Hard Ride (Clean Slate Ranch)

by A. M. Arthur

Who knows where we’ll both be in a year?

  On their second time past the saloon, Judson waved Slater over and their group chatted for a while. Judson was completely charmed by the Thompson twins, and he gave Derrick knowing smiles. “You’re keeping our Slater out of trouble, yeah?” Judson asked.

  “I’m doing my best,” Derrick replied.

  “Good, good.” To Slater, he said, “You know you’ll always have a job at the ranch, but if your heart takes you someplace else, you follow it there, you hear me?”

  Slater opened and shut his mouth a few times before answering. “Okay. Thanks, Judson.”

  “You young ones go enjoy yourselves.”

  The saloon was packed, and they had to wait for a table. The young woman who took their order was bright and cheerful, and their buffalo burgers were eventually hand delivered by Miles himself. He didn’t stay long, because he had a kitchen to tend, but Derrick loved the service and Slater seemed awed by the generosity of the people he’d never allowed himself to open up to before.

  Their table was finishing up when the noon robbery occurred, and it was both cheesy and fun to watch the kids who weren’t sure if it was real react. George seemed mildly spooked, but Orry stayed close and everything turned out fine. After settling the bill, they headed for the far end of town where a live band was playing music. Folks danced in a grassy area. This past spring, Mack had begun a new attraction that had live trick-riding demos, and they caught that around two o’clock. Robin was part of the act, and he shined up on his horse, riding alongside an old friend from his rodeo days.

  Learning Robin had been part of a traveling rodeo show for years had shocked the hell out of Derrick, but it also fit what he knew about the man. After the demo, Robin and his riding partner Levi came over to chat with their group. Robin seemed genuinely thrilled that Derrick and Slater were together and happy, and they were. Sort of. George, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to make eye contact with anyone, and Levi watched him with open curiosity.

  Interesting.

  Derrick had no idea if the Thompson twins were straight or not, and he was starting to think not. He didn’t know much about Levi himself, but Robin vouched for him, and that was good enough for Derrick. Or maybe Levi was just a figure skating fan and recognized George’s name.

  The pair came with their group to scrounge for barbecue at Judson’s grill, and Derrick wolfed down a few sauced ribs. So fucking good. And since Robin was dating the saloon’s sous chef, he led them around to the rear kitchen door to beg for scraps. Since Shawn had a final pan of cheddar biscuits fresh from the oven, he tossed them the last from the service line to share.

  “Man, you know all the right people,” Orry said as he munched on half a biscuit.

  “Being sociable has its perks,” Derrick replied, with a wink at Slater.

  “I can’t believe you live and work up here,” George said to Slater directly. “It’s so beautiful. The big sky and mountains. There must be a million stars at night.”

  “There are,” Slater replied. “We do overnight camping trips with guests, and it’s one of my favorite things, because we’re far out into Mother Nature’s territory with only the stars to see by at night. I only know a handful of constellations, but Mack? The ranch owner’s grandson? He knows dozens of them. It’s peaceful here at night.”

  “I agree,” Levi spoke up. “I like to get up early and go running, and it’s like you’re in your own unique world.”

  Something in George’s expression pinched and went flat, and Levi seemed at a loss as to what he’d said. Probably something to do with running and George’s own history with ice skating and food. The kid wasn’t as reclusive as before but he still didn’t like talking about himself or his past. Or his present and whatever was or was not happening with Stalker Coach Adrian.

  Slater complained about his foot hurting, so he and Derrick parked it at a picnic table while everyone else continued exploring the town. “You look like you’re having fun,” Derrick said.

  “I am.” Slater closed his eyes and tilted his face toward the sun. “Glad to be home. I missed this place so much.”

  Derrick’s heart gave an unhappy lurch. “I bet. It’s nice to be back. Get the full ghost town experience, instead of just being up here for weddings.”

  Slater chuckled. “Well, they did two other non-employee weddings up here last fall, and I bet Mack’s got some others scheduled for this coming off-season. It’s good business for Bentley and Garrett.”

