Dreamspinner Press Year Nine Greatest Hits

by Michael Murphy

  After a long silence, she cracked. “What’s your point?”

  “My point is that I’m a lucky man. This morning my car quit on me. And even though I wasn’t in nearly such a bad situation as I was back in Wyoming, Shane stepped in and gave me a hand. Found me a job and a place to stay. Your brother is a good man.”

  “I know that,” she said. She played with her straw for a moment before looking at him again. “Why are you here?”

  “I was passing through. My car broke down. Shane offered to find me this gig.”

  “And how did you meet Shane?”

  He considered telling her it had been an online hookup, but thought better of it. She didn’t look in any mood to appreciate a joke. “I had some coffee here last night. This morning I was having breakfast at Mae’s and he shared my table. We got to talking.”

  “Where did you sleep last night?”

  Jimmy imagined that she was a tough teacher and that her students never got away with passing notes or cheating on tests. “In my car.”

  Her expression might have softened a tiny bit, but she didn’t relent. “And what do you want?”

  “That’s a pretty deep philosophical question, isn’t it? Right now, nothing much. A warm bed, a place to shower, a job to keep me busy.” And to fuck your brother, he didn’t add. “But if you don’t mind me asking, what business is it of yours? As Shane pointed out, he’s an adult. Why’s the whole family getting up in his business?”

  At first she didn’t answer. She fiddled with the straw wrapper for a bit, glancing every now and then at Shane, who was now chatting with a couple of customers. Then she sighed again, very deeply. “He was in a car accident. It was… almost ten years ago now, I guess. But it was really bad. They thought he was going to die.”

  Ridiculously, her statements made Jimmy’s stomach clench. “But he didn’t,” he pointed out.

  “No. But he was all messed up. Rehab took a long time, a lot of surgeries, and the doctors said he’d never heal completely. He’s always going to limp, and… he doesn’t complain, but I know he’s in pain. That’s never going to go away. He had to give up working on the ranch, and he loved that place so much.”

  Gently, Jimmy said, “I’m not going to break him.”

  Charlie shook her head. “No, that’s not…. He had a head injury too. A brain injury. He was in a coma, and when he woke up….” Her voice almost broke, but she got control of it. She was a tough woman. Strong. “He could hardly do anything when he woke up. He had to relearn so much. And he’s come a long way. But he still has seizures every once in a while. Bad ones. And he has… the doctors call them cognitive deficits.”

  “He’s not stupid.”

  “No, he’s not. And he used to love to read. But he can’t process written information very well. Learning new things is tough for him too. And sometimes his judgment isn’t so great. I worry that maybe he’s a little too trusting.” She swiveled on her stool to look Jimmy straight in the face. “We love him, and we want him to be happy and well. But there are a lot of us, mister, and every one of us will fight like hell to make sure he doesn’t get hurt. You understand?”

  “Yeah.” And knowing that Shane had a fierce army on his side made Jimmy’s heart ache with relief and longing. “And I can promise you now, I have no intention of hurting him. I’m a drifter, a man of no account. You’ve figured that out already. But I’m not dangerous. I’m truly not.”

  She had no reason to believe him and she still didn’t smile, but the angle of her shoulders softened just a little. She wiped her mouth with her hand.

  “I’m gonna tell you something else,” Jimmy said. “I’m not educated. But I’ve seen a lot of things. And if you don’t mind my saying so, I know men. Your brother’s strong and prideful. I suspect it runs in the family. You have to give him room to make some mistakes. If you smother him with concern, you’re gonna end up driving him away or just plain breaking him. He sure as hell doesn’t deserve that.”

  Shane had given up all pretense of disinterest. He leaned against the far wall, between the big front windows, and watched them. He was twisting the life out of his towel.

  Something thawed in Charlie, just a little bit. She blinked rapidly a few times and exhaled loudly. “I have to go. If there’s one thing you don’t want to do, it’s face a room of ten-year-olds when you’re exhausted.” She dug in her purse for a wallet, extricated a five-dollar bill, and set it on the counter. Then she hefted the purse over her shoulder and stood. “Thank you for talking to me tonight, Jimmy. I’m sorry I wasn’t nicer.”

