Hard Road Back E-Book

Andrew Grey

• Herausgeber: Dreamspinner Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 311

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Rancher Martin Jamuson has a deep understanding of horses. He just wishes his instincts extended to his best friend, Scarborough Croughton, and the changes in their feelings toward each other. Martin may be the only friend Scarborough has in their small town, but Scarborough is a man of secrets, an outsider who's made his own way and believes he can only rely on himself when the chips are down. Still, when he needs help with a horse, he naturally comes to Martin. As they work together, Martin becomes more determined than ever to show Scarborough he's someone he can trust… maybe someone he can love. Even if it risks their friendship, both men know the possibility for more between them deserves to be explored. But when Scarborough's past reemerges, it threatens his home, horses, career, and even their lives. If they hope to survive the road before them, they'll have to walk it together… and maybe make the leap from cautious friends to lovers along the way.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Blurb

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Epilogue

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About the Author

By Andrew Grey

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Copyright

Hard Road Back

By Andrew Grey

Rancher Martin Jamuson has a deep understanding of horses. He just wishes his instincts extended to his best friend, Scarborough Croughton, and the changes in their feelings toward each other. Martin may be the only friend Scarborough has in their small town, but Scarborough is a man of secrets, an outsider who’s made his own way and believes he can only rely on himself when the chips are down. Still, when he needs help with a horse, he naturally comes to Martin.

As they work together, Martin becomes more determined than ever to show Scarborough he’s someone he can trust… maybe someone he can love. Even if it risks their friendship, both men know the possibility for more between them deserves to be explored. But when Scarborough’s past reemerges, it threatens his home, horses, career, and even their lives. If they hope to survive the road before them, they’ll have to walk it together… and maybe make the leap from cautious friends to lovers along the way.

To Dominic, who always has my back and supports me no matter what.

Chapter 1

I KNEW some of his secrets, but by no means all of them. Lord knows there’s no man alive, other than Scarborough himself, who knows all of those. He keeps shit to himself better than any man I’ve ever met, and that’s saying a hell of a lot, being a cowboy—well, of sorts…. All in all, you meet a whole hell of a lot of guys with chips on their shoulders, and even more keeping stuff to themselves. I have been friends of a sort with him for fifteen years now, and sometimes he still seems like a stranger. And yet, I think I can see a little boy behind the bluest, biggest, most perfect eyes God ever put on a man. But I know I shouldn’t go there because that is a road I should not go down. It’s laced with more potholes than Scarborough’s driveway… and that’s saying something.

Normally I would try not to think about Scarborough Croughton, at least as much as I can, but his ranch borders my small piece of property, so I get to see him more than just about anyone. This morning, either by luck or by a visit from the devil, the damned phone rang just as I was getting out of bed… and I’m not going to say I was dreaming about that cantankerous pain in the ass.

“Yeah, Scarborough, what do you need?” I checked the clock, and it was just after five in the morning. I should be getting up anyway, but it would have been nice to get another few minutes of sleep.

“I got a problem and I need yer help,” he said. No indication of what the problem was, just those few words. Sometimes I wondered if Scarborough figured he only got to say so many words in his entire life, and being as he was determined to live until doomsday, he had to use as few as possible.

“I’m supposed to be at Sandy Reynold’s place today. I can come over for about an hour, but then I got to go see her.”

Scarborough humphed. “’Kay.”

I could tell he was about to hang up, and I groaned silently in my head. “Let me get dressed and I’ll be over. You got coffee on?” I hoped to the ever-loving gods. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thanks.” The line went dead.

I shuffled off to the bathroom and scoured my face with a razor, thankful I didn’t cut myself all to hell, used the toilet, and finished my morning routine before dressing and heading right to the door.

Beau met me there, tail wagging, eyes bright, looking up at me as though he knew I was heading out. I checked that he had food in his dish and water in the bowl. He was a good dog and pretty much ate when he was hungry. As soon as I opened the door, Beau took off to make his morning rounds. That dog had a sixth sense, I was pretty sure. He ran to the small barn to check on the horses, waiting for me. I let my babies out into their paddocks and made sure they had plenty of water for the day, scratching noses and saying hello. Each of those beauties was a horse I had rescued and rehabilitated in one way or another, and each had a story. But I was in too much of a hurry to think about that right now.

