Recovery 1

Cowboy Needed

After a memorable meeting with a bull, Zack Warren ends up

recuperating on Four Winds, the ranch that belongs to Brett Miller.

After years spent following the rodeo, he is surprised to find out he

likes ranch life and even more that he likes the attractive, openly

gay ranch owner.

Brett can deal with being attracted to Zack—that is, if Zack wasn't

attracted to him in return. A bar fight Zack is involved in causes a

rift between them, which leads to a dare that ends in hot sex and

more questions for both of them.

Then someone tries to kill Brett. They quickly learn who, and Zack

starts to relax—until the night the killer comes back to finish the

job.

Note: This book contains forced seduction.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Western/Cowboys
Length: 24,764 words

COWBOY NEEDED

Recovery 1

Sunny Day

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove


COWBOY NEEDED
Copyright © 2011 by Sunny Day
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-195-3

First E-book Publication: April 2011

Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of Cowboy Needed by Sunny Day from
BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for
not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group
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This is Sunny Day’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms.
Day’s right to earn a living from her work.

Amanda Hilton, Publisher
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www.BookStrand.com

COWBOY NEEDED

Recovery 1

SUNNY DAY

Copyright © 2011

Chapter 1

“Crap,” Zack muttered to himself then pulled himself upright, wincing

when his abused and aching muscles, tired from resting so long in one
position, started complaining. He had to pause to wipe the sweat from his
forehead.

“Here.” Something nudged his shoulder. Frowning, he turned around.

Jim, one of the ranch hands who was stuck with him on this sucker deal of
an assignment, just grinned. Zack accepted the proffered bottle of water,
uncapped it, and took a long swig. Returning it, he made a mental note to
bring one for himself tomorrow…that is, if he didn’t manage to get out of
this task.

“Bad day?” Jim asked sympathetically. Zack shook his head. He was

almost completely recovered from the injuries that forced him to come
back to the Four Winds in the middle of rodeo season.

“It’s hot as hell out here,” he grumbled, eyeing his tools with particular

dislike. He should pick them up and continue what he was doing, but he
wasn’t in the mood for it. His shirt, discarded long ago, was lying neatly
tucked on the ground behind him. Its absence didn’t help much.

His friend snorted. “It’s the middle of summer,” he said. “It’s bound to

be a scorcher.”

“What, didn’t you have your share of hot days while you were in the

8

Sunny Day

rodeo?” Mick, another one of the hands, asked curiously. He was the
youngest of them all and seemed thoroughly impressed by Zack.

Raising his head, Zack noticed that he, too, had paused what he was

doing and inched closer. Jim grinned at him. Mick had a bit of hero
worship going. It was vastly irritating when Zack first came here, his body
hurting, his thoughts scattered and unfocused. Mick’s questions were like
salt on a fresh wound. Now, though, the mention of his former career
barely caused a twinge in his chest. Zack paused, analyzing that interesting
bit of information. Huh. He must be getting over it, then.

“Sure I did,” he agreed. And it was true. Somehow, though, it wasn’t

as irritating now as before. “It’s just that I never had to dig postholes then.”

It wasn’t that he’d never done it, he acknowledged. After all, he did

grow up on a ranch and had done his share of the work. But he had always
been more interested in rodeo, leaving the family ranch to start competing
as soon as he was old enough. Zack never regretted that decision. He was
off following rodeo all year around. He kept in touch with his parents, but
rarely came home to visit them. He’d liked his life and had no intention of
changing it. He hadn’t been the best, but he’d enjoyed moderate success.
That was enough for him. He’d made decent pay, and he’d loved doing it.
Zack never had, or pretended to have, interest in managing a ranch, no
matter how small it was. But then his parents died, and he inherited their
place. Confused and grieving, Zack was unsure what to do. That and a
niggling sense of guilt made him decline to sell. Brett Miller, the owner of
the biggest spread in the neighborhood, Four Winds, had offered to buy it,
and at a decent price. But Zack wasn’t ready to say good-bye. He wasn’t
willing to drop everything and come back. But he wasn’t willing to give it
up, either. The place was filled with memories. It used to be his home. It
still was. Zack couldn’t bear to give it up, not just yet. So he made a deal
with Brett. Brett was going to manage the place like it belonged to Four
Winds, Brett’s own ranch, as long as Zack could come and stay whenever
he wanted. Brett had no objections to that. He had control of the place,
and Zack had somewhere to come back to.

But eight months ago, Zack’s life changed. He had woken up in a

hospital, his body broken and hurting, after one memorable encounter with

Cowboy Needed

9

a bull. It wasn’t the first time he’d been hurt, not by a long shot. He rode
bulls for a living, after all. But it was the first time he’d been hurt so badly.
That year’s season was over for him. He may not have understood what all
the doctors said, but he understood one thing. He would need a long time
to recover. And there was another, scarier thought. It could happen again.
And next time he might not be so lucky.

The event had shaken him badly. Zack was young when he started

competing, and as every young male was, he was convinced he was
invincible. For years, nothing had happened to change that belief. But now
something had happened, and that made him think.

He was getting older every year. He was over thirty now, and the

rodeo was always a young man’s job. He had a decent amount of money
squirreled away. Zack was always careful with money, so he wasn’t going
to starve. He could retire right now and spend some time thinking about
which way he wanted his life to go. The trouble was the rodeo was his
whole life. It always had been his whole life, his one and only lasting
passion. He had no clue what he was going to do now that it was out of the
picture. And he needed to work. The endless, bored months he spent
recuperating showed clearly that he wasn’t cut out to spend his days sitting
around. He had barely been able to wait until he was deemed well enough
to start puttering around Four Winds. Brett hadn’t asked. Zack had
volunteered. At first, it was only small things, odd chores that no one else
wanted to do, and which, as a consequence, ended up being undone. As
his strength gradually returned, he was taking on more and more
demanding jobs, and that, he thought with a scowl, was how he had ended
up digging postholes for the new fence Brett wanted. Jerk.

The sound of a car engine jerked Zack out of his musings. He started,

and both he and the guys turned to look in the direction the sound was
coming from.

A fire-engine red truck, bearing the Four Winds insignia on the driver’s

door, trudged its way toward them.

Zack couldn’t help but smile. Four Winds had its share of pickup

trucks. They were used by all the ranch hands. Only one truck had this
eye-catching, glaring red color. It was impossible to miss, which was a

10

Sunny Day

good thing, since this was the one vehicle that their boss used exclusively.

“Thought he was going to town today,” Jim commented over his

shoulder.

“He was,” Zack answered, not taking his gaze off the approaching car.
The vehicle came to a halt barely ten feet away from them. Its engine

was abruptly cut off. Zack leaned on his shovel, the rest of the guys
chorusing their greetings.

Nodding at them in answer, Brett slid out of driver’s seat, stopped to

look at the sky, grimaced, and bent to pick up his hat from the inside.

Nice butt, Zack thought absently, his gaze coming to rest at Brett’s

backside. He started, realizing who he was thinking of. Zack shook his
head, unnerved by his reaction. What was wrong with him? He knew Brett
was gay, or at least bi. Brett had never made that a secret, which, Zack
acknowledged, couldn’t have been easy considering where they were
living. On the other hand, Brett must have been really circumspect in his
dealings, and the fact that he was one of the richest men in the area must
have helped. Brett’s sexual orientation didn’t bother Zack, but that was
definitely not where his own tastes lay. Still, something had stirred inside
him when Brett moved. That was strange. He had no business at all ogling
Brett. He frowned, trying to remember when the last time he got laid had
been. It must have been a couple weeks before he had gotten hurt, which
would mean more than eight months ago. He almost laughed at himself. No
wonder he was reacting to Brett. He definitely needed some.

And, Zack added to himself, he is an attractive man. Zack stared at the

other man as Brett approached them, his gaze lingering on the sun-kissed
skin and long legs encased in jeans and black boots. If he swung that way,
he would definitely be tempted.

“Hey,” he said in an amiable tone, coming to stand next to Brett.

“Thought you were going to town today.”

Brett shrugged. “I was. I’m going back. I just wanted to see how you

guys are doing.”

For some reason, his words made Zack spark with indignation. What,

Brett didn’t think they could do their job without supervision?

Brett moved past him, and the guys dispersed to make way for their

Cowboy Needed

11

boss.

“It seems to be moving along nicely.”
Jim stepped closer to him. “We should be done with this by the time

the new posts arrive.”

“Mmm.” Brett was staring at the ground, a faraway look in his eyes.

Zack could imagine him fitting what he saw into what he had planned out.

Zack had to wipe his face again, blinking sweat from his eyes. The

temperature must have risen another notch while they were here, he
thought darkly, and tried to focus on what Brett and Jim were talking
about. He started, realizing Brett was frowning at him.

“What?” he asked irritably.
“You are not wearing a shirt,” was Brett’s answer.
Zack raised one eyebrow. “It was hot.”
“I know. Put it on.”
Some devil prodded Zack to grin. He waggled his eyebrows

suggestively. “What, the sight of my naked chest has you distracted?”

Brett’s jaw tensed. Fire flashed in his eyes, but he got himself under

control quickly.

“You are not my type. Why, were you offering?”
“No!” The words were out of Zack’s mouth before he had had time to

think. He winced at the way it sounded. Brett gave him a tight, unfriendly
smile. He started back toward his car. “Suit yourself, then. Just don’t come
whining when you get sunburned. I need to get back. Jim, I want to see
you later.”

With a curt nod to the rest of the guys, he climbed back into his truck

and drove off.

“I think you pissed him off,” Sean commented, breaking the

uncomfortable silence.

“Something like that,” Jim muttered, low enough only for Zack to hear.

He gave his friend a reproachful glance.

“What?” Zack mouthed at him.
Out loud, Jim said, “Come on. We need to finish this, or Brett will be

mad with all of us.”

12

Sunny Day

* * * *

Dressed only in loose, soft sweatpants, Zack entered the kitchen after

his second shower of the evening. It had felt good while it lasted. Now,
however, the pain was back. Jim, standing next to the counter with his hat
in hand, raised his eyebrows. Zack sighed, coming to stand next to him. He
winced when the red, sensitized skin of his torso came in contact with the
edge of counter.

He fixed Jim with a stare. “Give me a cold beer, and don’t you dare

say anything.”

“You want that beer to drink it or to put it on your sunburn?” Jim

asked dryly.

“Don’t be a smart-ass,” Zack muttered, closing his eyes. “What are

you doing here, anyway?”

“Brett wanted to talk to me, remember?” Jim handed him a beer.
“Right. Forgot about that.” Taking one long swallow, Zack forced

himself to relax. His back, his chest, and even his arms felt unnaturally tight.
He was almost afraid to move. It wasn’t exactly painful, but it certainly
wasn’t pleasant.

“You know we have to finish those postholes tomorrow.”
“Don’t remind me,” Zack muttered, taking his friend’s, albeit joking,

“advice” and pressing the metal can to his inflamed skin. “Maybe I’ll call in
sick.”

Jim snorted. “You can try. Somehow I don’t think Brett is going to be

sympathetic.”

Jim sounded like he wasn’t overly sympathetic, either. Zack lowered

his beer. “Have you—”

“Good. You are here.” That was Brett. He stopped in the doorway,

barely sparing Zack a glance. “Sorry about the wait. I was tied up on the
phone.”

“No problem.” Jim carefully put his beer on the counter. “Do you need

me in the office?”

Again, Brett didn’t look at Zack. “Please. It won’t take long.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jim followed his boss. Zack stayed to finish

Cowboy Needed

13

his beer. Although he was tired, he didn’t relish the thought of going to bed.
The cool evening air coming from the open door to the front porch had a
soothing effect on his skin. Zack decided to enjoy it as long as possible. He
heard the door open and close. It was probably Jim leaving.

Minutes later, Brett entered the kitchen. He raised his eyebrows when

he saw Zack was still there, but didn’t comment. Instead, he walked to the
fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

Uncapping the bottle, Brett leaned back on the counter, facing Zack

and raising one leg to rest on the chair closest to him. He took a sip.

“Now that looks like it hurts,” he said as his eyes slid over Zack’s

body, lingering deliberately over bare skin.

“Fine. Say it if you have to.”
“What?” Brett asked in mild tone.
“I told you so.”
“If you insist. I told you so,” Brett repeated obediently. His tone was

anything but.

What the fuck? Zack narrowed his eyes.
“You are mad at me.”
Brett appeared to think about it. He took another swallow of water.

“Yes. Yes, I am, and you don’t have a clue why, which just pisses me off
even more.”

Brett sighed, his shoulders hunching.
“You are an okay guy, Zack, but sometimes you can be such a fucking

asshole. What, you think I can’t help myself and stare at every naked male
in vicinity?”

Zack’s eyes widened in shock at his sudden outburst in profanity. Brett

never cursed. He never even raised his voice, letting his tone and cutting
words convey his displeasure to the offender.

“That was a joke, Brett. A joke. Everyone got it. What’s wrong with

you? Don’t you think you are overreacting?”

“I told you that you didn’t have a clue,” Brett muttered, mostly to

himself.

“Well, then, you can enlighten me. What’s your problem?”
“You said it in front of the hands,” Brett answered blankly.

14

Sunny Day

Brett’s words failed to make any sense to Zack. Why did it matter

who heard him? “So what?”

“You reminded them I am gay.”
“They know that, Brett. You haven’t made a secret of it.”
“And you think that’s been easy? Letting everyone in town speculate

on my sexual habits? What, you think no one cares? There are always
going to be people who don’t like it and who won’t be shy to tell me what
they think of it.”

“I didn’t think you minded.”
“I mind when it affects my business. I try very hard not to remind

anyone of that fact. And what you did this afternoon? You rubbed it in their
faces.”

Put like that, maybe Brett did have a reason for complaint. “I’m sorry.

I didn’t think.”

“Whatever.” Brett obviously wasn’t willing to be mollified. “Don’t do it

anymore. I’m going to bed.”

Brett pushed himself off the counter. “Oh, and before I go…” He put

something on the kitchen table and pushed it across to Zack. Zack reached
for it automatically. He hadn’t even noticed Brett taking it out of the fridge.

“Whipped cream?” he repeated stupidly.
Brett snorted.
“It should help with your burns.”
After this parting shot, he disappeared upstairs.

Cowboy Needed

15

Chapter 2

“Shit,” Zack muttered, twisting and turning in his bed. His skin was on

fire. He couldn’t find a way to settle properly in bed.

“Damn it.” He pushed himself into a sitting position. Now that was

better, but he couldn’t sleep this way.

“What the hell.”
He stood up, pushing the sheets down on the floor. He returned to the

kitchen and, picking the jar with the cream up from where he left it, liberally
slathered its contents over his belly. It wasn’t like he had anything smarter
to do. He sucked in his breath. It was just out of the fridge, so it was cold,
but it helped. He relaxed a fraction, though he still felt stupid. But he was
feeling better, so he picked the jar up again and started smearing it all over
himself. Once he was done with his chest and arms, Zack hesitated for a
moment. He could just leave it like that and sleep on his belly. He would
need to change the sheets tomorrow, but that wasn’t that big of a problem.
And in the morning he would probably feel better, but...

With a sigh, Zack picked up the jar and started toward Brett’s room.

Once there, he hesitated. Did he really want to disturb Brett? Zack had a
feeling that the other man was still angry at him, and considering what he
was going to ask, he might get even angrier. He almost turned and went
back to his room. The hallway was dark, since Zack didn’t bother turning
the light on, and his room wasn’t far. Brett might even be asleep, and in
that case, he certainly wasn’t going to be happy to be interrupted. Zack
sighed again, dropping his gaze to the floor. A tiny sliver of light was
coming from under the door. Brett was still awake then. Squeezing his eyes
shut, Zack knocked.

“Yes?”
Brett didn’t bother coming to the door, so Zack pushed it open and

16

Sunny Day

peered inside cautiously. His mouth went dry at the sight that greeted him.
Wearing only his boxers, Brett was lying on the bed, long legs stretched in
front of him. Zack’s gaze skimmed over his lean, muscled body. Zack’s
skin was hot and painful from burns, but now a heat of different origin was
starting to plague his body. One long-fingered hand was holding a
cigarette. Brett smoked. Rarely, but he still did it, though he claimed he
was trying to quit smoking.

