Mossy Glenn Ranch 3 -Saddles and Memories (17 page)

Andy canted his head, hope lighting his eyes. “You think that can be done?”

Salt nodded. “I don’t see why not. Ty’s safety and happiness should be the priorities, and I’d think having that checked into, especially in light of him running away—if that’s what he’s done—would be necessary. Cops might even turn the information over to whatever child welfare agency there is.”

Andy scrubbed his hands over his face. “Okay. Okay, yeah.” He reached for Salt. “Man, I don’t want to leave you but—”

“Go on, take care of your business and your family. I’ll still be here when you come back.” Salt ached for Andy already, but the man had to get this whole situation with Ty and Brandt under control. Salt held Andy’s chin so he could take a gentle kiss, then he stepped back. “I’ll help you get your stuff ready.”

“Stay here if you want. I paid for the weekend.”

Salt waved off the offer. “Maybe they’ll give you a refund if you tell them it’s a family emergency, explain about Ty. I don’t want to stay here without you.”

“Not even until morning, so you can sleep a while?” Andy asked as he began getting dressed.

“Nah,” Salt murmured, watching the way all those sexy muscles moved. “Sleep better in my own bed if I’m not gonna be sleeping with you.”

“Be careful driving home.” Andy buttoned and zipped his jeans. He looked at Salt. “I don’t want a deer trying to wreck your truck.”

Salt had to laugh at that. “Yeah, me neither. Last time that happened the airbag went off and knocked the bejeezus out of me. It sucked.”

“Tends to be worse than the wreck sometimes.” Andy stopped in the middle of buttoning his shirt. “I don’t know how long this will take me, Salt. If… I might have to… What if I have to stay away? Because you know how bigoted some people can be here, and if there’s a court case—”

God, that broke Salt’s heart, but he wouldn’t ever make Andy choose between him and Ty. “You do what you have to do. I’ll be here when you come back,” he repeated. “Just have faith in that, in me.”

Andy gave him a lopsided smile. “I will. It’s just a lot to ask.”

Salt canted his head as if considering it. “Nope,” he declared. “That’s having a relationship, I think. You do things for each other, and trust each other.”

“And love each other,” Andy said quietly.

Salt’s heart must have stopped because he went numb from head to toe.

Andy turned the full force of his gaze on him. “I don’t know for sure what our kind of love feels like. I know how to love family, and things, but I’ve never had the kinds of feelings I have for you before. This is… It’s bigger than any words I can find. Right here.” Andy put his hand over his heart. “I feel you here, and leaving makes this spot ache. I don’t want to go, but I have to.”

Salt swallowed, did it again before he could speak. “I understand. We’ll get to where we’re meant to be, as long as we hang on to each other. Even if that means only by phone until this is all straightened out.” He moved closer and put his hand over Andy’s. “Mine’s right here with yours. That’s why it feels like your heart’s too big for your chest. You have mine, too.”

It was sappy, and maybe downright silly, but it was the truth. Andy had his heart.

Andy kissed him again, deep, devouring, tinged with lingering sadness. Then he finished dressing and packed up the few things he’d got out. Salt got his gear together as well, and he grabbed the pizzas they hadn’t even eaten. “Take one, eat it on the road if you get hungry.”

“Be safe, Salt.” Andy’s eyes looked to be watering.

Salt’s sure as hell burned too. “You too, sugar. I’m here when you need me, anytime.”

Watching Andy drive away hurt like having a tooth pulled, but Salt knew it had to be done. He wanted Andy happy, and that wasn’t going to happen with the way things were currently going with Andy’s family.

Salt racked his brain, trying to think of something to do to help Andy. It wasn’t until he was almost home that he remembered his bosses had friends in high places—namely an ex-FBI agent and some police officers. Granted, they were all in Texas, but maybe they could at least give Andy some advice.

Everyone was asleep when he quietly entered the bunkhouse. Salt was restless, wanting to get on with grovelling for help if that was what it took. But there was nothing he could do until everyone else was up and alert.

He sent Andy a short text, because he couldn’t just go to sleep without doing that first.

Be safe, and remember, I’m here for you.

Salt went to sleep with gritty eyes and an ache in his heart.

Chapter Fourteen

Andy pounded on Brandt’s door. Brandt opened it immediately, which Andy took to mean he’d been waiting right inside, had probably even heard Andy pull up.

