9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Bare

Walking around Kingsley’s Foods with Hermie garnered my complete attention. I didn’t usually shop, and I didn’t have a guest when I did. The town was small. Everyone was in everyone else’s business, to be sure. My boy was a newcomer, and his short stint at Miner’s Finer Diner only piqued their interest.

“Good morning, Bare. Who’s your friend?” It was Bernie Kingsley, the great-great-great granddaughter of Emmett Kingsley, the founder of my hometown. Bernie and her cousin , Abigail, lived across the road from the tree lot on Bishop’s Lane.

“Miss Bernie, this is my cousin , Hermie. He’s going to cook for us at the ranch. We’re just doing a quick shop. How’s Miss Abigail?” I winked at her for emphasis.

Miss Bernie giggled. “Good for you, Bare.” She turned to Hermie and smiled. “Nice to meet you. Welcome to Kingsley. My great-great-great grandfather was the founding father of Kingsley.” She went on to explain to Hermie all the details nobody but her remembered. I was busy buying more candy.

Once she went on with her shop, I dumped my bags of sweets into the cart and glanced at Hermie to see an odd look on his face. “What? What’d I miss?”

“You told her I’m your cousin. You probably don’t want to be seen with me. Next time, I’ll get one of the hands to take me to town to shop. That’s a lot of candy.”

“I’ve got a massive sweet tooth, so this will have to do until I can get to you.” His cheeks heated, coloring them a bright red.

“As far as me saying you’re my cousin, it was an inside joke. She lives with her partner and tells everyone that they’re cousins. Of course, we all know there’s more to it, but it’s truly her business, just like our relationship is nobody’s business. I’m not embarrassed to be seen with you, Baby boy. You want me to shout out to everyone that we’re in the beginning of a relationship?”

Hermie got closer, touching his slender finger to my lips. “No, I don’t need you to shout it out. I was confused about why you’d say we’re cousins. I thought you didn’t want anyone to know.”

“On the contrary. I was joking with Miss Bernie. Now, what else?”

I’d have to remember that Hermie was a little more fragile than I was used to. The ranch hands were more hardened than my boy, and I needed to nurture him and make him feel wanted, that was easy to see. I didn’t think he’d been treated well during his life, and it was now my job to make him feel like he was the king of my world because he was becoming such with every moment we spent together.

Once we paid for the groceries and put them in the truck, I drove us down to the farm supply store. “Are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet since meeting Miss Bernie.”

Hermie sighed. “I just worry that having me around will harm your reputation.”

That was too damn funny not to laugh. “Are you kidding? My reputation has been through the ringer more than a dozen times. You, Baby boy, will be a huge uptick to my reputation once folks get to know you. Now, put all that behind you and come inside. I wanna introduce you to Tommy Song, the guy who owns the store. That way, if I ask you to come pick something up, you’ll know who to ask. Tommy’s a great guy.”

We got out of the truck and went inside. I saw Darcy Song, Tommy’s mom, was behind the register, so I took Hermie’s hand and led him to the front of the store. The tall Irish woman gave me a stern look, per usual.

“Decker Barrett. What’s wrong today?”

I chuckled. “Mrs. Song, there’s nothing wrong today. I just wanted to pick up some barbed wire and put in an order for range cubes to be delivered to the ranch. I’d like to introduce you to Hermie Grassley. Hermie, this is Tommy’s mother and part-time boss.” She smiled for an instant and nodded her head.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Hermie tried to pull his hand from my grip, but we weren’t going down that road again. We were in this together.

“Is Tommy around?”

“Outside with the chickens.” She gestured toward the outside where they kept large items and plants, so I took Hermie through the store and out where Tommy was unloading a large dog crate filled with small chickens. There was a new coop built on the side with a fence around it. It looked cute.

“What’s all this?” I asked as Hermie and I made our way over to where Tommy was pulling little chickens out with gloved hands.

“Mom’s idea. ‘Let’s sell chickens. Everyone likes fresh eggs.’ That woman needs a goddamn hobby.” Tommy’s voice was high pitched like his mother’s, even imitating her Irish brogue, which was comical.

I laughed while Hermie chuckled next to me. “You don’t like chickens?”

Tommy glanced at him and grinned. “I like to eat them, but these are too small for that. I’m Tommy Song, recent chicken rancher, and not in the good Nevada way.”

I laughed, but Hermie appeared confused. “There are brothels in Nevada that they used to call chicken ranches. Sex work is legal in some parts of the state.”

