Page 11 of For the Love of the Bull Rider

Tim ran upstairs to change into a pair of nylon running shorts to wear as swim trunks and grabbed a few towels from the linen closet to take outside. Uncle Josh brought out some old toys to play with in the water, which Tim suspected had belonged to Shane, but he didn’t mention it.

When Ryan and Aunt Katie returned to the house, Tim chuckled as he saw the boy in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. He was wearing sneakers, and he seemed to be happy about the scene Josh and Tim had set.

“This is so cool. We don’t have big candles at Gramma Jeri’s. They have those ugly lights around the pool,” Ryan announced as he pointed to the torches around the patio.

Tim chuckled. “Well, you know Miss Katie well enough. She’s always ready for a party. You ready to get into the wading pool?”

Ryan looked over the edge and giggled. “I can walk all the way around it. I can’t do that at Gramma and Papa’s house. I have to wear those stupid, blow-up floater things.” The look on Ryan’s face was priceless and made Tim smile as he lifted the boy into the pool. He’d ensured the water was warm, but not hot. It was a scorcher of a day, and the damn trough wasn’t a bathtub.

“Uncle Josh found a basketball set in the basement. You know how to play?” Tim shed his shirt and climbed in with Ryan. Uncle Josh was in shorts, which surprised Tim, sitting at the patio table with a bucket of cold beer. It sure wasn’t hurting Tim’s feelings at all considering his sour mood from earlier regarding Matt Collins’ behavior.

Tim watched as Ryan pondered his suggestion of basketball for a minute before the boy smiled. “I’ve seen basketball on TV when Daddy watches it, but I don’t know how to play it in the water.”

Suddenly, a beach ball popped into the pool, startling both of them. He turned to see Aunt Katie with a bright smile. “I bought it at the store. Basketball is hard to play with just two people, but you can play volleyball or even keep-away if your uncle gets off his lazy backside,” Aunt Katie teased as she pointed to her husband.

Tim took Ryan’s hand and pulled him closer, forming his hand so his index finger was sticking up and set the ball spinning on the boy’s finger as though they were the Harlem Globetrotters. He had to hold Ryan’s hand because he started giggling so much they were about to lose momentum.

Uncle Josh hopped into the makeshift pool and laughed. “Oh, that doesn’t scare me. I’ll take both y’all on. I used to play volleyball in high school gym class. Two against one and loserhas to go lock up the barn for the night.” He winked at Tim, issuing a challenge.

Ryan giggled as Tim popped the ball in the air with the aid of his finger. “You’re on, old man.”

They moved across the tub from each other, and Uncle Josh and Tim both knelt to volley the ball a few times. Tim helped Ryan pop it with his fist in front of Uncle Josh, so it made a splash, and everyone laughed as the man scoffed and wiped the water from his face.

Aunt Katie came out with a camera and ordered the three of them to pose before she demanded they get out of the water because she had burgers and hot dogs ready to go on the grill. Tim wrapped Ryan in a towel and sat him on a lounger next to Uncle Josh before he went inside the house to help Aunt Katie with the food.

“He’s such a sweet boy, isn’t he?” Aunt Katie said.

Tim assembled the potato salad while Aunt Katie offered instructions. “Yeah. It sounds like he and Matt are getting into a routine now that Ryan’s back home. That little boy has so much personality.” Tim carried out the sides. Aunt Katie followed moments later with the tray of meat, and Uncle Josh went to work on the grill.

After the group ate their fill, Ryan wanted to get back into the pool, so Tim hopped in with him. Aunt Katie and Uncle Josh cleaned up the dinner dishes and went inside, leaving the two of them alone.

“So, your dad had a meeting with someone who wants to buy a bull? That must be cool to watch them grow up from calves,” Tim ventured.

Shamelessly, Tim was pumping the kid for information, but he couldn’t help himself. Matt Collins might be the most amazing guy Tim had ever met, and he wasn’t able to stop himself from asking questions. Yes, he’d promised himself he didn’t care, butwhen push came to shove, he’d never tire of hearing what Matt was doing, regardless of how much it might hurt.

“It’s only Lanny. He rides bulls like Daddy used to do, but he wasn’t gonna buy anything. They were gonna ride Papa and Gramma’s horses and they were gonna talk about the old days like always. Daddy said I’d be bored, and when Miss Katie agreed to let me come here, I was glad. Lanny don’t like kids,” Ryan told Tim.

Completely flustered at the news, Tim sat down on the bottom of the tub and tossed the ball to Ryan in order to keep him talking. “How long have you known Lanny?” Tim was sure Aunt Katie would likely wash his mouth out with soap if she heard him interrogating the boy, but she was inside, and Tim had a little time…

“I only see’d him once right after Momma brought me home to Daddy. He showed up at the ranch, and Daddy told him we was goin’ to Gramma’s house so he couldn’t stay. Lanny was mad, but he left. Daddy talks to him on the phone sometimes. Lanny still rides bulls, and he tries to talk Daddy into doin’ it again, but Daddy tells him he has more important things to do and besides, he’s too old. This time, Daddy said he needed to have a talk with Lanny, so he called Miss Katie to see if she’d let me come here. I’m glad she did ‘cause I like hangin’ out with you, Tim. I’m gettin’ cold. Can we go inside now and dry off? I heard somethin’ about some smores,” Ryan said, his face morphing into a cute little grin Tim couldn’t resist.

The waterhadcooled off, and the little pool was in the shade, so Tim could understand the boy’s eagerness to get out. He picked up Ryan and wrapped him in a towel to dry off and warm up a little before they went into the much cooler house to change.

Tim wrapped a towel around himself before the two of them sat down on a bench next to the house. Ryan had a bottleof water and Tim had a beer, wishing it was something much stronger.

He had an ideaLannywas a lot more than a casual buddy of Matt’s, and he could hardly concentrate on what the boy was saying as he fought to keep the jealousy from overwhelming him. Nothing good would come of it.

After the s’mores were eaten, they all worked together to clean up the mess, and Aunt Katie took Ryan inside to shower and get ready for bed at nine o’clock. Uncle Josh and Tim covered the pool with a tarp and sat at the patio table with a couple more beers.

“What do we need to do tomorrow?” Tim asked him as he sipped a cold Budweiser. He was trying to keep his mind off the information about Matt rolling around his brain, making it a total mess. It was ridiculous to even consider there was a chance of something with Matthew Collins. If he was straight, Tim wasn’t the right gender. If he was gay, he already had a boyfriend he wasn’t willing to talk about.No win.

“Well, we’re gonna load up some good horses and go over to Matt’s house to help him move his cattle. I know you don’t like to ride much, but I could sure use your help. Hank, Jared, and Charlie are gonna help out on some of the ranch horses, but truth be told, Chester is the best cattle horse I have, and he’s used to you. All you gotta do is hold on, Timmy. He’ll do all the work, no joke,” Uncle Josh stated, a pleading tone in his voice that Tim couldn’t resist.

Tim would have rather pounded a railroad spike into his head before he went to the Collins’ ranch to help move cattle, but he decided to be the better man. He’d help out and keep a big grin on his face. Matt Collins would never know Tim would have sunk to his knees to worship his body if he’d only given a sign. It was something he’d keep to himself for the rest of time, but it didn’t make his heart ache any less.

“If you say so, Uncle Josh, I’m on board. What about Ryan?” Tim tried like hell to keep his contempt for the boy’s father at bay because his emotions were all over the place.

Josh laughed a little. “You’re attached to the boy already, aren’t ya?”

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