20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Tim rolled over to see the bed was empty, though it wasn't really a surprise. The weather had turned colder, so he knew Matt would want to check in with Danny regarding the herd. He heard the trucks out in the fields unloading the feed and round bales to feed the livestock located in the various pastures. Tim hopped up from the bed and gingerly walked to the bathroom, feeling a little tender down there .

The previous night, their lovemaking had been more than unbelievable… tender, slow, exciting, climactic … everything Tim loved about those times when he and Matt were alone in their own, beautiful bubble of love.

Things had been perfect up until he told Matthew about the surprising windfall he'd been given over the weekend. Since they hadn't really discussed it, Tim had no idea how the bull rider took the news, but he'd resolved to give it all away if it would cause problems in his relationship. In Matt and Ryan, Tim had everything he needed, and he didn't need money he'd never counted on receiving in the first place.

He took a quick shower and after he was dressed, he went to Ryan's room to wake him up for school. Once he was sure the boy was indeed awake, he told him, "I'll get breakfast, and then we'll go to the bus stop." The little cowboy groggily nodded as he began removing his pajamas.

Tim walked onto the deck behind the house to see the flatbeds returning from the pastures. He was pretty sure he'd lost Matt to the activities at the ranch, so he went inside to finish making Ryan's breakfast and packing his lunch box. Tim hoped he would have time to talk to his lover at lunch because it was going to be a huge distraction until they had some sort of agreement regarding the unexpected windfall.

He prepared a quick breakfast sandwich for the boy before picking up the mug of cocoa made in the new Keurig machine he'd purchased over the weekend, having dumped the old coffee maker he'd hated. He'd tell Matt a white lie about it shorting out or something, but getting rid of it was the right thing to do because it would likely cause a house fire someday.

Slow footsteps on the stairs caught Tim‘s attention and he turned in time to see Ryan trudging toward the kitchen with his backpack dragging behind him, still appearing to be half-asleep.

He felt bad for the boy. "I'll give you a ride to the bus stop this morning because it's so cold outside, and I don't want you to get sick." Ryan nodded as he ate his breakfast and sipped his cocoa, slowly waking.

"Crap." Ryan was staring at the clock on the microwave. It was nearly time for the bus.

"Come on, Buddy. If you miss it, I'll take you to school." Tim wasn't exactly unhappy to have a little extra time with Ryan if the opportunity presented itself.

They hurried out to the new truck Matt had insisted Tim drive instead of the old rust bucket that had been Uncle Josh's. "I want you safe when you're driving around, sweetheart. You and Ryan are the most important people in my world. I'll always worry about you when you're not with me, but now I'll worry a little less." Tim's heart was touched, and knowing they hadn't discussed the inheritance yet, Tim decided not to argue.

Tim and Ryan made it to the bottom of the drive just as the bus was stopping at the Morrow house. Ryan kissed Tim on the cheek and hopped out in time to flag down the bus at the end of the driveway.

Tim sat in the truck to watch the boy wave to him as he reached the top of the steps before the doors closed. As the bus moved up the hill on its way to school, Tim shut his eyes and made a Christmas wish of his own… Please don't let anything happen to tear us apart.

After Ryan was safely on his way to school, Tim shifted the F-150 into reverse, turned around at the end of the drive, and directed the vehicle toward the barn. He stopped, however, to take a deep breath deciding he wasn't ready to face Matt and have the necessary discussions, considering the current bullshit circling their collective drain.

Thankfully, he had to meet Farris March, the designer Ronni Turnberry had suggested to do his aunt's kitchen, so he had a solid excuse to leave the Circle C without it looking like he was dodging Matt.

After he appraised the improvements she made at the Katydid, he'd decide if she was suited to do work at the Circle C. The house desperately needed updating and decorating. He retrieved his phone to send Matt a text as the truck idled at the end of the driveway.

I forgot I have an appointment at the farm. I got Ryan on the bus. I'll be back by lunch… I hope. Love u.

Tim made a detour down the drive toward the Katydid, hoping Aunt Katie wouldn't pitch too much of a fit when his plans interfered with her day. He parked next to the barn and strolled inside, seeing Hank busy cleaning stalls.

"You need help?" Tim was eager for any sense of normalcy in the wake of all the changes in his life of late.

The foreman laughed. "Grab a shovel. The boys are out on the pasture feedin' hay. Josh and Katie are up at the house waitin' on some woman who called to tell ‘em she's plannin' to redo their kitchen, but I suspect you know somethin' ‘bout that, millionaire-y ," Hank teased.

Tim looked down at the floor, feeling embarrassed because word at the farm had spread faster than he thought. "I guess Josh told you?"

