Deke smirked. “He has to beat women off him with a stick. He never has a problem getting a date or getting laid.”
Ava stared at him then laughed. “Please. You’re gorgeous.”
“Well, thank you, ma’am, but Hud makes me and Case look like we’re in the wrong family.” He chuckled.
“I doubt that. I’m sure you’re all very handsome.”
Deke laughed. “Yeah, until we’re all together.”
Ava shook her head. “Let’s take a shower and get some sleep.”
“Alright. I have to leave early in the morning.”
“I hate that.”
“Then we need to get you moved as soon as possible.”
“I agree. I’ll pick up some boxes and start packing. Once that’s done, I’ll be ready.”
“How about I come back in two weeks, on the weekend, and we can load my truck up too.”
“That would be great. Let’s grab a shower,” she said with a smile.
Deke sat up, removed his boots, jeans, and boxer briefs, then got out of the bed and put his hand out to her. She placed hers in his and he felt a shock through his entire body, then he led her to the bathroom.
A few days later, Deke stepped into his father’s house, the familiar creak of the wooden floorboards announcing his arrival. He found his brothers and father gathered around the kitchen table; their faces clouded with frowns. The room was filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, mingling with the faint scent of cedar from the nearby woods.
“What’s up, son?” Frank Anderson asked, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and concern.
Deke hesitated, the gravity of his news weighing heavily on his shoulders. He carefully hung up his hat on the coat rack. Pulling out a chair, he settled into it, feeling the solid wood beneath him as he searched for the right words.
“Are we supposed to guess why you asked us to be here, Deke?” Case quipped with a sarcasm that cut through the air like a knife.
“Damn, you can be a pain in my ass,Caysen,” Deke retorted, his frustration momentarily flaring.
Hud, leaning back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest. “If you’ve got something to tell us, just do it. You’ve never had a problem before,” he said, impatience lacing his tone.
Deke locked eyes with his father, whose steady gaze urged him to speak. Taking a deep breath, hefinally broke the silence. “I have a daughter.”
The revelation hung in the air, heavy and unexpected. Silence enveloped the room, thick and profound. Deke studied each face, his father’s calm yet surprised, Case’s incredulous, and Hud’s barely restrained amusement.
“I knew your dick would get you into trouble one day,” Hud chuckled, prompting Case to join in with a burst of laughter.
“That’s enough, Hudson,” their father interjected sternly, casting a disapproving look.
Hud shrugged, unrepentant. “Just sayin’.”
Their father’s gaze softened as he turned back to Deke. “Tell us how this happened, Deacon—”
“I think we know how it happened, Dad,” Hud said, making Case chuckle.
Their father glared at Hud, then looked at Deke. “I raised you boys to practice safe sex.”
“I did, Dad. Condoms aren’t foolproof,” Deke explained, his voice tinged with defensiveness. “Anyway, she’s two years old—”
“Two years old, and you’re just telling us now?” Case interrupted; disbelief etched on his face.
“I just found out,” Deke replied, the weight of revelation still fresh. “I met her mother at a Cattlemen’s Convention in Billings almost three years ago. I was there on a lead. We… spent the night together, then parted ways. She lives in Maple Ridge—”
