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archetTitle: Angels Ain’t Easy
Author: Archet
Pairing: OMC Jody McKinnon/Matt Hawkes
Fandom: High Mountain Rangers
Summary: a story of falling in love, figuring things out and just holding on.
Disclaimer: I did not create the High Mountain Ranger character/s, only this fic and the Original Male Character, Jody McKinnon, and any other original characters in supporting roles. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: this fic is set in 1989, approximately a year and a half after the events of the final episode of High Mountain Rangers. There will be no acknowledgment of the events of the spin-off show Jesse Hawkes.
Warnings: none this chapter
Note: this fic takes place a little over four months after Bad Luck, Bad Guys and High Mountain Rangers and is a sequel to that fic, so reading that first is recommended.
Additional: this fic will depict same sex relationships, and dominate/submissive themes. If this ain’t your thing, venture no further.
Summary this chapter: as Jody becomes more and more sure of his relationship with Matt, he has some unexpected visitors bringing interesting news.
***Additional Notes/ramblings at end of chapter***
~*~
Chapter 20: Tudor Castles and Other News
After spending a few minutes sulking on the couch, Jody decided to get over himself, get up, and do something constructive. Pushing up to his feet, he headed into the kitchen. He’d wanted to try out his favorite caramel cookie recipe out on Matt for a while, and now seemed as good a time as any to whip up a batch. Hauling a bowl out from the cabinet, he got busy, and soon enough found himself smiling a little, thinking back to Matt’s parting grin. He arranged the ingredients needed for the cookies on the counter, and by the time he had the measuring cups and whisk out, he felt moderately less irritated.
As he worked, it struck Jody how routine it felt, working in the kitchen. Everything was so very familiar, as if he’d spent years there, in Matt’s cabin, instead of the breadth of the summer. It was an unusual realization for someone who’d spent a big chunk of his adult life moving from place to place, rarely forming any lasting attachment to the places he’d been. Not two days ago, he’d caught himself pacing the narrow span of the cabin’s back porch and calculating how best to expand it, was considering floating the idea to Matt of possibly putting in a hot tub, if he was amendable. There were other half-formed notions that drifted in and out of his mind in quiet moments, things like installing a bigger fire pit in, and possibly a backyard swing.
Somewhere, in the midst of falling in love, he’d started making plans.
Leaning one hip against the kitchen counter, Jody understood the implication.
“Oh, boy,” he mumbled, raking a hand through his hair.
It was all awfully presumptuous, he supposed, especially considering that he hadn’t yet told Matt how he felt. But sure, he’d shown him, in many ways, but showing wasn’t the same as telling, and he knew it. He’d been working up to it, the night of their dinner date, before fucking Silva had interrupted them, and then afterwards never managed it as they’d both gotten unavoidably, wonderfully distracted.
Scowling, Jody tipped his head back and hauled in a deep, cleansing breath. After a long moment he released it, imagining all the discord and irritation that assailed him anytime the subject of Silva came up, as being released as well. He was starting to see that he needed to be particularly clear headed when it came to handling that situation.
But, first things first.
Matt needed know, to hear, how he felt. In return, he needed to hear from Matt as well, see where he stood. Jody thought he had a pretty good bead on that, but this wasn’t something he was willing to risk by assuming things. And aside from that, there was something else that had been on his mind, and powerfully so, that he wanted to present to Matt.
Straightening, Jody turned, and reaching up opened one of the upper cabinet doors. There, tucked under a glass casserole dish, lay a folded piece of paper. Drawing out the paper square, he opened it, laying it on the counter next to the flour bag and smoothing it flat with a swipe of his palm.
Jody already knew the printed text by heart, but it was comforting to see it again. Clear. He’d tested all clear. Tapping fingertips on the smooth countertop he thought back to the day he’d driven clear down to South Tahoe to the clinic there. He hadn’t wanted to go into Bear Valley for worry that someone would recognize him. Not that he gave a damn for his own sake, but people knew he and Matt were together, and the thought of anyone butting into their business tripped all his protective instincts.
They’d been mindful, always using condoms, but condoms weren’t failsafe, and Jody needed to know he was protecting Matt, and himself, in every way possible. He’d yet to breach the topic of foregoing condoms, not wanting his boy to feel pressured. But God, he wanted it. Closing his eyes against the warm shiver of delight summoned from just the thought Matt on his cock that way, Jody shook his head, buffeted by the currents of want his lover inspired.
Goddamn, but he loved the boy.
Reluctantly pushing the warm moment aside, Jody grabbed the paper copy of the test results, and refolding it, slipped it safely into his jeans pocket. If he kept thinking along these lines much more, he’d be jacking off in the kitchen instead of baking. He huffed out a laugh at the contrast of those two vastly different, yet both relaxing, activities. He grinned, then, imagining Matt’s amusement at coming home to find him, well, coming in the kitchen.
Refocusing, Jody allowed the heat inside to calm and settle. They’d work it out. He’d sit Matt down and have a serious conversation with him. Hell, maybe he’d do it tonight.
