9. DEAN
Chapter nine
DEAN
THE TALE OF THE INVISIBLE VET
After our night in the barn a week ago, Preston ran away faster than a bull bolting out of the gate at the Spring Rodeo and hasn’t been seen since. Oh, Preston’s been to the ranch. I just haven’t seen him. He’s been to check on the new calf, and Daisy, and he visits to help with Loki every other day, but he comes when I’m milking or out feeding and watering the cattle. I caught sight of the back of his van pulling away from the house yesterday, but that’s the closest I’ve come since that incredible night.
“We’ve got cabins six and seven checking in soon,” Nial calls while jogging up to my side.
“Was just headed there to make sure everything is set up,” I say, and he frowns. “What?”
He checks his watch. “You said you were headed that way over twenty minutes ago. What happened? Did Chewie get out again?”
It would be easy to blame the lama. Easier than trying to explain to my brother that I have been walking at a snail’s pace, replaying the incredible blowjob the local vet gave me in the mini barn, trying to figure out like a teenager with a crush why he hasn’t called.
“No, umm, just got held up.”
“You alright?” he asks, nudging my side as we stroll along the rock path. The Fletchers leveled some land of theirs that backs onto our south paddocks last year and had to break through a huge amount of rock mixed with quartz, so we bought a few trucks full and spread it along the paths. We planted dogwood trees along the border, too, to create a canopy over the pathways and help create privacy for the guests. Most are Kousa dogwoods, but at the entrance to each cabin, we planted white flowering dogwoods. By this time next year, they should be a real sight to see. They were a big purchase, established trees always are, but Nial moved a few things around so that we could afford as many aspossibletall enough to provide shade to visiting guests right away. In the middle of the day, like this, when the sun is right overhead, it streams through the branches in soft lines and makes the veins and speckles of quartz in the gravel shine like glitter.
“Yeah, I’m alright.”
“You sure? ‘Cause you’ve been super weird since the storm.”
“Have not,” I reply, my voice getting all pitchy. No way is he letting that go.
“Okay, spill,” he says, grabbing my arm and turning me to face him. “You only talk like a schoolboy just before his balls drop when you’re hiding something.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” I say, shrugging out of his grasp and picking up my pace toward cabin seven. It’s the smallest cabin we have built, but it is one of the best. Like the others, it sits on a trailer so it can be moved around the grounds if necessary or sold if we ever decide to stop renting them out. It has a cute little porch just big enough for a single rocker to the right of the door and like every other time Nial is near it, he jogs past me like we’re in some kind of race and drops his ass into it so hard the thing swings back, knocking against the wall before he crosses one leg over his other knee and starts rocking back and forth like an old man surveying the neighborhood.
“Now see here, sonny,” he says in anoldcrotchety voice as he waves a finger my way. “You tell me what you’re hiding, boy, or I’ll whip it out of you.”
My eyebrows pick upasdoes my smirk.
“I’d like to see you try,” I say, and he points at me.
“Ah ha! So there is something. Come on, tell me. I swear I’ll be the supporting brother.”
“Do you even know how?”
“Mean.”
“Sorry,” I say, taking off my hat and running my fingers through my hair. It’s damp with sweat, and as the cool air slips behind my fingers, it brings a familiar relief. “I…met someone, but now I think they aren’t interested.”
“You met a guy?”
“Yeah.”
“When?”
“Why does that matter?”
He leans back in the rocker and folds his arms over his chest.
“It doesn’t, but I’m trying to think of the last time you left this farm, and truth be telling, I can’t remember a single day in the last month, you don’t do apps, and your room is right near that floorboard that creaks so loud it sound like the house is falling apart, so you aren’t sneaking off late at night to go into town, unless it’s one of the team… oh shit, was it a guest? Was it that tall skinny guythat wouldonly wear suits, even when riding the horses?”
“Mr. Matheson was here on a team-building retreat with hisstaff,and his wife.”
Nial shrugs. “Wouldn’t be the first guy to ask what it’s like on the other side of the fence. Not me, but no judgment here, you know that. I’m thebestestgay brother or brother of the gays. Is that a thing? It should be a thing. I could get shirts made.
“Pretty sure it never needs to be a thing. Please don’t spend ranch money on shirts.”
“Fine. But seriously, this guy. Why don’t you think they’re interested?”
Other than the fact that Preston seems to be only coming to the ranch while I am too busy to see himandwhen I have texted, his messages back are different now. Not rude. But not friendly either.
“His last few texts have all just been one-word replies.”
“That’s it?”
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
“He could just be busy.”
“He does have a pretty full-on job.” Preston handles all the farm animals in Bellerelleplusthe domestics in town. Nial climbs out of the rocker.
“See, it’s probably nothing to worry about.Hey, the spring fair is coming up,we’vegot our cuddle corner all teed up, invite the guy along.You can snuggle together with Seefer and Emfer.”
