The Tin Star (8 page)

He licked his lips and Jamie’s eyes zeroed in on them. The younger man was whimpering and wet his lips. The brims of their hats collided. Ethan reached toward that strong, smooth cheek to tilt his head more.

Jamie blinked and jerked back. “We’re sitting in the parking lot of Betty’s diner,” he gasped.

“Shit!” Ethan sat up, put the truck in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. How had he forgotten himself? No other lover had had that effect on him and Jamie wasn’t even technically his lover yet. He was going to be the death of Ethan ... but what a way to go!

“Sorry ’bout that.”

“That was my fault, not yours. I just ... damn!”

Jamie laughed. “Yeah. That about sums it up.”

Ethan laughed with him, glad to have broken the tension. With any luck, his prick would behave and go back to sleep. “Do you mind if we stop off by my aunt’s house?”

“We’re going to go see Margie? Heck, no! I love her! Man, I haven’t seen her since Mama died. They were friends, you know.”

Ethan nodded, smiling at Jamie’s enthusiasm. “Yeah, I know. And I call her Aunt Margaret, not Margie. That woman can sure bake, can’t she?”

“Oh, heck yeah! I used to beg Mama to let me come to town with her to see Margie, so I could fill up on cookies and brownies and stuff.” He chuckled, then got really quiet. “Your Aunt Margaret is a real nice lady. Mama used to argue a lot with Daddy; visiting with Margie always seemed to make her feel better. I guess it’s just hard to be in a bad mood around your aunt, you know?”

“Yeah. They broke the mold when they made Aunt Margaret.”

It was only a few minutes before they were pulling into her drive. As Ethan put the truck in park, a lady and two cute, redheaded, freckle-faced little girls exited the house with Aunt Margaret right behind them.

Aunt Margaret ran a seamstress shop out of her house so there were always people coming and going during the day. It seemed to make her good money and she was happy doing it. She always made Ethan beautiful shirts for Christmas.

Ethan and Jamie got out of the truck as the two little girls ran toward a waiting minivan. Their mama waved to Aunt Margaret and called something back over her shoulder about taking up a pink petticoat.

Jamie met him at the front of the truck. “Ugh! Pink petticoats.” He gave a mock shudder.

Ethan felt the side of his mouth turn up. “I don’t know, you’d look kind of cute in a pink petticoat.”

“Bite your tongue! The day I wear anything pink will be the day hell freezes over.”

“Oh? So it’s not the idea of the petticoat so much as the color pink that bothers you?”

Jamie elbowed him in the side. “Ha ha!”

Ethan chuckled.

Aunt Margaret saw them and stepped off the porch with a big grin on her face, arms open wide. “Ethan!”

Ethan saw her about once a week, but she always acted like she hadn’t seen him in years. He stepped into her arms and hugged her. Margaret Whitehall was tall and strong for a woman her age. She about crushed the breath out of him. He kissed her wrinkled cheek before he stepped back. “How’s my best girl?”

“Why, I’m fine, darl-- Jamie? Jamie Killian, is that you? You come give Margie a hug!” She practically pushed Ethan out of the way to get to Jamie. She wrapped him in her arms and kissed him on each cheek and his forehead.

Jamie was grinning from ear to ear. “Hi, Margie.”

She pulled back and looked him over. “Oh, honey, you look so handsome and grown up. When I saw you there with Ethan, I thought you were John.” She grabbed Jamie’s hand and walked toward the house. “Jamie, honey, I haven’t seen you since ... since ...” She stopped inside her doorway and turned.

“Oof.” Ethan ran into Jamie, knocking his straw hat off. “Sorry. Didn’t know y’all were gonna stop.” Of course, if he’d been watching what was going on around him instead of Jamie’s tight little ass ... Ethan bent down and picked his hat up and put it back on.

Aunt Margaret ignored him and went right on with what she’d been saying. “Since your mama’s funeral.” She gave Jamie a sad smile, then narrowed her eyes. “You don’t need an excuse to drop by every now and again.”

Jamie patted her hand. “I know. Do you forgive me for not coming and seeing you sooner?” Jamie dropped to his knees, pulled his hat off and clasped it to his chest dramatically.

She chuckled. “You rascal! Get up from there. You just want cookies!”

Jamie got to his feet and picked Aunt Margaret up, swinging her around. Ethan just barely had time to step aside. “Well,
do
I get cookies, Margie?”

She laughed. “Yes, yes. You can have cookies. Put me down, you scamp!”

