Page 58 of For the Love of the Broken Man

Dan nodded as another ten head of calves were driven up to the scale. He checked the numbers and wrote them down as Matt hurried out of the little trailer where Danny was working.

He watched as Matt flagged Tim over to the fence before the bull rider pulled the blond down and whispered to him. He saw Tim with a mile-wide grin as he pumped his fist in the air, bringing a matching smile to Danny’s face. In that moment, life was very good. Dan took out his cell and sent a text to Jase.

I know you’re busy, but can you come over to the ranch after you’re done? I told Tim and Matt about our engagement. Should I get you a ring, baby?

Danny laughed as he hit the Send icon and went back to work. He really wanted to tell the whole world about the fact he was going to marry Jase, but based on the look on Tim’s face, he wouldn’t have to tell anybody because the man was on the phone spreading the word and planning a party. One thing Dan knew about his other boss… he loved a party.

Danny’s phone buzzed as another ten feeder calves ran up the ramp to the scale. He double counted them to ensure it was the same number so the average would remain the same. Dan recorded the total weight in the book and on the manifest as the cattle were loaded into a large heavy-duty truck pulling a cattle trailer. He picked up the smartphone and hit the message button, seeing it was from Jase.

Ring? I only want one ring from you, Danny, and it’s the permanent one. As soon as Kayley’s done with practice, we’ll be there. Should I bring anything?

Dan laughed because it was typical of the man he loved. Jason fit into the family so well because he was one to want to help… with anything.

Jason had a career Danny couldn’t begin to understand, and the latest blow dealt by the company that had furloughed Jase was terrible, but it wasn’t enough to keep Jase down. Dan knew Jase wouldn’t have a problem finding another job, so he had no worries about money.

Besides, Dan made a good salary that could support the three of them for a while if necessary. Money didn’t matter to him at all because he’d loved the man since Jase was an eighteen-year-old kid who didn’t know his ass from apple butter.

Based on what Dan had witnessed among his friends, the Katydid had brought them together: Matt and Tim, Jon and Mick, and even Jase and him. It was never in the same way, but there was something about the little farm that was almost like magic. Love seemed to grow there, and it made Dan laugh because he wasn’t a sappy asshole, but even he had to admit… the Katydid brought Love and Cowboys together.

Epilogue

Jase was standing by the casket at the Curtis Funeral Home in town, looking around at the crowd. It was surprising, really, because he was an only child, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a family.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his best friend from his teen years, Savannah Stanford and her wife standing next to him. “How are ya, Jase?” Vanna asked.

How was he?

Jase and Danny got married at Katydid Farm in Miss Katie’s backyard. It was a special place to them, and Miss Katie was thrilled to throw them a wedding with Jeri Collins’ help. Of course, Tim and Mickey were involved, along with Kayley, Meggie, and Felipe. Pastor Stu had performed the ceremony, and it was beautiful, as were all the guests who came in support.

Jase was pretty sure there wasn’t another gay wedding in the county that had two flower girls and six groomsmen. Mickey was his best man along with Ethan Sachs and Terry Wells, who’d changed his name when the adoption was granted. Megan had elected to take the Warren name so it was “even,” as she told everyone. Jon and Mick still hadn’t taken the walk, but they were very happy, nonetheless.

Danny had his brother, Zach, as his best man, along with Ryan and Rocky Collins-Moran as his other groomsmen because his dear friend and AA sponsor, Pastor Stuart Manning, was performing the ceremony.

It was cowboy boots, blue jeans, and western shirts, along with hay bales for seating, but it was what Jase and Dan wanted. The flowers were beautiful, and Tim, Katie, and Jeri cooked all the food, which was delicious.

Some of Dan’s friends from his AA group, including his sponsor from Provo Canyon in Utah, Curtis Armstrong, came to celebrate with them, thus a dry reception, but nobody complained. It seemed everyone was excited to celebrate a good start to a wonderful life with the newlyweds.

A month after the ceremony, Jase got a call from General Robert Stanford. It was a surprise, but it was welcome.

“Jason, it’s Rob Stanford. How are you, son? I’m sorry we couldn’t make it to your wedding, but you and Savannah seem to be on the same time clock. I know we missed you at her and Andy’s wedding, but we’ll all plan to get together at Christmas. Vanna told me you got laid off, and it’s perfect timing because I have a friend who’s looking for someone to head up his cyber-surveillance department. He’s a defense contractor and does a lot of work for the Pentagon, but don’t hold that against him. Anyway, he asked me to feel you out to see if you’re interested in interviewing, so maybe give him a call?” the General suggested.

“Sir, I’m so happy to hear that. I’d appreciate it if you’d give me his name and information. I’m having a hard time finding work that doesn’t require me to travel or move. We have an eight-year-old, and we don’t want to take her out of school,” Jase said.

“Oh, I remember Kayley. The guy’s name is Darryl Jeffers, but he goes by DB. He helped Matt and Tim find Ryan when he was…” the man began explaining the connection. After they hung up, Jase called Mr. Jeffers, and they had a two-hour discussion.

At the end of it, Jase had a job offer, which was contingent on his ability to obtain a security clearance and pass a drug test. The drug test was a cinch, but he worried if anything his father had said about him was in a file somewhere that would come back to haunt him. He’d been upfront with Mr. Jeffers that he was married to a man, but the other man didn’t make a fuss about it.

Two weeks later, Jase found himself sitting in a conference room at the Pentagon listening to some very high officials in various branches of the military explain security breaches they’d experienced regarding sensitive data.

Jase assessed the situation, hacked into their mainframe, and showed them where the system was weak and how to fix it. His boss, DB—as Jase was told to call him—gave him a fat bonus for his quick work.

Jase and Danny planned the honeymoon they’d put off after the wedding, using the proceeds from the bonus to take Kayley to Disney World. Meggie had gone a few years before and couldn’t stop talking about it so Kayley just had to have the experience. They had a wonderful time, just the three of them. It was a great way to kick off their new lives together.

“I’m doing okay, Vanna,” he told her, reaching down to touch her growing stomach. They’d asked him to be a sperm donor for them, but he had to decline out of deference to his family. He never wanted Kayley to feel like she was fighting someone for his affection. She was his chosen daughter, plain and simple.

Savannah and Andy had decided to go to a sperm bank and use an anonymous donor because they didn’t want to put anyone else on the spot after Jase explained it, and they were thrilled about the upcoming birth of their new baby. They’d chosen to make the sex a surprise, and Jase was happy for them.

“Your mom was here in town and stayed with you after your father died, right?” Andrea asked. His other best friend had been amazing to him over the years as well. He truly loved them both.

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