Page 23 of Brett and Rowdy (Gomillion High Reunion #5)

Chapter Fourteen

R owdy could smell it when they were back in his part of New Mexico. West Texas, once you got past the Permian basin, was dry in his nose. It had a deep smell of canyons and hardscrabble dirt, and it was cowboy country for sure, but it wasn’t home.

Southern New Mexico was the same way. It smelled like chiles to him and like parched earth and cactus, and the occasional rainstorm that swept across to fill the arroyos up and flood everything.

But northern New Mexico, that was home, and he could smell it as soon as they started getting up where they belonged.

“Almost home, baby girl,” he said.

Madison chuckled softly, the sound as familiar as his own heartbeat. “Almost home, Daddy. It’s been a good drive, though. You guys are great shotgun riders.”

She was right. He’d always been a go baby, and Brett had just been happy to see anything there was to see.

And to stop at silly roadside attractions.

There was one that had a big metal teepee, which had been hot as hell in the sun when he touched it.

They had to stop a little more frequently than him and Maddie probably would have anyway because of the dogs, so they got to go to all sorts of places and Maddie bought all manner of trinkets and lots of Slim Jims and pistachio nuts and junk food out the wazoo.

But now he could feel it in his bones, they were almost back to his ranch.

“I can’t believe how gorgeous it is up here,” Brett said. “It’s really been amazing to watch the land change as we went up in elevation.”

“Yeah? I remember what it looks like, I think, but more than that these days? I remember what it smells like and what it feels like. The air changes, you know? And the sun feels different on your skin.” Rowdy lifted his face to the sun.

In fact, they had one of the windows open, and he could just stick his head out like one of the dogs.

“I can’t wait to see Pappy,” Mason said. “And have Brett go to his first Mexican restaurant.”

“New Mexican, baby.”

“Right, it’s not the same as Tex-Mex.”

“Nope, and it’s not the same as that crappy Mexican food you get in South Carolina either.”

“Hey, we have Mexican people in South Carolina,” Brett told him. “They work in restaurants.”

“Yeah, but they cater to the gringo taste there. People who can’t have spices in their food.

” Rowdy hooted, and Brett joined in laughing with him, which made him feel ten feet tall and bulletproof.

Getting Brett out of his home turf had made him so much more likely to take a joke and to run with it.

He laughed a lot more. Madison said he was smiling more in just a couple of days.

That worked for him on a cell-deep level.

He wanted Brett to be happy; he didn’t want the guy to be miserable. That was no life to live.

“Well, I reckon that’s true, although we do like our weird spicy chicken, and I like pimento cheese to have a bite to it.”

Madison snorted. “Brett, you haven’t lived until you’ve had the green chile here. Now that can be hot. Remember that burrito, Daddy? The one we split from the lady who used to bring them around in the cooler in the summer?”

“Lord yes. That liked to take the top of my head off.” He’d shit fire for days afterward. “Don’t worry. Rose is nowhere near as evil.”

“Mmm… do you think she’ll made me huevos rancheros? It’s been a year since I had any.”

Rowdy knew for a matter of fact that Rose was planning that for breakfast in the morning.

“We’ll ask her. I thought I’d stop at Blake’s on the way home. Bring your pappy a chile cheeseburger.”

“Yum.”

“What’s Blake’s?” Brett asked, leaning up over the seat.

“A Sonic with green chile and really good onion rings.” Maddie offered. “We have one in the town next to the ranch. So yummy.”

“We are food-based life forms, aren’t we, baby girl?”

“We so are. I mean, we work hard, and we know where our food comes from, why not?” Her giggle was still so young, but she had driven most of the way cross-country with Brett just spelling her a few times, she was ready to take on the ranch, and she was all about this bulldogger…

God. How had she got so grown?

“Mmm. Burgers. I like Sonic a lot.”

“Blake’s is better,” Maddie told Brett. “You’ll see. They also have faboo breakfast burritos, though really, if I go out for those, I’ll go to Dona Maria’s. That’s our wee little Mexican place.”

“Nice.” Brett’s breath brushed his ear, making goosebumps rise.

“I can’t wait to show you everything.” He turned his face, wanting a kiss, even though he knew he wasn’t going to get one.

To his shock, Brett pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips. Just a quick one, but it was amazing, and he sat there, his cheeks hot, his lips parted.

“Ew. Old guys kissing.”

“Shut up, child. Drive the truck.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

He grinned. So yeah, they would stop and get cheeseburgers.

And then they would go home.

And he couldn’t wait to show it off to Brett.

