“It gives us a place to call home and lets us know that our children will grow up without the worry of where their next meal, clothes, or even their school supplies will come from. In an age where ranches are foldin’ left and right, this kinda place is one you hold on to and protect. And you don’t walk away from a man who gives you the ability to take care of your own, not if you’ve got half a brain in your head. So, as far as me and mine, we’re here to back you, Ev.” Jaymes paused and looked over at Everest with nothing but respect in his eyes. “You claim whoever makes you happy and all the rest will take care of itself.”
Everest had to clear his throat twice before he could speak after Jaymes’s impassioned words. He’d known the man for years and toiled beside him during some tough challenges, but Everest had never realized the depth of Jaymes’s devotion until right that second. He smiled and reached for Jaymes’s hand next.
“Jaymes, thank you for your support. And for your words,” he managed to add.
“Anytime, Ev.” Jaymes smiled in return and then stepped away.
“Fine! Looks like I’m the only one brave enough to take a stand!” Pierce fumed. “Bunch of pansies,” he grumbled. “The whole lot of you!”
“Lum,” Everest called to his foreman, “will you make sure Pierce is given his last check and escorted from the ranch? I’d do it, but it’s best if I don’t get too close to him right about now.”
“Oh, gladly.” Lum looked so damned happy. “Been lookin’ for a reason to kick this young’un’s ass off the place. Come on, you!” He gestured for Pierce to precede him and Jaymes fell into step with Lum, ready to help him get the vocal hand off of Everest’s property.
Pierce continued to grumble, but he knew that he was outnumbered, so he began to walk back to the bunkhouse.
Everest watched them go with a mixture of sadness and relief. Once he knew Pierce was far enough away that he’d no longer hear what was said, Everest looked back over the rest of his employees.
“Anyone else want to say their piece?” he asked and was relieved beyond measure that no further objections were made.
“Just that I’m with Jaymes,” Carla, his newest groom, called out. She grinned up at Everest and crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking his stance. “It means a lot to know that this place will be around for years to come. Makes it easy to do our jobs when we’re not worried about whether they’ll be here next year or not.”
“Yeah, thanks, bossman!” another hand called out.
“I’m here to stay, too!”
“And me!”
One by one, Everest’s staff gave their accounting, though he’d not asked them to go to such lengths. Still, it touched him greatly, and as he thanked them one and all, Everest wished that Cole was there to hear and see what he was experiencing. That thought made Everest wonder how Cole’s conversation with his own people was going.
Glancing around, Everest became acutely aware that Cole had no family standing beside him as Everest did, nor did he have Everest there should things not go so smoothly. Mentally, he kicked himself for not thinking ahead and foreseeing the danger Cole was in by outing himself while alone among so many who could hurt him. Suddenly, Everest knew he needed to get in his truck and head over to Cole’s ranch. See for himself that his lover was all right.
Some of his panic must have shown on his face because Lyle touched his arm and turned Everest to face him.
“What’s wrong?” Lyle asked.
“Cole’s doing the same thing I am right now, only he’s got no one standing at his back. Why didn’t I think of that when we came up with this plan?”
Lyle’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Burke and then David.
“Surely Mike won’t abandon him,” Lyle said.
“I gotta go,” Everest said, even as he was turning and striding toward his truck as fast as his legs could carry him. He heard his parents call out that they would be waiting right there for him when he got back.
“We’re with you!” Lyle caught up to Everest a second later, jogging alongside him.
Burke and David were right there, too, climbing into the back of Everest’s king cab.
Everest wasted no time starting up the truck and throwing it into gear. As he peeled out and headed toward the ranch’s entrance, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Lyle.
“Try to get Cole on the phone for me.”
Lyle nodded and went to work. He held the device to his ear and, much to Everest’s dismay, he was soon pulling it away.
“I’m gonna keep trying,” Lyle assured him. “Just keep your eyes on the road.”
“Want me to drive?” Burke asked and leaned forward to touch Everest’s shoulder.
