Casa shook his head. “Yeah, but…I hear a lot of buts that aren’t coming out. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for both of you finding a special someone, somebody who feels like the second half of yourself. I can see the happiness shining in your faces when you say the guys’ names. I’m happy, even if I’m a little jealous. We’ve been fine buds and it’s been a winning season. Still, nothing lasts forever. Kinda like shit, change happens.”
He exhaled a deep breath, the sound almost a sigh. “I know Jason sees it coming. He’s been looking real worried when he thinks we don’t notice. And being stove up like he is right now makes it even harder. Yeah, he can prob’ly recruit some more cowboys to start taking over serving the special guests we’ve catered to. Some of the new kids are close to being ready to handle that, too. But, damn it, it’s not going to be the same.”
“We’re not getting any younger,” Stace broke in. “If I haven’t lost count, the next birthday will be the big three-o for us all. Could be it’s time we grew up and settled into being adults instead of overgrown kids. You know, football and basketball players, rodeo cowboys and such eventually have to retire, and we’re still athletes, too.”
Spark guffawed at that. “That’s a novel way to put it, bro! We did retire from rodeo, you know. Now, if you want to be crude, we’re basically glorified hookers in chaps. Showing the high-roller guests a good time both in private and with the outdoor and Wild West stuff. Still, you have a point there, Stace. It’s really not work for middle-aged guys to do. The real stud muffins are supposed to be young and in their prime. “
Casa snorted. “Speak for yourself, Blondie. I ain’t over the hill yet, not by a long shot. So far none of my guests have hinted I didn’t meet and exceed all their expectations in the saddle, the bed, the hot tub or wherever.”
Spark laughed again. “You’re just trying to live up to the Latin lover image and the Casanova nickname. You gonna hang around ‘til you start to need Viagra?”
For a moment, Casa saw red. Spark had gone one step too far! He waited, though, and did not take the swing he contemplated the first second or two. Then he realized his friend was only kidding, joshing him as they’d done for years. None of it was malicious; mostly a way to avoid growing maudlin when things got a little too intense.
“Nope. Although, that’ll be a long time coming, and way before then, I’ll pick my time and slide into something else. Might even buy my own ranch. We don’t have much excuse not to sock away most of our pay. Hell, Jason provides food, shelter and nearly everything we need and pays us well on top of it. That’s why I still drive a ten-year-old pickup. I don’t need a new one and, instead of a car payment, the extra goes into my savings.”
Spark whistled through his teeth. “Whoa, didn’t realize you were so practical, amigo. Good idea, though. Well, we best be getting down to the boss’s office for our morning briefing. Not sure what, but I have a hunch something’s coming up that Jase wants to talk about.”
Casa shot a sharp look at Spark. As if you couldn’t guess. Oh hell, what will be, will be.
The three rose and filed out together, falling easily into step once they cleared the bunkhouse door. A tiny chill slid down Casa’s spine when he remembered they might not be walking together like a troop of soldiers forever, and perhaps only a few more times…It was going to be harder than hell if he wound up being the last one here.
But I’d still have Jason—all to myself.
The thought sneaked past his defenses to poke him like a stock prod with fresh batteries.
Chapter 2
Jason Longford stood at the picture window in the big front room of the main house, which he used for his office. He watched the three wranglers striding down the trail from the bunkhouse. Turning toward his desk, he thumped his cast on tile floor, sick of it already. Only been six shittin’ days, but I’m fed up to the gills with the invalid gig. Damn it, but I really fucked things up.
The whole stunt had been stupid. He’d known better than to try to ride that humping bull, since he was definitely out of practice and a long way past his athletic prime.
Bottom line was he’d been driven to show off. The way things had been going, he’d wanted to remind his three top wranglers he wasn’t over the hill yet. Sure, Spark had taken up with the Italian Stallion and Stace had his Californiano, but Jason still had the balls to handle tough stock, be a real cowboy. Not that he had to impress the trio, but he still wanted to be more of a big brother than a father figure to them. He wasn’t quite sure what he felt, really, but he’d acted impulsively and paid the price. Maybe he was past his prime…That thought sat ill on him as he looked again at the three younger men walking his way.
