4. Kipp

Chapter 4

Kipp

As Kipp stood in the stockroom and listened to Max go over the various routines and requirements that he would need to supervise in his absence, Kipp was finding it almost impossible to keep his mind on the job.

All Kipp could think about was Dale.

Max could have been explaining how the diner stockroom was a secret portal to another dimension and it wouldn't have registered with Kipp even in the slightest.

As far as Kipp was concerned, the only thoughts in his head revolved around the incredibly pretty young man he'd just met. Sure, Marshall was cute too – but Kipp knew that he only had eyes for Dale.

There was something about the glint in his eyes and the hint of mischief in his smile that sent Kipp into the best kind of tailspin. Dale seemed shy but sassy – the perfect combination as far as Kipp was concerned. And his body was to die for too. Kipp had tried to keep his eyes from devouring Dale's svelte but curvy body too obviously, but whether he had succeeded was another question. Right now, all Kipp could do was try to picture what he might look like minus his t-shirt and jeans…

‘Bro, are you listening?' Max asked, bringing his stock-taking monologue to an abrupt conclusion.

‘Yeah, yeah, of course,' Kipp replied, doing his best to sound convincing but evidently not fooling Max even in the slightest.

‘Right, sure you were,' Max said, shaking his head. ‘Let me guess… my new lodger caught your eye something crazy?'

‘Is it that obvious?' Kipp asked, struggling to suppress a laugh.

‘Yup,' Max replied. ‘But I don't blame you. He was smoking hot. Damn, him and Marshall together is quite the thought…'

‘Hey, keep Dale out of your filthy imagination,' Kipp said, half-joking but half-serious too. ‘I think Marshall is more than enough for you.'

The two Daddies laughed, and Max continued with his overview. Kipp listened as attentively as he could but the truth was that Dale was still running rampant through his head. It was like he had an aura to him. Kipp had seen plenty of cute young guys over the years – and he had experienced them on closer terms too. But Kipp had never had this feeling. Something about Dale was burying itself deep inside Kipp and bringing forth an extra level of Daddy Dom.

I need to control myself.

He's young. He's new in town.

I need to see what he's all about first…

Kipp nodded once more as Max took him through the expected delivery schedule and decided that while his feelings for Dale were undeniable, he needed to make sure they were based in something real. Lusting after a super-cute young man was one thing, but if he didn't have the substance too then it was a non-starter.

The whole point of making a new life for himself back in Eagle Ridge was to become a better man. Kipp wouldn't be partaking in any one night stands or brief flings. He didn't judge those who did, but he knew that he wanted far more.

If, and it was a big if, him and Dale hit it off, then Kipp was determined to do things right. It was all very well him planning to restore his uncle's ranch to its former glory, but if he didn't also reflect that in his own behavior then it would count very little.

And Kipp kept this thought in his mind as he said farewell to Max and made his way back to his truck. With Brutus walking attentively by his side, Kipp felt a spring in his step…

‘Yup, I can't deny it,' Kipp laughed, looking down at Brutus as he stared back up at him. ‘That damn boy. He's something alright.'

Brutus wagged his tail as if he was showing his approval and the two of them continued on toward the truck. It was time to head on home and get down to some heavy duty clearing at the ranch.

Kipp knew that before he could make any real progress on building the ranch back up, he would need to do an almost complete overhaul of what was already there. From collapsing outbuildings to storage boxes full of old junk, there was a lot of heavy lifting to do.

But Kipp knew that the work had to be done.

And Kipp Styles was never shy of putting his body to work and getting things done.

‘Come on, it's time to get our asses in gear,' Kipp said as he climbed into the driver's seat and Brutus scrambled up into the passenger seat next to him.

However just as Kipp was about to turn the engine on, he saw his phone flash up with a message from his friend and fellow Daddy, Axel…

AXEL: Hey man, we need to talk. I'd usually say we'd do it over a few beers at The Tap House but this is something I think we need to talk about sooner rather than later. I'm working on a tree felling over on Columbus Avenue. I'll be there all day but come over as soon as you can. Okay, peace out brother. See you soon.

Kipp arched his eyebrow and took a moment to think. Axel was clearly rattled about something – and he was far from the kind of man who let little things bother him. Axel had handled many tricky situations in his life and always come out on top. The fact that he worked as a tree surgeon now might have given people the wrong idea about him. When it came to handling business, no matter how serious, Axel was never one to back down or take a backward step. Something was quite clearly up. Kipp and Axel were close and if there was something amiss, then Kipp wanted to help out quickly as he could.

KIPP: You got it. I'm heading over now. Don't worry, whatever's up, we'll resolve it.

With that, Kipp fired the truck's engine up, put it into gear, and made a beeline toward Columbus Avenue. It was time to step up for his friend. But what Kipp didn't realize was that it was him who might have the problem as opposed to Axel…

Columbus Avenue was one of the smartest roads in Eagle Ridge. Large, detached houses lined the perfectly maintained streets and most of the houses had pools out back, summer houses at the bottom of the gardens, and plenty of mature gardens too.

And this was where Axel came in…

‘See, he's a grand old tree,' Axel said, finishing off the harnessing on the old oak tree. ‘But sadly he's going to need to come down now. With the split down one side of the trunk and storm season round the corner, we're looking at a potential death trap.'

‘It's a shame, but what has to be done just has to be done, right?' Kipp replied, taking in the oak's once strong trunk.

‘But we need to talk about something even more pressing,' Axel said, a serious tone to his voice. ‘I wasn't exaggerating when I messaged.'

