Brody (5 page)

“You’re
sure you want to? I mean, it’s an operation and you’d be laid up for a while?”

“Nothing
will change my mind,” said Mike. “And Branndon and Johnny, you haven’t been to
see them yet?”

“No,
I thought I’d start in Riker’s Creek with you. Don’t suppose you’ve kept in
contact with them.”

“Nope,
I haven’t seen either of them for about thirty-eight years. I can tell you that
Branndon went on to be a rodeo champ, but not sure what Johnny chose to do. He
used to play guitar really well, and your mother would sing. She had a
beautiful voice.”

Brody
remembered his mother singing to him when he was a little boy—nursery rhymes
and tunes she made up as she went along.

“I’ve
probably taken up more of your time than I should have,” said Brody. It wasn’t
that he didn’t want to spend more time with Mike, but he was feeling tired. The
doctor had told him he would. And of course, he hadn’t gotten much sleep last
night.

“Not
at all,” said Mike. “I’m just so happy you tracked me down. I wish it was under
better circumstances.” He looked at Ada and squeezed her hand. “Whatever the
outcome, you’re going to stay in touch with us. We’ve made up our minds about
that.”

Ada
nodded in agreement. “I’d like you to meet our three girls and their families.”

“I’d
like that. And thank you both for the wonderful meal.”

“We’ll
do it again and soon. Now, when and where do you need me to take this DNA
test?” asked Mike.

“It’s
whenever is convenient for you. I’m going to be contacting Johnny and Branndon
in the next couple of days, so sometime next week would be perfect.”

“I
tell you what. I’d love to see Johnny and Branndon again. If it’s all right
with them, then why don’t we all go in for testing at the same time?”

Brody
wasn’t sure if that was such a great idea, but if the other two men didn’t have
a problem with it, then who was he to argue.

“Sure,
I can mention that to them.”

They
stood and walked outside where it had started to snow.

Brody
put his hand out to shake Mike’s, but the big man drew him in close and bear-hugged
him.

“Even
if you’re not my flesh and blood, I’m hoping we never, ever lose contact with
you, Brody.”

“I promise you we’ll e-mail and phone one
another,” said Brody.

“That’s
settled then, and you give me a call and we’ll get those DNA tests underway.”

Brody
waved to Mike and Ada and turned and walked to his car. He got inside, switched
on the heater, and rubbed his hands together.

He
liked Mike a lot, which made him wonder if the other two men would be so
welcoming to him. He hadn’t met them, didn’t know anything about them, but
something made him want Mike to be his father. He put the car into gear and
headed down the road. He’d get a good night’s sleep and then drive to his next
stop and hopefully connect with Johnny Marshall.

Brody
turned into the motel parking lot, got out of the car, and headed up to his
room. He was a lot more optimistic than when he’d set out this morning. He went
into his room and switched on the light. He was going straight to bed, but
first he’d give Maddie a call, just to let her know how things went today. He
took the scrap of paper, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed. It rang three
times before he heard her voice.

“Hi
Brody Williams,” she said. Could he detect joy in her voice?

“How’s
it going, Maddie?”

“So-so,
I guess. I’ve been ignoring all my calls, so thank goodness for caller ID or I
would have missed yours.”

“Yeah,
thank goodness for modern technology.” Brody made circles on the table with his
finger.

“How
did you get on today?”

“I
think pretty good. I met Mike, and he’s a great guy, very willing to get the
DNA test and didn’t bat an eyelid about donating if he’s a match.”

“That’s
wonderful. I’m so happy for you. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,
in between wondering what I’m going to say to the rest of my family, friends,
and coworkers who showed up at the church and just got a glimpse of my hitching
up my dress and running like hell down the aisle.”

Brody
could imagine how awful it must have been for Maddie, but sort of interesting
if you’d been a guest. Nothing like that ever happened at the weddings he’d
attended.

“You’ll
laugh about it one day,” he said.

“Maybe
when I’m old, grey, and eighty.”

