Chapter 8 Colton
Colton
Well, now, that was freaking excruciating.
Sitting with his uncle and the kid who’d duped him into helping, when he would have done just that if Zach had come to him as a sheriff’s deputy. And listening to the whole story over again?
Hoo yeah. Fun.
And now the sheriff and Greg knew that he was a dipshit, trying to pick up a desperate nineteen-year-old kid like a perv. Christ on a wild horse, Colton’s cheeks were never going to cool off, and the teasing hadn’t even begun yet.
He sighed. His uncle was standing by the door, talking on the phone. He smiled at Zach, or tried to. They had orders to stay where they were for the moment. “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe with us.”
“This isn’t what I intended.” Zach met his gaze. “Not at all.”
Maybe not, but this is what’d happened, and they had to play the hand in front of them. “Well, if you had just ducked and run, you wouldn’t have the chance to deal with this legally. And you have backup if they come looking for you.”
“You think your uncle believes me?” Zach’s blue eyes burned into his. “Am I getting arrested for stealing the violin?”
Zach trembled so hard, it made the booth shake. Despite everything, it tore him up seeing Zach so afraid. “Relax, honey. I’ve got your back. There are plenty of witnesses. That’s yours.”
Shit. Maybe he shouldn’t call Zach honey.
“Your uncle thinks I’m just another carnie,” Zach said. “How can I relax?”
Sometimes his uncle scared the hell out of Colton. He could only imagine how Zach felt. “Maybe he thinks that about the guy trying to steal from you, but he knows you’re not. Besides, you’re right and Ulmstead is wrong. The sheriff is a stickler for the law.”
“So what now?” Zach bit his lip.
Colton knew his uncle as well as anyone, but he couldn’t say for sure what the sheriff would do. “We wait to see what my uncle says. First thing is we need to get you to a safe place to stay.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
In his heart, Colton believed they did, but he didn’t like most of the options.
The campground was exposed, and Zach didn’t have camping gear.
Whitebark only had a couple of motels, but they were for truckers.
Maybe a cabin somewhere? The best place was his uncle’s house, but if he suggested that, it would look like exactly what it was—Colton wanting to keep Zach close to him. “Yes, I think I do. It’s not safe.”
“Listen, I can take care of myself,” Zach said. “Really. Now that I’m outta there, I’ll be fine.”
He sounded a lot less like a scared kid, but confidence didn’t mean he was right.
“There are way more of them than there is of you. You’ll have a place to spend a night or two at the very least. Ted’s going to want to make sure you’re safe, and see if Maddie is there of her own free will, you get me? ”
This whole thing reeked of something deeper than creepy. Colton might not be the busiest or best cop on earth, but he kinda had a nose for it. Follow the money; that was one of the first things they’d learned in training. And the money was all tied up with Zach in this mess.
“There’s room at the ranch, kid,” Greg said. “You can hang there until we figure shit out. It’s not like you’re going to murder all of us in our sleep—we’re a big family. If you do, start with Colton. He got me fired.”
Zach gasped, more than a bit horrified, but Colton cracked up, tickled as a pig in shit. “Right on. If axe-murdering starts, I’ll be first in line.”
Greg chortled, and Zach glanced back and forth between them. When he realized it was a joke, he smiled. “Well, I don’t have an axe, and I won’t smite anyone with the fiddle. Maybe the case.”
Colton tilted his head and widened his eyes, going for comic relief. “Fiddle-smiting? Is there a code for that, Greg?”
“I’ll have to look it up in our cheat sheet.” Greg snorted. “Come on. Let’s go back to the compound. It’s safe there, and God knows we all need a beer.” Greg glanced over at Zach and winked. “Not you, kid. You get milk.”
“Hey!” Zach sputtered. “I’m not a kid.”
“Sure you’re not,” Greg said sweetly. “But you’re also not twenty-one.”
Colton hid his grin. A beer sounded good after tonight. He might need two after everything that’d happened.
Ted approached, and the smiles disappeared.
“Okay, I talked to the Division of Criminal Investigation, and they’ll want to come and see you in a couple of days, but I’m not sure we have anything to charge your people with right now.
There’s room at the ranch if you’re comfortable staying with us.
Lord knows you’ve got half the goddamn sheriff’s department living there, so it’s as safe as anywhere. ”
“Your house?” Zach blinked at Colton, then his cheeks heated. “Sir, I can’t impose like that.”
“Yes, you can, so it’s settled.” Ted smiled. Zach looked like a deer in the headlights with a semi barreling down on him. “Do you need to stop somewhere, get a toothbrush and all?”
