by J. P. Bowie
“Yeah, but he did love having a bronco rider for a boyfriend.” Talia grimaced. “He screamed louder than anyone else when you came shootin’ outta the gate.”
“You want me to order in a pizza? Save you from slaving in the kitchen.”
“I haven’t been slaving, but pizza sounds good. Been ages since I had one. Lloyd says they’re bad for you.”
“He’s probably right,” Tim said chuckling. “But damn, they taste good.”
Talia rose from her chair. “I’ve got a phone number on the fridge door. You like pepperoni?”
“Oh, yeah, and extra cheese. I’m gonna call Parker while you order. Let him know how things are going.”
“Tell him I said hi.”
Tim punched in Parker’s number and immediately felt better at the sound of his boss’s deep voice saying hello.
“Hey, Boss, just wanted to catch you up with things here.”
“Good to hear from you, Tim. How’re you holding up?”
“Okay. The funeral’s tomorrow and I wanted to know if it’d be all right if I stayed on for a coupla days, just so Talia’s not on her own right after. She says hi, by the way.”
“Right back at her. Tell her to come visit sometime. Take as long as you need. Just keep in touch and let us know how things are for you. By the way, we hired a new guy yesterday, name of Ryan Horton. He’s from Montana.”
“You—you need another hand?”
“Royce said we do, so I guess we do. Don’t worry, he’s not taking anyone’s place. He’ll cover vacations and the like. He’s gonna take Jordan’s old room in the bunkhouse. Oh, here’s Seth, wants to say hi.”
“Hey, buddy…” Seth’s always cheerful voice made Tim smile. Seth might be on his ass all the time about not dating or even hooking up online, but he meant well and he was a good friend.
“Seth, how’re you managin’ without me?”
“Oh, just dandy. Didn’t even notice you were gone, as a matter of fact.”
“Is that so? Not what Parker just told me. Said you were downright weepy. Kept moanin’ about all the extra work you have to do.”
“Huh. Hey, we have a new hand…a looker, Tim. I’ve been tellin’ him what a great guy you are, so don’t let me down when you meet him. You have to ask him out on a date.”
“Seth, for Pete’s sake, get offa that. My mom and dad’s funerals are tomorrow. The last thing I want to be thinking about is askin’ some guy out that I don’t even know.”
“Yeah, sorry ’bout that. How are you holdin’ up?”
“Okay. It’s been harder on Talia in a way ’cause she lived with them, but I’m doing my best to keep her from getting too upset. It’ll be bad tomorrow, for sure.”
“Mike and me’ll be thinking about you. Don’t forget to let us know when you’re getting back. We’ll pick you up at the airport.”
“Thanks, buddy. Good talkin’ to you. Bye.”
“Bye now.”
“So, everything all right without you?” Talia asked.
“Seems like it. Parker said they hired a new hand, Ryan somebody from Montana. And busybody Seth’s already tryin’ to set me up with him.”
“Not such a bad idea,” Talia said. “You could use a nice guy in your life. Three years is a long time to go without sex.”
Tim choked on his laughter and his cheeks flamed. “Talia! And how d’you know I haven’t had sex in three years?”
“Well, if you’re counting your hand, and watching porn maybe, but I know you haven’t had anyone in your life since Abe. At least that’s what you told me.”
“Remind me to not tell you so darned much in future. Where’s that pizza?”
“The guy said it would be fifteen minutes or so.”
“Huh. I’m gonna go wash my hands—” He glared at Talia when she snorted. “And no, not for that reason!”
He stomped out of the room, chuckling all the way. In the bathroom, while washing his hands and face, he studied his reflection in the mirror. I’m okay-looking, I guess. Working the ranch had helped him maintain the toned, lean body he’d had on the rodeo circuit. He kept his light-brown hair cut short. He and Talia shared the same color blue eyes, and when he and Abe had still been an item, Abe would tell him his best features were his mouth and his ass.
‘Both of ’em so kissable,’ Abe had told him.
