Chapter Twenty-Four:

Ty was walking down the street while he ran his most important errand of the day. He tipped his hat to the ladies, nodded at the men and smiled at the children that would run in front of him now and then. He saw Widow Golden out feeding some of the stray dogs that ran around town and a young seven year old boy named Jonathon had his sling shot in hand and was shooting stones at the birds trying to get in his families small plot of corn behind their house.

Town was calm and for that he was happy. Liza was getting further along and bigger every single day. The woman was so short and petite that her stomach caused her to look a lot like she was smuggling a watermelon beneath her skirt.

He smiled as the aroma of the chicken and dumplings resting on the tray he was carrying reached his nose. Liza had been craving the diners chicken and dumplings for the last few weeks and like the dutiful husband he was, Ty had taken the time every day to get big steaming bowl full and take it to her at the school house.

He was heading up the hill on the outskirts of town. The schoolhouse was nestled at the top of the hill and he could already hear the children reciting the alphabet. The going up the hill was rough because of the ground being slick from the rain the night before. He had insisted on helping Liza up the hill this morning and was hoping the sun would dry the ground before she had to come back down it this afternoon.

Ty's thoughts were interrupted when the sound of pounding hooves filled the air. He turned quickly and saw one of the hands from Atkinson Spread galloping down the main street of town. Mud was flying from beneath the horse's hooves and women were gasping and muttering angrily as they tried to jump out of the way to avoid splatters.

Ty sighed, realized that Liza's lunch was going to be cold before he managed to get it to her and made his way back down the hill and toward the man who was hoping down off his horse with rage contorting his features, "Goddamn Atkinson bastards!"

"What seems to be the problem?" Ty asked as he approached. "You can't be galloping that fast down the main street while folks are going about their days."

"You're brother married in with that bunch of Atkinson's didn't he?" the man demanded and Ty nodded. "You better watch your back then, sheriff. Those Atkinson's are liable to stick a knife in it," the man spat as he swiped at his muddy cheek. Ty remembered his name to be Burt now and he also noticed that Burt had a split lip and his eyes seemed to be blackening.

"From what I know of Brody, Liz and the rest of the Atkinson's, they don't need to stab folks in the back, Burt. They're plenty tough enough to come at you from the front." Burt snorted. "What happened?" Ty asked.

"I expressed my strong dislike for their newest hire," Burt sneered. "Apparently my opinion was not appreciated and I was told to get the hell of their land."

Ty frowned, "Was this before or after someone did that to your face?"

Burt's cheeks reddened and he licked at the blood seeping from his swollen bottom lip, "After. And if I see that damn Brody Atkinson around town I'm going to pay him back for it too."

Ty didn't even have to fake his surprise, it was genuine as his eyes widened, "Brody did that?"

"Hell yeah."

"You're lucky that's all you got if it was Brody dealing out the punishment. You must have pissed them off real good," Ty chuckled.

"They're in love with their little Aiden and God have mercy on anyone who has something bad to say about the man," resentment was thick in Burt's voice.

"Why wouldn't you like Aiden?" Ty asked, not worrying about Burt's anger toward Brody. Brody Atkinson had lived a long time despite numerous attempts to end his life—a man like Burt wouldn't be any challenge for him. Plus Burt was just blowing hot air because he was angry.

"Ain't you heard?"

"Heard what?"

Burt grinned and stuck his thumbs through his belt loops, "Aiden is a disgusting man, sheriff. He and Nick like to lay together—you know like a man and a woman should. They're pretty damn touchy feely. Aiden's the little woman while Nick stands over him like a protective husband."

Ty took a step back and tried hard to harden his face to hide the disgust and shock he felt at that admission. Two men lying together the way a man should only ever lay with a woman? That was disturbing, wrong and it made his stomach churn just to think of it.

"Uh-oh, lawman, don't let them Atkinson's see you looking so disgusted. They'll make your face match mine," Burt patted him on the back and then headed into the saloon they were standing in front of.

Ty couldn't shake the sick feeling in his stomach at the knowledge of what Aiden and Nick were. And to think he'd been so welcoming to Aiden when the man had first come to town—hell Aiden probably thought Ty wanted him... Ty fought back a gag.

