2. Kipp

Chapter 2

Kipp

Kipp wasn't impressed. Far from it, in fact.

‘What the actual fuck!' Kipp grumbled, woken once more by the damned cockerel who had seemingly made it his responsibility to wake up at the crack of dawn each and every morning and let the whole world know too. ‘I swear if you don't shut up…'

Kipp sat up in his bed and shook his head.

Remarkably, the cockerel did indeed quieten down a couple of moments later. But Kipp knew that it was nothing to do with his request. It had been the same old story for the last few weeks, ever since Kipp had officially taken occupancy of Eagle Ridge Ranch.

Kipp Styles was forty-one years old and had lived a life of travel, danger, and plenty of ups and downs. Having grown up in Eagle Ridge, Kipp was no stranger to country living. But that didn't mean that he was ready to be woken at daybreak by a damned bird every morning either.

As he hauled his six feet and three inch frame out of bed, Kipp took a moment to look around the bedroom. It was sparse, in need of a lick of paint, and probably could do with some new windows too – ones that could keep at least some of the outdoor noises at bay.

The reason that Kipp found himself here at all was down to his old Uncle Joe passing away at the grand old age of a hundred and three. Uncle Joe had lived a long and simple life at his ranch, and was the kind of good man who Kipp had always aspired to be like. However, life had often intervened, and Kipp was living with some regrets that he was finding hard to shake off.

‘God bless you, Uncle Joe,' Kipp said, looking out onto the ranch and seeing once more how much it had fallen into disrepair as Uncle Joe had struggled to accept in his later years that he was no longer up to running a ranch single handedly.

Uncle Joe had left his ranch to Kipp. It was a shock at first, and Kipp briefly thought about selling up and letting someone far more suitable take it on board and restore it to its former glories.

But when he came back to town for his uncle's funeral, Kipp had instinctively known where his destiny lay. It was back on the ranch that he had enjoyed so much as a youngster. Kipp had been away for a long time, but the ranch represented a chance to repent his past mistakes. And Kipp was determined to prove to not only the town, but to himself that he was a better man now.

The reason for Kipp's initial departure from the town many years ago was tragic, and controversial too. A long standing feud with another family had seen Kipp's eldest brother Kaden end up in a savage bar brawl. But despite the brawl going in Kaden's favor, a revenge attack the following week had seen Kaden end up in a coma that he very sadly never emerged from.

When Kaden passed away three weeks after the attack, Kipp had been filled with a potent mixture of grief and rage. Part of Kipp wanted to seek out the attackers and put an end to them himself. But with them already locked up behind bars, all Kipp could do was sink deeper into a pit of sadness.

And six painful months later, Kipp realized that he had to get the hell out of Eagle Ridge for good. But despite leaving town, Kipp had never truly been able to shake off the sense of guilt that he felt for not being by his brother's side on the night of the fateful attack.

But that was then.

Returning to the ranch and taking on Uncle Joe's legacy was a way of making things right. Or at least Kipp hoped it would be.

But as the morning sun crept through the gaps in the drapes, Kipp was presented with an altogether different kind of issue…

‘Not again,' Kipp said, smiling wryly as he looked down past his powerful chest and taught stomach and toward the prominent tent at the front of his grey briefs.

Kipp was as hard as the rocks at the foot of Eagle Falls.

And yet again, it was down to the enigmatic, mysterious young man who had been coming to him in his dreams. The boy was a total figment of Kipp's imagination of course, but there had been something so compelling about him each time he entered his mind as he slept.

‘I seriously need to get laid,' Kipp grumbled, putting his dream boy down to a lack of action in between the sheets.

Kipp might have been taking a leave of absence from women over the past year or so, but that didn't mean he was any less of a natural born Daddy Dom. Kipp's instincts were as strong as ever. In fact, it felt like the longer he was abstinent for, the more he craved a boy to toss over his lap and deliver a good, hard spanking to. And the thought then of lying on top of him and truly showing him what he was capable of was enough to get Kipp's already hard cock even more rigid.