Brett couldn’t believe how beautiful New Mexico was. The sky seemed to stretch on forever, so blue it hurt his eyes. And the land held all this color. Like deep red and sandy brown and the light green of cottonwoods and dark green of evergreens.

He’d never seen anything like it, and it fascinated him.

Then they pulled up to this huge iron gate, with a diamond with three Ds on it.

Madison bounced in the driver’s seat. “Home at the Triple Diamond D!”

Rowdy pulled out a box from his shirt pocket and handed it over. “Your gate remote.”

“Dude. My own remote?” Madison’s eyes shone for him.

“Your own remote. Welcome home, baby girl.” There were tears in Rowdy’s eyes.

“Wow. Thank you!”

Shit, there was more money in the freaking gate of this ranch than there was in Brett’s whole little homestead back in South Carolina. Jesus.

They just drove down this huge long drive, passing fence posts and pastures filled with cattle and horses. The place stole his breath, and he kept staring, looking everywhere.

“Y’all have a nice setup.”

“Thank you.”

Brett knew that this place was huge, but he had no idea, until he pulled up in front of this gigantic adobe house with huge rose bushes and apple trees framing the circular driveway. This place was amazing.

“So, this is Daddy’s house. Well, Daddy’s and Pappy’s and mine now.

” She beamed at him, winked as she pulled around and parked with the skill that said she’d grown up parking a trailer.

“So, Daddy lives straight back. Pappy lives on the right-hand side, and I think I have the left-hand side. My very own house.”

She killed the engine, and they all sat there a little, breathing in the scent of French fries and onion rings and burgers. “Should I just leave the trailer here, Daddy?”

“Yeah, we’ll get some drivers out here to unload for you, and you can play Queen of the Mansion while they unload your crap.”

Barney was losing his shit trying to get out of the truck, making Rowdy chuckle.

“So here’s how this is gonna work. You’re going to see six great big German shepherds.

They are all sweet as angels, and they are totally dog friendly.

You’re welcome to keep Mr. Mann on a leash if you need to, or if you want, just let him go here.

Or we can wait until we get in the house, and there’ll be a dog run out back.

That way you don’t have to worry about him getting lost until he knows where to go. ”

This was overwhelming to him. Brett could only imagine how his hound would feel. “I think that would be the smartest. This is a brand-new world.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll get used to it.” Rowdy waited for him to leash up Mr. Mann, and then opened the door, Barney barreling out with this huge happy woof answered by excited barks in response.

“Well, good Lord and butter, look what the cat dragged in. Did you guys bring Blake’s?” An older man stepped out on the porch, and it was just like if Rowdy had aged thirty years. They were like two peas in a pod.

“Of course we did, Daddy. I’d like to introduce you to Brett. He’s gonna be staying with us a while. Brett and Mr. Mann here.” Rowdy beamed at him.

“Pleased to meet you. Welcome, we love company.” The man’s eyes landed on Madison. “Oh my baby girl!”

“Pappy. Pappy, I’m home. I brought all my things.” Madison ran up to her grandfather and hugged him tight. “I’m home, I’m home, I’m home.”

“Thank God for that. I’ve missed you something fierce. It’s been almost a year.”

“I know! I had to graduate. Senior year was wild, but I was so ready to be out.” She bounced around like one of the puppers.

Brett wasn’t sure what to do, but Rowdy took his hand. “I’m going to get Brett settled, y’all. Then we’ll all have food together.”

“Sounds good, son.”

“Come on, darlin’. I’ll show you where to take Mr. Mann, and where we’ll put your bags.”

“Sure.” He nodded at the older Mr. Duran, then followed Rowdy off to his room, presumably.

They walked through huge front doors, which opened into a massive foyer that was curved like a huge half-moon. The windows were floor-to-ceiling, with benches to sit around and watch the mountains in the sunken area.

Wild.

To the left, there was a big open living area that read more hotel lobby than home, and past that a commercial kitchen and vast dining area.

“Okay. I know this seems huge and overwhelming, but honestly, think of it as three homes connected by common areas. That’s most logical.”

“I guess it grew kind of organically, huh?”

“It did.” Rowdy chuckled. “I live in the oldest part. Pop actually has the newest, and that’s where the family kitchen and living areas are as well. The dog runs are accessible through the laundry room from here, but this is my part of the house.”

Obviously, Rowdy knew exactly where everything was because he just walked into the house without even hesitating. There was a door, which wasn’t locked, and they wandered through, coming into a lovely little house.

Little house.

It was a house, sure. There wasn’t a whole lot little about it.