"Bit early to be hitting the saloon, big brother," Ryder was suddenly there and putting his arm around Ty's shoulders. "What do you got there?" he added as he tried to raise the lid of the bowl resting on the tray.

"Your sister-in-laws lunch and she'll skin you alive if you mess with it... and who are you to tell me it's too early for the saloon. I remember a time not too long ago when you practically lived in one."

Ryder laughed, opened the bowl and before Ty could stop him, he'd stolen a chunk of chicken and was plopping it into his mouth, "Liza won't hurt me. She waddles too slow to catch me right now." Ryder licked his fingers and his whole face lit up when Susie approached them.

"Hello, Ty," she offered brightly. Ryder slid his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Ryder, that's not proper," Susie warned with a blush coloring her freckled cheeks.

"But it's what I want," Ryder replied with a shrug as his grip tightened. "And don't talk to Ty he's in a mood this morning. The chicken and dumplings are good though,"

"What's wrong, Ty?" Susie asked.

Ty sighed, "Did y'all know about Aiden and Nick?"

Susie's eyes widened with surprise but Ryder seemed too busy sniffing her neck to pay any attention to Ty, "You used that shampoo I like," he mumbled.

"Who told you about Nick and Aiden?" Susie questioned as she tried, and failed, to wiggle away from Ryder.

"Burt. Apparently he got fired this morning and your brother knocked him around a little too. Why in the world would Brody and Liz want some nasty animals like that around their children?"

Ty knew instantly that he had said the wrong thing. He had assumed that Susie would see things the same way he did but it was clear from the flash of temper in her usually bright blue eyes that he had assumed wrong. "How dare you say something like that! Those are good men!" Susie argued.

"But they lay together, Susie.." Ty insisted, shivering a bit as he did so.

"Susie knows," Ryder grinned as he once again looked at his brother. "Aiden's our friend, Ty, and Nick seems like a good guy—a bit too serious like my old brother dearest but a good man just the same."

"There is nothing good about two men lying together. It's an abomination and I'd rather they weren't around my town."

Susie glared at him, huffed once and then stormed away toward the church, "I have care packages to deliver," she spat.

Ty rubbed his neck and sighed before realizing how angry his little brother appeared to be at him, "You better hope she doesn't cry over what you said," Ryder warned. "I don't let people make Susie cry, not even my own flesh and blood brother."

"Ryder, you gotta admit that it's wrong—doesn't it seem wrong to you?" Ty demanded.

Ryder shrugged and went in for another piece of Liza's lunch only this time Ty was quick enough to swat his hand away and stop him. Ryder grinned as he shook his hand, "I don't care one way or the other," he admitted. "I don't know why you're making such a big deal of it. Love is love brother and love is good. It's not like they're trying to get you to lay with them too."

With those words of wisdom—shockingly spoken by a man who up until just a few months ago had honestly believed the moon was made of cheese—Ryder patted Ty on the back and then hurried after his wife.

Feeling confused and conflicted, Ty knew it was time to head back to Liza with her lunch. The children would be busy with their playtime outside and that would give him the opportunity to speak with her. She could always help him see the correct way to handle things and put his head in the right place.

***

Aiden was exhausted and he was hiding. All day he'd been carrying boxes, sacks, crates and chests full of Sally, Max and Thomas's things and loading them into a wagon. There were only four days remaining until they were leaving for Wyoming and Aiden had been assigned with the duty of helping Sally prepare everything.

She, Thomas and Max were going to be spending their last few days on Atkinson Spread at the ranch house. Aiden had never seen a family with so many things—mostly weapons and ranching gear.

Finally though Aiden was getting a few moments of peace as he sat beneath a large sycamore beside the pond that Sally's cabin was close to. As he rested his head against the rough bark he thought about the events that had taken place just that morning.

Brody and Liz had come riding to the ranch with their tempers still plainly written on their faces. The six men who had been left in the rain to sleep had been muddy, wet and sniffling as they'd huddled together around Cookie's cooking fire.

Nick and Aiden had been standing with Wendell off to the side and Aiden had been working hard to ignore the glares Burt had kept sending in their direction.

