by Andrew Grey
“Sorry,” Ryan said, looking away from the ticker symbols that streamed across the bottom of his computer screen.
“Are you still thinking about him?” she asked, and Ryan nodded. “You have to stop. It was only one night.”
“I know. But how do I turn my mind off? Or my—” He was about to say heart, but that would sound way too corny.
“I know. It’s happened to me once or twice,” Marie admitted. “I thought once that I had a real connection with a guy I’d been dating for a few weeks. He was successful and kind. He was also a real submissive and we got along great. That is, until I ran into the bastard and his wife at a party.”
“He was married? God,” Ryan said.
“It gets worse. He lorded over his wife and didn’t let her out of his sight. He controlled everything she did, and yet came to me to be dominated. It was bizarre, and it hurt that he’d lied to me.”
“What did you do?” Ryan asked. He knew there was no way Marie was going to take something like that lying down.
“I followed his wife to the ladies room and explained to her just what it was her husband liked. I gave her details, and lots of them. The poor woman was shocked as hell at first, but I told her everything.” Marie grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person go from mouse to lioness so fast in my life. The last I saw of them, she was dragging him from the party by his balls.” The office was surrounded by glass, and Marie glanced out to see who might be watching. “It hurt like hell, because I’d really come to care for the bastard, but it all worked out in the end. She left her husband, and I found the best administrative assistant ever.” Marie stood up. “So things work out in the end, and if you say a word to anyone, I’ll be leading you around the office by your balls.”
Ryan held up his hands. “I wouldn’t dream of it, but now I can never look Anne in the eyes again,” he said, shivering slightly. He also made a mental note never to cross Marie under any circumstances. “Was that all you came in for?”
“No, actually. I got a call from an elderly man who lives in Hollister, about an hour or so from here. He was given my name, but he’s looking for some help with real estate and converting some older investments. You’re a hell of a lot better at those things than I am, and I thought if you have the time, you could call him and arrange to meet. I asked if he could come into the office, but he said he doesn’t get around very well anymore.” Marie handed him a sheet of paper with the contact information. “His name’s Hyram Murphy, and he seems like an absolute sweetheart.”
“I’ll give him a call,” Ryan said.
Marie stood up to go, but paused before opening the door. “By the way, if this guy you keep thinking about is scared enough of his own feelings to run out after having completely mind-blowing sex, he probably isn’t worth spending your time on. Because even if you do meet him again, you’ll only end up disappointed and brokenhearted. Mark my words. You’ll be so much better off moving on and finding someone else. Trust me.” Marie left the office, and Ryan stared down at the notecard with Hyram’s phone number on it. She was right: he needed to get over it.
Ryan picked up the phone and dialed the number while opening the call-log screen on the computer so he could make notes. When a man answered the phone, Ryan said, “Good morning, Mr. Murphy, this is Ryan Abbott from Earl, Gordo, and Weller. You called my partner, Marie Warner, about some help with your real estate and investments.”
“You boys work fast. I talked to her this morning, and she said she would have someone with the right experience call me. I guess that’s you.”
Ryan smiled. “Yes, that’s me. When would be a good time that I could meet with you?” Ryan was already pulling up his calendar.
“The sooner the better, young man,” Mr. Murphy said and then paused before adding in a softer voice, “I’m not long for this world and I want to make sure I have all my affairs in order.” Ryan heard him begin to cough, then move the phone away. Ryan waited for him to catch his breath. “Can you come this evening? I can see you right after feeding time. Say, seven?”
Ryan checked his calendar. He’d been hoping to have one evening free where he didn’t have a client dinner or some evening meeting, but it couldn’t be helped. “I can be there. Marie gave me your address. It looks to be a little over an hour from where I’m at, so please bear with me if I get stuck in traffic.”
“No problem, young man. I’ll be waiting,” Mr. Murphy said and then hung up. Ryan finished recording his notes on the call and saved them. One thing that had been drilled into him early in his career was to record everything. It was required, and it meant he could provide answers if the Security and Exchange Commission came calling.
