By Monday the roads were cleared and the children were off to school. Justin and Griff were working in the studio and Terry had left for one of his clinics. Brian was in his office catching up on email when there was a knock on the door. Brian responded, "Come in." He was surprised to see Joshua. He had expected it to be Willow or Emma. "Well, Joshua, is something wrong? I think you've only been in here twice."

"Brian, I need your assistance. I know I should be out working but..."

"Sit down, Joshua. You work hard enough for two men every day."

"I was hired to work." Joshua looked very uncomfortable sitting in the formal office.

"Joshua, you didn't come in here to talk about work, did you?"

The air went out of the older man and said, "No. Will you help me find out how Nova ended up here? Why isn't she with her grandmother?"

"Luke said her grandmother passed away. Do you know if there is more family?"

"I don't. Her grandmother left the reservation when my son was born and the last of her family has passed on."

"Ok, that is what my investigator had said."

"You already have someone investigating?"

"Terry and I have a security branch in our company. We just emailed them over the weekend and they found what you seem to already know."

"I didn't know her grandmother had passed. About six months ago she moved, and it was the first time I couldn't find her. I wonder if that was when she got ill."

"That would make sense. So what do you want to do, Joshua? It appears you are her only living relative, and even if the grandma said she didn't want her with you, I don't think any judge would keep her from you."

"But I deserted my own son."

"That was in another lifetime. You were almost a child yourself back then, and now you are one of the most respected men in the area, in both the indigenous community and the local community."

"How do I go about setting up a meeting? Who do I meet with?"

"I know you are fully capable of making the call, but would you like me to work this out? I'll talk to Luke and see how we go about this. As the school counselor, he has connections with child services."

"You don't mind if there will be another child here?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Thank you, Brian. I don't like feeling out of control and right now... "

"We are here for you, Joshua."

Brian loved a new challenge and he was going to figure out what needed to be done for Emma and Joshua. They had accepted his family as their own and now he wanted to help them with their family. He called his security team and was told the agent he was looking for was out. He started to swear under his breath but when he looked down at his computer he saw an email from the woman.

Opening the attachment, Brian started reading the report. As Joshua said, his first wife died during the birth of their son. 

• Baby boy named John

• Raised by his grandmother, Lily, in New Mexico

• John was a good student

• Got an IT degree

• Married and had a baby they named Nova after his mother

• Lily lived with the small family and helped with childcare. 

Now Brian's heart started to break. When Nova was three her parents were killed in a car crash, leaving her great grandmother to raise her. Lily raised Nova until she collapsed, and that was when they found she had cancer.  During the last year, when Lily was in and out of the hospital, a neighbor watched Nova. After Lily passed, Child Services took custody and she was sent back to the reservation, where they in turn sent her to boarding school until they had time to sort through everything.                    

Brian sighed loudly. At this point he would take that child. She had been through so much in such a short life. She needed Emma and Joshua, along with Dusty and Willow, in her life, and she needed them now.

Leaving his office, Brian strode to the kitchen with purpose in each step. "Brian, can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"Sure and can you join me for a minute?"       

"I could use a few minutes off my feet. Did you have something you wanted for dinner this week?"

"Well, now that you mention it I could really use a big, juicy bison burger someday this week." 

Emma sat next to Brian, setting a mug in front of each of them. "We have plenty of bison in the freezer. I was thinking about making an Irish stew for tonight."

"That sounds great. I am sure the kids will like that. That has always been a favorite since our time in Ireland."

"So what is on your mind, Brian?"

"I need the most powerful lawyer you can think of that would know what to do in a child custody case."

"What did you find out?"

"That child needs to be in a home, in your home, as soon as possible. I don't care what it will cost. If we need to fly a lawyer up from Denver, we can do it."

Emma sat there thinking for a minute. She lifted her head and slowly turned toward Brian. She opened her mouth and closed it again.

"What is it, Emma?"

"There is a retired lawyer not too far from here. He specialized in indigenous families. He had a case that he fought a little too hard for and got in a little trouble. He still has a couple of clients, but hasn't taken on anything new in several years. I hear he is very hard to get along with, but for some reason I think if anyone can handle him, you can."

"What's his name?"

"Robert Charles, esquire."

"How can I get in touch with him?"

"They say he won't take phone calls or visitors, but he does check email. That doesn't mean he will respond."

"Can you text me his email and address?"

"Brian, I need to tell you something. Joshua has worked with this man as a Comanche leader, and Joshua may be the person that got Mr. Charles in hot water."

