Page 9 of Kipp

‘Yeah, yeah, of course,’ Kipp replied, doing his best to sound convincing but evidently not fooling Max even in the slightest.

‘Right, sure you were,’ Max said, shaking his head. ‘Let me guess… my new lodger caught your eye something crazy?’

‘Is it that obvious?’ Kipp asked, struggling to suppress a laugh.

‘Yup,’ Max replied. ‘But I don’t blame you. He was smoking hot. Damn, him and Marshall together is quite the thought…’

‘Hey, keep Dale out of your filthy imagination,’ Kipp said, half-joking but half-serious too. ‘I think Marshall is more than enough for you.’

The two Daddies laughed, and Max continued with his overview. Kipp listened as attentively as he could but the truth was that Dale was still running rampant through his head. It was like he had an aura to him. Kipp had seen plenty of cute young guys over the years – and he had experienced them on closer terms too. But Kipp had never had this feeling. Something about Dale was burying itself deep inside Kipp and bringing forth an extra level of Daddy Dom.

I need to control myself.

He’s young. He’s new in town.

I need to see what he’s all about first…

Kipp nodded once more as Max took him through the expected delivery schedule and decided that while his feelings for Dalewere undeniable, he needed to make sure they were based in something real. Lusting after a super-cute young man was one thing, but if he didn’t have the substance too then it was a non-starter.

The whole point of making a new life for himself back in Eagle Ridge was to become a better man. Kipp wouldn’t be partaking in any one night stands or brief flings. He didn’t judge those who did, but he knew that he wanted far more.

If, and it was a big if, him and Dale hit it off, then Kipp was determined to do things right. It was all very well him planning to restore his uncle’s ranch to its former glory, but if he didn’t also reflect that in his own behavior then it would count very little.

And Kipp kept this thought in his mind as he said farewell to Max and made his way back to his truck. With Brutus walking attentively by his side, Kipp felt a spring in his step…

‘Yup, I can’t deny it,’ Kipp laughed, looking down at Brutus as he stared back up at him. ‘That damn boy. He’s something alright.’

Brutus wagged his tail as if he was showing his approval and the two of them continued on toward the truck. It was time to head on home and get down to some heavy duty clearing at the ranch.

Kipp knew that before he could make any real progress on building the ranch back up, he would need to do an almost complete overhaul of what was already there. From collapsing outbuildings to storage boxes full of old junk, there was a lot of heavy lifting to do.

But Kipp knew that the work had to be done.

And Kipp Styles was never shy of putting his body to work and getting things done.

‘Come on, it’s time to get our asses in gear,’ Kipp said as he climbed into the driver’s seat and Brutus scrambled up into the passenger seat next to him.

However just as Kipp was about to turn the engine on, he saw his phone flash up with a message from his friend and fellow Daddy, Axel…

AXEL: Hey man, we need to talk. I’d usually say we’d do it over a few beers at The Tap House but this is something I think we need to talk about sooner rather than later. I’m working on a tree felling over on Columbus Avenue. I’ll be there all day but come over as soon as you can. Okay, peace out brother. See you soon.

Kipp arched his eyebrow and took a moment to think. Axel was clearly rattled about something – and he was far from the kind of man who let little things bother him. Axel had handled many tricky situations in his life and always come out on top. The fact that he worked as a tree surgeon now might have given people the wrong idea about him. When it came to handling business, no matter how serious, Axel was never one to back down or take a backward step. Something was quite clearly up. Kipp and Axel were close and if there was something amiss, then Kipp wanted to help out quickly as he could.

KIPP: You got it. I’m heading over now. Don’t worry, whatever’s up, we’ll resolve it.

With that, Kipp fired the truck’s engine up, put it into gear, and made a beeline toward Columbus Avenue. It was time to step up for his friend. But what Kipp didn’t realize was that it was him who might have the problem as opposed to Axel…

Columbus Avenue was one of the smartest roads in Eagle Ridge. Large, detached houses lined the perfectly maintained streets and most of the houses had pools out back, summer houses at the bottom of the gardens, and plenty of mature gardens too.

And this was where Axel came in…

‘See, he’s a grand old tree,’ Axel said, finishing off the harnessing on the old oak tree. ‘But sadly he’s going to need to come down now. With the split down one side of the trunk and storm season round the corner, we’re looking at a potential death trap.’

‘It’s a shame, but what has to be done just has to be done, right?’ Kipp replied, taking in the oak’s once strong trunk.

‘But we need to talk about something even more pressing,’ Axel said, a serious tone to his voice. ‘I wasn’t exaggerating when I messaged.’

Kipp, Axel, and Brutus then walked over toward Axel’s workstation. Brutus got down onto his belly and then rolled around on the perfectly mowed grass while Axel opened his thermos flask and poured himself and Kipp a coffee.

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