Texas_Heat- (4 page)

They'd had all the big meetings for this proposal and Riley thought everything had been agreed to. Then all of a sudden out of thin air Josiah 'pompous ass' Harrold from the large and, some would say, unwieldy Santone Corp called this urgent meeting to discuss, of all things, percentage returns.

"All I am saying," Josiah started, "is that, in view of the fact that CH is a new face in oil, a lower percentage of any returns is what you should expect."

"There's forty-three years' experience in this company," Riley summarized. He forced himself to remain calm. Like the other three men in the room, Josiah was a contemporary of Gerald and Jack's dad. Josiah knew exactly how long HayesOil had been in existence and how much of the Hayes name and experience had gone into Riley's new venture.

"Yes, but no offense is meant by this at all. If it had been your dad or Jeff sitting here…" Josiah's voice deliberately trailed away and he looked at Riley pointedly. Riley was damn sure Josiah meant every single little inflection in his voice as a means to offend. Anger coiled in his spine and he dug his fingers into his thighs, letting the pain ground him and help him to remember to bite his tongue. He counted backwards from ten, a trick he had learned from many occasions in an office similar to this with his dad or brother.

Think before you speak, Riley. Keep the moral high ground. Don't back down.
"I'm not entering negotiations here, Josiah." Riley deliberately used the other man's name. Josiah's lip curled. He had always been Mr Harrold up until a few years back and Riley got the impression the man wasn't that fond of this new level playing field that put CH on the same starting page as Santone Corp with the current negotiations. "CH will be underwriting the same risk as the other four in this syndicate. Does anyone else have an issue regarding perceived investment and reward?"
Riley turned directly to the other men. He knew them all in one way or another.
"No issues here."
"We're ready to sign."
The assurances were quick and to the point and Josiah really had nowhere to go. Without him the finances would be tight but Riley had some reserves and hell, if it meant getting this bid in on time, he would forego any percentage over and above covering his own costs. He wasn't going to let Josiah know this though.
"Josiah?" he prompted helpfully. The man was bright red in the face and Riley did, for one minute, think that pride would overcome his innate greediness.
"I never said I had an issue—"
"Good," Riley interrupted. "I'll have the papers couriered to your offices by midday tomorrow with a view to having everything in place by Friday. Is that doable?"
Three yeses, and a reluctant scowl from Josiah, were his answer. Riley exchanged a quick nod with his dad—he knew they would talk later in private about the worries both had where Santone Corp was concerned. Santone was like HayesOil under Gerald Hayes, unwieldy, corrupt, and a hundred other problems. If Riley had a choice he wouldn't be dealing with Josiah or Santone, but it had been Santone who had approached him and he knew the weight of the company's name on his proposal would look good. Riley hoped that doing things his way would show Josiah how
good
oil business could be done. Jim doubted it, but at least the Santone investment was in name only with Riley and his team providing the actual ground work for the whole thing. They stood and Riley exchanged pleasantries until finally his dad and the others left leaving only Riley and a hovering Josiah remaining at the open door. Riley tensed when Josiah leaned forward, his florid face purpled across his cheekbones and his fists balled at his sides.
"You daddy always warned me you were ineffective and weak. If your research isn't sound and you are screwing us all over, then I swear I will take you down just like Gerald wanted to."
"Gerald is dead, Josiah." Riley was not rising to this.
"Don't fuck this up, Hayes." Josiah leaned back with the glitter of triumph in his eyes. He was leaving having had the last word and saying what he wanted to say.
"Campbell-Hayes," Riley said softly but firmly. "My name is Campbell-Hayes."
If anything Josiah's contemptuous expression rose a notch. He said nothing though. Standing toe-to-toe, Riley had a foot in height on him and God knows how much toned muscle where Josiah had turned to fat. With a huff Josiah walked out of the reception area toward the exit and Riley watched from behind his pet Yucca plant. When the doors opened Josiah pushed out and Riley was never happier to see who walked in seconds afterwards.
