Page 1 of Stirring Up Trouble
One
Robin
There wassomething wrong with me.
Something I needed to figure outright damn now.
Three months.
Threefuckingmonths since my last hookup.
Even then it wasn’t a memorable one. I’d met the young woman at a bar after a rough day of work. She’d taken me back to her place, and within an hour I was driving home, her satisfied and my own itch scratched.
Since then things have been different. It wasn’t because I didn’t go out. And it definitely wasn’t because I had a low supply of women available.
More like I’d either already dated several of them or I found myself completely uninterested. Even the ones who were gorgeous weren’t giving me the same feelings I used to have. I could see a great pair of tits and think more about the anatomy itself than if it was turning me on.
As much as I tried to break this dry spell, it wasn’t budging. It was as if my libido shriveled up. I’d become pre-puberty mewhere I couldn’t understand all the things the older boys did or why girls would get flirty.
Except I did know. My body just refused to fucking cooperate.
“Are you about done moping?” Griffin stood at the door to my office, a wide grin stretching his lips. He’d invited me to be his partner in this small-town veterinary clinic years ago. It was honestly one of the best decisions I ever made. He was not only easy to work with, but he came with a big, found family of friends who took me in without a drop of hesitation.
Though there was an adjustment period, it was for me more than them. I didn’t understand what being part of a community like that meant at first. My own brother was ready to run from our small hometown the first chance he got. He’d been in the city ever since, and he rarely visited. We were as close as siblings could be given the situation.
Shaking my head, I stood and slipped off my white coat. “I’m not sure it was moping.”
“From this angle, it definitely looks that way.”
“Let’s call it contemplating life. I’m bothered by some stuff.”
Griffin’s expression immediately shifted to concern. “Are things ok? Do you need some time off or anything? Is it your brother?”
“My brother is fine,” I told him with genuine happiness. While my life might be a bit off balance, Weston had truly found his happily ever after with Gerald. The pair was thriving at their home in the city. Considering how much my older brother didn’t picture himself on a ranch, I always found it kind of funny he married a cowboy.
Granted, Gerald wasn’t on a ranch anymore. Didn’t mean he wasn’t still a cowboy at heart though.
“That’s good. Then why don’t we go get a beer and you tell me what’s really on your mind.” To anyone else it might have been a question. For my friend and business partner, it was a demand.
I followed him outside where we climbed in our trucks and took off to his place. During the entire drive out to the Coleman Ranch, I kept thinking about Griff’s words.
Was I really sulking?
Had I let all this stuff get me so down I wasn’t my usual happy self?
The idea frustrated me nearly as much as my predicament.
We reached the ranch in no time. Once I parked and climbed out, I was greeted by several familiar faces.
The men of the Coleman Ranch were a unique bunch. They’d bonded through a variety of circumstances, some even life threatening. Yet through it all, they’d thrived by building their own family.
Sometimes I was jealous of how close they all were. I felt like an outsider more often than not. It wasn’t because they tried to exclude me. My own insecurities caused it. If my own flesh and blood didn’t stick around, then why would anyone else?
“I’ll get the beer. You chat with the guys.” Griffin jogged up the stairs and kissed his partner, Harlan, who also happened to be the ranch’s cook. If I played my cards right, I might even get a meal out of this visit. That would make everything worth it. People traveled far and wide for a single plate of this man’s cooking. It was that fucking good.
“How you been, Robin?” Atticus, owner of the ranch, asked as I approached. He pulled me into a hug, his hands clapping my back heartily.
When we pulled apart I smiled. “It’s been good. Work is steady. How have you been? Where’s your man?”
