The Lonely Heart (24 page)

Isaiah shoved through the room. When people saw who was coming, they parted as best as they could, even though it involved getting very up close and personal with their neighbours. Giving a wordless shout of joy, he hauled Josh into his arms. The hood of Josh’s www.total-e-bound.com

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coat dropped to reveal damp blond hair. And that beautiful smile that had haunted Grady for the last several hours.

“They found him at the cabin up off Barrow’s Trace. Seems like he got lost, but was lucky enough to stumble onto the old foreman’s place. Even managed to get a fire going in that ancient wood stove up there, though it’s a miracle that he didn’t burn the whole building down.”

“Thank you,” Grady said hoarsely.

“Forget it,” Thompson said bluntly.

Then Thompson did something astonishing. He reached out and clapped Grady on the shoulder. A brief squeeze followed before he cleared his throat.

At the sound, Josh looked over. He spotted Grady and thrust one arm out from his blanket. Grady’s legs decided to work again and the next thing he knew, he was standing next to his entire world. He pulled them both close, a sob welling up as he buried his face against baby-soft hair and inhaled Josh’s sweet scent.

“Thank God you’re all right, kid,” he whispered. “We were so scared.”

Josh’s fingers tapped a small rhythm on Grady’s neck. “
Sorry
.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Grady said. “You’re home and safe. Nothing else matters.”

In that instant, with Isaiah’s firm body pressed against his side and Josh snuggled between them once again, Grady came to a decision. Nothing was as important to him as these two people. Nothing. If the good people of Edmonton didn’t like it, wouldn’t let them live in peace, they’d go somewhere where they could. All three of them. As much as he loved this ranch, it wasn’t enough anymore. Without Josh and Isaiah, it would just be an empty place full of memories and loss.

Grady could feel eyes boring into him, so many people staring at the two men embracing in their midst, but he didn’t give a shit anymore. Let them look.

Thompson cleared his throat again. “All right, everyone, let’s head out. It’s gonna be hard enough getting back to town, no sense letting the snow pile up any more.”

That got Grady’s attention and he pulled back a bit until he could meet Thompson’s eyes. “I can’t thank everyone enough for helping search for him. Anyone who wants is welcome to stay here until the snow lets up. There’s some empty rooms in the bunkhouse and I’ve got a couple of couches. Ya’ll have risked more than enough for us tonight. I’d hate to see someone get hurt going home.”

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It was the least he could do. At heart, these were good people. They might not understand his sexual leanings—might, in fact, hate them—but when it had counted, they’d stepped up and offered their help with no thoughts for themselves, no nasty words or harsh expressions. He owed them a lot for that.

A few people accepted the offer. The Branch’s guys had been huddled on the couch around Josh when Grady and Isaiah had arrived, and now they stood to get people settled down for the night. All three of them stopped to give Josh a quick squeeze or ruffle his hair.

Tommy bent over to get a quick hug.

“Glad you’re still in one piece, squirt. The big guys were ’bout ready to start opening up bears to find you.”

“Now, Tommy,” Grady teased. “You know there aren’t any more bears in this part of Wyoming.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Tommy said with a wink. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Soft laughter followed Tommy as the room began to clear. Lydia came in with a couple of mugs of hot chocolate.

“Put that boy down before he dies of heat stroke,” she scolded gently, her pale blue eyes bright. “Let’s get him unwrapped and some food in him.”

Josh giggled as Isaiah set him on his feet and began unwinding the blanket. Under that was another blanket. Then a coat. Then…

“Are you even in here?” Isaiah asked. Josh giggled louder.

“That’s a lovely sound,” Lydia declared. She beamed, her face radiating happiness. That was Lydia—she’d been a godsend to more than a few people over the years. What made her so popular, though, wasn’t the fact that she was always cheerful, always looking for the bright side of any situation. No, it was the way she took genuine delight in the feelings of those around her. Lydia was now in her early fifties and unmarried but, as she always said, she was too busy taking care of the town to add a husband to the mix.

Between the three of them, they finally managed to free Josh from his cloth confinement.