Being a Daddy was as integral to Kipp's personality as any other part of him.

And while he might have been waking up horny as all hell every morning, Kipp was determined that he wouldn't simply get with the nearest boy. Kipp wanted to settle down with someone for the long haul. He was in his forties and felt ready to find his Forever match.

However, in a smalltown like Eagle Ridge, finding the perfect match was easier said than done. Kipp might have been gruff and full of the most potent testosterone, but he was a romantic at heart. He wanted love, and he wanted it to be perfect – or as perfect as it could be in this world.

With the odds of finding his dream boy stacked against him, Kipp had decided to focus his energies on turning Eagle Ridge Ranch into the best ranch it could be. Kipp knew that he would very much be learning on the job. And he figured that there would certainly be plenty of mistakes made along the way.

But more than anything, Kipp was determined to do his Uncle Joe proud.

Eagle Ridge Ranch was Kipp's responsibility now, and like any Daddy worth his salt, Kipp was going to follow through and make sure that he did the best possible job with it.

It was time to take a cold shower and get his ass into town.

There were supplies to be purchased, groceries to be picked up, and plenty of piping hot coffee to be glugged down too…

Kipp parked his maroon colored truck and he and his trusty dog, Brutus, hopped out and onto the neatly maintained sidewalk.

‘Okay, so where first?' Kipp asked, playfully rubbing Brutus's big, furry ears as they stood to attention.

Brutus was a seven year old German Shepherd who had bags of energy, plenty of intelligence, and just a hint of sass to his personality too. The pair of them had been inseparable ever since Kipp rescued Brutus from almost certain death at the dog pound when he was a nothing but a stray, wild scruff of a pup who no one seemed to want.

Kipp loved Brutus dearly, and truly couldn't contemplate life without his most trusted canine companion. But that didn't mean that Kipp would let Brutus get away with anything he wanted either…

‘No, boy!' Kipp said, firing off a warning shot as Brutus tried to jump up and snatch an appetizing looking croissant from the bakery's outdoor display. ‘Every damn time!'

Brutus wagged his tail and almost seemed to be laughing at Kipp, and this made Kipp laugh too. With the sun in the sky and not a cloud to be seen, the morning was simply too wonderful to be feeling anything other than happy to be alive.

While he might have been away from Eagle Ridge for many years, Kipp could feel that the town was in his DNA. There was something magical about the place, at least as far as he was concerned. And what made it even better was just how settled Brutus was there too.

As the pair of them walked down the sidewalk together, Kipp bade good morning to some of the regular faces and even took a moment to help old Mr. Carruthers load up his truck with some firewood.

Kipp felt good. There was no secret to it. This was simply the place where he felt more at home than anywhere else in the whole world. Kipp had travelled extensively and seen things he never imagined he'd put his eyes on. But nothing beat Eagle Ridge.

‘Okay so the plan is to get this shopping done and dusted,' Kipp said, tying Brutus up to a lamppost as he was all set to head into the grocery store. ‘And once that's checked off the list, we'll hit the diner and make things right with some breakfast. Sounds good?'

‘Woof!' Brutus barked in response, patiently sitting.

‘I'll take that as a yes,' Kipp replied. ‘Now you behave. I'll be back before you know it.'

With that, Kipp strode into the grocery store like a man on a mission.

Kipp's stomach was rumbling, and if that wasn't motivation for him to complete the shopping as quickly and efficiently as he could, then nothing would be…

After duly completing the grocery shop in record time, Kipp packed them away in his truck and now found himself outside The Hot Plate.

With its retro stylings and menu packed with protein, carbs, and plenty of coffee options, The Hot Plate was heaven sent. And the fact that it was run by one of Kipp's good friends was an added bonus.

‘Good morning, bro,' Max said as he stepped outside and greeted Kipp with a big bear hug. ‘Damn, you're feeling strong. We need to hit the gym for a session together soon.'

‘Hell yeah we do,' Kipp replied, taking a moment to admire Max's also impressive physique. ‘And I think I might have my work cut out keeping up with you on the bench press if those pecs are anything to go by.'

