2. Heath

Chapter 2

Heath

“ G oddammit, Jeff! You can’t just peck my ass like that!”

I swear he has no clue about the power he has in one peck. Rubbing my ass cheek, I scold the rogue peacock, who somehow became attached to me. In his weird little peacock brain… I’m his mate. And every time mating season comes around, I have to pretend I’m a damn peahen, so he feels fulfilled and stops attacking all the other ranch hands.

If I didn’t care about the damn bird so much, I’d hate it. But he’s lonely. If I can improve his life by pretending to be a bird, then I’ll do it. Because life is too short to be unhappy. Even for peacocks. Although I draw the line at actually dressing up as one.

I wish we could find him a friend, though. I had hoped the chickens would at least keep him company. We don’t have any other birds here at the ranch and it made sense to me they could hang out. Feather to feather kind of thing. But Jeff ignores them most days. Or he attacks the wire on the coop and adds to my chore list because he makes bad choices.

Jeff screeches at me, and I turn to glare his way. I may love the dude, but he’s trying my patience today.

“Honestly. Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you.”

“Some days we say the same about you. ”

Spinning around, I find Alec leaning on his deck rail, watching me with a small smile.

“That’s not nice, Alec.”

He laughs and walks down the steps over to where I’m repairing the chicken coop, thanks to Jeff.

“I suppose it isn’t. You know I’m kidding. It was a perfect setup, so I couldn’t resist.”

His blue eyes twinkle and I playfully punch his shoulder.

“I know you’re teasing. What are you still doing home? I thought today was the dairy barn rescue?”

“Blaze left without me.” He shrugs, but laughs as he drinks from his coffee mug.

“Something tells me you missed him on purpose.”

“Maybe.” Alec smiles again and looks back at his small ranch house in the corner. “Zane isn’t working until noon, so I’m starting late too. I’m sure Blaze will need help when he returns with the cows. I’ll be here.”

“If you need help, I’m not far.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” He drains his coffee cup and touches a finger to his black Stetson . “I’d best get back. Zane should be awake and I like to make his first coffee for him when I can.”

Alec turns back to his house and jogs up the front steps before disappearing back inside.

For too long of a beat, I stare after Alec. He’s so happy with Zane and I love that for him. For both of them, really.

Jeff squawks again as I gather up my tools around the chicken coop .

“What’s the matter with you today? You’re extra cranky. If it’s because you spilled your ice water again this morning, that’s not my fault. I can leave you at home, you know.”

I wouldn’t though. People think I’m odd for taking a peacock around with me, but I’m just as attached to him as he is to me.

If I could find a person as loyal and faithful as this bird, my life would be complete. Ugh. Is it pathetic that the only fulfilling relationship I’ve had is with a peacock? But that’s life, I suppose, and I make the most of it. Peacock sidekick and all.

Jeff follows me along to the small animal barn where all my other babies wait. I love animals. Since coming to the Broken Horn Ranch and getting the family I never had, I also got all the pets I never had. It’s a lot of work to care for all these sweet animals, but it’s worth it and I love every minute.

Hank, the mini donkey, is the only animal here who wasn’t a rescue. He was for sale because the owner was downsizing their herd. I wanted to buy two, but he was the last one, and thankfully, he gets along well enough with the other animals so far.

I bought Hank with my first paycheck. The better and more responsible thing to do would have been to save for a better vehicle, but I really wanted a donkey. Dan agreed he could stay here, and that was all I needed to justify the purchase. I still don’t regret it.

I set to work cleaning stalls and turning out animals for the day, and Jeff takes his perch on a stack of hay bales to supervise. When the barn door creaks open, I raise my head to see who it is and set aside my shovel with a smile.

“Hi, Dan! Everything okay?”

My boss and one of several father figures I have on the ranch smiles his easy smile as he squeezes my shoulder .

“Right as rain, Heath. How are things with you out here? Is everything going well? Do you need any help?”

“It’s swell! You know I love this job more than anything.”

Dan’s smile is soft as he steps forward and ruffles my hair. He’s the only one I let do that.

“I know, kiddo.” He laughs to himself. “I suppose I shouldn’t call you that anymore. You’re not a kid. You’ve been here a long time now.”

“I don’t mind, Dan. But I suppose it’s true. I’m almost thirty.”