“I love chickens. One of the restaurants where I worked was on a gentleman’s farm, and the owner had chickens. I loved feeding them. It was my job to collect the eggs in the morning for service that day.” There was no stutter in his voice at all.

Did it mean he was comfortable with me and talking about something like chickens? If so, that confirmed something for me. If he was discussing a subject not directly associated with his personal life, his anxiety didn’t flare. I was thrilled to see it, plus, we’d gone to bed early, and he got a good night’s sleep... right next to me.

“Well, I hope more people in Kingsley feel that way because if the fowl don’t sell, I’m stuck with them. Taking care of them isn’t my idea of fun. Whatcha up to, Bare?”

“I brought Hermie to meet you. He’s working at the ranch, and I thought if I happened to ask him to stop by and pick up something, it would be better if he knew who to speak with. I know your mom’s not here every day. How’s your dad?”

“Getting worse. We’ve been tossing around the idea of finding an assisted living facility for the two of them to live together. That way, Mom would have some help if something happened to him that was too much for her to handle alone. I live so damn far out it would take me half an hour to get to them if they needed me. We have a home health aide who comes over to their house three days a week to give Mom a chance to get away, but that can’t go on forever.” Tommy’s face was glum, and I couldn’t blame him.

Sam Song, Tommy’s father, was where Tommy got his Korean heritage, though Tommy also resembled his mother with his light eyes and height. Sam had been diagnosed with dementia a few years earlier, and it had been downhill for the family ever since.

“Sorry to hear that, Tommy. I just wanted to get some barbed wire for today, and I’d like to have range cubes delivered next week.” Tommy nodded and took out a pad from his pocket, writing down my order.

“So, Hermie, are you new in town? I think you were helping at Miner’s after Luther had to go to the hospital. I stopped in that morning after the ambulance left.” Tommy was staring at my guy a little more than I would have liked, but I wasn’t a jealous guy by nature. Of course, Hermie could change that aspect of my personality.

“Yes, I was there. I, uh... Sh-Shirley made other a-a—” I could see he was getting upset, so I put my hand on his shoulder to offer comfort.

“Jane wants to buy the diner from Shirley and Luther, but they’ve been reluctant to sell. That might change now, but yes, Hermie jumped in to help without knowing anyone. I’m lucky enough to have him cooking at the ranch.” Hermie turned to me, a million-dollar smile on that beautiful face.

“I swear, Bare. You are the luckiest SOB I’ve ever met. Let me have one of the guys to get the wire. Where’s your truck?”

“I’ll move it around.” I led Hermie with me outside to the truck, opening his door before hopping in myself.

“He’s nice. Is he a Daddy?”

I smirked. “No, he’s not, but you might see him at the club when you feel like letting me take you. I’d rather let him tell his story, if you don’t mind.”

Hermie nodded as I backed the truck up to the loading dock where one of Tommy’s employees was standing with a large hand cart with four rolls of barbed wire wrapped in plastic.

Before I got out to help the guy, I turned to Hermie. “Do you think you’d like to go to the club next Friday night? There will be a birthday party for Gracie since her birthday’s Christmas Day and Connie didn’t want her to be lost in the holiday rush. Do you want to talk to Gracie about the club so you know what to expect?”

“I don’t want to give away the surprise. M-Maybe I’ll j-just observe.” His thumb headed to his mouth, so I reached out to stop him. I’d noticed he’d been chewing his thumbnail lately. It seemed to be a nervous tell. I hated that my line of questioning put him on edge.

“It’s not a surprise. We have a party once a month to celebrate birthdays, and Gracie is our only December birthday, but Connie wants to make it extra special. She’ll be twenty-one, and their lives are about to change. Gracie’s moving in with him after her birthday. It’s an agreement she has with her mom.” I left out all the names I wanted to call Jane. She was Gracie’s mother, after all.

An idea popped into my head. “Why don’t I call Connie and invite him and Gracie out to the ranch one afternoon? He and I can go horseback riding, and you and Gracie can visit. Would you like that?”

Hermie’s face lit up. “Please?”

“Anything you want, Baby boy.” I hopped out, helped the guy load the wire, and handed him a tip. I had a new mission, and it was to get Hermie comfortable enough to enjoy the Daddy-boy lifestyle with me. A lot of that would depend on getting him to meet people in the lifestyle to see we’re not so different.

