21. DEAN
Chapter twenty-one
DEAN
THE BESTEST brOTHER OF THE GAYS
“The screen is all set up, and it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful night,” Nial says, joining me as I wheel the popcorn cart down toward the cinema setup. “Skye will be on popcorn; Connor has led out a few of the cows to create a cuddle zone—”
I stop walking, ready to interject on behalf of the cows who probably don’t want to be right up close to a movie screen and loud noises, but Nial continues.
“He’s put it further back than the rest of the seating and we’ve fixed a few portable mini speakers over there so that the guests that sit there can still hear the movie just fine.”
Okay then. I start walking again. Really, I’m shuffling with this boot on, but it hurts far less now than it did even a few days ago.
“What movie did you decide on?” I ask.
“Your favorite, of course.”
“Calamity Jane, seriously?”
“Yep, figured it would help if it was a movie you’d seen a billion times. You know, so you won’t mind missing it to make out with Preston.”
The boot catches on the gravel path, and I stumble, but he grabs my arm and helps to steady me.
“Fuck, was this a bad idea?” I ask.
“Don’t start thinking that now. I’ve got your spot all set up, romantic-like.”
“You haven’t?”
“Don’t worry, Connor helped, so you can be sure there’s nothing embarrassing there.”
“I was joking before, but now I’m worried about what Connor stopped you from doing?”
“You know that blanket I ordered online with my face all over it?”
“Please tell me that it isn’t what we’ll be sitting on?”
“Nope. Connor pulled it out and hid it from me. You’re welcome.”
I’ll have to remember to thank him later.
“What else do you need me to do?” I ask, pulling the cart up next to where the drink station is set up. We’ll give popcorn out for free, because there is nothing better than popcorn at the movies, but for the drinks and other snacks, we have a pay-what-you-can tin set beside it. When I first suggested it, the guys thought I was being too generous; the cinema night was supposed to help make the ranch money. And it does. Tickets are two bucks a person, so we’ll always make money. But I found that by telling people to pay what they can, they almost always covered the cost of what they were grabbing, and sometimes more, so we’ve never been out of pocket.
“Just for you to get back up to the house and shower and maybe consider a shave, too, while you’re at it, unless Preston is into the whole rugged cowboy four-day-old beard look?”
“I’m sure I wouldn’t know.”
“Best to shave it off then.”
It feels like all the blood has rushed from my face, and my head spins.
“You okay?” Nial asks, and I wobble a little.
“Maybe I’m getting sick?”
“You’re just nervous.”
“It could be swine flu,” I say, and he laughs.
“While you might be filthier than a pig in mud, Preston tested all the pigs a few weeks ago, and they’re all clear. Now fuck off up to the house and pull yourself together.”
“You’re supposed to be the nice brother.”
“I am the nice brother; I’m putting on a whole movie extravaganza in hopes that my big brother can hook up with his high school crush. I’d say that makes me the best brother in the whole fucking world, totally worthy of my new shirt,” he says, unzipping his jacket and revealing a black shirt and rainbow cursive writing that says, “Bestest brother of the gays.”
“I told you no shirts.”
“I got one for you, too.”
“I’m not wearing that.”
“No, your one says, My brother’s the bestest brother of the gays.”
I try not to laugh.
“That’s a lot of words. I hope you didn’t pay per letter?”
“I had a coupon.”
Unable to hold my smile back, I turn and shake my head as I continue toward the house. I don’t want Nial to see it. No good him knowing how amazing I think he really is for doing all this for me. Maybe I should tell him. I will. On his birthday. It can be my gift to him. He was right about one thing, though. I’m filthy. The way down to the mini barn and the cinema set-up slightly inclined, so it didn’t seem so far to be walking, but now coming back, I wish I’d brought the cane. It’s hard lifting the boot and dragging it will just scratch it up even more than it already is. At least with the base being a durable plastic, I can wipe over it when I finally get back up to the house.
Normally I’d be at the clinic with Preston during the day, but given the cinema under the stars event, he thought it was good for me to stay and help here and he’d meet me when it starts for our date.
Fuck. I’m really going on a date with Preston Knight. I’m suddenly hot and cold and it feels like my bones want to vibrate right out of my skin, but it’s a good feeling, like when you creep up the slope on a rollercoaster for the first time. Nervous, excited, and terrified all at once.
I’m fairly sure I’ve washed my hair three times because I keep forgetting if I did it. So I rinse it again, then shave before drying off and removing the trash bags I taped around the boot to keep it dry. Now to figure out what to wear. I wrap a towel around my waist and shuffle out to my room. I don’t have a massive selection of clothes to choose from. You don’t really need a lot on the ranch. I’ve got flannel shirts in every color, but is that too casual? I have a suit, but that’s too formal. It’s a movie, and I’d love to wear jeans, but I’ve only got one pair I can get over the boot and it’s in the basket downstairs to be washed. I really didn’t think this through.
Cuddles jumps around the room, burying himself under discarded shirts and pants as I pull out another flannel option, this one a deep red. I throw it on and check my reflection.
