by Jena Wade
Cory wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Yeah. I’ve agreed to do the seminar in California. I’m heading out first thing in the morning.”
“What happened to wanting to stay here? Start putting plans together for the ranch?” Perry’s gut tightened; he knew Cory would be staying if he hadn’t said what he did this morning. “If this is about me, we can talk about it. Work something out.”
“No.” Cory finally met his gaze. His cold eyes stared hard at Perry. “I don’t want to stay here. I’d rather be on the road, fucking around. I’m not made for being on the ranch day in and day out. It was fun while it lasted, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it’s just not for me. There’s nothing here for me except a place to crash between shows.”
Perry sensed Cory was talking about more than just settling down on the ranch permanently. So Cory regretted last night. Was that it? Cory wasn’t trying to get him fired, but he wasn’t trying to start a relationship with him either. Perry wished like hell he could rewind time and start this day over on the right foot.
He stepped out of Cory’s path. There was nothing left for him to say. Nothing that came to his mind at the moment, anyway. “All right. If that’s what you want to do.”
“I think it’s for the best. Don’t you?”
“I don’t know, Cory. I thought that I did. But I have no fucking clue anymore.”
Cory gave a harsh laugh that made Perry wince. “Well, when you figure out what the fuck you want, look me up.”
He pushed the wheelbarrow forward and Perry watched him walk away, taking his heart with him.
Chapter Eight
Perry weaved in and out of the crowd of people, politely tipping his hat and mumbling “excuse me” every so often. His skin crawled at the sheer number of people packed into the small space. Well, actually the space was large; it was just that there were so many spectators. He knew the championships were popular; he just didn’t realize how popular.
He found an empty seat and settled in. Cory’s ride would be coming up soon. Or at least he hoped it would. He didn’t have a lot of time before he had to be back on the road to make it home in time for morning chores.
He’d decided to come to the finals at the last minute. Garrett and Anne had been there all week to watch as Cory made it through each round with Denny flawlessly. The videos on the Internet weren’t cutting it anymore. Perry had to see Cory’s final ride in person. He left late the night before to make it in time for the show. Tre promised to cover the chores while he was away. He even offered to do them tomorrow if by chance Perry stayed the night with a certain competitor. That wasn’t likely.
Cory and Perry hadn’t spoken since the day before Cory had left. The next morning Perry had stood inside his cabin, watching out the window as Cory and Garrett loaded Cory’s horses and Cory drove off.
Perry hadn’t even had the balls to say good-bye. Or I’m sorry. Like he should’ve said from the very beginning.
He’d picked up his phone a thousand times with the intention of calling and explaining. Or just talking. But he didn’t know where to start. What could he say that would make up for accusing Cory of fucking him just to get him fired?
He removed his hat and held it in his hands. An action he’d taken to doing often since Cory had left. Mostly because he was wearing Cory’s hat, the one he’d left in Perry’s cabin. He wasn’t sure how Cory would feel about him wearing it, but it made Perry feel better, closer to Cory.
“Up next, Cory Matthews riding Been There, Dun That.”
Perry sat up straight at the mention of Cory’s name. It took him a moment to realize that was Denny’s registered name.
The crowd went silent; at least to Perry they were silent. He stayed focused on the gate, waiting for Cory to enter.
After a moment, Cory and Denny came into the arena at a trot. Cory wore a pale blue long-sleeve button-down shirt, a pair of black chaps, and of course, one of his many silver buckles. He had replaced his hat with a brand-new black one.
Cory and Denny came to a stop at the center of the arena. Though Perry was high in the stands, he could see the nuances in Cory’s movements as he settled Denny and prepared for their pattern. With a deep breath, Cory nudged Denny, and he took off.
This was the final run of the show. It all came down to this ride to determine where Cory would place.
Perry held his breath as Cory and Denny completed their first circle at a fast lope flawlessly, then another, and finally a third. His jaw clenched, and every nerve in his body sat on edge as Cory and Denny switched leads at the exact right moment, with no hesitation, and started their circles going in the opposite direction. Making a perfect figure eight. Together they worked as a team, perfectly in sync with each other and stunning to watch.
He let out a sigh of relief, but he knew the pattern wasn’t even close to being done.
Each shift in Cory’s weight and slight nudge with his heels appeared natural and perfect to Perry’s eye. Denny took the commands without fault. The pair were true champions in the arena, and Perry couldn’t have been more proud of Cory at that moment.
The few moments that it took them to finish their circles felt like forever to Perry.
Cory and Denny moved as one, and when they returned to the center of the arena and began their pivots, the crowd roared with shouts of encouragement and praise.
The noise didn’t affect Cory at all. He remained completely focused on his pattern.
The last part of the pattern consisted of sliding stops, one of the more important aspects of reining. Perry had seen Denny complete ideal sliding stops before, but not in front of a crowd like this. Perry’s nervousness came off him in waves. It was amazing to him that Cory could do this at all. Or perhaps after all the years of competing, the stress no longer affected him.
Perry snorted out a laugh. Perhaps the stress didn’t affect Cory because there was no room for it with all of his arrogance.