Hank laughed a little before he walked over to Tim and pulled him into a hug. "Kiddo, you deserve the best. After all the shit you've been through in your young life, none of us would ever say ya didn't deserve anything comin' from that horrible family. We all still love ya. Get a damn shovel and help me out. We're cleanin' out all the sawdust and layin' straw to help keep it warm down here for the horses." Hank's no-nonsense attitude brought a smile to Tim's face because it didn't seem to matter to the man. Hank was truly a role model at the farm.

Mickey Warren walked into the barn with a new mare Uncle Josh had bought. She was pregnant when she'd been purchased, so taking in her large belly led Tim to believe it was time for her to give birth.

"Well, well, look who's finally come around for a visit. You here to observe, or work, or shoot the shit?" Mickey always had a lighthearted attitude that Tim appreciated.

He laughed at Mickey's comment. "I'm here to clean some shit. Is she ready to deliver?"

Mickey led the mare to the birthing stall and released the lead from her halter. "She gives every indication she might be ready, but we didn't really get to watch her through the pregnancy, so I'm just guessin'. It's gonna be cold, ya know, so I brought her in just to be safe. Any objections?"

Tim shook his head, happy the man in front of him was of the same mind as the rest of the people who worked at the Katydid. They all had the animals' best interests at heart.

"Okay, then, I'll get the water while you get the hay. Go up to the house and get us a coupla blankets so we can watch her without freezin' our asses off. Better send a text to your boyfriend that you won't be home unless you're gonna abandon your post," Mickey challenged with a fucking-dare-you grin on his face.

Tim was a little offended by Mickey's comment, so he didn't hesitate to answer. "I'm not going to abandon the post, but I'm going to tell Uncle Josh to come down to check on her. He knows more about these horses than the two of us put together, no offense." Tim headed toward the house.

Mickey Warren was really a great guy, but at times, it seemed that he wanted to challenge Tim's judgment about the well-being of the animals at the Katydid. Tim was sure the cowboy was probably savvier than him regarding the welfare of the horses, but Tim wasn't entirely stupid when it came to livestock.

He'd learned a few things over the years, and one of them was Uncle Josh needed to be present when a mare was foaling because he owned all of them. Mickey Warren needed to learn the lesson, too.

Tim ran up to the house, hurrying inside without taking off his boots. Aunt Katie gave him a withering look meant to turn him to salt, but as Uncle Josh walked into the kitchen, Tim said what he came to say. "That new mare, Maisy. She looks ready to foal. Mickey brought her into the barn, and I think you should come check on her." As Tim finished his report, the front bell rang.

"For heaven's sake," Aunt Katie complained as she flipped Johnnycakes on the griddle.

"I'll get it." Tim hurried toward the front door to see a beautiful brunette with a large bag in her arms.

"Farris?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "I'm so happy to get the chance—"

Tim cut her off. "Yeah, about that. My Aunt Katie's likely to be a handful, but I'm paying for this so listen to her, but check with me before any permanent decisions are made. She'll probably pick a Kenmore range when a Viking might be preferred."

It wasn't that Tim thought there was anything wrong with a Kenmore. His own mother had always wanted a Viking, and since he couldn't give it to her, he'd give it to Aunt Katie—that was if the stubborn woman would let him.

Farris nodded at him, offering a nervous smile. Tim felt better about the undertaking, so the two of them proceeded into the kitchen to confront the she-beast… Kathleen Simmons. When he pushed open the door separating the kitchen from the dining room, Aunt Katie bristled.

"Nope. You're not going to complain about this, Aunt Katie. I love you so much, and you are going to let me do this for you. Uncle Josh is innocent in this one, so if you want to blame someone and be upset, it should be me, okay? This is Farris March. Farris, this is my Aunt Katie, and she's going to be a pistol, but I want a spectacular kitchen in here, and another one outside. If she gives you trouble, just remind her I'm paying you by the hour." Tim pulled the beautiful woman into the room behind him, hauling her books up to the counter.

Farris swallowed before she smiled, so he took her reaction to mean she'd encountered difficult people in her line of work on more than one occasion. He left them to their plans, hoping his aunt would come around.

Tim was certain his uncle had explained the situation to Farris when she'd called to set up the appointment, so Tim kept his fingers crossed that everything would be okay.

The goal was to give Aunt Katie the dream kitchen she'd always wanted but fought against because she refused to justify the expense in her own mind. Those days were over. Tim had it to give, and he was determined to do it.

In his mind, Katie and Josh deserved so much more than a new kitchen for the love and support they'd given him over the years. But—that new kitchen was a damn fine place to start.

Early the next morning, Maisy gave birth to a little filly that Uncle Josh named Daisy. "Not too original," Tim replied sarcastically. It was three in the morning, and he was tired, cold, and cranky.

"She's got a white patch over her eye, so it seems fittin'," Josh said as the three men left the barn and went up to the house to sleep. Tim sent Matt a text telling him Maisy had a filly before he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Of course, he missed his bull rider, but Tim was too damn exhausted to do anything about it. Instead, he sunk into the couch in the living room with a blanket and slept like the dead.

