Page 57 of For the Love of the Broken Man

Jase picked up a paper plate and a large graham cracker, breaking it in half. He added part of a chocolate bar and four pieces of a cut-up banana to it as he watched Kayley roast two marshmallows. Danny noticed how Jase observed her, ensuring her safety first, and he knew there was no other choice.

After Kayley blew out the flaming puffs of sugary goo, Jase made her a sandwich. “Don’t eat that yet. It’s hot. Let it melt a little, okay?”

With every word out of the man’s mouth, Danny knew he’d made the right decision. After Kayley was settled, he turned to Jase and smiled. “I have a request.”

“What? You want me to make you one, too?” Jase’s eyes sparkled as he teased Dan.

“Yeah, I do, but I love you. You think you could find yourself happily married to a cowboy with a bum leg? Oh, I’ve got an alcohol problem, but with your help and love, I’ve got that under control. Oh, I’ve also got a hanger-on-er, too.” Dan pointed to Kayley, who was smiling at him.

“Hey! I’m a good kid. You’re lucky to have me, Daddy.” Kayley continued to eat her s’more, staring at Jase while waiting for an answer.

Dan saw a tear slip down Jase’s cheek, which surprised him. “I could, Dan. I really could.”

And, just like that, Danny found himself an engaged man… which was something he never thought would ever happen in his life. The three of them hugged and danced on the back deck after Jase turned on music and left the door open. It was more fantastic than Danny could have ever imagined.

Danny was humming a song he’d heard on the radio as he drove to work. Kayley was snuggled up in her bed at Jase’s house to spend the Saturday with him because she had soccer practice that morning.

They’d stayed at Jase’s house the night before, and they’d made plans, which had contributed to Dan’s good mood. Danny had thought about attending a meeting that morning, but he didn’t even have a craving for liquor as he’d had before Jase came back into his life. He’d slept in a little, feeling himself in Jase’s arms and not wanting to get up until he absolutely had to leave. They were shipping calves at the Circle C that morning, and he needed to be there to oversee the operation went off without any glitches.

As he pulled up the drive, he saw the cars and trucks of the hands from the Circle C and the Katydid. They helped each other out from time to time, and the cowhands at the ranch were always grateful for the cowboys from the Katydid when something was going on with the cattle.

When Danny walked into the kitchen that morning to check in with Matt, he saw Ethan Sachs sitting at the breakfast bar. He had a little bone to pick with the boy, so he didn’t hesitate to cuff him around the neck. Nobody else was in the kitchen, so it was as good a time as any.

“I know you went to Jase’s a while back and ended up sleepin’ over, but that’s the end of it, okay? He and I are gettin’ married, so you keep your scrawny ass away from his house unless I’m there, ya hear?” Dan was threatening the young guy, but not without a reason, and he meant every word he said.

Rocky walked in and looked at the two of them. The kid was damn big for seventeen, and he was a star athlete. He was also bigger than Dan or Ethan. “Hmm… confrontation. So, what are you two upset over?”

That kid would have sports scholarships coming out of his ass next year, but Danny had a feeling he might make a good psychiatrist… or maybe a psychic if they existed. Danny wouldn’t miss the chance to have another opinion on Ethan’s actions, though.

“How would you feel if someone showed up at your significant other’s home behind your back and propositioned him or her?” Danny snapped.

“Whoa! I did notproposition Jason. I wanted to try to find a friend back here because those assholes at the barn aren’t very nice. I’ve got my own boyfriend, okay? I have my own set of issues that go with the territory as well.” Ethan sounded earnest in his statement, so Dan let go of his neck.

They both looked at Rocky who shrugged. “I don’t have a significant other, so I can’t offer an opinion based on experience, but I’d probably be upset. I’d guess if y’all respect each other it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Dan chuckled. Jase had agreed to marry him, so Ethan wasn’t a threat. He turned to the kid and smiled. “Okay, no hard feelin’s. Thanks to you, Jase and I agreed to get married, so thank you for any part you had in that.”

Dan and Ethan hugged Rocky before they all made their way to the barn. They had a long day ahead of them but Dan was relieved he’d staked his claim on Jason so there was no confusion on Ethan’s part.

As Danny ran the portable scales Matt had hired for the day, he thought about how his life had come to this point. He was engaged to Jase? Dan hadn’t seen it coming, and this time, it turned out just the way Dan hoped.

Dan had learned, or he hoped he had, one didn’t know what they had in common with people until they got to know them—outside of the bedroom. It was what he and Jase had done, even if Dan had fucked it up in the first place, but he had a second chance he wouldn’t let slip by.

When Matt walked over to where they’d rigged the gates and chute to run the cattle over the scale, Dan saw a smile on his face. He glanced out to the field to see Tim on Chester, who was still a good horse despite his age, helping Josh and Heath Sachs cut out cows that had mingled with the herd.

“How they weighin’?” Matt asked.

“Average, six thirty-three. What you expected?” Dan responded, recording the figures on the manifest for the truck driver who was hauling the feeder calves to Wythe County Auction for the sale.

Matt laughed and chucked Dan on the shoulder. “Shoulda shipped a month ago. This program, Dan, I couldn’t do this without you and that man out there on that damn horse.” Matt pointed to Tim who was directing a couple of the younger cowboys from the Katydid.

The love on Matt’s face was something Dan could feel to his bones when he looked at Jason. It was something Dan could understood. He turned to his boss and smiled. “Is it customary to buy an engagement ring for your male fiancé?”

Matt chuckled. “I didn’t even think about it but… wait a minute. Did you and Jason…?”

Dan felt his face heat, but he gave an enthusiastic nod. “I asked him and he said yes. You’re over that bullshit jealousy thing, right? I damn well don’t wanna quit my job, but I can guarantee ya, Jase will win over you, Matthew.”

His boss cuffed him on the shoulder again and smiled. “I was a damn fool, as Timmy reminded me a few times. Sorry about that, Danny. Congratulations. Can I tell Tim?”

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