It's a Good Life Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Epilogue

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  It’s a Good Life

  ISBN # 978-1-78430-719-6

  ©Copyright Carol Lynne 2015

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright July 2015

  Edited by Stacey Birkel and Nicki Richards

  Pride Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2015 by Pride Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Pride Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  Good-Time Boys

  IT’S A GOOD LIFE

  Carol Lynne

  Book five in the Good-Time Boys series

  Have you ever wondered what life would be like without you?

  Although Sonny Good still suffers repercussions from a gunshot wound to his head, he refuses to let them interfere with his life. He does his best to hide what he can from his partner, Garron, in an attempt to gain more independence. When a car accident forces Sonny’s newest health concern to the foreground, he begins to slide back into the pit of despair he’s worked so hard to crawl out of. What use will he be to his family and friends if he can’t lead a normal life?

  When a seizure leaves Sonny in need of emergency care, a CT Scan reveals the cause of his continued blackouts. Faced with a risky surgery, Sonny begins to wonder if his loved ones would’ve been better off if he’d died the day of the shooting.

  Faced with the prospect of losing the man he loves, Garron is determined to show Sonny what he has to live for.

  Dedication

  As I prepare for the holiday season, I’m reminded of all the people in my life that I’m thankful for. My girls, my mom and sisters, and my best friend, Theresa, bring a great deal of joy to my life every day. Theresa may have first contacted me as a reader of my stories, but she has become my daily confidant, more importantly, she has become a true member of my family.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  People magazine: Time, Inc.

  The Grinch: Dr. Seuss Enterprises

  Polaris Ranger: Polaris Industries Inc.

  Jell-O: Kraft Foods holdings, Inc.

  Green Eggs & Ham: Dr. Seuss Enterprises

  Chapter One

  Sonny Good stood under the spray of hot water and massaged shampoo into his hair. Before the shooting, he would’ve never let his hair grow. Unfortunately, nothing about him was the same as it had been before Lionel had changed him forever.

  He rubbed the scar that still refused to re-grow hair. He didn’t need a small bald spot to remind him of what had happened. His seizures, memory loss and physical limitations did that on a daily basis.

  The phone rang as he was rinsing off. “Shit.”

  He’d been expecting a call from Lilly with news of her doctor’s appointment, and he wasn’t about to miss it. Throwing back the curtain, he grabbed a towel and raced to the bedroom phone. “Hello?”

  “Hey,” Lilly greeted.

  “Well? What’d the doctor say?” Sonny tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear and wrapped the towel around his waist.

  “That this baby doesn’t plan on coming out anytime soon.” Lilly cleared her throat. “I don’t suppose Garron’s home, is he?”

  “No, he’s in Lincoln. Why, what’s up?”

  “Nothing. I mean…well, I’m on Mills Road with a flat, but Ryker and Ranger should be back from the livestock sale in an hour or so. Jeb has Rachel, and I’ve got my book with me, so I’ll just read for a while.”

  “The hell you will.” No way would he let his sister-in-law sit beside the road at any time, let alone when she was eight and a half months pregnant. “I know how to change a damn tire. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  Sonny ended the call and turned his ringer off. There was no doubt in his mind that Lilly was already calling Garron. “Let her,” he said to the room.

  Even if Garron left Lincoln immediately, Sonny could have the tire changed and Lilly home safely before Garron could make it to town. He mopped at the ends of his shoulder-length hair as he dug his clothes out of the dresser. Three minutes later, he was dressed and shoving his feet into his boots. Finding the keys to the old ranch truck didn’t take long—they were above the sun visor. “Real sneaky, Garron,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  A few minutes later, he pulled up behind Lilly’s sedan. He couldn’t help but smile at the Baby on Board sticker on Lilly’s rear passenger window. Ranger’s doing, no doubt.

  Sonny climbed out of the truck and flipped the collar up on his coat. He grabbed the floor jack out of the back and knocked on Lilly’s car door. “Pop the trunk,” he told her.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Lilly said, getting out of the car.

  Sonny whistled. “I do believe you’re even bigger than you were last weekend.”

  “Fuck off.”

  With a chuckle, Sonny loosened the lug nuts on the driver’s-side rear tire. “You know you’re beautiful no matter how big that belly of yours gets.”

  “You’re just buttering me up.”

  “Why would I do that? I know you’ve already called Garron. You know he’s going to chew my ass out for this.” Although it had been three years since the shooting, Sonny’s doctors still refused to clear him to drive. The seizures hadn’t got any worse, but he still had them on occasion.

  “I didn’t make you come help me. I could’ve waited.” Lilly pulled her coat tighter around herself.

  “What good am I if I can’t help my sister-in-law when she needs it?” He nodded toward the truck. “Go get in the cab and turn the heater on—it’s too cold for you out here.”

