Page 13 of The Beautiful Mess

“I can run you back to the ranch if you don’t want to get caught up in Sven’s crazy schemes,” Rueben offered.

“And miss all the fun?” Keegan replied. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

Rueben’s widened expression said, “Famous last words,” but he told Keegan to call him later and tell him what happened.

Keegan nodded before hustling out of the diner. He caught up to Sven just as he reached his vehicle. “Where are we going?”

Sven stopped at the driver’s door and held up the ad he swiped off the board. “To the rescue station.”

“We’re going to confront Chuck Dahl?” Keegan asked.

Sven pursed his lips as he opened the door. “Why didn’t I think of that?” He shook his head. “Hell no. Kerry would kill us. We’re going to Hart’s Creek Rescue to make sure Kerry knows about this. The timing of the lawsuit and Chuck’s new business can’t be a coincidence.”

Sven got in the car and closed the door, but Keegan didn’t budge. He ached to see Kerry and make sure he was doing okay, but not so soon after a night of vivid dreams. And definitely not with Sven’s tantalizing words still filling his head with hopes he couldn’t afford to cling to. Rueben stepped out of the diner down the street. It wasn’t too late to call out to him and catch a ride to the ranch. Keegan could regroup and recharge before facing Kerry later that afternoon when he started his first shift at the Feisty Bull. Rueben looked in his direction and stopped. He must’ve sensed Keegan’s internal struggle because Rue headed toward him.

The passenger window of Sven’s car rolled down, and his friend leaned over the console to look at him. “Are you coming, gorgeous?”

When had Keegan ever missed an opportunity to lay eyes on Kerry Hart? And if Sven was right, Keegan would get to lay his hands on him someday. He waved goodbye to Rue and reached for the door handle. Surviving was great, but Keegan’s stubborn heart insisted that Kerry was the key to thriving.

Kerry’s fist landed with a loudthud, and shock waves reverberated up his arm. Picturing Chuck’s face on the punching bag suddenly wasn’t enough to ease his tension. Kerry wanted a real confrontation with the man, which only added to his stress. He’d always been big for his age, so his dad had taught him alternative ways of dealing with his emotions besides getting into fights. Kerry’s means of letting off steam changed over the years, depending on the circumstance. Fucking was out of the question since the only man he wanted was the one he couldn’t—shouldn’t—have.

Kerry had witnessed Keegan’s wistful expression while watching Seth and Rueben fall in love and start a life together. It was plain that Kee wanted those deeper connections for himself, and Kerry avoided emotional entanglements like his life depended on it. But Keegan wasn’t the only one caught up in the bliss radiating from the newlyweds. Kerry likened it to a toxic cloud from a chemical spill, slowly enveloping and tainting everyone within its reach. Christ, he sounded cynical as fuck, but who could blame him?

Cynthia had destroyed Kerry’s family when she killed Natalie in a fit of selfish rage twenty-five years ago. He’d no longer caught his parents slow dancing in the living room after they thought he’d gone to sleep. They’d stopped reaching for one another as if pulled together by a magnetic force. Hell, they’d rarely been in the same room together after Natalie died. Graham Hart had blamed himself for the death of his only daughter and had withdrawn to someplace Lucinda and Kerry couldn’t follow or weren’t welcome. His big, strapping father had wasted away in front of his eyes, surrendering to his grief one minute at a time until the clock stopped ticking and Graham’s broken heart stopped beating. Kerry had come home from school and found Graham in his recliner, resting peacefully for the first time since Natalie’s death. And Kerry had known why before he touched his dad’s cold hand. In less than a year, he’d lost his sister and his father, and Kerry’s world had never looked the same again.

They hadn’t known the truth of Cynthia’s treachery until recently. All this time, his family had treated her as one of their own. Kerry viewed her as a sister because that’s how Natalie thought of her. She joined them to celebrate Natalie’s life on every birthday or memorial of her death, and Kerry hadn’t fully processed her treachery yet. He acknowledged it verbally but hadn’t allowed himself a healthy emotional outlet to let off steam. The lawsuit Chuck caused was another result of Kerry showing kindness to someone who didn’t deserve it and only added to the pressure building inside him. So yeah, he had trust issues, but for the first time in his adult life, Kerry resented the barriers he’d constructed to protect himself. But not enough to let his guard down and let Keegan in. Getting involved with Keegan was the last thing he should do, even if it was what he wanted most. To fall into those welcoming arms and lose himself in Kee’s gorgeous hazel eyes and sexy body would be—

Kerry drove his fist into the punching bag before he could finish the thought. Then he followed that up with a series of waist-high rapid jabs as if he had Chuck Dahl pinned against the ropes and was pummeling his stomach. Kerry finished the sequence with a powerful knee jab that would’ve finished his opponent and dropped him to the mat. Tension still rode him like a vicious jockey, so Kerry figuratively stood Chuck back up and started the cycle all over again, alternating punches, jabs, and kicks like his life depended on it. His sanity and livelihood sure as hell relied on him to keep his shit together. He could not afford to turn into a human powder keg.

