around, he didn’t want to do anything to hurt the kid. He’d been hurt enough already, both physically and emotionally.
Grabbing the shampoo, he scrubbed at his short dark hair. He’d all but shaved it before he came to Yass, but it would be long again by the end of the summer. Done with his hair, he lathered up the soap and did his best to remove all traces of grease from his body. It was a lost cause while they still had machinery to repair, but he tried anyway, although he supposed grease was better than sheep dung. They’d start the shearing soon and then he’d really be filthy, but they had to repair the tractor first or they wouldn’t have any way of hauling off the wool as they got it ready for processing. The utes could haul a small trailer, but nothing like what they’d need for the quantity of wool a spread like this one would produce. Jesse had seen the pens around the valley. Lang Downs had a lot of sheep.
He rinsed off and soaked up the water with the towel. He wrapped it around his waist and was heading back to his room when he heard someone calling his name.
“Hi, Patrick,” he said. “I was just finishing my shower.”
“Well, come by my place when you get dressed,” Patrick said. “I fired up the barbie to celebrate fixing the bloody tractor.”
“It’s not fixed yet,” Jesse pointed out.
“Close enough,” Patrick said. “All we have to do is put the engine back together.”
“Are Chris and Seth coming?”
“I hadn’t invited them, but I can if you think I should.”
“I don’t know about Seth,” Jesse said. “He might rather eat in the canteen with Jason, but I bet Chris would appreciate being included with the men.”
W HEN Chris came down to the canteen for dinner, he found Jesse lounging in the doorway. “There you are,” he said, his eyes raking Chris from head to toe. “Patrick invited us over to his house for a barbie. Seth wanted to stay and eat with Jason, but I thought you might enjoy it.”
Chris grinned, all his nerves—all the worried ones, anyway; the anticipation ones were still on high alert— fading at the sight of Jesse’s sexy grin. “I could handle a barbie,” he said. “What’s he cooking?”
“He didn’t say, but I figure it’ll be a nice change of pace from the canteen,” Jesse said, stepping aside so Chris could join him outside. “Not that Kami’s cooking is bad, but it’s a beaut night. We can sit around, drink a few beers, watch the stars come out.”
Sneak away somewhere private? Chris thought hopefully, but he kept the words to himself. He didn’t want to appear too eager. Never mind that he was still half-hard from the kiss earlier.
The smell of smoke from the grill grew stronger as they crossed the station toward Patrick’s house. “Dinner shouldn’t be long, it smells like,” Jesse said.
“Good,” Chris replied. “I’m starved.”
When they reached Patrick’s, Jesse led Chris around to the back so they wouldn’t tromp through the house in their dusty boots. The other mechanics were all there already, boots propped up on the deck rail as they sipped their beers and laughed and joked with the familiarity of men who had worked together for years. Chris was glad Jesse was there with him because he would have been the outsider for sure otherwise.
“Chris, glad you could join us,” Patrick said with a wave from his place by the grill. “Grab a beer. Make yourself at home.”
“Thanks, mate,” Chris said. He got a beer, although Jesse had to help him open it, and settled in one of the porch chairs. Jesse sat across from him, joining the conversation with the other mechanics, but Chris didn’t mind. Their relative positions gave him an excuse to stare at Jesse without being obvious about it, and if the number of times he caught Jesse looking back at him was any indication, Jesse’d had the same thought when he sat down.
Then Jesse lifted his beer to his mouth, eyes locked on Chris’s face as he closed his lips
Grabbing the shampoo, he scrubbed at his short dark hair. He’d all but shaved it before he came to Yass, but it would be long again by the end of the summer. Done with his hair, he lathered up the soap and did his best to remove all traces of grease from his body. It was a lost cause while they still had machinery to repair, but he tried anyway, although he supposed grease was better than sheep dung. They’d start the shearing soon and then he’d really be filthy, but they had to repair the tractor first or they wouldn’t have any way of hauling off the wool as they got it ready for processing. The utes could haul a small trailer, but nothing like what they’d need for the quantity of wool a spread like this one would produce. Jesse had seen the pens around the valley. Lang Downs had a lot of sheep.
He rinsed off and soaked up the water with the towel. He wrapped it around his waist and was heading back to his room when he heard someone calling his name.
“Hi, Patrick,” he said. “I was just finishing my shower.”
“Well, come by my place when you get dressed,” Patrick said. “I fired up the barbie to celebrate fixing the bloody tractor.”
“It’s not fixed yet,” Jesse pointed out.
“Close enough,” Patrick said. “All we have to do is put the engine back together.”
“Are Chris and Seth coming?”
“I hadn’t invited them, but I can if you think I should.”
“I don’t know about Seth,” Jesse said. “He might rather eat in the canteen with Jason, but I bet Chris would appreciate being included with the men.”
W HEN Chris came down to the canteen for dinner, he found Jesse lounging in the doorway. “There you are,” he said, his eyes raking Chris from head to toe. “Patrick invited us over to his house for a barbie. Seth wanted to stay and eat with Jason, but I thought you might enjoy it.”
Chris grinned, all his nerves—all the worried ones, anyway; the anticipation ones were still on high alert— fading at the sight of Jesse’s sexy grin. “I could handle a barbie,” he said. “What’s he cooking?”
“He didn’t say, but I figure it’ll be a nice change of pace from the canteen,” Jesse said, stepping aside so Chris could join him outside. “Not that Kami’s cooking is bad, but it’s a beaut night. We can sit around, drink a few beers, watch the stars come out.”
Sneak away somewhere private? Chris thought hopefully, but he kept the words to himself. He didn’t want to appear too eager. Never mind that he was still half-hard from the kiss earlier.
The smell of smoke from the grill grew stronger as they crossed the station toward Patrick’s house. “Dinner shouldn’t be long, it smells like,” Jesse said.
“Good,” Chris replied. “I’m starved.”
When they reached Patrick’s, Jesse led Chris around to the back so they wouldn’t tromp through the house in their dusty boots. The other mechanics were all there already, boots propped up on the deck rail as they sipped their beers and laughed and joked with the familiarity of men who had worked together for years. Chris was glad Jesse was there with him because he would have been the outsider for sure otherwise.
“Chris, glad you could join us,” Patrick said with a wave from his place by the grill. “Grab a beer. Make yourself at home.”
“Thanks, mate,” Chris said. He got a beer, although Jesse had to help him open it, and settled in one of the porch chairs. Jesse sat across from him, joining the conversation with the other mechanics, but Chris didn’t mind. Their relative positions gave him an excuse to stare at Jesse without being obvious about it, and if the number of times he caught Jesse looking back at him was any indication, Jesse’d had the same thought when he sat down.
Then Jesse lifted his beer to his mouth, eyes locked on Chris’s face as he closed his lips
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