A thrill arrowed through him at the possibility.
I love him. I need him.
What lay beyond these truths depended on Matt, and while Jody’s chest tightened at the unknown, his resolve stood unshaken. Fuck Silva and his intrusion. Fuck what anyone else thought. Nothing mattered but Matthew. The longer Jody was in Matt’s life and on his mountain, the more certain he became that this is why he’d been drawn back there; to find Matt, to watch over him, and to love him, and damned if he wasn’t a little stunned at the turn his life had taken.
But for now, cookies.
Working the folded lip of the paper flour bag open, Jody eyed the kitchen cabinets, wondering where the flour sifter had gotten to, when he was interrupted by a quick rap on the front door.
Stifling a groan, Jody stepped back from the counter, wiping palms on his jeans. By the time he’d made it across the kitchen and into the living room, he was more than a little annoyed. Baking tended to calm him, and he had a lot to consider before Matt got home. He’d prefer to not be disturbed while he went over his thoughts. Another impatient rap on the door had him scowling.
“Yeah, just a minute,” he barked.
Reaching the threshold, he flicked the lock open. Matt had taken to locking the front door more often, since the afternoon where his buddy, Tim, had nearly walked in on them naked in bed. Grabbing the doorknob he twisted it and pulled it open.
“Yeah?” he said.
Two boys blinked up at him through the screen door. Teenagers, and as both just stared up at him, he prompted, “You guys selling something, or what?”
The pair exchanged a quick look, a darting, silent exchange, and then the shorter of the two squared his shoulders.
“Is my brother here?”
A moment of total confusion distracted Jody from the rather forthright tone, and then recognition hit him soundly, pushing his annoyance aside.
Cody.
This was Matt’s little brother.
Uh,oh.
Matt spoke often of his younger brother, and with obvious fondness, though Jody had gotten the idea that they didn’t get to spend as much time together as Matt would like. It made sense, seeing how their parents had separated when they both were just kids, Matt going to live with his mom in town, and Cody remaining with his dad. Matt didn’t talk much about those times, unless it was to relay some adventure he and Cody had gotten up to, and typically had gotten grounded for. It sounded as if the two had been a bit of a handful. Jody had wondered about the whole separation situation, but hadn’t pushed for details beyond what Matt had shared.
“Cody?” Jody asked, taking in the youth with interest.
A short nod. “Yeah. Is Matt here? I need to talk to him.”
Again, right to the point, and just a shade shy of impolite.
Shaking his head, Jody put a hand against the screen door, pushing it open. “No, I’m sorry he’s not, but why don’t you guys come on in?”
The two exchanged another look, just as rapid fire as before as Jody looked on in amusement. They were as different as night and day. A nice looking kid with a straight nose and bright blue eyes under a thick sheaf of brown hair, Cody wore a guarded expression that turned outright assessing as he swung his gaze away from his friend. The blue eyes narrowed as Jody searched for, and found, a resemblance in the young face, only the resemblance wasn’t attributed to Matt. No, Cody was definitely his father’s son right down to the sharp, squared jaw.
Wearing a button-up grey shirt neatly tucked into a pair of black jeans and a pair of scuffed cowboy boots, Cody shifted in place, but didn’t back away.
“Well, do you know when he’ll be back?” Cody asked, ignoring the invitation, and it wasn’t lost on Jody that Cody had most certainly spent more time in the cabin than Jody had, and was probably unaccustomed to a front door standing locked against him. He should probably admire the kid’s restraint, as he was pretty sure Matt had mentioned once that he’d given Cody a key to the cabin long ago.
Yeah, not off to the best start, he mused.
“Well,” Jody said carefully. “He’s in town, at a meeting. And then he was going by the station, after. I’m not looking for him to be home before dark.”
It seemed to be exactly the wrong thing to say. Cody’s gaze narrowed further, lips pressing into a flat line of displeasure as he brought his chin up, head tilting back slightly. Hit with a different sense of familiarity, Jody nearly smiled. Going by coloring and features alone, Cody resembled his big brother very little, but that pointed expression and head tilt was Matthew Hawkes all day long.
The urge to reach out and ruffle the kid’s hair was strong, and Jody could just imagine how well that would go over. Swinging his attention to Cody’s companion, who so far had stood silent, only his lifted eyebrows giving away his assessment of the rather awkward exchange, Jody nodded in acknowledgement.
“I’m Jody, Jody McKinnon,” he offered.
“Hey, man,” the kid said brightly. “I’m Jamie.”
After a beat, Jamie stuck out his hand abruptly. Jody silently thanked the kid for at least attempting to break the ice. His hand engulfed the teen’s as he gave him a mild squeeze and a quick shake before releasing.
“Good to meet you, Jamie. You guys wanna come in and have some breakfast? I can whip up some eggs in no time.”
Jamie’s expressive eyes widened, and Jody sensed victory close at hand. The boy had a few inches on Cody in height, and a long, angular face that was friendly and open. His almond shaped eyes where dark brown, fringed by thick lashes, and his black hair peeked from underneath the wide brimmed, black cowboy hat he wore. Two downy feathers tucked underneath the hat’s braided leather band swayed with the bob of his head. Over his right shoulder he carried a camo-green compound bow.