He winces and passes a hand through his dark hair, now peppered with grey. Time stands still for no one. Although Dan has aged well and the grey suits him.

“You’re definitely an adult now. An adult whom I’d like to ask to manage a special invitation for the ranch.”

“Yes!”

He shakes his head.

“I haven’t even told you what it is yet.”

“I know I’ll love it, that’s why. So, when and where do you need me?”

Dan does that thing where he looks at me with so much affection that it makes me want to wrap him in a giant bear hug. I never knew my father and Dan is as close to one as I’ll ever have. Well, him and the other men of this ranch, but Dan was the first to believe in me. The first to make me feel useful and the first one I called whenever I needed something.

“There’s a community day event in town. It showcases Main Street businesses and the ones in the surrounding area. Since it’s a family-themed event, I thought it would be nice to offer the petting zoo. The ranch can have a presence and provide something fun. Maybe even draw people out for the day.”

“Yeah! I can do that. Just let me know the details.”

Dan pulls out his phone and taps while he speaks. “I’ll send you the info from Jacob. It was his idea, and I know the boys at the brewery mentioned doing something family friendly. I think Zane might cook or what not. So maybe check with him if he wants to partner with you. We work so closely with the brewery growing their barley and hops, so it’s only natural for us to present something together.”

My phone flashes with the email notification and I confirm to Dan I have it.

“It’s only two weeks away.”

Dan grimaces. “Yeah. Sorry. Martin and his dad’s health distracted me. It slipped my mind completely until today.”

Dammit. I forgot Martin’s parents had a scare with his dad needing heart surgery on short notice. Dan was a frazzled mess until only recently, when Martin came home from helping his parents. We were all on edge for a while until Martin’s dad was discharged from the hospital.

“Sorry, Dan. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t. I’m just sorry for dropping it on you without even asking if you have plans. Maybe there’s a date I don’t know about?” Dan lifts his brow with a hopeful smile and I shake my head.

“No. No date. Sorry. Jeff having coffee with me in the mornings is as close to a date as I’ll get.”

“If you ever want to talk, you know I’m always here. So are the other guys. You work a lot, Heath. Don’t burn yourself out. ”

Dan’s heart is in the right place. I know he only wants me to settle and be happy. But I’m still happy here on my own. At least, I’m pretty sure I am. I’m surrounded by animals. It’s impossible to be unhappy. What else do I need?

“I know. Thanks.”

With another squeeze to my shoulder, he says his goodbye and I return to the stalls.

One of these days I’ll meet someone. I’d make a kick-ass boyfriend, of that I’m sure. It’s just that finding the right one is harder than I thought.

Not that I’m afraid of hard work. It’s more like every time I do date someone, it never seems to go anywhere. And the last girl wasn’t keen on Jeff. No way am I leaving him because someone else doesn’t appreciate his uniqueness. I’m a laid-back guy and I don’t get upset often, but if you threaten the peacock always by my side, I get defensive.

Hank kicks up a fuss, braying and running around the pasture, so I leave the shovel to go see what he’s so excited about.

“What a dork.” I laugh as Hank runs across the pasture with a squeaky chicken in his teeth. He goes through the dang things pretty fast, but it’s worth it just to watch him shake it around and spit it out, only to pick it up and run around again. He does this half-honk, half-wheeze noise while he plays with a rubber chicken and it always makes my heart burst.

“C’mere Hank.” He comes trotting over and when my hand disappears in my pocket, he spits out the toy like it’s poisonous, stopping at the fence in front of me. I offer him the biggest carrot I have as I scratch his ears .

“When I asked if you were getting any ass lately, that’s not what I meant, you know.”

Dante snickers as he rests his arms on the fence next to me and I roll my eyes.

“Ha, ha. I’m sure that joke hasn’t been used before.”

He turns to face me and, like always, my gaze drops to the tattoos on his arms. Tattoos he got for Colby when they were apart and he missed him. Dante has fantastic arms. A lot like mine, all toned muscle from manual labour. The natural muscle makes his ink look even better. I have a thing for tattoos, especially arm ones like his. There’s just something about them that makes me all fuzzy.

A sigh escapes my lips, and Dante pops a brow in question.

“Those kinds of sighs shouldn’t be aimed at me, dude. I’m taken.”

“Don’t be an asshole.” My cheeks burn. I can’t believe he heard that. “I just like your ink, you know that. It’s romantic that you got them for Colby. They look amazing.”