  Lilly stopped and put her hand on Sonny’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  Sonny smiled at his brothers’ wife. “Love ya, kid.”

  It was the first time in years that Sonny had changed a tire. It took him a lot longer than he remembered. He tried to blame the frigid December weather, but the truth was, his fine motor skills weren’t as good as they used to be. Predictably, by the time he’d finished he was in a bad mood. Sonny did his best to hide his self-loathing from Lilly.

  “You’re all set,” he told her after loading the jack.

  Lilly hugged him as close as she could. “Just so you know, I didn’t call Garron.”

  “Thank you.” Sonny kissed her cheek before walking her back to her car. “Make sure Ryker gets that tire fixed.”

&
nbsp; “Will do.”

  Sonny shut Lilly’s door and waited for her to drive off, throwing up a wave. After getting into his truck, he tore off his gloves and shook his hands. Damn. It was so fucking cold outside that his fingers had gone numb even inside his heavy gloves.

  If he hurried, he could make it to the ranch and take a short nap before Garron got home.

  * * * *

  Garron Greeley tapped his fingers against the steering wheel and sang along to the radio. It was Friday, and barring an unforeseen problem at the station, he was free to prepare the house for the Christmas party he and Sonny always hosted. The first order of business was the tree. Choosing the perfect specimen was Sonny’s favorite part and something he took very seriously.

  Garron remembered the previous year’s hunt. Sonny had passed up dozens of likely candidates eventually deciding on one. The white pine had been balanced on the edge of the bluff and not nearly as perfect as those they’d passed up. When Garron had questioned Sonny’s choice, his partner had pointed out that the tree was growing out of a small hole in the rocks.

  “It’s resilient,” Sonny had declared.

  “Like you,” Garron had answered, kissing his beloved.

  With the memory of that day fueling his good mood, Garron rounded the bend in the road and slammed on the brakes. In the ditch, precariously perched on its side, was the farm truck. Sonny.

  Garron jumped out of his pickup and raced toward the wreckage. “Sonny!”

  Garron found the driver’s door open and a smear of blood on the steering wheel, but no Sonny. “Sonny!” he called again, searching the area.

  “Fuck!” Garron pulled out his phone and tried to call Sonny. When a ringing came from inside the cab of the wrecked truck, he cursed again and called his brother.

  “Hey,” Jeb answered.

  “I found the ranch truck overturned in the ditch on Clare Curve. I don’t suppose you’ve seen Sonny?”

  “Nope. I’ve been playing with Rachel most of the day. You want me to bring the tractor over and help you get it out of the ditch?”

  “Later. Finding Sonny’s my first concern.” Garron climbed back into his pickup and started down the road, looking left and right. “I’ll call you when I do.”

  Garron searched for over an hour before arriving at the ranch house. He entered the living room and called out, “Sonny!”

  “Yeah?” Drying his hands on a dishtowel, Sonny came into the room. “You’re home early.”

  Garron stared at the dried blood on Sonny’s face and shook his head. “No, actually I’m late. Did you walk here?”

  Sonny stalked across the expanse and tilted his chin up for a kiss. “From the kitchen? Yeah, how else was I supposed to get in here?”

  Garron visually examined the cut on Sonny’s forehead. “Did you go for a drive today?”

  Sonny shook his head. “No, I’ve been cooking all afternoon. Dinner’s almost ready.”

  “The truck’s down the road overturned in the ditch.” It wasn’t the first time Garron had been through an accident with Sonny. The cut on Sonny’s forehead wasn’t the problem, it was truly superficial. He led Sonny to the sofa.

  “Then someone stole it. We’d better call the sheriff,” Sonny said, smiling up at Garron.

  Garron took the dishtowel out of Sonny’s hand and used a damp corner to wipe across the dried blood. He held it up for Sonny to see. “I think you were driving and had another seizure.”

  “No.” Sonny stood and headed toward the downstairs restroom.

  After waiting several moments, Garron followed. The seizures were always a cause of shame for his partner, and although Garron would like to give Sonny time, he couldn’t. It was important that Sonny realize he’d been ordered not to drive for a reason.

  Entering the bathroom, Garron moved to stand behind Sonny. “You were lucky that no one else was on the road and you were able to walk away.”

  “Leave me alone,” Sonny mumbled, turning on the faucet.

  Doing as asked, Garron retreated to the kitchen. One look at the pans of boiling water with nothing cooking inside them told him his assumption had been correct. Not only had a seizure caused Sonny’s accident, but he was still rattled from the episode.

