Page 27 of For the Love of the Bull Rider

“Sorry. Let’s just say things are going well.” Without further comment, he cut into a tasty-looking caramel roll.

“What was so important for Ryan to stay last night? He was up in arms about somebody named Mickey at the Katydid,” Marty said.

Matt laughed. “He’s a new hand Josh and Katie hired. He seems to know his way around horses, and I believe Josh knows a good hand when he sees one. I think he’ll be a good addition to the farm.”

“He likes Timmy,” Ryan chimed in with a furrowed brow. Jeri laughed as she walked over to the table and refreshed the coffee.

“He doesnot. He was just asking questions, young man,” Tim scolded. Ryan laughed as he leaned forward and kissed Tim’s cheek. Hugging the boy’s shoulders, Tim smiled because the kiss was appreciated.

Marty cleared his throat. “So, Matthew, your mother says you have something to talk to me about, but she won’t say what it is. You care to enlighten me, son?”

Tim looked at Ryan, hoping the boy could offer cover to get away from the kitchen before all hell broke loose. “You have your stuff together? Should I help you?” Ryan hopped down with a big nod.

As Tim was about to rise from his chair and excuse himself, Matt grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the seat, turning to him with that damn smile. “You ain’t goin’ anywhere, Timmy.”

Oh, Tim begged to differ with him, but suddenly Jeri was out of her chair, taking Ryan by the hand to lead him down the hallway. Tim looked at Matt, hoping he could see the pleadinglook on his face to not make him sit there when the bull rider came out to his very macho, veryheterofather.

“Dad, let me start by sayin’ I love ya, and I respect ya. You and Momma have been my support system all my life, and I can’t tell ya how much I appreciate it. I know you love me, and you’ve accepted the decisions I’ve made in the past for my life without question because I know y’all only want me to be happy.” He turned to Tim and smiled, which made the younger man want to slide under the table and seep into the kitchen tile.

Tim was praying his name wouldn’t come up, but… “Dad, I’m in love with Timmy, and we’re gonna try to make a life together, I hope,” Matt blurted out quickly and nervously.

Tim prayed a UFO would show up in Virginia and start firing at the front yard to distract Matt’s father because as he looked at Marty Collins, he was sure the man thought Tim had corrupted his only son. He was certain the older man hated him.

Matt continued, “If I thought it was possible to have someone snap their fingers to turn me straight, I’d have welcomed it because it would have been so much easier to live that life, Dad. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. I’ve accepted the fact I’m a gay man in a business where my sexuality isn’t understood, but I can’t change myself. I’m the same guy I was when I walked in here and sat down, and I’m not gonna hide how much I love Tim, either. If people stop buyin’ my stock, then it’s a price I have to pay, but I ain’t gonna live a lie anymore.”

After hearing Matt’s speech, Tim decided to man up and be supportive because the man he loved sounded so determined, and he was proud of the statement the cowboy had made.

Tim cleared his throat and looked at Marty Collins, hoping he was hiding the fear which engulfed him from head to toe. “Mr. Collins, sir, I love Matt and Ryan, and I only want the best for them. I know it’s not anything you’re used to, but I pray you’llremain open-minded and give us a chance to show you we’re no different than any other couple.”

When Matt turned the chair to gaze into his eyes, Tim felt like he’d once again gone to heaven. “I do, Matt. I love you so much, but I didn’t want to scare you by telling you too soon. I’ve loved you for a while but I thought you were straight, so I didn’t say anything. You and Ryan? You two are everything to me,” Tim told Matt quietly, feeling like they were the only people on the whole planet.

Unfortunately, as Matt was leaning in to kiss him, they heard a throat clear and both pulled away. Surprisingly, Marty Collins had a big smile on his face. “I’m glad that shit’s all sorted out. It’ll make Christmas easier, and Matt, son, don’t give up your day job and take up actin’ anytime soon. You ain’t good at it. When are you gonna explain things to Ryan?”

Tim was speechless, and when he looked at Matt, he could tell for a minute he was as well. Suddenly, the cowboy laughed, and when his father joined him, Tim was a little lost. They weren’t beating on each other, though, so he couldn’t help but be happy.

Jeri walked down the hallway with Ryan and a backpack. She smiled when she saw there was no bloodshed and the two of them were laughing. She walked over to Tim and kissed his cheek before she whispered, “Welcome to the family, Tim. I’m so happy I have you to look out for my boys. They need you more than Matthew knows.”

Tim could only nod because it felt really good to be a member of the family… another family. Hell, he was giddy at the prospect of being a member oftwofamilies. He barely had one for so many years, it was such a great thing to hear he had another. He smiled throughout the rest of the visit. The acceptance of Matt’s parents left Tim riding a high, for lack of a better word. It was amazing.

Chapter Eleven

“So, how long you been with Matt?” Tim was helping Mickey clean stalls at the Katydid. He was coming to like Mickey, thrilled that Uncle Josh had hired the cowboy after he spoke to Mr. Kessler in Kentucky and received a glowing recommendation.

In the spirit of being overly cautious, Tim had run a background check on the nomadic cowboy too, but he’d asked the guy’s permission first, so he didn’t feel like he was being underhanded about it. Mickey had agreed with an easy, lopsided grin, saying he understood how careful ranchers had to be in this day and age.

Not surprisingly, Aunt Katie had insisted Mickey take the bedroom next to Tim’s because she felt bad for him not having a family of his own. Tim wanted to laugh when she explained herself. He’d known the guy wouldn’t becampingin that beat-up truck as Mickey had suggested when he’d first arrived at the farm.

“Not too long. I came home when I finished college, and that’s when I met Matt.” Tim stepped out of a stall and dumped the dirty sawdust into the wagon parked in the barn hallway.

Uncle Josh was predictable in the way he trained hands at the Katydid. Everyone started at the bottom—cleaning horse shit from the barn—all the while learning how to calculate the amount of straw and sawdust needed for the bedding, along with hay and feed for the horses boarded there.

It wasn’t easy work, but it was easily learned. Tim still helped out when he could in the morning before he went to the Circle C to continue the work he was doing there. His life was coasting along, and for the most part, he supposed it was pretty damn good. Well, on certain days, it wasreallydamn good.

“So, you must make a lot of money between the two jobs.” Tim gave Mickey a quick explanation of the work he did at the Circle C for Matt along with his job for Uncle Josh. Of course, he laughed at the absurdity of Mickey’s statement regarding his net worth. In the words of his mother, Tim didn’t have a pot to piss in, nor a window to throw it out.

Tim surmised the young cowboy was inquisitive and trying to learn the dynamics at the Katydid. He wasn’t malicious with hisinquiries, but Tim sensed there was something else behind his questions that day.

“Here, I work for room and board. At the Circle C, I haven’t exactly figured out any kind of salary because Matt’s my boyfriend.” Tim’s explanation made him sound like a sucker but explaining his financial situation to Mickey—especially when Tim hadn’t figured it out himself—wasn’t exactly on his agenda that day.

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