"Ah, shit. I didn't need to hear that."

"I'll send you the info you asked for and try to think of another lawyer."

"Is he the best?"

"Yes."

"Then we don't need anyone else," Brian said and he kissed Emma's cheek as he stood up. "Thank you for the coffee."

"Brian, you can't be careless with this. He likes to be in charge."

"Well, so do I." Brian stepped out the door and stood there for a minute, letting the sun warm his face. His phone pinged and he saw that Emma had sent the information. He didn't feel like sending an email and waiting for a reply. Instead, he got into a car, and setting GPS he left the ranch.

Brian started driving. He knew there were lots of roads he hadn't explored in the area but he was being guided to an area where he didn't even know there was a road. Every time he thought he was at a dead end, he was directed to turn and a road just appeared. He had driven about 40 minutes up the mountain when the trail ended in front of a large gate that said, ‘Private Property. Trespassers will be Shot'.

He walked to the side of the gate where there was an intercom and pushed the button. As he stood there he heard a buzzing noise and then noticed a camera above. "Who the hell are you?" a low gruff voice came through the speaker.

"Mr. Charles, I'd like to speak to you."

"Email me."

"Mr. Charles, this is too important. I don't want to waste time with back and forth babbling. This is about a very young indigenous girl who right now is sitting in a boarding school when her family is ready to take her in."

"What kid? I am usually made aware of..."

"Robert. May I call you Robert? This would be much easier if you would let me come in and talk face to face."

"Who are you? How did you get my address? And no, it is not alright if you call me Robert."

"Come on. It is supposed to snow later and I really don't want to get stuck up here." Brian looked at the camera. "My name is Brian Kinney."

He heard Robert swear under his breath and then the gates started to move. Follow the main road."

Brian walked to his car, and once he had the door shut he said, "Yes!" He hadn't been sure he would get in the door or if he would have to figure out how to climb over the fence. He drove through the gates and followed the paved road. There were forks every so often but they were all gravel so he kept moving. He went nearly five miles before seeing signs of civilization. The drive had been heavily forested until he came around one last curve and the trees stopped. There was a large natural meadow with a house that nearly blended into the beauty of nature. It was a low structure from this direction but he could see that as the ground sloped behind it, the house had descending stories that disappeared into nature.

Brian stopped in the circular drive and got out. He walked up to the door but before he could knock the door opened. He knew instantly the man in front of him was not the lawyer he came to see. He was young, probably under twenty-five, and in some ways reminded him of a younger Justin, but with a lot more attitude. 

"Mr. Kinney? Follow me. Robert is waiting for you. You are fortunate he has made time to see you. He is a very busy man and rarely sees the public." He strode across the room without looking back. This was when Brian noticed his greeter was wearing kitten heels and he had one fine ass, although not as good as Justin's. 

They got to the end of the hall and it appeared there was no place to go, but a gate closed automatically behind them and then the floor started lowering. As soon as he was low enough to see where they were going, he was stunned. He had been correct that the house was multileveled on the backside. The room they were descending into was at least three stories of open space. The room had glass walls on three sides and the vista in front of him was beyond beautiful. 

"Mr. Kinney, you have me curious." A voice came from a chair facing away from him. He crossed the room with his guide. A man of about seventy sat in the large wingback chair. "Derek, my love, could you get us a pot of coffee?" 

"Are you sure, Bobby? You don't know this man," He asked as he placed a protective hand on the shoulder of his partner.

"I have done my research while he drove up. I don't have anything to fear." He lifted Derek's hand off of his shoulder and kissed it's palm. "Now shoo, my pet." He stroked Derek's ass and Derek kissed the top of his head before he left to get the coffee.

"So you checked me out?"

"As soon as I let you through the gate, and by the way, Derek didn't want me to let you in. Your name sounded familiar. Do you still employ the chief? Well, he thinks he is in control of the area."

"Emma told me the two of you had a run-in sometime."

"Now Emma, she is a wonderful woman. I almost wish I was straight so I could have stolen her from him, but I'm not, and did you see the ass on my man?"

Brian smiled, "By chance I did. I have a stunning husband of my own."

"I saw. And you have three beautiful children. You aren't having adoption issues, are you?"

"No. Two are biologically related, and Jessi, she's not going anywhere. How did you know I have three children?"

"I saw it online. The article was about your son's kidnapping. Is that why you need me? Are you going to sue someone over that?"