He faces forward again and laces his fingers together as he leans on the fence.

“It wasn’t romantic. It was a way for me to survive without him. Obviously, things are different now and it still means a lot to Colby. I don’t regret it.” He clears his throat before staring at me again. “I don’t mean to pry, but you’ve been different lately. I know I sometimes tease you about sex, and if I offended you, I’m sorry.”

“Oh god, no. You didn’t do anything wrong, Dante. It’s just…”

Tell him you don’t think you’ll ever meet anyone to date who accepts the peacock .

Dante, thankfully, doesn’t push me. He knows me well enough to know I’ll just spit it out when I’m ready. Eloquence is only a word I know and never practice.

“It’s cool. Just…if you ever need me, you know I’ll listen.” He taps his fingers on the fence before turning to me. “Actually, Colby is cooking tonight. If you want to come over for dinner, we’d like to have you.”

Food will always get my attention. I wonder if that’s why I work so well with animals? Food as a motivator works just as well with me.

“Oh my god, yes! I’ll take a home cooked meal. You don’t have to ask me twice. What time?”

Dante chuckles and checks his phone.

“Whoa. Soon. I told Colbs I’d be home by 5:30 tonight. Can you be there at 6:30?”

“I’ll kick things into gear and be there. Thanks, Dante!”

Something cooked by Colby will beat my noodles in a cup any day.

With renewed enthusiasm, I pick up the pace to finish my tasks.

***

Colby and Dante’s house is nothing less than adorable. It’s a tiny century home that they’ve been renovating since they bought it three years ago. At first, I thought the horse paintings and decor were over the top, but Colby’s horse is a family member to them. Which makes my chest ache when I think too much about it. I feel the same way about Jeff. All my animals, actually.

If they can balance ranch animals and a relationship, maybe there’s hope for me too.

“How was the chicken? Did you like it?”

Tapping my fork on the empty plate, I grin at Colby. “Did you hear me complain? It was delicious. I can’t thank you again for having me. You know I don’t always cook well and this was gourmet by my standards.”

Dante chuckles as he clears the table and glances at Colby. “Want me to pack him leftovers?”

“Of course.” Colby laughs. “I’d hate for him to waste away on his cup of noodles.”

“I like my noodles.” There’s just something comforting about instant soup in a cup. It’s like a hug and food in one. “I don’t always have the patience to cook like you.”

We chatter over the table and Dante brews us all herbal tea before we sit in the living room with our mugs. The two of them snuggle together on the loveseat and I take the over-stuffed chair near the window.

“I love what you two have done with this house. It’s so cozy here.”

“Thanks.” Colby grins at Dante and kisses him on the nose. “We’re happy with it. Dante is very good with a saw and a paintbrush.”

Dante ducks his head with a small smile, and I have to look away. These two always share intimate glances and touches that make me feel… weird. I’m happy my friends are in love, but tonight it makes that ache in my chest throb something fierce. That’s been happening a lot more lately and I’ve yet to figure out exactly what it means.

I thought it was heartburn from tomato sauce at first, but it keeps happening more often. Like now. As much as I intended to talk to them tonight about how hard it’s been to find someone to share my life with, right now, it’s the last conversation I want to have.

The room feels tight and I just want to leave.

“I don’t mean to rush out, but we’ve got early mornings coming.” Draining my still very warm tea, I stand. “I’ll let you enjoy your evening.”

I’m at the door getting my shoes on before Dante catches me.

“Hey. Are you sure everything is okay? What happened?”

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. I’m just…” Huffing a breath, I absently rub at my chest. “I don’t want to talk about it right now?”

He nods and steps back. “Yeah, that’s cool. Oh, let me grab the leftovers for you at least?”

I nod as he disappears and Colby leans on the doorframe, his brow furrowed as he watches me fiddle with the hem of my shirt.

“Drive safe, okay?”

“I will. Sorry for rushing off.”

Colby shakes his head. “You don’t need to explain, Heath.”

Dante hands me the container, and with another thank you, I rush out to my beat-up old Honda .

After making sure the door latches properly—sometimes it takes a few tries and I have to jiggle it—I ease it out of the driveway and head home.

I wish I knew why this keeps happening.

It would be easier to figure out if it was the tomato sauce.