by J. P. Bowie
“Wouldn’t hurt.” Stu grimaced. “I know the guests are allowed some freedom once they’ve learned the ropes, but Brady’s an ass. I don’t trust him to not go galloping into Mr. Chandler’s herds, trying to act like a cowboy.”
“Yeah. You just convinced me. Let me go tell Parker what we’re doing. Get his okay on it.” He found Parker in conversation with Ryan and Jordan, watching the Williams twins riding in the corral. The twins were perky young guys, blond and slim. They came from a wealthy, prominent family, but were always polite and mindful of the non-fraternization rules. Even when their smiles held some flirtatiousness at times, they never crossed the line by being ‘handsy’.
“’Scuse me, Parker, can I have a word?”
“’Course. What’s up?”
Tim told him of his and Stu’s concerns and Parker nodded his understanding. “Clint’s out on the trail with Bruce and Kenny. This is their last day, so he wanted to give them a good canter before they leave tomorrow. I’ll text him and let him know to watch out for Brady. I know what y’mean. He’s a royal pain in the ass. In fact, on second thoughts, you and Stu go on the trail with them. You can hang back, but let them know you’re there making sure everything’s okay.”
“Will do, Boss. How’re the twins doin’?”
“They’re good. ’Course, they have the advantage of having stables at their disposal when they’re at home. The blond one told me they come here for the gay environment.”
Tim laughed. “They’re both blond, Boss.”
“I know. I can never tell them apart. Which one’s Joey and which one’s Rory…it’s a mystery. They’re good kids, though. Okay, head out and keep a watch on Brady.”
Tim threw Ryan a quick smile then turned and sprinted back to the pasture where Stu was waiting with their horses. He told Stu what Parker wanted them to do, so they mounted the horses then set off down the trail.
“Clint’s up ahead with a couple of guests,” Tim said, “and Parker’s gonna let him know to keep an eye out too, so we should be all right.”
While they rode, Tim spent some pleasant time remembering his and Ryan’s lovemaking on the nights since their near break-up. The make-up sex had been fantastic. His demand that Ryan fuck him so hard he’d feel it forever had been fulfilled, but Ryan had slowed down the action the second time around from near frantic to long and measured strokes when he was inside Tim. He’d loved the tenderness in Ryan’s eyes, in the myriad kisses they’d shared. Tim couldn’t wait for the next time tonight. He felt a stir of impatient desire deep in his groin, and even though his ass was definitely tender against the hard saddle, it was a pleasant kind of suffering.
It took them but a few minutes to spot Brady and Cody ahead of them. Brady was waving his arms about expansively and they could hear him yelling at Cody about something or other.
“Man, he doesn’t know how to relax, does he?” Stu remarked. “Look at him, all pent-up about something he should’ve left behind at the office.”
“You can tell Cody’s payin’ no attention.” Tim chuckled. “What a pair they make.” He gasped when Brady brought his mount in close to Cody’s and gave the man a hard push. “What the—?” Cody hit the hard ground with a thud that could be heard from where they were, several yards behind.
“Fuck.” Stu urged his horse forward with Tim close behind. They drew level with Brady and Tim dismounted to see if Cody was able to stand. He heard Stu ask Brady, “Why’d you push him like that?”
“What are you talking about?” Brady snapped. “He fell. I didn’t push him. Is he all right?”
“Shaken up, I’d say,” Tim said, supporting the other man. “What’s goin’ on with you?”
“You have an impertinent tone, Tim, that I don’t appreciate.” Brady glared at him then at Stu. “Both of you. How dare you suggest that I pushed him.”
“You did push me, you big sack of shit,” Cody yelled, gripping his left arm with his right hand and wincing with pain.
“You fell, you incompetent jerk,” Brady yelled back. “I tried to catch you, not push you, you idiot.”
“You’re a goddam liar. That’s it!” Cody stomped around to where Brady still sat on Midnight. He hadn’t bothered to dismount to see if Cody was okay. “You and I are through being business partners. I am flying back to Saint Paul tonight and dissolving the company.”
Brady’s red face took on a dangerous, threatening glower. “You can’t do that without my permission!”
