Kissed him like he’d wanted to for two weeks now. Find out how those pretty pink lips felt against his. But the tour group was getting farther down the trail, and they needed to catch up, not start making out against a tree. It was also their first day at the ranch, and the last thing Levi wanted to do was making the rest of the week awkward if he was reading George’s signals wrong.
He wasn’t but kept telling himself that anyway.
“I’ll make sure and ask Reyes about a tour of the rescue, then,” Levi said. “We better catch up.”
“Huh?” George blinked like he’d been a hundred miles away. “Oh, right.”
As they walked, elbows casually brushing once in a while, George snapped a few photos of the land that he texted to Orry. “Did you send one of you riding?” Levi asked.
“Yup. I can almost feel the first flash of terror, followed by pride and maybe even a bit of jealousy that I’m here and he isn’t.” George’s smile dimmed. “It really does suck that he can’t get a solid, well-paying job that actually offers benefits, but that’s what we were dealt, I guess.”
“I can’t imagine the struggle. Some years, money was tight for the rodeo, but my dad had a good head for investments so we never went hungry. Never really went without.”
“Can you tell me more about that? Having a loving, happy family around you?”
“Sure can.” Levi had a lot of stories to choose from, most of them centered around Xander, and it didn’t hurt to talk about his brother like it used to. He spun one of those stories for George while the hike continued, slowly circling the group back toward the main buildings. George listened with a serene expression, completely unlike the nervous man Levi had picked up this morning. Levi had heard Robin, Reyes and the other horsemen say that the land had a magical air to it that whispered to everyone who cared to listen.
George was definitely listening.
When they arrived back, some of the horses were wandering the corral, and several folks headed in that direction. George’s cell rang, and his entire face lit up. “Hey, did you get my pictures?”
Levi gave him privacy for his call to Orry and turned toward the barn, unsure of his exact destination. Colt Woods intercepted him halfway there. Colt was a handyman on the ranch, married to a history professor who worked in San Francisco, and one of Mack and Reyes’s best friends. Levi and he were friendly but didn’t have very many private conversations.
“Hey, man, fun to see you as a guest this week,” Colt said in a familiar, sunny tone.
“I figured since I’m on vacation, I might as well try taking a vacation.”
“With one of Slater’s twin neighbors?”
One of Slater’s hot twin neighbors who is sweet and way too appealing, yes.
“I owed George for a favor,” Levi said instead. “Please, tell me someone told you about my cat on Thanksgiving?”
“Yeah, I heard about it from Mack, Reyes and Robin. And I think from Derrick, too, but I’ve lost track at this point. Y’all are definitely the hot topic for ranch gossip.”
Levi swallowed a groan. “Why? We’re friends. The kid needs more friends.”
“Because we’re an insulated bunch, and we’re also gossipier than a group of grandmas in a sewing circle. Hugo said he thinks George was a figure skater once, that he kind of recognized him.”
“Okay.”
Colt quirked an eyebrow. “So was he?”
“If he was, it’s George’s business.”
“Well then that’s a yes. You know why he quit?”
Colt was obviously not letting this go, so Levi gave him a little bit. “Not the specifics, only that the training and performing got unbearable. He didn’t want to do it anymore. Doesn’t want to be a celebrity or his life to be a spectacle.” He put just enough force into his final sentence that Colt visibly backed off.
“Right, sorry. Point taken, man.”
“Thank you.”
“George is still hella cute, though.”
Levi snorted. “Do people our age really still say hella?”
“I don’t know about you, but I do. Anyway, I just wanted to say hi, and if you and George are ever in the city at the same time as me and Avery, maybe we can do a double date.”
“George and I are not dating.”
“Says you.” Colt winked before strolling into the barn.
Levi stared for a long time, turned around by the conversation. It didn’t matter if Levi wanted to date George, kiss George, or do all sorts of things with George. George was coming out of his shell—and the closet—for the first time in years, maybe even his whole life, and Levi couldn’t be selfish. Couldn’t keep George’s attention all to himself. George deserved the freedom to explore the wider world and all the people in it.
No matter how strongly Levi wanted to keep George all to himself.
* * *
“Dude, are you okay?” Orry asked.
George rolled his eyes as he strode toward a big tree opposite the guesthouse. “I’m perfectly fine, why?” He hadn’t expected Orry to open the call like that but he also wasn’t surprised.
“I don’t know. I mean, you were on a horse. How was it?”
“Scary, but really cool. Getting up into a saddle is not as easy as it looks on TV, but I had a lot of fun once I was up there. I can’t wait to ride again tomorrow.” George ran his hand over the tree’s rough bark. “It really is beautiful out here, bro. And peaceful.”
“I believe you. You sound different.”
“In a good way?”
“Yeah. Stronger. Maybe we should have put you on a horse years ago.”
George laughed. “Maybe. I really think this week is going to be good for me. Levi and I have already met a couple with a little girl, and they are crazy nice. I’m talking to people, having conversations. It’s weird but also kind of amazing. I’m even looking forward to an overnight camping trip.”
“Camping? Ugh.” Orry made a weird noise. “Then again, I know what it’s like to sleep on the streets, so camping really isn’t ever going to be my thing.”
“Sorry.” George didn’t know all the details of the few months Orry had spent homeless when they were both sixteen. They simply hadn’t talked about it because Orry didn’t want to. But he’d seen enough and read enough to imagine what his twin had gone through as a homeless teenager.
“I’m not trying to guilt you,” Orry said. “I want you to have fun this week, I swear. I guess I’m a little jealous that I couldn’t get the time off to be there with you.”