Chapter 8

C hapter E ight

Hazard shifted next to him, waking Bryce. He slipped his arm around him, snuffled a few times, and then settled once more. It was still dark, and he didn’t need to move, but Bryce was anxious, and he didn’t know why.

“Are you okay?” Hazard asked, groggily. “We don’t need to get up yet.”

“I know.” He sighed softly. “It’s just that I keep worrying about things. What if I screw up and cost the ranch a fortune?” He huffed softly as the list of things he needed to do ran through his mind. “I went over the books with your mom.”

“Is the ranch healthy? Is there a problem?” Hazard lifted his head.

“No. Everything is fine in that regard. But it brought home how we exist from year to year. Selling the cattle early isn’t going to break us, but it’s going to hurt. We can get a good price now, but if we wait, I know we can do better. Dad already has a top-price buyer, but we’d have to wait. Selling now is going to mean we have to back out of that deal and take a lower price.” He hated that thought, and it grated on him something fierce. “I keep thinking there has to be a way to make the deal work.”

Bryce sat up, and Hazard snuggled closer. “Why don’t we look into the cost of transporting water to the south pastures? Figure out how much it’s going to cost and then look at the amount you’ll get by waiting. Make your decision based on the money—what’s best for the business.”

Bryce nodded and lightly kissed Hazard. “I did that. It isn’t the cost, but the fact that we’ll stress our existing water sources, which are low for this time of year.” He rolled over. “I guess what I need to do is make peace with what I have to do.”

“I refuse to accept that,” Hazard said, and Bryce turned to him and nodded.

“I get that. But this isn’t your decision. It’s mine, and I have to make it.”

Hazard sat up, glaring at him, confusion and hurt shining in his eyes. “Okay. From now on, I’ll keep my opinion and my help to myself.” He got out of bed, and Bryce scrubbed his hands down his face.

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then how did you mean it?” Hazard asked. “I know you’re the one who has to make the decision, but I don’t want you to be forced into it. I’ve been trying to find alternatives and….”

“You think I should fight harder?” Bryce asked.

Hazard returned to the bed. “I think you should fight for this with everything you have. I know your father thinks selling is the only alternative, but there has to be another way. Could you lease water from one of the other ranches?”

Bryce shrugged. “I already contacted out neighbors, but they are in the same boat we are and have no extra capacity to spare. The rain we have gotten has only staved off the decision for a few weeks. But others are thinking of selling as well.”

“Which is only going to drive down the prices,” Hazard said, and Bryce nodded.

“Okay. I get it now, and I’m sorry if you think my questions are annoying.”

Bryce tugged Hazard to him. “They’re not. You ask because you care.” He closed his eyes, inhaling Hazard’s earthy scent. “I just don’t have any answers.” And sleeping was becoming more and more difficult. “I wonder how my father did this all those years.”

“He had your mother,” Hazard told him. “Running a place like this is something you can’t do alone.”

Bryce pulled back. “I know that. But I didn’t want to… I don’t know… rush into it. I mean, it hasn’t been that long since you and I….” He grew quiet. “I don’t want to speak for you.”

“I appreciate that and I guess each of us is just figuring things out, but I’m not going to do that with anyone other than you.”

Bryce smiled and nodded. “Okay.” Things with Hazard had been amazing, but he never knew quite what they were to each other. “I like knowing where I stand with you.”

Hazard rolled onto his side. “Me too.” He drew even closer. “And just so you know, I have a stake in what happens here, just like everyone else on the ranch. We all want to find an answer to what’s happening. So you don’t need to carry this all on your own. Everyone is here to try to help, and that means me too.” He kissed him, and Bryce tugged him back down onto the bed. “We have to be quiet,” Hazard whispered.

“I can be, but I don’t know about you,” Bryce retorted, and then kissed Hazard before he could argue with him.

Hazard chuckled softly and held Bryce tighter. Bryce loved the way Hazard could hold him, cradling him in his arms like he was precious and special. No one had ever done that before, and it made him feel as though nothing could harm him. For most of his life, Bryce had known he was different, and he figured he had to hide it. So trusting people, especially with his biggest secret, was not something he did with almost anyone… ever. Knowing that Hazard had shared and honored his privacy only added to the man’s many charms. He felt he could trust Hazard with his deepest thoughts. That was something pretty special. He also knew he could trust him with his pleasure, which was completely amazing, especially the way Hazard knew exactly how to touch him.

“Is this what you want?” Hazard asked just under his breath, his hands sliding down the curve of Bryce’s ass. Damn, just that touch made him shiver with anticipation. Bryce nodded, and Hazard reached to the bedside table. It was too far away, and Bryce stretched to get the supplies. Bryce found them, setting them on the table. “Do you want to be on top?”

