AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, ma’am,” I assured her. “We’re equal partners in every way. He’s with us, then he’s part of us.”
“Is that right?” she asked, her skepticism obvious. “Y’all gonna give him part o’ this place then, are ya?”
Damon looked to me and I could only stare back for a moment. She waited, silently glaring at us until I answered. “Well, ma’am, we will, in time. Damon and I have been together a while now, and we’ve shared our finances to get this place. Joel knows he’s a part of it, but maybe not a co-owner as of yet. I think, and I’m sure,” I said, staring at Damon for help, which he didn’t give, continuing, “Damon, here feels the same, that we should wait at least some time to take that kind of step. If it works out, which we absolutely want, and feel it will, then we’d take that step, of course.”
Whatever mishmash of words I said must have worked. “Well, until then, I’m keeping my eyes on y’all, but he seems to love ya.” She glanced down after taking off her cowboy hat and then looked up and pled to us with her beautiful eyes filling with tears. “He’s a good boy. The best kid I ever coulda had. He’s had it rough, but he’s a fighter. Don’t break his heart. If y’all do, you’ll likely break him with it.” Her hat was placed back on her head and the tears dried instantly as her eyes narrowed and she looked from one to the other of us. “If you do that, I’ll kill ya dead and throw pieces o’ ya to the hogs. I know where there’s a lot o’ ‘em, and you’ll be pig shit by the next mornin’.”
After she left us with our jaws hanging, Damon whispered, “What is with that family and throwing people to pigs?”
“Thanks for the help, dick.”
“I’m gay for a reason,” he confessed, his face as pale as a ghost. “I’m scared of women. It’s my one flaw.”
“Yeah,” I drawled sarcastically. “Just that one.”
Joel came to the porch after his mother drove off with his head hanging, and it was almost funny, because Millie was behind him, and even her head hung. After asking if he could speak and we said he could, he whispered, “Sorry, y’all.”
“For what?”
He looked up to me, but his eyes cut to the driveway. “My mama. She’s a firecracker, sure, but she means well and all.”
“Joel,” Damon said with bravado, like he’d spoken seven words to the woman instead of six, took him into his arms and assured him, “We can handle your mom. She does mean well.”
“Damon, here almost shit his pants just talking to her, but he is right, we’re fine with anyone that loves you enough to threaten death for hurting you.”
“Hogs?” he asked as he blushed crimson.
“Hogs,” Damon affirmed, shivering.
We were eating lunch out on the porch that Monday when we heard Eli’s bike coming up the road. Joel and Damon had just gotten back from their place, tending the cattle and horses. Noah’s cheeks were red from the ride and Eli looked as though he’d regressed fifteen years in age.
I met them at the end of the porch, shaking their hands in turn. “You look like you had a great time.”
“We did,” Eli told me. “I missed riding a bike. Much different than horses! I almost said whoa and tried to pull the handlebars back twice instead of braking.”
I was laughing, but Noah assured me that he wasn’t kidding. “I’m getting my own damn bike for next time, but it was a fun time. Thanks, you all, for taking care of things.”
Joel bounced over, happily able to speak freely again. “Ever’thin’s good at yer place. Y’all got a ton o’ milk from Henrietta in the fridge, and the new calves are just fine an’ dandy.”
“Thanks, Joel, Damon, Burke,” Noah said, making Joel glow. “You all done good jobs, I’m sure. It put my mind at ease to know you were handlin’ things.”
“Anytime,” Damon said. “I love getting on a big ranch.”
“That ain’t big, son,” Noah scolded. “Bigger than yours is gonna be,” he teased, laughing.
“Noah, don’t do that! He’ll be trucking in cattle and llamas and camels and whatever else he can get on here,” I pled while Noah laughed harder.
“Ostriches,” Damon said. “An emu or two. Hey, that rhymes,” he said, laughing.
“I really don’t like you sometimes.”
I got a kiss before Damon pled, “Don’tcha love me a little?”
“Get out of here. Go show Noah the first of what I’m sure will be many animals here.”
“Oh! You haven’t seen the horses!”
I walked off with Eli while Noah was being shown our horses and asked Eli to be truthful. “Don’t blow smoke at me. How are you?”
