All of the Voices (10 page)

He hoped Carlin would stay in the bedroom, not because Matt was ashamed—he wasn’t—but because he didn’t want to add to his lover’s already heavy load of guilt. And Carlin
would
feel guilty, because Matt was pretty sure he was about to lose the only family he had.

ALL OF THE VOICES

Bailey Bradford

59

Carlin sat in the booth at Virginia’s café, cradling his downturned head in his hands and wondering if he could fuck up anyone else’s life while he was in McKinton. The scene last night at Matt’s house had become ugly fast, and frankly, Carlin was shocked at the accusations and insults Matt’s mother and sister hurled at him and Matt, but especially Matt.

What kind of parent called their son a sick bastard who deserved to burn in Hell? That was the screeched insult that had sent Carlin hurtling into the living room dressed only in a pair of Matt’s pyjama bottoms. Carlin had run right into a slap from Matt’s sister that had set his ears to ringing. And the situation had only gone downhill from there.

“You’re looking pretty glum.”

Carlin lifted his head to find two men standing by the table. One was tall and had vivid green eyes, long dark hair topped with a Stetson, and a cane that he leant on slightly. The other man was a couple of inches shorter and had sandy brown hair and big brown eyes.

Both men were handsome enough that Carlin would have considered playing with them if he were the sort to do such things. He wasn’t, though, so he merely looked at the pair and waited.

“Heard about Matt’s mama going ape shit on y’all last night,” the dark haired man said.

“Thought maybe you could use a couple of friends while you’re here in McKinton. I’m Zeke Mathers and this is my partner, Brendan Shanahan.”

Carlin shook each man’s hand as he stuttered out his own name. For some reason, seeing Zeke Mathers shook him. It was the attack on this man that had sent Carlin running back to New York, and the fear that had filled him here in McKinton had chased him all his life. Yet here stood Zeke Mathers, uncowed by the attacks he’d suffered. Carlin was kind of in awe.

“Can we join you?” Brendan asked, his eyes crinkling at the outer corners as he smiled.

Carlin realised he’d been staring like an idiot and nodded. Brendan and Zeke pulled out a chair each and sat down.

“So, did Shelly really haul off and deck you?”

Carlin sputtered and repeated the whole staring like an idiot bit.

ALL OF THE VOICES

Bailey Bradford

60

Zeke shrugged and looked chagrined. “She told my sister Enessa. Nessa about ripped the bitch a new one.”

“Unbelievable,” Carlin muttered.

Brendan laughed and waved at a passing waiter. “If we could figure out how to market McKinton’s residents’ ability to gossip faster than they can breathe, we’d be wealthy men.

It’d be like telepathy in a bottle.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Carlin asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

Brendan shrugged then ordered two coffees and three breakfast plates from the nervous looking waiter. Brendan turned his attention back to Carlin. “Probably not, but it can be amusing unless you’re being hurt by it.”

“I don’t think it’s amusing at all,” Carlin grumbled. “And yeah, Shelly caught me by surprise when I ran into the living room. Sucker slapped me.” He turned his head so both men could see the bruise on his left cheek.

Zeke hissed and fisted the hand he had resting on the table. “I shoulda told Nessa to go for it. Shelly’s a bitch and her mama ain’t any better. I don’t know how Matt turned out so normal.”

Carlin didn’t have anything to say to that other than, “Yeah, well.” He heartily agreed, but it seemed wrong to badmouth his lover’s mother and sister. Although, they
had
disowned Matt. Carlin slumped down in his chair.

“Hey,” Brendan said as he reached across the table and took Carlin’s hand. “It isn’t your fault. Matt is who he is, and his family should love him. Period.”

The bells on the café door jangled and Carlin’s skin prickled with awareness. He wasn’t surprised at all to see Matt standing there, though why in the world was the man looking so pissed?

Brendan craned his head around and spotted Matt.

“Might want to let go of Carlin’s hand,” Zeke advised.

Carlin and Brendan both jerked their hands away as Matt approached, scowling fiercely, which only made Carlin’s dick harder than it’d become as soon as the man walked in the café.

“It was an innocent offer of comfort,” Brendan said as he smirked. “But possessive and jealous looks good on you, Matt.”

Carlin agreed but wisely kept his mouth shut as Matt sat in the chair beside him.

