Page 29 of The Keeper

“Yes, ma’am.” Rueben rounded the island and held out his hands. “May I?” Harry was the queen of the castle, not a damsel in distress, but courtesy dictated he should offer to help.

“Knock yourself out,” Harry said as she relinquished her burden. “But not until you safely deliver the food to the dining room.”

“Wait up,” Rory called out before Rueben made it more than a few steps. “I’ll come with you.”

Ro carried the enormous bowl of mashed potatoes, which left the biscuits, gravy, and vegetables in the kitchen. The other fellas could handle the rest of the food, which would give him a minute to talk things out with Rory. A cheer went up as they entered the dining room, then the crew filed out to assist Harry. Rueben set the platter on the buffet, and Rory set the potatoes next to it.

“How about we just film a little longer on the makeup shoot, so I can turn it into a two-parter? You are the most popular one on the ranch. People can’t get enough of your perfect skin and those eyelashes.”

The comment triggered a memory of Seth telling Rueben he could hear air moving when he blinked. “They’re not that long,” he’d murmured against Seth’s chest earlier and repeated to Rory in the dining room. “But, yeah, a longer shoot is fair. When?”

They got out their phones and picked a time the following week, and Rueben entered it into his phone like he usually did.

“And while we’re discussing content, I’d like to do a long-form feature with you.” That sounded like more commitment than Rueben was used to giving to the YouTube channel. When he only arched a brow, Rory rushed to explain. “I’d like to follow you through one of your magnificent art pieces. I’m talking from conception to finish. It’s a side of you we’ve never showed to the world.”

Rueben swallowed hard. While he loved to shape, bend, and weld iron for both practical and artistic purposes, he didn’t consider himself an artist. He viewed himself as a farrier with free time, a lot of old horseshoes, and a curious streak. He’d loved to create art as a kid and liked to make things out of metal as an adult. “I just make simple lamps and other decorative pieces out of repurposed horseshoes, Ro. I can’t imagine my amateur metalworks would create much interest on our channel.”

Rory crossed his arms over his chest and notched his chin up higher. He was such a laid-back guy, but Rueben recognized someone digging in their heels when he saw it. “You have no idea just how talented you are.” He tsked and shook his head. “It only makes you more attractive.”

Ivan, the love of Rory’s life, entered the room just as the last remark left Rory’s lips. The soft-hearted Viking stopped and looked between them. “You two guys need a minute or something?” There was no heat in his question, and to prove he wasn’t remotely concerned, Ivan leaned over and kissed Rory’s cheek before continuing to the buffet.

“Rueben doesn’t think his ironwork is art,” Rory said. “What do you say?”

Ivan set the basket of biscuits and the honey pot filled with his beloved liquid gold down before facing Rueben. “Dude, the fencing you made for my honeyhood is so freaking beautiful. You took something as basic and plain as metal and created intricate honeybees in mid-flight on the gates. There’s no limit to what you can accomplish, and I know you could turn your talent into a well-paying career if you put your mind to it. Think of the chandeliers and staircase railings you could build for homes.”

The notion floored Rueben because he’d never considered his talent good enough to lead him anywhere, let alone a prosperous career. He’d also never let himself think about a future that didn’t include the ranch. Redemption Ridge was the first place that felt like home since his mom and sister died. His abuela had done her best to give him a secure life away from violence and gangs, but Colorado had never felt like home until he met Cash and, later, the crew. He’d trained to be an EMT before his life had gone to hell and he landed in jail, but returning to that career had never appealed to him.

“I have an art piece in mind,” Rueben said softly. “It’s something I want to make for my abuela’s birthday, so we can’t air the episodes until after I give it to her.” She had no clue how to operate technology, so his tía set her up on a computer so she could watch his webisodes. Abuela always had notes for him too. Stand up straighter. Stop making smoky eyes at the camera. Rueben was pretty sure she meant smoldering, but he didn’t dare correct or contradict her. He never attempted to seduce his audience and blamed Rory’s camera angles and editing. The dude was a freaking genius at the PR stuff, and he knew how to put someone at ease to draw the very best from them during interviews. He made a person forget all about the cameras. “It’s a very personal gift, and I might get pretty emotional. I’d like to see the finished edit before you post it.”

Rory reached over and squeezed his arm. “Of course.”

“I’ll do it.”

The rest of the food arrived with the crew, and Nick told them not to wait for Cash because he was finishing an overseas call. Rueben loaded his plate with two fried steaks and a heaping pile of mashed potatoes and doused it all with country gravy. The spoonful of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot medley looked small in comparison, but at least he was getting in some veg.

“You don’t even have room for biscuits,” Keegan said.

“I see an empty spot on your plate. Will you grab me one?”

Keegan arched a pale blond brow. “Just one?”

“Okay, two,” Rueben said. “Please.”

Keegan snagged biscuits for both of them, and they headed to the table, where everyone but Cash already sat with their food. Nick shoveled food into his mouth like it was an Olympic sport, so the crew joined him instead of waiting. A few forkfuls in, Cash slid into the dining room on socked feet.

“Smells like my favorite dinner.” He scanned the heaping plates at the table and scowled. “Did you save me some?”

Harry swallowed her bite of food and pointed her fork at Nick. “He told us not to wait.”

“Didn’t take long for him to lose that loving feeling,” Cash muttered as he grabbed a plate off the buffet.

He took his seat at the head of the table and smiled at everyone. Cash usually asked how their day went, but he skipped the small talk and speared a forkful of mashed potatoes and gravy. Cash made an appreciative hum that caught his husband’s attention and made several people chuckle. Everyone was so intent on eating that Rueben thought he’d escaped the great inquisition about where he’d been that afternoon. He should’ve known they were only appeasing their appetites before satisfying their curiosity.

“Must’ve been some dentist appointment.” Kieran pointed his empty fork in Rueben’s direction and circled the air.

Rueben played dumb and shrugged. “No cavities.”

Kieran’s impish smirk said he wasn’t done poking and prodding. He’d have to work hard because Rue wouldn’t volunteer a damn thing. “You’re hours late, your hair is flat, and your shirt is inside out.”

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