The Belt Buckle Ranch Collection, Volume 1 (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Olivia Black

  “I love you.” Wyatt’s lips pressed against his and then gently covered his mouth in a hungry kiss.

  Jackson’s thoughts spun as Wyatt consumed him. He dropped his backpack on the ground and moved closer into Wyatt’s strong arms, lining up their bodies. Wyatt moved his hands down the length of his back, making Jackson shiver.

  His breathing unsteady, Jackson pulled back and stared into Wyatt’s eyes. “I love you, too.”

  “Have a safe flight. If you need me, call me. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”

  “I can’t say good-bye to you.” Just the thought made sadness consume him.

  “You don’t have to. I’ll see you soon, baby.” Wyatt reclaimed his lips in a slow caress.

  Wyatt slowly stepped back. He picked up Jackson’s backpack and handed it to him before heading back to his truck. Jackson watched him drive away. When he was out of sight, he went into the terminal.

  The private plane was waiting for him when he arrived, and Jackson boarded immediately. He took a seat and buckled up. His mind was stuck on his cowboy and he grinned. He couldn’t stop replaying the man’s words inside his mind. The man’s husky, deep voice when he said “I love you” would be forever stamped inside his brain. Taking a deep breath, Jackson leaned his head back as the small plane started to taxi.

  When they were in the air and headed toward California, Jackson picked up his backpack. He pulled out the white envelope and traced his name with his fingertip over his father’s handwriting. He felt a little nervous. Was he ready to read his father’s last words? What did the man have to say? Would he apologize for not being a part of his life? It took him a few minutes to build up his courage, but Jackson finally opened the flap, careful not to tear it. He unfolded the single sheet of paper…

  Dear Jackson,

  I’ve written and rewritten this letter so many times my hand hurts. I don’t even know where to begin. Do I apologize to you? Do I beg your forgiveness? My only hope is that one day you will understand and not hold any hate in your heart toward me. I was a man with a dream and I was willing to do anything to make it a reality. This ranch was the only thing I ever wanted. Every belt buckle I won, all the cash I earned, and it went to this place—the land I love.

  That’s why I named it Belt Buckle Ranch. The name was a reminder that I’d chosen the ranch over everything, including a family.

  I could lie and tell you that I knew nothing about my sons, but I wasn’t completely in the dark. I thought about you often and wanted to reach out, but as each day passed, I felt as if I couldn’t. When I found out about the cancer, I realized that I had so many regrets. The worst part is that I don’t have the time to make it up to you and your brothers.

  Having you and the other men stay at the ranch and work is not supposed to be a punishment. I hope that you will think about it carefully. I don’t want you to have any of the regrets that I did. Family is one of the most important things in the world. Please give Robbie, Easton, Oliver, and Jared a chance. Get to know them, work and live with them. At the end of the year, you can sell the place if that’s what you all want to do.

  I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to meet you. I really tried to hold on. I wanted to meet my boys, more than anything. I’m dying with so much regret in my heart, Jackson. Don’t make the same mistakes. Fall in love, have a family, and find true happiness.

  Love, your dad, William

  Jackson crushed the letter to his chest as he cried. Tears dripped down his cheeks unchecked. “It’s okay, William,” he whispered aloud. “I’m not alone. I’m in love with Wyatt and he loves me.” Jackson smiled sadly. “I’ll make sure everyone stays at the ranch. We’ll make it work. I promise.”

  * * * *

  Wyatt drove back toward the ranch, leaving Telluride in his rearview mirror. Rolling down the window he leaned back and relaxed, feeling the wind blow against his face. He smiled, his heart filling with joy as he thought about Jackson, his boyfriend. He couldn’t believe he actually had a boyfriend after being single for so many years. And more than that, Jackson was going to move in with him. He loves me. I can’t believe Jackson loves me.