“I’d suggest pants, but I can’t say I’d be too disappointed if you wore the towel,” Preston says from my doorway.
I can’t find words. My throat tightens as the air becomes thick and sweat prickles my skin. At the sound of his voice, though, Cuddles has the opposite reaction. He leaps out like a jack-in-the-box from under a pair of my grey sweatpants and prances full speed at him. Preston bends to collect the little guy and brings him up to his cheek, where he gets a good lick or two in, before he settles against him. The scent trick for Conner and the others still only works half the time but having spent so much time at the clinic and with Preston, the little guy has decided there are two men he’s happy to snuggle with without any trickery needed. I shouldn’t mind, but it was nice seeing Preston wearing my shirt. Hmm. I don’t think I got that back.
“You’re early,” I manage to say finally, though my voice is strained, and I wish so desperately that I had a drink of water.
“Not really, we said six didn’t we?”
“It’s six?” I ask turning to check the phone. It’s five after. Crap, how long was I in the shower for? “I was just getting dressed.”
He glances around the room.
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Actually, no. The boot kind of limits my options,” I reply as I start to do up the buttons on the red flannel.
“The red looks good, it’s a movie and I assume we’ll be sitting on the ground so comfortable pants, that is if you’re dead set on not wearing the towel,” he replies with a smile that sends a shiver through me and makes my cock take notice.
No. Not now. We’re wearing a towel; there’s no way to hide a boner in a towel. I reason with myself as I rummage through my pants drawer some more.
“Really, anything is fine,” he says, and I turn.
“Easy for you to say that. You look great.”
“Thanks,” he replies, a slight pink rising to his cheeks. I notice now that he’s clean-shaven, too, his skin looks so fresh, and when we last kissed, I could feel the scratch of his stubble, I wonder what it feels like now.
My cock pulses, and I turn away. Fucking teenage hormones, what the fuck, I’m too old to be reacting like this.
“These are just some cargo pants I picked up on the same website I buy the scrubs for work. They’re stretchy, but look like they’re fancier than they are, really. Hey, you have some comfortable sweatpants there, they’ll be perfect.”
“I can’t wear sweatpants.”
“Sure you can.”
I hobble a few steps over and grab the dark grey sweats from the floor. They’re still half-folded from when I tossed them over my shoulder. Sure they were not right, but Preston doesn’t seem to think so.
“They are the easiest to get over the boot,” I reply sheepishly.
“That decides it then. You’re wearing sweats.”
Neither one of us moves at first, then he jolts like coming out of a daze and startles Cuddles, too.
“I should go wait downstairs, so you can finish getting ready,” he says, and then he’s off like a shot.
I stare at the space he occupied for a moment, then pull myself together, get dressed, and make my way down.
“You look amazing,” he says, holding out Cuddles for me to slip inside the sash around my neck.
“Thanks, you do, too,” I reply adjusting the sash a little.
I turn my head to the side a little and chuckle when I spot Gunther snoring with the dog, Houdini cuddled up at his side in the front room. “They look cozy.”
“I still can’t believe you keep a pig in the house.”
“It was that or force Houdini to sleep with the pigs. Should we go?”
He opens the front door for me, and I reach to grab my hat from the hook. It’s like my arm goes there on instinct, but it’s dark and there is nothing sillier to see than a cowboy wearing his hat under the stars, so I pivot and grab my walking stick, still needing that for longer treks, and we walk together down along the lit path towards the outdoor cinema setup.
People are still walking down from where they’ve parked their cars up by the road. We close off the main gate when we hold these nights to prevent the additional noise and fumes from the exhausts from stirring up the animals. The noise from the chatter is unavoidable, but it will settle down once the movie starts. Mostly. Nial and the team have done an amazing job. It’s even better than last time. They’ve got cows in individual sections, lying on fresh hay beds with ranch guests and town visitors resting in there with them, and countless children with their parents sitting on rugs and blankets brought out from probably every room in the house. It’s a good thing Sally-May isn’t here for this or she’d have words to say about the inside furnishings being used out here. But it looks incredible.
The buttery popcorn scent drifts around us and my mouth waters as all the joy from childhood memories floods my mind.
“I love the smell of freshly popped popcorn,” I say, and he tilts his head a little and breathes in the buttery scent.
“Smells delicious. Should I get us some?”
“We can grab it together.”
“No, you should sit. You’ve probably been on your leg too much already today helping set everything up, I bet.”
I go to protest, but Nial appears at my side.
“Hey there, brother, Preston, your reserved seats are right this way,” he says, holding out one arm like an usher at a wedding.
“I was just going to grab us some popcorn,” Preston replies, turning away.
“That’s already taken care of. Everything is taken care of. You just have to follow me. Oh, and hand Cuddles over, too.”
Nial never holds Cuddles. He thinks the way we pander to him is ridiculous, but I lift the sash off my head with the pygmy goat comfortably relaxing inside and hand him over.
“Okay then,” he replies with a grin. “This way.”
I lean in close to Nial.
“Please don’t make this weird,” I beg him.
He chuckles.
“Trust me, brother. A goat hanging around my neck is as weird as it’s going to get.”
