Clouds and Rain

telling me he wants to come home, but nobody but him thinks he‟s ready for that.” Flynn shifted his weight from one foot to another and then back. He wanted to ask Calley for help in convincing Gable, but didn‟t know how.
    “I think Gable‟s calculating the cost of all this in his head,” Calley suggested while she grabbed the last two oranges from Flynn‟s hands, dropped them on top of the pile, and picked up the now empty crate. “He knows the ranch is barely surviving and he‟s got a pretty fair idea of how big a dent his hospital stay is causing in his already tight 89

    Zahra Owens

    budget, so he figures that if he comes home, he‟ll just manage. It was no different after the accident. Bill barely saw me the first weeks after Gable came home. Between the shop and helping Gable out….” She didn‟t finish her sentence, but Flynn knew what she meant.
    “It‟s not that I don‟t want to take care of Gable, Calley, it‟s just….”
    “I know,” Calley replied, looking at Flynn with compassion in her eyes. “You‟re the polar opposite of Grant, and that makes me more than happy.”
    “You didn‟t have a problem being nice to him during his surprise visit. Despite all the grief he caused Gable,” Flynn confronted her.
    Calley took a deep breath before answering. “What happened between Gable and Grant was none of my business, Flynn. I know Grant hurt Gable, but I can‟t take sides. You have to understand that.”
    “I know that Grant left without even saying good-bye. Like a coward. And you‟re a coward for not involving yourself!” Flynn felt the same anger rise that he felt after seeing Gable‟s ex.
    “Maybe Grant wasn‟t the right man for Gable and he knew that.
    Flynn, it wasn‟t Grant‟s fault that Gable had an accident. I don‟t know what Gable told you, but their relationship was nothing like what you have with Gable, and Grant is a macho man. He cut his losses, but that doesn‟t mean I have to stop talking to him!” Flynn was practically seething. He didn‟t even finish listening to Calley, but stomped outside, slamming the door behind him. How could she protect Grant like that? How could she defend the man to him after all he‟d done to Gable? Flynn paced the parking lot, trying to calm himself down. He needed Calley. Whenever he said he needed some money for supplies, Gable told Flynn he had to talk to Calley, so he couldn‟t deal with this without her help. Yet right now, she rubbed him the wrong way.
    “I know you love him, Flynn.”
    Flynn heard Calley‟s voice behind him, but he didn‟t turn around.
    She sounded calm and amicable, but he was still unsure whether he could stop himself saying things he might regret later, so he continued looking across the nearly empty street.

    90

    Clouds and Rain

    “You probably love him more than he‟s ever been loved before, so it‟s hard for you to understand that someone else could feel differently about Gable. Grant didn‟t love Gable the way you do, Flynn.”
    Flynn sighed. Calley was right. He knew Grant‟s type all too well. For them it was all about the sex, and if commitment came knocking, they ran. Flynn wasn‟t wired that way. Sure, he didn‟t say no to the occasional romp in the hay, but Flynn always wanted more. He wanted it all. Flynn wanted the house and the picket fence and a relationship he could depend on.
    He turned around and faced Calley. “You‟re right. And maybe that‟s what‟s freaking Gable out as well? Maybe I‟m a bit too intense for him.”
    Calley tentatively walked closer. “I think he‟s incredibly drawn to you and feels he can trust you but at the same time, he doesn‟t know what he‟s dealing with.”
    Flynn nodded. “Did he…?”
    “… talk to me about you?” Calley interrupted. “Not in so many words, but he dropped enough hints for me to know how important you are to him.”
    Flynn thought she looked a little smug, but then, this was the Calley he knew, always a little secretive and enigmatic.
    “He does get all starry-eyed when he talks about you,” Calley added. “He turns into this teenage boy whenever your name is mentioned. It‟s really cute.”
    Flynn didn‟t quite know how to feel about hearing Calley refer to Gable as cute. He wasn‟t angry at her any more, though. “So should we expect Grant back any time soon?”
    She shook her head. “He has a job not too far from here, but I told him it would be wise not to show his face around you again. He