“Zack? You wanted something?” There was an edge of annoyance in

Brett’s voice. Zack started guiltily. Uh-oh. He had been caught staring.

“Sorry. I couldn’t reach my back, so…” His voice trailed off. He

looked at Brett hopefully.

“You want me to do it?”
Zack nodded.
Brett’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “What, you are not afraid I’m going

to grope you?”

Zack winced at his tone. Obviously, Brett was still not over the

afternoon’s events, no matter that Zack apologized. But before Zack could
answer, he waved his hand dismissively.

“Never mind.” He stubbed the cigarette into an ashtray deposited on

his nightstand and abruptly stood up. “Give me that.”

He picked up the jar from Zack’s hands without waiting for an answer.
“Turn around,” he ordered.
Zack obeyed, bracing himself against the wall. He couldn’t suppress a

tiny shiver of excitement when he felt Brett step closer.

“You really did a number on yourself,” Brett mused, his words causing

small puffs of air to land on Zack’s shoulders. He tensed when Brett’s
palm, covered in a cool substance, rested on his back.

A wave of heat arrowed through his body, landing in his groin and

causing his dick to jump. Zack shifted.

“I’m sorry. Does that hurt?”
Brett’s hand started moving in small circles. Zack idly wondered if this

was the way he touched his lovers, too.

“What? No. No…I’m just…I expected it to hurt.”
Zack closed his eyes, trying to bring his feelings under control. Brett

Cowboy Needed

17

wasn’t the problem. He was being gentle, and Zack couldn’t truthfully
accuse him of doing anything untoward. But as the pain from the burns
ebbed, his blood heated for totally different reasons. He was wound tighter
than a ball of wire. There was no denying his arousal, and he was painfully
aware of the fact that, behind him, Brett was practically naked, baring his
navy blue boxers. Suddenly his mind conjured an image of Brett—the
hollow at his throat, muscled chest, flat belly, and slim hips. He must have
taken a good look at Brett when he came in, and the boxers weren’t very
concealing. When he started to picture Brett without boxers, which was
easier than expected, Zack hastily bit on his lip to draw his attention
elsewhere. It helped a little. He swallowed, the metal tang of blood
permeating his mouth. Brett’s hands were now at his waist, Brett seemingly
unaware of the torture he was inflicting on Zack. A moan pushed itself out
of Zack’s chest.

Brett’s hands stilled. “Zack? You all right?”
Zack almost growled in frustration. “Fine,” he ground out. “Just…It

feels good.” He sidestepped the issue. It felt better than good. The bulge in
his pants was proof enough.

Brett chuckled. The sound slid through Zack like a knife through

butter. And his own words were enough for all kinds of naughty thoughts
to sprout in his mind. Zack could feel his cock leaking. God, he would die
of embarrassment if Brett noticed his reaction. He spread his legs a little to
give his dick more room and breathed out a sigh of relief.

“There.” Brett’s voice almost caused him to jump. “Is that better?”
Zack almost went limp with relief. It was finally over, and he could

escape into the safety of his own room. He looked over his shoulder to see
where Brett was and sidled over to the door. Brett was wiping his hands
with a rag, seemingly unaware of Zack’s presence. He was also once again
giving Zack a good look at his ass, the thin material of his boxers clinging to
it lovingly, not hiding its enticing shape. Zack had to stifle a groan as his
cock jumped again. Brett’s head started to rise.

“I…ah…I should go,” Zack blurted, practically escaping the room

before Brett could ask any awkward questions.

Once the door was safely closed behind him, Zack slumped against the

18

Sunny Day

wall, his hands rubbing his aching temples.

What was wrong with him? This wasn’t a fleeting thought prompted by

a long dry spell. He had almost come in his pants while Brett was touching
him. And his dick was still hard enough to drill diamonds.

Unconsciously, his hand pushed inside his pants, wrapping around the

offending appendage. Zack closed his eyes. He shouldn’t be doing this, or
at least not here. But the fact that only a thin door separated him and Brett
was giving him a strange thrill. It wasn’t that big of a deal, anyway. The
chances of Brett coming out and catching him at this were almost
nonexistent, and the hand on his dick felt unbelievably good. Between his
injuries and long, tiring recuperation, it was a long time since Zack had
done this. So it wasn’t that wrong. And Brett probably wouldn’t mind even
if he knew, so…

For a moment, Zack had a crazy thought of going back in and asking

Brett to help him with his little problem. How would Brett react? Would he
be appalled? Would he nod and beckon Zack close, put his hand on
Zack’s cock, just where Zack’s now lay, and give him an encouraging
squeeze?

A rustle came from Brett’s room. Brett was probably getting ready for

bed. Zack had to bite his lip again to suppress a moan threatening to spill
from his lips. Footsteps came closer, and the light coming from under the
door disappeared. Zack increased his pace. His balls tightened. Brett slept
with men and professed to like it. He would probably know what to do
with Zack’s cock, gripping him just the way he preferred it, bringing him to
orgasm quickly and efficiently with a smug, self-satisfied smile on his lips.
Brett could be infuriating sometimes.

Zack’s balls drew up, his cock leaking profusely, smearing his palms.

He had to bite into his arm to keep himself still as he came, hard and
intense, black spots dancing in front of his eyes. His legs shook. Once he
was done, he carefully withdrew his hand, grimacing as he pulled his
sweatpants up.

Once he was safe inside his room, Zack stripped, wiped himself before

throwing his clothes into the hamper, then threw himself on the bed and
buried his head in a pillow. He thumped his fist against the mattress.

Cowboy Needed

19

“Shit, shit, shit.”
That summed it up nicely.

* * * *

“You heading to town?” Startled, Zack whirled around to face Brett,

who must have just entered the house. His jacket was dusty, and he was
wearing his old boots.

“Yes. Why?”
“Wait for me, then. I have an appointment in…” Brett checked his

watch and grimaced. “Less than an hour. No sense in taking two cars.”

“Okay.”
It wasn’t okay. He’d been doing his damned best for days to avoid

Brett. He was even happy to dig postholes as long as it took him away
from Brett. It was harder to deal with his own thoughts. They seemed
persistent in returning to Brett. Zack squashed them mercilessly. Going to
town to meet with some of his old friends was supposed to be another
attempt at distraction. But he couldn’t possibly say that to Brett, so he kept
his mouth shut.

Brett nodded, oblivious to Zack’s sudden nervousness. “I need to

change, but I’ll be ready in about…fifteen minutes. Here.” He pulled his
keys out of his back pocket and threw them at Zack. “We will take my
truck. Go on, I’ll be there shortly.”

He ran up the stairs, leaving Zack to stare bemusedly at the set of keys

in his hands. He had almost dropped them earlier. Now his fingers closed
involuntarily around them. They were still warm from Brett’s body.

The red truck was sitting in front of the house. Zack unlocked it,

climbed into the driver’s seat, and put the keys into the ignition. He
swallowed, realizing that the truck cab smelled like Brett. Logical, since he
was usually the one driving it. Zack squirmed in his seat, then expelled a
long breath. Okay. He wasn’t getting all hot and bothered. That
was…good, meaning that what happened last time was an aberration and it
wouldn’t happen again. By the time Brett shot out of the house and got into
the truck, Zack had already calmed down.

20

Sunny Day

“Okay, you can go,” Brett said, twisting in his seat to put the seat belt

on. As Zack reached for the stick to gear up the vehicle, his palm brushed
Brett’s knee.

A bolt of desire immediately shot through him, every nerve in his body

awakening. Aw…shit.

“Zack? Do you want me to drive?”
“No.”
Viciously, Zack stepped on the accelerator pedal. The truck jumped,

then speeded down the driveway. “I can do it.” Zack did his best to focus
on the road and ignore the temptation that was sitting right next to him.

By the time they arrived to town and Brett left, Zack was in a

thunderingly black mood. He almost jumped when a hand landed on his
shoulder. Zack turned swiftly, only to relax, recognizing one of his oldest
friends, Miles.

“Easy there. It’s just me,” he said, chuckling.
“Miles,” Zack said, offering his hand, “what brings you to town?”
The other man, blue eyes twinkling, just grinned at him. “This and that.

What about you?” He gave the red truck parked next to them a curious
glance. “Brett let you drive his car?”

“What? No. He is with me. I mean, he came with me. He has some

business here in town.”

“So you what, went along for the ride?”
“Something like that. I haven’t been in town for ages.”
Miles gave him an appraising glance. Satisfied, he nodded, clapping

Zack on the shoulder. “You are looking good, man. Way better than you
did some months back.”

“Ain’t that the truth. Feel better, too.”
“Jim said you are working with them on Four Winds.”
“For now. I mean, I’m all right now, but I probably should get some

strength back. I’m still not at one hundred percent.”

“You going back to rodeo then, when you are well again?”
“I…” Zack started, then found himself unable to answer. He didn’t

know what to say. He settled for, “I don’t know,” surprising himself. Miles
gave him a shrewd look. For a moment Zack was afraid he was going to

Cowboy Needed

21

ask more questions, but what he said was, “Listen, me and a couple of
guys are meeting every Friday at Fred’s bar, The Bull’s Eye, for some beer
and pool.”

Zack nodded. He knew the place. It was a bar on the outskirts of

town, mostly a hangout for ranch hands.

“You are welcome to join us, if you feel up to it. You should know

most of the guys, so that won’t be a problem. It’s nothing special,” he
continued, “just a bunch of guys hanging out.”

It was enough to pique Zack’s interest. “I just might.”
His mood lifted. Miles’s invitation couldn’t have come at a better time.

He could catch up with his childhood friends, relax a little. With any luck, it
should clear his mind of Brett…and the improper thoughts about the other
man that plagued him lately. He was about to ask Miles what time he
should be there when his phone rang. Grimacing, he checked the phone
screen.

“Sorry, need to pick this up.”
Miles raised his eyebrows.
“Girl?”
Zack snorted. “Don’t I wish. No, it’s Brett.”
“Better take it, then. He is not known for his patience.” Miles nodded

at him before stepping back. “See you on Friday, then.”

“I’ll be there,” Zack said to Miles. He then barked, “Yes?” into the

phone.

“I’m still at Ben’s,” Brett said in his ear, making Zack shiver despite the

warm day.

“Oh.” Zack tried to collect his thoughts. “Metal posts?”
“Yes. They aren’t ready for pickup. Ben said to come back for an

hour.”

“Well, that isn’t so long.”
“No, and I didn’t have lunch. How about you go with me to eat, then

we will come back for the posts. I’ll probably need help loading them in,
and Ben is short-handed today. That’s why there’s a delay.”

“Fine with me. I’ll stick around. Where do you want to meet?”
“I’ll come for you.”

22

Sunny Day

Brett disconnected without waiting for an answer, leaving Zack to stare

bemusedly at the phone.

* * * *

He didn’t recognize the place, but he followed Brett inside dutifully.

They took their seats, Zack looking around curiously. “This is new,” he
said.

“You haven’t been here before?”
“No, I was rarely in town,” Zack replied, shaking his head.
“It’s actually been some years since it opened. Betty Henderson owns

it. You remember her?” Brett asked.

That he did. The older woman had been a waitress at Billy’s, the

town’s diner since forever.

“She finally left Billy and opened her own place?”
The food at Billy’s hadn’t been great. That must not be the case here,

since more than half of the tables were full.

Brett nodded, flipping the menu open. “The food is better here.”
Zack’s nose agreed with that statement.
“I always liked Betty better.”
“I do, too, especially since I don’t think she would blink if I happened

to bring a date here,” Brett commented, stretching his legs under the table.

They were both startled when an amused female voice said, “Not that

Brett here is going to give me such a thrill. Hello, Zack. It’s nice seeing
you. Looking good, too.”

Brett started, obviously surprised by her appearance. There was a

guilty expression on his face.

“Betty, I didn’t mean…”
Betty, a woman in her fifties with hair that was still dark despite her

years and eyes twinkling in merriment, just laughed.

“That’s all right, Brett. Two handsome men together? I’m an old

woman and entitled to getting my fun where I can.”

“Are you that old, Betty? I hadn’t noticed,” Zack teased. He had

always liked Betty.

Cowboy Needed

23

“Why, you rogue, you—”
Brett’s stomach growled, interrupting their banter. He reddened,

hunching down in his seat. He looked like a kid caught doing something he
shouldn’t.

“I better take that order, then. Missed breakfast again, Brett?”
“No,” Brett mumbled. “Just hungry.”
“I’ll be back soon, then.” After taking their orders, Betty left.
“What?” Brett demanded.
Zack grinned. “Nothing.”
Brett glared at him. “Shut up and eat, then.”

24

Sunny Day

Chapter 3

His back to the bar, Zack was watching his surroundings from behind

half-closed eyelids. He was feeling surprisingly mellow, which was no
doubt helped by the fact that he’d been treated to more than one free drink
when the guys saw him coming into Bull’s Eye. He knew a lot of them, and
the rest obviously knew of him. They were happy to see him, and many
were coming up to him to say hello and ask about his health. It was good
to be home, no doubt about that. He took another swig from the bottle he
was holding.

The evening had certainly started out nicely. When he asked Brett if he

could go, Jim happened to be around. It turned out that he was a regular
visitor at Fred’s on Fridays. He was the one that drove them over, and he
offered to take them back, which meant that Zack was allowed to drink.
Jim, however, seemed to have fun even without beer. He and a couple of
other guys were currently gathered around one of three pool tables.
Judging from the sounds of laughter coming from there, they were enjoying
themselves.

Miles and another of Zack’s schoolmates stood at the one end of the

bar, obviously in deep conversation.

Zack was debating the merits of finishing his beer and joining Jim and

his friends. After all, he wasn’t half-bad at a game of pool. Someone
leaned on the counter next to him, jarring his elbow, and Zack almost
dropped his drink.

He turned, only to be met with an angry, black stare. Zack frowned,

trying to connect a name with the long, pinched face.

The man obviously had no such problem.
“Warren,” he said in a contemptuous voice.
“Carl,” Zack answered coolly, now remembering the guy. Carl

Cowboy Needed

25

Winston was never one of his special friends. The guy even competed in
the rodeo for a time, but he and Zack never ran in the same circles, despite
being from the same town and in the same business. Zack only vaguely
remembered him. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t like the guy, but he was
now regretting not joining Jim earlier.

Losing his interest in his beer, he deposited it on the counter, pushing

away from it. He was just going to apologize and walk away—no reason
not to be polite—when Carl said,

“Surprised to see you here.”
Zack refused to be intimidated. “Why is that?”
“Well,” Carl was nursing his own beer, “you haven’t been here before.

Naturally, we thought you weren’t interested.”

His voice was pitched to carry. Zack almost snorted. We? Everyone

else was happy to see Zack.

“Figured this place wasn’t good enough for you.”
“They tell me sedatives don’t mix with alcohol,” Zack answered dryly.

“And I like this place. I have many fond memories of times spent in bars
just like this one.”

Carl’s eyes flashed. Apparently, he was spoiling for a fight and wasn’t

happy with Zack for refusing to take the bait and ruining his chance.

“Saw you with Brett the other day. At that new, posh place in town.”

Carl paused. “Prefer Billy’s, myself.”

Another reason to avoid the place. Zack frowned, unsure of where this

was going. Carl must have been talking about the day he and Brett went to
town. He was still surprised at how well they got along. Sure, Zack was in
a pretty good mood after he left Miles, but he still expected them to lock
horns at least once, especially considering how tense Brett had sounded
over the phone. Instead, Brett had been relaxed and fairly easygoing,
which was a far cry from his usual, cool and aloof, I-am-the-boss manner.
Something of that could be attributed to the food, which was really good,
but not all of it. Zack was puzzling over it until he remembered Brett had
said Betty didn’t care where his preferences lay. That must be it. The town
may be willing to tolerate Brett, but there were limits. Betty’s restaurant
was a rare place where he was allowed to be himself, without the need to

26

Sunny Day

watch the way he was acting.

