.”
Mack nudged his arm and nodded. “I forgot. I was going to ask about a horse operation. Do you think we should do something along that line?”
Denny appeared thoughtful, and his expression told Brantley all he needed to know. “How about we do one thing well and get it up and running before branching out.”
“Excellent,” Brantley agreed, and Denny took Nathan and carried him back toward the truck. He and Mack waved before they walked to the house and went inside.
“How in the hell do you manage to do that?”
“What?” Brantley asked.
“Their lives had been ripped to pieces, and you manage to come in and put it all back together without them even realizing that’s what you’re doing. Nathan is happy, and Denny is getting on with his life. It hasn’t been that long, and they’re already settled. Julie’s imprint on them is fading quickly.”
“She did that herself. I just recognized talent and scooped it up when I had the chance.” Brantley pulled open the heavy wooded front door and stepped into what to his mind was perfection: warm wood, large windows, plenty of light, thick rugs, and carefully designed rustic details that hid the most modern of everything. Brantley loved his conveniences.
Other things had changed for him, including the addition of the two large mutts that danced around their legs, vying for attention. He and Mack took turns greeting Kit and Carson, as well as the other three dogs, before they all wandered off to see if there was anything new in their bowls. Brantley had been surprised at how easily he’d adjusted to life in the West. His tastes in many things had altered.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with the gallery space you had built?” Mack asked as they settled down onto one of the amazingly comfortable living room sofas. As part of the design of the house, he’d built a gallery so he could display his art collection. But it hadn’t seemed to fit with the surroundings, so he’d sold all of them at auction and was starting something new.
“Not yet. But I saw a piece I wanted.” Brantley pulled out his tablet and showed Mack a picture from the auction listing. “It’s four feet high, and I thought I’d build a pedestal to display it in the center of the room. It’s called The Sheriff, and when I saw it, it reminded me of you.” Brantley showed Mack the image of the figure in bronze. “To me you will always be the sheriff, the lawman who stole my heart.”
Mack’s reelection had gone remarkably well in November. “What if I decide I don’t want to run next time?”
Kit jumped on the sofa and settled next to Brantley, nuzzling for attention, while Carson stretched out on the floor at their feet.
“Then you can do whatever you want to do,” Brantley said. “Lew said you used to love horses. So maybe you can take on the horse breeding when we get around to it. Who knows? I have a million ideas, and right now most of them center around us doing unspeakable things to one another.”
Mack leaned closer, his weight pressing Brantley back. Kit jumped down with a huff, and Brantley fished around to set the tablet on the floor. Mack slotted his mouth over Brantley’s, tugging at his lips while he pushed him down onto the cushions. “Maybe we should take this to the bedroom,” Mack said, turning aside.
Brantley followed his gaze to the two dogs sitting a few feet away, staring at them. “Not a bad idea.”
“And as for unspeakable things,” Mack segued. “You know with me nothing is unspeakable. I’ll tell you exactly what I want to do to you and how loudly I want to hear you scream.”
As they’d gotten closer, Mack had gotten more and more vocal in the bedroom. It was a real turn-on, and Brantley had no desire to change that behavior in any way.
“How about you put your money where your mouth is,” Brantley said and took off, with Mack right behind him. By the time he reached the bedroom, they were both laughing like idiots, even as Mack pulled Brantley’s shirt over his head. Giggles turned to moans and shivers when Mack latched onto one of his nipples, sending heat coursing through him.
Brantley ran his fingers through Mack’s hair, pulling it free so it could flow almost to his shoulders. He loved the way Mack’s soft locks slipped between his fingers. “Damn, I love you,” Brantley hissed as Mack scraped his teeth over his hard bud and then went for the other one. Mack tightened his grip around his waist and drove him wild with his tongue. Brantley’s legs shook like one of the dogs when he petted them, the energy Mack was generating too much for him to contain.
“I love you too,” Mack told him, pushing Brantley back down onto the bed. “I intend to love you and love on you for the rest of my life. So hang on and prepare for one hell of a ride.” Mack gazed deeply into his eyes, Brantley returning the fire he saw in them—something he’d never get tired of.
“It’s always a hell of a ride with you.”
“Me? I was referring to you. You’re one who’s always full of surprises.” Mack kissed away Brantley’s protest, and the sizzle between them built to epic heights. Mack knew just where to touch and how to tease until Brantley’s brain short-circuited. “You’re the one who put this entire ranch together in a year and somehow made everyone happy.”
“Not everyone, because you make me happy,” Brantley said, thrusting his hips forward to catch any friction he could.
“Then how about this, sweetheart? I’ll go about making you happy forever, and you do the same for me.”
Brantley grunted his response when Mack tugged at his pants. That was the deal of the century, and he could more than live with it.