I headed to the truck, and Beau jumped in and went right to his spot, with his front legs on the arm of the passenger’s side door, his tongue hanging out as I started the engine. As soon as the cool air started blowing out of the vents, he got down, his nose in the stream, his mouth open.

The trip to Scarborough’s took all of five minutes, but walking would’ve been a real pain and taken much longer. I pulled into the drive and noticed that I didn’t get shook all to hell. He must have graded the thing at some point. He came out of the house as I slowed, and by the time I was out of the truck, he’d caught up to me with mismatched mugs in each hand.

“Oh thank God,” I said as I took the mug and sipped what I knew was the strongest damned coffee in the state of Wyoming.

“Over here,” Scarborough said, and I let him lead. I was going to have to find out for myself what was happening. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the view, at least for a few minutes.

Scarborough had grown up on this land. That much everyone in town knew. His mom had passed in a bad way, and as far as I knew, his father was distant. I’d met him fifteen years ago when he’d moved in down the road. Losing his mom to a drunken truck driver was not a prescription for good emotional health, as far as I was concerned.

“Did you pick up a new horse?” I asked as we got closer to the paddocks. Beau stopped, plopping his butt on a small patch of scraggly grass, watching, his tongue lolling, but coming no closer. We turned the corner of the low barn, and I stopped dead in my tracks. A horse as black as midnight looked back at me with some of the wildest eyes I had ever seen.

I motioned to Scarborough to stay where he was as I took small steps forward. “That’s a good boy,” I said, letting the breeze carry the words to him, making him strain to hear. “My gosh, you are stunning.” He stayed still, but the wildness and fear in those huge brown eyes pulled at my heart. What the fuck had happened to this magnificent horse to make him that way? “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to see you.” I didn’t reach for him and just spoke a string of nonsense words.

There was intelligence behind those eyes and the way they held my gaze. The horse began breathing more heavily, a front leg shaking, and Scarborough took a step back and then another. Finally the horse turned, raced to the far side of the paddock, stopped, and turned again to watch.

“Where did you find him?” I asked.

“Auction,” Scarborough answered.

I sipped from my mug, completely surprised. That made no sense at all. Not that Scarborough didn’t go to auctions—he did. The man had a good sense about horses, and an even better one about anything profitable. Scarborough could make money, and, well, he didn’t spend it unless he thought he could get more. It was just that simple. I’ve known penny-pinchers in my life, but Scarborough made Abe Lincoln scream bloody murder before he spent anything at all. “Why did you buy him? You know there’s the possibility that he will never be of any use to anyone.” But damn, he was stunning as all hell, nonetheless. “What’s his name?” I turned to Scarborough just in time to see him roll his eyes.

“Whoever had him before actually named him Black Beauty.” Scarborough made a face. “I hate it.” He usually didn’t do that sort of thing, and I liked seeing Scarborough’s playful side. “I’m going to rename him, but I don’t know what yet.”

“Maybe he’ll suggest a name,” I offered, and Scarborough nodded but grew quiet once again. That was his usual way, and I was more than used to it. With Scarborough, you had to read between the lines quite a bit. And sometimes there weren’t even lines—you simply had to guess.

He lifted the mug slowly to his lips. “I thought you could fix him, and then I would use him for stud. His bloodlines are amazing, and… look at him.”

Was that softness I saw around Scarborough’s eyes, even for a second? I wasn’t sure, and any tenderness that was there didn’t last too long.

“I’ll pay you.”

I nearly took a step back. Those words never crossed Scarborough’s lips. I wanted to put my hand over my chest to check that I wasn’t going to have a heart attack, or run to town to see the doc because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t hearing shit. “You sure?” There was so much fear and pain there that I wasn’t sure anyone could ever get through it, but for Scarborough I was willing to try. And if it was important enough for him to offer to pay me, then I would definitely do my best.

