The Tin Star (22 page)

Jamie blinked. Good grief! Talk about revelations! He was stunned. Before he could say anything, Ethan’s voice came from the doorway.

“So you think he knew?”

Bill and Jamie both jerked their attention to Ethan, who was leaning against the kitchen doorway in a pair of faded jeans and pullover shirt and socked feet. He looked for all the world like the answer to his question wasn’t important, but Jamie knew damned well it was.

“Yeah, he knew. And he didn’t care, just like I don’. Don’ get me wrong, I’m sure he’d ’ave rathered it be otherwise, but he didn’t love ya any less.”

A small grin flitted across Ethan’s lips, one so quick that if he hadn’t been staring at the man’s mouth, Jamie might have missed it. Ethan shoved away from the entrance and entered the kitchen. He patted Bill on the shoulder.

Bill patted him back, then hauled him into a quick hug. He let go and went back to the cornbread, pouring it into a pan. “You two get yourselves outta here, so I can get to finishin’ this. We gonna have supper at midnight at this rate.”

Jamie grinned and shook his head. “Ya old fart!”

Bill growled at him.

Ethan laughed and hugged Jamie. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. I was just thinking how many great things I have to be thankful for.”

“Yeah?” Ethan grinned down at him.

“Yeah.” He kissed Ethan. Then nibbled for a few seconds.

“All right, cut that out! I’m tryin’ to cook in here! I may know about it. I may even be glad, but I damn sure don’ wanna see it!”

He and Ethan laughed, squeezing each other tighter.

Ethan stepped away and headed for the door. “Well, fine. I won’t argue. If I stay, I’m liable to be put to work cooking. Grab us some beers, Jamie, and come on into the living room. We can make out in there.”

Bill pointed his spoon at him. “Now, don’ make me put my boot to yer ass, boy!”

Ethan chuckled and left.

Jamie laughed, too, and went to the refrigerator. “Well, shit! We’re outta beer.” He turned toward Bill and sighed. “And I was really looking forward to necking on the couch.”

Bill groaned. “Don’ think I won’ kick your ass, too, kid!”

Jamie came out of the store with a case of beer in each hand and one under each arm. Thank God for gas stations with convenience stores. He hadn’t even considered that everything would be closed when he’d headed out after more beer, just that they were going to have a houseful of people all wanting alcohol for the Cowboys’ game later that night.

“Hey, faggot!”

Aw, shit! Not now, dammit!
He had his hands full. Jamie kept walking, ignoring the taunts that came from behind him.

“Hey, queer, I’m talking to you!”

Jamie groaned, still heading toward the car. A shove from behind forced him to stumble into the front of his and Ethan’s Mustang. “Motherfucker!” He set the beers down and turned.

Tom Cooke and Carl. Great.

Tom smiled. “Come on. You might have gotten the best of Carl here and Jeff.” He looked around. “But I don’t see Whitehall and his foreman to bail you out now.”

Jamie sighed. He really didn’t want to get into it with them. He knew he could give a good accounting of himself, and he did have the gun under his jacket, but he really didn’t want to hassle with them.

Carl and Tom suddenly looked past Jamie as a smooth, deep voice said, “I don’t know who the hell you are. But, Carl, if you want to continue to work for the Quad J, you’d best be on your way.”

What the ...?
Who was that? Jamie didn’t recognize the voice but it was somewhere behind him. He could feel the man’s presence. Jamie didn’t like having someone at his back that he didn’t know, but he sensed more trouble from in front of him than behind. So he kept his eyes on the known threats.

Carl scowled at the man behind Jamie. “You can’t fire me! Killian hired me and Jeff. You and his damn boy ain’t got nothing to say about it.”

The man behind him chuckled, but without any evidence of humor. “Oh, I reckon John will have plenty to say about it. Killian may have hired you but, make no mistake, John runs the place and he gave me the authority to hire and fire whom I see fit. And I don’t think he’ll take too kindly to you harassing his brother.”

Carl spat on the ground, pivoted, then walked off.

Tom looked at Jamie, then over his shoulder at Carl’s back, apparently weighing his chances, before he, too, turned and stalked away.