Bryce nodded, and Hazard grabbed the bottle. Bryce slicked himself as Hazard rolled on the protection, and then Bryce settled back, slowly taking in Hazard’s impressive length. He closed his eyes, luxuriating in the stretch and burn of the initial penetration. He bit his lower lip to keep from crying out as Hazard sat up, encircling him in his arms.

“Damn… you make me want….”

“What?” Bryce asked, with a sharp intake of breath.

“Everything, all of you,” Hazard whispered. “You are all I ever wanted.” He pressed upward, taking Bryce all the way.

“Then you got me,” Bryce whispered, and Hazard slowly began to move. Bryce groaned and then clamped his mouth shut, loving the way Hazard touched him deep inside. And when he leaned back, giving Hazard more room to move, he took the opportunity to drive more deeply, sending Bryce into orbit. Thank God the bed didn’t squeak or else they would be loud enough to wake the entire house, but while their movements were intense, they were nearly silent except for the deep breathing and the soft slap of skin on skin. The sensation drove Bryce nearly out of his mind, and he leaned back farther, adding more leverage that only let Hazard drive deeper.

“Damn…,” he groaned softly, because he had to say something. His head felt like it was going to explode from the pressure building up inside him. He desperately wanted to come, and yet when he did, this would be over, and Bryce wanted the passion to last. Hell, he wanted it to go on forever, but his own body and mind betrayed him, and a lot sooner that he wanted, he tipped over the edge, slamming down on Hazard’s cock, taking him deep as his release washed over him.

Hazard stilled, his face contorting for a few seconds before he fell back on the bed, breathing heavily. “Oh God,” he whispered. “You are something else.”

Bryce smiled and grabbed a towel from the drawer to clean them both up before tossing it in the hamper in the corner. “Is that a good thing?”

Hazard gathered him in his arms. “It’s the best thing.”

“I like that.” He closed his eyes, letting fatigue and pleasure wash over him, lulling him to sleep.

The sound of a crack woke him sometime before dawn. He wasn’t sure what the hell it was, but Bryce was out of bed, pulling on his clothes, when the sound came again, this time louder. He peered out the window as rain pelted the side of the house. He sighed and stood with the curtains pushed aside, watching as sheets of water obscured the light from the outside the stable.

“Is it a good rain?” Hazard asked.

“Don’t know. What we need are inches of water over days, but at least this seems like it’s going to wet down everything.” It was hard to explain that rain alone wasn’t going to help them much. They had spent too long without it, and the grass hadn’t been growing much for months. Yes, the rain would encourage growth, but only in the short run. Still, he watched the rain come down and smiled to himself. This might be enough to buy him a few more weeks. It was hard to know.

“Hey, at least it’s rain. We need it no matter what.”

“That’s for sure.” He slipped off his pants and got back into bed. “I need to be up in an hour….”

“It’s all right. Just lie here and listen to the rain. It’s one of the best sounds there is.” Hazard rolled onto his side. “Just look on the bright side for a little while. This will help the grass grow and the area we moved cattle out of to recover. It will give everyone hope, and right now that’s what we all need.”

“Okay,” Bryce said. “I’ll give you that. But it’s going to take more than a rainstorm to solve our water problems.” Bryce knew that in reality it was going to take a damned miracle. And somehow, he knew that he was fresh out of those.

“You’re really going to do this,” Hazard said two days later as they stepped out of the house. The rain had helped, and the range grasses were growing again, but the sun had already dried the soil to the point it was before, and the forecast showed no additional rain at all.

Bryce yawned. He had been up all night trying to figure a way out of this. “I don’t have a choice. I spoke to my father, and as much as I’d like to think we had gotten a respite, nothing much has changed. Our water supplies are exactly as they were before. The rain provided no long-term relief, and it isn’t just the grass that I have to consider, but the health of our water resources, and they are just too low at the moment.” He sighed and looked out to where the cattle dotted the landscape. “Sometimes this business is hard. Like anything that relies on the land, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature, and when she sends a clear message, all we can do is listen.” Bryce shrugged. “I’m really sorry.” He hated that he was going to need to sell early, and he hated that it would mean letting some of the hands go. But with the reduced income, they were not going to be able to keep that number of people on payroll. “I’ve worked all the figures as best I can. You know this isn’t what I want, right?”

“I know.” Hazard bit his lower lip. “When will they be here?”

“I haven’t wrapped up the deal yet, but I’m working on it. It’s going to take a week before everything is finalized, and then the cattle will be shipped out after that.” It seemed like he was a failure before he even started. That his first real decision after taking over for his father was this, a real kick in the shorts. He wanted to make the ranch a success, not backtrack and be forced to sell when it wasn’t advantageous.

“Have you gone over everything with your father?”

“Not yet. Once I get the details, I’ll go over it all to make sure I haven’t missed anything.”

