Page 29 of For the Love of the Bull Rider

“Who’s he talking to?”

Ryan responded between sips of his soda. “Somebody named Janelle Rowland. I can’t figure out what the hell they’re talkin’ ‘bout.” Tim hid the smirk at the boy’s slip.

“Now, let’s watch the language. Your grandma would have a cow if she heard it.” Matt walked down the hallway toward his office again, slamming the door. Trying to avert the boy’s attention, Tim asked, “You eat anything?”

Ryan was enthusiastic with his response. “Daddy pulled out some hamburgers Gramma Jeri put in the freezer. I know how to start the grill.”

Tim hauled Ryan off the counter to follow him outside to the deck, beer bottle and glass of soda in hand. He noticed a new gas grill in the corner, so he followed Ryan over to it where the little boy pointed to the handle that turned on the gas.

After they had the grill settled to heat up so they could cook the burgers, Tim turned to Ryan. “So, you want me to move in? Why?”

Ryan studied him for a few moments before he answered. The boy sat down in one of the chairs set around a black iron andglass table, smiling at Tim. “You make my daddy happy, Timmy. He talks about you all the time when you’re not around, and if you lived here, maybe he’d talk about other stuff.”

“Like what stuff?” Tim was trying like hell to hold the laugh at the boy’s comment, and his curiosity got the best of him. He was fascinated with the way the boy’s mind worked.

“Like when Josie can come live here.” Tim loved the sly look on Ryan’s face.

The boy’s father often had the same damn look on his face when he’d shove his hand down the back of Tim’s jeans as the couple was making out somewhere. The two Collins men were always scheming, as Tim was learning.

“Now, why would Josie want to come live here?”

Ryan giggled a little. “‘Cause I’ll love her like my daddy loves you. He told me you make his heart happy, so I figure since Josie makes my heart happy, she should come live here, too.”

Tim had to give it to the boy—he had a pretty good command of making an argument for his cause, but knowing the little jenny was a Christmas gift, Tim felt the need to deflate the expectations a little to compound the upcoming surprise.

“Well, I don’t think Uncle Josh is ready for Josie to leave the Katydid quite yet. He likes having her around. Maybe in the spring, we can borrow her for a little while? I’ll take you over to the farm to ride anytime you want, okay?”

Before Ryan could respond, Matt came out onto the deck with a frustrated look on his face. “I started the grill.” Tim watched Matt drain his beer.

Matt took a deep breath and exhaled. He stood with his eyes closed for a minute, finally opening them to gaze at Tim with a tender smile.

“Thanks, babe.” He turned to Ryan and walked over to the table, picking up the boy and placing him in his lap.

“That lady I was talkin’ to was a lawyer. Your Nana Mona wants you to come live with her. Your mom moved to Canada with some guy named Vic. You ever meet him?”

Tim didn’t like the direction the conversation was heading because it sounded like maybe the grandmother was going to fight Matt for custody. If that happened, would having Tim in their lives be detrimental to any legal action the woman might bring?

Tim was well aware of that shit from a friend of his late mother’s back in New Jersey. Custody issues were a brutal mess. Nobody came out a winner.

Tim saw the expression on Ryan’s face, and it wasn’t happiness. “He’s mean. When he stayed at the ‘partment, they locked the door to Momma’s room, and I had to be quiet and not make any noise. I couldn’t even watch cartoons. Nana doesn’t like havin’ kids around, Momma told me, so we couldn’t go to her house. I don’t wanna see her, Daddy.” The little cowboy laid his head against Matt’s chest, crocodile tears gliding down his cheeks, which broke Tim’s heart.

Tim stared out into the yard, knowing there was only one right thing to do. “Okay, so let’s table any discussion of me moving in for the time being, and let’s get some dinner going. I’ll search around and find a lawyer—the best one I can because I won’t let anyone take you away from your daddy. I have some friends from college who were the kids of lawyers, so I’ll start looking there.” Tim’s appetite diminished at the mere thought of Ryan being taken away from a father who loved him. That was unacceptable in Tim’s mind.

Matt kissed the top of Ryan’s head and looked at Tim with that lopsided grin. “Timmy, I’ve got a lawyer outta Richmond. He represented me during the divorce, and he knows all the ins and outs of the situation. I’ll call him tomorrow. Now, we ain’t gonna let Mona stop you from movin’ in with us, are we little man?”

Ryan appeared resigned. “Nope. You belong here, just like Josie.”

Tim started laughing at Ryan’s relentlessness, feeling the tension leave his body. The boy was certainly entertaining, especially when he was on a mission. “Nice try, kiddo. Let’s get the burgers for your dad to grill while you and I make something else to go with ‘em.”

Tim finished his beer and rose from his seat. Ryan kissed Matt’s cheek and hopped down, grabbing his soda cup to follow Tim inside.

Tim quickly returned with the burgers after he set Ryan to tearing lettuce for a salad. When Tim walked out to the deck, Matt was scrubbing the grill with a wire brush, totally lost in thought.

“You okay?” Tim whispered as he walked up behind Matt after putting the plate of burgers on the nearby table.

Tim wrapped his arms around the bull rider’s waist and held him tightly, just absorbing the feel of Matt’s muscular body. Holding the man felt so good, Tim hated the thoughts racing through his mind. He truly didn’t want to give up the Collins’ men, but he would if it was going to cause a problem with the custody of Matt’s son. Tim loved Ryan too much to see him jerked away from the father he only just got back.

Matt’s large hand clasped over his own, resting on the cowboy’s hard abs. “I had a thought about how to diffuse the Mona situation. I really don’t think she wants Ryan because she loves him, but I can’t say that in front of him. That’s his grandma. My gut tells me this is money.”

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