Ethan smiled. He’d known, of course, that Jamie knew his aunt; after all, Jamie’s mama and his aunt had been friends a long time, but he’d never realized just how well Jamie and she knew each other. It was kind of surprising. John knew his aunt, too, but he didn’t seem as easy with her as his brother was. Jamie must have come here quite often as a kid. The affection between the man and woman was quite genuine. Both shared almost the same familiarity that Ethan and his aunt shared.

“What about me, Aunt Margaret? Do I get cookies, too?”

She nodded. “Well, of course, you do, my sweet boy. Y’all come on into the kitchen and tell me what brings you both here. I admit, I’m not used to seeing the two of you together, but I like it.”

Ethan frowned at her back. What was that supposed to mean?

Jamie set his hat on the couch as he walked by, reminding Ethan of his own manners. He pulled his off, placing it next to Jamie’s.

When he entered the kitchen, Jamie was already sitting at the counter while his aunt poured all three of them a glass of milk and got a plate of cookies out. Jamie looked almost like ... well, like a kid in a candy store.

Ethan shook his head. He really had to stop thinking of Jamie as a kid; he was a man now. Good lord, watching him this morning in the shower had proved that beyond a shadow of doubt! Ethan tugged on his collar. He had to get his mind off the younger man. He couldn’t get a hard-on in front of his Aunt Margaret. Hell, that would be unbelievably embarrassing.

“Ooh! Oatmeal raisin! My favorite. Margie, you are a goddess!” Jamie’s whole face lit up -- sparkled, actually. Ethan couldn’t help but grin. Jamie was just something else when he was happy.

Aunt Margaret cleared her throat and beamed at Jamie. She went to her seat and Ethan jumped up to pull her bar stool out for her. She patted his cheek. “Thank you, honey.”

“You’re welcome, Aunt Margaret.”

“So tell me what brings my two favorite boys here? And together, no less.”

Two favorite boys? Ethan blinked. Wow, she and Jamie really did know each other well. “Well, Jamie is working for me at the Tin Star now. We were just in town running some errands.”

Aunt Margaret cocked an eyebrow and looked at Jamie.

Jamie finished chewing his cookie, took a drink and sighed. “Daddy kicked me out and Ethan took me in.”

“Uh huh. And just why did that crotchety old bastard kick you out?”

Jamie chuckled. “Well ...” He glanced at Ethan.

Ethan shrugged.
You’re on your own, Blue Eyes.
It wasn’t his place to say anything.

Jamie shifted on the barstool, fidgeting. “Well, Margie. I ... uh ... um ... I told him I’m gay.” The word “gay” came out as a squeak. It was all Ethan could do not to laugh.

Aunt Margaret got up and walked around the bar to hug Jamie. “Oh, honey. That man is an ass and you are much better off without him. Besides, if he didn’t know already, he’s pretty stupid.”

Ethan coughed, then continued to eat his cookie, watching the byplay. He was a little surprised that Aunt Margaret knew. Heck, she could have at least shared the info.

Jamie pulled back. “What? You knew? How did you know? I didn’t tell anyone until the other day.”

“The same way I’ve always known about Ethan --”

Ethan sucked in a breath, eyes wide, and choked on the cookie in his mouth.

“Ethan, put your hands over your head!” Aunt Margaret rushed to his side and pulled his arms up.

Jamie pounded on his back.

Ethan’s eyes filled with tears. He tried to take a deep breath but couldn’t between the pounding on his back and his aunt keeping his arms over his head. He tugged his arms down and reached for his milk.

Jamie grabbed his glass and shoved it in his face. “Here, take a drink.”

He took a quick sip and some deep breaths. When his coughing stopped, he glared at his aunt. “What do you mean, the same way you always knew about me?”

She blushed. “Sorry, honey, didn’t mean to surprise you. It’s just that pretty girls come in and out of my house for alterations all the time ... and neither of you ever seemed to notice the way John did.”

Well, hell, what was there to say? It was true. “Then I guess this means you’re okay with us?”

She scoffed. “I can’t believe you asked me that. Of course I’m okay with you both. I love you and nothing is ever gonna change that.”

* * * * *

“Ethan, honey? I need to talk to you while Jamie is putting oil and antifreeze in my car.”

Ethan looked up at his aunt from under the sink. “Sure. What’s up?” He tightened the pipe fitting. “There, that ought to do it. It was just a little loose; this should fix your leak.” Ethan slid out, then sat up, pipe wrench still in hand. “Turn the water on.”

