Patty's Homecoming, page 15
part #1 of Montana Wranglers Series
“Well, after dinner I’ll call your dad and see what Blake’s schedule is tomorrow. I’ll figure out a way to take over whatever he’s got going and, if need be, spread the work around a little. Now, grab some of this stuff and let’s get back out there. I need to check those steaks before we end up trying to gnaw through leather strips that used to be nice and plump steaks.”
“Sounds good to me.” She watched him and smiled. “I happen to really, really look forward to the time alone with him and honestly, with the life that we have stretching out before us,” she whispered with a smile, “I think we are going to have a very, very good life, don’t you?”
“Absolutely.” He smiled with a chuckle. He grabbed up the dishes, salad, and headed back out onto the deck. “Come on, darling, food is almost ready, I can smell it.” After setting his armload down he went to the grill and, lifting the lid, let out a waft of delicious cooking meat.
Following him, Patty couldn’t help but watch Corbin’s ass while he walked in front of her. Damn she loved that man. Taking her seat at the table on the patio, she crossed her legs and watched him. This was what she wanted, to simply be there with him and enjoying her time with him.
“Quit staring at my ass, woman,” he said without even turning around. “And don’t try to deny it, I can feel your peepers burning a hole through my jeans right at the gluteus maximus level. Eyes up and tell me how alive you want your steak to remain. Medium rare, which we are currently at, medium, medium well or briquette?”
“But I like staring at your ass and why would I try to deny it?” she asked with a laugh. “You don’t deny looking at mine, so why would I deny looking at yours? I would like mine just a little over medium rare please. Not medium, but a happy medium between them?” She laughed then at how that sounded. “Well you know what I mean.”
He looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes at her. “You’re lucky I do, woman. Couple more minutes and you’ll have yours,” he said. He pulled one off and slid it onto a plate before handing it to her. “Can you set that in the kitchen? We’ll wrap it up once it’s cooled a bit.”
“Sounds good.” If they wrapped it too early, it would get condensation in the plastic wrap and that always took from the actual taste of a steak. When she came back out, she settled once more and wasn’t surprised that Corbin had already begun to pile her plate up with the foods that he had made for them. Leaning back, she grinned, watching him happily and shaking her head. “You are just too good. Whatever did I do to deserve you?”
He paused and squinted. “Ya know, I don’t really know.” He grinned, then shrugged and set her plate down in front of her. “You love us and we love you, deserving has nothing to do with that, Tisha. It’s part and parcel of being in love, being part of a committed relationship.”
She smiled at that and sighed happily. “I am one lucky, lucky woman. I’m happy to have you boys in my life, so very much so. So whatever I did, I will just have to be happy about it and do it over and again. I’m happy and you are right. It’s all part and parcel of being in love and part of a committed relationship.”
“Hey.” He leaned in and kissed her. “No stealing my lines.” He grinned. Pulling back, he filled his plate and then sat down next to her. “Dig in, Tisha, don’t let the food get cold. Besides, I know you’re pretty much drooling to lay into that steak.”
“Well yeah.” But she was also waiting for him too. She didn’t like to eat alone. She had never liked to eat alone. She would go and find the men or any of the ranch hands to have lunch with when she was younger. She was very odd like that. Cutting into her steak, she took her first bite and sighed. “Oh, so good.” She let out a moan of happiness.
“Damn well better be,” he muttered. “It’s one of your dad’s so it has to be good. Otherwise he’d never live down the harassment we’d lay at his door.” He cut into his steak and took a bite, chewing slowly before nodding. “Grade A all the way there.”
She laughed at that and shook her head. “Oh lord, that’s too funny. Yes, I think that Dad would be hurting if he produced a bad steak. I think that not only would you boys never let him live it down, but he wouldn’t live it down either with the guys he hangs around with playing chess.”
Shooting her a look, she saw him roll his eyes. “Babe, we all know he doesn’t and has never played chess. Texas Hold’em is his game and it always has been. Hell, he’s even played strip poker, but he and the guys were seriously drunk.”