  When Jackson climbed out of the truck and turned his back toward Wyatt, he couldn’t help himself. Something deep inside his soul told him to run after the young man, to tell him how he felt. He’d followed his instinct without regret. He finally felt like his life was coming together. Not only did he own his cabin outright, he had someone to share his life with.

  Staring out the windshield, he hummed to himself as he watched the beautiful green scenery go by. He already missed Jackson. In such a short period of time, he’d gotten used to the young man being at his side. At least Jackson would be returning to the ranch soon. He wouldn’t have to be alone for too long.

  Pulling off the main road, Wyatt slowed his truck down so that he wouldn’t create a dust cloud. He coasted down the long gravel driveway, admiring the land William loved. He wondered what his old friend would think if he were still alive. Would he have accepted Wyatt’s relationship with Jackson? He hoped so.

  Wyatt pulled the truck to a stop in front of the main house. He shut the engine off and stared at the beautiful ranch-style home. He opened the truck door and got out, pocketing his keys. Looking over at the empty seat, he sighed heavily, wishing that Jackson was there smiling at him. He knew the young man was on the plane already flying back to Los Angeles. And even though he knew Jackson would be coming back to him, he still felt sick to his stomach. He wouldn’t be able to feel whole until he was back at the ranch.

  The screen door slammed and Wyatt looked over and watched as Easton stepped off the porch.

  “Are you okay?” Easton asked, coming closer, and Wyatt gave a jerky nod.

  “Yeah, of course.” He shrugged.

  “You look a little lost,” Easton said, his tone reflecting his concern.

  “I already miss Jackson. I guess that probably sounds silly coming from a grown man, but…” He rubbed his chest, right above his heart.

  “No, not silly, it’s incredibly sweet.”

  He was relieved to hear Easton say that. William’s youngest son seemed like a really good person. He hoped that over the next year he’d be able to get to know all of the young men. Looking at them, he saw pieces of William in each of them—the way they looked, walked, spoke. So far, though, Oliver was the hardest to read.

  “Did you leave someone special behind in Oklahoma?” he asked, and started walking toward the barn. Easton stepped to his side, keeping pace.

  “No.” He chuckled softly. “I was too busy working on the farm to meet anyone. Plus in the small town where I grew up, there wasn’t anyone that caught my attention.”

  “There aren’t a lot of options here on the ranch either.” Wyatt smiled. “There is a smaller town, though, right before Telluride that has a bar, a café, gas station, feed store, and mini-mart. A lot of folks that have ranches around here go there so that they don’t have to head to the bigger city.”

  “What about Trent Weston?” Easton asked, and Wyatt turned his head, peeking over at the young man.

  “What about him?” he asked, curious as to where this conversation was headed.

  They stepped into the barn and the scent of clean hay hit his nose. Wyatt walked down the center of the barn, heading toward his horse, Midnight. He wanted to kill some time and figured the best way was to start working. If he stayed busy from sun up to sun down, he might not miss Jackson too much.

  “What’s his story?”

  Wyatt grabbed his saddle. “Well, he owns the ranch over on the eastern side of us called, Twin Acres. His brother owned the place, but he passed and Trent took over about eight years ago.”

  “That’s sad.” Easton voice was low and Wyatt knew the man wasn’t a stranger to love and loss. It was etched all over his feature.

  “Yeah.” Wyatt nodded as he continued to saddle Midnight. “I’ve never seen him with anyone, but like I said, there aren’t a lot of options out
here. It’s easy for ranch life to become your entire life. Working tends to be the priority.”

  “Is he…” Easton cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Is he…uh…into, you know?”

  “Actually, I have idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Men,” he practically shouted and then looked around and lowered his voice. “Is he into men? The reason I ask is because I kinda felt something back in the office. He…uh…I felt like he might’ve been checking me out.”

  “I don’t really know. He might’ve been.” Wyatt didn’t know the details of Trent’s love life.

  They knew each other, but that’s where it stopped. Living and working on the Belt Buckle kept him busy. He didn’t have a whole lot of friends and he was past the age where going out and getting drunk was fun.

