by Andrew Grey
“I think so. One of my neighbors has wanted to buy the place for years. Dad was about to sell before he hurt himself, but then I came home and told him I’d take over. It was what Dad always hoped for, so he changed his mind about selling. But Josiah Henderson has been pissed off ever since. The man throws his weight around and acts as if he’s doing people a favor when he does them out of their homes and businesses.” Ashton wasn’t going to be pressured by anyone, but with the frequency of these incidents, he knew it was time to pull out some of the big guns he had in his arsenal. “I can’t prove it, though—yet.” He sighed softly, not quite ready to get up. “Thank you. That’s the best that leg has felt in a week.”
Ben backed away a little. “You’re doing too much. The muscles are overworked and stressed. They need a chance to heal if they’re going to improve.” He turned and switched off the heater, then closed the gas valve. The barn was comfortable now, and as long as the doors stayed closed, the horses would be fine.
Ashton tried to breathe levelly as a wave of richness filled his nose. Ben reached for his leg once again, and Ashton felt himself stiffen, but not in pain this time. He could spend the rest of his life being touched like that. As his thoughts wandered for a second, he realized he had to put an end to this or he was going to embarrass himself in a big way. It had been a long time since he’d felt attracted to anyone, and Ben was stunning. And the way his hands worked…. Ashton tried not to think of having them on his bare skin.
Too late. The idea sent a rush of heat through him. He wasn’t going to be able to control himself if this kept up. Ben didn’t need a guy who needed a cane to keep his balance perving on him.
Slowly, Ashton got to his feet. “We should get the heater put away and the tailgate secured so we can get back to the house.” He thought of sending Ben alone and just staying here. It would give his mind a chance to clear, but he wasn’t going to be able to explain it to the other guys, so he got to work, with Ben’s help, and quickly put everything where it belonged.
Ashton secured the door on his way out, checking that it was well latched and that the wind wasn’t going to blow it open. Then they got in the truck and made the slow drive back to the house.
As soon as they entered the living room, the scent of sauce and herbs wrapped around him. Ashton’s belly rumbled, and he slowly went into the kitchen and lowered himself into a chair. At least his leg wasn’t aching the way it had been before.
“I’ve been thinking, and I’m going to call some of my associates.” He lifted his gaze, looking at each of them in turn. “We need some help to protect this place. This is the third time something has happened. The first couple were subtle and might have been accidents, but this definitely was not.”
All of them nodded, including Ben.
Lucy got the table set, and Ashton was grateful for his help. The ache in his leg was starting up again, this time heading upward to his hip. Ben was probably right—he needed to keep his weight off it for a while. But on a ranch, there was always work to do, and he’d be damned if he was going to sit around all the time while everyone else pulled their weight.
Marcel carried over a bowl of pasta along with some salad and garlic bread and took a seat.
“Thank you all for your help,” Ashton said, and lifted his cup of coffee in a miniature toast before they all dug into their lunch.
Ben shoveled the food in as if he hadn’t eaten in a week. Lucy and Marcel followed suit, and soon enough the dishes were empty.
Ashton left his cane leaning against his chair and took the dishes to the sink, rinsed them, and put them into the dishwasher. Outside, the wind picked up, whipping the snow to a complete curtain of white.
“Lucy and I should be heading home,” Marcel said as they got up.
Ashton turned from the sink. “Thank you both for your help today.” He was so tired that he didn’t move as they went into the back, got their gear on, and headed out into the weather. Their house was only a hundred feet away to the east, so he wasn’t too worried. Still, he was relieved when he got the text that they had made it home. Then he turned to Ben. “You may as well rest. There are books in the office just down the hall—you can help yourself. There’s TV too, but I doubt you’ll get a satellite signal in this weather.” Ashton sat in his chair and put his leg up.
“I’ll get a book.” Ben left the room, and Ashton watched him go, enjoying the view for a few seconds before picking up his phone and making a call to one of his managers. He needed help—and he knew just who he needed.
