And for me.
The yelling continued behind me, but I wasn't listening anymore. I just wanted to make sure I could get her hay cut, do my side of this bargain, and have a beer or twelve. If Mr. Simmons realized I was going to help her keep her ag exemption, I'd probably be out of a job. A few days ago, I would've said it was worth it. Now?
I couldn't fucking win with this woman. Even worse, I knew she wasn't doing a single thing wrong. All she wanted was to get Southwind running again. Between the threats to have her zoning changed, the decay that had to be repaired, and all the years of this place sitting empty, it wasn't a small feat. It also wasn't the kind of thing one person could do on their own.
But she wasn't alone anymore, was she? Nope, she had her shrink who looked like a damned bodybuilder. The man she'd just kissed - so why wasn't I pissed about that?
Because she'd looked good. The way she'd grabbed him and had taken what she'd wanted? I could almost imagine her shoving her tongue down his throat. Cy would have to be an idiot to refuse that. Or gay. Was that why she'd kissed him? It had been right after Mr. Simmons called Cy a faggot.
I stood there, staring at the dusty floor, trying to figure out what was supposed to come next when I heard a heavy step scuff on the dirt behind me. I didn't move because my mind was still spinning. If Cy was gay, then her curling up beside him made a lot more sense. If he wasn't, then what had she been doing?
Protecting him. Gay or not, if anyone suspected something like that in this town, Cats Peak would come after them. That was why Vera and Bea had called themselves roommates. It was why the flowers at her funeral were still the talk of the town. They'd had lesbians living right under their noses and hadn't suspected a thing, but what if they had? Around here, people still had white robes in their closets. The only thing worse than gay would be Black.
"You ok?" The voice was from Cy, and he moved to stand beside me, his eyes following mine.
"Yeah," I assured him. "Just need to get back to the swather."
He reached up to lift my hat from my head. "Pretty sure you're not ok, cowboy. I know you saw her kiss me. I'm just wondering why you're not swinging." And he stepped over to hang my hat on one of the halter hooks by the stalls. "Figured you won't want to mess that up when you do."
I just waved him off. "Figure she had her reasons, right?"
Turning away, I decided that I could think about this while finishing the swather, but Cy didn't seem to agree. He grabbed my arm, turning me back. I realized he'd put his shirt back on, but there was a line of dust on his shoulder now. It actually made him look a little more real.
"Please tell me you didn't just write her off because of that?" He waved a hand back toward the porch. "I had no idea she was gonna kiss me, and it was just a peck, so not like something to worry about."
"I'm not worried," I assured him, trying to turn away again.
"Fuck no," he said, yanking at me again. "No, we're talking this shit out, because she likes you, and I'm not gonna fuck that up. She was gonna come explain it herself, but I told her I would."
"He called you a fag," I said, shrugging it off. "Of course she did something about that. It's..." I paused. "Are you?"
"You gonna beat my ass if I am?" he countered.
"No!" I let out a laugh, reaching up to finger comb the hat line from my hair. "Shit, I spent some time here too, Cy. I knew all about Vera and Bea. The only reason I can see my daughter more is because of them, so no, I don't have a problem with gays. Doesn't mean that's true for the rest of this town."
"You have a kid?" he asked, completely thrown by that.
I nodded. "Twelve-year-old little girl. She thinks Violet hung the moon. Knocked up her mom in eleventh grade, dropped out of school, and became the real winner you see before you."
"I think you're doing pretty good," Cy told me. "And I'm kinda getting the impression that you're not like most people around here."
"Never did fit in," I agreed. "Had big-city dreams and small-town responsibilities." Then I jerked my chin at him. "So?"
"So..." Confused took over his face. "What?"
"You gay? Is that it, or does she just not want you to deal with the shit out there?"
Cy scoffed. "You do know there are a few more options than just black and white, right? Like, an entire rainbow of them. Gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual, demisexual, asexual, aromantic, and more."
"So which one are you?" I pressed.
One side of his mouth curled into a smile. "Which one are you, cowboy?"
"Got a kid; think that says enough. I'm also getting the impression you don't wanna tell me, and that's cool." I lifted both hands and took a step back, still aiming for the equipment I needed to work on. "Figure it's not a big deal unless we're fighting over whose dick is going in that woman."
"No." He shook his head. "Bro, that's not how it works. Big-city tip for ya, ok? Beating the shit out of me - or any other guy who shows up around here - isn't going to get you some pussy. It's going to get your ass thrown out, and your horses back there will be homeless. So stop thinking like your balls put you in charge. If I put my dick in her, it's because she wants it there. You can either give up and run off with your cock tucked so tight you'd make a good drag queen, or you can hope you get a turn." Then he crossed his massive arms over his chest. "And I saw you staring. She didn't, but I did. You weren't pissed. Pretty sure you were stunned. Believe it or not, I'm pretty damned good at listening."
"Yeah, heard you were a shrink." This time, I turned to the swather but kept talking. "Don't know shit about gay - or any of those others you listed. All I know is that they say it's a sin in church, but didn't always. I know that Vera loved Bea more than half the husbands in this town love their wives. Figure that what someone does with someone else isn't any of my damned business so long as no one's getting hurt."
