Chapter One

Greg Mitchell suspended his movements and stiffened when he heard Brian's voice outside the horse barn. His stomach ached the way it always did whenever Brian Stockwell came around. He stilled his hands mid-scrape on the horse's hoof and strained to listen, wanting to grab any little nugget he could.

Unrequited love sucked, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

He didn't have time for spying on Brian. The horse he worked on was a gift from Travis to Bobby for his birthday. The party started in an hour, and Greg wanted to have her ready by then.

He held her foot up against his thigh, giving himself leverage while he gave the horse a manicure. The horse let out a snort of annoyance when Greg stopped.

Brian spoke again. The tone was soft and low enough that Greg couldn't make out the words.

When he heard a puppy whine, Greg's focus shifted. They hadn't had a puppy on the farm in four years. A sad howl echoed across the farmyard and into the horse barn.

"Oh, shit. What do I do?" Brian's tone changed, getting higher. The panic came through crystal clear. "Someone, please, help."

Greg put down the horse's leg and patted her on the rump before making his way out into the sunlight. He set the file on top of the hitching post.

Brian had his back to Greg but, the second he heard movement, he turned, relief clear in his expression. Brian's glasses fell down his nose, but he didn't try to fix them. He closed the distance between them. "I found him behind my office. In the parking lot there. You know the one, right?"

The ache in Greg's stomach went straight to his heart when Brian smiled. It always did. Greg nodded and ran a hand over the top of the puppy's head.

"I think he's injured. I would have taken him to a vet, but Bobby's party is in an hour, and I thought maybe you guys might be able to help him."

Greg gently lifted the puppy's leg until he could see more of her distended belly. "Her."

"What?"

"It's a girl."

"Oh. Can you fix her?" Brian's big brown eyes held hope.

Greg turned and headed to the bunkhouse. He waved for Brian to follow. The puppy whimpered the whole way.

When Greg reached the front door, he held it open for Brian, letting him go in first. Greg took in Brian's unique scent when he brushed by him. He smelled like coconut. It reminded Greg of suntan lotion and the beach. The proximity did nothing to relieve the ache in his chest. If anything, it made it worse.

The front door led into the living room with an open kitchen on the left. A high counter separated the kitchen from the living room. If Greg walked in a straight line from the door, he would go down a hallway that led to several bedrooms, one of which was his. All in all, the bunkhouse wasn't a large home, but it was big enough for Greg, Leonard, and Neil.

Leonard sat at the table, sipping coffee and reading the daily paper, which he did every afternoon. He was a little earlier that day because of Bobby's birthday party. Leonard put the newspaper on the table and patted the top of it. "Found someone in need?"

Three presents sat at the far end of the table. They each had the same plain, red paper covering the boxes.

Brian put the puppy on the table. Time and use had scarred the top, eating away at the varnish until it resembled a buckskin horse. Brian sat in the chair and kept his hands on the little dog, giving her as much comfort as possible. "Yeah. Behind my office. She lay next to one of those curb thingies. I think she's hurt because I moved her a certain way and she yelped."

Leonard sat down next to Brian and lifted the dog's chin. "She's a young one. Probably not weaned yet."

Greg had figured that as well.

He stood on Brian's other side and gently moved Brian's hands away. "I'll check her out."

Brian nodded.

"You brought her to the right person." Leonard looked at him with pride. Greg secretly called it his dad face. "Greg's as good as any vet."

Greg could feel the heat burn into his cheeks but ignored it in favor of assessing the puppy.

The dog seemed like a mix of a few different breeds, and Leonard had been right about it being young. Maybe a little over a month or so old. "Almost old enough to eat solids, aren't you, girl."

Greg felt around for any broken bones, lifting the puppy as gently as he could to see if she could stand on her own. She walked across the table to him, wanting the comfort of closeness. Her little body shivered with each step she took. She seemed fine except for a tender spot on her left shoulder.

Her belly was round and distended. Greg opened her mouth and felt her tongue and teeth with his finger. She didn't like it and protested by trying to shake him off, but he didn't notice anything abnormal.

Greg lifted the puppy off the table and handed her to Brian. "Nothing too serious except for the malnourishment. We've got some formula, but it's for horses. Should be fine for one meal."

Greg walked over to a drawer where he knew they had a bunch of junk they hadn't used in so long no one remembered the contents. Greg hoped to find a bottle they had used for a baby goat a couple of years back. He had to dig around some, but he found it under a user's guide to a coffee pot they no longer owned.

He pulled it out and took it to the sink, washing it up. "I'll pick up some formula for pups on my way to school."