“Looked pretty cozy to me,” Carl continued. There was an

undercurrent to his words, like he meant something else, something not
very flattering, that made his innocuous words sound malicious.

“What do you mean?”
Carl shrugged like it was nothing important. He threw a malicious

glance at Zack over his beer. He must have already drunk a lot, Zack
realized, and cursed himself for not noticing earlier. That could turn out to
be a problem.

“Just what I said. Cozy, nice little meal. Expensive, I would bet.” He

paused, then added with spite,

“Must be nice having someone who could pay for it.”
Brett had paid for the meal, Zack now remembered. He didn’t think

anything about that then, since, well, it was Brett, and he didn’t even ask.
But Carl was implying that Brett paid…that Zack let him because he was
sleeping with Brett?

He tensed, fury rising inside him. He kept a rein on his temper.
“You are drunk, Carl, and have no idea what you are talking about.

Knock it off.” Everyone heard what Carl said. That was obvious from the
sudden silence in the room. The others kept stealing glances at them. Blood
boiling with rage, Zack struggled to control himself. He didn’t need this, not
right now. He wasn’t going to let Carl ruin his evening, damn it. He started
to turn away, but Carl wasn’t about to let him off that easily.

“What, you don’t like to hear the truth? I have to say, though, I didn’t

have a clue that was the way you swung.” His eyes narrowed. “Or is it only
for the money? That could be it, too. I mean, Brett certainly has more than
he ought to.”

“I said to shut up,” Zack replied, more sharply this time. Carl ignored

him.

“So it’s not like I blame you. And, well, Brett may even be good in

bed. I wonder which one of you gets to top. Him, you? You switch? I
wonder if he is—”

That was enough. Zack saw red. He didn’t wait for Carl to finish. He

struck.

Cowboy Needed

27

* * * *

Zack stormed into the house, angry with Carl, with himself, with

everyone else. He pulled his jacket off viciously then winced as pain shot
through his shoulders. That only served to piss him off more. Damn it.
Could nothing go the way it was supposed to today?

“Zack?”
Shit. That was just his luck. Brett was up and about.
“You are back early, thought you would...” Brett’s voice trailed off, his

eyes widening. “Are those bruises? Let me see.” He reached to touch
Zack’s face. Zack deftly sidestepped him. “Please don’t,” he bit off.

“What happened?”
“Nothing.” Zack tried to shove his way past the other man. Brett

refused to move. His hand shot out to grab Zack’s forearm, effectively
stopping him in his tracks.

“Brett, I’m tired. I’m dirty and sore. I want a shower and bed. I don’t

want company.”

“Tell me what happened.”
“No.”
Brett’s grip tightened.
“Talk, Zack. You were supposed to go out for a bit of fun. You are

back with,” Brett frowned at him, “what’s going to be a beauty of a black
eye and a piss-poor attitude. I want to know what happened.”

“So? Plans change.”
Brett snorted. “That much is obvious. Spill.”
Zack’s fingers curled into fists. His knuckles were scraped and bloody.

Both he and Carl had managed to land quite a few punches before the rest
of the guys finally separated them. Zack was still seething over what had
happened. He had the whole trip back to dwell on it and managed to work
himself into quite a state. Jim had taken one look at him and wisely shut up.
They spent the drive back to the main house on Four Winds in tense
silence.

As soon as Jim started to slow down, Zack was out of the car and

28

Sunny Day

getting on the porch, not bothering to say good-bye. He could swear he
heard Jim sigh behind him, but he didn’t turn around. No. He wasn’t in a
mood to talk. He was in a towering rage. If he could just have gone to his
bed and slept it off, he would undoubtedly be feeling better tomorrow.
Unfortunately, he now had Brett to contend with.

The timing couldn’t be worse.
They were standing in a half-lit hallway, their bodies inches apart,

Brett’s hand on his arm. Zack could feel his body, already high on the
adrenaline, starting to react in a predictable way. He had to rein in his urge
to yank Brett closer and push those hips against his until his hardening cock
found release. His anger increased. It was all Brett’s fault, anyway. He
shook Brett’s hand off.

“I’m going upstairs,” he announced, his eyes darkening. Oblivious to

his mounting anger, or just not caring, Brett blocked his way.

“I don’t think so.”
“You are starting to seriously piss me off.”
“Deal with it. I want to know what happened.”
“None of your business.”
He pushed Brett. Brett pushed him back, splaying a hand on his chest

to keep him in place.

“I asked what happened.”
“Fuck off, Brett.” Zack snarled. “I told you it wasn’t any of your

business. Why can’t you leave it alone?”

Zack didn’t hold much hope Brett was going to back off. He was used

to getting what he wanted. Zack’s sudden vehemence must have surprised
him, but he refused to listen. His fingers curled in Zack’s shirt. The
movement made his fingers brush against Zack’s nipple. Zack sucked in his
breath. Great, just great.

“What happened?”
Zack threw his head back and laughed, a bitter and angry sound.

Frustrated tears prickled his eyes.

“Do you really want to know?” he asked, his voice taunting.
“Yes.”
“Fine, then.” He smiled without humor. “It was because of you.”

Cowboy Needed

29

Silence froze between them, heavy and filled with tension. This time,

when Zack moved, he didn’t meet with any resistance.

* * * *

Zack was working in the barn, shifting big bales of hay. It was a hard,

mindless job, demanding every ounce of his strength. It suited him very well
at the moment. He was sweating like a pig, and a stray piece of straw
prickled his skin every so often. He ignored it. At least he was alone. In his
current state, that was a blessing. He really wasn’t in the mood for
company, hadn’t been for days.

Footsteps sounded from his left, causing Zack to tense. Speaking of

company, it looked like he was about to get some. He wondered who was
stupid enough to come after him. The day after the fight, all the guys were
curious to find out what had caused it. Since then, Zack had snarled at
them enough times that they were now giving him a wide berth. Good
enough. Zack had focused on the job like it was a lifeline. He wasn’t willing
to think about it, let alone talk about it. Besides, he figured someone would
fill them in sooner or later. Carl had made sure everyone in the bar heard
every damn word he said. Zack’s face still flamed when he remembered it.
He threw one bale viciously to the floor. It tumbled off and stopped not too
far from him.

Stripping off his work gloves, Zack glared at a shadow in the doorway.
“You may as well come in,” he yelled at whoever it was. “I know you

are here.”

Jim’s figure showed in the doorway. He surveyed the mess Zack had

made. “Feeling better?”

Zack snorted. “Not particularly. Did you want something?”
Jim hesitated, clearly unwilling to breach the subject. He seemed to

gather his courage, though, because he suddenly blurted,

“You and the boss still at odds?”
Zack frowned. “We are not. We weren’t.”
Jim’s face clearly showed what he thought of that.
“Jesus. It’s not like we were the best of buddies to start with.”

30

Sunny Day

No, they were not. They didn’t even try to be. They just found

themselves thrown together by the circumstances. They had to learn to go
along. It happened. It didn’t have to mean anything.

Yeah, and who are you kidding? The snide voice in his head sounded

a lot like Brett, who happened to be the one person Zack didn’t want to
think about.

If he had, he would have to admit that he missed him. They still lived on

the same ranch, in the same house. They couldn’t completely avoid each
other, though they both had tried their damned best. But Zack missed the
tentative friendship they started to develop, the relaxed attitude that Brett
was beginning to show around him.

The morning after, he had awoken with an aching head and a dry

mouth. He dreaded meeting Brett after what had transpired the night
before. They probably needed to talk. He prepared himself for another
argument, resolving to keep his calm.

He needn’t have bothered. Brett had reverted to his usual cool manner,

only talking to Zack when it was absolutely necessarily. He could barely be
depended on to say good morning, and he was rarely around for Zack to
say good night. Inexplicably, although Zack had decided to avoid Brett,
that hurt. It hurt more than it should have. Zack sighed and raised his head
to catch Jim still staring at him. “Is it really that noticeable?”

“Hell, yes. You haven’t seen any one of us try and talk with either you

or Brett, have you?”

Zack winced. That much was true, and it wasn’t fair to the guys.
“We all know about your fight with Carl.”
Zack winced again, his shoulders slumping in resignation. “Thought so.

It was too much to hope the story won’t get out.”

“No. I get what you did. I really do. Hell, I wasn’t far from decking

Carl myself. You did a good job, anyway.”

“Thanks.”
Jim stepped inside and came to sit next to him on overturned bale of

hay.

“So you are angry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with Brett, but I can

take a guess. The two of you argued.”

Cowboy Needed

31

“He was awake when we came back. He wanted to know what

happened. I was already angry, and…you know how Brett can be.”

Jim nodded. “You argued.”
“Worse than that. If only he hadn’t been there…hell, who am I

kidding. I should have kept my mouth shut. It’s just that he can be so
infuriating sometimes.”

“Don’t you think it’s unfair to blame Brett for your problem with Carl?”
“I’m not doing that!” Zack objected heatedly.
“You are doing a fair imitation of that, then,” Jim retorted.
“That’s not true. I’m just…I think it’s better if I distance myself from

Brett.”

“And that’s not blaming Brett?” Jim demanded.
Zack stared at Jim incredulously. “You heard what Carl said. How can

you ask me that?”

Jim shrugged. “Very easily, actually.”
“I don’t...” Zack started, stopped, and kicked his boot against the

ground. “Does it really look like that?”

“Like what?” Jim sounded honestly baffled.
Zack focused on the speck of dirt on the tip of his left boot.
“I mean, I get hurt, and Brett brings me here. I live on his place, in his

house, and I know damn well he was the one who paid my hospital bills.”

If Zack was honest with himself, he had to confess that that was part of

what was bothering him. When Brett showed up in the hospital after his
accident, he was too hurt, too confused, and too tired to think. Brett must
have handled everything. And later, when Zack was at Four Winds, there
was always something else he needed to commit himself to, his recovery,
endless visits to doctors and physical therapists.

He was a coward. He had to face the fact that, for the first time, his

future may not include the rodeo, and he was terrified. His dream was
splitting into pieces. So he just delegated it to the back of his mind and did
his best to forget about it.

Unfortunately, that also meant he left a lot of decisions to Brett. In

typical Brett manner, Brett did the job because someone needed to. He
didn’t have to have Zack’s approval, so he didn’t pressure him. Which,

32

Sunny Day

Zack thought looking back, may not have been the best course of action.
He should have talked to Brett. If nothing else, he wouldn’t now be in this
situation, which, he had to admit, really wasn’t Brett’s fault.

Also, it had been obvious that Carl was drunk and itching for a fight.

He wanted it, so he did his damned best to get it. His words shouldn’t have
bothered Zack, except…

He swung his head to see Jim staring at him, a look of honest surprise

evident on his face. Jim cleared his throat. “Um, Zack, you do realize we
are talking about Brett?”

Where had that came from? Zack frowned. “Of course.”
Jim rolled his eyes.
“I may not know a lot about Brett’s relationships,” he winced, “and I

don’t want to know, but let me ask you something. Can you imagine Brett
paying someone’s way just because he happened to sleep with the guy?”

Zack snorted. “Hell, no.”
“And there you have it.” Jim waved his hands. “Zack, Carl was pissed

at you, so he used what he could to rile you up. He succeeded, too. I’m
not saying there aren’t people around who don’t have a problem with
Brett,” he grimaced at what were obviously less than fond memories, “but
Carl has his beef with you.”

That threw Zack for a loop.
“Me? What have I done to him?” He cast his mind back in search of a

clue, but nothing popped up. “I have seen him around on some rodeo
events, but that’s about it. Christ, that was years ago. “

Jim nodded. “I’m guessing that you placed better than him in

competition.”

“Well, yeah. What about it? Carl stopped competing.”
“Not because he wanted to. Because he wasn’t good enough, and you

were. That’s enough to make a guy like him resent you. Then you weren’t
around enough for him to show it, so it festered.”

“That’s crazy. I’m not competing anymore. I won’t go back.”
The words were out of his mouth before he had time to think. He

paused, waiting for denial to come. Up until that moment, he hadn’t
realized he had come to a decision. Deep inside, he knew it was the right

Cowboy Needed

33

one. It hadn’t come without regret. He was going to miss the rodeo. It was
his whole life for a long time. But one thing was crystal clear in his mind. He
didn’t want to leave Four Winds, not even for the rodeo. He looked at Jim
and repeated, “I won’t come back. If he was jealous, wouldn’t that have
made him happy?”

Jim just shook his head.
“You are not going back because you don’t want to, not because you

can’t. That must stick in his craw.”

No matter how much Zack hated to admit it, Jim sounded quite

reasonable. He let out a long, frustrated sigh.

“You mean I have to apologize to Brett.”
Jim raised his eyebrows.”You think you don’t have to?”
“No. No, I must.”

34

Sunny Day

Chapter 4

He needed to shower. Zack hesitated in the hallway, eyeing the closed

door to Brett’s office. He could go upstairs, clean himself up, and then
come down. He knew for a fact that Brett was supposed to be at home the
whole day, so he didn’t have to hurry, not that he was relishing the
prospect.

He sighed and poked his head in Brett’s office. Better to get it over

with already. “Do you have a minute?”

“Try to knock next time,” Brett answered, not taking his eyes off the

screen. “And no.”

“A minute, Brett.”
Finally, Brett looked at him. Zack noticed him absently glancing at his

wristwatch, but he let himself in nonetheless. He closed the door behind
him and leaned on the wall. He was pretty sure Brett wasn’t going to kick
him out, even if he looked less than thrilled at Zack’s appearance.

Brett raised the screen saver on the monitor. “Can this wait? I’m

actually quite busy.” There was a faint edge of annoyance in Brett’s voice.

“No, and I promise it won’t take long.” He took a deep breath. “I

wanted to apologize.”

He had just thrown Brett for a loop. He could see it in Brett’s eyes, in

the way his hands, resting on the desk, curled into fists, but he recovered
quickly.

“Something specific?” he asked blandly, leaning back in his chair and

letting his hands drop into his lap.

Zack grimaced. He should have known Brett wasn’t going to let him

off easily. Ah, well, it wasn’t going to get any easier with time. He thought
back to his conversation with Jim.

“Just being a jerk, I guess.”

Cowboy Needed

35

His feet were itching to move. Brett was wearing a T-shirt today. It

was old, worn, and tissue-thin from many washings, and it molded to his
body like a second skin, making his hard muscles clearly visible.

For a moment, Brett just stared at him, then he motioned toward the

big chair in front of his desk. Zack seated himself reluctantly. He was ready
to swear that chair was made to make any poor sod in it uncomfortable.

“So, you are a jerk. Or at least you acted like one. And now you feel

the need to apologize for it,” Brett repeated.

Zack shrugged. He had nothing else to say.
“I see. Very well, then. Apology accepted.”
Stunned, Zack raised his head. “That’s it?” he asked incredulously.
Brett’s expression was inscrutable. “What did you want me to say?”
Put like that…He had no clue what he wanted from Brett. But it was

more than this.

“You sound like you’re still mad at me.”
God, he sounded like he was twelve. The corner of Brett’s mouth

twitched, but his gaze was still hard. “Was I acting like I was mad at you?”

No, you just acted like I was a stranger you passed by on the

street. For all his confused emotions, there was one thing Zack was sure
of. He missed Brett. Missed the way he could be, the way he was before.
He gave the other man a pleading look. “No, but…I guess I was expecting
something.”

Anything. Just something more than that blank, carefully neutral

expression he was getting right now.

Brett sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Look, I

really don’t know what you want. I don’t usually…” He stopped, sighed,
and leaned back into his chair, obviously at a loss for words. He
swallowed. “I thought I was fair to you.”

That wasn’t what you wanted to say. Frustrated, Zack wanted to

scream at Brett. This wasn’t going well. For a moment there, he was sure
he had Brett—that he was willing to talk, push down the barrier that now
existed between them, one that Zack’s thoughtless words, “It was because
of you,” and anger had erected. But whatever Brett was going to say, he
didn’t. Zack could see his everyday mask sliding back onto his face,

36

Sunny Day

concealing his feelings. The moment was gone. Brett was back in control.

