Chapter 13

"Boss? Do you have a minute?"

Sterling sighed, trying not to growl at Geoff. He'd been about to call Ben, hoping he'd have time to go out to supper. It had been an endless few days where Ben hadn't had time, thanks to a round of RSV going through pediatric patients.

"Sure. What is it?" He plopped down on the couch at the rental house, which was starting to be… hard on his ass.

"So…you remember that meeting? The one with Jack Dobbin and the CEO of Nature's Basket? They're coming to Durango."

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit. The TV people are gone, right? They followed Jimmy?"

"Yeah, after I sent him to Dallas."

"Good man." He breathed in and then let it out. "When?"

"Monday. I'll be there Sunday afternoon to set everything up. We're going to meet at the Strater. It'll be classy."

"Okay. They have a good bar. Those guys will like that. I'm busy until Monday morning, though. You can coordinate with Carson."

"I'll be fine. Has he foiled any kidnapping attempts in the big city of Durango?"

"No. He's been working out and eating. I think that covers it."

"Well, at least he's keeping an eye on you."

"Mmm." He rolled his eyes. "I haven't let him meet Ben or Xavi yet."

"No? You're waiting for me?"

"I'm not sure what I'm waiting on. I want time with Ben. Alone. And now, thanks to me, Sierra has ghosted Ben too." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Shit. Really?" Geoff sighed. "Oh, Boss…that sucks. I'm sorry."

"What the fuck, Geoff?" He didn't get it. He wanted to understand, and his mom's therapists kept talking about forgiving her and letting her go, but dammit, he loved her so much.

"Maybe she wants to be normal? I mean, you aren't. You're rich and handsome and smart as hell. Maybe she wants to have a life that's not that."

"Maybe." He needed to stop bashing his head against it, though. He had enough problems. "I really get why she let him have Xavi, Geoff. But I'm not willing to let go of him or my nephew."

"Well, then…you like him that much, then—what does Carson say? Make with the woo?"

"Yeah. He's the one who suggested the escape room. It worked. We had a good time." He wanted more. He wanted to kiss and touch again, to give Ben some damn fine orgasms.

"That's excellent. I'm glad to hear. Are you going to do anything fun over the weekend? Something with the baby, maybe?"

"I hope so, man. I want to. I was about to call Ben."

"Oh. Oops." Geoff chuckled. "Sorry. But I know how much you hate surprises."

"You're right about that. So I'm glad you warned me. If you can't get the Strater, go for Purgatory. They have some nice meeting rooms."

"I've already got the Strater booked, Boss. Don't stress that."

"Is that the flailer, Silver? Did you tell him to find me a decent place to get ramen around here?" Carson came in with two milkshakes in hand.

"I didn't. Tell him yourself. On your phone."

"Akami Noodle Bar," Geoff replied, quick as a bunny. "College Avenue. Leave the boss alone this weekend and let him do something with the Xavi and his daddy."

"Akami Noodle Bar on College, Carson."

"Oh, really? Tell short, skinny, and sparkly that I appreciate it."

"Will do." Honestly, those two needed to hook up. "You can take Geoff there when he comes down Sunday."

Oh, look at that smile. It was pure wickedness. Geoff's ass was in danger.

Geoff cleared his throat. "I'll be busy, Boss. Setting up the?—"

He grinned back at Carson. "Even you have to eat. I'll see you Monday, Geoff."

"But—"

"Bye." He hung up, then slurped a big gulp of milkshake. "Oh, yum."

"Yeah. I found a place that does pineapple too. So. Damn. Happy." Carson sat across from Sterling. "What are the plans for the weekend? Anything fun? Skydiving?"

"Skydiving?" He glared at Carson. "Not exactly baby-safe, man. Gimme something I can use."

"Uh…" Carson fluttered his eyelashes. "Romantic picnic by the river? Wandering in Telluride? Oh, dude, you could totally take that train up to Cascade Canyon. It's the ride up, an hour wandering around, then the ride back."

"Hmm." Now that had promise. "I'll book it for Sunday." And if Ben couldn't go, he would take Carson. Fuck it.

"Go Mr. Jordan, taking control of things!"

"Shut up." His phone began to ring, and to his shock, it was Ben.

"Okay, you hush," he told Carson. Then he swiped his phone open. "Hello?" He hoped to hell nothing was wrong with Ben or the baby.

"Hello, Sterling? It's Benji. I was wondering if you had time to come look at Flora's hock sometime. I can't get it to heal, and I have to be careful getting down there on my own."

"Sure. Of course." That was something he could actually help with. "Are you there now?"

"I am. This was my Friday half-day."

"Okay, cool. I'll be out in twenty, if that's all right." He waved Carson off, that grin infuriating.

"I really appreciate it. I'm sorry to bother you. I'll provide supper for your trouble."

"That sounds good, Ben. I'll see you in a few." He grabbed his wallet and his keys, hanging up when Ben did. "Don't wait up for me, Kit."

"I won't. Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

That was a practical impossibility.