“What have you found out?” Andy snapped as Brandt averted his eyes. “Did you call the cops?”

Brandt nodded. “Yeah, they’ve been here and gone. Said Ty’s one of dozens of runaways they’ll keep an eye out for.”

Andy wasn’t sure he trusted Brandt, which was a horrible way to feel about his own sibling, but there it was. He’d tried to get along with Brandt, but nothing he’d done made the man like him. There’d be no more playing Brandt’s game for Andy.

“Did they leave a card to call them at, whoever’s in charge of the case?” he asked.

Brandt’s features got that pinched look to them like they did when he was on the verge of losing his temper. “You think I’m lying?”

Andy shrugged. “I think you’ve been lying about a lot of things, and it’s fixing to stop.”

“Fuck you,” Brandt snarled. “All I wanted was to keep Ty from being like you and Destry!”

Andy reeled back a half step in the face of Brandt’s shouting. “Like us how? Brothers who took care of one another?”

“Took care of one another, right.” Brandt sneered. “You and Destry were always too close, but no one else seemed to notice it.”

Andy’s stomach heaved and he prayed he’d got the wrong impression of Brandt’s words, that he was just jealous of Andy and Destry’s brotherly relationship.

“Don’t even deny it,” Brandt continued, his voice dripping with disgust. “I know he was bi, and once you moved in with him and Ty, Destry never dated anyone again. Neither did you, so—”

“You’re the sick one in this family,” Andy said, wondering how Brandt had got so twisted. “How you can conclude that something…something like that was going on is beyond me. Destry didn’t date because he was embarrassed about losing a testicle to cancer! The idea of a fake one, a prosthetic one, scared him. Why? I don’t know. He didn’t know, but he told me he’d lost all sexual desire anyway. And he was always sick, almost always. He had Ty, he was happy, you asshole. Ty was happy, too. But your filthy mind can’t comprehend a loving, familial relationship, could it? No,” he ground out. “No, don’t open your god damned mouth because if you say one more perverted thing, I’ll be introducing your teeth to my fist. You just shut up and expect me to kick back from now on.”

Andy had to struggle not to punch Brandt, and it looked like Brandt was trying to restrain himself as well. Andy didn’t expect the punch that Brandt threw and barely managed to dodge it.

“It was always you and him,” Brandt muttered as Andy tried to block the second punch. “Always you two. I was never good enough, or fun enough, or bad enough, whatever.”

Andy got his arms around Brandt, locking Brandt’s down at his sides. “Bullshit. We tried to include you, but you never wanted anything to do with us until Destry was dying. You hated us from the get-go.”

“Whatever.” Brandt bucked and stomped on Andy’s right foot. “I hate you!”

“I know.” Andy’s anger died away in an instant and he let Brandt go, shoving him back to prevent himself from getting hit. “I know you do, and I’m sorry. I’d have loved to have two brothers.”

Brandt muttered something Andy decided to pretend he didn’t hear. Andy turned and walked out of his brother’s house, possibly for the last time.

With all the hatred Brandt had spewed, Andy wondered what he’d told Ty. Nothing as filthy as what he’d accused Andy of. Ty would know it wasn’t true, anyway. Ty had lived with Des and Andy for the first thirteen years of his life. He’d been old enough to spot anything unnatural like that.

But Brandt undoubtedly had used other lies, and Andy had been complacent about it all. It’d been easier not to fight, easier to believe Ty would be happy with Brandt.

Because thinking he wasn’t meant Andy would have to face the fact that he’d been a total fool. Andy was facing that fact now. He’d let Brandt manipulate him for far too long. Destry had wanted them to do what was best for Ty, and Andy was damn well going to do that.

Hopefully he wasn’t too late.

* * * *

“She’s so beautiful.” Rocky sighed and Salt tried really hard not to roll his eyes.

“She’s straight,” he said for what might have been the hundredth time. “Jen’s not into chicks.”

Rocky grimaced then took a sip of her coffee. She set the cup back down. “You don’t have to be a Sour Saltie just because your guy’s tangled up with family shit. I know you miss him, but don’t be a dick to me.”

“Oh, my God,” Salt muttered as he tried not to pull his hair out. “Rocky, I’m not being a dick. I’m trying to get you to see what’s right in front of your face. Jen’s a nice lady and all, but she doesn’t flirt back with you or anything. I just want you to be happy with someone who loves and appreciates the person that you are.”