“No, sir,” he stammered, still not recovered. “I have my kit bag.”
The sheriff blinked, so Colton stepped in to clarify. “He had a few things tucked back by the gate. He knew it was time to skedaddle.”
“That’s a damn fine quality to have, son.” Ted nodded. “I’m going to stop at the store and pick up some snacks. Colton, take him to the house. Greg, you go too. You’re going to file the report, okay?”
“Sure, sheriff.” Greg said it like it was the worst job in the world.
“Annie?” Ted said sweetly. “Give me a piece of cherry to go?”
“Yes, Sheriff.” Annie winked,
Colton chuckled. Everyone humored his uncle. “We’ll just catch up to you at the ranch, okay?” He glanced at Greg, then Zach, making it obvious he wanted to have a moment with Zach.
“No problem.” Greg stared out at the parking lot, but he wouldn’t leave until they did. His cousin would follow them, just in case.
Greg left and Colton smiled at Zach. “We have about a thirty-minute drive ahead of us. You ready, kid?”
“I’m not a kid.”
“I know, but I feel a little like a pervert, lusting after you when you were in trouble.” Not that he wasn’t still lusting after Zach in his head, but he had to be all business.
“I can’t catch a break.” Zach threw up his hands.
Once the rush of danger passed, Zach would come to his senses.
There was no reason for someone as talented as Zach to stay in Bumfuck Nowhere to be with Colton.
That was a pipedream, but it might make them both feel better to pretend.
“Maybe after we get this all straightened out we can start over.”
“Promise?” Zach gave him a suspicious look.
Zach apparently had enough people trying to get in his pants for a quick fuck, but Colton thought he deserved better. Much better. “You bet. I would love a shot.”
“Okay. We might have to revisit this conversation if the mess I’m in drags on too long. I want you.”
He didn’t scoff, because that would be insulting, right? Zach should get credit for knowing his own mind, even if Colton thought it was all mixed up with adrenaline and maybe hero worship. “Come on. We want to make sure we get home before my uncle.”
“He said he was going to the store,” Zach said. “Remember?”
Colton snorted. Kid thought he was so smart. “Who’s going to stop the sheriff for speeding?”
“Oh, right.” Zach shot him a glance. “Who stops you?”
And didn’t that feel like a loaded question? “I guess I have to stop myself, and if I don’t, I have Greg and Uncle Ted.”
“Are there any other deputies?”
They headed out, and Colton didn’t love how the conversation had sort of U-turned on him. At least Zach was talking about things unrelated to their almost date. “There are two other full-time deputies, and about a dozen who can be deputized as needed. There’s also the Montana Highway Patrol.”
Colton got them safely into the truck, and they pulled out, the radio playing Florida Georgia Line. Zach was quiet, and soon Colton sang along with the song. Despite everything, he enjoyed his ride home.
“Not enough fiddle,” Zach finally teased. “But you have a good voice.”
Heat crept back into his cheeks. Funny how easily he forgot why Zach was in his truck. “I come from a musical family. I mean, not like you—we’re not amazing or anything. We just love to play and sing.”
“Oh, man, do you guys have jam sessions?”
Colton doubted they had the same definition of ‘jam sessions.’ “Sometimes. Uncle Ted plays the banjo.”
“You’re not serious!” Zach sounded genuinely happy for the first time since they left the fairgrounds. “How cool is that? What about you?”
Somehow they were back to discussing Colton’s life. “Acoustic guitar. I won’t make it on stage, but I love it.”
“I bet you’re not as bad as you say,” Zach said, still smiling. “Can I hear you play sometime?”
Sometime? That sounded like Zach meant to stick around. “Oh, I’m not any good. I play for me, not for others to hear me. But I’d pay to listen to you every day.”
That was too much, wasn’t it? Zach, however, glanced at him like he hung the moon.
“I love it.” He shifted as if he were getting ready to play. “Some of the other guys don’t. They treat it like a job.”
Little wonder Zach was the star of the show. “It's special, what you got. I mean, for real. That’s a once-in-a-blue-moon sort of gift.”
“Tell me you’ll play with me.” Zach’s cheeks were pink as hell. “Jam, I mean. I want us to play music together.”
Colton wanted to do tons of other things too, but playing with Zach—playing music—would be pretty great. “If we have time, sure. I’d love to. I mean, I don’t know if I’ll embarrass myself, but I’d completely try.”
“Cool.” Zach reached over, putting a hand on Colton’s leg, just a gentle touch, but it almost made him drive off the road.