"No, Robert. It is actually Joshua that needs your help."

"He doesn't know you're here, does he?"

"No. Emma gave me your name."

"Why should I help him?"

Derek returned with a French press and three mugs. "May I stay or is this private?"

"You may stay," Brian answered as he accepted a mug. Derek took the last two and handed one to Robert and he sat on the arm of the chair. Robert scooted as far over as he could and Derek slipped in next to him. "This is good coffee."

"I drink only the best. Now, tell me what Joshua needs me for."

Brian started the story of Joshua's first wife and how he lost her when their son was born. He told him how his wife's mother took the baby. 

"He couldn't man up and take care of his own child," Robert said.

Brian set his empty coffee cup down. "He was just a kid, and knew his son was better off with his grandmother. He always did send money. He sent enough money to put his son through college, and then his son married and had a daughter of his own." Brian went on to finish the story about Joshua's son and his wife getting killed, and then how the little girl, who had lost her parents, had now lost her great grandmother. "So Joshua and Emma want to get custody."

"Oh, the poor baby! Bobby, you can help, can't you? That little girl needs a family and she has grandparents that want her."

"Damn, Kinney, I may have to see if I can help. Let me do a little research and I'll call you tomorrow. I have a friend on the reservation who can check family connections. Give me your phone number." Brian handed him his business card. I'll call you when I have any information."

"If you give me your email, I think I will have more details tomorrow."

Robert handed one of his cards to Derek and said, "Show him out, Derek."

"Ok, Bobby." He stood and gave the card to Brian. "Follow me," he had transformed back into the unemotional man he had met when he arrived. As Derek opened the door, he said very seriously, "You are one of the most gorgeous men I have ever seen, and, what can I say, I know who your husband is and what he looks like. Do you play? Bobby doesn't, but he loves to watch."

Brian didn't answer. He asked, "How did you and Robert meet?"

In response, or due to the lack of Brian's, Derek shut the door with conviction and Brian found himself outside alone. He turned to look at his car and noticed the first snowflakes coming down. He had already learned living in the mountains that he respected the weather. He reprogrammed the GPS and pulled out, anxious to get down the mountain.

By the time Brian made it to the main road, the snow was coming down much harder. His phone sounded and Brian realized he had not gotten any messages the whole time he was on the Charles property. He must have had blockers up. He answered the phone without looking at the caller. "Kinney."

"Brian, where are you?" Justin's worried voice filled the SUV.

"I'm about 30 minutes up the mountain."

"Why didn't you answer? I have been trying to get you for an hour."

"They must have had a blocker up."

"Who is ‘they'? Where are you? You left the property without telling me where you were going!"

Brian could tell Justin was stressed. "What happened in the studio today?"

"Brian, you are deflecting?"

"Justin, I don't want to argue while I'm driving in a blizzard." Brian ended the call before anymore was said. Damn, he wondered what had happened with the commission. This happened every time he had a large project. It was just a little early in the project for him to be so shook and now he was mad at him. 

Brian's mind had wandered for a minute and the next thing he knew his car was spinning. When the car stopped moving, he was thankful he was still on four wheels, even though he was off the pavement . Without the four wheel drive, he would have had to call Joshua to pull him out, but he was able to drive back on the road. He drove slower, feeling the snow under his wheels and a couple more times he skidded a bit.

A text came in letting him know the kids had just arrived along with Luke and Matt. The message ended asking him where he was. He sent a message back saying he should be there soon. He realized he had been driving for over an hour already. By the time he entered the gate of their ranch it had been nearly two hours.

The minute Brian pulled the vehicle into the garage and had shut the door, Justin appeared out of nowhere. He rushed into Brian's arms and kissed him, but then took a step back and questioned, "Where the hell have you been? You left hours ago. You didn't tell me where you were going. There is a storm out there. Why didn't you...?"

Brian pulled him against his chest. Justin fought to get away while he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. When Brian's mouth wandered down Justin's neck, he started yelling again. "I was so worried. Who do you know up the mountain, you asshole?"

"Enough! Do you want me to screw you or do you want to go in the house? You are in one of those moods and..."

Justin broke away from him. "Fuck you, Brian!"

"If that will make you feel better," Brian unzipped his pants and turned, offering his ass to Justin. He braced himself against the car door. He heard Justin unzip his pants, but then when he expected to feel Justin behind him, Justin shoved him away from the car and took his spot.

"Fuck me," was all he said.

"Are you sure?"

"FUCK ME!"