Ryan checked for any messages that might have come in while he was on the phone before calling clients to check in and then leaving the office for a lunch appointment. After he got back, he spent the rest of the day on the phone, the calls only letting up once the markets had closed.
Ryan left the office about five thirty and went through a drive-through on his way out of town toward his appointment with Mr. Murphy. He hated to be late for anything, especially a client meeting, and he had no real idea how long it would take to get where he was going.
The city fell away behind him, and some of Ryan’s nervous energy went with it. Yes, he was meeting a client, but it was evening, and as he drove, the terrain around him became more and more rural, grass and rangeland stretching out in front of him. Housing developments and strip malls gave way to individual homes and then ranch houses surrounded by land, fences, and cattle. He probably should have asked Mr. Murphy just what kind of real estate and investments he was talking about, but it was too late now. His GPS continued giving him directions, and he got farther and farther from the city. After a while, he began to wonder if he was in the right area, but the GPS voice kept directing him, and he followed it, eventually turning down a long drive that led to a neat, well-maintained ranch house. As he parked, the front door opened and an old man slowly stepped out onto the porch.
“You must be Mr. Murphy,” Ryan said as he closed the car door and climbed the few steps. He shook the white-haired man’s hand. “I’m Ryan Abbott, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Good to meet you too, Mr. Abbott.”
“Please call me Ryan,” he said as he took the porch chair Mr. Murphy indicated.
“And you can call me Hy,” Mr. Murphy said as he settled into one of the other chairs. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and a friend of mine met your Marie at a shindig and pointed me in her direction. You see,” Hy said, indicating the land around him, “this here ranch has been in the family for generations.”
“And you want to keep it in the family?” Ryan said, but Hy shook his head.
“No. There’s just me and my grandson, and I don’t want to saddle him with the burden a place like this carries. You see, I’ve barely been hanging on here for years, and what I got I want to pass on to him, but this place ain’t big enough to survive nowadays. And if I know my grandson, he’d have a conniption if he knew I was thinking of selling, but he needs to be free to make his own choices in life, and a place like this will wear you down. You see, he’s making his own money and doing well for himself, but he’d spend every last dime to keep this place going, and then he’d have nothing.”
That was not the answer Ryan had been expecting. “So what is it you want me to do?” Ryan looked around. The ranch looked to be in good shape, everything taken care of and maintained. “I don’t understand; the place looks like it’s in good shape.”
“It’s a hard life out here. My grandson deserves better, and I want to try to give it to him. I got some stocks and other papers that my wife left, and I haven’t done much with them. Can you look them over and maybe set up something so when I go, I can pass something on?”
“Of course, but… when it comes to the ranch, why don’t you let your grandson decide what he wants?” Ryan asked, and Hy humphed softly, saying nothing. “Why don’t yo
u show me those papers, and I’ll look them over for you.”
Hy reached to the far side of his chair and lifted up a shoebox. “They’re all in here.”
Good God, Ryan thought as he took the box and set it on his lap. “Okay. I’ll look over what I can, but I’ll have to come back again so I can go through the rest of what’s in here.” He really didn’t feel comfortable just taking the papers.
“You can’t just take them and do what you need to?” Hy asked.
“Not without an inventory of what you have. That wouldn’t be right,” Ryan said, and Hy smiled.
“Okay, you’re hired,” the old man said. “I was told you folks were honest, and I’m glad it’s true.” Hy nodded, and Ryan opened his case and retrieved the brokerage agreement.
“I brought some papers for you to sign that would set up the brokerage account and allow me to deposit your assets into the account.”
Hy pulled out a set of glasses from his pocket, and Ryan handed the box back to Hy before reviewing the agreement with him. Hy signed the papers and Ryan gave him a copy. “Now as for the ranch, I can only give you advice. I’m not a Realtor, but when I come out again, I’ll look over the books and the operation and give you a recommendation.”
