Chapter Ten #2
I let out a relieved sigh. “Fine. What are you cooking? We could have just eaten sandwiches or some cereal, Mom. You didn’t need to go to any trouble.”
I slid off my right boot and put it on the rug before sliding off my left. I put the pair on the back porch and sat at the table as Sean came into the kitchen and stepped behind me, wrapping his arms around my neck as I suspected he thought any good boyfriend would do.
He placed a soft kiss under my ear before he whispered, “Sheriff gone? I didn’t come out because it seemed like it might lead to more questions we couldn’t answer.”
I patted his hand resting over my heart, not letting go of him for a moment. “Good call.”
“Mom, the kid who broke in was John Langer’s boy, Cody.
He was trying to steal Mindy Spriggs’ mare and colt.
I gave Sheriff Jackson our landline because my cell phone broke.
I need to go get another soon. If I’m not inside when he calls, tell him I’ll call him back.
Oh, Bethany’s leaving tomorrow morning since I’m home now. ”
“Can I help you, Mrs. Hess? You want me to get some bowls and spoons?” Sean asked as he pulled away gently.
I glanced at what he was wearing, seeing a pair of track pants I was pretty sure were mine. I didn’t complain one bit—his ass looked damn fantastic in them. His tight undershirt revealed a lot of beautiful ripples I wanted to explore with my tongue.
Sean had thick auburn hair with a little wave and a bit of gray at the temples. He had a close beard and mustache to match, and those eyes were as green as the pasture in a spring field.
With his slender build, I could tell he worked out, his body toned and sleek without bulk. My desire to take the man to my bed was nearly overwhelming, but we didn’t know each other well enough. Which was stupid for me to think. I’d had sex with guys I’d known for less than fifteen minutes.
“I’m heating some chicken noodle soup I had in the freezer that I made a couple of months ago. It’s more like a stew than a soup, Sean, because I like a creamy base. I hope you like it,” Mom said.
Sean’s gorgeous mouth turned up in a genuine grin that had my mom giggling as she ladled soup into the bowls he’d pulled from the cabinet for us.
It had been quite a while since I’d seen that big smile from my mom.
It made her look at least twenty years younger.
The light was back in her eyes that I hadn’t seen since Dad died.
“Oh my god!” Sean gasped after his first bite. Mom’s face lit up as she sat at the table with us, sipping a cup of chamomile tea.
“Mrs. Hess, this is the best soup or stew I’ve ever tasted. You’ve got to give me this recipe.” Sean’s grin seemed honest.
Was he serious? I mean, I wasn’t the best person to judge my mom’s cooking because I was biased. She was my mom. Everything she made was the best thing I ever tasted.
“Yeah, Mom, this is really great.” I dipped my spoon into the bowl, and when the taste of the creamy broth, homemade egg noodles, and the tender vegetables hit my tongue, it took me back to my childhood.
The chicken noodle was my dad’s favorite, and I could remember him coming in from the barn in the winter and stepping behind Mom at the stove as she added carrots, onions, and celery into the savory chicken broth to cook.
He’d kiss her neck and say, “The only thing that smells better than this soup is you.”
“This was Leo’s favorite. Jericho always loves the homemade chicken and dumplings I make. This one is sort of a cross between the two that I developed before Jer went into the Army. I had both of my boys to keep happy.”
Mom’s face flushed as she stared at Sean and then me. “One day, you’ll understand what I mean. Stack the dishes in the sink. I’m going to bed, boys. Sean, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Make yourself at home.”
She walked over and kissed my cheek and then Sean’s. He stood to hug her, and I grinned. It was great to see Mom so happy.
I stood and hugged her too. “Love you. Glad to be home Mom.”
“I’m glad too, Jeri. Love you.”
After Mom went to bed, Sean and I finished our soup-stew, and we cleaned the dishes together instead of leaving the mess for Mom. She’d refused to let Dad put in a dishwasher, but I planned to change that soon. She didn’t need to have her hands in hot dishwater all the time.
When I turned off the kitchen light, I took Sean’s hand to lead him down the hall to my little bedroom with the ugly ruffled curtains.
I flipped on the ceiling light and closed the door. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”
Sean grinned. “It’s like a flashback to your formative years. What are those ribbons?”
I chuckled. “Four-H. I was a member in middle school. I entered feeder calves every year for four years. My dad would buy a calf from one of the neighbors, and I’d work here on the farm to pay for it. It was a project we had together. I miss him.”
Sean took my hand and led me to the bed, turning down the quilt. “I can sleep on the couch, you know.”
