Page 43 of For the Love of the Bull Rider

“You look stunned, Matthew, which tells me you heard things about me from my daughter and her mother that led you to believe I was a hard-ass prick who ruled with an iron fist. I expected it from Mona, but Roberta knew better.

“When she was young, we were close. It was hard back then, what with us moving every few years, but I did my best to make them happy. Of course, in Mona’s case, I don’t think making her happy was a possibility. Anyway, that’s all in the past so tell me what I can do for you. We only spoke briefly on the phone. Tell me what Mona’s trying to pull this time.” The man clearly knew his ex-wife.

For the first time since Matt had been dropped off at Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport… the smallest airport he’d ever seen… he exhaled a huge breath to release all the tension that had been building in his body since he decided to take the trip.

It didn’t seem things were going to go as badly as he’d expected. He might have a chance with the father-in-law he’d never been able to get to know. He prayed it wasn’t too much to hope for.

Chapter Eighteen

Matt stood under the spray of the shower that was adjacent to the basement guest room of the Colonel’s home. Well, Rob’s home, as he’d been asked to address the man.

The events from the night before were replaying through Matt’s head, and he was having a hard time reconciling the prick he’d heard about from his ex-wife and her mother with the manhe’d met and enjoyed getting to know. Even the short visit they’d had at the rodeo in El Paso hadn’t done the Colonel justice.

Matt was angry with himself for believing the bullshit Bertie and Mona had told him about Rob Stanford. He learned none of it was true, and he was bothered by how harshly he’d judged the man, especially when he considered their conversation as they’d had dinner at the steak house.

“When I met Mona, she was a great girl. We went out when I was off duty, and we had a good time. I was due to transfer from Fort Carson in Colorado where I met her, and suddenly, I found out she was pregnant, or so I was told. Turned out, Bertie was the longest pregnancy in history. Mona carried that girl for thirteen months.” DeAnne laughed over the top of her wine glass as Matt considered another thing Bertie had in common with her mother.

The group was dining at a steak place named Bogart’s, and when Rob told DeAnne he was taking them out for dinner, she’d squealed before she ran upstairs to change. Matt had looked at his clothes, glancing up when Rob chuckled. “It’s not that fancy, son.”

Matt swallowed a gulp of his Shiner Bock, meeting the man’s eyes. “So, um, the fact Bertie pretty much did the same thing to me—”

“Doesn’t surprise me in the least. Those two… I can’t begin to understand ‘em. I tried to be a good influence on my daughter, but during Desert Storm, I was deployed, and that’s when Mona sorta went off her rocker and really started drinking. She hid it from me, but long story short, when I got home, she demanded a divorce.

“I gave it to her without an argument. She moved to Virginia with Roberta because she was following a man, I believe. By then, neither of them wanted anything to do with me except formy money, so I paid my share. Tell me what they’re tryin’ to do to you.”

Matt finished his beer just as their steaks arrived. Rob had ordered a bottle of wine with dinner, and the three ate as Matt explained his situation, including his lover, Tim, and his concern regarding the women trying to blackmail him for money in exchange for custody of his son.

At the end of the night, Rob asked Matt to allow him to think things through overnight, and Matt agreed they could talk in the morning. The Stanfords insisted he stay at their home in the guestroom, and since he hadn’t booked a hotel and was a little too intoxicated to drive, he’d agreed.

His cell ringing on the bathroom vanity drew him from his thoughts, so he turned off the water and grabbed it, seeing it was a call from his man… Timothy H. Moran.

“Baby,” he answered, hearing a giggle from the other end of the line. It was Ryan’s voice for sure. “Hey, little man,” Matt greeted as he cradled the phone between his shoulder and his ear, trying to dry off to get dressed. He heard movement upstairs, and he didn’t want to be a bad guest, but he’d missed his son and his man, so he needed to speak with them.

“Hi, Daddy. We went shoppin’ yesterday, and I got new clothes. Timmy said my stuff is gettin’ too small ‘cause I’m growin’ like a weed. I got new jeans, underwear, socks…” The boy continued enumerating the purchases, which worried Matt because he hadn’t thought to leave any money for Tim.

He needed to talk to his partner about the fact he’d done all of the work to automate the processes at the ranch and Matt hadn’t offered him a penny. That needed to be rectified as soon as Matt returned home.

“Ryan. Ryan. Listen son, I’m glad you’re growin’, but I need to talk to Timmy. How much did all this business cost?”

The boy giggled, bringing a quick grin to Matt’s face. “I don’t know, Daddy. Tim wrote a check for it. Anyway, we got stuff to do today. Here’s Timmy. When you comin’ home? We don’t like ya gone,” Ryan said. Matt seconded the sentiment.

Jon Wells was going to meet with Colonel Stanford and Matt at the home on base that afternoon. Jon mentioned he had friends in El Paso he’d like to visit, so he’d taken an earlier flight than Matt’s on Friday. They were set to fly back to Richmond together on Sunday morning.

“Tomorrow. I’ll be home tomorrow sometime. Take care of Tim for me, little man. Love ya.”

After some fumbling, Tim’s happy voice came on the line. It made Matt’s heart pound faster and his dick begin to grow. “Matty? How’s it goin’?”

It hadn’t been lost on Matt that he hadn’t Tim why he was going to El Paso, but his partner was kind enough to give him time before he demanded an explanation regarding Matt’s sudden departure. The trip was one Matt knew would cause the younger man to worry, and he didn’t want it to be something hanging over their heads to dampen the enthusiasm building for the upcoming holidays. Once he had more information, Matt would be able to ease Tim’s concerns.

“Baby, I know this isn’t an easy situation, but I swear to ya when I get home, you and me are gonna have a talk about everything. You didn’t have to buy Ryan’s clothes, sweetheart. I shoulda left ya money but I didn’t think about it. I’ll give ya cash tomorrow, and we need to talk about the work you’ve done at the Circle C. I need to pay ya for it.” Matt hoped Tim could hear how much he appreciated everything he’d done.

Tim giggled, which Matt didn’t get to hear often enough, but when he did it set his heart racing. “We definitely need to talk when you get home, cowboy. Now, Ryan and I need to go. We’vegot places to be. I love you, Matty.” Tim’s voice was soft and warm, which was what Matt needed to hear.

“I love you, too, babe. See ya tomorrow. I’ll text ya when the plane gets in.” Matt grinned as he ended the call.

Tim’s truck was likely on its last leg, so he sent a text to Danny about getting a new farm truck. Danny had a cousin who owned the local Ford dealership in Richmond, so Matt explained what he wanted and asked Dan to get somebody to drive it to the airport the next day so he could drive it home. It would be Tim’s truck because Matt intended to have the man living at the ranch as soon as they could get a handle on the things with Mona and Bertie.

He quickly dressed in jeans and a yellow button-down shirt, slipping on his Tony Lama dress boots before he made his way upstairs to see a lot of young people in the dining room eating a buffet breakfast.

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