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Blurb:
Short Rides is an anthology compilation of two novellas and one short story in the Rough Riders world. These are NOT meant to be read as standalone stories, but are a peek into favorite character’s lives after the happily ever after…
The stories included in the Short Rides anthology are:
King of Hearts* — Deputy Cam McKay deals with a murder/suicide case on Valentine’s Day.
Rough Road — Chassie, Trevor and Edgard Glanzer spend a romantic weekend away from the ranch and kids celebrating their anniversary…only to return home to face their biggest challenge yet.
All Knocked Up — Keely and Jack Donohue are having a baby. Given Keely’s raging pregnancy hormones, will Jack need to wear a cup in the delivery room?
*previously published in the Guns and Roses anthology in 2012
Excerpt from Rough Road:
“Mama,
what’s a faggot?”
Chassie’s
entire body seized up and she nearly dropped the bowl she was washing. She
turned her head and met the startled eyes of her husband Trevor, who was
packaging leftovers on the counter beside her. She managed to ask, “Where’d you
hear that word?” in a steady voice.
“At
school. A third-grader said my dads were faggots.”
She
briefly closed her eyes. Living an unconventional lifestyle in a conservative
rural area guaranteed this question would come up at some point—but she hadn’t
expected it this soon. Their six-year-old son Westin had just started first
grade a month ago.
Chassie
rinsed and dried her hands before she turned around. “How about if we wait to
talk about it until Papai is done
giving Max his bath? You can stay up a little later tonight.”
Westin’s
big blue eyes were somber, suspicious of the bribe. But he nodded and returned
to his “homework”—an activity book they’d purchased after his disappointment at
not having schoolwork every night in first grade.
Trevor
came over and set his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her temple and
whispered, “Come on, Chass. Baby, take a deep breath. We’ll get through this.
That word doesn’t have the power to destroy what we’ve built unless we let it.”
She
nuzzled his jaw. “I know that. It’s just...”
“Mama!”
A little person slammed into the backs of her legs. She glanced down. A naked
little person.
Two-year-old
Max grinned at her, his brown eyes triumphant, his dark hair sopping wet.
Edgard
sauntered into the kitchen, a bath towel draped over his forearm. “That boy is
as slippery as an eel.” He wrapped the towel around Max like a straightjacket
and hoisted him up amidst Max’s happy shrieks and giggles. “Kiss Mama and Daddy
goodnight, little streaker. Then if we can wrassle your jammies on fast, we’ll
have time for one book.”
“Two
books!”
Chassie
smooched both of Max’s chubby cheeks and smoothed her hand over his wet hair. “’Night,
Max. Love you.”
Trevor
kissed Max’s forehead. “Love you son, ’night.”
Edgard’s
gaze winged between Chassie and Trevor. He mouthed, “Problem?”
“I’ll
fill you in upstairs. I need to check on Sophia anyway,” Trevor said. He looked
at Chassie. “I’ll tuck her in if she hasn’t already crashed.”
Four-year-old
Sophia ran at such high speed all day that many nights she conked out while
watching TV or playing in her room.
The
guys disappeared upstairs.
Chassie
finished cleaning the kitchen and headed to the basement to throw a load of
clothes in the washer. Her mind had locked on Westin’s question. She knew one
thing about her thoughtful son—the taunt hadn’t been tossed at him just today.
Westin tried to figure things out on his own, so she worried he’d been dealing
with defining the nasty word for longer than a day.
She
leaned against the wall, fighting tears, fighting memories of the cruelty
directed at her growing up. The jeers—lazy Indian, ugly squaw—still lingered
years later. Back then she’d been so shy she hadn’t fought back. Her brother
Dag might’ve gone after her tormentors, but he’d been fighting his own demons.
No doubt he’d had the word faggot hurled at him.
What
really caused that long ago hurt to deepen was the knowledge that if their
father had known Dag’s sexual orientation, he would’ve flung that word at his
son without hesitation.
When
Chassie, Edgard and Trevor decided to add kids to their family, they all three
worked every day to make sure their children knew they were loved. To make sure
their children knew their parents loved each other. And to show them that love
is what built and what sustained their lives. Especially when it was love that
a lot of people didn’t understand.
