Stable Hill

by Jodi Payne

  “I have Rose. I couldn’t do it without her.” Well, he probably could; people did. But he’d have lost his mind figuring out how. It took both of them just to handle all the girls’ tears. Grateful didn’t begin to cover it.

  “Come on. Let’s have a drink before you go.” Jeffrey climbed out of bed, his naked body looking lovely in the pillar of light streaming in from the hallway.

  “That sounds perfect.” They cleaned up, and he got dressed—searching for and picking up clothing here and there on the way down the stairs—while Jeffrey put on sweatpants.

  “What’s your preference? Whiskey? Brandy?”

  “Oh, have you got a brandy?”

  “I have. A nice one.” Jeffrey dug out a couple of snifters, and he picked one up and warmed it in his hands. He hadn’t had a nice brandy in a while. How adult and… normal.

  “So, I’ve been getting ready to show the farm.” Jeffrey took the top off the half-full bottle and poured them each a generous splash.

  “Yeah? Already?”

  “Well, as long as I can say work is being done, there’s no reason not to. Sometimes you can find a buyer who will accept money in escrow for the work, and then you don’t even have to deal with it.”

  “Oh, that’s an interesting idea.” Would that get it sold faster? The whole sale process was already frustrating, and they’d barely even begun.

  “I’m going to activate the listing Monday. Russ and I are going to clean up the inside of the house on Sunday.”

  He really didn’t want to talk about the farm right now. Or business at all. He swirled his brandy and hugged the bowl of the glass between his palms, finally deeming it warm enough to sip. “Oh, this is smooth.”

  “If I’m going to drink, it’s going to be good.” Jeffrey smiled. Oscar believed it. Jeffrey was even shiny in sweatpants. He stepped forward, slipped an arm behind Jeffrey, and kissed him. Gently, just for the sake of a kiss.

  “Mm. What was that for?”

  “To see how the brandy tastes on you.” He pulled Jeffrey tighter and danced slowly around the living room, his brandy still in one hand.

  “Are we dancing? There’s no music, Oscar.” Jeffrey didn’t seem to be complaining, though. His lover seemed more intrigued and amused than anything.

  “It’s in my head.” He slowed to a stop so they could sip their brandy. He was already pretty relaxed, and the brandy warmed him inside too. After a few sips, he put the glass down. “I’m not going to be able to drive home if I finish that.”

  Jeffrey grinned at him. “You’ve seen through my nefarious plan.”

  He chuckled, found his shoes and socks, and sat on the couch to pull them on.

  “For what it’s worth, Oscar, I think we should keep ourselves open to this.”

  That was his plan. “I’m… open. Well, I’m not closing any doors yet anyway. I’m still getting my feet under me.”

  “Hey, that’s fine. No one is in a rush here. We’re all taking it a day at a time.” Jeffrey kissed him. “Have a good evening with Russ tomorrow.”

  He found himself searching Jeffrey’s eyes, wondering how that was offered so freely. How Jeffrey had enough confidence to hand him off to another man. It was wonderful, and baffling. Mostly wonderful.

  “Thanks for… well. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. And the brandy.” He pulled his coat on and got out his keys.

  “I am really glad you called. Is it cool if I call you or text—I mean, not about business?”

  “Oh. Yes. Yeah, that’s totally fine. I’d like that.” He wanted those calls. He gave Jeffrey a smile that felt as dorky as what he’d just said.

  “Cool. Good.” Jeffrey saw him to the door and held it open for him. “Good night.”

  Oscar leaned in and took a light kiss. “I’ll talk to Rose and get back to you about plans for the three of us, okay?”

  “Call me.”

  “Night.” He didn’t linger. It was the middle of the night, and Jeffrey understood why he was leaving. He headed for his van, hopped in, and headed home. He was going to be tired tomorrow, but it would be so worth it. Jesus. Jeffrey was right—he didn’t think he could get that from Russ. He really didn’t even want that from Russ. Russ was… sweet. Gentle. A different vibe.

  When he got home, the house was dark, except for the light in the upstairs hall, which Rose had left on for him. He climbed the stairs, wickedly sore and totally wiped out, and he smiled because it felt great. He was lucky as hell.

