Tony felt his mother’s disgust and anger hit him like physical blows when she turned her dark gaze on him.
“He isn’t welcome, Angelina. How dare you go against our wishes and bring him here.”
He set his chin. No way was he going to react to his mother’s cruel words.
“Antonio’s not here for you, Mama. He’s here because he wanted to make sure I got home all right.” Angelina placed her hand on Tony’s arm.
Mama crossed her arms and glared at them. “He’s not a part of this family anymore.
He turned his back on us when he chose that vile lifestyle and to live in sin. Now he’s corrupted Juan.”
A harsh laugh burst from him. “How could I have corrupted Juan when the first time I talked to him was last November?”
Angelina shook her head, but he was tired of being silent. Why should he be worried about upsetting his mother when she didn’t give a damn how much her words hurt him?
Mama narrowed her eyes. “Don’t talk to me like that. I’m your mother. You show me some respect.”
“I’ll show you respect when you respect me. You’re not my mother. You’ve been very clear on that point.” Tony studied her and every moment of guilt and shame he’d felt disappeared.
He handed the keys to his sister and hugged her. “You know where to find me if you need to talk.”
“Let me drive you to the airport.” She grabbed at him.
He stepped away. “You need to talk to Mama.” He smiled. “I need to leave. This isn’t home for me, mi hermana, and I’m not going to beg them to make me a part of the family again.”
She shot a look over her shoulder at their mother who was trying to act like she wasn’t listening and grimaced. “I don’t blame you. You don’t belong here. Wyoming’s the perfect place for you and Juan, with people who love you.”
She hugged him.
“Thanks. Take care, Angelina.” He nodded, picked up his bags and headed down the driveway.
He’d call a cab when he got farther from the house. He’d walked away before, but this time he wasn’t running from something. There was a whole group of people waiting for him.
After reaching the corner, he called the cab and then dialed Brody’s number.
“Tony. Everything okay?”
A warm feeling raced through him. It was nice to know Brody was concerned for him.
“Yeah, everything’s better than okay.”
He looked back at his parents’ house. Angelina and his mother were still out front yelling at each other.
“Have you heard from Yancey yet about the ranch?”
“Not yet, but they should be looking at it right now.”
Tony knew Brody was curious about what happened when Tony saw his mother, but his lover wasn’t going to ask him.
“Great. You better make sure there’s room enough for at least one other person.” He held his breath.
“You’ll move in with me when I get a place?”
“I will. Not sure what was stopping me from agreeing to it in the first place. I mean I love you, Brody. Makes sense for us to live together.” He bit his bottom lip. Strange how nervous he could get just by saying that word.
Brody laughed. “I love you too. Not exactly how I planned on telling you though.”
“Yeah. Me standing on a street corner waiting for a cab and you halfway across the country.”
The cab pulled up in front of him.
“Hey my ride’s here. I’ll call you tonight and we’ll talk about that place.” He handed his bags to the driver.
“Sure. Take care and have a safe flight, love.”
“Bye, baby.”
He hung up and tucked his phone in his pocket. Happiness was a feeling he liked. He was on his way to ride bulls and he had a man who loved him. What more could he ask for at the moment?
* * * *
Monday, Wyoming
Tony climbed out of the truck, taking his time. God, his body ached. The first event back after an injury was always the roughest.
Juan dashed out of the main house. “Tio Tony, are you okay?”
“Aside from being sore and stiff, I’m fine.” Tony threw an arm around Juan and hugged him.
Juan smiled and hugged him back. “Glad to hear that. I didn’t like getting the call from Brody last time you rode.”
“Understandable. Help me out, kid and grab my bags for me.” He gestured to the back seat of the truck’s cab.
Juan pulled the bags out while Jackson unloaded some feed bags.
“Thanks for picking me up,” Tony said to the foreman.
“No problem.” Jackson lifted two bags on his shoulder and headed towards the training barn.
Tony followed his nephew into the house. He settled in a recliner in the living room, staring at the fire burning cheerfully. March was still chilly enough to justify a fire. Juan joined him after the kid dropped his bags in Tony’s room.
“Where’s Yancey?” He noticed Brody’s younger brother didn’t seem to be around.
“He went to the horse show with Les and Randy.” Juan pouted. “I had to go to school.”
“It sucks, doesn’t it?” He smiled at Juan.
“What does?” Juan’s blush told Tony the kid knew what he was getting at.
“Not having him around.”
“Yeah, but it has to be worse for you. I mean Brody’s in California. It’s not like he lives close by. At least I know Yancey’ll be back in a few days.” Juan lay on the couch, eyes closed and hands behind his head.
“True.” Tony fidgeted with his shirt sleeve for a second. “What if I told you Brody’s looking for a ranch around here?”
“Really? That would be awesome. We could see them whenever we wanted.” Juan’s face lit up with joy.
“What would you say if I told you Brody wants us to move in with him and Yancey when they find a place?” He shrugged. “I already told him I would.”
Juan sat up, a look of surprise on his face. “No shit?”
“No shit.” Tony leaned his head back on the chair and closed his eyes. He
