Bodhi relaxed just a little and went to lean on the wall where he could see both of us.
Before they could interrogate me further, I raised my hands, palms toward them. “Stop it. It’s bygones. There was a power imbalance, he was shitty to me, and I thought I was in love. What nineteen-year-old gay guy who likes older men hasn’t lived through something like that on some level or other?”
Bodhi made a face. “I wouldn’t know. Is that normal?”
“What? Gay boys falling for older men?” I deadpanned, because I knew that wasn’t what he meant at all.
“No, I meant—”
“I know what you meant.” I let out a long breath. “Most teenagers think they fall in love with someone and then get hurt, yes. Obviously not Mom and Dad, but yes, it’s a pretty damn universal experience.”
Bodhi frowned. “If you say so.” Then he looked at Crew. “Why were you talking about this now?”
“Because Hawk and Carter have ‘decided to be just friends.’” I didn’t need to see him to know he was grinning.
“What?”
“For a Marine, you’re a bit slow today.” I batted my lashes at Bodhi. “Carter reminds me of the guy who was shitty. I had prejudice. Turns out he isn’t like that at all, but we also have a working relationship, thusfriends,” I recapped.
“Leave him alone,” Russ grunted from the doorway. “Boy knows what he’s doing.”
By some miracle, even at thirty and thirty-three, my brothers still respected Russ as much as they did our parents.
“Anyway,” I said brightly. “I just came to bring you those papers.”
“Hawk, I have something to show you.” Russ nudged his head toward the barn.
“Well, this has been a talk,” I told my brothers, then smoothly exited the office while they frowned after me.
“Come.” Russ walked along the aisle and led me to the paddocks in the back. “I was thinking about the foals. You know Demi’s always looking for show stock, right?”
“You have a specific one in mind you want to show her?”
“Yeah, Crew and I talked about it already.”
“And now you want to figure out if I see what you two see, I get it.” I grinned as I approached the fence.
We slipped inside since the mares and foals had wandered off a bit. As we got closer, I rubbed my hands together and began to watch the babies.
“Now, which one of you wants to be a show pony?”
Russ chuckled and shook his head.
Carter did show up at my barn a couple of hours later. We had a friendly chat and he went to give Ramona and her friends some treats while I continued working.
The fact that he was comfortable enough to interact with the horses now was promising. He wouldn’t be going inside the paddock on his own anytime soon, but he now gave them treats and scratches through the fence like a champ.
He showed up the next day too, and the day after that. He started to help out wherever, and one day he even went with Dad and Payton to see the corvids they were feeding at the event barn. Well, he was likely more interested in the event barn business itself, but still.
It took my oldest brothers absolutely no time to spread the gossip of my “friendship” with Carter to the whole family.
I called Judson to ask him about his opinion on the location of the pool building and how that might affect the land, andevenhe asked me about Carter.
Luckily Bodhi and Crew hadn’t mentioned Richard to anyone, not that they knew his name. But they hadn’t told anyone about what’d happened, of which I was grateful. I didn’t need anyone else in the family on my back because of bygones.
By the time Carter had hung out for a week or so, helping pretty much everyone on the ranch, I decided to reward him by some time with Ramona. I’d texted him to come by the next day for some one on one time with his horse. His response? He’d be there with “pockets full of peppermints.”
When he appeared fifteen minutes before I’d asked him to, I was still in my office.
