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Finley had gaped at Kieran long enough for the line to advance, and the hungry crew behind him was getting restless. He couldn’t afford a mutiny, so he tossed a sheepish apology over his shoulder and stepped to the buffet to pick up his plate and utensils. As much as Finley loved Harry’s lasagna, it didn’t always love him back. He took a small corner piece, loaded a heaping portion of salad onto his plate, and snagged a hunk of garlic bread.
By the time Finley returned to his chair, Kieran had already tucked into his food. Rueben resumed his seat and whispered to their newest recruit, but Finley picked out enough words to realize he was cautioning Kieran to eat slowly and be mindful that the food was richer. Finley hadn’t thought about it much, but the abrupt switch from bland jail food to Harry’s indulgent dishes could wreak havoc on a person’s digestive system.
Kieran absorbed what Rueben said, then looked over at him. “Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate it.”
Never one who liked to be excluded, Finley leaned forward and whispered, “He just wants more for himself.”
Kieran’s lips twitched at the corners, but he didn’t smile. Not yet. One day, Finley would earn one. Damn it. This was how it started. A quest to make them smile would lead to other challenges. Finley would work to earn a laugh and a gentle touch, then a kiss. He’d obsess about kissing until it was no longer enough. His gut clenched as he realized he might be the problem. The guys who’d broken his heart hadn’t set out to do so. Finley had gotten greedy, wanting more than they could give. His fork fell to the plate with a clang, and the surrounding conversations halted. All eyes were on him while he stared at his hands as if they’d failed him.
“I’d hoped this phase was gone for good,” Harry said from the opposite side of the table. “Between the ages of six and ten, my brother dropped everything.”
Finley leaned forward and turned his head so he could look at her. He’d never gone through a clumsy phase, which she knew all too well. His big sister was doing what she’d always done—bail him out of trouble. Finley shot her a wink and said, “A kid breaks one thing, and his sister never lets him live it down.” He looked back at his plate, retrieved his fork, and scooped up another bite of tomato-y, cheesy goodness. “Makes it hard to hold a grudge when she cooks this good.”
A smattering of chuckles bounced around the table, then the eating and chatting resumed.
“I can’t believe Cash missed this,” Tyler said, forking a bite into his mouth.
“He’s been gone a lot lately,” Owen said. He and Tyler had been inseparable since arriving on the ranch two years ago. Owen was Tyler’s opposite in every way. Where Ty was fair-skinned and dark-haired, Owen was sun-kissed and golden-haired. Tyler was more laid-back to Owen’s assertiveness, yin and yang. “Maybe he’s met someone.”
“Something’s up, and it’s gotta be big,” Tyler replied. “He never misses lasagna night.”
Kieran’s brow furrowed, and Finley recalled his remark about the ranch and its owner being too good to be true. He leaned forward, catching Kieran’s eye, and quietly said, “They’re only teasing. Nothing nefarious is going on.”
Tyler pursed his lips for a few seconds. “Or maybe—” His words died when he saw the glower Ivan aimed at him.
“Or maybe you should shut the hell up and mind your own business,” their foreman said.
Tyler’s face flushed red, but instead of defending himself or making excuses, he nodded and tucked back into his food. Everyone else did too, and the conversation stopped until they pushed back from the table with full bellies. They heaped praise on Harry’s cooking as they gathered their dirty dishes. Harry waved off the compliments with one hand and urged them on with the other. She stood and gave a mock bow before declaring her work done.
“We’re each responsible for carrying our dirty dishes to the kitchen,” Rue told Kieran as they stood up. “We rinse and put them inside the dishwashers. Teams of two or three alternate the daily kitchen duties, starting the dishwasher, cleaning the counters, and storing leftover food. That kind of thing. Ivan will let you know when it’s your turn.”
“I’ll put Kieran on your team and bump Dylan over with Tyler and Owen,” the foreman said.
“Great,” Rue said. “We’re up tomorrow.”
Kieran nodded and followed Rue out of the dining room. The crew continued their usual banter as they took turns cleaning off their plates and rinsing their cups and utensils before stacking them inside the commercial-grade dishwashers. Finley hung back and watched them interact like they’d known each other all their lives. The crew felt like a mishmash of people Cash had pulled into his orbit.Found family.Finley had heard of it but hadn’t realized he’d been experiencing it since accepting a job from Cash four years earlier. He’d tried his hand at real estate for a few months after moving to Colorado, but it didn’t feed his soul the way working with horses did.
Finley’s gaze landed on the small purple bag from his mother’s store, and he grabbed it along with Kieran’s payroll advance. Kieran was already outside, walking toward the cabins with Rueben, who continued to talk a mile a minute. Finley noticed Kieran’s posture wasn’t nearly as tense or rigid. He might not be doing much of the conversing, but he didn’t look put off by it.
“Kieran,” he called out. The two guys stopped and turned to face him. Finley extended the bag to him, but the taller man stared down at the offering like it might contain a deadly snake. “It’s the salve I told you about,” he explained. “Harry picked it up from our mom yesterday. And Cash asked me to pass along your pay advance.”
“You’ll want to use the salve,” Rueben said. “If you think you’re stiff now, just wait until morning.”Stiff?He wasn’t walking or carrying himself funny. Had Kieran mentioned he was hurting or had Rue known from personal experience? Kieran scowled at the shorter man until Rueben laughed. “I was new here once, and it wasn’t so long ago I can’t remember. I refused Finley’s kind offer and regretted it deeply.”
Kieran took the bag from Finley’s hand and met his gaze. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Had his voice sounded husky, or was it his imagination? Neither Kieran nor Rueben reacted, so it was just his inner tramp wanting to come out and play. A montage of images featuring how Finley could please Kieran rolled through his brain, and he needed to get away before making a fool of himself.
“I’m heading into Last Chance Creek tomorrow,” Rueben said. “Want to tag along?”
“Yeah,” Kieran said. “That’d be great. Thank you.”
Finley bit back his disappointment. He’d planned to offer Kieran a ride to town, but Rueben taking him was probably for the best, considering the way his body and brain reacted to Kieran. “See you fellas at breakfast.”
Rueben said goodbye while Kieran turned around and walked away but not before Finley saw his cheeks flush again. Where else would he turn that pretty pink color? He tamped down the thought until he was alone in his room at the original homestead where he lived with the other two supervisors. Dylan was in charge of the dog kennels, Finley supervised the horses, and Ivan was the ranch daddy, though no one was brave enough to call him that to his face.
The images Finley had repressed came flooding back the second he locked his bedroom door. Heat rolled over him like a hot flash, making his clothes feel too tight and itchy. He pulled them off as he stumbled toward the bed, an oasis where he could get a much-needed reprieve from the sensation overload. Once bare, his skin felt wrong—tingly and pulsing as if a million ants marched beneath the surface. He smoothed a hand over his chest and sucked in a sharp breath when his fingertips brushed over his nipple. Finley’s core tightened and thrummed with need. His cock was rock hard and aching for relief.
Instead of fighting the urge, he reached inside his nightstand for the two things that would restore his balance. He affixed his dildo to the headboard with the suction cup, then squeezed lube along the shaft. Finley picked up the throw pillows and shoved them between the wall separating his room from Ivan’s and the headboard. He didn’t need to broadcast just how hot and hard the new guy made him. Finley yanked his covers down and tossed his pillows to the end of the bed. He climbed onto the mattress and positioned himself on his hands and knees in front of the dildo.
