“Yeah.” Jake slowed down and looked around. There was no sign of his teammates. Their red, white, and blue windbreakers would have been hard to miss. Ahead at the checkpoint, people were removing their shoes and emptying their pockets, dumping everything into bins to go through security. He and Rich needed to get in line soon, and there was one person he still expected to see.
“Hot Shot.” The nickname rang out from across the departure area. Jake whipped around to see Tom getting up from a chair and walking toward them.
“Hey, Tom’s looking pretty good, don’t you think?” Rich came to a halt beside Jake.
“Yeah, his doctors are pleased with how things are going too.” He saw the envelope in Tom’s hand and knew he was grinning like a fool.
“Just wanted to see you boys off.” Tom clapped a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “No signs of the vertigo, I take it?”
“No, not since the doc worked his magic.” The chiropractic adjustment had been weird, and Jake had understood why the ER doctor in Jersey hadn’t believed in it. But after having his head rotated sideways a few times and shaken, Jake hadn’t had another episode. But then again, Rowan had been working on him too. And Rich liked to point out the value of regular orgasms. The thought made Jake’s ears burn. “I’d have told you if there’d been any problems.”
Tom made the noise usually written as harrumph. “Seems you weren’t too good about telling people when it was happening before.”
“Busted.” Rich looked pleased with himself.
Jake rolled his eyes at both of them. “I didn’t realize it was a major problem, okay? Sheesh, you guys are never going to let me live that down.”
“We just want you safe. So you tell Rich if you have any dizziness at all, you hear?”
“Yes, sir.”
Tom held out the envelope. “I took care of that little matter you had me look into. Everything’s in order. We’ll be looking forward to your return. You go and have a good run. Me and the Angels will be cheering you on here at home. Frog too.”
Jake pocketed the envelope. “Thanks, that means so much to me.”
To his surprise, Tom hugged him. Jake went rigid a moment and then relaxed into Tom’s embrace. After he released Jake, Tom pulled Rich in for the same. “Right, then.” He let Rich go and wiped surreptitiously at the corner of one eye. “Best be off before you miss your flight.”
“I set up Skype on your laptop. We’ll talk every day.”
“Not necessary. Stay focused on the goal and talk to me when you have the time. Don’t stay up too late.”
“As if.” Rich tucked his chin and pursed his lips, squinting slightly. “You do know who you’re talking to, right? Jake practically falls asleep on his feet by nine p.m.”
They said their good-byes. Tom waited until they were in line and then waved one final time before heading back to the escalators.
“What was that about?” Rich asked, as they came out of the other side of the security checkpoint and gathered their belongings.
“What was what about?” Jake asked. He shouldered his Team USA bag with a little rush of pride.
“The envelope Tom gave you.” Rich raised an eyebrow and twisted his mouth to one side, curiosity and concern at war with each other.
“Tell you on the plane. There’s the rest of the team.” Jake indicated his teammates seated at the gate, the windbreakers making them easy to spot.
“Wait a sec.” Rich caught him by the arm and pulled him over to one side of the concourse, out of the path of traffic. “Look, it might be a while before I can speak to you privately, and I just want you to know this.” He hesitated and then plowed on. “I know the team captain is going to be calling the shots now. I’m less your coach and more like your head honcho groom—”
“You’re much more than a groom.” Jake frowned and flicked Rich’s shoulder with a finger.
“Hear me out. Master of the Paperwork, if you like. The person who makes sure everything goes smoothly with the horses. Head cheerleader and hand holder. But not really your coach. And that’s okay because you don’t need me anymore. You’ve got this in the bag.”
“You idiot.” Jake shook his head. “I’ll always need you.” He took hold of Rich’s lapels and pulled him closer.
Rich looked around anxiously and brushed off his hands. “You don’t want to do that here. Not in public. Especially not with that fancy ad campaign to think of.” The passengers making their way to their gates scarcely spared them a glance, though one or two looked their way. One woman smiled. Another glared. It would always be so. Jake knew this and accepted it.
“I made sure my sexuality wasn’t a factor before I signed the contract.”
Rich’s eyebrows rose. “You did?”
“Yes.” Jake let his smile do most of the talking. “They seemed to think that might even improve sales, rather than be a detriment. They weren’t concerned.”
“Oh.” From the way Rich dropped his eyes and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, Jake knew he’d been worried about their relationship affecting any potential endorsements. “That’s good. I mean, good to know.”
“I’ve got something to say as well.”
Rich’s head jerked up as he met Jake’s gaze. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” Jake took out the manila envelope Tom had given him, fingering the heavy paper. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now, about to board a plane to Rio. About to compete in my first-ever Olympics.”
Rich made a little dismissive gesture with his hand, but Jake went on. “No, I’m serious. You didn’t just step in for Tom. You kicked me in the ass when I needed it most, and you took me to another level of riding. One I might not have found on my own.”
“Oh, please.” Rich rolled his eyes. “You had a place on the team in ’08. You’ve always been Olympic material.”
“Because I was too young and dumb to know any better. To know it took more than hard work and good luck when the going got tough. You taught me what it means to have grit and dig down deep when you have to. You taught me about sacrifice.”
Rich looked decidedly embarrassed and turned to stare at the passengers waiting at their assigned gate.
Jake tapped his chest with the envelope. “I want you to have this. It’s a little something you’ll find waiting for you when we get back to the States.”
Curiosity won over embarrassment, and with one eyebrow quirked upward, Rich opened the envelope. He pulled out the papers and scanned them with a frown. “It’s a bill of sale,” he said, still reading the paperwork.
“Yes.” Jake waited patiently for the realization to hit Rich.
He knew the moment it did. Rich’s eyes grew wide and he looked up in astonishment. “You found Argo!”
“Yeah.” Jake’s smile felt as if it might split his face in two. “She’s been a broodmare for a while now, and producing some nice offspring. I found her at Jennifer Dodson’s place—she’s actually in foal to King Tut.” The stallion was well-known in the show jumper world for producing outstanding hunters and jumpers. Having a foal by him would be a real coup. “Due in the spring.”
“You bought Argo for me?” Rich appeared absolutely stunned. “No one….” He blinked and swallowed hard. “No one’s ever done anything like that for me before.”
“I didn’t buy her for you, silly.” Rich looked wounded for a second and was in the act of handing the envelope back when Jake hurried on. “I bought her for us.”
“Us.” Rich beamed at him. “I like the sound of that.”
“So do I.” Jake’s voice dropped into a husky register as he continued, “You’re the only gold I need.”
Rich tipped his head back and laughed. “Oh my God. Do you need any wine to go with that cheese?” He turned Jake around and steered him with a little push toward the gate. “Come on, Stanford. Your team awaits. Let’s go find some real gold.”
Jake took his hand as they walked toward the gate. No matter what lay ahead, he knew he had everything he needed right
here and now.
The End
AUTHOR BIO
Sarah Madison is a writer with a big dog, a big horse, too many cats, and an extremely patient boyfriend. She’s been writing stories as long as she can remember but quit in her teens because she thought that’s what grown-ups did. She’s decided that being a grown-up is highly overrated and has given herself license to run free in her imagination again. Her biggest problem now is a lack of time, so if someone stumbles across Hermione’s Time Turner device and wants to share, she can be reached at [email protected]. For a complete list of her stories, including some free fiction, please check out her website, Hot Men in Hot Water, at www.SarahMadisonFiction.com.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About Fool's Gold
Title Page
Copyright
Message to Readers
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Author Bio
Fool's Gold Page 28
