by Lynn Lorenz
Phillip wondered if there would ever come a time he’d be so afraid for his life as to stoop to that level of self-defense. To what he saw as nothing less than murder.
But it would be a perfect murder. How would anyone know he’d influenced someone? He probably wouldn’t even be a suspect. Jesus, do I really have that in me?
Another shiver racked him. He waited for it to dissipate, then he picked up his bag and put one foot in front of the other until he arrived at the diner.
Just twenty minutes before Brian arrived. And I’ll be safe.
Chapter Ten
Brian was true to his word. Right at six p.m., he pulled up in a big black truck. Phillip had paid for his coffee, so he left a dollar for the tip, scooted out of the booth, grabbed his duffel bag and made his way through the diner to the door.
Once on the sidewalk, he limped over to the truck.
Brian rolled down the passenger window. “Toss your bag in the bed.”
Phillip did, then came back and got inside. He snapped the seatbelt in place and smiled at Brian. “Man, thank you so much. I was going to hitch up to the motel on the highway and get a room.”
“It’s no trouble. Did everything go okay? Did you leave anything at the trailer you want to go back for?” Brian checked the mirrors then pulled out into traffic.
“No. Everything is in my bag. I travel light. Force of habit.” He gazed out of the window as they drove through town. “So, you’re off work until after Christmas?”
“No. I’m on schedule for tomorrow’s shift, then back on duty the twenty-sixth. I’m lucky to get Christmas Day off.” He watched the road again.
“How far out is it?” Out of habit, Phillip calculated the distance he’d have to walk to get there or back. Nothing much on the road as they headed south out of town. Getting a ride would be hard out here.
“About ten miles. Rush owns a lot of land, has a couple hundred head of cattle.”
“Does he have horses too?” Phillip couldn’t help but get excited at the thought of the ranch.
“He does. Most of the hands don’t live at the ranch this time of year, but we keep all the ranch horses so they have a horse to ride.”
“How many hands does he have?” And does he want another one?
“Depends on the season. Anywhere from one, like now, to three to six, plus his foreman, Manuel.”
“Oh.” Phillip nodded, as if it made sense to him. He had no idea what it would take to run a cattle ranch. “You know a lot about the ranch for a cop.” He smiled.
Brian chuckled. “Comes from living with and having to listen to Rush talk shop all the time. Can’t help but pick it up. Can’t say the same about him. I try to keep the bad stuff at work.” Brian shrugged.
“Bad stuff. Like accidents?” Or beatings?
“Sure.” Brian didn’t go into details and in a way, Phillip was glad he didn’t. He’d already been one of those details.
They drove on in silence.
When they came to the ranch, they turned off the highway and passed under a large metal sign spanning the drive—Double T Ranch—and good-sized trees bordered the road all the way up to the house. It was real pretty.
Phillip let out a low whistle. “Wow. This is some ranch.” He turned around, looking at all the outbuildings, barns, and the house. It had a porch running around it.
“We like it. Rush is damned proud of it, just to warn you. This place’s been in his family for three generations.” Brian parked next to another truck and got out. Phillip followed, grabbed his bag from the bed, slung it over his shoulder and marched behind him.
“You’re sure Rush doesn’t mind me crashing here?” Phillip had one foot on the steps.
A tall man stepped out of the house, letting the screen door slam behind him. “No, he doesn’t mind. In fact, I asked Brian to invite you.” His handsome face split into a big grin as he reached forward with his hand for a shake.
Brian stepped aside as Phillip came up to take it. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Weston.”
They shook. “It’s Rush, Phillip. Or is it Phil?”
“Phillip, please. Can’t tell you thanks enough.”
Brian slapped him on the back. “Told you. It’s nothing. This place has five bedrooms and there’s a bunkhouse with room for six more men.”
“Well, I can take a bed out there, if you want.” He didn’t want to be any inconvenience to Rush or Brian. In a way, the thought of sleeping in the bunkhouse kind of excited him. Man, could I be any more childish?
