Page 28 of For the Love of the Bull Rider

Mickey seemed to consider Tim’s comments for a moment before he spoke. “Well, he sure has a sweet deal, if you ask me. I mean, you’re workin’ your ass off to fix him up with a first-rate operation, and he doesn’t pay you anything? On top of that, he gets to fuck ya too? Damn, that’s a nice setup… or so it sounds from Matt’s place at the table.”

At Mickey’s comment, Tim felt even more as though he needed to defend himself. Mickey’s assessment of the situation somewhat chapped his ass.

“It’s not like that, Mickey. Matt and I are in a relationship, and I’m trying to help him reach the level of success he deserves. Hell, he earned it before I came along, but now that I’m in his life, I’m gonna do everything I can to help him make the most of his operation because I have a stake in the game, okay? It’s really none of your business. When are you bringingyourboyfriend up?”

Guilt swamped Tim as he shifted the subject matter to Mickey’s life. It didn’t seem right to discuss something with a stranger that he was yet to discuss with Matt.

When Mickey slammed the pitchfork into the wooden wall of the stall where Josie resided, Tim jumped as if he’d been shot at. It sent the jenny into a startled fit at the shock of the sound.

“What the fuck, man?”

Mickey picked up the pitchfork, propping it against the wall before he turned to Tim. “I called him last night… The nightbefore… The night before that… And the night beforethat. He’s not answering, so I guess he couldn’t wait for me to find a place for us. I’m sorry I’m a prick. I loved Jackie so much, but I guess I was the only one in love.”

Tim understood the man’s behavior. He was doubting his partner, and that had to be a damn hard pill to swallow. Tim started to answer, but Mickey held up his finger.

“Make sure it’s not that way for you, Tim. It happens too fast in a relationship—one minute they love ya, and the next, they’re gone without a fucking word.” Mickey quietly pushed the wheelbarrow out the back door of the barn to the manure spreader, loading it to spread later that afternoon.

Tim started spreading new bedding around the stall so they could bring Ruby inside. He felt bad for Mickey because it was a shit place to be, losing someone you loved because they lost faith in you too quickly.

Fortunately, Tim didn’t have the frame of reference to understand the man’s position, and he prayed to God he never would. He could, however, empathize with Mickey’s obvious pain.

Tim hoped Mickey would find a new guy to be happy with in the near future. Nobody should walk through life alone.

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, things were bustling around the Katydid. It had been unseasonably warm in southern Virginia, but as everyone knew, the weather could turn on a dime.

The inhabitants of the farm needed to be ready to provide a warm place for the horses, especially the mares who were setto foal in the spring, at a moment’s notice. Everyone pitched in to ensure they were ready for the unpredictability that could suddenly occur.

Tim had been scrubbing the oiled canvas stable blankets they used on the horses in preparation for when the weather turned. He was wet and felt disgusting from the sweat he’d worked up, so after he had them spread on the fence that enclosed the round pen outside so they could dry, he walked up to the house and straight to his room.

Grabbing his cell from the dresser, Tim called Matt, who answered on the second ring. “Hey, whiz kid. You done with chores?”

Tim exhaled a troubled breath. “You love me?”

The need to get reassurance from the bull rider that he felt the same way was coursing through Tim for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint. He guessed it was because he’d been watching Mickey moping around the farm for the last few weeks after he told Tim about his breakup, and Tim guessed seeing how heartbroken the cowboy appeared to be had taken a toll on his confidence in his own relationship with Matt.

Mickey had been so certain of Jackie’s love when he first arrived at the farm, it was hard to watch the poor guy fall apart when it ended. It didn’t help that Tim had been so busy at the Katydid and wasn’t spending as much time with Matt and Ryan.

Matt had more help at his ranch than Uncle Josh did at the farm, so Tim had been working more from the Katydid as was needed. He missed seeing Matt during the day as he’d become accustomed when he worked at the Circle C.

Matt hummed in response and Tim grinned. He’d learned the big bull rider made the noise when he was trying to figure out the right thing to say because, as Tim came to know, Matt was as much a newbie at a romantic relationship as him, regardlessof the fact Matt had been married to that ’wretchedwoman,’ as Tim called her in his head.

“Hell yeah, I do. Why don’t you pack your shit, Timmy? Move here with Ryan and me. I know you love your aunt and uncle, but we need you here with us because you’re a part ofourfamily, too. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone other than my son,” Matt whispered over the phone.

Tim took a breath and exhaled as a sense of relief encompassed him. It was everything he needed to hear. “I’ll be over after I get cleaned up, and we’ll talk about it, okay? I don’t want Ryan to think I’m… I don’t know how we explainusto him, Matt. I wanna be with you so much, but I don’t want to traumatize the boy. He’s so damn great.” The lump in Tim’s throat proved to him he was all in with Matt, and Ryan was a fantastic addition.

When Matt laughed, it caught Tim by surprise. “Aw, now darlin’, the boy ain’t stupid. Just come over. We’ll all talk about it, and I’m pretty sure he’ll explain it tous.”

An hour later, Tim drove up the driveway of the Circle C and parked next to Matt’s large truck. He hopped out of his red work truck, walking to the front of the house and ringing the bell. When Ryan opened the door, he greeted Tim with a bright smile on his cute face.

It reminded Tim that he wanted to ask Miss Jeri to show him pictures of Matt when he was a little boy. “You got a key, don’tcha? You’re movin’ in, or so Daddy told me. Why the heck would ya ring the bell?”

Tim picked Ryan up and tossed the boy over his shoulder as they headed into the house, both laughing. “SHHH!”Tim turned to see Matt on the phone in the living room, so the two of them stopped talking.

He carried Ryan into the kitchen, placing the boy on the counter. “Can I have a soda? Daddy said there’s beer in there.”Tim glanced into the living room, seeing the big cowboy nod as he headed down the hallway toward the bedroom.

Tim retrieved two beers before he picked up a can of root beer to open for Ryan. He poured it into a glass, contemplating the fact the young boy seemed completely unaffected by the prospect of Tim moving in. He sat down on a stool at the counter next to the little cowboy, watching as Matt returned and paced around the family room uttering only “uh-huhs.”

When the bull rider looked at Tim, the exasperation was evident. Tim took a deep breath because he really had no idea what was to come, but in his heart, he knew he’d be there for Matt, regardless of the circumstances. He loved the man, after all.

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