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Dallas and Ruben looked at each other, and Ruben nodded before Dallas turned back to Dante, took off his hat and said, “Dante…I know you’re already putting out a whole lot of money. It’s…it’s a doctor. We had a hand nearly break his leg, and Jet’s doin’ a fine job,” he said, speaking of the Creek Nation veterinarian that doubled as a doctor for the place. “He’s just stretched thin, especially trying to treat the cattle without the usual drugs and such.”
Finally, Dante could pat himself on the back for thinking ahead. “I’m hoping to be securing that as we speak, Dallas.”
Chapter Two
The town was one of the most beautiful places he’d ever seen, and he’d seen a good chunk of the world. Green trees, with rusty colored stones the size of the SUV they drove.
His newest and most annoying bodyguard to date did the driving, his huge hand on the steering wheel, his thin lips tight as he watched all around them even as he watched the road.
Bennie Mancuso was his name, and his biceps were as big as Selestino’s chest. “It’s pretty here.”
“Yes, sir, it is.”
“Please, stop calling me sir. My last bodyguard called me Sel.”
“And he’s no longer with you, sir.”
Sel spun his head away from the goon and stared out the window, thinking of his former bodyguard. It was Sel’s fault he was gone, of course, when he’d sneaked off into a bar with a guy and the bodyguard lost him for a night. It was lucky the guy was still alive. Antonio had been furious.
After the SUV sailed past a tall stand of spruce, the view opened to show a valley far below them and the rise of yet another mountain behind it. Breathtaking, how that mountain rose to a few silken-looking clouds, the subtle blue sky a canvas for the geese flying in a V over the peak of it.
He’d admire it on his own, eyes taking it in, remembering it in some folder he stored of the most beautiful sights he’d seen.
The Amalfi Coast, that was in that folder. The sea held charms for him, sure, but he preferred mountains, those tall godlike pieces of land that looked over the rest of the world. The sea was wonderful, but in it were monsters as large as ships that could withstand the depths that would crush a human like a piece of thin glass.
The navigation voice came on to tell the driver to turn left at the next road, a road with a number instead of a name. That meant they were far from cities that inevitably had streets named for the very trees he now found himself among.
Spruce, elm, fir, pine, aspen. He sighed, “How much farther?”
“Less than a mile.”
That depressed him. The closer he was, the sooner it was over, and he’d be back in the bosom of his family. Surrounded, coddled, protected. It wasn’t like he resented them for protecting him when he was a child. That, he very much appreciated. He could be a child, having friends and toys and laughter. The thing was, he’d never truly felt like a child. Sel, the oldest, the one that would carry the family in the years to come, had always felt responsible.
His younger siblings could play. Antonia’s laugh alone made him relax most days. Knowing they were safe and happy was all he truly needed. And then, suddenly, when he became a man, and wanted to be given a man’s job, a man’s respect, they turned around and saw him as a little boy.
The rough road they took leveled out to smooth as they neared a big wood-sided home. The driveway was short, gravel covering it to keep them from sinking in the mud, most likely.
What he’d been told about the three men had excited him at least a little. A throuple before they were a more common thing, the three were as different from each other as could be. And yet, they had been together for over ten years.
A preacher, a doctor, and a chef. The chef had no kitchen except his home, but everyone Dante had spoken to had one name. Dayton Binx.
In the little town, Apishipa Creek, they’d made their home all those years. The beauty of the place was obvious, though Sel wondered how they didn’t get antsy for more. Well, he was about to offer them more.
Two men were on the short porch as Bennie parked and Selestino got out before his beefy bodyguard could. It was better that way, less intimidating. Plus, he was sick of the man. “Hello,” he called to the two men.
One was white, light brown hair combed back from his face. His fingers threaded together in front of him as he stood motionless. The other, well, Selestino couldn’t figure out if he were Asian or Latino, but he was equally handsome.
Sel walked to the porch and stood just shy of the bottom step as he said, “I think my uncle spoke with you. Dante Carrillo?”
“Oh,” the one with the light hair said in a rush. “Okay, yes, he did. We don’t get a lot of strange cars up this way, as you can imagine.”
“I’m sure. It’s very private here. Beautiful.”
The lighter-haired man held out his hand to Selestino as he said, “I’m Mark Rafferty, but most call me Pappy. This is one of my partners, Nathan.”
Sel shook both hands as he felt his bodyguard next to him. “I’m Selestino Carrillo, and this is my bodyguard, Bennie. Bennie will stay out here, if you don’t mind.”
“Mr. Carrillo,” Bennie whispered. “I should be in there with you.”
