Not that he had a crush on Slater, or anything, but in the last two years since he began to caption gay porn almost exclusively, he’d...noticed men more. A former cowboy who’d left the country behind for his boyfriend and a new start, Slater was handsome in a way that appealed to George. Just like the trick rider he’d met this past summer on the Fourth of July had appealed to him.
Levi.
“We’re going north to see my folks,” Morgan replied to Derrick’s question, and for a split second, George forgot what time of year it was.
Thanksgiving.
“That’s cool,” Derrick replied, then looked between George and Orry. “You guys?”
“Same as every year, I guess,” Orry replied. “Frozen turkey dinners and work.”
“That sounds boring. Think you guys can take a day off work? My in-laws are throwing a big Thanksgiving dinner out in Garrett. Did the same thing last year, and I think it’s becoming a new tradition. I mentioned inviting some of my friends and Wes said, ‘The more the merrier.’”
“That’s very Wes,” Slater drawled.
George vaguely remembered Wes from one of his visits in the city with his boyfriend. Another cowboy. Slater’s old coworkers from his ranch job still regularly came by to see him, but George avoided the lobby when they were around. Too many unfamiliar people. And now he was being invited to a house full of them?
“What do you think?” Orry asked him, holding George’s gaze. Orry wouldn’t go if George said no, but George needed to stop being selfish. It had been seven years, damn it. His encounter with Adrian this past summer only proved that George needed to stop hiding. He had to find a fucking backbone and take his life back.
“Okay, let’s go,” George replied, his voice more confident than he expected.
Orry’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure?”
Nope. “Yeah, I’m sure. Besides, you never turn down free food.”
Orry threw a wadded-up napkin at his head.
“Great,” Derrick said with a grin. “I’ll text Wes later and let him know we’re bringing guests. And don’t worry about bringing anything. They had a freaking feast last year and plenty of leftovers. Actually—” he looked at Slater “—I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“I wasn’t,” Slater replied. “The ranch is closed to guests that week, and since I wasn’t part of the skeleton crew tending the horses, I went up to see my family.”
“Ah, makes sense.”
George knew from casual conversation that Slater had a daughter in college, and he made frequent trips to Sacramento to visit her. “Is your daughter coming down for the big feast?”
“Yup.” Slater beamed like the proud dad he was. “She’s excited to see the ranch where I worked and meet some of the people I talk about, especially Wes. When she found out I knew someone who made movies and television, she practically begged to come.”
Nerves made his belly squirm, but the odds of anyone at this week’s upcoming Thanksgiving meal recognizing him from his ice skating days were slim to none. He’d grown up, changed his hair and in the world of competitive sports, seven years was a lifetime. “Will the trick riders be there?” George asked without thinking.
Derrick shrugged. “Probably. Why?”
“Just curious. I enjoyed watching their show back in July. What they do is very athletic and takes a lot of training.” Kind of like figure skating but he hadn’t told Dez or Morgan about that part of his life yet.
“I have a lot of respect for Robin and Levi,” Slater said. “It’s hard enough for some folks simply to mount a horse, never mind the tricks those two do. You thinking of a career change?”
“No.” Not really. George liked his job but he didn’t want to do it forever. He wasn’t sure trick riding was in his future, but he still had a lot of his old flexibility and muscle control. It might be a fun thing to try.
If he got up the courage to ask. Which he probably wouldn’t.
Dez started talking about her newest upcycling creation, and the meal resumed like usual, attention finally off George. He didn’t mind the vegan pizza, even though he picked off most of the pepperoni. Too spicy. Orry tried a piece, though, and liked it. But he’d always been a more adventurous eater. Orry hadn’t had to stay slender and light to perfect his triple axel. Didn’t have to carry the weight of their parents’ hopes, dreams and financial investment on his shoulders...
“Dude?” Morgan snapped his fingers in front of George’s face, and George reared back. “You okay? You zoned.”
“Yeah, sorry.” He offered what he hoped was a passable smile. “Lost in thought.”
“No kidding.”
George avoided looking at Orry. Orry waited until they were both back upstairs, alone, before bringing it up. “What upset you?” he asked.
“Nothing upset me.” George adored his twin and how attentive he was, but sometimes Orry could be a little overbearing when it came to watching George’s mood. “I started thinking about food and it swept me into the past. I’m okay.”
Orry studied him a beat. “Are you sure you want to go to this big Thanksgiving meal?”
“Yes. It’ll be good for me. And it’s been a long time since either of us had a big, home-cooked dinner.”
“True. Okay, well, you can still change your mind before Thursday.”
“I know.” He had no intention of changing his mind—or telling Orry even if he did—because he knew how much Orry needed this. Orry worked so hard he barely had a social life, and Orry had the kind of personality that thrived around other human beings. George was the extreme introvert who’d spent a third of his life avoiding people at all costs.
But he was also...bored with this life. He used to live for the glamor and spectacle of the rink, and now he lived for...well, to live and that was it.
There had to be more to life than just existing.
Right?
* * *
With Bentley Ghost Town shut down for the next two months, Levi had more time on his hands than he knew what to do with. He hadn’t been so content living in one place since his first homestead up in the Lakeview Campground in Wyoming, and he wanted to stick around, but boredom gave him itchy feet.
Moving to Northern California to be closer to Robin Butler, a man who was still his brother no matter what legal documents said, had been a calculated risk. Robin used to work at Clean Slate Ranch, and when the owner of the ghost town wanted to do a grand reopening this past January, Levi had agreed to help. He and Robin had been trick riders once upon a time for Lucky’s Rodeo, and Levi still remembered everything he’d picked up after a lifetime of practice. When the reopening show was a resounding success, Levi and Robin became a permanent part of the ghost town experience.