Riding and Regrets (3 page)

“I’ll take her,” he said as he stood up from his chair.

Frankie opened his mouth to argue and Jody plastered a smile on despite his anger and hurt. “I want to hold my daughter.”
Jesus, I can’t believe this.

Since Prissy was still eating, Frankie just got up and let Jody take his seat. He settled her on Jody’s lap and started clearing the table. “Sorry, Jody.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Jody whispered, not caring whether Frankie heard him or if everyone did. He realised that Carlos and Troy were still jabbering at each other, though in hushed tones, so he didn’t worry about them.

“Look, Jo—”

Jody didn’t want to hear anything Frankie had to say, so he started singing a lullaby to Prissy. He couldn’t remember the words to it—he didn’t know what the heck any momma would be doing buying her kid a diamond ring in the first place. That was just crazy shit, but then again, most songs were full of it. He made up verses as he went along and ignored everyone else but Prissy as she ate.

She really was cute, with hair the same red shade as his, and just as curly. She didn’t have freckles like him, and he hoped she never did get them. People were mean as hell to kids with red hair and freckles. Prissy’s large blue eyes were a shade lighter than his, but she had the stubby Bates nose and her top lip bowed exactly like Jody’s did.

In other words, he couldn’t deny that she was his. He just couldn’t remember—or imagine—having done what would have needed doing to help make her. Jody was as gay as any man had ever been. He’d never had any interest in females other than as friends, and certainly no sexual desire for them.

“You want to go talk to the lawyer this afternoon, he’s got an opening at two,” Carlos said, interrupting Jody’s chaotic thoughts. “Little Miss is welcome to stay here, but she might be better off with you, since she don’t know any of us.”

“Or maybe we can send Will in with y’all,” Troy offered. “I bet Priscilla will be all over him like flies on cake.”

Jody blinked at Troy. “That’s… That’s kinda— Flies are gross. Prissy’s not gross.” Despite the snot and screaming.

Troy rubbed a hand down his cheek. “Yeah, okay, but the point is, she’ll probably love Will. They’re on about the same age level.”

Carlos snorted. “Can’t wait to hear you say that to Will’s face.”

“He’ll get mad at me,” Troy admitted, “then he’ll laugh and tell me I’m right.”

“Likely.” Carlos turned his attention back to Jody. “So you go talk to the lawyer, start getting this settled. That woman brought you papers and all. You need to see if they’re valid. You are keeping the kid, right?”

That very question had kept Jody up all night. He wasn’t old enough to have a kid. He wasn’t mature enough. He sure as shit wasn’t ready to suddenly have an almost three-year-old daughter.

There was resentment and fear, along with a whole crapload of other emotions he was trying to deal with.

But one look in those sweet blue eyes while Prissy was chomping away at a mouthful of eggs, and Jody had his answer. It scared him so bad he quaked inside and out. “Yeah, yeah I am. Wouldn’t want her going to some foster home or whatever.”

Carlos sighed and the next thing Jody knew, the boss man was sitting down beside him. Dark brown eyes searched Jody’s for a moment, then Carlos propped an elbow on the table before he gently stroked Prissy’s hair. “Soft, huh? I’d have thought with the curls and all it’d be rougher feeling.”

“It is soft,” Jody agreed. “Took me forever to brush this morning, and she was furious with me for doing it. I got to figure this parenting thing out. At least the girl-care part.”

“Parenting is a learning process, that’s always been my observation, but maybe if you can braid her hair before bedtime, it wouldn’t get all knotted,” Carlos advised. “It’d look cute, too.”

Hearing the older man speak so fondly and easily about taking care of a little girl did weird things to Jody inside. Namely, it made him feel like he was even less competent. He hadn’t thought about braids or anything much other than the whole
oh shit I have a kid
refrain that kept bouncing around his skull.

“Barney’s mom might be willing to help out,” Troy said. “And, you know, it probably isn’t just women who know about raising little girls. Some of the guys have sisters and all. They’d be able to help.”

“I have little sisters.” Frankie raised his hand. “I can braid hair and do up ponytails.” He grinned in that teasing manner that had first attracted Jody to him. “I can sure enough pull those ponytails, too. I don’t mind helping when I can.”

The sincerity with which Frankie spoke undid a little of the hurt and anger Jody was holding towards him. “Thanks. Much appreciated,” he got out.

