Page 62 of Road to a Cowboy

Ben looked good. Tired, likely owing to the two jobs, but good. His hair, the same gold shade as Austin’s, was shaved on the sides and longer on top, and he had short scruff on his jaw and above his upper lip that made him look older than twenty-three. He was leaner than ever, no doubt owing to poor nutrition, and Austin wanted nothing more than to beg him to come home.

But going by the slight stiffness in Ben’s shoulders, he was expecting exactly that, so Austin tabled that discussion for some future date.

They ate at the table, and per Ben’s request, Austin caught him up on what was happening back home. Once they’d finished eating, they headed out, Ben toting an umbrella even though it was sunny because “you should always expect it to rain here, no matter what the weather app says.” Ben led him to the nearest entrance of the Regent’s Canal Walk, and they strolled along the canal. Last summer, they’d hiked it beginning to end and it had taken them almost four hours. Austin didn’t have the energy for that today—he doubted he’d make it more than a couple of miles—but it was quiet along the canal, the buildings hiding them from the hustle and bustle of the city.

“So.” Austin bumped Ben’s shoulder. “You seeing anyone?”

“Nah. I date here and there, but there hasn’t been anyone recently. Honestly, with the two jobs, some days I can’t be bothered to brush my teeth before bed, never mind date.”

You could come home, Austin wanted so badly to say. He’d give Ben his extra bedroom and let him live rent-free so he could save up some money and not live paycheck to paycheck.

“And how about you?” Ben asked. “How did your first date redo with Cal go? Please tell me it went better than the last one.”

“Quite.” Austin gave a rueful laugh. “We were a lot less stiff and formal. It was just us at my place and... we talked. It was the same as it’s always been between us, but it was also more.”

“There’ll be a date two then?”

“There better be.”

“Good. I’m glad for you guys. Just... be careful with each other. Okay?” Ben’s smile was a touch sad. “It doesn’t always work out, going from friends to something more. I really hope it does for you.”

Austin side-eyed his brother but couldn’t tell much about his mood thanks to the sunglasses that hid his eyes. “Do you ever talk to Las?”

“Every once in a while. He called me last summer, out of the blue, which was big of him considering I was the one who left him. It was the first time we’d talked since we broke up. Now we talk every couple of months or so.” Ben went quiet for a moment. Hands shoved in his jeans pockets, he eventually said, “He and Marco are serious, huh?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty solid.” Heart clenching for Ben, Austin squeezed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Ben said with a light laugh. “God no. Don’t be sorry. I haven’t been pining away for him since we broke up. I’m happy he’s happy.”

Teasingly, Austin said, “I think you actually mean that.”

“Asshole.” Ben shoved him lightly, mouth creased in a smile. “Seriously. Who invited this guy?”

Feeling lighter than he had in a long time, Austin swung an arm around his shoulders and offered to buy him an ice cream.

Chapter Nineteen

Traveling from the western United States to Norway was no fucking joke. Cal hadn’t been looking forward to it before he’d boarded the plane in Jackson Hole, and he wasn’t any more of a fan after disembarking in Trondheim. It had taken about three thousand years—and about three thousand dollars—but he’d managed to get himself from point A to point B with a layover in Denver and a second one in Munich, and he’d managed to book himself on the same flight back as Austin. Their flight home had three layovers, because of course it did, but Cal was trying not to think about that yet.

This whole trip would be worth it, though, just to see the surprise on Austin’s face when Cal showed up on his doorstep.

His flight had left Jackson Hole at two in the afternoon and he’d landed in Trondheim at five in the evening the following day. Frankly, he had no idea what time his body was on. He just knew he was more tired than he’d ever been in his life—and that was saying something considering he’d pulled some long-ass days on the ranch. Why was traveling so exhausting? All he’d done was sit on planes for hours and navigate busy airports.

He was lucky that English was widely spoken in Norway, so he didn’t have any trouble communicating with his taxi driver. The airport was about thirty minutes outside of Trondheim, but Cal didn’t mind, because the views were spectacular, especially where the freeway hugged the coast. The water was a sharp blue, and spits of land jutted into it like fingers.

“Is that a lake?” he asked the driver.

“Trondheim Fjord. You can take a sightseeing boat tour from Trondheim.”

Cal added it to his mental to-do list of things to see while he was here.

It was the only thing on his to-do list, but in his defense, he hadn’t had much time to research the area before boarding his flight.

His exhaustion eased slightly as they approached the city. Trondheim was charming as hell. Greener than he’d expected with lots of parks, trees, and rolling hills. The houses were brightly colored and quaint, and for the first time, Cal felt a stirring of excitement at touring a foreign city.

He hadn’t traveled much in his life, mostly because everything he could ever need or want was in Windsor. He’d been to Canada a few times for ranch business, and he’d gone to Manhattan on his senior year class trip in high school—thanks to the MacIsaacs, since neither of his parents had been willing to help him pay for it. And he’d gone on a few stateside camping trips with Austin when Austin got photography commissions.

Europe, though. This was a whole new horse to ride, and it was clear just by driving through the city that he was very far away from Wyoming—geographically, culturally, and every other -ly.

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