MADISON WARD stepped off the Greyhound bus and nearly dropped to his knees to kiss the ground.
That had been the longest bus ride in the history of bus rides. If he had to spend another single minute on that hot, humid, smelly bus, he likely would’ve withered up and died. Okay, so it hadn’t been that long, but between the frequent stops and the temperature, it had sure felt like it.
“Yo, Matty!”
“Matty” cringed as he turned and located his cousin. He hadn’t gone by Matty since he was a kid. When he started high school, he began going by Matt. But he hadn’t been able to convince his Aunt Martha to start calling him Matt. And his cousin Brian was just as stubborn as his mother. He had a feeling he was going to be stuck with “Matty” for the rest of his life.
Brian Ward was every bit as handsome as Matty remembered. His work as a ranch hand obviously agreed with him, since he was in fantastic shape. His appearance had Matty doing a double take: Brian looked every bit a real-life cowboy in his Stetson, blue jeans, and boots.
They had both inherited the Ward signature dirty blond hair and blue eyes. Where Brian was more ruggedly handsome these days, Madison still had his boyish good looks. His smooth skin and naturally pink cheeks made him appear younger than his twenty-seven years.
Brian pulled Matty into a tight hug, slapping his back. “It’s so good to see you, cuz,” his older cousin told him while looking him over.
“You too, Bri.” Matty gave Brian a genuine smile. He was overjoyed to see his cousin, despite the reversion to his childhood nickname.
“You got a bag?”
“Yeah.”
Matty walked over to the side of the bus where the driver had opened the baggage compartments. He pulled the suitcase and big duffel bag that held the entirety of his worldly possessions from within.
Brian grabbed the suitcase from his cousin and pointed toward the parking lot where his pickup truck was parked. “I’m over there. So, how was the trip, Matty?”
“Good, but long. So long. I go by ‘Matt’ now, Brian.”
“You’ll always be Matty to me. Don’t see that changin’ anytime soon.”
Matty couldn’t help but smile at his cousin’s words. Brian had picked up a bit of a country accent. He probably didn’t even realize it.
They put Matty’s luggage in the back of Brian’s pickup truck and got on the road.
“You sure this is okay?” Matty asked, feeling nervous again. “I hate to be a burden.”
“I’m sure. It’s all settled. Everything is gonna be fine. Don’t get me wrong, the pay is going to be crap and you’re gonna be stuck doing the shittiest jobs no one wants, but you’ll get room and board. And the Gateses are good people.”
Brian gave Matty a reassuring smile. The smile slowly faded as his attention turned back to the road. “How’s my mom?” At Matty’s hesitation, Brian added, “Be honest.”
“I’m sorry, Brian,” Matty said quietly. His eyes filled with tears, and he blinked rapidly to clear them. “I tried to take care of her for as long as I could, but Aunt Martha… it just got to be too much. I’m so sorry.” Matty hung his head and closed his eyes. He inhaled a shuddered breath as he tried to not completely break down.
Brian reached over and squeezed Matty’s shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. I know you did.”
Matty blamed himself. He felt like a complete failure. Brian’s mom, his aunt Martha, had taken him in when his own mom died of cancer. He was just a kid when it happened, and Matty’s dad had long disappeared before he was born. Both of their moms were single parents, and the two families relied heavily on each other. Brian was more than just his cousin. He was like a big brother to him, and Matty feared his disappointment more than anything.
With Aunt Martha getting sicker and sicker of the same disease that had taken his own mom, Matty just couldn’t handle caring for her anymore. He had already quit his job as a short-order cook to take care of her full-time, but it still wasn’t enough. After she’d broken her hip, Brian had agreed she should be moved into an assisted living facility. To pay for the twenty-four-hour care she needed, they’d had to sell her home. And that had left Matty homeless.
When Matty had nowhere to go, Brian hadn’t hesitated to line up a job for Matty at the cattle ranch he worked at. The ranch owners had hired him sight unseen, feeling sympathetic to his situation. At least that was what Matty imagined. He didn’t know anything about raising cattle or taking care of horses. Brian had assured him he would do fine, but that didn’t make him any less nervous.