Kipp, Axel, and Brutus then walked over toward Axel's workstation. Brutus got down onto his belly and then rolled around on the perfectly mowed grass while Axel opened his thermos flask and poured himself and Kipp a coffee.

Axel was as strong as an ox, and even Kipp found himself admiring Axel's perfectly sculpted shoulders and bulging arms. Working with heavy duty chainsaws all day was clearly good for getting those boulder-shaped biceps, that much was obvious.

‘So, what can I do for you?' Kipp asked, sipping on the coffee. ‘You name it, I've got your back.'

Kipp paused and could see that Axel was surprised.

‘No, this isn't about me,' Axel replied. ‘This is about you, my friend. Now don't go losing your shit, but I've got something to say that you might not like too much. But I just have to tell you.'

‘Go ahead,' Kipp said, his heart skipping a beat as he realized that Axel wasn't fooling around. ‘Suddenly I wish this was whisky rather than coffee.'

‘I was at The Tap House last night,' Axel began, his voice controlled but with a hint of apprehension to it. ‘Nothing crazy, just sinking a couple of beers and having a game of pool with Trey. In walks Leigh Crenshaw…'

‘Fuck. What did he want?' Kipp asked, the mere mention of his cousin's name bringing his mood down a notch or three.

‘He's drunk. Starts ranting. Telling anyone who'll listen that Eagle Ridge Ranch is rightfully his,' Axel said, an almost apologetic tone in his voice. ‘He carries on like this for a while. Then he sees me and shouts across the bar. He tells me to pass a message on to you.'

‘Damn it,' Kipp growled. ‘The coward should speak to me directly if he wants to cause a problem.'

‘Well, don't shoot the messenger but Leigh tells me to tell you that he'll be taking the ranch from you,' Axel said, shaking his head in disgust. ‘Says he'll do whatever it takes.'

Kipp could feel a surge of anger bubbling up inside him.

Leigh Crenshaw might have been Kipp's cousin, but that was about as far as it went between them. Leigh was always in trouble of some kind or another. Kipp had been involved in trouble himself in the past, but Leigh was different. Leigh was a sneak and a liar. He had also attempted to swindle Uncle Joe out of a hundred thousand dollars a couple of years before his death.

Even the memory of Leigh's unforgivable behavior was enough to get Kipp ready to crack some heads.

Keep it cool.

Leigh is a scumbag. But I already knew that.

The second I get mad is the moment I give him the upper hand…

‘Thank you, Axel,' Kipp said, his breathing now a little more settled as he focused his mind. ‘I need to know about things like this. The ranch is mine. It's what Uncle Joe wanted. But if someone's trying to figure a way of taking it from me, it's best I know about it.'

‘Honestly, I felt like whooping his ass right there and then,' Axel said. ‘But I held my tongue. The last thing I wanted to do was make things even more of a charged situation. We don't need another feud in Eagle Ridge.'

‘Agreed,' Kipp replied. ‘You did the right thing, buddy. Damn. Why does life have to be so complex?'

‘ Pffft , it doesn't!' Axel laughed, wryly. ‘As long as I'm working on a tree or with some heavy duty machinery, I'm all good. But that reminds me, I need to go and pick up Spartacus from the vet. He's been having some physio on his rear legs. And boy that shaggy monster won't be happy if I'm late picking him up!'

‘Hell no,' Kipp replied. ‘I don't think Brutus has forgiven me for arriving home late last week either.'

Brutus looked toward Kipp and wagged his tail.

Kipp and Axel were two single Daddies with the perfect canine companions. But with Leigh Crenshaw rearing his ugly head on the scene, Kipp suspected that he might have to get ready for an altogether different kind of dog fight pretty soon.

Eagle Ridge Ranch meant the world to Kipp.

And as much as Leigh Crenshaw might think it was rightfully his, Kipp wasn't about to give it up. Not for Leigh. And not for anyone .

As Kipp and Brutus drove home to the ranch, Kipp decided to put Leigh out of his mind. After all, Kipp knew that Uncle Joe had left him the ranch and from a legal perspective that was the end of the matter.

Not only that, but Leigh Crenshaw was a bully and a thug. Kipp had seen off his kind many times over the years, and doing the same to Leigh would be a walk in the park.

Instead, Kipp found his imagination filled with thoughts of Dale…

‘He's trouble, boy,' Kipp chuckled, leaning across and ruffling Brutus's ears. ‘But I think he might be worth it…'

As Kipp turned into the long driveway that led toward the ranch, he began to imagine what it might be like to be Dale's Daddy. It was a crazy thing to do – especially given that he didn't even know for sure that he was a Little. But Kipp's Daddy senses were rarely wrong. Every little thing about Dale screamed Little.

And more than that, Kipp had seen just how he reacted to him. He was in awe, a little scared, and definitely excited. That kind of response meant that he knew he was a Daddy, Kipp was sure of it.

Kipp smiled as the truck crunched its way down the gravelly path that led to the main ranch house. The bumps and vibrations underneath him only served to make his cock harder and harder as he thought of all the things he could do with Dale's slender, supple body.

Kipp might have been done with one night stands and meaningless hookups, but that didn't mean that his sexual appetite was any lesser. Kipp knew that if Dale was willing to submit himself to him, he would go to town on Dale in a way that the boy would never, ever forget.

With the prospect of seeing Dale quite a lot over the next couple of weeks, Kipp even wondered whether he might be required to show him his firm side too. The very thought of tossing Dale over his lap and pulling down his briefs for a good, swift spanking was enough to make Kipp want to wank his cock right there and then as he drove.

He's in my head already.

Dale Hansen…ready or not…

I'm coming for you .