Easton [Belt Buckle Ranch 4] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Olivia Black

  Easton only had a duffle bag thrown over his shoulder as he stepped off the plane. He hadn’t been interested in packing a whole lot so he only brought a few necessities—toiletries, two pairs of jeans, and a few shirts. He didn’t know how long he’d be staying, but hoped a few days away from the ranch and some distance from Trent’s close proximity would make him feel like his old self once again. If only it was possible to get Trent removed from his heart, he would be able to heal and move forward.

  Walking toward the terminal, Easton couldn’t help but smile at the familiar surroundings. The weather had changed only slightly. Hot summer days, with pockets of major drought turning into warm fall afternoons. He was glad to be back, even if it was only for a short visit. He wanted to hug his grandma and feel her comforting arms around him.

  Easton moved through the airport, making his way toward the rental car desk. He really wished he could walk outside and get his truck, but after being in Colorado for a couple weeks, his grandmother sent one of the neighbors to pick it up.

  It didn’t take him long to pick up his compact rental car before getting on the road and heading home. Except, he wasn’t going to the farm where he grew up, he was going to a small retirement community where his grandmother now lived. Gripping the steering wheel with his left hand, Easton realized that this wasn’t his home any longer. Another wave of depression crashed over his head.

  “Fuck!” he shouted out in the empty car. “Why did I even allow him to pull me in? Why did I fall in love with him? Why couldn’t I have just used him for sex?” He paused before finally asking the question he’d been wondering since driving away from the Twin Acres Ranch. “Why can’t he love me?”

  Easton swallowed the lump in his throat. This wasn’t the time to think about Trent and to keep asking questions he’d never hear the answers to. He needed to clear his mind and enjoy the visit with his grandma.

  * * * *

  Since the return of his foreman and other ranch hands, Trent hadn’t seen Easton. It was out of character for him to miss the young man, but he did. Each morning he woke up, hoping that Easton would walk into the barn, but he never did. When he’d called an end to their relationship, he was prepared to walk away, but he couldn’t.

  His heart actually ached without the cowboy around. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but somewhere between the mind-blowing sex and the simple conversations, he’d grown attached and now, he wanted Easton in his life.

  The fear of losing Easton, the way he’d lost his parents and brothers, was no longer holding him back. After over a week with Easton absent from his life, Trent realized that he didn’t want to continue living alone. He needed to talk to the young man and hoped that Easton would forgive him, and consider a relationship even after the pain he’d caused.

  He was desperate to move Easton into his home so that he could take care of the young man. He’d avoided offering any real emotion out of fear, but he wasn’t going to live that way any longer and he had to prove it to Easton through action instead of mere words.

  Knocking on the front door, he impatiently waited. Normally, he wasn’t the type of man to chase after a lover, but Easton wasn’t just any lover. The young man had managed to get under his skin. He cracked Trent’s heart wide open and was now a permanently resident. And he knew he wouldn’t be able to live without the blond cowboy in his life.

  When the door finally opened, Trent straightened his shoulders.

  “Hey, Trent,” Jackson said. “How can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for Easton. Is he around?”

  “Um…” His eyes jumped around, looking nervous. “I…uh…Wyatt sent him on some errands.”

  “Oh.” Trent exhaled in disappointment. “Can you ask him to call me or come by my place? I need to talk to him.”

  “Yeah, sure, no problem. Is…uh…is everything okay?” Jackson seemed confused and Trent knew without a doubt that Easton hadn’t shared anything with his brothers.

  “Everything’s fine. I just need to see Easton.”

  Turning on his heel, Trent stepped off the porch as Jackson shut the front door. He really wanted to see Easton. He needed to talk to the young man before it was too late. Did you really think it would be that easy? Exhaling on a sigh, Trent opened the driver’s side door on his truck and made himself comfortable inside the cab. He didn’t want to come off as desperate, but after waiting this long to talk with Easton, Trent was willing to beg for forgiveness if necessary.