Liz had then walked straight up to Burt and asked him point blank if he had been the one to trash the bunkhouse. His response to that had been a chuckle and Liz had ordered him to leave her ranch and never step foot on her property again.

That was when hell had broken loose. Burt had let loose with a string of insults directed at Liz. He had called her names that Aiden wouldn't have dared muttered to a dog and Aiden had stood there absolutely dumbfounded .

Liz had laughed it off and had been prepared to walk away but Brody clearly hadn't been willing to let it slide. He had strode toward Burt like a man on a mission but Nathan had reached Burt first. His twelve year old fist had connected solidly with Burt's gut as he yelled at the man to never speak that way to his mama again.

Burt apparently had had a moment of brain lapse because he had raised his hand to knock the boy away and that's when Brody had sprung. Like a mortar round blasting from the end of a cannon, Brody's coiled muscles shot forward and his fist connected sharply with Burt's mouth.

Burt had gone down hard but Brody hadn't been satisfied with that. He'd grabbed Burt by the collar of his drenched shirt and jerked him back to his feet, "You ever speak a word to my wife again or raise your goddamn hand to my boy and it'll be something worse than my fist busting your head," he'd warned and then he'd punched him again, this time in the eye, just for good measure.

It had only taken moments after that for Burt to get his belongings and take off like a bat out of hell toward town. The other five hands who had slept in the rain had then let Aiden and Nick know that they hadn't been the ones to trash their belongings but yet they hadn't wanted to rat out their friend either.

Aiden sighed as the breeze blew against his hair. Maybe now they'd have some real peace. Though Aiden was going to miss sharing a bed with Nick at night... maybe now and then they could find excuses to go out far enough on the property to have an excuse to use the shacks set up here and there for a night.

He still felt a little guilty that so many men had left the ranch because of him and Nick but Liz and Brody didn't seem to mind so Aiden was working hard to not mind either.

"Aiden?" Sally's voice called out. "Aiden, you better come get this chest cuz you know darn well that if Thomas catches me lifting it—"

"He'll skin me alive, I know," Aiden mumbled as he got to his feet and swatted his backside to clean the dirt from it.

Thomas had warned him that morning that if he allowed Sally to do any heavy lifting that Aiden would get skinned when Thomas returned. The man was scary looking—not quite so bad as Brody but scary just the same. Aiden was definitely not in any hurry to find out if the man had truly meant his threat.

"So are you and Nick going to be staying in the ranch house too?" Sally asked as she sat in a chair on the porch and Aiden hefted up one of the three new chests she had filled up.

"No," Aiden replied with a grunt as his arms shook. Honestly he had the muscles of a fourteen year old boy; who had decided it was a good idea to have him doing the hard labor? He'd have to make sure he and Nick snuck somewhere private for at least a few moments tonight because if there was one thing the other man was really good at, it was massages. Well he was good at many other things too—Aiden blushed at his own thoughts.

"Why not?" Sally questioned with a frown.

Aiden realized with a grunt and a twinge of pain in his back that he was not going to be able to get the remaining chests put up alone. It just wasn't going to happen, "Because we don't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing us run," Aiden replied as he sat down on the chest and put his chin in his hand. "I can't lift these," he added.

"That's alright, I'll make Thomas do it," Sally replied with a wave of her hand. "Given your past I'd have to say you're probably good at keeping a secret aren't you?"?

Aiden laughed and nodded, "Yeah that is one thing that being an abomination teaches you. You learn how to keep a secret."

Sally shifted in her seat and shook her head as she studied him with her big blue eyes, "I don't think you're an abomination, Aiden, and you shouldn't call yourself one."

Aiden just shrugged as he kicked at the dirt, "Okay."

"I'm scared about this move," Sally admitted quietly with disgust in her voice. "I'm supposed to be an Atkinson-Cooper. I'm not supposed to feel things like fear and here I am scared to death."

"What are you scared of?" Aiden asked. He wasn't surprised that Sally was opening up to him. Aiden had been told more times than a few that he was the kind of person that another person instantly felt they could trust. It had never really bothered Aiden he liked helping people—or at least listening.

"Leaving home," Sally replied and then she placed her hand over her rounding stomach, "Being a mother.... I never had a mother; at least not that I can remember. I'm not exactly the motherly type...."

