Page 13 of Brett and Rowdy (Gomillion High Reunion #5)

This was a stupid idea, but then it had been a stupid idea to bring him here.

It had been a stupid idea to have sex for hours.

He was on a stupid idea roll, and so far, he hadn’t had so much fun in twenty years.

So he was going to go for it and just stupid idea the fuck out of this thing. “I’d love to. What should I wear?”

“We’re going to hang out. That probably means axe throwing and barbecue, knowing my daughter.”

He knew he had this look on his face like he’d been hit in the head with a bat. “Axe throwing. You go and listen?”

Rowdy snorted like a fractious horse. “Are you kidding? We go in, we take bets from the marks on whether or not I can hit the target, and then we win a lot of money. My daughter is a shark.”

“You’re not serious.”

Rowdy grinned at him. “Oh, I am so serious. All you have to do is tell me where I’m hitting and I’m pretty good. I can rope a goddamn horse, man.”

He held his arms out in front of him, thumbs up. “Okay, you’re on. I gotta see this.”

He didn’t believe it, but then again, he kind of did.

He was beginning to figure that Rowdy was sort of like some kind of magical creature.

He’d always thought that Rowdy had come out of Nowhere, New Mexico, like some weird plant.

He’d struggled to survive in South Carolina, pulled up his roots and disappeared in a puff of Stetson cologne.

And now, somehow, he was back and disturbing Brett’s life as much as he ever had.

And the son of a bitch probably hadn’t even been in town twenty-four whole hours.

Still, his other option was to go to take the class picture at the high school, work, or cry in his beer. None of those sounded near as fun as watching Rowdy throw an axe.

Not to mention, he was desperately curious to get to know Madison.

Sure, he had probably seen her a number of times.

They did live in the same damn town and he was friends with her stepfather.

But he and Dan were fishing buddies, bar buddies, and he didn’t have a kid to say, “Well, why don’t you bring your kids?

” And honestly, he wasn’t the kind of high-dollar person that family usually rolled with.

He thought that Dan just liked slumming.

“All right then, put on your best axe-throwing shirt. And remember that BBQ will absolutely be involved at some point, so don’t wear white.”

“Fair enough.” God, he hoped he had a clean decent shirt. Last thing he needed was to show up looking like trash. He wanted them to like him. Or at least he wanted Rowdy’s kid to think he was okay. “Be right back.”

He went to change his shirt, which was honestly easier than he’d thought. He had a decent front-snap one from a few years ago that was silver and burgundy plaid. It was still rustic enough for axe throwing, but wouldn’t show barbecue sauce…

And if he rolled the sleeves up, it would be cool enough. He worked with fire, so heat didn’t get to him too much.

He tugged on his own boots, then headed out to Rowdy. “Let’s hit it.”

“Sure. You want to bring the pooch?”

“You mean Mr. Mann? Seriously?”

“Why not? He and Barney get along. Now, Ash has a purse dog, so if he has a high prey drive for little pups…”

“No, he’s the least ambitious hunter on earth. He’ll sniff everything, but chase is only for play.”

“Well, bring him on. I’ll call Ash.”

He got Mr. Mann’s leash and harness, and his buddy went nuts, wagging and arooing. It was kind of hilarious.

Barney had led Rowdy to the door, where he was on the phone. “Yeah. He has a basset hound. No shit. Yeah. Cool. Thanks, Ash.” Rowdy ended the call, grinning.

“So it’s cool? Because if it’s not, we can take him around the block a few times and drop him back. He just likes to ride.”

“He’s in. Wagons ho!” Rowdy’s grin had him chuckling.

“Okay, come on, you bunch. You want me to put butthead here in the truck and come back for you so no one trips you?”

“Nah. I got this. You can just go ahead of me, and I’ll put my hand on your shoulder. Barney will take it from there.”

“Cool cool.” He would trust Rowdy to know his own body. “Let’s hit the road. We have axe throwing to do.”

Rowdy knew he was in for it when he walked into Ashley’s house, but there was no help for it. His shirt had to go right into the laundry, and he knew Brett’s made him look like a tween swimming in dad’s clothes.

He could feel it.

Walk of shame time.

He climbed up the steps with Barney, letting Brett take Mr. Mann around to sniff a little. Maybe pee before they headed inside.

“Hey! Dad. Wow. Look at you.” Madison met him at the door, her Miss Daisy barking up a storm.

“Don’t start on me, girl. You either, pup.”

“Well, but?—”

“Nope.” He grinned, but he brushed past her, heading for his guest room. “Be nice and let Brett in.”

“Oh my God, look at that dog! Miss Daisy! Brett brought you a friend!” Madison loved a set of soft droopy ears, so he left her to get to know Mr. Mann.

