22. Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-two

After an unsuccessful trip to the local farm in Holloway to search for a Christmas tree, Matt suggested they wait until the trip to Richmond to shop for a tree and decorations. Once they all agreed on a game plan, Matt dropped Ryan and Tim at the mall in Richmond to do some Christmas shopping before he drove across town to meet with Jon Wells.

He promised his two loves he'd be back in time to shop for decorations, and then they'd get the tree on the way home. He was thankful he'd kept his promise, though the meeting at Jon's office wasn't going exactly as Matt had hoped.

"Your ex? She's truly a royal pain in the ass… well, her and her mother are neck and neck on that account, and their attorney, Janelle Rowland, is no better. Roberta never signed over her parental rights, and she's coming at you for Ryan and a hell of a lot of child support, Matt. Her mother's footing the bill for this litigation nightmare because she wants a cut of the take, as best I can tell. I really think they want the ranch, Matt." Jon glanced through the contents folder on the table between them.

"Yeah, they're both bitches, but I'm not givin' ‘em my boy. I figure the ranch is worth about two-million-five with everything, including the stock, outbuildings, and the equipment, so if that's the price, I'll go home and start packin' mine and Ryan's things tonight. I can buy another ranch, Jon. I only have one son." Matt was firm in his conviction.

John sighed and held up a hand. "Look, Matt, I think that's a bit—"

Matt pounded his fist on the arm of the chair. "They're not gonna shut me down with their money-grubbin' greed, so let ‘em have it. I have a good life waitin' for me, and those two women ain't gonna get in the way of it."

The handsome attorney chuckled. "You could make things easier for our case by separating yourself from Tim Moran. Just for right now. If they find out about him, they'll have a better leg to stand on against us in court, Matt. This is Virginia, and gay men raising children... It's still a difficult concept for people to accept."

Matt didn't hesitate to respond. "Hell, no. Not gonna happen. I'm not givin' up my son or my man. You gotta find another way, Jon."

Jon lifted his hand to stop Matt. "Based on the discussion we had with the Colonel after Thanksgiving I think…"

Jon outlined a plan to handle the situation, trying to put a quick end to the problem with Matt's ex-wife and her mother: Expose them to the Court as the evil people they tried to hide from the world.

Character assassination had the potential to backfire on their case if Tim and Matt's relationship was used as immorality on their part, but, according to Jon, the two men had many fewer skeletons in their closets than Mona and Bertie.

Their plan had the potential to be successful, but it still had Matt worried. He needed to run it by Tim before he agreed to it, but he wasn't going to say anything until after Christmas. He still needed to get a gift for the sexy man who occupied most of his waking thoughts. The relationship they were building… the family they were making together… was important to Matt so he was going to make certain his guys had a great Christmas.

Later that evening, Matt was under the tree on his belly, trying to secure the large evergreen into the new tree stand. "How's that?" He turned to see Ryan sitting on the floor unwinding strands of lights they'd chosen as Tim plugged them into the socket to test for bad bulbs, neither paying any attention to what Matt was doing at all. They had boxes of novelty lights strewn everywhere in the family room, testing them before they were ready to put them on the tree.

As Matt scanned the sets of lights, he grinned at what they'd chosen. There were strands with horses of different breeds. There were miniature cowboy hats and boots, ropes, and barbed wire circles, along with many strands of multicolored lights. He pulled a bag over to see ornaments of all sorts, including glitter-covered horseshoes.

"I like the way this is goin', guys. Anybody want somethin' to drink?" Matt placed his hand on Tim's knee to help himself up from the floor.

Tim looked up and smiled. "I wouldn't mind a Jack on the rocks." Matt nodded and turned to his son, who was unfurling a plaid tree skirt to look at it.

"This is so cool. It looks like one of Papa Marty's cowboy shirts." The smile on his face had wrapped itself around Matt's heart. He wasn't about to let anyone take the boy away from him, and he wasn't about to hide Tim Moran, either. They were his heart and soul, and last he'd heard, a body couldn't live without either.

"Yep. You want somethin'? That fancy coffee maker does hot chocolate, too."

The old coffee maker Matt had at the ranch died in a quasi-questionable short circuit at Tim's hands, to be replaced by some fancy, single-cup machine Matt had a hard time learning to work. He'd figured it out, but occasionally, he hit the wrong button and ended up with a large cup of watered down coffee, or a small cup of very strong coffee.

"I bought marshmallows at the store." Tim stood with a strand of multicolored lights draped around his neck and twisted gently in one hand.

" Yummm . That sounds good. Dad, can you look in my mouth? Somethin' ain't right." Ryan walked over to Matt with his mouth wide open.

