Journey to Hope

by J. P. Bowie

Josh’s face was bright red. “Brett, tell me you’re really not going to go there.”

  “You know.” Brett waggled his eyebrows suggestively while Josh turned his light hold on Brett’s shoulder into an almost painful grip.

  Royce and Jason hooted. “That’s what Parker said everyone would think,” Royce said through his laughter. “Guess being without sex for so long made you go for the obvious innuendo, Josh!”

  The silence that fell on the group was almost palpable. Everyone stared at Royce who now appeared overcome with embarrassment. “Jeez, I’m sorry—don’t know what made me say that.”

  This time it was Joel who surprisingly broke the tension. “Sure could use one of those burgers you promised us, Parker. What say I give you a hand outside?” He closed the gap between Parker and himself and the two men walked towards the French doors, but not before Parker had thrown Royce a look of death.

  “I really am sorry,” Royce said to Josh. “That was just so dumb of me. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Brett sighed. “It was my fault really. I shouldn’t have made that stupid joke.”

  “Relax, guys.” Josh knew his smile was slightly forced, but he eased up his tight grip on Brett’s shoulder. “I guess we’re all a bit on edge. Brett’s put his foot in it more than once.”

  “I have?” Brett’s gaze was all innocence.

  “You know you have. What about asking me not to murder you in your bed or hold you at gunpoint?”

  “Wow…” Jason gasped. “You guys sure have interesting conversations.”

  “Well, anyway, Josh…” Royce looked so woebegone that Josh couldn’t help but take pity on him.

  “I said, relax. Let’s enjoy the day. It’s so beautiful here, and you’re a great host, Royce.”

  “Yeah, if I can keep from running off at the mouth.”

  “You’ve always had a problem with that.” Brett poked Royce in the ribs.

  “You should hear him in the office sometimes,” Jason said, chuckling. “Between him and Charles it’s amazing the amount of bullshit that goes around.”

  “Hey.” Royce put his hands on his hips. “I can be the soul of discretion.”

  Brett gave an exaggerated cough. “Couldn’t prove it by me!”

  Josh was glad the banter had cleared the air a bit. He relaxed some more when Parker yelled it was time for them to come outside and eat. Royce had prepared a salad that was a meal in itself, and Parker’s burgers were excellent. The atmosphere became easier as they ate and traded small talk, even if the subject of Josh’s incarceration was carefully avoided. He couldn’t deny that it was agreeable enough to be in the company of good-looking, well-put-together guys. In the eight years that he’d been around some pretty rough-looking men, some of them downright ugly, he really never had imagined ever sitting in such pleasant surroundings again.

  It was obvious Brett was enjoying himself and that made it all worthwhile. If anyone deserved a break from the hard work he’d put in day after day for God only knew how long, it was Brett. Besides, if it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t have a job and a chance at starting over. He owed him this…and a lot more.

  Later, glancing at his watch, he saw they’d been there three hours. Long enough, he reckoned, for a first visit. “Shouldn’t we be heading back?” he said quietly. “Maybe Will would like to get home for his supper.”

  “Right.” Brett took the cue with tact and rose from the table. “Shouldn’t take advantage of him, I guess. Thanks guys, it was great.” He hugged Joel, and Josh heard him murmur, “Thanks,” close to the handsome sheriff’s ear. No doubt for not being the asshole he could have been. Josh had seen way too much of that attitude from some law enforcement officers over the years. Even so it surprised him when Joel shook his hand before they left. It wasn’t quite a smile, but his steady gaze was not nearly as intimidating as it had been on their first meeting.

  Parker and Royce walked them outside, and Parker’s warm words, “You’re welcome here anytime,” resonated with Josh. Maybe he could make some new friends. He hoped, for Brett’s sake really, that his instincts were right about that.

  “Wanna drive?” Brett held up the keys as they walked to the truck. “That wine of Royce’s has made me sleepy and I noticed you only had the one beer.”

  “Keeping track, huh?” Josh smiled as he took the keys from Brett. “Don’t fall asleep, though. You’ll have to give me a couple of directions.”