“Conner is never going to let you name any of the cows ever again, you know?” I laugh, but he shrugs.
“I already used up the two best names. Come on, they’re perfect for the miracle twins. C for cow and M for moo, Seefer and Emfer.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Idiot… genius… tomato, to-mar-to. Oh, that reminds me, the goats somehow climbed the Royal’s garden fence this morning. I got them out before they did too much damage, nothing, a few gallons of fresh milk and one of Sally-May’s pies won’t smooth over.”
“Their garden fence is like six feet tall.”
“Yeah. Their farm hand thinks he left the tractor too close, and they jumped.”
“Great, well let’s get Perry to check our fences to stop them getting out in the first placeandhopefully they’ll be back to normal, hanging out on the roof again before long.” I huff and shake my head in a laugh. “I can’t believe I just referenced goats on my roof as the normal I hope to see on this ranch.”
“See, everything odd becomes tame eventually, look at us.”
“You, brother, will never be tame. Come on, let’s get these cabins sorted. I want to get up to the stables to check on Loki and see how Atlas and the doc are going with him.”
“Preston was here about an hour ago.ApparentlyLoki managed to stay on his feet in front of him but was still stiff as a dead horse. But it’s progress.”
“The doc was already here?”
“Yeah, you and Conner were unhooking the girls. I guess he was in a rush to get back to the clinic or something, cause as soon as they were done, he was off.I can check with Atlas when he’s coming nextifyou need to talk to him about the new app and monitoring tech?”
“No, it’s fine,” I say, trying to hide my disappointment that I missed catching Preston on the ranch again. I just wish I knew what I did wrong.
For days, I replayed the night over and over, trying to see what I said or did that could have sent him screaming for the hills, but I was halfway normal before he kissed meandthen after…. Well, after he took the lead, I was just along for the incredible ride.
I thought maybe it was getting caught in the morning, so I shot him a text just letting him know that the guys didn’t pick up on anything, or if they did, they aren’t saying, and all I got back was a “Thanks.”Thenwhen I asked how things were going with Loki, he texted back, “Good.” Like really? I thought I was the king of one-word answers.
I can’t invite him to the fair because he’ll already be there. There’s a flyer up in the clinic window promoting his pet adoption booth. He’s got a few vets from neighboring towns bringing some extras. I hope he warned them about the murder twins.
***
Another week passes, and I’ve still missed Preston every time he’s been here. I need to stop thinking about him and focus on something else. I pull out my phone, open the music appandhit my favorite playlist. Most Wanted by Beyonce and Miley Cyrus starts to play, and I slip the phone back into my ass pocket. The tune is loud enough not to spook the cowsbutstill gives me a backing track to sing along. I have to admit music was never my thing. It was actually watching my younger brother Alan’s Banana Ball games that brought on my new appreciation. They sing and dance to old and new songs throughout the baseball game, hyping up the crowd and recording for clips they can post online later. He loves it, and Nial and I try to get down to Savannah when they play, but it isn’t easy with all the ranch work that needs doing.
Now I love listening to music when I just want to shut out the world or switch off my brain. Right now, I want to do both.
I keep working, unhooking the girls, one by one, bouncing on my heels, singing awayandthen the chorus kicks in, and I belt it out, then turn my head and spot them. Nial, AtlasandPreston all stood in the doorway watching me. My teeth come down on my tongue hard,painshoots through it as a metallic taste fills my mouth. I stumble a little, pulling Frey’s milking hoses, and then she lifts a leg and kicks me in the chest, and I fly back right onto my ass.
“Oh shit,” Atlas says, and even though my chest is tight, and I’m gasping for breath, I raise a hand.
“I’m othay,” I say, and Nial starts laughing his fucking ass off.
“Fuck, I wish we had cameras in here,” he gasps, slapping his hand on his thigh a few times.
“You sure you’re okay, boss?” Atlas asks, and I can hear the smile in his tone.
“Thine,” I say, my tongue thick in my mouth, and I swallow down what I’m sure is blood. I climb up to my feet, turn away, and grab out my handkerchief, spitting into it. Yep, blood. It isn’t much, though, and the taste is already starting to dilute.
“I’lljuthbe athec,” I say, feeling my face grow warmer with each passing second. I brush off my hands on the front of my jeans and then look for my hat. It went flying when I fell back, too, but when Iturn, the only thing Ifind isa scattering of straw and hay because Preston is now right there in front of me, and he’s holding out my favorite hat.
“Here,” he says, his soft smile growing.
“Thanks,. Umm, is everythingothay?” I ask, trying to ignore my messed-up speech, but Nial is cackling in the corner, mimicking everything I say.
Preston rubs the back of his neck with his hand. He must be worried about something. Maybe he’s worried about talking to me. He’s been avoiding exactly this moment for two weeks. So, me falling on my ass has to just solidify his decision to forget all about the mistake in the mini barn.