  “Yeah. I guess Sophie and Conrad started a trend.”

  “Can you see yourself getting married up here?”

  “Nah. Never really saw myself as the marrying type.”

  Even though Slater’s eyes were closed and his face tilted up, Derrick swore the man flinched. “Same, I guess. Got married once and for all the wrong reasons, and it blew up in both of our faces. Lesson learned.”

  Derrick studied Slater’s profile, a little confused. The man’s tension didn’t jibe with his words. Had Derrick said the wrong thing? He’d been honest, and hadn’t Slater praised Derrick for having never lied to him? Weirded out by it, Derrick palmed his phone. “You about ready to call it a day? If we leave soon, we’ll miss the mass exodus of guests and some of the rush hour traffic closer to home.”

  “Yeah, okay. I’m exhausted. Not used to this much sunshine anymore, I guess.”

  “Okay.” Derrick texted Orry to meet them at the car in twenty minutes, and then let Morgan know their group was heading out soon. Morgan sent back a quick thumbs-up emoji.

  He and Slater made it back to the car first, and Derrick watched the twins appear in the distance. If it wasn’t for the faint scar on George’s lip, the only real difference between the pair was George’s slightly leaner build. Orry also walked with a bit more confidence, head up and watching the world for danger. Their story truly saddened Derrick. They were young with so much potential and he wanted them to be successful and happy.

  By the time their quartet got home, Slater had a text from Dez. Video footage of the end-of-day fireworks display they watched in a huddle around Slater’s phone. Afterward, the Thompsons excused themselves upstairs, so Derrick and Slater went into the apartment. Slater sprawled on one side of the futon, legs stretched out, hands over his belly.

  “I am beyond stuffed and need a nap,” he said. “Fuck me, but today was a great day.”

  “It was a lot of fun.” Derrick sat beside him, putting a good foot of space between them on the wide cushion. “The land suits you.”

  “It suits you, too, you know. Fuck, it seems to suit everyone who goes there. Nature is precious and there isn’t enough of it left in the world. If I learned anything from Arthur Garrett these past few years, it’s that the natural world is too beautiful to let greedy men ruin it completely. If we can’t stop and admire the simplicity of a tree, then what’s the point?”

  “I never really thought about it that way.” Derrick loved that way of viewing the world. Through the lens of someone who sought to protect Mother Nature and her beauty, rather than dig her up and ruin her for money. “I can’t wait until Mia is old enough to explore the wider world. See all it has to offer her.”

  “I felt that way about Rachel, until I realized I’d become a man who terrified her, instead of a dad she could admire and learn from.” But Rachel had reached out to him, and Slater had renewed hope in their future as father and daughter.

  “You still can and you will.” Derrick reached over to squeeze Slater’s thigh. “I have faith in that, Kendall Stamos. Even if you don’t.”

  Slater met his gaze, something burning in those blue eyes. Eyes that dipped briefly to Derrick’s lips. Derrick licked them, hoping to entice a nice, long kiss out of his boyfriend. Slater’s own lips parted...and then he released a jaw-cracking yawn. “Shit, sorry,” Slater said. “All that sunshine.”

  “Go take a shower an
d relax. I’m too full for dinner but I’ll see if I can find a movie to watch or something.”

  “Sounds good.” Slater groaned as he stood, and when he passed by Derrick, paused. Leaned down and kissed Derrick’s forehead. “Thanks for a great day.”

  “You’re welcome.” His skin burned where Slater’s lips had touched him, and Derrick stared at the blank TV for a long time after the water turned on in the shower. Stared and didn’t think beyond the chilling reality that Slater had a foot in two worlds. He shined up at Garrett around his fellow horsemen and in the open sunshine. He also shined here in the city with his crafts and friends and with Derrick.

  But no one could stand in two worlds for long without being consumed by indecision and doubt. Derrick absolutely wanted Slater here, but he also loved the buff cowboy too much to demand he stay. Whatever choice Slater made, it was his alone. Derrick would simply deal with the fallout.

