Page 8 of For the Love of the Broken Man

“Katie’s a sweetheart. Just relax.” Jase nodded at the assurances and followed Dan inside. A gorgeous kitchen had all the appliances his mother used to pick out in a catalog for when they dreamed of better days.

His mother’s dream was a fantastic kitchen like this one. His dream had never been said out loud, but it didn’t stop him from wanting it—having someone who loved him and accepted him the way he was, not trying to make him into someone else.

The white granite countertops and the center island with the small, vegetable sink was something he knew his mom wanted. Double ovens and a Viking range were other wishes.

Jase saw what appeared to be a double drawer dishwasher, a trash compactor, and a huge, Subzero refrigerator, all of which were also Ginny’s dreams. Jase as certain that somewhere in the kitchen was a hidden freezer.

Dan introduced him. “Miss Katie, this is Jason Langston. He’s gonna be workin’ here part-time and stayin’ with y’all.”

The bright smile and twinkling eyes of Dan Johnson made Jase’s blood race before it started to move down south in a hurry. Dan was fucking hot!

“This is Miss Katie. I reckon Josh’s at the barn, right?” Dan turned toward the woman taking fried chicken out of a large iron skillet.

Miss Katie placed the tongs on the spoon rest and wiped her hands on an apron. “It’s such a pleasure to meet ya, Jason.” She pulled him into her shorter frame and hugged him. It almost felt as good as his mother’s hugs.

Jase gently wrapped his arms around her middle and hugged her in return. “Thank you, ma’am. It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me stay here.”

Dan laughed for a second before he stepped forward to hug the nice lady. “This one,” he tilted his head toward Jase, “caused a stir over at the ranch. Who does he look like?”

The woman took him in, finally settling on Jase’s eyes. When she gasped, he got worried. “Oh, my God. What did Tim say? I’m… This is uncanny.” She smiled at him, and a little giggle slipped out.

“All I’m gonna say is there’s a tornado brewin’ over there, and I heard words bein’ yelled I’m not at liberty to repeat to a lady, Miss Katie. So, what can the kid and I do to help ya get lunch on the table?” Dan laughed again.

Miss Katie eyed the duffel still in his hands. He felt so ill at ease, he was ready to walk back to the bus station. “Danny, show him up to Tim’s old room. Let him unpack his things while you help me set the table.”

With a nod, Dan put his hand on Jase’s shoulder, who got a shiver all the way to his balls. Feeling a man touch him would always set him off, or so he was learning. How to hide it from the nice lady in the kitchen was the great unknown.

Jase had experienced erections when he lived at home, of course, but they were dealt with in the shower after he was old enough to stop having wet dreams. He’d quickly learned to sleep on a towel so his sheets wouldn’t be soiled because he feared his mother washing them and asking what caused the stains.

After Ginny started working at the Post Office, Jase figured out the washing machine and began doing his own laundry, much to his mother’s delighted surprise. He told her he’d learned in home ec, but he’d never taken the class. The lies he told to keep his sexuality undercover were as tall as Jack’s beanstalk.

“This is where Tim used to sleep. Don’t let your imagination get too far ahead of ya at night, kid. You gotta work a day job.” Dan’s joke left Jase confused and embarrassed.

“Okay, first Mr. Collins accuses me of having intentions of breaking up his marriage, which I don’t. Now you’re accusing me of something I have no idea about. Tim Moran is a handsome man, I’ll give you that, but he’s not my type. Hell, you’re more my type than Tim.” Jase placed the duffel on the bed and opened it.

When he didn’t hear anything, he turned to see Dan Johnson had left the room. It wasn’t that much of a surprise another of the cowboys had decided he wasn’t worth getting to know. He vowed to figure out where to go later that night. Surely there was somewhere he could start over…again?

Chapter Five

“How was your day, Uncle Danny?” Kayley asked as he plopped her in the booster in his truck. That was a very good question. His favorite moment was when Matt Collins stomped into the barn after he’d taken Jason out in a Gator to show him around the ranch.

“Well, no need to run a background check.” Matt had made the announcement when he walked into the barn office where Dan and Tim stood, looking out the window.

“The kid don’t wanna stay. We can get him a ticket to wherever he wants to go, Timmy. I’ll call the Colonel and explain this kinda work just ain’t for the boy.”

When the Gator had pulled up outside the barn, Dan and Tim walked to the side door off Charlie’s stall and watched as the two of them drove up to the barn. The boy was crying, and it tugged at his heart. He could easily see Matt Collins was eaten up with jealousy over the younger man, and he knew it was unnecessary.

Dan was about ready to go out and punch his friend in the head for his stupidity because he knew there was no one on the planet who could ever take Tim’s attention away from his husband, even though the kid bore a remarkable resemblance to the Matt Collins from when they played football in high school. He wasn’t as muscular, but Jason looked enough like Matt that Dan was sure Marty Collins would look at Jeri with a cocked eyebrow, or vice versa.

“Matthew Ryan, what did you say to that young man?” Tim had demanded, hands in fists on his hips.

Matt had feigned his best innocent face and actually held up his hands. “Hey, I didn’t say nothin’. He decided this might not be for him.”

Based on Matt’s expression, Dan could see it for the bold-faced lie it was, and when he glanced at Tim, he knew the man saw it as well. When the shouting began, Dan had hurried out of the barn and found the young man shedding tears. It broke his heart, but Danny knew a sure way to fix all ills—take Jase to the Katydid.

When Jase had stated Dan was more his type than Tim, Dan was stunned but aware enough to realize that he needed to get far away from the younger man. He quickly hotfooted it out of that bedroom, holding his breath. He told himself the kid made the statement because he was pissed off, not because he was attracted to Danny.

“It was okay. How was your day, Sweet Pea?” Dan asked as they turned down the street toward the little house Dan rented that he and Kayley called home.

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