Scarborough nodded and mumbled an assent.

“Okay, I’ll do what I can. I’ll text you over an agreement that states my terms and rates, like with anyone else. If you agree, you sign and return it, and I’ll get started as soon as I can. Don’t let anyone near him for now, and feed and water him yourself. Let him associate both things with you. It will help. And for God’s sake, don’t stomp or make any sharp noises around him.”

“Huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “Just be nice to him, okay? I know you can do that.” I smiled.

Scarborough humphed but then nodded, and a ghost of a smile formed on his lips. “I will. I’m better with horses than people.” He turned to look at the horse once again. “Just make him better and stop the cycle of pain that’s going through his head right now.”

I blinked because I honestly wasn’t sure if he was truly talking about the horse or himself.

Beau ambled over, and I patted his head. Nodding, I checked my watch and headed toward the truck. “I’ll send over the agreement, and I can start in a few days. I’ll probably work with him in the mornings before my other jobs. So have the coffee on.” I waved and pulled open the door. Beau jumped in, and I climbed into the truck and headed back down the drive.

I wondered about Scarborough for the next half hour as I drove to Sandy’s place. I pulled in and parked in my usual spot in front of the house. Her pack of dogs came over, barking and wagging their tails. I let Beau out, and he greeted his old friends with happy barks, and soon he was off with the pack.

“Martin, you’re late,” Sandy said as she stepped out on the porch. “I got coffee and some breakfast for you. Come on inside and eat, and then we can get to work.” She motioned, and I wiped off my boots before stepping inside.

“Sorry. Scarborough called this morning and said he needed my help.”

She scoffed. “Looking for free work?” She, like a lot of the people in town, was not particularly a fan of my neighbor. They had all, at one time or other, been on the cheap end of his ways, and that made them skeptical, so they tended to avoid him if possible. Not that I could exactly blame them.

“No. He bought a horse at auction that he needs me to work with.” I sat down at the kitchen table, which had seen at least three generations of her family, the scuffs and marks a history of family meals.

“For free?” She brought over a plate and set it in front of me, along with a glass of juice and some more coffee. Only hers was danged good. No one made coffee like Sandy.

“Nope. He said he’d pay me.” I took a bite as she fumbled with her chair.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” She sat down and sipped her coffee. “I know it was hard when his mom died, but something changed him. Not that I blame him for being hurt after she was gone, but he never seemed to spring back all the way. He did for a while… and then… he didn’t.”

“Everyone thinks it was the accident.”

She nodded and seemed thoughtful. “It could have been, though I think it was more than that. There’s something else that happened. But I don’t know what it is. I think only Scarborough does, and he isn’t going to talk about it to anyone.” She sighed. “Every time I have to deal with him, I try to remember the way he was and not the skinflint he is now, but it’s damned hard.”

“Mom, bad word,” her five-year-old daughter said as she toddled up.

Sandy lifted her onto her lap. Megan was Sandy’s surprise baby, and no child was loved more. Sandy and Joe had never thought they could have kids and had long before given up. Then surprise, along came Megan—about the time that Joe took up and then off with June Mather, the former mayor’s wife. What a mess that was for all of them. Thankfully Joe had had the sense to get the hell out of town before he got run out of it.

“I’m sorry,” she said gently, and Megan cuddled close. She was dressed but seemed a little clingy.

“Did you sleep good?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“She has a case of the sniffles. The doctor says she’ll be fine in a day or so, but right now she just wants her mom as much as possible.” Sandy sat back and let Megan rest against her while I ate the feast she had made for me. “Why would Scarborough buy a horse at auction with a lot of problems?” Sandy asked. “That seems like a lot more trouble than it’s worth for him.” There was a lot left unsaid in that statement.