Tim sighed. Talia could be right. Maybe he did need a nice guy in his life. Three years of celibacy was maybe just plain dumb. He was still young and full of cum—he’d seen that description on a porn cover—and Talia’s remark about having to use his hand and watch porn was pretty much on the mark. Yeah, a real man would be good for a change, but not one like Abe, who bickered too much about him not coming out to his folks. And sure as heck, he was not about to date any guy that Seth picked out. He’d be hovering around them with stupid innuendos and such.
The sound of the doorbell made him dry off quickly and run back downstairs. Talia had already opened the door but Tim eased her aside so he could pay the delivery boy.
“Smells good,” he said, hurrying into the kitchen for plates and a knife to cut the pizza.
Talia followed him. “I’ll get the beers.” They settled at the kitchen table. “Will you be leaving right after the funeral?”
“I can stay two or three days more, if I’m not going to be in the way. When are you going back to work?”
“Beginning of next week, and no, you won’t be in the way. We should make an appointment with the lawyer before you leave, see if there’s anything we have to do, or sign stuff.”
Tim nodded while he chewed slowly. “Can’t imagine there would be any complications. There’s just you and me…maybe a charity or two. If you want to go on living here, I’m okay with that.”
Talia sighed. “I’ve been thinking we should sell. I’d like to get a small condo. It’d be easier to manage on my own.”
“What about Lloyd? Doesn’t he want the two of you to live together?”
“I don’t think I’m there yet. He’s an okay boyfriend, but like I said, not very social. A couple of my girlfriends aren’t particularly crazy about him. We’ll see.”
* * * *
“Tim, are you up yet?” Talia’s call from downstairs next morning made him groan and swing his legs off the bed. He slipped on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. His gaze swept the room for a moment or two, taking in the framed pictures of him astride a bronco, his cups and trophies he’d garnered over the years.
Guess she’ll want me to take these at some point…
He padded downstairs in his bare feet. “That coffee sure smells good,” he announced before giving Talia a quick hug.
“Did you bring a suit?” she asked.
“No. I’m wearing black jeans, boots and a black shirt and that good-looking bolo Mom and Dad got me for my twenty-first birthday. You know, the silver and turquoise one.”
“Oh yeah. The cowboy all in black. You’ll have all the women, whose minds should be elsewhere, eyeing you up like you’re a side of prize beef.”
Tim snorted. “You sure have a way of describing your one and only brother. Are you wearing a suit?”
“Smartass. Well, now I come to think of it, it’s black pants and a jacket, so I guess it’s a suit.” She smiled briefly. “Okay, I’ll go shower and get ready. You can make yourself some toast, right?”
“Yes, sister, believe it or not, I can make toast.”
“Hey, less sass and more action.” She smacked his butt as she hurried from the kitchen, and, chuckling, Tim poured himself some more coffee. The doorbell rang, making him jump and slop the coffee onto the table.
“Shit…who the hell?”
“Can you get that?” Talia yelled from upstairs.
“On my way!” He pulled the door and gasped at the giant floral display a young man was carrying.
“For the Barret family, with condolences,” the kid said.
“Thanks.” He groped in his jeans’ pocket for some dollars, then thrust them
at the boy.
Tim carried the flowers indoors and set them on the kitchen table. He opened the little envelope and tears filled his eyes when he saw that the flowers were from Royce and Parker and all his friends at the Seven Plus ranch.
“Oh, they’re beautiful.” Talia had come downstairs and stood staring at the bouquet, her hand over her mouth while she fought back her own tears. “Are they from…?
Tim handed her the card and they cried together when she read aloud the printed words of comfort and the names of the senders.
* * * *
There were more people at the chapel than Tim had anticipated. Not that he should’ve been surprised. His parents had been popular in the community. That had been obvious from the amount of phone calls and sympathy cards at the house in the past few days. And dammit, as they walked down the center aisle, he realized his sister had been right. He’d recognize the back of that head anywhere.
Abe.
Shit.
