Page 20 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“Um…okay.” Wyl strolled into the kitchen.
I did scope out his ass, but the massive stone fireplace sparked my imagination. I pictured Wyl and me lounging on the leather sofas, shoulder to shoulder, hands on each other’s thighs, sipping wine, and enjoying the warmth and ambiance of a fire on a cold winter day. The crackling fire would turn Wyl’s face golden and shed a romantic glow into the room. Sighing at my dream, I thought of the fireplace in my home in Kerrville. Someday, I wanted to have Wyl at my place for a visit.Wait…what was I thinking? Being friends was okay…despite bending the college no-relationship policy a bit. But touching and sipping wine in front of the fire?
A guitar lay on the coffee table, and my creative mind imagined music and laughter in this spacious but homey room, Wyl’s smiling face lights up the excited crowd.Shit. There I go again!
To my left, a pool table lit by a rectangular stained glass fixture. I picture Wyl leaning over the table, about to make the winning shot, and smiling at his opponent. Behind the pool table is a well-stocked built-in wet bar where Wyl mixes a shaker of martinis, the ice rattling in the metal before he pours the perfect drink. In front of a bank of windows at the rear of the room sat a long table surrounded by twelve chairs. I picture us entertaining in this room. Wyl at the head and me to his right, holding hands and celebrating with our group of gay friends.Fuck! ‘Us’ as a couple does not exist. And what gay friends?I shook my head and glanced to the right, finding Wyl in the kitchen leaning into the refrigerator. The kitchen included a right-angle breakfast bar separating the dining area from the kitchen and den.
Wyl returned from the kitchen, interrupting the fantasy that broke every rule I swore to keep. “I want to show you the stables and introduce you to the horses. Follow me.”
Wyl led me down a hallway, through a mud room, and out a side door. “So, tell me about your ranch.” I glanced around the property as we walked. Wyl’s heavy boot steps clomped on the dry ground. “My impressions about ranches come from television shows and movies.”
Wyl laughed and nudged my shoulder. “Television? You grew up in Blackfield. How do you not know about ranches?”
I side-stumbled at Wyl’s nudge. “Ranches occupy acreage to the north, west, and south of Blackfield, and farmland to the east. None of my high-school friends lived on a ranch, so I never visited one.”
Wyl stopped and regarded me. “But the county is known for oil, cattle, and farming.”
I faced Wyl. “Aside from family vacations, school trips, or occasional shopping trips to Abilene or Lubbock, everything I did growing up happened inside the city limits. I don’t recall any ranchers in the group of friends my parents entertained, so I never discovered ranching.”
Wyl put his arm around my shoulders and pointed toward the barn. “I hope you’ll discover ranching on Sterling Ranch. We'll need to arrange several visits to cover it all. Think you can handle being here more than once?”
"You bet!" I walked beside Wyl. His arm around my shoulders made me all tingly inside. While my logic brain screamed a relationship with Wyl was a bad idea, myignore logic and enjoy lifebrain said to enjoy it as much as possible. “How about starting my first ranch visit by telling me about your ranch.”
“We have three hundred head of cattle.” Wyl used his hands as he talked. “Our ranch foreman and six hands live in a compound on the ranch. You passed it about 200 yards east of the ranch gate, not far from the fence line. We have two stables: four horses in the barn near the house and seven horses in the barn down by the camp. Walt and I supervise things. We participate in cattle drives, branding events, and so forth, but the foreman and crew oversee the basic ranching operations and the herd.”
I stared at Wyl. “Wow.Big ValleyandBonanzadidn’t seem this complex.”
Wyl barked another laugh. “Those old television shows entertained. Ranching takes a lot of work. Work omitted to make the shows interesting. You stick with me, and I’ll show you how ranching is done in real life.”
Butterflies flooded my stomach. I craved being by Wyl's side. Glancing at the hunky beefcake beside me made me wonder how.Shit! It’s impossible for me to stop fantasizing.
At the barn, Wyl opened the inset door. When I stepped inside, the aroma of hay and horse flooded my senses. I never spent time around horses, but this scent would forever remind me of Wyl and Sterling Ranch. I scanned the barn interior. Each side contained four stalls. Two horses studied us from individual stalls on the right, and two horses from individual stalls on the left.
Wyl pulled out his pocket knife, grabbed two apples from the bin near the door, and sliced one in half. His eyes met mine as I studied him. He winked, and my knees weakened at the warm smile and the sparkle in Wyl’s grey-green eyes.Stop smiling at me, dammit.I reached for the bin to steady myself.
“You okay?” Wyl eyed me like an EMT assessing a patient.
“Yes. Spasm in my foot,” I lied, stomping my boot against the ground to reinforce the pretense.
“Come meet the horses.” Wyl nodded toward the first stall. I limped after him, careful to keep up the ruse.
“This is Cessna. He’s Walt’s horse, so named for flying like the wind, and in memory of our parents. He’s an American quarter horse and our fastest.” Wyl held half an apple out to me. “Open your hand, palm up.”
I opened my hand, and Wyl placed the apple half on my palm, cut side up.
“Now hold your hand out for Cessna.”
I hesitated. “Won’t he bite?”
Wyl shook his head. “Not unless you shove your hand in his mouth. Trust me.”
I did as Wyl instructed, and Cessna took the apple, his hairy lips grazing my hand. The experience tickled my learning instinct and made me want to try again. “He’s gentle.” I admired the fine cream-colored steed.
Wyl nudged my shoulder, and we moved to the next stall. “This one is Beauty. We don’t race horses, but with her striking features and color, we couldn’t pass her up. Walt and I share this horse.”
“You and Walt share a horse?”
“We both like her, so each paid half.”
