Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Meyer
I had a date with Dex. A date! Just him and me, and not with my mom. Okay, it was a lunch date to sign rental forms and hand over the deposit and rent, but he invited me. About the only thing I didn’t need to decide was what I was going to wear. He was hardly going to think I was hot stuff, dressed in the Charming Butte firefighter’s uniform of navy short-sleeved shirt and cargo pants.
I couldn’t wipe the dopey smile from my face as we went through the morning drill session, ignoring the ribbing from Garcia and Pérez. I was happy; sue me. Curly took his position as station mascot seriously, watching us exercise from his position on the truck, and barking when he thought we were slacking.
After coffee and the best tres leches cake I had ever tasted, courtesy of Mrs. Garcia, I volunteered to clean and detail the truck while the others went through a training exercise. It gave me a chance to learn where everything was stored.
As I worked, I noticed Pérez giving me sideways glances.
I turned to regard him. “What’s the look for?”
“Nothing, chief. It’s good to have someone who doesn’t want to sit on their butt the whole shift.”
“The guy who didn’t like Curly?” I scratched the Cane Corso behind the ears, and he leaned in enthusiastically.
Pérez grunted.
“I don’t do so well sitting on my butt,” I admitted. “My crew normally complain that I work them too hard.” I gave him a pointed look.
“Understood,” he grumbled, but I noticed the relieved glances they exchanged.
What had the other guy been like? Once I got my feet under the table, I’d ask more questions.
I hosed down the engine and started to clean it. I loved it when the red paint sparkled in the sunshine. My dad had always impressed on me how important it was that the townsfolk saw their tax dollars were being treated right. I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I did.
“You look happy,” Brannigan observed, watching me as I cleaned the truck.
“I guess things are settling into place, chief. New job, new home.”
When I’d made the decision to move back to Charming, my only thought had been my mom. I hadn’t thought of the logistics. Now I appreciated how easy it had been. A promotion, a new home, and a date. I was one lucky S.O.B..
Brannigan leaned against the wall to watch me. “You’re moving into Dex’s cottage.”
I wasn’t surprised the chief already knew. The whole town probably knew by now.
“I am.” I dropped the sponge in the bucket to look at him. “Is it okay if I take my break at noon? I need to pay the deposit and sign the rental agreement.”
We’d agreed lunch breaks, but I just wanted to check. We’d be covering the shifts between us. In a small town like this, the structure wasn’t as rigid, but the chief and I would always be on call.
Brannigan waved his hand. “Sure. Lindy will be pleased you’ve found somewhere to live.”
I raised an eyebrow. “ I found somewhere? She practically forced me on Dex. He didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
“It worked out, didn’t it?”
I held back an eye roll. Of course he was going to take Mom’s side.
“You need somewhere to live,” Brannigan continued, “and that cottage is standing vacant. And it’s convenient for getting here. You don’t need your car.”
That reminded me. I made a mental note to phone Smith’s auto shop after my shift to see if Alex had looked at my Impala. Daisy had slipped my mind with so much going on. I’d detail her from top to toe as an apology until her paintwork gleamed as much as this firetruck. I’d even brush the wheels.
“It’s a bonus,” I agreed and resumed cleaning. If I was going to take time out on my second day, I didn’t want him to think I was lazy, and detailing the trucks was second nature. Just because I’d gotten a promotion didn’t mean to say I ducked out of the cleaning rotas. I’d almost finished when I was interrupted for a second time.
“It’s good to see a man who knows how to use a soapy cloth,” Dex said from behind me.
Ignoring the way my heart skipped a beat at the sarcastic drawl, I looked over my shoulder. His gaze was off me as he petted Curly so I could drool quietly. He looked edible in tight, faded jeans and an equally faded T-shirt that clung to his muscles. His blond hair partially covered his face, and I wanted to push it back. “Want to join me?” I offered him the sponge.
“The day you offer to help birth a calf is the day I’ll think about it.”
I grimaced. “I’ve helped deliver three babies, so that’ll be a no.”
Dex cocked his head. “You have?”
“Yup. Somewhere out there is a young Meyer who made his start in life in my hands. His parents were involved in an accident as they drove to the hospital, and he wasn’t going to wait.” That had been my first unexpected delivery and possibly the scariest moment of my life, but the healthy baby had made it all worthwhile.