He tried again. “I never said you weren’t.”
Defeated, Zack looked at the floor, unsure what else there was to say.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this, with him and Brett still at odds. He only
had a vague idea what he was going to say when he went looking for Brett.
But he had assumed that somehow, they would be friends again.

Before his fight with Carl, it wouldn’t have ended like this.
“Is that all?” Brett had already resumed what he was doing before

Zack came in. Zack bit his lip in frustration. He was being dismissed. He
stood up. Fine, then. He would have to tackle this some other day. At least
it was beginning. He was going to repair his relationship with
Brett...somehow, later.

Zack reached for the door handle.
“See you later,” Brett said absently, still preoccupied with his work.
Something snapped inside of Zack. Hold on a goddamned minute.

He wasn’t going to allow it to end like this. Both of them deserved more.
He made an abrupt turn and marched back to Brett’s desk. He grabbed
his chair and pushed it until Brett was facing him. Startled, Brett looked up
at him.

“What…?”
“Shut up for a moment,” Zack growled. “I’m not letting you get away

with that. What’s your fucking problem?”

“Huh?” With Zack looming over him, Brett couldn’t move.
“Okay, I was an idiot. You got mad. I get that. But then I apologized,

and you are still mad. What do you want?”

Brett’s eyes flashed. “What do I want?” he repeated in a deceptively

calm voice.

“That’s right.” Zack nodded and leaned in, bracing himself with both

arms on Brett’s chair until he and Brett were nose to nose. “What’s your
problem?”

In hindsight, he really should have seen it coming, having pushed Brett

too far this time. Brett’s hand shot up. He cradled the back of Zack’s head
and pulled him closer, enough to slant his mouth over Zack’s. Zack made a
sound of surprise, his lips opening, letting Brett’s tongue in. Shock mixed

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37

with a heavy dose of desire coursed through his system. He didn’t think.
Instead of backing out, he sort of collapsed into Brett’s lap, returning the
kiss with all of his might before he even realized what was happening.

His chest mashed with Brett’s, their shoulders touching.
Brett was running his hands up and down Zack’s arms, sending goose

bumps down his skin. He kept devouring Zack with his mouth.

Zack gripped the chair tighter and pushed Brett back, forcing him to

throw his head back. Brett’s momentary distraction and change in position
was enough for Zack to take control of the kiss. The chair groaned under
their combined weight. Zack’s tongue leisurely explored Brett’s mouth,
savoring the taste, tinged with Brett’s favorite brand of cigarettes.

Brett shifted, his thigh brushing Zack’s denim-covered cock. They

were both hard, Zack realized, then moaned in Brett’s mouth when a hand
slid down between their bodies, lodging between his legs. Unconsciously,
he shifted to allow that wandering hand better access. His reward was an
encouraging squeeze. He hissed, pushing back against Brett’s palm. His
blood surged.

He whined in protest when Brett retreated. There was a slight popping

sound. He looked down to see Brett unbuttoning and opening his jeans.
Brett pushed them down his hips and fished his cock out, running his hand
down its length. He gently cupped the leaking tip, rubbing the pearl drops
of pre-cum into his sensitive skin. Zack hissed. All too soon, he became
aware of the fact that it was Brett, another man, holding and stroking him,
that they were in Brett’s office, with him sitting in Brett’s lap, ready to
shoot. Alarmed, he gripped Brett’s wrist, stopping his progress, the tips of
his fingers skimming over the cool face of Brett’s watch. Brett paused, his
gray eyes contemplating him in silence. Lowering his head, Brett lapped at
Zack’s collarbone. Zack shuddered, but refused to budge.

Brett’s tongue traced a wet path up to his earlobe. Zack hissed.
“Ahh...”
It was more than a mortal man should be expected to bear. Zack’s

grip loosened.

A knock sounded at the door. Zack’s eyes flew open. He started,

almost overbalancing them both. The chair squeaked noisily, causing Zack

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to throw a frantic glance at the door. It wasn’t locked. Any moment,
whoever was on the other side could come in. Panic kicked in.

“Just a moment,” Brett called at the door. He pushed at Zack, who

hastily scrambled to get away. He cursed when his lowered jeans almost
caused him to trip and fall down. Brett caught him.

“Stay there.” He pushed Zack to sit at the desk then went to open the

door. Coincidentally or not, Brett positioned himself in a way that wouldn’t
allow the intruder to see Zack. Zack closed his eyes in abject relief.

“Jim,” Brett said, which made Zack’s cheeks heat in embarrassment.

“What is it? I’m working.”

Frantically, Zack tried to remember if any trace of their recent activities

would be apparent in Brett’s appearance. It must not have been, because
Jim said, “Sorry, boss. The vet is here about Flame.”

“Now? I thought he was supposed to come tomorrow.”
“He was. He is just here now. Thought you would want to be there. I

can’t find Zack.”

Zack winced. Jim sounded like he was asking a question, or maybe it

was just his guilty conscience speaking.

Brett obviously wasn’t having such a problem. “Zack? He was here

earlier. Probably he is still somewhere in the house.”

“I’ll go and look for him, then.”
“Do that. I’ll be along shortly.” Brett closed the door, waited until the

sound of Jim’s footsteps died away.

“You can relax now. He is gone.”
Zack took a deep breath. “That was close. That was very close. He

came looking for me.”

“Figured as much.” Brett glanced at him. “Straighten your clothes. You

can go out and find Jim. Try not to look so flustered. He doesn’t have a
reason to suspect anything.”

Zack hoped it was true. His blood ran cold. They were so close to

getting caught. He didn’t want to even contemplate that possibility. His
nerves rattled, his hands were shaking so much he couldn’t button his
jeans.

“Here, let me.” Without waiting for an answer, Brett reached over to

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39

help him. He briskly tucked and zipped Zack in. Discretely, Zack looked
Brett over. Yes, he was still hard, though it was difficult to tell looking at his
face and considering the detached manner he tidied Zack’s clothes with.
Zack stepped back nervously. “Thanks.”

Brett rolled his eyes. “And here we go again,” he muttered under his

breath. He probably didn’t mean for Zack to overhear his words. In the
state Zack was in, they were too much.

“What was that supposed to mean?” Zack asked sharply. Brett didn’t

bother to look at him. He sat back in his chair and started tidying up
papers.

“Go look for Jim. Henderson will be waiting. You can deal with him.”
“I still want to know the answer.”
Brett gave him a look. His shirt was unbuttoned, Zack realized.

Nothing much, just a couple of buttons, offering enticing glimpses of his
throat and chest. Zack must have been the one who did that, since Brett
was usually meticulous in his appearance.

“You are attracted to me.”
Zack opened his mouth to deny it. Brett’s gaze pointedly dropped to

Zack’s groin. He was still half-hard. Zack flushed.

“It doesn’t mean anything.”
He expected Brett to get angry. Instead, Brett just appeared amused.

“If Jim hadn’t interrupted us, you would probably have let me do you right
on this desk.”

Since it was the same conclusion Zack was coming to, it was hard to

deny the accusation. Brett leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms
over his chest. He studied Zack with unnerving calm.

“I didn’t pick up on it before, but that’s why you and Carl argued. He

hit too close to home, and you lost control.”

Zack’s cheeks heated. “Who told you that?”
Brett snorted.”Don’t be naive, Zack. Have you really thought someone

wasn’t going to tell me? It was a hot topic for days. There were many
people who were eager to share the tale with me.”

“I don’t know what they told you, but Carl was…”
“Please. I have a pretty good idea.”

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Sunny Day

“Damn it, he accused me of being your…your…” Zack stuttered. He

was going to say mistress, but he remembered that didn’t apply to a man.
Or did it?

Brett didn’t have that problem. “Whore?” he suggested.
Zack actually winced.”Something like that, yes.”
“And why the hell haven’t you laughed it off? Everyone knows you did

good for yourself while you were riding rodeo. I may not know the details,
but I can’t imagine you blew all that money.”

“Of course not.”
“So, what was the problem then? Zack, you struck him. All those

years of following the rodeo, visiting bars, I imagine hanging with some
rough crowds, and you don’t have a reputation for getting into fights.”

“No. A friend got into a fight, ended in a hospital, and couldn’t

compete anymore. I wasn’t about to let that happen to me. It’s a tough
sport. I had to be in peak physical condition. I wasn’t going to endanger it
for some idiot.”

“Which is exactly my point. But Carl got to you.”
Zack lifted one shoulder defensively. “You had to be there to

understand.”

“Oh, I understand really well. Better than you, I think. You are

attracted to me. I’m going to guess and say that you weren’t attracted to
men before or, at least, were able to suppress that attraction. But then
there you were, stuck in the same house with me.” He cocked his head.
“And you knew I was into men, and that you weren’t going to get beaten if
you happened to proposition to me.”

It was uncomfortably close to the truth.
“What has that got to do with Carl?”
“You weren’t willing to admit it. It was easier to get angry over

something else. That way you could avoid thinking about your...choices.”

“You can’t know what I was thinking.”
“No, and I don’t want to. But we can’t go on like this. This ranch is my

business. I’ll be damned if I allow your pride to endanger it. You and
I…work well together. I do a good job. But you get along better with
guys. I don’t. I never did. My previous foreman did the job for me. He

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41

acted as a buffer between me and them. Then he retired, and I was
supposed to find another, except there was never time, and I really had no
options. Then you got hurt. You were on Four Winds. The guys liked you.
As long as you are here, I’m not going to allow anything to disrupt that.
The last couple of days weren’t especially pleasant for me. I’m guessing
it’s the same for you because you wouldn’t have showed up to talk if you
had any other choice.”

“So where do we go from here?”
Brett sighed, dragging a hand across his face. “Look, Zack. I can

truthfully say that you weren’t the first man I was lusting after. Not even the
first straight man, I have to confess.” A small smile curved his lips, but his
eyes were serious. “I don’t always have to make a move. It’s just
that…you kept flirting with me, then pulling abruptly back and sulking.
It’s…confusing.”

“I wasn’t flirting.” Even as he said it, Zack winced. Yes, he was. “All

right, maybe I was, but it wasn’t intentional.”

It sounded lame even to him. Brett just shrugged like it wasn’t a big

deal. “Whatever. I don’t care. Just cut it out. Or,” he smiled, slowly, his
eyes glinting dangerously, “we finish what we started here.”

The color rushed into Zack’s cheeks. His belly churned, his mind filling

with taunting images. He licked his suddenly dry lips.

Looking for all the world like he had lost any interest in Zack, Brett

reached over to pick up his hat. He put it on in a smooth move, passing
next to Zack on his way to the door. Their shoulders brushed.

Brett paused in the doorway and frowned at Zack. “You coming or

not? By now, Jim is probably wondering where we are.”

Zack reacted like he was woken from a trance. “Better hurry then,” he

mumbled. Wordlessly, he let Brett go first. He fell into step behind him.

They encountered Jim outside on the porch. His curious gaze flicked

over the two of them. “Hey, I was looking for you.”

“Brett told me,” Zack answered easily. Easier than he expected.
“Yeah, the vet is already there. He wanted to talk to Brett, but I know

you would want to be there.”

Flame was a small mare, her coat a fiery chestnut color. In theory, she

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was Brett’s mount. In practice, she was a spoiled, troublemaking pest.
Zack liked her. Her mischief was what had gotten him out of his depression
when he first came to Four Winds, still weak and hurting. Brett paused
next to the corral to talk to one of the hands. Zack, offering his hand in
handshake to Doc Henderson, found his gaze wandering over to where
Brett stood, one booted foot cocked on the rung of the fence. A shiver
went through him. He couldn’t suppress a tiny flicker of regret.

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Chapter 5

Brett was bone tired. More tired than he was willing to admit to

himself. Once inside the house, he had gone straight for his room, closed
the door, and leaned on the wall with a sigh. His whole body ached, any
reserves of energy he had totally depleted. It was a long, exhausting day,
both emotionally and physically. Of course, he reflected back sourly, he
had no one to blame but himself, at least for the second part. He
was…upset, wrenched inside. Usually he was able to find solace in hard,
meaningless work, the kind that always abounded on a ranch, especially
one as big as his. He worked along with his hands. It should have been
enough. He should be able to drop down and sleep dreamless sleep. It
didn’t work that way this time. He was still revved up inside, his thoughts
racing in a mindless circle. He dropped to his bed and sighed, his head
coming to rest on his raised arms. He should at least be honest with
himself.

Zack was the problem.
After the “incident” in his office, Brett wondered what had possessed

him to do something like that, anyway. But he had just had some hard days
beforehand, and his patience was stretched thin. He had found out about
the fight and all the lurid details that preceded it. He wasn’t surprised. Truth
be told, he had expected someone to say something to Zack before.
Maybe not with intent to fight, but to say something nevertheless. He
wasn’t blind or stupid. Brett knew he was gossiped about. Hell, everyone
was in a small community like his. But he didn’t expect Zack to get pissed
about it. And pissed at him, at that, which, he thought sourly, really wasn’t
fair. It wasn’t like he had something to do with it. When Zack’s parents
died, he had sought Zack out with an offer to buy the family ranch. Truth to
tell, he had even talked about it with Zack’s father. He figured Zack

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wouldn’t mind. By then, he was away for years, rarely coming back to
town, and he never expressed interest in the ranch. Brett fully expected his
offer to be accepted. But then Zack surprised him, coming back with the
offer of loose partnership. After he got over initial shock, Brett agreed, as
long as it got him what he wanted in the end. Though, he couldn’t resist
warning Zack.

“You know I’m gay, right?”
“Yes. And?”
Okay, so at least he wasn’t a homophobe, and initially it wasn’t

necessary for the two of them to be in close contact. Everything would
have worked out perfectly…if Zack wasn’t less straight than he pretended
to be. Or wanted to be, even. Brett rubbed his temples in exasperation. If I
wasn’t attracted to him, and he wasn’t attracted to me…but this is
such a mess.

So he wasn’t in a reconciliatory mood when Zack attempted to

apologize. And what irked him even more was the cocky stance Zack had,
like he fully expected to be forgiven.

“Jerk,” he muttered aloud.
So Brett kissed him. A shudder went through him as he remembered

the sweet taste of Zack’s lips. And boy, did he ever know how to kiss.
Desire had shot through him like lighting. Brett absently touched his lips,
which tingled at the memory.

He was both grateful and resentful of Jim’s interruption. He had no

doubts how it would have ended otherwise. But it would only complicate
an already complicated situation.

Zack was now back to avoiding him. Which was all well and good,

really. That was one of the reasons why he did it in the first place. The rest
of his intentions weren’t so noble. He had enjoyed it.

After all, he wasn’t made of stone. Standing up, Brett started to pull his

shirt off. On the downside, it was harder to ignore Zack after that. But
what truly unnerved Brett were the moments he would turn around and
catch Zack gazing at him. Zack didn’t even bother to try hiding it. It was a
thoughtful, contemplative look…and just a little hungry. Brett shivered,
rubbed his forearms defensively.

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45

He was startled out of his reverie by the sound of the door opening.

The object of his thoughts slid into the room. Blue eyes flicked over to him,
widening just a little as his half-naked state registered. Zack swallowed,
hesitated, but in the end, stepped in and closed the door behind him. The
click sounded loud in the quiet room. It had a deliberate finality to it.

Brett stared at Zack in complete astonishment.
“What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” He reached back for

his shirt. Everything was fine when he went in, but for Zack to be here, it
must be something serious. They would probably need to rouse the guys
and…and a hand on his forearm stopped him.

“Zack? What’s going on?”
Zack’s hand dropped. “It’s nothing to do with the ranch.”
“Then what is it?”
The silence that followed this question was so long Brett opened his

mouth to ask again.

“I want to check it,” Zack blurted out.
Brett’s brows furrowed in confusion. Zack hurried to explain. “What

happened in your office,” he cleared his throat, “I want to know…if it’s
going to happen again.”

As propositions went, this wasn’t the most romantic one Brett had ever

gotten. He wanted to laugh at the expression on Zack’s face. He looked
ready to bolt, but stayed where he was, like he was rooted in place.

