Chapter 4 #2
From the best he could tell, Mike appeared to still be working in the barn.
The guy easily worked from before sunup to way past sundown.
Austin spent most of the day lending a hand to get ready for their cattle to arrive the following morning.
He found he’d turned soft over the years, no matter how many hours he’d logged in the gym, or how muscularly sculpted his body looked.
Apparently, all that amounted to was looking good on the screen.
His body wasn’t suited for any true manual labor.
He already ached in places he hadn’t even known could ache, and for whatever reason, he loved that too.
This whole place gave him a sense of belonging.
One he found he’d completely lost along the way.
Austin felt like he’d really pulled his own weight today which might be the best feeling of all.
A grin spread across Austin’s lips at the thought that he might actually get a real suntan again, not one of the spray ones he’d grown accustomed to living the Hollywood lifestyle.
Maybe, he’d look as hot in his real tan as his next-door neighbor did in his.
And just like that, much like he’d done about five hundred times over the last twenty-four hours, Austin looked out over his pasture in the direction of Kitt Kelly’s house.
Just like every other time, the ridge obscuring his view refused to move, but if it had, Austin would have been able to see the little log cabin out in the distance.
Kitt Kelly was a problem. He stayed firmly under Austin’s skin, not having strayed too far from his mind since the moment he stormed off, refusing to look back.
But it was okay Kitt didn’t turn back. Austin did enough looking and lusting for both of them.
After watching Kitt swagger away, Austin came straight back to the house to text Cara one simple question.
Nine simple words, “What kind of a man wears Andrew Christian underwear?”
He knew the answer, but wanted reassurance from a professional shopper, and his fake fiancée fit that bill. And just like he’d known it would be, the answer he got back was clear, “Gay men with money or husbands whose wives buy them.”
The information didn’t come free. He’d then spent the rest of the night trying to convince Cara he wasn’t already hooking up and possibly blowing their cover. Which technically was completely true, he didn’t lie at all. But he planned on changing it very soon.
Based on Cara’s assumption, Kitt would be a gay man with money.
If run properly, these farms could bank, but he wasn’t so sure Kitt fit the mold of a prosperous rancher.
If Kitt had money, he wouldn’t have sold such a prime piece of land.
So, the next question might be, who was it that bought Kitt that expensive underwear?
Perhaps a boyfriend…jealousy Austin couldn’t comprehend kicked up in his heart before his competitive side kicked in.
Both feelings were odd and unexplainable considering he didn’t even know his new neighbor.
With one leg propped on the porch rail, Austin leaned back in his chair and thought about the past. He remembered Kitt from their school days.
Not real well, but he did remember one time in the locker room shower.
Kitt was at the end of his freshman year and Austin was about to graduate.
Even remembering the scene he’d walked into had Austin feeling a little like a pervert, but he remembered it clearly: Kitt Kelly was hung.
Something happened to the boy during his freshman year.
He transformed from a skinny kid to grown-ass man in a matter of months.
It was funny how some things stuck with you.
That one glimpse of Kitt standing all alone under the hot spray…
oh yeah, Austin had looked. He wasn’t going to lie to himself even as wrong as it felt.
He’d fantasized about Kitt for months. In his visions, Austin had Kitt on his knees, both from the front and back.
Kitt regularly starred in every possible position Austin could dream to put him in and turned out to be perfect for his wettest of wet dreams. Now, as Austin sat there on his porch, he wondered if Kitt had gotten any bigger.
His eyes darted back in the direction of Kitt’s house, willing the man to appear before him.
He lost track of everything as he thought about how Kitt might look walking toward him right now, completely naked, that huge cock hard as steel.
The thought dried his mouth and had him taking a long draw from his cold beer in an attempt to cool off his now hot and bothered body.
Completely caught up in his daydreams, he didn’t catch Mike’s approach until he was already walking up the porch steps.
The inattention was incredibly unusual for Austin.
Over the last few years, he’d gotten almost paranoid about sensing when anyone tried to sneak up on him.
“Hey, boss man. I just got word that all three truckloads of your cattle are arrivin’ tomorrow, for sure. They’re close now and gonna book it through the night. I’m guessin’ the first one’ll be here around eightish tomorrow mornin’,” Mike said, anchoring a hip on the porch rail in front of Austin.