Matt had noticed the boy picking around at his cheeseburger when they stopped at the diner for dinner. He felt Ryan's forehead, not finding a fever, which was a relief.

"Sure, little man. Come ‘ere." He lifted the boy to stand on the arm of the couch and ducked down a little. When Ryan opened his mouth, Matt chuckled to see Ryan working his tongue over a loose, front tooth in the top row.

"Ah, I wondered when this was gonna start. I'm afraid I have some bad news, son. You're about to become toothless. From now on, we gotta chop up your food in a blender. It'll be like when Papa got his new dentures." Matt couldn't help teasing the boy.

Tim walked over and looked into Ryan's mouth, smiling. "Aw, now, it's not so bad. You get money from the tooth fairy."

Matt snapped his fingers, smiling. "Hey, that's right! I forgot all about that business. So, I don't gotta give ya an allowance this week cause you're gonna get money from the tooth fairy when that tooth falls out. Don't swallow it or you don't get nothin'."

Matt watched his son's face scrunch up in disagreement, and he couldn't hold the laugh. Tim joined him because it was too funny not to laugh, but the boy hopped off the couch and stormed into the kitchen.

When they stopped laughing, Tim told him, "We shouldn't have laughed, but he's so damn cute when he gets pissed. He's saving his allowance to buy Christmas gifts for the family, and he wants to get something for Gracie so she doesn't feel bad. She told him she bought him something, and he was counting on his allowance to get her a bracelet of some sort. I have the impression we shouldn't tease him about her. He seems really protective of the little girl."

"What's her last name?" Matt was kicking himself for not paying closer attention when Ryan talked about school, which was something that needed to change.

"Umm, Long, I think."

"Hmm. I wonder if she's related to Ralphie Long?" Matt was once again thinking out loud.

"Who's he?"

Matt donned a nostalgic smile. "Ralphie was a kid I went to high school with way back when. He and I played football together, and he got me through biology."

He hadn't hated high school, and some days, he wished like hell he had a do-over to change a lot of shit that had happened in his life since he'd graduated. Unfortunately, he couldn't change his association with Bertie, or he wouldn't have Ryan. Maybe it's better to leave the past alone?

Matt saw Tim's face screw up a little before he grinned. "Was he a friend like…" He elbowed Matt in the gut. "Or was he a friend…" He pulled Matt's face down to kiss him.

As Tim started to pull away, Matt pulled him closer and swept his tongue over Tim's soft lips. When the younger man opened his mouth to accept Matt's prodding tongue, the two lost themselves in a needy kiss. No answer was needed to the question Matt made certain. There was nobody like Tim Moran.

Matt thought about Jon Wells' words from earlier in the day. " You could make things a lot easier on our case by separating yourself from Tim Moran…"

Matt knew he couldn't do anything of the sort. Tim was too fucking important, and not just to him. He was important to Ryan, and Matt would never do anything to hurt his son. Leaving Tim? It wasn't an option.

When the bull rider pulled back, he smiled at Tim. "I love you, genius. After we get Ryan to bed, we need to have a little talk. I might need your help with somethin'."

Tim nodded as he followed Matt into the kitchen to get drinks for the three of them while they decorated the tree. It was shaping up to be a damn good Christmas.

Matt lifted Ryan up, securing the boy on his shoulders. The gold-robed angel they'd purchased earlier that day held firmly in his little hands. "You got it?"

They'd decorated the tree while listening to Christmas music, and Matt couldn't remember when he'd had a better time.

"Hang onto me." Ryan leaned forward from his father's shoulders, settling the angel on top. Matt glanced up to see it was solid, so he stepped back, saying a little prayer to the heavens for the great life he'd been gifted.

"Hey!" Tim called out to the two of them, catching Matt by surprise. He turned, still holding Ryan on his shoulders as Tim snapped pictures with his phone, grinning happily at the two of them.

Tim looked at Ryan, before he placed his hand on the boy's left shin. "I'll print one off for you to put in your journal for school."

Ryan nodded before Matt placed his son on the floor, turning to look at the Christmas tree. He was pretty sure it wouldn't win any home decorating awards, but it made him happier than he'd been in a long time.

Matt and Bertie had put up a small tree when they were first married, but he'd never felt the joy in his heart when he plugged in the lights as he did that night. It still amazed him how much his life had changed in just a few years.

After drinks and discussions of a visit to Santa, the three of them headed down the hallway to get Ryan ready for bed. After he was tucked in, they read a chapter in their latest mystery book, having a quick discussion about it before they kissed the boy's forehead and left him to sleep.