“I’m not stopping to switch drivers.” Everest shook his head, not willing to pause in his flight to Cole. He wondered why in the hell Cole wasn’t answering his phone. His internal alarm bells kept on ringing, even as Lyle continued to dial Cole’s number.
Come on, honey, he silently pleaded. Pick up and answer me. Now.
Everest knew if something happened to Cole because he hadn’t had the foresight to protect his partner, he would never forgive himself. He couldn’t lose Cole now that he knew what it was like to love and touch him and to feel Cole’s touch in return.
“Don’t go borrowing trouble, Ev,” David warned.
Everest met his gaze briefly in the rearview mirror and saw David shaking his head and casting a stern glare his way.
“Until we hear differently, let’s assume Cole is just fine and he’s not answering because he’s still talkin’ to his folks.”
“Yeah,” Burke chimed in. “It would be damned rude if he took a call in the middle of such a critical conversation. Just breathe, and we’ll know something soon enough.”
Everest couldn’t form a reply, so he just gave a curt nod and continued driving as fast as he could towards Cole. He prayed law enforcement wouldn’t catch him breaking the speed limit because he wasn’t stopping. Not for them, nor anyone else. All of Everest’s focus was on getting to Cole and making sure his lover was safe and whole. And then, he wasn’t letting go for the rest of the night. Hell, probably not for the rest of the week after this scare. They’d just have to find some way to make it work because once Everest laid his eyes on Cole, he wasn’t letting his lover out of his sight.
Chapter 11
Cole stood beside Mike, waiting to see what his hands would say to his declaration that he was indeed a gay rancher and that he’d soon be working towards merging his ranch with his partner’s spread, thereby tying them all, in some way, to Everest Cooper. He reminded himself not to fidget and to remain calm, but Cole still found himself shifting his stance slightly as he waited for a response from someone. Anyone.
It was Andre who cracked first. He grinned and clapped his hands together. Looking around, he said, and rather proudly too, “Well hell, boss, so am I! Been gay since I first knew what it was to want someone else. That’s one of the reasons I came to work for you. I kinda thought you were like me, so I decided I’d give it a try here and see if my gaydar was in working order.”
Cole nearly choked, and he coughed hard as he tried to clear his airway.
“The hell did you just say?” Mike asked incredulously. “You don’t use terms like gaydar with your boss!”
Cole’s coughing morphed into laughter, even though he knew he wasn’t out of the woods just yet with the rest of the men and women around him.
“Leave him be,” Walter chided. He threw his arm over Andre’s shoulders and gave his head a good scrub with his knuckles. “Kid’s a nut, but he don’t mean no harm.”
Andre ducked out of Walter’s hold, but he was still laughing, as he most often was. He flashed a wide grin at Cole and winked as he patted down his ebony hair.
He just fuckin’ winked, Cole thought and found himself completely speechless. This was so not the way he had expected the conversation to flow.
“Cole, we kinda already know,” Walter sa
id, stepping closer to Cole and drawing Cole’s attention to him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Cole a guilty shrug. “I mean, we’d all pretty much figured out who Robbie Paschal was to you a long time ago.”
“Yeah, boss,” Dennis chimed in. “Don’t make no never mind to us. I mean, I understand why you haven’t said anything before now, ’cause there are all kinds of crazy folk around these parts who would try to pull somethin’ and maybe even try to hurt ya, but you’ve gotta know by now that we’re all in your corner. And if someone comes onto this ranch trying to start some shit, well… then they’ll have to go through all of us to get to you and yours.”
“Dennis,” Cole said in a hoarse voice.
“Listen to him, boss,” Pete said, stepping up now and making himself heard. “I worked for your old man for many a year. Watched him struggle as small ranches around these parts kept selling off land and stock before they shut down completely. Then, you stepped up to lead when you weren’t nothin’ but a young’un yourself, and you turned this place around. You’ve done well by us and your dad’s legacy, and we know the man you are.”
“Thank you for that, Pete,” Cole murmured and settled his hand on Pete’s shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze.