“Oh no? I have a very good attorney who says different. And I will see to it that on top of the dissolution, I will sue you for willful assault. I have two witnesses right here.” He gestured toward Tim and Stu. “So, Brady, go fuck yourself.”
Tim and Stu, who had been watching the incident with wide eyes, now sprang into action as Cody tried to mount his horse. “You’ll need a hand, Cody,” Tim muttered, supporting the man when he tried to heave himself up. Stu helped and they soon had Cody in the saddle again. “Better go slow till your arm feels better.”
“That’s it, take the fool back to the ranch,” Brady sneered. “I’m going for a ride.” He urged Midnight forward and took off down the trail at a gallop.
“Oh, Christ!” Tim stared after him in horror. This was so fucking dangerous for both Brady and Midnight. “Stu, take Cody back. I’ll go after Brady.” Tim threw himself onto Rosie’s saddle. “Call Parker and let him know what’s happened. I’ll get a hold of Clint and let him know too.”
“Okay, Tim. But for Chrissakes, be careful!”
There was a ditch between the trail and Aaron Chandler’s property to stop the cows from wandering into the woods, and to Tim’s horror, it looked as if Brady was going to try and have Midnight jump it. Shit, no way can even Midnight do that with Brady’s weight on him!
“Clint, Clint,” he yelled into his cellphone. “I need your help, now!” To his relief he saw the tall cowboy galloping toward him, waving frantically at Brady as he now tried to force Midnight into the ditch. The horse, however, refused to budge. It was obvious Midnight had a lot more sense than the man on his back. Clint got to Brady first, advising him in no uncertain terms to dismount so that they could turn Midnight around and get him back on the trail.
Tim couldn’t believe the rage that was emanating from Brady. Obscenities, some Tim had never heard before, poured from his mouth while Clint tried to calm him down. Brady stomped up and down threatening lawsuits, police intervention and anything else his obviously deranged mind could conjure up.
“What the heck’s the matter with him?” Clint muttered at Tim.
“He and his business partner had a fight after Brady knocked him off his horse. Don’t know what led to that, but the mood he’s in, don’t think we’ll get much sense out of him right now.”
Bruce and Kenny, the guests Clint had been escorting, now arrived on the scene, their expressions of total amazement seeming to enrage Brady even more. Tim figured Brady had to be embarrassed by his actions, but was too far gone to backtrack and calm down.
“What are you looking at, you fucking fairies?” he yelled.
“It’s kinda hard to tell right now,” Bruce, the younger of the two men, said with a sardonic grin. “Never seen anyone looking quite as apoplectic as you are. Looks like you got your panties in a royal twist over something. Get a hold of yourself before you have a seizure, or die of embarrassment when you realize what an ass you’re being.”
“Why you—” Brady started forward, yelling at Bruce, but Clint got in the way. Big as Brady was, Clint was taller, broader in the shoulders and chest, and his usually affable expression was now one of imminent threat.
“Calm down, Brady,” he snapped. “You are making a fool of yourself. Something I’m sure you’ll regret later.”
For a moment Tim thought Brady was going to lash out, but perhaps common sense, at last, prevailed. His body suddenly sagged as if all the air had been let out of a near-to-bursting balloon. He slumped against Clint, who showed considerable strength in
being able to support the overweight man.
“Okay.” Clint rolled his eyes at Tim. “Call the ranch and get somebody to bring the Jeep out here. I don’t think Brady should be riding back to the ranch just yet.”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Brady said, sounding like a completely different person. “I need to get back and apologize to Cody. And to everyone here. Sorry for all the drama.”
Tim was glad Bruce didn’t add any caustic comment, although it was clear from the disdain on his face that he wanted to…badly.
“Right, guys, let’s head back.” Clint allowed Brady to mount Midnight, got on his own horse and took Midnight’s reins, leading them back to the ranch.
Tim almost felt sorry for Brady. The big man rode with his head down and his shoulders hunched in apparent misery. Well, he certainly had something to share with Ryan later, but one thing was for certain—this wasn’t a subject for pillow talk. With Ryan in his bed, the two of them spending another night together, him getting plowed through the mattress, talking about Brady would be the last thing on their minds.