Damn, but they were a fine looking trio. He’d be proud to claim any one of them as—He jerked the thought up short. Hadn’t he told himself a thousand times he wasn’t going there? For one thing, he would never be the one to break up their triumvirate. For another, he wasn’t sure which he’d choose were he to allow inclination to overrule judgment enough to make that irreversible step of taking one for his lover.
At least early on, he could probably have had them all, but somehow that had never seemed right either. A three- or four-way group might be good for some casual fun, but he was basically an old-fashioned, one-man man. The only man he’d ever really loved was long gone. So he hung out here, ran his ranch, watched a parade of intriguing guests come and go, and held back from any close attachments. At times he wondered if the right partner would ever appear for him again. Maybe it didn’t really matter. He told himself he had everything he needed.
Anyway, he’d made up his mind the three cowboys were surrogates for the kid brother he’d never really had a chance to know and the sons he would never have. He rarely acknowledged the deep loneliness he sometimes felt, but today it was harder than normal. He tried to ignore the emptiness and shove it into a dark corner of his mind. The scent of change was in the wind. It was high time he got to the bottom of some issues. This time he was not going to blow off the awareness of changes coming hard and fast, a sense that had grown over the last few weeks.
Normally, he was not one to slip around hard questions or put off important decisions. In this case, he’d waited more than long enough. He’d seen the handwriting on the wall and blinked it away one too many times. This busted leg put an exclamation point on the situation. Although a hunch told him what was happening, he needed to hear it directly. Before he was quite ready, the three cowboys strode in, spurs jingling as they settled into their customary chairs in a half-circle around his desk.
“Mornin’, boss.” Spark’s salutation lacked its normal cheery ring. Even his blue eyes sparkled less than usual. “What’s the good word today?”
Although they really didn’t have a leader, the blond Texan often seemed to speak for all three, cheerful and straight forward about it. His jovial and forthright manner seemed shadowed today.
Stace also appeared almost subdued, not at all his normal smart-mouthed self. Casa, too, was quiet. His dark gaze met Jason’s for an instant and then dropped.
“Okay, boys, we need to talk. I’d have to be blind, deaf and stupid not to see what’s been happening, mostly right under my nose. Stace, the grapevine tells me your California movie mogul is setting up shop down in ‘Cruces. Of course, that isn’t any of your doing, is it?” He paused to grin, trying to set the black rider at ease.
Stace shuffled booted feet before he glanced up with a grin he couldn’t quite conceal. “Well, I reckon a little, boss. But hell, who’d stay in California when they could be here? New Mexico’s gotta be God’s country.”
Jason nodded. “Can’t argue with that, but I get a feeling this particular guest finally got his rope on you. He may even be about to cut his notch in your ears. Is that true?”
Drawing a long breath, the cowboy let it out as he shifted in his chair. “I reckon. Kinda, anyway,” he mumbled. “We’re—Well, we’re getting to be real close friends. He hasn’t said anything ab
out a long term partnership, but…”
“But nothing. You already know it’s going to happen. If I were you, I’d go for it. None of you boys is my private property; never have been. If you decide to keep working here, I’ll be pleased, but your capacity and duties prob’ly will change a bit. That’s okay, too.” He could almost see the relief in Stace’s expressive eyes as these assurances soaked in.
Jason turned his attention to the blond Texan. “And it’s all over the county that this high roller Mafioso type from Chi-town has bought Dolans’ old ranch. He’s the same guy who monopolized your time for two visits and clearly plans to come back for more. I doubt this young Godfather type will be too eager to share his new toy boy—maybe his long-term main man—with every Tom, Dick and Harry who comes for a vacation. In fact, you may soon be wearing the ole Double D brand instead of the Rainbow—unless he designs a new iron for his spread.”