“There you go, there’s a start.” Carlos caressed Prissy’s hair again. “Dang, we’re all going to have to start watching our language. I don’t want to hear anyone using bad words around this little miss.”

“I’m going to be tongue-tied half the time,” Frankie mumbled. “There goes a large chunk of my vocabulary.”

“You’ll live.” Troy came closer and watched Prissy, or perhaps he was watching the way Carlos kept touching her hair with something close to reverence.

“Are you okay with me helping out?” Frankie asked in a low voice that Jody had to strain to hear. There was an apology in his eyes and Jody was tempted to ask him what his problem was, why a kid would suddenly make him undesirable in Frankie’s opinion, but in the end, the answer didn’t matter. They were done, sexually at least.

Jody needed friends, though. “Yeah, man, I’m fine with it.”

The relief that swept across Frankie’s expression was noticeable. He smiled as wide as his mouth would stretch and hopped up from his seat. “Well then, I reckon I’ll be back after I get my work done for the day, and I’ll help you then.”

Troy watched him then returned his attention to Jody and Prissy. “We’ll help you all we can, Jody. Will’s getting a car seat and some other things in town, I don’t even know what-all, and you’ll accept them without arguing. We’re family here on the Mossy Glenn, and we take care of each other.”

“Yes, sir,” Jody whispered, touched and on the brink of tears once more.

“Were you the youngest in your family?” Carlos asked.

Jody bobbed his head as he swallowed. “Yes, sir. I was one of those late in life babies. My closest sibling is Melissa, and she was seven when I was born. Her and all the others were two years apart each.”

“How many others? You make it sound like there’s a herd of y’all.”

“There is,” Jody conceded, almost laughing. “Eleven of us total, living. There were two after me, one miscarried pretty early on, but the second Mom lost about seven months in.” And it’d been a bad, bad time in the Bates home. Not as bad as what had got Jody disowned. “Mom and Dad didn’t believe birth control was the Lord’s way of things.”

Carlos looked at him with all too much understanding. “I see. Was Melissa at least cordial when she talked to you yesterday?”

Melissa had gone to the big house when she’d shown up yesterday, and Carlos had been there with his men since it’d been close to dinnertime.

“She didn’t yell.” Jody caught Prissy’s cup right before she elbowed it off the table. “Here you go. You want a drink?” he asked as he held the cup to her lips.

“Tanks,” she said. She grabbed the cup with buttery fingers. Jody waited until he was sure she had it before he let go of it. Prissy wasn’t impressed with his hesitation. “I can do it!” She jerked the cup away and it slipped out of her hands, flying over her shoulder to thud against Carlos’ chest. “Gimme!”

Carlos picked the cup up off his lap and held it out. “Please?”

“Peas. Gimme!” Prissy opened and closed her hands in physical demand.

“Let me wipe the grease off your hands first, okay?” Jody told her. She ignored him but he took the napkin Frankie passed to him then tried to clean her up a little.

“Thank God for spill-proof cups,” Drake said from behind Jody. Jody had forgotten that the ranch’s cook was still there. “I bought some of those for when we have the annual ranch barbecue. I didn’t think we’d need them before then.”

Carlos looked over at Drake. “Now wait just a minute. I never said for sure that barbecue was a go. We were just discussing it.”

“You’ll go for it, because if you don’t, Will is going to be disappointed.” Drake held out his hand for the cup. “You need more to drink?”

Prissy held her cup and shook her head. Drake lowered his hand to his side. “Anyway, there’ll be a barbecue, I’d bet on it. Ian’s already making sure he’ll be off that day so he can help out with it.”

Carlos grumbled, but he didn’t argue. Jody agreed with Drake. If Will wanted that barbecue, he’d have it. As unconventional as Carlos, Troy and Will’s relationship was, it worked for them, and all three men clearly loved each other—but Will was doted on by both of his lovers. Jody couldn’t imagine that kind of intensity focused on him. He’d probably combust.

Carlos cleared his throat and Jody realised that he’d been wool-gathering. Prissy was nibbling on a biscuit. Jody looked at Carlos.

“You go to that lawyer, see if those papers your sister Melissa left are any good, if they’re binding and give you custody or at least a good edge for a custody fight if it comes to that. Then we’ll deal with everything else.” Carlos didn’t wait for an answer, he just turned and went on his way.

