Page 30 of More Than Anything

“Rodney and Belinda?” Danette smiled. “Nicest people you’d ever want to meet. Really sweet. You should go meet them, talk to them. Maybe they can get Lydia to calm down.”

“Fat chance of that,” Avery said with a deep sigh. “I think she’s permanently cranked up and nothing’s gonna help that.”

“Yeah, but what’ve you got to lose?” Danette pointed out. “Just your sanity if they can’t get her to come around.”

“Good point.” Avery thought for a few seconds. Maybe that would be worth the time and trouble to look into.

“Yeah, maybe you should try it. Rodney works for GoheenEquipment down the far side of town. Not hard to spot. Nice guy, not as tall as you?he’s where Lydia gets being so little?and a headful of snow-white hair.” Danette straightened and swung her legs off the far side of the bed. “I guess I’d better be going. And it’s about time for you to feed the cattle, huh?” she asked.

“Yeah.” He looked at the clock and realized he was usually done by that time. “Guess I’d better get on it.” He stood and walked around the bed, reaching for Danette’s hands and helping her stand. “This was nice, Danette.”

“Yeah,” she said and stood on her tiptoes to drop a little kiss on his cheek. “Best sex I never had!” she added with a laugh.

“Yup! Me too! Come on, I’ll walk you out.” They made their way down the stairs, Danette in the lead, and she waved to the guys as they passed through the living room, then wandered out the front door and down the steps.

They were halfway to the car when they heard the door open behind them and a voice called out, “Danette?”

Turning, they watched as Greg walked toward them, purpose in his steps. “Yeah, Greg?”

He stood momentarily, uncertainty on his face, and then said, “Can I speak with you alone for just a second?”

“Uh, sure, I guess,” she said, turning to Avery with a shrug.

“I’ll just go wait for you at the car,” Avery told her and stepped away, but when he got to the car, he turned and rested his ass against the door, watching the two of them talking, their heads close together. He saw Danette nodding, then heard her give a nervous little laugh. Greg was smiling and, as they parted, he gave Danette a little wave and she turned, wearing a smile of her own as she made her way back to Avery. When she reached him, Avery grinned. “What was that about?”

Danette’s cheeks were pink and she smiled so hard that her eyes squeezed shut. “I just got asked out on a date!”

“No shit?” Avery exclaimed, and he watched her smile grow even wider as she nodded at him. “That’s awesome! See? I told you! Now, you go to the mall over in Texarkana and get yourself a makeover, buy a new dress and some new shoes, maybe some fancy jewelry. Get your hair done. Let that boy know you’re worth a little bit of effort, okay?”

Danette looked up into Avery’s eyes and gave him a soft smile. “Thank you. Thanks for making me understand that I’m worth more than a passing fuck.”

He gave her a little mock salute. “Just doin’ my duty, ma’am. You’re worth nothing more than a fuck if you let everyone know that’s all you’re worth. But you’re worth so much more, Danette. So much more.”

On her tiptoes again, she gave him a tiny little kiss on the lips. “I was telling the truth. You’re a great man, AveryHolcomb. A great man. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Sure. Please. Let me know how it goes. When are you going?”

“Tomorrow night. He wanted to go tonight, but a lady doesn’t accept a date and go on it the same day, you know,” she said as she slipped into the driver’s seat.

“See there? You’re learning already! Bye, Danette!” he called to her as he backed away from the car, and she waved at him through the window and pulled out of the parking area in front of the house.

Avery stood there for a few seconds and wondered at himself. He’d turned down a sure piece of ass in favor of building up a woman’s self-esteem. What the hell? Was he sick or something? But he knew the truth. He wasn’t just building up Danette’s self-esteem?he was building up his own. He’d let his life circumstances fuel his self-destruction over the last few years, and it was time to rebuild his life.

Looking around, he realized he was doing a pretty damn good job of it too. He had a home, a truck, a couple of livestock trailers, and almost seventy head of cattle. He wasn’t just Avery, the son and brother who’d been pushed aside, the husband who’d been left behind and cuckolded, the roommate who was impossible to get along with, and the jackass who fucked any woman in his path and didn’t give a shit about her.

He was an honest, dependable, responsible member of society, a property owner and a neighbor. He’d come there to be a farmer, but he was something completely different.

He was a rancher. Instead of just him, he was responsible for all those cattle. They might’ve been beef cattle who’d eventually be eaten, but they were living, breathing, sentient beings, and he was responsible for their care. The sensation of a rough tongue broke into his thinking, and he dropped to a squat and scratched Skipper behind the ears. The beautiful dog licked his face and Avery laughed. Yeah, and he was Skipper’s master too. There was someone besides him depending on him, and without him, they’d perish and die. It wasn’t a lot different from having a family.

“You know what? You’re my family,” Avery told Skipper, and the dog bounced up and down and licked his face again. “Come on, son. Let’s go in and see how the guys are doing!” he said, laughing as he stood. Skipper bounded along behind him, then ran ahead and waited by the door until Avery opened it.

Busy as he was, he hadn’t paid a lot of attention to the kitchen, but when he stepped through the door, he took a good look and realized all the cabinets were in. “I hadn’t noticed, but this is looking nice!” he crowed to Mike.

“Yeah, it is. You chose the right ones for this house. It’s going to make the place look great,” Mike told him, standing back and surveying their work. “I just got a call. The countertop’s in and they’ll deliver it tomorrow. We can put it in and then all that’s left is the plumbing and some trim work. Everything else is done.” He reached over and flipped a switch, and the new lighting snapped on. “And this looks really good.”

“Wow!” Avery looked around at their work. “You guys have done a good job.”

“Thanks! Hey, Rob, Joey, come out here and help me get this flooring in. We can have that done in a couple of hours if we really knuckle down,” Mike told the two guys. “Byron, grab that shop vac and get all this crap up off the floors. Greg,” he said, and the younger man’s head snapped up, “take that pile of scrap there and throw it in the dumpster out back.”

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