Chapter Thirty-Two

    Aiden was having more fun than he'd had in a long time. The entire Atkinson family, all the ranch hands, Ty, Liza, LeRoy and a fairly large group of people from town had gathered at the ranch for the cookout and party that was largely in honor of Nick's recovery but also to celebrate Susie and Sally's birthday which had been overshadowed by tragedy. 

    A few men had pulled out instruments and formed a band and now everyone was laughing, eating, dancing and simply enjoying themselves. 

    Aiden was thankful when the band took a break and he was able to finally rest his legs a bit. Susie, Kaitlyn and Ellie had kept him busy twirling around the dance floor, not to mention the foot stomping dance that Nathan and Max had been teaching him. 

    Aiden glanced over at Nick and saw him standing with Brody and Thomas. Of course none of them had wanted to dance. Brody simply said he wasn't much of a dancer, Thomas had made it clear that since Sally wasn't feeling up to doing much dancing he wasn't going to dance either, (it seemed that Sally was the jealous type), and Nick claimed to have two left feet. 

    Aiden just figured they considered themselves too tough for dancing. Aiden didn't. He'd had the time of his life twirling the ladies around the floor and laughing as the kids taught them made-up moves to made-up dances. 

    Now that he was getting a break he headed for the refreshment table and ladled a bit of lemonade into a glass. He couldn't believe how much lemonade was left and he wondered who had brought it since he hadn't remembered seeing it in Ellie's kitchen earlier. 

    Just as Aiden was bringing the cup to his mouth it was knocked away and lemonade sloshed all over his hand and wrist. He threw a look of alarm at Brody who was watching him with narrowed eyes, "Why did you do that?!" Aiden demanded. 

    "I was saving your life," Brody replied sternly. His brow rose up and his lip twitched a bit at the corner, "Elizabeth made that lemonade." 

    Aiden frowned and his eyes found Elizabeth who was striding their way with her arms crossed and glaring angrily at her husband. "I'm sure it tastes just fine," Aiden assured the man. 

    Brody shrugged, "It's your funeral." 

    Aiden was less sure about his decision to take a drink now but he did so anyway, not wanting to anger Elizabeth. As soon as that lemonade passed his lips, Aiden knew he had made a grave mistake. Never had he tasted anything so sour. Instantly his jaws locked and pain shot through them. His eyes began to water and his stomach rolled as the liquid sloshed down into it. 

    "Is it that bad?" Elizabeth demanded had hands going to her hips. 

    Aiden shook his head and tried to lie but his jaws wouldn't move. Cookie's rough laughter filled the air from the other side of the refreshment table, "Damn, Elizabeth, I do believe you killed the man! That must have been your worst batch yet." 

    "It was not!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her cheeks reddening. 

    "You've made worse?" Aiden managed to gasp and this time it was Brody that was laughing. 

    Elizabeth glared at all three men, snatched the cup from Aiden's hand and took a drink before spewing said drink all over the grass and dirt, "Oh that's horrible!" she exclaimed. 

    "Told you so," Brody shrugged. 

    "Nick!" Elizabeth waved toward Nick and he headed their way. "Take him around back to the pump well and get him a drink. I think he needs some fresh water... I might have killed him." 

    Nick chuckled, took Aiden's arm and led him around the house. "Oh dear God!" Aiden gasped once they were out of sight, "That was the most horrible tasting lemonade I've ever tried to drink!" 

    "You should have listened to Brody," Nick informed him. "Around here it's a pretty safe bet that if Liz had any hand in making something, you shouldn't taste it... hell, you probably shouldn't even sniff it." 

    "How do they not starve to death?" 

    "Ellie cooks quite a bit and I hear tell that Brody's a good cook himself." Nick cranked the hand pump several times and Aiden filled his hands with clear water and gulped it down greedily. "Are you gonna make it?" Nick teased.

    "I hope so," Aiden mumbled as he stood back straight and wiped his mouth with his shirtsleeve. Away from the lanterns and fires Aiden realized just how late it had gotten. The sunset was nearly passed and darkness was falling quickly. 

    "I'd say you're tired aren't you?" he asked Nick and Nick nodded as he slid up behind Aiden and wrapped his arms tight around his waist before resting his head on his shoulder. 