"I'm gonna build a fire and grab a blanket for us. Will ya meet me on the couch?" Matt pulled Ryan's bedroom door nearly closed.

The boy had a night-light, but Matt remembered being his age and how sometimes, the shadows got the best of him in the dark. He wanted Ryan to know he was safe, just like Marty and Jeri had made sure Matt knew the same when he was a little boy. It was important.

Tim nodded before he hurried down the hallway to the bedroom, which was exactly what Matt hoped would happen. They needed to have a talk about the latest shit hitting the fan, but the two men needed to take advantage of the fact they had some time alone. Matt knew they needed to spend time as a couple, and it wasn't plentiful, so he was going to make sure Tim knew he was special when Matt had the chance.

He went to the kitchen to refill their glasses with two fingers of Jack and three cubes, just as they liked it. He returned to the living room and started a small fire in the fireplace before he turned on some soft music and spread the blanket and pillows on the floor. He slipped down the hall to the bedroom and grabbed a couple of condoms and a bottle of lube to have handy.

He walked into the family room and put the things under the edge of the couch as he heard the bathroom door open. He returned to see Tim in a pair of flannel pajama pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt.

As Tim was trying to slip by him in the hallway, Matt grabbed him to share a kiss. He tasted the minty fresh breath of his lover, and he knew he needed to do a little tune-up of his own before he joined Tim in front of the fire.

"I'll be there in a minute. Maybe poke the fire a little?" Tim nodded and continued down the hallway.

Matt freshened up and went to the bedroom, grabbing a pair of sweatpants because he'd never worn pajama pants in his life. Since he was in high school, he's slept naked, but after he and Bertie married, she didn't like it and he changed his routine, sleeping in shorts so she didn't bitch. Back then, he'd worn a T-shirt to bed, but with the chance to feel Tim's soft skin against his, there was no way he was wearing a shirt. He knew the fire would warm him, along with the welcoming warmth of Tim's gorgeous body.

When he walked into the family room, Matt saw Tim had spread out the blanket and was waiting for him with a tender smile on his handsome face as he sipped his drink. "So, we did a great job on the tree, didn't we?" Tim turned to take in the sight.

Matt sat down on the blanket and lay on his side, plucking his drink from the coffee table as he looked up to gaze into the face of the man he loved. He stared into those hazel-green eyes and exhaled, feeling his cock begin to chub up in definite interest.

Tim wasn't tall compared to Matt, but he had a sexy body and carried himself confidently, which Matt admired. The younger man wasn't bulky, but he had definition. He had an ass Matt was sure was designed by the angels, and the fact it was in the shape of a nice bubble was too enticing for Matt to ignore. It was too fucking hard not to follow the man around with his tongue hanging out, regardless of how fucking humiliating it might be for Matt.

Tim had pale blond hair and Nordic good looks, though Matt didn't know his ethnic history. His shoulders were broad for his slender body, which was hairless except for the trimmed bush around Tim's ample cock. It wasn't unusually long, though it was thick when it was hard, and Matt had learned it warmed when Tim was about to come, along with his sexy balls. Tim had moaned and groaned, enjoying the times Matt went down on him, and he always seemed surprised Matt would do it.

"So, are you going to tell me about your meeting with Jon Wells?" Tim settled next to Matt on the blanket with his head resting on his hand as he stared into Matt's eyes. The bull rider was quiet, but then he took Tim's free hand.

"Well, there are a few things we need to talk about, I expect. Right now, I just wanna sip this whiskey and ask you what you want for Christmas. I know you've shopped for some stuff for Ryan. Maybe tomorrow we can ask Momma to watch him for a few hours so you and me can drive over to Blacksburg Mall. I need to get him some things." Matt finished his drink and placed the glass on the coffee table he'd moved off to the side, so they'd have room to spread out.

Tim's face flushed with the most incredible pink as his eyes cast down toward the floor. "I've got you , Matty. I don't need anything else."

It was seared into Matt's heart that he wasn't giving Tim up for anything, and he wasn't going to tell him what Jon Wells had suggested. He didn't want Tim trying to run away from him for any reason. They'd get through the mess Mona and Bertie were trying to create, together.

After they both finished their drinks, Matt took Tim into his arms and pulled his smaller body atop his long frame. He felt Tim's hard cock against his belly as he gently pulled him down for a kiss, and when their tongues entangled, Matt relaxed for the first time that day.

They kissed, lining up their erections through their night clothes. After a few minutes, Tim pulled away, gasping. "I wanna feel you inside me, Matt. Do you think we can make love here without getting caught?"

