Page 5 of The Keeper

“Let’s go get an ice cream cone before we head back to the ranch.”

“This day calls for a double scoop,” Keegan said.

The ice cream parlor was teeming with teenagers since the local schools had let out the previous week. Rueben sent Cash a quick text to update him while they waited in line. Keegan chatted about the different flavor combos while he recalled feeding Seth butter pecan ice cream in bed. Rueben had teased him mercilessly about liking old people’s flavors and called him abuelo, the Spanish translation for grandpa. That resulted in Seth proving just how young and virile he truly was, and Rueben learned butter pecan ice cream tasted so much better on Seth’s tongue.

Keegan nudged him with his elbow. “Your turn, Rue.”

“Two scoops of butter pecan.”

They sat outside beneath an umbrella and ate their ice cream in silence while teenagers filed in and out of the parlor, laughing and joking with one another.

“Were you ever that innocent?” Rue asked Keegan on their way back to the truck.

“No. You?”

“Nope,” Rueben said without hesitation. Then again, he remembered little about his life before the age of ten. Trauma had that effect on people.

Keegan looped his arm through Rueben’s. “We can’t turn back the clock. We only have right now. Let’s not lose another second to wallowing.”

“What do you have in mind?”

Keegan turned the ride back home into a karaoke session. They turned up the radio and sang along to the music. When his favorite Dua Lipa song came on, Keegan cranked the radio up louder and said, “There’s your girl.”

As much as he loved Taylor Swift, no one made him dance like Dua Lipa. They sang along with her “New Rules,” and Keegan looked pointedly at him during some moments. Rueben had no desire to get over Seth, so he’d answer his calls, let him in, and happily get under him again.

They approached the curve that nearly claimed Rueben’s life, and he couldn’t help tensing his fingers around the steering wheel. He still had nightmares about going airborne over the edge of the steep hill. Reuben relived every bone-jarring second of crashing his way through the smaller trees before slamming into an oak that was thick enough to support the weight of Cash’s truck. The only thing that prevented a full-blown panic attack each time he drove this stretch of road was to remember the way his sexy sheriff had come to his rescue. Seth had just left the ranch and was driving toward Rueben when he’d careened over the edge. Seth slid and tumbled his way down to the truck and stayed with him until help arrived. Rueben had been half out of his mind that night, but Seth’s steady gaze and calm voice let him focus on the feel of the powerful hand holding his. Every time the tree creaked, Rueben would flirt with Seth to distract himself, and Seth flirted right back. It could’ve been a ploy to keep Rueben calm, but he was half in love with Seth before the rescue crew carried him up the mountainside on a backboard. He blamed adrenaline for his infatuation and racing pulse every time Seth came near, but the feelings kept getting stronger. It took weeks to wrap up the investigation, which allowed the Carsons to flee and avoid arrest. Since the crew was in danger, Seth spent a lot of time at the ranch, and it became obvious that he returned Rueben’s interest.

And they’d spent one glorious weekend together after the Carsons’ arrest before reality intruded. He had to believe those two nights and three days weren’t the last he’d get to spend with Seth. Then again, everyone he’d loved left him in one form or another. That reminder kept him silent for the duration of the trip home. Sensing his mood, Keegan turned the radio back down and quietly sang along. Tyler and Owen were waiting for them when they pulled up next to the barn. The guys were headed to Denver for the weekend to attend a Kenny Chesney concert and were probably eager to get on the road.

Keegan hopped out of the truck and hurried to them for hugs. Rueben didn’t hear their conversation, but it was brief. Keegan was practically bouncing with nervous energy or sugar overload from the chocolate lover’s ice cream combo he’d chosen. He’d probably hit the bags and crash afterward. Rueben needed a quiet space to decompress. Tyler and Owen rounded the hood of his truck and stopped by his door. He kept his gaze out the windshield but rolled down the window.

“What did he do?” The growl in Tyler’s voice was more kitten than tiger, but Rueben loved his loyalty. He also didn’t need to ask who Ty was talking about because there was only one person who could rattle Rueben this way.

“It’s what he didn’t do.” Rueben didn’t recognize the weariness in his own voice. He didn’t do poor, poor pitiful me.

“Okay. What didn’t Burke do?” Owen asked. His growl was all tiger.

“He was there for the meeting, though I’m not sure why. Burke sat in the prosecutor’s office like a silent sentinel and looked right through me. He acted like we’d never kissed and that he didn’t know the way I—” He stopped and shook his head.

Tyler reached inside the truck and squeezed Rueben’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too, Rue,” Owen said. “Maybe it’s time to move on from him.”

Rue met their gaze, and determination sparked in his soul. “Are you kidding me?” He smiled at the men he loved like brothers. “It’s time for me to show that stubborn mule that I’m the keeper. Now, go on and get. Enjoy your weekend, and be careful.”

Tyler and Owen exchanged another glance, earning a scornful snort from Rueben.

“I mean it, punks. I’m fine, or I will be once I put together a plan to get my man back.”

“If you’re sure,” Tyler said, backing away.

Rueben rolled his eyes and pressed the button to raise the window. Tyler and Owen looked at him for a few seconds before they walked toward their truck. That little spark of defiance fizzled out in a poof of smoke, and exhaustion washed over him. He’d talked a big game about winning Seth Burke’s heart, but his cold indifference had blasted a Buick-sized crater in his larger-than-life bravado. Rueben got out of the truck and headed to his cabin to lick his wounds in private. He’d come out swinging once he recharged his batteries, but he needed to sit with his hurt and disillusionment until then. He’d attempted to bury pain in the past, but he’d only suffered longer and harder for it. So, he’d accept discomfort, dissect his past interactions with Seth, and come up with a game plan to prove they belonged together.

A few hours later, he’d run through a gauntlet of emotions and added hungry and horny to the mix but was no closer to a Seth Burke solution. Reuben checked his watch and noticed it was almost time for dinner. He didn’t feel like eating with the crew because he wasn’t ready to answer their questions about the meeting. He wondered if Keegan would be interested in skipping the inquisition too. Rueben pulled out his phone and tapped out a quick message. How does a steak dinner at The Feisty Bull sound? My treat.

Keegan’s response was immediate. I’ll meet you at the truck.

Get in, grab your dinner, and get out. Seth’s mission sounded easy, and it would’ve been if he’d been able to place his carryout order over the phone instead of getting a busy signal at the Feisty Bull for a solid two hours. He’d suggested his aunt Debbie upgrade their website to take online orders, but she waved him off and said they could barely keep up with the phone orders and their walk-in customers. He didn’t dare suggest they expand their business and risk falling out of favor with her.

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