“The kiss.”
“It wasn’t just the kiss.”
“I know that! Why do you think I am here?” Zack blew out a breath.

“Damn it, Brett, I’m not interested in men that way. Yet when you…when
you kissed me, I…”

“Enjoyed every minute of it?”
And then some, judging by the way he had reacted. Probably better

not to mention that, though.

“Well, yes.”
“So you are wondering if it was just one time. If it was, no big deal.”
Zack glared at him. “I think the sooner we put that behind us, the

better.”

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“Can’t fault your logic on that,” Brett agreed readily enough. “What

happens if it wasn’t?”

Zack raised his chin. “We will just have to see, won’t we?”

* * * *

Zack may have not been sure if this was what he wanted, but his body

knew. It went pliant in Brett’s arms, the earlier tension forgotten. He
moaned into Brett’s mouth. The kiss was as intoxicating as the first time. It
made him rub eagerly against Brett’s thigh, Brett’s obvious erection
pressing into his belly.

A palm swept his ass, squeezed it. He shuddered in anticipation. Brett

was naked to the waist, and Zack’s hands could wander and explore his
gloriously naked skin. Longing rose inside him, desire engulfing him
completely. This was what he needed, what he craved.

Refusing to break the kiss, he walked Brett back in the direction of

bed. They both went down, heat spilling over Zack’s body. Brett crawled
on top of him, pulling his shirt out of his jeans and out of the way, letting
skin meet skin. Zack gasped at the touch, his eyelids fluttering closed.
Brett’s lips moved, followed the line of his jaw until he nipped gently on
Zack’s neck.

Zack missed those lips keenly when Brett retreated. He opened his

eyes to meet Brett’s heated stare. His lips were swollen and red. Zack
reached to brush his fingers against them. Brett withdrew, twisting his head,
causing Zack to stare at him in confusion.

“Fuck. We keep this up, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to stop

later.”

“I know,” Zack whispered, raising his head to claim Brett’s lips again.
Brett’s hand tugged at the buttons of his shirt. He had most of them

unbuttoned before Zack stopped him. “Wait.”

“What?” Brett snapped.
Zack let out a long sigh. “Can you…” He hesitated. “Turn the lights

off?”

Brett stared at him for a long time. Wordlessly he slid off the bed,

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47

crossed over to the door. Zack swallowed. Part of him wanted to get up
and leave. The other part, already missing Brett’s weight on him, longed to
feel his touch again. He heard a soft click, and the room sank into
darkness. The silver light of the moon filtered through the curtains, letting
Zack focus on Brett’s shadow. The bed dipped under Brett’s weight, then
a long, warm body stretched alongside his, and for a moment, he forgot to
breathe. Brett kissed his cheeks, then his lips, making his head spin again.
Then the kisses trailed down his neck, Brett opening his shirt even further.

Zack’s breath quickened when Brett, mouth still busy at his collarbone,

slid a hand down his body and stopped to pluck at his nipple. An
embarrassed hiss left Zack’s lips, shame mixing with desire. His nipples
hardened, craving the touch. Brett paused, his fingers idly playing with the
sensitive little nubs. Zack swallowed. He wasn’t going to stop Brett. His
body liked this. He liked this.

Brett paused, and Zack barely had time to regret the loss. Brett’s dark

head moved from his shoulders, and his wet, masterful lips found Zack’s
nipple. His cock jerked. Zack groaned, his hands fisting in Brett’s hair
involuntary. He stared blindly at the ceiling. His teeth clenched when his
jeans were opened and pushed down his legs.

He raised his hips in encouragement, his hand finding Brett’s and

pressing it against his now-naked cock.

Brett pulled back. “Don’t.”
Brett gripped both his wrists, positioning them on the pillow on both

sides of Zack’s head.

“Keep them there.”
Zack groaned in frustration. “Why?”
“Because,” Brett settled between his legs, “I said so.”
Zack’s thoughts died a quick death when his cock was held up and

swallowed. He bucked, arched, thrusting into Brett’s mouth. He growled,
his head slamming against the pillow, continuing to pump mindlessly. Brett
sucked, his throat working around the inflamed length. Zack growled. His
muscles went taut as his balls tightened. He shouted as he spilled into
Brett’s mouth. Spent, sweat covering his body, he collapsed back on the
bed, breathing heavily.

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Brett continued to suck him gently, Zack’s oversensitized dick

twitching eagerly. Zack drew in a deep breath.

“You are…good at this,” he said finally.
Brett pulled his mouth off Zack’s cock. “Thanks,” he said dryly. “I do

know what it feels like, after all.”

Zack was overwhelmed with the urge to laugh. He rolled over onto his

side when Brett nudged him. “You—” He cut himself off when he felt Brett
move behind him, his knee pushing Zack’s legs apart.

“What are you…?”
Brett’s lips ghosted over his shoulder as he patted Zack’s ass cheeks.

“You can figure it out.”

Zack wanted to panic. But his body, gloriously sated and tucked into

Brett’s arms, refused to comply.

“You thought I was going to let you fuck me,” Brett said.
“Well, I…not that I object to the blow job.” Zack tensed when Brett’s

fingers touched his hole. They were wet with something.

“I know. It was supposed to relax you. You are nice and loose now.”
“I’m not.” Zack tried to clear his mind. “And you keep lube on your

nightstand.”

“I’m a guy, Zack. I use it to jack off.”
A finger slid in. It went in almost without the sting. Zack waited for it to

hurt.

“Oh.”
“It’s doing its job, however. I have two fingers in, and you haven’t

complained once.”

Zack’s eyes widened. His hole was stretched, and he was feeling

uncomfortable, but there wasn’t any pain.

“I don’t like it,” he clarified, hoping it would be enough to make Brett

back off. He could always…jack him off.

“Mmm.”
Something inside him was petted and caressed. A bolt of pleasure, so

intense it almost bordered on pain, shot through him. His dick twitched,
trying valiantly to rise again.

“Brett!”

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Zack panted. He groaned when the fingers left him, and something

wider and hotter replaced them.

“I can’t…” He almost whined as Brett breached him, filling his ass. He

tried to twist, but Brett followed him, pushing until he was in.

“You feel like a glove on my cock,” Brett said, strain obvious in his

voice. He pulled back and brushed the mysterious little gland inside Zack’s
channel again. Zack squeezed his eyes shut. He was definitely becoming
hard again.

Brett gave him a couple more slow strokes before starting to fuck him

in earnest. Zack’s own cock was now stretching along his belly, obviously
enjoying the abuse his ass was enduring.

He had to stuff his fist into his mouth to keep from yelling as Brett

pounded into him. Brett’s hand found and gripped his cock, giving him a
tantalizing stroke. It was enough to push him over. He bit into his wrist as
his cock spilled once again, spraying the sheets.

Brett stiffened behind him. He came without a sound, his cum heating

Zack’s ass. Zack stayed still as Brett finished. He heard Brett take a long
breath, his body still trembling under the force of his orgasm. Suddenly he,
more than anything, wished he could see Brett’s face. Brett rested his
sweat-covered forehead on Zack’s shoulder. His breathing evened.

Zack found and wrapped Brett’s arm around him. He eased away

from the wet spot, settling down into sleep immediately. His last conscious
thought was that he probably should leave Brett’s room before morning.

* * * *

His cell rang. Brett stopped, moved over to the end of the sidewalk,

and checked the readout. His lips curved. Four Winds, house line. Zack.

“Yes?”
“Are you still in town?” Zack wanted to know.
“Yes, but I’m preparing to go back. Why? Do you need something?”
Zack was silent. “It’s late.”
Brett rolled his eyes. He knew damn well why Zack was calling. Ever

since the first night, Zack had spent every night in his bed.

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“Why? Miss me?”
“Brett.” Zack hissed warningly. He still wasn’t comfortable discussing

the physical aspect of their relationship. If it could be called a relationship.
The sex was great, regardless of everything else.

Brett sighed. He had no intention of rocking the boat. “I’ll be there

soon.”

Zack disconnected without a good-bye. Brett grimaced as he hooked

the phone back on his belt. He would need to soothe some ruffled feathers
after he got home.

His truck was parked not ten feet away, so he went to it. While he was

opening the door, a voice called his name.

“Brett. Hold on a second.”
Brett turned around, stopping with his hand on the car door. Sam

Graham, one of his father’s old friends, and one of the more prominent
ranchers in the community, was quickly approaching him. He waved to get
Brett’s attention.

“Mr. Graham,” Brett said politely.
The older man huffed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“I’m getting old,” he muttered, obviously disgusted with himself.
“Thought we all are.” Brett raised one eyebrow.
He got a glance from those steely gray eyes. “Don’t butter me up, boy.

I know my limits.”

“I wouldn’t dare imply otherwise.”
“Hah. Anyway, here is the thing. I have been meaning to call you, but

never found the time. Once I did, you weren’t there. So I’m going to tell
you now.” He lowered his voice. “Listen, I may be making something out
of nothing, but frankly, I think it’s better to warn you.”

“About what?”
“Carl Winston.”
That got Brett’s attention. “What about him?”
“You know he was working for Ben Coltrane, right?”
He did. He kept his face impassive. “I might have heard that. It’s really

not my business...”

Sam pursed his lips. “Well, he was, or at least he was until that fight he

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had with Zack. He was fired a couple of days afterward. He was drunk
and mouthing off. He and Ben had some words. Apparently, it wasn’t the
first time he wiggled out of his responsibilities, and this was the straw that
broke the camel’s back, so to speak. Ben decided he had had enough and
told him he was fired and not to come back. Carl objected, of course. As I
heard it, he was convinced Zack persuaded Ben to fire him. Even your
name was tossed around.” Sam paused to give him a long look.

“I see.”
“I know you don’t concern yourself with Carl, but maybe you should,

at least for a time. He threatened both you and Zack.”

Brett thought about it. “I appreciate the warning. I’ll take care.”
Sam snorted, accepting the hand Brett offered him. He shook it

vigorously. “Like I said, it may be nothing. Still. Warn Zack, too. I don’t
think Carl will be choosy over who he goes after. If he goes after someone,
that is. It could be only an angry man rambling, and he will settle down.”

“Could be,” Brett agreed.

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Chapter 6

“So you and Brett patched things up,” Jim observed while he and Zack

were in the barn, tending to their mounts.

Zack grinned. “You noticed?”
Jim rolled his eyes. “Hell, yes. I have to say, things are a lot easier

around here when you and Brett are on speaking terms.”

Remembering the way Brett’s lips felt on his ear while his body was

pressing Zack’s into the mattress, his hips pushing urgently against Zack’s,
Zack swallowed. He pulled further into the shadows and bent his head,
letting the brim of his hat hide his face. He wondered what Jim would do if
he knew just on how good of terms Brett and he were lately.

“Speaking of Brett, do you know what’s bothering him?”
Zack threw Jim a quick glance. “You noticed, too? I thought I was

imagining it.”

Jim shrugged. “He hasn’t said anything. It’s just that he is…worried

about something.”

“I was going to ask. I just didn’t have time.”
“Yeah, well, probably it isn’t anything important.”
Satisfied, Jim patted the neck of his horse, Sorel, and got out of her

stall. He dragged the bucket with water closer. “Here you go, missy.”

He looked at Zack. “Well, I’m off. I have a date in town.”
“Enjoy it.” Zack winked at him.
Jim burst into laughter. “I certainly will.”
Zack was planning to do some enjoying of his own. It was Saturday

evening, and most of the hands had plans to go to town. Zack had
declined. He had other ideas how to spend the night.

His cock stirred, straining against his jeans. Grimacing, Zack reached

down to adjust himself. It wouldn’t do for someone to see him this way.

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He forced himself to walk slowly to the house, waving at Mick and

Lars, who were just leaving. He sighed in relief when the door closed
behind him. Five minutes later, his good mood started to evaporate. Where
the hell was Brett?

After exhausting all other avenues, Zack stepped out on the back

porch. The slightly balmy wind rose to meet him. This part of the house
overlooked the vast green of the Four Winds property. It was a stunning
sight, especially now, at the border between night and day, with the sun
coming down in a riot of gold and red colors.

Someone cursed. He followed the sound to where Brett sat on the

porch steps, his long legs stretched in front of him.

“Hey,” Zack said, his lips curving into a grin. Brett had a cigarette in his

hands. He gave Zack a cool glance through the cloud of smoke. Zack
inhaled deeply. The scent of cigarettes reminded him of Brett, and it was
enough for his blood to heat.

“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m taking a smoke.”
Zack raised his eyebrows. “What, here? I hate to break it to you, but

you are the boss. If you want, you can smoke in the living room.”

He got a thunderous glare in return. Brett mumbled something

unintelligible. Zack watched his lips wrap around the tiny cylinder. He
groaned. It was enough to turn his fledgling arousal into a full-blown
erection.

“What did you say?”
“I said, I’m trying to stop.”
“And?”
“And I told everyone to remind me if they saw me smoking.” Brett

sounded put off.

“They have cleared by now,” Zack said mildly. “So you came here to

hide?”

“Is there a point to this?” Brett was definitely cross.
Zack smothered a laugh. “Not really.”
He bent down to pluck the cigarette out of Brett’s fingers, dropped it,

and quickly stepped on it with his boot. To his credit, Brett didn’t

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complain, though he looked mournfully at its remains. He sighed.

Zack dug his fingers into Brett’s shoulders, feeling the muscles tense.

Ignoring Brett’s reaction, Zack continued to knead his resisting flesh until
the tension eased from Brett’s body, his head coming to rest on Zack’s
knee.

“That…feels good,” Brett said, sleepily. Zack shuddered, and it wasn’t

from the cold. Brett’s voice was husky, the same as when they were
making love.

“Does it? Had a long day today?”
Brett had spent most of the day shut in his office, and when Zack saw

him at lunch, he was on his cell phone and obviously not pleased. Zack had
been waiting the whole day to get his hands on him.

“Let’s go inside.”
He felt Brett tense. That wasn’t what he was aiming for, so he held out

his breath. Zack had always before waited for Brett to retreat to his room
before coming in. He had deviated from that rule now.

“Why?”
“Maybe I have some plans.” He tried to sound nonchalant.
There was a pause. It took a long time for Brett to answer. Zack was

starting to get nervous. Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity,
Brett started to get up.

“Give me a hand,” he said. Zack obliged. His body humming in

anticipation, he followed Brett upstairs.

* * * *

Brett’s dick slid easily into his hole, making Zack moan and slam his

head into the pillow. His body was slick with sweat, pain morphing quickly
into pleasure. He wrapped his legs around Brett’s waist and pushed
eagerly against him.

He was rewarded with Brett’s sharp intake of breath. He opened his

eyes to regard Brett’s face above his. His lips were parted, his eyes glazed
in obvious enjoyment. Just because he could, Zack clamped down on
Brett’s dick.

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Brett hissed, his hips jerking. His steady rhythm faltered, becoming a

burst of rough thrusts. Zack whimpered, his ass protesting the rough
handling, but his cock enjoying it. It bobbed against his belly, leaving a
smear on his heated skin. Desire and need shot through him, pleasure
pooling in his groin. His balls grew impossibly tight.

He panted, scrunching his eyes closed, the room filling with the

tantalizing sound of flesh hitting flesh.

He had to reach down and grip the base of his dick to stop himself

from coming too soon.

Brett growled, grabbing his hips and tilting them up. The pressure to

finish eased. Zack relaxed, letting himself sink into bed.

The pounding hadn’t slowed, but Zack now didn’t feel like each

movement of Brett’s body was going to send him over the edge. Brett’s
cock was hard and white-hot inside him, scraping his prostate gently with
each thrust.

The pleasure was building slowly, circling his belly. In the total

darkness of the room, only Brett’s harsh breathing was a sign of him
nearing his completion.

Feeling his own cock twitch and spew over his chest and belly, Zack

clamped his muscles hard on the invading length. Above him, Brett went
rigid. Another wave of pleasure rushed through Zack as he felt Brett come.
Zack pulled Brett down, letting him rest atop his body.

