Russ tugged him close and gave him a deep, slow kiss. “Told you you had a generous heart.” He chuckled. “It’s still gonna be sixteen hours in a truck, so it won’t all be fun and games.”
“I’ll manage.”
With a swat to Jordan’s ass, Russ strode away. “Well then, get back to work so we have time to get the trailer ready and pack. We’re leaving before first light,” he threw over his shoulder.
“I love it when you’re bossy,” he called after him with a grin.
DESPITE BEING on the ranch for weeks now, Jordan still shuffled down the stairs like the undead come morning. Russ pretty much dragged him to the truck and shoved a travel mug into his hand. Russ would have to do all the driving, since Jordan had never hauled a trailer in his life, but that was probably the safest bet for all concerned.
“Damn morning people,” Jordan grumbled into his mug as Phyllis waved them a cheery goodbye.
“Gotta be up with the animals,” Russ replied with a smile. “Don’t worry, baby. I know you’re not used to it yet. I can keep quiet for a while if you want to go back to sleep.”
“Wouldn’t be much of a copilot if I left you all alone,” Jordan mumbled around a yawn.
“This time of day I’m fine. Now when the sun goes down, that’s a different story.”
“You’re more than fine when the sun goes down too. I speak from experience.”
Russ threw him a grin and batted his eyelashes. “Why, thank you, kind sir.”
Jordan nearly snorted his coffee. Teasing, playful Russ might just be worth rolling out of bed at the ass-crack of dawn.
When Jordan was finished coughing and wiping his mouth, Russ picked up his phone, unlocked it, and handed it over. “There’s a few books on Audible on there, plus a couple I still have from the library on Overdrive, if you want to pick one for us to listen to.” His grin turned a little sheepish. “I figured that might be better than us trying to find common ground with music.”
“What? You don’t want me to entertain you with my witty repartee for the next eight hours? I’m hurt.”
“If you got something you want to talk about, you know I’ll listen,” Russ replied, his voice and his gaze entirely too serious.
“Nope. I’m good,” Jordan rushed to reply.
They hadn’t had another heart-to-heart since the one in the barn, and Jordan was perfectly happy with that for the time being. He was still cringing in embarrassment from the last time.
“Didn’t think so,” Russ murmured, shooting Jordan the side-eye and a wry grin.
Keeping his head down, Jordan scrolled through the titles on Russ’s phone, surprised at the sheer size of his library. “I didn’t know you read so much. I mean, I saw the ones on the bookshelf in your bedroom, but this is impressive.”
Russ shrugged. “I discovered e-books and audiobooks about the time I started at the B STAR, so I only lugged my favorite hard copies when I moved and donated the rest. You have lots of time to listen to a book when you’re mucking stalls and doing the busy work, and I read a lot before bed, but most of it’s digital.”
“I’ve only seen you pick up a book a couple of times at night. I didn’t even know you had an e-reader.”
“That’s because I had my hands full with something else.”
Jordan returned his grin and rolled his eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I was keeping you away from your favorite hobby.”
Russ reached across the bench seat and squeezed Jordan’s thigh. “It was worth it.”
Hiding a pleased shiver, Jordan scrolled until he found a John Grisham that sounded interesting. With all the reading he’d had to do for school, Jordan hadn’t done much for pleasure, but maybe he’d follow Russ’s lead from now on and look into some audiobooks, especially if the library had them for free.
Look at me, being all frugal and fiscally responsible.
By lunchtime, Jordan was convinced audiobooks were the best road-trip idea ever. His family had never been one for road trips. His father’s bank had a private jet, so they mostly used that and commercial flights in first class to go where they wanted. After four hours in the truck, with another four to go, Jordan could understand why.
“My ass is numb,” he whined.
“That’s why we’re stopping, that and I’m starving. Don’t worry. I’ll massage it tonight when we get to the hotel.”
“Promise?”
“I’m a man of my word, ain’t I?”