Kerry had tried his best to set the pending lawsuit aside and go about his work. They’d had the usual wrecker service calls, which made up the bulk of their work. They had the equipment to assist both private passenger and commercial vehicles in all terrains, which was important in Colorado mountain towns. Hart’s Creek Rescue also partnered with insurance companies to answer roadside assistance calls, handling everything from keys locked in vehicles to disabled cars and trucks. They were uniquely positioned to assist with the more dangerous rescues and recoveries where vehicles went off the roads and into ravines or worse. People treated posted speed limits and treacherous passing signs like mere suggestions, so there’d never be a shortage of calls for them to answer.

He’d earned a sterling reputation for being prompt, professional, and safe, so local and state law enforcement agencies offered him lucrative contracts to be their primary responder. And it would all be in peril if the lawsuit caused his clients to lose confidence in his work. Would Kerry have to resort to taking the bank repossession jobs he’d always refused? The idea of capitalizing on someone’s financial woes had never sat right with him, and those situations could get dicey. He’d heard some awful war stories from others in the business and preferred to keep out of those situations. Kerry had been fortunate enough to afford his overhead without taking on those jobs. He’d built a state-of-the-art facility, offering his employees comfortable amenities for those working overnight shifts, including the gym where he worked off his frustrations. Would he lose it all if Bozeman won his lawsuit?

Kerry landed one last blow and stepped back from the swinging punching bag, his chest heaving from the exertion. The exercise finally settled the anxiety pinballing in his brain. The tension in his body was no longer from stress but from awakening every muscle in his body. His shoulders and biceps burned, and his legs trembled, but he embraced the discomfort. He’d handled his stress in a healthy way that didn’t hurt anyone, though his knuckles would probably protest since he’d barely taped his hands.

The door opened suddenly and slammed against an interior wall. Sven rushed into the room, clutching a piece of paper and looking wildly around the room. Kerry wasn’t used to seeing his brother in a frantic state and immediately went on high alert. Keegan entered at a slower pace but looked just as frazzled until he caught sight of Kerry. Hazel eyes widened in surprise before roaming over Kerry’s seminude body. The perusal seemed to last forever, and Kerry felt it as strongly as a physical caress. Keegan’s attention seemed riveted to the myriads of tattoos decorating his skin. Kerry’s body tensed and flexed under the attention as a primal yearning gripped him by the balls. When Keegan’s eyes finally met his again, Kerry saw the same longing burning in his gaze.

Sven mumbled something inaudible before clearing his throat. “Should I leave you two alone, or can we figure out how we’re going to shut Chuck the Fuck down?”

The question doused Kerry’s desire like a bucket of ice water, but it restored his clarity and purpose. Tearing his gaze away from Keegan’s, Kerry gave Sven his full attention. “What are you talking about?”

Sven marched across the gym and shoved a piece of paper at him. “I find the timing of this new venture very suspect.”

Kerry looked down at the document. Most of his brain cells were still angling for time alone with Keegan, so it took a few seconds for him to compute the words on the page. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Nope,” Sven said. “Keegan found it hanging up at the diner. What are you going to do about this?”

Kerry read the advertisement that boasted Chuck had the most experience in the business, which was at least true for the tri-county area they served. He hadn’t proclaimed to be the safest, and he’d avoided using libelous adjectives or phrasing. It still grated on Kerry’s nerves. “There’s nothing I can do about this.”

“Come on, Kerry,” Sven argued. “This guy just happens to start a new company around the time Bozeman sues.”

Kerry snapped his head up to meet Sven’s fiery gaze. “You think they’re in cahoots?”

Sven’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t?”

Every gain he’d made from his workout disappeared. The anxiety he’d barely suppressed reared its ugly head. Only the monster had grown bigger and stronger this time with Sven’s suspicions fertilizing his unrest. “I agree something smells fishy.”

Sven scrunched up his face. “Smells fishy? Is this an episode ofScooby-Doo?”

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