Jamie turned and came face to face with one of the most striking men he’d ever seen. He was as conventionally handsome as Ethan or even Jamie himself, but this man oozed masculinity. He had a small, crescent-shaped scar at the edge of his right eyebrow and his smoky gray eyes sparkled with good humor. The man wore a tan felt cowboy hat over light-brown hair and had a day’s growth of beard. Though his eyes were smiling at Jamie, his lips were not. He wasn’t as big as Ethan, but he looked tough as hell. The man wore a look that clearly said anyone who messed with him would get his ass kicked. This was not someone you wanted to get on the wrong side of.

Jamie held out his hand to the man. “James Killian. But then you apparently know that.”

The man chuckled, a rough sound that held humor this time, then shook Jamie’s hand. “Royal McCabe. I’m the new foreman at the Quad J.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Thanks for the assist.”

McCabe dipped his head. “You’re welcome. Your brother speaks very highly of you. And judging from the looks of things when I took over, I’d say he speaks the truth. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Did I hear you right? Carl and Jeff work for the Quad J now?”

McCabe sighed. “I’m afraid so. Your father hired them last week. Haven’t gotten around to discussing it with your brother yet. I doubt he even knows.”

Well, son of a bitch.
He was pretty sure John didn’t know. He would have told Jamie something like that, so what would he say when he found out?

“Well, I better get back to the Tin Star. I imagine everyone has discovered we’re out of beer by now. Thanks, again.”

“Welcome. Have a nice Thanksgiving.” McCabe gave a quick nod and left.

“You, too,” Jamie called over his shoulder. He worried over Carl and Jeff all the way back to the ranch. He felt betrayed. Not that it was his brother’s fault, but John should be keeping better tabs on his people, damn it! Jamie was going to have to talk to him about that.

Jamie pulled up the driveway. Ethan and Fred met him as soon as he stepped out of the car.

“Need some help?” Ethan’s grin faded as soon as he caught look on Jamie’s face. “What happened?”

“I met the Quad J’s new foreman.”

“Yeah?”

Jamie nodded. “Says that Jeff and Carl are working at the Quad J.”

“Son of a bitch! What the hell is John thinking?”

“Don’t think he knows. McCabe says he hasn’t seen him long enough to tell him. Apparently my dad hired them.”

“McCabe told you this?

Jamie nodded and handed Ethan two packs of beer. “I had a run-in with Carl and Tom Cooke. McCabe stepped up behind me and let them know it wasn’t going to be just me if they decided to start something.”

“No shit?” Ethan’s face had tightened at first but relaxed a little toward the end of his recitation.

“No shit.” Jamie grabbed the remaining two packs and followed Ethan into the house.

“You ready to let me have a heart-to-heart with John now?”

“Yup, as long as you let me add my two cents.”

The house was chaos. Margie was in the kitchen directing Bill and John. John was whining about how he was a guest and not supposed to cook. Margie was threatening to beat him over the head with a ladle. Bill was laughing and having a grand ole time.

Julia was in the dining room directing Ed and Hayden on how to set the table. She was her usual chatty self. Jamie felt sorry for the two men.

Jamie looked at Ethan. “No wonder you came running out to help bring the beer in.”

Ethan chuckled. “Yeah, Julia has been giving out orders since she got here. Oddly enough, Ed and Hayden don’t seem to be minding it all that much.”

“Poor things. Can’t imagine allowing someone whom I’m not employed by to boss me around.”

“You let me boss you around.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “Maybe because you’re my boss?”

“Am I?”

“Aren’t you?”

Ethan shrugged. “Maybe at first. You’re more like a partner now.”

Jamie grinned. “You know, I’m beginning to feel like it. Seeing McCabe didn’t really bother me all that much.”

Ethan smiled and kissed his cheek. “Good.”

Julia looked up, spotted them, and smiled.

Ethan leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Run! I’ll head out the back. You head out the front. Maybe we can confuse her enough that she won’t follow. Oh, shit! Too late.”

“What are you grinning at, Jamie?” Julia stepped right up in front of them, blocking their exit.

“Nothing. How are you doing?” He hugged her.

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

Ethan shook his head. “No, he just wants you to say, ‘Fine. Happy Thanksgiving.’”

She swatted Ethan. “I’m tired. My back hurts. My feet hurt. They’ve been working my ass off at the hospital. I need a vacation!”

Ethan shrugged and mouthed,
I tried
.

Jamie grinned. “Man, that sucks!”

