Page 20 of Head Above Water

“Everything, all of you,” Hazard whispered. “You are all I ever wanted.” He pressed upward, taking Bryce all the way.

“Then you got me,” Bryce whispered, and Hazard slowly began to move. Bryce groaned and then clamped his mouth shut, loving the way Hazard touched him deep inside. And when he leaned back, giving Hazard more room to move, he took the opportunity to drive more deeply, sending Bryce into orbit. Thank God the bed didn’t squeak or else they would be loud enough to wake the entire house, but while their movements were intense, they were nearly silent except for the deep breathing and the soft slap of skin on skin. The sensation drove Bryce nearly out of his mind, and he leaned back farther, adding more leverage that only let Hazard drive deeper.

“Damn…,” he groaned softly, because he had to say something. His head felt like it was going to explode from the pressure building up inside him. He desperately wanted to come, and yet when he did, this would be over, and Bryce wanted the passion to last. Hell, he wanted it to go on forever, but his own body and mind betrayed him, and a lot sooner that hewanted, he tipped over the edge, slamming down on Hazard’s cock, taking him deep as his release washed over him.

Hazard stilled, his face contorting for a few seconds before he fell back on the bed, breathing heavily. “Oh God,” he whispered. “You are something else.”

Bryce smiled and grabbed a towel from the drawer to clean them both up before tossing it in the hamper in the corner. “Is that a good thing?”

Hazard gathered him in his arms. “It’s the best thing.”

“I like that.” He closed his eyes, letting fatigue and pleasure wash over him, lulling him to sleep.

The soundof a crack woke him sometime before dawn. He wasn’t sure what the hell it was, but Bryce was out of bed, pulling on his clothes, when the sound came again, this time louder. He peered out the window as rain pelted the side of the house. He sighed and stood with the curtains pushed aside, watching as sheets of water obscured the light from the outside the stable.

“Is it a good rain?” Hazard asked.

“Don’t know. What we need are inches of water over days, but at least this seems like it’s going to wet down everything.” It was hard to explain that rain alone wasn’t going to help them much. They had spent too long without it, and the grass hadn’t been growing much for months. Yes, the rain would encourage growth, but only in the short run. Still, he watched the rain come down and smiled to himself. This might be enough to buy him a few more weeks. It was hard to know.

“Hey, at least it’s rain. We need it no matter what.”

“That’s for sure.” He slipped off his pants and got back into bed. “I need to be up in an hour….”

“It’s all right. Just lie here and listen to the rain. It’s one of the best sounds there is.” Hazard rolled onto his side. “Justlook on the bright side for a little while. This will help the grass grow and the area we moved cattle out of to recover. It will give everyone hope, and right now that’s what we all need.”

“Okay,” Bryce said. “I’ll give you that. But it’s going to take more than a rainstorm to solve our water problems.” Bryce knew that in reality it was going to take a damned miracle. And somehow, he knew that he was fresh out of those.

“You’re reallygoing to do this,” Hazard said two days later as they stepped out of the house. The rain had helped, and the range grasses were growing again, but the sun had already dried the soil to the point it was before, and the forecast showed no additional rain at all.

Bryce yawned. He had been up all night trying to figure a way out of this. “I don’t have a choice. I spoke to my father, and as much as I’d like to think we had gotten a respite, nothing much has changed. Our water supplies are exactly as they were before. The rain provided no long-term relief, and it isn’t just the grass that I have to consider, but the health of our water resources, and they are just too low at the moment.” He sighed and looked out to where the cattle dotted the landscape. “Sometimes this business is hard. Like anything that relies on the land, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature, and when she sends a clear message, all we can do is listen.” Bryce shrugged. “I’m really sorry.” He hated that he was going to need to sell early, and he hated that it would mean letting some of the hands go. But with the reduced income, they were not going to be able to keep that number of people on payroll. “I’ve worked all the figures as best I can. You know this isn’t what I want, right?”

“I know.” Hazard bit his lower lip. “When will they be here?”

“I haven’t wrapped up the deal yet, but I’m working on it. It’s going to take a week before everything is finalized, and thenthe cattle will be shipped out after that.” It seemed like he was a failure before he even started. That his first real decision after taking over for his father was this, a real kick in the shorts. He wanted to make the ranch a success, not backtrack and be forced to sell when it wasn’t advantageous.

“Have you gone over everything with your father?”

“Not yet. Once I get the details, I’ll go over it all to make sure I haven’t missed anything.”

Hazard nodded slowly before wandering off toward the barn. With more horses to care for, he was busier than ever before.

Bryce was about to follow him when a truck pulled in and barreled up the drive before skidding to a halt.

“What do you want, Willard?” Bryce asked as his brother jumped out of the truck, hurrying up to him. Before Bryce could react, Willard lashed out at him. Bryce darted, and the blow glanced off his shoulder rather than his face. “What the hell is wrong with you?” It was too fucking early for shit like this.

“You bastard.”

“I’m not the one who left or feels that he should be paid for doing nothing,” Bryce countered. “If you want to work, then we can talk, but I’m not letting one of the hands go because you think you deserve money you never earned.” He was so angry. “You’re not entitled to anything.”

“Mom and Dad—”

“Back me on this. We are having to cut back around here, and you expect money for nothing.” He was so angry that he could barely see straight. “I think it’s time you made your own life. Go out there and find something that you love to do. It obviously isn’t ranch life.” Though he doubted his brother was going to be happy doing anything other than fucking around and fucking off.

“I knew you’d kick me out as soon as you took over from Dad,” Willard spouted loudly.

Hazard came out of the barn, and a few other of the men approached.

“This isn’t my fault. It’s yours. You never wanted to work here or be part of the ranch. You wanted to be the strutting ranch owner’s son and be a big man in town without doing any of the work. Well, that’s over. And taking a swing at me isn’t going to change anything.” He watched his brother and knew he was going to try hitting him again before it even happened. Bryce was ready for him, but Willard had barely moved before Hazard had him on the ground, his face in the dirt and his arms behind his back.

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