Colorado Wild - Colorado Heart 1 (14 page)

"Yeah, I didn't want to lose you as my best friend. You're too important to me."

"I
'd freak out if I lost you. You mean too much to me."

"Come on, we have a meeting to get to after we take care of the horses."

Billy gently pushed Tucker into the spray. He grabbed the soap and washed off his best friend. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought it would be this easy to be with Tucker. When Tucker had run off after their first kiss, he really thought he'd blown it, now they were a couple and he sure as hell wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.

Chapter Sixteen

Grant had heard enough, anger churned inside
, and he didn't know if he could listen to another word. Craig wasn't a killer of innocents. He'd been with the man for years and never seen it. The evidence was compelling, almost enough for him to believe, but he didn't want to. They were still lacking the one piece of the puzzle that made it all work.

"I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time reconciling this." Marshal hadn't heard the evidence before and it seemed like he was just
as shocked as Grant had been.

"I want to read through the reports on my own." James walked over to Billy and took the papers that detailed where Craig had been and how he'd purchased some of the items he needed for the bomb.

"There's a huge hole in this logic." Grant grasped his pencil, holding it tightly. "I don't see how Craig could kill innocent kids. When he was here, he was a total stickler for making sure the person was guilty. There were cases a few of us were willing to judge a bit softer than Craig and he said no."

"I agree," Duff said. "However, you have to admit that there were issues we all ignored. He wasn't perfect and you know
it. He had problems and we didn't address them." Duff glanced down at his folder then his gaze rose, connecting with Grant's. "Craig was jealous."

"Don't go there." Grant stood, unable to lis
ten to them bash his and Craig's relationship. "We may not have had a perfect relationship, but he wanted to be with me."

"Grant, I'm not saying that he didn't, but you know—"

"No, damn it." Grant turned his back on the group. Everything he'd feared about his relationship was coming out. While they were together, he'd really thought they were a great couple, in love and real, but he'd feared that they weren't. Now, after Craig had been gone a few months, everyone was ganging up on the man. Some of it was warranted. He had no clue what had really happened. Hell, the bastard had been acting strange, then he'd run off. In London, he'd been beyond bizarre.

Slowly Grant turned back to the men but was unable to meet their gazes.
"Fuck, I hate that you're making me admit this to everyone. Fine, he didn't really love me. I thought he didn't but he didn't. Are you happy?"

"Grant—" Duff's voice was soft, twisting the knife
deeper into his heart.

"Craig said as much when he saw me in London."

"I'm sorry," Marshal said.

Grant spun around, looking Marshal directly in the eyes. "He was jealous of you. Like that was ever going to happen, but he was afraid of what we had and I fell for his lines."

The truth hurt like crazy. They'd exposed his past for the lie it had been. All the things he'd thought were special between he and Craig had been fake. They hadn't really been a couple, not in the way he saw Tucker and Billy becoming. Maybe it was the life he led that left he and Craig unable to commit and become true lovers. But that didn't make any sense when you looked at the pair across from him. No, Billy really loved Tucker, and what they had would be real, not some fake crap like he'd settled for.

"The truth freaking hurts. Craig had issues and he fooled us all. I feel responsibl
e."

"You aren't," Duff said. "Craig made his own decisions. He chose to act with evil instead of goodness. You can't blame yourself."

"Then who is to blame?" Grant asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No one," Marshal said.

"We still don't have a final answer. There are things that have to happen before we make a final decision. Grant, he lied to you. You have to live your life with the assurances that the people who love you the most actually want what is best for you. You didn't know he wasn't being honest and he played us all. He lived here at this ranch, in this house, and we never saw this coming from him. I'd like to think that if one of you were capable of killing innocent children, I'd be able to tell. If you'd asked me a few months back, I would have said no way could Craig do that, now I'm not so sure."

Grant wiped his face, wishing he could forget the problem and ignore the pain
, but he wasn't one to run from controversy, and he sure as hell wouldn’t run from this. "We need to go through this one more time, make sure we have all the answers before we make a decision."

"We'll get to the bottom of it, I'll make sure," Billy said.

"I need to clear my head. I'm going to go check on the horses." Grant stood to leave but Marshal blocked his path.

"I've always believed in you."

"Marsh, you're a true friend. You've always stuck by me."

"I've tried."

He really appreciated everything Marshal had done for him, but right now he needed to be alone. "Thanks. I just need to think this through."

"You can always talk to me."

"I know." Grant left the command center and headed to the barn. The new horse that Tucker had picked up ran away from the fence as he passed by his paddock. The animal was skittish, but not so much that he'd be too frightened to breed. It seemed that Tucker had made a good decision. Of course, he'd thought he'd made a good one when he got together with Craig. They were perfect for each other, and if he were truthful, he'd had a crush on the man long before they hooked up.

He checked on the stalls and the food, finding everything already done. After
rearranging some of the tack, he headed out the backside of the barn. If they didn't have a solution by the end of the week, he'd take matters into his own hands and solve it for them.

*~*~*

The next two nights Billy slept with Tucker, wrapped in his arms, making love as if they were teenagers, getting naked every chance they got. On Friday morning they headed into town to pick up feed for the animals and a few groceries. Billy usually didn't enjoy the task but being able to spend time with Tucker away from the ranch was a nice change. Out here, there were no missions and no emergencies. The bad stuff still existed but they didn't mention it. Topics like Craig were also ignored; instead, they rode in a companionable silence with brief snippets of small talk about the weather or the land.

Thinking of Craig made his head throb. T
hat the man he'd thought to have known so well was capable of killing kids had him wondering if he should have the responsibilities that he did, making difficult decisions when he couldn't even see the problems in his own house. They all had taken lives, leaving behind sadness and pain, but killing twenty-four innocent kids was so far out of his ability to comprehend the act that he pushed aside the thoughts, trying to forget what they did for a living for just a bit.

