Page 54 of The Keeper

“This is your home too,” Seth said. He wanted to tell Rueben about the epiphany he had when he walked through the door but would wait until they were alone and preferably naked.

Rueben looked up at him with emotions swirling in his eyes. “I’m so glad you said that because Keegan and Kerry showed up here with my truck and nearly all my possessions from the ranch after Cash verified my vehicle wasn’t part of the evidence in the investigation. I told them they were a bit presumptuous, and they laughed at me and invited the other two yahoos over.”

Seth was very curious about how Keegan and Kerry ended up as a dynamic duo, but those questions could wait. The oven timer went off, and a chorus of cheers sounded in the kitchen. Shawna slipped around the island, donned some mitts, and removed a dish of bubbling goodness from the oven. “What is that, and how did you pull it together with the ingredients I had on hand?”

Rueben’s condescending snort expressed his opinion of the state of Seth’s kitchen staples. “It’s the enchiladas I wanted to make for you last night. Since Keegan and Kerry wanted to be so helpful, I sent them to the store with a list of ingredients.”

“Smells amazing,” Seth said. “I’m not sure I want to share.”

“I have enough to make another pan, so there will be plenty to go around and have for leftovers.” Rueben would sing a different tune once he saw how much Kerry could put away. When his man turned to head back to the kitchen, Seth tugged him back. “What?”

“I love you.”

“You’re as cheesy as my enchiladas,” Rueben said. “I love you too.”

“I’m not waiting for you guys to suck face before I dig in,” Kerry said.

Seth rolled his eyes and tugged Rueben into the kitchen, where he insisted the chef get to serve himself first. No one dared to protest and risk getting tossed out before they sampled the food. Rueben placed an enchilada on a plate, then added beans and rice. He handed it to Seth instead of keeping it for himself.

“We’ve been snacking all afternoon, but I bet you’re starving.”

Seth took his first bite while standing up at the counter. He moaned his appreciation before Kerry shoved him out of the way. To his surprise, his cousin gestured for Keegan to go in front of him.

“We’ll need to keep our eye on those two,” Seth whispered to Rueben.

“We won’t have time because I plan to keep you so very busy,” Rueben whispered back. “So many rooms to leave a mark on, and I have a plan for every one of them.”

“You people need to eat and get the hell out,” Seth said.

Their guests laughed, thinking Seth was joking. But he wasn’t and proved it the second they set their forks down.

Rueben propped his chin on the arm he’d draped across Seth’s chest. “What happens next?”

The warm, pliant body beneath his rumbled with a chuckle. “You let me recover a little longer before you make additional sexual demands,” Seth replied. “Damn, baby.”

They’d left their mark on the kitchen and the great room in just a few hours after their company left, then sprawled on the plush rug in front of the fireplace. It was much too hot outside to take advantage of that amenity, but Rueben looked forward to the day they made love in front of a roaring fire.

“The sweat on my skin hasn’t even dried yet from the last round,” Seth continued in a mock whine.

Rueben placed a kiss on Seth’s damp chest, loving the way his heart still raced. “I wasn’t talking about sex,” he said. “I meant us. The cat’s out of the bag, and everyone knows I was at your cabin when Reggie Ulrich showed up. How are you going to handle it?”

Seth puffed up his cheeks and slowly released his next breath as his hand trailed lazily up and down Rueben’s back. He didn’t answer right away, and Rueben wasn’t sure if he should congratulate himself for sexing Seth into a stupor or worry about their future. The latter was a knee-jerk reaction Rueben wouldn’t allow. They’d come too far and put too much on the line for him to question Seth’s commitment to their future. Rueben was the keeper, after all, and he’d act like it.

So he waited patiently for Seth to process everything they’d lived through and all he’d learned from Reggie Ulrich. Rowdy bouts of sex weren’t the only form of communication they’d shared after everyone left, and Rueben had listened in horror as Seth repeated Reggie’s hospital-bed confession. Guilt gnawed at his insides for bringing the subject up again, but Rueben knew they couldn’t afford to bury their heads in the sand or burrow under the covers and pretend everything was fine. Seth would need to get in front of the story as best he could if he wanted to win his reelection, and Rueben knew Seth hadn’t changed his mind about protecting and serving his beloved community.

Finally, Seth shifted his gaze to Rueben and smiled sheepishly. “I will hold a press conference and humble myself before my constituents.”

Rueben couldn’t hold back the wince. While that sounded noble, the approach also felt too simplistic for the complicated situation they were in. “Oh, sweetheart,” he sighed. “I’m calling in the big guns.”

Rory showed up within the hour, looking fierce and ready to conquer the world for his newest client. He breezed through the door Rueben held open, paused in the foyer to take in the home’s beauty with an appreciative whistle before he headed straight for the oversized kitchen island. “Campaign central aka crisis control is now in business,” Rory said as he removed a laptop from his messenger bag.

Seth looked from Rory to Reuben, hesitation written all over his face. He’d resigned himself to an honest confession and apology to his constituents, but none of that planning had prepared him for Rory Snyder in PR mode. Seth knew Ro had created and implemented the epic PR campaign Redemption Ridge used to counter the negative publicity Salvation Anew had generated about them. They’d not only won the hearts of the local community but had gained national recognition when their YouTube channel episodes went viral. If Rory could work that kind of miracle for the “farm felons,” as Mick Carson not so affectionately called them, salvaging Seth’s reputation should be easy peasy.

Ro’s rigid posture and no-nonsense expression said he was ready for battle. “Are you ready?”

Ivan, who’d entered at a much slower pace, stood by the front door with Rueben and just took it all in. A dark blush stole across the big man’s cheeks, and his lips parted into a big smile. “I was born ready.” Ivan’s voice was a soft growl best saved for the bedroom.

Rueben fought back a chuckle and slapped his hand against the big man’s chest. “Not so fast, big guy. We need Rory’s guidance first, and then you can take him home to ravish. Consider all this plotting and planning as foreplay.”

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