Brian had gotten his job because he knew about horses. He had dated a girl all through high school whose parents raised them. She had taught him how to ride and how to take care of the animals.
Brian drove west out of town for about forty-five minutes before turning into the Gates Creek Ranch driveway. He pulled through the big gates and down the long drive that seemed to go on for miles.
Matty wished it had been daylight out so he could have seen the countryside. He imagined it to be beautiful.
As soon as Brian parked his truck, Matty got out and looked around at what would be his new home.
The air was crisp and clean, and the stars sparkled bright in the clear night sky. It was so quiet that it was a little disconcerting. But there was something about the peacefulness that appealed to Matty.
A pair of shepherd dogs ran through the yard, playfully chasing each other. Matty stopped and watched them for a moment until they ran far enough away that their bodies melded with the darkness.
Floodlights lit up the area where Brian had parked the truck, alongside several other vehicles to the side of a long two-story structure. A golden glow beckoned him toward the homey front porch where comfortable chairs and rockers sat. Matty could easily imagine himself sitting for a spell to enjoy the clean country air. In addition to the long house, there was a big two-story farmhouse with a big wraparound porch, where he assumed the owners lived. The horse stable was a large red barn, and past that was a big equipment shed. Farther back on the property, Matty could see the window lights of what looked like a small log cabin.
Matty smelled what he assumed was the cattle in the distance, though he couldn’t really see them in the dark.
“This is the bunkhouse,” Brian said, tipping his chin toward the long building. “That’s where I stay. You’ll get your own room there, too.”
“Hello!”
Matty turned toward the sound of a woman’s voice. A man and a woman were standing on the big house’s porch, waiting for the two cousins. They looked to be in their sixties, and Matty assumed they were the ranch’s owners, the Gateses. The woman had friendly eyes and was all smiles as she waved. She wore very little makeup, but every strand of her graying hair was set perfectly in place. Mrs. Gates’s grandmotherly appearance immediately put Matty at ease, and he smiled and waved back.
Her husband stood at her side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. His square jaw and dimpled chin were dusted with a salt-and-pepper five-o’clock shadow that gave him a rugged look. Despite the hard-looking face, the older cowboy wore a welcoming expression. As Matty and Brian approached, he pulled his hat off, exposing thinning hair that matched the coloring of his stubble.
“C’mon, cuz,” Brian said, slapping Matty on the back. “Let me introduce you.” He led Matty to the porch. “Fred and Ethel Gates, this is my cousin, Madison Ward. He goes by Matty.”
Matty smiled to himself. Fred and Ethel. How cute.
“I’m Matt,” Matty corrected. “It’s nice to meet you, sir, ma’am. Thank you so much for the opportunity.” Matty shook both of their hands.
“Aw, now don’t you worry about that, Matty,” Ethel said. “Why don’t you come on inside and I’ll fix you a snack? You must be famished after that bus ride.”
“I don’t want to put you to any trouble,” Matty said, glancing toward Brian.
Fred chuckled. “Matty, son, you don’t want to start your time here by turning down Miss Ethel.”
Matty widened his eyes. “I didn’t mean any disrespect, sir.”
Ethel shot her husband a look. “Hush, you.” She linked her arm around Matty’s and escorted him inside.
Matty cleared his throat and smiled at the woman. “I still want to thank you for giving me the opportunity. I promise I won’t let you down.”
She waved her free hand, dismissing Matty’s words. “You’re family. That’s what we do.”
MATTY left the main house with a full belly and a warm feeling that went deep down into his soul. As he walked with Brian toward the bunkhouse, he was finally starting to feel things might be okay after all. Like Brian had said, the Gateses were good people. That much was obvious from the short time he had known them.
“C’mon, let’s get you settled. Then you can get to bed and get some rest. Morning’ll come faster than you like.”
“Thanks again, Brian.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Matty. You’re my family.” Brian gave Matty a playful shove with his shoulder, and Matty could only laugh at his antics.
They grabbed Matty’s bags and headed inside the bunkhouse. Stepping inside the large common room, Matty was surprised it had such a homey, rustic feeling. He expected a house full of single men to be more of a mess.