Brian didn't need to hear it again. He had dealt with Justin when he was in this kind of mood before. He had his verbal permission and as out of control as Justin was, somewhat justified, Brian's whole body was on fire. He needed him and he needed him NOW. Brian put one hand over Justin's shoulder to brace himself on the car just touching Justin's hand with his own and, using the other hand to spread Justin open, he thrust his hips and Justin let out a primal cry as he took him all the way in. It was fast and lacked the gentle moments where they shared souls. It was fast and furious, and when they had both cum, they each zipped up their pants. Justin turned and walked toward the door. 

Justin turned and, with a look Brian couldn't decipher, looked at him for a second and then he said, "This isn't over. You owe me an explanation."

"I have one..." Brian said as Justin shut the door, leaving him alone. Brian walked over and grabbed a spray bottle of cleaner and a cloth and cleaned off the door where Justin had ejaculated. As he left the garage Brian wondered how long this would last. Usually it came toward the end of a project, but this project had almost six months to go. He had to talk him down.  

By the time dinner was ready, a big pot of Irish stew with homemade biscuits, the storm had gotten much worse. They had already called school off for the remainder of the week so all the children were excited. Tonight it was just Brian and Justin with their children, along with Emma and Joshua. Luke and Matt were with Willow and Dusty. Dusty was making dinner for them and they were designing the apartment the space they would be remodeling.

Terry and Griff decided to have family time alone. After the first blizzard Elian had made all kinds of plans for the next one. So as soon as he got home from school, Terry, who had stayed home today, helped him put his plans in place.

As Emma filled bowls of stew and the biscuits were passed around, Brian looked at Justin sitting across the table and smiled but Justin turned to Jessi and asked if she needed help putting butter on her biscuit. "No, Daddy, I just need the honey, please." Justin passed the honey to her but then focused on his own food.

"This is really good, Emma," Brian said, smiling over at her. "By the way, I spoke to Mr. Charles today."

"You went to see him?" Joshua was indignant. "Emma, how could you have sent him there!" 

The children all looked at Joshua, surprised at the tone of his voice. "Joshua, it is not the time or place for this conversation. Brian risked a lot today to go up and talk to him." She looked at Justin as she said it, having picked up on the tension between them.

"Robert let me through the gate with a little talking." The kids were now paying attention to what was being said. "His partner let me in. Have you ever been there? The house is an architectural masterpiece for that piece of land."

Justin spoke before Brian could go on. "Who is Robert Charles?" Brian saw Gus look at his other father. He picked up on Justin's voice and looked over at Brian. 

"He is a lawyer that specializes in indigenous families. Joshua and Emma are hoping to help Nova somehow." Brian added the last part for the kids' benefit. Justin did not respond. "Robert will get back to me after he verifies the details."

"He is a good lawyer, Joshua, and don't you think Nova deserves that?" Emma said, putting a hand on his leg.

"She does, and we don't have a lot of local options," Joshua surrendered.

The subject was changed because they didn't want the kids to pick up on too much yet. The conversation went to planning some activities for the next couple days. Emma said it might be a great day to bake. Christmas was still almost two months away but they could bake a few Christmas cookies to decorate. She also thought it would be a great day to bake some bread. 

This sounded like a perfect way to spend a part of the day. And if the temperature didn't drop too much they would want to go out and play in the snow and spend time with the animals in the barns.

When everyone had their fill and a plate of brownies had been passed around, Jessi and Aaron went into the loft by the cats to watch TV. Gus excused himself and went to his room. Brian stood and helped clear the table. Justin thanked Emma very formally and excused himself, going to their bedroom.  

Once Justin had left, Joshua left to check on the animals. Emma and Brian talked quietly so their voices didn't carry up to the loft, "Justin is not having a good day, is he? I have never seen him like this."

"I don't know what happened in the studio. Something did, and I made the mistake of not telling him where I went. I should have, but I guess I should have checked the weather, too. I'll give him a little space while I get the kids to bed and then I will try to mellow him out. I'm afraid this will happen again while he finishes this project, but it usually is this way closer to the finish. Do you think Joshua is alright with the fact I saw Robert?"

"Yes, he is fine. You are a good husband, Brian. You know your Sunshine so well." Emma finished loading the dishwasher.

He mumbled, "Not so sunny right now. You and Joshua have the same relationship."

"Yes, I guess we do."

