Chapter Ten
FAT SNOWFLAKES FLUTTER down from a fluffy white sky as the Toyota makes its track impressions in the pebbled driveway.
Ponderosa Pines and Douglas-firs with limbs laden down with snow line the entrance to Willmaker Ranch as Jeremy drives upon it.
Nearly eight months have passed since he left Colorado and he’s been homesick every second he’s been away.
Parking out front of the ranch house, Jeremy sits with his heater for a minute as he takes in the grand structure.
Clark had told him to expect to move in as soon as he got back, Jeremy taking in the facade for his first time as a resident.
Shouldering on his heavy coat, he’s about to open the door when there’s a tap at his window.
Jeremy smiles wide, “Yana!”
“Hey!” Her voice is muddled through the glass but obviously excited.
She steps back as Jeremy gets out of the truck before all but tackling him with a big hug. He hugs her back and says, “Good to see ya.”
“And what about you, Mr. World Champion?” Yana pulls back and lightly punches his arm, eyeing him up and down, “I always thought you were a good cowboy but never imagined you’d be the best!”
He gives her another side hug and says, “Geez, you’re making me blush.”
“Seriously proud, my friend,” she backs up, “Well, you here to stay now or just passing through?”
Jeremy leans back into the truck and pulls out his trusty duffel bag and the humble flower arrangement that had been resting against it, telling her, “We’ll see.”
She rolls her eyes, “I never know with you!”
“One thing’s for sure,” Jeremy shoulders the bag’s strap and puts the flowers in the crook of his arm as he closes the door and tells her, “There’s someone I gotta see.”
“Ooh!” Yana pokes his chest and sings, “Munday and Radison, sittin’ in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
He chuckles and pushes her arms away, “I’ll see you later, Yana.”
“Glad to have you back!” She waves at him as Jeremy makes his hike up the front porch steps and she walks back through the snow to the ranch.
Taking his hat off and slicking back the side of his wavy locks, Jeremy rolls his shoulders back and rings the doorbell. Waiting and staring at the pinewood, he keeps fussing with his hair and rolling his lips so they’re not dry. The door handle clinks and Jeremy’s heart stops momentarily.
Clark opens the door with a deadpan expression. He looks Jeremy and his bouquet up and down before asking, “What are you doing here?”
Holding out the keys to the Toyota, Jeremy says, “I’m returning your truck.”
Staring into his eyes, Clark’s smile slowly starts to grow.
Jeremy smiles too, and then Clark is right on him and bringing him into a tight embrace.
Jeremy wraps his arms around Clark too, pressing his nose into the side of Clark’s neck and inhaling deeply.
He closes his eyes as Clark’s strong arms squeeze around him and hands massaging his back.
This is exactly where he belongs, the place he’s been dreaming of for all his life.
Clark’s hands slide down Jeremy’s spine and stay on his hips as he pulls away, saying, “Welcome home.”
Jeremy searches Clark’s face. He’s gorgeous, especially up close like this. Both of them smile wide.
Clark pulls him closer by the waist, saying, “It’s cold, let’s get inside.”
He takes Jeremy by the hand and pulls him inside, the heavy door closing behind them. He keeps Jeremy’s hand in his as he leads him down the hall and asks, “Do you need anything? Water?”
“Water? Don’t you mean whiskey?” Jeremy jokes.
“It’s only noon, but I could be convinced,” Clark chuckles.
They make it into the sitting room and Clark turns back to Jeremy asking, “So? Whiskey or water?”
“Let’s celebrate,” Jeremy leans toward Clark, handing him the bouquet, “Whiskey please.”
Clark takes the flowers and smells them as his eyes trail down Jeremy’s body and land at his groin, asking, “Oh, is that your trophy?”
Jeremy looks down at the golden belt buckle that was awarded to him for world champion at the National Finals Rodeo, nodding, “Yep. Wore it special, just for you.”
Eyes flicking up to Jeremy’s and smiling coyly, Clark steps into his space and touches the belt buckle. He twists it upward so he can see it fully, his knee knocking against Jeremy’s as he asks, “Will you wear this to bed later?”
Rolling his eyes, Jeremy blushes and playfully pushes Clark away. The actor laughs but tells him, “I’m serious!”
Jeremy rolls his lips and replies, “Maybe.”
Sending him another smile, Clark steps back and goes over to the bar. Jeremy takes the duffel bag off his shoulder and asks, “Where should I put this?”