A cowboy was lying on one of the couches asleep, his Stetson covering his eyes as he snored lightly. The TV’s remote control barely hung from his limp hand. Four others were sitting at a small kitchen table, playing a game of cards. Another two were in the kitchen area, fixing sandwiches.
“Hey, everybody,” Brian spoke up. “This is my cousin, Matty.”
“Matt,” Matty corrected.
“Matty, this is Dobby, George, Clyde, Sal, Beano, Rawley….”
The names were rapid-fired, and Matty struggled to remember them all with the associated faces.
“Fred picked up another stray, eh?” one of the guys grumbled as he gave Matty’s appearance a skeptical once-over.
The oldest of the hands with the thinning gray hair, George, smacked him on the arm and snickered. “It wasn’t but a couple years ago when you were the stray Fred picked up, Sal.”
“Make yourself at home,” the man named Clyde said. He was older than Matty, early thirties from the looks of him, and Matty couldn’t help but notice he had a nice build and wasn’t too hard on the eyes. Though his brown hair was receding a bit, he had a square jaw and dimpled chin that helped to give him a rugged look. “The room upstairs next to the bathroom is open.”
“Thanks,” Matty said, giving the cowboy a smile. “It was nice to meet all of you.” He followed Brian up the stairs and to the end of the hall.
“There’s four bedrooms upstairs and four down,” Brian explained. “I’ll be right next door. It’s not much, but like I said, it’s included with the job.”
Brian opened the last door and held it open for Matty. The small bedroom was furnished with a full-size bed and a night table. Along the opposite wall under a tiny window sat an old, beat-up dresser. A plain desk with an ordinary wooden chair filled the remaining space.
It was smaller than his old room at Aunt Martha’s, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. And he was so damn close to begging.
After they put Matty’s bags down, Brian showed Matty the shared bathroom. It reminded Matty of his high school’s locker room, with sinks, urinals, toilet stalls, as well as separate shower stalls. Nothing out of the ordinary.
“We usually take turns cleaning it,” Brian said before smirking. “But you’ll probably be stuck on that duty for a while, being the new guy and all.”
Matty sighed and nodded his head. He figured as much.
Brian escorted Matty back to his new room. As he leaned in the doorframe, he looked down at Matty’s jeans, sneakers, and polo shirt. “We’re gonna have to go shopping. You need working clothes.”
THE morning came way too early, just like Brian had said it would. The sun hadn’t even come up yet, for God’s sake.
When Brian knocked on the door to wake him, Matty was a little disoriented at first. He had lived in Aunt Martha’s house for so many years, and to wake in a strange place was a bit disconcerting. But it wasn’t often that people were handed a chance to make a new life for themselves, and Matty intended to make the best of it, despite feeling anxious about the unknown.
After cleaning up in the shared bathroom, he followed Brian downstairs, trying his best to stifle his yawns. All of the hands were on their way to the main house for breakfast. Brian said the Gateses provided them with three meals a day, except for Saturday nights. They were on their own then, and they usually went into town. Breakfast and dinner were always had in the “big house,” where they all ate as a group. Lunch depended on the work schedule, and Miss Ethel provided a packed lunch if they were out working the ranch.
As they walked to the farmhouse, Matty finally got a good look at the ranch property in the daylight. It seemed to stretch forever. The cattle had an enormous multi-acre fenced-off area where they were free to roam and graze.
He then spotted another man he hadn’t met yet standing on the front porch of a small log cabin, which sat a little farther back on the property than the bunkhouse and the main house.
The big and brawny, bearded man was sipping from a mug as he looked over the parade of men walking to the big house. He wasn’t the ranch owner, but Matty knew he was someone important. His black Stetson was pulled low on his brow, shielding his upper face from view. Even though Matty couldn’t see his eyes, he felt like the man was staring at him with an intensity that made him a little nervous.
“Who’s that?” Matty asked his cousin in a whisper, hoping he kept his voice neutral, while he rubbed his moist hands down his jeans.
Brian looked over to the object of Matty’s gaze. “That’s Baxter Hollingsworth, the ranch foreman. Our boss.”
As Matty wiped his shoes on the mat and stepped through the back door of the main house, he looked back and glanced over his shoulder at Baxter. He could have sworn the man dipped his chin slightly. A shudder ran up Matty’s spine as his blood began to pump south. He quickly looked away and followed his cousin inside, resisting the urge to glance back.
