Page 10 of Stirring Up Trouble
Watching the two of them made me long for things I couldn’t have. They reminded me of a life I wanted. A life where I had a someone of my own to take care of.
Before all this shit went down, I’d been hopeful I’d find a woman who accepted me as her Daddy for a long-term romantic dynamic. The search hadn’t been great, then my stepfather’s shitstorm began, and I gave up entirely.
The reminder of it all made my chest ache. I wanted to rub at the spot to ease the discomfort, though it might have looked strange had I done so.
Pulling myself back to the moment, I turned to face the other man at the table. Time instantly shifted. The planets tilted in opposite directions. And then, my entire body detonated.
This man…shit.He was fascinating.
Short brown wavy hair sat atop his head. The shape of his face was masculine, yet it held a softness to it as well that tempted me in ways I hadn’t felt for years. Rosy lips, a delicate nose, and piercing gray eyes contrasting against pale skin rounded out the look.
I didn’t even make it to the rest of him. There was so much to take in up top, I found myself unable to move on.
It was only when the others started shouted that I realized something was wrong. He’d gone still, almost as if he’d seen aghost or was spooked by my arrival. While I wasn’t a big man, I could be intimidating to people.
At least, I hoped it was the reason for his pause. The only other thing I could think of would be my race. Some people couldn’t stand to see a Black man owning the things I did. I’d faced my fair share of racism, especially when we went far from home. It was yet another reason getting the ranch back in order had been a huge undertaking.
My stepfather had been a middle-aged white man full of privilege and a belief he was invincible. Fixing his mistakes while also battling systems meant to keep me from succeeding was a bitch to navigate.
Part of me believed the bastard married my mama just to tear apart what the Anders family had built. I could even remember them arguing one time about him wanting to change the name. My mother had told him no because it was our legacy. Even after she died, he tried to put the papers through but couldn’t since I was the rightful owner.
Thank fuck for my mama thinking ahead.
The shocked man beside me cleared his throat, which seemed to be enough to get us both unstuck. “I’m Robin.”
Nodding, I replied, “Blaze. Though you probably just heard that part.”
Robin smiled and nodded. “I did. Thank you for letting us stay with you while we’re here.”
“He’s right. I should have said that before too.” Bobby Allen’s voice cut into the conversation.
I wanted to yell at him to be quiet. How could he not see that there was something more going on here? That Robin and I needed a moment to process everything before trying to act like civilized people?
His frozen state still bothered me too. I wanted to believe he was shy like Elton, yet I didn’t get that vibe from him. The look on his face was more panic than judgement.
“Y’all better dig in before it gets cold,” Ms. Connie called from the other side of the table.
Leslie snorted. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”
With that bit of humor, the spell from before drifted away. The room filled with the sounds of silverware scraping across plates as we all went about devouring the feast Connie made us.
Now, I won’t say she ever slacked in the kitchen. It wasn’t her way. But something about this meal had me ready to get up and dance. The greens were perfectly seasoned, and the cornbread soaked up every bit of the juices from the gravy she’d poured over the chicken.
I damn near licked the plate at the end. Sure would have too had we not been entertaining guests.
“That was delicious. Thank you, Ms. Connie,” Robin said as soon as he was done. “You definitely give Harlan a run for his money.”
“Harlan?” I heard the rumble in my voice at the mention of the name.
Who was this to him? And how could I get rid of him?
I didn’t want Robin to be fascinated with anyone else. Deep down, I knew I was being a bit of a caveman about all of this. I would have to evaluate it all later when my head was clear.
At the moment, there were more pressing issues. Like whoTHE FUCKwas Harlan?
Bobby Allen chuckled at my question. “It’s always a trip to find out people don’t know who he is. I’ll have to tell him as much when we get back home. The man’s ego has only grown with his notoriety from our market days.”
My face must have shown my confusion because Elton, who had remained quiet the entire meal, spoke up. “Harlan is the cook for the Coleman Ranch.”
