Chapter 5
Chapter five
GENTRY
On nights I couldn’t sleep, I would go to the barn and sit with Dusty in his stall.
He grew up with me as his mother, and there was a bond there that most horses didn’t have with a human.
He was as loyal as they came and was willing to comfort me when needed.
He lay on the straw inside the barn, and his shoulder was behind my back.
Absently, I stroked his neck and ran my fingers through his mane.
“He was really hot, Dusty.” I shuffled around and got more comfortable, then closed my eyes.
“He’s the first guy that I felt more than lust for.
Don’t get me wrong, I felt lust, but I wanted to protect him, teach him how to ride, make him feel better when he was sore from riding, and get to know him. ”
Dusty snorted at me.
“Don’t hassle me about it. You should be glad that someone interested me. I know you are his namesake, but I can’t wait for him forever. I don’t even know where he is. I wish I did, though.”
I could feel my eyes growing heavy. Being with my best friend always soothed me. As sleep took over, I curled against his neck, the warmth of his body comforting. “I really wish he were here, but I think I want to get to know Joe better.”
I heard the soft crunch of boots on gravel, then gentle words that I couldn’t quite make out. I knew it was Martin. We’ve run into each other before when sleep eluded us, or we wanted someone to talk to. He had a black stallion named Victory with whom he had many conversations.
“I figured you would be out here tonight.” I wasn’t sure where he stood, but he was a few stalls down—probably giving Victory peppermints. “Did that sweet photographer make things in your clothes stir?”
The things the man said still surprised me. “Martin. I am not going to discuss things stirring in my clothes.”
“What kind of pervert do you think I am? I was talking about your heart. I know you have been waiting for Dusty—the man, not the horse—but it might be time to see someone else, and he seemed like the perfect option. He’s such a lovely man.”
I couldn’t agree with Martin more. Joe was delightful in all the right ways, and how this man, who was a few decades my senior, read it so well was baffling, but I appreciated the introduction.
“Are you going to hook up with him?”
“Martin, no. I am not going to do that.” Here I thought he was thinking about maybe getting to know him more, maybe a date.
“Oh, I thought you might take him out, court him a little.”
I realized he didn’t mean hook up as it was defined. “Martin. That’s not hooking up. Hook up means—”
“I know what it means, son, it means getting your dick wet. But that doesn’t mean I wanted you to have sex and leave him.”
I rubbed my face. The man was amazing. He’s been nothing but kind to me, but sometimes he was a lot. “I think I want to know Joe better.”
“Good.” I could hear him start to walk away, then stop. “Gentry?”
“Yes, sir?”
“If you hurt that young man, you will be buried in the fields. He has been damaged enough, and he is under the protection of Circle W.”
“Yes, Sir.”
I’d never had the shovel talk before, and now I had it before I even went out with the guy. I considered getting up and going to the bunkhouse, but this was comfortable, and Dusty was warm.
I woke up when the sky started to lighten. Dusty was sniffing around his feeder, waiting for breakfast. As I stood up, I was stiff and sore, no longer young enough to easily shake off sleeping on the barn floor. Half awake, I headed to get a shower and some coffee.
Some of the guys I worked with raised eyebrows as I walked in. “Spend the night with Dusty?” One of them asked.
It wasn't the first time, and they all knew how lonely I was. It wasn’t a secret that at thirty-one, I waited for my high school sweetheart to take the emptiness away.
As I climbed into the shower, my thoughts didn’t drift to the man with the brown eyes and small stature. They went to the blue eyes of a sweet photographer, his shoulder-length hair, and warm smile.
As soon as I was dressed, I grabbed my phone and, before I thought too much about it, scrolled to Joe’s number.
GENTRY
How are your legs feeling today?
I didn’t expect a reply, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to reach out and get to know the man more since I had really enjoyed our time together yesterday, and I was pretty sure we had flirted.
With coffee in hand, I headed back out to the barn to start my day. My heart did a little flutter when I got a message from Joe.
JOE
I’m so sore. A massage is needed for everything that aches.
GENTRY
I warned you. The good news is that those muscles will get stronger and hurt less.
JOE
Should have taken you up on that massage.
Did I offer to massage his inner thighs? I think I more implied it would be needed, but I hadn’t offered. On the bright side, he liked the idea of my hands on him, and so did I. This might go up in flames, but I had an idea.
GENTRY
Are you free this evening?
JOE
Yes?!
GENTRY
I have this homemade remedy for sore muscles. I can bring it by.
I thought about the ointment Mrs. Wilson gave us. It was something she had made for all her kids, and she gave the cowboys jars of it because we were always aching. It would help Joe feel better.
GENTRY
I’ll even bring you dinner since you are sore.
It felt like I might have pushed too hard, and my intent seemed painfully obvious. Why not give it a try? Since I wanted to know him better, I was going to chase that. When he didn’t respond immediately, I chastised myself—I had made a mistake.
I spent the next hour checking on the pregnant heifers, and made sure the Waygu were being brushed.
As always, Dusty followed me around as I did chores.
We were going to move some cattle to another pasture, since there were several hundred head, it would take all of us.
The other guys saddled horses, which meant it was time to get Dusty’s tack on.
I loaded up my saddle bags, some granola bars, water, gloves, a multi-tool, and my phone. Before shoving my phone in the bag, I looked at the face.
JOE
Sounds like an offer I shouldn’t refuse. What time should I expect you?
I quickly thought about the remainder of my day. We would get back to the barn around 5:00 p.m. I would like a shower, and need to grab the food, run up to the main house, and ask Mrs. Wilson for a fresh jar of ointment. All of that would take two hours, maybe two and a half.
GENTRY
I’ll be there around 7:30 p.m. We are heading out to move cattle. Talk to you later.
I was excited about stopping by Joe’s cottage. This might be the push I needed in my life to have someone to share moments with, even if he turned out to be only a great friend.