Rocky glowered at him for a moment then went back to sipping her coffee. Salt figured she’d at least listened to him, and wasn’t calling him a dick again.

“Have you heard any news from Andy?” she asked him a few minutes later, a sign that she was over the squabble and ready to make peace. “They still haven’t found his nephew?”

Salt bit his lip to combat the pain that came when he thought of Andy, alone and trying to deal with the disaster happening in his life. “Nope. It’s been a week, and everyone’s getting more and more worried. Well, Brandt might not be. Andy don’t know since his lawyer has advised him to cut off contact with his twisted sib.”

“He is pretty damned twisted,” Rocky agreed. “Couldn’t believe that shit when you told me at first. Then I thought about some of the ignorant people I’ve met, ones who think anyone in the rainbow will fuck anyone else in it, regardless of everything. There’s some sick bastards in this world, for sure. Seems to me the homophobes have the dirtiest minds ever created.”

“Maybe. There’s plenty who bitch that bisexual people just want more opportunities to get laid, so they take whatever gender they can get.” He shook his head. “Man, I never understood that kind of thinking. Always figured being bi was a lucky thing to be. Meant you could love someone because of who they were, not what parts they had. I’m hardwired to like dick and only that.”

“Same for me and pussy,” Rocky said. “Don’t cringe when I say that word.”

“Sorry. My mama would have tanned my hide for using it, though, whereas she didn’t care so much about the names for guy parts. She said women deserved more respect after all the crap they put up with.” He smiled at the memory.

Rocky widened her eyes at him. “Oh my hell, your mama sounds like my dream woman! Smart, tough, demanding—yeah, I’d love her like crazy.”

“Love who like crazy?” Jen said, stopping beside their table.

Salt frowned at the brittle voice she used. Normally she didn’t seem to be so on edge. Jen kept her eyes on her order pad.

“Huh?” Rocky wiped her mouth. “Oh. Er, I was just…” She stopped talking and her sneaky look slipped into place. Jen might not have recognised it, but Rocky had been his friend long enough that he knew her moods. “Just talking about a woman, you wouldn’t know her.”

“I might.” Jen tapped the pen to the pad.

“I doubt it. She’s not from around here.”

It was on the verge of Salt’s tongue to inform Jen that the ‘she’ in question was no longer of this Earth, either. His mama had passed away a long time ago. Rocky kicked him under the table. Salt got the hint to keep his mouth shut.

“I’ve been other places,” Jen pressed, finally looking at Rocky.

Rocky hitched up one shoulder. “I think I’ll have a slice of whatever pie you’re serving today.”

Jen looked fit to break the nearest object for a split second, then her fake smile slid into place. “Okay. What would you like, Salt?”

“Burger and fries, the usual,” he told her. “And a glass of tea.”

“I’ll be right back with your orders.” Jen turned and it sure looked like there was a little bit of extra swing to her hips.

“Is she doing that on purpose?” Salt had to ask.

Rocky broke out in a huge grin. “Hell yeah. Told you she isn’t uninterested in me. She’s jealous.”

“Of a dead woman?” he had to ask.

Rocky crossed her eyes at him. “She doesn’t know the lady in question is dead—and by the way, I totally mean that about your mom. I’d be chasing her like a hungry dog chasing a rabbit.”

Salt instantly reverted to age eight. “Gross.”

Rocky laughed at him and he flipped her off. That just made her even happier, and he leant back in the booth to glare at her.

“Here’s your orders,” Jen said. “Manny knows you well, Salt. He had your burger going as soon as you walked in.” She set the meal in front of him, along with his glass of tea. Then she turned to Rocky. “Here’s today’s pie—sweet potato. It’s delicious.”

Salt just about fell out of his seat at the way Jen purred those last two words. Had he been wrong about Jen? It sure seemed that way.

Jen left them alone and Salt bowed his head. “Go ahead and say it.”

“You were wrong,” Rocky sang with entirely too much glee. “Wrong, wrong, wrong. You should know men are always wrong when they argue with a woman. It’s like a universal truth.”

“Should have remembered that one. Mama told me it, too.” Salt took a huge bite of his burger and moaned. There just was nothing else like a real homemade burger done right. The diner didn’t use pre-shaped patties, not with all the ranchers coming in to eat. They’d have been run out of town if they’d tried it.

“This pie is fucking awesome.” Rocky did her own version of the food-bliss moan.