Brody
walked to the bed, sat on it, and then let his head rest on the pillow. He
wondered if he’d ever make it to old and grey, and reaching eighty was a mere
dream for him.

“You
still there, Brody?”

“I
sure am, just a little tired, I guess.”

“Then
I’ll let you go and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Yeah,
tomorrow morning I’m heading over to see the second man.”

“Would
you let me know how that goes?”

“How
about we meet for something to eat tomorrow evening? They have a tree-lighting
ceremony here in Riker’s Creek. I’m not usually one who’s big into holiday
stuff, but I thought as this might…as this might be my last Christmas, I’d go
all out this year.”

“I
would love to come with you. I could do with getting out of my apartment so I
don’t have to listen to my phone ringing nonstop.”

“You
want to meet me here about six?”

“I’ll
see you then.”

“Night.”

“Night
Brody, sleep tight and sweet dreams.”

****

Maddie
put her phone down and wiped a tear away from her cheek. Today she thought any
tears she’d shed would be from her thinking about Mark and what had happened on
her wedding day, but these were for Brody and only him. They’d started the
second he’d mentioned this could be his last Christmas.

Even
if the men weren’t a match, she was going to set up something online to try and
help find him a donor. There had to be someone out there who could save his
life. Her friend Jilly worked for a nonprofit group in Missoula, so maybe she’d
know how to go about putting something or Facebook or another site that would
get lots of hits. She’d promised Brody this was the season of miracles, and she
was going to make sure that it was.

Chapter Six

Brody
turned onto White Wolf Lane where Johnny lived at number 490.
 
The house was the light blue one adorned with
Christmas lights, and a large cutout of Santa sat in the middle of the lawn.

He’d
gained some confidence from his first time doing this, but now the nerves were
back. He took a deep breath and willed himself out of the car. He walked up the
driveway and before letting himself get sidetracked with reasons why he
shouldn’t be doing this, he rang the doorbell.

A
man who appeared to be in his seventies opened the door. He saw no resemblance
to himself, but that didn’t mean a thing because everyone had always told Brody
he looked like his mom.

“Hi,
are you Johnny Marshall?” asked Brody.

“That’s
me, but I’m not buying anything.”

“I’m
not here to sell you anything. My name’s Brody Williams, and my mother was
Kathleen Paul.”

The
man looked him in the eye. “Katy. You’re Katy’s boy?”

“I
am.”

“I’ve
missed her smile and laughter all these years. How’s she doing?

“She
died two years ago.”

“I’m
so sorry to hear that. Do want to come in? It’s a cold one today.”

“Thank
you.”

He
stood to one side to let Brody in. It wasn’t as fancy as Mike’s place but
nevertheless, it was clean and cozy.

“I
just lit a fire. You want to come and sit beside it?”

“Sure.”

Brody
followed him through to the back room where the TV was on.
 
Johnny had obviously been watching an old
western movie.

“Sit
yourself down,” said Johnny, switching off the television.

Brody
took off his hat and gloves and then sat.

“Can
I get you anything to drink?

“No,
I’m fine.”

Johnny
threw another log onto the fire before sitting. Brody looked around and then
noticed Johnny looking at him.

“You
are so like your dear mother. You have her eyes and strong cheekbones. So what
brings you to my door?”

Brody
tapped his fingers on his knees.

“I
recently found out my father isn’t my real dad, and through my mother’s diary,
I’ve discovered that she was involved with you and two other men.”

Johnny
laughed. “Is that a polite way of saying she was sleeping with the three of us?

“I
guess so.” Brody blushed. He could feel with warmth spreading in his cheeks.

“You
think I’m your real pa?”

“Possibly.”

“And
you want to get to know me if I’m your dad?”

“That,
and…”

Brody
took another deep breath. “I’m in need of a donor for a kidney transplant.”

“Kidney?”

“I
lost my left one last year and the right one’s failing, and they said a family
member would be my best hope.”

“And
your parents had no other children?”

“Nope,
it’s just me.”

“Shit,
holy shit.”