Ashley followed him to his room. “Nice shirt.”

“Hush.”

“It’s not your usual thing. Or size. What happened to yours?”

“I took it off on the bed, and it got?—”

“Oh no. Nope. No goo.”

“Well, then don’t ask.”

“Is his dog friendly? Will he eat Mischa?”

“He will not eat your Yorkie.” He noted she didn’t ask about Maddie’s pup.

“Okay. But it’s on you if he does.”

“You got it.” He let Barney go once they got to his room, then pulled off Brett’s shirt. “Pick me out an axe-tossing shirt, honey.”

“You got it.” She went to the closet, and he heard the clack of hangers. “Here you go. Total douchebag, but lightweight long-sleeved T Madison got you.”

“Nice. They’ll think I’m an underdeveloped local boy if I play it right.”

“You know it.” She chuckled. “I can’t believe you spent the night at his place.”

“Oh, honey, it was worth it. I am chapped in places that have no business being chapped.”

“La la la not listening.” She was laughing with him, though.

“I can’t help it. It was amazing. And it’s really cool that I brought him?”

“Are you kidding? Dan will be in heaven to have two whole men to hang with. And he likes you both.”

“Cool. I just wanted to make sure.” He tugged on the shirt, leaving Brett’s over the end of the bed. He would wash it with his and give it back later. “I should go save him from Madison.”

“You totally should.” She walked out with him and Barney, who he’d left in his harness in case they went out soon.

“…too cool. So were you and Daddy a thing?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Nosy girl.

“Once upon a time, sure, but that was, you know, before your mom.”

This was going to be interesting. Madison was aware that he wasn’t her biological father, had been since she was a teenager.

She’d immediately come to him and asked if he had to adopt her, and he’d told her no.

He was the father on the birth certificate, and as far as he was concerned, she was his baby girl.

That had been enough for her.

“What?” Madison snorted. “Momma and Daddy weren’t a thing.”

Ashley leaned against his arm, and she smelled like coconut. He loved that she wore fun scents for him. “Fun, fun, fun.”

“Mmhmm.”

“I’m just saying that we were a thing before him and your mom got together.” Brett sounded confused as hell.

“Listen.” And Madison was obviously aggravated. “You do know that Daddy is, like, gay and stuff, right? He does not identify as bisexual.”

Oh, now. That was a bridge too far. “We do not discuss with people what your father identifies as, clear?”

“Daddy!”

“I’m serious. No identifying.” He didn’t need that kind of issue with Brett right now.

“You’re such a derp, Dad. I mean, seriously.”

“Yes, I know that’s me. I’m such a Luddite. Can we just focus on things like what we’re going to do today and getting your Daddy Dan?” Hopefully, she would let it go, at least for now.

“Sure, no problem, I was thinking axe throwing and barbecue.”

He loved the way that she chuckled. The sound still just brought to mind the image of his little girl—three years old and filled with wickedness and light. And God, he did love her more than life itself. “Axe throwing, huh? I would never have guessed.”

“Right. It’s just not something you do a lot in New Mexico, Daddy.”

He chuckled, jumping as Ash pinched him. “I guess you’re right there. It’s not something we do a lot. I mean, I’m sure we do have it, but it’s not for fun.”

“Yeah, I think it’s an amazing stress reliever, so…” Madison sighed softly. “Not that I have anything to get stressed about.”

“Nope, not that you have anything to be stressed about.” Ashley tensed beside him and sighed softly, tears in the sound. “We can just buy you a ranch here, you know. You don’t have to go all the way to?—”

Madison cleared her throat. “Nope, Momma, stop it. I’m going. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. And you know what? I’ve been here for twenty-one years. I get to go home now.”

Rowdy understood that passion on a bone-deep level.

“You sound like your dad,” Brett said. There was a wealth of emotion in those words that Rowdy didn’t know how to parse, if he was honest. “That’s exactly like something your dad would say.”

“Sure. It doesn’t surprise me. He did raise me after all.”

Ashley chuckled and poked his ribs, sending a sharp zing through him. “I blame you for this.”

“Yes,” he said. “I get it. It really do, but, honey, this can’t be a surprise. She’s been talking about this since the day she was able to decide that she wanted to be a cowgirl.”

“I know, I know that I’m always going to be welcome at your place to visit, but I know that my heart hurts.

And that I’m gonna miss her so much. We might have to talk about that whole retirement home in New Mexico thing, because I don’t know if I can live the rest of my life and not be close to my girl. ”

“You know it.” Because one day there were going to be grandbabies.

He couldn’t wait for babies to be back at the ranch.

Ash’s phone beeped and she stood, sniffling softly. “Dan’s about ten minutes away, and then we’ll get all suited up for axe throwing.”