“I’m impressed.” His blue eyes sparkled at me.
“How many calves have you helped deliver?” I demanded.
“More than three,” he assured me with a smirk.
“But are any of them called Dex?”
“No, I need to change that. They can all be called Dex. Dex I, Dex II, etc.”
I chuckled. “Makes a change from Buttercup and Gracie.”
He chuckled, too. “You know we just number our cattle?”
“That’s so boring,” I grumbled.
“Dex, good to see you. What are you doing here?” The chief’s booming question interrupted our mutual grins.
“Morning, chief. We’re gonna finalize arrangements for the cottage but I realized Meyer doesn’t have a car so I’m offering him a ride.”
And my mind went straight to Dex offering to ride my dick. That would work for me!
“That’s great,” I coughed, trying to clear my mind of that enticing image. “Thanks.”
From the curve of his mouth, Dex knew exactly what I was thinking. But the offer was a kind one. I could cycle to the Stump, but in the midday heat I’d arrive at our date sweaty and roasting.
“I’ll be by at noon,” he said and smiled at Brannigan. “I won’t keep him out past curfew.”
“Make sure you don’t,” Brannigan growled, although he was grinning too.
I gaped at these two comedians. Seriously?
Dex waved at someone behind me and with a wink at me, left, leaving me with Brannigan smirking at me.
I decided to ignore him, because I was never going to live this down. To give them credit, the guys lasted a whole five minutes. Brannigan had vanished into his office. I guess he knew what was coming. This was a battle I’d have to fight myself, unless it affected the station.
Garcia ambled over to me, Curly at his heels. “So, you and Chase, huh?”
“I’m renting the cottage on his ranch,” I said shortly, bending down to give the dog a scratch. “We’re finalizing the details today.”
“Uh-huh.”
I turned, folded my arms across my chest, and fixed him with a glare. “Spit it out, Garcia.”
He shrugged, seemingly not intimidated. “You’ve seen him a lot since you came home.”
“He’s friends with my mom,” I pointed out.
“He is. But you rode down Main Street with him.”
“Dex helped me when my car broke down. You know that too.”
“Are you two…” He let it hang.
“Are we what? Landlord and tenant? Yes. Once I’ve signed the forms.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I don’t think I do. Say what you mean.” I was being an ass. I knew that. And I had no intention of staying in the closet. I was gay, but it was just one part of me. I was a son, a firefighter, and a guitarist too. If the crew were going to have an issue with this, I wanted to know now.
Garcia looked as if he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole, but he pressed on. “You’re gay?”
“I am.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“You do now.”
He seemed to flinch at my curt tone and shuffled his feet, but he pressed on regardless. “Dex is gay.”
“I know that too.”
“Dex is a good man.”
I blinked. Wait, was all this Garcia trying to find out my intentions? Was he protecting one of his own, a member of the town?
“My mom thinks so,” I agreed. “I don’t know him that well yet.” But I hoped to get to know him soon. Intimately.
“He’s been through a hard time,” Garcia said.
‘I know.”
Garcia shook his head. “You don’t. He nearly lost the ranch after his parents died. Dex worked 24/7 to save that place.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“We take care of our own.”
And there it was. I wasn’t one of them. I’d been away too long.
I gave him a long, cool stare. “And now I’m your boss. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No.”
At least that was a relief.
He gave me a wicked smirk. “Some of the guys’ll be pissed off. They remember you from high school and insist you were straight. I said you were gay and won the pot.”
I stared at him. “Hey, you never met me before yesterday.”
“You rode into town on the horse, man, holding onto him. What straight guy does that?”
I hadn’t even thought about it. Dex had offered me a ride, and I’d accepted, just like today.
I threw the sponge at him. “Now you can finish the truck.”
Garcia caught the sponge before it splattered onto his uniform. “I owe you that.”
“Too right you do.”
I excused myself and knocked on Brannigan’s door, waiting until he barked at me to come in.
He leaned back in his chair as I shut the door and took the seat in front of his desk when he waved at it. “All sorted?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. He seemed more concerned that I treat Dex right than the fact I'm gay.”
