A Cowboy's Dance (White Oak Ranch Book 1) Page 9

  Everything his gaze landed on that morning looked new and so full of promise. That was saying something, given that he’d worked that land since he was old enough to take his first ride alongside his father. Cole smiled as he wondered if Everest was having the same kind of day over on his ranch. And if his lover was wearing the same dopey grin which he apparently was sporting, judging by the humored smirks and indulgent comments from his hands over the course of the day. Yeah, they knew something was different about him all right.

  Cole couldn’t hide his happiness, though, and furthermore, he didn’t want to. No. There would be no more hiding. He and Everest had agreed the day before, while they further discussed their plans after their second round of lovemaking, that they would tell their respective employees the following afternoon and give them all a chance to decide if they wanted to stay or go. Then, they’d driven over to Everest’s parents’ ranch for dinner and, along with Lyle and his family, they made it official.

  Without delay, once they were all gathered around the table, Everest had announced to his family that Cole was now his partner. Cole had held his breath, even though Everest had assured him that his elder brothers and parents knew he was gay and had always supported him. To Cole’s great relief, he was given hugs and several sound slaps to his back, along with words of love, welcome and, yes, several good-natured teasing remarks from David and Burke.

  He had only imagined during his twenty-six years how damned good it would feel to have a partner’s family accept his relationship with their son or brother. How freeing it would be to stand beside another man and openly declare their affection for one another. Everest’s family had made that emotionally charged deed easy, and Cole told them how grateful he was for their acceptance. He’d gotten yet another hug from Everest’s mother after that, and Cole had grinned over her shoulder at Everest as Everest looked at them both with warmth and love in his eyes. It seemed Everest had been just as affected as Cole during the whole conversation, though he was able to keep a tight rein on his emotions, unlike Cole.

  When they returned to Cole’s house, Cole had plopped down on the sofa next to Everest and dialed his own mother, placing his phone on speaker so they could both talk to her. After a few minutes of casual dialog, Cole had told his mother the news that he was with Everest now and they would be planning a future together. She had literally squealed and left Cole speechless. Everest, however, just laughed in his low, gravelly tone and then he leaned in to give Cole a quick kiss before he started talking with Cole’s mom, promising her that he’d always look after her one and only son with every breath he took.

  Talk about a life-altering weekend, Cole thought, as he shifted in the saddle to ease the ache that still lingered in his ass.

  Cole had given Everest a loving send-off that morning, the two intertwined and glistening with sweat and cum just before they showered and ate a quick breakfast together. After taking Everest into his body several times, Cole certainly could feel it, even so many hours later. Still, he had come to realize he craved that kind of connection and so he’d been happy to experience a different side to sex, with Everest leading the way.

  “You good there, boss?”

  The sound of Mike’s voice cut through Cole’s reverie, and he glanced over at the man riding beside him. Cole dipped his chin and slowed his horse with a gentle tug on the reins.

  “I’m good, Mike. Today’s been fruitful. Everything’s goin’ as it should, so I can’t complain.”

  Mike chuckled and shook his head. “Cole. Lord, son.”

  Cole frowned and looked at Mike sharply. “What?”

  Mike pulled his mount to a stop and Cole did the same, turning Pike, so he and Mike faced one another.

  “Listen,” Mike said and shifted in his saddle, “I’m gonna say my piece, and you can either tell me to shut up and mind my own damn business, or you can take it to heart and know I’m sincere in what I’m sayin’ to ya.”

  Cole nudged Pike a little closer to Mike and his mount. “You can say anything to me, Mike. Anything.”

  “All right, then.” Mike drew in a breath as he glanced away briefly before returning his keen focus to Cole. “I’ve known you since you were a day old, and though you are my boss, you’re also the son of one of the best friends I’ve ever known during my life. My respect for your father kept me on here immediately after his passing. My respect for you kept me on past that.”

  Cole swallowed hard, but he nodded slightly, not knowing where Mike was going with his train of thought.