“I mean it.” Pete nodded. “And we all know that it was Ev Cooper who introduced you to the business plan you follow. We might not have understood it at first all those years ago, but we’ve sure as shit seen the results. I don’t mind workin’ with that man, and I ain’t got one single objection to workin’ for you if you’re hitchin’ your wagon to his, so to speak.”
Cole chuckled and exhaled at length. Slowly, he began to nod as he looked over those who were truly his extended family and most certainly his friends. You didn’t toil beside men and women in the way they did and not form some kind of familial bond. And why he hadn’t thought of coming out to them in those terms, Cole didn’t know.
“I guess I owe you all an apology for not tellin’ you sooner that I’m gay.” Cole looked around and saw the surprise on most of his hands’ faces. Still, he needed to mend some fences that he didn’t even realize he’d left damaged by his silence. “I should have trusted that you would all know me well enough to not condemn me or leave the ranch because of who I’m attracted to.”
“Nah.” Walter shook his head and slapped Cole’s upper arm. “None of that. A man tells his personal business in his own time and for his own reasons. You didn’t have a reason before, but it sounds like you’ve got one now.”
“Yeah,” Andre sighed and rocked back on his heels. “I’d say Everest Cooper was a damn good reason. That man is sex on a stick.”
“Andre!” Mike barked. “For the love of God, kid, shut up! That’s your boss’s man you’re lustin’ after!”
“Cole knows I don’t mean nothing by that. Except that his man has one of the finest asses I’ve ever seen,” Andre added and glanced over at Cole, grinning from ear to ear. “Course, Cole, you don’t have nothing to be ashamed of either, and if you weren’t my boss, I’d have already made a play for you.” He waggled his eyebrows, completely undeterred.
Cole chuckled, despite himself, and looked over at Mike, noting how incensed his foreman truly was. “Leave him alone,” he said, trying to rein in his laughter, in the hope that Mike wouldn’t throttle Andre. “He’s just tryin’ to lighten the mood and make us all laugh.”
Mike didn’t look as though he was ready to let go of all his irritation, though, as he stared Andre down. Cole looked back at Andre and arched an eyebrow at the younger man. Time to be the leader, Cole thought, and end Andre’s teasing, so Mike didn’t have to by other means.
“You’re right, Andre,” Cole said and inclined his head. “Everest is a handsome man. But he is my man, and from this moment forward, you keep those comments to yourself, all right? I don’t wanna hear anyone talkin’ about him like that, or I will take issue. I protect what’s mine, same as any of you.”
“See,” Walter said and lightly smacked the back of Andre’s head. “Told you that mouth of yours was gonna get you into trouble one day.”
“Yeah, I hear y’all.” Andre rubbed his head, yet he was still grinning at Cole. “It’s good to see you so happy, boss. I’ll quit teasing you now and steer clear of your man. And you,” he tacked on for good measure.
“Good. You do that now.” Cole cast an indulgent smile Andre’s way, thankful for his lighthearted banter and approach to what had been a pivotal moment in Cole’s life.
“So,” Cole exhaled, “we’re all good, then? Nobody wants to leave?”
“Hell no,” Pete scoffed, his face showing his disgust at such an idea.
“I’m stayin’ right where I am,” Walter proclaimed. “This here land is in my blood and veins and I ain’t walkin’ away.”
“No one’s leavin’,” Mike said steadily. “And now that you know you’ve got us all in your corner, Cole, we’ve got some stalls to muck out before we can call it a day.”
“Aww, man,” Andre grumbled under his breath. “Talk about a shitty way to end a good day.”
Cole waited for half a breath before his hands erupted in another round of laughter. He shook his head at Andre.
“You’re good for us, Andre.” Cole sighed as he took off his hat and raked a hand through his sweaty hair. “Make sure you stick around for a good while to come.”
“You got it, boss,” Andre quipped. He gave Cole a mock salute with great flourish, which earned him another smack from Walter.
“Who else would have ya?” Walter teased.
