by V. L. Locey
“That must have been such a terrible time for you and your partner. I am so damn sorry,” he choked out. I turned my head to burrow my nose into his thick hair.
“Thank you.” I kissed his head and then looked up into the canopy overhead. “It was...there aren’t words dark enough to describe the agony of losing a child. After the funeral, when Devon and I should have been growing closer to help each other, we just...drifted apart. It was as if losing Kailey had torn all the joy out of our lives. A year after her death I caught him in bed with one of our friends. It hurt, but by then I was so dead inside that I just accepted it and left.”
“And then you became a cowboy.” He held onto me tightly, his arms strong bands around my chest.
“Not at first. I did all kinds of things from working at a gas station to being a bouncer to cleaning a church. My goal was the west coast, all that California sun and surf, but I hit the Tetons and never went any further. The mountains have a song to them if you listen close enough.”
“The Tetons healed you. That’s really poetic. And mystical.” I shrugged as my sight moved from the tree to the mountains. The snows had finally melted off in places, leaving the steep slopes bare and rocky. “I feel that way about the ocean. Living so far inland I’m starting to feel like a part of me is missing. Which brings me to something I wanted to ask you if you’re okay with shifting gears a bit?”
I was. Quite okay with it. My heart ached like a sore tooth. I feared it always would when I spoke of Kailey but telling Bishop had been cathartic. He was the only one in my life now who knew about my past. Perhaps I should tell Landon next. He deserved to know that I’d lied to him, in a roundabout way. He wiggled round to face me. I put my hat back on.
“My mother’s birthday is July fifth. I’d like to spend a few days with her, and I was wondering if you’d like to come with me?” My eyes flared. Instead of looking like a gaping jackass, I plucked a pink prairie smoke flower from a clump to my left. I twirled the gauzy flower, which looked like clouds of magenta smoke lying low to the prairie hence the name, as I mulled it over. “If you don’t want to that’s fine, but I wanted to ask.”
“Why do you want me to go?” I glanced up from the flower between my fingers and found myself spellbound in eyes as blue as the sky.
“Because we’re involved. And my mother is awesome! And you never made it to the west coast. And because I want to see you in a Speedo on a surfboard.” I tore my gaze away and focused on the wispy pink flower. “If you’re not comfortable with it—”
“No, I’m...that’s not it. I just...it’s...shit.” I turned to face him and slid the flower behind his ear. With the bun and the flower, he looked about as beautiful as a man could look. “It’s nice to know you feel strongly about me. I feel that too.”
He leaned in to steal a chaste kiss. “Say yes. Four days. That’s all. Just four days.” It was impossible to say no to eyes as bright and beseeching as his.
“Yes, I’ll ask Landon if I can have time off to—” His lips crashed over mine. We fell to the ground, mouths smashed together, the tickle of pink flowers and warm winds on our skin. I hoped that Kailey wouldn’t mind that I had brought Bishop to her shrine. Knowing her as I did, I had to think she would have giggled and clapped to see us kissing, just as she had when Devon and I had smooched in front of her. She had been pure love after all.
***
The next day I stood on my boss’s front porch, hat in hand, trying to figure out how to ask him for time off. Knowing ahead of time that he’d be all for it helped, but I still felt as if I were shirking my responsibilities. And I did not like that feeling. The big front door opened, and Landon motioned me in. I slipped around the man in the bathrobe, pausing just inside the foyer as piano music filtered through the massive log cabin.
“What the hell time do you get up?” Landon enquired, raking his hand over his mussy head.
“In time to see the sunrise,” I replied, still fidgeting with my Stetson. “I wanted to ask you about taking off a few days.” He stopped rubbing his belly, eyes widening, smile growing wide. For Christ’s sake. An eye roll right now would feel so damn good. “I wanted to clear it with you first before I asked Kyle to—”
“You don’t have to clear it with me,” he was quick to say.
“Well, yes, sir, I do. You’re the owner, and I—”
“Run the damn place. And please drop that sir stuff. Are you taking time off to be with Professor Bishop?”
