18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Matt stood under the spray of the shower that was adjacent to the basement guest room of the Colonel's home. Well, Rob's home, as he'd been asked to address the man.

The events from the night before were replaying through Matt's head, and he was having a hard time reconciling the prick he'd heard about from his ex-wife and her mother with the man he'd met and enjoyed getting to know. Even the short visit they'd had at the rodeo in El Paso hadn't done the Colonel justice.

Matt was angry with himself for believing the bullshit Bertie and Mona had told him about Rob Stanford. He learned none of it was true, and he was bothered by how harshly he'd judged the man, especially when he considered their conversation as they'd had dinner at the steak house.

"When I met Mona, she was a great girl. We went out when I was off duty, and we had a good time. I was due to transfer from Fort Carson in Colorado where I met her, and suddenly, I found out she was pregnant, or so I was told. Turned out, Bertie was the longest pregnancy in history. Mona carried that girl for thirteen months." DeAnne laughed over the top of her wine glass as Matt considered another thing Bertie had in common with her mother.

The group was dining at a steak place named Bogart's, and when Rob told DeAnne he was taking them out for dinner, she'd squealed before she ran upstairs to change. Matt had looked at his clothes, glancing up when Rob chuckled. "It's not that fancy, son."

Matt swallowed a gulp of his Shiner Bock, meeting the man's eyes. "So, um, the fact Bertie pretty much did the same thing to me—"

"Doesn't surprise me in the least. Those two… I can't begin to understand ‘em. I tried to be a good influence on my daughter, but during Desert Storm, I was deployed, and that's when Mona sorta went off her rocker and really started drinking. She hid it from me, but long story short, when I got home, she demanded a divorce.

"I gave it to her without an argument. She moved to Virginia with Roberta because she was following a man, I believe. By then, neither of them wanted anything to do with me except for my money, so I paid my share. Tell me what they're tryin' to do to you."

Matt finished his beer just as their steaks arrived. Rob had ordered a bottle of wine with dinner, and the three ate as Matt explained his situation, including his lover, Tim, and his concern regarding the women trying to blackmail him for money in exchange for custody of his son.

At the end of the night, Rob asked Matt to allow him to think things through overnight, and Matt agreed they could talk in the morning. The Stanfords insisted he stay at their home in the guestroom, and since he hadn't booked a hotel and was a little too intoxicated to drive, he'd agreed.

His cell ringing on the bathroom vanity drew him from his thoughts, so he turned off the water and grabbed it, seeing it was a call from his man… Timothy H. Moran.

"Baby," he answered, hearing a giggle from the other end of the line. It was Ryan's voice for sure. "Hey, little man," Matt greeted as he cradled the phone between his shoulder and his ear, trying to dry off to get dressed. He heard movement upstairs, and he didn't want to be a bad guest, but he'd missed his son and his man, so he needed to speak with them.

"Hi, Daddy. We went shoppin' yesterday, and I got new clothes. Timmy said my stuff is gettin' too small ‘cause I'm growin' like a weed. I got new jeans, underwear, socks…" The boy continued enumerating the purchases, which worried Matt because he hadn't thought to leave any money for Tim.

He needed to talk to his partner about the fact he'd done all of the work to automate the processes at the ranch and Matt hadn't offered him a penny. That needed to be rectified as soon as Matt returned home.

"Ryan. Ryan. Listen son, I'm glad you're growin', but I need to talk to Timmy. How much did all this business cost?"

The boy giggled, bringing a quick grin to Matt's face. "I don't know, Daddy. Tim wrote a check for it. Anyway, we got stuff to do today. Here's Timmy. When you comin' home? We don't like ya gone," Ryan said. Matt seconded the sentiment.

Jon Wells was going to meet with Colonel Stanford and Matt at the home on base that afternoon. Jon mentioned he had friends in El Paso he'd like to visit, so he'd taken an earlier flight than Matt's on Friday. They were set to fly back to Richmond together on Sunday morning.

"Tomorrow. I'll be home tomorrow sometime. Take care of Tim for me, little man. Love ya."

After some fumbling, Tim's happy voice came on the line. It made Matt's heart pound faster and his dick begin to grow. "Matty? How's it goin'?"

It hadn't been lost on Matt that he hadn't Tim why he was going to El Paso, but his partner was kind enough to give him time before he demanded an explanation regarding Matt's sudden departure. The trip was one Matt knew would cause the younger man to worry, and he didn't want it to be something hanging over their heads to dampen the enthusiasm building for the upcoming holidays. Once he had more information, Matt would be able to ease Tim's concerns.

"Baby, I know this isn't an easy situation, but I swear to ya when I get home, you and me are gonna have a talk about everything. You didn't have to buy Ryan's clothes, sweetheart. I shoulda left ya money but I didn't think about it. I'll give ya cash tomorrow, and we need to talk about the work you've done at the Circle C. I need to pay ya for it." Matt hoped Tim could hear how much he appreciated everything he'd done.

