Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 02 - Out of the Darkness (24 page)

“I have no idea,” Chris pants as he trots Smokey over toward Dan and Ronan.

 

“Me neither, man. Too close to call, I guess.” Dan grins. “But, hey, Smokey’s my horse, so owner or rider—either way, I win!”

“That’s handy.” Chris is a little out of breath, but he seems to have kicked himself out of whatever mood he was in before. If he was even in a mood—Chris is so even-tempered that Dan is more likely to doubt his own perception than to doubt Chris’s equanimity.

“It is,” Dan agrees, and he lifts his arm and points. “We can go up over that ridge and then loop back around to the barn.”

Chris nods and they set off. Ronan’s a little excited after the race, dancing around and trying to rip free of Dan’s control so he can run again, but Dan just thinks calm thoughts and lets his body relax, and eventually Ronan calms down too. Chris doesn’t say much, but when they’re almost back to the barn he looks over at Dan and says, “So, you’re okay out here, right?”

Dan doesn’t really know what to do with that. “Okay? Yeah, I guess.” He remembers the late-night phone calls he’s made, the strange questions he’s been asking. “You’ve been hearing me at my worst, I think. Normally, it’s just… well, it’s just this, you know? Riding and whatever.” He shrugs. “It’s been… there’s nowhere I could have been where I wouldn’t have been missing him.” It’s nice to be with someone who doesn’t need a name or an explanation. Someone who understands just what kind of a guy Dan lost. “So, here… well, at least there’s been lots of distractions.”

Chris gives him a look. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

Dan shakes his head. “Not just that… although, yeah, that’s definitely taken some of my attention. But you know, the horses and the business and getting settled....”

Chris nods slowly. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“How about you? It’s got to be a bit weird, back there. Are you doing okay?” Dan doesn’t really expect Chris to do anything more than brush the question off; Chris is good at taking care of people, but not that great at being taken care of. But he surprises Dan this time.

“It’s… yeah, you’re right, it’s weird. There’s a pretty big hole, you know? Not just Justin, but the three of us. We had some good times.”

Dan nods. “Yeah. And the bad times…. I know I’ve said it before, man, but I really don’t think I could have gotten through all that without you.”

“And Jeff.”

 

Dan shrugs. “Jeff was great, no doubt. But… he’s a good guy, but he didn’t know Justin. He wasn’t there for all of it.”

“Yeah.” Chris is quiet and then seems to shake off the gloom. “The three of you were pretty adorable last night, with all the touchyfeely crap.”

“Yeah, that lasted for about two minutes before you dragged Evan back over to the bar.”

 

“Dude, we were hunting Turkey. It was important.” Chris grins. “The boy can drink, I’ll give him that.”

“That’s big of you. From the way you were hanging off each other by the end of the night, I was thinking I might be gonna get Jeff all to myself.”

Chris shoots him a look. “Is that what you want? If you had your way? Just Jeff?”

Dan isn’t really ready to answer that question, not even from Chris. “Wow, you’d switch teams just for me? You’d steal Evan away just so I could take his boyfriend? That’s sweet, man really.”

Dan knows that Chris recognizes the deflection, but he lets Dan get away with it. “That’s the kind of friend I am, Dan. Maybe you should take lessons—the next time I need a wingman in a straight bar, it wouldn’t kill you to step up.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll keep that in mind.” They’re riding the path the runs along the edge of the driveway, and they both turn their heads when they hear a car coming from the direction of the house. It’s the Mercedes convertible, with Blaine at the wheel and Amanda beside him. There’s no sign of Monica, and Dan’s stomach drops a little, thinking of her staying, maybe spending more time with Evan… but then there’s a stir of movement in the back of the car, and he sees a tiny, perfect foot reach up to rest on the top of the back door. So Monica’s accounted for.

The car slows as it approaches the horses and then stops. Blaine waves a hand vaguely in their direction. “Hey, there you guys are. We saw your truck, so we stopped at the barn to say bye.”

“Sorry, we were up on the hill. You’re heading back to LA?” Dan finds it a lot easier to feel friendly toward them now that he knows they’re leaving.

“Yeah, that’s the plan.” Blaine grimaces—or smiles; it’s hard to tell. “Listen, man, we kind of got off on the wrong foot, but I wanted to say that it’s been good getting to know you. Hopefully I’ll see you around up here, or if you’re ever down in LA…”

That was fairly gracious. Dan thinks he’ll have a better chance of getting through his part without laughing if he widens the audience a little. He addresses a spot somewhere in the middle of the car as he says, “Yeah, it was good to meet all of you too. I don’t know if I’ll make it down to LA, but, yeah, I guess maybe I’ll see you the next time you’re up here.”

