“Excellent.” Jason stepped. One. Two. Three. Then popped Beau right on the chin. Beau let him. Then Beau popped him back. Sammy caught Andy when he would have charged in. Jason needed this.
“Not bad.” Jason got a two-fer in, took one to the shoulder. They weren’t going for blood—hell, they were both grinning.
Before long it dissolved into poking ribs and bent-over-double laughing. Assholes.
“Are you two jackasses done playing?” Damn, his Beau was fine.
“Yeah. Andy’s gonna have a stroke.”
“Nah. He just needs...” Jase turned bright red. “...a walk.”
“Well, then, y’all go walk it off.” Beau clapped Jason on the shoulder, turning him toward Andy.
Andy Baxter let Jason get close, then one hand clamped down on Jason’s wrist and off they went.
Sammy arched an eyebrow. “Wow.”
“Yeah. Crazy, huh?” Beau came over and took his hand.
“Bizarre.” He bumped their shoulders together.
“We could go walk, too.”
“Did fighting with the little bird cowboy give you a woody, Boug?” He loved teasing Beau.
“Nah.” He got this look, long and slow and just about burning. “That’s all you.”
Oh.
Oh, damn.
His cheeks were getting just about as hot as fire.
“You never believe me, Sammy, but you’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
His toes actually curled a little in his boots. “Damn, Beau.”
“Mmm. I love it when your eyes do that. Go all deep blue.” Beau was on a fucking roll.
Chapter Six
Beau stretched, his back popping, and he was glad he hadn’t let Sammy work this section of fence. Pulling wire was a bitch. Miz Gardner had come this morning, and apparently even more help was on the way. Jason and Andy were watching the kids, and Sammy was putting new shingles on the mudroom side of the house. All in all, he thought they’d done some good. As soon as Hank showed up, they could go home.
“Brought you a beer, Cajun.” Denver Gardner came riding up on the west side, looking like nothing less than a ten-year older AJ. “You seen Dallas or Houston?”
Miz Gardner had a vicious sense of humor.
“Nope.” Beau took the beer gratefully. “Thanks, though.”
“Welcome, man. Thanks for the help. I was getting here, but you know how it goes. Every time I get a little farther, somebody at the house buzzes me.” Denny grinned at him. “Sometimes I wish I was Aje, able to just go.”
“Yeah. And sometimes we wish we could just stay home.” He winked. Beau wasn’t bitching, really. He’d made a lot of money on tour.
“The grass is always greener, huh?”
“There you go.” The beer slid down his throat, cold and strong, good enough to make him hum. “That hit the spot.”
“There’s nothing quite like a cold beer on a hot day, huh?”
