Clouds and Rain

and a bright, mid-morning sun.
    “Flynn?” Gable called out.
    “Up here!”
    Gable looked up and felt his heart stop. Flynn was on the sloping roof, hammer in hand, trying to keep his precarious balance.
    “You look like I just woke you,” Flynn shouted down, not without some amusement in his voice. “I‟m sorry, I thought you were out already.”
    Gable looked down at his bare chest and couldn‟t help rubbing it, as he felt exposed all of a sudden. He didn‟t want to leave Flynn alone, so he crossed his arms in front of him. “Will you come down from there? You might get hurt.”

    31

    Zahra Owens

    Flynn laughed. “I‟m fine. This isn‟t the first roof I‟ve climbed on, you know. Hand me that plank, will you?” Flynn pointed at a piece of wood leaning against the side of the house, right next to the ladder.
    Gable handed it up and would have climbed up on the roof alongside Flynn but he knew his foot wouldn‟t let him do that. His heart was still racing, though, and a little voice inside him was telling him he wouldn‟t feel comfortable until Flynn was on solid ground again.
    “I wish you had waited,” Gable told Flynn.
    “Come on, Gabe,” Flynn pleaded, using the slightly abbreviated version of Gable‟s name he must have heard Calley use. “It finally stopped raining long enough for the roof to be dry and they‟re already saying it‟s going to rain again later on today. I don‟t know about you, but I‟m kind of tired of taking my boots off in a mudroom that is always wet.”
    Gable had to admit Flynn was right. The roof over the mudroom had been leaking for over a year now. If Grant had still been around it would have been fixed in no time, but now it hadn‟t, because Gable couldn‟t climb up a ladder.
    “I could have asked Bill to help with this,” Gable suggested, although he knew his vet friend wasn‟t much of a carpenter.
    Flynn climbed down, giving Gable a nice view of his jean-clad ass, before turning to face him. “Bill‟s got work of his own to do. I‟m here now, so I can do it. All part of the job.” Flynn shrugged and then planted a quick kiss on Gable‟s mouth.
    Gable stood nailed to the ground as he realized what had just transpired, and all he could do was watch Flynn disappear into the house. Instead of feeling calm now that Flynn was back safely on solid ground, his heart was beating its way out of his chest. He started to follow Flynn inside, feeling uneasy, not knowing whether Flynn expected a reaction from him. But there was no need, it seemed.
    Inside, Flynn smiled at him. “Why don‟t you finish getting dressed? I noticed you hadn‟t eaten yet, so I left a slice of ham for you in the oven and I can scramble you some eggs if you like.” 32

    Clouds and Rain

    Gable nodded quickly and then made his way upstairs. When he returned, the aromas drifting in from the kitchen made his mouth water, just as they had every day since Flynn had arrived. He knew he‟d have a hard time going back to the way things were, but he also knew Flynn would eventually leave again, just like Grant had.
    “I don‟t know how you do it, but this is so much better than when I make it,” Gable admitted as he sat down at the table.
    Flynn sat down where he usually did, at an angle to Gable and with his back toward the stove. He had obviously already had breakfast, since his place was cleared. “I learned my cooking from the best.”
    “From all those neighborhood women you told me about?” Gable queried, hoping to keep Flynn talking while he ate.
    Flynn nodded. “We would have starved without them. Not to mention my Dad and my brothers had no idea how to take care of a baby, so I was shipped around to anyone who could take me on until they grew tired of me and then someone else took over.”
    “Interesting childhood,” Gable said after swallowing a large piece of ham.
    Flynn shrugged. “I got used to feeling at home pretty quickly wherever I was and not to be sad when I had to move on. When one of those women lost her husband and she became our housekeeper, I could finally come home,” Flynn added, almost as an afterthought.
    Gable had to admit, it said a lot about why Flynn lived on the road. It also meant it was probably futile to think he could ever settle down. He was enjoying the fact that Flynn was such an efficient, not to mention versatile, cook, though.
    “So once you were home again, you went from being the kitchen helper to being the cowboy?” Gable emptied