THROUGH THE MONTANA MIST
Saddle Up and Ride Series
Book 3
By Carol Lynne
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2010 Carol Lynne
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Edited by Kris Jacen
Cover art by Brynn Paulinn
Chapter One
Caleb Sterling sat smashed between the window and his partner of eight years, Jeff Bingman. He tried to bite his tongue as Jeff’s elbow continued to dig into his ribs. Completely oblivious to his discomfort, his partner talked to the man on the other side of him who’d introduced himself as Mitch.
Caleb tried once again to move closer to the window as Jeff began gesturing wildly in the confined space of the van. He returned his attention to the gorgeous view out the large window. How could he have lived twenty-nine years and not have witnessed the beautiful scenery of Montana?
The trip to Justice River Ranch had been his idea. Jeff had been under an incredible amount of pressure at work and their relationship had become…strained. Caleb hoped Jeff could let go and rediscover the man he used to be before taking the New Haven Assistant District Attorney position.
“Are you pouting?” Jeff said in his ear.
Caleb turned away from the view and shook his head. “Just enjoying the scenery.”
Jeff squeezed Caleb’s thigh. “This is going to be good for us. I can feel it.”
Caleb smiled and nodded his agreement. He hoped it was the stress of the job that had his partner on edge all the time. Caleb really didn’t know how much longer he could handle the life he’d been forced to live lately.
Jeff once again began talking to Mitch, and Caleb returned his attention to the landscape.
His fingers itched for his charcoals. He couldn’t wait to try and capture the beauty onto paper. The rolling green hills were cut by creeks, the morning mist still clinging to the surface of the water.
The van turned off the main road and Griggs, a handsome Native American with long hair and a bright smile, announced they’d officially arrived at the Justice River Ranch.
Caleb felt light creep into his soul. What was it about the place that made him feel so free? He wanted to jump out of the van, spin around on one of the rolling hills and sing The Sound of Music at the top of his lungs. He couldn’t keep the giggle out of his voice at the thought of him in a dress and bobbed hair like Maria.
“Something funny?”
Caleb couldn’t take his eyes off the view to look at Jeff. “Just feeling happy and silly. I like this place.”
Jeff leaned over Caleb’s body to peer out the window. “Looks like Connecticut to me.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. Montana was nothing like home in his mind. Here, there were endless possibilities. He couldn’t have described it to Jeff, but he felt…free.
After a rough drive down the dirt road, the van stopped in front of a rustic-looking barn. Caleb wondered if the structure was really as old as it appeared. He noticed the way the light created shadows between the rough hewn logs that made up the barn.
“Do you think I’ll have time to draw sometime today?”
“You’re the one with the itinerary.” Jeff scooted out of the seat while Caleb continued to study the barn through the window.
A fist slamming against the side of the van, snapped him out of his observations. Caleb jumped and gave Jeff an apologetic smile. He slid his way down the bench seat and out into the fresh air. It was even more breathtaking than he could ever have hoped.
He sought out Jeff and stood beside his partner as two men introduced themselves as Deacon and Ray. They started to give the gathered group a rundown of the day’s activities, culminating in an evening ride.
By his calculations, he’d have at least ninety minutes of free time to sketch. Caleb grinned and reached for Jeff’s hand. Of course Jeff shook Caleb’s touch off and gave him an admonishing stare.
Caleb gave an inward sigh. Jeff didn’t believe in public displays of affection, but he’d hoped it would be different here. They were completely surrounded by gay men, some of whom had their arms wrapped around their loved ones.
After the owners of the ranch finished their welcoming greeting, the guests were told they could either walk to their assigned cabins or jump back into the van with their luggage. Before they made their decisions, Ray ran down a list of guests and their assigned cabins.
Caleb tugged on Jeff’s shirt. “I think they made a mistake. I signed us up for the big summer cabin.”
Jeff glanced at him. “I called and changed that to a private cabin.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I was paying for it, so I didn’t think I needed your permission.”
Caleb glanced away and rubbed at the tightening in his chest. He knew he didn’t have room to complain. Jeff was right. He was paying for their trip.
They were all given a photocopied map of the ranch and its buildings. Caleb couldn’t help but notice how far from the other guests their assigned home for the week would be. He tried to look on the bright side. Although their cabin was closest to the barn and other ranch buildings, it at least backed up to a small meadow with a scenic backdrop of snowcapped mountains.
Caleb tried to tell himself it was Jeff’s desire to reignite things between them that had led him to requesting the change in accommodations. At least he’d be able to sketch in the mornings before Jeff rolled out of bed.
As he waited for his suitcase to be unloaded from the back of the van, Caleb caught sight of the biggest man he’d ever seen. There was something about the man, an almost lonely expression on his face as he leaned against the porch railing of a cabin.
