“It’s mighty slow.”
“It needs to be.”
Then Jamie did what he did best. He slid right past Leland’s defenses and into his arms, pressing against him with his whole body, his arms around Leland’s neck, drawing him down for a kiss.
Someone came up the stairs, but Leland didn’t care, didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around Jamie, a sound coming from his throat as he held Jamie close, kissed his neck. Pushed back his hair and kissed his forehead, and finally, Jamie, impatient, kissed Leland on the mouth, letting them both savor it, the anticipation and the sweet taste of each other.
This was how it should have started, but if Leland drew back and said anything about it, Jamie would tell him they might have gone backwards, the two of them, and so what? They were starting at the beginning, two new lovers, kissing in the hallway of the staff quarters as though they could never bear to be parted from one another.
“There,” Jamie said when he finished kissing Leland. He pulled back a little bit and with Leland’s arms still around him, touched his mouth with the backs of his fingers. “Now that’s what I call courtship.”
Jamie filled Leland with everything as they stood there, with light and energy and love. Leland’s cock was hard against his belly, and he could feel that Jamie was worked up as they stood there hip to hip. But the anticipation would make it all the sweeter.
Leland wanted to know Jamie more, find out who he was, find out what he wanted, what he needed, and then give it to him with his whole heart. The sudden tumble into Leland’s bed hadn’t been right, not for either of them, but he was grateful Jamie was going to give him a second chance.
“I’ll take that pie now,” Leland said, letting Jamie go at long last.
“Come and get it,” Jamie said with a laugh as he opened the door. “See what I said there? Come and get it?”
Smiling, Leland grabbed the pie from Jamie’s dresser, kissed him on the mouth, and paused to push the hair back from Jamie’s forehead.
“See you tomorrow,” Leland said, tenderness rising all the way through him.
“Tomorrow,” said Jamie. As he stood in his open doorway, Leland kissed him again, then hurried away as fast as he could, before his instincts, now screaming at him, made him cave in and roll with Jamie on his bed right that minute.
Outside, the night was dark and breezy, and Leland went through the shadowy trees along the path to his cabin, feeling chipper and relaxed and happy all the way through. He put the pie in the fridge, took a quick shower, then sat on the front porch in one of the Adirondack chairs and looked at the other one, which was empty. It might have seemed innocent to anyone else that his greatest joy would be to see Jamie sitting in that chair while the two of them watched the sun go down together. But it was true, and he wouldn’t be ashamed to admit it to anyone who asked.
In the morning, Leland barely had enough time to eat before things got hopping, but then Saturdays were always busy, with guests packing up to leave, hugging new friends goodbye. Staff did their best to help guests get on the road, and Maddy kept the exodus running smoothly, clipboard in hand.
Leland had a list of things that needed fixing and tending to, starting with the ice machine, so he didn’t have a chance to be with Jamie all day. Feeling like a thwarted teenager, he threw himself into what needed doing, including the ice machine and the call to the repairman who seemed reluctant to come all the way from Chugwater on a Saturday.
“You didn’t fix it right the last time, so you owe me a visit, I’d say,” said Leland, his voice firm as he held the cellphone to his ear and thrummed his fingers on his desk.
“But it’s Saturday,” said the repairman like a petulant child.
“That’s just too bad,” Leland said, looking at the barn through the open door to his office. “I’ve got ranch hands and wranglers and all kinds of staff who like ice in their drinks. I’ve had guests who’ve had to ration their ice while they’ve been here, and that just won’t fly, you understand? I’ve got a new set of guests arriving starting tomorrow noon, and if that ice maker isn’t fixed, I will find another repairman. Pronto.”
Threats weren’t normally his style, but the ice machine, all things considered, was pretty important. All the different parts of the ranch were important, truth be told, each a part of a larger weaving. But that was one thing taken care of, so he put the phone in his back pocket, and threw himself into helping guests get on their way.
He carried luggage and hugged everyone goodbye who wanted a hug, and told them all they were welcome back, any time. When it was Dorothy’s turn, she stood in the parking lot while a van stood nearby, its engine idling, waiting for her to slide into one of the seats.
“It was a pleasure having you with us,” said Leland. He held her hand in his, and looked at her to make sure she knew he meant it. “I hope you enjoyed Travelle, too. Hope you had a good time, I truly do.”
“I did,” she said, and her smile was warm as she smiled at him. Her eyes were bright, and her skin not so pale with sorrow. “I wanted to thank Jamie in particular, but I don’t see him.”
“He’s—” Leland stopped. Normally he didn’t call particular ranch hands off the job to say goodbye to a guest, but this was different. He pulled out his phone. “Hang on,” he told her. “Can the van wait?” he asked her. He looked up at the van’s driver. “Can you wait?”
The van driver nodded, and Leland swooped through his contacts to call Clay who, luckily, answered on the first ring.
“Hey, it’s Leland,” he said.
“What’s up, boss?” asked Clay. “Is it about the bags of grain? Cause they haven’t arrived yet.”
“No, it’s about Jamie,” Leland said. “I need him to come say goodbye to Dorothy. She’s waiting. Can someone scoot him down here?”
“Sure, boss.”
Clay clicked off before Leland could thank him, and he turned to Dorothy.
