Colt stepped down from the cab, his gaze zeroed in on Mason as he gave the dogs a pet, and something in Mason’s chest eased. Wes came around the truck and bent down for a hello to the dogs before he and Colt approached.
“What happened?” Mason lifted his arm, hand reaching for Colt before he caught himself and dropped it back at his side. “Did they get Jack?”
Colt nodded and stopped close enough for Mason to catch a hint of earth and pine needles on his skin and clothing. “They boxed Jack in and arrested him.”
“Finally,” Mason said, relieved. Now he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder anymore or worry about what would happen next.
“He’d been up there for a while,” Wes said. “The camp looked well established.”
“After Nick’s team got what they needed, we hung back and broke it all down,” Colt continued, his bright blue eyes still locked on Mason. “Now we just wait to hear from Nick and the results of his questioning.”
“Jail time,” Mason said with a sharp note in his voice.
That was the only acceptable outcome, as far as he was concerned. Jack had been out there for who knew how long or how often. He could have easily been behind all the vandalism and threats, having been right there on the property. Now that they’d discovered what the bastard had been up to, hopefully, he would be tossed in jail for a good long while.
But with Jack now in custody, Colt and his brothers no longer needed to stay on the ranch. They would leave. Mason frowned as his relief soured.
Colt continued watching him, but he didn’t make any attempt to speak or move, and neither did Mason. Something passed between them, but Mason couldn’t have pinpointed what exactly. What he did know was that he wasn’t ready for tonight to be the last night the Stonebraker brothers walked Haverstall Mountain Ranch.
Colt’s phone rang too early the next morning.
He cracked an eye open and turned his head to see the time without dislodging the warm body tucked up snug beside him. It wasn’t too early at all, but he was too comfy and sated to move.
Mason had been in a funk for the remainder of the day, after they’d discovered Jack’s camp and Nick arrested him. He’d told Colt and his brothers he was grateful for them coming out to help and that they were welcome back anytime—though he hadn’t looked at Colt when he’d said that. It seemed, in Mason’s mind, that Jack was behind everything, and now that he’d been arrested, Colt and his brothers would be leaving. But Colt wasn’t so sure. They hadn’t found any evidence at the campsite that suggested Jack had been using it for anything other than a hunting base. But Colt couldn’t shake the feeling that someone else was out there, other than Jack, and Mason was still in danger. He had no physical proof, but his gut instincts had never led him astray.
So, he’d led Mason into his bedroom, stripped them both down, and then distracted him the best way he knew how—with his hands and his mouth and his tongue and his body. He’d been successful too, if Mason’s boneless limbs, dreamy eyes, and the blissful smile he’d worn as he’d drifted off to sleep had been anything to go by. Colt had stayed awake far too long listening to the steady, peaceful beat of Mason’s heart and wondering how different their lives might have been if not for Grant’s meddling.
His phone started ringing again, but he ignored it. He wasn’t ready for the outside world just yet.
“Ugh.” Mason groaned and shoved his head under his pillow. “Make it stop.”
With a grin, Colt kissed Mason’s bare shoulder as he reached for the offending device. He squinted at the display:Sheriff Chambers. Did Nick and his team ever sleep? He pressed the green button to connect the call.
“Colt here.” His voice was gruff.
“Mornin’.” Nick sounded tired and weary, and Colt braced himself for news he didn’t want but knew was coming anyway. “Listen, Jack Wilks isn’t quite as guilty as Mason would like to think.”
“I figured as much.” Colt sighed and ran a hand down his face while Mason began to shimmy himself down the bed, under the covers. “What’s— Ahh . . .”
A hot, wet tongue swirled around the tip of his cock and disconnected his brain. He sucked in a breath and shoved his free hand down to card through Mason’s silky hair.
He tried again, fighting to keep the strain from his voice as the moist heat of Mason’s mouth fully engulfed him. “What’s going on?”
Nick was quiet for a second and then cleared his throat. “Other than being a belligerent asshole and guilty of illegal trespass to hunt, Jack’s not our guy.”
Colt hissed. “Shit.”
Mason stilled and slipped off, and Colt considered hanging up on Nick so Mason could go back to working his magic. But the moment was gone. Mason flipped the sheets back, his lips red and glistening, his eyes wide and concerned as he watched Colt.
“I’d like you to bring Mason into the station today,” Nick was saying. “He needs to sign some paperwork for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife charges.”
“Mason is not going to be happy about that.”
“Nope,” Nick replied with a pop of thep.
“Give us a couple hours.”
“See you soon,” Nick said and disconnected the call.
