Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 02 - Out of the Darkness (16 page)

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t!” Evan protests.

“But you could.” Jeff looks out the window at the family piling into their minivan. “Do you even recognize the guy? Does he work for you, or just work for one of your employees?”

Evan’s a bit sheepish. “I’m not sure. I think maybe he’s one of the teachers at the high school.”

“The high school? Maybe when you go in to visit your computer labs in the fall, you could look for him. Or when they finish construction on your new library….”

“Yeah, Jeff, thanks, I get it!” Evan sounds frustrated. “What do you want me to do, exactly? How is it my fault that the guy apologized for making an off-color remark?”

Jeff shakes his head sadly. “It’s not your fault, kid. It’s just… frustrating.”

“Yeah, for me too. I mean, I vote Democrat, or further left if I can find anyone, I give money to every social cause I can find, I offer so many scholarships that I should just build a damn university and be done with it… I bend over backward to support policies that help other people and hurt me… and then they turn around and vote for Proposition 8 and make ignorant comments in front of their kids. And you give me shit every time somebody notices that I have a lot of money.”

Dan isn’t a big fan of this dynamic. “The guy might not be homophobic. I mean, maybe he’s just a gossip, right? No harm, no foul.” He crams the last bit of waffle into his mouth. He’s totally stuffed, but it was really too good to waste. He picks up the bill from the edge of the table. “So are you paying, Mr. Moneybags?”

“Dude, it was your idea. I naturally assumed you’d—” Evan stops with a laugh when Jeff snatches the bill out of Dan’s hands. “This one’s on me, boys.” Jeff grins at Dan. “I don’t mind contributing to the fatten-up-Dan campaign.”

 

“Jesus, I’m going to be never alone and fat—nice. Maybe you guys could apply yourselves to some slightly different goals….”

Jeff just smiles as he pulls a few bills out of his wallet and then starts shuffling out of the bench. “We can drop you at your place, Dan, and then go out to get my car at the farm?”

Evan and Dan both nod their agreement, and they all head out to the car. This time Jeff takes the back seat. Dan wonders how many other tiny equalities they’ll need to be aware of. The whole thing is pretty damn complicated. He turns around so he’s sitting sideways, so he can talk to both Jeff and Evan, and he takes the chance to really look at them. There’s Jeff, handsome and charming, a little world-weary but still kind and gentle. And Evan, strong and enthusiastic, trying so hard to be good and not let his power go to his head. Yeah, it’s a complicated relationship, and Dan’s a bit worried about the challenges they’re going to face. But more than that, he’s worried about what will happen if they don’t make it, because, despite his best intentions, he’s grown to really care about both of these men, and he doesn’t like to think of his life without them in it.

Chapter 10

D
AN
showers and gets dressed, and then climbs into the truck for the trip to the barn. When he gets there, Robyn is already tacking up Winston. She gives him a bit of a smirk, and he’s really not sure if he wants to know why.

His curiosity gets the better of him, though, and he frowns at her a little as he says, “What?”

 

She makes an odd face as she slips the bit into Winston’s mouth. “You were at The Fireside last night, huh?”

 

“What? For about one drink, yeah.”

 

“Until Evan came and swept you off your feet?” Robyn asks gleefully.

 

“Who told you that? I mean….” He doesn’t really know where to go with this.

Robyn looks tickled. “Dude, don’t worry about it—the man’s gorgeous and loaded and sweet. He’s a hell of a catch! I mean….” She looks a little pensive. “I sort of thought you were getting along with Jeff pretty well, but Evan’s great too. Are they just…
totally
open about all this?”

Dan stares at her. “Seriously, though… how do you know I left with Evan? And what makes you think it was anything other than… friendly?”

Robyn laughs so loud that Winston’s ears go back, and she soothes him with a pat on his neck. “My friend Candace was sitting next to you. She told me that my boss had come in and had a steamy conversation with a gorgeous guy and they left together—I just asked enough questions to find out if it was you. I’m telling you, Dan, there’s no escape. My spies are everywhere.”

“Yeah, great.” Robyn leads Winston outside then, and Dan isn’t exactly sorry to see her go. He usually doesn’t mind her gossip, sometimes enjoys it… but it’s a bit different when it’s about him. Especially when he’s the subject for the second time that day. He tries to put it out of his mind as he goes and gets Monty’s halter and lead rope. Maybe the big guy will be challenging enough to keep Dan’s brain busy.

