voice to a gentle insistent background noise and instead seemed intent on increasing the discomfort between himself and Sean.
"So how was Afghanistan, Sean?" he said.
Jack sighed inwardly. Even for Riley that was a provocative question.
"Messy," Sean replied quietly. "A lot of good men dying on foreign soil."
"I imagine you've seen a lot," Riley continued. "Why do you need to keep going out there? Why don't you go back to writing books about horses?"
"Riley," Jack warned under his breath. Still his husband continued. Idiot needed a gag. And damn if the thought of that didn't make Jack hard. Jeez, it was like Riley was wired to his dick or something.
"I've seen too much. We all have there."
"So why go then?"
"I'm a journalist at heart, I go where the stories are," Sean replied. Such a simple answer but Riley had to be blind not to hear the tension in Sean's voice.
"Riley, how did it go with your bid?" Eden interrupted.
Thank God for little sisters who decided their big brothers needed cutting off at the source. Of course mentioning CH and its work was exactly the right thing to say. Riley could talk for hours on that subject.
Peace reigned for the journey after that. Especially when Hayley began chatting about her friend at school who had just got a new sister.
"I sometimes wish I could have a sister," Hayley said softly to Eden. Jack only heard because the reporter on the radio had just had a small moment of blissful silence.
"You would?" Eden asked.
Jack wanted to turn in his seat and look directly at his sister-in-law. He didn't. Instead he glanced at Riley who was concentrating on joining the freeway and apparently hadn't heard a thing.
"Sometimes." Hayley's voice was wistful and its effect twisted in his gut.
Jack looked out of his window and caught sight of his face in the wing mirror. He was turning thirty-two next March and the signs of working outside and his age were starting to show on his face. Thirty-two wasn't old but if he and Riley were to think about adding to their small family it probably needed to be soon. Didn't matter how much money Riley had—these things took time.
"You do realize, Ri, your jacket is going to last three minutes," Eden said.
Jack didn't think he had ever laughed as hard as he did when Riley simply huffed his response.
Jack had attended a lot of rodeos in his time; as a horse trainer and breeder it was his job to know people. He recognized quite a few big name stars and wished, not for the first time, that he had actually done his research on gay rodeo before he came out. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, it was a rodeo, it was loud and dirty and sweaty and testosterone to the limits, but it was different somehow. Guys walked holding hands with other guys, women hugged and kissed each other in front of Jack. There were drag queens and rodeo clowns, and Jack loved it all.
There were differences here. Whereas in mainstream rodeo there were traditional roles for men and others for women, in the gay rodeo every event was open to men and women alike. There were also extra events like dressing a goat, but luckily Jack wasn't involved in judging that—he wouldn't know where to start. Nope, he was there for the barrel racing and the finest display of horseflesh he had ever seen.
Riley was long since gone with Hayley in tow, and Eden and Sean had followed their noses and gone for barbecue, which left Jack leaning against the fence and watching the horses. He was due to judge the first rounds in a few minutes.
"Hey, Jack."
Jack turned at the voice and there was a face from the past. The distant past. Well, the past before Riley anyway. Austin Hemmings with the hoover suction mouth and the come-to-bed brown eyes. "What's it been? Five or six years?"
Jack moved back from the fence and shook Austin's hand.
"Has to be at least six."
"You're looking well."
"You are too."
"Heard you got married." And there was Austin, true to form, cutting straight to the point. "Where is the lucky man?"
"Off
"So how was Afghanistan, Sean?" he said.
Jack sighed inwardly. Even for Riley that was a provocative question.
"Messy," Sean replied quietly. "A lot of good men dying on foreign soil."
"I imagine you've seen a lot," Riley continued. "Why do you need to keep going out there? Why don't you go back to writing books about horses?"
"Riley," Jack warned under his breath. Still his husband continued. Idiot needed a gag. And damn if the thought of that didn't make Jack hard. Jeez, it was like Riley was wired to his dick or something.
"I've seen too much. We all have there."
"So why go then?"
"I'm a journalist at heart, I go where the stories are," Sean replied. Such a simple answer but Riley had to be blind not to hear the tension in Sean's voice.
"Riley, how did it go with your bid?" Eden interrupted.
Thank God for little sisters who decided their big brothers needed cutting off at the source. Of course mentioning CH and its work was exactly the right thing to say. Riley could talk for hours on that subject.
Peace reigned for the journey after that. Especially when Hayley began chatting about her friend at school who had just got a new sister.
"I sometimes wish I could have a sister," Hayley said softly to Eden. Jack only heard because the reporter on the radio had just had a small moment of blissful silence.
"You would?" Eden asked.
Jack wanted to turn in his seat and look directly at his sister-in-law. He didn't. Instead he glanced at Riley who was concentrating on joining the freeway and apparently hadn't heard a thing.
"Sometimes." Hayley's voice was wistful and its effect twisted in his gut.
Jack looked out of his window and caught sight of his face in the wing mirror. He was turning thirty-two next March and the signs of working outside and his age were starting to show on his face. Thirty-two wasn't old but if he and Riley were to think about adding to their small family it probably needed to be soon. Didn't matter how much money Riley had—these things took time.
"You do realize, Ri, your jacket is going to last three minutes," Eden said.
Jack didn't think he had ever laughed as hard as he did when Riley simply huffed his response.
Jack had attended a lot of rodeos in his time; as a horse trainer and breeder it was his job to know people. He recognized quite a few big name stars and wished, not for the first time, that he had actually done his research on gay rodeo before he came out. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, it was a rodeo, it was loud and dirty and sweaty and testosterone to the limits, but it was different somehow. Guys walked holding hands with other guys, women hugged and kissed each other in front of Jack. There were drag queens and rodeo clowns, and Jack loved it all.
There were differences here. Whereas in mainstream rodeo there were traditional roles for men and others for women, in the gay rodeo every event was open to men and women alike. There were also extra events like dressing a goat, but luckily Jack wasn't involved in judging that—he wouldn't know where to start. Nope, he was there for the barrel racing and the finest display of horseflesh he had ever seen.
Riley was long since gone with Hayley in tow, and Eden and Sean had followed their noses and gone for barbecue, which left Jack leaning against the fence and watching the horses. He was due to judge the first rounds in a few minutes.
"Hey, Jack."
Jack turned at the voice and there was a face from the past. The distant past. Well, the past before Riley anyway. Austin Hemmings with the hoover suction mouth and the come-to-bed brown eyes. "What's it been? Five or six years?"
Jack moved back from the fence and shook Austin's hand.
"Has to be at least six."
"You're looking well."
"You are too."
"Heard you got married." And there was Austin, true to form, cutting straight to the point. "Where is the lucky man?"
"Off
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