And that’s it, they pull away, and it’s good to get rid of them, but Dan remembers what Amanda had said about them being Evan’s only real friends. He thinks of how Evan had welcomed Chris, inviting him into his home, making an effort, getting drunk with him, even, and he feels a bit guilty. And then he feels even worse for not feeling guilty until
after
they’d left, when it’s too late to do anything about it.

Chris is watching him, of course, and Dan wonders when Chris got so good at figuring out Dan’s thoughts. Justin used to complain that Dan was hard to read, but Chris has never seemed to have any trouble. “You all right, Sparky? Gonna miss them?”

Dan decides to ignore the “Sparky,” hoping that it will go away. “No, not gonna miss them. I just hope Evan doesn’t.”

 

“The way he was talking last night, I think he was more than ready to see them go.”

Dan thinks back to the night before. Just how much time had Chris and Evan spent together? And should Dan be worried that Chris seems to be having better conversations with the guy than Dan does? And if he
should
be worried, what exactly can he do about it?

“Huh.” It’s not exactly witty, but Dan has nothing else to say.

When they get back to the barn, Evan is there, apparently waiting for them. His smile is warm, and Dan returns it, but he feels a bit awkward. He’s not sure if there’s something wrong or if it’s just the usual new-relationship jitters. If he’s honest with himself, he has to admit that he’s really only done this once before, and he’d been so off balance at the start with Justin that he still can only remember things through a fog of bewilderment. So he hasn’t got much to compare this to.

Dan swings off his horse and pulls the reins over his head, then looks over at Evan again. He feels a bit stupid when he realizes that he’s come to expect the guy’s rapt attention, and that he’s a little put out to realize that he’s not getting it. Instead, Evan is talking to Chris, comparing hangovers and laughing over something from the night before, and Dan isn’t sure whether he’s jealous of Chris or of Evan, but one way or the other, he feels a bit left out. Which is pathetic and sad and pretty much proves that Dan is the drama queen he wants so much to avoid being, so he puts a smile on his face and just shakes his head at them when he leads Ronan on into the barn.

Chris brings Smokey in right behind Ronan, and when Chris has to go to the far tack room with Smokey’s western gear, Dan seizes the opportunity. Evan is leaning against the wall of the aisle, and it still feels a little awkward, but Dan makes himself push past that, ducking under Ronan’s crosstie and moving to stand directly in front of Evan, in close.

Evan’s smile is reassuring, and Dan leans in for the kiss. It’s warm and just a little wet, a promise of more but with a definite note of “later.” One of Evan’s hands grips the back of Dan’s head, not tight, just secure, and when the kiss is over, Evan keeps Dan’s head close. “Morning, Dan,” he drawls, hitching one finger of his free hand in Dan’s waistband. “You should have spent the night. We could have said good morning a whole lot earlier and a whole lot better....”

Evan should not be allowed to drawl in a public place, and Dan thinks he’s going to need a little space pretty damn soon if he doesn’t want to embarrass himself. But it’s hard to pull away, so he allows himself another breath of Evan’s warmth, trying to control his hands and keep them from wandering from Evan’s hips to less appropriate areas….

So when Chris clears his throat ostentatiously, he’s not interrupting anything really racy, but he still seems a bit weird, and Dan wonders if it’s hard for him, seeing Dan with someone other than Justin. Dan’s had some time to adjust to this, but maybe it’s a lot for Chris to be taking in all at once. Dan gets back to work on Ronan, and Evan and Chris resume their conversation, apparently about a local vineyard that Evan’s just bought.

Dan’s phone rings—a California number that he doesn’t recognize—and he thinks about letting it go to voice mail, but Ronan is good in crossties and Chris and Evan are entertaining themselves, so he picks up. “Hello?”
“Dan?” The voice is familiar, but Dan can’t place it.

“Yeah….”
There’s a little laugh. “It’s Taylor, man. Andrews?”

It’s disorienting, hearing that name, that voice in this place, and it takes Dan a minute to catch up, to pull himself back from memories of the swampy Florida heat, their sweaty bodies straining together at work, and then working together in a totally different way at night….

“Dan?”
“Shit, sorry, Taylor, you surprised me! It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah, I know, man, I was surprised to see your name on the results sheet from Shepherd Ranch—I had no idea you were out here.” “I just got here; that was my first trial.” Dan tries to regroup. “So, I didn’t know you were here either. What’ve you been up to?”