Slowly, their breathing evened out. Zack shifted, a tiny flicker of regret

going through him as Brett’s cock slipped out. He nudged the other man
aside, reaching for the dampened towel lying on the nightstand.

He finished cleaning himself and turned over to Brett, who growled in

protest at being disturbed.

Zack snorted. “You will thank me in the morning.”
Brett allowed Zack to roll him on his back, but didn’t open his eyes.

Zack ran the towel over his groin. He hesitated, then bent his head and laid
a kiss on Brett’s softening flesh. Throwing the towel carelessly aside, he
scooted down under the covers, spooning Brett and forcing him to turn on
his side. Brett grumbled. “Should have gone for my room. I have a bigger
bed.”

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Zack snickered, kissing his shoulder in the dark.
“You didn’t care for the bed then.”
“Neither did you.”
Rolling his eyes, Zack did his best to settle. His cock nestled

comfortably against Brett’s ass. A jolt of desire traveled down his
exhausted body.

“Brett?” he whispered against his skin. There was no answer. Despite

that, or maybe because of it, Zack dared to ask,

“Do you always top?”
“No. I like getting fucked.” His words made Zack’s belly tighten.
“You always top me.”
“I wasn’t going to let you…” Brett’s words trailed off, his body

relaxing in sleep. Wrapping an arm around his middle, Zack sighed, but the
answer kept him awake for hours.

* * * *

With his jeans on and zipped, Zack sat on the bed to pull his boots on.

He yawned, his jaw threatening to crack. He rubbed his eyes. God, he
needed sleep.

“Fuck!” That was Brett, sounding pissed. Something slammed closed.

Seconds later, Brett showed up in the doorway connecting Zack’s
bedroom with the bathroom and pinned him with an angry stare.

Zack raised one eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
“Where the hell was your mind last night?” Brett demanded, stalking

toward him.

“On your cock, and you weren’t complaining last night.”
Brett hissed. “That’s not what I meant. Look what you did!”
He pulled at the collar of his shirt, exposing his neck. A large, purplish

spot sat at the base of his throat. Zack blinked, his gaze fastening to it. His
mind easily conjured the memory of Brett’s body undulating slowly against
him, shirt opened and legs spread to allow Zack to slide between. He had
one hand in Zack’s unfastened jeans, slowly massaging his cock. Heat
spreading through his body, Zack had groaned, his tongue coming out to

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57

lick at Brett’s collarbone. At one particularly pleasing stroke, his lips
closed and he sucked, reveling in the taste and feel of Brett.

Brett snapped his fingers. Zack started, clearing his throat.
“Sorry. I guess I bit you.”
Brett’s eyes narrowed. Zack swallowed. He couldn’t quite suppress a

sense of perverse satisfaction that soared through him at the sight of his
mark on Brett’s skin.

Brett muttered something that sounded very unflattering. He turned

around and stomped out of the room. Stunned, Zack stared at the closed
door.

Crap. It was too early in the morning for this.
He quickly finished dressing and went down. Brett was in the kitchen,

pulling things out of the fridge. Zack glanced at the door. The sun had half
risen. He estimated they had about fifteen minutes before the rest of the
hands showed up to get their orders. Since coming to Four Winds, Zack
made a change to this routine. First he talked to Brett and then he came
over to the bunkhouse. Sometimes he ate with Brett, sometimes with the
guys. If he didn’t show up, the guys were going to come over, looking for
him. Brett’s angry presence did nothing for his stomach. He figured he was
better off mooching breakfast off of the guys if his attempt to placate Brett
failed.

“Brett. What’s wrong?” He hated the plaintive tone to his voice. He

was honestly confused and more than a little angry with Brett’s attitude.

“So I left a hickey. I’m sorry. I should have asked. I didn’t know it

was going to upset you.”

Brett sighed, heaping food on the plate and cocking his hip against the

table. Zack noticed he was wearing a navy blue turtleneck and bit his lip to
stop himself from saying something he was going to regret.

“Just how did you plan to explain the hickey to Jim and the rest of the

guys?”

Zack felt his eyes widen. He swallowed. He hadn’t even thought about

that.

Brett smiled humorlessly. “And don’t think they wouldn’t have noticed

it. And they would be bound to tell someone something. Before you know

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it, gossip would be all over the town.”

Zack knees went weak. “Oh.”
“Oh, yes. In the future, try to avoid doing something like this.”
Neither of them said anything after that.

* * * *

Zack frowned at the sight of the unfamiliar car on the driveway in front

of the house. It was a blue cabriolet, slightly marred with dust, but still
looking like something that didn’t belong here. City car, he thought with
derision, frowning at the license plates. He must have made some sound
because Jim looked questioningly at him. He had also spotted the car.
“Looks like Brett has guests.”

Brett should be at home right now. He didn’t mention he was expecting

the visit, but on the other hand, Zack reminded himself, it was his house,
and he was allowed to invite whoever he wanted.

“No, that’s okay. I just don’t recognize the car.”
“You wouldn’t. The driver isn’t from town.”
Zack swung his head to look at Jim. “You know him?”
Jim nodded. “Brett knows the guy.”
“So, business associate?” He hoped he sounded casual.
“Brett didn’t say.” Jim shrugged. “It’s really not any of my business.”
He waved at Zack and started toward the bunkhouse. Zack

contemplated the vehicle some more before finally moving. Who did Brett
call?

Brimming with curiosity, he clambered up the porch steps and went

inside.

Laughter sounded from the living room. He recognized the voice as

Brett’s and something inside him clenched at the thought that he hadn’t
heard him laugh like that before. It was a joyous laugh, like he didn’t have
any care in the world. Unable to resist, he poked his head inside.

“I’m back,” he announced, his gaze sweeping the room.
Brett was sitting on one of the leather sofas in the room, two more men

with him. He didn’t recognize either man from town. One of them, with

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59

curly blond hair, shared the sofa with Brett. He was closer than any friend
had a right to be, Zack noticed with mounting anger. The other one sat
across and watched them with an indulgent smile.

Three glasses of whiskey and a decanter stood on the table between

them. Zack looked at it, then at Brett.

Brett finally deigned to notice him. “Oh, it’s you.” He waved at the

guys. “Meet Mitch and Sam. They are friends. Guys, meet Zack.”

One of the men stood up to offer him a hand. “Pleased to meet you. I

saw you competing once or twice. You were good.”

“Thanks,” Zack said absently. He had met his fans before and always

found it easy to deal with them. However, something about this situation
was throwing him off his balance. His gaze strayed over to Brett just to find
out that this guy’s companion had shouldered his way past his friend and
now stood in front of him.

“How about me? Don’t I get an introduction?”
He had a sultry look on his face as he said it, and the way he moved,

hips swaying seductively and hands fluttering in small motions, really didn’t
offer any doubt as to what his sexual orientation was.

“It’s a pleasure,” Zack replied politely.
The guy pouted. Brett laughed and reached to pull him back on the

sofa. “Stop it, Sam. You are scaring Zack.”

“Does he work for you?” Sam asked, still staring at Zack. His friend

rolled his eyes.

“Not…technically,” Brett answered. He focused on Zack. “You done

for the day?”

His tone was lacking the warmth he expressed earlier when he was

scolding Sam.

Zack nodded, feeling ill at ease. “I’m going upstairs. Do you need

me?”

Brett shook his head, leaving Zack no other choice but to retreat.

Mitch nodded at him, but Sam was already leaning over to Brett, putting a
hand on his knee. It was enough to cause a flare of something hot in Zack’s
belly. He left the room.

As he started undressing, Zack’s mind kept wandering. Who were

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those guys, and what was Brett’s connection to them? He hadn’t said he
was expecting their visit, but he was clearly happy to see them. So what
was the deal?

Zack sat on the bed and pulled his boots off, letting them hit the floor

with a vicious thud.

And what was with the whiskey? As far as he knew, Brett didn’t

drink. Not even beer, and that decanter had been sitting in the living room
forever. He had never seen Brett drinking it.

What bothered him most was the fact that both Sam and Mitch were

probably gay. Hell, with Sam, it was obvious. But were they an item?

His face scrunched in thought. He was developing a headache, and

straining his ears to try and recognize the sounds coming from below didn’t
help. Zack scowled and pulled the comforter over himself, indignantly
turning over on his belly, his head burrowed in the pillow.

I. Should. Not. Care.
Suddenly he remembered all the stories he heard about such men, and

how they had been known to sometimes share a lover. He kept seeing
Sam’s hand resting comfortably on Brett’s leg, how he had comfortably
invaded Brett’s space, like he had done it a thousand times before and
wasn’t rebuffed. Zack’s heart dropped. He squeezed his eyes shut and
resolved to fall asleep.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway. Zack froze, his hard-won peace

flowing through the window. He sat in bed, listening for the sound from the
other side of door. Brett was alone, that much he could discern. He didn’t
have time to feel relief. The slice of light that was coming from under the
door disappeared, Brett leaving the hallway. Zack swallowed, waited in
painful silence. There was the final click of doors shutting. He heard an
engine flare to life.

Curling into a tight, miserable ball, Zack settled under the covers.
He kept tossing and turning. Finally giving up on the pretense of sleep,

Zack sat up in bed and turned on the small lamp on the nightstand. He
shivered, goose bumps showing up on his naked arms. He hadn’t put on
pajamas.

There was a pack of cigarettes in the second drawer of the nightstand.

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61

Brett had left them there. Zack vividly remembered the last time Brett had
lit up one.

Zack was panting into the pillow, his body sweaty and aching, limp

from pleasure. He opened one eye to see Brett’s profile silhouetted in the
semidarkness of the room, the silver light of the moon spilling over his face.
He watched in fascination as the tiny cylinder left Brett’s lips, followed by a
cloud of smoke. He must have shifted, because Brett looked at him.
Something flickered in his eyes. He moved, arranging them both so that
Zack’s head was resting on his thigh. Zack had sighed contentedly and
quickly fallen asleep.

Scowling at the memory, Zack grabbed a cigarette and brought it to his

lips. There was a lighter neatly tucked in the empty space in the pack.

He coughed as he sucked in a first breath, tears coming to his eyes, but

he recovered quickly. He leaned back on the pillow. One glance at the
digital watch sitting at the top of the dresser at the foot of the bed revealed
it was three o’clock.

Zack sighed, taking another drag on his cigarette. It was going to be a

long night.

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Chapter 7

“Where the hell were you?”
Brett, leaning on the kitchen counter and waiting for the coffeemaker to

finish brewing his first cup of the day—which he desperately needed—
almost jumped at the sound of Zack’s voice. He slumped back against the
counter and rubbed his forehead in a futile attempt to relieve the insistent
pounding in his head.

“God, don’t do this to me,” he complained, gripping the edge of the

counter and letting his head fall against the blissfully cold surface.

He opened one eye as Zack’s presence registered. “Why are you here

and not out with the guys? Or are they, too, taking a day off?”

“I was waiting for you,” Zack answered in clipped tones.
“Why?”
“You were out the whole night.”
Brett nodded, or tried to. “Sam and Mick are from San Antonio. We

went out.”

“Where?”
He heard water running and the clinking of a glass.
“A club we know in San Antonio.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t ask what kind of club. How much did you have

to drink?”

Brett grimaced. “Not much.”
“More than you can stand, obviously.” Zack tugged at his shoulder,

forcing him to straighten. Brett acquiesced, more because he didn’t have
the strength to resist than from anything else.

“Open up.” God, Zack sounded annoyed. What did he have to

complain about? His head didn’t feel like it was going to burst. Brett did as
he was told. Something was pushed into his mouth, and a bitter taste of

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aspirin hit his tongue. Brett gagged, trying to twist away from Zack’s grip.

“No, don’t throw up. Swallow it. You will feel better.”
Zack gave him a glass of water, kept pushing it at him until he

swallowed. His throat felt painful. His eyes watered.

“That’s enough,” he managed to say, and mercifully, the glass

disappeared.

He coughed, but the pill didn’t come up. The water helped, too. He

wiped his mouth with the back of his palm, already feeling better. An arm
wrapped around his waist, bringing him closer to Zack. He let his head rest
for a moment on Zack’s shoulder, greedily breathing in Zack’s scent, oddly
comforted by his presence. Zack rubbed his back, warmth spreading from
under his palm. Brett sighed, burrowing deeper. It felt strange to be holding
Zack like this and to be held by him. Except when they were in bed, Zack
avoided casual touches with Brett.

“What happened?”
“We hit the club, then it was too late for me to come back. I decided

to crash at Mick’s place. Besides, I wasn’t exactly fit to drive.”

Zack snorted, jostling Brett.
“I bet you weren’t,” he said sarcastically. “Where did you sleep? Or

should I even ask?”

The obvious hostility in his voice finally penetrated through Brett’s

fogged mind. He lifted his head. “What?”

Zack’s lips formed a thin line. He said nothing.
“What the hell was that supposed to mean?”
“That guy was awfully friendly with you. Sam, that’s his name. Did you

sleep with him?”

“Of course not! Mick, Sam, and I are friends. That’s it. Besides, I

didn’t go out last night to get laid.”

He had enough opportunities, though. He just couldn’t dredge up

enough interest. There was only one man he wanted in his bed. And that
man was currently driving him nuts.

“Oh?” Just that one syllable conveyed Zack’s disbelief.
Brett abruptly pulled back. He had to brace himself on the counter, but

thankfully, the pain in his head was receding.

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“I don’t know what your problem is, and frankly, I don’t even want to

know. Thanks for the pill. Now go away.”

Brett turned back toward the coffeepot. Zack grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait a minute.” Brett stiffened, shook it off. He filled a cup with warm,
sweetened coffee and crossed to the table. For a moment, he debated
whether it would be better to go upstairs and drink his coffee in peace
instead of sitting here and enduring Zack’s unhappy presence. The first
swallow of coffee scalded his tongue, his mood rapidly deteriorating. Fuck
if he was going to hide in his own house.

“Don’t you have somewhere to go?”
Zack didn’t answer, instead starting to pace the kitchen. It was enough

for Brett to feel the headache again.

“I didn’t know where you were. You just left. I didn’t know who those

guys were, and you didn’t respond when I tried your cell. What was I
supposed to think?”

“I told you they were friends.”
Zack whirled around to face him. “They are not from around here.”
Brett lowered his cup onto the table. “No, they are not. What’s really

bothering you?”

Zack hesitated. “I haven’t seen you drink before,” he blurted out. Then

he flushed, but continued hurriedly, “I mean, you frown at the occasional
beer, so…”

“I don’t like the way it tastes. That’s all. It doesn’t mean I don’t drink.

I prefer strong drinks, but I rarely indulge. Is that all?”

“So, if I were to offer you whiskey, you would drink it with me?”
“Depends on my mood. Why?”
“Why didn’t you ask me to go with you?”
Brett almost choked on his coffee. Incredulous, he stared at Zack.

“You are not serious. Do I have to tell you what kind of club we went to?”

Zack frowned, rubbed his thighs. “Oh, yeah. I forgot. You went to a

gay club. Why? You said it wasn’t to get sex, so what’s the catch?”

“Go back to work, Zack.”
Brett stood, picking up his coffee and starting for the stairs. He passed

Jim on his way out.

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65

“Morning, boss. Long night?” he asked brightly.
Brett didn’t bother to answer, taking long strides toward the door. As

he got out of the kitchen, he heard Jim say, “What’s wrong with him? He is
usually in a better mood after one of his excursions to the city.”

He snorted. So much for his cowboys not knowing what he was up to.

The implication seemed to annoy Zack, because he snapped,

“Mind your own business.”
“Geez.” Even without seeing it, he could picture the surprise on Jim’s

face.

“And what bug crawled up your ass?” Jim muttered, loud enough for

Brett to hear.

That’s what I would like to know, too.

* * * *

Zack’s boots rang across the tiled floor as he approached the hospital

reception desk. He nodded at a black-haired woman sitting behind it.

“I’m here for Brett,” he said in clipped tones. He wasn’t in the best

mood. He and the guys were just having lunch when his phone rang. He
unclipped it, frowning when he saw Brett’s number flashing across the
screen. It was his cell, not the house line.

