“I probably should have. It would’ve been the easy way out, but I kept thinking about Tony and how he ran away at fifteen. He turned out all right.” Juan shifted in his seat.
“I’m sure he did, but odds are he was one of the lucky ones and he’d be the first to admit it. Look how things went for Yancey. He ended up doing stuff he’s probably not proud of to survive. Every adventure has two ways to go. Good or bad.” Brody looked to the teenager. “Look where being honest got you. Tossed out of your house and going to live with an uncle you don’t know.”
Juan stared out the window. “You’re right, but lying to everyone would make me resent them more. I mean look at my tio Luis.”
“What about him? Who’s he married to?” Brody couldn’t imagine having more than one sibling.
“Luis is married to my Tia Angelina, Tio Tony’s younger sister. Mi madre’s the oldest. I saw my Tio Luis at a gay club in Austin. He was messing around with one of the other rent boys.”
“No shit? Yet you still offered Yancey a place to stay?” Brody couldn’t believe the kid would be adult enough to do that. He didn’t know many adults who’d do that.
“Tio Luis has never had anything good to say about Tio Tony. He’s always been nasty about gays and the clubs I visit, but he’s hiding who he really is. I think his lies are making him bitter.” Anger tinged Juan’s voice.
He reached over and squeezed Juan’s hand. “You’re a great kid. Thank you for trying to give Yancey a place to recover.”
“You’re welcome.” Juan pulled out an Ipod and a set of headphones.
Brody knew Juan was done talking which was fine with him. He settled back and closed his eyes. A stray thought ran through his mind. Juan’s uncle had run away from home at fifteen. It was starting to look like it wasn’t just a coincidence. The next thing he knew Juan was shaking him awake.
“Hey, we’re here.” Juan had packed his stuff away and looked excited for the first time since Brody met up with him that morning.
“Thank God I slept through the landing. Let’s go.” He stood up and they deplaned.
* * * *
Brody glanced up at the ranch house. Nothing spoke of it being owned by one of the richest men in the country. In fact, the barns and outbuildings looked to be better taken care of than the main house itself. He’d done some research online at the hotel they’d stopped at for the night. Hardin Ranch was owned by Les Hardin, a multimillionaire. He couldn’t believe a man like Les would open his home to a hustler like Yancey.
He looked over to where Juan stood on the other side of the car. The teenager’s wide-eyed gaze met his and he shrugged.
“May I help you?” A voice came from behind them.
Turning, Brody saw a tall man stride towards them. The man wore jeans, boots, a dark green sweatshirt, brown leather shearling jacket and black cowboy hat.
“Yes, I’m looking for Yancey MacCafferty,” Brody told him.
A bright smile gleamed on the man’s dark face. “You must be Yancey’s brother, Brody.”
Brody nodded and shook the offered hand. “Yes, I am, and this is Juan, Romanos’
nephew.”
“Hey there, kid. I’m Jackson, Hardin’s foreman. The guys are inside napping. Tony got in early this morning. Had an event in Sacramento.” Jackson shoved back his hat and wiped a hand over his forehead. “Yancey was up late last night with one of my hands helping a mare foal.”
A door slammed and they turned. Yancey stood on the porch. Brody’s heart jumped.
He wanted to be angry with his brother, but all he could feel was relief and gratitude that Yancey was okay. He covered the distance with long strides and swept his younger brother into a tight hug. Yancey held on to him and their tears mixed.
“I’m sorry,” they muttered at the same time.
He hugged Yancey hard again.
“Easy there. Those ribs are healed. We don’t want to break them again.” A voice accented with Texas spoke from the doorway.
Brody looked up and felt his mouth drop open. He’d been right. No such thing as coincidence.
“What a god damn small world it’s turned out to be.”
“You’re Tony Romanos?” Brody felt his eyes widened in surprise.
“Yep. Come on inside. It’s too cold outside for us to be chatting. Jackson, you coming?” Tony looked over at the foreman.
“No. I’m cleaning up and taking Tammy out for dinner.” The foreman nodded at Brody and Juan. “It’s nice meeting you.”
Tony held the door, gesturing for the others to come in. He squeezed Juan’s shoulder as his nephew went by. “We’ll talk later.”
Juan nodded.
Margie met them in the hall. “Yancey, Juan’s in the room next to you and your brother is in the room across from Tony’s. Clean up. Supper’s ready and you can talk after you’ve eaten.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Both Yancey and Tony gave the elderly lady a kiss as they went past her.
“You’ll learn that even though Les owns the house, it’s Margie who rules it.” Tony spoke loudly enough for the housekeeper to hear.
“You be respectful, cowboy, or I’ll short sheet your bed,” she threatened as she headed back towards the kitchen.
“She would, too.” Yancey opened the door to Juan’s room. “We’ll share a bathroom.
After dinner, I’ll help grab your bags.”
Brody wasn’t paying much attention to the two younger men. His cock made sure his gaze remained fixed on Tony, who pointed to the fourth door on the right.
“That’s your room. You’ll have your own bathroom for now. The lady who stayed in the bedroom next to you moved out. Les and Randy drove her out to San Diego. They’ll be back next week.”
Brody stopped in front of the door. Turning, he reached out to touch Tony’s face.
The cowboy stepped forward and breathed deep.