By the time Ben returned, Ashton had moved to the living room and made the arrangements and was reading his book. One of the smaller dogs, Poochie, a poodle mix, jumped into his lap, while two of the others—Barker, a beagle, and Celeste, a golden mutt—jumped onto the sofa once Ben sat down. The other three lay on the rug in front of the fireplace.
Ash smiled. The dogs really seemed to like Ben, and he could probably use some unconditional puppy love about now. Hopefully the rest of the afternoon would be quiet.
Chapter 3
BEN WATCHED Ashton, who occasionally looked up from his book. It was kind of a game of cat and mouse. He was pretty sure Ashton was curious about him, and Ben couldn’t help wondering how long he could stay without someone finding him. He had pretty much decided that as soon as the weather broke, he would get into town and on his way out of here. His car was useless, though that didn’t really matter. He would get another one eventually. Mostly he had to get away. These people had been good to him—a complete stranger they had found in the barn. Ashton had fed him and made sure he felt better. Ben didn’t want to bring trouble, but if he remained here too long, trouble was going to find him.
“Just relax,” Ashton said quietly. “Get some more rest. And you should probably continue drinking. The dehydration will take some time to reverse. Just go get whatever you want. There is still come coffee, though juice or water is probably better for you.”
Honestly, Ben didn’t want to move from the center of his warm puppy pile. A third dog had joined him, and three more lay at his feet. It was nice to be surrounded by them, as if they were standing guard, allowing nothing to hurt him.
“I’ll get some water. Do you want anything?” Ben asked, slowly getting up, much to the dogs’ disappointment. “I’ll be back.” He gave scratches all around and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. He returned just as the house went silent and the lights flashed out. He joined Ashton in the living room, sitting on the floor with the pups all around him as he built a fire.
“There’s some more wood on the back porch. It should be out of the snow. We’re going to need it because the power may be out for days and the fire is going to be the only heat we have.” Ashton lit the papers crumpled beneath the logs, and the fire flickered to life, throwing light and heat. Ben pulled his coat on and went out back and brought in a couple of armloads of wood. As Ashton fed the fire with some additional wood, his phone rang. He’d left it on the table. Ben handed it to him before getting out of his way.
“You two okay over there?” Ashton asked. Ben assumed he was talking to the guys in the other house. “You have to be kidding….” He clenched his fists. “You ran them off….” Ashton nodded.
Ben settled on the sofa. It seemed as if while he’d been running from his own problems, he’d landed in the middle of someone else’s. Ashton spoke some more, and Ben put another log on the fire for him, then settled back on the sofa with the dogs.
“Lucy and Marcel saw someone pulling away from their place as they got home. They chased whoever it was off, but this is getting to be too much. I can’t believe Henderson is still at it in this weather.”
Ben’s anxiety grew. What if it wasn’t Henderson? What if he’d been tracked here already? It was very fast, but this was exactly the kind of thing that Dallas would do, especially in this weather—harass his opponent so they’d get no rest, then go in for the kill. Ben had seen Dallas do just that on too many occasions to count—including
in his treatment of Ben.
When he’d met Dallas, Ben had thought he was a great guy—exciting, sexy, and generous. Ben had been dancing so he could go to school for massage therapy, hoping to one day have his own business. Dallas had been supportive… at first. But Ben learned the truth too late. Dallas was a snake, and before he knew it, Ben’s entire world constricted to contain only Dallas and the people in his circle. His friends from school, and the rest of Ben’s life, had been cut away as soon as he finished school until Dallas controlled everything. Ben found himself the plaything of a criminal who made his skin crawl and whose touch revolted him. But he had no choice, especially once the threats and demonstrations of power began. He had become a prisoner of the person he had once thought to be his savior.
Ben pushed those thoughts from his mind, because to continue down that road was only going to lead to more pain.
“What about the horses?” Ben’s voice rang with concern.