Outside the restaurant, Russ eyed Jordan’s salad dubiously as they headed to one of the tables, but he didn’t say anything, and far too soon they were climbing back into the truck.
Just before they took the last turn to the rescue, according to GPS, Russ asked Jordan to pause the book. “We’ll be there soon, so I figured I should warn you now. We don’t know what kind of shape these horses are going to be in. Some of them might not make it. This won’t be as bad as visiting the actual place where the neglect happened. Bailey’s a good man and runs a great rescue. But I thought I should give you a heads-up before we roll in. The sight of that many animals in such bad shape breaks my heart every time, even after ten years at the B STAR.”
Russ eyed him soberly until Jordan nodded. After drawing in a deep breath and letting it out, he said, “I understand. Thanks for reminding me.”
Bailey’s had a cute painted wood sign at the entrance to the ranch, nestled among tall yellow and white wildflowers. Halfway up the dirt drive, they had to stop to wait for a mama goose and her goslings to cross. A long-haired highland cow munched lazily in a field to the right, eyeing them curiously through his russet bangs as they pulled into the gravel circle by the house.
The ranch itself was considerably smaller than the B STAR. When Jordan mentioned it, Russ said, “Bailey does mainly horses. I think he might have a donkey or two and a few other farm animals around, but the rescue is for horses.”
“Hey there!” a balding man in overalls pulled tight over an impressive belly and barrel chest descended the stairs of the ranch house when they pulled in. Sunlight gleamed off his dark brown scalp as he wiped a rag over it. “You made good time. Russ, right?”
Russ smiled, tipped his tan felt Stetson—which he reserved for “dressing up” when he was out in public off the ranch—and shook the man’s hand. “Yes, and this is Jordan.”
“Nice to meet you, Jordan, I’m Jedediah, but everyone just calls me Bailey. It’s hotter’n hades out here. You boys come inside, and Naomi’ll help get us something cold to drink.”
Naomi turned out to be Bailey’s seventeen-year-old daughter. She took time away from poring over papers in a makeshift office that was probably meant to be a dining room to say hi and help her dad serve iced tea.
The house was small, the furniture, wood floors, and rugs old and worn. Only a few weeks ago, Jordan might’ve internally turned up his nose at sitting on the ragged couch while they all exchanged small talk—just like his sister had. But now all he could think was how kind these people had to be to give every extra penny they had to something greater than themselves. His parents had always given a lot to charity, and his mother could be quite passionate about some of her causes, but they’d never actually sacrificed for it. They’d never felt the pinch of going without to help someone else. There was nobility in giving when you had little.
Russ got paid for his work, but he probably could have made more somewhere else, and he definitely put in more hours than a normal job would require. He did it for love, just like the Baileys must.
Jordan turned doe eyes and a sappy smile on Russ, and Russ frowned back. “Are you okay?” he mouthed when Bailey went to get refills for their drinks.
Jordan refrained from sighing and fluttering his eyelashes. “I’m fine.”
“Ooookay.”
Russ probably thought he was crazy, but Jordan didn’t mind. He had a whole night in a hotel bed—without Phyllis within hearing distance—to convince Russ otherwise and show just how much he admired him.
After
they’d talked for a while, Bailey showed them to the pasture where the newest rescues were being kept. Jordan’s stomach twisted as he got a good look at the emaciated and ragged animals.
“We’ve got ’em all on a high-calorie diet and antibiotics for the sickest. We could only take about a dozen, even on a temporary basis. The rest have been scattered around at any rescue that had space. Phyllis said you could take four with you now?”
Russ nodded. “Yeah. We can fit four in the trailer. After we get ’em settled and figure out everything they’re gonna need, we might be able to come back for a few more. It depends on how the adoptions go this week and the next.”
“We’re grateful for any help you can give,” Bailey said with a smile. “Naomi’s got paperwork on four pulled out and ready for you. We can get ’em separated tonight so it’s easier to load ’em tomorrow morning.”
“That would be a big help, thanks.”