“Yes, it does.” She nodded. “How are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m great.” And it was true. He belonged here. Now if he could only figure out what was going on with his brother, everything would be perfect.

“Good. So tell me about Hayden.” She waggled her eyebrows.

Jamie groaned. “Ethan’s known him longer than I have. You should -- Don’t even think about it, Cowboy! Get back here -- ask him.” Jamie rolled his eyes. The man had actually tried to make a break for it, as if Jamie would allow that.

Ethan raised a brow.

Jamie crossed his arms over his chest.

Ethan did the same and cocked his head.

Julia huffed. “Well?”

Jamie should have seen it coming by the twinkle in his cowboy’s eyes.

“Sorry, Jules.” Ethan managed to keep a straight face. “He’s gay.”

Jules snapped her fingers. “Damn! How about Ed?”

“Gay, too.” He didn’t even crack a smile.

Jamie threw his head back and laughed. Even he wasn’t willing to go that far to keep Julia away from the men. Oh, brother! “You better tell Hayden and Ed. I don’t think they know.”

Jules groaned, put her hands on her hips, then threw them in the air. “Fine! I’ll find out myself.” She glared at them both.

“Thank God!” Ethan laughed.

Jamie shook his head. “You hit an all-time low with that one.”

“Give me a break, I was desperate. I almost told her Hayden was married. Given the lack of a wife, I don’t think that one would have held water.”

“I got news for you. The gay thing didn’t hold any water, either.”

Ethan shrugged. “Made her leave us alone, didn’t it?”

Jamie chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it did. You ready to abuse the rest of my family? Or you wanna wait till after supper?”

“Up to you. I’m keeping quiet.”

“Why are you keeping quiet? He’s your best friend.”

Ethan raised a brow. “Oh?”

Jamie’s heart nearly stuttered.
Damn!
There was no mistaking what Ethan meant by that. His loyalties lay with Jamie first ... not John. He grinned, then threw his arms around Ethan’s neck and kissed him.

As kisses went it wasn’t the most graceful or even the most romantic. How could it be with the chorus of critics? There was everything from “Eww,” to “Take it upstairs,” to “Someone get a hose.”

Jamie smiled against Ethan’s lips but didn’t let go of him. “After supper?”

“Yeah, after supper.” Ethan gave him a quick peck, then pulled away to glare at the trio in the dining room. “Y’all shut the hell up!”

Jules, Hayden, and Ed all broke into peals of laughter. Jamie couldn’t help but join them.

* * * * *

Ethan sat across from his best friend of twenty-six years and his lover of three months, and there was not the slightest bit of regret in him. He knew where he stood. John was like a brother to him, but he cared about Jamie more. There was no question of whose side he was on ... not that they were picking sides or anything. They were there to inform John that his daddy had hired men behind his back. If John didn’t already know, then he needed to pay better attention to what his daddy was doing. He was staying on to keep from putting good, hard-working people out of work, and if Jacob was trying to take over again by dealing behind his eldest son’s back ... well, it didn’t look too good.

Ethan was letting Jamie do the talking, and thinking that maybe he shouldn’t have.

“What do you want me to do, Jamie?” John jumped up and began to pace.

Jamie leaned back against Ethan’s desk and crossed his feet. “I want you to stop ignoring the problem. Whose side are you on?”

“How can you ask me that?”

Ethan sighed. This was going to be a long conversation if they kept going around and around. They’d had this conversation already.

“Because you can’t sit in the middle anymore. Pick a side of the fence. Either you support me or you don’t. Supporting me to everyone but Dad doesn’t cut it. And you aren’t doing yourself any favors by ignoring Dad’s actions.”

John stopped and looked at him. His mouth dropped open, then he snapped it shut.

“What?” Ethan got up and walked around the desk to lean against it next to Jamie.

John glared at Jamie. “Are you threatening me?”

What?
Where had that come from? What the hell was he talking about? Ethan turned to Jamie.

Jamie glanced at him, startled, then frowned and looked back to John. “That depends. You done something we should know about? Are you an accessory?”

Oh, shit!
This was going downhill fast! Ethan hadn’t even drawn that conclusion. He was pretty sure John hadn’t meant it that way either. But before he could try to salvage the situation John was already responding. “Fuck you!”

Jamie straightened from the desk. “No, fuck you! You turncoat! Why don’t you go kiss Daddy’s ass! Maybe you can share a jail cell!”