“I wondered the same thing. He wants me to calm him down enough that he can be used for stud.” I savored the eggs, which were perfect sunny-side up, and picked up a piece of bacon. Megan turned toward me, and I offered her a piece. She smiled and took it. “The thing is, he’s stunning beyond belief. The coloring and his gait. Just seeing him move was a thing of beauty, but he’s filled with soul-deep fear. I have no idea how anyone got him into a trailer for transport. They must have drugged him, which can lead to a whole set of problems.” I finished the last of the food, drank the juice, and wanted to sit back and close my eyes, but there was work to do. And Sandy, while she always gave me breakfast, wasn’t paying me to sit around and jaw.

“That’s a real shame. Things like that are only going to make it worse for him… and you in the end.” She put Megan down and took care of the dishes. “Do you think you can help?”

“I’ll try.” I thanked her for breakfast and went out to spend the rest of the morning working with one of her new horses that had picked up some bad habits. But for some reason, Scarborough and his horse stayed in my mind. Yes, what Scarborough had said might have made sense, but it was so unlike him. Scarborough bought horses when he thought he could make money. He didn’t buy horses that needed rehab, because of the additional cost and the uncertainty. That kept me thinking about what Scarborough was actually up to.

AFTER THE morning at Sandy’s, I spent the afternoon at a few other clients’ before stopping at the house to check on things. Beau ran around like he had been gone for days, checking out his spots and making sure all the animals that might come roaming knew this was his. The silly dog did it every single time we went away, even if it was for a few hours.

“Hey, Dad,” I said when my father came out of the barn. “What are you doing?”

“Just looking,” he answered. My dad was the quintessential cowboy, in his jeans, boots, hat, and one of the buckles he’d won when he rode broncs. That was how he met my mother. Dad always said that she was a buckle bunny and that he’d had to fight off dozens of guys to win her attention. Every time he said it, Mom would wink, which meant she was letting Dad have his fantasy. The truth, from Mom, was that she saw him and wasn’t going to make it too easy to be caught. I believed her. “Ted had a horse that he needs to sell, and I want to buy it. I have a buyer out near Casper for it, but they aren’t ready for him until next month. My barn is full, but….”

“I got space,” I told him. “Go ahead and make the deal. I got your back.” I loved that I could help my dad out every once in a while. I’d bought the place because it was next door to my folks. That way I could be close if they needed me, and yet have a place of my own. The plan was that I would eventually inherit the entire ranch, and my idea was to put everything together.

“It’s too good a deal to pass up. This horse is a beaut, and Ted needs the cash bad, so I made him a fair offer, and he took it. This guy from Casper is looking to pay top dollar.” Dad grinned. He was literally a horse trader from way back. Dad raised some horses on the ranch, as well as running some cattle, but he really made his money trading. It was in his blood, just like horses and what they needed was in mine. “You coming for dinner? Your mom wanted me to ask.”

I was about to answer when Scarborough’s truck turned into the drive. He pulled to a stop and lowered the window. “The new horse is going crazy. Can you come now? I don’t know what to do.”

“Go on. I’ll do the evening feed while I’m here.” Dad was already heading back toward the barn, so I hopped into Scarborough’s truck. Beau instantly barked his head off, and I opened the door to let him jump in.

“What is he doing?” I asked as we rode.

“Stamping and rearing and braying constantly. I tried to see if anything was in the paddock, but I can’t get close enough.” The concern in his voice rang like a bell. “I don’t want him to hurt himself, and if it goes on for much longer, he’s going to.” As soon as he hit the road, Scarborough floored it, whipping down the street and only slowing when he approached his drive, and we skidded a little nonetheless.

As soon as I opened the door, a wave of fear washed over me. The air was palpable with it. As much as I wanted to run, I forced myself to walk to the paddock, where Black Beauty had nearly exhausted himself in his panicked frenzy. His coat shimmered with sweat and his mouth foamed a little. “Scarborough, go around the back and open the gate. Give him an out and let’s see if he’ll take it. That area is bigger, but fenced, right?”

“Yeah. But there are other horses in there.”

“Get them out, now,” I said, and Scarborough hurried away. I started talking softly, trying to calm the horse, but he wasn’t having it. Black Beauty was too worked up to allow for that. I still attempted to distract him and at one point had him still and breathing deeply, but his eyes were wild. I tried to keep him calm, but then he reared again and nearly clocked the fence on his way down. “Open the gate,” I called, and Scarborough swung the large gate open with a loud squeak.

