twenty-nine
The detritus of a recently devoured meal was scattered before them on the table in the open-air courtyard lying between two of the masia’s protective wings.
Over against one wall, a bed of reddish coals still glowed under its ash mantle on the brick barbecue where Ramon had cooked them up a seafood arròs for four.
“In this part of the country we just call it an arròs,” àgata was saying to Davey, opening a fresh bottle of the Catalan bubbly cava.
“And we cook it in an earthenware pan,” Ramon said, pouring the last of the old bottle into Davey’s glass. “Paella is the name of the metal pan they use down in Valencia.”
Paella or arròs, Carme, àgata, Ramon and Davey had made short work of it, the earthenware dish now empty but for a crust of crispy golden rice still clinging to its sides.
“It was delicious,” Davey said, picking up his glass and taking a sip. “What I want to know is when we can take the horses out again?”
“You know what the doctor said,” Ramon warned. “We need to wait for those spells of dizziness to get less before you get on a horse again.”
Davey huffed. “I feel fine.”
“Davey, why do you think we’ve brought Boira down here?” Carme asked.
“Yeah, thanks, Carme, I mean I’m really grateful,” Davey said. “I’ve missed working with her, and it means so much to me to be able to finish breaking her in.”
“What if you blacked out while we were riding?” Ramon added.
“I won’t.”
“You don’t know that.” Ramon paused, also taking a sip of cava. “Be patient. We have time. I don’t have to be back at work for two months. We can just stay down here and take our time.”
“But I want to ride!” Davey growled, standing up impatiently.
“That’ll come… in time.”
And when Davey wavered on his feet, Ramon’s arm was already there, supporting him. “See? Let it take its time.”
“That arròs was delicious, Ramon, thanks,“ àgata said. “Come on, Carme, help me with the plates. And then do you want to take a walk down to the beach before it gets too dark to see?”
“We’ll do it together,” Ramon said, getting up. “Then we’ll all go.”
“No, you boys sit here. You’ve done your duty as chef, Ramon, and you need to take care of this invalid here.”
Davey just snorted. Instead of sitting down again when Ramon did, he kept leaning against the table, helping the women stack the dishes before they carried them into the kitchen. Then he turned to Ramon with a gleam in his eye:
“How about another sort of riding then?” he asked, approaching Ramon and slipping one leg over his thigh so that he was straddling him, his hands on his policeman’s shoulders.
Ramon smiled as he reached for Davey’s hips, slipping his fingers through the belt loops on his jeans. “That could work. If you get dizzy, at least I’ll be here to catch you when you fall.”
“Right, I’m just so dizzy.… My copper… what terrible crime did you commit to be lumped with looking after this dizzy blond?”
“Whatever I did, I’d do it again in a flash.”
Davey sat down on Ramon’s thighs, so that their paquets, both packaged in denim, nestled against each other.
“Well,” Davey said, grinding himself sensually into Ramon, “let’s test out just how well we can ride tonight…”
Ramon was nodding and about to say something when they were surprised by àgata’s return, a cloth in her hand to wipe down the table.
“Save it, boys, till you’ve got a room,” she smirked. “We’ll be out of your hair tomorrow morning, and then you can do all the riding you want.”
“Sorry, àgata!” Davey said, laughing as he slipped off Ramon, unsuccessfully trying to hide his erection with one hand. “I just got dizzy and this nice policeman managed to catch me as I fell.”
“Yeah, a likely story,” àgata harrumphed, very obviously focusing on cleaning up the table and not whatever Ramon and Davey were trying to cover up in their pants. “Shall we leave for the beach in five minutes?”
And with that she was gone, leaving the two of them snickering like naughty schoolboys.
Aquarter of an hour later, the four of them took the path toward the beach, passing by Boira and Ferro on their way.
They had placed the young filly in an adjacent paddock to the older gelding to let them get to know each other for a few days, but the two horses already seemed to be bonding closely in the few hours they’d been together, and were standing together on the fence line, nuzzling each other.
Ferro had clearly taken a protective stance over Boira, almost as if he were still a stallion.
“Look at that,” Carme remarked. “A match made in heaven.”
They spent a few minutes with the horses, scratching their necks and giving them the dried carrot and apple treats from the packets that Carme, Davey, and Ramon almost always carried on them.
