Page 42 of For the Love of the Lawyer

"Who's that?" Jon whispered.

The boy snarled. "That's Stevie Tanner. He works at the Katydid part-time, and he's mean. He calls me names too when I go to the barn by myself to feed apples to the horses Grampa Josh keeps down there."

"Stevie, knock that shit off. I don't know what they tolerate at the Katydid, but we don't tolerate that shit here so grow the fuck up and do as you’re told.” Mickey walked by the young guy who stuck out his foot and tripped him, laughing when the young cowboy hit the concrete.

Just then, another guy came into the barn, laughing at Mickey on his hands and knees on the barn hallway floor. "You gonna mount him, Stevie? He need breedin'?"

"Is everybody else up at the house, Paulie?" The other man nodded at Stevie’s question, and Jon sensed something bad was about to kick off.

He turned to Rocky. "Go back in that corner and sit there with your hands over your ears until I come get you, okay?" The boy nodded and did as Jon instructed.

Jon scrambled down the ladder just as the two men tackled Mickey. Jon had the element of surprise on them, so when his bare foot met with the tall, dark-haired man's ribs—Paulie, if he’d paid attention—the asshole was shocked as he tumbled on his ass.

Mickey shoved the dirty-blond, Stevie, off him and hopped up pretty quickly. "Where's Rocky?" Jon examined the cowboy,seeing a strawberry bruise starting to bloom on his cheek, likely from hitting the rough concrete floor of the barn.

"In the loft with his hands over his ears until I tell him to come down. Who the fuck are they?" Jon’s breath rushed from his lungs as he got a surprise punch to his left kidney.

The other guy jumped for Mickey, knocking him down as punches flew at his handsome face. When Paulie straddled Jon's chest and began an assault on him with fists ablaze, Jon was at a loss of what to do. He'd never had to defend himself in a physical fight, so he did the best he could to protect his head and tighten his abdomen to keep the punches from doing damage to his internal organs.

Shouting suddenly filled the cavernous space, and the assailant’s weight was jerked off Jon. When he lowered his arms from around his head, he saw Matt Collins and Josh Simmons with their knees in the backs of the two aggressors. "You boys okay?" Josh asked.

"I'm fine.” Jon rolled over to see Mickey's bloody face.

"Oh, baby. I'm sorry I wasn't a better fighter.” Jon crawled over to Mickey and pulled him up to a sitting position.

"I'm fine, darlin’. Thanks for helpin' me 'cause I don't know that theywouldn'thave followed through on the threat.” Jon tried to clean some of the blood out of Mickey’s eye from a nasty cut to his head.

"Can I come down?" Everyone turned to see Rocky Whipple with tears on his face as he looked over the side.

"Oh, sweetheart, come down. What're you doin' up there?" Matt rose from the ground, pulling Stevie up with him.

"That fuckin' fag had him up there and was molestin' him.” Stevie pointed a shaking finger toward Jon.

Josh chuckled as he rose from the ground and walked over to the idiot, cocking his fist to punch the asshole in the mouth and send him back onto his ass. "You're fired."

Matt walked over to the ladder and climbed up a few rungs, holding his arms out for the boy. "You okay, Rock?"

Rocky nodded and moved into Matt's arms, wrapping himself around the huge man's body as Matt descended the ladder. Jon could see the child was trembling, and it pissed him off even more.

"Rocky brought me coffee and a change of clothes because Mickey and I slept in the hayloft last night. We were waiting for the place to clear out so we could go back to the house because Mickey was trying to save me the embarrassment of being caught sleeping in the barn with him since we aren't welcome to sleep together in your house.” Jon turned to look at Matt.

Matt looked surprised and Mickey gasped. "No, Jonny, it's not that way, okay? Matt didn't… doesn't… Can we talk about this later?" Mickey pointed to Paulie and Stevie.

Josh chuckled and looked at the two of them. "Oh, you're fired, too. Get the fuck outta here before I call the sheriff and have both y'all arrested.Do notgo to the Katydid for any reason today, or I'll have ya charged with burglary and trespass. I'll be there tomorrow, and you can both come pick up your saddles and shit. Katie will have your last check ready about noon. Do you two idiots understand?"

Stevie Tanner seemed to bristle. "Mr. Simmons, I didn't do nothin' to you, and I've worked for you for three years. This asshole showed up a year ago. How the hell can you take his word over mine?" Stevie pointed to Mickey.

Matt put Rocky on the floor and knelt in front of the boy. "You take Mickey and Jon to the house so Poppa Tim can clean ‘em up before all the company gets here, okay? You didn't do anything wrong, buddy. We'll get this mess cleared up and be up to the house in a few minutes for Gramma Jeri's sweet rolls. Go on.” Matt kissed the boy’s forehead and patted his shoulder.

Rocky walked over to Mickey and Jon, taking each of them by the hand. "Come on, guys. Let's get you cleaned up." Jon smiled as he allowed the boy to lead him out of the barn and turned to see a smile on Mickey's face as well. They had another thing in common—they’d both had their asses kicked trying to defend the other.

Jon was sitting in an old-fashioned, webbed lawn chair just like the ones he remembered from his childhood. His parents used to have stacks of them at the country place in the shed next to the pool. He remembered having to fold them up after parties and put them back into the shed, and it made him miss his parents.

He really wanted to take Mickey to visit the farm again, this time ashisguest. He was sure his mother would be happy about it because she'd loved Mickey when she’d met him in Dillwyn.

"Hey, Mr. Jon.” Ryan Collins greeted him as he walked over with a bowl full of folded papers.

"Hello, Ryan. What's this?"

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