"School?" Brian held the puppy close to his chest.

Greg nodded but didn't elaborate. He'd been in college long enough that the practice of learning seemed mundane. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about it. Most people wanted to talk about themselves anyway, not listen to someone else.

"What are you studying?"

"Finishing up the first part of vet school." His last semester had nearly come to an end, and lately, Greg thought maybe that was as far as he'd go.

"Oh, wow. I guess the puppy lucked out then."

"Lucky you found her. Yeah." Heat rose to Greg's face, and he wanted to change the subject.

"Then I guess I'm the one who's lucky." Brian smiled at him. At him.

Greg's heart did a little flip, stealing his breath.

Leonard, standing and leaving the room, broke the spell that held him. "I'll get the formula."

"Thanks, Leonard." Greg dried the bottle and filled it with warm water.

The front door clicked shut behind Leonard, leaving him alone with Brian. The silence grew uncomfortable, which shut down Greg's mind enough that he couldn't think what might get the conversation flowing.

"I didn't realize you were old enough to be in college."

By God, that one stung more than he wanted to admit. He set the bottle on the table and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, I didn't mean…shit." Brian stood and took a step in Greg's direction. The puppy lay secure in his arms. "I only meant that you were in high school when you came here, right?"

"Almost six years ago."

"Oh." Brian winced. "I guess I hadn't realized." Because he didn't care enough.

Greg shrugged and averted his gaze, assessing the floor they needed to sweep soon.

"Thank you for helping me." Brian took a step closer. "Not sure what I'm going to do with a dog."

"She doesn't need much. Love and food."

"Would you help me care for her? I shouldn't leave her alone while I'm at work, right?"

"Probably shouldn't."

Leonard came back inside and handed him the bag of formula. The bag had a picture of a horse on one side and a goat on the other. Greg took it from Leonard and opened it, latching onto the small, plastic scoop inside. Greg had bottle-fed enough animals to know how much to add to the water. He put the nipple back on and closed his thumb over the tip so none would seep out when he shook it.

Brian stepped closer when Greg finished mixing it. He smiled again, making Greg feel like the only person he saw for enough seconds to get his hopes up. Fuck if Greg could do anything to stop any of it.

Greg held the bottle to the puppy's mouth. The poor girl hadn't had much to eat in a long time if her reaction was any indication.

Greg let her take a couple of swallows and then pulled the bottle away. The puppy chased after it, making cute little whining noises. "She'll be sick if she goes too fast."

Brian nodded. "What breed do you think she is?"

"Mixed up mess."

Brian chuckled. "What do you think she's mixed with?"

"I'm not the best one to ask about that. Might try Doc Shepard in town. We'll need to get her shots and dewormed. We can ask then."

"Does that mean you'll co-parent with me?"

Greg didn't want to find Brian so damn cute, but he always had. He would soak up whatever attention Brian gave him because he was a desperate idiot.

Greg nodded and handed the bottle over. He moved out of Brian's space, leaving the room. "Little at a time."

Brian's eyes widened, and he practically chased after Greg when he walked to the front door. "Wait. Where are you going?"

"Got hooves to trim before the party. Then I have to shower." Greg walked off the small porch toward the horse barn, where he still had Bobby's new horse tied up.

"I've never done this before." Even as Brian said it, Greg could hear the puppy suckling as Brian shadowed him. "Will you slow down, please? I feel like I'm chasing you."

As much as Greg wanted a little relief from the ache in his chest, he did as asked, stopping long enough for Brian to catch up with him. Greg petted the top of the puppy's head as she drank and let Brian fall into step beside him.

When they got to the barn, Greg saw Neil with the new horse, filing her hoof. Greg smiled at Neil. "You need help?"

Neil didn't stop what he was doing. "No."

"You remember what Leonard showed you?"

"I remember."

Greg nodded and headed back out.

"Thanks for filling in for me, Neil."

"I know. Bobby's party will have cake. We gotta hurry." Neil had a way of breaking down every situation to its bare bones and choosing one for his focus.

Greg chuckled. "Cake."

Neil nodded. "Cake."

Brian smiled when their gazes met. He wiggled his nose to push his glasses farther up and popped the bottle into the puppy's mouth again. The puppy's tail wagged as it drank and, at some point during the feeding, she stopped shaking.

The presents Greg, Neil, and Leonard had purchased coordinated with each other. Greg held a wrapped box with a cowboy hat inside, and Neil had matching leather riding gloves. Leonard had found some chaps at the store in town. He probably would have paid less, purchasing them online, but Leonard wouldn't have anything to do with a computer and Greg wasn't about to tell him.