Later that morning, Tim was in the barn with Hank as the foreman trimmed up Josie's mane and tail. "You sure this is the best mount for Ryan? I'd say Chief would be better if he wasn't a stallion, but there's gotta be somethin' better than a damn donkey." Tim chuckled at Hank's complaining nature. The man hated donkeys.

In this instance, Tim agreed, but it was Matt's decision regarding what mount would be the best for his son. "What did Ethan think about her?" Tim held the halter of the jenny, not that she was moving an inch. She'd been through the drill before, and she was very well trained.

Hank exhaled loudly as he trimmed a path behind her ears for the headstall. "He said he wished she was a little bigger so he could ride her because she's a gem. I just can't warm up to the damn things." Hank turned off the clippers and stepped back to observe his work.

"Well, you're not gonna ride her, right?" Tim tied the jenny to a ring outside her stall before he grabbed a broom, shoving it down the hallway to clean up the hair, loose hay, and sawdust.

The roar of a large truck rolling up outside the barn caught their attention. Tim turned to see Matt walk into the barn alley in all his cowboy glory. Ryan wasn't with him, so Tim was a little concerned.

"Hey." Tim glanced at Hank, seeing the man chuckling as he continued to clean up Josie's tail, pretending to ignore the two of them.

"I picked up Ryan's saddle and stuff this mornin'. You didn't have to—why didn't you come home after you finished up with the mare?"

Matt took Tim's hand to lead him to the back door of the F-250. He opened it to reveal a small, leather saddle with matching bridle, breast collar, and a blue and green saddle pad with Ryan's initials hand tooled on a piece of matching leather on the side.

It was beautiful, and Tim knew he'd never be able to pick out anything as great for Matt to use with the horse Tim had bought for him. He wanted to do that beautiful beast justice, so it weighed heavy on his mind.

He wanted Matt to have a grand saddle when he rode in the pastures at the ranch. Maybe he could get Aunt Katie to go with him? She had impeccable taste when it came to things of that sort.

"This looks great, Matty. We can hide it in the tack room until Christmas," Tim offered, seeing the deep furrow of Matthew's brow.

The man didn't waste time responding. "That's fine, but why didn't you come home this mornin'?" Matt gave him a harsh look as they carried it all to the tack room where Tim hurriedly made room for the gifts. Above all else, he was determined for Ryan to have a great Christmas, just as much as he wanted Matt to have one. It was easier to please the boy than it was to please the man.

"Matt, honey, I was simply too tired to drive to your place last night, so I slept here on the couch. There's a woman at the house annoying Aunt Katie right now because I bought them a new kitchen for Christmas, and Farris came today to try to set a schedule for the remodel. I'm sure she'll come stomping out of the house any minute now because Aunt Katie pissed her off, so if you want to go back to the ranch to discuss why you went to El Paso , I'm fine with leaving." Tim gave the man a stern look of his own.

Matt froze for a moment before he turned and grinned. "Well, I guess it's time to finally hash it all out. I'll meet ya at home, Timmy." The bull rider left the barn and climbed into the large truck to leave.

Tim walked up to the back porch of the house, listening to the two women in the kitchen. When he didn't hear any yelling, he walked down to the F-150 and hopped in. He took the road to the ranch and when he pulled up next to the F-250, he hoped the two of them wouldn't be pissed at each other at the end of the conversation.

Ninety minutes later, Tim continued to listen intently as Matt explained the total clusterfuck he'd been keeping to himself. He couldn't believe the shit Mona and Bertie were trying to pull.

Matt explained why he went to El Paso, and he told Tim everything about meeting the family and how surprised he was by the Colonel, Savannah, and her girlfriend.

He mentioned how kind they'd been to him, and how much he'd misjudged Colonel Stanford, based on what Bertie had told him. Tim was glad to hear Matt was learning how to reserve judgment. People surprised you at every turn, so it was best to go into things with an open mind.

The couple was sitting at the kitchen table in Matt's house. Tim had so many things he wanted to say about the situation, but one thing came to mind immediately. He had it in his power to make something great happen, so it wasn't a hard decision. "Okay, it seems the best idea is to just give them the money, so they go away."

When Matt squirmed in his chair, Tim knew he had to put the man's mind at ease. "It's okay, Matty. We have a lot more money they don't know about. Just get… I'll get Ronni to find us a good lawyer if you don't trust Jonathon Wells to handle something like this. We can beat them, I swear." Tim prayed to heaven he was right.

Matt smiled. "I appreciate how much you love us, Timmy, but I gotta do some things for myself. All I need from you is to be by my side, supportin' me in my decisions. We'll get through this, okay, but we ain't gonna pay ‘em off. They'll only come back for more." Matt's tone was reassuring, and his decision was made. Tim respected him, so he didn't offer any more suggestions or arguments. The less he said, the less chance he had of pissing off Matt.