  Chapter Fourteen

  RUSS NEEDED a shower. He’d just help get the horses in, and then he could go get cleaned up and have something to eat before Oscar arrived. He needed a shave, and he should probably deal with his fingernails….

  Shit, listen to him. Taking time to be all pretty for his date. Lord.

  He’d left Miles and the other guys down at the barn to supervise and he trudged on up to the pasture to open the gate. These beasts were such creatures of habit, they were already heading over when he arrived. Angel must have seen him coming. She tossed her head and greeted him, and he stroked her nose and unlocked the gate.

  “Take ’em on down, girl. I’ll come say good night.” He pulled the gate open, and she strutted through it, then took off at a trot for the barn, everyone following her down obediently. He did the mental count as they trotted by, but really, he could tell by looking these days, and he knew as soon as the last one came through the gate that Mila was missing.

  “Shit, Mila. You lazy ass.” He pulled out his cell and called Miles.

  “Yo, boss.”

  “Hey. Mila’s still dickin’ around in the pasture. I need to go pull her in. We’ll be down in a bit.”

  “Sure, man. We got this.”

  “Thanks.” He hung up, looking at Mila out in the paddock. “Mila! Come on, girl!” When Mila didn’t budge, he sighed and headed out in that direction. He was annoyed at first, thinking the mare was just being stubborn, but the closer he got, the more he was convinced something was wrong. The mare wasn’t standing right.

  When he got close enough to see, he realized Mila wasn’t putting weight on her front foot. “Oh. What did you do, lady?” He jogged the rest of the way over. “Aw shit. Where did you get that?” Her foot was attached to a three-foot board. “Got a nail in there, girl? Hang on.”

  Russ kept one hand on Mila’s neck and ran the other from her shoulder slowly down her leg. She twitched a little but was pretty trusting, and he was able to eventually get both hands as far as her knee.

  Okay. A sixteen-hundred-pound animal with a nail in her hoof. What could possibly go wrong here?

  He sighed. “Don’t you put my lights out, Mila, you hear me?” He took a deep breath and in as quick a motion as he could manage, he got his hands between the board and her hoof and shoved downward.

  She danced sideways, pulling her foot from his hands. He went right for her mane and grabbed it, tugging on it to keep her from going too far. “Hey. That’s it, girl. It’s gone. Shh. It’s gone now.”

  A couple of minutes later, they were making their way back to the barn, Mila only limping slightly. He brought the board along too, trying to figure out where she’d picked it up. It had to be from the fencing, but he was baffled where. He’d been checking the fences all over the property; tomorrow he’d make that paddock his priority.

  “Hey, man. She’s got a foot.”

  He held up the board for Miles. “Kicked a fence, maybe? I’ll go see tomorrow.” He put Mila on crossties and pulled out his phone. “I need to call Hank. Can you put a soak together for me?”

  “You got it.”

  “Thanks, man.” He got on the phone and left a message with the vet’s answering service, set his phone down, and then bent to have a look at Mila’s foot. He ran his hands over her knee and down to the shoe, pleased that it didn’t feel warm. It was sore, though, and she fussed at him, tugging her foot out of his fingers. “Yeah, I know, girl. We’ll get a soak on that, huh?”

  “Right behind you.” Mi
les came up next to him and sat the bucket down.

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m going to go finish up with the guys, and then I’ll come back and check on you.”

  “All good. I got this.”

  Miles jogged off, and he picked up the bucket, then it down near Mila’s foot. The trick here was to make sure she didn’t kick it over. He kept one hand on the bucket’s handle and coaxed her foot up and then down into the bucket with the other.

  “Yep. That’s it.” She didn’t spook. She hesitated for a second, but he leaned on her knee and she put her foot down into the warm water. “Good girl. There you go.” He petted and soothed her, keeping an eye on that leg, making sure she kept her hoof in the bucket. Once she settled, he got out a grooming kit to keep her relaxed, keep some routine, and give himself something to do. She was going to have to soak for a while so the antiseptic could do its work. He wanted it good and clean.

