Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Gabriel
Montana air didn’t used to feel like home, but now, it was Gabriel’s favorite thing.
The more time he spent at Rawhide Ranch and at his new home, the more he wanted to stay in the north for the foreseeable future.
He’d bought the Victorian house on a whim before summer began, unwilling to continue to commute so often between states.
Being only an hour away from the Ranch made visiting often far more enjoyable than having to travel from his old home in New Jersey and rack up those frequent-flier miles.
Since his job in investments rarely required him to be in one specific place, he could move whenever he saw fit.
Working for rich, money-hungry elitists who had enough pocket change to burn helped.
He invested the funds, took his cut, and for the most part, didn’t have to speak with them.
Every once in a while someone did something petty, but the majority of the time, he didn’t have to interact with too many people.
Being closer to Rawhide had allowed him to become more or less a weekly visitor to the Ranch.
It gave him easy access when he needed to unwind, and everyone at the Ranch was welcoming.
Some of the residents were even friends of his at this point.
It also gave him the opportunity to become a little bit more familiar with the Ranch regulars, and over time, it had paid off.
Previously, during his first few visits to the Ranch, he’d spoken with Derek and Sadie quite a bit, before trying to get acquainted with the lifestyle.
Since then, he had visited periodically, always checking in with Derek, but he had yet to find any sort of partnership that stuck.
Friends were one thing, and it brought a sense of family to the entire experience, but it lacked the emotional and physical connection he craved.
He had one close friend who visited. It was last year, before he’d moved to Montana permanently.
During the week his friend Felix Jackman had briefly visited the Ranch and rekindled a flame with a lover of his, Gabriel had been lucky enough to meet Eris.
Gabriel still wasn’t entirely sure what hand fate had in ensuring their paths had crossed, but he didn’t anticipate that kind of divine intervention in his future.
Still, the best person he’d ever had was one Eris Montgomery, and he didn’t foresee her ever coming back.
She’d claimed she’d gotten what she wanted from the Ranch the one week they’d had together, and he hadn’t tried to seek her out since.
Work kept him busy, and he knew he had fucked up during their last morning together.
He’d let his work intervene during his personal time, his time with her, and he’d brushed her off.
It had been careless and had clearly left a mark.
She was gone shortly after, and he hadn’t seen her since.
If Eris wasn’t reaching out to the Ranch to return, he seriously doubted he would cross paths with her again. She didn’t live anywhere near Montana from what he recalled, and from their brief time together, he knew she thought he didn’t either. That was before he’d decided to move.
“Morning, Travis,” Gabriel said, stepping into the barn. He could go for a ride, but that would require saddling up and wearing the proper boots, two things he wasn’t prepared to do today.
“Gabe, you’re in early,” Travis commented, dusting off his hands as he straightened.
Over the last few weeks, with Gabriel appearing more and more often, he’d gotten well acquainted with Travis.
He was now the only person Gabriel allowed to call him Gabe.
At forty-three, Gabe didn’t feel that much older than Travis though, he’d guess the man to be in his early thirties.
“Going out for another ride with Magic?”
Magic was Gabriel’s preferred horse. He sometimes went out for a ride with one of the others, but Magic was who he sought out.
The gentle black steed was strong yet manageable, giving Gabriel the ride and rush he desired.
Magic seemed to be growing fond of Gabriel too, nuzzling against his hand with a contented snort as he paused to stroke his muzzle.
“Not today,” Gabriel explained. “I can’t be staying any longer this week. I only planned for a few days. Thought I’d come in and say goodbye to Magic again before I’m gone.”
“But not for long,” Travis replied knowingly, his eyes sparkling. “You’ll probably be back by the weekend.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
Travis shrugged one shoulder, continuing to move across the barn. “Magic’s noticed your visits. So have some of the other mares. You’re in here more than some of the long-term residents.”
“I like horses.”
Pausing, Travis turned around long enough to meet his gaze before he started to laugh. “Right, of course. You’re a real equestrian. It has nothing to do with the dark haired beauty you used to go riding with?”
Gabriel scoffed, giving Magic one more pat before he turned away from the horse. “Eris.”
“Eris was the one fond of horses, if memory serves,” Travis continued. “I remember that girl. She had quite the adventurous mind. She was always talking to the horses before going out on a ride.”
Gabriel pressed his lips together but didn’t respond.
He had witnessed Eris’ pre-riding ritual, where she chatted with her horse for an extended period of time before narrating the ride.
She always seemed to get lost in some sort of daydream when they would go riding together, and that was one of the things he really liked about her.
Whatever horseback riding made her think about, her mind went fully there.
Even with that distraction, she still handled the horse beautifully, and he never once saw her in danger of falling off.
Of all the things he knew of Eris, horseback riding was the most detailed.
Even though they’d had sex and slept together several times, he’d never felt fully connected to her.
There was a wall there, a barrier she hadn’t let him break down and cross during their brief time together.
If the chance ever arose again, he definitely planned to see what secrets she was hiding.
Maybe that was the real reason he kept returning to the Ranch. One day, he hoped Eris would be there, getting ready to climb into the saddle and go out for a ride.
“Horses gave her freedom,” Gabriel said, letting his mind wander. Travis’ soft chuckle as he moved on, continuing to work, told him this conversation was all but over.
On his way out, he bumped into another familiar face coming into work. “Hey, Gabriel.”
Surprised, Gabriel peered over to spot Patrick wandering into the barn. He had started spending enough time up here that even the hoof groomer, who wasn’t always here, recognized him. “Hey, Patrick.”
His mind was made up before he started walking back towards the main house. It was time to see what, if anything, he could do about seeing Eris again.