“The guys said they will go up in a few hours to check on them. There isn’t much that any of us can do until this storm abates. I’ll be able to get some backup in here once the weather clears, but until then, all we can do is hole up and stay as warm as we can.” Clearly, Ashton felt as under siege as Ben was beginning to think they were. “I hate feeling like this. I can’t help wondering what’s so different all of a sudden.” Ashton turned his attention to the fire, and then Ben felt his gaze shift to him.
“I….” Ben opened his mouth, then shut it again. There was no way Dallas could have found him yet.
Ashton struggled but managed to get to his feet and made his way back to the chair. One of the dogs jumped onto his lap, and Ashton picked up his book before putting it down once more and turning toward Ben.
His gaze bored into Ben in a way that surprised him. It was only a look and probably lasted just a few seconds before he turned away again, but Ben felt it all the way to his toes. His belly fluttered and he grew warm in a way he had never felt in his life. The momentary heat from that gaze was hotter than any fire Ben had ever felt. Ben watched Ashton, willing him to look his way once again just to see if his reaction was real, because maybe it was all his imagination. But the moment passed as Ashton lifted his book again.
There was something about Ashton that Ben couldn’t quite understand. He had a physical weakness, but the guy was most definitely strong. Ben felt so lost and continually wondered what was going on. Ashton’s kind of confidence was attractive. Not that Ashton wasn’t handsome in his own right.
Ben thought he was kind of yummy, in a slightly older, weathered, hard-driven cowboy kind of way. It was pretty clear from Ashton’s face that he hadn’t had a very easy life—and had spent a lot of time outdoors. Though maybe not as much lately, given the state of his leg. “You know, if you wanted, I could massage your leg for you again.”
Ashton put down his book. “Thanks. What you did earlier really helped. I’m hoping some rest and maybe a lack of drama will let me ease up on it for a little while.” He sat back and picked up his book once more. “Would you mind feeding the fire?”
“No problem.” Ben got up and added another log. The dogs shifted and then moved back into place once he sat down again, jostling for position so Ben could pet them. A few moved closer to the fire, lying down on their blanket. “Where did you get the dogs?”
“This one, Poochie, showed up one day as a pup. I found him in the barn, so I fed him and took him in. Dad had those two, and the others I adopted through a friend in town. She rescues dogs and she knows that I have a really soft spot. They’re great dogs. Those two black Labs, Bonnie and Clyde, are the oldest of the bunch—they’re getting to the point where it’s hard for them to get around the way the others do. Daddy loved those old guys. I took care of my dad, and he passed away in the house with those two guarding his bed. They slept on the floor near him and stayed there. Both of them howled when he passed. It was so sad.” Ashton turned away, watching out the window at the whiteout conditions. The snow was falling heavier. “At least the temperature is rising a little.”
“How do you know?” Ben asked.
“When it’s as cold as it was last night, it doesn’t snow. Super-cold air is dry air. For it to snow like it is, the temperature has to have risen. It will help keep the barns warm.” He set his book aside and rubbed his eyes. “The light is going to fade in a few hours.” He sighed and sat up. “I have some emergency lights in the kitchen.”
Ashton got up, leaning heavily on his cane, and went into the other room, opening up one of the lower cupboards at the end of the counter and pulling out a few lanterns. He handed one to Ben, who took it into the living room and set it next to the sofa. Ashton brought one for himself and left the room once more. He moved slowly, returning to the living room with more blankets, which he set on the arm of the sofa before taking his seat once more.
“I have some soup in the kitchen that we can heat up by the fire for dinner. At times like this, we tend to get a little rustic out here.”
“Have you ever thought about getting a generator for the house?” Ben asked.
