“What do you mean?”
“With Yevgeny gone, I need new ranch manager. I would like you to consider taking job. Your contract is for three years. For right price, maybe we can make position permanent.”
Laramie was stunned into silence by the unexpected offer. Three years was a long time to spend away from her family. Now Duke was asking her to spend even more time separated from those she loved most. The money was good—great, in fact—but was it enough to compensate for the sacrifices she would have to make?
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Yes is good word.”
“Yes is a good word. I just don’t know if it’s the right word for me to use in this particular situation. Let me make a suggestion. I’ll assume the role until my contract is up. When it ends, I’ll take your offer into consideration. If I choose not to accept it, I’ll help you find someone to replace me. Someone you can trust. Does that work?”
“Is good compromise,” he said, shaking her hand. “We will revisit matter later, yes?”
“Yes. In addition to a ranch manager, you’re going to need a good accountant, too. Someone onsite, not three hundred miles away.”
“I know. I plan to offer job to Mischa. He has good head on his shoulders and is ready to take step up in career.” He looked over at Mischa, Pavel, and Anastasia, who were kicking a soccer ball around with one of Fyodor’s kids. “Besides, it will be good for him to get out of Moscow and away from all those party boys he chases after. He deserves a chance to meet someone stable. Someone like Pavel.”
Laramie took a moment to make sure she hadn’t misheard what Duke had just said. “Are you saying—”
“That Mischa is gay? Yes, I have known since he was little boy.”
“Why haven’t you said anything to him?”
“Like him, I have been pretending. Saying what I thought he needed to hear. I do not want to force him to say anything he is not ready for. I want him to come to me when he feels time is right.”
“Does the rest of his family know?”
Duke shrugged. “Some suspect. Some, I am sure, have no idea. Not all of them are as sophisticated as I am. I travel world, and I read things other than propaganda distributed by Kremlin.”
“Is it safe for Mischa and Pavel to be a couple here?”
“Godoroye is small town. Lucky for me, I own seventy-five percent of it. Townspeople do not wish to cross me. If Mischa chooses to make a life here, they will treat him with respect as long as he gives it in return. If Pavel’s business suffers, which I doubt, I can put him on payroll, too. I own several apartment buildings. I can use him to pop locks when renters refuse to pay.”
“You have a solution for everything, don’t you?”
“If that were true, I would still be married to first wife instead of paying alimony to her and two of the three that followed her. Look,” he said after they shared a laugh, “Mischa is good man, no matter who he loves. Ana has been good friend to him. Maybe she will meet someone, too.” He looked at her with a knowing smile plastered on his face. “Maybe she already has.”
Laramie bit her lip to keep from confirming his suspicions. “Maybe.”
* * *
Anastasia’s kick slid past Fyodor’s daughter’s foot. When Dominika went to fetch the ball, Anastasia looked up to find Elena and her sisters were staring at her. Again. It wouldn’t have been quite as bad if they weren’t so brazen about it. She was starting to feel like an animal on display at a zoo.
“They’re doing it again,” she said without moving her lips.
“I noticed.” Mischa moved closer so they could talk without having to raise their voices. “What did you say when you met them? They hugged you like you were long-lost relatives instead of perfect strangers.”
“They didn’t give me a chance to say much of anything. They said Elena had told them all about me. Like her, they were happy to see someone from their hometown doing so well. I work as a translator on a fledgling cattle ranch. It’s not like I’m nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“Maybe they’re overly friendly. What did they do when she introduced them to everyone else?”
Anastasia thought back to the various encounters she had witnessed after Elena’s sisters climbed out of Sergei’s limo.
“They were cool to Laramie. They were polite, but you could tell they weren’t completely receptive.”
“So they share opinions as well as a family resemblance.”
“It seems so, yes. They giggled like schoolgirls whenever Shorty said more than two words to them. With everyone else, they were just…normal.”
“That’s how they were with me, too. I guess the disguise is working.”
Anastasia cut her eyes at Pavel, who had taken advantage of the break in the action to grab them another round of drinks from the cooler. Soda and bottled water. Nothing fun. On a day like today, she could have used something stronger.
“How much longer can you keep it up?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.” He glanced at Laramie, who was deep in conversation with Sergei. “What will you do when she leaves?”
Anastasia’s heart sank. Being with Laramie last night had felt so right. So natural. But even while it was happening, she had known that it couldn’t last. That they couldn’t last. Was that why it had felt so good to be with her? Because she didn’t have to worry about a future she knew could never come to pass?
“I will do the same thing you’ll do when you return to Moscow and leave Pavel behind: go back to my life.”
“Would our lives be the same without them in it? I don’t think so.”
“Neither do I. Our lives would continue to have meaning, but there would be a void that didn’t exist before.”
“Not just one. At least two. Maybe more. The people here? They like me for me, not because I am Sergei’s nephew. Would their opinion of me change if they knew I was gay? Call me naïve, but I like to think it wouldn’t.”
“Are you ready to come out?”