  “You love your brother. I understand. He’s lucky to have you.”

  Charlie detoured by Shane as she left. They spent a moment or two in quiet conversation, but Shane’s eyes never left Jimmy, and the anxious expression never lifted from his face. As soon as she was gone, he hurried over.

  “You have quite a family,” Jimmy said. He was more than a little envious. “I have the feeling you all have a little of Rattlesnake Murray in you.”

  “She didn’t have to come here.”

  “No, she didn’t. But I guess she felt otherwise. I’ve heard that love can make people see the world real funny.”

  Shane looked away, his jaw working, and then turned his head back. “You haven’t taken off running.”

  “I’m feeling pretty comfortable where I am.”

  “But she told you—”

  “She told me you got banged up some, a while back. I could’ve figured that much out myself.”

  Shane traced the scars on his face. “Yeah. They think I’m stupid, Jimmy.”

  “No.” Jimmy caught his wrist. “They came really close to losing you and they’re scared it’s going to happen again. It’s like… I knew this man once. A bum like me. But he had a dog. Just a mutt, I guess, but he loved that mutt like anything. She was his whole life. She didn’t have a leash or anything, but she always followed him real close. No matter how hungry he was, he’d always feed his dog first, even if it meant the man went without. He probably hadn’t seen a doctor in years, but if that dog so much as coughed, he’d find a vet clinic and spend his last dime getting her seen to. And then one day he got busted for vagrancy or some shit like that, and when the cops took him in, they just left his dog there. He got out of jail the next day, but she was gone. He was about ready to throw himself in front of a train. He spent days combing the streets for her, asking every person he passed.”

  “Did he find her?” Shane asked.

  “Yeah, he did. She was in the animal shelter. He had a hard time getting them to release her to him, but I guess they finally saw how desperate he was and they let her go. And the first thing he did was buy a leash, a real strong one. He wrapped the end of the leash around his fist and never let it go, not for one second.”

  Shane looked a little bemused. “I’m that dog?”

  “When someone comes that close to losing something they love so much, that’s not something they’re going to forget. They’re going to stick close. They’re going to hold it tight.” He held up a clenched fist in demonstration.

  Shane took that fist and gently unfolded it to reveal an empty hand. “What do you hold tight to?” he asked.

  Jimmy grinned. “Nothing.”

  After that Shane refilled Jimmy’s coffee and returned to his bartending duties. He still smiled at the customers, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Jimmy’s stories were the only things that brightened him a bit—tales about a fishing boat in Alaska that nearly capsized, a state fair where Jimmy had sold fried Twinkies, and an old lady in New York who’d banged on a taxi’s hood with her purse when the cab had tried to turn the corner.

  But Jimmy hadn’t slept well the night before, and it had been an eventful day. Even the coffee didn’t keep his eyelids from growing heavy. He took some money from his wallet and set it on the counter, then stood. “I’m gonna turn in.”

  Shane picked up the bills and stuffed them into Jimmy’s pocket, making Jimmy laugh and squirm. �
�Nonbooze drinks are on the house,” Shane said. “It’s a perk of the job.”

  “Says you or Aunt Belinda?”

  The sparkle finally returned to Shane’s eyes. “Says the bartender. Aunt Belinda never needs to know.”

  “Your own sister had to pay for her Coke.”

  “She’s not an employee.” He leaned in close enough to whisper in Jimmy’s ear. “Are you sure you need to go to sleep now?”

  Jimmy’s dick woke up and took notice. “Why? What did you have in mind? More teasing?”

  “Maybe just a little. But you didn’t hightail it out of here after Charlie dug her claws into you, and I think your persistence needs rewarding.” His whisper was almost a purr.

  “I think… I could stay up for a while. If the reward was right.” Actually, staying up was not a problem. Uncomfortably tight jeans were.

  “I don’t close until one, and then it takes me a little while to shut down. I’ll come to your room. I have a master key and I can let myself in. If that’s all right.”

  “That’s definitely all right.”

  Shane grinned and snuffled at Jimmy’s hair. “Good.”