He grinned, though, didn't he? He headed out to his truck, glad that the weather was good. He wanted to make decent time and not end up with another concussion.

He stopped at the feed store for some ointment, then he made his way to Ben's place.

It was a pretty little place in the sunshine, and he pulled in, admiring the roses that were budding out, the light green of the new grass. He could see why Ben was proud of it, he really could.

A cowboy needed land, and no cowboy worth his salt judged a man poorly if his land was well-loved.

He knocked at the bright turquoise kitchen door, and he could hear Xavi wailing, just about furious.

"Come on in! Someone has a terrible diaper rash, and he's mad."

"Uh-oh. Should I have gotten some ointment for him too?" Poor baby. And poor Ben. His ears had to be ringing.

"I have some. He had an acidy bowel movement, and it hurt. I'm thinking he's allergic to avocado."

"‘Avocado'?" He blinked. "You feed him avocado? I thought that was like, a little much at his age."

"No. Juana feeds him avocado. She is convinced of the health benefits of guacamole." Ben rolled his eyes, covering that angry butt with a thick, white cream. "She fed me avocado, you know."

"Were you allergic to it?" He knew that had no bearing on Xavi's genetics, he just wondered. In fact, he felt a little like Alice standing in front of the rabbit hole.

"Nope, but Xavi's not ready, and I am going to insist that she hears me."

"Good. That poor butt…" He wanted to ask what the heck a daycare worker was doing feeding a kid that age guacamole, but he bit it back. Xavi wasn't his to decide for.

"I know, right? It's going to be better in an hour, though, and he's already more comfortable."

"Yeah." The volume of his cries had gone way down, like turning off a faucet.

"Sorry. I had to deal with him. He'll be asleep in a minute now. I'm going to feed him a bottle, real quick."

"No problem at all. I can wait." He grinned wryly. "I don't have anything until Monday."

"Well, I do appreciate the help. I'm sorry to have been a bother."

"No problem. Saves me from binge-watching something like NCIS."

"So busy," Benji teased. "I have stuff for pasta salad and garlic toast for supper. Does that work?"

"That sounds great, man." He would eat dirt if it meant Ben trusted him to hang out, to not be a problem. He washed his hands, wanting to make sure he was clean enough to doctor.

"I'll bring him out in his seat, so I can help. He's out." Ben chuckled, soft as feather. "I am glad to be off work. It's been wild."

"Has it?" He tilted his head. "So what's the kind of stuff you deal with on a daily basis?" He was wildly curious.

"Mostly physicals in the afternoons, and viruses, ear infections, and pink eye in the mornings."

"Ugh. Pink eye was my nemesis when I was a kid. So why physicals in the afternoon? Is that like, after school?"

"Yeah, and it's also check-ups." Ben shrugged. "We try to run urgent care-type appointments early. A bead in the nose. A bad cut. Infected pierced ears."

"Oh man. You know, we don't have many kids in my sphere at the ranch. I do all that with horses and cows, but not kids."

"No? Do you live alone or do you have, like, a staff? A personal doctor? Assistant? Security? Trainer?" Ben and Xavi led the way to the barn.

"I have a security team. Carson is the head of that. A personal assistant, Geoff, who runs most everything else. Mrs. Lowe takes care of the house." His cheeks heated. That sounded like a lot.

"Cool. I think that's neat. I would have a housekeeper and a cook, for sure."

"Yeah. Security is really less for me and more for my family, because I worry about them, and then for some of the animals. The reining horses can go for a hundred thousand, easily. Someone is way more likely to kidnap them."

"Dammit. That's wild. No, I would guard them too. I don't make that in a year." Ben shook his head. "Do they have to stay in barns all the time?"

"Oh, no. They get to be horses. They do stay in overnight most of the time, just in case, but they all get turned out in the daytime." Happy horses did good work.

"Oh cool. My horses hate the barn. Hate it. I had to force Flora in."

"They have the lean-to, right? They can shelter there if the weather gets bad." He knew ranch horses were different from sport ones. They liked to range all day if no one was using them for riding.

They had a ton of those, plus a wild herd as well.

"Oh, absolutely. There's a lean-to, and there's this copse of trees down by the river, too."

"You have riverfront?"

"I do! About twenty feet of it, but it's mine, and I love it."

"That's a great find, man. How the hell did you get anyone to let that go?"

"It was an estate auction. The kids didn't want it, but they were fighting over the estate, so it sold as an asset."

"That was smart."

They got to the barn, and Flora let them know what she thought, straight away.

Xavi whimpered, and Ben murmured under his breath. "Easy, all. It's going to be fine. I need to walk down to the river soon, so I can see how it's wintered."

"That sounds like a good time too." He winked over. Then he rolled up his sleeves. "Okay, cover me. If she kicks the snot out of me, well, you're a nurse at least." He wasn't actually worried, but he figured joking would make it easier.

"I am. I have your back, all the way. I have a shelf here to put Xavi on, if you need a hand."

