Page 48 of All of Us

“You are really special, Joe.” Voicing how I felt might have been a bad idea, but I needed him to know.

He leaned in and kissed me. “I like you so very much, Gentry.”

We cleaned up as best we could, then headed back, a little drunk, but the horses knew where to go. We shared stories about our lives.

As we rode home, I embraced how good it felt to have someone to share my hopes, dreams, and secrets. At least someone who could talk back. I leaned over and gave Dusty a pat.

Chapter eighteen

DUSTY

Pulling into Mont and Arthur’s ranch, I saw the horse trailer sitting by the barn. Was that Joe and the cowboy he’d been spending time with? Trying not to be obvious, I slowed down and looked at the stalls. I could see several horses, but Amber’s stall door was open and I couldn’t see her.

I went inside the house to meet with my boss. When I knocked on their door, Mont looked at me with a face that told me something was wrong. Oh, shit, he knew.

“Arthur is in the other room.” He said quietly as he stepped out on the porch.

I’ve known him for several years now, so I was reasonably sure he wouldn’t beat me up. However, we were talking about me getting freaky with his brother-in-law. Even knowing that the look he gave me was serious, and a ripple of fear rolled through me.

“Okay. Sup?” There was a possibility this look meant something else.

“I’ve heard things.”

I swallowed hard. This was about Joe. “What things?” My voice went up a few octaves.

“I don’t need to tell you how important Arthur is to me. When Joe’s brother is happy, Arthur is happy.”

I looked at him, waiting for him to say something more. “Uh, huh.”

“Dusty, do I need to say anything else?”

“No. I understand. He is a good man, I won’t hurt him.”

My voice was gritty, and I tried not to show fear. Joe and I were being honest with each other, and there was no way I was going to share that I had found I wanted him to be with someone else, only to have him share it with me.

After the shovel talk, he guided me into the house. Drake, Mont’s dragon companion, sat on one of his perches. I would swear he gave me the stink-eye, making sure I knew he was watching me, too. When I sat down, Mont’s demeanor changed, and I realized his husband didn’t know.

We spent two hours discussing band business, including what we would do when Joe joined us.

On the front porch, I could see in the barn, and the familiar shape of Joe was there feeding the horses that were begging for treats. I’d been down there many times, handing out peppermints, the big animals still scared me, but they were gorgeous, and I spent time down there with Mont regularly.

Without thinking, I headed toward him. There was no way I would see him and not steal a kiss. As I rounded the front of the truck that had the trailer attached, I saw a tall man cuddled against a horse. He didn’t see me, so I took a minute to look him over. He had long legs, tight ass in wranglers that fit like skin, strong back, thick arms, and a black cowboy hat. I couldn’t see his face, but from the back, he was hot.

He was nuzzling against the horse’s head, and I could barely hear him. “What do you think? I like him a lot. I want us to officially date Dusty. How am I going to pull that off?”

It was a funny coincidence that his horse’s name was Dusty. I could only assume he was talking about Joe. His words made my stomach flip around and sink at the same time. I liked Joe so much that it felt like I might be ready to have a boyfriend. Then my mind went to what they had done together, and I could feel myself getting aroused. They had been gone a long time. Did they do something today?

Joe looked my way, then stopped moving. Obviously, he realized this would be a strange situation, with the two men he was sleeping with meeting face-to-face. If I recalled correctly, this guy’s name was Gentry, and I was already in this, so I might as well introduce myself. He may not even know who I was.

Gentry turned around.

Everything in my world stopped. This couldn’t be happening.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joe walking towards me. I dropped to my knees and started to sob. My chest felt tight, and I couldn’t breathe.

I knew it was Joe who came running up next to me and gently rubbed my back.

“Dusty, what’s wrong? Do I need to get Mont? I’m here. Talk to me.”