Between the three of them, they found the horses that corresponded to the numbered files and moved them to a pen. After checking them over, Russ decided they were gentle enough that he could trim their badly overgrown and thrush-infected hooves so they’d be a little more comfortable for the trip. Seriously, Jordan had never seen hooves grow that long in his life. Some of them even curled up like elf shoes. It was horrible, and they stank to high heaven once Russ started cutting into the infected areas.
By the time Russ finished a cursory clipping of the four they were taking, the sun was getting low and Jordan was way more tired than he should have been after sitting on his ass all day. But Russ still offered to work on some of the other horses while they had the light. Thankfully, Bailey shook his head. “I got a guy coming day after tomorrow. You drove a long way today, and you got a long way back tomorrow. Go get some rest, and we’ll see you in the morning.”
They unhooked the trailer from the pickup and left it in Bailey’s yard. After hopping in the truck, they headed back toward the highway. Jordan insisted on driving this time, since Russ looked dead on his feet.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Russ murmured as Jordan pulled out onto the main drag that led to the small town of Summit outside Muskogee.
“For what?”
With a yawn, Russ laid his head back against the seat. “I had big plans of taking you out to a nice dinner, like a real date, before we headed to the hotel, but I’m beat. I’d probably fall asleep on you before we got through the appetizer.”
Jordan’s smile was just a tad besotted as he cast Russ a sideways glance. “Yeah? You wanted to ask me on a date, huh?”
“Should’ve done it sooner, but pickings are kind of slim around the ranch, if you don’t want chain food—not much for the refined palate, if you know what I mean. Thought maybe I’d find someplace near here that was quaint and homey, if not five-star cuisine.”
“I don’t care where we go, Russ, really. And don’t worry about tonight. You were sawing and clipping and sanding for hours, even after an eight-hour drive up here. Of course you’re tired. I’m tired, and I barely did anything today…. Let’s just find a hotel, I’ll drop you off to shower and relax, and I’ll go looking for something to bring back for dinner.”
Russ’s smile was a tad sappy too. He was utterly adorable when he was sleepy, damned precious really, but Jordan would never say that out loud.
“My hero,” Russ murmured sleepily.
Chapter Twenty-One
JORDAN PICKED up carry-out from a Chili’s, because it was the first sign he recognized. He wasn’t in the mood to be adventurous with the local fare, although he would have done it if Russ had been up for that date. If he were honest, he hadn’t even thought about them not having been on a real date yet, but obviously Russ had.
Jordan worried his lip as he cut off the engine and climbed out of the truck. The B STAR was his escape from reality—his island in the storm, detached from everything else—but was that fair to Russ? The ranch was Russ’s life. Russ had said he understood, but was Jordan playing house while Russ had actually been serious?
“Jesus, Jordan, get a grip,” he mumbled to himself. “It was supposed to be one date. The guy didn’t ask you to marry him.”
Grabbing the to-go bags, he slammed the truck door and headed for their room.
“Hey, baby,” Russ called sleepily from the bed as Jordan came through the door.
“I bring sustenance,” Jordan announced, arranging the foam containers on the tiny round table as Russ clicked on the lamp by the bed.
“My hero,” Russ said again.
Surprisingly hungry for having done next to nothing all day, Jordan polished off anything Russ didn’t, even though Jordan hadn’t stinted on ordering food. He’d had a bit of a moment in the restaurant when he’d handed over his card—flashback from that first day after leaving home and his mortification at the gas station. But the sale went through, much to his relief.
The card was for his private bank account, and he’d hardly used it since coming to the ranch, so he shouldn’t have worried, but this whole being aware of every penny he spent was going to take some getting used to. In his old life, a few thousand dollars was barely a month’s spending money, with more to fall back on if he overspent. Now it was all he had until he figured out what to do with himself. The thought was just a bit terrifying.
How fucking helpless was that? He couldn’t even order food without getting nervous. He’d never realized just how dependent on his parents he was until all the little things he had to think about now started adding up. Those things had always just been taken care of before, without his ever needing to know how. The real world was creeping closer, and he wouldn’t be able to put it off forever.
