He hadn’t ever adopted either of us or anything, so legally he didn’t have to take care of us. We tried staying in Canberra, but we couldn’t find a place we could afford, so we started moving inland. That’s how we ended up in
Yass, and now here.”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry,” Carley said, reaching across
the table and squeezing his hand. “Somebody ought to take
a stick to him for being so cruel.”
Chris summoned a smile, trying not to let her see how
close to tears he was. Jesse’s foot nudged his beneath the
table. Chris looked his way, and Jesse rubbed his foot
against Chris’s ankle. The silent support, flirting, whatever
Jesse intended it to be, settled Chris again, and he was
able to give Carley a real smile. “It’s over. Seth is safe,
and we’re together. That’s all that matters.”
“Spoken like a real man,” Patrick said approvingly.
“You’ll do fine here, Chris. We’ll make a stockman out of
you before long.”
“As soon as I get rid of this,” Chris said, lifting his
cast. “Can’t do a lot of work with this slowing me down.” “We’ll keep you busy, don’t you worry, mate,” Jesse
said.
T HE look on Chris’s face as he told Carley about his mother had killed Jesse’s hard-on completely. He’d gone from wanting to push Chris into the nearest dark corner to wanting to stand between him and the world and demand the world stop knocking him down. Then Chris had rallied and Jesse had relaxed a little, but the desire from earlier in the day stayed on the back burner.
As everyone said their goodnights to Patrick and Carley, Jesse hovered near Chris’s side. Once they’d finished with the social niceties, Jesse gestured for Chris to follow him away from the bunkhouse so they could talk without anyone else listening in.
“You okay?” Jesse asked when they were alone.
Chris shrugged. “I guess so. It’s no fun talking about it, but now everyone knows, so maybe that’ll be the end of it.”
“I don’t know if Carley will let it go at that,” Jesse said, “but most of the men won’t care one way or another. Jackaroos tend not to pry into other people’s business because more than a few of us have pasts of our own we’d rather not discuss.”
“You included?”
“Me included,” Jesse said, although if Chris asked, he’d tell him. Deciding to change the subject, he pointed upward. “Look at that sky. Have you ever seen stars like that? You can see a few of them in Melbourne, but nothing like this.”
Chris looked up obediently. Jesse stepped up directly behind him so he could guide Chris’s gaze to the different constellations. “There’s the Southern Cross,” he said. “And Capricorn and Aquarius right overhead.”
Chris turned his head to follow where Jesse was pointing, leaning back against Jesse so trustingly that Jesse almost told him to stop, to choose someone better to rely on that way, but Chris’s body was warm against his in the cool evening air, and Jesse couldn’t stop the memories of how good it had felt to kiss Chris earlier in the day.
“What else is up there?” Chris asked.
“The Milky Way, of course,” Jesse said. “Pisces is just above the horizon, that way.” He pointed to the east. “And the Magellanic Clouds are just a little to the left of it.”
“How’d you learn so much about the stars?” Chris asked. “I remember hearing some of it in school, but not enough to remember it.”
“I’ve spent a lot of lonely nights out with the sheep,” Jesse replied. “Not much to do out there but stare at the stars. I got curious, so I started looking things up. What you can see changes from season to season, so it never gets boring. At least not to me.”
Chris turned in Jesse’s half embrace, his arms settling on Jesse’s hips. “You’ll have to show me more another time.”
“Anytime you want,” Jesse offered. Chris’s closeness had a predictable effect, but Jesse savored the sweetness of the moment instead of rushing headlong
Yass, and now here.”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry,” Carley said, reaching across
the table and squeezing his hand. “Somebody ought to take
a stick to him for being so cruel.”
Chris summoned a smile, trying not to let her see how
close to tears he was. Jesse’s foot nudged his beneath the
table. Chris looked his way, and Jesse rubbed his foot
against Chris’s ankle. The silent support, flirting, whatever
Jesse intended it to be, settled Chris again, and he was
able to give Carley a real smile. “It’s over. Seth is safe,
and we’re together. That’s all that matters.”
“Spoken like a real man,” Patrick said approvingly.
“You’ll do fine here, Chris. We’ll make a stockman out of
you before long.”
“As soon as I get rid of this,” Chris said, lifting his
cast. “Can’t do a lot of work with this slowing me down.” “We’ll keep you busy, don’t you worry, mate,” Jesse
said.
T HE look on Chris’s face as he told Carley about his mother had killed Jesse’s hard-on completely. He’d gone from wanting to push Chris into the nearest dark corner to wanting to stand between him and the world and demand the world stop knocking him down. Then Chris had rallied and Jesse had relaxed a little, but the desire from earlier in the day stayed on the back burner.
As everyone said their goodnights to Patrick and Carley, Jesse hovered near Chris’s side. Once they’d finished with the social niceties, Jesse gestured for Chris to follow him away from the bunkhouse so they could talk without anyone else listening in.
“You okay?” Jesse asked when they were alone.
Chris shrugged. “I guess so. It’s no fun talking about it, but now everyone knows, so maybe that’ll be the end of it.”
“I don’t know if Carley will let it go at that,” Jesse said, “but most of the men won’t care one way or another. Jackaroos tend not to pry into other people’s business because more than a few of us have pasts of our own we’d rather not discuss.”
“You included?”
“Me included,” Jesse said, although if Chris asked, he’d tell him. Deciding to change the subject, he pointed upward. “Look at that sky. Have you ever seen stars like that? You can see a few of them in Melbourne, but nothing like this.”
Chris looked up obediently. Jesse stepped up directly behind him so he could guide Chris’s gaze to the different constellations. “There’s the Southern Cross,” he said. “And Capricorn and Aquarius right overhead.”
Chris turned his head to follow where Jesse was pointing, leaning back against Jesse so trustingly that Jesse almost told him to stop, to choose someone better to rely on that way, but Chris’s body was warm against his in the cool evening air, and Jesse couldn’t stop the memories of how good it had felt to kiss Chris earlier in the day.
“What else is up there?” Chris asked.
“The Milky Way, of course,” Jesse said. “Pisces is just above the horizon, that way.” He pointed to the east. “And the Magellanic Clouds are just a little to the left of it.”
“How’d you learn so much about the stars?” Chris asked. “I remember hearing some of it in school, but not enough to remember it.”
“I’ve spent a lot of lonely nights out with the sheep,” Jesse replied. “Not much to do out there but stare at the stars. I got curious, so I started looking things up. What you can see changes from season to season, so it never gets boring. At least not to me.”
Chris turned in Jesse’s half embrace, his arms settling on Jesse’s hips. “You’ll have to show me more another time.”
“Anytime you want,” Jesse offered. Chris’s closeness had a predictable effect, but Jesse savored the sweetness of the moment instead of rushing headlong
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