“Well.”

“Well, what?” Drake asked. “You didn’t think we’d help you out?”

Jody ducked his head a little. “I know I pissed some people off by smartin’ off, like when I said Ramsey was a—” Jody snapped his mouth shut as he tipped his chin down. “Well, I thought I was being funny and I guess I wasn’t.”

Drake moved around to sit at the table. He waited until Jody met his gaze. “Did you mean to? Are you an a—er, jerk?”

“Sometimes,” Jody admitted. “Mostly I don’t mean to be, but sometimes I just… I get…” He was frustrated with his inability to put his thoughts into words. “It’s like I want to fit in here. Everyone’s smart and funny and decent. But I go to make a joke, and I come off sounding like the biggest—” He caught himself just in time to keep the bad words in. “Um. The biggest jerk in the world, then I’m mad at me, and everyone else. I guess I get jealous, and that makes me a real peckerhead.”
Oh hell. I sound like an idiot.

“You’re what? Twenty?”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing,” Drake said. “You’re almost a baby yourself. Takes years to grow up, and I bet with you having been the youngest, you were coddled. You came from a religious family, it sounds like, so you were probably sheltered from a lot of things out in this world, and I bet things went to Hades in a hand-basket when you came out.”

“I didn’t,” Jody whispered, cheeks warming with embarrassment. “Was too chicken sh—”

Drake narrowed his eyes at Jody. “But Melissa knows. I overheard her yesterday.”

He didn’t even apologise for eavesdropping, but maybe he hadn’t listened in on purpose. Jody and Melissa had been by the kitchen when they’d talked. Jody wanted to die just thinking that Drake might have heard some of the names Melissa had called him. She’d been closest to him in age, and he’d thought closest to him once upon a time, period, until she’d turned on him just like the rest of his family had. Thinking about the past wasn’t going to help him now.

“She won’t tell nobody. She’s got things she don’t want aired out either, or she’d be disowned.” And she hated Jody for knowing those secrets of hers. Jody had walked into a bedroom at someone else’s party and found his sister and some guy having sex. Melissa had sworn him to secrecy, because their daddy would have skinned both their hides—Melissa’s for not being a virgin, and them both for sneaking out to a party. “Family’s just a messed up thing.”

Drake leant back and gave him a kind smile. “Not all family, Jody. This family here won’t do you wrong.”

Jody really hoped that was the truth, but he was too afraid to believe it.

Chapter Three

Timing was everything. Fate could make or break you depending on the timing of events. Noel firmly believed that. He wasn’t religious, having never even attended a church service, so he had made his own belief system out of things that worked for him. The idea of a loving god from no specific religion, karma, fate and other things mixed in to give him comfort. Not always, because sometimes there wasn’t enough comfort in the world for the pain a person suffered, but usually he could find some relief through faith.

And seeing the same cute guy around Ashville three times in a week was a message from fate, he was sure of it. Every time he saw the guy with red hair and a face full of freckles, it did weird things to Noel. Warmed him up inside and he wanted to smile more.

Bizarre reactions, because he absolutely didn’t want another relationship. He’d screwed up enough of them to be convinced that he wasn’t relationship material.

Still, the guy was cute, all lanky and scared and toting around a kid. Noel recognised the scared part, it was hard not to see it. The man wasn’t very old, either, but he
was
an adult. Noel was guessing that the toddler was his child. She looked just like her daddy, minus the freckles. Cute little thing, but she wasn’t all clingy to her daddy like Noel would have thought she’d be. He figured there was a story there, a reason why the man looked at the girl like he couldn’t comprehend how she’d come to be, and the girl didn’t seem to be attached to her daddy like she would have been if, say, he were a good daddy.

Don’t be a judgy dick. You don’t know their story.
Noel told himself that every time he saw them. The third time, he almost approached the man, but the little girl started throwing a tantrum and no, Noel so wasn’t up for that kind of drama.

He did watch, though. He saw the way the daddy patiently tried to talk the girl out of her fit, and his frustration when he couldn’t calm her down. Not that the man did anything like curse or swat the toddler. His shoulders tensed, and his features took on a pinched look as he blushed from his forehead to the V-neck of his shirt.

“What’s the story with him?” Noel asked Gertie as they sat in the town’s diner.