Page 38 of For the Love of the Lawyer

“I think of ya like another son, Mick. I want ya to come back to the Katydid. That fuckin' Paulie…" Heath’s complaint brought a laugh from Mickey and Ethan, who was standing off to the side, inspecting the saddles Mickey had resting on the stall doors.

Heath ranted about Paulie, the former hand at the Circle C who'd been traded to the Katydid in exchange for Mickey. As far as Mickey knew, Danny Johnson was happy about the trade because he didn’t like Paulie in the least. Mickey could only imagine Heath's assessment of the situation.

"Well, I'm grateful for you missin' me, but I'm gonna stay right here, Heath. I loved bein' at the Katydid, but Tim, Matt, Ryan, and Rocky need me to keep 'em in line, and I feel it’s my responsibility to take care of ‘em. Y'all are gonna come to the party this weekend to celebrate the guardianship and the birthdays, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything. Whether anybody likes it, we're all becomin' a great big family, and those who aren’t party to it are gonna be out in the cold. We come help y'all when it's time to move or ship cattle, and y'all come help us put up hay. Any of the hands who don't like it will probably leave, but that'sjust the way it is with cowboys. They get territorial over the stock they take care of and don't like anybody steppin' in to show 'em up, as you might remember. The only change we accept is when we decide to move on. You gonna move on, Mickey?" Heath gave him a serious stare.

Mickey couldn't help but chuckle as he removed the baseball cap and slapped it against his thigh to get rid of some of the sweat he'd worked up in the hot barn in July. "Naw, Heath. I'm not plannin' on goin' anywhere. I'm hopin' Matt and Tim let me keep takin' care of the horses here at the ranch for a long time to come. I mean, y'all have a lot of horse hands over at the Katydid, but ‘round here, the boys don't care much for horses till it's time to work cattle, then they get damn grateful.”

Wheels on the pea gravel driveway that led to the barn caught everyone’s attention. Mickey knew they were expecting a full complement of guests for the weekend, and he'd agreed to help Tim settle people at the house.

There were only a handful staying the weekend at the ranch, so he was surprised when Jonathon Wells pulled up in his fancy Mercedes. He hadn't been privy to the guest list, so he supposed he shouldn't be surprised Matt had invited the lawyer.

Mick turned to the Sachs' and took a deep breath. "I seriously hope you both forgive me for what I did, because I've missed bein' friends with both of ya."

As if on cue, Ethan walked up to Mickey and hugged him. "I love you, but I'm not in love with ya. I figured it out while I was with Uncle Teddy. He's gay, and we had more than one good talk about first crushes. I'm sorry if I caused ya trouble with all that bullshit, okay?

“Daddy stayed with me at the farm, and with Uncle Teddy's help, we worked shit out before we got home. He ain't happy his son's gay because he thinks I'm gonna have a hard life, and I hold no preconceived notions it won't be difficult, but I'm lucky.My parents are supportive and still love me. That's enough of a start," Ethan whispered to Mickey before he pulled away and smiled.

"Oh! Damn. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The rich smooth voice was one Mickey had been longing to hear. The sound made his insides flip as he and Ethan broke apart.

When he turned toward the barn door, there stood Jon Wells with an expression that let Mickey know the man had some feelings he was still denying, based on the scowl. He hoped to fuck they could finally have a serious conversation and work some shit out.

"No, no. Come on in. Jonathon Wells, this is Heath Sachs and his son, Ethan. They both work at the Katydid for Josh, and we're all old friends. Guys this is Matt's attorney, Jonathon Wells.” They all shook hands and exchanged greetings.

"Nice to meet ya."

"How ‘do."

"Pleasure to meet both of you. I've heard about you from Tim."

Mickey wasn't sure if that last part was right because he was pretty sure Tim didn't really talk to Jon Wells, but he'd let it slide.

"Well, we best get goin' to the house. Patsy makes us do dishes if we're late for supper. We'll see y'all tomorrow," Heath told them as he put his hand on Ethan's shoulder.

"Mick, I can come over early and bring a few horses if you think folks'll wanna ride. Call and let me know which ones you think would be best, since I don't know the guests.” Ethan’s bright smile put Mickey's heart at ease. He was glad to have been reunited with his young friend. He'd missed Ethan.

"I'll let ya know. Welcome home, kiddo.” He hugged Ethan before the Sachs men left him alone in the barn with the lawyer.

As soon as they heard the truck start outside the barn, Jon walked over to the stall where Charlie was usually housed. "Where's the big guy?"

"Out on pasture. I just cleaned out his stall and hosed it down. It's hot as hell, so I'm gonna leave him out for the night. Josie's up at Jeri and Marty's in the pasture. She was in season, but she'll be fine by tomorrow. I'm gonna take Charlie up there in the mornin' and bring her home to use for the kids to ride. We've got some of Ryan and Rocky's school friends comin' for the party, along with a few friends of the family.

"It's best if Charlie's tucked away somewhere quiet. He's gonna be busy over the next few weeks.” Mickey smirked as he thought about all the action the stud was set to get over the summer. Charlie had bred a few of Josh's mares earlier in the spring, and Josh was looking forward to the foals that would come the next spring. There had been several interested parties who'd contacted Matt on the website, and he knew Tim was looking into sending sperm out of state by some freezing technique. There was a lot happening at the Circle C.

"That's great. I guess you've been busy, huh? Too busy to answer a text?" Jon’s accusatory comment and raised eyebrow had Mickey ready to hyperventilate.

Mickey chuckled, remembering the text from Jon which he found confusing as hell. Mickey was sure Audrey Langley had somehow ended up with Jon's phone and sent it as a lark. He wasn't about to be made to look like a fool three times by the same guy.

"Hey, you made it abundantly clear you were far too good for me. You're too smart, too classy, too good-lookin' and obviously, you have no desire to ever try an exclusive relationship, so I don't see why we need to prolong the agony.”

Mickey held out his hands and shrugged.Time for some harsh truths.

“You wanna fuck? We can figure out a place, but not in Tim and Matt's house because it's a rule for them. Hell, we can fuck down here if you want. Then it's out of your system, and you can go find as much high-class, well-educated ass as suits you."

Mickey had been rehearsing that speech for weeks, sure he’d never get the chance to say it to anyone other than himself. He’d been sure he’d never see Jon again to tell him to his face.

When Jon bristled, Mickey truly had to wonder why. What had he said that would grate against the man’s sensibilities? As far as Mickey could tell, any relationship the man was interested in having would last about as long as it took for him to blow his load in Mickey’s mouth or his ass. Maybe if they did fuck, they could both get over it?

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