Page 34 of For the Love of the Broken Man

Dan opened his eyes, feeling the sting of the tears. Having that fight had been the hardest thing in the world, but when Zach showed up at the house on Saturday morning and the two of them talked it out with Jase’s gentle prodding, Dan thanked his lucky stars. It could have been so much worse, but thankfully it wasn’t.

Jase’s inability to get away from Wonderland to come to Holloway for the birthday party was upsetting, but it was part of his job, as Danny well knew. They both had responsibilities, whether they liked them or not.

Danny hopped up from the bed and did his morning business. He quickly showered and shaved, then he dressed. He went to Kayley’s room to pack her things, including a swimsuit, to take along. She’d be missing camp that day, but it was only half a day before the holiday, so he was sure she wouldn’t miss out on too much.

After he had her things together, Dan went downstairs, started the coffee, and put away the clean dishes he’d washed from dinner the previous night. He hadn’t heard from Jon Wells or his associate, Riley Someone, regarding filing the papers for the adoption, so he made a note to call Jon later and ask about it. He was yet to pay the man anything, and he wondered if that was halting progress. He didn’t have much extra money, but he’d give the man everything he had to make things right for Kayley and him.

Danny poured himself a travel mug of coffee, taking it and Kayley’s little backpack out to the truck. It was set to be a hot day, so when he went back inside, he grabbed himself a clean set of clothes for the cookout that night after the workday was finished.

He went up to Kayley’s room to see her sitting on the side of the bed, trying to open her eyes. “Sweet Pea, don’t wake up too much. You can sleep in the family room at the ranch for a couple hours. I got your stuff together for later,” Dan whispered as he picked her up and carried her downstairs, locking the door with one hand after she draped herself over him before falling back to sleep. Once he had her secured in the booster in the back seat of his farm truck, he climbed in and shoved the key into the ignition.

Dan stared at the little house he’d rented and wondered, again, if it was the best place for them. He’d given serious thought to moving them to Dillwyn to be near Jase, but he didn’t have any job prospects there.

He had a secure, steady job at the Circle C, but was it enough? The fact Jase had been uncomfortable when he worked there had Dan rethinking everything.

Matt had been giving Jase the eye at the funeral home during the wake, and it ruffled Dany’s feathers because he’d watched Jase go out of his way to avoid Tim at all costs. It was time to talk to his boss and figure out his future.

Danny drove the long driveway of the Circle C, but instead of heading down to the barn, he stopped at the house. He gathered Kayley and her little backpack before he went in through the back door. He walked to the family room and put Kayley on the couch with a light throw over her, feeling the cool of the morning in the house.

As he was about to go out the back door, Danny heard a noise in the kitchen so he went inside to find Matt standing in front of their one-cup-at-a-time machine, seeming very impatient. “Hey, boss,” Dan greeted.

Matt glanced over his shoulder with a scowl. “You’re early. You doin’ okay?”

Dan chuckled. “Better’n you. What’s wrong?”

He noticed the bull rider moving a little stiffly, and he could understand where the life Matt had led during his rodeo days could have racked up his body. However, it was usually in the fall with the rain or in the cold of the winter when Matt showed the signs.

“Seems my husband is pissed at me, and I’ve been relegated to sleepin’ on the damn sectional downstairs. He told me not to use one of the spare rooms because he doesn’t want them messed up before the weekend. I have no idea why, but he keeps tellin’ me I gotta change my ways. I ask ya, Dan, how can I change my ways if I don’t even know what sins I’ve committed?” Matt seemed genuinely concerned.

“Tim hint at anything? That jealous streak you got, Matt? That pisses him off. Don’t you trust your own husband?”

Matt sighed heavily. “Look, I don’t expect you to understand this because you’re a single guy, but when a younger, better-lookin’ bull comes into the pasture, the older bull’s gotta protect his territory. That’s all I’m tryin’ to do, okay?”

Danny’s anger flared, and he walked over to his boss, fighting his instincts to bust the man in his mouth. “You talkin’ about Jase? He doesn’t wanna take anything that’s yours, Matthew. You’ve lost your damn mind. That boy’s in love with someone, and it ain’t Tim Moran, I can promise ya that.”

“I’ve told you that at least a dozen times, you damn fool.” Danny turned to see the voice belonged to Tim, and the man didn’t look happy at all.

Matt’s face flushed, either with anger or embarrassment. “Oh, so who the hell is the kid after? I saw him watchin’ you at the funeral home, Timmy. He seemed to want to know where the hell you were the whole evening.”

Tim walked over to the refrigerator and began banging his head against it, which brought a laugh from Danny. “Please, God, remind me why I married this man,” Tim chanted quietly.

Dan cleared his throat. “First, Jase was watching out for Tim because he didn’t want to be anywhere near him for fear of you beatin’ the life outta him, Matt. He’s a big guy, but he’s not as big as you. Second, he’s not a kid, okay? Yes, he’s eighteen, but you’ve heard a lot more from Savannah Stanford about the shit he went through with his daddy than me. Hell, we’re just tryin’ to figure out how to spend some time together, and I’ve even contemplated movin’ to Dillwyn to be closer to him, because I hate bein’ away from him.”

There was a tug on the leg of his jeans, and looking down, Danny saw Kayley with a worried expression on her face. “You woked me. What’s wrong?” He picked her up and placed her on the counter next to him.

“I’m sorry, Sweet Pea. I’m upset with Mr. Matt because he doesn’t like Jase,” Danny explained.

Dan saw the fire in her eyes immediately, and he had to catch her before she jumped off the counter. Danny put her on the floor, and she immediately walked over to Matt Collins, pulling back her little fist and hitting him as high as she could reach, which was right in the junk.

Matt coughed, hard, and Tim doubled over laughing so hard Danny was worried about the man. He didn’t dare laugh because he didn’t want to be fired, and he needed to reprimand his daughter for her behavior, but he was damn proud of her for sticking up for Jase.

“You leave my Jase alone, Mr. Matt. He’s my friend, and he loves me and Uncle Danny. I heard him say so. You tell him you’re sorry if you were mean.” Kayley put her little fists on her hips as she squinted at Matt, and Tim couldn’t take it anymore, falling to his knees in laughter.

Matt sat down on the floor against the cabinets as he stared at little Kayley, who had no problem meeting his glare without hesitation. Her face was cherry red in anger, and when Matt started laughing, it surprised Danny.

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m sorry if I was mean to Jason, and I’ll call him to apologize if you’d like me to,” Matt said.

“He’s comin’ for the party, so you tell him then.” Kayley stormed off to god knew where.

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