    "Brody made me a fairly surprising offer today... well he made us the offer I guess I should say." 

    Aiden leaned back into Nick's embrace, loving the peace and safety he always felt when the other man held him this way, "What was the offer?" 

    "A place of our own to live here on the ranch. He said we can stay in the ranch house for a couple months while our home is built or if we choose we can have Sally and Thomas's house once they leave for Wyoming."  

    "Really?" Aiden asked with surprise as he turned his head to look at Nick's jaw. 

Nick turned his head as well and kissed him lightly, "Yeah really." 

"He's going to give us a house?" 

"No, he's going to give it to us as loan and we have ten years to pay the loan back.... Of course I think he just said that to save my pride." 

    Aiden smiled, "You do have a wagonload of the stuff." 

    Nick shrugged and held Aiden a little tighter, "So what do you want to do?" 

    "Thomas and Sally's place is real nice," Aiden admitted, remembering the afternoons he had spent there. "It's small and simple just like what we'd need. And the pond is real peaceful right beside it." 

    "I like ponds," Nick whispered low as he let his lips graze along Aiden's jaw. 

    Aiden trembled in Nick's arms and felt his knees weaken, "I remember."    

    "Ya reckon we could call it a night and move on into the ranch house today? I'd like to have you alone," Nick admitted. He ran one big hand down Aiden's stomach and teased at the waistband of his pants. Aiden swallowed hard. He and Nick hadn't been intimate over the last month at Doctor Montgomery's. They hadn't had much privacy there and Aiden had been too worried about Nick's healing to think about anything else. 

    "It's either we do that or we make the trip back to town faster than anybody's ever made it before," Aiden stated as he turned in Nick's arms and laid a kiss against his neck, "That bunkhouse just ain't going to cut it tonight." 

    Nick let out one of his animalistic growls then and moved away from him, "Let's go say our goodnight then and figure out what damn room is ours. I ain't gonna wait much longer." 

***

    Nick woke the next morning to the feel of Aiden's lips caressing his bare chest. Nick felt the blood in his veins instantly begin to pump a little faster. Aiden's tongue shot out and caressed Nick's right nipple and Nick nearly shot from the bed. He barely had time to absorb the pleasure before Aiden was moving lower; his tongue flicking and caressing the tight firm muscles of Nick's stomach and then lower still until.....

    "Damnation!" Nick growled as he gripped Aiden's hair and lifted the man's face so he could look into his eyes, "What are you doing?" 

    "Do I really have to explain it to you?" Aiden asked as he quirked a brow and his cheeks reddened a little.

    Nick laughed lightly. Aiden liked to try his hand at seducing now and then but the man seemed to blush every time. "Carry on then," Nick conceded as he released his hold on Aiden's hair. 

    Aiden flashed him a wicked grin that sent a jolt of lust so strong through Nick that he couldn't hold back his growl and he rose up, fully prepared to flip Aiden onto his back and show him what he was doing to him but Aiden's hands went to his chest and held him down firmly, "I'm in charge," Aiden warned, "You lay down." 

    Nick was surprised and to be submissive felt new and odd but it was a good odd so he nodded and lay back and relaxed against the soft mattress. Aiden nodded, seeming just as unsure with this new role reversal as Nick was. Nick was happy to see Aiden taking charge. The man was finally growing confident in who he was and Nick knew this was something Aiden needed to do to prove something to himself. 

    "Aiden?" Nick whispered and Aiden's eyes met his again. 

    "Yeah?" 

    "I love you." 

    A smile curved Aiden's lips and lit up his handsome face, "I love you too." 

    Nick nodded, "Now get to it because I'm not going to lay here like a good boy for very damn long."

***

    It was an hour later before the two men finally made their way out of the bedroom and they were quickly called into the kitchen where Susie, Ryder, Wendell, Kaitlyn, Ellie, Jacob, Brody and Elizabeth were sitting around the table...... Well most of them were sitting; Ryder was standing up and juggling apples. Nick thought it was quite impressive actually. 

    "Good morning!" Susie said brightly as they walked in. 

    "Good morning," Aiden replied and Nick nodded in response. 

Ellie motioned to the counter where pans of eggs, sausage, gravy, biscuits and canned apples were sitting. "Help yourselves," she insisted. Nick didn't need to be told twice. His stomach was roaring. He went to the counter and began preparing two plates. 