“Yeah, I know, but he wants me to think that is what it is.” She shrugged and added, “Honey, he’s my dad. He only wants me to think the best of the best of things about him and while I do, I am also not blind. I know just what he’s been getting up to. However, he never did anything that would affect his family so I let him keep his secrets.”
Corbin opened his mouth and then slammed it shut, after which he avoided meeting her gaze. Okay, he knew something. Something good and juicy. That thought was only solidified more when he leaned over his plate and seemed to shovel his food in at a steady pace. A pace that kept him from having to speak. Hm, this could be damned good if he was going to these lengths.
Patty let Corbin think he was getting away with something until she finally moved to sit in his lap. Her food already eaten and his now gone as well, she began to walk her fingers up and down his chest, all the while staying as silent as a mouse. Rubbing her cheek to his, she then whispered in his ear. “So, what is it that you want to tell me but are holding off on telling me? Come on, Corbin. Talk to me,” she whispered right before nibbling on his ear.
“Mm, nope. A man deserves to keep some secrets, especially from his daughter. And I’m pretty sure that if I told you, he’d find out and I’d be on the shit duties for the rest of his life. I really don’t want that duty, it smells,” he muttered.
“Oh but come on, honey,” she teased, her fingers working on his shoulders and then chest. “You know you want to tell me.” She nibbled the side of his neck and almost forgot what she was doing there for a moment. “Come on Cor, talk to me?” she teased him. It was a game. Honestly, she didn’t care what her dad was doing as long as it wasn’t illegal, but teasing Corbin, now that was fun.
“Can’t say.” He shook his head sharply. “If I tell you it’s my nuts on the block. And he’ll definitely have them pinned hard if I told you this one. What I will say is, he only spent the one night in jail before the sheriff let him out. And he had his friends there the entire time.” Then he snapped his mouth shut and pressed his lips together tightly.
Patty laughed. “Oh God, that’s priceless.” So it would seem that Patty needed to talk to the sheriff. “You know, I really should go and see Billy Joe, need to make sure that he is aware that I am here but that it’s supposed to be on the down-low and all of that.” The thing about growing up in a small ranching community, everyone knew everyone and it was simply the way that it was. “And we both know that he will tell me everything.” Billy Joe was a great guy, but he also seemed to want to confide everything in Patty, and had since he came out to her their freshman year of high school.
“Won’t help you none, besides the fact he was sworn to secrecy and yes, your father knows he tells you everything under the sun, he’s over in Sheridan for a training course. He won’t be back from Wyoming until next month. By then, we’ll have made sure that he keeps his mouth closed or gets an up-close-and-personal introduction to the process of removing a bull’s balls.”
“Well crudmuffins.” Whatever her daddy had gotten into had to be bad, or he wouldn’t have gone through all of the trouble that he was to ensure that she never found out about it. That in and of itself was very, very interesting. “And when do you think he will tell me what he was tossed in jail for?”
“Well, since it was tied to that event.” He tapped his chin. “Uh, never. But, if you are really, really good, maybe I’ll tell you. Not today, not tomorrow, and I can’t say for sure when. But I’ll tell you as long as you never bring it up to your dad. Not now, not when I tell you.”
“Well hell’s bells,” she muttered. “I’m sure that he will tell me eventually, it’s all a part of him being him. He will tell me because he won’t have a choice.” Especially when she started to try to pump her father for information. She loved her father but he really couldn’t keep a secret to save his ass.
“Good luck with that.” He grinned at her. There was something more he was keeping secret about this secret. She could see it in his smirk. “Now, how about dessert? It’s nothing fancy, just some fruit and ice cream but given how hot it was today I think a good end to dinner.”
“Oh, this seriously sucks,” Patty grumbled. “You are keeping one from me too. For real? What the hell, Cor? Seriously, I thought we were supposed to be all there for each other and stuff? Come on, you have to tell me now. Especially with that freaking look you just gave me.”