ALL OF THE VOICES

Bailey Bradford

61

Zeke leant forward and glared at Matt, who was sitting directly across from him. “Do you
really
think I’m the kind of guy who’d share?”

Matt glared back as he slipped his arm around Carlin’s shoulders. Brendan grinned and winked.

“I
think
I’ve already had a go ‘round with the red rooster from Hell this morning,” Matt drawled. “And I’m in no mood to put up with another cock.”

Carlin snickered as Brendan and Zeke groaned. If they’d have seen the way Robbie Red went after Matt this morning, they’d have been laughing, too. The waiter came over and set two more cups of coffee on the table then set the carafe down as well.

“Better bring two more cups and enough breakfast plates for six of us,” Matt quietly told the waiter. Carlin noticed Matt kept his gaze on him rather than the young man fidgeting beside their table. Carlin thought the poor kid looked ready to bolt, but he too turned his attention away from the waiter.

“Why coffee and breakfast for six?”

Matt pointed at the window looking out onto Main Street. “Because we’re fixing to be joined by Laine and Severo.”

“Laine?” Carlin asked as he watched the sheriff and his partner walk by.

“He’s going to tell you to call him Laine anyway, and I try to call him Sheriff when I’m working, but since he’s sort of a friend, too, sometimes I slip.”

“I call him lots of things,” Brendan said in a stage whisper, “but he knows I only mean the good ones, most of the time, anyway.”

“But…” Carlin looked at the two men across from him and Matt, then at Laine and Severo as they entered the café. “What is this, some kind of gay group support?” It came out louder than he’d meant it to, and several other customers laughed as they looked over at the group, although none of the laughter sounded hateful, just happy.

“As a matter of fact, yes, it is,” Severo called back from halfway across the café.

“Although I’d really prefer it if you saw it more as a gathering of concerned friends.”

“One of whom is going to do his damndest to get you to file charges on Shelly Nixon.

That would be me,” Laine said without a trace of humour as he looked over everyone in the café. His gaze seemed to linger on the waiter, then Laine continued his perusal. “I will not tolerate shit like that in this town. There’s been too much hate crimes and just plain hatred already, and I am purely fed up with it.”

ALL OF THE VOICES

Bailey Bradford

62

Carlin would have liked to see the other customers’ reactions, but he was too concerned about Matt’s. He faced Matt only to have his bruised cheek cupped gently as Matt pressed his forehead to Carlin’s.

“Are you okay?”

Carlin shot the question right back. “Are
you
okay? That’s not your friend Laine speaking, that’s the sheriff wanting to toss your sister in jail.”

Matt grinned and Carlin could not understand why the man wasn’t upset. “Not just Shelly, but Mom, too. All the slapping and insults were hate crimes, you know. I’ve already given my statement.”

Carlin couldn’t fathom Matt’s calm demeanour. “You’re okay with letting your mom and your sister get arrested?”

Matt nodded, the movement making Carlin’s head bob as well. “Yup. I was ready to smack Shelly last night, and I’ve had a lifetime of Mom yelling and cussing at me. She used to get a kick out of taking a belt or a switch to our backsides, telling us what evil little monsters we were when we were kids. I refused to be like her, while Shelly seems to have turned into a carbon copy of Mom. We could kind of get along on occasion, but as soon as Shelly didn’t get her way, she’d turn into a screeching, cussing, hitting nightmare. I had enough of it some time ago.”

Laine sat down beside Zeke and pointed at the man. “And we learned the hard way not to let hatred like that run free. I won’t have anyone in this town go through what Zeke did.”

“Holy shit,” Severo said as he sat beside Carlin. Carlin turned and looked at the smaller man. Severo was all big eyes and indignation. “That bitch! Laine, look at Carlin’s cheek!”

At Matt’s urging and Severo’s nagging, Carlin let Laine see the bruise Shelly had slapped onto him. Laine’s expression turned thunderous and he pointed at Carlin.

“You’re going to file charges, aren’t you?”

Carlin hesitated, still feeling uncomfortable with taking any sort of action against Matt’s estranged family.

“Maybe they’ll leave Matt alone once I go back to New York.”

The utter silence of the other five men was unnerving. Carlin looked at each one of them, saving Matt for last. Man for man, with the exception if his lover, each of the others glared at him.

