Hay and Heartbreak (6 page)

Dan crossed the few feet over and sat on the bed. The mattress was comfortable, at least, even if the bed itself was narrow. It was still better than a prison bed. “Does it matter who knows?”

Frankie folded his arms over his chest. “I dunno. Does it? You’ve been exonerated. People might ask questions about things that happened, though.” He seemed uncomfortable, shuffling one foot side to side like he was sweeping that tiny area of the floor with it.

Dan rescued him. “About the scars, yeah. I’m not aiming to lie about being in prison, or any of it. I don’t plan on making a full confessional to anyone, either.”

“Okay. Well, you play it how you want to, that’s all I’m saying.” Frankie walked over and sat beside him. “I just didn’t want you to think everyone here knew your business.” He sighed. “Living in the bunkhouse, it’s like we’re one big family, but I sure will be glad when Duke and I have our own place. Supposed to have a trailer set up in another month.”

“At least here, you two have lots of help, right?” Dan asked.

Frankie nodded. “Sure, in the evening, but during the day, we all have work to do. We’re still short one man who had a death in the family. Duke will be glad to have some company. I just started back to work, and I’ll come have lunch with him when I can. It’s not always going to be possible, though. It all depends on where I’m at.” He chewed on his bottom lip.

Dan waited, not certain if he should pry. Finally, Frankie exhaled, letting go of his poor, swollen lip as he did so.

“Man, here’s the thing.” He slumped a little. “We aren’t even sure if it was a snake that spooked Duke’s horse. That’s just the theory everyone came up with. I was riding ahead of him, goofing off, trying to keep the lead.” Frankie shook his head. “Acting stupid. I shouldn’t have been screwing around. Maybe then Duke wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

A niggle of unease prodded at Dan. “Y’all think this accident has something to do with the one when he got a concussion?”

Frankie’s expression darkened. “No. He still doesn’t remember anything right before he was hurt that time. He says he was in the barn working, then the next thing he knew, he was in the hospital. Ian—he’s Drake’s partner, and Drake’s the ranch cook. Anyway, Ian’s with the Ashville PD, and he said there should have been an investigation into both incidents, but no one filed reports because everyone said they were accidents. And maybe they were. Just seems odd to me that Duke’s been hurt twice. Then again, a cowboy’s life comes with a bunch of bruises and broken bones, I guess.” He stood up and stretched his arms and back. “Ungh. I’m gonna get some sleep. Don’t worry about getting up with everyone else, and make yourself at home here.”

“Why don’t you wake me before you leave, if I’m not up already, so’s I can keep Duke company,” Dan suggested. “I’d like to do that.”

Frankie surprised him with a hug. “Thanks, Dan, and I’m sorry I didn’t call. I was just—I don’t know. Got a lot on my mind, and not thinking right. I was angry at everything, too. Just mad that Duke was hurting. That’s probably not reasonable, but it’s the truth.”

“S’okay. You’re entitled to feel however you feel. No one can say that’s wrong. As to the other, I should have called sooner. It ain’t all on y’all to do the reaching out.” Dan hugged Frankie then let him go. “Get some rest, Frankie. You gotta take care of yourself.”

Frankie murmured, “Yeah, I know. I will.” Then he left Dan alone in the room.

Earlier, Dan had set his duffle and cell phone on the dresser. He got up and fetched his phone before turning out the light. The room was dark, which unnerved Dan. The thin sliver of light that shone under the doorway blinked out.

Using the light from his phone app, Dan made his way back to his bed. There was a window beside it. He crawled over the bed and stood in the narrow space between the mattress and the wall. The curtains were rubber-backed, and thick blinds lay behind them. Dan parted the material all the way so he could open the blinds.

Outside, the night sky was every bit as gorgeous as it’d been when he’d gotten out of the truck. Dan stared out of the window for a long time, his thoughts meandering. When he was so tired he caught himself nodding off, he finally sprawled out as much as he could on the bed and let sleep take him.

Chapter Five

Dan and Duke established a routine. Dan woke most mornings before Frankie came knocking on the door. He’d listen to the sounds of boot heels on wooden floors and the rumble of voices as the ranch hands bantered and chattered. So many bodies living in one place reminded him of prison, but not too much. There was a definite difference in attitudes, for one thing.

