by SJD Peterson
“Slow and boring too,” Eric said with a shrug. “I ain’t got no silly dreams of making it rich here. You’re right. I barely make enough to scrape by. Still, I wouldn’t want to ever live anywhere else. Guess I just don’t have your ambition.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, and it has nothing to do with ambition. You work damn hard keeping this place up. Hell, that’s why I went into medicine. I never could handle the backbreaking labor like you can.”
“Yeah, but you’re a lot smarter than me. Doesn’t take a brain surgeon to shovel cow shit.”
“Well, aren’t we just full of suck-ass compliments today,” Jimmy teased. “I’m smart, you’re strong, and together we could rule the fucking world.”
“Well, I don’t know about world domination or why you’d come back here when you couldn’t wait to get the hell out of this Podunk town, but I’m glad you did. I’ve sort of, kind of missed you.”
“Sort of, kind of?” Jimmy questioned.
“Yeah, just sort of.”
“You missed me every fucking day if for no other reason than you didn’t have anyone you could con into helping you with poop duty. Admit it.”
Eric looked at him with a strange expression, one Jimmy had seen before but had never understood the meaning of. But with a single heartbeat, it was gone and Eric’s usual smug smile was back firmly in place.
“Yeah, I admit I missed bossing you around. It’s so much more satisfying than bossing bulls.” Eric tilted his head. “Come to think about it, it’s almost the same thing. You and a bull are about the same when it comes to stubbornness.”
“Part of my charm,” Jimmy said easily. “But seriously. I came back because this is where I want to be. It seemed like the right time in my life. I needed to get back to my roots a little, ya know?”
“No, I don’t rightly understand that, but if you say so.”
They rode along in silence, Jimmy reacquainting himself with the beauty of the land, enjoying the slow, easy pace and the good feeling being with Eric again produced. It was true, he really had missed this place, but it was Eric that made the place special. The truth in it made the guilt Jimmy had been dealing with the last couple of days all the stronger. He would be wise to remember to never take his friendship with Eric for granted in the future. It was stupid to have ever done it in the first place.
“So… um…. How’s what’s-his-name settling in?”
“His name is Oliver and he’s settling fine. He and Mom have been tearing up the kitchen, and Dad’s happier than a pig in shit to be their taste tester.”
“Why doesn’t it surprise me he’d be a good cook?”
“Why? Because he’s not what you’d consider manly?”
“No, because you can’t cook for shit, so whoever you’re with would need to be able to or you’d starve.”
“Pfft, I cook just fine. Remember that time I made you a birthday cake when we were fourteen?”
Eric shuddered. “I’m still in therapy.”
“Hardy har har.”
“There’s the cow.” Eric pointed toward the east.
Jimmy heeled his stallion and followed Eric as they trotted across the open field. Eric’s response to Oliver, the fact he couldn’t call him by his name as well as the way his brow would furrow when he spoke of Oliver, still baffled Jimmy. It just seemed to be more than distaste for Oliver, but… Jimmy wasn’t sure. Oliver and Jimmy had had their difficulties, but he’d never shared those problems with anyone. Eric was much like Jimmy’s dad, all black and white. He either liked you or he didn’t. If he didn’t, there was usually good reason, but for him to not like Oliver made no sense. Oliver was always outgoing and friendly when meeting people.
Eric came to a stop near the cow lying down in the field. Jimmy set his worries about Eric and Oliver aside, focusing on the wounded animal.
“Not sure if the coyotes got her or she had a run-in with a fence, but it doesn’t look good.” Eric wiped the back of his hand over his brow.
The cow let out a bleat when he and Eric dismounted and stood side by side staring down at her. Her right back leg was mangled just above the knee joint. The wound looked more substantial than having been caused by a barbed wire fence.
“Doesn’t make sense,” Jimmy pointed out. “It looks like bite marks, but if a coyote took her down, why didn’t they finish her off?”