“Are you kidding? Heck, yeah,” Jamie blurted, and then immediately got an elbow in his ribs.
Rubbing at his side, he favored Cody with an offended look. “Dude, I’m hungry.”
Cody offered no apology, but clenched his jaw and looked aside, seemingly struggling with the intense need to roll his eyes.
Jody bit the inside of his cheek to keep his laughter in check.
“Well, come on. It won’t take but a few minutes. You guys can tell me what you’re up to while you wait.”
That earned him another squinty look from Cody, but the battle was won as Jamie shouldered his friend aside, stepping inside the cabin. Cody lingered on the porch for a moment, then with an audible sigh followed in Jamie’s wake. The screen door thumped shut behind him and Jody ignored the weight of Cody’s stare against his back as walked into the kitchen.
Jamie all but loped to kitchen table, plopping down onto a chair after carefully laying his bow on the couch. He wore a blue t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up underneath a denim vest with a corduroy collar revealing long, lean arms still gangly with youth. His dark wash blue jeans were tucked into the tops of a pair of well-worn Reeboks. With introductions out of the way, and with the promise of breakfast, he appeared completely at home, leaning elbows on the table with an easy confidence. In contrast, Cody slipped into the chair opposite Jamie, his gaze tracking around the cabin with an almost suspicious slant.
Jody sidled around the table to the refrigerator, pulled open the door and grabbed the carton of eggs, a stick of butter and the milk. He sat the items beside his abandoned cookie ingredients, and pulled out a small skillet, placing it on the stovetop. Twisting the knob to start the element heating up, he estimated the number of eggs he’d need.
“So what are you two up to?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder.
Jamie cut a look at Cody. There seemed to be some silent debate over who would do the talking. Turning back to the counter to hide his smile, Jody began unwrapping the butter.
“We’ve been up at Bloods Point. You know where that is?”
This information relayed by Jamie. Jody nodded as he grabbed a small bowl from the dish rack and cracked an egg against its lip. Tossing the emptied shell into the trash, he quickly repeated the process a few more times before adding a dollop of milk into the bowl, then turned to face the boys, cradling the bowl.
“Yeah, I remember going up there when I was about your guys’ age. Rough country.”
Jamie nodded. “It hasn’t changed. But we like to bow hunt up that way.”
Leaning back against the counter, Jody picked up the whisk, giving the egg and milk a quick, efficient mix. Both boys watched him with varying degrees of interest. Jamie practically licking his lips in anticipation, and Cody eluding his gaze each time Jody looked his way.
“Is old man Roberts still living up there?” Jody asked, remembering suddenly the old mountain man who owned a track of land near Blood’s Point.
The surly old timer had been notoriously unfriendly, and highly territorial. He’d even gone so far as to take a few potshots at Jody and his friends once after they’d inadvertently strayed over the man’s property line while deer hunting. Jody vividly recalled how pissed his mom and dad had been on finding that out, something they’d both been able to agree on, for once.
“Nah,” Jamie said, shaking his head. He removed his hat and was tapping the brim with his long fingers. “He finally died a few years ago. Must’ve been at least a hundred.”
For the first time since entering the cabin, Cody spoke. He pulled a face at Jamie. “He wasn’t that old. He was like, eighty-six or something.”
Jamie scoffed in disagreement. “No way, that guy was ancient. And how do you know, anyway?”
Cody just shrugged, tilting his head at Jamie, and again, Jody was reminded heavily of Matt.
“My dad knew him.”
When Cody failed to elaborate, Jamie turned back to Jody. “They say he left a will leaving his land to his son with like, a rule or something in it.” He looked aside at Cody. “What’s it called again?”
“A stipulation,” Cody supplied succinctly.
Ignoring the clipped tone, Jamie continued. “Yeah, a stipulation that said no one was allowed to do any new builds up there. It ticked the son off, big time, ‘cause he wanted to sell the land, but no one wanted to buy it if they couldn’t build on it.”
Curious, Jody put in, “Let me guess. His son figured out a way around that.”
Cody, deciding to join in, huffed. “Oh, yeah. It sold. There’ve been all kinds of rumors as to who bought it, but nobody knows for sure. Then a couple years ago all kinds of building materials and stuff was trucked up there.”
Jamie added, “Yeah, and now there’s this big, fancy-mancy castle up there, right on top of the ridge.”
Cody frowned. “It’s not a castle. It’s a mansion.” He turned to look at Jody. “You know, like one of those Tudor style deals.”
Jamie slouched in his chair and waved a hand at Cody. “Oh, pardon me, Mr. Architect, sir.” Then to Jody, Jamie mouthed the words, “It’s a castle,” with the flat of one hand next to his mouth as if to shield his voice from his friend.