He avoided the sideways glance Abe threw at him, keeping his gaze doggedly forward until they reached the front pew, where he was immediately grabbed by a sobbing Aunt May. He held her tear-streaked face to his chest while she did a good job of soaking the front of his shirt. Talia finally pulled her away and hugged her, then coaxed her into sitting down between them where she laid her head on Tim’s shoulder, and continued to soak another part of his shirt.
After a few hymns, a short eulogy from the pastor followed, then he invited people to come up and say a few words of remembrance. Talia threw a sharp look at Tim that meant ‘Get up there’, so he did in order not to hear from her later.
He managed to stumble through some words about how supportive his parents had been of anything he and Talia had ever wanted to do. It wasn’t true, but it sounded good and he supposed only his sister knew how they’d felt about his rodeo riding. He couldn’t help but notice Abe’s stare on him the entire time. He hadn’t changed much, if at all. He still had that thick burnished-gold hair and those piercing blue eyes. Tim almost ground to a halt when he realized Abe wasn’t alone. The young man sitting close enough to him to almost be in his lap looked bored to tears, and who could blame him? Coming to a funeral for people he’d never met in his life was not the best way to spend an afternoon.
Why the hell did Abe drag him here? Just to show me he’s found a replacement for me? And from the looks of the guy, not at all afraid to be out…
He finished by thanking everyone who came to say goodbye to his mom and dad, and those few last words sounded choked up to his own ears. Tears welled in his eyes as he returned to his seat, and Aunt May took one look at him and started sobbing all over again.
Outside, Abe drew him into a hard-bodied embrace and a kiss on his neck which startled him. “This is Chad,” Abe said when he pulled back and indicated the young man at his side. “Chad, this is Tim, my ex-partner.”
Was there an inflection on the ‘ex’? Hardly necessary. They had been apart for over three years. Chad offered him a limp handshake that went on a bit too long for Tim’s liking, while his gaze took in every inch of Tim’s frame.
“You really are a cowboy?” he asked, sounding as though he was out of breath.
“Well, I used to be a bronco rider, but now I work at a dude ranch near Sacramento.”
“Wow, that’s got to be so exciting.” Chad’s hazel eyes widened and he licked his bottom lip suggestively.
Jesus, the guy’s putting the make on me right in front of Abe…and at a funeral. What a dick.
There was an awkward silence while Abe glared at Chad. For a moment it appeared as if Abe wanted to say something more to Tim, but after a quick, “Okay, nice seeing you again, Tim,” he grabbed Chad by the arm and almost marched him away.
“Can you make the lunch at Donell’s?” Tim thought he should ask.
“Sorry, no,” Abe said over his shoulder while Chad took one long last look at Tim.
Wow.
“What was all that about?” Talia was at his side now that the handshaking was over.
“Abe’s boyfriend was flirtin’ with me, can you believe it?”
“In front of Abe…and at a funeral?”
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
“What a dick.”
Tim couldn’t help chuckling. “Again, that’s what I thought.”
Chapter Four
“Tim!” He could hear Seth’s shout clear across the baggage area and never had he felt so welcome. “Good to see you back, buddy!” Seth’s big body wrapped around him in a back-slapping hug, and all he could think was, God, but it’s good to be home. Mike grinned at him and gave him a more subdued greeting but did add a kiss on his cheek.
“I’m glad too, Tim. Seth’s been moping around ever since you left, scared you weren’t gonna come back.”
“Was not,” Seth growled, but looked sheepish under Tim’s surprised stare.
“Were too,” Mike teased. “I swear I was worried our marriage vows would have meant nothing if you’d stayed away any longer. He’d have been up in Reno, scouring the countryside looking for you.”
Tim laughed and Seth shook his head. “See what I have to put up with? I thought I was marrying this nice, shy guy, but since he roped me in, he’s gotten all ballsy and smart-assy.”
“Smart-assy. I like it.” Mike jiggled his cute ass as they crossed over to the airport parking garage.
“So, anything at the ranch I should know about?” Tim asked.
