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“Oh, knock it off,” Rafe said, actually smiling at his father’s reaction. “I spent years listening to you spout that crap. I don’t want to hear it anymore.”
“Don’t give me any lip,” he snapped.
Rafe put his hands on his hips. “Or what? You’ll beat me with the belt like you did when I was a kid? This is my ranch now, so you can knock off the whole dad routine. I don’t care what you think, and you don’t get to tell me what to do here. Now, I’ll ask again. What do you want? I know you well enough to know you didn’t come here because you’ve missed me. You want something. So, what is it?” He glared at the man who had raised him with one hand on the Bible and the other on the belt.
“Your mother believes that Mack squirreled away a fair amount of money over the years. And as his sister, she’s entitled to some of it.”
Rafe should have known. “Nope,” he said calmly. “The will is explicit. Uncle Mack identified Mom by name and stated that she, as well as the rest of his family, would get nothing. He was very specific. And I intend to honor Uncle Mack’s wishes.”
He stepped closer. His father was a tall man who used his size to intimidate. “His wishes…. That man was a….”
“What, Dad? Gay? Like me?” He looked his father in the eye. “And you did the same thing to me that you did to Uncle Mack—threw me aside. I was no longer your son, remember? Hell, we haven’t seen each other in five years, and now suddenly here you are. But it’s only because you think you can get something.” There was nothing redeemable about this man.
“We thought we were doing the best for you. Your mother and I figured you’d see the kind of life you’d have and you’d change your ways, leaving this whole gay thing behind you. That you could realize your mistake and be welcomed back into the fold. After all, we are told to turn the other cheek,” his dad told him. “Your mother and I are prepared to forgive you and—”
Rafe was stunned. “I’m not the one who needs to be forgiven. I’m not the one who did anything wrong. You and Mom did.” He glared at his father. “You turned your back on your only son the minute he didn’t meet your expectations. Parents are supposed to love their children unconditionally, but you couldn’t do that.” He sucked in a deep breath. “It took me a long time to figure out who I am, and I’m not afraid of you any longer. You lost your authority and any respect I might have had for you long ago. So please, just go away.” He kept his voice level. It was time he let go of the anger. His parents hadn’t had any power over him in years, and he refused to give them any now.
“Your mother and I were only doing what we thought was right, what we thought would be best for you.” His father’s eyes blazed the same way they’d done when Rafe was a kid. Back then, Rafe had thought it was the fire of God. Now he knew it came from a very different place. “We’ll fight you,” his father threatened.
“On what grounds? The will is bulletproof.” He whistled, and the dogs raced across the open range and headed over to him. He greeted each of them. “Now I suggest you go home. There’s nothing here for you.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
Rafe shook his head. “No, I won’t. When you turned your backs on me, you told me I was nothing, that I would never make it without you and Mom. Well, I’ve proven that I don’t need you and probably never did. I’m a world champion bull rider, and now I have this ranch to call home. I haven’t had you or Mom in my life for years, and I don’t want you in it now. So please just go.” By this point, Rafe knew that words weren’t going to change his father’s mind. Saying anything more was a waste of effort.
His dad turned away and stalked toward his car. Rafe petted the dogs and watched until his father had driven out of sight, wondering why it was that every time something good happened, everyone came out of the woodwork determined to take it away from him. He wished he could have someone who gave a damn about him for once… just once.
He let the dogs inside, thinking of what the day had brought so far. He was tired and disgusted at how blatantly greedy his father was. And Grant Mendeltom? Well, at least he could understand the man. He was just another grasping rancher who thought he could take whatever he wanted. But his own father coming around to see what he could get? That was just shitty.
Rafe made himself and the dogs some dinner and ate in front of the old television set before going to bed, hoping that the following day would be better. Because it sure as hell couldn’t get much worse. The dogs settled on the sofa and the floor around him. At least the only thing they wanted from him was love.
Chapter 4
“ALL RIGHT,guys. Is everything under control here?” Russell asked. “Are you ready to head out to Rafe’s place?”
“Yeah, it’s all good here. All of the ranch chores are done,” Clyde reported. “What I don’t get is why we’re doing this.”
Russell pushed the lift gate of his truck closed. “Because it’s the neighborly thing to do. It was Mack’s ranch, and he was good to me.” He didn’t tell the men thathewould be paying them for the time they put in at Rafe’s ranch, not his dad. That wasn’t something they needed to be concerned about. “So let’s go.” He climbed into his truck, and the men got into the others, all of them heading out and around to the road that led to Rafe’s.
When he pulled into the yard, Russell was surprised to see the amount of progress Rafe had already made. “Hey, Rafe,” Russell said as he climbed out of the truck. “I brought some help and some supplies. What do we need to get done?”
Rafe looked surprised as hell. “There are still some paddock repairs, and….”
“Dustin, unload the supplies and take Brad with you to get the paddocks finished. Then check out the barn to make sure it’s solid and cleaned out.” Dustin was an amazing leader. Taking charge was in his nature, and Russell stepped back and stayed out of the way. “You two check out the roof. I saw some patches that are going to need to be repaired. Scope out what you’re going to need and then go back and get the shingles from our place. We need to get the roof ready for winter.”
Rafe shook his head. “You said you’d be here to help—I wasn’t expecting a whole construction crew.” The guys were already getting to work. One had set up a portable saw and tool station, while others put a ladder up and headed to the roof.
“What do you need me to do?” Russell asked. “These men know what they’re doing. They’ve been building and repairing things on the ranch for a long time.”
“Well, the stalls in the barn need fixing. Some of them are unusable right now. I’d like to get them rebuilt and eventually breed some horses. The barn is too big for the three horses I have, and there’s no way they’ll stay warm in the winter without the benefit of body heat. I was going to try adding some supplemental heat, but I don’t know if the electrical system can handle it.”
“Then let’s get on it,” Russell said. “I’ll get the tools and meet you inside.”
“You can do electrical work?” Rafe asked.
Russell grinned. “You better believe it.” He grabbed the box and followed Rafe out, trying to keep his gaze from traveling to that tight cowboy jeans–covered rear end in front of him.
Inside the barn, Russell checked the electrical wiring and breakers. “This looks okay. The box was replaced not too long ago. One less thing to worry about, right?” he said, happy that Mack had been careful about things like electricity. Rewiring the barn would have been a big job. “But you’re right, these stalls are done. We should clear them out and rebuild the walls and doors. I wasn’t sure exactly what we were going to need, but I brought lumber and supplies with us. The paddocks and stalls needed work, even when Mack was still here.”
