Page 134 of The Only Seconds that Matter
Victor sighed.They’d probably be stuck in his loop a while, but he hoped that eventually Johnny could learn to be loved without worrying about losing him.“I want you to love me like you know I’ll be there for you tomorrow.”
Johnny grabbed Victor’s head with both hands and kissed him.Victor trailed his fingers from Johnny’s arms to his chest, then down to his waist.The kiss was tame but long, and the only thing that pulled him out of it was the fear that his steaks might burn.
“I’m gonna do my best,” Johnny muttered softly.
“That’s all I want.”Victor kissed his cheek and gently stepped away to check on the steaks, but Johnny kept one of his hands folded in Victor’s, like he couldn’t stand to let go.
* * *
Victor rose at dawn the next morning, and so did Johnny.The weather forecast called for a hot day ahead, so Victor wanted to get as much riding done as he could before noon.As Victor took care of everything in the barn, Johnny vanished for ten minutes.When Victor found him, he was cleaning out Doña’s pen and reaching out to pet her when she sniffed him curiously.Victor had been working on haltering her, but he hadn’t had Johnny try it yet, so he returned to the barn to get one of his rope halters.When he came back, he found Johnny rubbing the center of Doña’s chest, a scratch that Doña enjoyed with a wiggle of her upper lip.Victor beckoned Johnny over, then handed him the halter.
“I think she’s ready to start leading around,” he told Johnny.
Johnny nodded and took the halter, then returned to Doña across the pen.Typically semi-feral horses that were relaxed with one person were very wary of another, but she lowered her nose and slid into the halter Johnny extended to her with such ease one might have thought her completely tame.He tied the halter on her head, then picked up her lead.To both his and Victor’s surprise, she followed along behind all the way around the pen, like a foal after its mother.She did get sticky and planted her feet after one round, but that she was willing to walk with him at all was an unexpected gift.
“You teach her to lead?”Johnny asked.
“No, not really.”Victor grinned.“She trusts you.”
Johnny reached up to run a hand along her blaze, sweeping her thick forelock aside.She sighed and blew out a long, heavy snort before dropping her head even further.It was an extremely promising sign of how far she’d come.There was still a long road to travel before she could be ridden but seeing how comfortable she’d grown with Johnny and vice versa, Victor predicted he’d be on her back by the end of summer.They’d make a beautiful team, and judging by the look on Johnny’s face, he was already in love.
He removed the halter and exited the pen through the gate, face angled downward until he pulled up beside Victor and yanked him into a firm embrace.
“Thank you,” Johnny whispered.
“For what?The horse?”
“Lotsa things.”Johnny sniffed and pulled away, clearing his throat a few times.“I’m gonna put this halter away.Then I gotta get ready for work.”
“Okay.”Victor grasped Johnny’s sleeve and drew him back for a peck on the cheek.“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”Johnny offered him a fragile but genuine smile before walking off through the long blue slant of the barn’s shadow in the early morning light.
EPILOGUE
10 MONTHS LATER
As Victor pulled the rental car to a stop in a cloud of swirling dust, he spotted his mother on the porch of her three-bedroom ranch-style home, holding a hand over her eyes.Victor slid out of the car and went to the trunk to get his luggage.He had it in hand by the time Johnny extracted his long body from the car and stood, squinting in the desert sun under the brim of his baseball cap.
“Hot as Satan’s balls out here,” Johnny said just as Victor’s mother got within hearing distance.Victor gave him a chiding glance before extending his arms and swallowing his mother in a strong embrace.
“How was the drive?”she asked when she pulled away.
Victor shrugged.“Hellish, but it wasn’t bad once we got through the mountains.”
“That’s good.”Now Victor’s mother turned to Johnny, who extended his hand for her to shake without hesitation.“You must be the Johnny Stearns I’ve been hearing about.”
“Nice to meet ya, ma’am,” Johnny said with that charming smile he used on any woman over the age of 40.Or under 40, for that matter.“Lovely place you got.”
Victor’s mother shook his hand, giving him a subtle once over.Victor had no clue what to expect between Johnny and his mother, as they were very different in personality and background.However, Johnny had assured Victor he’d won over many a mother, and because Victor knew how Johnny could be with women, he decided to trust him.His mother would be a much harder nut to crack than your average buckle bunny.His southern charms might fall flat if she didn’t think he was worth Victor’s time.
“Best get your things and come inside before you roast,” Victor’s mother advised.“What can I help you with?”
“We got it,” Johnny assured her, pulling his luggage from the trunk.
“I made you lunch, so I hope you’re hungry.”
Johnny perked up at the mention of food.“I’m always hungry.”
