I didn’t know what to say to that. Back in Jersey, people didn’t just casually mention their kinks over beer in the living room. But then again, back in Jersey, I’d never met anyone quite like Jesse Harris.
“So, there’s two gay couples on this ranch?” Nick asked, clearly trying to redirect the conversation to safer territory.
“Two and a half if you count Evelyn’s nephew Tim who visits sometimes,” Jesse said. “But he’s only here in the summers after his college classes are done. I think he’s a senior this year actually, so maybe we’ll see him more.”
“That’s... a lot,” I said, genuinely surprised. “For Montana.”
“Right?” Jesse leaned back, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. “When I first got here, I thought I was gonna be the only queer in the whole state. Turns out this place is like some kind of gay ranch magnet. Few more years and we’ll run the place, top to bottom.”
“It’s not a magnet,” Cole said, but there was affection in his voice. “We just don’t discriminate who we hire around here.”
“Hard to discriminate when you married your stepbrother,” Jesse pointed out. “Which is like peak gay if you ask me.”
“Nobody asked you,” Cole shot back, but his lips were twitching like he was trying not to smile.
I watched them go back and forth, saw the easy banter that spoke of real intimacy, real comfort with each other. It was different from what Nick and I had, rougher around the edges, maybe, but no less real.
“How long have you two been together?” Nick asked. “Before the marriage, I mean.”
Cole and Jesse exchanged a look, and I saw something complicated pass between them.
“It’s a long story,” Cole said finally. “The short version is we grew up together, lost touch for years, and then reconnected when Jesse came back to Montana after my dad died.”
“The long version involves a lot more drama, a shared tent in a blizzard, and a lot of lube,” Jesse added with a smirk. “And some really stupid decisions on both our parts. But we figured it out, eventually.”
“Sounds familiar,” I muttered, and Nick shot me a look that was half amused, half warning.
“So, what about you two?” Jesse asked, turning that sharp gaze back on us. “How’d you actually meet? And don’t give me that ‘arranged marriage’ bullshit. I want the real story.”
I looked at Nick. He shook his head slightly, warning me not to tell them any more.
“Oh,” I said with a dismissive shrug. “I’m in the mob.”
Cole and Jesse exchanged a look before they broke out laughing.
“You’re hilarious,” Jesse grinned, clapping me on the shoulder. “I like you.”
I glanced over at Nick, watching him laugh along as best as he could, his eyes wide with horror. I couldn’t help but smile. The truth, I’d learned, was far less believable than any lie I could make up. And every good lie began with the truth.
Chapter 24
Nick
“Goddamn I’m starving,” I whined as we headed back toward the house. All the ranch hands had gone in a half hour before, the dinner bell ringing from the bunkhouse where Mom fed them each day. “Do we have any of those chicken cutlets left over from last night?”
Dante grinned, shaking his head. “Yeah. I managed to save two or three before you ate them all.”
“They’re fuckinggood,” I replied, wrapping my arm around his waist. “You’re a damn good cook. I think you might be better than Mom.”
“Oh? That’s a dangerous thing to say.”
I couldn’t help grinning like an idiot. “That’s why I’ll deny it if you ever bring it up.”
“Well, my Nonna would be proud to hear I’m keeping the family recipes alive. Even if it’s only out here in nowhere Montana.” He gave me a sideways glance. “But she’d be mortified that I’ve started buying store bought gnocchi.”
I laughed, pulling him closer as we walked. “I won’t tell if you won’t. Besides, nobody out here knows the difference.”
“Angelo would,” Dante pointed out. “He grew up eating the real stuff too.”