Monty hasn’t been out in the field for long, and Dan knows he won’t want to come in, so he grabs a few apples on his way out. Bribes are always useful. Sure enough, as soon as Monty sees Dan he turns his rump and looks like he’s going to take off. Dan doesn’t really think Monty would kick him, but the turned quarters are a warning that he can’t afford to ignore. If he didn’t have the apples, he’d have to go through the boring procedure of circling around at a distance to approach Monty’s head, only to have Monty turn again and start the whole circling procedure over. But Dan
does
have the apples. He’s still stuffed from breakfast, but he forces himself to take a big bite of one of them, then chews it loudly, with his mouth open so the smell of the juice travels to the recalcitrant horse.

Monty’s head swivel is almost comic, it’s so predictable. “Oh, you like me now, do you?” Dan asks as the gelding turns and starts toward him. “Well, that’s just too bad. You had your chance, big boy, I’ve moved on.” Dan turns and walks away, taking another bite from the apple. He doesn’t turn to look, but he can almost feel Monty following him. He tries to imagine it in his mind, sees how fast the big horse could turn, then how quickly he’d walk after Dan—or, more accurately, after the apple—and when he thinks that Monty must be almost to him he breaks into a jog and glances over his shoulder to see that Monty
was
almost there and is now trotting after him. Dan likes this kind of game better than the flat out race he’d had with Sunshine; the horses still generally win, but at least he can make it a challenge.

Dan waits until Monty is almost to him again and then dodges, runs left a couple steps and then turns left again so he’s running back in the direction he just came from. Monty wheels to follow, but he’s not as quick to turn as Dan is, and as soon as the horse gets close, Dan dodges again. Dan’s played this game with Smokey, and the little cow horse had really shown his breeding, twisting and turning and anticipating Dan’s moves like the man was an errant calf; Monty’s a bit slower, mentally and physically. Dan dodges a few more times and then comes to a sudden stop, stepping aside just in time to keep Monty from charging into him. There’s no point in being an ass about it. The highclass eventer just isn’t quite as good as Dan’s horse, obviously.

“Hey, Monty, hi. I didn’t know you wanted anything! Oh, the apple?
This
apple?” Dan takes another bite as Monty stretches his handsome face toward him. He gives Monty what’s left of the apple as he pulls the halter over his head, and then gives him another. “See? It’s fun to get caught in the field. You should always come when people want you.” Dan’s probably fed the gelding a couple bushels of apples trying to teach him this with no luck so far, so he doesn’t really expect the lesson to take this time; but it still makes Dan feel a bit better about his silliness if he pretends that it was training, not just playing. He pulls gently on the lead rope, and Monty follows placidly. Once he’s caught, he generally behaves himself.

When Dan gets to the barn, Tat and Evan are waiting for him. Evan smiles at him warmly. “Seems like every time I come down here, you’re playing with horses. Do you ever actually ride them?”

“You here for your lesson? Why don’t you get tacked up, and we’ll see who’s a rider and who isn’t.”

Evan makes a scared face. “Okay, you win, I’m not a rider.” Then he looks at Tat. “But let’s get tacked up anyway. Jeff’s bringing his mom out this morning, and it might be nice if I got done making a fool of myself before she showed up.She already thinks I’m an idiot.”

Dan shoots Evan a cautious look. “Really? Is she a hard ass?”

Tat scoffs. “Momma Stevens? She’s the sweetest lady ever! She always brings me a present. She has a friend who makes jewelry—she says he’s just a friend but I think he’s her boyfriend—and she brings me earrings or a bracelet or—” Tat pulls at her necklace, bringing a simple polished stone pendant from beneath her shirt. “She gave me this! Isn’t it beautiful?”

Dan nods, but he’s really thinking about how beautiful Tat is, getting excited about a polished rock when she could probably coat her entire body in diamonds if she asked Evan nicely. “So, what’s wrong, Evan? Did she not bring you any jewelry?”

“The way she treats me, if she brought me a present it would probably be toy soldiers or Legos or something. Seriously, you’ll see. I wonder what she thinks it says about her son that he’d get involved with an immature moron like me.” Evan seems to remember that Tat’s listening, and pulls himself together. “She is really sweet with Tat; I’ll give her that.”

