Sunset Ridge

by Carol Lynne

  With a dramatic sigh, Raleigh looked up at Gray. “Ram told me how important Mr Carlson’s business was to the ranch. You know I can act like an adult if you treat me like one.”

  Gray gave a quick nod. “I’ll remember that.” He started to close the door. “Good night, pumpkin.”

  “Good night, Uncle Gray. You know it’s been a while since you’ve called me pumpkin. I’ve missed it.”

  Gray paused before closing the door entirely. “I’ve missed it, too.” He smiled at Raleigh before shutting the door. He wondered if Ram was responsible for Raleigh’s new attitude.

  He turned out the lights and shut his own bedroom door before leaving the house. He climbed the stairs to Ram’s apartment and knocked. The nice thing about the bunkhouse was that it wasn’t visible from the garage so he didn’t need to worry about the hands seeing him enter Ram’s home.

  In one swift moment, the door opened and Ram reached out to pull Gray inside. He shut the door and pressed Gray against it. “I thought you’d never get here,” Ram said just before slamming his mouth against Gray’s.

  Gray wrapped his arms around Ram and held on. He had a lot to talk about, but his manager seemed to have other ideas. Accepting Ram’s kiss, Gray realised it was the best part of his day. He hated leaving in the middle of the night to go back to his room before Raleigh woke up. Hours had been spent daydreaming about a life out of the closet lately, but he couldn’t do it until he was positive things would work out with Ram.

  Ram ground himself against Gray as the kiss continued. Gray had no doubt the front of his pants were wet with pre-cum by the time their lip-lock ended. “Guess that means you’re happy to see me,” Gray gasped.

  Ram rubbed his erection against Gray’s. “It went well with Carlson, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it did. He promised to call me first thing next week.” Gray reached between them and unzipped his dress pants. “He’s agreed to pay a deposit, but we won’t get the rest of the money until January when the ladies drop their foals.”

  Gray still couldn’t believe it. Andrew Carlson was almost too good to be true. For years Gray had watched his father try to break into the upper circles of the racehorse community to no avail. Sunset Ridge Stables had always done well, but most of the money had been hard won. The deal with Carlson for all the Thoroughbreds sired by He’s a Champion would be enough to completely pay off the mortgage he’d taken out to buy the prize-winning racehorse, as well as buy the two Barb stallions he still had his eye on. At the time, his dad had called him a fool for risking his inheritance, but Gray had always believed you had to spend money to make it.

  “It’s the biggest deal this ranch has ever seen,” Gray said as Ram wrapped a hand around his cock. “It still doesn’t seem real.”

  “It’s real,” Ram assured him. “Although Carlson tried to play it cool, I could see how impressed he was with the operation you’ve built up.”

  Gray smiled. “Probably didn’t hurt that Andrew’s father let He’s a Champion slip through his fingers.”

  Despite Ram’s firm grip on his cock, Gray had other things on his mind. “You mind if we just talk?” Gray asked.

  “I’m not losing my touch, am I?”

  Gray chuckled. “Not in the slightest. I just feel so good right now I want to enjoy it for what it is.”

  “And you think sex will cloud that?” Ram asked.

  “Sex is a completely different emotion. I guess I want to bask in the fact that I’ve done something my father never could.” Gray gave Ram a quick kiss. “Does that make me a bastard?”

  Ram stepped back and led Gray to the couch. “Not at all. I just hate to see you get too excited before the foals are delivered and the cheque’s cleared.”

  Gray shook his head. He refused to let anything pull him down from his present high. “Doesn’t matter if Carlson backs out or not. Knowing how bad he wants them tells me he wouldn’t be the only one. If something goes wrong with this deal, I’ll find another.”

  With a sigh, Gray leant back against Ram’s chest. “Six weeks. All we have to do is keep the mares healthy and calm until the first of January.”

  * * * *

  Walking into the house, Gray stopped in his tracks at the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. He crept closer to the swinging door that separated the dining room from the kitchen and listened as Raleigh regaled Georgia with a story about falling on her ass at a pep rally.

