than an exercise in pain. And Jake wasn’t into pain, no matter what people thought of him.
* * *
He yawned as the plane bumped down in Dallas later that evening. He’d only taken a carry-on, to avoid the hassle of waiting for his luggage, and made it to the car pickup area to find his Uber. A sedan was waiting as promised, and he sank into its air-conditioned coolness and heaved out a sigh.
“Headin’ out to the country, I see.” The driver, a thin, young Black man, gave him a friendly smile, and while Jake returned it, he was never one to engage in conversation with strangers. He hoped the man wouldn’t be overly chatty.
“I guess so. I’ve never been to Texas at all, least of all a dude ranch.”
“We get a lotta city folk wantin’ to come out and get a taste of what it’s like.”
“Well, this trip is business, so I don’t know how much fun I’ll be having.”
They were on the interstate, and earlier, Jake had checked to see that the ranch was about an hour south of Dallas. He hid his yawn behind his hand and caught the driver smiling.
“Excuse me. It’s been a long day.” His eyes grew heavy as the drive continued.
“Don’t you worry. Settle back and catch some shut-eye if you want. I’ll let you know when we’re there.”
And Jake did just that, leaning on the headrest. He closed his eyes for a moment.
“Hey, sir. Jake? You awake?”
“Huh? Uh, what?” Blinking and rubbing his face, Jake sat up straight. “Oh, right,” he mumbled to himself. “We’re here already?”
“Yup. You can’t see nothin’, but this is the Forget Me Not ranch. In a minute we’ll be pullin’ up to the front.”
He wiped the sleep from his eyes, smoothed his hair, and straightened his tie. His shirt might be a bit wrinkled, but that couldn’t be helped when it had been more than twelve hours since he’d dressed. Still, he didn’t need to look like a wreck. Jake always prided himself on maintaining a certain appearance. All part of the image he’d created.
The car stopped in front of a long wooden building with a huge wraparound porch. Jake climbed out, and the driver, whose name he learned was Willie, popped the trunk and handed him his carry-on suitcase.
“Y’all have a good trip. I hope you enjoy yourself.”
“Thanks,” Jake said and made sure to leave him a hefty tip when prompted on his phone screen.
He glanced around, but the inky darkness prevented him from seeing much of anything but large, black shapes he assumed were trees. He breathed in deeply, enjoying the coolness of the fresh air, and squinted up at the sky.
White dots sprinkled across an expanse unbroken by any tall buildings. Jake hadn’t seen stars in years, and instead of trudging up the steps to check in, he stood a moment, taking in the vast space. Something shifted inside him, and he’d never felt more alone and insignificant in his life. He leaned against the railing, and savoring the moment, closed his eyes.
“Excuse me, are you feelin’ okay?” a soft voice sounded above him, and Jake opened his eyes to see the figure of a man on the porch, his face shadowed by the night. “I saw you get outta the car, and then when you stopped, I thought you might be sick or somethin’.” He descended the steps to stand by Jake.
Over six feet, the man projected an easy sense of power. A blue work shirt fit neatly over wide shoulders and muscled arms. Well-worn jeans hugged strong thighs Jake assumed came from hours spent on horseback.
Damn.
Jake shook himself out of his dirty thoughts.
You’re in the middle of a small town in Texas. You’re more likely to get beaten up than fucked for staring at him.
“Oh, uh, thanks, no, I’m okay. Just tired from the long flight and needed a second to orient myself. It’s very pretty here.” From beyond the house, a chorus of crickets began chirping.
The man leaned on the opposite side of the stairs and crossed his arms. “It is. Most days we’re too busy to ’preciate it, but I like it here at night when everythin’s quiet.”
“It’s like that at home too. I don’t get a chance to relax and enjoy what’s around me. Too busy at work.”
“You’re with the New York group?”
“Yeah, how’d you guess?”
A wide, beautiful smile lit up the man’s face, and Jake’s breath caught, yet something niggled in the corner of his mind. Why did