Dan grins at him. “Tat, can you grab Smokey’s halter and a lead rope from the tack room?” She nods and heads off, and as soon as she’s turned around Dan steps toward Evan and pushes him into an open stall, just out of sight. He shoves the taller man up against the wall and presses into him. “I bet Momma Stevens thinks Jeff’s after your fine, tight ass,” he murmurs, letting his hands take a tight grip on the anatomy in question.

Evan grins back and cups Dan’s head, pulling his face up for a quick but deep kiss. “Old lady’s got a good eye, I’ll give her that.”

And then Dan pulls away and steps back out into the aisle. He was okay taking a
chance
of Tat catching them, but he doesn’t want to make it a sure thing. Evan follows him casually, and they’re both standing by Monty’s head when Tat returns.

“So, Evan, Smokey’s got good manners. He shouldn’t give you any trouble, but you should be the one holding him in case he jerks his head or something.” Dan peers closely at Tat. “Hey, are you still all drugged up? Or do broken collarbones hurt less than I remember?”

Tat scowls. “I think ‘drugged up’ is a bit strong.” She smiles. “But I am working with a little chemical assistance, yes!”

Dan looks at Evan, who shrugs. “The doctor gave us twenty pills and said she could use them for as long as they lasted.She’s still got a few left.” He turns to Tat. “After that, you’re gonna be lucky if you get baby aspirin, though, so you might want to save a few in case you have a bad day.” He looks back at Dan. “I’m keeping track, and I’ve got a separate stash of ones for her to take at night so she can sleep.”

Dan raises his hands. “I didn’t mean to question your drug management, man. I just wondered if you wanted to take lessons from her when she’s stoned.”

Evan gives her a critical look, then turns back to Dan. “I think stoned might be better—I’m hoping she’ll be mellow.”

If Tat’s maniacal laughter is to be trusted, Evan’s hopes are in vain, but Dan doesn’t interfere. Smokey will take care of them. He works on getting Monty ready, and by the time Tat and Evan are back from the paddock, Dan’s ready to go. “I’m gonna work on dressage with Monty, so as soon as you’ve got Smokey tacked up, you can bring him out to the sand ring and we can share the space, okay?” Tat nods. “And use his western saddle, at least for today.” He turns to Evan. “It’s a different feel, but it’s more secure—there’s a lot more to hold on to.”

Evan nods. “That sounds good.” He looks like he’s trying to psych himself up, and Dan almost wants to stay and watch more of nervous-Evan. But Monty is getting impatient, so he heads out to the ring.

By the time Smokey and his friends make it outside, Monty is warmed up and Dan is working on his collected trot. It’s always a struggle. It’s a pretty basic skill, and Monty knows exactly what Dan wants, and he’s totally capable, but he would really rather be jumping or galloping or anything, damn it, where he can stretch out and be crazy. But dressage scores can make the difference between being a competitor and being a winner, and Dan wants Monty to be a winner. Justin would expect nothing less.

He gives Monty a break when Tat has Evan lead Smokey over to the mounting block. She’s got the stirrups a little short for real western riding, but Dan doesn’t worry about it. Evan will probably switch over to English soon enough, so there’s no need to get his legs used to stretching. She instructs Evan to check the girth and runs her own fingers underneath it to be sure, and Dan smiles. She’s just as conscientious as he’d thought she’d be.

Evan probably doesn’t need the mounting block, but it doesn’t hurt to use it; it’s easier on the horses’ backs, if nothing else. Tat walks him through the mounting procedures, and then Evan gives it a try, looking surprised to find himself on Smokey’s back. Dan gives him a round of applause, and Monty starts to prance, probably assuming that the ovation is for him.

Evan doesn’t look entirely comfortable, and he’s a bit too big for Smokey, but it’s good to see him on a horse. Dan and Justin had spent a lot of time together with their horses, and Dan loves that Jeff knows the animals; it’ll be great if Evan develops an enthusiasm, so that it’s something that Dan can share with both of his… and he stops. He’d just been thinking “both of his lovers.” Just casual, every day… both of his lovers. He shakes his head. Apparently his subconscious mind is charging ahead with this thing. Dan tries to consult Puppet-Chris, but the bastard isn’t at home. Just then Dan’s phone rings, and the call display shows that it’s real Chris. That’s a little creepy.

Monty seems content to walk around and watch the drama at the other end of the ring, and Tat’s doing a great job with Evan, so Dan answers the phone.

“Hey, Chris. I’m on a horse, so if I have to hang up, I’ll call you back when I can.”

“Yeah? Who’re you riding?”
“Monty.”