Greg heard music coming from the backyard. Greg snuck a peek at Brian who refused to leave his side. As much as Greg liked the attention, he could see the uncertainty in Brian's eyes every time the puppy whined, so he knew that was what kept Brian close.

"Would you mind getting Bobby's gift out of the backseat of my car?" The puppy wiggled around in Brian's arms, wanting down. Brian needed both hands to hold her.

Greg nodded and walked to Brian's dark blue car. As soon as he opened the door, Brian's unique scent enveloped him. A box wrapped in blue paper with horses all over it sat in the center of the seat. Greg grabbed it and put it on top of his.

Greg half-expected Brian to leave him in favor of joining the party, but he stood a few feet away, waiting. Greg nodded his head toward the backyard, silently telling Brian to go ahead.

Brian turned back once to make sure Greg followed.

Greg lifted his eyebrows but didn't comment.

"I'm not an animal person." Brian turned and walked again.

"I couldn't tell."

Brian chuckled. "Thanks for agreeing to help me with her."

"Might want to put her down."

"Why?"

"She's wiggling around like that because she has to use the bathroom."

"Oh. Oh, shit." Brian set her down in the grass. The little puppy toddled around, sniffing the grass before she squatted. "You're a good girl."

Greg moved around Brian when he knelt.

Brian ran a hand down the puppy's body after she finished peeing. She sniffed the grass, trying to grab a scent.

When Jackson came around the corner of the house, Brian turned and smiled. There was intimacy there. Some shared knowledge that went deeper than platonic friendship. Jackson knelt next to Brian and ran a hand down Brian's back, not stopping until he came to the curve of Brian's perfect butt.

Greg's stomach churned.

"Who is this?" Jackson asked.

"She doesn't have a name yet, but I found her behind my office."

"And now you have a friend."

Brian sighed. "I've never had a pet before. No idea what I'm doing. Thankfully, Greg agreed to help." Brian smiled up at him. He didn't want the smile to affect him, but it did. It was a good thing Jackson still had his hand on Brian's ass. That alone cooled whatever hope lived inside Greg.

"Are you okay, Greg?" Brian asked with concern in his voice.

Greg nodded and moved around them.

"Can I come over later?" Jackson whispered the question, but Greg still heard.

Feelings sucked.

"I have to go into the office early tomorrow." An apology laced itself through Brian's tone.

Greg stopped paying attention and made his way to the backyard.

A table had a stack of presents on it, so Greg unloaded there. He placed his gift next to Neil's and Leonard's. He set Brian's in an empty spot across the table.

Bobby stood at the picnic table with his elbows propping his head up, talking incessantly to Gloria until he saw Greg. He bounded over, closing the distance and practically bounced in place in front of Greg. "Guess what?" He didn't wait for Greg to answer but plowed right on through. "Dad told me he bought me a horse."

Greg smiled. "She's in the barn. She's green, though. You'll have to work with her."

"That's so cool." Bobby beamed.

"She's a pretty paint. Black and white." Bobby's horse was one of the prettiest Greg had ever seen and had a gentle nature.

"Jackson said he'd help me train her."

Greg tried to get the image of Jackson's hand on Brian's ass out of his mind, but it imbedded like a damn tick. "Jackson's the right guy for the job."

Before Bobby could say anything else, Jaron came out of the house with a huge sheet cake. Bobby grabbed Greg's hand and pulled him over to the picnic table where Jaron set the cake.

Brian and Jackson came around the corner. Brian held the puppy. He scanned the area until he saw Greg. Their gazes met, and Brian smiled. When Greg didn't return it, Brian scowled.

He knew he had it bad when he found that scowl cute. He kept his gaze on Bobby, who still had a hold of his hand.

Bobby let go and sat down in front of the cake. He only had eyes for the sugar, and that became clearer when he reached a finger out to gather some frosting.

Jaron grabbed his hand before he could touch the cake. "No way, Bobby."

Bobby huffed. "I want to be called Carter, Papa."

Carter was Bobby's middle name. He had told Greg he liked the name Carter better than Bobby.

Jaron shook his head. "Okay. Carter."

Greg gave Jaron props for not making a big deal out of it.

Brian came around the picnic table and stood next to Greg. The puppy slept in his arms. Jackson stayed on the opposite side of the picnic table.

"Is everything all right?" Brian ran a hand down the puppy's back.

"Fine." Except he loved someone who didn't know he existed, past his skills with animals.