Tim giggled, which Matt didn't get to hear often enough, but when he did it set his heart racing. "We definitely need to talk when you get home, cowboy. Now, Ryan and I need to go. We've got places to be. I love you, Matty." Tim's voice was soft and warm, which was what Matt needed to hear.

"I love you, too, babe. See ya tomorrow. I'll text ya when the plane gets in." Matt grinned as he ended the call.

Tim's truck was likely on its last leg, so he sent a text to Danny about getting a new farm truck. Danny had a cousin who owned the local Ford dealership in Richmond, so Matt explained what he wanted and asked Dan to get somebody to drive it to the airport the next day so he could drive it home. It would be Tim's truck because Matt intended to have the man living at the ranch as soon as they could get a handle on the things with Mona and Bertie.

He quickly dressed in jeans and a yellow button-down shirt, slipping on his Tony Lama dress boots before he made his way upstairs to see a lot of young people in the dining room eating a buffet breakfast.

When Matt walked in, Savannah stood and smiled at him. "Can I get ya coffee, Mr. Collins? We're gonna be outta here in a minute. We're doin' a community service project this afternoon, and Momma volunteered to feed us all." Savannah gestured to all the young people sitting at the dining room table.

A young kid with a Mohawk hopped up and cleared his spot, motioning for Matt to take a seat. "Thank ya. Coffee would be great, but I can get it myself."

A hand landed on Matt's shoulder, and he turned to see a tall boy with dark hair staring at him. "You used to ride bulls, right? I saw ya at the Coliseum when I was a kid. You won second, right?"

A cup of coffee was placed in front of him on one side with a plate of food appearing from the other. He looked up to see Andy, Savannah's girlfriend, with a friendly smile. "We take care of our own, Mr. Collins." She then winked before she walked away.

The boy next to him passed down butter, salt, and pepper as all talking ceased at the table. Matt glanced up to see at least ten teenagers staring at him, waiting for an answer. He took a sip of coffee and swallowed. "Uh, yeah. It seems like a long time ago as I sit here, but I used to ride buckin' bulls. I did okay, but it's awful hard on the body. Now, I own a cattle ranch in southern Virginia. I've sold a few bulls to rodeo stock companies." He wasn't sure what the teens were looking for from him.

A tiny girl with a short haircut and a piercing in her nose stood and smiled. "Do you find discrimination to be a problem when you're selling those bulls to…"

Another girl pulled her to sit back down. "Excuse Candace. I stopped her before she got off on a tirade about gay rights, which would turn into animal rights, then civil rights. We don't have all day, love." The taller girl grabbed both of their plates and left the dining room.

Matt was relieved. He didn't want to explain to a bunch of wide-eyed optimists who seemed to have found acceptance in El Paso that the rest of the world wasn't as accepting as the community they seemed to have formed at Fort Bliss. His customers didn't know his orientation because he didn't think it was their business. He hadn't started flying a rainbow flag at the end of the driveway, but he didn't fly an American one either. He wasn't about to hide his family, which included Tim, from anyone. He just needed things with Bertie settled.

DeAnne Stanford walked into the dining room in jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair was swept up in a ponytail, and as Matt took her in, he decided she could have passed for one of the kids. He noticed a little tattoo on her long, sleek neck. It was a grouping of three stars, one was large, and two were smaller. He wondered what they meant, but he wasn't about to ask.

"Kids, we need to get over to the field if we're gonna finish before we help set up chairs for the awards' ceremony this afternoon. Bring your dishes into the kitchen ‘cause the Colonel doesn't like to have to clear the table." DeAnne giggled.

Matt started to get up and grab his plate when he heard a hearty laugh. "Sit down and eat, Matt. She likes to play me as the big, bad wolf, but my bark is worse than my bite. I'm ready for round two." Rob stood and filled a plate from the buffet.

The two men sat together and ate as they watched the teens clear the table before they all left behind DeAnne. Matt got up to refill his coffee, bringing the pot to the table from the hot plate to refill Rob's cup. "Where're they off to?"

"Care packages for our boys overseas. DeAnne's the head of the local Military Family Association here at Bliss. Those kids who were here are a mix of Army brats and locals, volunteering to do it this month. They've been going all around El Paso collecting supplies, and I'm damn proud of every one of ‘em. Savannah is the type of girl who picks up strays as she stumbles through life, and they all find their way to our house at one point or another.

"Regardless of their views on our occupation of overseas theaters, those kids don't hold the soldiers responsible. Oh, they corner me and voice their oppositions as often as possible, but that's a good thing. They're forming their own opinions on the state of our country, and if we don't question our leaders and elected officials, then we're not taking advantage of our rights as set forth by the Constitution.

"Anyway, I'm glad they're gone cause they're a noisy bunch. Do you mind helping with dishes? It's my turn to give back."

The two finished their coffee and headed to the disaster zone in the kitchen. Matt wished to hell he'd known the man when he was married to his daughter. Well, that wasn't right because nothing could have talked him out of his desire to divorce Bertie. He prayed Ryan had the opportunity to meet Rob. He knew his son would love his grandfather.