“What look?” he asked, blinking at her. He was likely aiming for innocent but looked more sneaky. Rolling his eyes when she poked him, he sighed. “I can’t say without divulging your dad’s secret. But let’s just say, the county jail cell, it isn’t big enough for his gang and half the ranch.”
“Holy shit, you, too?” Dear God above, what in the ever-loving name of hell was she going to do with them? Neither of them would tell her the secrets that her dad obviously kept from her. “I wonder if I will be able to pull out the arrest logs that were in the paper during that time,” she said with a laugh. “Because whatever it was, I’m sure that it is a freaking amazing story.”
“Well, I’m sure it would have been, if Chuck and Morty hadn’t been in there with us. And they weren’t real big on ratting themselves out as well. So, there is absolutely no record, anywhere, about the event. Though, you might be able to pry it out of Blake since he had to come and collect us.”
“Holy hell, are you serious? Oh for fuck’s sakes, how many were involved in this arrest?” she asked with a laugh. “Damn, I seriously need to figure this out. I will ask Blake.” She had to snicker then and chewed her lower lip. “Gods, you were in it too. I cannot wait to find out what this was.” She couldn’t wait now to find out just what it was that had caused this whole arrest thing.
“Half the town, half the ranch, and a few folks between the two places. I was dragged along since I was supposed to be the designated driver. I thought it was a sound plan. I’d go and watch a movie, or grab a pizza and the game. During which your father and his cronies would play…chess.” Corbin rolled his eyes. “Little did I realize how wrong I was. Before I knew it…” He gave a shudder. “It was horrible.”
“Oh, lordy.” Patty had to wipe the tears from her eyes. She was laughing so hard that she was sure that she was going to pee herself. “Oh God, that is priceless. I can’t freaking wait to find out what it is that happened.” It had something to do with drinking, that was clear at least.
“Just remember, your dad is a wily old bastard and way too good at getting things his way.” That said, he stood up with her in his arms. Dropping her legs, he handed her a few things to carry inside. “We should wrap Blake’s steak too.”
“Yes, we should wrap the steak so that Blake will be able to enjoy it later.” She leaned back and added, “We should also fix him a plate of the sides to go along with the steak so that he will be able to have more than just meat.” Her men were meat eaters but sometimes it was good to have a little more than just meat to eat.
“He’ll just dig the dishes out if he wants them. Besides, if he actually decides to heat the meat up a bit, he can’t do it with potato salad on the plate,” he pointed out. Tucking the last item under his arm, he followed her into the kitchen and let everything down onto the island.
“Good point. Damn, how the hell did you get so smart?” she said with a laugh. “Okay, so the meat will be separate. I hope that he will want to have the sides but knowing him, he will instead just want the meat and to hell with everything else.” Which wasn’t so bad really. “As long as he is happy, that’s what matters.”
“Pretty much not pissing him off is good. And giving him meat is a good way to keep from pissing him off.” Corbin grinned. He started to clean the plates and stick all their used dishes into the dishwasher. “I was born this smart, darling, though I will admit, I have moments where it just doesn’t seem to help.”
“Really? And when are those moments?” Patty asked as she watched Corbin putting the dishes into the dishwasher and then the now-wrapped steak into the fridge. “When does your wisdom fail you, Corbin?”
“Usually when you are naked or your dad starts a sentence with the words, ‘I have an idea’. Something about those words fries out my intelligence and turns me into one of the idiot males you hear about on TV. You know, shows like that video one, or COPS or anything else where men do stupid shit they obviously didn’t think through fully.”
She began to snicker. “I can totally see why me naked would have you losing all thoughts but Dad starting a sentence with ‘I have an idea’, I don’t understand why in the world that would give you trouble, babe.” She teased him. She knew why though, she really did. It was the same reason she had gotten into trouble more than once.
“Oh, you damn well know why,” he said. Shutting the dishwasher, he grabbed a cloth. “Can you toss all that in the fridge and grab the fruit and ice cream?” he asked. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He grinned and headed out to the deck again.
