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“Yeah, of course, for my horse. What other reason would I visit?”
“Asshole.”
We kissed again. And again. And once more after that. Then we ate soup and went back to bed and fucked one final time. That night.
Someone poundingdown Shep’s door at fuck off and die o’clock was not the way I’d wanted to start one of the few days left with Shepherd on the premises. I’d envisioned mutual blow jobs in the shower, followed by a romantic late brunch on the veranda. Yeah, that was a fantasy. We might be able to pull off the blowjobs, but not in the closet that passed for a bathroom in the guest cottages.
“What the fuck?” Shep snapped while kicking at the covers. I peeked at the lone window with bleary eyes. It wasn’t even light out yet. I burrowed my face into Shep’s pillow and drifted back to sleep. For like ten seconds.
“Hey, your brother is at the door,” Shep said as he shook me awake. I rolled onto my back, sighed, and peeled my eyelids apart. My lover was disgruntled. I knew how he felt. “He says it’s important ranch business or he wouldn’t have sullied the sole of his boots by stepping inside my home.”
“Dramatic little shit, isn’t he?” I mumbled and hurried to yank some pants over my naked ass. Will and Perry were both waiting in the main room. The looks that I got from the young couple singed my skin. It felt odd to greet them with nothing on but my pants and a hickey on my belly. “Is the main house on fire?”
“No, Donnie is gone, and he cleared out almost every footlocker in the bunkhouse before he split,” Perry informed me. Will, it seemed, was unable to speak to his own brother. Which hurt, I’ll admit it, but Shep was trying to prove he was a new man. Seemed a kid with a criminal record would be a bit more forgiving. Me and him were overdue for a long brotherly chat and there was no time like the present.
“Did he say where he was going?” Shep asked. Both young men shook their heads.
“Nope, no mention of leaving or being unhappy. The guys just woke up this morning to find his bed and footlocker empty and most of their shit gone.”
“Jesus fucking hairy horse balls,” I growled as I spun to tromp back into the bedroom to gather my clothes. I stopped, turned, and pointed a finger at Perry. “I want you to get a list of all the things that were stolen.” He nodded. Then I jabbed a finger at Will. “And I want you to stay right there. We’re going to have us a little talk.”
“I don’t want to talk to someone who fucks—”
“Don’t even finish that. Park your ass in that chair. This has gone on long enough.” I slammed into the bedroom, half expecting to return to find Will gone, but, miraculously, he was still there when I emerged fully dressed aside from my work boots. Those waited by the front door. Perry had left and Shepherd was making coffee. After he was done and the pot was chugging, he excused himself. I pulled him close and kissed him before releasing his wrist so he could shower. Shep gave me a dirty look but said nothing. When the bedroom door closed, I set my sights on my little brother. “Sit.” I pointed to the chair tucked neatly under the small round table.
“Fuck. Off.” Will met my glower with one of his own.
“As your supervisor on this ranch, I am telling you to park your fucking ass.”
He stood his ground.
“Sit or I start docking pay for insubordination.” His mouth fell open. “Don’t test me, William.”
“I hate you sometimes,” he grumbled, but he did throw his backside into a chair.
I grabbed two mugs, filled them with hot coffee, and sat. Will glowered at the mug I shoved across the table to him. I shrugged.
“There are days I’m not real fond of you either, so that makes us even.” He flicked the handle of his mug with his fingernail. I took a long pull of mine, sighed, and then combed my knotted hair with my fingers. “I know Shepherd has a jaded past.” Will snorted loudly. “He’s done and said things that have not endeared him to anyone here.”
“You used to hate him. It’s fucking amazing how fast your opinion of that jerk changed once he let you fuck him in the ass,” Will spat.
The man was seething and I really couldn’t hold it against him. He was madly in love with a Native man who’d felt the cruel words of all the McCrarys falling on his back. I got it. I took a deep breath.
“It wasn’t the fact that we fell into bed that changed my opinion of him. It was the fact that he feels real remorse over being part of that kind of behavior and he is trying to change. Will, the man lived with a secret that, if it had come out, could have seen him beaten to death. It nearly did.” I lowered my mug and stared into the dark, steaming liquid. The memory of how close to dying Shep had been when he’d collapsed onto the floor of the Lone Vale cabin rose up like a damn nightmare in my mind’s eye.
“Okay, yeah, it sucks that he had to live that lie. And I’m glad he’s out, but him being gay doesn’t mean he’s not an asshole,” Will snapped, his fingernail beating a fine tempo on the handle of his coffee mug. “He called Perry and his people some terrible things.”
“I know he did. But he felt he had to keep up the façade or his brothers would find out.”
“That’s no excuse. He could have stood up to them sooner.”
I sighed. Will was not going to make this easy, and on some level, I admired him for making it rough on me and Shepherd. There were many things Shep had to atone for, and he had been, but it was going to be a long haul for the man.
“Maybe, but his finances are controlled by Clayton.” Will studied me for a moment, then rolled his eyes. “It’s way more complicated than it appears to those who don’t know all the fine details. Look, I’m not asking you to jump for joy every time he enters the room. What I am asking you for is some compassion and understanding. It wasn’t that long ago that you showed up here with a bad rap sheet. Everyone here welcomed you with open arms and gave you that chance you wanted to redeem yourself.”
“Not everyone.”
Yeah, Mona never did like the idea of an ex-con around.