One of the big things was how friendly everyone was to him. Hector, in particular, took the time to greet him every morning and chat for a few minutes every evening. Dan was looking forward to those little pockets of time with Hector more and more each day. So far, his week at the ranch had been good for him, and for Duke, he thought.
Good for Frankie, too. He doesn’t look so run down.

Duke wasn’t such a grouch now, either. Dan felt useful, and that gave him confidence.

He sat up and yawned, then debated whether to leave his room before the bunk house emptied out. He wanted to see Hector, so it was a no brainer, really. Frankie knocked on the door—Dan heard his voice growing closer as Frankie talked to someone.

“Come in.” Dan rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up fully.

“Hey, Dan, this is Salt,” Frankie said, ushering in a tall, older man. “Y’all haven’t met yet, since Salt’s been hoofing it to his and Andy’s place every evening.”

Salt nodded at Dan. “Hey. I’ve come to meet Duke’s mysterious brother.”

Dan didn’t know what to say to that. He stood up and offered a hand to Salt.

“I’m just yankin’ your chain,” Salt said as they shook. “Don’t go gettin’ all pink in the cheeks.”

Which of course made Dan blush even more. “I need coffee,” he got out. “And a toothbrush.” And possibly a whole tube of toothpaste.

“You poor man, ain’t had any coffee yet and I’m in here givin’ you shit, although Duke really ain’t said a whole lot about you.” Salt poked Frankie’s chest. “Neither has Mr. Chatterbox here. I didn’t even know Duke
had
a brother until him and Frankie came back from their trip last year.”

Frankie muttered something about having the most screwed-up family before he left the room.

Dan knew some of that story, how Frankie’s mom and stepdad had lied to him about his littlest sister being alive and needing money for medical treatments and such, when in reality, she’d died years ago. Frankie had been understandably devastated. Dan had to admit that Frankie’s family had done him worse than just abandoning him.

“Our family had some issues, I guess,” Dan offered, unwilling to go into more detail than that.

Salt chortled. He sounded like a happy man. “Lord, don’t they all? If I ever meet anyone that says they came from a perfect family, I’ll run for the hills, because that ain’t normal. You want some coffee, you best hurry to the kitchen or you’ll have to make another pot. Everyone’s chuggin’ it this mornin’.”

“I don’t want to short anyone their caffeine,” Dan protested as Salt looped an arm around his shoulders.

“Nah, I’m teasin’. We got plenty of coffee.” Salt had to let go of him so they could fit through the doorway. “There’s homemade biscuits and gravy, along with sausage, eggs and bacon, maybe some ham, too, if it ain’t all been ate.”

Dan could smell breakfast and his mouth watered. He loved the big breakfasts everyone ate on the ranch. When he entered the kitchen to fetch some coffee, he immediately grabbed a cup and zoned in on the coffee pot.

“Hey there, Dan.”

Dan turned to find Hector smiling at him. That smile really made the man handsome, Dan realized, as he had on occasion before. Hector winked at him then gave his lower back a nudge. “Buddy, you’re blocking my access to coffee.” Hector plucked Dan’s cup from his hand.

“Oh. Shit, sorry.” Dan ignored the sly look from Salt—
what does that look even mean?
—and took the cup of steaming hot coffee he was handed.

“Need any cream or sugar?” Salt asked.

“He takes it black,” Hector said, at the same time Dan answered, “Black’s fine.” They shared a smile that warmed Dan all the way to his toes.

It was a treat still to have hot coffee first thing in the mornings. Dan took a sip and sighed, almost closing his eyes. “Damn, that’s good.”

“Salt makes the best coffee, and the bastard won’t tell us his secret, neither,” said Brian, one of the newer ranch hands, according to Hector. Blond and older, he always had to tease someone. Dan liked him okay.

Soon Dan was talking to Hector, alone as much as they could be in a house full of people. Hector had led him to a place by the dining room window, where the sunlight streamed in and put on a show with the dust motes dancing in its rays.

Everyone was friendly, and it had set him on edge the first day or two until he’d realized how paranoid he was being. These weren’t prisoners who were out for something from him. They had no call to hurt him. Dan knew it, intellectually, but even after over a year of freedom, his survival instincts refused to be easily quieted. It had taken a concentrated effort from him to be able to relax even a little and stop looking at everyone else as a threat.

It was something he was still working on, and he’d get past it. Dan wasn’t going to let prison rule his life now like it had for a decade.

