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time to hold my hand.
How do you know, have you asked him?
No.
It might not be a bad idea. Hell, the guy might even be flattered. But you sittin around
beating yourself up over it on a daily basis isn t going to get the job done.
You re right. Nate sighed. I miss the days of hanging out at The Gym with Rio.
CATTLE VALLEY DAYS Carol Lynne
43
Now you re starting to sound like a spoiled brat. You ve taken an oath to serve this
town. It s your duty as a man and a member of the community to fulfil your term.
Why did Nate suddenly feel like he was sitting in front of his high school principal?
Because Garron was right, he was acting like a brat. I ll call Quade next week and see if he
can offer a few suggestions, he relented.
Garron clapped Nate on the back, nearly sending him to the dirt floor. Good man.
Nate stood and dusted off the seat of his pants. Let me introduce you to our babies
while we re out here just in case Rio quizzes you at dinner.
* * * *
After dinner Ryan suggested they all go to the Grizzly Bar for a drink. Nate was so tired
he could barely keep his eyes open, but when he d tried to get out of going, Ryan had called
him out. He said their friends had come into town and spending time with them was worth a
few hours of lost sleep.
Nate didn t want to upset Rio in any way by arguing the point with Ryan, so he
reluctantly agreed. He felt Rio s hand land on his thigh and smiled.
You doing okay? Rio whispered in his ear.
Nate nodded. A little tired, but I m fine.
Rio s gorgeous face tilted to the side. You sure, baby? Cuz you ve got dark circles
under your eyes.
The last thing Nate wanted to hear was that his looks were suffering. He glanced at
Ryan who was telling a story. He didn t begrudge his lover an evening with their friends.
Hell, Nate wished he felt like drinking and having a good time, but it just wasn t happening.
He continued to receive suspicious glances from Garron throughout the evening. Nate
hoped Rio didn t notice. Although he loved his big mercenary dearly, Rio could read things
into a situation that wasn t there, and lord knew the man was a jealous lover.
A yawn came out of nowhere that he couldn t hide. Shit.
Time to get you home, Rio said. He gave Nate several gentle kisses before waving
Ryan over.
Ryan stopped mid-story and strode towards them. What s up?
CATTLE VALLEY DAYS Carol Lynne
44
We need to get Nate home. The poor little feller can barely keep his eyes open.
Ryan glanced around the table and finally nodded. Okay. Let s say goodbye and get
going.
Nate gave his friends hugs goodbye, explaining he d see them all downtown the
following morning.
When it became Garron s turn, his friend held him close and whispered in his ear. Talk
to your men. Rio s been giving me the stink eye all evening.
Nate nodded and stepped back. He turned towards Rio and held out his hand. Rio led
him to the door and into the Tall Pines lobby. They waited for several moments, but Ryan
didn t appear.
I ll go prod him in the ass, Rio growled.
Nate took a seat in one of the comfortable leather wingback chairs and waited. He
struggled to keep his eyes open, but eventually lost the battle.
Wake up, baby.
Nate opened his eyes when he felt strong arms lift him from the chair. Sorry, he
mumbled, snuggling in against Rio s chest.
Not your fault.
Nate may have been damn near asleep again, but he heard the anger in the gentle
giant s voice. Uh oh.
I can walk. Nate tried to swing his legs down, but Rio caught him back up.
You stay where you are. I ll take care of you.
Was that a dig at me? Ryan asked.
Yeah, I guess it was. I told you damn near forty minutes ago it was time to get out of
here, Rio barked.
Lilly wanted to show me the wedding pictures. What was I supposed to do? Ryan
asked.
Although awake, Nate kept his eyes closed. This was one argument he wanted no part
in. He heard the truck door open a second before he was deposited in the centre of the bench
seat.
The door slammed, and Rio buckled him in and pulled him against his side. Just rest
your head on my shoulder.
CATTLE VALLEY DAYS Carol Lynne
45
Don t argue, he whispered in Rio s ear.
Rio tried his best to smile. Okay, baby.
The driver s door opened and Ryan climbed in. Before starting the pickup, he reached
over and cupped Nate s cheek. I m sorry. I guess I was having fun, and I just& sorry.
There s nothing wrong with having fun. If you want to take me home and come back,
that s fine with me.
We ve all got a long weekend ahead of us. I was caught up in the moment, but there ll
be others. Ryan removed his hand and started the truck.
The drive down the mountain seemed shorter than usual. Had he fallen asleep again?
Although Ryan and Rio wrapped arms around him, Nate insisted on walking into the house
on his own two feet.
His lovers helped him undress and before he knew it, he was sound asleep sandwiched
between Rio and Ryan s gorgeous bodies.
* * * *
Nate walked down Main Street, amazed at what he saw, or what he didn t see. Where was
everyone? Cattle Valley looked like a ghost town. The over-flowing baskets that had been hung the
previous week were either on the ground or dried up still hanging on the light poles.
He spotted Jay coming out of the door that led up to his apartment and rushed over. Where is
everyone?
Jay sneered at him and jumped back. They went to the carnival up in Sheridan.
What? Why? We re supposed to be having a celebration right here.
Jay snorted. Yeah. A lame celebration. It was so much better when Quade was in charge. We ve
seen the way you ve been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. No way we wanted to
trust our weekend to you. I m outta here, man.
No wait! Please don t go! he screamed.
Nate. Nate wake up.
Nate opened his eyes and came face to face with Ryan. Thank god.
Bad dream? Rio asked.
He nodded. No one came. All this work and no one was at the celebration. He didn t
divulge the rest, although Garron s words continued to haunt him.
CATTLE VALLEY DAYS Carol Lynne
46
It s gonna be great, baby. Everything you touch turns out fantastic. Rio tried to
comfort Nate with sprinkled kisses down his neck to his chest.
Nate buried his fingers in Rio s thick hair and directed him further south. He may be
too tired to fuck, but he d never turned down a blowjob in his life. What if something goes
wrong?
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