Ugh. “Yes.” Might as well cop to it. There was no way to get around it unless I lied to the man, and I’d already done that about my reasons for being here. Landon clapped me on the shoulder, grabbed me by the neck, and led me through the big house to the music room. Montrell glanced up from his baby grand and flashed me a smile. Their calico cat, Lady Marmalade, who was lying around Montrell’s neck like a sable stole, mewed a greeting.
“Guess who’s going to...” Landon led me to the piano, his grip tight. Probably he was holding on in case I tried to bolt. “Where are you and the professor going? Did you say? I just rolled out. This late night bohemian musician’s lifestyle is exhausting. I used to be up and at the barn by nine every morning.”
“You weren’t complaining last night when I was—”
“Nate doesn’t need to hear what we were up to,” he said, releasing me to pad over to a wall of solid glass and throw open the sliding door. A soft whisper of wind blew into the room carrying the sweet scent of wildflowers. “The point is married life is wearing me out.” Landon flopped down into a dark blue sofa after pushing papers around. “So, where are you going?”
“California. It’s his mother’s birthday and—”
Montrell slung his long legs around, spinning himself around on the piano bench to face me. He seemed well at ease in my seeing him in his robe, which was much frillier than Landon’s plain green cotton one.
“He’s taking you home to mother?! That’s something big. Did you get her a gift? You should. Landon gave everyone in my family a little something the first time he met them,” he announced, the cat kneading his shoulder as he spoke.
“No, I haven’t had time yet to—”
“Make it something small but expensive and in good taste. Does she like watches? I find a good watch is always appreciated,” Landon said which then led the two of them into a rapid-fire discussion of the merits of a good timepiece. “Earrings are always nice. Is she plain or more professional?”
I shrugged. They both tsked me. I was about ready to throw myself through the screen door when Mona came pattering in with her tablet and a cup of tea.
“Did you ask Mr. Pearson about the Royal Goose cup?” she enquired of her boss.
Landon shook his head. “No, I’m not sure now is the right time. Nate is here to tell us about his trip with his new boyfriend to meet the boyfriend’s mother.”
“He’s not my boyfriend and it’s just a birthday party,” I hurried to explain. Again. “What about a goose cup?”
“Whenever someone takes someone to meet a mother it’s never a just.” Mona gave me that “I know what I’m talking about, cowboy” look. “The Royal Goose cup is a small silver cup, perhaps the size of my tea mug.” She held her cup aloft. “It was resting in the curio cabinet in the living room when we left. Upon returning Mr. Reece noticed that it was no longer in his cabinet of sporting prizes. We’ve contacted the cleaning company, and they have no clue where it could have gone but are questioning the staff who comes out weekly. Were you in the house while the Misters were in Europe?”
“Mona, please!” Landon huffed, pushing to his feet then stalking to the screen door where he drew in a few long breaths. “We’re not accusing anyone who works on the ranch. We know everyone here has been vetted properly.”
“So someone broke in and stole this little sterling silver cup from the curio?” I asked then glanced in the direction of the airy living room as if I were Clark Kent and could see through the walls. I knew the curio cabinet well. It was a huge wood and glass thi
ng that held pucks, sticks, and at least a hundred awards that Landon had garnered in his days in the NHL. “Wasn’t the house locked?”
“It was yes. Aside from the cleaning staff no one was in or out as far as we know,” Montrell interjected. “As Landon said, we’re not pointing fingers at any of the hands. We have total trust in all the men who work here. All are fine, upstanding young men with exemplary work ethics.”
“Other than the new one. Will Abbott,” Mona tossed out. Landon grunted by the door. Montrell rolled his lips over his teeth. I glanced from the musician back to Mona. “I’m not saying he did it, but he does have a history of thievery.”
“That doesn’t mean he stole it. And how the hell would he have gotten in?” Landon said, turning from the towering Tetons in the distance, his face tight. “No one other than the cleaning staff had a key. It’s no one on the ranch payroll.”
The three of them began a heated discussion about not ruling out anyone as I chewed on my thoughts, hat in hand.
“The ranch has been seeing an upswing in missing items over the past six to eight weeks,” I announced. The others fell silent. “Tools, bits of tack, various things from the bunkhouse such as phone chargers and loose change. Typical things that could be chalked up to careless young men. But this goose cup, this sounds like a step up in the petty larceny.”
