“I’m on my way to call the vet. Cord figured out that Kally Kin probably has an ulcer. He has a sense about things like this. My bet is on him being right.”
“Damn, he figured it out that fast? Does he want a job? I could use a guy like him.”
“Sure,” Sully grated. “He can stay here and I’ll head back to Daly.” It was a nice offer for Cord though. Sully decided not to mention it to Cord, however, since it was unlikely he’d be interested and Sully didn’t want to put undue pressure on him to stay.
Brian narrowed his eyes, his head tilting. “That’s bullshit. You know you’ll always have a place here.
Verus
is part yours. Hell, it will be forty-nine percent yours when—” He broke off, shaking his head. Neither of them wanted to say it. “Is everything okay with you and Cord?”
“I don’t know.”
Brian blew out a hard sigh. “I’m sorry. I hope everything works out. I like him, and I wasn’t kidding about the job. It would be nice to have you both here. Despite those two hefty refunds earlier this year, business has been really good. We could grow it, with more help.”
“You mentioned those refunds before. Were the symptoms the same?”
“Yeah. I was beginning to think it was some weird mad horse disease.”
“You know…the ulcers are usually caused by a poor or restricted eating schedule or an increased exercise regimen that leads to restricted eating…or it could be the different feed those horses got after leaving here.” Sully shook his head. “But you know that. I’m just thinking out loud. What happened to the other two?”
“The vet medicated them. He never said anything about them having ulcers. After we rehabilitated them, they went to new homes with no problem, but with a huge cut from their true worth.”
“It might be time to get a new vet. And it might also be time to check into the people you sold those horses to originally.”
Verus Horses
generally only sold to professional riders, therapy stables and training facilities. Because their Irish draughts were meant to be shown, sales for private use were rare. That meant it was likely the purchasers owned several horses—animals who were all subject to whatever had caused Kally Kin’s illness. He didn’t suspect anyone was purposely abusing the mounts, but there might be some training needed.
“Person,” Brian clarified.
“They were all at Griffin’s?”
“Yes. I don’t know the exact methods in place over there, but I know he’s a good person and cares a lot. He spends as much time in the stables, interacting with the animals as anyone else does.”
Sully agreed that Griffin wouldn’t harm his horse stock. Despite his faults in the area of relationships, he wasn’t a bad guy. If he knew his methods were causing the ulcers, he’d change them. The
Thomas Equestrian Academy
had been in the business since the early 1900s. They knew animals and their policies had never been called into question.
“Maybe, it’s an allergy?”
“If it is, we need to find out and breed it out of our line.” He frowned. “Dr. Redmon has been our vet here for over thirty years…” And now, Brian was in the tricky spot of possibly needing to replace someone who had a longer connection with the operation than he and his brother had years on the earth. Sully didn’t envy him. “Do you want to make the call about Kally?”
Brian rubbed his forehead. “Yeah.” He said yes, but his tone said no. “So…you’re staying, right? For real?”
“Yeah. At least for now. How long after—” He couldn’t bring himself to talk about Gran dying yet. It would happen all too soon, but it was too fresh for him to discuss. “Well, after will depend on where I’m at with Cord.”
“Let me know when you know. I’d really like to turn over some of my responsibilities to you—but I won’t if you’re just going to leave.”
“I understand. Just one thing… If we have more business with Griffin, I need you to deal with him. At least until he accepts that Cord and I are together.” And Sully sure hoped after today they would be. “After what he pulled when we went out that night—
as friends
—I don’t want to chance a repeat. Cord might kill him.”
“What did he do? No,” he said quickly, lifting a hand to stall Sully’s reply. “You can tell me later. Don’t worry. I’m used to dealing with him.”
“And are you sure you don’t mind calling Dr. Redmon? I’m planning to take Cord to the cottage so we can talk.”
“You take care of your guy. I’ll take care of the vet and cover everything here. Maybe you’ll have the chance to do the same for me someday.” With a wane smile, he headed toward the offices, his shoulders slightly stooped as if he carried the weight of the world on them, and for the first time, Sully realized just how lonely his brother must be. Sully had been exiled, so to speak, and had found deep happiness and love, while Brian had stayed with the family home, being the good steward of the business, but look what he’d gotten. Not a lot.