  * * *

  Rachel’s eighteenth birthday was on Wednesday, and Slater spent a good twenty minutes talking to her on the phone that day. He told her about the Bentley July Fourth day, and she told him about a day trip she and Jayla had taken to Folsom Lake last weekend. Casual conversations between parent and child, and it left him floaty for the rest of the day. Dez teased him about it, and he let her.

  For dinner, Slater threw together a quick pasta dish with frozen meatballs and garlic bread, and he savored the big grin his meal got from Derrick the instant he walked in the door. “You talked to Rachel today, didn’t you?” he asked.

  “Yup.” He popped a piece of garlic bread into Derrick’s mouth. “Come eat, I’m starving.”

  Derrick pinched the top of his ass. “Hungry for anything besides food tonight?”

  “Maaaybe.” Slater was definitely on board with sex after dinner. He was learning how to maneuver the boot better so he didn’t accidentally whack Derrick in the head with it when they switched positions. Definitely helped they had a big damn bed. Sex was also a great distraction from thinking about the boot possibly coming off in a week and a half.

  “I like this sassy side of you,” Derrick said as he sat at what was becoming his side of the table. The chair nearest the door, while Slater sat with his back to the kitchen. “Don’t see it very much.”

  “Honestly, I wasn’t sure I had one. I guess you found it and brought it out of me.” Slater scooped the mixed pasta, sauce and meatballs onto Derrick’s plate, then did the same for himself. Shook a bunch of grated Parmesan on top, too.

  “Thanks for cooking, this smells amazing.”

  He shrugged. “I boiled pasta and added a few spices to jarred sauce.”

  “Still, you made the effort.” So much affection shined in Derrick’s dark eyes that it left Slater breathless, and he had to look away. “Do you enjoy cooking?”

  “I guess so. Not as much as I enjoy needlepoint or designing patterns, but it’s another semi-creative outlet, I guess. And I never got to do it at the ranch, because Patrice fed us. I cooked a bit more when Rachel was young and we lived with Dad and Kim.”

  “How about after prison?”

  Slater waited for irritation or shame to wash over him, like it always did when someone brought up prison. But not today. Not with Derrick. Because Derrick had never treated him like there was something wrong with Slater for having done time. “Nah, I mostly subsisted on bologna sandwiches and pickles for a while. With the shipping company, I was always on the road, so I ate at a lot of truck stops and fast food. I don’t know a lot about much, but I can tell you the very best places for red-eye gravy on any California interstate.”

  “I bet. You probably saw a lot of the west coast with that job.”

  “I did. I also didn’t like the nomadic part of the job. Never standing still for too long. No roots. Maybe that’s why the ranch and rescue appealed to me so much. I couldn’t be around my own blood family, but I could live near a family. Maybe pretend I was part of it once in a while.”

  “You are part of it, Slater.”

  “I know. Now that I’ve been away for so long, I know I’ve got family there.” Slater’s heart thumped wildly. “I’ve also got family here. And in Sacramento. More family than I ever thought I deserved.”

  Derrick’s tender smile nearly undid Slater’s tenuous grip on his emotions, and when Derrick reached out, Slater clasped his hand. “There isn’t a thing in your life that you’ve told me about that makes you undeserving of family. Or of love.”

  Slater swallowed hard against his sudden desire to admit his feelings to Derrick. That he was pretty sure he was falling in love with the man, but he was too scared to say so. Terrified to allow himself these feelings, only to leave it all behind in a few weeks. So he gave Derrick’s hand a firm squeeze and let go. “Thank you for saying that.”

  “Anytime.”

  Sex was different that night. They took their clothes off more slowly, taking their time to admire each other’s naked bodies. Slater trailed his fingers over swaths of smooth skin and toned muscle. Derrick never went to the gym that he told Slater about, but he somehow maintained a gorgeous form Slater couldn’t wait to properly wrestle to the ground again. To turn Derrick over the back of the futon and fuck him properly, hard and fast and furious. But not tonight.

