by Ariel Tachna
Thorne and Ian exchanged amused glances. “Snared,” Thorne repeated.
“Who’s snared?” Neil asked as he walked in the door with the rest of the year-rounders.
“Nobody,” Walker said as Thorne pointed straight at him.
“Who did the snaring?” Neil asked as if Walker hadn’t spoken.
“I’m not snared,” Walker said again.
“The cook at Taylor Peak,” Sam said. “He’ll tell you it’s just because she doesn’t care if he sits in there, but the rest of us know the truth.”
“That gives us another reason to celebrate,” Caine said. “I don’t have enough champagne flutes for everyone, but I don’t suppose anyone will complain about having it in regular glasses, will they?”
“What are we celebrating?” Seth asked.
Jeremy smiled to see him looking relatively relaxed and standing at Jason’s side like he belonged there. Whatever bump in their road had sent Seth running to Taylor Peak, they seemed to have resolved it.
“Let me pour the champagne and I’ll tell you,” Caine said. Macklin took the glasses and passed them out while Caine poured the sparkling wine for everyone. Once everyone had some, Caine stepped back toward the stone fireplace that dominated one wall of the room. “This is probably Sam and Jeremy’s news to tell instead of mine, but I’m going to tell you anyway. We just signed a partnership with Taylor Peak with the goal of ultimately running the two stations as one large spread, with Sam and Jeremy, Walker, and Macklin and myself as the governing board. In the short term, while we go through the steps to get Taylor Peak certified as organic, very little will change. Eventually, though, we’ll be looking at merging the mobs and staff to increase efficiency. You all will be the backbone of that, and knowing we have all of you to rely on made this decision one of the easiest I’ve ever made. Here’s to Sam and Jeremy and a new era in the neighborhood.”
Everyone cheered and drank, but when they were done, Jeremy clinked his glass to get their attention.
“Caine talks like we’re doing him a favor,” Jeremy said when he had their attention, “but the reality is that he and Macklin and Walker are the ones doing Sam and me a favor. Things aren’t good on Taylor Peak. Devlin was cutting corners left and right, trying to make up for several bad years in a row. With the investment from Walker and Lang Downs, we can put things right and move forward toward making Taylor Peak profitable again for everyone. Caine may say it was the easiest decision he’s ever made, but it’s a show of incredible faith from where I’m sitting. I’m not surprised, since he’s gambled on all of us at one time or another, but it doesn’t make it any less humbling that he’s gambling on us now.” He lifted his glass. “To Caine.”
The cheers this time were deafening. Good, Jeremy thought. Caine deserved it. He’d say he was only doing what anyone would do, but Jeremy had plenty of experience with “anyone,” and Caine didn’t fit any definition of that word.
“You realize you’re probably going to lose a second round of jackaroos when you tell the blokes at Taylor Peak,” Neil said. “Some of them objected to having the station owned by two poofters. Don’t hit me, Molly, that’s what they said.” Jeremy snickered at the way Neil instinctively dodged Molly’s hand the moment the derogative term left his mouth. “But even more common was the objection that Lang Downs was taking over. I’d have stayed longer otherwise, but I was obviously making things worse instead of better.”
“The thought has occurred,” Sam said, “but the choice was losing jackaroos or losing the station. If we lose enough men that we’re dangerously shorthanded, we’ll look into options to share the crew between both stations now instead of later.”
“Who are you more in danger of losing?” Thorne asked. “Crew bosses and year-rounders or seasonal jackaroos?”
“My impression is most of the seasonal jackaroos are new to Taylor Peak,” Jeremy said. “They don’t care about the rivalry with Lang Downs because they haven’t been around to really know it existed. Some of them had issues with Sam and me being together, but they either left or they’ve accepted it enough to finish the season. I don’t see them having a problem with anything that guarantees they get paid. It’s the year-rounders we risk losing now because they’re the ones who absorbed Devlin’s animosity.”