“Want a beer?” Austin asked, his mind solidly on Kitt. He wondered if he could lure his foreman into conversation so he could learn more about the cowboy.
“Sure,” Mike said, and reached for the cooler. Austin cocked his head toward the empty lawn chair next to his for Mike to sit. “I’ve got the crew comin’ in tomorrow. I trust everyone comin’ to keep your secret. The only one who doesn’t already know is Micah, but like I said, I trust him.”
“That’s fine. Let me know what I need to pay everyone.” Austin absently stared out in the night. He finished one beer while reaching for another.
“Nah, that’s not how it works around here. We all pitch in and help each other out.” Mike twisted the cap off his beer as he kicked his boot up next to Austin’s on the rail. He took a long drink before removing his ball cap and rubbing a hand through his sweaty hair.
“Yeah, I remember some of that. I just haven’t given anything back,” Austin said, just as casually as Mike did.
“But I have. They’re helpin’ me. I’ve helped them enough, now they’re givin’ back to me.
I’ve got Micah, his oldest two boys, Kitt, and all your ranch hands slash security who’ll be here.
They’re all pretty worthless though. You do know that, right?
We’re gonna have to hire more hands now that the animals are comin’, but I think we got enough people for tomorrow.
I can get kids from the FFA program at the high school.
They’ll need volunteer hours for the class.
You’d have to stay hidden if they come.” Mike took another long drink.
“I’ll be here to help, too. You’ll have to tell me what you need me to do.” Austin cast a sideways glance toward Mike.
“Tomorrow won’t be too hard. It’s just runnin’ them through.
It’ll be taggin’ and vaccinations that’ll be what takes the time.
They’ll be quarantined and separated for a while.
Micah and Kitt can handle all that. They’re bringin’ their horses, a couple extra too.
They’ll do their part on horseback. I’m thinkin’ we’ll start breedin’ right away.
I think I told you Kitt started an artificial insemination program a few years back.
I know we agreed to run the bulls and cows together for now, but we could look at something like that, too.
I know Kitt’s cattle is gonna sell big this year,” Mike said.
His hat sat crooked on his head, and he seemed just as lost to the lure of the night as Austin.
“I need to apologize to him. I still feel bad about all that over the fence. Does he run the farm by himself?” Austin didn’t hesitate to take his opportunity.
“Pretty much. His stepmom and sisters live in the main house. She does all the cookin’ for everybody.
Has a badass garden out there she maintains just about year-round.
Kitt’s got about ten full-time hands. He’s really got it goin’ on over there.
It’s just taken a lot to get the ranch back and movin’ forward again. His dad didn’t modernize.”
“Yeah, I can’t see old man Kelly being too modern.” Austin winced remembering the hardened John Wayne kind of a guy Kitt’s father had represented.
“They butted heads pretty hard, but it turned out good for Kitt. He tried to come home after his bachelor’s degree.
It didn’t last. He went back to school,” Mike said, finishing off his beer.
Austin quickly handed him another hoping to keep the conversation going.
Hell, Austin would get Mike drunk if he had to, he was already getting way more information than he thought he would.
“You met Kitt in college?”
“Yeah, he was in the graduate program. He got a full ride, he’s freakishly smart.
I met him when he was a teacher’s aide in one of my classes.
I think he might’ve become a professor if his dad hadn’t died.
I was on financial aid, and Kitt found me work pretty regularly during the summers.
He’s a good guy. You shouldn’t judge him by what you saw,” Mike said, and this time it was him giving a sideways glance at Austin.
It seemed Mike might be trying to smooth the path between him and Kitt.
Funny, it was about the same thing Austin wanted, but for far different reasons.
Austin nodded as Mike kept his eyes on him. He thought that might be better than letting Mike know his overall plan was to fuck Kitt.
“Did he marry someone down here?” Did that sound casual enough?
“Nah, he says he doesn’t have time for that even though the ladies in town try real hard to change his mind. He’s real focused on that ranch.” Without realizing it, Mike gave Austin exactly the information he wanted.