Chassie
held on to that thought as she scaled the stairs.
****
Trevor
plugged in the nightlight and left the door open a crack before he headed down
the hallway to the master bedroom.
He
removed his long-sleeved shirt and T-shirt, tossing them in the hamper along
with his dirty jeans. After washing his face and arms, he slipped on a pair of
black sweatpants and a gray tank top. He’d need to channel his frustration
after they talked to Westin, because guaranteed he’d wanna punch the shit out
of something.
Faggots.
Who taunted a kid—a kind, innocent little boy—with that term?
You would have.
Goddamn.
Trevor didn’t want to think along those lines, to remember the judgmental
asshole he’d been at one time. He’d been raised that way—as had Chassie and
Edgard—which was why they were raising their kids differently.
He
perched on the edge of their gigantic custom-made bed, forearms resting on his
thighs, his face aimed at the carpet. Westin and Sophia were aware their family
was different from the norm. But due to divorces and remarriages, didn’t most
kids these days deal with multiple parents? How was it anyone’s business how
they lived in their own home? Or how they loved each other? He’d bet the ranch
very few traditional family units were as attuned to each other as theirs. They
had to work harder at communication
because of having a third partner. And he wouldn’t have it any other
way—regardless of the societal repercussions.
Footsteps
fell across the carpet. A pause. “Did you mean to leave the light on in
Sophia’s room?” Edgard asked.
“No.
Guess my mind was elsewhere.” Trevor glanced up. “Was she still awake?”
“Nah.
She just yanked the covers over her head. I shut the light off.”
“Thanks.
And Max?”
“Out.
He didn’t last through one book, let alone two.” Edgard gave Trevor a once-over.
“We working out tonight?”
“I’ll
need to hit the heavy bag after...”
“After
what?”
He
sighed.
“Trev,
what’s goin’ on?”
So
Trevor told him.
Edgard
didn’t say anything. Then he crouched in front of Trevor to get his attention.
“That’s not all of what’s bugging you.”
The
man knew him so well. Trevor reached out and ran the back of his knuckles along
Edgard’s jaw. He hadn’t shaved for a day and Trevor had the sudden need to feel
beard burn on the inside of his thighs. On his chest. Scraping on his cheeks
and neck as he kissed Edgard senseless.
“Dangerous
to keep lookin’ at me like that, meu amor.
Burning me alive with those fiery eyes of yours won’t make me forget the issue
at hand, as much as I’d like to.”
“I
know.” Trevor dropped his hand. “I fuckin’ hate that I used to be that type of
kid Westin is dealin’ with. Anything I didn’t understand, I belittled. I
laughed when I made kids cry. Laughed.
Jesus. How many people I bullied growing up would say I’m getting what I
deserve? Seeing my son cry.” He
exhaled. “I’m to the point I can handle what anyone calls us. But it breaks my
damn heart that Westin is hearing that shit.”
“Hey.
You’re not the same man you were. Thank God for that.” Edgard stood and held
his hand out to Trevor. “Worrying about karma coming back to bite you in the
ass won’t help us now.”
As
soon as he was upright, Trevor tugged Edgard against his body and buried his
face in Edgard’s neck. “I’m grateful every damn day that we have this life.”
“Me
too. We knew goin’ into it, it wouldn’t be easy.”
“Some
days I can’t believe we’ve all been together eight years. And other days, I
feel like my life started when I met Chassie and you came back.” Trevor lifted
his head. “Do you think we oughta cancel—”
Edgard
covered his mouth with a brief kiss. “No. The three of us need the time
together. Chassie will be relieved that we’d planned to keep Westin out of
school tomorrow anyway.”
“So
we’re all set?”
“Yep.”
Trevor
grinned. “Chass is really gonna be surprised.”
“I
was surprised. It was a sweet, romantic thing to plan, Trev.”
“What
can I say? You and Chassie bring out the best in me.” Trevor kissed him, more
than a soft peck but less than the tongue tangling soul kiss he preferred.
“Let’s go talk to our son.”
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