Matt glanced at the clock on the cable box and smiled. It was midnight, and Ryan was a sound sleeper. "Yeah, baby, I think we can. I brought another blanket and pillows. We need to get those damn sleeping pads, but I'll tough it out for tonight. Maybe tomorrow you can give me a back rub. You know, ridin' a bull all those years takes its toll on a body." Matt winked.

"Let me make that assessment on my own, cowboy." Tim announced reached under the couch where Matt had hidden the supplies. That night, Tim rode the bull rider, and he stayed on longer than eight seconds. He started fast and rough, but when he was near his climax or he sensed Matt was near his, he slowed down and rode the man like a mechanical bull set on slow speed. Matt was about ready to accuse him of cheating, though he knew it wasn't true.

"Fuck, Timmy, gah ..." Matt couldn't hold the moan as he raised his hips to meet Tim's downward plunge on top of him. His hands were on the smaller man's hips, and as his pubic bone stroked Tim's perineum, Matt's cock stroked his prostate. Matt was enjoying the pressure and the pleasure, and he didn't want it to stop.

"I can't hold back, Matty." Tim gasped as he picked up speed, grinding in circles on the bull rider's hard cock. Matt was meeting him stroke for stroke, and the two of them shot together—Matt into the blasted condom, and Tim on his chest. It had been the most amazing ride of Matt's life.

He pulled Tim down onto his body and held him tight as the two of them caught their breath. Matt listened to hear whether Ryan had been awakened because they might have been a little loud. He didn't hear anything, so he relaxed, happy to feel the weight of his lover on his body. It was a huge comfort.

After the two men cleaned up the family room and Matt closed the doors to the fireplace, they hurried back to the bedroom to climb into the nice, king-sized bed. They cuddled together in all their naked glory with Tim's head on Matt's shoulder, and they both fell asleep.

Matt knew there would be questions the next day because he hadn't really provided any answers regarding El Paso, but as a family, they'd had a wonderful day. He prayed it was one of many.

Shopping for family members was nearly done, and not surprisingly, Matt was the only one who had any shopping left to do because he'd neglected to find anything for his parents, even with Tim's help. Ryan was at the Katydid to work with Ethan Sachs one last time before Josie was moved to the Circle C.

The stalls in Matt's barn were finished, and it was decided Chester would join Josie at the ranch. Tim had suggested adding one more stall ‘just in case,' so Matt had four stalls built out for the horses, totaling eight at the barn, counting the wet stalls for birthing calves if necessary. It was all shaping up nicely. Matt considered moving his office down to the barn from its place in the house, but he decided to put it off until after the first of the year.

Matt was busy testing the automatic watering system he'd installed in the horse stalls, so he didn't hear Danny come into the barn until the man cleared his throat. Matt turned to smile at his ranch foreman who'd been around since he'd bought the farm back in the day. They had a great working relationship, or so Matt believed.

Danny had a daughter, Kayley, who was about four or five, though Matt had no idea how the child came to be Danny's. Matt couldn't remember the ranch foreman ever getting married or even talking about a girlfriend. There had never been any discussion of an ex-wife, either. "Somethin' on your mind, Dan?" The man didn't appear to be too happy.

"You know that I know nothin' ‘bout horses, Matt. I had a pony as a boy, and we used to feed him grain and peaches from the orchard we had where we staked him out. It's a wonder he didn't die, but he lived long enough to be sold. How many horses do I gotta care for?" Danny's voice was gruff.

Danny Johnson was two years behind Matt in high school, but they knew each other pretty well from playing football. Danny was a running back, and Matt was a defensive tackle, but the team was a tight-knit group.

Danny went into the Army after graduation while Matt went to the rodeo. Danny got injured in a training exercise his first year in and was honorably discharged, while Matt continued to take a beating on the circuit.

When he bought the ranch, Matt tracked down Danny because the guy grew up on a cattle farm and knew more about the day-in workings of it than Matt. They'd been working well together for years.

Getting back to his original question, Matt smiled. "Just Chester, the cuttin' horse of Tim's, and Josie, the little Jenny. I only built the extra stalls because Tim said it was a good idea. Don't worry, I'll take care of the horses. You keep up with the cattle. How're they doin'?"

"We only have four who are outta sync with our breeding cycles. One of the younger bulls slipped through a fence hole and into two heifers who weren't ready to breed, along with two older cows. I had Stevie and Carl herd him into a little lot we made with cattle panels. He's an Angus-Brahman mix, and he's pretty damn sleek, so the calves oughta be somethin'. Come take a look at him." Danny walked out to one of the Gators they used on the ranch.