Saturday afternoon after Hermie had taken a tour of the tree lot, I took him back to the house to take a nap. It had been a busy day, and I wanted to evaluate whether more rest could help him be more in control of his emotions. I hoped so, and if it worked, I’d make sure there was time in his schedule for at least thirty minutes of relaxing every day.

I’d put Hermie in my room, where I hoped he’d stay instead of the downstairs bedroom, and I went to the office. I’d made him lie down with me, and he dozed immediately. I was happy to watch him sleep for a few minutes before getting up so I could get my cock under control.

The mail was on the desk, so I went through it, tossing away the crap. Once I had it all sorted, I picked up my cell to call Connie. It rang twice. “Hey, Decker.”

“Connie, how are you?”

I’d met Conrad Howard at a party after a Rigger’s home game a year before I tore my ACL and my parents were killed. Connie was the president of a small investment firm in Houston, and as we talked at the party, we found we had a lot in common.

We’d discussed diversifying my current investments with his firm, and when we officially met to go over the opportunities he had in mind for my portfolio, I noticed he wore a silver cuff with the words “Daddy has my heart.”

“You have kids? My mother keeps harping on me to get married and start a family. I’m just not ready.”

Connie laughed. “Not that kind of Daddy. I forgot to take it off. It was a gift from my last girl, who’s gone off to college, now. She and I parted on very good terms, but I miss the lifestyle.”

“I’ve been to a couple of BDSM clubs during the offseason. I’d love to find one closer to home where I could figure out how to find a boy.”

Connie grinned. “I’ve got just the place. It’s called Whip Smart, and it invites all kinds of kinks. I think you’ll find what you’re looking for there.” Whip Smart was where I met Grant.

We became fast friends after that, and Connie met Gracie at Miner’s when he came out to the ranch for a visit. He’d since sold his investment firm, keeping me and a few special clients for himself and moved to a small horse farm in Abilene. He bought my dad’s old stallion, Shadow, from me.

“I’m good, Decker. What’s new in Kingsley?” At the club, I was known by my given name. It helped me keep the two separate parts of my life in their own lane. Gracie called me Bare around town, but when I saw her and Connie at the club, she called me Decker.

“I found a boy... Well, I hope I have. I was wondering if you and your girl would like to come out before the party next Friday. Hermie’s his name, and he worked with Gracie at the diner for a few days before your mother-in-law began her coup.”

Connie chuckled at my choice of words. “She’s not my mother-in-law yet, but yes, Gracie told me about Jane’s behavior of late. Is it true she came to Bare Ranch to apologize to Hermie? I’d have paid to see that.”

“She did, but then she blew my cover by pissing off Chuck about the Christmas trees I promised her if she apologized. She really was rude to him, not that I expected her to act any other way.”

“Oh, she’s been dealing Gracie fits at the diner. You know I‘d rather not have Gracie work there because I want her to concentrate on her studies, but Jane said if she quits before the holidays, she doesn’t want to see Gracie for Christmas. That shit is wrong on so many levels.” I could tell by the tone of Connie’s voice he was upset about it.

“I get it. You don’t want to get between them, but you don’t want Gracie to be manipulated by guilt. I wish you luck with that. So, do you have time to come out? I know you’re used to riding Shadow, but I’ve got a new gelding you might like.” I bought Soldier from a friend of Tommy Song’s. He was a Tennessee Walking horse and quite a smooth ride. It was a shame they’d castrated him. He’d have made a hell of a stud horse.

“Sounds good. Your boy ride horses? I bought Gracie a mare from a horse trainer here in Abilene. I’m giving it to her for her birthday.”

I had no idea if Hermie had ever ridden a horse. I knew he wasn’t afraid of them because he’d gone down to the barn to put water and cokes in the fridge after we went grocery shopping, and when I went to look for him, he was petting Bunny who had her head slung over her stall door. I hadn’t thought to ask him if he wanted to ride, but I’d rectify that when I had a chance.

That could be something the two of us did in the evenings. Of course, my first choice would be to have him in my bed, but we’d have to get out sometime.

“That’s a great gift. Check with her about her schedule and get back to me. I don’t want Gracie to have trouble with Jane, but I think she’d be perfect for Hermie to talk to about the lifestyle, if you’d consent.” There were protocols for things of the sort, and of course, I’d never ask Gracie to do something Connie wasn’t supportive of. He was her Daddy, and his approval was important to Gracie.

I hoped one day that my approval meant the same to Hermie.