by Lynn Stark
“Joe’s mother,” Jett explained, when Randy sent him a questioning glance.
“He’s an excellent trail horse. Not flighty at all. Have you ever ridden before, son?” the man asked Randy.
Randy shook his head. “Never.”
“Well, Joe would be a real good first horse. He has the patience of a saint and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.”
After a few more questions, Jett waited for Randy to make a decision. He could see the fear and excitement in Randy’s gorgeous eyes. “I think I want to do it,” he whispered, his hand stroking over Joe’s bald face as he held onto the heavy leather halter.
“Can we put a deposit on him?” Jett asked Joe’s owner. “I’d like a vet and a farrier to check him out.”
“A wise man. Joe’s sound, but I don’t fault you for wanting to be sure.”
They went up to the house and transferred their deal into writing. Jett gave Joe’s owner the deposit. Jett told them they would call within the next few hours. He would arrange for a vet to examine Joe.
Randy’s excitement didn’t diminish as they returned home. As Jett began to make phone calls to see which vet he should have go out, Randy was sitting close to Jett on the couch, telling Gemma all about Joe. For Gemma’s part she was doing a lot of sniffing. Anywhere Joe had touched Randy Gemma investigated, going so far as to jump up on the back of the couch so she could run her nose through Randy’s hair.
It didn’t take long for Jett to get through with his calls. The vet had time to go out to check Joe. Then Jett was calling Stephen and Jade, asking if they could keep the horse at the ranch. When they agreed, Randy began hopping around the living room and cheering, Gemma dancing around his ankles and barking.
Jett knew he was already seeing the positive side of getting the horse. During all the weeks they had known each other, Jett had never seen the man exhibit such excitement about anything. Well, with the exception of Randy’s excitement this morning, he thought with a smile.
“I think we should celebrate. Let’s clean up and go for an ice cream sundae.”
“What happened to healthy eating?” Randy teased.
“We’ll get frozen yogurt with some fresh fruit on it.”
“Can we take Gemma?”
“Of course.”
Being around Randy was far from a hardship. It was downright thrilling. Even doing something as simple as walking for ice cream was exciting. Jett viewed a future with Randy as an adventure. If they remained together, there would likely be some rough times. Jett accepted that. Randy still had some stuff to work through. Hell, even Jett had some things he dealt with occasionally. Being a soldier had left indelible marks on him. There were things, memories that he would always carry with him. Forgetting them was not an option, whether he wanted to or not. Some things were best forgotten and he was working on that. He had met several other veterans since moving to Silver and had been attending meetings, along with his friends.
They were walking along the sidewalk when Randy moved closer and spoke in a low, intense voice. “Don’t look, but Barker just pulled out on the street in that small green pickup. He’s driving this way.”
“Okay.”
Keeping it as casual as was possible, Jett’s gaze shifted from ahead of them to the left, catching sight of the man in the truck and smoothly looking down at the dog walking in front of him. He was tense, fully prepared to take action if he saw or heard anything that gave the man’s intentions away. Jett guessed that Barker had come across them by chance and was probably just as surprised to see them as they were to see him—if he had seen them at all.
Gemma happened to look back and caught him looking at her. He began talking to her as he pulled out his phone and made a call to the sheriff. Barker had gone by and he felt Randy relax. Leaning over, he kissed the top of his head. He spoke with the sheriff and then he called Bear. With Jett spending nearly all his time with Randy, the others were only coming in to watch the neighborhood at night.
“Do you think they’ll catch him?” Randy asked, when Jett ended the call.
The subdued tone of Randy’s voice made Jett want to go after Barker and beat the crap out of him for making his beautiful man feel scared and uncertain. “Hopefully they will. He’ll be charged with trespassing for returning to Silver. The sheriff is also doing a more extensive search into Barker’s background. Evans doesn’t quite believe that Barker has committed so many crimes in so many places and doesn’t have at least one warrant for his arrest somewhere. That could solve some problems for everyone. He would be out of our hair and possibly out of our lives, for a long time. Now, let’s cut across the block here.”