He felt that, from his knee to his balls. Good lord and biscuits. He needed to focus.
The drive to the ranch ended too soon. He checked the clock and it was twenty-nine minutes. It just felt faster. “I bet you could use a shower. Let’s get your stuff inside, and I’ll show you where everything is.”
God, he sounded like a dipshit. A lovesick, wants to see Zach naked, dipshit.
The ranch was a big family spread. The enormous house was the original building, built by his grandfather.
Momma’s house was on the property, a quick drive up the road.
Greg had a little double-wide behind the main house.
Colton’s property was just at the edge of the ranch.
His house was in the dry, with only the finish work left to complete.
But the ranch had been his home for a long while. His uncle was gruff, but he’d taken Colton in when no one else would even give him the time of day. Then, when he’d come home from his enlistment, Ted gave him a job. He owed the man a lot.
“Thanks. Am I near you?”
Thankfully, not. Zach would be a temptation too big to ignore.
“Not exactly. You’ll need to stay in the big house – that’s where Uncle Ted, Aunt Nanette and my grandparents live.
My house is still under construction, so until then, I’m staying with Momma.
Her house is on the family property, so we’re not too far from each other. ”
“Oh,” Zach sounded disappointed and maybe a bit scared.
Colton opened the door after he knocked. “Aunt Nanette? Uncle call you?”
Aunt Nanette appeared, all smiles and nods. “He did. The grandbabies and Granny are all asleep, so keep it low. I’m Nanette.”
Zach’s hands were full of bag and violin. He dropped the bag and held out his hand. “Zachariah Baxter, ma’am. Pleased to meet you. Sorry to be such an inconvenience.”
Nanette waved away his concern before shaking his hand. “Nonsense. We have plenty of room. I’m babysitting while Wally and Skye went to Missoula for a concert. Come on in.”
Everything about Nanette was as joyful as the house. This was a place for dogs and cats and kids, for movies and music and huge suppers around the table. Part of Colton missed it, but he also enjoyed his freedom. Or he would once he moved into his own house.
“Zach had a harsh day. Uncle thought it was better for him to stay here than at Momma’s.”
“He’s right,” she said, giving him a look that made his ears burn with shame. “We have room, and it will be less crazy, even with all the grands.”
“Okay.” Zach seemed a little worried, but that was how it was.
Putting aside his obvious attraction to Zach—something Uncle Ted must’ve told Aunt Nanette—Colton couldn’t let Zach stay with him at Momma’s. She wasn’t a particular comfort. “You’ll be happier here. Trust me.”
“If you say so. I trust you.” Zach was like a deer in the headlights, but he did his best to be brave. “Is it okay if I take a shower before bed? It’s been a day.”
“Of course, dear,” Nanette said, shifting into full-on mother mode. “Colton, take him to your Momma’s old room. It’s flowery,” she said to Zach, “but it’s quieter and next to the bathroom. You’ll be happier there.”
“Thank you for your kindness, ma’am,” Zach said softly. “I appreciate everything you and your family have done for me.”
“Think nothing of it.” She waved them inside. “I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well, Zach.”
Colton took Zach to the guest room, then showed him the hall bath. “The towels are in the closet here, and there’s shampoo and soap in the shower. You’ll sleep better when you’re clean.”
“Yeah. Thanks—I mean, really.” Zach appeared on the brink of a breakdown. “Everyone’s been so decent to me. I don’t know what to say.”
He grinned at Zach, a gentleness filling him. He opened his arms, offering the sweet man a hug. Zach burrowed in and clung to him, breathing deep against his shoulder.
“Thanks again,” he whispered. “For real.”
Colton would’ve offered to wait, but he figured Zach was probably exhausted and he could use a beer. He’d had a long day too. “You’re welcome. Get some sleep and we’ll go from there. If you need anything, call or text. You have my number.”
“I’ll text after the shower, maybe,” he said. “I’m… I need some time to think. You know?”
Yeah, no shit. Zach wasn’t the only one either. “That’s part of sitting, sleeping, and going from there. Just don’t overthink things. Most times, it seems worse when you’re alone.”
“I’ll text you when I’m done,” Zach said. “To let you know I’m okay.”
He gave Zach another squeeze. “Good deal.”
“You’re my hero, Colton.”
“I’m just one of the good guys. Trust me.
I just want you to be safe.” Colton turned around and headed for his truck.
He needed a beer and time to sit and think.
Alone. He’d probably overthink things too.
Exactly what he told Zach not to do. But Colton needed to figure out how being a hero made him feel like a dick.