“I’d
understand if you didn’t want to do this for me. I mean, I’m a total stranger.”

“It’s
not that, but I had cancer last year, just finished up with my chemo, so I
don’t think I’d be a likely candidate even if I am your pa.”

Brody’s
heart sank.
 
“Did you marry and have
children?”

“Nope,
been a bachelor all my life. I guess your mother spoiled me. I never did find a
woman whose company I enjoyed as much as I did Katy’s.”

Brody
looked down at the ground, tracing every pattern in the carpet, hoping to stay
focused.

Johnny
touched his shoulder. “I know how scary it is to find out that you might die.
That’s the way I felt about my cancer diagnosis.”

Brody
was being a tad selfish—the poor man had been sick himself and here he was
thinking about himself. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Hope
I am. They told me the cancer was contained in my colon and hadn’t spread, but
they gave me that chemo just to make sure.”

“That’s
great to hear.”

“Yeah,
and you know what’s even better news…that I might have a son.” He grabbed
Brody’s hand. “I know it would be bad luck on your part if I was your pa, but
there’s a little of me that wants to be selfish enough to hope that Katy and I
produced a wonderful young man like you.”

“Thank
you.”

“And
I’m going to do my best to try and get you some help. I know a lot of people,
and we’ll find you a kidney, Brody. I want the two of us to be around for a
long time so we can hang out together, and you can fill me in on your mother’s
life when you were growing up.”

****

Maddie
knew something was wrong with Brody the second she saw him. She hadn’t known
him for more than maybe fourteen hours tops, but she knew the face of a man
who’d gotten some bad news.

“How
did your meeting go with Johnny?” She was almost scared to ask.

“He’s
a really nice man, but he’s had cancer and chemo.”

Maddie
knew what that meant.

She
rubbed Brody’s back. “I’ve decided if none of the guys are a match, I’m going
to set up a search for a kidney for you on social media. I have a couple of
friends who work in nonprofits, and they’ve already offered to help me.”

“That’s
sweet of you.”

“So
you still feel like getting something to eat?”

“I
didn’t, but now I could do with something to lift my spirits.”

“How
about I go grab us something from the bar?”

“The
one where we met?” asked Brody.

“That’s
the one.”

“You
gonna ride a horse there again?”

“Nope,
thought I’d take my car this time.”

Brody
smiled.

“And
I do owe you some French fries.”

“But
I thought a guy walking by took them.

Maddie
winked at him. “So two turkey club sandwiches and fries?”

“Sounds
good to me, and I’ll go get two drinks from the vending machine.”

****

She hoped she hadn’t bored Brody during their
meal, telling her about her kindergarten class and some of the kids she thought
were especially cute. Now they were back home and she suddenly found herself
thinking about what others would think about her being the town’s runaway
bride.

“Some of their parents were even guests at the
wedding. How am I going to face them in the New Year?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” said Brody
clearing away the takeaway boxes.

“That was a great meal,” she said.

“Great company too.”

“Now what shall we do?” she asked.

Brody smiled.

“Can we keep having sex?”

“Up to you,” said Brody.

She stood, took off her sweater, and unzipped
her jeans, letting them fall to the ground.

“Guess that’s a yes,” said Brody.

He grabbed her hand and led her to the edge of
the bed. She sat and took off her bra while he pulled down her panties and
threw them over on the chair by the window. He pulled her thighs apart.

“You okay with oral sex?” he asked.

Only one guy had done that for her and it
hadn’t been all that great, but this was Brody.

“I’m perfectly okay with it.”

“Then just lie back and relax,” he said.

Maddie lay looking at the ceiling as Brody made
a trail up her thigh with his mouth. He kissed her bare mound and then spread
her pussy lips before spearing her opening with his tongue.

He flicked at her, lapped at her, and then
slowly put his tongue into her entrance.

She closed her eyes. So much better than the
first time. Her thighs clenched, and her belly and pussy began to ache as he
brought her closer to release. She lifted her body but Brody held her down firm
on the bed using both his hands.