“Nothin’ bad. Smooth sailing for the most part. Ryan, the new hire’s settling in good.” Seth winked at him. “You’ll like him. Bronco rider like you.”
“So you said.”
They got in Mike’s car and headed out of the airport.
“How’s your sister holding up?” Mike asked.
“She was doing better by the time I left. I just wish her boyfriend was more…I dunno, maybe more supportive. No, that’s not the right word, he is supportive, but there’s not a lot of emotion there. Talia needs affection right now and I didn’t see a lot of that from him.”
“Some guys are like that,” Mike remarked. “’Fraid they’ll lose their macho status or something.”
“Did you see your ex-boyfriend while you were there?”
“You had to ask that, didn’t you?” Tim had mentioned Abe to Seth a while back when they were reminiscing over a few beers one night. “Yes, I saw him, at the funeral, and he called me the next day wanting to meet, now that I could be myself, since my folks were out of the picture.”
“What?” That came from both Seth and Mike at the same time, and it almost made Tim laugh…almost.
“What a jerk,” Mike exclaimed.
“A total asswipe,” Seth added.
“Anyway, enough about him. How are you guys?”
For the rest of the ride Seth brought him up to date with the kind of guests they’d had while he’d been gone, and the new batch arriving today and tomorrow. He added how Parker had said they were going to let Tim take a couple more days to settle in before they put him back to work.
“That’s real nice of them, but I’d rather be busy than have too much time to think about things. I might have to ask for some more time off when Talia decides what she’s doing.”
“Well, you know Royce and Parker are always good about things like that,” Seth said. “So don’t you even think it’ll be a problem.”
* * * *
Tim grinned happily as Mike’s car sailed through the entrance to the Seven Plus. There were Parker, Bob and Jordan standing outside the stables looking like they were waiting for him to arrive. ‘Course they’re not, they’re just discussing stuff that has to get done.
He got out of the car and waved at the men then frowned when they all turned their backs and kept on talking. What the hell? “Seth, I do somethin’ wrong?”
“Yeah.” Seth narrowed his eyes. “You came back.”
“What?”
The sound of chortling came loud and clear from Parker and Jordan
while Bob laughed out loud. “Gotcha!” Seth yelled and pushed him toward the group. Hugs and back-slapping ensued and Tim had to wipe away the tears that had sprung to his eyes.
“Guys, for a minute I thought you were mad at me or somethin’.”
Parker threw an arm around Tim’s shoulders and pulled him in close. “Why in hell would you think a thing like that? We’re happy to see you back, just sad for you in your loss. How’s your sister doing?”
“She’s hurting, but she’s strong, thank goodness, and I’ll be in touch with her every day till she gets herself settled.”
“Hey there, Tim.” Stu Reynolds came running toward him a big smile on his face. Behind him, Tim noticed a tall and built sandy-haired dude who was watching the commotion with a bemused expression. Tim was subjected to another back-slapping hug from Stu, then Parker called the tall guy over.
“Ryan, come and meet Tim. Tim, this here’s Ryan Horton all the way from Montana. Ryan, Tim Barrett, our ‘el primo’ bronco rider.”
“Boss…” Tim’s cheeks flamed. “Not the only rider here.” He couldn’t help but catch Ryan’s raised eyebrow on hearing Parker’s praise as they shook hands. “There’s you and Jordan for starters, and…and Seth tells me Ryan’s a bronco rider too.”
Parker laughed and slapped Tim’s back. “Always so modest. And you’re right, we’ve got the best at the Seven Plus, in my opinion anyway. So, Tim, go unpack and take the rest of the day off. We’re in between guests right now. Got two comin’ in tonight and four more tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’d like to get to work right away, if that’s all right with you,” Tim said. ”Don’t want to be mopin’ around if I can help it.”
Parker nodded. “Tomorrow then.”
“You need us for anything, Boss?” Stu asked.
“No, I think you’re done for the day. The horses are all stabled and fed. Royce and me’ll welcome in the new guests tonight. They don’t get here till around eight or so.”