Page 44 of For the Love of the Bull Rider

When Matt walked in, Savannah stood and smiled at him. “Can I get ya coffee, Mr. Collins? We’re gonna be outta here in a minute. We’re doin’ a community service project this afternoon, and Momma volunteered to feed us all.” Savannah gestured to all the young people sitting at the dining room table.

A young kid with a Mohawk hopped up and cleared his spot, motioning for Matt to take a seat. “Thank ya. Coffee would be great, but I can get it myself.”

A hand landed on Matt’s shoulder, and he turned to see a tall boy with dark hair staring at him. “You used to ride bulls, right? I saw ya at the Coliseum when I was a kid. You won second, right?”

A cup of coffee was placed in front of him on one side with a plate of food appearing from the other. He looked up to see Andy, Savannah’s girlfriend, with a friendly smile. “We take care of our own, Mr. Collins.” She then winked before she walked away.

The boy next to him passed down butter, salt, and pepper as all talking ceased at the table. Matt glanced up to see at least ten teenagers staring at him, waiting for an answer. He took a sip of coffee and swallowed. “Uh, yeah. It seems like a long time ago as I sit here, but I used to ride buckin’ bulls. I did okay, but it’s awful hard on the body. Now, I own a cattle ranch in southern Virginia. I’ve sold a few bulls to rodeo stock companies.” He wasn’t sure what the teens were looking for from him.

A tiny girl with a short haircut and a piercing in her nose stood and smiled. “Do you find discrimination to be a problem when you’re selling those bulls to…”

Another girl pulled her to sit back down. “Excuse Candace. I stopped her before she got off on a tirade about gay rights, which would turn into animal rights, then civil rights. We don’t have all day, love.” The taller girl grabbed both of their plates and left the dining room.

Matt was relieved. He didn’t want to explain to a bunch of wide-eyed optimists who seemed to have found acceptance in El Paso that the rest of the world wasn’t as accepting as the community they seemed to have formed at Fort Bliss. His customers didn’t know his orientation because he didn’t think it was their business. He hadn’t started flying a rainbow flag at the end of the driveway, but he didn’t fly an American one either. He wasn’t about to hide his family, which included Tim, from anyone. He just needed things with Bertie settled.

DeAnne Stanford walked into the dining room in jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair was swept up in a ponytail, and as Matt took her in, he decided she could have passed for one of the kids. He noticed a little tattoo on her long, sleek neck. It was a grouping of three stars, one was large, and two were smaller. He wondered what they meant, but he wasn’t about to ask.

“Kids, we need to get over to the field if we’re gonna finish before we help set up chairs for the awards’ ceremony thisafternoon. Bring your dishes into the kitchen ‘cause the Colonel doesn’t like to have to clear the table.” DeAnne giggled.

Matt started to get up and grab his plate when he heard a hearty laugh. “Sit down and eat, Matt. She likes to play me as the big, bad wolf, but my bark is worse than my bite. I’m ready for round two.” Rob stood and filled a plate from the buffet.

The two men sat together and ate as they watched the teens clear the table before they all left behind DeAnne. Matt got up to refill his coffee, bringing the pot to the table from the hot plate to refill Rob’s cup. “Where’re they off to?”

“Care packages for our boys overseas. DeAnne’s the head of the local Military Family Association here at Bliss. Those kids who were here are a mix of Army brats and locals, volunteering to do it this month. They’ve been going all around El Paso collecting supplies, and I’m damn proud of every one of ‘em. Savannah is the type of girl who picks up strays as she stumbles through life, and they all find their way to our house at one point or another.

“Regardless of their views on our occupation of overseas theaters, those kids don’t hold the soldiers responsible. Oh, they corner me and voice their oppositions as often as possible, but that’s a good thing. They’re forming their own opinions on the state of our country, and if we don’t question our leaders and elected officials, then we’re not taking advantage of our rights as set forth by the Constitution.

“Anyway, I’m glad they’re gone cause they’re a noisy bunch. Do you mind helping with dishes? It’s my turn to give back.”

The two finished their coffee and headed to the disaster zone in the kitchen. Matt wished to hell he’d known the man when he was married to his daughter. Well, that wasn’t right because nothing could have talked him out of his desire to divorce Bertie. He prayed Ryan had the opportunity to meet Rob. He knew his son would love his grandfather.

Chapter Nineteen

Matt found himself on a plane once again, but he was headed home so it wasn’t all bad. Jon Wells was sitting next to him, having upgraded them to business class with frequent-flyer miles. “We need to discuss a few things, Matt, and in business class, you get more privacy and leg room. I won’t charge ya forthe fifteen thousand miles I used. I fly the friendly skies often enough I got plenty of miles to use, trust me.”

Matt nodded and listened as the good-looking man outlined what he believed to be the best strategy to handle the women who were determined to make Matt’s life miserable and maybe do away with them once and for all. It would be great if Matt and Tim could begin to make a life together. The plan sounded good until Jon mentioned getting everyone in the same room.

“Whaddya mean? Like, Bertie, her momma, Rob, DeAnne, Tim, and me? How in the hell would that work?” Matt wondered if Jon Wells’ help was money well spent after all.

Jon took a sip of his drink before he turned to look at Matt. “We can do it in Richmond at our offices, okay? With Roberta living in Canada, the proceedings must be in the US, and since Ryan resides in Virginia, they gotta come play on our playground. Colonel and Mrs. Stanford sounded as if they’d be happy to come to Virginia to support you, Matt.

“Mona knows where you live. She called your house at four o’clock in the morning on Thursday. The call lasted forty-five seconds. Did she leave a message?” Jon was visibly upset about the call.

“No. We were sleepin’ in a blanket fort in the family room that night because—well, it don’t matter why. I didn’t hear the phone ringin’, but I was tired so I wouldn’t be surprised if I slept through it. I can ask Tim. He didn’t mention anything about it.”

“That’s great, Matt. Ask him what she said, okay? Meantime, let’s say after the first of the year, we try to get a meeting set between all the parties involved. The Colonel didn’t say he had any timing issues, did he?” Jon finished his drink and held up his finger for another.

“No, Rob didn’t mention any. He said I should just give him a date to meet, and he’d do whatever we needed him to do to help us out. Look, before we disrupt everybody’s lives and subject myson to more bullshit, can you just ask the women how much money it would take for them to go away? I’ll give everything I have.” Matt didn’t want to put Tim or Ryan through anything that would cause them distress.

Jon sighed. “Matt, I know you don’t want your personal life put on trial but offering them money—offering your ex-wifemoremoney—will only cause her to come back to the well again. You’ve given her over a hundred-and-twenty-five-thousand dollars to date, and now her mother is in the picture? They won’t be happy until they have everything you own. Is that what you really want?”

Matt considered the man’s words for a second and exhaled. “All I really want is my son and my partner. The rest of it doesn’t matter.”

Matt swallowed the lump in his throat. The prospect of selling the ranch and cattle to pay off Bertie and Mona didn’t scare him. He’d started out with not much more than his parents’ love and support years’ prior, and he hadn’t lost it even after he told them he was gay. It was enough of a foundation to start again.

“Please put your seats in the upright and locked position. Secure the tray tables and any electronic devices as we make our approach. The temperature in Richmond is forty-eight degrees, and the sky is overcast. We might hit a little turbulence during landing, so please ensure your seat belts are fastened.”

Matt looked at Jon and smiled. “Let me talk to Tim. I need to explain all of this to him, and we need to figure it out together. I’m still tryin’ to get used to havin’ a partner who loves me and is on my side. I’ll call ya on Tuesday, okay?”

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