After they finished eating, Russ helped him gather up the empty containers and tuck them back in the bags. When the table was clear and the bags set by the tiny trash can, Russ stepped in close and kissed him. Russ’s tongue tasted of garlic and barbecue sauce, and Jordan returned the kiss eagerly.
“Since I bought you dinner, does that mean you have to put out?” Jordan asked between kisses.
Russ grinned. “Have to? No. Want to? Always.”
“Even though you’re exhausted and have to get up early and do it all over again tomorrow?” Jordan asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Darlin’, I’d have to be dead to say no to you,” he said, tugging at Jordan’s belt. “Now, I may not last more than one round, but I promise I’ll make that round count.”
“We’d better get a move on, then,” Jordan teased. He pushed Russ away and started working off his boots. When he tugged his shirt over his head, he found Russ just standing there, watching. “What are you doing?”
“Enjoying the show,” Russ answered with a grin.
Jordan frowned even though he preened on the inside. “Stop watching and start getting naked. If I’ve only got a limited time before you pass out, every second counts.”
Russ’s lopsided grin widened. “Yes, sir.”
Since all Russ had put back on after his shower was his T-shirt and a pair of boxers, he was gloriously naked a lot sooner than Jordan, and it was a sight Jordan never got tired of. Lean and tanned, every inch of him was hard from work. Brown nipples peeked out of a scattering of dark chest hair, begging to be tasted and touched.
Russ had looked at Jordan like he was crazy the one time he’d asked about a place where he might get waxed, but even Russ was vain enough to trim with an electric shaver every once in a while. Jordan knew this for a fact since he’d offered to help the last time—which had led to quite an enjoyable evening romp afterward.
“Now who’s slowing down the process?” Russ asked with a grin.
“Just getting a good look myself… taking it all in.”
“Well, come a little closer and I’ll make sure you take it all in.”
Jordan groaned at Russ’s truly awful joke, but his cock waved eagerly as he closed the distance between them. “You’re lucky you’re pretty, because your jokes are terrible,” Jordan teased as he wrapped his ar
ms around Russ’s slim waist and tugged their bodies together.
“Who’s joking?” Russ shot back as he ground his cock against Jordan’s.
Banter was wasting precious time, so Jordan sealed their mouths together rather than answer. Russ steered them toward the bed as Jordan kissed and fondled every inch of Russ he could reach. Russ was clean and fresh from his shower, making Jordan uncomfortably aware he hadn’t had one since that morning. Luckily, he hadn’t actually done much other than sit in the car and keep the horses still and calm while Russ had done most of the work. Plus, Russ actually seemed to like it when Jordan was a little mussed up and dirty, which was a bit of a change from the overly primped, producted, powdered, and manscaped men Jordan had hooked up with before.
With a growl, Russ gave Jordan a little shove onto the bed.
“Oof,” Jordan said, when the mattress didn’t give as much as he’d expected. With a grimace, he rolled up and rubbed a hand over his ass.
The springs squeaked when Russ knelt on the bed and crawled over him. Russ bent down, pushed Jordan’s hand aside, and kissed one asscheek, then the other.
“Sorry, baby. Forgot the mattress was a bit on the Flintstones side. Let me kiss it and make it better.”
Russ nudged and Jordan happily rolled over. Words weren’t necessary after that, even if Jordan had been capable of anything beyond “fuck,” “yeah,” “God,” or slurred gibberish. Russ’s mouth and tongue were absolute magic, a fact Jordan had become well-acquainted with over the last few weeks—add in just that little hint of stubble burn on sensitive skin and Jordan was in heaven. Going to bed with an older, more experienced man definitely had its perks. Though Russ had had a long day and probably shouldn’t be doing all the work, Jordan couldn’t seem to get the words to that effect to come out of his mouth.
The best he could come up with was “God, Russ, just fuck me already, before I lose it and leave you hanging.”
The Second Time Around Page 16
