Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 02 - Out of the Darkness (26 page)

But that’s not exactly what Chris had asked about, and Dan rips himself back to the present. “Uh, no, he’s a good guy. He was just working as a groom when I knew him—nothing hinky.”

“But maybe something a bit kinky?” Chris asks, and his grin is as suggestive as his tone.

Dan can play that game. “I gotta say, dude—I love you straight boys.” He leans back against the wall and lets his eyes almost close. “He was all confused and shy at the start, acting like he didn’t know what he wanted, but once we got going… damn! He loved it, and then he’d get all conflicted and angry and act macho for a couple days, and then come crawling back for more…. It was pretty fucking hot, man.”

Chris’s expression is weird, and Dan wonders if he’s gone too far—sometimes Chris has odd little squicks that Dan doesn’t even think about—but he hasn’t said anything too detailed this time, so he won’t worry. Chris always has about seventy things going through his head at any given time, so he’s probably just reacting to something else.

“So, you know… Evan’s not wrong to think that we used to fuck around, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to again. I do have some self-control, you know?” Chris looks like he hasn’t really been following too closely. He can’t be drunk, so he must just be tired. “Anyway, nothing for you to worry about if you decide to take the job.” Dan pauses. “Do you think you’re going to?”

“I don’t know… I think… I think I need to figure some stuff out. You know, think it through.”

 

“Yeah, fair enough. You’ve got a life back in Kentucky, after all.”

Chris nods. “Yeah, I do.” He looks like he’s going to say something more but doesn’t, and he waves away Dan’s inquiring look. “I’m gonna go to sleep, man. Your alarm set?”

Dan nods that it is, and heads into the bedroom. He has a bit of trouble falling asleep, thinking about Evan, and wondering again whether this is a serious problem or just one more wrinkle that needs to be ironed out. He thinks about Jeff and wonders if it’s worth discussing it with him or if that would be like being a tattletale… and with that conundrum, he falls asleep.

He wakes to the alarm and turns the coffee on before heading to the shower. Chris is looking around groggily, like he has no idea where he is or even who Dan is, and Dan feels an almost physical wave of affection for his friend. Chris has a lot of strengths, but waking up is not one of them, and Dan likes seeing him when he’s a little vulnerable. Dan isn’t exactly a morning person himself, and Justin used to spring out of bed full of energy and plans for the day, and then spend the first half-hour taunting Dan, and Chris if he was around. He’d said it was the only time he could get anything past them without them ganging up on him. It surprises Dan sometimes when he realizes how much a part of the relationship Chris had been; Dan had practically been in a threesome back in Kentucky, only without the bonus sex. It had sure seemed easier back there.

Chris is still lying on the couch by the time Dan’s showered and dressed, and Dan’s still feeling affectionate and benevolent, so he pours Chris a cup of coffee and brings it to him. Chris grunts his appreciation and sits up enough to take a sip, and then another. He sighs contentedly and leans back against the arm of the sofa, and Dan doesn’t want to disturb him, but he has to.

“Now, if you lived out here, you’d be able to stay there as long as you wanted. But you don’t live here, and if you want to catch your flight, we need to leave in about fifteen minutes.”

Chris snuggles in a bit, still seeming half asleep, but when he speaks his voice is clear. A bit whiny, but clear. “Maybe I don’t need to go back—I could just get them to ship my stuff out.”

“Some people come to California for the lifestyle, others for the natural beauty—you’re going to move here because you’re too lazy to haul your ass off a twenty-year-old couch?”

Chris wrinkles his face up as if in deep thought, then opens one eye and looks cautiously at Dan. “Would that be a bad reason?”

“Yup. So let’s go, up and at ’em, rise and shine, it’s another day of glorious opportunity….” Justin had been able to say those things with a straight face and genuine enthusiasm; Dan sounds like he’s about to fall back to sleep himself. But it’s enough of a reminder to make Chris smile and open both eyes.

“Early bird gets the worm?”

“Well, there’s no worms in the fridge. There’s no anything in the fridge, really, so if you want any breakfast, we’ve got to hit a drivethrough—so get
up
!”

“I liked you better when you were quietly bringing me coffee.”

“Yeah, well, I’m multifaceted… and some of the facets are nicer than others. Let’s go!” Dan had been leaning over Chris, but now he straightens with what he hopes is energy and enthusiasm. “Fantastic! I wonder what wonderful things will happen today!”