  He combed through her mane until it shined, then started in on her shoulders and over her back. She needed to soak for a good twenty minutes, so he took his time and got every nook and cranny, combed out her tail. The vet called and asked a slew of questions, confirmed the record of her tetanus shot booster, and gave Russ some instructions.

  “Keep an eye on her, and I’ll be by in the morning.” Hank didn’t sound too worried.

  He and Miles pulled her shoe, put some antibacterial glop on the hoof, and packed it with gauze, then wrapped it up in vet wrap and duct tape so she could step on it and not rip open the bandage.

  “Looks pretty good, huh?” Russ said, packing everything away in the horse-sized first aid kit.

  “That’s some good work, for sure.”

  Russ snorted. “Thanks for sticking around. I’m going to hang out here with her for a while.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, thanks. I won’t sleep anyway.”

  Miles shook a head full of dark curls and laughed. “You treat them well, boss.”

  “Thanks. That’s my job.” He said good night and then made his way over to the little corner set up with a heater, a coffee machine, and a stack of books and magazines.

  What seemed like barely a minute later, his phone rang, and he sat up, blinking. He must have dozed off. He patted his coat pockets and his jeans pockets, and he looked around, but he couldn’t find his phone.

  Oh! Right. He’d left it at the crossties. He jogged over, but it stopped ringing before he got there. “Damn.” He picked it up to see who’d called.

  Oscar.

  “Oh shit!” He’d totally forgotten with all the worry over Mila…. “Fuck.” He dialed Oscar back and looked at his watch.

  “Russ?”

  “Hey, Oscar, I’m—”

  “I’m in the house. Where are you?”

  He sighed. “I’m out in the barn. Mila got a nail in her hoof, and Miles and I were working on it…. I got completely distracted.” That sounded great, didn’t it? I got involved with a horse and didn’t even remember to call you.

  “Is she okay?”

  “I think so. She’ll be on rest for a few days for sure, but it didn’t feel infected when I wrapped it up. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I’m really sorry, Oscar. I need to stay out here with her.”

  “Sure. I get it. I’ll be right out.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to—”

  “Stop. What can I bring you? Are you hungry?”

  He totally was. “Peanut butter and jelly?”

  Oscar laughed. “You’re serious?”

  “Well, yeah.” What was wrong with peanut butter and jelly? It was his supper half the week anyway. The other half was canned soup or spaghetti and meatballs. And pizza on Saturdays.

  “Okay, peanut butter and jelly it is. Be out in a bit.”

  He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten to call. Mila had him worried. But how sweet was it of Oscar to bring him supper? He was doing his job after all. The boss couldn’t get that mad, right?

  Oh, man. He was sleeping with the boss. Well? It was way too damn late now, huh? He was pretty sure the boss wanted him right back.

  He cleared some tack he’d put off working on from the only other chair in the barn and brought it over to where it was warmer. Then he checked on Mila to kill some time because he realized he was impatient to see Oscar.

  It took a while for Oscar to appear, but when he finally did, it was with a picnic basket.

  “Special delivery.” Oscar smiled at him and set the basket down on one of the chairs. His lover had on a dark green barn coat and a black scarf, a Phillies cap covering silver hair. It all looked familiar.

  “Jonas’s hat.” Russ stepped close. Their eyes met, and Oscar pulled him right in, bringing their lips together in a gentle kiss. He leaned into Oscar, soaking in everything he’d wanted from the brief kiss they’d shared in the kitchen the other night. Oscar offered it so freely this time, affection, desire—his lover was so open to him, it made him feel a little guilty that he’d worried about Oscar spending time with Jeffrey for even a moment.

  “Mhm. Dad’s coat too. I didn’t want to wear my leather one out here, just in case.”

  “In case what? You gonna get your hands dirty?”

  Oscar pretended to be offended. “I beg your pardon? I was raised on this farm.”

  He laughed. “So defensive. It’s adorable.”

  Oscar snorted and let him go. “It’s good to see you.”

  It was good to be seen. He still couldn’t quite believe this was happening. “Oscar, I am so sorry about this. I should have—”

  Oscar put a hand up, cutting him short. “You’re doing your job. So where did Mila pick up the nail?”

