“You think he’s scared?”

“Don’t you?”

Marcus nodded. He instinctively knew there was a fear in Liam that he could never understand unless he got to know him better. ”I do.”

“So you’ll not hurt him.”

That was a loaded question. “Did Eli never hurt you?” he asked instead.

Robbie huffed a laugh. “That’s something I’ll never tell you. But you have a point.”

Only when Marcus was back in the car did he really think about what Robbie was trying to say. The cowboy was protective of Liam. Marcus wanted to be protective, but he wanted something more.

He wanted to see inside. He wanted more kisses, and he wanted Liam to smile all the time.

Nothing difficult there. Right?

* * * * *

Robbie deliberately sought out Liam as soon as Marcus left. There was a driving need in him to check Liam was okay. He found him finishing out the stalls and waited him out while organizing various bits of tack.

“You want to say something?” Liam asked carefully. “You’ve been standing there not watching me for ten minutes now.”

Robbie grinned at him. “Heard you got a date.”

“’S’not a date. Marcus has something up his ass about talking to me. He’ll get bored, realize I’m only good for one thing, then go find himself a pretty boy to match his suits.”

Robbie’s chest tightened. Liam stood in front of him, back straight, his form beginning to fill out from eating properly, his muscles defining, and his gorgeous gray eyes focused intently on Robbie.

“You really think you’re only good for one thing? You think he just wants you for sex?”

Liam looked aghast. “I didn’t mean sex, I meant horses. I’m good with horses.”

Robbie snorted a laugh. Sometimes Liam was so much an adult, at other times his short twenty years showed plainer than the nose on his face.

“Then talk to him about horses. He sees the passion I see and Jack sees, and he’ll love it.”

“Don’t have much to say, really,” Liam said with a shrug. “Guess we’ll eat, then come home.”

Robbie thought for a second. “How’s Hatty?”

“Restless. I checked her over again, but she’s just irritable. This is going to sound real stupid…” He looked uncertain and bit at the inside of his cheek. Then he pulled back his shoulders and spoke confidently. “I’m thinking she misses Max. She loves it when he visits and he’s so bright when he’s riding her.”

“I think so as well. It’s a complicated relationship between a horse and rider. One day I’d like to work on that more.”

“Horses could be used with kids who have special needs,” Liam said with a hint of excitement in his tone. “There was this one kid when I was at school, she was in a wheelchair but when she was in the water it was her place, y’know, and they got her in with the dolphins and she was lighter after.” He stopped talking as if he couldn’t believe so many words had spilled out of his mouth.

Robbie nodded his agreement. “See? You understand that. You’re better than you think, you have dreams and aspirations. ”

“We’ll see.”

Robbie made to walk away, but at the last moment he paused. “You got something to wear tonight?”

Liam glanced down at himself, and Robbie couldn’t help but feel sad at the crestfallen look on his face. Liam had come here with only one pair of jeans and a T. He’d borrowed some of Eli’s old stuff and was even wearing one of Robbie’s old jackets.

“Fuck no,” he said heatedly. “I need new jeans.”

“You got money?”

“Not spent any of what I’ve been paid here.”

Robbie checked his watch. “No time now. Look, I’ll call Eli, get him to find you some on the way home. He’s at a shoot in the city, but he can go somewhere. You stop with the horses at five. Get yourself up to the apartment for a shower.”

Liam grimaced. “Hell, I’m not making a fuss for Marcus. Damn man is a pain in my ass.”

“Whatever you think of him, you want to smell of shit at this simple place he’s taking you?”

Liam opened his mouth, then shut it again with horror in his eyes. “You heard that part too?”

“Couldn’t help it. Soon as I heard him talking about the size of his dick I was hooked.”

For a second the horror remained, but then Liam laughed loudly. “I wanna be the one to tell him you heard it all.”

“Already told him.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing much, think he was kinda mortified.” Robbie grinned. “See you upstairs at five, no later.”

Robbie left a smiling Liam and took the stairs up to his and Eli’s apartment two at a time. He stumbled in over two cardboard boxes, and even though he nearly face planted he smiled. He and Eli were moving out in a couple of days. Their house, their home, was finished, and Eli had pulled in favors to get it furnished with at least a bed, a fridge, and sofas. Liam was getting this place and added to the whole Marcus thing, maybe it was time for Liam to do some more of that smiling that made his eyes shine.

Eli answered on the first ring. “Hey,” he said, long and drawn out and a hundred times sexy.

“Hey, you. When you coming home?”

Eli lowered his voice. “Why? You want some of me?”

“Always, but first I need a favor. A big one.”

“Shoot.”

“Liam has a date with Marcus. Tonight. Bar, nothing fancy, jeans. But he has no really good clothes. Do me a favor and stop off at Grapevine Mills and pick some up.”

“I’ll get some stuff, but Grapevine Mills?” Eli said dryly. “You want me to go into that mall and pick up what? 32 waist 33 leg? Off the shelf? Yeah, I’ll do that. Not.”

“Where else can you go?”

“Leave it up to me. I have some clothes in the studio from the last shoot.”

“He’s showering here at five.”

“I’ll be back.”

“This is a bar,” Robbie warned Eli, “nothing too designer-y.”

“Promise.”

When Robbie put the phone down, he wondered what the hell he’d gotten Liam into. If Eli came home with leather pants and a mesh vest Robbie was in deep shit.

Chapter 9

Riley was never happier than to see the D as he rounded the last corner of the ranch road. His neck and back ached from sitting on the floor of the map room, but alongside the burn in his muscles he had achieved good things today. Finally they’d gotten to the shale at the Alpha site, and the very last thing he did before he left the office was to sign off on the next stage of exploration. Everything was out of his hands and into the hands of his more-than-capable site managers.

For a second he stood outside the house and visually inspected the additions. The wrappings were off the extension for Carol, and the upstairs windows no longer had scaffolding around them. He’d only been at work eight hours, but in that time everything seemed to be moving ahead without him. He refused to focus on the fact he’d missed Jack and the twins like he was never going to see them again.

Vibrations in his jacket had him reaching for his cell, and when he saw it was his dad’s number he immediately answered.

“Hi, Dad, everything okay?”

“Riley, I have some good news. I got you a date. I’m sending you the email now, but a week from Thursday and Max will be moving in.”

Riley was speechless and he heard Jim chuckle. “I’m taking it you’re in shock.”

“For real? No more delaying because of something stupid?”

“No, they have nothing else to say. It’s done and I have a new grandson.”

Affection for his dad had Riley grinning like a kid at Christmas. Grandson. That was a pretty awesome title. “Love you, Dad, and thank you.”

“Love you too, son. Now get yourself home and tell Jack and Hayley.”

“I’m here,” Riley said. “Standing outside looking at home.”

“Then get inside,” Jim laughed. He ended the call and Riley waited for the light of the cell to diminish before pocketing it and letting himself in the house. The kitchen was quiet. Four pm was too early for dinner, and Google calendar had reminded him that Hayley was late at school today working on some kind of acting project. That just left Jack and the twins in the house. He followed the sound of Jack’s voice and found him sitting cross-legged on their bed with both twins lying in front of him. Lexie was sleeping, but Connor was wide awake and staring up at his daddy.