“There are enough of us to send an extra crew boss a day on our days off without impacting Lang Downs at all,” Thorne said as he looked around the gathering.
“Or to send each of you not on your day off without unduly impacting Lang Downs,” Macklin interjected. “Not that many of you take your days off regularly anyway, but that’s a different discussion. If you want to use your day off as a second day at Taylor Peak, that’s up to you.”
Macklin didn’t qualify as “anyone” either. Jeremy didn’t know what he’d done to deserve such amazing friends, but he would always be grateful for them.
“Do you need bodies?” Caine asked. “Do we need to assign some of the seasonal jackaroos to Taylor Peak to balance out your crews? Or is it the leadership you need most?”
“Right now we’re holding it together,” Walker said. “We may lose a few year-rounders, but I think most of them will give us a chance to prove nothing has changed. They may not have the same sense of family that you have here, but they’ve still built lives for themselves on Taylor Peak. They have houses and the like. The seasonal jackaroos almost all have winter accommodations they can return to, but the year-rounders may not have anywhere else to go without some planning first. And if they stay long enough to make those plans, we might convince them nothing has changed. As much as I appreciate everyone’s offers of help, I think it would be less disruptive if we changed as little as possible beyond what we’ve already done until it becomes necessary. We’ll be better off in the long run if the crew bosses at Taylor Peak step up and do the job, and that’s more likely to happen if they don’t feel like we’ve already started replacing them.”
“That makes sense,” Caine said. “My inclination is always to help—and I hope you’ll take us up on our offer of help if you need it. I just forget help isn’t always necessary or appreciated.”
“It’s appreciated,” Jeremy said. “Don’t ever think it’s not. But Walker is right. If we can ease the year-rounders into the merger, it might go over more easily. It might also go over more easily for things like Jason coming to take care of the vet needs and Seth coming to work on the equipment. They aren’t taking jobs from anyone on Taylor Peak since Devlin called in a vet when he needed one and didn’t seem to bother with routine maintenance, only with calling a mechanic in if something broke too badly for him to fix it. It also helps that they’re younger and less established here. I know they’re as much a part of Lang Downs as any of us, but the men will look at them and assume they’re new to the station.”
“I’m happy to help,” Seth said, “but I don’t want to stay for several days like I did last time, if I can avoid it. I finally have a place of my own. I want to come home to it every night.”
“We’ll be thankful for any hours you can give us,” Sam said. “We’ll also come by the house before we head back to Taylor Peak and pick up anything that’s left. I hope you’ll be as happy there as we were.”
“Cheers,” Jason said as he put an arm around Seth’s waist. “We’ll certainly try.”
“We’re about to have hungry men waiting for dinner,” Kami interrupted. “We’ll see you over there.”
Everyone else finished their drinks and headed toward the canteen as well. “You should stay for dinner,” Caine said to Sam and Jeremy. “You can be here for the announcement for the jackaroos, many of whom you worked with, and you can get your things from your house after that. No reason to drive home hungry.”
“Not to mention Kami’s a better cook than Phil. Don’t get me wrong. She puts a good meal on the table, but it’s not the same,” Jeremy said.
Caine grinned. “All the more reason to stay, then.”
They trooped over to the canteen
and joined the serving line. Jeremy didn’t worry about being last. Kami always made more than enough, something Jeremy had taken pains to pass on to Phil. Devlin might have skimped on orders for provisions, but Jeremy wouldn’t do the same. The men needed to eat and eat well if they were going to work as hard as Jeremy expected them to. It had been one of the few changes he’d made that had won instant approval.
After everyone had been through the line, Caine stood and moved to the front of the room.
“If I can have everyone’s attention for a moment,” he called. The noise quieted down as jackaroos turned from their plates to look at Caine. “We’re happy to announce tonight that Taylor Peak and Lang Downs have entered a cooperative partnership with the long-term goal of running the two stations as a single entity. For most of you, that will have little impact on your daily routine. We may ask a few of you to take some shifts at Taylor Peak over the course of the summer, but that would be in place of your regular shifts here, not in addition to them. If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them individually.”
