They were standing in the kitchen, doing the dishes together, and Ryan could see Jakes red face. He started to worry. “Okay, well, you can talk to me about anything. You know that, right? I mean, Ive dumped my whole lifes story on you, so….” He shrugged, and Jake gave him a little smile.
“Well, its just that, hmmm, I dont want to offend you or anything, but we got kind of carried away a couple of times today, and I guess we werent being very safe and….”
Ryan grinned as Jake struggled for words. He put down the dish he was drying and dried off Jakes hands before wrapping his arms around his waist and hugging him tight.
“Jake, I havent been with anyone in almost a year, and Ive been tested twice since then. Im clean, and I promise you, if I would have had any doubts about that, it never would have happened. But its okay for you to ask, its your right to take care of yourself.” He reached up and kissed Jake softly before laying his head on his chest, listening to the strong heartbeat inside.
Jakes buried a hand in Ryans hair while the other arm wrapped tightly around Ryans shoulders. “I got tested after Mikayla left, because I thought she might have been with another guy, but she wasnt, and I was clean, and well, there hasnt been anyone else since.” He was glad that Ryan wasnt looking at his face.
Ryan was smiling, though. He liked that neither one of them had a lot of experience when it came to sex. It was something they could learn about together. And Ryan planned on doing a lot of exploring. But he knew it wasnt the time to be flippant.
“Jake, if you want, we can go and get tested. I wouldnt mind or be offended or anything.” He looked up into those eyes he could quite happily get lost in. He wanted Jake to know he was serious. “In fact, I think it would be a good idea. Maybe then we could talk about getting rid of the condoms on a permanent basis, hmm?”
The clouds faded from Jakes eyes, and he leaned down to rub his cheek against Ryans. He kept running his fingers through Ryans hair. He never knew that something so simple could make him feel so good. He was willing to bet that doing this would lift his mood, no matter what was bringing him down. “Where did you come from, Ryan Andrews? How are you real?”
“Galesburg, Illinois, and I have been asking myself that same question about you since you rode up on that damned horse.” Just the thought of the first time he had seen Jake made Ryans eyes darken with desire, and that look made Jakes pulse quicken. Jake couldnt help but kiss him, and he was getting ready to deepen it when someone knocked on the door.
“Shit!” Jake pulled back after one more quick kiss and took a deep breath to steady himself. He looked at the time on his way to the door and knew who it must be.
“Evening, Sheriff! What can I do for you?” He smiled when he saw Ryans eyes widen. Sheriff Tracy Barlowe had short blonde hair, piercing green eyes, and stood six foot two in her boots. She was gorgeous, in an Amazon sort of way, and many a drunken fool had mistaken her for being easy to get along with. And she was, until you pushed her too far. And Jake could tell that she had been pushed.
“Ive got a problem, Jake. That crazy bitch Jen Johnson has got her stallion stuck in the mud hole over at Gages Pond. That poor son of a bitch is sinking fast, but he wont let anyone near him. That stupid woman has been warned not to ride there, and with the rain weve had here, its ten times worse than usual.” She was pissed, no doubt about it.
Jake was already heading for the door, Ryan right behind him. “Lets go, Sheriff, there isnt much time.” Jake turned and saw Ryan behind him. He was about to tell him to stay, when he saw the look on Ryans face and knew he wasnt going to listen.
All three headed out the door, and Jake made the quick introduction. “Sheriff Tracy Barlowe, meet Ryan Andrews, my new hand.” They quickly shook hands on the way to the barn, where they grabbed ropes and some leather straps. The sheriff got into her Suburban, and Ryan and Jake hopped into Jakes truck, following her out of the yard.
“Ryan, I need you to be careful here. Nothing can happen to you, understand?” Ryan could hear the fear in Jakes voice and wondered what was going on. “Ill be careful, Jake, I promise.” He reached down and squeezed Jakes leg, neither one of them saying anything more. Soon they could see the lights of a police car, and they pulled up behind it.
“Jake, where…?” He trailed off as he looked through the trees and saw a huge gray horse, almost up to his belly in a lake of mud. People were trying to keep it still, without much success. They both got out of the truck and walked up to the sheriff, who was talking to Ben Johnson. His wife sat cursing at a paramedic, who was looking at a cut on her face.