Doing as he instructed, Patty put the food into the fridge and pulled out the fruit and ice cream. Grabbing a couple of bowls and spoons, she took a seat at the island and waited for Corbin to come back into the room. When he came back in, she smiled. “So what did we forget?”
“Nothing.” He smiled. “Just had to turn off the grill, scrape it, and wipe the table off. No need to encourage bugs to move in around the house if we can avoid it.” He rinsed out the cloth and then hung it up to dry. Grabbing bowls, he took them to the counter and handed her a spoon. “Dish up whatever you want.”
“That’s a very good point. I guess I forget sometimes about the small things in life, having been away so long.” It was weird but sometimes she forgot about the weirdest things and hated it. Taking the spoon from him, she scooped herself some ice cream and then got herself some of the fruit as well. “Now then.” She took a bite of the fruit and ice cream and sighed. “I love fresh fruit on ice cream. I’m so happy that you remembered.”
“Of course I remembered,” he said softly. Leaning in, he kissed her gently. “I remember everything about you, sugar. You’re the most important person in my life so I try to recall all the things important to you.”
“And you do a remarkable job too. You always know just what I need and what I want. I love that about you so much,” she said with a smile. “I love you boys too. I also want to be able to give back to you guys as much as you give to me. You make me happy, and I want to make you happy too.”
“Babe, you’ve made us a home. That’s a huge thing. We gave you the shell and you turned it into something warm, welcoming and perfect to live in. And you’ve given us your love. That there is more than enough for anything we could ever give to you or do for you.”
Those words had her melting and she sighed. “And this is why you make me so happy. The way that you guys always know just what I need at any given moment in time. Yep, you make me happy.” And they did, too. “So what are our plans tonight, darling?”
“Well, we should go and watch a movie or something and then get some sleep. I still need to call your dad and arrange for Blake to have a day off. Which I should do while I still remember to do it, otherwise he’ll be getting up at well before the crack of dawn. Speaking of which, we need to turn the alarm off in the main bedroom. But that means I should sleep in the spare room so he can’t hear the damned thing. You going to be okay with that for a night?”
Patty hesitated. She honestly didn’t like sleeping away from either of them, but finally she nodded. “Yeah. I should be good with that. It means that Blake will have a day off and while I would rather sleep snuggled up to my guys, it makes sense. That also means that you should get to sleep sooner rather than later, doll.”
“Meh, I’m good for a little longer.” He smiled at her and tapped the end of her nose. “Don’t worry, I’ll go to bed at a decent time, but I want to snuggle with you for a little while. Since I won’t get to do it tonight you’d better not be thinking to deny me.”
“Oh, honey, I really love you snuggling with me and want that as well. Since I won’t have that time with you I have to agree, I need you to snuggle with me and make love with me before I send you off to another bed.” She slid that little part in there with a grin.
Snorting, he shook his head. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that little extra addendum you threw into the terms of the agreement. But, that’s fine, I do not see it as anything but a pleasure to get my woman naked, hot and bothered, and in my arms.”
“You betcha I added that one in there because I wanted to ensure that you had the knowledge of what I wanted.” She was nothing if not verbose in telling her guys how she felt. “Besides, you know that you want that as well. I think we should get naked on the couch as soon as possible.”
“Thank God we live out in the middle of nowhere. We don’t need to worry about the neighboring folk seeing us in the buff.” He grinned. “Go and pick a movie. Give me two minutes to call your dad and give him a heads-up about tomorrow.”
She laughed and nodded. “Yeah, good thing that we do. You call Dad and tell him I said hi too.” She loved her father but if she called him, she would never get her father off the phone. “What kind of movie?” One that didn’t have a plot, hopefully.
“Whatever you want, as long as it isn’t anything you plan on quizzing me on later. We just want something that gives a little noise in the background so we don’t scare Blake awake when you start shrieking at the top of your lungs.”
