against his arm, gave a tiny sigh, and fell asleep.
Shea felt a hand on his shoulder, and Terry whispered in his ear, “Do you mind if I take your armrest? I think she’s all done in from the excitement of the day. You were so wonderful with her. Thank you for giving her a time she’ll never forget.”
Stacey barely stirred when he placed her in Terry’s arms. He rested his hand on her silky curls for a moment, his heart so full, he could barely breathe. It was impossible to put his emotions into words, but Terry covered his hand with hers.
“I know.”
His eyes met hers, and they were as watery as his.
“Thank you.”
Dinner broke up after that. He and Jake helped clear the table, and they loaded the plates into the dishwasher while Patty put away the food. When the last bit had been stored in the refrigerator, she shooed them out.
“Go on and git. You two big lugs are just takin’ up space in my kitchen. It’s your last night. Don’t want to be spendin’ it here, flappin’ your jaws with me. Have some fun.”
Shoulder to shoulder, they walked out, and as if by some unspoken agreement, sat next to each other on the steps.
Jake’s smile gleamed at him in the darkness. “I guess you and me being together isn’t a secret?”
“No need for it. Not here.”
“I never thought a small town in Texas would be so liberal toward gay people.”
“Wasn’t like that so much when I was growin’ up, but once me ’n Craig ’n Johnny came out, my daddy wouldn’t stand for nobody talkin’ hateful. He had to get rid of a few sons of bitches who tried to start trouble.”
“What happened?”
Shea didn’t like to think about those days, but they’d occurred so long ago, it might’ve been a different lifetime. And he was certainly a different person.
“It was when we were seventeen and I’d just come out. Some ranch hands we hired for the summer thought to teach me a lesson in what being a real man was. After a few two-by-fours across my back, they had me pinned up against the barn wall. I never knew what they had planned for me ’cause Daddy came in with reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements?”
Shea cracked a smile. “Remember Jeremiah? You met him and his girlfriend the first night.”
“Vaguely.” Jake pursed his lips. “I was a little out of it.”
“Drunk as a skunk and too cute for your own good.” Shea cackled and nudged Jake’s shoulder. “Anyways, Jeremiah had been here when they started actin’ up with me, and after throwin’ a few punches at them, he took off. I thought he left me to fend for myself, but he went to get his daddy.” He snorted. “The look on those men’s faces was somethin’ I’ll never forget. My daddy was a big man, about six foot one and two hundred pounds. But Jeremiah’s daddy? Josiah was a bulldogger, ex-pro. That man was fearsome in his prime. Six feet four and two hundred fifty pounds of solid muscle. Seeing him bring a steer down with his bare hands? Even now, at sixty, I wouldn’t tangle with ’im.”
“No shit.” Jake’s mouth hung open.
“Mmhmm. To his family, he’s a pussycat, ’cept if you got into trouble. When he’d whoop Jeremiah’s butt, best believe that boy didn’t sit for a month. So needless to say, those fellas were taken off the ranch like yesterday’s trash. After that, nobody never said anythin’ to us again.”
“And the Round Up bar?” Jake asked. “It’s your safe space. I saw the Pride flag there, and they didn’t mind men dancing together.”
“For sure. Dusty’s the owner, and he don’t put up with no one’s mess either. Especially since Toby’s his little brother.”
“Your ex, Toby.”
He didn’t like thinking about Toby simply because it wasn’t his finest moment. Shea had never been the type to use people, but he’d been on autopilot, taking care of the ranch and helping Patty take care of his father. Starved for human touch, he’d fallen into Toby’s bed, grateful to feel anything at all.
“Yeah. Although like I’ve said, me ’n Toby were never really anything more than bodies that went bump in the night.”
Surprising Shea, Jake leaned over and gave him a soft, gentle kiss on the mouth. “I’d like to bump bodies with you later tonight too. But can we go there first?”
“Where?” Shea glanced around.
“To the Round Up.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Jake’s long fingers caressed Shea’s jaw. “No. Once I get home, I’m afraid