  Tonight they pulled the covers back and slid together onto the mattress. They kissed each other’s cheeks and necks and shoulders, while hands never stopped moving. Their erections rubbed lazily against each other’s belly, thigh, cock. A long, lazy exploration of skin on skin. Maybe Slater couldn’t say “I love you” with words, but he could make love to Derrick with his body.

  Time stopped existing. It was only them moving together. Stroking and rutting and loving each other. They barely spoke because they didn’t have to. This thing they’d been creating between them for months spoke for them. Helped them find a synchronicity that scared Slater as much as it elated him.

  Everything he’d ever needed was in this apartment with him. But unless Derrick asked him to stay, Slater would have to leave it all behind.

  So he made tonight last, like he’d make every future, final encounter with Derrick last. They both came twice before collapsing, exhausted and sated, and Slater curled his front against Derrick’s back. Spent cock pressed against Derrick’s taut cheeks. Derrick drew one of Slater’s hands up and kissed the knuckles.

  “Damn,” Derrick whispered.

  “Yeah.” He kissed the back of Derrick’s neck, half expecting a joke about Slater needing phone calls with his daughter more often. But Derrick remained silent in this reverent moment. They’d said the same silent thing tonight.

  I didn’t want to fall in love with you, but I did. God help me now.

  * * *

  Saturday was a busy day of driving for Derrick. Wedding number four was in a town about an hour north of Sacramento and it started at one. He and Slater had negotiated the ceremony and leaving the reception by three, so they could get down to Rachel’s birthday party that evening. Derrick didn’t mind all the driving or cutting out of the reception early. He kind of wished he had a classic convertible like Robin, but oh, well. And Slater was so excited to see Rachel again he vibrated in his seat the entire way north.

  Things between them had shifted again since Wednesday night. Everything was...easier. Almost a silent understanding that, despite their verbal agreement that this was a fake relationship, it was very much a real one now. They no longer had to pretend they liked touching each other, holding hands in public or sharing goofy smiles. Nothing was fake. But how much longer would it last? After today, there was only one wedding left.

  Sophie had come down with a dreaded summer cold, so Conrad was staying home with his family. They did meet up with Mom and Dad at the church and they sat together. Slater seemed more confident now that he was seeing familiar faces and was off the crutches. No more worrying about tripping people with them. He was also confident in
his place by Derrick’s side, and it showed plainly during the reception. Family members remembered him and asked about his foot. Trevor and Trish found them for a chat.

  Slater even agreed to two slow dances.

  They made their excuses at three—the only thing they’d miss was blowing bubbles at the married couple on their way to their car—and hit the road again. Rachel’s birthday present and an overnight bag were in the back seat. Now that Rachel was eighteen and the custody agreement no longer valid, they’d been invited to stay in the guest room.

  The party didn’t officially begin until five thirty, but they’d arranged to arrive early and help with setup. Kim welcomed them at the door with big hugs. Rachel was out with Jayla, which disappointed Slater, but they were quickly tasked with hanging streamers in the living room because they could reach high without a stepladder. Philip was fussing with food in the kitchen, but the house was small enough that they all conversed without trouble.

  They both had fun talking about last week’s trip to Bentley, as well as today’s wedding. Slater had brought Kim a small framed sampler he’d designed that said “Queen of the House.” She adored it and immediately asked Philip to find a place to hang it so their guests could admire Slater’s hard work.

  After the streamers, they were tasked with blowing up matching balloons, which he and Slater turned into a game of “who can blow up the most in the least amount of time.” Derrick was winning until his current balloon escaped his lips and sailed across the room.

  “You two just look happier every time I see you together,” Kim said on a peal of laughter. “I would love to meet your parents one day, Derrick. They must be lovely people to have raised such a good man.”

  Derrick smiled, a little embarrassed by the compliment. “I’m sure they’d be thrilled to meet you and Philip, as well.” Not that he expected the meeting to ever happen, especially if he no longer had a boyfriend in a few weeks.

  “Good, good. Now finish those balloons so we can get them tacked up before the girls get back.”