  It wasn’t the story itself that amused Gray so much, it was hearing Raleigh laugh. He suddenly realised he hadn’t heard her laugh in a very long time. A large part of him wanted to push the door open and join in, but he was afraid of interrupting the special moment that the two women of the house were obviously sharing.

  “Aren’t you going to be with your family for Thanksgiving?” Raleigh asked Georgia.

  Gray held his breath. Georgia’s husband had died before she’d come to live at Sunset Ridge and her only child had refused to speak with her for the last three years. He still wasn’t exactly sure what the fight had been about, but he’d heard a rumour in town that Georgia’s son, David, had got a girl pregnant and refused to support the child. Knowing his housekeeper the way he did, Gray figured Georgia felt a man of twenty-seven should stand up and take care of his child. Too bad Georgia hadn’t been around when Rebecca was growing up.

  “Yep,” Georgia replied. “I’m staying right here for Thanksgiving. Wouldn’t want you folks to go without my special chocolate pecan pie, and the whipped cream has to be made fresh or it doesn’t taste the same.”

  The sound of dishes being pulled from the cabinet reminded Gray he was eavesdropping. Before he turned to leave Raleigh and Georgia to their talk, he heard Raleigh say, “I’m glad you’ll be here.”

  Gray crept out of the house without making noise. He never had got around to asking Ram about Raleigh’s change in attitude over the last week. Because it was the day before Thanksgiving, Gray had given the hired hands a long weekend off.

  As he walked across the ranch yard, Gray inhaled the rich aroma of wood smoke coming from the chimney. He loved the cooler temperatures of late autumn. There was something about the warm and cosy atmosphere a fireplace provided that made Gray yearn to share an evening with Ram inside his house.

  He stopped walking and turned to stare at the house he’d grown up in. It was his now, so why shouldn’t he be able to live the life he longed for in it? He thought of the changes in Raleigh lately and wondered if she could be trusted to keep his secret?

  “You lost?” Ram called from the stable.

  “Just thinking.” He turned around and headed for Ram. “I need to talk to you.”

  “Okay.”

  Gray led Ram into the stable. He continued until he reached Lady’s stall. “She doing okay?”

  “Yeah. What’s going on?” Ram asked with suspicion in his voice.

  Gray leaned his forearms on the wooden divider and clasped his hands. “Where do you see this thing between us going?”

  “I suppose wherever you’ll let it go.” Ram rested his hip against the stall and crossed his arms. “Why?”

  “Because I’m tired of sneaking in and out of my own damn house.”

  “Good. It’s about time.”

  Gray pushed his hat higher on his forehead and turned his head to look at Ram. He needed to make a few things clear. “I’m not ready to go public if that’s what you’re hoping.”

  Ram chuckled. “Oh, I gave up hope of you ever coming out of the closet the day of my mom’s funeral.”

  Gray straightened before turning to face Ram. “I gave you everything I could that day.”

  “If you say so.”

  “What the hell’s that supposed to mean? I was upfront with you from the start. So don’t act like you didn’t know what you were getting into.” With his arms still at his sides, Gray pushed Ram with his chest.

  Ram’s eyes narrowed. “Someday maybe you’ll figure out that you love me as much as I do you and you won’t care wha
t other people think. But until that day I have every fucking right to be pissed off.”

  Before Gray could respond, Ram’s lips slammed into his. His mouth was forced open by an insistent tongue as Ram’s arms wrapped around him. Gray reciprocated, moving his hands to Ram’s ass. He pressed the hard ridge of his arousal against Ram and moaned into the kiss.

  “Dinner’s…” Raleigh’s cheerful voice died out before she finished her sentence.

  Gray automatically pushed himself away from Ram before turning towards Raleigh. All he saw was her retreating back as she ran out of the stable. “Shit!”

  “I thought you said you were planning on telling her.”

  “Yeah, but telling and showing are two different things,” Gray mumbled.

  “Want me to go with you to talk to her?” Ram asked.