Spark had the grace to look abashed. “I don’t wanna break things up, put you in a bind or really change anything, boss. Yeah, Lou’s a special guy, and I’ll be spending some time up at his new ranch helping him get settled, but…”
Jason made himself laugh, as if it really wasn’t important. “But, my butt. Nobody’s indispensable, boys. We’ve got some new younger wranglers in the crew who’re champing at the bit to move up to the special clients. Rainbow Ranch is bound to change some over time, but it’ll go on, with or without your participation. You boys don’t owe me anything you haven’t repaid a hundred times over. You helped me realize my big dream here and you’ve all been good employees, loyal to a fault. Reckon it’s time to chase your own dreams for a while. All I’m asking is to know for sure, so I can plan and start making some changes.”
“I ain’t quittin’ yet, boss,” Stace said. “But you’re right. Miguel, Joe-Dan and Will are perfectly capable of playing host to the most discriminating guests. They’re ready, willing and able. An’ I can guarantee I’ll be here to help them through their first few if they need advice and support.”
“That goes for me, too,” Spark put in. “Yeah, I expect Lou and I are going to hook up on a pretty permanent basis once he’s worked some things out, but I’m not going to jump ship and leave y’all high and dry here.”
Jason looked slowly from one to the other of them. “Okay, that’s settled then. You two have been dancing around like you were walking on eggs the past few weeks until it started to get to me. I didn’t realize I seemed like such a bad-ass you’d be scared to come clean and level with me. I’d been waiting, hoping you would, but I got tired of the tension, so I figured I’d bring it up and get stuff out in the open.
“For now, it’s business as usual, except the two new guests arriving tomorrow will go with Will and Joe-Dan. You two get them prepped and briefed to uphold the Rainbow Ranch tradition, okay? That’s all I’m asking of you.”
Beaming, Spark and Stace nodded in unison. “You can count on us, boss. Anything we need to know about these new guests?”
Jason filled them in on what he knew, which was not a lot. Customarily, when special guests arrived, they were assigned one wrangler to be their personal host and companion. Sometimes they would select another early in their stay as Lou had with Spark, but usually they seemed happy to stick to the one they were paired with. All three of the head wranglers were adept at figuring out the specifics a guest desired, whether he actually requested anything or not. This was where the younger cowboys could use or need some help, but they’d catch on fast.
* * * *
Less than half an hour after they had arrived for the morning meeting, the three cowboys rose to start their day’s work. As Stace and Spark headed for the door, Casa hesitated. Once the other two were outside, he turned back toward Jason’s desk.
“¿Que paso?” Jason asked, sliding easily into Casa’s native border Spanish. “You going to be leaving me, too?”
Casa shook his head. The words he wanted to say would not come. He cleared his throat. “Not planning on it, boss. I guess it’s wise never to say never, but I expect to be around a long time yet. I—er—I figured I should put in a good word for Miguel. He may be my cousin, but he’s a damn good kid. Well, not a kid really. He’s twenty-two. When you get another special guest in, give him a chance, okay? I’ll be here to help him if he has any problems.”
Jason nodded. “Sure. I wasn’t planning to leave him out. I like what I’ve seen from him so far. He’s good with the horses and has a pleasant way of dealing with folks, exactly like you do.”
He paused a beat. “It’s good to hear you expect to be here a while. I know Stace and Spark say they aren’t leaving right away, but they’d be fools to let partners like they’ve found get away. This dude wrangling isn’t something to make your life’s work. Still, when they move on, one familiar face will be a comfort. Not that I want you to feel like your foot’s in a bear trap. The right chance comes along, you go for it, comprende?”
Casa shrugged. “If and when. I’m not looking too hard. I like what I’m doing and like working for you.” He wanted to say more, but didn’t quite dare. When his gaze met Jason’s steady hazel-gray eyes, something inside him gave a funny little twitch. He started to wonder again about things he had no business even imagining. Before he let anything slip, he turned smartly and headed out after his two buddies.