Jack.
Jack with his hat in his hand and the dirt and dust of work on his skin and the widest of grins on his face. They said nothing as Riley just grabbed his husband's hand and dragged him into the office. Fuck the Armani suit, all Riley wanted was to be held. Josiah wasn't the problem. Crippling doubt and self-esteem issues were what made him cling to Jack. Jack smelled of the outside and horses and everything that grounded Riley.
"Josiah Harrold, Santone Corp," Jack said on a laugh. Riley pulled away.
"You know him?"
"Of him. Came courting my mom some years back when I was about fifteen. Moved on when she told him to. Before she said so he did an awful lot of tousling my hair and cooing over Beth." Jack smiled that wolfish grin—the one that Riley knew threatened mischief. "Guess I ought to follow him out and ruffle his hair?"
Riley snorted a laugh. The thought of the expression on Josiah's face if Jack's dusty working form went anywhere near him was a thought he would hold all day.
"Did he say anything to you when you passed outside?"
"Tipped his hat and said 'Campbell'."
"Did you say anything?"
"'Mornin' Josiah and it's Campbell-Hayes'," Jack said thoughtfully. "Course he may or may not have heard the extra 'asshole' I tagged on the end."
Lightness consumed Riley. Jack had this way of dragging all the shit in Riley's head down to where it could be bagged and tagged. Then a thought crossed his mind.
"Not that I don't appreciate the visit but what are you doing here in the big bad city?" CH didn't have their offices in Hayes tower but this ground floor set of linked offices was still square in the middle of the Dallas business district. Jack didn't often visit, said it gave him hives being shut in with people.
"That meeting with the trainers."
Shit. That was today?
"That was today?" Riley said. Jeez. He was so wrapped up in the oil crap that he had missed what was singularly the most important day in Jack's calendar. A consortium of riders were looking for a trainer in Texas to take on three cutting horses for training to rodeo level. "I'm sorry," Riley tagged on.
Jack simply smiled and reached up to kiss Riley full on the lips. His hands cupped Riley's face and they deepened the kiss. Riley could never get enough of this sexy length of male who plastered over him and consumed him with every touch. Wasn't married life supposed to be staid? When did they change the rule books on that one? Every day with Jack was passion and life and as a man so starved of both in his formative years, Riley drank every ounce of whatever Jack gave him. Riley melted into the kiss, took a step back toward the wall behind him, and pulled Jack along. There was no argument and Riley had a firm hold on his husband with his fingers tucked into Jack's leather belt, dragging him and holding him close.
Finally, at that point when kissing was going to either turn into one of them dropping to their knees or separating and catching their breath, Jack eased away.
"So ask me," he said. There was excitement in his expression and Riley wondered at it until his head was back in the game.
"I don't have to. They placed the horses with you, didn't they?" Riley couldn't have been happier. This was Jack's dream—to make something of the Double D and to build a future that was sustainable for Hayley.
"Yep, two weeks and we're up and running. We spent the morning at the Double D and I just dropped them at the airport."
"I'm so proud of you." Riley couldn't have said truer words. His heart was bursting with pride for Jack.
"I'll need to think about hiring some help and I need to finish off the accommodation in the new barn, and I guess I need to grab Neil and get his input. I have to—"
Riley interrupted his husband's thoughts with a kiss.
"Let's go home and talk."
Jack blinked and cast an eye around the empty office. He frowned.
"Where's Kathy?" Riley's assistant was generally in the background bustling and organizing. "And the rest of the team?"
"Kathy's daughter went into labor and she left just before the meeting finished. And the rest of the team are on site today and tomorrow. It's just me. I'll lock up and we can just go home."
"You wanna play hooky?" Jack said. He waggled his eyebrows with a leer.
"Try and stop me."

Robbie surveyed the room with no more than a cursory glance. There was a large, solid bed, a small bath with a shower, and a closet for his clothes. That was all he wanted really.