Mischa looked over at Pavel. “I don’t know, but he makes me want to try.”
“So soon? You just met him a few days ago.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t take long to know when someone is right for you. You just feel it in your bones. Along with other places that are a lot more fun.”
Anastasia glanced at Laramie. Whenever she looked at her, she experienced feelings she had never felt before. Each time she started to feel overwhelmed, Laramie would say or do something to reassure her. To ground her. To remind her that she wasn’t going through this alone. They were in this together. How long would it last? Anastasia had no idea. All she could do was live each day as if it might be their last. Because one day, it truly would be.
Sergei held up a hand and motioned to Mischa.
“Your uncle’s beckoning you. You’d better see what he wants.”
“Do I have to?”
“Don’t look so worried. For the foreseeable future, you can do no wrong in his eyes. Use that to your advantage.”
“And do what?”
“I could use a raise. Why don’t you start with that?”
“I think I’ll wait until he recovers all of the money Yevgeny stole before I ask him to spend some of it on you.”
“Good idea.”
Laramie joined her after Mischa took her place at Sergei’s side.
“What were you and Sergei talking about?” Anastasia asked.
“He wanted to thank me without making a big production number out of it.”
“Is that all?”
Laramie took a sip of her soda as she watched Ivan’s young sons chase each other around the yard. “No, but this isn’t the time or place to talk about it. I’ll tell you later.”
Anastasia didn’t want to wait. “Our time alone is too precious to waste talking about other people. Tell me now.”
Laramie hooked her thumbs in her belt loops. “Duke knows about Mischa. And about us.”
This was the m
oment Anastasia had feared. The moment when the house of cards she and Mischa had built would come crashing down on top of them.
“What do you mean he knows? Did you tell him?”
“Of course not. Like you, I’ve never outed anyone other than myself and I don’t intend to start now. He already knew about Mischa. He said he’s always known. He’s waiting for Mischa to broach the subject first. He’s willing to play the game as long as you two are. When Mischa’s ready to talk, he’s ready to listen. You can say something to Mischa, or you can let him come to a decision on his own. It’s up to you. I’ve said all I’m gonna say on the matter.”
“How does he know about you and me? We have been discreet.”
“That’s a matter of opinion. According to Shorty, we couldn’t be more obvious.”
Anastasia ran her hands through her hair. “What are we supposed to do? If word gets out—”
Laramie cut her off.
“I thought this was what you wanted: to be open and honest.”
“It is, but—”
She paused when she saw Elena and her sisters looking her way yet again. She turned her back to them so they couldn’t see the confusion on her face. Elena would probably blame Laramie for that, but this wasn’t Laramie’s problem. It was hers. She had spent the past few years putting herself on the front lines of a war that seemed impossible to win. But the real battle was here. In the trenches. Instead of standing her ground, all she wanted to do was run away.
“This is all too much. I just want to be with you without wondering what everyone else is thinking. Without having to find places we can sneak off to in order to be alone. I just want to be with you.”
“I want that, too.”
“Then how do we make it happen without losing everything we have worked for?”
Laramie briefly squeezed her hand. “By sticking together instead of turning on each other. Let’s enjoy today and worry about tomorrow when it comes. We’ll figure things out in time.”
Except time, Anastasia knew, was a luxury they didn’t have.
* * *
“This was one of the best ideas you’ve ever had,” Shorty said as the gathered family members began to say their good-byes.
“Everybody gets lucky sometimes. I guess today’s my day.”
Shorty waved at Elena and her sisters as they made their way to Duke’s waiting limo.
“Looks like you’ve got two new fans,” Laramie said.
“Yeah, it’s pretty good being me. They don’t seem to be fans of yours, though. Was it something you said?”
“More like something I am.”
“Oh, that. Do you want me to say something to Elena? I can help her see what a good person you are.”
“You shouldn’t have to help her do anything. If I’m as good as you say I am, she should already know that by now.”
“She does. It’s just…Some people are funny about things they don’t understand, you know?”
“You never were.”
“That’s because I’ve known you practically from the day you were born. You’ve never had to explain yourself to me. No matter who you fall for, you’re always gonna be the same Laramie to me. Unless your intended turns out to be a vegetarian. Then we might end up exchanging a few cross words.”
“Thanks, Shorty.”
“For what?”
“Always being you.”
“Someone has to, right? It might as well be me. You just keep on being you. Elena will eventually come around.”
“If she doesn’t?”
“Well then, it’ll be her loss, won’t it?”
“I know you’re trying to get something going with her. I don’t want to come between you two.”
“Ain’t nothing to come between. If she’s got a problem with you, she’s got a problem with me, too. Now let’s quit jawing and get back to work before the new boss tans both our hides.”
“Temporary boss.”
“I know how much you like it here. You’re not thinking of staying on after your contract runs out?”
“Who would run our place if I did? My parents won’t live forever, and Trey has his heart set on being a rodeo star rather than a rancher. That leaves me. I can’t be in two places at once, especially when the two places are this far apart.”