“What’re you looking at?” Jeff asked, a strong hand on Caleb’s arm.
“Nothing.” He tried to hide. “Just trying to figure out which one of those buildings is
the cookhouse.”
Jeff pointed toward the large brass bell outside the building on the left. “That one.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
Jeff gave him a narrowed eyed gaze and picked up his suitcase. “Get your shit and let’s go.”
Because they’d been the first to load into the van, Caleb’s suitcase was on the bottom.
He felt sorry for Griggs, who had to unload everyone else’s luggage to get to his.
“Thank you,” he told Griggs.
With Jeff already on his way toward their cabin, Caleb struggled to roll his over-sized suitcase across the rough ground. He hoped his art supplies had made the trip unscathed. Panic started to set in at the thought something could’ve happened to them. Drawing was his life, his only real passion. It was what made him get out of bed in the morning, much to Jeff’s disappointment.
When his suitcase tipped to its side for the third time, Caleb wanted to give up. He struggled to upright the hard-sided piece of luggage when a large hand reached for it. Caleb looked up into the biggest chocolate brown eyes he’d ever seen.
“Thanks.” He started to take the handle, but the big man shook his head.
“I’ll get it to your cabin. I’m Tyson, by the way.”
“Caleb.” He bit his lip and glanced toward the cabin. “That’s okay.”
Tyson’s gorgeous face cocked to the side. The closely-cropped goatee looked almost auburn in the bright light of the sunny day.
“I work here,” Tyson said in way of explanation.
Not wanting to draw attention to himself so early in his stay, Caleb eventually nodded.
The big man lifted the suitcase off the ground with ease. What had been a struggle for Caleb, Tyson handled like a toy.
He walked beside Tyson toward the house. At least Jeff had left the door open for him. With a deep breath, he entered the small, one-room cabin. “You can set it anywhere.”
Tyson lifted the suitcase and placed it on one of the straight-backed chairs beside the door. He held out his hand and strode toward Jeff.
“I’m Tyson.”
Jeff glanced at Caleb before taking the man’s hand. “Jeff Bingman.”
Tyson stood in the center of the large room for several moments. “Well, I’ll leave you two to unpack.”
Caleb smiled as Tyson passed him. “Thanks again for your help.”
“No problem. If you need anything while you’re here, I’m in the house across the road.”
Caleb shut the door behind Tyson and turned to regard his partner. “I struggled to get my suitcase across the rough road.”
“Sure you did. I’m sure you batted those pretty long lashes and Tyson came running.”
“It wasn’t like that. I…”
“Save it,” Jeff barked. He turned and began carefully unpacking his clothes, putting them into the dresser in neat color-coordinated piles.
Caleb unlatched his suitcase and unpacked his art supplies. Despite a few casualties, his charcoals had made the trip pretty much intact. He hesitated to ask Jeff about using one of the drawers, so he just closed the suitcase and slid the entire thing under the bed. Later, he’d check to see if any of the drawers were free, but he knew from experience now was not the time to ask.
He picked up his pad and a few sharpened pencils and took a deep breath. “Would you mind if I went out on the porch and did some sketching?”
Jeff didn’t answer. With his back to Caleb, he waved.
With a resigned shrug, Caleb opened the door and went out to the porch. There were two Adirondack chairs and a small table. He got comfortable and studied the barn. Although the light had changed, it was still a remarkable building.
His pencil began to fly across the paper in long lines. If he sketched the building now, he’d be able to add the shading later.
“Caleb!”
Startled, Caleb jumped, dropping his pencil. “Sorry, Jeff. Did you ask me something?”
Already changed into a pair of jeans and an expensive sports shirt, Jeff put his hands on his hips. “I didn’t spend this kind of money for you to sit around drawing your little pictures all day.”
Caleb ground his teeth and closed his sketch pad. “You feel like exploring until dinner?”
“No. I feel like fucking you. Get in here.”
“But it’s such a pretty day. Wouldn’t you rather wait until later to go to bed?” He could tell by the expression on Jeff’s face it wouldn’t be a gentle coupling and his body was finally recovering from the argument they’d had the previous week.
“Who said anything about going to bed? There are plenty of things in here to bend you over. Now get that ass of yours in here so I can unwind from the trip.”
With unsteady legs, Caleb got to his feet and set his sketch pad and pencil on the chair. He took a deep breath as he entered their home away from home for the next week.
* * *
Tyson took his usual spot at the end of the far table. The dining room was filling quickly with the lot of new guests. He smiled and nodded as several men acknowledged him.
He was saved when Griggs and Bridger sat across from him. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy meeting the new men who visited the ranch each week, but he wanted to concentrate on Caleb.