Matt followed behind and jumped in, ready to enjoy the ride. When they pulled up next to the makeshift pen the hands had created in a little clearing near a creek, Matt wondered how he hadn't seen the large animal when he'd been out in the fields checking fences. There was a stock tank full of water inside, and it appeared they'd been leaving hay and grain for the bull. He was a big one, Matt saw, and he had an idea about what to do with him.

"He gentle?"

Danny chuckled. "Nary a bit. We've left him alone down here because he's a mean bastard. I'm shocked he hasn't taken down the panels."

"Good. Keep him down here by himself but move him closer to that tree so you can string up a tire. Make sure he has plenty of feed and water but leave him alone. I want you to be the only one to check on him, Danny. He's gonna be a hell of a buckin' bull." Matt observed the bull's reaction when he tossed a few clumps of dirt at it. The damn bull had a fit, bucking and spinning in the little pen. Matt knew he had a winner.

"You gonna register him for rodeo stock?" Danny tossed a few clumps of dirt at the animal as well, both of them laughing as the bull bucked and spun.

"Yep, I am. Somebody's gonna buy him, I can guaran-damn-tee it. His name is Smokey Joe. I'll have Timmy look up his sire and get it all fixed up. Good job, Danny."

A good start in the direction he wanted to take the ranch. He didn't know too much about anything, but he knew bucking bulls, and he had one on the ranch. It was the beginning of the future at the Circle C.

A few days later, Matt drove up to the barn in the Gator after checking fences and counting calves for the year-end inventory to get his taxes in order. Death and taxes were two things a body could count as perpetual, and Matt wasn't immune to the necessity.

Tim had told him he didn't need to do the physical count because they kept immaculate records. For Matt, it was a habit he couldn't shed.

As he walked through the barn, he saw a trailer from the Katydid out front. Tim was in the hallway with Mickey Warren as they were settling Chester and Josie into stalls. It was the day before Christmas Eve, and all Matt had to do was keep Ryan busy enough to stay away from the barn after he got home from school. Josie was Ryan's big surprise, and Matt wanted it to be exactly that.

"I put the saddle in the other stall to hide it, along with my saddle." Tim appeared to be rather sheepish.

"I built a tack room, babe." Matt wrapped an arm around his man's neck to direct him to the room in the barn with new, pine saddle frames. There were hooks for bridles and wooden arms extended from the walls for saddle pads to hang so they'd dry.

Matt had kept it a secret from Tim, and he hoped it was a good space for storing the tack they'd need at the ranch. Matt had decided to move the office from the house to the barn and put it next to the tack room with more permanent fixtures, just as they had at the Katydid. It would just take some time.

Tim turned to stare at him, the surprise evident before he pulled him down for a kiss. "It's so fantastic, Matthew. Where do you want the hay?"

Matt's gaze shot up. "What hay, baby?"

"The bales for… The bales for Josie and Chester. When it gets too cold, they'll need to be inside at night during harsh weather, so we need horse hay. Uncle Josh gave us a hundred bales. We need to order horse feed from the MFA, but I'll call Dean and talk to him about it."

" Oh! Shit, I didn't think about that. I guess we can put it over in the corner behind the wet stalls, Naw, that's not a good spot because they'd mold over there. Um, let's put it over by the back wall. There's some crap over there, but I'll get it moved and then we can stack the hay there. How much I owe Josh?" Matt held Tim in his arms.

When Tim grinned at him, he was surprised. "It's an early Christmas gift from Uncle Josh. I'll get Mickey to help me stack it. Go back to what you were doing, babe. I'll see ya later." Tim sauntered out of the barn.

Matt sighed as he watched the attractive ass walk away. It was a sight he always enjoyed.

The bull rider turned to the task at hand—the shit against the wall of the barn. "Well, it ain't gonna move itself, dumb ass," he announced to nobody but Chester and Josie. Matt turned on the radio and began going through the junk that had taken up residence in his barn.

Matt laughed to himself as he assessed the viability of all the crap he'd accumulated since he bought the place—broken chain saws that never got fixed but were kept for a rainy day or parts. Matt didn't know how to fix a chain saw.

Old feed and water buckets with broken handles and holes. A roll of barbed wire left in the rain to rust. He shook his head at the stack as he moved it outside to load into one of the trucks to take to the dump.

As he worked, he knew how his dad felt when he'd cleaned out his barn once he retired from the cattle business and turned it over to Matt. The shit one would keep on a what-if whim was a joke. Cleaning up the junk for a better purpose was a great motivator.

Matt had a pickup truck filled in about an hour, acknowledging the spot by the back wall was the perfect place for hay. It was the best way to start the next chapter of their lives together, cleaning out the old to welcome the new. Matt was truly looking forward to the new.