The sound drew the horse’s attention, and he turned and raced through to the roomier paddock, then stopped in the center. From where I stood, I saw him still breathing heavily, but at least the frantic stomping and jumping had ended.

Scarborough closed the paddock gate and locked it. “What the fuck was all that about?” he asked as he came over.

“Go get him some hay, and make sure there is plenty of water for him. I want to check out this enclosure.” There was something strange going on, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it. “Keep plenty of distance.” I knew we were damned lucky the horse hadn’t keeled over from a heart attack. Horses are strangely fragile creatures, powerful and beautiful, but also delicate. I wondered how many times during his tirade Black Beauty had come close to breaking a leg.

I climbed the fence, dropped into the paddock, and walked the area. It was clear to me that Scarborough hadn’t used the paddock in a while. Not that it was in bad repair, but the grass inside was longer and hadn’t been eaten down. Anyway, I knew I had to be careful.

“Find anything?” Scarborough asked.

I shook my head, then paused. A snake lay in the grass. I stilled instantly and backed away, watching it, but the snake didn’t move. I went back, grabbed a shovel, and approached once again. The snake was in the same position. I slammed it with the shovel, expecting a pile of guts. Scooping it up, I carried what should have been a carcass to Scarborough and tossed it at him. He jumped back, shrieking as the rubber snake bounced off the fencing.

“What the hell?”

“Exactly. Someone put this in the paddock.” I continued around and thought I’d found another. I was about to scoop it up when the familiar rattle sent a zing up my spine. I pulled back and the sound stopped. “Good God.”

“What?” Scarborough hurried over, and I put up my hand to stop him.

“There’s a live one in here too,” I called out.

Scarborough had had more than enough experience with snakes, and he wrangled the little slitherer into a bag and got rid of it. The situation was beyond crazy as far as I was concerned.

“What the hell did you do to someone that they would put a snake in one of your paddocks?” Yeah, I knew Scarborough was cheap, but as far as I knew, he didn’t cheat anyone and paid his bills. It wasn’t like he was cruel or mean, just skinflinty.

“You really think someone put that in here?” he asked.

“Well,” I said, pointing, “someone put the rubber one in here. Think about it. They got a live snake, put it in here, and then added the rubber one, so the horse thought they were all around him and went out of his mind.” Everyone knew that horses didn’t like snakes. The reaction was pretty common. But to have an already wild horse and to add a snake to its paddock was a recipe for disaster. Thank God it had been diverted.

Scarborough bent down and lifted the remains of yet another rubber snake that had been trounced to pieces. “I think you’re right.” He tossed the remains to the side of the paddock. I tried to read what he was thinking, but like so much of the time, Scarborough was stoic as hell. Still, his posture seemed more rigid than usual, and he kept looking around.

“Who might want to get even with you or cause trouble?” I knew Scarborough didn’t have disgruntled employees, because it was just him here on the ranch. He did whatever he needed himself because help would require him to pay them.

He stood still, and I took a few seconds just to watch him and wait for some sort of response. Scarborough had spent his entire life outside, working hard, and it showed in every muscle in his body. I had been to the city and seen guys whose bodies came from gyms, with their perfect bubble butts and chests that seemed to sprout plates. But Scarborough wasn’t like that. His was a body of a life of hard work, with corded muscle and a compact strength from lifting bales of hay and splitting enough wood to heat the house for the winter.

His jeans were old and maybe a little threadbare in places, hugging his legs and backside like a second skin. I knew it was a bad idea to be looking at my neighbor that way, but what the hell? He seemed lost in his own thoughts for a few minutes, and I sure as hell could let my own mind wander. It didn’t hurt anything, and I didn’t have any illusions that Scarborough was going to suddenly wake up and realize that I was his dream guy. He wasn’t going to open his arms and change his ways at the drop of a hat—or because of a single longing look across a paddock. That sort of thing was not Scarborough Croughton in the least.