“I have one on order, and it’s supposed to be installed in a few weeks. Looks like my timing sucks on that.” At least he had a sense of humor about it. “Isn’t the first time I’ve done this.” Ashton brought up the footrest of the recliner and covered his legs with a blanket. “I remember one night when I was a kid, sitting where you are now, with a blanket and Mom’s hot chocolate, watching a storm like this through that window.” His eyes became a little glassy. “We were watching for my dad because he was out at the barns, making sure they were secure. And then when he got back, the three of us, along with some of the hands, built a fire, then brought the table in here and played cards for hours. There wasn’t anything else we could do.
“Dad worked all the time because that’s life on a ranch. There are always things that need to be done, but with a storm, we could only hole up and wait, so he spent the whole day with me and Mom.” He humphed as a dog jumped on his lap and settled down for attention. “It’s one of the best memories I have of them. That evening I slept on the floor, with Mom on the sofa and Dad in his chair, the dogs all around me. I felt so safe and warm, and….” Ashton’s voice became scratchy, and he turned away, peering out the window once again.
Ben thought of sharing stories of his childhood, but they weren’t nearly as nice, and he didn’t want to kill the mood completely. It was already cold enough outside, and just thinking about it had Ben pulling the blankets up around him. The dogs gathered around as he sat and grew quiet. Ben didn’t want to talk too much about himself. The less Ashton knew, the less vulnerable he’d be if Dallas followed Ben here. Besides, he didn’t have many happy memories to share.
Suddenly very tired, he drank his water and lay down with the pups.
BEN FED the fire once again and was about to get back under the blankets on the sofa when he stopped. Ashton was asleep in the chair but seemed to be cold, from the way he curled into himself. Ben grabbed one of the blankets from the back of the sofa and spread it over him. Poochie jumped into his lap and lay down, Ashton holding the little dog. The scene was sweet and gentle and something Dallas would never have done in a million years.
He only had the glow of the fire to see by, but that was enough for him to notice how soft Ashton’s expression was. Gone were the harsh lines and ache that seemed to be such a part of him, replaced by gentleness and maybe even something childlike. Ben wondered just what kind of worries Ashton carried along with him that were big enough to etch the lines that had been present while he was awake. Not that he had any right to ask. Ben had his own troubles that seemed like a weight around his neck, threatening to pull him under at any moment. Maybe he was lucky it was winter. If all that snow had been water, maybe his cares would have overwhelmed him already and Ben would have drowned.
Ben went over to the window, looking out into the blackness. At some point, the wind had ceased the loudest of its howling and now only groane
d around the house. The storm was dying, and when it ended, Ben would have to move on.
He thought of putting on his winter gear, maybe borrowing some of Ashton’s to keep him warmer, and then heading out. He could probably take one of the trucks into town and, once there, leave it with someone to make sure Ashton got it back. He hated to steal anything, but Ben was going to have to get moving if he hoped to have any chance of staying ahead of Dallas.
A thud from outside grabbed his attention. The sound hadn’t been the storm, and it was close to the house. Someone was probably out there.
Ben moved slowly toward the kitchen, peering out the window to see what was happening. Of course, all he saw was darkness. Then a flash of light and a face stared back at him. Dallas stared back at him!
A well of fear threatened to open up under Ben. He cried out, but as he stepped back, his ankle went out from under him and he ended up on the floor, scrambling to get up.
“You okay?” Marcel asked as he came through the inside door, still in his parka and winter gear.
“It’s you,” Ben said as reality settled in around him.
Marcel set his flashlight on the table and extended his hand, tugging Ben to his feet.
“What’s going on?” Ashton asked, looming out of the darkness, the dogs hurrying in after him.
“I was just checking on things over here and I think I scared Ben,” Marcel explained.
Ben wiped his eyes with his hands. “I thought I heard something and hoped it wasn’t your neighbor prowling around, trying to cause trouble.” He put his hand over his chest, willing his heart to slow down and his brain to kick into gear so he could think.
“I checked on the barns, and all the horses are fine. They’ve been fed, and I got them watered. The temperature isn’t as cold as it was last night, and the wind is settling down. It seems the storm is beginning to wane, but it’s still pretty cold and there are drifts ten feet high in places.”