She reached over and did so. Nothing dripped out as far as he could tell. He smoothed his hands over the pipes, but everything stayed dry.

“Okay, I think you’re good to go.”

“Thanks, honey. Listen. I need to tell you something. It might come up and since ... well, since you’re involved with Jamie --”

Ethan grinned and put the wrench back in the toolbox. “Who says I’m involved with Jamie?”

Aunt Margaret smiled back. “You two are perfect for each other, and if you’re not together, then you should be.”

Ethan chuckled and started replacing the rest of the tools. “Go on. You were saying?”

“Blanche wasn’t Jamie’s mother.”

“What?”

“Jamie is Jacob and his ex-mistress’s child.”

Ethan sat on the floor, mouth hanging open. He felt like someone had hit him between the eyes with a two-by-four. Holy shit!

“Blanche adopted him at birth. She loved him, but she never did forgive Jacob for his betrayal. I think that’s why Jacob has always disliked Jamie so much. He blamed Jamie for Blanche changing toward him. But Blanche, she was such a good woman, she loved that boy despite what her husband had done.” She wrung her hands together and glanced out the window at Jamie. “He doesn’t know. She forbade Jacob from telling Jamie or her other children. I don’t think Blanche told anyone but me. She stayed out at the ranch so much that people didn’t see her, and since Jamie’s got the Killian looks, no one ever questioned it. But now that Blanche isn’t around ... For a while, I’ve been afraid he’d say something, but he hasn’t. Now, with Jamie’s news, it may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, so to speak.”

“You’re afraid Jacob will tell him.”

It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway. “Yes, I am. That mean old son of a bitch has never treated that boy right. I suspect he was a little better when Blanche was around, because he did truly love her. I think he figured that if he were ever going to make things right with her, he’d have to accept Jamie. But now that she’s gone, he doesn’t have any reason to acknowledge Jamie. You would think that Jamie was Blanche’s natural child rather than his own.”

Ethan stood up, shaking his head. This was really messed up, but it explained so much. Old man Killian had never been outright mean to Jamie, but he’d clearly favored his other two children, and John most of all among them. Jamie had always been left out. Hell, John had always acted more like a father to Jamie than Jacob had ... well, John and Hank, the Quad J’s ex-foreman.

Aunt Margaret leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry to lay all this on you, honey, but I thought you should know. It’s up to you whether you tell Jamie or not.”

The screen door slammed.

They both glanced toward the door. Jamie came in smiling, then stopped when he saw them. “What’s wrong?”

Ethan cleared his throat, “Noth--”

“Nothing, honey. I was about to get you boys some cookies to take with you. Thank you for getting my car fixed up.” She got some tin foil and starting wrapping.

Jamie grinned. “You are very welcome, ma’am! Did Ethan fix your leak?”

“Yup. Was there ever any doubt?” Ethan raised an eyebrow.

“Nope.” Jamie’s eyes twinkled in what Ethan was coming to realize was a sign of impending mischief. “Ethan’s pretty good with his hands.” Then the flirt waggled his eyebrows at him. Ethan groaned and shook his head. And he was
not
blushing. He wasn’t. Really.

Aunt Margaret laughed and swatted Jamie’s behind. “James Wyatt Killian! Shame on you, saying such things in front of an old lady!”

Ethan snorted. “Give me a break! You don’t really think we believe you’re all delicate and such, do you?” He looked at Jamie, fighting to keep a straight face. “I’ll show you good with my hands. I’ll wring your scrawny little neck.” He stomped in Jamie’s direction.

Jamie took off out the door, laughing. “Bye, Margie!”

Ethan smiled after him. Just being around Jamie lightened his mood. He couldn’t remember having so much fun in a long time. He really had to hand it to the man. Even with all the crap he’d been through in the last few days, Jamie still knew how to relax and enjoy himself. It said a lot for Jamie’s strength of character.

Aunt Margaret handed him the plate of cookies. “What are you grinning about?”

He turned. “Just thinking it’s good to see him still so happy despite everything that’s happened. Tom snubbed him today at the feed store.”

“Well, I always did think Tom is too big for his britches. Jamie’s grown into a fine young man. He’ll be all right. He’s always been a happy child, so nothing will keep him down for long.”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, I admire that about him.”

“Me, too, darling, me, too. You best get going or the rascal is liable to take off without you.”

“Nah, he isn’t going anywhere. I have the keys.” He kissed her cheek. “Thanks for the cookies and for letting me know about his mama. I sure don’t look forward to telling him, but I reckon it’d be best he hears it from me instead of Jacob.”