“Wow, they’re spoiled for choice!” àgata remarked, laughing.
They carried on down the track toward the beach.
The nearest coast, just under a mile from Ramon’s masia, was a small rocky cove, not suitable for riding.
So, exercising on the sand meant floating up the horses and taking them out to El Trabucador.
Yet this spot, with its two rocky promontories and small pebble beach, nonetheless had its charms. It was the perfect romantic location to stroll under the moonlight.
As they reached it, the moon was just rising over the sea, sending a silver trail in toward them.
As Carme and àgata walked arm in arm up ahead, Ramon reached out and took Davey’s hand, his thumb rubbing and caressing the back of Davey’s hand.
“So, have you thought about what you want to do?” he asked.
“To me it would be perfect to stay down here just training the horses, riding them out along the Trabucador, but I know you’re eventually going to have to head back to work…
and me too. This afternoon, Carme offered me a proper contract at the stables for when I’m ready.
I’d like that. It means I could stay in Barcelona and work on my Catalan… . And I’d be… nearer you.”
Ramon’s heart flipped over. It was what he’d been hoping for, but not dared express.
“But Ravenscragg?” he asked. “Your Dad can’t keep struggling on there with Owen gone.”
“Owen won’t be going away. Our Dad didn’t want to press charges in the end and negotiated with Constable Beaton to keep him out of the clink.
Owen will be going back to work on the farm.
Dad’s stayed sober and he’s sworn off the drink for good…
or so he says. When he got back to the UK, he went and had it out with our Owen, and they seem to have halved their differences.
I’ve no idea how long that’ll last, but at least it gives me a breather.
The truth is, after our Mam’s death, and with Dad’s drinking, we were all under loads of strain.
Owen swears he never meant to touch Dad, just got carried away…
. I don’t know…. Owen’s done some stupid things…
along with his mate Ned, but he’s never been violent.
Him and Dad used to argue like cats and dogs after they’d been drinking.
If they can both stay off the drink… maybe they’ll make a go of it.
Who knows? Stranger things have happened. ”
“They sound like… what’s the English expression… two peas in a boat? How did you turn out so different?”
“Pod, peas in a pod. That’s the… ah, pesols… peas… come in a…”
“Una beina, a pod?”
“That’s the one. I take more after our Mam, bless her. Our whole family fell apart after she went.”
“Families change. The challenge is to keep them together even after those sort of changes, like death or divorce. It sounds like your Dad and Owen are at least making an effort.” He was silent for a while, and they just walked.
Then he said, “Well, if you decide to stay in Barcelona… and I’m glad you’re thinking about it… my place….”
“Thanks, that’s very generous of you… and I… I really like you….”
“Oh no,” Ramon stopped still. His world seemed to spin around him, and not in a good way. “Does that mean what I think?”
“No!” Davey turned back to him, stepping close.
“I mean, when I say I like you, I really really like you. That’s not a put-off.
I just don’t want to do anything to muck it up, you know, while we’re still getting to know each other?
Moving in together straight away might be. … Can we try taking it in baby steps?”
Ramon nodded, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.
He tried not to drown under that huge wave of disappointment that was sweeping over him.
It felt easier in the dark behind his eyelids, and he took a final breath, determined to be upbeat.
Then he sensed rather than felt Davey close to him, the younger man’s breath upon his face, before Davey’s lips were brushing his.
Warm and full, they felt so soft. His own lips parted and his tongue found Davey’s.
For a few moments they stayed like that, perfectly quiet, each loosely embracing the other there on the beach, just their tongues moving, gently probing, tasting and getting to know each other better.
Ramon pulled Davey in toward him, feeling his eager body pressed against him in the dark.
Their cocks stirred again in their jeans, as if reaching out to each other through the denim, and Ramon’s hands dropped to cup Davey’s perfect ass.
Right then and there he knew what he wanted to do.
“Come with me,” he said, taking Davey’s hand and leading him on down the beach. Several yards on, they came across Carme and àgata arm in arm, heading back in the other direction.
“See you back at the house, boys,” Carme said. “If we don’t catch you tonight, we’ll see you in the morning.”
They nodded and said their good nights before each couple strolled on. It was a night to be with your partner right then, the two of you together beneath the moon. Soon, knowing they were alone, Davey said:
“Where are you taking me? Want to recreate that cocktail, sex on the beach?”