Chapter 8
EIGHT
SILAS
I agreed to follow Way to his house in my rental car. As I suspected, his was the beat-up Dodge Ram that had been parked out front of City Hall. At least if the old thing died on the way to the ranch, we’d still have my rental to get us the rest of the way.
Staying in someone’s old farmhouse wasn’t exactly my idea of comfort. While I tried not to be a complete snob, I had to admit my wealth had allowed me to live well. I had a spacious penthouse apartment in the city that had been upgraded to include every creature comfort possible, and when I traveled, I usually stayed in high-end hotels.
As we turned off the highway that led out of town, an old timber arch indicated we were entering Fletcher Ranch. Visually, this area was jaw-dropping. Vast, rolling pastureland spread outward for miles in every direction, dotted here and there with large swaths of trees as well as horses of all sizes and color patterns. Other than an attempt at learning how to play polo from my friend Dev, I had very little familiarity with horses.
The deep blue sky seemed to go on for miles, something I’d noticed on the drive down from Billings. What this part of the country lacked in conveniences, it more than made up for in beauty. In the distance, mountains retained white peaks, and I suspected even the early May warmth wouldn’t be enough to melt them anytime soon.
My rental car bumped over the uneven gravel drive as we curved around more fenced pastures. I was surprised by the size of the ranch as well as the quantity of horses, especially considering Way was handling ranch operations while also juggling his mayoral duties. He’d talked about his never-ending schedule, about how he essentially worked two full-time jobs, but seeing this place drove the point home.
Kenji’s initial investigation had shown Way’s annual salary as mayor was a grand total of twenty thousand dollars a year, which wasn’t enough to live on comfortably, even if the ranch was debt-free… which it wasn’t. In fact, the land had been mortgaged to the hilt only a few years ago. It seemed he and his siblings had been working hard to pay down the loan, but at the rate they were going, it would take a while.
According to Kenji’s report, the ranch business itself had become more profitable in recent years, and I was starting to realize that was most likely due to Way’s sheer determination to do right by everyone and work his ass off. The effort was obviously taking a toll on him.
In the distance, I spotted a wide, sprawling farmhouse that looked well-maintained. Instead of being the white clapboard structure I’d teased him about, it was constructed with brown timber. Otherwise, it had the same deep front porch and dormer windows I would have expected in an old farmhouse. Several outbuildings dotted the area around it, and I anticipated learning what each one was for.
So when we drove right past the driveway leading to the house, I was surprised.
The gravel road wound deeper onto the property, past a large barn and metal shed, past several horse rings and smaller paddock-type areas, until finally curving around a small hill and cutting through a thick stand of aspen trees.
There, in a clearing in the trees, sat a small cabin nestled perfectly several hundred yards back in the curve of a large, fast-moving river, beyond which lay a stunning view of the mountains. It was clear how the town had gotten its name when that view could be seen from practically everywhere in the area of Majestic.
The cabin itself was made from weathered gray timbers and sported a light blue metal roof with a stacked stone chimney on one side. It was something out of a fairytale. The dwelling was tiny, but it had a curved portico, creating a welcoming front entry space big enough to host a rustic wooden bench and a planter overflowing with pink and purple flowers. The columns holding up the portico seemed to be rounded and carved like old bedposts and painted with a weathered gray-blue that matched the rest of the house.
The front door was glass-paned, and there were several windows on the front and side of the house that I could see. The area around the cabin was neat and tidy, with only the barest glimpse of a wooden storage shed out back before the aspen forest continued.
When Way parked and exited his truck, he seemed nervous. He settled his hat on his head but then lifted it to resettle it.
“This is amazing,” I said, excited to see the inside. “Is this where you live?” I honestly couldn’t imagine it was big enough for the two of us to share comfortably, so I wasn’t sure if maybe it was a guest cottage he was putting me up in.
He nodded and chewed on his lower lip before squinting back at the cabin as if trying to see it through my eyes.
“It’s really something,” I added. “The views are unbelievable. I can see why you picked this spot. And the ranch itself is beautiful. I’d love a tour at some point, but I know you’re busy.”
“You probably saw most of it on the way in. The ranch house… that’s where I grew up and where Sheridan, Bo, and ZuZu live. And then the ranch buildings and the stables—that probably looked like an old barn from the road, but it’s actually a large stable out the back. There’s another area with equipment sheds over on the far side opposite from here, but that’s pretty much it.”
Way rubbed one of his boots against the gravel, causing a few pebbles to scatter. His eyes flicked to the cabin and back to his boots. Suddenly, I remembered something he’d said the night we met.