  Taking off his hat, Trent placed it on the passenger seat. He pushed a hand through his short hair. He had no idea what Easton would say or how he would respond. Their time together was explosive, but he’d hurt the young man. Each night when he sent Easton home, the cowboy looked disappointed and rejected. It would serve him right if Easton told him to get lost, but even if that was his response, Trent wasn’t willing to give up.

  When he heard a vehicle approaching, Trent sat straight up and looked in the rearview mirror. He spotted one of the ranch work trucks and immediately licked his dry lips as his heart kicked into overdrive. He held his breath as the truck grew closer and said a silent prayer that Easton would forgive him.

  Stepping out of the truck, Trent tried not to fidget. When he was finally able to see the driver, Trent’s heart dropped when he recognized Wyatt.

  “Hey, neighbor,” Wyatt called out as he pulled up next to Trent’s truck. “What can I do for you today?”

  “I’m looking for Easton. Do you know when he might be back?”

  “I’m not really sure.” Wyatt shrugged his shoulders as he shut the ignition off.

  “I’ll just hang around for a little bit, if you don’t mind. I need to talk to him.”

  “You might be waiting for a while, but suit yourself.” Wyatt chuckled and Trent raised a questioning brow.

  “Well, then, I guess I’ll just head home then.” Trent wasn’t sure what was going on, but he didn’t have a good feeling. Both Jackson and Wyatt weren’t being straight with him.

  “I’ll let him know you stopped by,” Wyatt said, and Trent nodded.

  Trent reluctantly left the ranch behind, wondering if Easton would contact him. He took the long way home, hoping that he might see the young man. When he reached the turn off leading to Twin Acres Ranch, Trent pressed the brakes, stopping his truck. He didn’t want to go back home. He didn’t want to walk into a silent house and feel lonely. With his mind made up, Trent hit the gas pedal and drove toward Marilyn’s.

  During times like this, he was glad his best friend Jacob Monroe was close by. He needed some advice from the bartender, especially since the man was in a relationship with Easton’s brother, Jared.

  Chapter 10

  Easton was pleasantly surprised when he pulled into the retirement community. It was private, upscale condos. The outside was clean and well maintained, with beautiful greenery. It was unlike any place he’d ever encountered in the middle of Oklahoma. Smiling, Easton parked the car right outside his grandmother’s place. He parked the car and climbed out, grabbing his duffle bag as he walked toward the front door. A colorful wreath hung on the door, graced with beautiful flowers.

  He lifted his hand to knock when the door opened and the woman who raised him opened her arms wide open, tears glistening in her eyes, and a huge smile on her lips.

  “Get over here and hug me. I missed you so much,” she barely managed to say before tears fell down her cheeks.

  “God,” he exhaled. “I missed you, too.”

  The two embraced in the doorway and Easton closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of the familiar perfume. The smell alone reminded him of his childhood and sent him back to a simpler time when the hardest decisions were choosing between a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and macaroni and cheese.

  “My poor baby,” she crooned, her eyes jumping from his face to his arm. “Come in and tell me what happened to you.”

  She wrapped an arm around Easton’s waist and led him into her condo. Looking around, Easton
noticed a lot of the same furniture and pictures throughout the space. It made him happy to see the similar surroundings even if it was in a new location.

  “How do you like it here?”

  “I’m staying very busy. Monday is bingo, Tuesday is yoga, Wednesday is crafts, Thursday we watch old movies, Friday is bridge, Saturday we all go out to town and shop, and Sunday is bible study in the recreation room.”

  “Wow, sounds like your calendar is full.”

  “We’re starting a community garden. I’m in charge of putting it together.” She ushered him into the small kitchen and Easton dropped his bag on the floor before sitting in one of the kitchen chairs.

  “Really? That’s great.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a plastic container that he assumed contained iced tea. “I really like it here. All my friends are close by and we spend a lot of time laughing.”

