Somehow, he followed me like a puppy, not at all interested in other horses. The only time he twitched was when we both spotted a mare someone was leading to another trailer stop and do the “I’m so damn in season” squat and pee.
“Come on. She’s too fancy of a lady for you,” I murmured. Not that Not-Bob was going to be using his equipment at all, but he didn’t need to know that yet.
He marched into the trailer and began to munch on the hay from the hay net immediately. Poor, hungry fella. I needed to water him before we left, so I patted his rump and jumped down the ramp, just to nearly bump into Crew who was carrying water.
“I borrowed a bucket. Here.”
“Thanks.” I still couldn’t look at him. I took the bucket to Crew’s new purchase, and he drank deeply, finishing the whole thing in no time. “Okay, I think that’s enough for now.”
I handed the bucket over to Crew and then made sure everything was ready for us to leave. By the time I was closing the ramp, he got back and latched the other side for me.
Without a word, I walked to the passenger’s side and got in.
Crew got in the driver’s seat and grabbed the keys I was holding out to him. He started the truck, and smoothly steered it through the throngs of trailers and people.
This morning, when Pay had wanted to go to Crew, something in my heart had cracked. Not in a bad way, though.
My immediate thought had been that for Pay to trust someone like this, it meant a lot. My son was picky about his people,despite being polite and friendly. When he was at his sleepiest or if he was ill, there weren’t many he trusted like that.
So for him to actively want Crew? That meant Crew was one of his people now.
Seeing my boss holding my son like that had… yeah. It hadn’t felt bad.
Then, once we got into the car, there’d been that whole revelation of most of the Harrington kids being queer. Like… who got to grow up like that? Accepted in a way that let you just be who you were authentically?
Because let’s face it, my dad had been old school. A great guys’ guy, and a good dad until he wasn’t. But I’d never come out to him. I just hadn’t felt secure enough in his love that I could’ve risked it. Not before Vera and not after.
I’d told mom that I was pretty sure I wasn’t straight one night when I’d been delirious with exhaustion after taking care of tiny Pay and his big ear infection. Mom had patted me on the arm and told me that she was happy if I ever found a person who I wanted to have a life with, but to maybe not tell dad until that person materialized. That was all I’d needed to know about that.
The thing about my whole view on relationships was that I was a dad first. Most people didn’t want single parents. But then back where I’d lived, there weren’t many queer men to begin with and Dad had been around. Until he wasn’t, and by then there was nothing but survival mode for months.
And now there was this man. My boss. Because of course I’d noticed him. How could I not?
Objectively, all of the Harrington siblings were good looking people in their own way. But only Crew made melook. As much as I’d denied that I was doing that, even to myself.
Crew had turned on a playlist that seemed pretty eclectic, probably to combat the silence.
We drove straight through, and it wasn’t until the last ten minutes that I suddenly remembered Hawk’s words about his brother.
“He doesn’t connect easily, but when he does, he holds a torch something fierce.”
I whipped my head to stare at him.
Was he…?No.That couldn’t be it.Right?
He glanced at me as he turned onto the driveway. “What?”
I clenched my jaw and shook my head, then turned to look at where we were heading.
We drove the rest of the way in silence apart from the music. The trip back felt endless, yet suddenly there we were at the yearling barn where the quarantine stalls were located. Nobody else was around, which was good. I needed a few more moments to gather myself to be able to be civil.
As soon as Crew backed the trailer close to the barn doors at the end that was carefully separated for quarantine, I got out and went to get Not-Bob. Crew helped me lower the ramp, and the colt didn’t fuss in the least.
He seemed to be waiting, and only when I let him back out of the trailer and he inhaled the evening air did he try out his voice for the first time.The loud as fuck neigh made my ears ring. His nostrils were flaring, but he still stood in one spot like a ragged horse-shaped statue.
Juanpablo screamed back at him, which made Not-Bob jerk his head in surprise, then calm down when he heard horses, too.
“Yeah, he’s a bit dramatic. But it’ll be fine,” I told him, petting his neck.