“Eden’s never been here?” I asked.
He shook his head and then pulled off his hat. “No one comes here. That is… I mean, my siblings. But they don’t come inside. It’s not very big.”
I got the feeling the size wasn’t the reason people didn’t come inside. “You said it’s your sanctuary. You don’t want people in your space.”
He pursed his lips. “That’s not it, exactly.”
“Way… I can get a motel. Or, hell, why don’t I stay at the big house with your sisters?”
He shook his head and fingered the edges of his hat before putting it back on. “They’d know, and they can’t know.”
“Why not? They’re your family.”
He rubbed a hand across his mouth. “You see, it’s like this. Sheridan means well, she does. And she loves me like nobody’s business. But she’s super tight with my aunt Blake. And Aunt Blake’s never met a secret she doesn’t share with a few of her closest friends in the strictest of confidences.” He used finger quotes around the phrase. “So Sheridan would mean well, but she’d let something slip, and then it’d be all over Majestic before we could even ride back to town.”
“Is your sister truly going to believe you’re bisexual?”
He threw up his arms. “Silas, I am bisexual.” His cheeks flushed. “Apparently. So how can she not believe it? Whether she believes it or not, it’s just how things are.”
“You seem to be handling this awfully well,” I said with more than a little suspicion.
“I can’t imagine why you think so,” he said, his emotion clear in his words. He sounded overwhelmed and exasperated. “Maybe because everything around me’s spinning out of control, and that’s the smallest thing I have to deal with. But I also can’t deny I’m… I’m attracted to you. I mean, obviously. So I guess that means I’m bisexual. I already told you my best friend is gay. This may be a small town in Wyoming, Silas, but it’s not Brokeback Mountain.”
“I guess I don’t understand how you can have a gay best friend—I’m assuming we’re talking about the sheriff from earlier—and not have known you were bi before now. The man’s undeniably attractive.”
He gritted his teeth. “He’s also my cousin . Aunt Blake’s son. So, no. He’s like a brother to me, always has been. And… to be honest… I’ve found men attractive in the past, I just haven’t acted on that attraction because I’ve always had women to date.”
I let out a surprised laugh. “Spoken like the golden boy you clearly are.”
He eyed me from under the shadow of his hat brim. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re beautiful and perfect. You were probably the star quarterback in high school. You’ve literally been voted Mr. Majestic twelve times?—”
“Eleven,” he muttered. “So?”
“So… you’re that guy , Waylon. No wonder women have always thrown themselves at you.”
This seemed to annoy him, and I wondered if I’d overstepped. I had a tendency to be judgmental and sarcastic, which wasn’t the key to making new friends and endearing myself to people.
I tried to rein it in. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”
“The truth is, I haven’t had much time for women or men these past few years. I’ve been too busy busting my ass to keep from losing this ranch and, since the old mayor took off, trying to fix the town, too. So the only… the only…” He sighed and pulled his hat off again to fiddle with the brim. “The only casual encounter I’ve had in a very long time was with this city boy in Vegas.”
The confession took me off guard. I’d meant what I’d said. Waylon Fletcher was a catch. He was sexy and fit, kind and earnest. Hardworking and generous. He could have any woman he wanted. The idea he hadn’t at least been getting regular sex from some local woman surprised me.
“I thought you and Eden…”
He waved his hat through the air. “Eden and I haven’t slept together in probably a year. Yeah, for a while, we’d hook up because… because it was easy. We’re good friends. Comfortable with each other, you know? And you’ve met some of the gossips in this town. You can imagine that hooking up with someone new would cause… well, problems.” He shrugged. “But then Eden’s travel schedule picked up, and my job— jobs —got crazier, and… Anyway, can we stop talking about my sex life, please? I’d rather share my damned cabin with you, to be honest.”
I let out a laugh and stepped closer to him. “You know, while I’m here, I could help you with your little… problem,” I teased.
His cheeks turned pink, and he used his hat to hide his face as he turned around to head toward the house. Thankfully, the sound of his laughter followed him.
“Not sure that’s a good idea, city boy. Things seem complicated enough as they are.”
He was probably right. That didn’t mean I wasn’t tempted—more tempted than I’d been in a very, very long time. But it was critical I kept my focus on the bigger picture and remembered what was at stake.
Now that I’d gotten his verbal agreement not to bring money matters into our divorce, I needed to get everything in writing as soon as possible, which meant finding time to message Kenji to tell him to get the legal paperwork drawn up ASAP…
Regardless of how good my husband’s ass looked in those jeans as he walked away from me.