hard wooden chair.
"So I guess we should talk more," he said. "You can tell me all about nearly dying and I can tell you about what it's like to be the one left behind."
"Then can we have sex?"
Robbie laughed loudly at the look of hope on Eli's face. "Maybe we could try dinner first until I'm sure you're not going to pass out on me every time you shoot in your pants," he said.
"Asshole."
C
HAPTER 12
"What are you wearing?" Jack asked. He couldn't keep the horror out of his voice. Riley was distracted by checking e-mails on his cell and didn't immediately answer. "Seriously, Riley. What. The. Fuck?"
"What?" Riley looked up from the screen and blinked at Jack.
"Wearing?" Jack repeated.
Riley looked down at his jeans and boots and then back up at Jack.
"Jeans," Riley said. "You're wearing jeans. What's wrong with my jeans?"
Jack didn't know where to start. Riley's jeans probably cost a rodeo purse but yeah, he was wearing jeans. That wasn't the problem. Jack was indeed wearing jeans. Riley was also wearing a similar belt buckle to Jack. That is where all similarities ended. Jack was wearing a T-shirt and a western-style button-down in varying shades of blue and red. Riley was wearing a thin black T and a jacket.
That was the problem. The damn jacket was white, well, off-white, cream possibly. Hell, Jack didn't know, he wasn't a freaking clotheshorse like Riley was.
"You're wearing white to a rodeo."
Riley cast another look down and then slipped his cell in his pocket and realigned the jacket.
"It's a nice jacket," he defended. "It's Hugo Boss."
"It's white."
"It's off-white—"
"Riley. We're going to a rodeo—"
"A gay rodeo," Riley interrupted and emphasized the word 'gay' with air quotes. "You think the guys there are gonna turn up in range stuff with shit on their sleeves? I want to look good."
Jack held up his hands in defeat. "Have you actually ever been to a rodeo before, het-boy?" If Riley had, then he would know about the dust and dirt and the air ripe with curse words. A fashion show it wasn't.
"You know I haven't," Riley answered.
"Is it an expensive jacket?"
Riley didn't get a chance to answer as Hayley sashayed into the room holding Eden's hand and grinning. She was a miniature Jack, right up to a child's Stetson on her head, and Jack felt some satisfaction that their daughter had actually listened to him. Sean was a few steps behind Eden, and Jack could feel the focus shift immediately in Riley.
"Sean," Riley said carefully.
"Riley." Sean tipped his hat and then stood quietly.
Trouble was brewing between the two men—even a complete stranger could see that. It seemed to Jack that Riley had a point when he said Sean was messing with Eden. Still, Eden was in love and appeared happy.
"Momma's out front," Eden said. She was skilled at breaking up these Riley/Sean face-offs and all too soon they were all outside the ranch house and clambering into cars.
"You sure you're going to be okay?" Jack asked Robbie as he stood to wave everyone off.
"Eli's still sleepin' and I'll be working Daisy and Catty."
"If you wanted to go—"
"No. I don't."
Jack didn't argue. Robbie seemed happy on the Double D and very rarely left, even on his downtime. Still, he and Eli were spending a lot of time together, heads down and talking. Talking was good—it was way more than he and Riley had done when they first met. He guessed murders and fires and pregnancies kind of took the peace out of a new relationship.
"Jack?" Eden called.
With a nod to Robbie he took his seat in the brandnew 4x4 Riley had brought home a few weeks before. His Ferrari had long since gone and Jack didn't want to admit how much he missed that spitting, snarling dream of a car. When Riley nearly broke an axle coming down to the ranch in the dark it had to go. He seemed happy with the new car; top of the line, it did everything, except train the horses. Hell, it even spoke to you—all kinds of shit about the weather and business. Thankfully Riley had dulled the annoying
"So I guess we should talk more," he said. "You can tell me all about nearly dying and I can tell you about what it's like to be the one left behind."
"Then can we have sex?"
Robbie laughed loudly at the look of hope on Eli's face. "Maybe we could try dinner first until I'm sure you're not going to pass out on me every time you shoot in your pants," he said.
"Asshole."
C
HAPTER 12
"What are you wearing?" Jack asked. He couldn't keep the horror out of his voice. Riley was distracted by checking e-mails on his cell and didn't immediately answer. "Seriously, Riley. What. The. Fuck?"
"What?" Riley looked up from the screen and blinked at Jack.
"Wearing?" Jack repeated.
Riley looked down at his jeans and boots and then back up at Jack.
"Jeans," Riley said. "You're wearing jeans. What's wrong with my jeans?"
Jack didn't know where to start. Riley's jeans probably cost a rodeo purse but yeah, he was wearing jeans. That wasn't the problem. Jack was indeed wearing jeans. Riley was also wearing a similar belt buckle to Jack. That is where all similarities ended. Jack was wearing a T-shirt and a western-style button-down in varying shades of blue and red. Riley was wearing a thin black T and a jacket.
That was the problem. The damn jacket was white, well, off-white, cream possibly. Hell, Jack didn't know, he wasn't a freaking clotheshorse like Riley was.
"You're wearing white to a rodeo."
Riley cast another look down and then slipped his cell in his pocket and realigned the jacket.
"It's a nice jacket," he defended. "It's Hugo Boss."
"It's white."
"It's off-white—"
"Riley. We're going to a rodeo—"
"A gay rodeo," Riley interrupted and emphasized the word 'gay' with air quotes. "You think the guys there are gonna turn up in range stuff with shit on their sleeves? I want to look good."
Jack held up his hands in defeat. "Have you actually ever been to a rodeo before, het-boy?" If Riley had, then he would know about the dust and dirt and the air ripe with curse words. A fashion show it wasn't.
"You know I haven't," Riley answered.
"Is it an expensive jacket?"
Riley didn't get a chance to answer as Hayley sashayed into the room holding Eden's hand and grinning. She was a miniature Jack, right up to a child's Stetson on her head, and Jack felt some satisfaction that their daughter had actually listened to him. Sean was a few steps behind Eden, and Jack could feel the focus shift immediately in Riley.
"Sean," Riley said carefully.
"Riley." Sean tipped his hat and then stood quietly.
Trouble was brewing between the two men—even a complete stranger could see that. It seemed to Jack that Riley had a point when he said Sean was messing with Eden. Still, Eden was in love and appeared happy.
"Momma's out front," Eden said. She was skilled at breaking up these Riley/Sean face-offs and all too soon they were all outside the ranch house and clambering into cars.
"You sure you're going to be okay?" Jack asked Robbie as he stood to wave everyone off.
"Eli's still sleepin' and I'll be working Daisy and Catty."
"If you wanted to go—"
"No. I don't."
Jack didn't argue. Robbie seemed happy on the Double D and very rarely left, even on his downtime. Still, he and Eli were spending a lot of time together, heads down and talking. Talking was good—it was way more than he and Riley had done when they first met. He guessed murders and fires and pregnancies kind of took the peace out of a new relationship.
"Jack?" Eden called.
With a nod to Robbie he took his seat in the brandnew 4x4 Riley had brought home a few weeks before. His Ferrari had long since gone and Jack didn't want to admit how much he missed that spitting, snarling dream of a car. When Riley nearly broke an axle coming down to the ranch in the dark it had to go. He seemed happy with the new car; top of the line, it did everything, except train the horses. Hell, it even spoke to you—all kinds of shit about the weather and business. Thankfully Riley had dulled the annoying
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