18. Kipp
Chapter 18
Kipp
‘What the… Dale!’ Kipp roared, hearing his darling boy’s cry for help.
Kipp, accompanied by an alert Brutus, ran at full speed from the pond in the small woodland and toward the barn. As he ran, Kipp hoped beyond all hope that nothing terrible had happened to either Dale or Marshall. The barn was safe, or at least it should have been given the fixes and repairs that Kipp had made on it recently.
But Kipp knew that he was still new to all this – and Dale’s cries suddenly filled him with an all-consuming panic.
What if I missed something?
What if the boys are hurt?
I’d never, ever forgive myself…
With his heart thumping inside his chest, Kipp arrived at the barn and very quickly realized that neither Dale nor Marshall were hurt. However that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a very real threat present. Far from it, in fact.
‘Crenshaw!’ Kipp growled, immediately recognizing what was going on.
Kipp had already dealt with one bully recently, and it now looked like he was going to have to set himself to work once more. Except this time, Kipp had a feeling that Leigh Crenshaw wouldn’t fold quite so easily as Benson Rose…
‘That’s right,’ Leigh replied, puffing his chest out and clenching his fists, ready for action. ‘I told you this was my land. All I’m doing is checking out the kind of weird, freaky shit that’s been going down here. I always had you down as an asshole, Kipp. But this? This is on a whole other level. Uncle Joe would be fucking embarrassed to see it.’
Kipp looked across to Dale and Marshall and could see that both of them were upset. Crenshaw had no right to be on the ranch without an invite, and even less of a right to be upsetting these two wonderfully kind and innocent Littles.
The time for trying for a peaceful solution with Leigh Crenshaw was over.
Kipp knew that he would need to fight. And fight hard. Even with the pain of losing his brother to a brawl all those years ago still casting a shadow over him, Kipp sensed with every bone in his body that this was a time to stand up and fight.
‘You and me, outside,’ Kipp said, his voice full of a snarling rage that he was barely able to contain. ‘I’m not asking.’
‘Finally, you’re being a man about it,’ Leigh said, shaking his head in disgust. ‘We’re fighting for the ranch.’
‘If that’s what you want,’ Kipp said, reigning his temper in and focusing his mind on the objective. ‘But there’ll be no comebacks from this. Understood?’
‘Understood,’ Leigh replied, walking out of the barn and onto the dry, dusty patch of ground outside. ‘First to submit or be knocked out. No rules. No quarter given.’
‘I wouldn’t have it any other way,’ Kipp said, fixing his stare on Leigh, searching for a sign of weakness or a hint of doubt in his opponent’s mind. ‘As long as we both understand the stakes, I’m good.’
Kipp watched as Leigh took his position a few feet away from him. Kipp knew he was tougher than Leigh, but that wasn’t to say that Leigh would be a total pushover. This was a fight, anything could happen. And there was also the fact that Leigh might indeed play dirty or try something outrageous.
Kipp knew though that this was the only way forward.
Kipp knew full well that Eagle Ridge Ranch was rightfully his, and it was Uncle Joe’s true wish that he took it on for the future. But men like Leigh Crenshaw would never let anything go until they were beaten in a language that they could understand – and it was about time that he was taken to school once and for all…
‘Let’s fucking go,’ Kipp growled, circling the patch of barren land, Leigh opposite him and doing the same.
‘Bring it, loser,’ Leigh snapped back. ‘Hey freaks, watch your so-called Daddy getting his ass handed to him on a plate.’
Kipp knew that Leigh was baiting him to take the first swing, but there was no way he was going to rise to such obvious tactics. Instead, Kipp carefully closed the distance between them and planted his feet in the ground, ready to fire a counter punch of his own.
‘Daddy! Be careful!’ Dale cried, his voice sounding far in the distance despite the fact that him and Marshall were now close to the action.
Kipp faked a half-jab and drew a counter punch from Leigh that grazed his temple – and just like that, the fire was lit.
Going toe to toe with one another, the two men landed blow after blow. Kipp knew he was taking more shots than Leigh, but that his punches were landing harder and doing more damage.
With the baking sun overhead, Kipp felt his stamina reserves kicking in as he landed a double jab that connected flush to Leigh’s bloodied nose, making him stagger backward.
This is it.
He’s weak. I can take him out.
It’s time to finish this…
Sensing that Leigh was on his last legs, Kipp powered forward and landed a huge right cross on Leigh’s jaw that sent him sprawling onto the ground. Kipp knew that he could jump onto Leigh and pound his face into the ground, but instinctively he felt like that wasn’t how he wanted to end this.
‘Enough?’ Kipp asked, standing over a bruised and bloodied Leigh. ‘Just say the word and this is over.’
‘Enough,’ Leigh replied, only for him to sweep his left leg across the back of Kipp’s heels, bringing him down to the ground too. ‘Enough of this bullshit .’
Kipp roared in anger. As he predicted, Leigh wasn’t going to fight honorably.
‘Well don’t say I didn’t warn you,’ Kipp bellowed, wrestling Leigh and quickly gaining control of his opponent’s back. ‘I gave you the chance to quit on your own terms. But you can forget about that now.’
With that, Kipp moved himself into a rear chokehold and tightened his grip until Leigh quickly passed out.
‘Daddy! Is he…’ Dale cried out, charging over with Marshall by his side.
‘No, he’ll be fine,’ Kipp said, climbing off Leigh and hugging Dale. ‘In fact, he’s already coming round…’
Kipp, Dale, and Marshall watched in disgust as a drowsy Leigh crawled a few feet away from them and then wobbled up onto his feet and took his sorry ass back to his car.
‘It’s all over,’ Kipp said. ‘Eagle Ridge Ranch is ours .’
‘And the whole town will know it too,’ Marshall said, holding up his cell phone and showing a video that documented the whole event, including Leigh’s promise to walk away if he lost the fight – plus his treacherous attempt to trick Kipp at the end too.
‘You Littles never fail to amaze me,’ Kipp chuckled, high-fiving Marshall and then brining Dale in for a big hug. ‘How about a trip to The Tap House? I think we could all do with a little something. And if I know my Daddy friends, they’re going to want to put that fight up on Trey’s big screen!’
‘That sounds cool, Daddy,’ Dale said, a look of joy on his face.
‘Oh, and one other thing…’ Kipp said, arching his eyebrow and then taking Dale by his hands. ‘I know you might still have thoughts about travel, adventure, and life outside of this little town. I just want you to know that I’ll support you whatever you choose, Dale. But if it was up to me, I’d love nothing more than spending the rest of my days with you, here. This is a big ranch, and I could use a boy like you to be my partner. Forever .’
Kipp’s heart was thumping harder than it had at any point during his fight with Leigh Crenshaw. He could see that Dale was filling with emotion, but until he heard him say it out loud Kipp couldn’t be sure which way he was going to go.
‘Daddy…’ Dale said, a little quiver in his voice. ‘That sounds perfect! I love you, and nothing would make me happier than making the ranch my home. You, me, Brutus, and Rebel.’
‘And maybe some rescue animals too, guys?’ Marshall added, giggling. ‘You know, just saying…’
‘Yes, I think we could look into that,’ Kipp laughed. ‘I love you, Dale. You’re my darling boy and I think we can make this ranch into something that Uncle Joe would have been proud of. And we’ll do it together .’
Kipp leaned down and planted a soft, sensual kiss on Dale’s lips.
It was time for them to head into town and celebrate.
The future was looking brighter for Kipp than it had done in all his adult life. He was back home, doing his Uncle Joe’s legacy proud, and all with the most perfect, sweet, sassy Little alongside him.