Chuckling, Jody turned back to the counter, giving the eggs one final whisk. Next to him the skillet was primed, and as he poured in the eggs he gave them a brisk stir, working them around the pan until they were sizzling. Behind him the boys were bickering again, debating the validity of certain rumors claiming that old man Roberts had installed booby traps on his land before he died, and whether or not some hapless contractor had actually fallen victim to one of the traps during the construction of the ‘castle’.
Dropping a pat of butter into the eggs, Jody let it melt, giving it all one final stir, and then shut off the stove, sitting the pan aside. Without being asked Cody stood from the table and retrieved a couple plates, glasses and forks, setting the table with an easy familiarity. By the time the two boys had poured themselves some milk, Jody was spooning eggs onto their plates.
Jamie tucked into his mound of eggs with vigor. Cody took a bite, followed with a sip of milk, and then seemed content to stare at his plate, fork poking aimlessly. Prepared to wait the kid out, Jody sat down on the chair at the end of the table, his gaze straying to Cody and Matt’s names, etched into the tabletop just by his elbow. Matt had said he’d done that as a kid with his Swiss Army knife, and it’d pissed his mom off something fierce.
Jody could see them in his mind’s eyes, Matt’s blonde head bent over the table as he struggled to scratch his and his brother’s name into the wood, Cody by his side, cheering him on.
After a beat of silence, Jamie looked up from his plate. With an audible, long suffering sigh, he pinned Cody with a look.
“Will you just tell him? He’s Matt’s guy.” Looking over at Jody, Jamie asked, “You are Matt’s guy, right?”
Landing someplace between highly amused and highly cautious, Jody nodded, replying with seriousness, “Yes, I am Matt’s guy, for sure.”
Seeming to come to a decision, Cody let out a breath. “Look, that mansion?” He paused, fixing Jamie with a sharp look, which was ignored. “There’s been all kinds of stories about it. I mean, there’s not even a good road going up there, so no one could figure why anyone would go through all that trouble, right? To build something hard to get to, then hardly ever use it.”
Sitting back in his chair, Jody tried to follow Cody’s logic. “How do you know it’s hardly used?”
Jamie chimed in, gesturing with his fork. “Eh, everybody knows. My people, the Shoshone, knows. We like to keep tabs on things on the mountain, you know?” He took a quick bite, and then added, waving his fork for emphasis. “And the high mountain folk know. They don’t much like all these new people coming here, wanting to build all over the place.”
Cody nodded. “Anyway, like I said, it hardly gets used, except for a couple times a year, when there’s this big get together up there.”
Wolfing down the remainder of his meal, Jamie said, “Yeah, city folk come up here on their new BMW’s, even a limo one time. It’s crazy. It’s kinda funny seeing them try and get up that road. My uncle had to pull one half-way up the mountain last year with his four by four. Dude’s car slid off the road and almost ended up in a gulley. He paid my uncle in hundred dollar bills for his trouble.”
Jamie took a swig of his milk, and then sat back in his chair with a sigh, patting his belly. “That hit the spot, man. Thanks.”
More entertained than he was willing to let on, Jody bit back a grin and dipped his head at Jamie.
“More than welcome.” Looking back at Cody, he asked, “So, what’s this got to do with Matt?”
Setting his elbows on the table, Cody leaned forward. “When we were up on the ridge this morning, we went by the mansion.”
“Yeah,” Jamie cut in, eyes wide. “But we were careful, you know? We know better than to go and get caught poking around up there.”
A fission of concern cut through Jody’s amusement. “So, you know better, but you went poking around anyway?” he asked gruffly.
Both boys froze, exchanging a quick glance.
“Well,” Jamie said slowly, “it was more just taking a quick look, you know, not poking around, exactly. Besides, it’s the wrong time of year for anyone to be up there.”
Jody sat up in his chair, and fixed both boys with a firm look. “So what did you see, while you weren’t exactly poking around?”
Cody’s eyes narrowed. “Jonathan Silva. You know who that is?”
Of all the things Cody could have said, the name wasn’t what Jody expected to hear, yet somehow, he couldn’t say he was surprised.
“I sure do,” he said slowly, leaning forward in his chair. “And now I want you boys to tell me exactly what you saw, and don’t leave anything out.”
*****Additional Notes/Etc*********
I made it! Finally! So glad to get back to this, and I've already rambled somewhat but, I asked myself, why not do a little more? A couple things in this chapter that I should've already addressed, and.....just kinda forgot to previously. Ha! Jody and Cody finally meet, and I find that I love Jamie. Cody (gezz a lot of similar sounding names in this fic) isn't going to cut Jody much slack, esp. after Matt's ordeal with Jonathan, so Mr. McKinnon has to prove himself a bit, in that area. Annnnnd, the whole ditching condoms things was supposed to occur earlier, only I just sorta lost track of that idea, so we're getting to it now.
Excited to see what Matt and Jonathan are up to? Me too! I have ideas, but who knows where we'll end up?
This chapter was written, scrapped, rewritten many times, but one thing I'm positive of, and that's that Jody is so completely in love, he's just done for. And I love it! So here's this one, and on to the next! Hope all is well, let me know what you think if you still reading, cheers! ;D
Author: Archet
Pairing: OMC Jody McKinnon/Matt Hawkes
Fandom: High Mountain Rangers
Summary: a story of falling in love, figuring things out and just holding on.