Sully headed outside and sat on the front steps to wait for Cord, but before he could sink into his thoughts, Cord was exiting the stable and heading toward him. Sully met him at the bottom of the steps and nodded toward the field beyond the outbuildings. One nice thing about this place was that one didn’t have far to go to “get away”. He and Cord would be able to talk in privacy without worry of being observed or overheard.
As they walked in silence, Cord took his hand and that small intimacy bolstered Sully’s hope that they could work through whatever difficulties lurked between them. They headed for a stand of trees. Beyond the copse, a small stream bisected their land, edging a fair-sized clearing, this one dotted with a few pines. At the edge of it stood a small cottage that had been his grandparents’ getaway.
Cord looked around the new field, from the stream to the back edge in the distance where another stand of trees began but didn’t obscure the looming mountains beyond them.
“This is beautiful,” he said quietly, as if speaking would break the spell over the place and it would turn into something plain and far from the magical hideaway it really was. “Why doesn’t anyone live here?”
The modest home had been unused the past ten years. Since his brother had inherited the main house and half the business, this small parcel of
Verus
belonged to Sully. While Sully had been away, Brian had kept a regular eye on it, but no one else came here.
Still, Sully hadn’t been out to his cottage since he’d started his visit. Though most people wouldn’t understand, he couldn’t bear to recall what he’d leave behind when he went back to Daly. Now that he was staying, at least for the time being, he supposed he’d spend more time here, though he didn’t think he’d fully move in while his gran was so sick.
“This is my place,” he told Cord. “I would have brought you here last night when you got in, but it was late and I need to get the power turned back on. It’s actually just some switches at the power hub of the main house, but…” He shrugged. “It was late,” he finished, repeating himself.
Appearing aghast, Cord stared at the brick cottage with the lush ivy growing up its side. Sully tried to see it from his eyes. The yard and garden needed to be tamed and the windows washed, but otherwise, it was in good repair. Brian had been vigilant about its upkeep.
“You have a house,” Cord muttered.
“It’s a cottage.”
Cord looked at him as if he were insane. Sully glanced back at the getaway. “Okay, I guess most people would call it a house.”
“You never mentioned it.’
Sully shrugged, unsure of Cord’s point. “It wasn’t important. I was never coming back here and I can’t sell it because it’s part of
Verus
. It’s kind of a tricky thing. I own it, but I don’t own it enough to sell it. Because of that, the estate covers all the taxes on it. I didn’t think much of it.”
Closing his eyes, Cord rubbed a hand down the side of his face and laughed, the sound odd and full of disbelief. “I don’t even… Hell, why don’t you tell me what you needed to talk about and we’ll come back to my part of this conversation?”
Sully recognized Cord’s gesture. He didn’t know where to start with what he was thinking. That’s what he hadn’t finished saying, but what was it he couldn’t express? Was it so bad that he needed to delay it? And what did the damn
cottage
have to do with it? Disappointed that Cord wasn’t sharing his feelings once again, Sully walked over to where a semi-circle of small boulders bordered an empty fire pit. A long time ago, before even his grandparents, someone had carved seats into them.
Though what he needed to tell Cord would take few words, he wanted to sit while he got it out. He dropped into one of the stone chairs, facing the house. Cord folded himself into the one next to him.
“So, um, I talked to my gran, and she wants me to stay,” Sully started. “I can’t leave her, not when she might have less than a year to be with us. In some ways, it wasn’t a hard decision. Daly was my refuge, but this was always my real home. I own part of
Verus
and Gran’s share will come to me not my brother. Brian will always have majority ownership, but I’ll have guaranteed work here. I’ll have to tell Robert and Pete that I’m not coming back. I don’t know what I’ll do after…”
Cord took his hand. Though Sully saw the hurt in his eyes, he also saw compassion and understanding. “You don’t have to say it. I know what you mean about ‘after’.”
Sully swallowed. “I don’t know that I’ll stay here afterward if I don’t have a solid reason, but I can’t expect them to hold my job at the
Flying D
. So that stuff, that’s the easy part. You’re the hard part. I love you; you know I do.”