  But Jimmy had a sudden thought. “Um, do you have rubbers? Because—”

  “Yes.” He chuckled. “Sometimes guests leave them behind. Unused ones, still in their packages and all. And Grisel and Candy—they’re the maids—when they find them, they give them to me. It’s sort of a running joke. I have quite a collection.” He winked. “I’ll bring a few.”

  Fuck.

  Chapter Nine

  WALKING A little stiffly, Jimmy left the bar. Belinda was gone from the lobby, replaced by a doughy young man with wisps of blond hair, who was reading a paperback. He looked up at Jimmy.

  “You’re James Dorsett,” the kid announced, not sounding particularly interested.

  “Jimmy, yeah. Belinda told you about me?”

  “She said you’re working and living here. For now.”

  “Yep.”

  The kid nodded. “She said if something breaks at night and it’s important, I should wake you up to fix it.”

  Fair enough. “Okay. And you are?”

  “Frank. I’m the night desk clerk,” he added unnecessarily.

  “Are you a relative of Shane’s too?”

  “Naw.”

  Well, that was a relief. It was good to know at least one person in Rattlesnake wasn’t a member of the extended clan. “Well, I’m going to sleep. So wake me up if the world’s ending, I suppose.”

  “Okay.”

  Night clerk at the Rattlesnake Inn probably wasn’t the most mentally demanding job.

  Back in his room, Jimmy spent more time contemplating his reflection. Not out of vanity, but because he hoped if he glared at himself long enough, he’d find some answers to the confusion in his head. But stare as he might, he still didn’t understand why he was sticking around town, why Belinda and Charlie’s antipathy hadn’t chased him away, why his blood rushed hotly in his veins whenever he thought about Shane.

  And speaking of hot blood, a lot of it had flowed to his groin, and he considered jerking off for the second time that day. The last time he’d spanked the monkey twice in such a short span of time had been… well, a long time ago.

  In the end, though, he resisted the urge. He lay down on his bed fully clothed and attempted to read, appreciating the nice mattress and fluffy pillows. He usually found Stephen King novels engrossing. The man could write. But tonight Jimmy’s thoughts kept straying from the page to the events of the day. He also thought about Tom’s letter, now in the closet in his jacket pocket. He needed to give the damn thing to Shane. Except if he did that now, Shane would learn that Jimmy’s claim to have accidentally wandered into Rattlesnake was a lie. He’d learn that Jimmy knew more about him than he’d been letting on. And that would be it. Jimmy wouldn’t have Shane—wouldn’t get laid.

  He fetched the remote control from the armoire and switched on the TV. Belinda must be springing for a good cable package, because he found a lot of channels, including HBO and Showtime. Nothing caught his interest, though. He wasn’t much of a television watcher, never had been. When he was a kid, they didn’t often have a set, or if they did, it transmitted static more than anything else. And as an adult, well, he never stuck around long enough to figure out what was going on in a series. As soon as he started to understand the plot and who the characters were, he’d end up somewhere with no TV for a while, and then he’d get too far behind to bother catching up.

  Tonight he ended up clicking the set off and just lying there.

  The old hotel made noises at night. Footsteps from the room upstairs, plumbing whooshing, a fan cycling on and off. Somewhere nearby, a door creaked loudly. Maybe tomorrow Jimmy could figure out which one and see if some WD-40 would help. Outside, a car with a faulty muffler rumbled down Main Street. He wondered where it was heading. No couples screamed at one another, no hungry babies cried inconsolably, no sirens wailed, no gunshots echoed. He could almost imagine that the inn was a magical place—that the town was a magical place—where all the family members loved one another and protected one another fiercely. Where people found happiness unhaunted by demons. Where the food was always delicious and the bartenders always kind and handsome and interested in middle-aged vagrants.

  Yeah, and the ranches were full of rainbow-farting unicorns.

  Jimmy might have dozed a little, but when his door creaked open, he snapped very wide-awake. The hallway light outlined Shane for a moment before he closed the door; then he shuffled quietly to the bed. Feigning sleep, Jimmy waited to see what Shane would do.