* * * *
Royce and Parker decided to dispel the air of tension Brady had created among the other guests by holding an impromptu barbecue. The area outside the house always reserved for the generally weekly cookouts had gaily colored lights strung in the trees, and a full bar had been set up, with Seth in charge, as he liked to be, and his husband, Mike, at his side helping out.
When Tim got there, the Williams twins were dancing with Bruce and Kenny to some spirited country music. All four looked at home with their two-stepping, and the atmosphere had definitely improved. Clint and Sherry were over at the bar talking with Seth, but waved Tim over when they saw him arrive.
“Quite the day, huh, Tim?” Clint tipped his beer bottle at him. “You handled it well.”
“Thanks. Have to say, though, it was downright scary when Brady took off on Midnight. ’Course I was more worried about Midnight than Brady.”
“Funny.” Clint grinned at him. “That was my thought too.”
“What’ll you have, Tim?” Seth asked.
“I feel like I could use a double Scotch on the rocks, but a beer’ll do right now.”
Clint lowered his voice a little. “Sherry tells me the bosses had a long chin-wag with Brady and Cody. You tell him, hon.”
Sherry, who Tim thought was probably the prettiest lady he’d ever seen, leaned in closer to him. “They told them their behavior was unacceptable and that if they didn’t straighten out their argument, they would have to leave the ranch. Royce, being the lawyer, made it clear that Brady had violated the conditions of the contract everyone signs when they make a reservation, and that if any of the animals had been hurt during the incident, he would’ve called the cops and filed a lawsuit against him. Cody told Royce that he was sure Brady suffered from IED.”
“What the heck’s that?”
“Intermittent explosive disorder. It’s a medical condition, but Brady refuses to see a doctor or a specialist about it, according to Cody.”
“So are they goin’ or stayin’?” Tim was beyond caring about what might be wrong with Brady. As far as he was concerned the man was a liability and could be a danger to the other guests, never mind the horses.
“Brady apologized to Cody for starting the ruckus and to Royce and Parker for behaving badly. He literally begged Royce not to throw him off the ranch and promised to not cause any more trouble in the future.”
“Huh, let’s see how that goes. Personally, I was hoping they’d leave, or at least Brady, but…” He trailed off when the two men in question entered the barbecue area. “Oh well, guess Royce couldn’t ban him from coming here.”
Brady made a beeline for Tim and Clint as soon as he saw them. “I have to apologize, gentlemen. I behaved very badly this afternoon, and I do believe I caused you much concern. I have said I’m sorry to Royce and Parker, but I wanted to make sure both of you know how terribly sorry I am. I know I apologized out there on the trail, but perhaps you weren’t convinced of my sincerity, and I would like you to believe me. Cody is, quite rightly, furious with me, but we have worked things out between us, so he won’t be leaving tonight.”
Tim took the hand Brady offered him while Clint did the same, but Tim didn’t feel like getting into a conversation with him, so, after a cursory nod of acceptance, he turned away. Fortunately, at that moment, Ryan and Stu arrived, and Tim was able to join them. He’d told Stu what had happened after he’d left with Cody. Ryan and Jordan had been there too, and Tim was glad Ryan hadn’t been with them on the trail. His grim look told Tim it wouldn’t have gone well for Brady. When he’d gotten to the part about Brady trying to force Midnight into the ditch, Ryan had come unglued.
‘He could’ve broken the horse’s legs, the asshole,’ he’d seethed.
It was Tim’s mission for the night to keep Ryan as far away from Brady as possible. He was well aware that his cowboy wouldn’t mince any words if he was in Brady’s company. They were distracted by the Williams twins yelling for Stu to join them when Blake Shelton started wailing All About Tonight. Stu was a good sport and let Joey—or was it Rory?—pull him into the mix.
“Wanna dance?” Ryan asked.
“Really? You know what Seth’ll make of that, don’t you?”
“You care about that?”