Disclaimer: I did not create the High Mountain Ranger character/s, only this fic and the Original Male Character, Jody McKinnon, and any other original characters in supporting roles. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: this fic is set in 1989, approximately a year and a half after the events of the final episode of High Mountain Rangers. There will be no acknowledgment of the events of the spin-off show Jesse Hawkes.
Warnings: none this chapter
Note: this fic takes place a little over four months after Bad Luck, Bad Guys and High Mountain Rangers and is a sequel to that fic, so reading that first is recommended.
Additional: this fic will depict same sex relationships, and dominate/submissive themes. If this ain’t your thing, venture no further.
Summary this chapter: as Jody becomes more and more sure of his relationship with Matt, he has some unexpected visitors bringing interesting news.
***Additional Notes/ramblings at end of chapter***
~*~
Chapter 20: Tudor Castles and Other News
After spending a few minutes sulking on the couch, Jody decided to get over himself, get up, and do something constructive. Pushing up to his feet, he headed into the kitchen. He’d wanted to try out his favorite caramel cookie recipe out on Matt for a while, and now seemed as good a time as any to whip up a batch. Hauling a bowl out from the cabinet, he got busy, and soon enough found himself smiling a little, thinking back to Matt’s parting grin. He arranged the ingredients needed for the cookies on the counter, and by the time he had the measuring cups and whisk out, he felt moderately less irritated.
As he worked, it struck Jody how routine it felt, working in the kitchen. Everything was so very familiar, as if he’d spent years there, in Matt’s cabin, instead of the breadth of the summer. It was an unusual realization for someone who’d spent a big chunk of his adult life moving from place to place, rarely forming any lasting attachment to the places he’d been. Not two days ago, he’d caught himself pacing the narrow span of the cabin’s back porch and calculating how best to expand it, was considering floating the idea to Matt of possibly putting in a hot tub, if he was amendable. There were other half-formed notions that drifted in and out of his mind in quiet moments, things like installing a bigger fire pit in, and possibly a backyard swing.
Somewhere, in the midst of falling in love, he’d started making plans.
Leaning one hip against the kitchen counter, Jody understood the implication.
“Oh, boy,” he mumbled, raking a hand through his hair.
It was all awfully presumptuous, he supposed, especially considering that he hadn’t yet told Matt how he felt. But sure, he’d shown him, in many ways, but showing wasn’t the same as telling, and he knew it. He’d been working up to it, the night of their dinner date, before fucking Silva had interrupted them, and then afterwards never managed it as they’d both gotten unavoidably, wonderfully distracted.
Scowling, Jody tipped his head back and hauled in a deep, cleansing breath. After a long moment he released it, imagining all the discord and irritation that assailed him anytime the subject of Silva came up, as being released as well. He was starting to see that he needed to be particularly clear headed when it came to handling that situation.
But, first things first.
Matt needed know, to hear, how he felt. In return, he needed to hear from Matt as well, see where he stood. Jody thought he had a pretty good bead on that, but this wasn’t something he was willing to risk by assuming things. And aside from that, there was something else that had been on his mind, and powerfully so, that he wanted to present to Matt.
Straightening, Jody turned, and reaching up opened one of the upper cabinet doors. There, tucked under a glass casserole dish, lay a folded piece of paper. Drawing out the paper square, he opened it, laying it on the counter next to the flour bag and smoothing it flat with a swipe of his palm.
Jody already knew the printed text by heart, but it was comforting to see it again. Clear. He’d tested all clear. Tapping fingertips on the smooth countertop he thought back to the day he’d driven clear down to South Tahoe to the clinic there. He hadn’t wanted to go into Bear Valley for worry that someone would recognize him. Not that he gave a damn for his own sake, but people knew he and Matt were together, and the thought of anyone butting into their business tripped all his protective instincts.
They’d been mindful, always using condoms, but condoms weren’t failsafe, and Jody needed to know he was protecting Matt, and himself, in every way possible. He’d yet to breach the topic of foregoing condoms, not wanting his boy to feel pressured. But God, he wanted it. Closing his eyes against the warm shiver of delight summoned from just the thought Matt on his cock that way, Jody shook his head, buffeted by the currents of want his lover inspired.
Goddamn, but he loved the boy.
Reluctantly pushing the warm moment aside, Jody grabbed the paper copy of the test results, and refolding it, slipped it safely into his jeans pocket. If he kept thinking along these lines much more, he’d be jacking off in the kitchen instead of baking. He huffed out a laugh at the contrast of those two vastly different, yet both relaxing, activities. He grinned, then, imagining Matt’s amusement at coming home to find him, well, coming in the kitchen.
Refocusing, Jody allowed the heat inside to calm and settle. They’d work it out. He’d sit Matt down and have a serious conversation with him. Hell, maybe he’d do it tonight.
A thrill arrowed through him at the possibility.