We walk behind Nial along the rows of other guests, and then past them completely. I’m just about to ask where the hell he’s taking us when I see Connor standing at the entry to the mini barn.
“What is this?” I ask and then Nial points up.
The mini barn isn’t really small. We call it the mini barn because when you compare it to the large one, it’s less than half the size, but it’s still about fifteen feet high and it has a lofted section where we store extra hay in the wetter months. Only right now the loft doors are open and a warm glow is radiating from up top.
“Your private suite is just up the stairs,” Nial says, biting his lower lip in a worrisome way like he only just remembered his brother is wearing a fucking boot on his leg.
“I’ll help,” Preston states, linking his arm in mine and leading me through the mini barn doors. The barn smells of dirt and fresh hay, and it’s enough to help steady my nerves and not faint into his arms at his touch.
“I brought over the stair ladder from the stables,” Connor says as we pass. “Atlas won’t mind; we’ll have it back there by morning.”
With most of the extra hay kept in the horse stable’s loft, the stair ladder makes getting up and down much easier as it has wide treads similar to the stairs in the house, and with Preston’s help, I manage to get myself up into the loft.
I can’t hold in my awe at what they’ve done. “Wow, this is amazing.”
Hay bales are stacked at the sides and back surrounding a thick dark blue patterned rug from the library back at the house. Battery lantern lights sit at various levels and throw a warm glow over the space, and there’s a large bucket of popcorn and a bottle of wine with two glasses resting beside it.
“It really is,” Preston agrees, and I lower myself down slowly, leaning on the hay bale for support.
“So, Doc,” I say, looking out at the movie screen. “I hope you like the classics.”
He takes a step towards the edge of the open loft doors and rests his forearm on the header, looking down.
“I do actually, but aren’t we seeing Calamity Jane?”
“Hey, it’s a classic.”
“Sure, it is, in the way that it’s really, really old, but I don’t think it actually fits the true meaning of the word.”
He’s not looking my way, but I don’t mind because the way he’s leaning forward against the header and one leg up on a bale has given me a perfect view of his tight, round ass.
His pants cling to his shape and have me wishing this movie was a private viewing not a whole bloody town affair.
“I’d tell you to take a picture, but I reckon you might,” Preston says, and I avert my gaze from his ass and catch his cheeky smile directed my way.
“I’m not to blame when you go putting it out there, Doc,” I reply, and he chuckles and comes and sits beside me.
“I like that you call me Doc.”
The temperature in the barn grows ten degrees warmer, and if he keeps looking at me with those dreamy eyes, I might burn so hot the whole place goes up.
“It’s… I…”
“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know. I wouldn’t want you to stop all of a sudden, is what I’m saying,” he says, nudging my leg lightly with his. “Oh, shit, sorry, are you okay?” he asks, suddenly leaning forward as if he would somehow be able to see through the sweats and the boot underneath that he’d hurt me. That is if he’d hurt me.
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. How about we both agree to try to relax?”
He lets out a sigh.
“That sounds good to me. I’ll pour us a drink,” Preston says, popping the cork on the wine and quickly grabbing a glass when the bubbles fizz over the top of the mouth. “Wine will help us relax.”
“I’m pretty sure you’ll find it’s non-alcoholic,” I laugh, and he checks the label.
“Oh, you’re right.”
“Yeah. It’s not that I don’t drink. A whiskey after a long day goes down a treat, but with the painkillers they have me on I can’t—”
“No, of course. I should have figured.”
“A whiskey would actually have gone down really well right now.”
“We’ll celebrate your boot coming off with one in a few weeks,” he says, passing me a glass as Preston sits and then shuffles a little closer. Not touching, but close enough that the heat from his body reaches out to mine, begging me to close the distance.
I try to focus on the screen, not wanting my hormones to take over again and embarrass me. My stomach swirls, and I reach for the popcorn, hopeful it might do the trick. But Preston goes to grab some at the same time. His hand brushes against mine, and I look over at him, my gaze moves to his lips, and then his hand closes over mine completely, heat floods under his touch. Children laugh and play below, their voices carried up on the cool breeze.
“I always figured I’d have kids one day,” I say, and he shifts a little to face me.
“Really? How many did you want?”
I shrug. “As many as possible. I figured I’d adopt, you know. Give a home to kids who need it. I have a big family, and this farm was an amazing place to grow up. It could be a place they could really feel they belong, you know?”
“You do that for every person and animal here, so I’m sure it would be the same for any child lucky enough to have you as their dad.”
“You think?”
“I know,” he replies, big, gorgeous eyes moving briefly to my mouth. Does he want me to kiss him?
A speaker behind us crackles to life as the opening music begins, and then a woman’s voice calls out, “Poppy, come sit, the movie is starting,” and he pulls his hand away and settles back against the hay bale.
I hold the bucket up.
“Here.”
“Thanks,” he says, reaching in grabbing a handful, and shoving them all into his mouth in one go, and as much as I would rather have my tongue in there, knowing his kid is down below at the same movie, is a pretty strong cold shower.