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want something from him?
 Then you re thinking of yourself and not what Matty needs.
Quaid opened his mouth to argue then snapped it shut when he
realized his Da was right. He d been thinking of nothing but making
Matthew his since the moment he spotted him. He hadn t been
thinking about what Matthew might need.
Quaid s shoulders slumped as he walked over to sit on the porch
swing next to his Da. The silence between them wasn t thick, but
Quaid still had trouble swallowing. He was at a loss as what to do
Cowboy Way 35
about the intense attraction he felt for Matthew. It bordered on
obsessive.
 You re a good man, son, Da finally said.  I have no doubt that
if you really care for Matty, you will do right by him.
 I ve never seen anyone like him before in my life, Da. Quaid
inhaled softly when the memory of Matthew s beautiful face appeared
in his head.  He reminds me of the angels Ma used to tell us about
when we were boys.
 Angels need special care, Quaid, even ones that live here on
earth with us.
Quaid looked down at his hands as he wrung them together.  Da,
I 
 Give him time, son. Let him get to know you. Da reached down
and patted Quaid s leg.  If there s something there, let it develop
slowly so that your angel knows it s real. If it s meant to be, it will
be.
Quaid wanted to argue with his Da, but he knew it would do him
no good. Besides, his Da was usually right. That didn t mean that
Quaid had to like it. He just needed to remember what his Da said and
take things slowly. His Da never spoke without a reason.
 Thank you, Da, Quaid said as he stood to his feet.  I ll keep
your words in mind.
Quaid s hands shook as he pulled the screen door open and
walked into the house. His searched the room until found the angel he
sought sitting at the dining room table. Shock rolled through Quaid as
he realized he hadn t been fantasizing before. Matthew really was as
gorgeous as Quaid first thought.
Both Matthew and Ruben looked up when Quaid walked into the
kitchen. He could see the reserve in their faces, the cautious look they
gave him. For two men that were so much shorter than him, he must
have seemed like a beast to them.
See me? See me sitting with my Ma? See me be unthreatening?
Those words kept running through Quaid s head as he smiled and sat
36 Stormy Glenn
down across from them next to his Ma. He leaned back a little, trying
to seem as unthreatening as possible, and laid his arm on the back of
his Ma s chair.
 Matthew and Ruben have never been on a horse, Quaid.
 I d be happy to show them.
 Maybe tomorrow you could show them the entire ranch.
Yes!
 I d be happy to. Quaid gave his mother one of his best smiles
then turned to look at Matthew and Ruben.  Have either of you ever
been on a working ranch before?
Matthew shook his head.  No, and even though our town is pretty
small, I guess you could say we re both city boys.
 I went to a rodeo once, Ruben said quickly.  Does that count?
 It s close but no. Quaid chuckled and leaned forward to rest his
arms on the table, folding his hands together.  We primarily raise
Black Angus cattle here. We have a few horses to help us round up
the herd, but cattle are our main product.
 Don t forget my tomatoes, Ma said, bumping her shoulder
against Quaid s.
 Never. Quaid grinned at the confused frowns on Matthew and
Ruben s faces.  Ma and Billy raise tomatoes. They started out raising
two different kinds just to see how they would grow, but now they
raise a bunch of different ones.
 Billy? Matthew asked.  Is he one of your brothers?
 In a way, yes, Ma said.  My son Rourke and Billy are partners.
They are building a house by the barn.
 Partners? Matthew asked.
Quaid dipped his head when he saw Ma glance at him. She
seemed to be at a loss for words. He wasn t. He watched Matthew s
face as he answered, wanting to see his reaction.
 Rourke and Billy are lovers. Ma hopes that they will get married
one day like my older brother, Lachlan, and his husband, Asa, did. I
Cowboy Way 37
think they probably will. Billy is crazy about Rourke and vice versa.
They just need a little more time before that happens. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]