Cory and Denny loped straight through the middle of the arena. With a slight pull of the reins, Denny’s brought his back legs underneath him and slid to a beautiful stop. Perry hoped someone had snapped a picture of it, because it was one of the best he’d ever seen.
Once Cory completed the full pattern, he smiled and hugged Denny around the neck. The crowd continued to cheer, and Perry jumped to his feet to join them. Delight filled him, knowing that Cory had done well and would likely place in the top of the class. It was a huge accomplishment. If only he could be there to share the moment with Cory backstage.
With a wave and smile at the crowd, Cory and Denny trotted back to the entry gate. For a moment Perry could’ve sworn their eyes met and Cory recognized him. But he knew that was impossible. He was too far up in the stands for Cory to see him.
Perry sat back down and waited for the next rider to enter. It would be hours before they announced the placings, and he wouldn’t be able to wait. He itched to go find Cory and congratulate him, but knew he had no right to do so.
Finally he stood and left the stands, hurrying to his truck before he could change his mind and track down Cory.
He could check the results on his phone whenever he stopped on his way home. Hopefully the results would be updated online as fast as they were announced at the show. Or he could buck up and call Garrett. Though then he would be as good as admitting he cared about Cory.
For some reason that thought didn’t scare him as much as it used to.
* * * *
Cory thought about changing Denny’s name to Cloud Nine, ’cause that’s what he was riding on right now.
Their ride had been flawless. Absolute perfection. Something he’d only ever achieved with Cash and thought he’d lost forever. And most of all it had been fun. He went out there to prove to himself that he could still do this and still enjoy it. And he had. It wasn’t about the money, the sponsors, or looking good to the other competitors. It was just him and his horse.
Now if only there was someone to share it with.
&nb
sp; Perry.
Cory’s smile that he couldn’t shake since he’d finished the pattern slipped momentarily.
After he and Denny had finished their ride, he swore he saw Perry in the stands. But just like every time the phone rang and no matter how much Cory wished it was Perry, it never was. It couldn’t have been Perry in the stands. Why would he come watch Cory compete?
“Cory!” Garrett waved from across the barn, motioning for Cory to come to them.
His grandparents had driven down a few days ago to watch him compete. Now that the competition was over, he was glad that they had. It would be nice to have his family around when the placings were called—no matter what the outcome was.
“Did you see?” The words left Cory’s mouth before he could stop them. Of course they saw. That’s what they came for. Excitement rolled off him, and Denny pranced in place, feeding off the adrenaline of the moment.
Cory dismounted, led Denny to his stall, and began to take the saddle off.
His grandpa filled Denny’s water bucket and hay bag.
Within a few minutes they were leaving the stall. Cory took one long look at Denny and pride filled him. His horse had done well, and he was responsible for it. He almost wished the season wasn’t over so they could start all over again.
Cory’s grandpa clapped him on the back. “I’m proud of you. You did damn good. I wouldn’t be surprised to see you go home with first place.”
A touch of embarrassment caused Cory’s face to heat. “I don’t know about first place. We did do well though.”
“You did more than that.” Garrett gave him a knowing smile. “So what are your plans now? Are you going back to California? To Kentucky to spend time with Leslie? Or something else?”
Suddenly the answer was clear. Cory only had one place he wanted to be. Even though he wasn’t sure if he was welcome there by Perry. His grandparents would want him there.
“I’m coming home. I think I’ve got a few things to clear up before I figure out what I’m doing with the rest of my life.”
He had some unfinished business with Perry. And an apology he’d yet to hear. It was time Cory went home and straightened things out.
* * * *
Cory made the familiar drive down the winding path that led to the ranch. He was sure of his decision, and never once questioned it during the entire trip. He just wasn’t sure what he was going to say once he was face-to-face to Perry after not speaking for the past month.
He knew Perry had been at the finals. Even if he hadn’t thought he’d seen him in the stands, he’d weaseled the information out of Tre.
To Cory, that meant he had to mean something to Perry. Why else would he make a drive like that?
Now it was time to confront him. Well, maybe he would wait a while and practice his speech a little more. What do say to man that you spent one night with but were sure you were in love with? He most certainly wasn’t going to just spit that out. That would be stupid. He needed an apology from Perry first. And maybe some groveling. Serious groveling.
He put the truck in park and hopped out as soon as the engine was off. He didn’t make the mistake of visiting his grandparents before he let the horses out this time. It was nearly midnight, and if they were smart, they were already in bed. He’d told them not to wait up. Judging by the lack of lights on in the house, they had listened.
Perry’s house, however, appeared to have a lamp on. Probably the one next to his recliner, where he fell asleep each night reading one of his Western novels. Frankly, Cory didn’t see the appeal. He’d picked up one at the bookstore and couldn’t get through the first chapter.
Cory set each of his horses loose in the pasture after checking them and making sure they each had a scoop of grain. He stood at the fence line for a while, enjoying the quietness of the night, watching his horses roll in the grass and pick out a spot to sleep.
Come morning, he’d have some explaining to do. Perry would as well.
But all of that could wait until daylight.