“And all of the small thefts began when Will Abbott was signed on, is that correct?” Mona asked, doggedly snipping at the assumption that once a man was a thief, he was always a thief. As much as I hated adding fuel to her fire, I did have to bob my head. Will had started off his stay here by lifting a book from another hand’s nightstand. While that in no way cemented him as the light-fingered goose cup thief, it certainly wasn’t going to help persuade people of his innocence. I quickly told Landon about the book incident. His lips flattened. Mona stood by a table holding a stack of notes and half-completed songs, her lips resembling a papercut.
“I’ll speak with Will,” I announced.
Landon shook his head. “No one is accusing any of the men who work here. We’ll see what the cleaning company finds out. We’re also going to be installing some internal security cameras in various parts of the house. Saddens me to have to do that. The ones outside are bad enough. I assumed that out here in the country people wouldn’t be so damn sticky-fingered, but I guess I was wrong.”
“It happens, sir. I mean, Landon. City or country there’s always a few bad apples. Please let me know what your cleaning company uncovers. I’ll have Perry keep a tighter eye on Will for now.”
“Yeah, please, leave this with us.” Landon walked over to me. “It’s probably just a misunderstanding. Some poor woman more than likely took it out to dust and got sidetracked and placed it somewhere. I’m sure it will turn up. Go to the coast, enjoy the ocean, make love to the professor on the beach, drink a few Mai Tais, live a little. This will all be solved when you get back.”
Montrell nodded at his husband’s words. Mona didn’t seem to be convinced but she gave me a terse smile before I backed out of the music room on the pretext of having work to do. Which wasn’t a lie. I didn’t want to leave Kyle with a ton of paperwork when he’d been kind enough to cover me on this four day trip to La Jolla to meet my boyfriend’s mother and twin brother Armie. And Armie’s boyfriend Juan, and their pug dog Alphonse.
Standing on the white stones of the big house’s driveway, I put my hat back on, glanced at the Tetons, and admitted to myself that Mona was right. Will Abbott was the most likely suspect of the theft of the goose cup, and this trip to sunny California was beginning to feel like it was way more than a simple just.
Chapter Eleven
The flight out of Jackson Hole early the following Friday morning was smooth and short. Bishop chatted the entire two hours. He was still on a natural high from the safe transport of that trike skull and a slew of other smaller bones all neatly and carefully packaged and on their way to the university’s labs where they would meticulously extract, date, study, and try to reconstruct Finch. It had been many a year since I’d last flown, and as we banked to approach San Diego International, I had a rush of trepidation, excitement, and happiness. Yes, I was nervous about meeting his family, and all that it might mean to our relationship.
“...Scripps Beach has some amazing surfing. We can hit the beach early tomorrow then come home, wash the sand out of our cracks, and head to Reseda with Mom tomorrow morning. Armie and Juan are expecting us. We’ll do some touristy things, and we’ll have dinner at Juan’s restaurant. Afterward, we can go back to our hotel, let Mom deal with Alphonse and his constant farting, and then we’ll get all over each other because you need a good fuck by the looks of you.”
“What does that mean?”
He leaned over to whisper in my ear. “You’re tense.” I thought to argue. Instead, I looked out the window to enjoy the sights down below. He dropped a kiss to my shoulder. “My mother will love you. Armie will love you. Juan will love you. Hell, even Alphonse will love you!”
“I’m so much older than you,” I whispered as the wing leveled out to show me a beautiful city of tall buildings, marinas, and lots of ocean. “What will your mother think?”
“She’ll think you’re the perfect age for me just like I do. Oh hey, that’s Mission Beach.” He pointed at the window. “And over there is Fiesta Island. We’ll have to hit there tonight, maybe we can take Mom if she’s up for it. There’s a great bar slash restaurant there called Hankie’s. They have the best, and I mean the best milkshakes. And the blue cheese and bacon burgers are to die for!”
“Sounds great.” And it did but even as we rumbled in for the landing, I couldn’t help but worry over his mother’s face when she first saw me.