I’ll be here as long as you’ll have me, Jase. When it comes to hooking up on a long term basis, I ‘spect anyone else would have a damned hard time coming close to filling your boots for me. I know I’m reaching too far to even dream, but…
For the first time, he admitted to himself in full how his earlier hero worship had now deepened into a bond that felt a lot more profound. Of course, his longings were in vain, but so long as no one knew, it wouldn’t matter. He picked up his pace in hopes the other two hadn’t noticed he hadn’t come out right behind them.
If they did, they didn’t mention it. The three went about their normal morning tasks, preparing for the new group of guests due to arrive the next day. Jason usually scheduled a couple of days between most departures and the next arrivals to allow time for the catch-up chores that did not always get done when the rooms and cabins were filled.
Besides the special guests, the ranch catered to couples and sometimes groups of friends who chose to enjoy a regular guest ranch vacation without the amorous adventures provided for the special guests. Almost all their visitors were gay, but not all of them chose to get the full package. Whatever they elected, no one was ever made to feel uncomfortable or less welcome.
Regular straight families were not among the patrons, although occasionally a gay couple with a child would bring it along. Jason made sure in advance they knew facilities to entertain kids were limited. He knew having a youngster around made everyone a little more circumspect, which did curtail some of the fun. They all tried to clean up their language and restrain the sly little gestures and double entendres that often flew thick and fast. Sex was a big component of the ambience. Somehow sex and cowboys seemed to make a natural and appealing combination, but not a PG-rated environment.
* * * *
That afternoon, Casa and Spark worked together to change shoes on several of the horses. Casa pulled the old shoes off one horse, while Stace trimmed the hooves and tacked new ones on another. Casa jumped when his cell phone vibrated against his right hip where he wore it clipped on his belt. Dropping the Paint’s leg, he fumbled for the phone. The short text on the screen snagged his total attention. Need U N office. The words came from Jason, of course. An icy chill snaked down Casa’s spine, along with an immediate hunch something was wrong.
“Gotta go take care of somethin’,” he said to Spark as he headed from the barn. “Be back to finish with old Splash in a bit.” The red-and-white Paint had gained the name both for his splotchy coat pattern and his habit of ducking his head in the water trough and shaking it with wild abandon, splattering water everywhere.
Casa led the horse into a stall so he could relax unti
l the cowboy returned. He hoped it would not be long. If it was, Spark had sense enough to see to the horse.
“Okey-dokie.” Spark muttered his response around a mouthful of horseshoe nails. He did not even look up as Casa hurried past him.
When Casa got to the main house, he went straight to the office, skidding to a stop when he saw Jason on the floor. Clearly, the other man had slipped and fallen and now could not get up without some help. His right knee and ankle were both immobilized by the cast. He wore only a pair of cutoffs and moccasins since the weather had turned warm and he wasn’t outdoors much these days.
“Hey, boss, you aren’t supposed to work on the floor,” Casa said. “What happened?”
Clearly embarrassed to be helpless, even briefly, Jason muttered a curse. “I was getting some paperwork out of the file cabinet, bottom drawer. Damn phone rang. When I turned around to go answer it, my lousy cast slipped on the tiles. I couldn’t grab anything fast enough to keep on my fuckin’ feet. Son of a bitch! Why did I have to do something so stupid?”
Casa wasn’t sure if Jason referred to his current predicament or the initial arena accident, but his heart went out to the other man. It was no fun to be stove up, hurting and not able to manage your normal routine. He sensed how embarrassed and angry Jason felt and tried to handle the situation with as much calm panache as he could.
“Shit happens. You didn’t hurt yourself any more, did you?”
Jason shook his head and snorted. “Only my pride. If you can give me a hand to get back on my feet, we can try to forget this happened.”
Casa stooped, allowing his boss to put one arm over his shoulders. With his own arm around Jason’s body, Casa straightened and lifted. Using his sound leg, the other man levered himself up. Once back on his feet, Jason swayed a few seconds, trying to regain his balance. The foot-square tiles that floored the office were shiny as glass and almost as slick. The metal heel bracket on the cast wanted to slide on them like the blade of a skate.
The Wild Bunch Page 2