  Brett didn’t fall asleep, but he was quiet on the way home. He’d had an idea and he was going to need Joel’s help to see it through. He just hoped it didn’t piss Josh off too much when he eventually found out what he was up to. But, damn it, the guy needed vindication, and if Brett could do what the law had failed to, he’d feel like he’d done something really worthwhile.

  He was going to need Joel’s help. First thing in the morning he’d call his friend and ask if there was any way he could locate a trustworthy private detective in Cheyenne—someone who just might be interested in investigating a cold case…someone who might appreciate the challenge. He could only hope.

  Chapter Eight

  The days slipped by, turning into weeks. Good days for the most part, with Josh and Brett working side by side and easing into a relationship that was, as far as Brett was concerned, the best thing that had ever happened to him. No matter how hard they worked, or how tired they were at day’s end, after showering and eating, they had time for each other—sometimes before showering and eating, sometimes in the middle of the day, in the stables, on the hay in a stall, anywhere, anytime desire sparked inside them and had to be satisfied.

  And, oh boy, was he ever satisfied. He’d never carried so many spare condoms around with him before.

  And an added bonus, as if he really needed one, was that Missy had foaled successfully and they now had a beautiful filly added to their family. Normally, in the days approaching Missy’s time Brett would have been a bundle of nerves. No matter how often he had attended a foaling, had helped his dad on several occasions, his heart would lodge in his throat when the mare went into labour. There were so many things that could go wrong, and this birth was so important to the future of the ranch. But Josh, although he’d told Brett he was filled with anticipation, remained calm—perhaps because he’d never been present at a foaling. Whatever the reason, Brett appreciated Josh’s composure and found himself depending on him a little more every day.

  Leaning on the paddock fence, one foot up on the bottom rail, he smiled as Missy and her daughter frolicked together. He remembered the look of total wonder on Josh’s face when Missy had delivered the tiny shivering creature into the world and how quickly the little thing was on its feet searching for its mother’s milk. They had knelt just outside the stall, their arms around each other’s shoulders, grinning with delight, watching this small miracle unfold before them.

  “What’ll we call her?” Brett had asked in a whisper, and Josh had widened his eyes in surprise at being included in such an important decision.

  “We?”

  “Yes, we. You and me—what’ll it be?”

  “I—I dunno. Oh, how about, Star? See, she has small mark on her forehead—looks like a star.”

  “Star it is.”

  Brett’s one frustration was that nothing, so far, had transpired in the matter he had asked Joel to help him with. He knew he was getting on Joel’s nerves, asking day after day if there had been any progress, but the man had agreed to help, so he’d just have to suck it up. Knowing Joel as he did, if he got too pushy, the sheriff would tell him to back off and show some restraint.

  But, damn it, it was hard. Brett was convinced that somewhere out there were the two men who had killed Carl Potts, who had committed the crime that Josh had served time for. Not only that, he was also sure that whoever they were, they’d been protected, harboured perhaps by someone who knew their identity, and whatever the reason, wouldn’t give them up—someone who had stood by and said nothing while Josh was sentenced.

/>   Joel had agreed, after getting to know Josh a little better, that he didn’t seem the type to carry out such a heinous crime. He wasn’t as adamant as Brett was about it, but at least he had agreed to do some unobtrusive investigation. Using his unofficial network he had contacted a private investigator in Cheyenne who’d said he was familiar with the case and, yes, would be happy to do some quiet research on the matter.

  “Come back from wherever you are…” Josh’s whispered voice, the touch of his lips on Brett’s ear, momentarily startled him, jolting him from his thoughts. Recovering quickly, he turned his head to brush the lips that caressed his skin, a shiver of delight coursing through him at the feel of Josh’s hard crotch pushing into the crack of his butt.

  “I was just thinking that everything is kinda perfect right now,” he said, “especially what you’re doing now,” he added, grinning.

  “Mmm…” Josh nuzzled Brett’s neck. “Love you.”

  Brett tensed then slowly turned in Josh’s arms. “What did you say?”

  For a moment Josh looked puzzled. “Uh, I said, ‘love you’.”

  “You’ve never said that before.”