  “So there’s a good chance that I was just imagining things,” he said, more to himself than to Wyatt. “Is there anything you need me to do, boss?” Easton quickly changed the subject.

  “I’m gonna ride around the property and check in on Cody, Mason, and Preston. There isn’t much to do unless you want to tag along,” Wyatt offered.

  “Yeah, thanks, that would great.” Easton smiled.

  “Go ahead and grab that saddle.” Wyatt pointed to one of the leather saddles along the wall. “You can ride Daisy.”

  Chapter 14

  Jackson pulled up to his apartment building. He slid out of the driver’s seat of his small SUV and popped the trunk open. He’d stopped and picked up boxes before driving home. It was quicker than making multiple trips. Reaching in, he grabbed as many as he could manage and walked awkwardly toward his front door. Wrestling with his keys and the boxes, he managed to get inside and drop the pile on the living room floor. He made a couple of trips until all the packing material was safely inside.

  Closing the door, he clicked the lock into place before dropping his backpack on a nearby chair. He stretched his back and looked around his one-bedroom apartment. He’d initially thought he might be a little sad to leave this place, but after a minute, he felt nothing but relief. He was moving on, saying good-bye to the hustle and bustle of the big city and starting a new life with the man he loved.

  Doing a quick walk-through, Jackson realized that he didn’t need any of his furniture. It was all secondhand, passed down from his parents when he moved out. He’d already looked up his driving route back to the ranch while on the plane. It would take him a solid fourteen hours, which meant he only had one day to get everything taken care of.

  “Okay, first things first.” Jackson grabbed one of the boxes.

  He taped the bottom closed and started packing up his bedroom—clothing, shoes, pictures, and a few other miscellaneous items that he wanted to keep. He labeled the box and moved on.

  Box after box after box…

  Jackson packed nonstop for hours. Everything that he wanted to take, things he couldn’t part with, those boxes were stacked by the front door. The other items were put in the living room. He’d already called a local nonprofit that accepted donations. He was expecting them to arrive in a few hours. Until then, Jackson went through everything he owned. For such a small apartment, he was surprised that he had accumulated so many things.

  His phone started to ring, just as someone started knocking on his front door. Groaning, Jackson grabbed his phone. Mom flashed on the screen.

  “Hold on, Mom.” Jackson opened the front door to two burly-looking men.

  “Jackson Murphy?” the man holding a clipboard asked.

  “Yeah.” He nodded.

  “We’re here to pick up your donation.” He tucked the clipboard under his arm and smiled warmly.

  “Of course.” He opened the door and led them into the living room. “All the furniture and boxes in this room.”

  “Thank you for your generosity. It means a lot.”

  “No problem. I’m just gonna take this phone call, you guys can get started.” Jackson strode toward the other side of the room. “Hi, Mom, I was going to call you, but I got sidetracked.”

  “How was your trip to Colorado?” she asked.

  “William passed away before I even got there.” Jackson knew she wanted details on his biological father, but with the letter fresh inside his mind, he didn’t want to talk about the man.

  “I’m sorry, honey.” He could hear the regret in her voice.

  “I’m packing up my apartment right now. I need to get on the road.” Jackson watched the men pick up his furniture and head out the front door. They moved fast, emptying his home in record time.

  “Where are you going? What are you doing?” she asked, her voice turning frantic.

  “I’m moving to the ranch.” She let out a gasp of surprise, but Jackson didn’t have time to give her details. He had to keep working. “Listen, Mom, I’ll have to tell you everything later.”

  “What’s going on?” she demanded.

  “William’s last wish was for his sons to live and work on his ranch for one year. I only have a couple of days to get back to the Belt Buckle before the time officially starts. And I still have a fourteen-hour drive ahead of me. Everyone else is already there.”

  “Jesus.” She sounded heartbroken. “I can’t believe you’re leaving me here in California without more warning. Who is everyone else? How many children did the man have? Why would you move?”