Turns out Diane Haney was a great deal like her son. She was blond with huge blue eyes, tall and lean, and talked at breakneck speed. She also loved to hug. The moment she spied her son in the terminal, she pushed through the throngs of travelers to reach her boy. I stood to the side, smiling, as she peppered his cheeks with kisses. Then, she turned her sights to me.
“Is this the good-looking silver fox cowboy who’s stolen your heart?” she asked Bishop, who nodded and grinned.
“Ma’am,” I replied as my sight burrowed into Bishop. What exactly had he told her about me? About us? Good-looking? “It’s a real pleasure to meet you. Thank you for having me.”
“Oh, you are one handsome devil! You remind me of that fellow on Mantracker but when you talk it’s all Sam Elliott! If only you were straight.” She sighed playfully then grabbed me, her arms going around my neck. The kisses followed. Bishop snickered then pried his mother off so I could right myself. “I cannot tell you how happy I am to see that Bishop has finally found a mature man he liked enough to bring home.” She took my arm and led me through the airport, talking steadily about boyfriends, sailfish, chocolate cookies, and something about Canadian TV shows that left her with the urge to move north. “Have you ever wanted to just pick up roots and go somewhere you’ve never been before?”
“Yes, ma’am, I have a time or two.”
***
Diane’s house was not far from the airport, only twenty minutes or so, and was part of a small congregation of tiny homes that looked like an old retirement community that had been flipped. The housing park preferred to call them “Sunrise Cottages” but whatever the term was, they were all the same aside from different siding and shutter colors. Each house had a yard. Just.
“We’re not in Wyoming anymore, Toto,” I whispered to Bishop after admiring the palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze. He smiled then tossed my carry-on bag to me.
Still, once we got settled in the charming little home, I could see the appeal. I supposed. According to Diane, everything was included in the rental fees and there was public transportation that whisked her and her friends into San Diego. Still, the homes sitting so close to each other made me feel boxed in.
“You two are in here,” she led us to a sunny back bedroom
with bunkbeds. One wall was covered with dinosaur posters and the other had the Pussycat Dolls from ceiling to floor. It was obvious who had grown up in this room. “We’ll do a light lunch. I’m sure Bishop wants to hit the beach.”
“She knows me so well,” he said, grabbing her to hug her close. They were so demonstrative. It was alien to me. My family was not at all like this even before my gayness was an issue. Diane laughed then bussed us on the cheek before scurrying off to the kitchen.
“In case you didn’t notice this side of the room was mine.” He motioned to the dino wall coverings. “And that wall was Armie’s. He still has a thing for the Pussycat Dolls. Wanted to be one when he was fourteen. Knew all the lyrics to all the songs. I don’t know how many letters he wrote begging to allow him to be the lone male member.”
“Did they ever call?”
“No, never. Poor boy was crushed, but his love of girl bands and makeup lives on. I’m on top.”
“I assumed that much,” I tossed out.
“You know me well too,” he replied then chucked his bag to the floor under the window.
I placed my bag on the end of the bed and unzipped it. Bishop chattered nonstop, mostly about the beach, the waves, the sun, and the sand. We changed into swimsuits, his lower lip coming out when he saw my baggy trunks instead of a Speedo. Over those we tugged on tank tops and slid sandals on. Lunch was a chef salad. I ate and listened. Diane and Bishop talked enough for all three of us. I wasn’t sure how to wedge a word in, so I simply chewed and nodded.
After the meal, Bishop bounded into the garage, slipping around his mother’s tiny Subaru, to where there were several surfboards resting on racks. He shimmied up onto the hood of the car, removed two boards, one yellow and one white, and handed them to me. Then we spent a few minutes waxing the long boards, which seemed dangerous to me. I mean, how were we to stand on waxy, slippery boards? Bishop explained that waxing a board was not like waxing a car. Surfboard waxing applied an anti-slip surface for your feet.
“The beach is only a short walk,” he stated after the waxing was completed. Boards under our arms, our noses white with sunscreen, we set off for the beach. “This isn’t what the whole of La Jolla looks like,” he explained as we made our way through the weaving roads of El Destiny Cottage Community. “There are places like Bird Rock with mansions that cost millions sitting right on the beach.”