ALL OF THE VOICES

Bailey Bradford

63

“Cut it out,” Matt snapped as he glared back at the four men. “Carlin’s been honest about going back, and he really does have obligations there that he can’t blow off, so quit with the bitchy looks.”

The men looked truly chastised and Carlin actually felt sorry for them. “They’re only worried about you,” he murmured in Matt’s ear.

“They can get over it,” Matt grumbled.

Carlin started to argue with him but someone tapped on his shoulder. He craned his neck and met Severo’s sheepish gaze.

“Would it be too intrusive to ask what those obligations are?”

Matt rumbled beside him but Carlin sent him a reassuring smile before turning back to Severo and took a deep breath.

“My father’s there…”

* * * *

Matt waited in the car as Carlin packed up his things and checked out of the motel.

He’d had another go round with the rooster, and Carlin had finally admitted the little beast might just be a menace. Matt had to lock the rooster in the chicken coop so the ladies Virginia had rounded up could go back and forth from Mrs. Hawkins’ house as they cleaned it and boxed up her things. Carlin had decided to donate most of it to the local churches and sell the house, hopefully along with the chickens. Anything he wanted would be shipped to him in New York.

Matt’s heart ached with the thought, and not even the scent of cookies—the one Severo was so certain was Mrs. Hawkins watching over him—could make Matt feel any better. How could he have fallen so hard so fast for Carlin? And he couldn’t even tell the man. Carlin would probably just say it was because he was the first man Matt had been with, but that wasn’t it. Matt had been attracted to Rich, but that infatuation couldn’t begin to compare to the way he felt about Carlin.

As if conjured by Matt’s thoughts, Carlin strolled towards the vehicle, a tentative smile on his handsome face. Carlin had been uncomfortable pressing charges against Shelly, but he’d done it. Matt’s respect for the man had grown as he’d listened to Carlin’s accounting of the events the night before. He’d been calm and kept his emotions out of it, giving facts and ALL OF THE VOICES

Bailey Bradford

64

answering any questions Laine had. Matt bet the guy was a killer lawyer. He wished he’d get to see him in court some day, but that just wasn’t going to happen.

Matt popped the trunk button for Carlin so he could stow his luggage, then leaned over and opened the passenger door for him.

“Are you sure about this?” Carlin asked as he got in.

“You’re going to be leaving tomorrow evening. I’d like to have as much time with you as I can.” Matt had even taken tomorrow off, something he rarely did, but he wanted to be there for Carlin, and he couldn’t skip out on Mrs. Hawkins. Matt had loved the eccentric old lady too much to do that.

“Maybe I should take the rental car. It seems wrong to leave it here in the parking lot.”

Matt didn’t want to be separated from Carlin any more than he absolutely had to, which was why he’d slipped the owner of the motel a twenty to let Carlin leave his car in the employees’ parking lot.

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.” Matt’s conscience pricked at him. He glanced at Carlin. “Unless you really want to bring it. If that’s the case, go ahead. I don’t want you stressing about it.”

“I just don’t want to be a burden,” Carlin said as he buckled his seatbelt. “If you really don’t mind, I’d rather ride with you.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Matt started the car and put it in gear. The ride back to his place was spent on small talk, the two of them getting to know each other better. They swapped stories from their childhood—Carlin had happier ones than Matt, that was for sure—and went over their favourite movies, songs and books.

“Are you hungry?” Matt asked as he parked in his driveway.

“I could definitely eat,” Carlin told him, “But I can’t cook for shit.”

Matt laughed as he shut off the ignition. “No problem. Let’s get your bags carried into my bedroom and you can shower or relax while I fix some enchiladas.”

Carlin gave him a look of adoration. “Ohhh, enchiladas! I love enchiladas! Beef, cheese, or ch—wait, not chicken. Beef or cheese?”

Matt noted the feverish light in Carlin’s eyes and laughed again. “You really do love enchiladas, don’t you?”

ALL OF THE VOICES

Bailey Bradford

65

Carlin nodded enthusiastically. “They’re my favourite. There’s this one little hole in the wall restaurant in New York…” The light dimmed in Carlin’s eyes and his expression became pinched.

Matt rubbed Carlin’s shoulder then leaned over and kissed him gently before unbuckling Carlin’s seatbelt and opening his door.