“Jake, Im so glad youre here.” Ben walked over and shook his hand. He turned to Ryan. “Ryan, right?”
Ryan nodded. “Yes, sir.” He shook his hand too, and they all walked over to get a better look.
The terrified horse was thrashing around, almost screaming in fear, and the people around him were just as scared. Ryan could feel the anger coming off Jake and the sheriff and was glad he wasnt on their bad side.
Ryan turned when he heard Jens shrill voice. “Just shoot the fucking thing and shut it up.”
Ryan was about to say something when her husband beat him to it. “You want me to shoot a horse that is worth $120,000 because you were too stupid to ride him properly? Maybe we should shoot you to shut you up.”
The woman launched herself at her husband, screeching like a banshee, nails going at his face like claws. Ryan was the closest one to her, so he grabbed one arm and twisted it behind her back, like his older brother would have done to him. He pulled her back, and she came, spitting filthy words at everyone.
“Stupid fucking faggot, get your hands off me. I am gonna kill that useless piece-of-shit husband and that useless piece-of-shit horse and then I am gonna kick your ass. Jake, come get your fucking boyfriend off me….” The hurtful words just kept coming as the deputy put cuffs on her, shoving her into the back of a police car. Ryan looked everywhere but at anyones eyes, terrified of what was going to happen next.
He saw Ben heading his way, and he tensed up for the abuse he was sure was coming. But all he felt was a warm hand on his shoulder, and he looked around in surprise to see Jake smiling at him. He didnt have time to say anything because Ben was shoving a hand in his direction. To shake his hand, not to hit him.
“Im grateful, Ryan, for the help, and I am so sorry for her foul mouth.” He shook his head sadly. “I shoulda listened to my mama when she said not to marry her.” He let out a heartfelt sigh. “So, you fellas still gonna help me get my horse out of his predicament? It was kind of forced on him too.” He smiled as he said it, hoping to put everyone at ease.
Jake spoke first. “Course we are, Ben.” He grabbed Ryans arm and slapped Ben on the back on the way by. “Lets go help Smoke.”
They all walked over to get a closer look at Smoke. Ben stopped when the mud got to his knees, but Ryan and Jake kept on walking, slogging through the mud until they were almost at the terrified horse. Everyone else was trying to stay as far away as possible, but the two men seemed to be thinking like one. Jake walked around the front of the horse while Ryan walked up to his head on the side nearest the group of onlookers.
Ryan was talking quietly, mostly nonsense, just something to let the horse know he was there and coming closer. Jake let Ryan do the talking and made sure he kept eye contact with the poor animal. Ryan nodded at Bens men to let go of the ropes they had thrown around the terrified animals neck and back away for a bit. They all did, and the horse got calmer.
Ryan reached out and started stroking the horses neck, letting him get used to his touch while Jake got the leather straps he had wrapped around his shoulder straightened out. Jake was trying not to let himself be distracted by the danger Ryan was in. The fact that he was in the same danger didnt matter to him. Once the straps were ready, he started touching the horse on his side, letting him know that they were not there to hurt him. Ryan just kept talking, low and steady, telling him what a beautiful horse he was and how they were gonna help him.
Jake kept sliding his hand lower down on the horses side, letting him get used to the feel of it, and Ryan did the same on his side. To everyone watching, it was like they were communicating without talking. Then Jake was leaning down to slide the first strap around the horses chest, just behind his front legs, almost under the mud, and suddenly Ryan came up with it on the other side. They slid a rope through the metal rings on either end, pulling them together before doing it again with another strap, further back.
The horse started to panic again, and Ryan reached out, moving around to his face, talking a little louder to distract him from the man coming closer at Jakes signal. The guy was carrying a long length of chain that was hooked to a winch on the front of a pickup truck. Jake ran the chain through the rings on the straps before locking it to itself, making a large harness.
Jake and Ryan looked at each other, and Ryan nodded, letting him know that he was ready. Ryan stepped back, still talking, while Jake reached up to check the straps once more. At that moment, the horse panicked and tried to pull up, succeeding in getting halfway out before losing his precarious footing and going over sideways. To Ryans horror, he landed right on top of Jake.