“That’s fair,” Hy said, and across the yard the barn door opened and a man stepped out. Ryan stilled as he watched him come closer. “That’s my grandson.”
“Dante?” Ryan asked, and he saw the man stop briefly before slowly continuing his walk to the porch. He seemed reticent, but approached and climbed the stairs to the porch. Ryan could hardly believe his eyes. He’d been thinking of Dante for weeks… and there he was.
“I take it you know my grandson,” Hy said, looking from Ryan to Dante and back. Ryan nodded, not taking his eyes off Dante. Oh yes, he knew Hy’s grandson—in the biblical sense.
Chapter 5
WHAT the fuck is he doing here? To say Dante was taken aback when he saw Ryan sitting on their porch talking to his grandfather was an understatement. But what shocked him was the force of his reaction to the other man.
“Have a seat, Dante,” his grandfather said, and Dante pulled one of the other chairs closer, his gaze never leaving Ryan. He was nervous as shit and wanted to know why in the hell Ryan was here, but at the same time, he couldn’t take his eyes off him. And fuck if he didn’t want to reach out and stroke what he knew was silky black hair. “You and Ryan here have met?”
Dante swallowed. “We met after the finals.”
“Dante and I played a few games of pool together,” Ryan said without looking away.
“So you saw him ride in the finals?” Gramps asked, and Dante saw Ryan’s gaze shift.
“I certainly did.” Ryan flicked his eyes to him, and Dante’s cheeks began to heat. “It was something else—a real wild ride.”
Dante squeezed his eyes closed for a brief second before standing up. “I’ll get something cool to drink.” He had to get the hell out of there. He knew what Ryan was doing, and fuck if it wasn’t working, big-time. Dante could hardly breathe, his heart beating a mile a minute, and he was so hard he could pound nails. Every ounce of him wanted Ryan, and he was so fucking close, but Dante knew he had to keep his distance.
In the kitchen, he got some sodas out of the refrigerator. He wanted a beer, or two, hell, maybe a six-pack, but Gramps shouldn’t be drinking, and to act as a reminder, he looked at the pill bottles lined up like soldiers on the counter. He grabbed the ones Gramps needed to take and added them to the tray before carrying everything to the porch,
“Dante takes care of a lot of the things that need to be done around here,” his grandfather was saying. Ryan and Gramps were both leaning against the porch rail. “He rebuilt that building last year before he went on tour, and between rodeos, when he needed some time to heal, he rebuilt the corral over there. The boy never stops.”
“Gramps, it’s time for your pills,” Dante said gently.
“Bah,” Gramps said the way he always did, but he took the orange pills when Dante handed them to him and downed them with some of the soda. “Beer would be better.” Dante groaned and handed one of the sodas to Ryan. He agreed, beer would definitely be better, but Gramps shouldn’t have any, so he never drank in front of him.
“Your grandfather was just telling me about this place,” Ryan said.
“Been in the family since the republic,” Dante said, and something dark flitted across Ryan’s expression before vanishing quickly. “I do what I can to help Gramps keep it up. He hasn’t been able to do a lot lately, but he’s proud of the place and it means a lot to him.” Dante touched his grandfather’s shoulder, the affection between the two of them clear. “We’ve got just a few hundred head right now. It’s what we can manage.”
“You two youngsters go have a look around. I’m going to sit here for a while,” Gramps said as he settled back in his chair, already starting to close his eyes. Dante had figured everything was fine as long as Gramps was around, but he wasn’t too sure how he felt about being alone with Ryan.
“Come on, you can show me the ranch,” Ryan said with a smile that seemed to say so much more. Dante sighed, knowing he couldn’t refuse without being rude or making Gramps suspicious. He got up and motioned Ryan toward the barn.
“Look,” Dante began as soon as they were out of earshot of his grandfather, “I don’t know how in the hell you found me, but I want you to leave.” Dante continued walking until they were inside the barn.