Cord closed his eyes as his head dropped forward. His mouth pressed closed to keep in whatever he was feeling, and the pain on his face nearly undid Sully. “I do know that,” Cord replied through tight lips.
“And I don’t know what’s been going on with you, but I only want you to be happy. I don’t want to end things with you—ever—but if you don’t want a long-distance relationship, I understand. I won’t make it hard for you. Maybe, it’s the out you need? Obviously, you…haven’t…” Sully’s words slowed as Cord’s head shot up and Cord stared at him, incredulous. “…been…happy…”
“An out? Why would I want an out? Damn it, Sully, I love you with everything in me. Whether we can be together all the time or we have to figure out how to make the distance thing work, I want you as mine. We might not be able to legally marry in Wyoming or here, but to me,” his hand slapped against his chest, “you’re my partner for life. That’s my heart’s commitment to you. To us.” He made a frustrated sound. “An out? Fuck!”
“Oh my God, Cord…” Sully’s heart pounded, slamming against the wall of his chest. They wouldn’t lose everything because he was staying here.
Cord moved from his seat and knelt in front of Sully. His hands slid up Sully’s thighs then around his waist. He pulled him closer, forcing Sully to spread his legs around him. Pulling down Sully’s head, he kissed him. “I haven’t been looking for an out from our relationship. You seemed so fucking happy at the
Flying D.
I didn’t want to ruin that for you, but I was trying to figure out how to tell you I wasn’t happy there. I kept trying to tell myself to get over it and just learn to be content with what I had, but I wanted more—I
want
more. Robert is great as the owner there and who’s a better boss than Pete? But I want us to have our own place. I thought maybe a house…a small ranch…a spread of our own, but my savings and the kind of loan I could probably get wouldn’t come close to giving you what you were used to at the
Flying D.
And then I saw your family’s place…”
“Cord Sabatello!” The man’s sentiment warmed Sully, but Sully wanted to give him a good slapping. “
Why
would you think you need to give me anything? We’re partners.”
“I know. I
know
! But I wanted to provide for you. You give me so much.” Cord’s fingers trailed over Sully’s jeans, tracing the crack of his ass through the fabric. As Sully looked into his eyes, he realized Cord meant submission. Sully’s submission was so valuable to Cord that he wanted to provide everything for him.
“Sir,” he whispered. “You give me everything I need already.”
Their lips crushed together as they each tried to convey the overwhelming desire inside them. It clawed at Sully’s insides, and he felt it vibrating from Cord. The invisible threads that bound their souls were only getting tighter now that they were baring their worries.
Cord crushed him closer, his fingers curling into Sully’s back, and Sully guessed he was fighting the need to rip the shirt. If Sully had his way though, they’d both be naked soon. Cord groaned, the sound almost a protest, then he pulled back but barely loosened his embrace. His lips were swollen as they both gulped in air.
“We have to finish,” he gasped. “I don’t think we’re on the same page yet, and we need to be.” A devilish gleam filled his eyes as he smiled impishly. “And then I may fuck you until you can barely walk back to the main house.”
Sully buried his fingers in Cord’s hair and brushed his mouth over Cord’s, ignoring that the man had just ended their last kiss. “My God, I have missed this part of you so much. You were so serious all the time.”
“Because I knew I had to confess my dissatisfaction with working the
Flying D’s
ranch instead of investing in our own place. I was afraid you’d tell me you were perfectly happy there and to have a nice life.”
Irritated, Sully punched his shoulder. Hard. “Idiot.”
“Yeah, well…”
Sully sighed. “Obviously, I need to work harder at convincing you I don’t plan to kick you to the curb. Ever.” He stroked the fine lines around Cord’s eyes, beautiful marks that were so much more evident when Cord was happy. “So when you were so worried before, it was because you wanted to provide me a house? I have a house,” he said, remembering Cord’s speechlessness and that weird laugh earlier. Now, it made sense.
“It’s a cottage,” Cord quipped.
Sully shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Right. And I have a job doing what I love. What do you love?”
“You.”
This was why Cord owned his heart. Sully stroked his thumb along the side of Cord’s face, rasping it over his mid-afternoon shadow and loving him all the more.