  “Looks like that paddock fence needs some work. I hadn’t gotten to it yet. I just finished the perimeter this morning.”

  “Is it bad?”

  “No. But we took the shoe off, and she’s indoors for a few days, I think. Hank will be by in the morning, and we’ll see.”

  “Okay, good.”

  “Is this supper?” He already knew he didn’t need to explain why he was in the barn still to Oscar, but he felt so bad about ruining their night together.

  “Oh, yes. This is dinner. Sit.”

  He looked at Oscar.

  “Sit.”

  “Okay.” He sat, smiling and wondering what Oscar was up to. He found out soon enough, as Oscar pulled all kinds of crazy things out of that basket, starting with a red dishtowel that was spread out on top of the little crate to serve as a tablecloth. “What’s this?”

  “Well, since our evening got rescripted, I figured I’d bring you a little atmosphere with dinner.”

  “You’re one of those romantic types, huh?”

  Oscar smiled at him, not the least bit embarrassed. “Yeah. I am, as a matter of fact. You ready to be disgusted?”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean…. Romance is great. I like romance.” Truthfully, he didn’t know the first thing about it, really, but he liked the idea anyway.

  Oscar leaned over and took another kiss, the quick sweep of Oscar’s tongue across his lips leaving him blinking and grinning like a fool.

  “Good.” Oscar grinned and pulled a covered plate out of the basket, pulled the foil off, and set the plate down. He laughed, feeling himself smile from ear to ear at the two heart-shaped peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

  “Oh my God.”

  Oscar looked pleased and sat in the other chair. “Mom’s cookie cutters.”

  He knew his smile was goofy, taking over his whole face. But how sweet was this? “You actually dug out cookie cutters.”

  “I did,” Oscar replied smugly. “I have four daughters, remember. You have to get creative sometimes. Or, well. Rose is creative, and I learn things.”

  He laughed and picked up one of the heart-shaped sandwiches, studying it from the side. “Nice thick layer of peanut butter. I approve.”

  “Is there any other way?”

  “Strawberry jelly. The only kind there is.”

  �
�I guess. That’s all that was in your fridge.”

  “Damn right.” He grinned and made a show of taking a bite. “Mm. Delicious. Thank you.”

  Oscar pulled out two stemless wineglasses and a root beer and split it between the glasses before lifting one. “To our first real date.”

  “In a barn.” He picked up his glass, still all smiles. “Cheers. I’ve never had root beer in a wineglass.”

  “I figured wine was a bad idea with the horse and everything.” Oscar clinked glasses with him. “You had these in the fridge.”

  “So thoughtful.”

  “Russ, your kitchen looks like a teenager lives there. Milk, cereal, soup, pasta, bread, peanut butter and jelly.”

  “Doritos. Don’t forget the Doritos. And the apples.”

  “Right. Apples. Yeah, I was impressed you had something good for you.”

  “Shut up.” He laughed, though, because it was pretty simple stuff. He only really cooked on Sundays, and he’d shop fresh in the morning after he turned the horses out. He ate his other sandwich and sipped his root beer, letting Oscar watch him. “Okay, what?”

  Oscar smiled. “If things had gone as planned, what would we be doing right now?”

  “Making out. And talking. But mostly making out.”

  “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

  “How was your evening with Jeff?”

  When the question first came out of his mouth, he didn’t catch the way it sounded. It wasn’t until Oscar sat forward and put his drink down that he realized what he’d asked.

  “Oh. I didn’t mean…. I really just meant, was it….” God. He was such an idiot. “I’m not trying to be nosy, I swear. I—”

  “It was exactly what I wanted it to be,” Oscar interrupted smoothly, that deep voice cutting right through all of his stuttering.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that.”

  “Russ. You don’t have to apologize. I called you so you’d know I was going there. I told Jeffrey I was coming here tonight. I don’t have any idea how this will all work out, if it works out, but I intend to be honest about everything.”

  He felt chastised on one hand but encouraged on the other. “Yeah. Honest is best.”