I chuckled. “Oh hell, I wouldn’t make my worst enemy sleep on that old couch.” I grabbed a pair of shorts from my drawer and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed.
Worry engulfed me as I removed my prosthetic.
Remembering Sean’s initial reaction to seeing my artificial leg, I worried he'd be freaked out again when I got in bed next to him. I could sleep in my dad’s old recliner in the living room, but I’d be all kinds of fucked up in the morning if I did that.
The thing should have been trashed years ago with the broken springs and the crooked back.
I tossed my dirty clothes into the hamper and grabbed my leg, hopping from the bathroom to the bedroom and closing the door. Sean was under the top sheet, and my track pants were tossed on the chair in the corner. Was he wearing anything beneath that thin sheet? How much did I want to see?
I placed my leg on the floor next to my side of the bed and sat, facing him. “Does me not wearing the leg freak you out? I can sleep in the living room or keep the leg on.”
Sean stared at my stump and smiled, reaching out to gently caress my calf down to the end, his fingers sliding over the bottom. “Nope. Sleeping in it doesn’t sound as if it would be comfortable, and you wouldn’t sleep in the prosthetic if you were getting in bed with your boyfriend, right?”
Fuck, I hoped not. “I doubt it, or he wouldn’t be my boyfriend.”
Sean chuckled. “Point made.”
“I’ve never had a slumber party. I was hoping this would be my first.” My whisper was louder than it should have been, but Sean’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. He was a gorgeous, incredible man.
“I’m a little old to be having a slumber party, don’t you think?”
I turned on my side to look into those grass-green eyes. “How old are you?”
Sean mirrored my position and smiled. “I’ll be forty-one after Christmas. How about you?”
“I’m thirty. I’ll be thirty-one at the end of January. Did you always want to be a lobbyist?”
The sexy redhead chuckled. “Hell, no. I had no idea what a lobbyist did until I had to advocate for myself.
I created a gay dating app back in college, 2003, and it took off pretty quick when word of mouth spread about it.
It was designed to be more than a hook-up app, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community took to it like bees to honey.
“Anyway, I had to get approval to sell my app to a major software company because it grew to the point I couldn’t manage it alone. The larger company was gobbling up all the competition in as many markets as possible, and that included Love Under the Rainbow, my app.”
“In 2003, I was eight.” I smirked at him, taking in the evil expression on his face at my teasing remark. It was sexy as hell.
“Anyway, smartass. To get the sale approved, I had to enlist the assistance of the ACLU to bring a case against the FTC and the DOJ for discrimination so I could get approval to sell.
It was left to me to convince them that the app filled a unique need within the rainbow community and would be better served if it was available on a much larger platform than I could offer.
“It took me two years to get through all the red tape and finalize the sale, and during that time, I learned there was pervasive homophobic bias in the government, not that I didn’t suspect it all along.
“I made it my mission to learn everything I could about the law so I could bend it to my advantage for the benefit of my tribe. After undergrad, I went to law school, and here I am.”
“Wow. Where’d you go to college?” I’d known I was out of my league with Sean before he told me the story, but now I was certain I’d never measure up. Sean and I would never be on an even playing field. That was depressing as fuck.
Sean stared at me for a moment. “Nowhere important. What about you? Did you always want to be a soldier?”
I chuckled. “I did okay in high school, but college wasn’t really my thing.
I loved growing up here with the horses, but I wanted to see something more than just Ann Arundel County.
My dad suggested I go into the military so I could figure out what I wanted to do, so I sat down with a few recruiters.
The Army won. My years of hunting with my dad made me a good shot and gave me good tracking skills, so I was sent to sniper school and then was accepted into Special Forces— Uh, we’ve been called Green Berets. ”
It sounded so matter-of-fact to me, but Sean sat up in bed. “You’re a Green Beret? That’s the elite of the elite, Jericho.”
I chuckled. “Shh. Don’t let the Rangers, the MARSOCs, or the SEALs hear you say that. They get really pissy about it. Anyway, I had a knack for what was needed by the military, but I missed my horses. After my accident, I went a little loco, but I’m not sorry I came back home.”
His right hand gently rested against my cheek. “I’m sorry you lost your father. I’m sure he was a special guy if he caught your mother’s eye. She’s a kind, generous woman.”
I put my hand on his hip. “Takes one to know one. We’ll get through this, okay? Don’t worry.”
He moved his hand from my face, but I didn’t move my hand from his hip. My breathing synced with his, and I drifted off to dreamland.