Caine returned to his seat with Sam, Jeremy, Macklin, and Walker.
“That was easy,” Sam said when Caine was settled.
“No reason for it to be anything else,” Caine said. “It doesn’t really affect them.”
“Excuse me.”
They looked up to see Cooper standing near their table. “Did you have a question about the partnership, Cooper?”
“Not a question, really,” Cooper said, shifting from one foot to the other. “Just… well, if you’re looking for people to cover at Taylor Peak, I’d like to volunteer. It’s….” He glanced toward where Seth and Jason were sitting. “It’s not exactly comfortable here for me these days. I’m glad they’re happy, but I don’t need to have it rubbed in my face all the time.”
“You’re welcome to come to Taylor Peak if Caine and Macklin can spare you,” Jeremy said.
“Of course,” Caine replied. “We wish you all the best.”
“If you can pack up tonight, you can ride back with us,” Walker offered. “Or you can come tomorrow or whenever you’re ready.”
“I’ll be ready,” Cooper said.
“JASON, COULD I have a word?”
Jason looked up at the sound of Cooper’s voice. Beside him, Seth tensed. Jason squeezed Seth’s thigh in reassurance. “What can I do for you, Cooper?” It was the first time Cooper had approached him since their rather public breakup. Jason wasn’t sure what Cooper wanted now, but he would hear him out.
“I talked to Sam and Jeremy. I’m going to transfer to Taylor Peak for the rest of the season,” Cooper said. “I just wanted to say good-bye.”
“You don’t have to leave on our account,” Jason said. “We never meant to make you uncomfortable.”
“I know you didn’t, but this will be better for everyone. I wish you all the best.”
“Cheers,” Seth said. He stood and offered Cooper his hand. “Good luck on Taylor Peak.”
Jason held his breath for the moment it took Cooper to shake Seth’s hand. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Cooper refused. Without intending to, they had embarrassed Cooper pretty publicly. He’d worried that would cause problems at inconvenient times.
Cooper left after that and Seth sat back down. “I’m proud of you for not gloating,” Jason murmured.
Seth grinned at him, the light in his eyes sending desire curling along Jason’s skin. “You can show me how proud you are later,” he murmured just loud enough for Jason to hear. “You keep promising to ride me.”
“You keep taking over,” Jason retorted. Seth might claim to know nothing about sex between two men, but he’d taken to it with gratifying ease. Jason hadn’t sat a horse comfortably since Seth moved back from Taylor Peak. Not that he was complaining.
Seth’s grin turned into a self-satisfied smirk that Jason wanted to wipe right off his face. He hoped Sam and Jeremy got the rest of their belongings quickly because Jason had plans for tonight, plans that involved him and Seth and an otherwise empty house.
Twenty-One
LIGHTNING FLASHED ominously across the sky as Seth closed up the tractor shed for the evening. He’d spent the day doing routine maintenance on the utes no one was using—oil changes, spark plugs, and the like. It wasn’t difficult work, but it had kept his hands busy. Jason had left right after breakfast to go to Davidson Springs, the station north of Taylor Peak, on a vet call. He’d been so excited to be called by a grazier who wasn’t family—he’d expected it to take longer than the four months since he came home—and he’d told Seth he’d be gone most of the day and not to worry, but it hadn’t made it any easier for Seth to watch Jason drive away that morning.
“He’s working, not leaving,” Seth had repeated frequently throughout the day when no one was around to hear him. Another roll of thunder rumbled over the hills.
“Seth!”
Seth turned at the sound of his name. “Yes, Macklin?”
“There’s a storm blowing in. The weather radio says it’s a bad one. I’ve radioed everyone out in the paddocks to go to ground wherever’s closest, but that means we’ve got to shut things up down here. Get everyone you see and tell them to close windows and shutters on all utes and buildings. Anything that might get blown around needs to be moved inside, either in a house or in the tractor shed. I’m going to move the horses into the shearing shed.”