When Baxter walked into the dining room a few minutes later, his eyes found Matty first thing. Their eyes locked, and when Baxter held his gaze, Matty instantly knew he was gay. The older man was devastatingly handsome in that rugged and manly cowboy way. Matty estimated Baxter was in his early forties. Seeing him up close, he noticed the man’s hazel eyes. His beard was thick, brown in color, but sprinkled with gray, especially at the chin and near the ears.
His jeans were nice and snug. He wore one of those big rodeo-style belt buckles that drew your eye right to his bulging package. And of course he wore cowboy boots.
Matty had always been a sucker for a man in boots. Literally.
He had always liked older men, and his boyish looks seemed to attract them without problem. Older men were more stable, they knew what they wanted, and they knew how to treat a young man like Matty. They also generally knew what they were doing in bed.
Yeah, Baxter fit Matty’s type to a T.
Baxter held his hand out. “Baxter Hollingsworth, foreman,” he said with a deep country drawl.
Matty wiped his hand and shook Baxter’s. “Matt Ward.”
Baxter squeezed his hand hard, then pulled away. He left Matty feeling nervous, which was a weird feeling for him. Guys that Matty was interested in dating never really made him nervous. It had always been the one area of his life he was confident in.
“You know anything about cattle?” one of the men asked Matty, drawing his attention away from the cowboy god. Matty thought the husky man’s name was Dobby. He had a mustache that would have made Tom Selleck jealous.
“No, sir. But I’m eager to learn.”
Matty didn’t miss the looks passed between the hands. He tried not to squirm in his seat.
“What about horses?” Dobby asked.
“No. But I love animals.”
That earned a grunt from Dobby, who apparently decided he had no more use for Matty, because he turned and started talking to the older man named George.
Matty glanced at Brian, who gave him a reassuring nod of his head.
“We’ll put Matt in the stables to start,” Baxter decided. “He’ll learn. Or he won’t.”
Matty looked over at the older cowboy, but Baxter was head down in his breakfast. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know the cowboy meant Matty would be out on his ass if he didn’t learn the job quick. And he really couldn’t afford that right now.
Miss Ethel had cooked up a hearty spread for the ranch hands. Matty wasn’t used to eating so much for breakfast, but Brian and Miss Ethel insisted he’d need the energy. Not that they needed to twist his arm. It was so delicious he ate until he was stuffed.
Once everyone had finished breakfast and Fred and Baxter had handed out assignments for the day, Miss Ethel shooed everyone through the back door.
Matty was to be the new stable boy, and Clyde was assigned to show Matty the ropes.
MATTY followed Clyde into the horse barn. The barn was painted standard red and looked to be in really good shape. There were stalls lined up on each side of the center aisle. Above them was a loft where hay bales were stored.
“Your job is to make sure the stalls are clean and to make sure the horses are groomed, fed, and watered.”
“Okay.”
As they walked the aisle, several horses poked their heads out and looked at them.
“There are ten stalls,” Clyde explained as they walked down to the other end of the barn. There was an outside door at that end and stairs leading to the loft. “This is the tack room and the feed room is across the hall.”
The tack room held the saddles, plus had hangers for the bits and bridles. Shelves and cubbies lined the walls of the room, filled with supplies for grooming, medical care, and cleaning. A sink stood outside the door that opened to a small water closet. It seemed like everything was in good shape, but could use a little extra care and organization.
Matty wasn’t sure what smelled worse: the scent of the working animals or the dirty straw and manure. He blinked a few times and cleared his throat. This was going to take some getting used to. But he was given an opportunity, and he wasn’t going to blow it just because it stunk.
“Let’s get to work, pretty boy.”
Matty cringed at the horrendous nickname, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to cause trouble his first day on the job.
“Those sneakers are gonna be ruined by the end of the day,” the cowboy noted, looking down at Matty’s feet. “Get yourself a good pair of boots and a waterproof jacket.”
Matty followed Clyde’s gaze to his shoes. They weren’t expensive, but they were all he had to use as far as work.
“C’mon, let me show you the horses.”