“Don’t know.” Eric turned in a slow circle, scanning the area around them. “Maybe after taking her down, they figured her calf was easier to carry off than fifteen hundred pounds of beef.” Eric’s theory was proven wrong when the calf’s head popped up out of the tall grass. “Or not,” he huffed.
Jimmy slowly moved up close to the wounded animal. Her big brown eyes watched him, her ribs rising and falling with her shallow breaths, but other than that she didn’t move. He carefully checked the wound. It was still actively bleeding, muscle and shattered bone visible.
Jimmy ran a gentle hand along her hips. “Sorry, old girl, they got you good.”
“Nothing you can do for her?”
Jimmy shook his head. “Bone’s shattered and she’s already going into shock. The best we can do by her is put her out of her misery.”
Eric went to his mount and pulled the rifle from the scabbard and a length of rope. He tossed the rope to Jimmy. “Truss up the little guy so he doesn’t get spooked and run off. I don’t want to be chasin’ him all over hell and tarnation.”
Jimmy did as he was instructed, looping the rope around the calf’s neck and wrapping him in his arms. He shielded the animal from what Eric was about to do. He had no idea if the calf would understand what was going on, but the thought of the poor thing having to watch its mother being killed just shredded Jimmy’s heart. Both he and the calf jerked when the gun exploded behind them, and Jimmy held the little guy, petting him until he stopped trembling.
“I’ll get one of the hands to help me take care of her later. Give me a chance to get mounted and hand me the calf, will ya?”
“Sure.”
Jimmy removed the binding from the calf’s neck and lifted it up. He handed it to Eric and then wound up the rope and hooked it on Eric’s saddle before remounting his own horse. They were quiet as they made their way back to the barn, both knowing they’d had to put the cow down, but neither happy about it. The same quietness had descended on them when they were teenagers and they had to put down Eric’s old coon hound after it lost the fight with a large steer. Horn had gone all the way through the poor thing.
They had nearly made it back to the barn when Jimmy’s cell rang, breaking the silence. He pulled it from his pocket and answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, sweets. Will you be home soon?” Oliver asked.
“In a little while. Why, what’s up?” Jimmy glanced over at Eric, and he didn’t miss the scowl before Eric turned away. Jimmy shrugged it off.
“Your mama and I want to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies for your dad, but one cannot make chocolate chip cookies without the chips. Could you be a dear and bring us a couple bags?”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll be home within the hour.”
“Thanks, sweets.” Oliver’s voice dropped lower. “I’ll repay your kindness with something really sweet later. Love you, boo, bye now.”
The phone went dead, Oliver not waiting for a response. Which was probably a good thing, considering the way Jimmy was feeling. The last thing he was in the mood for was Oliver calling him sweets or sharing his fucking sweetness. It grated on his nerves even more than it usually did. He blew out a heavy breath and returned the phone to his pocket.
“You gotta go?” Eric asked as he made it to the corral.
“Mom needs me to bring her some chocolate chips, but if you need help with something, I can see if Old Man Burker has someone who can deliver them.”
“Nah, it’s okay. Go on home. I’ll take care of the calf.”
Jimmy dismounted, wrapped the reins on the fence, then held out his hands for the calf. Eric pass
ed him to Jimmy, got off his horse, and took the calf back. “I’ll take care of the horses.”
“I don’t mind.”
“It’s okay.”
“Really, I have time. Besides I want to.”
Eric shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
While Eric took the calf to a stall, Jimmy took the reins from both horses and led them into the barn, tying them up side by side. He removed the saddle from the stallion, hung it on its peg, and when he turned around, he found Eric taking the saddle from the mare.
Jimmy grabbed a brush and ran it down the stallion’s back. “I really don’t mind staying if you need me to help with the cow.” In fact, he’d much rather be there than home. Why, he couldn’t rightly say, but he felt as if he needed to be here. It was important that he stay.