“What are you doing here?”
Cory nearly jumped out of his boots at the sound of Perry’s voice. He turned to face the man he’d driven so far to confront.
Damn it. I thought I had more time to prepare.
“I live here. Sort of.”
In the dark, Cory could hardly make out Perry’s features under his hat, but he could see that Perry wore jeans and a T-shirt. If Cory had to guess he’d say that Perry’d definitely fallen asleep in the recliner again.
Perry shifted his weight and tucked his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t realize you were coming back after finals.”
“Where else would I go?”
“I don’t know.”
They paused for a moment, just staring at each other. Cory was at a loss for words. It’d been so easy when he’d rehearsed in his head. What was he going to say to Perry? He couldn’t even remember anymore.
“Well, good night then.” Perry turned on his heel and began to walk away.
Cory panicked; his heart pounding, he scrambled to find words. “I love you.”
Whoops, not those words.
Perry stopped. “What?”
“I mean. Fuck. I think I love you. I really like you. And I miss seeing you each day. I know you must feel something for me. You came to the finals to see me ride.” And you owe me one hell of an explanation as to why.
Perry took off his hat and held it in his hands. It was then that Cory realized that Perry was wearing his hat. The one he’d left at his house.
“You’ve obviously taken a liking to my hat,” Cory said.
“You had a really good ride. You and Denny were great together.” Perry’s voice was just above a whisper.
Cory barely heard him even in the silence of the night. “It was fun.”
“Fun?”
The smile in Perry’s voice was evident.
“Yeah. I had fun. We went out there and had fun. I didn’t care if I won or lost or what my sponsors thought. I just wanted to ride. And when I was done, I just wanted to come home. And tell you all about it.”
Perry didn’t say anything for a moment, and Cory took a step closer. He needed to see Perry’s face. At least then he might have an idea what Perry was thinking.
“I’m sorry,” Perry said.
Cory swallowed hard as his stomach dropped. “’Cause you don’t feel the same?”
“Because of what I said that morning. Because I’m an idiot and I jumped to conclusions and didn’t even give you a chance to explain. Then you left and… I didn’t want to apologize over the phone. I didn’t know how to apologize.”
“Blurting it out seems to work just fine. Worked for me just a few minutes ago.” Cory deserved more though. “Why would you think that I would set you up like that? I thought you knew me better than that.”
“I did. I do. I just… I couldn’t think of any other explanation for why you’d want to be with me. Everything I’d thought I knew about you turned out to be wrong, and I wasn’t sure what to think anymore. I thought history was repeating itself just as I was finally settling in. And I know you didn’t like all the changes I made around here.”
“Only because I wasn’t included. I was just stupidly jealous because you were doing the things that I should be doing. Things that were my responsibility.”
Perry met Cory’s gaze, his eyes shining in the darkness of the night. “I’m sorry, Cory. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I damn sure should’ve stopped you before you left that day. I’ve thought it over a million times and wished that I had done things differently.”
Cory swallowed hard. Those were the exact words he wanted to hear. But he wasn’t letting Perry off that easy. “Why didn’t you come find me at the finals? You could’ve told me then.”
“I figured you didn’t need me.” Perry shuffled his feet and stared at the ground. “And I didn’t know what to say.”
Cory tucked a finger under Perry’s chin and forced him to meet his eyes. “Of
course I don’t need you. I want you. I want to help you with the ranch, and come home to you every night. Go on trail rides with you. Make sure you don’t take life so damn seriously all the time.” Great, he was babbling. And pouring his heart out to a man who could hardly look at him.
Much to Cory’s surprise, Perry laughed.
“Well, I need you to help me with this ranch, ’cause I can’t bale hay by myself, and Tre isn’t as nice to look at. And someone needs to drag me to bed so I stop sleeping on the recliner.”
“Oh, I’ll drag you to bed. We can start right now if we need to. You’ve got a little more groveling to do, though.”
Perry raised his brow. “Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?”
Cory heart jumped as he realized everything was going to be just fine. “I’ve never had a proper blowjob before. You can start there.”
Another laugh. Cory took that as a green light to step even closer, until he was just inches from Perry.
Cory turned more serious. “I’ll be around for a few months. I want to talk with my grandparents about starting a camp here. And I also want to be more involved in the decisions that we make about the ranch. Our ranch. Think you can handle that?”
Perry took a deep breath. “You’ll have to get out of bed before noon. And whether you like it or not I’m going to buy mixed-breed horses. “
Cory nodded. “I think I can handle that.” He reached for Perry’s hat and took it off. “And I’ll be taking this back.”
“You can hang it on my bedpost if you want. That’s where it belongs.”
“Can I just fucking kiss you already? I’m tired of dancing around, and it’s a little cold out here.”
Perry smiled one of his award-winning smiles and Cory threw his arms around Perry’s neck, just to keep from falling. He pressed his lips to Perry’s and breathed in his scent that he’d missed for the past month.
So much time lost that they had to make up for. Starting right now.
* * * *
Perry held Cory’s hand as he led him into the house. He flipped on the light, and then immediately regretted bringing Cory in.