I didn’t beat about the bush. If the chief was friends with Mom, he knew I was gay and hadn’t cared when he employed me.
“Garcia likes everyone to be happy,” Brannigan said.
“Especially now he won the bet.”
“That too.”
I leaned forward. “Am I gonna get grief from any of the crew?”
Brannigan pursed his lips. “Maybe Henderson, but he’d prefer to avoid you than cause trouble. A couple will take time to warm up, but they do that to everyone. Just treat them fair, and they’ll come around. You’re a big guy. None of them want to start a fight.”
I knew my size intimidated some people. If it kept the peace, that was fine with me. “I’ll handle any jokers.”
Brannigan nodded. “I know you will, but I’m here too. Don’t forget that.”
“I appreciate it, chief.”
I left him and joined Garcia to finish the truck and ensure it was fully stocked. He took me through the stores, and by midday, everything was done, and I had a better idea of the firehouse's routine.
Dex was there on the dot of twelve, and I left, flipping Garcia and Pérez off as they grinned at me. He raised an eyebrow over his truck.
“Am I missing something?”
“A mother hen wanting to make sure I treat you right.”
He blinked at me. “Pardon?”
“Garcia.” I huffed. “He wanted to know my intentions toward you.” Dex chuckled, and it was a good sound. I grinned at him. “You’ve got a whole town looking after you.”
“I’ll thank him later.”
I slid onto the passenger seat. “No need. He won the bet.”
“Bet?”
“Whether I was gay or not. The guys who knew me from high school are gonna be very disappointed.”
Now Dex gave an outright belly laugh. “One or two of them will be disappointed for other reasons.”
It took me a moment to process what he’d just said. “Disappointed? What the heck are you talking about?”
“Not my secret to share, oh great football captain.”
I took a deep breath. The man was infuriating. None of the guys had ever shown any interest in me in high school. Dex gave another low chuckle and thankfully dropped the subject.
It took twenty minutes to reach Bobcat Stump and park. A wave of dry heat hit me as I got out of the truck, and I was thankful I didn’t cycle here. I’d have melted. I was still adjusting to Charming weather compared to Chicago.
“Why are we meeting here and not in town?” I asked as Dex joined me.
“Because here we’ve got a chance of completing the business before the end of your break. In town, everyone is going to be coming over to find out what we’re doing.”
“We should have done this at the ranch if we wanted privacy.”
“I need a buttermilk bar,” he said easily.
“Are they good?”
“To die for.” Dex licked his lips, and I couldn’t help following the gesture. He pinked a little when he caught me staring. “But don’t have a pie.” The words came out a little breathy.
“That bad, huh?”
“Do you like eating sandpaper?”
I grimaced. “Thanks for the warning.”
I was going to have to run every day to work off all the cakes and sopapillas I’d eaten since I arrived in Charming. I was in peak condition as I’d worked off my post-breakup blues in the gym, but it wouldn’t take long to get out of the habit.
For an out-of-the-way coffee shop, Bobcat Stump was nearly always busy, and it seemed as if nothing had changed. The woman behind the counter waved at Dex as he walked in, then her eyes lighted on me.
“Meyer Jones as I live and breathe. I heard you were back in town…and with our Dex.” How many breathy innuendos could a person include in one sentence?
I forced a smile. “Hi, Alejandra. It’s good to see you again. It’s been too long.”
“Yes, it has. You should have visited me right away. You know I’m the only place to visit for pastries.”
I opened my mouth to tell her about the alien butts, then I caught Dex’s quick shake of his head. What was he trying to tell me? I shut my mouth, and he breathed an audible sigh of relief.
“Two of my usual, please, Alejandra,” he said.
“Coming right up, sugar. Grab that table by the window while it's free. I’ll bring it over to you.”
“Never mention Destiny,” Dex hissed as we headed for the free table. “She’ll throw you out.”
“But—?”
“We don’t talk about it,” he said.
I was about to ask for more information, but a couple aimed for our table, and we both sped up. They scowled at us as we beat them to it, and the middle-aged woman looked ready to fight over the space, but then her companion noticed my uniform and nudged her. They backed away without making a fuss and left us to it. Normally, I would have asked them to share, but I wanted to get the business of renting Dex’s cottage over and done with, and this was our first date—kinda—after all.