‘Damn, you know how to hustle a free breakfast!' Max laughed, shaking his head. ‘So… I've got some news. And a proposition for you too.'

‘I'm intrigued,' Kipp said, arching his eyebrow. ‘As long as it doesn't involve mowing your lawn, we should be good. The ranch has got me all mowed-out right now.'

‘I believe that,' Max laughed. ‘No, don't worry. This is way simpler.'

Max went on to explain that he was headed out of town for ten days, maybe two weeks. He had some business that needed handling in person and it was the kind of thing that might just run over time.

‘So I was thinking…' Max said, a hopeful note in his voice.

‘You want me to keep an eye on the diner?' Kipp said. ‘I can do that. But what are we talking about? I ain't great with numbers.'

‘No, that's cool,' Max said, running his hand over his cropped hair. ‘Marshall's great for all that. But he's not so good with heavy lifting. You know, stock delivery and that kind of thing. I figured you could swing by maybe once a day to take care of that. And I'll have a lodger staying for a while in the studio apartment. If you could keep an eye on him too, that would be perfect. You know, just make sure he isn't trashing the place.'

Kipp nodded.

This sounded eminently doable.

But if Max thought he was getting all of this for free, then he'd need to think again…

‘Go on, name your price,' Max chuckled, clearly seeing what was running through Kipp's mind.

‘Free coffee for a month,' Kipp said, his face deadly serious.

‘Deal!' Max replied, way too quickly.

‘Fuck, I should have gone in bigger,' Kipp laughed. ‘I could have been looking at free breakfasts too. Screw it. I'm happy to help you, brother. Anything for a fellow Daddy.'

‘Damn right,' Max replied.

Kipp was truly grateful for Max's friendship. Unlike him, Max hadn't grown up in Eagle Ridge but had arrived in the community a few years ago and immediately set about making a contribution. The Hot Plate prided itself on being the most welcoming place that didn't judge anyone. Each and every patron was treated the same whether they order the extra-large breakfast feast or a simple cup of old school black coffee.

Max had successfully built a business that was a social hub too. There was no drama in The Hot Plate, but there was plenty of friendly faces, good food and drink, and always someone there to talk too.

And Max had a good eye for staff too.

Speaking of which…

‘So, you and Marshall…' Kipp said, a knowing look in his eye. ‘When's that going to happen?'

‘Come on, my man,' Max replied, a hint of redness in his masculine face. ‘You know that can't… we can't… can it?'

‘You tell me,' Kipp laughed. ‘There's obviously some heat between you two. So why not give it a try? I know you don't want to risk your friendship. But sometimes you just have to make that jump.'

‘Look who's talking!' Max fired back. ‘You've been single longer than… well, however long it's been it's been a freakin' while.'

‘That's deflection,' Kipp chuckled. ‘This isn't about me. All I'm saying is… if you like him, then don't let it slip through your grasp. You know? Life can be short. Things can change. If someone means a lot to you, show them.'

Max and Kipp fist-bumped.

They were both Daddies and knew what one another desired more than anything in the world. Kipp could see that Max had a thing for Marshall, but ultimately it was going to come down to the two of them working things out in their own time.

Speaking of Marshall, Kipp looked over Max's shoulder and saw him walking down the sidewalk toward the diner. But he wasn't alone. He was with…

‘Who the hell is that ?' Kipp asked, his body suddenly surging with adrenalin as he saw the most beautiful, cute, sexy young man walking alongside Marshall.

‘That, my friend,' Max replied as he turned around. ‘Looks like my new lodger. I wish you all the luck in the world. He looks cute. But he also looks like trouble too…'

Kipp nodded and quickly averted his eyes as Marshall and the new lodger approached and headed straight inside the diner.

Whoever he was, Kipp immediately knew that he had to have him.

Kipp felt like a wild animal. Every nerve ending in his body was tingling. His senses were on high alert. Kipp hadn't felt like this in a long, long time – and suddenly he was wondering whether the boy from his recent dreams hadn't just manifested himself into the very real setting of Eagle Ridge…