“Oh, just leave it there,” Clark nods to the ground as he pours their drinks, bouquet still in his arms, “Gregory will get it later.”
Setting the bag down, Jeremy asks, “Who’s Gregory?”
“You don’t know Gregory?” Clark asks, “He’s the house manager. Kind of like a butler. He came with the ranch, Wilcox had him forever. He lives in the house in the back.”
“You have a butler?”
Clark brings over their tumblers and hands one to Jeremy as he corrects, “We have a butler.”
Lifting his glass, Jeremy meets it for a cheers. They keep their eyes locked as they sip from their respective drinks. Jeremy rolls his lips at the tasty liquor and opulent home, sharing with Clark, “You know, I always kind of saw you as this king of a castle.”
“Does that make you my queen?” Clark raises a brow, taking another sip of whiskey.
“Or your knight in shining armor,” Jeremy steps closer, feeling confident.
Clark examines Jeremy’s face, slowly biting his bottom lip. Making eye contact again, he nods his head toward a doorway, saying, “Here, I want to show you something.”
Jeremy follows Clark into another room with a big sofa and massive wall mounted TV.
Clark, not letting go of the flowers Jeremy had brought, uses a small controller to turn it on and goes to the Cowboy+ streaming app.
He fast forwards through the second day of the NFR and pauses at an exact timestamp, pointing at the television and saying, “Look, it’s you! ”
Leaning against the back of the couch, Jeremy watches as the announcer calls his name as the bronco’s let out of the chute and he starts riding the bucking. Clark keeps talking excitedly, “They kept saying how rare it is for a first timer to do as well as you did.”
Jeremy looks over to Clark whose eyes are peeled to the TV, watching Jeremy ride that horse until the very end. He glances back over to Jeremy and his expression softens, saying, “I wish I could’ve come to see it live.”
“I wouldn’t’ve been able to concentrate,” Jeremy reminds him, “You’re very distracting, believe it or not.”
“Still,” Clark pouts, rewinding the program again and watching Jeremy bareback ride the bronco.
Staring at Clark’s face in profile, Jeremy steps forward and touches his hand against the one that’s holding the bouquet tightly to his chest. He looks over and Jeremy says, “I appreciate you supporting me doing this.”
Clark smiles softly, “I never doubted you for a second. I just missed you every minute.”
Jeremy melts at his words, replying genuinely, “I missed you too.”
Biting his lip, Clark gestures behind Jeremy and says, “Here, I want to show you these too.”
Following Clark over to a table, there are pictures lying out haphazardly.
They are pictures of Jeremy. There’s one of him riding Asher, him over the cliff in Kualoa Ranch, and other ones Jeremy doesn’t remember seeing Clark take.
He touches them gently, looking over them and saying, “You took all of these?”
“Well, Francis took these,” Clark hands Jeremy the pictures of them racing their thoroughbreds along the shoreline, water splashing up. Clark smiles and continues, “But yeah, finally got them developed. It’s my series on cowboys. You’re a great subject matter.”
Jeremy looks over and catches Clark staring right at him.
Having an intense draw to lean in and capture a kiss, Jeremy resists the urge.
He knows once he starts, he won’t be able to stop.
Clearing his throat, he manages to break eye contact and look down, saying, “I should probably take a shower. I’ve been on the road for a while. ”
“Right,” Clark nods, “Here, I’ll show you.”
Leading Jeremy through a maze of hallways and up a secondary staircase from the one in the foyer, Clark takes Jeremy into a massive bedroom. He points down an internal hallway, saying, “Shower’s that way. Should have everything you need.”
“Thanks,” Jeremy nods, hands in his pockets. After all this time, Clark still makes him nervous. He escapes down the hallway and ignores the burning desire in his gut leading him in the other direction.
The shower is like a room in itself, with multiple shower heads making it feel like he’s being rained on, and Jeremy admittedly spends longer in there than usual.
While he’s there, he does his best to prep without his supplies; using a few fingers to reach inside himself and make sure he’s clean.
The prep excites Jeremy, having to paw at his half hard dick as his mind wanders to memories of how good it feels to kiss Clark. His mouth waters at the thought.
After the shower, he takes a little bit of time to dry off and fuss over his appearance in the anti-fog mirror.
He’s picking at a stray eyebrow hair when he realizes his duffel bag with his change of clothes is still downstairs.
Still getting comfortable in the house, he’s not sure if it’s alright to walk around half naked.
Seeing no other option, Jeremy wraps the towel around his waist and walks out of the ensuite bathroom.