“He’s not going to be too jet lagged?” Rowdy would personally be out like a light.

“No, he’s used to this, and he said it’s worth it to spend some time. He wouldn’t have gone on this business trip if he’d had any other choice.”

“So I read in the paper that there’s going to be an ’80s prom at the reunion.” Madison stood and came over to hug him. “Are you all going to go?”

He hugged her tight and shook his head. What the hell would he do at an ’80s prom? Hell’s bells. He didn’t even remember the 1980s, not even a whiff of it, hardly. He was a ’90s baby—Nirvana and Tim McGraw.

“I’m really not into ’80s music, honey. I mean, if your Daddy Dan wants to, we will. He remembers way more of it than we do. I was really more of a Tori Amos kind of girl.”

Madison snorted. “Angry girl music and Lilith Fair. My mom, ladies and gents.”

“What can I say?” Ash laughed, then oofed. “Well, hello, pupper. What is this guy’s name?”

“Mr. Mann.” Brett finally spoke up. “He’s a good boy. Rowdy says you have a little dog, but he’s real good with them.”

“Oh, Mischa is asleep upstairs. But I’m sure he’ll figure out someone new is in his territory. He thinks Barney is the devil because he’s so big.”

“My Barney is the perfect gentleman,” Rowdy murmured.

“He is! It’s all Mischa. He’s a tiny freak, and kind of territorial. But he’d never bite or anything.” Ashley was bustling. He could hear her heels clicking on the floor as she fussed. Only she would think of going axe tossing in her one-inch pumps.

“Go change, Ash. That way when Dan gets here, we’ll be ready.”

“You just don’t want me up in the bedroom with him.”

“Ew. No. Good call, Daddy,” Madison told him.

Ash made a raspberry sound. “I’ll sic Mischa on you.”

“Barney has my back.” He sucked his teeth, and Brett got to laughing, which made Mr. Mann dance, his nails clacking on the floor.

“I like your dog, Brett,” Madison said.

“Me too.” Brett’s chuckles wore down after a bit, and he moved close. “Do we get to sit, or…”

“Shit.”

“Madison,” he warned.

“Sorry, Daddy. And sorry, Brett. I feel like jerk. We’re so used to Daddy being here and he just does whatever, and I forgot you haven’t been here before. I mean, Daddy Dan sees you all the time.”

“True. It’s weird I haven’t seen much of you.”

“Oh God, the last ten years or so, it’s been school and friends and activities. Not much time for family stuff that wasn’t all of us together, and when you and Daddy Dan are fishing in the summer, I’m in New Mexico. Come on. We’ll sit. You want anything to drink?”

“I would take a coffee or an iced tea, whichever y’all are on,” Brett said, following them to the den. Good call, rather than the formal living room, which echoed when he walked into it.

They sank down on the couch just in time for a fuzzy little terrorist to come racing down the stairs, barking his little fool head off.

“Mischa. You be nice,” Madison said.

“Oh, now. You are adorable. Yes, you are.” He could just imagine the wicked grin on Brett’s face. “Look, Mr. Mann! It’s a furry toy.”

“Arrrroooof.”

The barking stopped with a little yelp, but he could hear how far apart the dogs were. Little Mischa was just totally shocked that Mr. Mann had talked back.

“He just wants to be friends, buddy,” Brett murmured.

The scrabbling and scratching told him Mischa was running right back up the stairs to his number-one human. Which was when Dan got home. So it was good timing.

“Hey!” Dan came in, leaving his suitcase out in the foyer, he thought. He hugged Madison, because Rowdy heard the happy squeak, then he thought maybe he shook hands with Brett. “Brett. Good to see you.”

“You too, man.”

“Hey, Rowdy. How was the reunion?”

“Hey. Terrible. But I met up with Brett, and we’re getting to know each other again.”

“Nice. So what’s the plan?”

“Stumphouse to axe throw and then barbecue, Daddy Dan.”

“Nice. I was in meeting hell for days. I can hurl an axe with extreme prejudice. Let me go get changed.”

“Momma is up there. No lingering.”

“No promises.” Dan wandered off.

“Okay, Daddy, I need to go find my boots. Be right back.” Madison ran off as well.

“Alone at last,” Brett murmured.

“You okay?”

“A little overwhelmed, but I’ll make it.”

He reached out, and Brett took his hand. “If it gets too much?—”

“No, it’s good. They adore you. It’s really clear. I respect that.”

“Thanks.” Rowdy loved them back. And he wanted them to like Brett, and vice versa.

“And I want to see you throw. I really do.”

“Okay, but you have to pretend to bet against me with Madison. Get the ball rolling.” He squeezed Brett’s hand.

“Are you kidding? I’m going to help that young lady make those doubters pay .”