"We need to pick up more burgers." Tucker was staring out the window, his face turned away.

"Yeah, that and steaks." They drove another fifteen minutes before they hit town. "You want to stop for an ice cream?" Billy asked as they approached the Dairy Queen.

"I'm a little hungry
. Sounds good."

He parked and slid out
of the truck, wishing that they were in a city where they could hold hands. Tucker may not be ready to show his affection in public, but Billy wondered if that would change if they were in Los Angeles or San Francisco. If he were surrounded by other gay men, would it break down the barriers? Billy had seen couples in cities like that holding hands while others wouldn’t touch each other. Everyone had their own level of comfort, and he needed to respect Tucker's.

From the parking lot he could see that t
he morning coffee gossips were gone and hadn't been replaced by the nighttime family crowd so the place was empty. The town was small but it did have a pattern like all cities, just on a much smaller level.

The door dinged w
hen they entered, alerting the cashier. Her head shot up and she smiled, showing white teeth displayed between painted on red lips. "Well, if it ain't my favorite cowboy, Tucker Smith. I haven't seen you in months."

Billy recognized the woman behind the counter immediately and wished he'd picked a different place to
stop. He'd made a mistake assuming that Lindsey Helms wouldn't be behind the counter. Actually, he'd forgotten that Lindsey worked here. Tucker stiffened beside him, his face going pale.

"Lindsey, nice to see you."
Tucker's voice was flat, his body stiff.

The girl ran around the counter and launched herself into Tucker's arms. He caught her, letting the
woman smash her body against his. The flames of jealousy burned hot and Billy had to check himself so he didn't blow up at both of them. His anger grew the longer she held onto Tucker. It only got worse as she placed a kiss on his cheek. It didn't seem like Tucker was trying hard enough to get away as the girl snuggled closer, her body rubbing up against parts of Tucker that were his and his alone.

"Tucker, you have to go out with me this weekend. Elizabeth is having a party. I'd love to spend some
more time with you—you know, it's been a few months since our last date. I waited so long for you to call." Lindsay slid out of Tucker's arms but didn't step away from him. Her pert breast pressed up against Tucker's chest and her hands played with his shoulders.

"W
e've been busy," Billy spit out, unable to keep quiet any longer.

Tucker shot him a look before turning back to Lindsay.
"Um, sorry, Lindsay, we've had some things come up out at the ranch."

Billy wanted to slap Tucker upside the head. Where did he get off acting upset? If anything, Billy had every right to tell Tucker and little
Miss Lindsay how wrong her behavior was.

"I heard you bought that colt from the Johnsons. I want to come out and see it. Speaking of which, why haven't you ever invited me out there?"
Lindsay was walking her fingers up Tucker's arms to his shoulders. Her display made Billy sick.

He
waited for Tucker to say something, but the man stayed silent, further infuriating Billy. It didn't get any better when Lindsay took Tucker's hand, holding it close to her breasts.

Billy
's anger spiked. He wanted to bat her hand away and keep her from touching his man ever again. "We need to get our order. We have some errands to run."

She glared at Billy before moving behind the counter.
"Sure, what would you like?" Lindsay looked terribly disappointed, her gaze constantly returning to Tucker though she was waiting on him.

"I'd like a chocolate dipped cone."
Billy wanted to tell Lindsay to bug off and go to hell, but they had to maintain relations with the townspeople since it was the nearest inhabited settlement and they didn't want any suspicion thrown on them. Tucker needed to stand up and tell her he wasn't interested but the man seemed to be having trouble saying anything.

"Tucker, what would you like?" Lindsay asked, her eyes batting so much
Billy thought she'd take flight.

"I'll take
a plain cone."

Billy wanted to pull Tucker into a hug or kiss him, anything to make Lindsay realize Tucker wasn't available. She made their ice cream, handing Billy's over first then Tucker's
, but she hesitated and pulled Tucker's back, keeping it from him. Her laugh grated on every nerve Billy had. He wished she were a target and he could do away with her right then.

"Agree to go out with me and then I'll give you your ice crea
m," Lindsay teased.

Billy wanted to kill the girl. Tucker hesitated, making Billy worry that he'd say yes to her.

"I'm out of town this weekend. Sorry, Lindsay, I just can't do it."

"Oh, well, how about Wednesday. May parents are hosting a
barbecue." Perky Lindsay might just end up dead if she didn't stop asking his boyfriend out.

"Lindsay,
I—"

"If you say no, I'll die. You have to go out with me. It's just one little date. Come on. It's
barbecue, you like to eat, I know you do." The ice cream started to drip down her hand, gaining her attention. She smiled weakly at Tucker. "Now look, you should have said yes earlier. It's all ruined."

Billy licked his ice cream, biting off the top of the hard chocolate shell. "Hmm, maybe you could have just handed it over to him?"
He was being a jerk but he was jealous as hell. If his memory served him right, Tucker had possibly slept with this girl. He'd at least kissed her and that hurt. Normally he could deal with stuff like this. If another man poached on his territory, he had confidence that his man would come back to him, but Lindsay was a woman, beautiful and if he were truthful, she was adorable to the point that any guy would like her. With Tucker being so new to admitting his feelings for men, he feared what would happen if someone like Lindsay really drew his interest.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "He wants to go out with me again, he just won't admit it.
Fine, I'll see you on Wednesday at seven. My parents will be expecting you." She tossed the melting ice cream in the trash before washing her hands. "Let me get you another one." She handed him the ice cream then wrote her name and number on a napkin, tucking it into Tucker's pocket. She looked like she was going to hug him again but another family came in disrupting her seduction. Lindsay frowned before moving behind the counter, her gaze still on Tucker.