  “I—I just thought you knew. All the times we’ve, you know, made love and stuff…”

  “Stuff?”

  Josh’s face flushed and he stepped back. “Hey, I’m sorry if I’ve said something I shouldn’t. If I was outta line, forget what I said. I just thought that— shit —”

  Brett chuckled. “You are so darned cute when you get all flummoxed. Of course, you’re not out of line. It’s just that you’ve never said the ‘L’ word—and I was too scared to say it in case it turned you off.”

  “Why in hell would you think it’d turn me off?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe you’d think I was too needy or something.”

  “You needy?” Josh laughed wryly. “You are the most un-needy person I’ve ever met. You’ve been running this place off and on by yourself. You’ve done so much here. You’re strong, independent, amazing. All those years when I was stuck in that hellhole, I never thought I’d be lucky enough to meet someone like you. And yes, I probably should have said it before, but I love you, Brett.”

  Brett made the first move. He practically stumbled into Josh’s arms, pressing himself against the hard wall of Josh’s chest, then just as quickly jumped back.

  “Damn, that sounds like Will’s truck. He’d probably faint if he saw me doing what I want to do to you right now!”

  “Guess we’ll have to put all that on hold.” Josh eyed the bulge in Brett’s jeans. “Hope he doesn’t notice that hard-on you’re sportin’.”

  “Right.” Brett smiled at him. “But just before he pulls up, and while he can’t hear me, I love you too.”

  * * * *

  Joel listened intently to what Brad Culver, the private investigator in Cheyenne, Wyoming was telling him.

  “Seems recently a body was found way out on the outskirts of Riverdale,” Culver said. “Been there for years apparently. All that was left, of course, was some bones and pieces of clothing, but here’s the deal. There was a gun amongst the bones.”

  “A gun.” Joel frowned, his mind racing with the possibilities of this disclosure. “Have they identified the remains?”

  “Not yet. All they have is a male, probably eighteen or so, maybe younger.”

  “And the gun?”

  “Nothing yet. But the coroners are probably not linking the two cases together. It’s just ’cause you got me looking into this that I started wondering if this corpse was in anyway related. The fact that no one else was ever apprehended, and Josh Kenyon said there were two guys involved in the shooting. I dunno—just a hunch maybe. I’ve got a buddy in the coroner’s office. I’ll ask him if he can get me the report on the gun’s calibre, if bullets were fired, how many etc.”

  “Thanks,” Joel said. “You must’ve been a good detective on the force.”

  Joel could hear Culver’s chair creak as he shifted on the seat. His voice was decidedly bleak when he replied, “Still be there if it wasn’t for Johnnie Walker.”

  “Ah, well, I’ll see you get recompensed once we get some more info on this.”

  “Yeah, that. My bill will be in the mail.” He chuckled. “Anyway, thought I’d go talk to Potts’ brother, Nate. He’d have been around the same age as the dead guy at the time of the shooting. He, or a buddy, might know if someone went missing. Riverdale’s a small town. You never know.”

  * * * *

  The sun was setting behind the Sierra Nevada Mountains when Josh and Brett finished up for the day.

  “I was going to suggest taking Hoss and Little Joe out for a ride when we were done,” Brett said, a teasing smile on his lips. “But there’s something else I’d like to ride right about now.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Josh chuckled. “Now what would that be? Oh wait, let me guess. Uh, you wanna take a ride into town, catch a movie, maybe?”

  “Yeah, that’s it,” Brett said grabbing Josh’s arm and fairly hauling him towards the house. “How’d you work it out? Only, the movie stars you and me, naked, in bed, and you’re fuckin’ me so hard up my ass I’m gonna see stars.”

  “Jeez, but you have a dirty mouth.”

  “You love my dirty mouth.” They paused only to throw off the boots on the porch then Brett commanded a forlorn Jax to ‘stay’ “Don’t want him jumpin’ all over you before I have a chance to.”

  They were through the door, ripping each other’s clothes off before they even made it to the bedroom.

  “No shower?” Josh asked, panting.

  “After…” Brett nibbled on Josh’s already hard nipples. “Way after,” he mumbled. They fell across the bed and Brett straddled Josh’s crotch, grinding his rump over the pulsing erection under him.