“The house is fine. We have bedrooms enough for everyone. Mitchell and Sammi won’t get here until tomorrow night and Jack and Edward are coming about the same time.” Rush turned to Brian. “Hey, babe.” He gave him a soft smile, his eyes filled with love. A pang of jealousy hit Phillip hard. Will that ever be me?
Brian stepped in and they kissed, not long or hard, just a sort of welcome home kiss. The way people who were comfortable with each other, sure of their love, with nothing to prove, might do.
Phillip turned and looked out at the ranch, afraid his face would give him away.
Rush opened the screen door. “Let me show you to your room. You can unpack while we get dinner together. Each room has its own bathroom, so if you want to get clean, go ahead.”
Brian put his hand on Phillip’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Come on down when you’re ready.”
Phillip nodded then followed Rush up while Brian headed past the stairs to the rear of the house. They reached the landing. Rush pointed to the first room on the left. “I think this’ll do fine for you.” He opened the door and stepped aside.
Phillip entered and smiled. “This is so nice. Real homey.” Soft brown wood floors, quilts on the bed, lots of pillows, a chair off to the side and a small dresser. The bed had a simple white painted iron frame with a matching side table that had a marble top.
“That’s the door to the bathroom. Shower, sink and toilet. That one is the closet. It’s not big, but it’ll hold a few things.” Rush chuckled.
“It’s wonderful. So much nicer than the dinky trailer I was staying in. A real bed.” He sighed and ran his hand over the quilt.
“Like I said, take your time. We’ll be in the kitchen.” Rush backed out of the room and closed the door.
Phillip slung his bag down on the bed to unpack. Best only take out a few days’ worth of clothes. His boots, for sure. He noticed the window and walked over to it. Blue cotton curtains framed the glass panes and it looked out over the rear of the house. He could see cattle off in the distance. At least he thought they were cattle. Maybe horses?
His phone chimed, signaling a text message. Phillip frowned as he pulled it out of his pocket and checked the screen. He hit unlock and held it up to see.
It’s Estaban. You okay? Worried about you.
He grinned and typed Fine. Staying with friends just out of town. On a ranch.
Phillip sat on the chair and waited. He chewed his bottom lip, stupidly happy Estaban had contacted him. Then he mentally kicked himself. It meant nothing. Estaban was a nice guy, just checking up on a friend.
Great. You good for Christmas? Want to eat with me and my family?
Phillip groaned. He gave it a quick thought then typed. Can’t. Eating here. But thanks. If I wasn’t tied up, I’d come for sure. For emphasis, he posted an unhappy face emoji.
Estaban sent one back too, then a laughing one. Then Okay. How were the tamales?
Phillip had eaten most of them. He’d had to throw the rest away when he cleaned out the trailer. Delish. Thanks.
Nada. A long pause. See you soon.
Yes. See you soon.
Phillip closed his phone and leaned back in the chair. He chewed on his lip, trying to figure out what this meant. He’d never done much flirting and he wasn’t even sure it was flirting on Estaban’s part. He was just a friendly guy, that was all. A man like Estaban, older, sure of himself, would never want a beat-up kid like him, for damn sure.
H
e shoved his phone into his pocket, got up and explored the bathroom, setting up his kit on the sink, then decided to go on down. He’d showered that morning and hadn’t worked up a sweat at all walking to the bank. He sniffed under his arms. Nope. No stink.
He left the room, closed the door and headed downstairs.
Brian looked up as Phillip entered the kitchen. “Hey, hungry?”
Rush stood at the stove stirring a big pot of something that smelled delicious.
“Is that chili?” Phillip inhaled deeply. “Smells great! I’m starved.”
“Well, Brian fixed a big pot for lunch and the guys didn’t finish it off. There’s plenty left.” Rush stepped back and handed out bowls to each of them.
“The guys?” Phillip helped himself to some, then went to the table as Rush and Brian filled their bowls and took seats. Someone had put a glass of iced tea at each place, along with a large spoon and a knife. Butter and cornbread muffins sat in the center of the long table.
“Yeah. Most of the winter, we have Manuel, the foreman, a day hand, and Rush.” Brian passed around a serving dish with separate places filled with diced chives, shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onion. All the fixings.
Phillip helped himself to some of them and took a bite. “This is awesome. What’s a day hand?”