I love him. I need him.
What lay beyond these truths depended on Matt, and while Jody’s chest tightened at the unknown, his resolve stood unshaken. Fuck Silva and his intrusion. Fuck what anyone else thought. Nothing mattered but Matthew. The longer Jody was in Matt’s life and on his mountain, the more certain he became that this is why he’d been drawn back there; to find Matt, to watch over him, and to love him, and damned if he wasn’t a little stunned at the turn his life had taken.
But for now, cookies.
Working the folded lip of the paper flour bag open, Jody eyed the kitchen cabinets, wondering where the flour sifter had gotten to, when he was interrupted by a quick rap on the front door.
Stifling a groan, Jody stepped back from the counter, wiping palms on his jeans. By the time he’d made it across the kitchen and into the living room, he was more than a little annoyed. Baking tended to calm him, and he had a lot to consider before Matt got home. He’d prefer to not be disturbed while he went over his thoughts. Another impatient rap on the door had him scowling.
“Yeah, just a minute,” he barked.
Reaching the threshold, he flicked the lock open. Matt had taken to locking the front door more often, since the afternoon where his buddy, Tim, had nearly walked in on them naked in bed. Grabbing the doorknob he twisted it and pulled it open.
“Yeah?” he said.
Two boys blinked up at him through the screen door. Teenagers, and as both just stared up at him, he prompted, “You guys selling something, or what?”
The pair exchanged a quick look, a darting, silent exchange, and then the shorter of the two squared his shoulders.
“Is my brother here?”
A moment of total confusion distracted Jody from the rather forthright tone, and then recognition hit him soundly, pushing his annoyance aside.
Cody.
This was Matt’s little brother.
Uh,oh.
Matt spoke often of his younger brother, and with obvious fondness, though Jody had gotten the idea that they didn’t get to spend as much time together as Matt would like. It made sense, seeing how their parents had separated when they both were just kids, Matt going to live with his mom in town, and Cody remaining with his dad. Matt didn’t talk much about those times, unless it was to relay some adventure he and Cody had gotten up to, and typically had gotten grounded for. It sounded as if the two had been a bit of a handful. Jody had wondered about the whole separation situation, but hadn’t pushed for details beyond what Matt had shared.
“Cody?” Jody asked, taking in the youth with interest.
A short nod. “Yeah. Is Matt here? I need to talk to him.”
Again, right to the point, and just a shade shy of impolite.
Shaking his head, Jody put a hand against the screen door, pushing it open. “No, I’m sorry he’s not, but why don’t you guys come on in?”
The two exchanged another look, just as rapid fire as before as Jody looked on in amusement. They were as different as night and day. A nice looking kid with a straight nose and bright blue eyes under a thick sheaf of brown hair, Cody wore a guarded expression that turned outright assessing as he swung his gaze away from his friend. The blue eyes narrowed as Jody searched for, and found, a resemblance in the young face, only the resemblance wasn’t attributed to Matt. No, Cody was definitely his father’s son right down to the sharp, squared jaw.
Wearing a button-up grey shirt neatly tucked into a pair of black jeans and a pair of scuffed cowboy boots, Cody shifted in place, but didn’t back away.
“Well, do you know when he’ll be back?” Cody asked, ignoring the invitation, and it wasn’t lost on Jody that Cody had most certainly spent more time in the cabin than Jody had, and was probably unaccustomed to a front door standing locked against him. He should probably admire the kid’s restraint, as he was pretty sure Matt had mentioned once that he’d given Cody a key to the cabin long ago.
Yeah, not off to the best start, he mused.
“Well,” Jody said carefully. “He’s in town, at a meeting. And then he was going by the station, after. I’m not looking for him to be home before dark.”
It seemed to be exactly the wrong thing to say. Cody’s gaze narrowed further, lips pressing into a flat line of displeasure as he brought his chin up, head tilting back slightly. Hit with a different sense of familiarity, Jody nearly smiled. Going by coloring and features alone, Cody resembled his big brother very little, but that pointed expression and head tilt was Matthew Hawkes all day long.
The urge to reach out and ruffle the kid’s hair was strong, and Jody could just imagine how well that would go over. Swinging his attention to Cody’s companion, who so far had stood silent, only his lifted eyebrows giving away his assessment of the rather awkward exchange, Jody nodded in acknowledgement.
“I’m Jody, Jody McKinnon,” he offered.
“Hey, man,” the kid said brightly. “I’m Jamie.”
After a beat, Jamie stuck out his hand abruptly. Jody silently thanked the kid for at least attempting to break the ice. His hand engulfed the teen’s as he gave him a mild squeeze and a quick shake before releasing.
“Good to meet you, Jamie. You guys wanna come in and have some breakfast? I can whip up some eggs in no time.”
Jamie’s expressive eyes widened, and Jody sensed victory close at hand. The boy had a few inches on Cody in height, and a long, angular face that was friendly and open. His almond shaped eyes where dark brown, fringed by thick lashes, and his black hair peeked from underneath the wide brimmed, black cowboy hat he wore. Two downy feathers tucked underneath the hat’s braided leather band swayed with the bob of his head. Over his right shoulder he carried a camo-green compound bow.