“I don’t know,” he finally answered, then turned away, going about cleaning up the rubber snakes and checking the last of the paddock.

Not that it was likely that he was going to be able to put Black Beauty in this paddock. He was going to remember, and it would only make him nervous again. At least he seemed to be eating now and drinking some, which meant that the panic in him was over. But this afternoon’s incident had made my job a little harder, and I was going to need all the patience I could muster to try to help that horse—and Scarborough, for that matter.

“Keep an eye on him, and I’ll get the paperwork sent over right away. I should have some time in a few days.”

He nodded. “I’ll do my best to try to keep him calm and see if maybe he’ll forget some of this incident.”

That was our only hope to get him past whatever trauma had left the horse so full of fear that he’d spook like that. I also wondered what could have happened to Scarborough to make him withdraw from everyone the way he had too. I wondered which of the two would be easier to understand in the end.

Chapter 2

“YOUR DAD said that Scarborough was having trouble with a horse?” my mother said as she worked in her kitchen. That part of the house was very much her domain, and it was exactly the way she wanted it. When she had decided that she wanted the wall over the sink removed so she could see into the rest of the house and my dad had balked, he came home one day to find my mom with a Sawzall in her hand, cutting out the section she wanted gone and telling Dad to clean up the mess and finish the job. We were lucky she hadn’t cut any of the wiring or plumbing, but Mom got her kitchen the way she wanted it.

“Yes. He’s one walking ball of fear and equestrian anxiety.” I sighed, took the plate of bruschetta from the counter, and put it on the coffee table in the living room, Beau following the food but making no move to take anything. He was too well trained. Mom knew that Dad and I would need a snack before dinner. “I really don’t know why he bought him. It isn’t like Scarborough to buy a horse or anything else that will require that kind of work and expense to recoup his investment.”

Mom shook her head. “That boy is deeper than anybody gives him credit for.” She went back to making dinner, and I turned, hoping she would elaborate. “I thought I’d make some of my roast beef for dinner. They had it on sale at Hansen’s this week, and I know you and your father love it.” We did, but that wasn’t the point. She had changed her own subject, and that was the end of it.

“Mom,” I tried coaxing, and she turned to me with eyes as thoughtful as ever, her lips curling upward. “You don’t get to drop something like that and then back off.”

She shrugged. “He has nice eyes.”

I scoffed. “You know, he does. Nice rear end too.” I had to throw in the last part, and Mom huffed and flashed me an annoyed frown.

“Do you like Scarborough that way?” she asked. “You know it’s okay if you do.”

I chuckled. “Mom, can you really see the two of us together? Me and Scarborough….” The idea seemed preposterous and yet…. I pushed the notion out of my head. “Mom, you have got to be kidding.”

She gave me this knowing look and didn’t say anything. I inhaled, intent to get at whatever idea was taking root in her head. But then I snapped my mouth shut, figuring my mother would just dig in her heels, and the notion that might be fleeting now would suddenly become firmly embedded in her psyche—and then it would be like pulling molars to get her to let it go.

“Give it up, son,” my dad said softly as he came in from down the hallway and joined me in the living room. “You do not want your mother deciding she wants to play matchmaker. You remember your cousin Claudia.” He made sure to speak loud enough so Mom heard.

“She and Lorenzo were perfect for each other, and then she went and married Jordan. That lasted two years and now they’ve split up, and I still think she should date Lorenzo.” Mom went back to her cooking as I popped one of her bruschetta into my mouth, moaning at the garlicy tomato perfection. “He’s still single, and he was asking about her the last time I saw him.” Mom rarely ever gave up on anything, especially when she thought she was right.

“I don’t think Claudia is ready to date anyone,” I said.

Dad leaned forward. “Why are you continuing this?”

I lowered my voice and shifted closer to Dad. “If she’s going on about Claudia, then she’ll leave my love life alone.” Not that I had much of one. It wasn’t like there were many gay people in Red Rock, but that wasn’t going to stop my mother. And if she got it in her head that Scarborough and I should be together simply because we were the only gay people within spitting distance of each other, then my life was going to descend into my mother’s manipulative version of matchmaking hell.

