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Richard felt like he'd been punched, not kissed. He watched Joey walk ahead, sauntering over to Levi to talk, as if what had just happened was no big deal. Well, it sure as hell felt like a big deal. He glanced to see if Sasha had noticed, but she was in her element on Blueberry's back. The two of them had a special chemistry and half the time, in the arena, they looked like they might be dance partners instead of horse and rider.
Speaking of chemistry...He licked his lips, still tasting chili spice and a hint of whiskey from Joey's lips. Richard fought the urge to catch up with him, pull him back into the shadows for another kiss. For more, maybe.
Then he shook his head, wondered what the hell was going on with him, and walked toward the makeshift ring to cheer for his daughter. In spite of the cold, he was burning up and trembling like he had a fever.
Maybe I do, he thought. He knew that Sasha kept him so busy that he didn't take proper care of himself. He didn't date, and he had no desire for a one night stand.
And the odds were, that was what Joey wanted. Richard had seen enough of his kind at the ranch – guys skating into town for work and then skating back out again, often finding a little temporary shelter with another worker or one of the locals to keep them company. Then they'd be gone, off to the next town, the next job, maybe never coming back.
Richard didn't care what people did, but he didn't want to bring even a hint of that into Sasha's life. He'd rather just be alone, no matter how much he wanted more of Joey's kiss. No matter how curious he was about the man. No matter what. Sasha was his life, and there was no room for casual hookups. Joey might be used to this sort of thing, but Richard didn't have to be part of it.
Still, he couldn't help imagining what Joey might feel like beside him in bed, curled up against the cold winter nights.
Shaking off his thoughts, he cheered for her along with all the others, letting her have her fun for the next hour. In the midst of it all, he kept catching Joey's eye. No matter when he looked, Joey seemed to be looking back at him, and in spite of the cold there was definitely heat in that gaze, and heat between the two of them. He nailed his gaze to Sasha and kept it there.
By the time he talked her off the horse, the guys were starting to leave. She was flushed and laughing with excitement, and he directed her to go thank every one of those guys for letting her ride tonight. She did, without a moment's hesitation. He watched her go to each one, shoulders back and head high, and shake their hand. Except for Levi, of course - he picked her up and swung her around like a toy, making her squeal. Richard couldn't help but be proud of her.
After the men had gone, including Levi and Cruz and the check he insisted they take, he got Sasha calmed down enough to get her into bed. "Blueberry was a good surprise," she said sleepily, grabbing his hand and giving it a hug. "Thank you, Daddy."
He bent down to kiss her forehead. "Don't thank me - this was Uncle Levi's idea. You've got a lot of responsibility now, you know. The guys won't be around to take care of Blueberry, so you have to do all of it."
She nodded. "I know. You'll teach me, right?"
He smiled. "I will, but you know most of it. Anyway, you need to listen to me - this means you have to be here to take care of him. No more sleepovers, no summer camp. And he'll be lonely here, away from all the other horses, so you've got to spend time with him every day."
He knew she would - Blueberry really was her best friend. Still, he wanted to make sure she knew how important it was that she take good care of him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he worried that she would grow out of her horse fascination, and Richard would end up taking care of the animal. Maybe he was just worried for nothing, though. He hoped so.
"Can I ride him over to the Broken Blue to visit sometimes?" she asked. "So he can see his friends?"
"Uhh, we'll see." The ranch was miles away, even through the woods. That would be too dangerous for her alone. "Maybe if I come with you."
"Mmkay," she said.
"You want a story?"
She was already asleep. He kissed her on the forehead and turned out her light.
His phone rang as he walked back through the kitchen on his way to the patio out back. He needed to do some serious thinking, and he always did that best outside.
It was Joey, maybe the last person Richard wanted to talk to right now.
"What's up?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He knew what was up. He knew Joey would probably want to come back tonight, maybe finish what he started. He wouldn't understand keeping this stuff away from Sasha, or respecting Richard's more important obli-.
"Did Sasha have fun tonight?" Joey asked. His voice was sleepy and slow.
"She had a blast. Thanks for making it happen."
"The guys had fun, too. They want to host a cookout this weekend," Joey said. "At your place, I mean. If that's OK."
"Um, sure, I guess. Why here, though?"
"I don't know, it was their idea. I just told them I'd ask." He paused. "You don't have to do anything. We'll bring the food, if you can point us toward wood for a bonfire. Invite the guys at the Broken Blue, too, or I will."
"That...sounds like a lot of fun. It's a good idea, and Sasha will love it. Thanks." Then something occurred to him. "Joey, your guys won't raise too much hell, will they? I need Sasha to be safe."
There was a pause, and Joey said, "They'll be fine." His voice was suddenly awake, his tone clipped.
"Oh, I'm sure they will, just, you know..." Richard cringed. He was pretty sure he had just pissed Joey off, but oh well. Better that than bring a rowdy party around Sasha. "Whatever you think."
He hung up, sure that tomorrow Joey would call the whole thing off. Maybe Joey didn't understand because he didn't have kids, but Richard would do nothing that might even hint at impropriety, not where Sasha was concerned. That included drunks, drugs, or anything else.
Still, if Joey could keep his guys - and himself - under control, it sounded like fun, and Richard went to bed thinking that a party might be just the change of pace he needed to kick off a busy spring and summer.
Three the next morning came early, and he carried Sasha to Pam's house in her pajamas, her school clothes in a bag for later. Once he got her settled, he said goodbye, telling Pam that if Sasha really was too tired for school, she had his permission to keep her at home.
Still rubbing his own eyes and fighting back a few yawns, he put the truck in gear and pointed it toward the ranch.
Joey didn't even look at him when he got out of the truck and came over to say hello. He was looking at the map again. Richard greeted the other men and hoisted his rifle further onto his shoulder and stood there, waiting to move out.
Joey finally turned and held up the map, still not looking at Richard. "OK, we've had sightings here, here, and here," he said, pointing. It's late in the year, and smack in the middle of mating season, so they'll be hunting hard these next couple of weeks. They're running out of food, most likely. You guys want the same arrangement as before?"
The men mumbled their assent and signed off on the map.
Joey finally looked at Richard, but his eyes were hard. "You ready?"
Richard nodded and followed along behind Joey, feeling like there was definitely something wrong. He just couldn't figure out what, and he didn't think now was the time to ask. Joey kept up a quick pace until they were halfway up the trail from the day before, and then he pointed. "I'm going out here. I need you watching the south corner of this clearing. I'll stay west. Just keep my general direction in mind and try not to shoot me, all right?"
"Sure," Richard said.
Joey looked at him for a moment, and the tension hung in the air between them. Finally he tossed Richard the extra radio he was carrying and turned away. "I'll use my calls to draw them into the clearing, if I can. Be ready. Yell if you get in trouble." He nodded toward the radio. "It's already set to our frequency."
"All right." Richard watched him stalk through the trees and disappear into the darkness. Then he sighed, shook his head, and made his way down the trail to his assigned spot. As quietly as he could, he settled himself against a thick tree with low-hanging branches and waited.