Jett didn’t want to keep Randy out in the open. They hurried across the street and into a narrow alley between houses. If they saw Barker again, it would be more proof that he had seen them and was stalking Randy. The sheriff had not gotten the results back from the letter that had been left for Randy. Everyone prayed there would be forensic proof that Barker was responsible for writing the letter. The man wasn’t successful as a criminal. He might have the right attitude for being a lowlife scumbag, but he didn’t have the intelligence to take him up the lowlife ladder. The dumbass spent more time in jail than he did free. Now he was involved in Randy’s life and all Jett wanted to do was find him and beat some sense into him. He also wanted to make him pay for scaring Randy.
Jett sighed. As much as he wanted to hurt the guy, he knew he couldn’t—it was what separated the good people from the bad that prevented him from doing so. Everything would be done legally. He would do whatever it took to keep Randy safe. Beyond that, he would leave Barker to the authorities.
Quinn was still trying to convince everyone to use him as bait to lure Barker out. Jett admired the man’s spunky nature. Everyone else did, too. Still, no one was eager to put Quinn into a potentially dangerous situation to lure the bastard out.
Once they were at the ice cream shop, Jett waited outside with Gemma while Randy went in to get their frozen yogurt. There were four small tables in front of the store. Jett sat down at the only one that wasn’t occupied. A little girl and boy came over to say hello to Gemma. They politely asked permission to pet her. After that there was a gigglefest as Gemma tried to give them kisses. Jett scanned the area around them, looking for anyone fitting Barker’s description and the green truck. It only took him a moment to spot Bear standing on the green across the street. He nodded slightly in acknowledgement as they made eye contact.
The children’s father called them back to their table when Randy came out of the shop. He smiled at Jett, laughing as if he had just heard a good joke, and then sat down. Jett looked down to see that his frozen yogurt had been covered with pieces of chocolate and sprinkles. There wasn’t a piece of fruit in sight.
“I thought we were going healthy.”
“Well, chocolate is good for you. And that’s dark chocolate, so it’s really healthy.”
“Good to know,” Jett said with a laugh as he picked up the spoon. “I guess I’ll just eat around the sprinkles.” He looked across the table to Randy’s dish. He saw fruit. “I think you want me to get fat,” he teased.
Randy shook his head. “Never. Would I do something like that?”
Filling his spoon with frozen yogurt and dark chocolate shavings, he offered it to Randy. “We’ll share the pain of fat butts and spare tires.”
Jett watched as Randy leaned forward and opened his mouth. His lips closed around the spoon before slowly removing the melting treat from the plastic spoon as he pulled back. Jett’s cock came to life as he imagined the same action of Randy’s mouth on his flesh.
“I should spank you for that,” Jett told Randy, his voice huskier than it was a moment ago. His desire for the other man, never far from the surface, bubbled up. He would give Randy all the time he needed to be mentally prepared for what would happen between them. Jett wanted him to be certain that their making love hadn’t been a fluke. Randy’s preparedness meant that Jett could give the man a glimpse
of what could happen.
Blue eyes widened. Randy stared at Jett for several seconds before grinning and dipping his head, focusing his attention on his own dish of yogurt and fruit.
Interesting. Jett would definitely have to see where this would go. The idea of spanking his sweet boyfriend caused his cock to harden some more.
The surprises kept coming as they made the circuit around the green when Randy took Jett’s hand and held on. Jett glanced down in surprise at him, but Randy was looking ahead. He was worrying his lower lip with his teeth, telling Jett he wasn’t quite certain about being so bold. Jett smiled and gave Randy’s hand a gentle squeeze, silently telling him that holding hands was a good thing.
They were heading home when Jett got a call from the vet. He was surprised, but pleased. Instead of taking the call himself, he asked the caller to hold on and he handed the phone to Randy.
“It’s the vet,” Jett told him, hoping it was good news.