Andre pressed his lips together and stared up at Walter, feigning exasperation.
The sound of tires on gravel caught Cole’s attention, and he turned to see a sedan he didn’t recognize coming up the main driveway. He stepped away from his hands, though he knew they were watching too, trying to discern who their visitor was. As the vehicle drew near, Cole just about swallowed his tongue as he realized it was none other than Robbie behind the wheel of what had to be a rental car.
“Oh, this ain’t gonna be pretty,” Andre muttered loud enough for Cole to hear.
“What in the hell is he doin’ here?” Mike asked softly, coming to stand next to Cole.
“I have no idea,” Cole murmured.
They stood together and watched as Robbie pulled up next to the barn and switched off the car. A few seconds later he stepped out of the vehicle and looked around, his expression one of surprise at seeing so many of Cole’s employees standing nearby. Then, Robbie’s gaze landed on Cole, and he gave Cole a cautious smile and a little wave as he began to approach them.
Cole could read the uncertainty in every line of his ex’s body, and though he didn’t know what in the hell they were going to say to one another, he did know that he couldn’t leave Robbie hanging in front of his staff. Cole didn’t believe in being cruel, even to someone who’d dumped him with so little regard for his feelings.
So, Cole drew in a fortifying breath and squared his shoulders before he gave Mike’s back a pat and went to intercept Robbie. Cole met him halfway to where all his hands stood, and he heard Mike telling everyone to get back to business. Cole didn’t look over his shoulder, though he wanted to give Mike his appreciation for clearing away his audience.
“Robbie,” he said in a gruff voice. Man, was the day just full of surprises, Cole thought. “Whatcha doin’ here?”
“Is that any way to greet me?”
Robbie huffed out a laugh, but Cole could see his smile was forced and the tension held around his brilliant blue eyes. Even with his obvious bravado, Cole had to admit that Robbie still looked good in his tight-fitting designer jeans and his highlighted, dirty-blonde hair styled to perfection. His wingtips were polished and matched the sleek, thin belt Robbie had chosen to wear. And his crisp, button-down shirt was a delicate light blue which complemented the hue of his eyes.
Yeah, Cole admitted, Robbie had always been lovely to look at, and he knew how to use his best features to his advantage,
too. The few times Cole had ever gone out in public with Robbie, when they’d stolen away for a weekend to either Austin or Dallas, Robbie had flirted with other men right in front of him and was shown plenty of attention in return. Good thing he was looking for more than just what was on the surface now, Cole told himself.
Cole found a small smile for Robbie as his thoughts turned to Everest. There was just no comparison between the two, and he was glad for it. Cole extended his hand, but Robbie brushed past it and wrapped his arms around Cole’s neck, pulling him down into a tight hug.
Cole didn’t hug him back. He placed his hands on Robbie’s arms and slowly extricated himself, though he was careful not to hurt the smaller man. Robbie was five-nine to his six-two and didn’t have any of the muscle definition which Cole had. His body was sleek not from the little amount of time he spent in a gym but more from the diet to which he carefully adhered.
“Cole?” Robbie looked up at him with a million questions in his eyes. “Why aren’t you hugging me back?”
“Because that wouldn’t be appropriate.” Cole squinted, not sure he knew how to navigate this.
“Appropriate?” Robbie scoffed and shook his head. He moved back in close to Cole and settled his hand on Cole’s chest. “Listen, I know you weren’t expecting me to come after that stupid text I sent.” He began to pet Cole and Cole trapped his hand, slowly moving it away from his body again. Robbie watched the motion in obvious disbelief and then he looked back up at Cole.
“You have to know that my text was a mistake, Cole. I was with some friends at an early dinner party, and I got drunk off my ass.” Robbie rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying. It was just me being maudlin and over dramatic when I didn’t have to be, listening to a few of my friends who were encouraging me to cut ties here once and for all. I wasn’t really looking to end things between us, though, I swear. And you never responded, so I assumed you knew that.”
A Cowboy's Dance (White Oak Ranch Book 1) Page 10