He flicked and licked her, and she put her
fingers in her mouth and groaned. This was so wonderful that she was going to
return the favor. Her pussy felt like it had waves of pleasure moving though it
and then her orgasm washed over her, making her sit up and cry out.

****

Brody hadn’t given her oral sex with the
ulterior motive that she’d give him a blow job, but soon after she’d come,
she’d taken control and made him lie on the bed and had roughly pulled down his
pants and boxers and was now having her wicked way with him.

He put his hands over his eyes and groaned.
Maddie knew exactly what to do to a guy to make him go cross-eyed. Brody lifted
his butt a little, driving his cock farther in her mouth.

She even played with his balls as she licked
and sucked him.

Brody pounded the bed with both his fists. He
wanted to hold on, hold off on coming so he could take more pleasure from her,
but she was making it damn near impossible.

If he was going to die soon, this was the way
he wanted to end his life.

Brody couldn’t help himself, he had to let go
and come. His body shook as he did, and the room seemed to spin around and around,
slowly letting him off the ride.

He looked down at Maddie. She was so beautiful
and sweet too. Someone had sent him this wonderful young woman. Maybe it was
life’s way of saying you’re totally screwed, but here’s something to send you
out with a bang.

“Would you like me to go with you to meet the
final man?
 
Is his name Branndon?” asked
Maddie.

“Yep,
Branndon Mckinney from Grantsville. You don’t have to.”

“No,
I want to. I have an ulterior motive, you see, it takes my mind off my own
troubles.”

“Okay
then, let’s grab some breakfast and we’ll head out of town.”

****

Despite
having Maddie sitting beside him, Brody was still scared. Still frozen to the
seat of his car. Maddie must have sensed his apprehension, because she placed
her hand on top of his. He might be falling for her in just some small way.
Maybe she was doing the same with him. It was foolish, because falling for
someone would make dying just that bit harder. For her, she’d feel a loss so
soon after she’d felt betrayal by another man.

He
wanted to pull his hand away but he couldn’t. It felt so damn good, and it was
giving him strength.

“This
guy was a rodeo hero,” said Brody.

“He’s
just a man. He might even be your dad and the guy who’s going to allow you to
see another year.”

Brody
nodded. He knew why he’d brought Maddie along today. She was the little kick up
the butt he needed to finish the task.

“I
can wait in the car if you’d rather go in there alone.”

“No,
it’s cold, and you’ve come all this way with me. Okay, let’s go do this before
I lose my nerve.”

They
got out of the car. Out of all three houses he’d visited, this was the fanciest—out
of town and overlooking a mountain and creek. A truck and SUV sat outside a
three-car garage.

Maddie
got hold of his hand as they walked toward the double glass front doors on
which an oversized Christmas wreath hung. Maddie rang the doorbell as soon as
they stood on the step.

“Pretty
nice place,” she said. A few minutes later, a woman in her sixties stood in the
doorway.

“Hi,
can I help you?” she asked.

“My
name’s Brody Williams, and I was wondering if Branndon Mckinney’s at home?”

“He
sure is.”

“I’d
like to speak to him about a personal matter,” said Brody.

“Wait
here, and I’ll go get him for you.”

The
woman turned and walked down the hallway. She came back toward them with a man
in tow, well over six feet two and built like a tank. He had blue eyes just
like Brody, or was Brody reading too much into this wishing that maybe this was
his dad and not Johnny.

“Hi,
my wife says you’d like to talk to me?”

“Yes,
sir. It’s connected with my mother, Kathleen Paul.”

“Kathleen,
dear lord, I’ve always wondered what happened to her. She left so quickly. Is
she with you?”

“No,
she passed away two years ago.”

“I’m
so sorry to hear that. Why don’t you come through to the den and we can talk.
Betty, why don’t you take…”

“Maddie,”
she said holding out her hand to Branndon.

“Maddie
here to the
kitchen and get her something to drink and one of your holiday cookies while I
go talk to Brody.”

“Sure
thing, if you’d like to come this way.”

Maddie
winked at Brody before she headed off with Betty.