“Lydia? We’re heading home now.” Eva Pritchard hovered in the doorway, face anxious, although she smiled at the sight of the happy little boy standing near the couch.

“Would you like us to give you a ride?”

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Eva and her husband had been one of the first couples to arrive when the call came out, despite the fact that she’d never made any secret of her hatred of ‘that kind.’ Heck, last time Grady had gone to town, the woman had crossed to the other side of the street to avoid coming near him. John Pritchard, on the other hand, wasn’t the vocal sort. He let Eva do most of the talking. Whether her opinions were the same as his was anyone’s guess.

“No, thank you, Eva. I believe I’ll take the boys up on the offer to stay the night. I’ll make a big breakfast for them in the morning and get someone to drive me home later.”

“If you’re sure.” Eva’s lips pressed together. She clearly wanted to argue, but no one argued with Lydia.

“I’m sure,” Lydia replied firmly.

The front door closed after Eva a few minutes later.

“Why don’t you and Josh go find something to eat?” Grady told Lydia. “I’m going to go out and thank everyone who’s leaving, get them on their way. Isaiah, would you mind making up the guest bed for Lydia tonight?”

“Sure.” Isaiah reached over and ran his hand through Josh’s hair again, eyes soft. The man just couldn’t seem to stop touching his younger brother, as if to assure himself that Josh was unharmed.

“Nonsense,” Lydia declared. “You boys need to eat, too.”

“Oh, we will,” Grady said with a smile. “But later.”

She shook her head and held out her hand. “Come on, Josh. We’ll let them fool around while we get something warm in our tummies. I made chilli.”

Josh hummed happily and took her hand, clearly willing to follow Lydia just about anywhere she led. Particularly if she led him to the kitchen and food.

Grady grabbed his coat again and prepared to head back outside. Isaiah stopped him with a light touch of his hand.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s okay now.”

“I’m fine.”

“Sure you are.”

Before Grady could blink, he was held tightly in Isaiah’s embrace. His wall broke and Grady let out a shaky breath, hands gripping Isaiah’s shoulders tightly.

“Damn, I was so scared,” he confessed.

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“Me, too,” Isaiah replied. He pressed a soft kiss to Grady’s forehead. Grady relished the contact, feeling the promise of that kiss clear down to his still-numb toes. “Talk later?”

“Yeah.” Grady brushed his lips with Isaiah’s, their mouths sliding gently together before parting. “Be back soon.”

Grady reluctantly went to the front door. He stopped just in front of the solid wood, took a deep breath and zipped up his coat, feeling something like a soldier donning his armour for battle. Now that the crisis was over…

He told himself to stop being such a coward and yanked open the door. No matter what reaction he got, Grady wasn’t a complete boor. His mama had taught him manners, after all.

When someone helped you out like the local people had tonight, you thanked them. A lot.

* * * *

Isaiah stuck his head around the open door of the guest room. “Got everything you need, Lydia?”

Lydia shooed him out with a scowl, though her eyes were bright and laughing. “I’m fine. Go to bed before you fall over.”

“If you need anything at all—”

“Isaiah,” she said firmly, in that authoritative way the woman had.

Isaiah chuckled and dipped his head, tipping an imaginary hat. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, Isaiah?”

Isaiah turned back around.

“Don’t worry so much.” Her lips curved up into a gentle smile, rife with understanding. “Everything will work out just fine.”

“If you say so.”

“I do, indeed.”

“Goodnight, Lydia.”

“Goodnight, dear.”

Isaiah knew he should go to bed. He was tired and Grady was waiting for him, he had been for nearly a half hour. Isaiah just couldn’t seem to settle. His nerves were all jittery. He forced his feet down the hall towards the room he and Grady had been sharing for the www.total-e-bound.com

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last…damn, had it only been two weeks? Things felt so right with Grady, so natural, it was as if they’d always been together.

