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“I’ll put the tools away,” Rafe offered, and started out of the barn. Russell followed him, watching every movement, each clench of an ass straight from heaven. God, he was tempted to see if Rafe might be interested in hanging out with him. It had been a long time since he’d spent time with people who didn’t work for him or he wasn’t related to. And both of those were off romantic limits for a number of reasons. But he’d never been tempted the way he was now. Hell, Rafe was hot enough to tempt the devil himself.
As soon as he left the barn, he inhaled the fresh air. He found Dustin just as the sun began to set. “How is it?”
“The paddocks are done, the stalls are fixed. We repaired the barn and equipment shed as well as the roof.” He smiled. “The guys did amazing work, and I’d say this place should make it through the winter.”
Russell turned to all the guys. “Good work.”
“Yes, thank you all,” Rafe said from near the barn. “I can’t believe you’d all do this for a guy you barely know, but I owe you a great deal.” Rafe shook hands with each of the guys before they climbed into the trucks and took off. That left Russell alone with Rafe.
“I’ve heard of people being neighborly, but you and your men went overboard today. I don’t know how to thank you.” Rafe licked his lips, and damn it all if Russell wasn’t tempted to kiss the spot where that tongue had just touched.
“You’re welcome,” Russell said. “And if you can’t understand what neighbors are for, then you haven’t had the right neighbors.” He managed to control himself and patted Rafe on the shoulder before heading to his truck. He’d better get out before he did something he regretted.
“HOW DIDit go at Mack’s?” His dad handed him a martini and sat on the sofa. “You look beat.”
“We got a lot done, and Rafe was overwhelmed, I think. He thanked each of the men individually.” He sipped his drink slowly. “I think he was really touched.” He leaned forward, holding the glass by the stem, looking into it but not really seeing the liquid. “It was as if we handed him the moon when all we did was help out. For us, it was no big deal. But for him….”
His dad nodded. “I think I see.”
Russell rolled his eyes. “No, you don’t. Rafe couldn’t believe anyone would do something like that for him… and I think it’s because no one ever has.” He was beginning to see just how lucky he was. And he couldn’t help wondering about Rafe’s home life. Russell had been so lucky in that regard. But he was starting to understand why Mack had left his ranch to Rafe.
“You always had a good heart,” his dad said.
Russell laughed and then coughed, setting the glass down. “Since when do you talk like that?” Russel’s dad wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of guy. He was more of the strong, silent type. Russell had become quite good at reading him over the years, but this was something new.
“Don’t get smart with me. I’m still big enough to whoop you if I have to.” But there was no heat in his admonition. Russell cocked his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation. Finally, his dad relented. “I, uh, I went to the doctor while you were out. He asked me to come in when I told him I haven’t been feeling like my usual self. He’s running some tests but isn’t sure what’s wrong….” His dad’s glass shook slightly in his hand. Russell could never remember his father showing any weakness before. “I don’t know, son. Maybe I’m just feeling a little… mortal.”
“Dad….” He swallowed. “You should have told me.”
The man had the audacity to shrug. “At first I didn’t think it was anything other than old age. And my stomach has always been a little dodgy. But when I talked to the doctor at my last checkup—you know, the one that you made me go to—he wanted to see me again. And so I went. And now he’s going to run some tests, just to be sure.” The fear behind his father’s eyes was something completely new to Russell. “I know I’m not going to live forever, and I want to see you happy.”
Russell shook his head. “Dad, I am happy. The ranch and my work, they make me happy. I have a life most people would be jealous of.”
“So…?” His dad leaned forward, his drink in hand. Russell bit his lip to keep from asking his dad if he should be drinking at a time like this. But that would only piss him off, so he kept his mouth shut. “Your mother and I were happy together for over thirty years. You need to find someone who will make you as happy as she made me.” Then his dad sat back and finished the cocktail, watching him.
Suddenly Russell felt like an exhibit in a museum… or a specimen under a microscope. “What are you doing?”
“Wondering about our new neighbor.” He got up to get a glass of water, then sat back down.
“I was just being neighborly,” Russell said way too quickly. The room felt warmer to him when he thought about Rafe.
“If you say so. But taking two truckloads of supplies and a number of the hands from the ranch seems to me to be a bit more than ‘neighborly.’ I can’t help but wonder just how neighborly you want to get with this guy.” His dad looked smug as hell. “Maybe I’ll have to pay him a visit and see just what kind of neighbor he is.”
Russell rolled his eyes, but his dad only grinned.
“It’s Mack’s place. I don’t want to see it go all to hell.” The last thing he wanted was for his father to get involved. The man could be such a yenta. “And before you get yourself all worked up, no, I am not intending to ask him out… or anyone else, for that matter. Thanks to my experience with Jase, I know better than that. I still haven’t gotten over the hell he put both of us through.”
“Bullshit,” his dad snapped. “Yeah, I never liked him, but not everyone is like him. You know that. So he was a shit—do you think our neighbor is one too?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem. I thought Jase was a good guy, and look what happened.” In so many areas of his life, Russell was in charge. He knew the ranch like the back of his hand. He built and ran a noncentralized business that was the best at what it did, and he had clients all over the planet. But the thought of venturing into a relationship with anyone—even a guy as hot as Rafe—scared him. And yet, there was something about Rafe that got past his defenses. And that frightened him too, because he couldn’t control it.
“Well, if you want my advice, build a bridge and get over it.”
Sometimes his father really got to the heart of things, and maybe he was right. Russell was smart enough to know the root cause of his issue—he wanted control over every aspect of his life. He didn’t need a shrink to tell him that. After the fiasco with Jase, it had just been easier to stick to the things he knew. And relationships? Well, he was definitely at a loss when it came to them.
The front bell rang through the house, and Russell got up, eager to put an end to this conversation. When he opened the door, he barely managed to stifle a groan. “Grant. Duane. What can I do for you?” These two were the last people he wanted to see.
“I came to speak with your father,” Grant huffed.
