Page 83 of His Reluctant Cowboy

“Me, too.” He glanced down at Rosco. “Been thinking on that a bit tonight, actually. A way to unload more of my own past while getting something I really want out of it.”

“Oh? Do I get a hint?”

“I want to run the offer by Kenny first, in the morning.”

“Well, now I’m intrigued. Does this mean you’re not going back to Austin?”

“Yes. There’s nothing back there that I want or need. Everything I need to make me happy is on this land. The most important person in that happiness is right here in the room with me.”

“Rosco?”

“Dork.” Michael chuckled as he reached for Josiah’s hand and squeezed. “You. I love you, Josiah Sheridan, and I want us to keep building a life together. Here. With all its ups and downs. I may not be a rich man anymore, but you have my heart and that’s the most expensive gift I can give. Please be gentle with it.”

“I will.” Josiah’s voice cracked and his eyes gleamed. “I love you, too, Michael. And I want that life with you. Our life, with all the ups and downs that come with it.”

“Good answer.” They both leaned in and sealed the promise with a long, sensual kiss that left Michael a bit breathless.

Josiah rose, snared his wrist, and tugged Michael down the short length of the trailer to the bedroom. After making quick work of their clothes, they spent the rest of the night existing together and exploring each other until the first smudges of dawn’s light peeked through the drawn blinds.

Michael lay naked with Josiah in his arms, stupidly happy after such a dramatic evening on all fronts, and basked in this beautiful thing he and Josiah had found with each other. Love, peace, and acceptance. Joy and friendship. A real relationship based on trust, understanding, and hope.

And he couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow brought.

Epilogue

Josiah let out a loud groan of contentment and slight discomfort as he sank down onto the living room couch, his stomach almost too full of amazing food. He’d gotten up before dawn to get their massive twenty-pound turkey into the oven so it would be cooked in time for a midday Thanksgiving meal. Elmer had been instrumental in a lot of the prep work, like chopping vegetables for the dressing and various sides.

And Michael?

He’d amused the hell out of them both by parading around the kitchen in holiday pajamas and a Santa hat, basting the turkey whenever Josiah asked and mostly sneaking food from platters or bowls. Josiah loved the festive atmosphere in the house, and they’d even discussed bringing the fake tree down from the attic today and maybe decorating tomorrow. The chilly weather was here to stay, and Josiah looked forward to truly celebrating the season for the first time in a long, long time.

Dinner had been amazing, the turkey perfectly roasted. Michael had insisted on making brussels sprouts with bacon, and while Josiah had been dubious at first, he admitted to liking the final dish. They ended up with enough to feed at least ten people, so they’d be eating leftovers for a quite a while.

Jackson popped over for about thirty minutes to chat with Michael and go home with a plate of food for him and Dog. Dog got along great with Rosco, who was a happy new addition to their little family.

Kenny hadn’t left Weston until Tuesday morning, because of the handful of legal things he and Michael needed to deal with first, but Michael had been beside himself with joy at the results of their long conversation. In exchange for giving Michael full, permanent ownership of Rosco, he and Kenny had come up with an equitable solution to the Austin house. Kenny could live there until it sold, maintain the property in lieu of rent, and then he’d get a portion of the final sale to start over with. The rest of the money Michael hoped to invest in repairing the Weston farmhouse, as well as preparing for possible future freelance IT work. Josiah had been initially leery of giving Kenny any money, but Michael assured him this was the best solution to keep Kenny out of their lives in the long term.

Plus, Michael glowed with love every time he petted Rosco, and Josiah was getting used to the dog warming their feet at the foot of the bed every night. Josiah had officially moved into the house, leaving the trailer without a tenant, but also leaving him and Michael incredibly happy with the new arrangement.

Josiah was also no longer Elmer’s official caregiver. Elmer still couldn’t manage the stairs and might always need a walker, but he was slowly gaining some independence from the wheelchair. Josiah had plans to submit a few applications next week to some local services who matched patients with caregivers. Time to start the next leg of his journey.

Michael flopped onto the couch next to him, the motion making Josiah’s overly full stomach slosh unhappily. Rosco waited for the signal, then hopped up beside him on the free cushion to pout. Despite all the amazing food smells, Michael had limited him to only a few bites of turkey breast and mashed potatoes so they didn’t upset his sensitive tummy.

No one in the house was much for football, so they found a good lineup of Christmas movies to stream and started with those, Josiah and Michael snuggled up on the couch, and Dad on the love seat, all of them sipping sparkling cider.

Best. Thanksgiving. Ever.

None of the drama that had happened this week could take the shine off Josiah’s good mood today. Kenny was gone and, once the house sold, out of their lives for good. Dale Burns had been detained at the Texas-Oklahoma border and was sitting pretty in jail because he couldn’t afford bail. Josiah had given his statements to the state police detectives investigating the case, both about his interactions with Seamus on Sunday, and Josiah’s own attack in the barn.

Seamus had resigned as county sheriff, and while he hadn’t moved out of town, he seemed to be keeping a very low profile. Josiah didn’t exactly wish him all the best in the future, but he did hope the man found something that made him happy.

“Is it weird,” Michael started to ask, “that no matter how many times I’ve seen this movie, I still want to yell out ‘don’t lick the frozen flagpole, Flick!’?”

Josiah laughed. “Not weird. It’s probably an annual tradition we should keep alive.A Christmas Storyfollowed by the shout of ‘Don’t lick the flagpole!’ Maybe we should get T-shirts made for next year.”

“Definitely.” Michael wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way, and Josiah caught the double-entendre in the flagpole remark. “Maybe Santa will put them in our stockings this year.”

“You are such a dork.”

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