There’s an odd pause, and then Taylor says, “Yeah, a bit of this, a bit of that. And… okay, straight up, I wanted to call and say hi, get caught up, but I’ve got another reason for wanting to talk to you. Is this a good time?”

“Uh, I’ve got a horse in crossties…. Is it a long story?”

Taylor laughs. “Not super-long, but…. You’re down near San Jose somewhere, right? I’m not far from there, just outside Oakland. Do you want to get a beer sometime, catch up right?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” Dan runs over his schedule in his mind. “Uh, tonight’s no good, but after that I’m free any night.”

“Okay, how about tomorrow?” There’s a pause, and Dan can see Taylor in his mind, probably running his fingers along the scar on his forearm like he does when he’s thinking. “Uh, usually when I go out, I head
toward
the city. Do you know anywhere good in between us?”

“Like I said, I just got here. Hang on.” Dan pulls the phone a little away from his mouth. “Evan—do you know anywhere good for a few beers, somewhere between here and Oakland?”

Evan gives him a blank look. “Oakland? Who’s in Oakland?”

That really doesn’t answer the question Dan asked. “Just an old friend. We’re trying to find somewhere in between to meet up.” Dan hears a voice from the phone and brings it back to his ear. “Sorry, man, I missed that.”

“I said don’t worry about it. Once I’m on the freeway, it’s no big deal to keep going. Is there somewhere down there to meet?” “Hang on…. Evan, how ’bout somewhere in San Jose? Near the highway would be good.”

Evan still looks a little nonplussed. “Which highway? The 880?” “The 880?” Dan asks Taylor, and then nods at Evan.

“Uh, the Wick’s not far from the 880.” Evan looks to Chris as if for confirmation, but Chris obviously has no idea and just shrugs. Evan goes back into take-charge mode, thank God, because indecisive Evan is not Dan’s favorite flavor. “Yeah, The Brunswick, it’s just off Guadalupe, on Almaden, I think. It’d be good.”

“The Brunswick, off Guadalupe, on Almaden. Probably.” Dan repeats.

 

“Uh, okay… I’ll just MapQuest it. Do you want to meet there around seven, maybe?”

“Yeah, sure, sounds good.” Ronan stamps a little, and Dan puts a hand out to soothe him. “I gotta go now, man, the horse is getting pissy. But… it’s good to hear from you. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, man, sounds good. I’ll see you then.” There’s a click, and Dan waits a moment before he closes his own phone. The call was a surprise, but a welcome one. He and Taylor had lost touch, but they’d been friends once. And it would be good to have a friend in California, someone totally uninvolved in the soap opera.

“So, an old friend?” Dan looks up to see both Evan and Chris watching him. Evan was the one who asked the question, but Chris looks just as curious.

“Uh, yeah. Taylor.” Chris raises an eyebrow, and Dan just shakes his head. “From before I moved to Kentucky, man—you wouldn’t know him.”

“You’ve never mentioned him, I don’t think.” Chris isn’t quite making an accusation, but the tone is a little more than casual.

“No, probably not. No reason to, really.” Dan has gone back to grooming, but when he looks over, Evan and Chris are both still watching him. “Yeah, okay, you caught me. I hired someone to pretend to be an old friend… for some reason I can’t explain. With money I don’t have. Because… that’s just the kind of shit I do, you know?”

Chris looks at Evan and shrugs. “He does do some pretty weird shit sometimes.” He turns back to Dan. “You should stop it. You’ve got a new life here, don’t ruin it with your web of lies and pretend friends.”

“I’ll try to control myself.” Dan gives Ronan a final sweep with the brush, and then trades the brush for the lead rope. “You know where Smokey goes, right? Same place you got him from?”

“Yeah, no problem.” Chris follows Dan’s example, clipping the lead rope to Smokey’s halter. The horse would probably follow Chris without any guidance at all, but it seems like a bad precedent to set, because most of the eventers are not nearly that cooperative.

They head out of the barn together, Evan trailing along a little behind. Ronan’s paddock is close to the barn, and when Dan stops there and opens the gate, Evan stays with him, letting Chris walk to the back on his own. Dan leads Ronan inside and turns him before taking off his halter, then patting him on the shoulder. Ronan stands frozen for a second, then gives a little bunny hop in celebration of his freedom. He trots over to join his pasture-mates with a springy, bouncy movement that Dan only wishes he could get the horse to produce in the dressage ring.