“He doesn’t live on the ranch. He could, but he’s young, still living at home, so he comes out each day, then goes back home.” Rush grinned. “Says he likes his mom’s cooking better than mine or Brian’s.”
Brian tossed a crumpled paper napkin at Rush. “No shit. We both suck at cooking. If it can’t go in a crockpot, a casserole dish, or on the grill, it isn’t happening.”
Rush laughed. “You’d think I’d learned something, but during the summer and spring seasons, I hire a live-in cook. We have hands who live on the ranch, and they get three meals a day. If they had to eat my cooking, I’d have to pay them extra or do all the ranch work myself.”
“So, all you need now is the one guy?” Phillip pushed his chili around a bit, not sure how in the world to ask for work.
“A lot of the work in the winter is maintenance—checking machinery over, riding the fences, making sure the herd is doing okay, that sort of thing. The rest of the time, there’s hay to cut and roll, tagging cattle, calving—” Rush stopped to take a bite of chili.
After he swallowed, then took a sip of his iced tea, he continued, “I usually hire about five hands. Some years more, some less. Depends on the herd numbers.”
“So what skills does a hand need?” Phillip looked up, deciding to find out if this was even possible.
Rush sat back, glanced over at Brian, then back at Phillip. “Well, a good hand can not only ride a horse, but knows how to care for his mount. That means tack, feed and curry. He needs to know a bit about the cattle. What it takes to keep them healthy and when they might be distressed.”
“Distressed?” Phillip frowned.
“Sure. We use horses for herding. Some ranches use ATVs, even trucks. I believe the engine noise upsets the cattle. They get all distressed, go off their feed. Bad feed leads to lost weight, low fat content. Some argue it changes the taste of the beef. A few years ago, I switched over to organic. The company I sell to insists on it. I get a guaranteed sell and higher prices, so it’s worth it to me.”
“Wow.” Phillip scraped the last of the chili out of his bowl. “I never realized there was so much to learn. Guess you hire guys that already know all this, huh?”
Again, Rush threw Brian a look, but said nothing. Maybe he’d asked too many questions or shown just how much he didn’t know. He’d never get hired on now. He could ride a horse, and knew how to take care of one from his time on his grandfather’s farm, but all the cow stuff? Not a clue. He’d only visited the farm, which grew vegetables and had some chickens, during the summers.
“Not always.” Rush cleared his throat. “If you want more, help yourself. I don’t have dessert, but we always keep ice cream in the freezer.” He stood and picked up their empty bowls and the silverware. Brian sat back in his chair, wiping the condensation from his glass.
“So, what are your plans now?”
“Well, I thought I’d think about it for a few days, maybe check out the help wanted ads at the local market. You know, that board they keep.”
Rush stood at the sink, washing dishes. “Phillip, what’s your dream job? If you could do anything?”
He leaned back in his chair. Now or never. He sucked up a lungful of air, held his breath and dived in. “I want to work on a ranch. I want to live on a ranch, work with the animals.”
Brian coughed into his hand.
Phillip snapped his head to get a look at him. “It’s not a joke.” He lowered his head. God, they thought he was stupid and silly. “I know how to ride a horse and take care of it.” He put his hands on the table, forcing them to stay loose and not ball up. “I’m a fast learner. I learned how to run the garage in no time.”
“I’m sure you are, son.” Rush came up and put his hand on Phillip’s shoulder. “Some folks have a…glorified vision of what ranching is, but it’s hard work. Lonely sometimes. But for a certain type of person, there’s no better life.”
Phillip glanced up at him. Rush had a big smile and a faraway expression in his eyes.
Brian nodded. “No matter how much Rush loves me, he’d never leave the ranch. I knew that the first few times we were together. It’s in his blood. I think he’d die if he had to live in Houston. That’s why I came here, hired on at the police department. I made the move because he couldn’t.”
Rush stepped over to Brian, who tilted his head back in anticipation of the kiss Rush leaned down to give him. That little zap of not jealousy but envy hit Phillip. What he wouldn’t give to have that with Estaban. Someone who knows you, and will do anything to make you happy, even move and change his life to be with you.