  “I’m happy to hear that, grandma. Sometimes I worry about you and wonder if I made the right decision by leaving the farm.”

  “Of course you made the right decision. Besides.” She placed a glass in front of him and filled it with iced tea. “It was my choice, remember? I kicked you out.”

  Easton chuckled lightly, relaxing into the seat. Hearing that she was happy made everything worth it.

  “I don’t want you to worry about me for another minute.” She sat down in the chair next to him and gently patted his cast. “I want to know what happened to you…your poor nose and arm. How are you doing?”

  Taking a deep breath, Easton looked into his grandma’s sweet eyes and knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to tell her everything. He needed to open up and talk to someone about his thoughts and feelings. Keeping everything buried internally wasn’t doing him any good.

  “I met someone when I arrived at the ranch. We had a really strong connection and our relationship started to grow into something serious. At least.” He paused for a moment and she nodded, encouraging him to continue. “I thought we might have a relationship, but I was wrong.”

  “I’m sorry, honey.”

  “I was driving back to the ranch and I was really upset. I lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. It was my own fault. I should’ve pulled over until I was calm enough to drive.”

  “Did you try to tell him how you felt?” she asked, and Easton’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

  “Him?” Easton asked, trying to figure out if he’d given himself away.

  She smiled tenderly and shook her head. “Yes, him.”

  “You know?” He breathed out, unable to believe what he was hearing.

  “Of course I know.” She rolled her eyes heavenward as if he was asking a silly question.

  “And it doesn’t bother you?”

  “Why would it bother me? I love you, Easton. I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy. Of course, I would be incredibly grateful if there could be a wedding. I want to see my baby walk down the aisle and live happily ever after.”

  Her words brought tears to his eyes. To know that she accepted him was a gift he never expected. “I tried to tell him how I felt. His name is Trent. He owns the ranch next to ours. I wanted him to know that I was falling in love with him, but he rejected me. He told me that he didn’t want a relationship.” He exhaled on a sigh.

  “Well,” she harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest. “He can just go straight to H-E-double-L. He doesn’t deserve my sweet boy.”

  Easton’s mouth dropped open as laughter bubbled up. Once he started laughing, he couldn’t stop, and it made him feel a million times better. Just being able to sit and talk with his grandmother changed his entire outlook and forced him to believe that everything would be okay. Coming for a visit was a really good idea and Easton needed to remember to thank Jackson for encouraging him to leave the ranch.

  * * * *

  Trent sat at the bar inside Marilyn’s, sipping a beer as Jacob served other patrons. He stared at the clock above the bar as the minutes slowly ticked by and peeled off the label on the bottle, waiting for his friend to take a break so that they could chat. After almost thirty minutes, Jacob strolled over.

  “Let’s sit in the corner booth.” Jacob tilted his head toward the corner and Trent abandoned his beer on the bar, following the man.

  Once they were seated in a corner booth, Trent started feeling a little uneasy. He wanted his friend’s advice, but in order for that to happen, he needed to tell Jacob everything. So far, it seemed that nobody knew about what had happened between him and Easton.

  After a few moments of silence, Jacob asked, “What’s on your mind?”

  “Easton.” Even as he said the young man’s name, his heart ached. He hadn’t said one word to anyone about his relationship with Easton, but he trusted Jacob. The two had been friends for years, long before moving to Colorado.

  “Really?” Jacob asked curiously. “Any particular reason why?”

  “He spent a week working on my ranch while the foreman and the other hands were gone.”

  “Yeah, I heard.” Jacob was looking at him as if he’d lost his mind.

  “We got close and I totally fucked it up.”

  Jacob sat up a little straighter and asked, “Beyond repair?”

  “I hope not, but honestly?” He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “What happened between the two of you?”