“Jesus,” Ryan said from behind him, and Dante whirled around. “I’m surprised your head can fit through the fucking door. Your grandfather called me because he had some old papers and investments he needed help with. I didn’t come out here looking for you.” Dante relaxed slightly until Ryan smiled a bit evilly and then moved closer. Dante stepped back as Ryan continued toward him. His entire body was on fire and he ached to have Ryan touch him, but he knew he had to resist. Somehow he had to stay in control. “You thought about me, didn’t you?” Ryan asked, and Dante took another step back, thumping into the wall of the first stall. “You did. I bet you thought about me a whole lot.”
Dante swallowed, refusing to justify Ryan’s supposition with an answer. “I—” he began, trying to protest, but his words caught in his throat.
“It’s okay. I know you thought about me.” Ryan stepped so close Dante could feel the heat from his body, but Ryan never touched him, not once. “I can tell you thought about me, and I know your body aches for me right now.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Dante protested feebly.
“Yes, it does. But as I said, I’m not going to touch you. So you can relax,” Ryan said, just softly enough for Dante to hear. “I won’t touch you again until you ask me to… and you will.”
Dante shook his head and moved to the side, away from Ryan. “No, I won’t,” he protested, feeling a little better that he’d been able to get away.
Ryan grinned a warm smile that made Dante almost move into his arms right there. “Maybe, maybe not, but like I said, I won’t touch you until you ask me. But….” Ryan paused and Dante stopped dead still. “I only gave you what you needed, and just because you couldn’t handle it is no reason to act like a jackass.”
“How can you know what I needed?” Dante challenged, moving down the row of mostly empty stalls, the few horses becoming agitated as they picked up on Dante’s mood.
“Dante,” Ryan snapped in a commanding tone that made him stop without thinking. “Your entire body screams for what you need. I’m just the person who was able to read the signs. And before you ask me, I don’t know why you need someone else to be in control any more than I know why I need to be in control, but you do need it.” Ryan stepped closer but acted like the things he’d just said were as normal and ordinary as explaining how much hay to give one of the horses.
“Now who has the ego the size of Texas?” Dante said, feeling a little better now that he had something to use against Ryan, and hoping he could deflect the conversation a litt
le. “You think you know everything, but you don’t know shit. So keep your theories to yourself.”
Ryan simply nodded. “Fair enough,” he said, taking a small step back then leaning forward. “But what if I’m right?” Ryan whispered. Dante tried his best to meet Ryan’s challenging gaze, but eventually he had to look away.
“You said you have a few hundred head of cattle,” Ryan prompted, and it took Dante a few minutes to gather his thoughts and respond. How in the hell did Ryan do this to him? He was a bull rider, for God’s sake, and yet Ryan made him… he wasn’t sure what Ryan made him feel, but fuck… it somehow wasn’t right. He had to clear his head.
“Yeah. There used to be more, but Gramps and I alone can’t handle a herd much larger than that. We also have four horses, two of which are mine. The other two are ones Gramps put out to pasture years ago.”
“So who keeps this place up?”
“Me, mostly,” Dante answered.
“How?” Ryan asked as he peered into one of the open stall doors. “You must spend a fair amount of time training and traveling to events. There can’t be a lot of time to take care of things here.”
Dante’s first instinct was to tell Ryan his life was none of his business, but Ryan seemed genuinely concerned. “I have someone who helps while I’m away, and I like working on things here. This place has been in my family for a long time, and when Gramps passes it will come to me. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it yet, but it’s still a matter of pride to him, and to me, that the place be kept up and cared for. Someone has to do it, and with Gramps being sick, that falls to me.” Dante realized he’d probably said more than he should have, so he turned and walked to the back of the barn and pushed open the door.
“Your grandfather seems like an interesting man,” Ryan said, and Dante almost jumped at how close Ryan was. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it, but he could smell Ryan’s cologne on the breeze, and fuck if that didn’t take him right back to the night they’d spent together. He hadn’t been able to get that out of his mind for a week. Hell, it took him damn near ten days before he could sleep without whacking off three times a night, and now he was right back there as Ryan’s scent surrounded him.
