Page 69 of Cowboy Seeks Husband
Chapter 12
Roan wandered intothe stables and spotted a bunch of apples in a bucket just inside the door. He grabbed a nice one and peered in every stall until he reached the end and found Callie. She neighed softly when she spotted him and walked forward, head bobbing. She nosed his hand and he gently stroked her blonde mane out of her eyes.
“You want this?” he murmured. “No? You don’t want an apple?” She lipped at his hand with more insistence, and he grinned, opening up so she could take a bite. “It’s been a boring day, Callie,” he said. “I bet you had lots of fun frolicking around in the fields earlier this morning, huh? You better watch out because there’s lots of dangerous animals around who wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of you.”
Callie blew air out of her nose, and he offered her the apple again. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to be here, but Chad had been asleep all day, Peter had been working out for hours now, Ben was hiding on the screened-in porch, and everyone else was on a mystery date with Walker. He’d been too antsy to sit inside, the sight of Ben kissing Walker the night before burned on his eyelids whenever he closed them.
For the millionth time he told himself he didn’t care whom Walker kissed. It wasn’t like Walker had taken Ben out on a walk and said all that stuff to him. The kiss was for the show. He knew that. But the sight of Ben’s hands on Walker’s face, the intimate darkness, no big cameras, no nothing… Just Ben and Walker, kissing so softly it was as if time itself had held its breath.
He’d hated it. And he hadn’t been able to bring himself to confront Ben.
So after a day of working himself into all kinds of knots, he’d taken the opportunity of a distracted, skeleton set of crew to slip out of the house and wander alone in the general direction of the farm. He wasn’t supposed to, and he could get in trouble for it, but there were cameras all over the property. It wasn’t like he would be unobserved. Though he’d disconnected his mic, and that would probably get him in a load of shit, but so what? What were they gonna do? Send him home? He doubted it very much. He and Ben and Walker were the romantic triangle they wanted and all the drama they had going right now.
When he got close to the farmhouse he’d spotted a woman with gray hair hanging out laundry in the backyard, so he’d slipped into the barn before she could see him. Now he was talking to Callie like she was his therapist.
“Where do you think he took them on the group date? I know I shouldn’t be jealous or anything, but God. This is such a weird situation to be in. I kinda like him, you know? More than kinda. But everything is so fucked up.”
When the apple was gone, Callie nudged him with her nose so he stroked her face and kept away an insistent fly. Her eyes fluttered closed after a while, and Roan just stood there, taking in the comforting horse scent wrapped up in clean stables.
“Your life isn’t complicated at all, is it?” he murmured to her. “Sleep, eat, go outside. Ride around with silly humans on your back. Unconditional love for your owner, and he loves you unconditionally back.” Callie stepped forward a little more and hooked her head over his shoulder. A little surprised, Roan hugged his arms around her neck and held on. “I wish someone would love me like that,” he whispered, burying his nose in the scratchy but still soft hair of her neck.
“Keep feeding her apples and she will.”
“Jesus!” Roan startled, and Callie stamped a hoof, backing away a little. He spun around to find Walker leaning against the opposite wall, one knee bent, boot propped up behind him. He had his arms crossed and his cowboy hat tilted over his eyes, but Roan could see his smirk. “Again with the private conversation,” he said.
Walker burst into a laugh and tilted his hat back. His tawny eyes shone brightly with amusement. “With a horse?” he asked. He pushed himself away from the wall and ambled up to Roan, taking his time. He came to stand right beside him, shoulders brushing. “I shouldn’t laugh. She’s a good listener.” He stroked Callie’s nose, and she nodded her head, giving a satisfied blow. Walker glanced at Roan from under his cowboy hat. “About last night…”
“You don’t have to explain,” Roan quickly said, knowing he sounded mulish but unable to help it. “You can kiss whoever you want.”
“That so?” Walker sounded even more amused, so Roan glared at him.
“Yes.”
“You didn’t care at all?”
“Of course not.”
“What if I told you Ben surprised me?”
Roan tried to keep his face blank and reached for Callie again to give himself something to do. “Intellectually, I know it was all a set-up, but seeing you kiss him bothered me. I guess I can admit that.”
Walker sighed. “I didn’t want that kiss, little lion.”
“I know. It was just…” Roan shrugged.
“You said it was a set-up, and you’re right, but how’d you come to be there to see it?”
“Peter lost a favorite cufflink, and we were looking for it in the bedroom when Molly wandered by and told me she’d spotted it downstairs. I came down to find it when I found you instead.”
Walker’s eyes widened. “You mean Peter was in on it too?”
“I doubt it,” Roan said. “He was still looking for the cufflink this morning. I think Molly needed an excuse to get me down there, and used the moment to produce drama.” He rubbed his face sheepishly. “I guess she got it, huh?”
Walker looked around. “What are you doing out here, Roan?”
“Needed to get out. I couldn’t take it anymore.” Roan smiled, a gleam in his eye. “Guess I’ve got a bad boy streak. Hope you don’t mind.”
“I noticed and I like it.”
