Chapter Four #2
“We think so. My uncle and father speak our language well and would be willing to translate, so it’s a work in progress.”
“Ollie, Gordon, you’re both welcome to come out to the ranch for Sunday dinner,” Granny spoke up.
“That’s kind of you, Mrs. B, but we have to head to the casino,” Gordon explained as my son darted past with a foursome of boys hot on his heels.
They were all giggling madly. “A few of my employees called in sick so looks like me and this chucklehead are working security.” He crooked a thumb at his nephew.
Everyone started chatting about the weather and the slow-moving mess blowing into Texas in a day or so. I edged closer to Ollie.
“Can I have a moment of your time?” I asked quietly and got a nod.
I ambled off after making some lame excuse to the family. Baker cocked an eyebrow as Ollie fell in beside me. The urge to flip him off was huge, but we were on church grounds, so I ignored the ass and led Ollie to my car.
Turning to face him, I rested my ass on the warm front fender.
“On the way to church, we passed a cornfield with a scarecrow in one of Bella’s dresses.
” The soft expression of interest he’d been wearing faded from a possible flirtation to a serious policeman in the blink of an eye.
“That’s got to be some kind of hate crime, right? ”
“Were there any slurs or personal attacks pinned, written, or painted on the dress?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest. His cotton tee stretched over his massive biceps. If I weren’t so agitated, I would have been drooling.
“Well…no, but she worked incredibly hard on that dress. It was pretty.” Ugh, I knew that sounded pathetic. “Obviously, it was done to make her feel badly, which it did.”
He drew in a breath. Again, the cotton stretched. Good God, this man was a mountain of muscle that I wanted to scale like Kilimanjaro.
“Dodge, I get it, I do, and I will drive out toward the ranch to see this scarecrow myself, but there’s no law against dressing a scarecrow.”
“But in a new dress? Who would do that?” I spat out and sighed. “Okay, well, we know who did it. One of those Leary men. His wife apologized to Bella, but I’m not sure a weak apology is enough for the hurt suffered by that poor woman. She was really upset.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” He sighed as a robin landed nearby.
“They’re a pack of roaming assholes. I’ll drive out to see what I can see, but it doesn’t sound like any crime has been committed other than wasting his own money on a handsewn dress.
” I started to bicker. He held up a large hand.
“Dodge, I feel your pain. Truly, I do. My niece is Two Spirit. I get that trans and non-binary people are under incredible pressure all the time, and if this were a case of harassment or a threat that I could progress legally with, I would do so in a fucking heartbeat. But it sounds like a case of one of the town assholes being an asshole.”
I huffed then shoved my hands into my front pockets. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
He reached out to give my tight shoulder a squeeze and a little massage with strong fingers. Damn, that masculine touch felt fine.
“I am sorry. I like Bella a lot. If anything else happens that I can sink my teeth into, let me know, and I will ride out and give Kenny Leary a sound bite on his skinny ass.” His fingertips bit into my shoulder, and the muscle loosened.
“Promise me you and your brothers will not do something stupid.” I looked from the fat robin to his face.
Lord, those eyes were spellbinding. Such thick black lashes…
“Stupid?”
“I’ve known Baker for twenty years.” That was said with a smile that I had to reflect back at him. “Stupid is his middle name at times.”
“Right.” I chuckled, giving my head a bob. “Nothing stupid, I promise.”
“Good, now, onto more pleasurable things. When are you in town for rec center classes next?”
“I think tomorrow at noon for twirling class and a sign-up for the school team. I’ll have to double-check the schedule. Why do you ask?”
He stepped a little closer, big hand still working my left trap. Nothing scandalous. We were outside the church after all but close enough that I could feel his body heat as his cologne filled my senses.
“You’re being coy. I can see it in your eyes.” I didn’t deny it. “I’d like to have another stew date with you. Are you willing?”
“I like stew,” I replied and got a smile that nearly knocked me onto my ass. That flash of pearly whites—and they were beautiful teeth, I should know—made me quiver.