  “When I met him…” Trent couldn’t help but smile. He could still remember the first time he’d met Easton. The blond cowboy was incredibly beautiful and Trent had wanted to throw the man over his shoulder and carry him home. “There was an instant attraction. At first, I kept my distance. I thought he was too soft, but when he showed up at the ranch, we started talking and things evolved.”

  “And you started falling in love?”

  “Yeah. I’m not sure when it happened, but I’m in love with him. I didn’t figure it out until he left though. When the week was over, I knew he was going to want to have a serious talk, but before he could say anything, I told him I didn’t want a relationship.”

  “You need to tell him how you feel before it’s too late.”

  “I went to the ranch today to talk to him, but he wasn’t there.”

  “Oh yeah, Jared told me he was going back to Oklahoma to visit his grandma. I’m not sure how long he’ll be gone, but you should definitely talk to him when he gets back.”

  “What? He left?” Trent asked, completely shocked.

  Why didn’t Jackson or Wyatt tell him? Why the hell did they lie to his face and pretend that Easton was still in town?

  “After the accident, he seemed depressed, so he went to see his grandma.”

  “What?” Trent couldn’t sit inside the booth any longer. His heart kicked into overdrive just thinking of Easton and all the possibilities. Jumping up, he paced back and forth in front of the booth, his mind a mess. “What accident? What the hell happened?”

  “From what Jared told me, Easton was driving back to the ranch from your place. He lost control of the truck and hit a tree. His face hit the steering wheel and he broke his nose and right arm. Doctor Perry kept him in the hospital overnight just in case he showed signs of a concussion, but he’s fine now.”

  Trent stopped and stared at Jacob. His mouth dropped open as he tried to process Jacob’s words. Easton was hurt on his way home from his ranch? Easton hit a tree? He’d gone to the hospital. He broke bones. Why didn’t anybody think it’s important to say anything to him? Oh my God, I could’ve lost him.

  “Wyatt and Jackson didn’t say a word to me.” He paused for a moment as a light bulb went on inside his mind. “The brothers aren’t allowed to leave the ranch for a year. They didn’t tell me that Easton left because I’m the executor.”

  Turning on his heel, Trent marched toward the entrance. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He was going back to the ranch.

  “Trent!” Jacob yelled, but Trent refused to stop.

 
They lied to him. Jackson and Wyatt told him Easton was out running errands when in reality his cowboy was back in Oklahoma. His baby was in an accident and nobody thought it was important enough to share that piece of information. Did anyone take care of Easton or did they just send him off to his grandma?

  “Hey! Trent, damn in, stop!” He kept moving until Jacob stepped in front of him, blocking him from getting inside his truck. “You can’t go to the ranch pissed off.”

  “The hell I can’t.” Trent tried to shove Jacob out of his way.

  “Think about Easton. If you go to the ranch right now, you’re going to say something you don’t mean. You’re going to start a battle with the man’s family. You don’t want to do that.” Jacob shook his head. “Nobody knows anything about you and Easton. If I had known that he meant something to you, I would’ve called you from the hospital. Easton has been depressed lately, but now I realize that he’s just been heartbroken like you.” Trent swallowed hard and gave a reluctant nodded. “If you want my advice, you should take the night to think things over. It’s always better to respond calmly to a situation instead of overreacting.”

  “I just wanted to see Easton. I wasn’t even thinking about the will.”

  “I know that, but the other guys didn’t. Trust me. If anyone knew you had feelings for the young man, they would’ve told you he went to the hospital,” Jacob said sincerely, and Trent knew his friend was telling the truth.

  Chapter 11

  Trent took Jacob’s advice. He went home instead of making another visit to the Belt Buckle Ranch. He picked up a silver frame containing a picture of him standing with his twin brother, before dropping down onto the couch. Staring at his brother’s smiling face, Trent shook his head. He could’ve lost Easton the same way he lost Todd without ever getting the chance to tell the man how he felt. Tears prickled at the back of his eyes, but Trent refused to let them fall.