“I think you should go home. What’s-his-name is probably missing you by now.” Eric turned away, but Jimmy swore he heard his friend grumble I know I do, but he couldn’t be sure.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Jimmy could tell by Eric’s closed-off stance that he wasn’t going to get a straight answer. A heavy tension swirled around them. Jimmy had no idea what to do or say to get them back to that easy place before Oliver’s call. It hurt his heart to know that there were these invisible obstacles between them. They’d shared everything growing up and now…. He sighed. Yeah, big fucking obstacles and he hated it.
Jimmy didn’t push. Hopefully in time, now that he was back home, they could work on their friendship and make it what it once had been. He finished brushing down Creepers, checked his hooves, and then turned him loose in the pasture. Eric turned Suzy loose moments later.
“All right, guess I’ll see you later, then.” Eric tipped his Stetson back and swiped his bandana over his brow.
“Want to go swimming later?”
“Can’t but maybe another time? I’ll give you a call in the next day or two, okay?” Eric said without meeting Jimmy’s gaze.
Jimmy’s gut fell. He didn’t want to go home and he didn’t want this weirdness to continue between him and Eric, but there was nothing he could do about it now but give it time.
“Sure, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yup.” Eric walked away and disappeared into the barn.
Jimmy watched him go with his heart in his throat. He had to fix this. He’d do anything to make up for his insensitivity and neglect of their friendship. Do anything.
He let out a heavy breath, shoved his hands in his pockets, and although everything in him was screaming to go after Eric and make this right, Jimmy walked to his car, fired it up, and steered it toward the one place and to the one person he had no desire to see.
Chapter Seven
DURING THE summer, the weatherman was right nine times out of ten. Eric always wondered why he hadn’t gone into meteorology, because seriously, how hard was it to report “Going to be a scorcher today” day after fucking day? Bastard had promised rain with a cold front moving in—high seventies was definitely cold for July—unfortunately, today was the day he was wrong. Worse still, Eric had bet with the odds and lost. It was ninety-three degrees, sweat rolled down his brow, burning his eyes, and his clothes were drenched. Even his fucking jeans were wet, the denim chafing sensitive bits, and he still had half a flatbed to load with feed.
“I’m moving to fucking Alaska,” Eric grumbled and tossed another sack on the trailer.
“You wouldn’t survive a single winter.”
Eric pursed his lips and glared at Petey. “You saying I’m not tough?”
Petey patted his back. “Oh, you’re tough enough. You’re just not stupid enough to survive forty below. I know you, you’d be on the first dogsled out of there.”
“Boy, am I paying you to chitchat?” Pete grumbled and tossed another bag of feed.
Pete was pushing fifty—not that he looked it—and could work harder and longer than men half his age, including his son.
“Simmer down, ol’ man. Some of us can work and talk at the same time,” Petey tossed back.
“Yeah, yeah, you being my son ain’t the only reason Eric hasn’t stolen you from me. Bastard takes all my best work—” Pete stopped midsentence, his eyes going wide. He looked as if he’d just bitten into a lemon. “What the hell is that?”
Eric followed Pete’s gaze. Walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street was a man dressed in white dress pants and shoes and a baby blue shirt, twirling a matching umbrella as he swished and swayed.
Eric recognized him at once. “That’s Oliver.”
“What the hell is an Oliver?” Petey asked.
Jesus fuck. Why the hell did Jimmy have to bring that guy home? He didn’t like Oliver—for more reasons than he was willing to admit—but Jimmy apparently did. And Eric wasn’t about to stand there and throw Oliver, and by default, Jimmy, under the bus.
“Knock it off, that’s a friend of Jimmy’s.”
“Oh shit! That’s the guy they were talking about down at the diner.” Pete pushed his ball cap back and drew his forearm over his brow. “I thought they were all exaggerating.”
“Som’ bitch,” Eric muttered when Oliver noticed them, waved, then changed direction and headed across the street toward them.
“I’ll be right back.” Eric went to meet Oliver halfway. The last fucking thing he wanted was to give Pete and his boy more shit to talk about over coffee.
“Hey, Eric,” Oliver greeted with a wide smile stretched across his face. He raked his eyes up and down Eric’s body, licked his lips, and then added, “Sure is a hot one.”