“Really?” Jett nodded. “Hello?” Randy appeared to be nervous, but as he listened his face relaxed and he began to smile. “That’s cool. Thank you so much for your time.” He ended the call and returned the phone to Jett. “They said Joe looks great. They checked for worms and stuff and he’s clear. Now we just have to wait for…what did you call them?”
“The farrier. They’ll check over the hooves, which are the horse’s feet, to be sure they’re healthy. A horse is nothing without healthy feet and legs.”
Randy was bouncing again, his happiness obvious. “I can’t wait to learn to ride. How do you know so much about horses?”
“My aunt has horses. I used to spend a lot of time riding and taking care of them.”
Hearing the positive report from the vet seemed to have unlocked something in Randy. He began to ask questions, lasting until they reached home. Randy followed Jett around the apartment after he fed and watered Gemma. The dog stretched out in the middle of the living room and promptly fell asleep. Jett had already checked the apartment before he allowed Randy to enter. Now he felt comfortable enough to relax and go take a shower. He had already answered about thirty questions. What he hadn’t expected was Randy sitting in the bathroom as Jett showered, asking more questions.
“Do we need to get a leash and stuff for it?” Randy asked. “Do horses play with toys?”
Opening an eye slightly, Jett saw that he standing close to the shower’s glass door. “A horse’s leash is called a lead. Yes, some of them do play with toys. There are a lot of things we have to get, but it’ll be fun. Wait until you get to brush Joe for the first time. But I think we should head out to Stephen’s and Jade’s in the morning to get one of the stalls ready and be sure the fence around the front pasture is good.”
Ducking under the spray, Jett rinsed quickly. He turned off the water, and then wiped the water off his face before he opened the door. Randy jumped back and Jett pushed the door wide enough so that he could step out. He grinned when Randy’s gaze fixed to his dick.
“Okay, cool. I don’t have to be at work until three.”
Jett had forgotten about that. Randy had been working three seasonal jobs and one that was close to full-time. Because Randy wanted to concentrate more on school and studying, he had talked to his boss and shaved ten hours off. If he was in school full-time, he didn’t have to work. The program would support him financially, giving him an allowance to cover most of his expenses. Well, it wouldn’t cover Joe and the horse’s upkeep, but Jett would see to that. He hadn’t seen Randy so happy and carefree before. Jett admired Randy’s determination to continue to work to help provide for himself. He guessed it had something to do with how Randy had survived before coming to Silver.
“We’ll have plenty of time to get everything done.”
Randy didn’t respond. Jett saw that Randy was still staring at Jett’s groin. If his expression was anything to go by, he was impressed. Reaching for a towel, it only took a moment to wrap it around his waist. Jett stepped around Randy and headed to the sink so he could shave.
Glancing in the mirror he saw that Randy was still staring. “You have a tattoo.”
Chuckling, Jett opened his shaving kit and removed his razor and shaving cream. They had showered together the night before. He didn’t know how Randy had missed it. “Yes.”
“It’s a dragon.”
“It is.”
“It’s 3-D.”
Jett lathered his jaw and glanced at Randy’s reflection again as he picked up the razor and began to remove the stubble from his jaw.
“It looks so real. Does it hurt to get a tattoo?”
“Yes, it does hurt a bit,” Jett told him as he rinsed off the razor before repeating the process. “Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo?”
“No, not really. It’s not that I’m against them. I guess I’ve just never found something I would want to have on my body permanently. Why did you get one?”
“Because I love skin art.” He laughed softly. “I bought a tattoo magazine when I was in my teens. My mother found it when she was doing her duty as a mother and searching my room. I had to promise her that I wouldn’t get a tattoo until I was over twenty-five.”
Randy came over to lean on the long sink counter. He looked at Jett with interest. “What was she searching your room for?”
Jett shrugged. “The usual stuff I guess moms and dads search their kid’s rooms for. Porn, cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. I had to give them access to my computer, too.”
“Didn’t you care?”
“I’m sure I did at the time.”