Matty was overwhelmed. First by the smell that smacked him in the face, then by all of the activity around him.
The other hands were getting their horses ready to ride, and Matty stood by, taking it all in. Clyde pulled him to one of the stalls that held a large, brown horse with a streak of white on the top of his head. He was a magnificent animal, so big and beautiful. A wood plaque hung from the door, carved with the name of the horse that called this stall home.
“This is Chestnut, Baxter’s stallion.” Clyde pulled a plastic baggie filled with sugar cubes from his jacket pocket and gave it to Matty. “You’re gonna need these.”
Chestnut didn’t much like Clyde and Matty touching him, and he tried to bite Clyde when he got close.
“So, let’s get Chestnut saddled,” Clyde said, clapping his hands together.
Matty followed Clyde down the hall to the tack room. Each horse had its tack labeled by name, making it easy to match their equipment. Clyde handed Matty Chestnut’s pad and saddle. On top of that he dropped a blanket, brush, and bridle.
With hands full, Matty juggled the equipment back to Chestnut’s stall.
“Groom him first,” Clyde directed.
Matty approached Chestnut, and the horse snapped, grazing his arm with strong teeth. “Ouch!” he cried, jumping back and slamming into the wooden stall door. Clyde just laughed as Matty rubbed the pain out of his arm and back. He shot Clyde a dirty look, and pulled out a sugar cube.
With Chestnut distracted by the treat, he followed Clyde’s instructions, using the brush to make sure the horse was completely clean of dirt and his coat lay nice and flat. As he brushed the horse, Matty made sure to rub him with his other hand, speaking softly in what he hoped was a soothing manner. Once Clyde verified the work, he had Matty place the pad and blanket on Chestnut’s back.
Matty let out a grunt as he hefted the heavy saddle onto the horse’s back. Clyde made no move to help. He just leaned against the stall and watched with a damned smirk on his face.
Clyde stepped forward once Matty had the saddle on Chestnut’s back. The cowboy pointed out how to line the saddle up properly on the pad and blanket covering the animal’s back. Once Clyde showed Matty how to cinch the straps, Chestnut was finally ready to go.
Matty leaned against the stall door. He was exhausted. The work was a lot harder than it looked.
While he was lost in a tired fog, Chestnut knocked Matty’s head with the end of his nose. “Ow,” Matty grunted, rubbing his temple.
Clyde laughed. “He don’t listen to nobody but Baxter.”
Matty gave the horse another sugar cube. While Chestnut chewed it, Matty took the opportunity to rub his hands over the stallion’s head. The horse’s ears twitched, but he remained mostly still.
He looked the horse in the eye. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” he said quietly as if he was talking to a dog. “Who’s a good boy?”
“He ain’t a damn puppy.”
At the sound of Baxter’s deep voice, Matty jerked his hand away and stepped back.
Baxter looked down at Matty’s feet. His eyes traveled up Matty’s body, and he shook his head in disappointment. “You’re gonna be sick as a dog by the end of the week. Get yourself a real, waterproof jacket and a pair of boots next time you go into town.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t call me ‘sir,’ kid.”
“I won’t call you ‘sir’ if you don’t call me ‘kid.’”
Thinking he had overstepped his bounds, Matty widened his eyes in a panic. He so didn’t want a smart mouth getting him in trouble his first day on the job.
Baxter stared back at Matty for a moment, then let out a noise that might have been a grunt or a chuckle, but he didn’t say anything further and just turned away.
Matty watched the big man lead his horse out to the yard, where he swung up into the saddle with a gracefulness that belied his size. He kept watching the man’s broad back as Baxter and Chestnut slowly trotted away.
Clyde snapped his fingers. “Wake up, pretty boy. These horses ain’t gonna dress themselves.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the next stall.
Once all of the horses were saddled and out in the yard with their riders, Matty looked around. He let out a tired sigh. His arm muscles burned and his back hurt, but he knew he wasn’t even close to being done for the day. The sound of rustling straw pulled Matty’s attention toward the back of the stable.
One more horse still remained, all by himself in the last stall next to the feed room.
“What about him?” Matty asked, nodding toward the solitary horse.
Clyde waved his hand dismissively. “That’s old Bolt.”