"It's not much, being as it's over the horses but it's clean and included in the job."
"It's good." Robbie said this more for something to say than as something he thought Jack Campbell-Hayes needed to hear. They had already talked money and the big gruff cowboy was more than generous. Robbie resolved to buy Neil a huge gift as soon as his first check cleared. His friend's recommendation meant that Robbie had been the only hand that was interviewed.
"So your current horses are kept in this barn. Will we be setting out the new barn for the horses we're working with?" he asked. The second barn looked smaller but sturdy enough and he wondered why it wasn't being used. From a cursory inspection it was watertight and warm but had the general air of disuse.
"Yeah, that's kind of our barn. Mine and Riley's." Jack looked away and Robbie didn't push for more. Their barn sounded important and he wasn't going to pry.
"So the new horses, the trainers, all three of them, are in this barn?" There was definitely room for three more horses, or trainers, as they were called.
"Hence the extension when we rebuilt."
"Makes sense to have the horses together."
"So, I was thinking of offering a four-week trial," Jack explained. He leaned against the doorjamb and he looked so at ease with his thumbs hooked into his belt loops and his hat tilted forward. There was nothing except friendly welcome in Jack's eyes. That and of course the excitement that buzzed around the man. It was a big thing that these quarter horses were coming to the Double D and Jack had explained it as being the chance he needed to build a training facility here that was the best.
"That sounds more than fair. Just to be sure you know, I need to be moving on at the end of the year."
"Is there a particular reason for that time?"
"No." Robbie didn't elaborate. He had tried two stations in Australia since losing Paul but ten or so months was the most he could ever manage in one place. He didn't imagine it would be any different here. No sense in getting tied down to one place when he had the whole world to see.
They had talked the technical side. The horses, the training, the schedules, and now Robbie was being shown where he would be sleeping. The place in Australia he had shared with Paul was smaller and shabbier, not new, and far from watertight, but it had been theirs on any downtime they had. At least here on the ranch he wouldn't get homophobic idiots stomping all over him. Jack was as gay as he was, the same as his sex-on-legs husband.
"Do you have any questions for me?" Jack asked.
Robbie loved the drawl in the other man's voice—a lot more cowboy than when they had met at the wedding. He really only had one concern; one major make-or-break question that burned inside him.
"Do you ever have any trouble?"
"Trouble?" Jack frowned and then looked to be considering the question. "We sometimes get reporters at the main gate. They don't come on the land. They're only here 'cause my family and the Hayes family have been through one hell of a ton of shit and my husband Riley is freaking Dallas aristocracy."
That wasn't what Robbie meant and he wondered how he could word this. He didn't want to be anything but the best man for the job but he had to be sure.
"I meant… being gay? Does it cause problems with other people? With traders and such?"
"No." Jack straightened. "First off, we're not far outside the city—we're not in the middle of nowhere. Secondly, if I even thought anyone I had dealings with was treating me or mine with anything other than respect then they are gone."
"Okay."
"Why do you ask? Have
you
got a problem with the way I live?" Jack's friendly demeanor was edged with steel.
"No. Shit no. I… look, there's something I should have told you in the interview." Which hadn't actually been an interview, more an excited discussion about horses over coffee in Jack's kitchen with his daughter coloring at their side.
"Go on."
"The reason I left Australia and came home was because I lost my boyfriend. A couple of years ago now."
"I'm sorry—"
"When I say boyfriend I mean—" He stopped as Jack quirked an eyebrow. Robbie decided there and then that maybe he shouldn't go into an awful lot more detail.
"He was my best friend and we worked together and lived together and there was this thing… this new guy, a cowboy out of Brisbane. Didn't take too kindly to 'fags'." Robbie near spat the word and compassion passed over Jack's face. "Upshot was that Paul got in the middle and got hurt. He was knocked unconscious and he just didn't wake up."
"I am really sorry Robert—" "Robbie, please call me Robbie."
"Robbie then. I'm not saying Texas is the safest place in the world to be out of the closet but hell, the ranch is pretty secure."
"Wyoming wasn't that good for the whole being out either."
Jack shrugged and then smiled. He changed the subject, which was probably a good thing. "So. The horses are here in just under three days and there's a whole raft of stuff we need to get done. We need to discuss incentive bonuses on training and so on, but like I said the job is yours on a four-week trial if you want it." Jack held out his hand in expectation and after only a moment's hesitation Robbie took the proffered hand and shook it firmly.
"I want it, sir."
"You want to start today?"
"Yes, sir."
"Call me Jack. Welcome to the Double D, Robbie. I'll let you get settled. Do you have to go and collect bags from anywhere?"
"Everything is in the car Neil lent me." He wasn't going to say out loud that he had cancelled his small rental a week ago and had been bunking down in a spare room over the veterinary practice. Even though Neil had offered a room in the large building to the side of the practice, Robbie really didn't want to outstay his welcome with his newly married best friend. If the interview today had gone badly then he had resolved to find a motel somewhere to sleep tonight before moving on. Perhaps up north to find a spread he could work on. Now, it seemed with the interview going well that he would have his own place.
"Bring your gear up, take some time to get yourself settled. Starting tomorrow is soon enough. Dinner's in the main house at seven and I can give you keys to this place."