  He did feel a little guilty. Jackson knew she would have a lot of questions, and he was almost positive she would hate every answer he gave.

  “Mom, I have four half brothers that are depending on me. We all have to live and work on the ranch together. I can’t stay in California. My life is in Colorado now.”

  “But…” She exhaled loudly into the phone. “I don’t like this, not one bit.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I wish I could sit here and tell you everything, but I have to finish packing.”

  “Fine,” she said, but Jackson knew she was anything but fine. “I hope you’ll have time to call me eventually.” He heard the phone click before he could say a single word.

  Staring at his cell phone, Jackson could only shake his head. He would have to call her and tell her everything later. Right now, he needed to start loading the boxes into his SUV.

  * * * *

  Wyatt crawled into bed, bone tired and worn out.

  He lay down and pulled Jackson’s pillow into his arms, wishing that it was his man. Closing his eyes, he brushed his nose across the material and inhaled. It smelled like Jackson’s cologne. Snuggling closer, he grinned, and let sleep pull him under.

  The shrill ringing of his phone jerked Wyatt back to reality, and away from the start of a wonderful dream starring Jackson.

  “Hello,” he grumbled into the phone without opening his eyes.

  “Hi, I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Jackson’s sweet voice floated over the line.

  “Mmmm…” he moaned, stretching out on his back. “You can wake me up anytime, love. How are you? I miss you.” Wyatt propped one hand under his head while holding the phone with the other.

  “I miss you, too. I got a lot done today.” He sighed and Wyatt wished he would’ve gone with Jackson instead of staying behind. His man sounded tired.

  “That’s good news. It means I’ll see you soon.” He was glad that they wouldn’t be separated for too long. Call him selfish, but he wanted his man in his bed and in his arms.

  “I should be on my way tomorrow,” Jackson told him, and Wyatt blinked his eyes open in surprise.

  “Wow…that’s really fast.” He hadn’t been expecting Jackson to finish so quickly.

  “I’m motivated to get back to the ranch. There’s this guy and I really want to be with him.” Jackson’s voice dropped low and Wyatt couldn’t help but moan.

  “What a lucky man.”

  “I’m the lucky one.” He exhaled slowly. “I’m sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag tonight and wishing I was next to you in that big, soft, comfortable bed.”

  “Why are you on
the floor?” Wyatt asked.

  “I donated all my furniture since I don’t really need it. I loaded a bunch of boxes into the back of my SUV. I even managed to change my address online. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Tomorrow, I’m going to hand over the keys to the landlord and that’ll be it. I’m all done.” Wyatt sat up so that he wouldn’t fall asleep as Jackson told him all that he had accomplished.

  “You’ve been really busy today.”

  “I just want to go home.” He whined, his voice was full of longing, and Wyatt’s heart filled with pride and joy. Home…Jackson thinks of this place as home already.

  “And I want you home, where you belong.”

  Jackson laughed lightly. “I just wanted to hear your voice before I went to sleep. I’ve got a few things to do in the morning and then I’ll be on the road.”

  “Oh, one more thing…Easton, Robbie, Oliver, and Jared are all staying.”

  “That’s a relief,” he breathed out sounding tired.

  “Okay, love. I’ll let you go. Sweet dreams.” Wyatt blew a kiss through the phone line.

  “Got it!” Jackson chuckled and blew a kiss back. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Wyatt clicked the end button and sighed. Lying back down, he held onto Jackson’s pillow and smiled.

  Chapter 15

  Jackson was packed and ready to go. He’d already handed his keys over to the landlord and paid the thousand-dollar fine for breaking the lease. It didn’t matter though, he was just glad to be leaving LA. Jackson pulled his vehicle onto the highway and coasted down the on-ramp. There was some traffic, but today, he wasn’t going to let himself get stressed out. When he saw his usual exit that lead to Baxter and Sons, he took it.