“It’s good news, actually,” he says, and Atlas nods behind him.
“Othay,” I say and shake my head, swirling my tongue around in my mouth to try to force it to heal faster and stop making this interaction even more awkward than it already is.
“You’ve got three more calves on the way.”
“Now?” I ask, but it’s a silly question. Ofcoursehe means now. With the dairy cows, they have to keep getting pregnant to keep the milk flowing, and we’ve got about twenty-five more due to drop over the next monthaccordingto the new planner app thing I set up with Preston.
‘Yeah, Tilly, Luna, and Patrice are all birthing in the mini barn. The guys have got it all set up and cleaned out for them. There are no storms tonight, so hopefully they get an easier run of things than poor Daisy.”
“Yeah, hopefully,” I reply, my tongue finally feeling half normal.
“I’m going to head back to the clinic to get a few things done, but then I’ll pop back out after work and see how they are tracking.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I say, and he frowns a little. “I mean, if you want to, that would be great. I just meant these girls are old hats at birthing now, they’ll probably be done before you make it back.”
“Maybe, but then I get to see the new babies and that’s the best part of my job.”
“Mine, too,” I say, and he smiles thatstunningwide smile that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle and his nose scrunch just a touch. Maybe he was just busy. Could I have tormented myself these last two weeks for nothing?
“So, I’ll see you later, then?” he asks, gorgeous green eyes locked on mine.
“Yeah, see you later,” I sayandcan’t help but let out a soft chuckle at the way this conversation is so much like the last time we spoke when he was rushing out of the mini barn. Who knows, maybe tonight in the mini barn will be like the last time, too?
***
“How are our lovely ladies doing?” Preston asks, walking into the mini barn.
“All done,” I reply, drying my hands. I’ve been outinthe ranch all day, and my hair is likely a right mess, so I grab my hat from the hook over the wash station and put it on before I turn.
“Oh,” he replies, and I catch the disappointment in his tone.
“Their mommas are still cleaning them off, but if you want to hang out for a bit, I’m sure they won’t mind you getting in some new baby cuddles.”
“You don’t have to get up to the house?”
“Nope. I was going to go say hi to MissMilkyif you want to come?”
“Sure.”
We walk through the back of the mini barnthenleap over the fence into the open cattle paddock where most of the cows spend their days. It sort of wraps around so that it has access to the mini barn, milking barn, and the other large barn where we shelter them at night, but on warmer nights like this, I leave the doors open so they can come and go as they please and take advantage of the cooling breeze. Miss Milky is lying under a tree, her all white body like a beacon in the waning light.
“There’s my girl,” I say, coming up on her and giving herheada soft hug. She leans into me, and I hear Preston make an “aww” sound that brings an immediate smile to my lips.
“Want to give her a hug, too?”
“Absolutely,” he replies, and I move aside, and he wraps his long arms around her neck and hugs her tight. His eyes close for a second, and after a moment, his shoulders relaxandhe sort of sinks into her.
I take off my hat, scrub my fingers through my hairandsit on the ground, leaning against her side so that I can look up at the darkening sky.
“It’s a full moon tonight,” I say, watching the sun set over the hills. One of the best things about growing up on a property like ours is the views. Perfect sun rises over the North Mountains and stunning sunsets over the cascading hills on the other side. Preston sits beside me and rests his head back to take it in.
“This is nice,” he says, and I turn my head to face him.
“You look like you needed that hug,” I say, and he turns his head toward me.
“I really did.”
I don’t know how I didn’t see it before, but his eyes are drawn, tired, like he’s hardly slept a wink, and his chestnut brown hair is dull, hanging limply around his face when normally styled and swept back all perfect like.
“You okay?” I ask, and he offers a half smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I just wish lifewasalways this simple,” he replies, reaching up his hand to rub Miss Milky’s fur between us. “That every day can be cow cuddles and sunsets and quiet nights.”
“They can be on a ranch. Well, except the quiet nights. You’d be surprised how well the animal sounds travel from the pens to the house.”
“Still, it must be nice,” he sighs, and before I know what I’m doing, I reach up to brush his hair behind his ear, and his hand moves to grasp mine.
“Dean,” he says with that sexy as fuck rasp to his voice. “I…”
He pauses, deep green eyes moving to my lips, then when his stare returns to mine, he leans in just a little, and I go the rest of the way, clashing our mouths together. I worry for the slightest of seconds I’ve read the signals all wrong, but then he leans into the kiss and moves to straddle my lap, cupping my face in his free hand as his tongue finds mine.
My cock is thickening whilst his ass grinds in my lap. I slide my hands up the hem of his shirt, brushing against thewarm soft skin of his back, and he shudders.
Miss Milky jostles behind me, standing, and I fall back against the grass, breaking our kiss and the spell it seemed to have us underbecausePreston climbs to his feet.
“I’m sorry. I… I have to go,” he says, and he rushes across the paddock.