  Shane must have removed his boots in the hallway, because now he dropped them to the floor with a muted thump. Cloth rustled. Jimmy imagined him shrugging out of the Pendleton shirt, peeling off his tee. When Jimmy heard the soft snick of a zipper being lowered, his mouth went dry. Shane grunted as he removed his jeans. Painful, probably. Bending seemed hard on him.

  But then the mattress dipped as Shane climbed aboard, and he pressed himself tightly against Jimmy’s back, snuffling at his hair. “Awake?” Shane’s breath was minty, as if he’d just brushed his teeth. For no good reason at all, that fact made Jimmy’s heart speed.

  Jimmy rolled over. “I am now.”

  “But you’re dressed. That’s not fair.”

  With Shane’s help, Jimmy tugged off his T-shirt and tossed it aside. He reached to unbutton his jeans, but Shane pushed his hands away, making Jimmy hiss as he lowered the zipper. After a bit more fumbling, they were both naked except for their socks. Which was slightly absurd, but Jimmy was in no mood to complain. Not when Shane was kissing him and squeezing his ass with hands that, yes indeed, felt nicely rough and calloused. Jimmy knotted his fingers in Shane’s soft hair and tried not to embarrass himself.

  “What do you like?” Shane rasped into his ear.

  Because Shane continued to stroke and knead, Jimmy found answering difficult. “N-not picky.” He couldn’t decide whether to buck his hips forward in the hope of feeling Shane’s cock against his or to push back into Shane’s caresses.

  “Can I fuck you?”

  “God, yes.” Jimmy wasn’t the begging type, but he had the feeling Shane could get him pleading and promising with very little effort. The man was good with his hands. And with his mouth. Jimmy soaked up the contact the way a desert soaks up rain.

  With a satisfied little growl, Shane pushed Jimmy onto his back, then lay on top of him. Nice, but even nicer was when Shane sucked and nibbled at Jimmy’s nipples until Jimmy writhed and whined. And just when Jimmy couldn’t take any more, when he was arching his hips trying to rub his cock against any part of Shane he could reach, Shane gave an evil chuckle and worked his way southward. He licked Jimmy’s belly and hips and, when Jimmy splayed his legs shamelessly, smoothed the insides of his thighs. Jimmy wasn’t used to this much attention. It made him dizzy.

  “Sh-Shane,” he groaned.

  Shane kissed the crease where Jimm
y’s leg joined his torso. “I told you. It’s better if you wait.” And he resumed his torture, blowing on Jimmy’s glans without touching it, slowly stroking Jimmy’s balls. Jimmy wanted to hold Shane’s hair but was afraid he’d tug too hard, so instead he grabbed fistfuls of the duvet and tilted his head back, listening to the rasp of his own breaths.

  When Shane lightly rubbed a finger the length of Jimmy’s cock and along the damp tip, Jimmy very nearly came. But then Shane took his finger away. Jimmy would have complained, except Shane traced the rim of Jimmy’s sensitive hole and—very slowly—slipped inside, using Jimmy’s precome to ease his way.

  “Oh, God.”

  “Does that hurt?” Shane asked.

  “Not enough. More.”

  “Wait.” Shane sounded like he was trying not to laugh. But then he wasn’t the one laid out, hard and wanting, while someone stroked his prostate with a long finger and mouthed teasingly at his pulsing shaft. Jimmy tried to wait, but he’d never been good at that, and when he had something as good as this, he wanted to grab it real quick before it went away.

  Real quick was not in Shane’s repertoire. He worked his finger in and not quite out and tickled the hairs on Jimmy’s thighs, and only after a century and a half had passed did he again touch Jimmy’s cock and then add a second finger inside, making Jimmy bite his lip and whimper.

  “Are you ready?” asked Shane a thousand years later.

  “Been ready since you walked in the door.”

  Shane chuckled and licked Jimmy’s hip. But then he went still. “I’m, um, not very flexible….”

  At this point, Jimmy would gladly have bent himself in half if that was what it took. Instead he shuddered at Shane’s touch. “Where’s the rubber?”

  Shane had to get off the bed and fumble in his clothing, which gave Jimmy the chance to sit up. When Shane came close to the bed, Jimmy reached blindly for him—the room was very dark—and he was lucky to catch his hips. He drew Shane close, stroking tender skin with his thumbs.