  “Now, because you are also like a son to me, there are things that I know about you. Things that a parent or mentor doesn’t miss, especially when they’ve been around their younger charge for so long. I know you probably need to tell me in your own words because of the honorable man you are, so I’m gonna let you do that and not take anything away from you.”

  “But, Cole, I need you to finally tell me about you and the changes that are comin’ to this place. I need you to tell me what you’ve kept so close to the vest for so long because if you know anything to be true by now, it’s that I am in your corner and I won’t turn my back on you no matter what. Are you understandin’ me, son, and are you ready to confide in me like you did your old man?”

  God help him, but Mike’s staggering words hit Cole squarely in the chest and made his eyes grow moist. He sucked in a deep breath and took a few seconds to steady himself, knowing there was no way he’d back down from the generous opening Mike had just given him. Mike had known, just as Everest had. Somehow, those closest to him already knew he was gay, and Cole could tell from Mike’s bearing and his candid words that he wasn’t looking to ostracize Cole or leave him for greener, less gay, pastures.

  “All right,” Cole said, praying his voice sounded as steady as was his resolve to do the right thing. “You say you’ve noticed things about me, so I’m assuming you mean the fact that I…” Come on, he told himself, you can do this. “I prefer the company of… men… instead of women.” Cole could feel his jaw flexing as he paused to take another deep breath. “It’s not something I can or would change about myself. It’s who I am,” he stated, his voice growing stronger with that last declaration.

  “And that is fine, Cole.” Mike leaned over and placed a hand on Cole’s shoulder. “Who you love is not my business, nor is it anyone else’s. Doesn’t change who you are to me, either. Like I said, you’re like a son to me.”

  Cole’s shoulders lowered, and he loosened his hold on Pike’s reins a bit when he realized he was clenching them so hard his knuckles were white.

  “Thank you, Mike,” he said softly. “Sorry I hadn’t told you before today. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just been somethin’ I didn’t think I could share with anybody other than my parents for the longest time.”

  “And I get that, too.” Mike released his shoulder and sat back in his saddle. His gaze swept over the terrain around them before he refocused on Cole. “There’s a lot of hate in this world, and a lot of people what don’t understand somethin’ different than what they’ve been told is right. I know you were waitin’ until you had this place in the black before you outed yourself, and I also know you were waitin’ for the right partner to stand beside you and help you weather the storm that might be comin’.”

  Cole couldn’t help but gawk at Mike momentarily.

  Mike touched the brim of his hat. “Yeah, I know about that too. Don’t much get past me when it comes to those I consider part of my family. I’ve known Everest Cooper had a plan to make you his for years now. You don’t make one move in that man’s presence that he don’t notice. That kinda attention only comes from the heart, Cole, and it ain’t got nothin’ to do with business.”

  “Jesus!” Cole murmured in disbelief. “Have I been walkin’ around in a fog for years and nobody’s told me?”

  Mike barked out a booming laugh and slapped Cole’s arm. “Hell no! You’re one of the sharpest men I’ve ever met – when it comes to business, tha
t is. When it comes to who you spend your private time with… Well, now, we both know Robbie ain’t the one you’re meant to be with for the long-haul.”

  Cole blanched, but he had the good sense to shake his head. “No, Robbie wasn’t interested in marrying me and building a life here on the ranch. But you’re right. Everest is, and he made that clear to me this weekend.” Cole squinted as he took in the fact that Mike didn’t look a bit surprised by his words. “Which it seems you know about that, too. I had a hunch Saturday night that it might have been you who tipped Everest off that I was suddenly a free man. I was right, wasn’t I?”

  “Yeah,” Mike chuckled unrepentantly. “I couldn’t stand by and watch you flounderin’, now could I? That’s not the way of it between you and me, so I wasn’t about to start.”

