“Oh sure, I mean, you know I would never want to hurt the kids.” Brian sighed. “I just worry.”
“Well, I don’t imagine you’ve got to worry about anything out here,” Ellis said. “Ranch life is good for kids, teaches themabout all sorts of stuff. The kids have started 4-H and the scouts…” He trailed off when Brian scoffed, his eyebrows going up. Ellis figured he’d misstepped again, and he had no idea what he’d said.
“I think 4-H has been great for Michael.” Ichabod said it staunchly, chin up, shoulders back. “Between that and baseball, he’s got his hands full. Zane is completely busy with his new friends, but he’s joined the debate team and he’s taking a political science class at a college level. Allie loves Girl Scouts and both girls are doing dance right now, but Allie found out there is cooking in 4-H, so…”
Ellis nodded, figuring out which way the wind was blowing there. “Yeah, Michael likes the animals best. In fact, I know I’m going to have trouble keeping him away from that herd of Herefords that we got in today.”
“How dangerous is that?” Brian asked. “Will Michael get hurt because he can get trampled if he tries to go out there and be with cows?”
“Animals can be dangerous,” Ellis said. “But eventually kids have to learn how to be around them and respect them.”
“I never had to learn how to be around big animals like horses and cows, and I’m fine with my life.”
Brian was getting on his last nerve. The guy seemed super determined not to like him or the ranch, and Ellis wondered if he should step away and let Ichabod have this conversation on his own. He hoped he wasn’t making it worse.
He stood there staring, and he knew he was probably being an ass, but it didn’t matter—he didn’t know what else to say.
Ichabod stepped closer and put a hand on his arm. In a show of solidarity, he thought.
“Why don’t I show you to one of the guest rooms, Brian, and you can clean up? I know you hate feeling grimy after you travel.” Ichabod sounded as if he was forcing the wordsthrough gritted teeth, and Ellis didn’t want to be the reason he and his friend had a problem with each other.
“Look, Icky, this isn’t about me trying to be an ass. I’m worried about you. I just am. I’m worried about you being out here in the boonies. I mean, if you’re happy here and the kids are happy here—I’m your best friend. I want you to be happy, but I also want you to be safe and I want to know that you’re safe. Chris always made me believe you were safe with him.” The man’s eyes welled up with tears. “I want to know that everything is okay in your life because I love you dearly.”
Okay, that was a lot of words…
“I know I’m good. I mean, the thing with the Child Protective Services wasn’t good, that sucked. But in general, life is good.” Ichabod smiled, and this time it didn’t feel forced at all. “As far as the situation with the CPS, Ellis took care of it for me, so I didn’t have to. Not that I couldn’t.” Ichabod held out one hand and shot him a wink. “Because I’m totally capable, but I didn’t have to be. I could trust that my partner had my back and dealt with it while I dealt with the kids.”
That had Ellis standing a little bit taller because there was complete and total faith in those words. No question, no worries, just “Ellis took care of it for me”.
Looked like Ichabod had his back, too, even with his oldest friends. Made him damn happy.
“That’s pretty cool.” Brian nodded to Ellis. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t like you. I don’t know you. I heard how scared Ichabod was, and I had to come.” Then Brian glanced around the front room. “And also, seriously? Mid-American junk store?Babes.”
Ellis was fixing to get all het up again when Ichabod cracked up. “Did I mention that Brian is an interior designer? Like one of those biggie-wow ones? He totally is.”
“Oh.” Shit. He hoped to hell Brian didn’t get free reinwith the front room. It still needed some work, but it wasn’t gross. And it was comfy for four kids.
“I think this room could use a little work, and it would still be rustic,” Brian said.
Ellis gritted his teeth. He was going to explode at some point, so he was glad that Ichabod took Brian off down the hall toward the guest room. He had to breathe and he would maybe put together some snacks or something. He did love to work with food when he was upset. It calmed him down.
And right now, he could stand to calm down.
They had all this stuff to make sausage rolls. That would be good. Then maybe French onion dip. Dip was always good, and they kept it in the fridge for growing teenagers.
Ichabod came out after about ten minutes, offered him a smile. “Well, that was an unexpected surprise.”
“He didn’t say he was coming? Like it all?”
Ichabod shook his head, obviously shocked. “What? Of course not. I would have mentioned it. I mean, I called him while you were at the meeting, Rick. I was upset. But you know, I had reason to be. I wanted to talk to my best friend and have him tell me everything was going to be okay.”
“Sure, baby. I understand that.” Ellis didn’t want Ichabod to think he was being judgy or bitchy or anything. “I wondered if he’d mentioned stopping by then. I know you would’ve told me if he had. I’m feeling I like my back’s up a little bit.” Ellis reached out to take Ichabod’s hand, needing the physical contact. He felt as if they were standing on the other side of a canyon from each other.
“Are you kidding? Me too!” Ichabod leaned in and began to whisper. “This is the last thing I needed! Your dad is coming. We still have to decorate the outside of the house. You got new animals. I haven’t finished Christmas shopping. I’m fixing to meet Zane’s girlfriend for the first time today.This is not a great time for this nonsense! And what? He’s gonna come rescue me from Colorado? I was born in New Mexico!”
He did love wild-eyed passionate Ichabod.
“Not only that, but I have work to do, like pottery work. I mean, seriously. I have a show on Valentine’s Day. I can’t handle this.”