“Not if you don’t.” Oh, there were many reasons to care, mostly what he’d told himself about not having a relationship with a guy he worked with, or what would happen when it became common knowledge that they were seeing each other. But what the hell? It wasn’t like they’d be slow-dancing or anything like. A lively two-step wouldn’t give it away, would it? Of course the first thing he saw when Ryan swung him around was Seth staring at them with a big stupid smile on his face, then a whispered aside to Mike.
Clint and Sherry joined in on the dancing and the twins whooped it up to Patty Loveless’ Blame It on Your Heart. The tension Brady had created was more or less forgotten as the party got underway, and when Tim glanced over at the bar, there was no sign of him. Cody was standing over by the grill with Parker. It seemed as if his arm hadn’t been too badly hurt, so maybe everything would be back to normal by the morning.
“Come and fill your plates!” Parker yelled, and the dance music was replaced by some good country ballads.
“Mmm… Love Alan Jackson,” Tim remarked, and he and Ryan took their places at the end of the line.
“Oh, Once You’ve Had the Best. I love this song,” Sherry exclaimed, humming along while hanging on to Clint’s arm.
When they reached Seth, who was handing out the plates, he winked at them both and grinned. “You guys getting along real good, huh?”
“We’re supposed to get along with each other, Seth,” Tim said archly. “Wouldn’t do for us to be at each other’s throats, now would it?”
“You know what I mean.” He looked at Ryan. “It’s time he showed interest in a good man.”
“God, Seth, you sound like some old busybody,” Tim snapped. “Give it a rest.” He cursed mentally at the hurt expression on Seth’s face. He knew that at times, he could be a tad snippy, and Seth didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of it. “Sorry, didn’t mean to snap at you like that.”
“That’s okay,” Seth said, handing him an empty plate. “I guess I should mind my own business.”
“No, really, Seth, it’s okay. Ryan and me…we’re just, you know, friends.”
“With benefits,” Ryan added, deadpan.
Tim stared at him in amazement while Seth slapped Tim on the back, almost knocking him over.
“What’s goin’ on back there?” Parker demanded.
“Just joshin’, Boss,” Seth said quickly.
“You ridin’ Tim again?”
“Oh, no, Boss, nothin’ like that.” Seth’s expression was one of complete innocence and made Tim laugh out loud.
“And you.” He glared at Ryan. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Ryan chuck
led. “Now would be fine.”
“Oh, can Mike and me come sit at your table?” Seth asked
“No!” Tim took the plate Parker had just filled for him and marched off to find somewhere halfway private. He found a table on the other side of the bar and sat waiting for Ryan. He was there a few moments later, looking ridiculously pleased with himself.
“What in hell were you thinking sayin’ we were friends with benefits?” he muttered when Ryan sat opposite him.
“Well, we are, aren’t we?” Ryan picked up his knife and fork. “Or do you consider us more than that?”
“What?”
“Like boyfriends or lovers.” He cut off a piece of steak and bit into it. “Oh, boy, that’s good. I like the second one better. Boyfriends sounds kinda lame to me.”
“Ryan…” Tim tried to look stern, but he knew it was a stretch, especially when he caught that devilish twinkle in Ryan’s eye. “We have known each other not quite four weeks, and—”
“Best four weeks of my life.”
“Ryan… Oh yeah? The best?”
“Totally the best.”
“Well, that’s…uh, nice.”
“Better’n nice, Tim. The first time I saw you, I said that boy is gonna be mine.” Ryan chewed slowly, watching the expression on Tim’s face. “And these last few nights we’ve spent together just convinced me I’d made the right choice, even if you can be a mite tetchy at times.”
“What? Wait a minute. What if I don’t want to be yours?”
“Well, that’s your choice of course, but from the way you were all over me, squirmin’ and moanin’ last night, I reckon I have a good shot at makin’ you mine.”
Tim looked around hastily, hoping no one could hear what Ryan was saying, but at the same time, he loved hearing it. He hadn’t heard words like that in…well, in a coon’s age, and according to Ryan that meant forever, and he was right. No one had ever said that to him—claiming him, in a way. It should’ve sounded corny, but instead, it made him feel warm and good inside.
“It’s just that—”