Chris rolls his eyes, but he sits all the way up before taking another sip from his mug. “I can barely wait to find out.”

“That’s the spirit.” Chris hauls himself all the way to his feet, and Dan collapses on the newly vacated couch. He curls up in the stillwarm sheets and says, “I’m all worn out. I’m just gonna have a little nap now… wake me when you’re ready to go.”

“I’m’a wake you with a bucket of cold water, you bastard. Get out of my bed.”

Dan gives Chris a mock-lecherous look and stretches out on the couch. “Why you gotta fight it, baby? You know you want me in your bed.”

Chris looks temporarily startled, and then grins. “Is that the line you used on Taylor? Pretty smooth, man.”

Dan laughs. “Hey, if it works….”
“Dan, I don’t think it’s your
lines
that get you laid.”
Dan just grins and taps his watch. “Tick tock, dude. Go shower.”

Chris is remarkably efficient once he gets going, a feature which Dan had factored in to their morning’s plans, and he’s packed up and following Dan out the door right on time. They stop off at a McDonald’s on the highway for breakfast. Chris bitches about the lowclass dining, but he orders six of the little hash brown bars to go with his Egg McMuffin, so Dan isn’t too worried.

The airport drop off is only a little awkward. Dan doesn’t get out of the truck this time, but there’s no winning with Chris. “Have you got your emotions back under control, then, Danny? You’ve been schooling yourself all the way out here, and you’re somehow finding the strength to say goodbye to me without a big public display?”

“You mean dancing a happy jig? Yeah, I’m gonna save that until I see your plane actually take off.”

“Wow, you’re going to wait around and watch the plane leave? Will you run after it, waving at me through the window, bravely fighting back tears?”

“I’m bravely fighting back nausea, dude. Get out of the damn truck.”

 

Chris shakes his head sadly. “If that’s the way you want to leave it, darling….”

“Leave what? You’re moving out here. You know it and I know it, so stop pretending. You miss me so much you’re gonna move halfway across the continent in order to stalk my ass. Should I tell Evan he’s got a new employee, or will you?”

Chris grins. “I will. Probably. I’ve got to, you know, figure things out back home. But yeah, I think…. I don’t know, I told him I’d give him a call to discuss details… salary….” Chris whirls suddenly and fixes Dan with a steely glare. “You had better not be spying for him, man! If you tell him I’m interested, it’ll screw up my negotiations.” Chris leans back a little and then tents his fingers, tapping the tips together like a cartoon mastermind. “This is an interesting test of your loyalty, isn’t it? Do you maintain the confidence of an old friend, or do you
betray
him in order to impress your new flame?”

“‘Flame’? Dude, come on, are you visiting from the old folk’s home?” They’re both laughing, but Dan feels like there’s maybe something a little serious too. He’s just not sure exactly what it is, or how to say the right thing to make it okay. “Evan’s a smart guy. I don’t think I need to help him negotiate. You, on the other hand—you need all the help you can get.” Chris just nods past the insult, but Dan thinks he gets the idea.

“Yeah, all right, then.” Chris climbs out of the truck and shuts the door, then leans down to talk through the open window. “So, I’ll give you a call when I get things figured out.” Dan nods, and Chris smiles at him. “You take care of yourself, Danny.”

Dan nods. “Yeah, I will. You too, all right?”

Chris acts like he needs to consider it. “Yeah, okay, I guess I can do that.” He thumps the roof of the truck and then backs away, waves, and turns. The airport is crowded, and Chris is out of sight almost immediately, swallowed by the crowd.

Dan feels a bit disoriented as he drives back to the barn. Hanging out with Chris had felt familiar and good, and it’s a bit hard to adjust to him being gone, even if does turn out to be only temporary. Once he gets to work, he’s quickly distracted by the demands of his job, and he remembers that with or without Chris, the horses will always be a familiar reminder of his old life.

He finishes up in time to get home, shower, and put on clean clothes, and then he heads for the bar. He’s looking forward to seeing Taylor and wonders if he’ll have changed as much as Dan feels like he has. Dan hopes that Taylor’s not expecting the same Dan, because Dan really doesn’t think he’s that guy anymore, and he doesn’t really want to be.

The bar’s a bit of a dive, and Dan wonders for a moment what it means that Evan would suggest this place instead of somewhere classier, but he tries not to dwell on it. It’s still early and the place is pretty empty; those customers that
are
there seem not so much like the “after work” crowd as the “out of work” crowd, but no one seems objectionable, and Dan isn’t afraid of a little roughness.