“Are you kidding? Heck, yeah,” Jamie blurted, and then immediately got an elbow in his ribs.
Rubbing at his side, he favored Cody with an offended look. “Dude, I’m hungry.”
Cody offered no apology, but clenched his jaw and looked aside, seemingly struggling with the intense need to roll his eyes.
Jody bit the inside of his cheek to keep his laughter in check.
“Well, come on. It won’t take but a few minutes. You guys can tell me what you’re up to while you wait.”
That earned him another squinty look from Cody, but the battle was won as Jamie shouldered his friend aside, stepping inside the cabin. Cody lingered on the porch for a moment, then with an audible sigh followed in Jamie’s wake. The screen door thumped shut behind him and Jody ignored the weight of Cody’s stare against his back as walked into the kitchen.
Jamie all but loped to kitchen table, plopping down onto a chair after carefully laying his bow on the couch. He wore a blue t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up underneath a denim vest with a corduroy collar revealing long, lean arms still gangly with youth. His dark wash blue jeans were tucked into the tops of a pair of well-worn Reeboks. With introductions out of the way, and with the promise of breakfast, he appeared completely at home, leaning elbows on the table with an easy confidence. In contrast, Cody slipped into the chair opposite Jamie, his gaze tracking around the cabin with an almost suspicious slant.
Jody sidled around the table to the refrigerator, pulled open the door and grabbed the carton of eggs, a stick of butter and the milk. He sat the items beside his abandoned cookie ingredients, and pulled out a small skillet, placing it on the stovetop. Twisting the knob to start the element heating up, he estimated the number of eggs he’d need.
“So what are you two up to?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder.
Jamie cut a look at Cody. There seemed to be some silent debate over who would do the talking. Turning back to the counter to hide his smile, Jody began unwrapping the butter.
“We’ve been up at Bloods Point. You know where that is?”
This information relayed by Jamie. Jody nodded as he grabbed a small bowl from the dish rack and cracked an egg against its lip. Tossing the emptied shell into the trash, he quickly repeated the process a few more times before adding a dollop of milk into the bowl, then turned to face the boys, cradling the bowl.
“Yeah, I remember going up there when I was about your guys’ age. Rough country.”
Jamie nodded. “It hasn’t changed. But we like to bow hunt up that way.”
Leaning back against the counter, Jody picked up the whisk, giving the egg and milk a quick, efficient mix. Both boys watched him with varying degrees of interest. Jamie practically licking his lips in anticipation, and Cody eluding his gaze each time Jody looked his way.
“Is old man Roberts still living up there?” Jody asked, remembering suddenly the old mountain man who owned a track of land near Blood’s Point.
The surly old timer had been notoriously unfriendly, and highly territorial. He’d even gone so far as to take a few potshots at Jody and his friends once after they’d inadvertently strayed over the man’s property line while deer hunting. Jody vividly recalled how pissed his mom and dad had been on finding that out, something they’d both been able to agree on, for once.
“Nah,” Jamie said, shaking his head. He removed his hat and was tapping the brim with his long fingers. “He finally died a few years ago. Must’ve been at least a hundred.”
For the first time since entering the cabin, Cody spoke. He pulled a face at Jamie. “He wasn’t that old. He was like, eighty-six or something.”
Jamie scoffed in disagreement. “No way, that guy was ancient. And how do you know, anyway?”
Cody just shrugged, tilting his head at Jamie, and again, Jody was reminded heavily of Matt.
“My dad knew him.”
When Cody failed to elaborate, Jamie turned back to Jody. “They say he left a will leaving his land to his son with like, a rule or something in it.” He looked aside at Cody. “What’s it called again?”
“A stipulation,” Cody supplied succinctly.
Ignoring the clipped tone, Jamie continued. “Yeah, a stipulation that said no one was allowed to do any new builds up there. It ticked the son off, big time, ‘cause he wanted to sell the land, but no one wanted to buy it if they couldn’t build on it.”
Curious, Jody put in, “Let me guess. His son figured out a way around that.”
Cody, deciding to join in, huffed. “Oh, yeah. It sold. There’ve been all kinds of rumors as to who bought it, but nobody knows for sure. Then a couple years ago all kinds of building materials and stuff was trucked up there.”
Jamie added, “Yeah, and now there’s this big, fancy-mancy castle up there, right on top of the ridge.”
Cody frowned. “It’s not a castle. It’s a mansion.” He turned to look at Jody. “You know, like one of those Tudor style deals.”
Jamie slouched in his chair and waved a hand at Cody. “Oh, pardon me, Mr. Architect, sir.” Then to Jody, Jamie mouthed the words, “It’s a castle,” with the flat of one hand next to his mouth as if to shield his voice from his friend.
