Fin held his eyes then he jerked his chin up again.

Mike drew in breath.

Was he going to f**king do this?

He looked at the boy who was mostly a man in front of him, flashes going through his head of him studying with Mike’s girl, smiling at Mike’s girl, holding her hand, opening the car door for her, leading her into Swank’s with his hand light on the small of her back.

Fuck, he was going to f**king do this.

“I know you know that I’ve got a rule about Rees not car dating until she’s sixteen,” Mike stated.

That peaked Fin’s interest as well as made his body shift in a way that appeared uncomfortable.

But Fin sucked it up and responded, “Yeah. I know. It’s cool. Things are good as they are.”

“I’m lifting that rule.”

Mike watched Fin’s body go solid.

He wanted it, time alone with Mike’s daughter.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Mike pulled in another breath and, low, he said, “I’m doin’ this because I’ve been watchin’ you with her and I trust you. You’ve given indication you care about her. You’ve stepped up for her. You protected her. You kept your shit in the situation with those kids and caused no more trouble, makin’ a mature decision which is another way of protectin’ her rather than putting her further out there. I’m doin’ this because I know you won’t screw me if I do. And by that, I mean, my daughter is fifteen. It is not lost on me you have some experience. So I’m gonna lay it out for you, Fin. She cares about you, she trusts you but she’s too damned young to go there with you. Not now. Not in two months. Not in ten. Not even after that. I’m lettin’ you both have this because I know you won’t disrespect her and, in doin’ so, disrespect me. And if I find that I’m wrong about that, there’s nothin’ I’ll be able to do to change it. But I’ll be really f**kin’ disappointed.”

When he was finished, Mike was shocked as shit to see that Finley Holliday wasn’t grateful. He wasn’t embarrassed. He wasn’t uncomfortable.

He was pissed way the f**k off.

“We’re talkin’ about Reesee,” he growled and Mike held his eyes.

“Yeah, Fin,” Mike agreed.

“You’re a cop. You’re a Dad. You’re a guy. You know,” Fins stated, his voice still low, harsh, pissed.

“Fin –”

“You’ve seen me with her and you know you do not have to say that shit to me,” Fin ground out.

Jesus.

“I’m her father. It’s my job to be thorough,” Mike returned.

“Well, you been thorough,” Fin shot back. “So I’ll tell you it means somethin’ to me you trust me with her because you can. You know my Dad. You’re with my aunt. You know the Hollidays so you get me. There are all the other girls then there’s Reesee and bein’ her Dad and all, you know that too.”

Mike fought back his lips twitching and he replied, “Yeah, I know all that.”

“Right,” Fin grunted then asked, “What’s her curfew?”

Mike kept fighting his lips twitching and answered, “Nine on weekdays. Ten weekends but if you got a late movie or something, you let me know.”

Fin nodded.

Then he asked, “We done?”

“Yeah.”

Fin jerked up his chin and moved past Mike to the backdoor.

Mike stopped him by calling his name. Hand on the knob, Fin’s neck twisted and his eyes hit Mike.

“I knew your Dad and you two were tight so I figure you already know this. But I’m gonna say it anyway. The man you’ve become is a man other men will want to know. He would be proud, Fin.”

Fin stared in his eyes and quietly replied, “He already was. You’re right, he told me. A lot. And that’s why I am what you say I am.”

Jesus, this kid was sharp.

“Right,” Mike muttered.

“But,” Fin went on, “you’re a decent guy, a great Dad so you should also know that means somethin’ comin’ from you.”

And Jesus, this kid felt deep and had the balls to express it.

“Right,” Mike repeated on a mutter.

“Right,” Fin muttered back then kept muttering his, “later,” and he was gone.

Mike gave him a minute to disappear and then he followed, going out the door and heading to the barn.

Dusty had music on low, her ass on her stool and was slapping a wad of clay on her wheel but her eyes were on him. Layla jogged up to him and butted him with her nose.

When he got close she asked, “How’d that go?”

He had also told her why he wanted to talk to her nephew.

He stopped, bent and gave his dog a head rub.

“Better than I expected,” he answered. “A lot better.”

She grinned up at him and declared, “I love my nephew.”

Mike grinned back.

Then he told her, “Goin’ to the gym.”

She nodded. He bent and gave her a quick kiss. Then he twisted and gave his dog a rubdown.

Then he ordered, “Stay.”

Layla didn’t stay. She trotted off deeper into the barn, nose to the ground, discovering.

Mike’s gaze slid through Dusty, she grinned at him again, he again grinned back then he walked out of the barn, across the field, into his house and up the stairs to change for the gym.

*

The next Friday afternoon…

“Fuck you, Mike.”

This was Debbie’s charming greeting.

Mike leaned back in his desk chair and guessed, “I take it you had your sit down with Mr. Glover.”

“Fuck…you,” she replied.

“You droppin’ the suit?” he asked.

No answer.

“Debbie,” he prompted.

“Yes,” she hissed.

“We gonna have any further problems with you?”

“Uh…sorry, Mike, that farm is not worth getting disbarred.”

“Good to know,” Mike returned. “Somethin’ else, that shit is not goin’ away. It’ll stay buried but you f**k with Dusty, Rhonda, those boys, any of that family or that farm in any way you can, it sees the light of day and you face disbarment and jail time. This is not a threat, Debbie. You need to take me seriously because I’m being very serious.”

“I hear you,” she snapped.

“And, time goes by, you see that shit you pulled for the shit it was, you give it even more time. You scored some wounds that run deep. Not one single soul who shares your blood whose feet hit Indiana dirt wanna hear from you anytime soon. You give them that, no matter how much you want salvation.”