Despite his resolve, Isaiah’s feet slowed as he neared Josh’s door, nearly closed but for a small crack that let a narrow band of light slip out onto the carpet. Isaiah reached out, before pulling his hand back. He couldn’t resist, though. Palm flat on the wood, he pushed the door open gently. The curtains were drawn tightly against the faint moon, mostly to help block some of the chill that insisted on seeping through the window. Josh was one of those strange people who actually slept better with a bit of light in the room and, until it had turned so cold, Isaiah would often come in at night to find the curtains flung wide, moonbeams lighting the small space brightly. Tonight, Josh had to settle for the night light plugged in next to the bedroom door.

The light did help in one area. Isaiah was able to walk with quiet feet over to Josh’s bed without tripping over the scattered items on the floor. Isaiah’s lips tipped up. Past time for the kid to clean his room. Josh was a great kid, in general, but he wasn’t perfect by any means. He avoided cleaning his room with the same dedication found among children the world over.

Isaiah stopped by the bed, studying the slumbering figure as he did many nights. He figured it was the one parenting thing he’d got in spades, this urge to check on the kid at night. Josh had kicked his comforter to one side again and Isaiah smiled as he tugged the covers back into place, pausing to lightly brush blond strands of hair off his familiar features.

Josh looked so damn young when he slept. Well, he was young. Normally, though, his features were so full of energy and life, body in constant motion. Without that, he appeared so much smaller and fragile.

“I could have lost you tonight,” Isaiah whispered softly to the sleeping boy. His throat closed up and tears burned in his eyes. Isaiah wiped them away, not really caring that he was being so emotional. He figured he was entitled. In the past few months, Josh had become more than his brother, had become as good as his son. Any parent was excused from shedding a few—or even more than a few—tears at the near miss they’d had tonight.

Isaiah leaned over to brush one last kiss on Josh’s forehead, tugged the already perfect covers up a little more firmly around thin shoulders, and finally made himself leave. He closed the door softly, leaving it cracked open a little bit, and rested his head against the wall for a second.
What are we—

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No, he wasn’t going to do this right now. He was tired and wrung out and just wanted to climb into bed with his Grady. No more worrying tonight.

Isaiah knew that was far easier thought than accomplished, but he was damn well going to try.

Grady was just a huddled lump in the middle of the queen-sized bed when Isaiah stepped into the room. He stripped quickly, shivering in the chilly air, and eagerly climbed into bed. He yanked the covers up to nearly over his head and cuddled in close to the nice warm body already there.

“Hmmm. Where’ve you been?” Grady asked sleepily.

“Putting Josh to bed.” Isaiah snagged Grady around the waist and pulled the man closer. He slid his cold feet between his lover’s legs, chuckling a bit when Grady yelped.

“Damn, you’re cold.”

“It’s still snowing.”

“Marvellous.” Grady turned his head into the pillow, already almost asleep again.

“I’ve been thinking—”

“Shh,” Grady ordered. “Sleeping now. We can talk in the morning.”

“I don’t want to wait.”

“Isaiah.”

Isaiah sat up in bed and yanked the covers off Grady’s head. He got a muffled curse as one big hand swatted at him.

“It’s cold, Isaiah!”

What did Isaiah care? He hadn’t warmed up yet. Yeah, he was exhausted, too. The tension and stress had played merry havoc with his muscles. His whole body felt heavy, worn out.

The rest of him, however, was wired up like he’d taken a straight IV of caffeine. He couldn’t settle. Grady had wanted to talk earlier, so they were going to talk. Maybe then he’d be able to unwind enough to actually close his eyes.

“Grady.”

Grady rolled over onto his back, flinging his arm over his eyes. “All right,” he muttered.

“You’ve now officially woken me up. So talk.”

Isaiah drew absent circles on Grady’s shoulder. “Do you think tonight might have changed some people’s minds?”

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Grady lifted his arm enough to peek at Isaiah through one narrowed eye. “Does it matter?”

“I guess not.” Isaiah shrugged. “But we could have so easily lost Josh tonight. It kind of puts things in perspective.”

Grady heaved a sigh, his arm dropping away entirely. Isaiah shoved himself up until he was sitting against the headboard, Grady’s arm around his waist and idly stroking his opposite hip.