He glances around and spots a familiar profile at the far end of the bar. Taylor is busy flirting with the bartender, so nothing’s really changed there, and Dan lets himself watch for a few moments before crossing over and sitting on the stool next to Taylor.

He leans in a little and says, “Hey, cowboy, wanna go for a ride?” in his best imitation of a drunk old man.

Taylor doesn’t miss a beat, and doesn’t break eye contact with the pretty bartender when he says, “I really don’t think you could keep up.” He smiles at the woman, and then slowly turns to Dan. “How ya doing, man?”

Dan nods. “Not bad.” Taylor looks good, and it’s a little disconcerting. Dan had been prepared for the pretty boy he’d known, not the man standing in front of him, and he thinks for the first time that maybe Evan hadn’t been totally wrong to be a little worried. Dark hair and blue eyes, high cheekbones, and tanned skin making him look almost exotic…. Dan calls his mind back to business. “You want to get a table?”

Taylor nods, smiling regretfully at the bartender, and Dan gets a PBR from her before they go. They find a table in the corner with no one sitting at the tables next to it, and then sit back and look at each other. Taylor gives Dan an appreciative once-over and Dan returns the favor, and they both laugh at how cheesy they are.

“So what have you been up to, man?” Dan is genuinely curious. Taylor looks a lot less hungry than he used to. There’s maybe a hint of tension around his eyes, in his shoulders, but nothing compared to the tightly wound creature that he used to be. Taylor has always reminded Dan of a cat, one of the big ones—like a panther maybe—ready to spring at any moment. But now he seems more like a lion, napping in the shade of a tree somewhere. Still beautiful and powerful, but more content.

And then Dan remembers that there’s someone else who’s going to be coming by and observing Taylor. “Oh, before I forget. This guy I’m… I don’t know… this guy I’m involved with… he’s a bit paranoid, and he was there when you called yesterday. He was building toward a bit of a freakout so I told him he could come by. Is that cool?”

When Taylor smiles, Dan is reminded again of a big cat, but this time it’s getting ready to purr. “Thinks I’m a threat, does he?”

Dan needs to shut that down. Taylor’s too damn hot for Dan to risk flirting with him. “Like I said, he’s a bit paranoid. He worries about things that he really doesn’t need to.” He holds Taylor’s eyes long enough to make sure the point is made.

Taylor drops his eyes and then shrugs. “Yeah, okay.” He’s quiet for a second and then looks up. “So, yeah, that’s not why I called you. Might have been a nice bonus, but really I wanted to catch up, and, you know… ask a favor.”

“Okay, good. It really is good to see you, man.”

 

“Yeah, you too. You look… you know, older. Getting a little ragged around the edges, maybe….”

 

“Fuck you, Andrews. My edges are just fine.”

“Maybe it was all the sun in your early years. It seems like every time I pick up a magazine I read more about how hard the sun is on your skin, with the premature aging….”

“Yeah, dude, that says more about the magazines you read than anything else. I can’t believe you used to think you were straight.”

Taylor laughs first, and that means Dan wins. He sits back and smiles, then says, “Seriously, man, what have you been up to? We kinda lost touch after Vanessa shut the barn down.”

“Vanessa’s husband, more like it. Not that I blame him.” Taylor takes a long pull on his beer. “For a while, I just did more of the same. You know, traveling around, catching jobs when they came up… but, uh….” He looks awkward for a second, then reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. He opens it up and passes it over to Dan, who finds himself looking at a chubby toddler, grinning from ear to ear, his face covered in something orange-red…. “He likes his spaghetti, man.” Taylor shrugs. “That’s Owen. He’s two. His mom didn’t want to have him in the first place… you know, wanted an abortion. And I thought I’d gotten rid of all that Catholic stuff, but… I don’t know, I just… it didn’t seem right. So I told her if she went through with the pregnancy, I’d take over from there.”

“Wow. Shit, man, he’s beautiful. Well, I think he is… it’s hard to tell through the sauce.”

 

“Flip it over, asshole.”

Dan does, and on the opposite side there’s another picture, this time of Owen a little younger and much cleaner, but with the same big grin on his face, sitting on the back of a Shetland pony.

“I was right there beside the pony. I didn’t just leave him sitting on it—someone else took the picture, and I just jumped off to the side right before they snapped it.”