"You have Max," Aiden countered and she shook her head.

"Max was older when Thomas brought him to us and he spends most of his time with Thomas or with his cousins..." she glanced down at her stomach. "This will be a baby and it will need me every moment of every day."

"I think you'll do just fine," Aiden assured her as he stood up and stretched out his aching shoulders, "Just love him or her, do everything you can to build them up and let them know they matter and never, no matter what they admit to you about themselves, tell them they have to die and that's what's best."

Sally raised her brow, "And that'll make me a good mom,"

Aiden shrugged and flashed her a smile, "It'll make you a better one than I had."

***

"What did you do all day?" Nick demanded gently as he rubbed and massaged at the tight knotted muscles in Aiden's shoulders. Aiden had cornered Nick behind the smokehouse and whimpered and begged until Nick had agreed to help him out. Truly Nick was happy to—he only wished they had a bit more privacy because back rubs in private could be quite a bit of fun.

"Loaded trunks and bags and crates that weighed more than I do into a wagon all day," Aiden mumbled as he leaned against the wall.

He let out a moan and Nick swallowed hard, "Cookie has dinner ready and we'd better go eat before the least burnt pieces of steak are gone," Nick stated as he moved away from Aiden and then adjusted his gun belt around his hips. Damn Aiden! Nick hadn't been this easily aroused since he'd been a heck of a lot younger than he was right now.

"Here's hoping our beds are still in one piece," Aiden added. Nick felt that protective side of himself roar to life. He sincerely hoped that now that Burt was gone things would calm down here and he and Aiden would be allowed to be themselves and at least live without constant turmoil going on around them.

Aiden took Nick's hand in his and gave it a squeeze. Instantly Nick felt some of his tension melt away. He kissed Aiden's brow tenderly and then they broke apart a bit and made their way to the bunkhouse and the cooking fire that Cookie and the other hands were gathered around.

"Are y'all hungry?" Cookie asked with a grin.

"Starving," Aiden admitted as he took the plate of lumpy mashed potatoes and charred steak.

Vance stepped forward then and Nick tensed before Vance finally spoke, "I for one want to apologize for what happened to y'all's stuff yesterday. I realize I didn't apologize this morning and I should have."

"Uh.. thanks," Aiden replied. Nick felt Aiden's eyes on him and he looked at the other man to find him staring at him expectantly, "Wasn't that nice, Nick?"

"Sure...." Nick mumbled, "Aiden and I are going to be staying in the bunkhouse now and I want to make sure we aren't gonna have any more trouble," Nick added warningly.

The hands that were around all shared a quick glance and then nodded, "Sure, there won't be any more trouble," Vance agreed, "Why aren't you gonna stay in the ranch house?"

"Because we aren't running anymore," Aiden spoke up before Nick could. Then Aiden surprised the hell out of Nick when he reached over and gave Nick's hand a squeeze.

"Well good for you I say," Cookie nodded as he handed Nick a plate of food.

"I say so too," Wendell agreed, "Life is too short to worry about what other folks are gonna think."

A quiet tension fell over the group for a moment and then finally Vance nodded and held out a hand to Nick, "You won't have any more trouble from me. You have my word on that."

Nick stared at the hand a moment and then reached out and shook it quickly. Suddenly he felt better about the future than he had in a long long time.

***

"I hate those goddamn Atkinson's," Garth mumbled as he took a swig of whiskey.

"You aren't the only one," Graham agreed as he stared down into his beer.

"How would you boys like to get back at those bastards?" Burt asked and suddenly he had the attention of the three other disgruntled men at the bar.

"And wind up with a face that matches yours?" Curly snorted, "No thanks."

"Fine then, you'll miss out," Burt snorted back, "I got a good thing going on over there; I'm just waiting on the chance to hit them hard. It's going to be harder now that I'm not working there."

"What kind of think you talking about?" Garth demanded.

"Are you saying you're interested?"

"Is it going to hurt the Atkinson's in some way?"

Burt nodded, 'Yep and make Brody feel like a fool."

"Then I'm in," Garth grinned.

"Us too," Curly agreed while Graham nodded.

Burt downed his shot of whiskey and smiled, "Well alright then, boys, gather 'round."