Brian sat in the loft and watched TV with his youngest two until they both started dozing off. He put them to bed by himself, telling them Justin had a headache. He then went to Gus' room and knocked, opening the door as he did. Gus was in bed with his tablet.

"Hey, Dad," he responded. "Daddy J is having a bad day, isn't he."

"He is."

"He was mad and scared when he didn't know where you were. But I think something else happened."

"Do you know what it was?" Brian stretched out on the bed next to his mini me.

"No, I don't. He just came to the house from the studio and I could tell. Do you think he will move out again?"

"You still remember when he did that? That was over 6 years ago."

"I remember. He lived with Griff in the barn for a while."

"I don't think he will move out. I am going to go talk to him now. Don't worry about us, Gus."

"Dad, promise me that if it gets bad you'll tell me. I'm not a little kid anymore."

Brian laid an arm across Gus' waist and kissed his cheek, "I wish you would slow down a little. You are growing up so fast. I will let you know how it goes."

Gus turned over and hugged Brian. "I love you, Dad. Can you tell Daddy J I love him?"

"Of course I will. Goodnight, Gus. I love you, too."

"Night dad."

Brian walked down the staircase and moved across the foyer and then down the hall. Music was blaring. He took a deep breath, debating if he should knock before entering, but decided he wouldn't hear it anyway. He turned the knob and pushed the door open. 

Justin stood in a robe with the French doors open to the pool area. He had a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a remote in the other. He turned and glared at him.

Brian walked over and took the bottle out of his hand and took a swallow before handing it back to Justin. Justin took it and brought it up to his lips, tilted his head back, and stumbled as he  took another large drag.  

Brian reached out and helped him balance and then guided him to the small sofa. He could feel whatever had caused him to rage earlier had now changed to a melancholy or depression. He took the remote and turned the music down to a soft background sound and set it down. Then he gently took the bottle again and this time, after a swallow, he set it on the side table next to the remote. Slowly he put his arms around Justin and when he clung to him, Brian held him tighter. "Sunshine, what is it? What happened today?"

"You disappeared in a storm," Justin said with some sarcasm in his voice but no anger was left, and if anything, he seemed more confused.

Brian brushed Justin's hair off his forehead. "Tell me what happened in the studio." Justin's head dropped on Brian's shoulder and Brian added, "I am sorry for making you worry." He kissed Justin's head.

It was obvious Justin had drunk quite a bit, but as he started to speak, he didn't show it at all. "I got a text today. A basic description of the project had been posted on a site, and the email ripped the project apart. Not so much the whole project but the image of Comanche on it. They sent a link that I reviewed. It was horrible. I knew some of the history, but the details... I almost started redesigning it, but then I got angry because someone thought they could tell me what I should do."

"Did you talk to Griff about it?"

"No, he was deep into his sculpting. I tried to find you and then found you were not on the ranch and it started to snow and..." Justin was deflating as he spoke. "Do you know how horrible it was? I know it was normal for the fighting, but did you know they didn't just kill people, they set them up to suffer. They would roast them alive. They killed babies for no reason. Brian, they ROASTED people alive. Do I include that in the history? Do I change the painting and have a body on a spit?" He started to stand up too fast and dropped back onto the sofa.

"Oh, Sunshine, you sleep on it. Talk to Joshua if you have questions."

"As I thought about it this afternoon, I got angry, because I read how the Comanche had been treated by the Spaniards, which is why they had gotten so vicious."

Brian saw Justin's eyes beginning to flutter shut and he bent and kissed him. "That's enough for today. Time for you to go to bed." He stood and offered his hand and helped him balance when he got to his feet. Brian undressed him and got him into bed. He was asleep before Brian could join him. Once Brian was in bed next to him, Justin curled against him. Then Brian's arms went around him and held him close.

He listened to Justin's breathing. He sighed. Justin's projects were like one of his children. Blaming the person who emailed didn't solve anything. He would be thinking more clearly in the morning. He was relieved to know that although it was project related, it wasn't the project itself that had stressed him. 

Brian yawned and turned into Justin to hold him closer still. Justin softly said, "Love me."

"Of course I love you."

"No, Brian, make love to me." Justin turned his back to him and this time the love making was everything the afternoon fuck wasn't. Brian gently moved in and out as he stroked Justin's cock until he felt the familiar shutter that came along with an orgasm. Justin felt like he had no bones, as relaxed as he was. "Good night, Love," he mumbled.

Brian wasn't sure why, but he was overcome with emotion. Where would he be without this man? He prayed he never had to find out.