Adrenaline burst through Seth’s system, making his fingers tingle and his skin feel tight. Macklin never ordered the horses brought inside. They were working animals, perfectly capable of dealing with a little rain or even snow. He eyed the horizon where the storm hovered, full of harnessed fury waiting to be unleashed. Drive safely, Jason.
“Has anyone tried to reach Jason to tell him not to try to get home?” Seth asked. “If it’s going to be as bad as you say, he should stay at Davidson Springs and come home tomorrow.”
“Go call him,” Macklin said. “Then you can help get everything ready.”
Seth sprinted for the house. He’d left his cell there that morning so he couldn’t compulsively check for messages all day. Now he wished he hadn’t. Having it on him would have saved him the time it took him to get to the house. He ran into the bedroom and grabbed the phone from the dresser. He had a text from Jason saying he’d reached Davidson Springs that morning, but nothing else. Hoping that meant Jason was still there, he called Jason’s number, but it flipped straight to voice mail.
“Fuck,” he muttered. He sent Jason a text telling him to stay put and ran for the main house.
“Caine!”
“I’m here,” Caine said from the back veranda. “I’m closing up windows. What’s wrong?”
“Do you have the number for Davidson Springs? Jason is there and I need to tell him to stay there until the storm passes or even until morning.”
“You don’t think he has enough sense to make that decision on his own?” Caine asked.
“Probably, but I’d feel better if I knew he’d got the message.”
“The number is in the office. There’s an old Rolodex that belonged to Uncle Michael. I keep it as a backup in case something happens to my cell. Out here, you never know.”
“Thanks,” Seth said. He ran into the office and flipped through the cards until he found the one he was looking for. He punched in the number with trembling fingers and waited for someone to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Hello, this is Seth Simms from Lang Downs. Is Dr. Thompson still there?”
“No, he left about an hour ago. He was hoping to beat the storm.”
“Thanks,” Seth said around the agonizing tightness in his chest and throat. It would take Jason at least two hours to get back even if the storm didn’t slow him down, which meant he would almost certainly be caught out in it. He sent another quick text to Jason.
Find shelter wherever you are. Text me that you’re safe.
He tucked his phone into his pocket where he’d feel the vibration even if
he couldn’t hear the chime when a new message came in. Worrying about Jason wouldn’t do any good, and they had a station to prepare for the storm.
The wind had picked up when Seth stepped back outside. A quick glance around the station showed men working on closing up various buildings, so Seth headed back to his and Jason’s house. He’d shutter the windows and pull the chairs Ian had made inside. The table wouldn’t fit, but he’d flip it over and hopefully it would be heavy enough not to blow away. Lightning crackled across the sky, visibly closer than before. Seth picked up the pace until he reached the shelter of the veranda. Even there, the wind buffeted him from all directions: not quite hard enough to knock him off his feet, but definitely enough to make him feel it.
When the house was secure, he dashed toward Chris and Jesse’s house. He hadn’t paid much attention that morning to who had been assigned to ride out and who was staying closer to home. If they were out in the paddocks, he needed to make sure their house was secure too. He found Chris on the veranda fighting with one of the shutters. He added his weight to Chris’s and it finally swung shut. “Get Jesse to fix that hinge when the storm passes,” Seth shouted over the sound of the wind.
“I will,” Chris said. “Have you checked Thorne and Ian’s house?”
“No, Caine was working at the big house, and I’ve done my house, but that’s it.”
“Check Thorne and Ian’s house and then the others. I’m going to check on Molly and the kids,” Chris yelled.
Seth nodded and headed toward Thorne and Ian’s house. Raindrops splattered his shoulders as he ran. He should have grabbed his drizabone when he was at the house, but he hadn’t expected the rain to start this soon. Thorne and Ian’s house was already closed up, whether by them or someone else, so he ran on to the next. He was on his way to the tractor shed to make sure it was secured when Macklin intercepted him.