Dad snickered softly. “Good idea.”

“What are you two whispering about in there?” Mom asked.

“Nothing, dear,” Dad said gently. “He and I are talking about the horse that I’m going to put in his barn for a month or so. It’s going to require some special care.” That was the first I had heard about that. “There’s steeplechasing in his lineage, and I think the new owners are going to try to train him. I’m not sure, but this guy is a real gem.” Dad patted my leg.

“Do you want him exercised?” I wasn’t that type of rider, but I knew how to keep a horse in shape.

“Yes. He’s going to need regular exercise and things. But the biggest thing is to make sure that he’s well fed, and before delivery, we’re going to need to brush and groom him up so he looks his absolute showy best.” Dad never cheated anyone, and there had been times when he didn’t get what he was expecting—that was part of the business. But Dad also knew that to get top dollar for a horse, it should look its best, and apparently this horse could be a chance for Dad to make a good share of his year.

Mom came into the room, took a bite of bruschetta, and sat on the sofa. “Dinner is in the oven.” She turned to me, and I wondered what was behind her eyes. “Scarborough will be here in half an hour. It’s been a long time since he’s had a home-cooked meal, and he was looking skinny the last time I saw him.”

There was no way I could protest, even though I thought I knew what she was up to.

I sat back and tried to seem casual. I had honestly never thought of Scarborough as anything other than a friend… of sorts. He and I didn’t go out on the town or spend nights drinking together. Scarborough would never do something like that. If he wanted to drink, he bought what he wanted and drank at home. We also didn’t go out to the movies or take trips together. Scarborough was the kind of friend who called me when he needed something, and I did the same. We could rely on each other.

But, damn it all, now that my mother had put the idea into my head that Scarborough might be someone more interesting than that, my mind kept going back to how he looked, standing tall, with his broad shoulders and narrow waist, leaning on the first fence rail, looking over the paddock. And don’t get me started on how he looked on a horse. I had seen him like that so many times, and the man was a dream when riding. Okay, there had been times when I wondered what it would feel like to have those long legs of his wrapped around my hips and my hands on his shoulders, his eyes half-lidded as I drove him to heaven. God, Scarborough never said much, but I wondered what he would be like in bed, and—I slowly crossed my legs as my jeans grew a little tighter. I definitely needed to think about something else or I was going to fucking embarrass myself in front of my mother, right here in her living room, and it would be all her damned fault.

“How are the kids you’re working with at the center?” I asked, very much needing to change the subject. Mom volunteered down at the local children’s center. Before she’d retired, Mom taught kindergarten for nearly forty years. Now she spent some of her time volunteering with kids who needed extra help in school or with just basic developmental and motor skills.

She clicked her tongue softly. “Some of these kids could do with a lot more parenting. There’s nothing wrong with them other than the fact that their mom or dad doesn’t work with them. One little boy learned his ABCs in three days. His mom never bothered to review them with him. I know parents can’t stay home and have to work, but they still need to work with their children. It’s so sad sometimes.”

I knew there was a lot more than Mom was talking about. But with this, Mom was discreet. A lot of the time if she told stories, it would be possible to figure out who she was talking about. Red Rock just wasn’t that big a town, and I knew almost everyone, at least by association.

“It’s good that you can help them,” I told her.

She nodded and ate another of her snacks before repositioning the plate near me and my father and away from her. Mom had gotten this idea lately that she needed to lose weight. She had never been heavy, and when she went to the doctor and he told her she had put on five pounds, she was determined to get it off once again. “I love what I do, but some of these kids deserve more than what they’re getting as far as parents are concerned.”

“Not all of them can have you for a mom.” I smiled, and she grinned.

A vehicle pulled into the drive, the lights illuminating the curtains. “That must be Scarborough.” Mom stood and answered the door, with Beau right behind her. He sat to see who it was, probably wondering if he was going to get more attention out of the deal. “I’m glad you could join us.” She hugged Scarborough and stepped back so he could come inside.