Chapter 24
West headed into the house, his whole body aching. It was firmly spring, and the damn gather had been going on for three days.
They’d hired in five extra hands for the week, and they’d slept on the damn ground for two nights bringing the cattle in from the far reaches.
Tonight he would get to shower and sleep in his damn bed with his lover.
“Papa West!” Zoe came running from the front room, where Bluey was on the TV.
“Hey, baby girl. I stink.”
“You smell like horsies. Next year Cinnamon and I go with you.”
Cinnamon was the evilest damn pony on Earth. Zoe adored her.
“Sure, kiddo. Where’s Daddy?”
“In his office.”
He bent, and she kissed his cheek.
“I’m gonna go take a shower.”
“Okay, Papa.”
He headed back down the hallway, and he could see that Trey had his office door open, as well as the door from his office to the outside, letting the spring sunshine in.
Valentine sat in the middle of the hallway, keeping Zoe in where she belonged. That dog didn’t trust Lisa to keep Zoe herded.
Trey had his headphones in and was rolling around the office floor in his wheelie chair, spinning around lazily, some weird fidget toy or puzzle in his hands. The tight lines around his lips and eyes had eased, even if the darkness in that one eye hadn’t.
West hadn’t hesitated at the idea of leaving Trey alone for three days this time. It didn’t hurt that Mal had come to spend the night once to have a slumber party with the kids, which had been a cheesecake and egg sandwich party for the gigantically pregnant wonder and her best friend, he had no doubt.
Nate was already training a new Aussie for Mal’s baby. It would be ready for them about the time the new little one was crawling.
“All right, I want you to make an offer for eight million on the company. Lowball it. You know I don’t mind winning it, but I’m not paying too much for it. It’s floundering, thanks to Frick and Frack running it, and therefore the influx of cash will either keep it afloat or it’ll help destroy it, and then we can just tear it into bits and sell it for scrap. I can handle a year, maybe two at that rate. Call…who is our contact in Atlanta? Grey? Greg? Geoff? Greg, right. Call him. He can have the paperwork couriered over.”
Atlanta? Surely not.
He didn’t bother Trey, he just headed toward the shower, stripping off, but he couldn’t stop frowning.
Atlanta.
Atlanta was hot and humid and they didn’t have green chile, and it was hot. And humid.
Had he mentioned the humid part, because as much as he’d hate it…
Oh, he didn’t want to go to Atlanta.
If Trey went to Atlanta, he would need West. On the day-to-day, Trey was doing great, but he still hadn’t found a seeing eye dog. He still ended up losing his temper over the most inexplicable things—his shoes, for instance. Trey hated when someone moved his shoes.
By the time West was finished cleaning up, he was scowling, his head was pounding, and he was just about loaded for bear. He didn’t want to go to Atlanta, damn it.
“Hey, babe, you’re home.” Trey came wandering in, smiling wide, and it was all West could do not to growl at him.
“I am. It was a long two nights, three nights. However long it was,”
“It was forever. Months, huh?”
“Seemed like it.”
“Well, I would tell you that I felt sorry for you, but you know you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, so you must want to, and I have to tell you, if you had to listen to Mal talk about mucus plugs and cervixes while eating egg sandwiches...”
“Shut up. How’s Race?” Are you going to Atlanta?
“He’s fine. We were just talking about some business stuff, you know.”
“What kind of business stuff?”
Trey shrugged. “I’m thinking about buying a company in Atlanta. It’s a little tech company, has some clever ideas. It’s being run by a couple of guys who are way more concept people than they are business people, so they’re floundering. And I think I can get it for a pretty good deal.”
“So that’s cool, right?” West chewed his lower lip. He wanted to know the whole situation. Then he would negotiate.
Or not. That depended on what Trey really needed from him. West was gonna give it.
“I guess? It’s a cool idea, but it’s also a pain in the ass, because it’s in Atlanta, you know? That’s a hell of a challenge.” Trey wrinkled his nose. “But it’s a really cool little start-up.”
“That’s good. I know you love your tech work.” Ugh. Humidity. Especially since Noah would have to be out of school probably, which meant summer… “So, uh, when do we leave?”
Trey tilted his head. “What?”
“Leave. I mean, I need to plan, you know?” If they were going to be gone for more than the summer, there was a huge amount of work to do.
“Where are we going that needs planning? What did I miss?”
“Atlanta?” Had he missed something? “I mean, this doesn’t sound like something Race can do from LA.”
“Well, I’m not going to run it.” Trey rolled his eyes, so dramatic. “I’m not totally sure I’m going to buy it, but if I go down to see it, we’ll all go for a long weekend and take the kids.” Trey’s head tilted, and he blinked. “You thought I’d do that without consulting you? You’d really just come with me?”
“Of course I would. I ain’t letting you go again, Trey. If you go, I go with you.” He nodded, because that was that.
“Well.” Trey’s lips twitched in the beginning of a smile. “We might go. Together. For a couple of days. This is home. This is where we live.”
“Sure, but if you need to go until stuff is under control. Or whatever.” Okay, so he was more than a little relieved—in fact, he was a little dizzy with it—but it wasn’t an empty offer.
“Babe, I have seeing eye dog training. I have a new goddaughter coming. I have summer camp and camping and vacation at Disney. If I buy a company, someone without a ranch can run it.”
“Yeah?” He breathed in deep, and he had to admit he smelled better. “I’m glad. But you know I would follow you anywhere.”
“Good. I need a seeing eye foreman for my dog ranch.”
Oh, little fucker.
He grabbed Trey and pulled him close, nipping at his lower lip. “This dog might bite.”
“Yeah, yeah yeah. I’m not scared. I know who loves you best.”
“You do.” He grabbed that sweet ass and squeezed. God, he loved this man.
“You know it. I think we should—” Trey’s phone started ringing, playing “Cowgirls Don’t Cry”.
Trey rolled his eyes and grabbed it, answering, and it was on speaker. “This better be important, girl, because?—”
“My water just broke, and Liam’s in Denver! I need a ride. Now.”
“We’re on the way.”
West chuckled softly. “We got you.”
“Okay. I’ll be on the porch. Bring towels.”
Trey hung up, grinning at him. “Okay, my trusty steed. We have a cowgirl to rescue.”
“Whinny. Arf. Whatever. Come on.” He took Trey’s hand, and they made sure Lisa was with the kids before they headed out. “No cows this time, huh?”
“No. No snow. No cows. No disasters. Just you and me, being heroes.”
“I like that. As long as I’m your hero, honey.”
“Oh, baby. You’re the love of my life. That’s infinitely more important.”
“Arooo.” West grinned, because Trey was right. It was far better to be Trey’s partner in life than it was to be his weird-ass savior.
Even if this was going to become a dog ranch.