  Cole couldn’t find it in himself to scold the older man for meddling. Hell, he was the happy recipient of Mike’s interference, so he knew he couldn’t utter a cross word. So, Cole reached out and gave Mike a gentle punch to his upper arm, grinning as he said, “Well, then I offer you my thanks. I’m in a much better place than I was Saturday night and I have someone in my life now who wants what I want.”

  “And what’s that, Cole?” Mike asked quietly, all jesting put aside.

  “A future together and a family.”

  They stared at one another for several moments until Mike’s expression softened.

  “I’m so glad to hear that, son. Nobody deserves to walk through life alone, especially if they want a partner as much as I know you do.”

  “And I’ve got one now, Mike. Everest is mine, and I’m his. And together we’re gonna build something lasting.”

  “Then I’m assumin’ the ranches are gonna merge, and I’m gonna have to find some way to put up with Lum Pickering?” Mike looked like he’d just sucked on a lemon after saying the other foreman’s name.

  Now it was Cole who laughed wholeheartedly. He settled his mount when Pike stepped sideways, and he nodded at Mike, who still looked thoroughly disgruntled.

  “God save me!” Mike groaned. “Well, he can be foreman over the cattle. I’ll take the lead over the horses any damned day of the week.”

  “You’ve got it, Mike.”

  “And we ain’t eatin’ a damn thing that old coot cooks, neither!”

  Cole couldn’t maintain a straight face had his life depended on it. Mike lost it about the same time he did, and they both howled together, leaning over their saddles and letting the cathartic laughter wipe away Cole’s remaining tension.

  How he could have thought Mike would do anything other than support him, Cole didn’t know. But it was mighty damn good to hear it said so plainly and at just the right time, too. Cole knew he’d be thanking Mike for many years to come – both for his backing and for his meddling.

  “What the hell’s got y’all so riled up?” Walter hollered at them as he and four other hands rode up alongside them.

  “Yeah, you gotta spill now,” Andre chimed in, looking as happy and as carefree as he always did.

  “We’ll talk about it later back at the barn,” Mike said, effectively ending their questions.

  Cole had asked every employee to meet him at the barn that evening at six o’clock so he could share some important news with them. He knew it could get fairly ugly if his hands decided to take offense to what he was going to share with them, and he’d wanted a way to get to the safety of his home nearby if it came to that. Cole had a feeling, though, after his talk with Mike that everything was going to be okay. Maybe not great in the short-term, but eventually things would settle, and he would move forward – with Everest as his main source of support and encouragement, of course.

  Andre made a sound of disappointment at Mike’s immediate refusal to speak, but he dutifully had his mount fall into step with them and didn’t ask again.

  Cole caught Andre grinning at him, as he had earlier in the day, and he wondered once again if perhaps more than just Mike had discerned his sexual orientation without him having said a word aloud over the years. Only one way to find out, he thought. Cole nudged Pike into a trot and then a run, ready to see his staff, look them in the eye, and then see what their reactions were.

  And then, he’d get to see Everest because Everest had agreed to do the same with his ranch hands before joining Cole at his house for the night. So no matter what was said or who did or did not support them, Cole knew the day would still have a positive outcome. He’d get to hold his man in his arms and in his bed all night long. Whatever sacrifices he had to make to ensure that happened were well worth it in Cole’s mind.

  Chapter 10

  Everest stood in front of his biggest barn with the ranch’s full staff spread out before him, looking over the faces of men and women he’d come to know and respect after many seasons of hard labor accomplished by their sides. All three of his brothers had made sure to be there for him that night, as well as their parents and his sisters-in-law. Everest was deeply touched that they had all decided on a show of solidarity and support as he announced his relationship with Cole and the changes that would be taking place over the next year as they merged the two ranches.

  Silence filled the area for several tense moments after Everest stopped speaking. He had finished his remarks by assuring the men and women of his ranch that no one would lose their jobs, their homes, or their current pay, no matter the changes ahead. All he had asked for was their continued service to the ranch and their acceptance of Cole as his partner and future husband. Then, Everest had stopped talking and let them digest all he’d shared that evening.