“You’re both lucky.” Phillip tried to smile, but his heart wasn’t in it, so he picked up his glass and downed the rest of his iced tea.
“We are.” Rush nodded. “Hey, got an early morning. We get up about five-thirty, eat breakfast, and I get to work when the guys show up at six.” He paused, then added, “If you want to eat breakfast with us, you’re welcome to, just come on down. And if you want to get a taste of ranching, I got an extra horse needs exercising.”
Phillip almost fell out of his chair. “Seriously? You’d let me tag along?” He couldn’t believe it. Rush was the nicest guy to offer this to him.
Brian laughed. “I think you got an extra hand, babe.” He stood and clapped Phillip on the shoulder. “You might just regret this.”
“No way!” Phillip held out his hand for Rush to shake. “I’m happy to get a chance to ride along.”
“Tell me what your ass says at the end of the day.” Brian hooted. “If you can walk. Or sit.”
Rush took Phillip’s hand. “You got a heavy coat, son? It’s not that cold, but the wind can whip right through you and make you miserable, especially early morning.”
“I do. I’ll dress in layers. Five-thirty. I’ll be here.” Phillip couldn’t stop his grin. He wanted to laugh out loud, crow his excitement. It might not mean a job, but for once, he’d see what his fantasy might be like for real.
“Great. Good night, then.”
“Night, Phillip.” Brian nodded. “Morning comes early around here.”
Phillip headed upstairs, taking them by twos, his heart about bursting it beat so hard.
Rush turned to Brian, his head cocked, listening to Phillip rush up the stairs. “I’d say, that was nigh on the best thing that kid’s ever experienced, next to sex.” He chuckled.
Brian sat. “Well, he’s out of a job and homeless.” He twirled his glass between his palms. “He can spend the holiday here, but his plan is to leave town if he can’t find a job and head to Houston.” He leaned back in his chair. “He might be better off there, Rush.”
“Maybe.” Rush pulled out a chair and
sat. “Are you saying you do or don’t want to hire him at the ranch?”
“Look. This is your place. You run it. I think he’s looking for something, someone maybe, and I’m not sure it’s in Spring Lake. He’s young. What, twenty-three or four? I’m not sure we know enough about him.”
“Maybe letting him try his hand at it tomorrow will help him decide. The fantasy isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.” He stood, went to Brian and ran his hand through Brian’s close-cropped hair. “And, babe, you have just as much say here as I do.”
“Aw, it’s sweet you think that, but I’d rather not. We’ve talked about this before. I’m not an owner, or a partner in this operation. Your family’s ranch is yours. I just want to be a small-town cop.”
Not this argument again. Rush knew where this would lead, but he had to push. “But I want—”
Brian stood and took Rush in his arms. “I know you do, babe, but we’re not there yet.”
“We would be if you’d just marry me.” Rush gazed into Brian’s eyes. He’d asked Brian two months ago to make it legal, and Brian hadn’t out and out refused, but he sure as hell hadn’t said yes. As much as Rush tried to hide it, it had really hurt. He’d broached the subject and gone out on a limb, and he’d been disappointed with Brian’s reaction.
“We’ve only been together for, what, six months? Let’s take our time. There’s no rush, Rush.” He winked to ease the sting, but it didn’t work,
Rush sighed. “Ha ha. I’m just…worried—”
“Scared. You’re scared I’m going to leave.” Brian gave a short, hard laugh. “Seriously, babe, I gave up my business, moved here, hired on as a cop in a hick town and you’re worried I’m not staying?” He waved his arm around. “And give all this up?”
Rush laughed, despite wanting to be mad at Brian. He kissed Brian’s temple. “Babe, I know. I’m insecure. It’s stupid and I should just relax.”
Brian touched his forehead to Rush’s. “No, I’m not saying that. I understand. I gave things up, moved, but you gave up your nice, safe closet for me. Put your entire life and your business in jeopardy to be out to everyone here. And you’re scared, if I dump you, you’ll have destroyed your safe life for nothing. And if you did, you’d never get it back. Believe me, I’m not going anywhere and we will get there. I promise.”