It was about an hour before dawn, and the city was foggy and quiet. I shivered and zipped my jacket, and then I took off down the street at a brisk pace.
Of course, my thoughts immediately turned to Ryder.
Our time together had been magical. There was no other word for it. Okay, yes, things had started a bit rough for me, because ranch life was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. But I’d adapted, and then I’d started to enjoy it. By the end of the week, I was feeding goats, brushing horses, and had learned to tell one nearly identical chicken from another.
I still had progress to make, though. Ryder had to be disappointed that I hadn’t been willing to go horseback riding—not that he ever said that. Instead, he was as kind and patient with me as he was with his animals, including Barbie, the giant,wild creature that looked like he belonged to one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
That horse was something else. He wouldn’t let me or Dwight anywhere near him, but he perked up whenever he saw Ryder. He even leaned into his touch. It was really beautiful, and it told me the horse knew the same thing I did—that Ryder was a genuinely good man. He was someone who cared deeply and would never hurt a soul—except on the rugby pitch, which was apparently where he released his aggression.
He'd shown me a recording of one of his matches, and admittedly, it had been hot. It showed me Ryder was this incredible juxtaposition of softness and strength. When I’d mentioned that, he’d told me it sounded like an ad for toilet paper, which had made me laugh.
I was grinning at that memory as I pushed open the door of my gym and crossed the lobby to the front desk. Everfit was really something. It was beautifully designed, sparkling clean, and completely state of the art. If it hadn’t been owned by a friend and his husband, who’d given my housemates and me free memberships, I never would have been able to afford it.
The woman behind the counter greeted me with a smile. “Hey there, Hal. You’re in awfully early today.”
“I don’t know why I’m awake at this hour, but I figured I should get to it. I was on vacation last week, so this week is all about getting back into my routine.”
“Did you go anywhere fun?”
“A ranch outside Austin, Texas.”
“That’s about the last place I would have guessed for you,” she said.
“I went there for a man,” I admitted. “A big, sexy cowboy, who showed me a very good time.”
She grinned and nodded. “Now it’s all making sense.”
“For the record though, I was crushing life on the ranch. Not at first, but by the end of it I was right at home with the horses and goats and chickens.”
She looked legitimately surprised as she murmured, “I can’t imagine.”
I was still thinking about her reaction as I stashed my bag in the locker room and started my workout. Was it really that far-fetched to imagine me in the country? I knew I didn’t look rugged and outdoorsy, but I’d done a pretty good job of adapting to that very new environment. I was going to keep getting better at it too, since I planned to spend every vacation there from now on.
That thought made me pause and sit up on my exercise bike. Was that really all Ryder and I would ever have? One or two weeks a year, while I worked sixty or seventy hours a week and tried to get ahead in my field? It wasn’t nearly enough, considering how much he meant to me.
He and I had to figure this out, but first, I needed to finish school. I started to feel panicky when I thought about how much I needed to do over the next two months, starting with designing and producing my final collection. I also had to update my portfolio, complete assignments for three classes, finish my internship, and more. It was a lot of pressure, and pretty overwhelming.
But then, after all of that was out of the way, Ryder and I would have time to talk about our relationship. I was planning to go see him as soon as I finished school. Once we were face-to-face again, we could come up with some sort of solution to our limited time together.
I had no idea what that would be. All I knew was that something had to give, because I needed him in my life, and being apart from him for fifty weeks a year was heartbreaking.
After my workout, I showered and got dressed, then checked my phone out of habit before remembering it was dead. I left the gym with my bag over my shoulder and walked to the nearest transit stop, where I fidgeted until a bus arrived.
It was still very early—a few minutes to seven according to the clock at the gym—so the city was just starting to wake up. I barely noticed it as I reviewed today’s mental to-do list. I’d done a lot of thinking about my collection during my week off, and now I really needed to make a decision and get going on it.
I had about three hours before class, so I headed to the studio and let myself in with my key. Surprisingly, the light was on, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hung in the air. Apparently Kit was getting an even earlier start than I was, although there was no sign of him.
I went to my worktable, put down my things, and plugged in my phone. As soon as it came back to life, I sent Ryder a text:Good morning, Ry. My phone died last night, but I wanted to thank you for humoring me and sticking around while I fell asleep.
It rang a few moments later, and when I answered the video call, Ryder said, “Hi, baby. You’re up early.”
“You don’t know the half of it. I’ve already been to the gym, and now I’m in my studio on campus.”
“Impressive! For the record, I didn’t just stick around while you fell asleep last night. I’d planned to keep my phone on all night and watch you drool on your pillow, but when I woke up this morning, the connection was dead. Now I know why.”
“Next time we virtually spend the night, I’ll remember to plug in my phone. Also, I don’t drool.”
“No, but it could happen. If it does, I’ll be sure to grab a screen shot,” he teased, with a big grin.