Hazard nodded slowly before wandering off toward the barn. With more horses to care for, he was busier than ever before.

Bryce was about to follow him when a truck pulled in and barreled up the drive before skidding to a halt.

“What do you want, Willard?” Bryce asked as his brother jumped out of the truck, hurrying up to him. Before Bryce could react, Willard lashed out at him. Bryce darted, and the blow glanced off his shoulder rather than his face. “What the hell is wrong with you?” It was too fucking early for shit like this.

“You bastard.”

“I’m not the one who left or feels that he should be paid for doing nothing,” Bryce countered. “If you want to work, then we can talk, but I’m not letting one of the hands go because you think you deserve money you never earned.” He was so angry. “You’re not entitled to anything.”

“Mom and Dad—”

“Back me on this. We are having to cut back around here, and you expect money for nothing.” He was so angry that he could barely see straight. “I think it’s time you made your own life. Go out there and find something that you love to do. It obviously isn’t ranch life.” Though he doubted his brother was going to be happy doing anything other than fucking around and fucking off.

“I knew you’d kick me out as soon as you took over from Dad,” Willard spouted loudly.

Hazard came out of the barn, and a few other of the men approached.

“This isn’t my fault. It’s yours. You never wanted to work here or be part of the ranch. You wanted to be the strutting ranch owner’s son and be a big man in town without doing any of the work. Well, that’s over. And taking a swing at me isn’t going to change anything.” He watched his brother and knew he was going to try hitting him again before it even happened. Bryce was ready for him, but Willard had barely moved before Hazard had him on the ground, his face in the dirt and his arms behind his back.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Hazard asked. “Your father has cancer and isn’t doing well. Your mama is caring for him, and your brother is keeping the ranch going. What the fuck are you doing to help?” Hazard growled as the other men all nodded, glaring at Willard. Hazard looked at him, and Bryce nodded. Hazard backed away and let Willard get to his feet.

“I came to get my stuff.”

“Then go get it.” He’d had enough and wasn’t going to beg his brother to stay. Willard wasn’t interested in the ranch, only the things it could provide for him. Bryce watched as Willard brushed off the dirt before staking toward the house. He barreled inside, the door snapping closed behind him, and Bryce shook his head.

“Thanks for the backup,” Bryce told Hazard.

“He wasn’t going to hit you again,” Hazard said angrily. Bruce turned to the other men, who all stared at both him and Hazard.

“Is it true?” Dusty asked. “Are you and he… together?” He seemed as uncomfortable as Bryce felt, but he’d be damned if he was going to let it show.

“Yeah. Hazard and I have danced around each other for a long time, but we finally got our act together.” Some of the men groaned, and then money changed hands. Those bastards had bet on them! He didn’t know whether to be angry or amused by the whole thing. “We’re seeing where things go, and if any of you want to leave, then I can make that happen. But I won’t tolerate any bigotry or trouble, and if you can’t live with that, then I can get your pay, and you can go. No hard feelings.” He met the gaze of each man. Most of them shrugged.

“I got a sister who has a wife,” Dusty said, adding his own stare. “As far as I figure, it don’t matter who a man loves as long as he can do the job. This is a good place to work and always has been. I don’t expect that is going to change.”

Damn, he had figured he’d get resignation, not support.

“I got a cousin who lives with two guys,” one of the other men said with a shrug. “And I’d say they could beat the shit out of any one of us.”

Okay… this was strange.

“I say we all get back to work,” Danny called, and the men drifted away, back to their tasks. “You sure about this?” Danny asked once the others were gone. “People are going to talk.” He seemed as cautious as Bryce would have expected of all the others.

“Let them,” he snapped, and Danny grew quiet, but his eyes said a hell of a lot. “What is it?”

“Are you two going to go around holding hands and calling each other baby and sweetheart? Or some shit like that?”

“What goes on when we’re alone is no one else’s business, and the reverse is the same. If we want a private life, then we better keep our lives private, if you know what I mean. They don’t need to be in our business any more than I want to be in theirs. Is that what you wanted to know?” He didn’t want to lose Danny, but he wasn’t going to apologize for who he was. Not any longer.

“Yes. Thank you. Now, what are we going to do with the herd? I was thinking of moving some of them back to the areas we vacated. That will spread them out. The area is reviving with the rain.”

“Let’s give it a few more days, and we can see how it looks. If I’m going to have to sell, then we’ll have to cut the ones to go from the herd, and we can separate them then.”

“Good idea,” Danny told him. “Thanks.” He strode off to check on the men, and Hazard went inside the barn.

“Are you okay?” Bryce asked, following him.

Hazard whipped around. “You should have talked about it with me first before you opened your mouth.” Man, he was angry, and Bryce felt a stab of cold right in the pit of his stomach.