  His foreman, Lum, was the first to sweep his hat off his head and step forward. The weathered, older man looked around the yard and then at Everest. Everest arched an eyebrow and inclined his head, giving Lum the floor.

  “Look here!” Lum called out. “What you do in your private life is just that to me – private. I don’t wanna know what you do with your significant other, just like I ain’t tellin’ you a damn thing about my… activities. No offense, Mrs. Cooper,” he said and nodded at Everest’s mother.

  “None taken, Lum,” she said, chuckling.

  Lum looked back at Everest. “I’ve known for a long time that you fancied Cole Gentry, so this here ain’t no surprise to me. And so long as I don’t have to answer to Mike Watkins, I’d say havin’ the ranch grow in such a way can only be a good thing. And, hell, if you’re happy, then the rest of us will fare far better than havin’ you in a sour mood. So I say have at it, and we’ll all be just fine.”

  Several men and women laughed at Lum’s attempt at tact.

  Everest shook his head and stepped forward, extending his hand to Lum.

  “Thank you, Lum. You don’t wanna answer to Mike, huh?” he teased, so fucking glad that he could. Grateful, too, that Lum had taken the news so well and the bull by the horns, so to speak, leading the rest of the hands by his own gruff example.

  “Hell, no!” Lum made a face of pure disgust. “That man is far too nice to be a foreman!”

  “Then maybe he should lead!” Tom, one of Everest’s main cattle hands, called out.

  More laughter followed Tom’s suggestion.

  “Watch it.” Lum pointed a finger at Tom, but Tom didn’t look too worried.

  “At least let the man cook for us,” Tom added with a wicked grin, eliciting more hoots of laughter from the group.

  “And if we don’t want to work for a faggot?” a quiet voice asked.

  Everest turned to see who had said such a foul thing. It was Pierce, a hand who had only been with him for one season. Everest felt his brothers move in closer until Burke and Lyle brushed against him on either side. That had to mean David was at his back.

  “Then as I said before, you are free to leave,” Everest stated in a steady voice, though inside he was seething. Still, he knew losing his temper to such prejudice would not do him or his family any favors. “You will have your pay up until today, but that’s all. And if that’s your opinion of me and my
lovin’ Cole as my partner, then it’s probably best that you go on your own way ’cause I won’t be hidin’ him away like a dirty secret.”

  “Oh, I’ll be going on my way. Don’t you worry about that,” Pierce assured him. “And I guarantee you I’m not the only one. Who else doesn’t believe that having a fairy in charge of a ranch is a good idea?” Pierce looked around, waiting for someone else to back him and add fuel to his fire.

  Everest crossed his arms over his wide chest and waited. No other voice was added to Pierce’s, nor did anyone support him as he stood there fuming.

  “Oh, you gotta be kidding me!” Pierce yelled. “You know it ain’t right for two men to be together. Two women either, for that matter!” He swiped his hat off and hit his leg with it. “What in the hell is wrong with all of y’all?”

  “I’d say you’ve been outvoted, Pierce,” Jaymes, who was a seasoned hand, said. He took a few steps closer to Pierce and shook his head. “You’re new here, kid, so there are some things you don’t know about our boss Ev or us. So let me enlighten you.”

  Pierce scowled, but Jaymes went on undeterred.

  “That man over there, whom you seem so happy to impugn, has given all of us a chance at an honest livin’ on a ranch that is hand over fist successful. Year after year, he makes this place stand out from all the others in the area because he knows his trade like no other. And, he’s passed that knowledge on to his family and, yes, to Cole Gentry, so that all three ranches are consistently productive. Something unheard of in these parts until Ev took over this spread. In fact, we haven’t known a lean year since he bought this place almost a decade ago.”

  “Now, for a young man like you, that might not seem like such a big thing, because if this ranch goes under, then you can just pick up and move to another one and keep workin’. But to those of us who have made this land our home, and who have spouses and children who live in houses which Ev has allowed us to build on his land… Well, his stability ensures our own.”