Matty walked back toward Bolt. The horse looked old and tired. Though he was dark brown in color, he had gray hairs around his nose and his wide-open eyes. With a twitching ear, Bolt looked at Matty, but didn’t seem to care one way or another about his presence. Matty reached his hand up and gently rubbed Bolt’s muzzle. His nose was so soft, and the horse was so gentle. He just stared back at Matty while being pampered.
“Yeah, the Gates won’t get rid of him,” Clyde muttered. “He’s useless now.”
Matty frowned at Clyde, then turned back to Bolt. “Don’t listen to him,” he quietly spoke. “I bet you worked hard your whole life, didn’t you, boy? You deserve a little rest. I’ll come back and brush you in a little bit, okay?”
Matty pulled a sugar cube out of his pocket and gave it to Bolt. After Bolt finished the treat, Matty gave him another one. He rubbed the sugar from his hands and walked back over to Clyde.
Clyde clapped Matty on the back and squeezed his shoulder. “Okay, pretty boy. It’s time to muck the stalls.” He handed Matty a shovel and nudged him toward one of the now-empty stalls.
“What’s that?” Matty asked.
Clyde just smiled.
BY THE end of the day, Matty wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He leaned against the horse paddock fence and groaned. Muscles he didn’t even know he had were telling him loud and clear they were not happy.
Brian leaned up against the fence next to him and laughed knowingly. “Hard day?”
“Yeah. How long did it take you to be able to muck stalls without gagging?”
Brian laughed again and elbowed him in the side. “You’ll be okay.”
“What did you do today?”
“Rode the cattle fences on the west pasture, made a couple of repairs.”
“That sounds more exciting than cleaning stalls. But I’m pretty sure the horses appreciated having somewhere clean to rest.”
“That’s the spirit. C’mon. Let’s get washed up for supper.”
Miss Ethel made meatloaf for dinner, and Matty didn’t have to be prodded to eat up. After stuffing himself, he asked Miss Ethel if she needed help, but she shooed him away with a wave of her hand. He returned to the bunkhouse with the other men.
Exhausted, he collapsed on one of the sofas and instantly fell asleep. When he woke a little over an hour later, he got up and decided to take a walk, hoping to get rid of the crick in his back and legs.
As he started on his walk, Matty saw the outline of Baxter near his house. He was crouched down in a squat, playing with the two dogs. The orange glow of a cigar lit momentarily, followed by the strong smell of smoke.
Matty saw it as a chance to get to know the boss man better. Maybe flirt a little. He walked up to the big man and smiled. “Hi.”
Baxter didn’t look up. “Matt.”
“What kind of dogs are those? They kinda look like German shepherds, but they’re not, are they?”
“Australian cattle dogs.”
Matty squatted down and held out his hands. The dogs licked his hands and let Matty pet them. Baxter stood up and watched while he puffed his cigar.
“Clyde said you did alright today.”
“Yeah?”
“You’ll be fine.”
Matty stayed squatted down, playing with the dogs, but secretly he basked in Baxter’s praise. His eyes raked up Baxter’s long body, pausing at his crotch. That big package surely hid a big dick. When he met Baxter’s gaze, he just stared. The big man’s hazel eyes were smoldering with desire. Yup, Baxter was gay without a doubt.
The way Baxter looked at Matty made his heart race. He couldn’t remember the last time a man had looked at him like that. Matty glanced back down at Baxter’s crotch, which seemed to be a little bulgier than before. He then returned his gaze to the other man’s eyes, letting the cowboy know not-so-subtly he was interested. Very interested.
Baxter turned without speaking a word. He disappeared inside his house, the door pulling shut behind him with a decided click.
Matty frowned with disappointment. He really wanted to play. It had been quite a dry spell for him, what with taking care of Aunt Martha and all.
Even though Baxter was technically his boss, Matty couldn’t bring himself to care about the consequences of fooling around with his superior. The man was just too sexy for words.
Matty clearly had his work cut out for him where Baxter was concerned. He was usually the one being chased, but he also wasn’t one to give up so easily.
Trying to ignore the uncomfortable pressure in his jeans, Matty stood and began to walk the property. He strolled along the cattle fence with the two dogs following and running circles around him.