“Good thing you have plenty of time to make up your mind.”
“Extra time isn’t going to make the decision any easier.”
He reached up and draped his arm across her shoulder. “That’s why it’s good to be me and sucks to be you.”
“Do you want to trade places?”
“Not on your life, kid. Not on your life.”
Her life had never been more in flux. All the choices she had made in the past had led her to this point. And the most important choice was yet to be made: deciding whether she should support her family’s dreams or embark on one of her own.
Chapter Twenty-five
Sergei tried to keep it quiet, but the drama surrounding Yevgeny’s embezzlement and attempted escape ended up as front-page news. Most of the press attention was focused on Sergei’s headquarters in Moscow, though Laramie, Shorty, and the ranch hands had to chase a few persistent photographers off the property after they gave Elena a fright.
Elena had been washing a load of laundry when she spotted three strangers sneaking across the backyard. Her scream had brought everyone running—Laramie and Anastasia from the office, Shorty and the ranch hands from the pasture. Laramie had grabbed a rifle from the gun cabinet and fired a warning shot in the air to get the photographers’ attention. Shorty, Ivan, and Fyodor had done the rest.
Laramie had looked like an avenging angel as she stood on the back porch with the smoking rifle in her hands. Anastasia had a healthy fear of guns, but she couldn’t deny she had found Laramie incredibly sexy at that moment. She didn’t look half-bad in this moment, either.
Laramie was naked and on top of her. Her right hand was between Anastasia’s legs, her fingers thrusting inside her. Her left hand was on Anastasia’s breast, kneading it while she gently pinched her nipple. And her mouth was everywhere. Kissing her. Licking her. Whispering naughty things to her while Laramie took her to heights she never thought she could reach.
Then Anastasia did the same for her.
This was the ritual they practiced every night. After everyone else went to bed, they would spend hours locked behind closed doors, making love until their bodies were spent. Anastasia didn’t know which was more physically taxing—the often strenuous work they did during the day or the gyrations they put themselves through at night—but she definitely knew which was more fun.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” Laramie said as they caught their breath between rounds. “Something I’ve been keeping from you.”
“Something like what?”
Except for the one they shared, it wasn’t like Laramie to keep secrets.
“Duke offered me a job.”
“You already have job.”
“He offered me one that’s permanent instead of temporary.”
“When did he do that?”
“During the first family day.”
“That was almost two weeks ago. Why have you not said anything before now?”
“I didn’t want to steal Mischa’s thunder. Everyone was so excited to welcome him on board. I didn’t want to detract from that.”
Mischa had accepted Sergei’s offer. He had put in his notice at the accounting office he worked for in Moscow and emptied out the apartment he and Anastasia had shared. In a few days, after he spent one last weekend partying in all of his favorite nightclubs, he would officially move to Godoroye.
Elena had tried to convince him to move into Yevgeny’s old room, but he had chosen the attic so he could have more privacy whenever Pavel came to visit. Though he had taken the huge step of coming out to his family, who had proven to be more supportive than he had expected, he had not told Elena, Andrei, Fyodor, Ivan, or Vladimir that he and Pave
l were more than friends. He planned to do that after he arrived, though he was nervous about what their reaction would be. Anastasia was, too. Because when Mischa revealed his secret, hers would be out in the open as well.
Would everyone on the ranch accept her for who she was, or would they be upset with her for lying to them all this time? Whether positive or negative, their reaction would be easier for her to take knowing Laramie would be by her side. Not just for a few months or a few years. For all the years to come.
For the first time in her life, Anastasia began to look on the future with optimism instead of pessimism.
“Did you take job?”
“No.”
With one word, Anastasia’s hopes were dashed.
“Why not?”
“I like it here, but I don’t know if I like it enough to stay.”
“Go ahead and leave me. Everyone else does.”
Anastasia tried to pull away, but Laramie wouldn’t let her go. “I’m not everyone else.”
“Who are you?” Tears pricked Anastasia’s eyes, making her vision blur. “Who are we?”
Laramie knuckled away Anastasia’s tears and traced her fingers along the line of her jaw. “We’re Laramie and Ana. Two women who care for each other and are doing their best to make it work even if they don’t know how to go about it.”
“How do you always know right thing to say?”
“One of the perks of being a cattle rancher is knowing how to deal with bullshit.”
Anastasia laughed through her tears. She curled herself around Laramie’s body.
“Stay with me. I am not asking you to stay forever,” she said when she felt Laramie stiffen. “Stay with me tonight. I want to wake up in your arms. Is okay?”
Laramie kissed her, then held her tight. “Is very okay.”
* * *
Laramie woke up disoriented. Nothing was in its usual place. It took her several minutes to remember she wasn’t in her own room but Anastasia’s. Last night, instead of heading across the hall after she and Anastasia made love, she had opted to stay. Now she didn’t want to leave. Anastasia obviously felt the same way. She stirred, then snuggled closer.
Comrade Cowgirl Page 22