“Yes?”
“Can you come pick me up?”
Zack was annoyed. “You were supposed to be in the southern

pasture. Where exactly are you?”

“I had an accident.”
“How do you mean that? “
Brett sighed. “I’m at hospital. Just come and pick me up.”
Zack was left staring at the phone. He barely resisted the impulse to

throw it at the barn and then stomp over it for good measure.

He had picked up the keys and gone into the car. The drive to town

wasn’t that long, but it was quite long enough to get him seething.

The nurse pointed him to the room. He started across the hallway

toward it. At first he didn’t even see Brett. He blinked, thrown aback by

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the sheer number of people inside.

“Zack!” Adam Wesley, one of the sheriff’s deputies and the kid

brother of one of his school buddies, waved at him. Adam’s boss, Matt
Franklin, turned his head to look at Zack. Zack glimpsed Brett sitting on a
bed between Matt and a doctor. His hat was next to him, and he was
buttoning his shirt up.

What was this about?
Brett gave him a cool glance, forcing Zack to stop and rein in his

feelings.

“Adam. Sheriff Franklin.” He switched his gaze to Brett. He seemed

okay. Zack itched to touch him to reassure himself that his lover was okay,
but he knew it wouldn’t be smart to do it in front of so many witnesses. He
stopped just out of arm’s reach. There was no sense in making the
temptation bigger than it already was.

“Brett called you,” Matt said, giving him an appraising glance. Zack

barely resisted the urge to step back.

“I need someone to drop me off,” Brett said in what Zack recognized

was an annoyed tone of voice. “He is the one that doesn’t have fixed
duties.”

“I see.” Matt didn’t sound like he really did see. He sounded like he

suspected Zack of something.

“For Christ’s sake.” That was Brett again. “He wasn’t the one who

shot me. For one thing, he doesn’t really have a motive.”

Zack felt his blood ran cold. “You got shot?!”
“No, I didn’t get shot. Some idiot shot at my truck. I lost control of it

and landed into a ditch. The truck is totaled.”

Zack’s eyes swept over Brett’s body.
“You okay?”
“He is.” The doctor, a young man that Zack vaguely remembered,

nodded sagely. “He had a seatbelt on, so that saved him from a lot of
damages. There are bruises on his hip and ribs, and he has a couple of
stitches on his head,” he grinned, “that are going to leave very sexy scars,
but other than that, he is fine.”

That was a relief. Zack’s shoulders dropped. He risked taking a step

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closer.

“Yeah, but the truck is gone,” Brett muttered crossly. Zack’s fingers

dug into his shoulders. Brett winced.

“Never mind the truck,” Zack said through clenched teeth, switching

his gaze to the sheriff. “Who was it?”

Matt didn’t answer. It was Adam who spoke. “Hard to say. We

picked up shells, so we could match them if there is a suspect. Brett insists
he doesn’t know who could have shot at him.” There was a meaningful
pause. “He does have some enemies.”

“None who would want to shoot me,” Brett protested.
“What about Carl?” Zack asked. “You said yourself Graham warned

you about him.”

Brett frowned. “I don’t think he has the guts.”
Zack shrugged. “He had guts enough to pick a fight with me. It’s worth

checking.”

“I thought Carl had a problem with you,” Matt said.
“He does, but he suspects Brett of having talked Ben into firing him.”
Matt’s gaze was sharp. “Ben has complained about him before.”
“That he did. Still, he thinks either me or Brett is responsible. Maybe

he decided to take matters into his hands.”

“I can look into that. At least I could ask where he was at the time.

Anything else?”

Brett shook his head. Obviously it wasn’t the best idea, since he made

a small sound and grabbed Zack’s arm to hold himself upright. Zack
wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer.

“Sorry.” He looked apologetically at the sheriff. “I believe I need to

take him home. Can we talk later about this?”

“I’ll agree with that.” The young doctor put in his two cents. “He needs

rest. I allowed you to question him, since he wasn’t gravely injured, but
now…”

“I got my information,” Matt cut in. “It’ll be fine for now. You can

expect me later, Zack.”

Zack nodded and tugged Brett toward the door. “Come on. We need

to get you to bed.”

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Chapter 8

Sighing, Brett dropped back in the padded chair in his office and

rubbed his forehead. The monitor kept blinking at him. For some reason,
he couldn’t concentrate on the business today.

It was the day after the shooting, and Brett had retreated early on into

his office, partially to avoid his curious and sympathetic ranch hands. He
didn’t relish having them fuss over him. Zack must have read something on
his face and quickly steered them out. Grateful, Brett had decided to go to
the office and stay there. He stared morosely at the ceiling.

Someone shot at him yesterday. Like his life wasn’t complicated

enough.

He was sleeping with Zack, who professed to be straight. Brett had

nothing against sex, and the fact was, the sex was great. But getting
involved with Zack? Getting involved with Zack was a mistake, one he was
likely to regret. If all he wanted was a quick fuck, he could have gotten it
elsewhere and without the strings that were liable to come with Zack. Zack
wasn’t some nameless body. He was Brett’s partner in all but in name.
This could end badly in so many ways. Zack may be enjoying a quiet life
on a ranch for now. But his recovery was almost over, and it was only a
matter of time before he was going to start thinking about competing again.
He was a rodeo guy at heart. One day he would be gone without a
backward glance and likely wouldn’t give Brett a thought afterwards. Zack
wasn’t a guy he could have a happily ever after with. Brett knew that from
the beginning. But he still allowed himself to get involved.

He kissed Zack that one time mostly to teach him a lesson. Mostly.

There were other reasons. He wasn’t a saint by any means, and Zack was
an attractive man. He was tempted from the beginning, but usually he
wouldn’t have allowed himself to act on his feelings.

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But then Zack surprised him, taking, metaphorically speaking, the bull

by the horns. Brett smiled wryly. He shouldn’t be surprised. The guy rode
bulls for a living.

Nevertheless, he should have resisted the impulse. He was always so

careful in the past. What happened this time? Was he really that lonely?
That was pathetic. God, Brett, get a grip.

He shifted, rubbing his hip where he had a lively bruise from

yesterday’s adventure. Nothing like getting shot to make a man rethink his
priorities, he concluded wryly. And he was overanalyzing things again.
Zack would leave, no question about it. Once he did, Brett planned to be
prepared.

It was all because they were living together. It was hard to avoid being

softened by Zack’s charm. No question about it, Zack was a great guy. He
joked with the hands, talked with their neighbors, even helped Brett with
paperwork on one particularly bad day. That was the one thing he was
going to miss bitterly when Zack left. Companionship. Brett reflected back
on the meal they shared at Betty’s restaurant. He had truly enjoyed Zack’s
company. And that was what made things so complicated. He couldn’t
afford to fall in love with Zack.

No. Better to just enjoy the sex and ignore everything else.
Satisfied with himself and his world, Brett picked up his pen again.
Only to be interrupted when the subject of his thoughts came through

the door.

“Am I interrupting?” Zack’s expression clearly said that even if he was,

he didn’t particularly care.

“No, I am just looking over something,” Brett answered politely.

“What was it you wanted?”

There was no answer form Zack, just an ominous sounding click. Brett

raised his head, only to realize Zack had locked the door. Alarm bells went
off in his head.

Ever since…the incident, Zack avoided ever being alone with Brett in

the office. If he had to talk with Brett, he stayed just outside the door, but
didn’t come inside. Never mind that they shared the bed every night.
Something about the office disturbed Zack. For him to come inside of his

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own volition...Brett swallowed.

Zack grinned at him, approaching Brett and coming to lean against the

edge of the desk closest to Brett.

The tips of his fingers slid over the polished surface.
Brett waited.
Zack gave him a quizzical glance. “Remember that time you kissed me?

The first time, here in the office?” he asked softly.

“I could hardly forget that,” Brett answered, refusing to feel

intimidated, though Zack’s expression unnerved him.

Zack’s gaze locked with his. “You said that if Jimmy hadn’t interrupted

us, you would have had me on this desk.”

Oh, yeah, he remembered that in vivid detail. His cock stirred, desire

flooding his senses. Zack was close enough to touch, his scent
overwhelming.

Why was Zack mentioning this now? Brett struggled to remain sane.

They had never before, barring that incident in office, played anywhere else
except the bedroom, usually with the lights off.

Zack smiled a tight smile that didn’t show his teeth.
“You know what they say,” he said, his breath tickling Brett’s neck.

“Turnabout is fair play.”

He was pulled out of his chair and held tight against Zack’s body. He

yelped when Zack’s hungry mouth descended on his, swallowing any
protest he might have had.

His shirt was pushed up, Zack’s palms sliding over his skin. He was

released shortly, so Zack could unbutton his shirt, purring contentedly at
the touch. Breathless, he let Zack explore, unashamedly drinking in the
sight of his lover—Zack’s ruffled dark hair, the faint flush that covered his
cheekbones.

He gasped as Zack’s hips ground against his. Even with jeans on, it

sent tingles down his spine, lust filling his blood. His muscles tensed. Zack’s
hot mouth traveled down his neck and shoulder, distracting him from the
hand that slid inside his jeans and cupped his already-hard cock.

He hadn’t expected that. “Zack!” He tried to extricate himself from

Zack’s insistent grip, but Zack was unwilling to comply. Brett tried to clear

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his mind, get a handle on the situation that was quickly spiraling out of his
control.

He abruptly recovered when Zack suddenly retreated and spun him

around. He yelped and grabbed the edge of the desk to steady himself.
Zack was already draped over his back, one hand running over his naked
chest, hips pressing against Brett’s ass. His dick dug into the valley
between Brett’s ass cheeks.

“Mmm…” Zack’s tongue left a wet trail on his skin. Trapped between

a horny male and his desk, Brett tried to wriggle away.

“No, Zack, wait, we don’t have anything here.”
Zack bit into his shoulder, apparently undeterred. “Got it covered. Just

relax and let me.”

Let me? Brett’s bewildered mind repeated. Something was pushed into

his hand. He looked at it. His eyes widened when he recognized a small,
one-time-use-only package of lube. As far as he knew, it didn’t come from
his room.

“Open it,” Zack ordered. “I have my hands full.”
He did indeed. Brett moaned as expert hands massaged his dick. They

dipped lower to tease his balls, then returned to squeeze already leaking tip
of his dick.

Brett pushed into Zack’s encouraging grip. He couldn’t help himself.
“Open the lube, Brett,” Zack coaxed.
He did as he was told, then his hands joined Zack’s on his dick. The

room filled with heated moans. Brett gasped, his head coming to rest on
Zack’s shoulders.

Zack let out a soft sound of encouragement. He removed his now-slick

fingers and transferred them to Brett’s ass. The action caused Brett to
tense.

“Relax. I promise to be very careful.”
“Do you even know what you are doing?”
Brett grumbled, opening his legs as far as his jeans would allow.
The hand on his dick squeezed. Brett’s lips parted, letting out a

whoosh of breath.

“I think I can manage.”

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Maybe he could, Brett decided, his eyelids fluttering closed as his body

was pushed closer to orgasm. He forced himself to relax.

Zack pushed in, forcing his way past the tight ring of muscle. Brett

couldn’t suppress his moan of satisfaction. It had been a long time since he
had a man’s prick inside him. It burned, pleasure quickly climbing up inside
him. Since Zack had stopped, he rolled his hips encouragingly. Zack took
the hint, sliding forward until that thick cock was buried inside his ass. Brett
shuddered.

Zack pulled back, making Brett’s cock jump as he grazed the tiny

gland inside.

“You feel good,” Zack said in a strained voice. “Damn, you are tight.”
Shaking with need, Brett twisted out of Zack’s hands and bent,

gripping the edge of desk. The change of position seemed to spur Zack on
as he started furiously pumping into Brett’s ass.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Brett angled his hips until a bolt of white-hot

pleasure spiraled through him at Zack’s thrust. His lungs constricted. Zack
was now rubbing his prostate with each hard thrust. Wave after wave of
intense arousal threatened to flood him.

Zack growled.
“Oh, no, you don’t.”
What? Brett’s dazed mind wandered. His question was answered

when his dick was ruthlessly squeezed. He yelped.

“You are not,” Zack pulled out of him, then drove back inside with

renewed force, “coming before me.”

Brett’s balls were tight and drawn up, his ass pleasantly filled and sore,

but his cock was effectively trapped.

“Hurry up, then,” he threatened, needing it.
He rolled his hips experimentally. Zack must have been on the edge,

too, since he gasped, his cock spurting uncontrollably. He draped himself
over Brett’s back. Brett squirmed, trying to dislodge the confining grip
Zack still had on his cock. It worked. His orgasm thundered through him,
his back bowing in desperate need for release. Zack’s hand kept milking
him gently, prolonging his release.

“That was…you were great,” Zack said in his ear. Brett didn’t answer

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right away.

“Get off me.”
Zack huffed. “That’s typical.” He did as he was told, though, gently

pulling his softening dick out of Brett’s ass. Straightening, Brett winced at
the mess he made. He reached for the box of tissues standing on his desk.
He quickly wiped himself off and tidied his clothes. With a sigh, he turned
toward Zack.

“I loved doing that,” Zack said.
“I can tell. Wipe that stupid grin off your face.”
Zack grimaced. “You can be such a killjoy sometimes.”
Brett winced as he tried to sit. “You should not…” His phone rang.

Zack frowned. “Who’s that?”

Brett ignored him, listening to the voice from the other side of the line.

He could tell Zack was displeased, but for him the call was a welcome
relief. He wasn’t quite ready to deal with Zack right now.

* * * *

“So this is where it happened,” Matt said, looking over their

surroundings. Zack threw him a hostile look. When Matt called and said he
wanted to meet at the place of the shooting, it had angered Zack. He
wondered whether the sheriff was trying to shake Brett enough for him to
say something incriminating.

“You didn’t see it yesterday?”
Matt shook his head, apparently ignoring Zack’s annoyance.
“No. Adam was the one who actually took the call. He was the one to

search the spot for evidence and arrange to tow the car. By the way,” he
added, glancing in Brett’s direction, “we will have to keep it for a couple
more days.”

Brett shrugged. He was leaning against Zack’s car and looked for all

the world like nothing rattled him. Zack was, however, able to notice subtle
changes in the way he held his body. He was tense and trying not to show
it.

“Figured as much.”

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Zack’s gaze fell on the tire tracks on the ground. He followed them to

the slope, where Brett must have lost control of the car, since the ground
was ragged and disturbed in places. He shivered. What if whoever was
shooting had actually hit Brett?

Raising his head, he met Matt’s speculative look. He refused to be

baited.

“I talked to the Hendersons,” Matt said suddenly. The change of

subject didn’t surprise Brett.

“That’s the border between my land and theirs.” He vaguely gestured

toward the horizon.

“That’s right. I figured whoever it was had to come across your ranch

or theirs. Someone could have seen him.”

Brett snorted. “I doubt that. Neither Jack nor I run cattle on this piece

of land. And it’s too far from both main houses.”

“Jack said the same,” Matt agreed ruefully. “He said there wasn’t even

a fence.”

Brett shook his head. “No. There is a little wooded area, see, there

that more or less stops cattle from venturing too far. It’s worked up until
now.”

“Why were you here then? You said yourself your men were on the

other side of the ranch, and you were supposed to bring them more
supplies.”

Brett stayed still. “I wanted to see the cabin.”
“The cabin?” Matt and Zack said in unison.
“What cabin?” Matt demanded.
“My grandfather built it. It’s been deserted for some time. I was going

to check on it, see if it needed some repairs.”

“Did you go there?”
Brett shook his head. “No, actually, I didn’t.”
“Let’s take a look,” Matt said, starting toward the trees. “You said it

was this way.”

Brett followed.
The cabin was cleverly tucked between the trees. You couldn’t see it

until you practically climbed on top of it, but whoever was in there had a

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clear view of the rolling hills of Four Winds. Zack’s heartbeat sped up.
This was a perfect place for an ambush. Matt obviously seemed to think
the same, since he signaled them to stay behind as they neared the cabin.

