Chapter 4

Benji stood at his big picture window and stared out. Jesus. That was a dumping of snow for the spring, and it wasn't stopping.

They'd pulled in blankets from the closet in the guest room, and he'd stoked the fire for Xavi and their guest.

Christ, he hoped the big cowboy wasn't a serial killer. He'd hate it if the blood stained his hardwood floors. But he would cut the guy if he threatened Xavi.

He was that kind of dad now.

"This is surprisingly cozy." Sterling had explained that the family he was meeting wasn't going to be in for a few days yet for the most part, and that no one was waiting for him. He had tried a few phone calls, but it sounded as if he'd left voice mails.

Tall, dark, and handsome seemed to be kind of an island.

"I fell in love with this place when I saw it. It's a nice place to live, rural but close to town, and a good place for my critters." Which reminded him, he needed to bundle Xavi up and wander out to check on everyone.

"Do you need to go do a feeding? I can help, or I can watch the baby." Sterling smiled. "I know my way around a ranch."

He wasn't ready to trust his son to a stranger. "Do you have warmer clothes in your bag?"

"I do. I'll get changed." Sterling paused. "You got muck boots?"

"I do. I'd appreciate the help. More hands make it faster." He needed to make sure everyone was bunkered down.

"You got it." Sterling stood, heading for his bag, which was still in the laundry area, and found some longies and extra socks. "Be right back." He disappeared into the guest room.

He put on his coveralls and then bundled Xavi in his snowsuit. He had a front carrier that kept Xavi close and warm and safe.

Sterling came back out, then tugged on a hoodie and the coat he'd been wearing, which had a stocking cap in the pocket. Oh good. That hat was way too fancy for snow and a barn.

He got Xavi settled, and then covered his little face. "All right, baby boy. We're going to see our critters."

They both stomped into the muck boots, then headed out into the snow. It was damn near a whiteout, but the barn was close enough and the fence line was a straight shot.

Sterling followed him on his heels, and he got it. It would be easy to turn an ankle, if not wander off. And the man already had a head injury. He hadn't wanted to say it, but he thought maybe the rental place didn't know that airbag was turned off or malfunctioning. It should have deployed, as hard as Sterling had slid into that ditch.

They made it to the barn, which was solid and warm, really, and smelled of animals and hay and molasses. It was a good smell, familiar. "Hey, Princess, Martian, Flora. How goes?"

His horses all peered out, two brown heads and one ebony one bobbing at him.

"Hello, folks." Sterling kept his voice pitched right for someone new meeting nervous animals, and his movements were careful as he neared the horses. One never knew when a horse would get possessive or freaked out, so it showed Sterling knew his shit.

The goats were all curled up together, and the llamas were sound asleep, huddled in the bedding that protected them.

"Can you get a couple of pellets of hay into each stall? I'll check the water and make sure it's not freezing." He would give the horses a small handful of sweet feed, too, to engender warmth, but they were all snug as a bug in a rug.

They were well-protected—chickens to horses—and he was so grateful he'd shored up the barn when he'd first moved in.

"This is a nice little setup," Sterling said, glancing around with eyes so blue that they ought to be contacts. "Tight. And I like the way you have a place to put the chickens that can feed off the heat of the other animals."

"Thanks." He grinned. "I read a lot of small farm magazines."

"Are they riding horses? Rescues?"

"They're all broken to ride. I bought Princess and Martian, but a friend gave me Flora." Jim hadn't been able to keep him, and they all got along like a house afire.

"Nice. I have a few rescues on my land, so I'm always respectful until I know their status. Then I'm still respectful." Sterling grinned at him, and he had to hoot.

"Okay. Everyone's right as houses, so I think we can head back home, have something warm to drink, and unwrap Xavi."

"Sounds great. I really appreciate you giving me a place to stay. This storm is nuts."

"You don't get them where you are?" He was curious about Sterling. The man didn't give anything away.

"Oh, we get some doozies, but rarely with thunder sleet first."

"That was magical, wasn't it?" He covered Xavi's face again. "Okay, let's do this."

They needed to get in, make food, bottles, keep the fire going. At least he had a battery-operated radio.

They trekked back to the house the same way they'd left, Sterling right behind him, but not threatening in any way. He was glad. Benji was willing to take a few chances with his own safety to do the right thing, but Xavi was his biggest priority.

The walk back to the house was more difficult, and he was grateful as hell when they made it in to the warmth. They wouldn't go out again until after the storm, if he could help it.

"Whew, that was a trek." Sterling's teeth chattered.

"Get out of the wet stuff and under the blankets, man. I'll get you some sweats. Least I can do for the help."

"I'll take you up on it."

He got Xavi unwrapped, laughing as the baby cooed and jabbered, wiggling. He grabbed sweats and socks, changing before gathering a second set for Sterling. The man was a sight bigger than him, but they'd work.

They both got changed, and Sterling wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. "What else can I do?"

"You get the fire stirred back up, huh? I'll grab some food."

"That's perfect."