The way Oliver said it and the look of lust in his eyes made Eric furious and skeeved out in equal measures.
“That it is,” he gritted out, doing his best to keep the fake smile plastered on his face. “Jimmy with you?”
“No, he’s helping his daddy pack or something.” He waved a limp hand around. “You know, physical stuff like you’re doing. But I have to say, Jimmy and his daddy don’t work half as hard as you. Look at all that sweat.”
Eric struggled to keep the disgust he felt from showing and he forced down the bile Oliver’s flirting tone caused to rise up in his throat. What the hell did Jimmy see in this guy?
“Speaking of work—”
“I was just heading down to get a smoothie. Would you like to join me? My treat.” Oliver batted his lashes and Eric clamped down on the urge to knock the son of a bitch on his ass.
What kind of man flirted with his lover’s best friend? Eric didn’t know how they did things in Chicago, but around these parts, that shit didn’t fly.
Eric grabbed the brim of his cowboy hat and tipped it toward Oliver. “Enjoy your smoothie and say hello to Jimmy for me, will ya?”
Oliver started to open his mouth to say something, but Eric turned on his heel and stomped back off toward Pete and Petey, who were still standing where he’d left them, staring at him wide-eyed.
“Okay, I’ll tell him,” Oliver called out. “You should come for dinner soon. I’m a great cook. Umm… Plus, I know Jimmy would like that.”
Eric lifted a hand in acknowledgment but didn’t turn around nor did he respond. He didn’t know if he could, not without a punch being thrown. He’d known from the first instant he’d laid eyes on Oliver he didn’t like him, but he hadn’t been sure if he was projecting his own issues onto the man. Now he knew it was more than that. Oliver was a scumbag and a fucking shallow one at that. Pure and simple. Did Jimmy know his man went around hitting on other guys? Eric briefly considered telling him, then just as quickly dismissed the idea. Jimmy knew Eric didn’t like Oliver. His damn luck, Jimmy would think he was taking Oliver’s teasing attitude the wrong way. Nah, best to stay out of that hornets’ nest. Plus, Jimmy had made his choice of who he wanted to spend his life with. The best thing Eric could do was stay the hell away from both of them. There was no way in hell he’d ever get used to being around Oliver and the last thing he wanted was to make Jimmy choose.
Eric had a feeling he wouldn’t like the outcome, and that realization made his fucking head and heart hurt.
BUSY.
Jimmy stared at the display screen on his phone and wasn’t sure if he wanted to throw the damn thing against the wall or cry. It had taken four calls and an insane number of texts to finally get a response from Eric. And he got one word?
“One fucking word?”
Irritation surged through him and he swiped the keyboard—F U C K YOU—and then just as quickly deleted it. The urge to lash out at Eric was still strong so he shoved the phone in his pocket before he could give in to it. Two damn days he’d been trying to get with Eric, not only because he missed the stubborn shit, but also to go over some numbers. Well, fine. If Eric didn’t want to be a part of the new organic ranch plans, he’d work with Scott.
He retrieved a small cooler from the back porch, loaded it up with a six-pack of beer, and headed to the cabin at the back of the property. The temp was well over ninety and he probably should take the car, but the anger burning through him was smoldering and hopefully the hot Tennessee sun would burn it off all the quicker.
No such luck.
By the time he made it to Scott’s place, he was still pissed off, and not only was he mad as a hornet, he was sweat soaked and his damn eyes burned.
“You got a death wish, boy?” Scott drawled and then spat over the railing.
Jimmy wrinkled his nose in disgust as he passed the black blob of chew. “Yeah and apparently you do too. You realize that shit causes not only tooth decay but lip and tongue cancer as well?”
“And heat exhaustion can cause dehydration, confusion, dizziness and may lead to heatstroke, which can have you pushing up daisies. So it’s obvious we’re both playing with fire. What the hell you doing out here anyway? Shouldn’t you be helping your mom and dad?”