  “Oh, you’re gettin’ right to it,” Josh said through gritted teeth, at the same time sliding his hands up and down Brett’s slim, tight torso.

  “Yeah, want you inside me now…” He dropped his head so that their foreheads touched and his lips were a delicate brushing on Josh’s. “Want to feel all of you inside me,” he whispered, “when you tell me again that you love me, when you make love to me.”

  Their eyes met and held and in that one look, even though the words weren’t spoken, Brett felt the thrill of knowing that Josh was his, completely and totally. And wasn’t that exactly what he’d wanted to know ever since the first time they’d kissed? Since that first amazing time they’d followed their mutual desire and Brett had been the recipient of all of Josh’s pent-up longing and emotion in one mind-blowing, almost excruciating bout of sex. One he’d never thought they could repeat in its intensity, but each and every time they had.

  He reached for the lube and condom and got himself ready with a generous amount of gel. He sheathed Josh’s cock and positioned himself over the pulsing flesh he held in his hand. Slowly he lowered his hips, the initial breach of his ass muscles making him gasp. Their eyes never left one another and Brett was in awe of the tender passion reflected on Josh’s face. He took Josh’s hands in his and held them pressed to his chest as he sank down, taking all of Josh deep inside him.

  “Oh, yessss…” Brett’s long sigh of satisfaction hissed from between his parted lips as he lowered his head to claim Josh’s mouth with his own. They made love slowly, tenderly, the passionate heat between them simmering just below the surface, each rhythmic movement bringing them closer and closer to completion. Brett held Josh’s hands, gazing down at his lover from under lowered lashes, drinking in the view. The dark blue eyes that returned his gaze were unmistakably lust-filled. The wide, expressive mouth was tilted in a smile of sweet complicity. Josh’s muscled body undulated beneath him, thrusting powerfully upwards, driving his thick shaft deep, deeper into Brett’s eager, welcoming heat.

  Josh sat up, pulled Brett to him and rolled him onto his side where they lay chest to chest, their mouths locked together, their tongues tangling in a kiss that left them both gasping for air. Brett
liked this position even better. It was like they were meshed together, wrapped in each other’s arms, every part of their bodies touching, their breath warm on each other’s glistening skin. Josh thrust upwards, hard, and Brett moaned.

  Fuck. Josh had gone deeper than Brett believed possible. He squirmed his hips down, relishing every ounce of pleasure Josh’s cock brought him, savouring every inch of the rigid pulsing flesh that moved inside him with such rhythmic power.

  “I’m gonna come,” he panted, close to delirium. “Oh God, Josh, I love you.” He clenched his ass muscles tight around Josh’s shaft as if he could pull his lover’s climax from him. Josh shuddered and rammed himself even harder inside Brett, his breath rushing from him in harsh, wrenching gasps.

  “Oh, fuck, yeah…” The words sounded like they were ground out from the back of Josh’s throat as he crushed Brett to him in a bone-popping embrace. They came together, Brett’s semen bathing both their chests in a hot, creamy shower while Josh filled the condom buried deep inside Brett.

  “Brett,” Josh whispered, his lips on Brett’s sweat-slicked skin. “Oh Jesus, Brett, I love you so fuckin’ much…”

  Brett smiled. Sticky bodies be damned. He didn’t care if they never moved from this spot. Those were the words he would treasure for the rest of his life.

  Chapter Nine

  Joel put his phone down, sighing. Darn Brett, he thought, not unkindly, calls me practically every day wanting to know if the PI’s come up with anything yet. But it was good to know everything seemed okay at Hope. No problems with Josh, and the guy was making his regular appointments with his parole officer every week.

  Now when he thought about, he hadn’t heard from Culver in some time. Strange… The guy had been calling him every few days with an update. Last he heard Culver was still waiting to hear from his friend at the coroner’s office as to whether the gun found with the body matched that of the one used in the shooting. That, and he was going to talk to Nate Potts. Could be neither had panned out, of course. Still… Joel picked up his cell and punched in Culver’s number. After a couple of rings he was forwarded to voicemail.