“Wait here,” he ordered, then disappeared inside. He was back in

minutes, looking more grim than he was when he came in.

“You said it was deserted.”
“Yes. Why?”
“Someone has been here recently. Are you sure none of your

hands…”

Brett shook his head. “I don’t think so. This is pretty far out of the

way, and anyway, why wouldn’t they tell me? I haven’t forbidden them to
come here.”

Matt was frowning. He unhooked his radio from his belt. “I’m going to

call Adam, take a look around. If nothing else, there was a break-in.”

He glanced at them. “You two better go back. And Brett…stay inside

the house for a time, can you?”

“You think he may try again?” Zack wanted to know. “Is that what you

are worried about?”

“I think it’s possible, and I would rather take no risks.”
Matt switched his gaze to Brett. “You told someone you were coming

here?”

Brett shook his head. “No. Yes.”
That had Zack raising his head in surprise. Matt’s eyebrows shot up.

“Which is it?”

“I may have mentioned it in town.” Brett grimaced. “I knew it was

going to need work, so I talked with Rick Warden about it. And I checked
in the hardware store to see how they were with supplies.”

“You mean, basically everyone knew you were going to come to look

this place over?”

“Not quite. It was supposed to be for Zack.”
Zack started. “For me?”
Brett nodded, absently. “You needed a place. I thought this may be

one, since your house is still leased, and it’s still too big for you. This place,
though…”

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“Thank you very much. So you want me out of your house?”
The remainder of Zack’s good mood, which was seriously depleted

after Matt’s call, evaporated. He couldn’t believe his ears.

“I thought you would want your own space,” Brett explained, looking

puzzled. And hurt.

It was a shame he felt like that, since Zack was going to pursue this

matter later. Zack swallowed his anger. He could feel Matt’s gaze on both
of them and knew the man was coming to his own conclusions about the
two of them.

“Just get in the car, Brett. Sheriff.”
Zack waited until they were back at the main house and safely inside

before he exploded. He took his hat off and threw it on the couch.

“I can’t believe what you did!”
Brett, the jerk, had the gall to look like he didn’t have a clue.
“How could you make such a decision without even asking me? That

sucks, Brett. If you don’t want me in the house, you could just say so!”

Zack had started to shout.
“I thought you would want it.”
“What made you think so? And how did you imagine I’d keep working

if I had to haul my ass here from down there every fucking morning?”

Brett’s eyes were wide. “You are not going to stay here forever, Zack.

Sooner or later, you will be back in the rodeo, and then…”

Zack threw his arms up in disbelief.
“Go back to the rodeo? Have I said I was going to do that?”
“You haven’t said you wouldn’t.”
Brett’s voice was unusually low. Zack dragged a hand across his face.

He sighed and dropped to sit on the couch. He looked up to Brett, whose
face was unreadable and who was making no move to come closer.

“I guess I didn’t,” Zack said in a tired tone, his anger dissipating. “I…”

The words stuck in his throat. “I’m happy here, Brett.” It was as much as
he was able to say. He knew it was inadequate, but he was unable to say
more.

“I know.”
“And I won’t go without telling you first.” Zack gave Brett a tentative

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glance then patted the seat next to him. “Come here, please.”

He held his breath, waiting for Brett to refuse. He sighed in relief when

Brett came over. He reached with one hand to pull him closer and relaxed
when Brett’s head came to rest on his shoulder.

“This has really been bothering you?” he asked quietly.
There was no answer, but a tremor ran up Brett’s body.
“Sorry. I can be an idiot sometimes.” He hesitated. “Let’s focus on

keeping you alive for now, shall we?”

The solid weight of Brett’s body next to his was comforting.
Zack gripped him tighter, realizing he really, really didn’t want anything

to happen to Brett.

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Chapter 9

Brett headed for the barn, the slight evening breeze ruffling his collar. It

was a pleasant evening, lights twinkling merrily from the bunkhouse
windows. He entered the barn and went to Flame’s stall. She’d been inside
ever since she was suspected of foundering. She was undergoing therapy,
and the doctor claimed she was doing okay. She snickered as she scented
him, a hopeful look in her eye. Probably expecting a snack. He laughed,
patting her soft nose.

“You know what you want, don’t you, pretty girl?”
He dug out an apple he brought expressly for that purpose and fed it to

her. She picked it up daintily, drawing another laugh out of him. Some of
the tension of earlier days leaked out of Brett.

Upon closer examination of the cabin, Matt and his men had found

Carl’s fingerprints. It wasn’t enough to be sure he was the shooter, but it
was enough to implicate him. But when Matt went looking for him, he was
nowhere to be found. That meant that Brett and Zack still had to be
careful. But there was neither hide nor hair from Carl. Maybe the man had
taken a hike and left the town. Still…

Brett rubbed his chin. He would sleep easier if he knew Carl was

caught. It was starting to wear down on him, having to be careful all the
time.

“That horse,” said a voice coming from behind him, “is spoiled rotten.”
Brett started, realizing Flame had started sniffing him curiously in search

of another snack. He craned his neck to see Zack stepping into the light.

“I didn’t hear you come in.”
Zack smiled, propping one shoulder against the stall door. He ran his

hand lightly along Brett’s arm.

“I was already there. Saw you petting the princess.” He jerked his

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head toward the horse. Flame snorted at him and butted her head against
his arm.

“See, she is displeased. Doesn’t like sharing your attention, I guess,”

Zack said lightly. His heated gaze swept Brett from head to toe. There was
no mistaking his intention. Brett flushed.

“Zack!” Brett smothered a laugh when Zack tugged him closer and his

arms closed around Brett’s waist, bringing him flush against Zack’s body.
His breath hitched.

Lips brushed his, coaxed them open. Brett lost himself in the kiss,

warmth tingling through his body. He moaned, finally breaking the kiss to
come up for air.

“Zack.” His fingers dug into Zack’s shoulders. His mouth was captured

for another kiss.

“Someone could see,” he protested.
Zack nipped at his jaw. His knee nudged its way between Brett’s legs.
“One of the perks of sleeping with the boss. The rest of his employees

can’t tell me anything.”

Brett was pushed back against the stall door, but the mouth on his kept

his body occupied and his mind blissfully empty. Flame snorted in derision,
which brought Brett back to his senses.

“Not here.”
“Why not?” Zack nibbled at his lips, refusing to be distracted. And his

thigh was now purposefully rubbing against the bulge in Brett’s jeans.

“I’m not having sex in a barn.”
“Where is your sense of romance?” Zack queried.
Brett rolled his eyes. “My sense of romance would prefer doing this in

my bed. And anyway, it’s not romance you are thinking of.” He dropped a
pointed gaze to Zack’s groin.

“Mm,” Zack answered, his hand slipping under Brett’s shirt. “Look at

it this way. If we do it here, we won’t have to go back to the house with
raging hard-ons. It could be embarrassing if someone happened to see us.”

“And whose fault is that?” Brett asked crossly. Zack had unbuttoned

the top button on Brett’s jeans, and his hand was trying to find its way
inside. Warm fingers encircled Brett’s cock, grabbed it, and squeezed.

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Brett’s eyes crossed. His head hit the wooden beam with a thump.

“How about a compromise?” Zack’s hot breath tickled his ear. His

hand was still on Brett’s dick, which was making it difficult to think.

Brett tried to gather his scattered thoughts.
“Compromise?”
He could have sworn he heard Zack laughing. “I’m going to take care

of you here, and then we are going to the house where you…” Zack gave
him one especially tantalizing stroke that had Brett’s knees buckling. “Are
going to take care of me. Deal?”

Brett couldn’t answer. His mind was spinning with erotic sensations.
“Uhh…”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Zack, the bastard, seemed to know exactly what he was doing to him.

Then, suddenly, his heat disappeared. Brett opened his eyes to realize
Zack had dropped to his knees.

“What are you doing?” he asked apprehensively.
Zack pushed Brett’s jeans and boxers down, releasing his cock. It

bobbed eagerly up and down, brushing against Zack’s cheek.

Brett’s senses went on alert. “Zack, you don’t have to—”
He stopped when he was swallowed down, Zack eagerly sucking him

in. His tongue swept past the tip of his dick.

Brett cursed and grabbed Zack’s shoulders, as much to steady himself

as to encourage Zack on. Exquisite pleasure climbed up his spine. He
thrust forward, which made Zack pull off slightly.

“Sorry,” Brett whispered, trying to rein himself in.
Zack licked his cock to show he wasn’t angry then took him in again.

Brett closed his eyes under the delicious torture. A shudder went through
his body.

Zack’s palms swept up his legs, stopping at his hips, holding him

immobile. Zack continued to suck, not taking him deep, just playing his
tongue over his wet, inflamed skin. Brett groaned and tried to pull back.
Zack refused to allow it.

“Don’t, Zack, I’m going to—”
Too late. With a groan, he emptied himself into Zack’s mouth. He

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expected Zack to pull back, but he continued to suck until Brett was done.

Speechless, Brett stared at him.
Zack wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, stood up, and

gathered Brett into his arms, yanking him closer for a kiss. Brett opened
up, eagerly tasting himself on Zack’s lips.

“Your turn,” Zack reminded him wickedly, pulling out of his arms.

Brett shook his head and quickly stuffed his spent cock back inside his
jeans.

“I can’t believe I let you do it to me here,” he grumbled, heading for

the door. Zack’s hand patted his ass, making him jump. He glared at
Zack’s laughing face.

“I said to quit it.” He swung his head around. “What was that?”

* * * *

Zack, who was following that tight ass on its way to the house, almost

ran into Brett. He looked around the dark outline of the bunkhouse and the
main house in front of them. Brett was staring back at the barn, a frown
marring his face. Baffled, Zack followed his gaze. He didn’t see anything.

“What was what?” he repeated.
“I heard something. I thought you said the guys weren’t here.”
“They are not. They better not be. Brett!” Zack yelled, as Brett headed

for a remote corner of the barn. “Even if someone was here, I really would
rather stay in blissful ignorance.”

“You are just trying to weasel out of the—” he started, then froze. He

had lost sight of Brett only a minute ago. Now he saw why. Carl was
holding Brett in front of him, one hand holding a wicked-looking knife
under his throat.

Zack stopped in his tracks.
“What are you doing here?”
“What did you expect? You made me lose my job. I had some debts

to settle.” Carl spat on him.

“I had nothing to do with it.”
“The hell you didn’t.”

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Zack decided to let it go. “Why are you holding Brett, then? You are

not helping yourself.”

“The sheriff is looking for me. He is going to put me in jail for shooting

Brett. I needed to leave town, and I needed money for that. And he,” he
said, tugging at Brett viciously, “has it.”

Just stay calm. “Let Brett go. You will get the money.”
“First, bring it here,” Carl ordered. “I want to see it.”
“Okay, okay,” Zack said in a soothing voice, raising his hands. Fuck,

where the hell were the guys? His eyes bore into Brett’s, warning him to
stay calm.

“I’ll go inside and bring it out. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Instead of answering, Carl just gripped Brett harder. “Move, Warren.”
Zack stepped back, not taking his gaze off the two men.
Brett’s phone rang.
“What the fuck—” Carl started, his head swinging madly in search of

the sound. Brett used the distraction to lean back into him, pushing him off
balance. Zack ran toward them, his heart in his throat. Brett managed to
slip free and scrambled to get away from Carl. Zack bore down on Carl,
kicking the knife out of his hands and pinning him back to the ground. Carl
growled, unsuccessfully trying to free himself.

Zack viciously thumped his head against the ground.
“Brett. You okay?”
“Fine.” Brett sounded breathless. His phone continued to ring. Zack

glanced up.

“Probably should answer that. You owe whoever it is.”
“I know.”
Brett approached him, his hand landing on Zack’s shoulder. “Can you

hold him?”

“Yes, don’t worry about that. Just call the sheriff.”

* * * *

Sunlight filtered through the open windows of Brett’s bedroom, rousing

Zack from sleep. He opened one eye to glare at the offending light.

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Next to him, Brett stirred. “Probably should get up,” he murmured.

“It’s late.”

Zack raised one eyebrow then rolled on top of him. He was satisfied to

find out that one important part of Brett was indeed already up.

He reached down to wrap his hand around it. It felt nice and warm in

his hand. He stroked Brett leisurely, enjoying the feel of his silky skin.

“Zack. Work,” Brett protested, raising his hips to meet Zack’s hand.

Zack smirked.

“You gave the guys the day off last night.”
“I did?”
“Oh, very well, I did.” Zack leaned to press a kiss to Brett’s mouth.

Brett’s hand shot up to grab the back of his head and hold him in place.
Their tongues stroked and warred with each other.

“And don’t think you are getting out of it,” Zack murmured against

Brett’s lips.

“What?” Brett’s eyes were glazed.
“You owe me one, boss man. Actually, you owe me two, since I sort

of saved your life.”

They’d been too tired last night to do anything more than undress and

slip into bed. Brett’s yell had roused the hands, and they spilled out of the
bunkhouse. Their eyes bugged out as they took in the sight of Zack pinning
Carl to the ground, a discarded knife lying not two feet away from them.
Two of them quickly took hold of Carl, for which Zack was grateful, since
he was tempted to give him a good pummeling, something he didn’t think
the sheriff would appreciate. His fists clenched at his side as he
remembered the flash of knife against Brett’s throat. He shivered, anger
swelling inside him.

Luckily, Matt arrived quickly, and Carl was soon handcuffed and in the

back of the sheriff’s car. He stopped to talk to Brett—it turned out he was
the one calling to inform Brett that the bullets from the shooting matched
the rifle belonging to Carl.

He didn’t foresee any problems with locking Carl up for a considerable

time. That was a relief to Zack. He could hardly wait for all of them to
leave the house. Finally, the sound of the car engine disappeared into the

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night, the hands said their good-byes, and he and Brett were alone in the
house. He had curled up in bed with both arms around his lover and
promptly fallen asleep.

Now, however, he was wide awake and wanting, and what he wanted

was lying pliant under him.

Pushing himself eagerly into Zack’s hand, Brett had a nice rhythm

going. Rising onto his knees, Zack reached for the bottle of lube sitting on
the nightstand.

Brett made a sound of protest. Zack straddled him, putting a hand on

his chest as he reached behind himself with lube-smeared fingers. Once he
was done, he gripped Brett’s cock and held it up as he carefully impaled
himself. He moaned as his ass came to rest on Brett’s thighs.

Both men groaned.
“Gods, Zack,” Brett breathed, fists clenching in bedsheets, struggling to

stay calm. Sweat beaded on his skin.

Zack moved, shuddering as Brett’s cock slowly eased out, and then

slid inside him again. He bit his lip to stop himself from crying out and
picked up the pace. He felt dizzy. Seconds later, his own cock, hard and
pulsing from need, was caught and stroked.

Breath whooshed out from his lungs. His muscles quivered.
His orgasm slammed into him, his cock spraying both him and Brett.

Zack collapsed on top of his lover, feeling Brett starting to come inside
him. His lips found Brett’s in an openmouthed kiss. This was what he
wanted, what he looked forward to doing every morning. He knew Matt
already suspected he and Brett were lovers. He also knew the sheriff
wasn’t going to say anything. Either way, he was willing to deal with the
fallout. He wasn’t giving Brett up.

Breathing heavily, he let his head fall on Brett’s shoulder, his hair damp

from the sweat falling into his eyes. Brett withdrew from him, turning them
both on their sides.

“Day off, you said?” Brett murmured into his hair.
Zack bit into his pillow to swallow his laugh. It was easier to deal with

Brett after he had come. He settled for a noncommittal, “Mmm.”

“Well, then.” Brett yawned, cuddling close to him. “I suppose we can

Cowboy Needed

85

find something to amuse ourselves with.”

Oh, yes, Zack thought sleepily. They certainly could.

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sunny Day’s main preoccupation in life is reading and/or writing

books, though she much prefers reading what someone else wrote. She is
thirty something, single, and can usually be found attached to her laptop.
Her only form of exercise is bouncing up and down when whatever story
she is working on shapes well. She hopes readers will enjoy this one.

Also by Sunny Day

Ménage and More: Hot in Space

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com