"Gotcha." He slipped into Flora's stall, talking to her in a low voice. It was mostly nonsense. She needed to hear his calm tone, to believe he was there on a good mission, not a bad one.

She was pissed off, about being trapped in this barn on a beautiful day, he thought. The hock was raw, hot, but not weeping or filled with pus.

He nodded. She was healthy. She'd had a bit of an obsessive streak, and Sterling would bet she rubbed or kicked once it got sore. After the gentle exam, he rubbed ointment into the sprain, and he knew that made it feel better in no time, because she stopped blowing and stamping at him.

"Just a sprain," he said as he ducked back out of her stall. "She'll need to stay in and rest it, and the liniment will help a lot."

"Oh, you rock. Seriously. I knew if I get in there and got kicked, it would be all over but the crying." Ben came over to the stall and stroked her nose.

"I get it. You have to think of Xavi. I'm happy to do it." He would run back and forth twice a day if need be. Was he desperate? Sure. He ached to touch Ben again. To see him smile.

"I feel better knowing someone more experienced than me puts eyes on it. I'm—new. Really new, but I'm trying hard."

"You're doing great. She strained it. See, the hock has the tendons that run like this." He demonstrated with his hands. "They get flexed to the wrong side, and boom. A swollen, tender hock. And then if she kicks or works it too hard, it gets worse. So, liniment and rest."

"Good deal. I appreciate it. So much. I feel like a moron, but I err on the side of safe, as a rule."

"You should. You get kicked, you could be down for the count and no one would know." He grinned at Ben. "And I'm glad to help."

"I'm tickled you were available." Ben smiled at him. "It's early for supper. You want to come in and sit?"

"I'd like that." He made sure the stall was latched before following Ben up to the house so he could wash up.

Xavi snored, one little fist up in the air like he was a bull rider. Jesus that was cute.

"Lord, look at that kid." Sterling's chuckle made him grin.

"Yeah, he's my ride or die."

"He's a hoot."

"He really is. I keep wondering what he's going to look like, who he's going to be?" Ben rolled his eyes like he was throwing dice. "And of course, then I immediately tell myself to stop it and focus on the now."

"I think that's more than reasonable." Sterling shook his head, telling himself that he really didn't need to give Benji parenting advice. Hell, he wasn't qualified to give any kind of advice that didn't involve horses.

He was lucky that Benji was listening to him at all, was letting him stay without hitting him in the nose. Ben was asking him in and offering to cook him dinner. Being kind to him.

"Yeah?" Ben seemed like he was willing to take that at face value, and Sterling was ashamed of himself all over again. He'd come here trying to take this man's baby from him.

He hadn't gone through with it. He hadn't even started, but…

Of course he hadn't, but that had been his intention. Now he wasn't sure he was ever going to be able to make that up to Ben.

He sure as shit was going to try, though. "Yeah I think you're doing one hell of a job, man."

Ben glanced at him. "You know I'm seriously trying to stay mad at you, and it's really hard. You're making it super tough."

He wished. Wait. "Is it? I mean, it is?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, because you…you did poorly by me, and I like you, man. I didn't want to, and I don't know if I can trust you. In fact, I probably shouldn't, and I have to be careful because I have a son that I love more than life itself. But, damn it, I do like you. Asshole."

Sterling totally understood that, but he'd be damned if he didn't take advantage of Ben opening up to him. "I told you, you have my word that I won't lie to you ever again."

Ben shot him a glare. "Okay, but if you were gonna lie to me, it's not like you would tell me that, right?"

He almost got his back up, and then he saw that little quirk of Ben's lips. He knew right then he was being fucked with.

"I mean, if I were a big bad baby stealer I would make sure that the overprotective dad was totally convinced that I was above board."

"‘Big. Bad. Baby. Stealer'?" Sterling asked, incredulous. "Did you honestly say big bad baby stealer?"

"Well, I could have said rubber baby buggy bumper."

Sterling rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess I could ask you to say it three times fast…" He gave Ben his best smile. "I don't suppose you have plans for Sunday?"

"Are you gonna take me to church?"

That was unexpected enough to completely derail him. "Do you go to church?"

Ben shook his head. "Nope. I prefer to commune with the horses in the sunshine. I'm more of the God is everywhere type."

"Oh good." Not that he wasn't a believer, but that sort of thing could always be a bit tricky, and he didn't find a single thing wrong with communing with your higher power out with the horses. "Actually, I was gonna ask you to go on the train with me."

Ben stopped, gave him a curious smile. "Really?"

He blushed, feeling his cheeks heat. "I'm sure you've gone like a thousand times and all, but I haven't…"

Ben shook his head. "No! No, not at all. I haven't gone since I was a kid. When you grow up here it seems such a tourist thing to do that I was a little embarrassed to go. I was going to wait until Xavi grew up enough to go to The Polar Express ride so I'd have an excuse. I'd love to go."

"With me?"

"With you."

It took almost everything he had not to pump his arms in sheer victory.

He knew he didn't deserve a second chance, but he was getting one, and he was going to keep a hold of it no matter what.