  With a heavy heart, Garron emptied all but one of the pans. He searched the refrigerator and came up with some leftover roast chicken, an onion, half a tomato and a wedge of parmesan cheese. The pantry yielded some pasta and olive oil. It wouldn’t be gourmet, but it would fill their stomachs.

  * * * *

  Sonny picked at the food on his plate. He still had no memory of the accident, but that wasn’t anything new. Each time he suffered a seizure, it took a few hours of his life from him. “I’m sorry.”

  Garron continued to eat. “I know you were trying to help Lilly, but driving isn’t an option, at least not yet. Maybe once we get your seizures under control it’ll be possible, but not now.” He set his fork down and reached across the table.

  Sonny sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, tucking his hands under his armpits. It was a childish refusal and he knew it, but he hated that Garron thought he could smooth everything over with a touch. Granted, Garron’s caress was more than he’d ever hoped to receive, but he longed for the days when he and his partner had been on equal footing.

  “Please don’t be mad at me, but seeing the truck on its side nearly stopped my heart, and I refuse to lose you over something preventable,” Garron explained, turning his hand to rest palm up on the table.

  “I said I was sorry about the truck, but I don’t like to be told I can’t do something. You’re not my keeper.” Sonny put his hand in Garron’s. “You go off every single day and put your life in danger for your job, but I’ve never told you to quit because I don’t have the fucking right to do that.”

  “Goddammit, I thought we were beyond this shit. I’m not trying to be your fucking keeper. I’m trying to stop you from killing yourself or someone else.” Garron released Sonny’s hand and stood. “Since I cooked, the dishes are yours.”

  Sonny watched Garron stalk from the room. He stared at his uneaten dinner and longed for the days when they’d cook and clean-up together, laughing and kissing the entire time. Garron was right about one thing—they had been getting along better lately. There had been a long stretch after the shooting where he couldn’t have said that. Months when his own self-hatred came between them. It hadn’t been easy to rebuild what they’d shared before Lionel’s bullet had changed Sonny so drastically, but they’d worked at it, neither of them willing to give up.

  Driving was important to Sonny, but perhaps a compromise could be reached. It was a hell of a lot better than throwing away a relationship that meant everything to him.

  Leaving the table, Sonny joined Garron in the living room. He dropped down beside Garron on the sofa. “I can’t run this ranch without driving. If I promise to keep off the roads, can we put this discussion behind us?”

  “By now you know the warning signs. Promise me that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, if you feel a seizure coming on, you’ll stop and prepare yourself for it.”

  Sonny wondered—had he known a seizure was coming on while driving the truck? Regardless, he wouldn’t raise the question with Garron. He wrapped his arms around Garron’s neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. “I promise.”

  * * * *

  After the dishes were done and the horses fed, Sonny entered the bedroom to find Garron reading a magazine. The sight of the glasses perched on the end of Garron’s nose made him smile. They were a few months old and had been obtained after almost a year of Garron denying he was having trouble focusing on the pages in front of him.

  Sonny unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it toward the hamper. “What’re you reading?”

  Garron pulled his gaze away from the page and flipped the magazine so Sonny could see the cover. “My dream lover.” It was People magazine’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ issue with Channing Tatum on the cover.


  Sonny pounced on the bed and snatched the magazine out of Garron’s hands. “You didn’t tell me this came in.”

  “That’s because I wanted to read it before you got the pictures all sticky.” Garron laughed and rested his palms under his head.

  It was Sonny’s favorite issue, and he couldn’t believe Garron had got to it first. He studied the cover while he shucked his jeans, socks and underwear. “He’s on my list, ya know?”

  Garron nodded. “He’s at the top of mine.”

  “I thought I was at the top of yours?” Sonny got under the covers and snuggled against Garron’s warmth.

  Garron jumped as Sonny’s cold feet touched his calf. “Shit. I bet Channing doesn’t have cold feet.”

  “He also likes to fuck women, so you can’t have everything.” Sonny kissed Garron’s jaw. “Tell me I’m still at the top of your list.”

  “‘The list’ is for people we don’t have a chance in hell at getting, not those we already have,” Garron joked.

  Sonny twisted Garron’s nipple. “Keep it up and you’ll sure as fuck be adding my name to that damn list.”

  Garron took off his glasses and set them on the nightstand before rolling on top of Sonny. “If I had to choose between Channing and you, I’d pick you every time.”

  “You’re such a liar, but I love you for it.” Sonny wrapped his legs around Garron’s waist. Although sex wasn’t everything, it was a huge part of their relationship. Between Garron’s position as sheriff and Sonny trying like hell to run the ranch on his own, there were many nights when they didn’t see each other until bedtime.

  Garron moved his hips, grinding his cock against Sonny’s. “Put the magazine away.”

  Sonny pushed Garron’s chest. “You’ll have to get off me for that.”