    Brody laughed, "Yep, must have been a good night because only a husband who had a really good night makes his wife's plate come morning." 

    "Or maybe Nick's being the wife today," Aiden countered as he sat down in an empty chair.    

    Nick shook his head, "Nope." He sat Aiden's plate in front of him and then continued to stand as he began to eat his own. 

    "Enough about that," Susie scolded as she adjusted her skirt. 

    Ryder grinned, "Susie's shy." 

    "Hush!" Susie exclaimed as her face reddened. "Okay, there really is something that we need to talk about," Susie said turning her attention to Nick and glancing at Aiden. 

    "Y'all come to a decision about that place I offered you yet?" Brody questioned. 

    "Well actually we figured we'd just wait until Sally and Thomas move out and just take over their place... I mean if that's okay," Aiden rambled quickly. "That was real nice of you to offer us a place here on the ranch, Brody—" 

    "I'm not being nice, the boss tells me what to do and I do it," Brody assured them, though Nick saw the humor in the man's eyes. 

    "Actually, that one was all Brody," Elizabeth countered and then she quickly added, "But only because he thought of it first. And I was going to recommend y'all to take Sally's and Thomas's place anyhow because they are going to be moving to the ranch house over the next week." 

    "We don't want to push anyone out," Nick spoke up quickly. 

    "You couldn't push Sally out if you wanted to," Jacob assured him. "She's Brody with longer hair and without the bloodthirsty nature." 

    Brody shook her head, "That's not fair, Jacob," he warned. "Sally sure as hell ain't just like me; she's meaner." 

    "Can we stay focused?" Elizabeth asked with exasperation. "We have a lot of work to get done around here and we don't have all day to talk." 

    Brody sat up straighter and tipped his hat, "Yes, ma'am. Y'all heard the boss. Time to come to attention and shut the hell up." 

    "Thank you," Elizabeth smiled at her husband and he leaned forward and kissed her brow tenderly. "Okay," she turned her attention back to the rest of the room, "Sally wants to move into the ranch house because the closer it gets time for her baby the less she wants to be alone out at that cabin while Thomas is out riding the fields.  Aiden, if you'll help her get everything packed up again this week then we'll move them this weekend." 

    "Okay," Aiden mumbled and Nick knew he was remembering the sore shoulders and aching back he'd earned the last time he'd helped Sally pack. Nick remembered them too and smiled... He'd be more than willing to rub out those sore muscles some more. 

    "And some more news," Wendell said as he sat up straighter, "I'm getting married this weekend."

"To yourself?" Ryder teased as he tossed down three of his apples and then took a bite of the fourth. 

    Nick chuckled as Kaitlyn rolled her eyes at Ryder, "No, to me." 

    "Just remember—" Ryder waggled his brows. "—she was my fiancée first." 

    "Ryder...." Susie warned and the sheepish grin that appeared on Ryder's face as he went to Susie and hugged her from behind had Nick laughing outright. 

    "Yes there is going to be a wedding on this ranch in six days," Elizabeth said. "That means everything needs to get cleaned up real good and I want things polished 'til they shine." 

    Ryder spit on the arm of Susie's chair and began to polish with his sleeve. "What are you doing?" Brody grumbled. 

    "Cleaning," Ryder replied. He pulled his arm away and pointed at the gleaming wood. "See, it's beautiful." 

    "It's wrong, Ryder," Brody stated. "You are one wrong man." 

    "And I'm family!" Ryder exclaimed as he winked at Brody. 

    The look of annoyance on Brody's face as his brow rose was one of epic proportions. He sighed as he pushed himself to his feet, "I'm gonna go do something productive." 

    Nick and Aiden soon found themselves alone in the kitchen with Kaitlyn, Susie and Ellie, "Wedding planning time. We only have a week so we'll keep it simple," Ellie began. 

    Nick knew when it was time for him to go. He quickly woofed down the last of his breakfast, laid his plate on the counter and walked up behind Aiden. He laid his hand on Aiden's shoulder and squeezed gently, "I'm gonna get to work. Y'all have fun." 

    "Aww... they're so sweet together," Susie whispered as Aiden smiled up at Nick. Nick quickly cleared his throat and left he ranch house. 

    Women.......