The winch started with a roar, and the horse was dragged toward drier ground while Ryan fought his way over to where he had last seen Jake. He couldnt see anything for a long second, and his knees almost buckled. Then there was a pale flash of skin, and Ryan spotted a hand, and he grabbed it. Somehow in his despair, he knew he had to be careful, so he gently pulled on Jakes hand until his head appeared. As happy as he was to see Jakes face, his anguish grew when Jake didnt open his eyes right away.
He gently cradled Jakes head and neck with his arm, trying to wipe the mud from his face. He didnt realize he was crying until the tears started running off his face onto Jakes, but he didnt care. “Jake, wake up, please.” He was begging, but it didnt matter. “Baby, come on, open your eyes. Come on, I need you to open your eyes.”
“Ryan, let him go, come on, we have to get him to the hospital.” The surprisingly gentle voice came from the sheriff. He looked up and saw her and two guys with a backboard standing there, hip deep in the mud. Her heart was breaking from the look in Ryans eyes as he looked down at Jake.
“Ryan!” This voice was a little less gentle and a little more urgent. He looked up at her again, and she reached out to pull Jake gently from his arms, supporting his head as the men Ryan now realized were paramedics slid the backboard under him. Once he was strapped on, they all started moving in the direction of the ambulance, everyone trying desperately to keep their feet under them. Ryan grabbed Jakes hand, not saying anything, just keeping his eyes on Jakes face, looking for any sign of life.
When they got to dry ground, the going was easier. The paramedics put Jake down and started working on him. Ryan started shivering when Jakes hand was pulled from his, and he didnt even notice when someone wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. “Is he okay?” His voice was raw with emotion.
The paramedics were checking Jake over carefully. “Hes breathing, and thats a good sign.” They put a spinal collar on him and loaded him into the ambulance. Ryan stood there, unsure what to do. He wanted to go with Jake but didnt know if they would let him. The sheriff made the decision for him. She grabbed his arm, pushed him into the ambulance, and shut the door, not giving anyone time to argue.
Ryan felt like he couldnt breathe. He felt numb and oversensitized at the same time. All he could do was sit and stare, praying with all his heart that Jake would be okay. He just needed to touch him. He was reaching out with one hand when he realized that the paramedic was talking to him. He looked at him blankly.
Why was this important? He should have been taking care of Jake. “Ryan, Ryan Andrews.” The paramedic saw the confused look on his face and worried that he was going into shock. Ryan was shivering so badly that his teeth were literally chattering. He didnt even notice.
Ryan reached out again and touched the only part of Jake he could reach, his ankle. He just sat there and held on. Fortunately, the ride to the hospital didnt take that long. When they got there, a couple of nurses helped Ryan out of the ambulance and led him into the hospital. He tried to protest being taken away from Jake, but he was so cold he couldnt speak. He watched them take Jake out of the ambulance and down the hall before he was led around a corner and into a room with a shower in it.
He stood there, unresisting, as they stripped off his clothes and shoved him into the shower, telling him he had to clean up and get warm. “Jake….” He could hardly force the word out.
“Get cleaned up, and we will take you to see your friend.” Ryan was in shock, and the nurse was really concerned that he seemed so out of it.
Ryan was remembering the conversation theyd had in the barn. “Boyfriend.” The nurse looked at him, not sure of what she heard. “Hes my boyfriend. He said so.” The nurse was starting to get it. She smiled at him and noticed that the warm water was helping to stop the shivering.
“He did, did he? Well, you had better get cleaned up so you can get back to him.” That caught his attention. He used some hospital shampoo to wash the mud out of his hair, and by the time his shower was done, he was starting to feel a little better.
The nurse handed him some towels and some scrubs, letting him get dried off and dressed before inspecting him closely for any injuries. “Are you hurting anywhere, Ryan?” He just looked at her and blinked. He almost smiled at the irony of that statement, but she was looking at him expectantly, so he shook his head. He was impatient to find Jake. “Ryan, are you sure your arm doesnt hurt?”