Cut and Run 6 - Stars and Stripes

you?”
    “Yeah, a little.”
    “Then he was a bad tiger.”
    “You think so?”
    “Biting is bad,” Sadie said with a nod.
    “I guess you’re right.”
    She yawned, struggling to open her eyes again. “Will the tiger bite me?”
    “No, sweet pea,” Ty said. He rested his chin on her head.
    “Daddy will keep me safe.”
    Ty stared off into the sunset, pushing at the floorboards with his toes to keep the chair rocking. He nodded and pulled her closer, rocking and holding the little girl to him to keep her bare arms and legs warm as the night grew cooler. If his suspicions about Mark were correct, Sadie’s daddy might not be around to keep her safe for a good long while.

    “Have you seen Sadie?” Annie asked as she came into the den where Zane was sitting with his dad. “We can’t find her anywhere.”
    Zane and Harrison stood to help look, Zane’s mind going immediately to the tiger on the loose. He pushed back the instinctive panic and chastised himself. It was a valid concern that the tiger would be attracted to the activity of the ranch. They’d been hearing his roars for two nights now. But Barnum was not going to start plucking the people Zane loved out of the house no matter how bad Zane’s luck was.
    He found Ty and Sadie on the porch, and stopped short when he saw them. He hissed for Annie, who was walking through the foyer, and then moved closer.
    Sadie was curled in Ty’s arms, sleeping peacefully, her long lashes dark against her cheeks. Her fingers were tangled in his hair where she’d been twirling it. She was tucked up under Ty’s chin, and he was resting his head on top of hers. He was sound asleep too. Zane wasn’t surprised; those tranquilizers would take a while to flush out of his system, and he’d consumed a good deal of wine at dinner to combat the stress. Zane was surprised, however, to see his lover snuggled up with the little girl.
    He smiled and leaned against the porch railing.
    “Oh my goodness, that is precious. Where’s my camera?” Annie whispered. When she went to look for it, Zane took his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture for himself. Whether he’d use it as blackmail or frame it when they got home was up for debate. Maybe both.
    One thing was for sure, though. After being in Texas with him, Zane could see Ty as part of his family, and more importantly, he’d seen that most of his family would accept Ty for what he was: a quirky, brazen, possibly crazy, integral part of Zane’s life. The idea of “forever” with Ty was becoming more and more certain.
    Ty opened one eye and looked up at Zane.
    “Time to go,” Zane whispered.
    Ty moved his arms until he was cradling Sadie and stood up carefully. His wide shoulders made her look tiny, but he was just as gentle with her as Zane knew Ty was with all fragile things. Her hand fell out of his hair and dragged down his face, over his nose and lips, to tuck up under her chin with her other hand. Zane watched in silence, trying not to laugh as Ty merely closed his eyes and let it happen.
    Ty handed Sadie off to her daddy a few minutes later, and they said good-bye to Mark and Annie as they headed upstairs to bed.
    Harrison stood with them on the porch, then bid Ty and Zane a good night and turned to go inside.
    “Sir, I’m sorry for causing problems,” Ty said. He sounded sincere, one of his rare apologies. Harrison stopped at the door and looked him up and down.
    “Son, there’s not a problem here that’s your fault.” Harrison nodded to both of them and went back inside.

    Ty could tell that something was weighing on Zane’s mind as they headed to the guesthouse, but he waited for Zane to speak up.
    Zane didn’t. Ty lasted until after he’d showered and they were both up in the loft bedroom, getting ready for bed, before he lost his patience.
    “What’s on your mind, darlin’?” he asked, drawling the affectionate name with a smirk because he knew that Zane loved to hear him say it.
    Zane snorted and glanced at him as he folded the shirt he’d been wearing. “What makes you think something’s on my mind?”
    “Because you’re Zane Garrett. And Zane Garrett always has something on his mind.” Ty stepped up to Zane and slid his hands onto his hips. Zane smiled at him, though Ty could tell he still wanted to talk about something. He didn’t, though, just wrapped his arms around Ty’s neck and started to move. It turned into a slow dance as Zane’s smile grew wider, and Ty kissed