Page 3 of The Finding Series: Vol. 1

“I was talking to one of the ranch hands from that new place over in Corvallis. He says they’re looking for hands and since none of them know about me…” Finn began.

Callan dropped the hose and strode over to Finn and grabbed him by the arm. “This is your home and those small-minded, homophobic, piece of shit cowards from town are not going to drive you from it. You hear me?” Callan nearly shouted. Rhys didn’t miss the desire that flashed in Finn’s eyes at being in such close proximity to the bigger man. So, the guy had a thing for his boss. Finn just nodded and Callan released him and returned to washing down the horse.

“Cal, this is Rhys Tellar,” Finn finally said, as if just remembering Rhys’ presence.

“You’re Frank’s friend, right?” Callan asked.

Rhys was still trying to piece together the information he’d just gleaned from Finn and Callan’s conversation. Did Finn actually have to drive to another town to buy supplies because the people in the town of Dare refused to sell to a gay man? What the hell kind of backwoods place had Frank sent him to?

“Yeah,” Rhys managed to say when Callan finally looked at him, his annoyance at Rhys’ delay in answering clear.

“You ever worked around cattle before?”

“No,” Rhys responded.

“Horses?”

“Nope,” Rhys said as he steeled himself for the rejection that was about to come.

Callan untied the horse and began leading him into the barn. “Finn, show him around and get him started on the stalls, then come give me a hand with the fence.”

ChapterTwo

Rhys felt every muscle burning as he shoveled the last pile of shit into the wheelbarrow and took it out to the mountain of steaming, smelly manure behind the barn. Being a cop had meant he had to keep in shape and working out had been the only thing to keep him from going insane in his tiny jail cell, so he’d figured a little physical labor wouldn’t kill him. But between the searing heat and the backbreaking work, he was ready to throw in the towel and call Frank and beg the man to find him something else.

Finn had left a couple of hours ago after giving him a quick tour of the place and a run down on cleaning stalls and moving hay bales from the trailer out back. The only thing keeping him going was knowing tonight he’d be sharing one of the two small cottages with the very hot, very fuckable, Finn. That lean, toned body would fit perfectly beneath his as he stroked in and out of him with long, slow…

“You done?”

Finn’s voice ripped him from his thoughts. “What?” he asked stupidly as he tried to get his growing erection under control before he had to turn and face the other man.

“I asked if you were done?”

“Um, yeah, just gotta line the last stall,” he said as he pretended to try and get the last of the shit out of the already empty wheelbarrow.

“I’ll take care of it,” he heard Finn say.

By the time Rhys got back into the barn, Finn was putting fresh straw in the stall. Rhys put the wheelbarrow away, then stood in the entryway to the stall and watched the other man work. He was slightly shorter than Rhys’ own 6 feet and was built like a swimmer with long, clean lines. His skin was golden from working in the hot Montana sun all day.

“So what was all that about earlier today? Hamilton?” Rhys asked. Finn glanced up, his blue eyes going dark and Rhys instantly regretted the question.

“Dare’s not quite as forward thinking as Chicago probably is,” Finn said quietly.

“Every place has haters,” Rhys responded.

“Yeah, I suppose. But in a small town like Dare where there’s one feed store, one grocery store, one hardware store, one gas station…” Finn’s voice trailed off.

“You can’t be the only gay guy in this place,” Rhys said.

Finn finished what he was doing and went to walk past Rhys. Rhys extended his arm, forcing Finn to stop.

“What happened?” Rhys asked softly.

Finn sighed and leaned back against the doorframe, his shoulder brushing Rhys’ hand. Electricity fired through Rhys’ veins at the slight contact.

“Got caught making out with the mayor’s son at our high school graduation party a while back. He told everyone I was trying to assault him. His father even tried to have me arrested.” Finn leaned his head back against the wood and closed his eyes. “Cal has a friend who works for the State Patrol and he was able to smooth things over with the local cops, but the town still considers me a pervert. They’ve been punishing Cal ever since. The feed store was the last place I could still pick up supplies for the ranch, but that’s gone now too.”

“Jesus,” Rhys muttered.

---