Dan let himself be guided over to the buffet that was set out.

“How’d you sleep?” Hector asked as he got behind Dan to fix his plate. Dan was very aware of Hector’s body heat. The man was standing tantalizingly close.

Telling himself to concentrate on breakfast, Dan had a flash of the dream he’d had the night before. It’d been gutter-dirty, with Hector pushing and pinning him down, then pressing his cock into Dan with a tenderness that had startled him right out of sleep.

Food. Breakfast. No sex. Ugh!
Dan tried to recall Hector’s question.
Right. Sleep.

“I slept all right,” Dan replied. “I don’t like the dark much,” he shared, something he was kind of ashamed of. He wanted to tell Hector, though. “So I open the curtains and blinds.” He held his breath, waiting for Hector to tease him about being a pussy.

Instead, Hector said, “I know what you mean. I used to have a nightlight in my room for the first several months I was here. Some tough cowboy, huh?”

Dan cocked his head as he picked up a steaming hot biscuit. “Are you just saying that so I don’t feel like a wuss?”

“Nope, I’m saying it ’cause it’s true. I got to where I could sleep in the dark, though. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with needing light, just as long as you get enough rest.” Hector tossed another biscuit onto Dan’s plate. “Don’t be shy, man. You know you can take what you want. There’s plenty for everyone.”

Dan wasn’t used to so much food, not even after a week of being offered food every time he turned around, it seemed. On his own, he tended to not cook much, and he ate only what he had to because of that. He wasn’t going to turn down an extra fluffy biscuit, though. “Okay. Thanks.”

“If you want, I can give you a tour of the ranch when I get done working today,” Hector offered. “You haven’t been out of the bunkhouse much since you got here. You must be hankering for some sunlight and fresh air. Do you ride?” There was a sly hint to Hector’s smile.

Dan got an inkling then that Hector wasn’t just being friendly. He suspected he was even being flirted with. He cast a sideways look at Hector, who winked at him. Dan’s throat went dry. The man was too tempting by far. “I—”

“You’re gonna say yes, right?” Hector asked. “Because you wouldn’t want to hurt my fragile ego.”

Dan hadn’t laughed in a long time, but that almost did it for him. His lips twitched as he fought back a smile. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s possible.”

Hector fluttered his lashes. “Aw, man, why don’t you think so? Don’t I come off like the sensitive guy I am?”

That was it. Hector’s wide-eyed innocent act had Dan giving way to a grin. It felt odd but good, really good. Dan shook his head and caught sight of Frankie staring at him with something that might have been shock. It made Dan self-conscious, and he returned his attention to fixing his plate.

“Hey, that was quite a smile. Shame to see it vanish.” Hector spoke in a quiet tone that Dan doubted anyone else could hear.

Dan didn’t have a reply for him, just a burning need to ask Hector if he was flirting, and if so,
why
he was doing it.

As if he knew Dan’s thoughts, Hector cupped his elbow. “Why don’t you just say yes about me showing you around, and stop worrying over it. I’ll answer any question you’ve got then.”

Dan almost didn’t recognize the warmth spreading out from his chest for the hope that it actually was. To anticipate spending time with Hector, that was a gift in itself. Dan murmured, “Okay, if Frankie’s back by then.”

“Frankie’ll be back as soon as he gets his chores done, and he’ll finish them early. He doesn’t like his man being hurt,” Hector said. “See you this afternoon, okay. Oh, and wear boots if you’ve got ’em.” He left Dan and took a seat at the table.

Dan tried not to ogle him, though it was tempting. Instead, he intended to eat breakfast with Duke, if he was up. Frankie was waiting for him and walked with him to the room he shared with Duke.

But Frankie wasn’t quiet. “So, that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile. Really smile.”

“I smile all the time. You just ain’t around to see it.” Dan thought that over. “Well, I smile sometimes. I think.” Though no particular instance of it came to mind. “Guess maybe I just don’t have much to smile about, except you and Duke.”

Frankie grunted.

“What?” Dan asked.

“Nothing. Okay, wait.” Frankie stopped outside the room. “You haven’t smiled around us, either. In fact, we—I, I mean— For the longest time, up until a few days ago, I guess, I kinda thought you didn’t like me, and that you never intended to forgive Duke.”

Dan kept his sigh an internal one. He tipped his chin. “Let’s go on in so I only have to say this once.”