Dex grinned. “You’re useful for something.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly.
He handed me an envelope. “I printed this rental agreement. If this works for you, we can sign it now.”
I pulled out the sheets of paper and read it through. It was basic but would cover me as I was renting directly from Dex. I’d get my attorney to read it over too. He was an old college friend back in Chicago and had been my attorney since he qualified. We signed it, and I handed over a check for the deposit and the first month’s rent. Dex regarded the check for a long moment.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, concerned at his expression.
He blinked at me. “Huh? Oh yes, I was just amazed that I'm renting the cottage again. It’s like taking another step forward, you know?”
I did. Moving back to Charming had been very similar. Just then, Alejandra appeared with two huge chicken salad sandwiches, a plate of buttermilk bars, and large coffees. I dove into the food like I hadn’t eaten for hours.
Dex squinted at me. “Slow down, big guy. No one’s going to steal your food.”
“Hungry,” I mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.
We had almost finished when a noise at the window made me jump. I turned to see two brown-haired kids, clearly identical twins and dressed in identical clothing, thumping on the glass with their fists. I was about to yell at them for scaring the heck out of me when I noticed their frightened expressions, filthy faces, and tear-streaked cheeks.
Dex furrowed his brow. “Tommy. Ryan. What’s wrong?”
“It’s Wildie,” one of the boys cried. “He’s hurt!”
“Wildie?”
“Short for Wildebeest, their older brother,” Dex said. “The twins live not far from here. Their dad works at the feed store. Mom works at the supermarket.”
Another time, I’d have been questioning who called their kid Wildebeest. But he was in trouble. I stood, almost knocking over my chair. “What’s happened?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
Dex headed toward the door, and I followed him after waving at the boys to join us there. They nodded and ran for the door.
I stepped outside to a wall of sound from the boys, shouting and crying at Dex to be heard over the other.
Dex held up his hand. “One at a time. Tommy, tell me what’s happened to Wildie.”
“He’s in the mine, and he won’t come out. We think he’s hurt real bad. We’re scared to go in there, so we came here.”
“We’ll find him,” Dex said. “Meyer is a firefighter. He’s the right person to find Wildie.”
“You were very sensible, boys.” I praised them, and they relaxed a little. “You said he's hurt?” I pulled out my radio to call it in. “Where is he?”
There was another stream of garbled explanations I didn’t understand, and I looked to Dex for help.
“Tell them it’s the old Robins Mine near the Stump.”
I nodded, knowing where we were heading now. Generations of Charming kids were told never to play there, so of course we all did—including me. I called it in and then followed Dex and the two boys to the entrance of the mine.
“Wildie? Wildie?” Tommy yelled, but there was no reply except the echo of his voice.
Dex and I exchanged a glance. That wasn’t good.
“He wasn’t far in, Dex,’ Tommy sobbed. “He could hear me when I called him.”
“You two go fetch your dad,” I ordered.
The twins didn’t look happy, but maybe Wildie would respond better to his father calling for him. They ran toward the feed store as fast as their legs could carry them.
I turned to find Dex heading into the mine entrance. “Hold on, Dex! we need to wait for backup.”
He didn’t stop. “We can’t leave Wildie in there. He’s a great kid but has no common sense. He’s as likely to walk further into the mine than out of it.”
“All the more reason we wait. Dex, hold up.”
But he ignored me, heading further into the mine, calling out for Wildie. Training warred with worry. I couldn’t leave him to find the kid on his own with no equipment.
I jogged after him, slowing as I reached the entrance. “Don’t go any further, Dex. You don’t know where he is. We should wait for backup.”
Now Dex was a shadowy figure ahead of me. If I hesitated there was a good chance I’d lose sight of him, and it had been years since I explored the mine. I’d have no chance of finding him.
“I can’t leave Wildie alone in here,” Dex called back to me.
I took a deep breath. Brannigan was going to have my hide if anything happened to Wildie or Dex. I followed him in. Was it any time to mention I hated the dark? I was barely ten feet from the entrance when I heard a rumbling above me.
Shit! That wasn’t good. Dirt rained down on me.
“Dex, get down!” I yelled. “Cover your head.”
I saw the shadow drop and then the world caved in above me.