There was something about him that made Tyson uneasy. He guessed it was the sudden look of panic in his big brown eyes when Tyson offered to carry his bag. The man he’d been wondering about walked into the cookhouse, asshole boyfriend in tow.
Tyson had no doubt Jeff was a jerk. He’d known the type. Could tell by the way Jeff had tried to size him up in one glance when he’d met him.
He tried his best not to be too obvious as he watched the slight, blond haired man walk the buffet line. At one point, Jeff nudged his side and Tyson could swear he saw the smaller man flinch. Was it out of fear or pain?
Griggs started chuckling. “A piece of candy catch your eye?”
Tyson glanced away from Caleb as Jeff directed him to a spot at one of the long tables. He wasn’t about to voice his worries. Working at the Justice River was the most enjoyable job he’d ever had. Accusing a guest on a hunch would for sure get him fired.
“No. Just watching for the line to end so I can go back for seconds.”
Tyson tried to finish his supper, but the downward cast of Caleb’s eyes as he picked at his plate was tearing him up. “Mind if I go on the ride with you after dinner?” Griggs seemed surprised. “Not at all. I’m not sure if King is corralled though.”
Tyson stood and picked up his plate. “I’ll go find out. If he isn’t, I’ll take the four-wheeler out and drive him in if that’s okay.” Griggs nodded as he swallowed his bite of food. “The saddle for King is in the employee tack nook.”
“Thanks.”
Tyson carried his plate to the clean-up station and scraped his leftovers into the bucket. He felt eyes on him and turned to find Jeff staring straight at him. Tyson didn’t school his features for the benefit of the guest. He narrowed his gaze and met Jeff’s apparent challenge.
Like all bullies, Jeff proved himself to be all bark and looked away first. With a satisfied grin, Tyson walked out of the cookhouse and straight to the barn. If he had to follow Caleb around the rest of the week he would. Although he couldn’t do much for the smaller man once he left, he could at least make his vacation safer.
* * *
“Dammit,” Jeff cursed as he tried to regain control of his horse. When the horse wrangler, Griggs, had given them instructions on the basics of riding,
Jeff hadn’t paid a bit of attention. Caleb secretly hoped the horse would dump Jeff on his ass. He used the brief break in Jeff’s concentration to glance over his shoulder at Tyson, surprised to find the man looking right at him. He smiled and turned back around.
Tyson was not only the tallest, strongest man Caleb had ever been around, but he was riding the biggest horse he’d ever seen. Commotion beside him brought his attention back to Jeff. “Try not holding the reins so tight.”
Jeff shot him a look that meant trouble. Caleb really wasn’t trying to pick a fight, especially after their earlier round of rough sex, but he knew what it was doing to Jeff to look like he didn’t know what he was doing. There was no doubt in Caleb’s mind he’d be at the receiving end of Jeff’s frustrations later in the evening.
Caleb bit his lip and tried to concentrate on Chavez, the brown and white gelding he’d been assigned. It had been quite a few years since he’d been on the back of a horse, and the hard saddle combined with his already sore ass made each step Chavez took pure misery for him.
He was wondering if he could bring a pillow along to sit on the next time he rode, when Jeff’s horse bumped Chavez. The impact startled Caleb whose leg was pressed between the two horses. He jumped in his saddle and looked at Jeff. He could tell by his partner’s expression the collision hadn’t been an accident.
“Why’d you do that?”
“To bring you out of La-La Land.” Jeff grabbed the reins out of Caleb’s hands and pulled their horses even closer. He glanced around to make sure no one was close before speaking. “What the hell’s going on between you and that giant back there?”
Caleb didn’t bother looking behind him. He knew exactly who Jeff was referring to.
“Nothing’s going on. Hell I’m too sore to even think about doing anything.”
“And that’s the way you’ll stay while we’re here.”
Caleb glanced at his long-time partner. “Why do you do it? Things used to be so nice between us. What’s happened?”
For the first time in months, Caleb actually witnessed sorrow in Jeff’s expression. “I guess I just need to feel it more now than I used to.”
“But it hurts,” Caleb mumbled as he broke eye contact.
“I don’t mean to hurt you. You know that, right?”
Caleb didn’t believe his partner. Jeff was always so focused on his own pleasure he didn’t seem to care who was under him. The real problem is the pain and humiliation Jeff had begun to inflict on him in the bedroom was bleeding out into their daily lives. “I’m not happy,” Caleb finally admitted. He’d wanted to tell Jeff for the last couple of months, but had tried to ride it out. Caleb had hoped things would change once Jeff’s last case was over. Unfortunately, even though Jeff had won the tough case, it hadn’t improved his mood.
“Is that why you’re already looking for a replacement for me?” Jeff gestured with his head toward Tyson.
It was just like Jeff to twist things to make Caleb feel guilty. “There’s nothing going on!”