  Gray turned and gave Ram a quick kiss. “Thanks, but I think it’ll be easier for her if I do it alone.” He took Ram’s hand and started walking towards the house. “Did you mean what you said about being in love with me?”

  “Wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

  Gray nodded. “Good because by the time this is all said and done you may be the only one.”

  Ram lifted Gray’s hand and kissed it without letting go. “Who knows, Raleigh might surprise you.”

  “Yeah, that’s why she ran out of here like she did.”

  “Did you ever walk in on your parents making out?” Ram asked.

  “Hell no. Not once did I even see my dad give Mom a peck on the cheek.”

  “That could explain a few things.”

  Gray stopped, pulling Ram up short. “What things?”

  “Why you have this stick up your ass about showing your feelings to the rest of the world.”

  “Well excuse me for being brought up to believe what happens between two people is no one’s business but their own.” Gray started towards the house. He refused to get into a fight over his need for privacy where his love life was concerned.

  “I came home from school early one day to find my parents fucking in the kitchen. It was the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever experienced, but now when I look back, I’m kinda glad they had a good sex life.”

  Gray looked at Ram over his shoulder. He couldn’t imagine witnessing such a thing. He reached the front porch and stopped before opening the door. “Why don’t you use the kitchen door? Maybe you can convince Georgia to eat with us for a change. I think it’s important we start acting like a family.”

  Gray grinned to himself and strode inside, leaving Ram slack-jawed on the front porch. He knew Ram wasn’t expecting to be referred to as part of the family, but since Raleigh obviously already knew something was going on, Gray saw no reason to hide his feelings from the other members of the household.

  He wasn’t surprised to see Raleigh sitting quietly at the dining table. Gray took his hat off and hung it on the peg before taking his customary seat. “You want to talk about what you saw?”

  Raleigh shook her head. “No.”

  Gray moved his silverware aside and leaned his forearms on the table. “I need you not to be disgusted with me.”

  Raleigh’s head sprang up. “I’m not disgusted. I’m mad. I can’t believe you kept something that important from me. How long’s it been going on?”

  The last thing Gray wanted was to talk about his sex life with his niece. “Let’s just say we hit it off the first night we met and leave it at that.”

  “Am I the only one you’ve lied to?” she asked.

  “I didn’t lie.” Gray sighed. “Look, you know how things are around here. What do you think the people in town would say if they knew? Not to mention all the teasing you’d probably get in school.”

  “No! Don’t you dare put this on me. I couldn’t care less what anyone at that school thinks of me.” Raleigh’s expression turned guilty. “I know I led you to believe that I was popular and all, but I’m not. Every time I make a friend I end up bailing on them when they start to get too close.” She shrugged. “It’s the reason I dated that older guy. He was cute and fun, but he didn’t want anything from me but a good time. I can handle that. It’s what comes after that I haven’t figured out.”

  The protective uncle inside Gray latched on to Raleigh’s statement. “You stay away from older men. Hell, stay away from all men.”

  “Why? You don’t.” Raleigh cracked a mischievous smile, automatically breaking some of the tension in the room.

  “I’m not seventeen,” he reminded her, returning a grin.

  Raleigh crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in her chair. After studying Gray for several moments, she nodded. “I’m glad that you found someone to be with you because I’m outta this stupid town as soon as I graduate. I’ve already applied to a couple of schools in California.”

  Gray hated to think of Raleigh leaving home. Although she could be a handful, he loved her like a daughter. “You want to be a California girl, huh?”

  Raleigh nodded.

  “And you’re sure the decision has nothing to do with me?” He’d die if he thought he’d driven Raleigh away from the only home she’d ever known.

  “Ram talked me into it.” Raleigh stood and walked around the table. She wrapped her arms around Gray’s shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, Uncle Gray, but I’m not like you. The ranch isn’t enough for me.”

  Gray patted Raleigh’s arm. He understood better than she thought. He was finally figuring out that the ranch wasn’t enough for him either. It had taken Ram to make Gray understand that though. Hopefully Raleigh would go out into the world and find her own happy place. “Promise that you’ll still come home to visit?”