Randy fell silent. Jett glanced over at him and saw the frown on his face as he stared at the floor. Jett guessed his beautiful, wounded man was processing how Jett’s life as a teenager had been different when compared to Randy’s.
“I don’t know if anyone cared enough to look through my stuff. Enough of it was stolen, though.” Randy laughed, without humor. “I know any money I managed to earn doing odd jobs around whatever neighborhood I lived in, was usually taken away from me.” He shrugged. “I lived with a couple of nice families, so they weren’t all bad. I don’t know why I didn’t get to stay with them. I guess it doesn’t matter at all now. When will you be visiting your parents?”
“I was planning on going for a visit in a few weeks, but it can wait.”
“Why?”
Jett rinsed his shaven jaw and wiped away the moisture with a hand towel. He turned toward Randy. “I’ll wait until you have a few days, so you can go with me. I know they’re going to love you as much as I do.” Jett moved closer to Randy when he saw the color rush into his cheeks. “I think you believe that I can’t love you.”
“I don’t know how you can.”
“I can, because you’re the perfect man for me. I knew it the moment I met you.” Reaching out, Jett let his hands slide over Randy’s shoulders and down his arms. “Please don’t try to hide away from me, hon. You are a wonderful person. That’s what I see when I look at you. Now I want you to work on believing it for yourself.”
It took a few seconds, but Randy finally nodded. Then he was looking up at Jett and grinning. “I like you in a towel. You should wear nothing but a towel all the time.”
There it was, that bright flash that was Randy’s suppressed nature trying to burst free. Jett brought Randy closer. “I should, huh? I wonder what Sheriff Evans would think about that.”
Randy snickered. He leaned forward to press a kiss to Jett’s chest. If the action surprised Jett, it certainly surprised Randy. He pulled back and looked up at Jett with a startled expression on his face.
“Come on, honey. I need to get into something a little drier.”
He removed the towel and tossed it into the hamper. Then he took Randy by the hand to lead him to their bedroom. Everything he’d brought from the ranch had been put away. They had moved in a second dresser from the guest bedroom for him to use. He took out a pair of sleep pants and a T-shirt, dressing within seconds. Hearing the movement behind him, he guesse
d Randy was changing, too.
Turning around, Jett discovered something.
He had been wrong about what Randy had been doing.
Chapter Twelve
Lying naked on the bed, Randy hoped he was doing the right thing. Although scared, close to terrified, Randy felt it was the right thing. He wanted to be closer to Jett. He believed they had a great emotional connection. There was no doubt that Jett put Randy’s needs before his own. That made Jett the most wonderful person there ever was. They had already made love once. It had been exciting and he wanted to relive the experience, to see if it would be as good a second time.
“What’s going on, Randy?” Jett asked gently, making no move toward the bed. He wasn’t undressing, either.
Feeling a full-body blush heating his skin, Randy was tempted to roll off the bed and onto the floor, dragging a blanket with him. It took every ounce of courage he could muster to stay where he was. He took a deep breath as his dick softened slightly. It felt like Jett was rejecting him and it stung.
“I want to make love with you again,” he whispered, trembling, and forcing his gaze to remain fixed to Jett’s. “It was better than I thought it would be,” he added, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward to Jett as he did to his own ears.
Jett did move then. He walked around the bed and sat down on the edge at Randy’s hip. “Honey, there’s no rush. We have all the time in the world.”
Randy nodded, feeling his love for the man to grow tenfold. “I know. That’s why I want to do it again. I feel good about it. I didn’t think it would ever be possible for me to want to have sex. Hell, I haven’t even felt anything remotely similar to desire until I met you.”
Dark eyes, soft with love and understanding, roamed over Randy’s face. “I just want you to take all the time you need. We haven’t known each other that long. We can wait.” A twinkle of amusement entered Jett’s eyes. He winked at Randy. “I’m not opposed to giving you another blow job. You are delicious. And,” he added as he reached out to touch Randy’s face, the tips of his fingers stroking along Randy’s jaw, “you could try out your newfound needs and reciprocate.”