They worked together pretty well, he had to admit. Sterling was practical and did what he was asked to do, but treated it like this was Benji's house, not his.

He checked his pantry, nodding at the lines of canned soup. "Tomato, chicken noodle, chicken and rice, vegetable beef, or bean and bacon?"

"Oh, I am a vegetable beef man. That is my childhood in a can right there." Sterling smacked his lips.

"Good deal. Vegetable beef and grilled cheese sandwiches?" He pulled out two saucepans and a skillet. Baby bottle, soup, sammies.

"Sounds great." Sterling left the blanket for a moment and stirred the fire, then put on more logs. "Man, it's been forever since I had a wood fire. I have a gas log at home."

"Oh yeah? I thought about that, but I do have to admit I think this is warmer, and I like to have a secondary way to heat the house, just in case."

"I get that." Sterling gave him a grin. "You're far enough out to need it."

"I am. I mean, I have chains. I can make it into town if the roads get bad, but if I don't have to, why chance it."

"Lord, where I am, the roads are twisty, and it's better to sit your butt at home. Where are the bowls?"

"The cabinet to the right of the sink."

Sterling found them, then opened cans for him.

"Thanks, man." He smiled over, started warming up the bottle before buttering slabs of bread. "I have cheddar and pepper jack slices. What would you rather?"

"Am I greedy if I say one of each?"

"Life is short. Eat all the cheese." He would try that himself, in fact.

"I like a splurge."

"Yeah? Me too. Mine are usually movies on streaming. Or sleep."

"Being a nurse, huh?" Sterling stole a bite of cheese.

"Nurse. New dad. You name it." Being exhausted was a whole part of this.

"I remember that whole no-sleeping thing from when I did the rodeo tour."

"What did you do? I mean, in the rodeo." God, you sound like a hayseed.

"I was an all-around. I did all the roping events. Team roping, tie down, and at the big stock shows I did reining."

"Reining?" Oh, now. That sounded interesting.

"Yep. You ever see those things on TV where the western riders are doing circles and quick stops and all?" At his nod, Sterling went on, expression eager, intense. Oh, this was someone's passion. "Yeah, I did that for a long while. There's good money in it for the ranches who actually own the horses."

"Wow. That's too cool. I'm lucky when I can ask one of them to back up…" God, he felt like such a greenhorn.

"Well, they can be stubborn, but those horses get trained a treat." Sterling gave him a remembering kind of smile, but it twisted into this grimace. "I don't get to do that too much anymore."

"No? Did you get hurt?" He'd seen a few guys with horrifying injuries. Like car wrecks, but with broncs.

"No. I had some family responsibilities. Now that's eased off, but rodeo is a younger man's game. Like under thirty."

"Yes. I mean, I know some ropers, but I'm…I'm not a high-dollar cowboy. Shit, I'm an animal lover who has been lucky." And happy. He was happy here at his baby ranch.

"Yeah. I know a lot of old ropers." That got him a wink, too. "They're all missing fingers. So I quit young."

"Right." Gag. Just gag. He needed all of his fingers. "I imagine. I mean…fingers are important!"

"Yep." Sterling stirred soup. "I kinda like mine where they are. And I did get tossed off at one point and broke my kneecap, so I should have felt this storm coming…"

"You must have had your mind somewhere else, huh?" He so wanted to know what was up with Sterling, but he'd been raised right. "I'm glad you managed to drop the truck into the ditch and not the river."

"Me too. I was up all night, so I was tired." Sterling cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his mass of black curls. "I did have a blowout though."

"I'm sorry, man. I don't think you're going to get out of here tonight, but we have the couch, the recliner, blankets, and food…"

Speaking of food, he made up Xavi's bottle, putting it aside to cool.

"I'm surprisingly good." Sterling grinned. "I was kinda dreading the, uh, family thing."

"So good deal. We'll listen to the radio, play games, and roast marshmallows. Life doesn't have to suck, does it?"

"No, sir. It does not." And if there was a shadow in Sterling's bright blue eyes, well, he guessed it wasn't his job to try to get the scoop on that. A man had a right to his secrets.

God knew he had his.

It wasn't like he was announcing to huge and hunky that he was a rainbow flag-wearing gay man, was it? Nope. If Sterling took exception to that and decided to kick his ass, it could be a real problem. So he kept that close to the vest.

By the time they ate and ended up on the couch and recliner again in front of the fire, Sterling was drooping, eyelids not wanting to stay up, even though it was still midafternoon.

Xavi was cooing and wiggling, happy now that his belly was full and his diaper was changed. Maybe he would put a blanket down and let Xavi see the world from his back on the floor for a bit while Sterling dozed.

"Sorry if I'm sucky company. I keep dozing off."

"You're all right. You've been up long enough. I'm watching you." He had to watch his boy; he wasn't worried.

"Thanks." Sterling was asleep only minutes later, his dark eyelashes on his cheeks, his breathing nice and even.

"Pretty, isn't he?" Benji whispered to Xavi. "We'll have to hope the ice lasts for a few more hours, won't we?"