  Raleigh crossed her heart with her finger. “I promise.”

  “Go in the kitchen and tell Ram he can come out of hiding now.”

  Chapter Six

  Thanksgiving morning, Ram was busy mucking stalls when he heard a car pull up outside. He set the pitchfork down and turned around in time to see Jesse walk into the stable. “Morning,” he greeted.

  “Good morning, Mr Ramsdale.” Jesse picked up the pitchfork and took over where Ram had left off.

  “It’s Ram, and what’re you doing here? I gave everyone the weekend off.” Ram grabbed the rake and began to help Jesse clean the stall.

  “I figured you could use the help. Mom doesn’t do Thanksgiving anyway so I don’t have anything better to do.”

  Looking at the eighteen-year-old kid, Ram read between the lines. Ram had mistakenly thought Jesse’s shabby clothes were a fashion statement, but now he suspected it had more to do with money. “Well, I’ll be honest, I can use the help, but that means I’ll have to pay you double for working over the holiday.”

  Without pausing in his work, Jesse shook his head. “You don’t need to do that. I like working around the horses.”

  “What do you like about it?” Ram asked. He threw a shovelful of sawdust onto the floor of the newly cleaned stall.

  “The peace more than anything, I guess. Horses might not talk, but I can tell they appreciate everything I do for them.” Jesse moved to the next stall. “Sounds stupid, but I like to feel like I matter to them.”

  Ram swallowed around a lump of unexpected emotion. “You matter. Actually, that’s the same reason I love it. Sometimes the best thank you you can receive is the one you feel inside after you’ve done a good job. There’s a hell of a lot of grown-ass men and women who live a lifetime without realising that.”

  Ram worked alongside Jesse for the next hour. He could tell the young man had something on his mind, but Ram decided to wait him out. Once they’d finished with the stallions’ stable, they headed for the pregnant mares’ stable.

  “The counsellor at school said I have enough credits to graduate in December,” Jesse said.

  “Really? That’s great. Are you going to do it?”

  “I don’t know. Mom’s always told me I had to get out the day I graduate.”

  When Jesse didn’t elaborate, R
am decided to help him out. “Are you asking for a full-time job?”

  “Yeah, I mean, I know you have someone to muck in the mornings, but I thought maybe you had something else I could do,” Jesse stammered.

  “I’ll have to talk it over with Gray, but I think there’s an extra bed in the bunkhouse if you’re interested?”

  “Yes,” Jesse answered immediately.

  Ram lifted the pitchfork out of the wheelbarrow and handed it to Jesse. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ram stopped himself before correcting Jesse. “You seem like a really good kid. Why were you fighting at school?”

  Jesse began sifting through the sawdust with the pitchfork. “My mom drinks and the jerks at school know it.” He dumped the manure into the wheelbarrow before going back for more. “She’s a mess and all, but, ya know, she’s my mom.”

  “‘Nough said.”

  After finishing all three stables, Ram went back to check on Lady while Jesse spread the last load of sawdust. Once he was out of earshot, Ram called Gray.

  “Hey, you about done?”

  “I’m done. No thanks to you.” Ram grinned. Gray had woken during the night with a stomach bug. They’d decided it would be better if he stayed in bed until dinner. “Are you feeling better?”

  “I haven’t puked in a couple of hours so I guess so.”

  “Jesse’s here. Said his mom doesn’t do Thanksgiving. He helped me clean the stalls.”

  “Nice of him.”

  “Yeah, well, I’d like to invite him to join us if that’s okay with you, Raleigh and Georgia.”

  “The more the merrier. Especially since I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to eat.”

  “How about I give Jesse something to do until dinner, and I come upstairs and check on you?”

  “Will you bring me some 7-Up?” Gray asked.

  Ram grinned. Although he hated that Gray was sick, he enjoyed the vulnerability that came with it. “Of course I will.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Give me ten minutes.” Ram hung up and went to find Jesse. He had a man to take care of.