“Good. Then text me what time and we’ll see what kind of meat we can sink our teeth into.
” He gave my trap one final pinch and left me standing there with my dick half hard, staring at his ass as he meandered over to his uncle.
I turned and took out my handkerchief to wipe the window of my car in order to give my cock time to deflate before joining my grandmother under the elm.
Nothing made your dick go soft like trying to scrub off a splattered grasshopper from your windshield with nothing but spit.
***
I was checking my eyelids for holes when the porch swing creaked.
Startling awake, I glanced to the left to see Lincoln wedged in beside me.
“I’m so full I may pass out,” he moaned, leaning back to stretch out his long legs. He was a big man, taller than any of us other Bastians. Cash had been a man of normal stature, so Linc’s height must come from his mother’s side. “Did you enjoy the meatballs?”
“I did,” I confessed. There was no point in lying. I’d eaten about a dozen of them. “What makes them Chicago meatballs?”
He gave the swing a push. Dahn and Bella, both in home clothes of cotton shirts and cut-off jeans, were practicing with that lone baton. I would have to buy the lad one of his own for his classes and the team if he made the cut.
“I add a good amount of giardiniera to the beef, pork, and veal mixture.” He looked quite pleased with himself as he should be.
“I made them that way for the pub for years. The chopped pickled vegetables marinated in olive oil really give the balls a tangy and spicy flavor.” I nodded and patted my belly.
“Speaking of balls, what’s up with you and the sheriff? ”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? Why is everyone in this house so damn nosy about each other’s personal affairs?”
Baker and Hanley exited the house, cups of coffee in hand, to sit a spell on this beautiful summer afternoon.
“There’s nothing else to do around here but snoop and be pains in the asses,” Baker said into his mug. Hanley leaned on the railing beside his man, smiling softly.
Linc chuckled. “That’s kind of right, but also we like to see our siblings happy. And that lawman makes you grin like a loon,” the second eldest Bastian said.
“No, he does not. We’re just friends,” I argued, although I wasn’t sure as to why. What harm could come from admitting that Ollie and I had a flirtation going on? “Hanley, what did you discover on your scouting trip this morning?”
“Nice deflection,” the wildlife photographer teased.
I touched my brow in thanks. “Actually, I think I’ll get some really nice rain shots along the Ganaskki Creek out by that third line cabin.
It might be a long shot, since eagles are generally found at the larger lakes and refuges, but the Ganaskki Creek does have some nice native trout, so it’s worth a try. ”
Baker seemed less than enthused. “You’ll need to keep a close eye on the weather.
That hurricane down in the Gulf of Mexico is a massive bitch.
They’re calling for it to spin its ugly way toward us by the end of next week if not sooner.
Ganaskki Creek runs through the rez and then forks about a mile or two above the nursing home.
If we get a lot of rain, as predicted, the cattle on those ranges are likely to be cut off or caught in a flash flood.
I’m seriously considering bringing them back to the ranch until the storm blows over. ”
“We just turned them out,” I said and got a dark look from Baker.
“Yep, and if need be, we’ll herd them back. I’m not going to chance losing all those newly bred heifers to a flood,” Baker informed me curtly.
“I understand, but shit, that’s a lot of riding and chasing cows.” I sighed as the baton bounced off the porch roof.
“You wanted to be a rancher,” Baker replied with a shrug.
“Sorry!” Dahn yelled and ran over to the porch. “Can someone give me a boost?”
Linc rose from the swing, being the tallest of us, and hoisted the lad up to fetch Bella’s old baton.
“Thanks, Uncle Linc!” Dahn crowed and jogged back to Bella, who curtsied in thanks to Lincoln. Linc turned a shade of red normally only seen on fire engines.
Linc turned from the lovely lady in the cutoff jeans to see us all grinning stupidly at him.
“Do not say a word,” Linc growled and stamped off just as Ford exited the house with a lemonade.
“Was it me?” the baby of the brothers asked.
“Probably,” Baker tossed out. Ford gaped. We all roared at his hangdog face.
Having brothers to tease was a lot of fun.