Chuckling, Jody turned back to the counter, giving the eggs one final whisk. Next to him the skillet was primed, and as he poured in the eggs he gave them a brisk stir, working them around the pan until they were sizzling. Behind him the boys were bickering again, debating the validity of certain rumors claiming that old man Roberts had installed booby traps on his land before he died, and whether or not some hapless contractor had actually fallen victim to one of the traps during the construction of the ‘castle’.
Dropping a pat of butter into the eggs, Jody let it melt, giving it all one final stir, and then shut off the stove, sitting the pan aside. Without being asked Cody stood from the table and retrieved a couple plates, glasses and forks, setting the table with an easy familiarity. By the time the two boys had poured themselves some milk, Jody was spooning eggs onto their plates.
Jamie tucked into his mound of eggs with vigor. Cody took a bite, followed with a sip of milk, and then seemed content to stare at his plate, fork poking aimlessly. Prepared to wait the kid out, Jody sat down on the chair at the end of the table, his gaze straying to Cody and Matt’s names, etched into the tabletop just by his elbow. Matt had said he’d done that as a kid with his Swiss Army knife, and it’d pissed his mom off something fierce.
Jody could see them in his mind’s eyes, Matt’s blonde head bent over the table as he struggled to scratch his and his brother’s name into the wood, Cody by his side, cheering him on.
After a beat of silence, Jamie looked up from his plate. With an audible, long suffering sigh, he pinned Cody with a look.
“Will you just tell him? He’s Matt’s guy.” Looking over at Jody, Jamie asked, “You are Matt’s guy, right?”
Landing someplace between highly amused and highly cautious, Jody nodded, replying with seriousness, “Yes, I am Matt’s guy, for sure.”
Seeming to come to a decision, Cody let out a breath. “Look, that mansion?” He paused, fixing Jamie with a sharp look, which was ignored. “There’s been all kinds of stories about it. I mean, there’s not even a good road going up there, so no one could figure why anyone would go through all that trouble, right? To build something hard to get to, then hardly ever use it.”
Sitting back in his chair, Jody tried to follow Cody’s logic. “How do you know it’s hardly used?”
Jamie chimed in, gesturing with his fork. “Eh, everybody knows. My people, the Shoshone, knows. We like to keep tabs on things on the mountain, you know?” He took a quick bite, and then added, waving his fork for emphasis. “And the high mountain folk know. They don’t much like all these new people coming here, wanting to build all over the place.”
Cody nodded. “Anyway, like I said, it hardly gets used, except for a couple times a year, when there’s this big get together up there.”
Wolfing down the remainder of his meal, Jamie said, “Yeah, city folk come up here on their new BMW’s, even a limo one time. It’s crazy. It’s kinda funny seeing them try and get up that road. My uncle had to pull one half-way up the mountain last year with his four by four. Dude’s car slid off the road and almost ended up in a gulley. He paid my uncle in hundred dollar bills for his trouble.”
Jamie took a swig of his milk, and then sat back in his chair with a sigh, patting his belly. “That hit the spot, man. Thanks.”
More entertained than he was willing to let on, Jody bit back a grin and dipped his head at Jamie.
“More than welcome.” Looking back at Cody, he asked, “So, what’s this got to do with Matt?”
Setting his elbows on the table, Cody leaned forward. “When we were up on the ridge this morning, we went by the mansion.”
“Yeah,” Jamie cut in, eyes wide. “But we were careful, you know? We know better than to go and get caught poking around up there.”
A fission of concern cut through Jody’s amusement. “So, you know better, but you went poking around anyway?” he asked gruffly.
Both boys froze, exchanging a quick glance.
“Well,” Jamie said slowly, “it was more just taking a quick look, you know, not poking around, exactly. Besides, it’s the wrong time of year for anyone to be up there.”
Jody sat up in his chair, and fixed both boys with a firm look. “So what did you see, while you weren’t exactly poking around?”
Cody’s eyes narrowed. “Jonathan Silva. You know who that is?”
Of all the things Cody could have said, the name wasn’t what Jody expected to hear, yet somehow, he couldn’t say he was surprised.
“I sure do,” he said slowly, leaning forward in his chair. “And now I want you boys to tell me exactly what you saw, and don’t leave anything out.”
*****Additional Notes/Etc*********
I made it! Finally! So glad to get back to this, and I've already rambled somewhat but, I asked myself, why not do a little more? A couple things in this chapter that I should've already addressed, and.....just kinda forgot to previously. Ha! Jody and Cody finally meet, and I find that I love Jamie. Cody (gezz a lot of similar sounding names in this fic) isn't going to cut Jody much slack, esp. after Matt's ordeal with Jonathan, so Mr. McKinnon has to prove himself a bit, in that area. Annnnnd, the whole ditching condoms things was supposed to occur earlier, only I just sorta lost track of that idea, so we're getting to it now.
Excited to see what Matt and Jonathan are up to? Me too! I have ideas, but who knows where we'll end up?
This chapter was written, scrapped, rewritten many times, but one thing I'm positive of, and that's that Jody is so completely in love, he's just done for. And I love it! So here's this one, and on to the next! Hope all is well, let me know what you think if you still reading, cheers! ;D
