Clouds and Rain

Owens

    The throbbing in Gable‟s leg was easing off now that he had been sitting for a while. It was a balmy evening, the quiet before the storm, and he watched Flynn sitting on the steps, head resting back against the post with his eyes closed. Gable even thought he saw a smile on his face, yet he couldn‟t help but think he was working Flynn too hard. He was up as early as Gable, which even in late summer was a pretty early dawn. He worked all day, tirelessly, and never hesitated in bringing Gable some water to drink whenever he got some for himself. On top of that, he‟d made dinner for the two of them every single day.
    Although Gable could easily get used to the royal treatment, he knew he‟d better not. Flynn was a drifter and Gable knew he‟d be gone as soon as the horses were sold. No use trying to hold him back.
    “Think we should muster the herd from the far paddock?” Flynn asked eventually, not even bothering to open his eyes. “I could take Bridget? She doesn‟t listen to me like she does you, but she knows what to do.”
    Gable gave it some thought. Way back when he wasn‟t doing this alone, they‟d have ridden out together and it would have taken them no more than an hour to get the horses closer to the ranch, where they would be better protected against the elements. Now he couldn‟t risk it.
    Not with his bad leg and Flynn‟s inexperience. “We‟ll just have to hope that it doesn‟t get too bad,” Gable answered. He watched Flynn concede, and turned away so he didn‟t have to look at the disappointment on his face. With some trepidation he lifted his leg off the stool and gently brought it back into contact with the floor, then got up from the chair.
    “You didn‟t used to run this ranch alone, did you? Before…
    before your accident?”
    Gable stopped in the doorway as he heard Flynn‟s hesitant voice.
    He couldn‟t turn around, couldn‟t show the kid the emotion in his face.
    He found he couldn‟t walk on either. How could he explain to him how much he missed his companion, how much he missed being held and touched? How he missed that much more than the help around the ranch?

    14

    Clouds and Rain

    Suddenly Gable felt a hand on his back and he almost retreated, but despite the warm night air, the heat that emanated from it felt so good he simply stood there, needing all his strength not to turn around and pull the young man into his arms.
    “No, there were two of us, but he left,” Gable answered curtly, hoping his voice wouldn‟t betray his heartache. He took a step forward, away from Flynn. And then another, and before he knew it, he was alone in his bedroom.

    15

    Zahra Owens

    Chapter 3

    FLYNN couldn‟t sleep. It was raining cats and dogs, and out of his bedroom window he could just spot the horses huddled together in the shed. On top of that, the conversation he‟d had with Gable kept playing in his mind. Gable had clearly said “ he left” and the overwhelming emotions that came with that admission left no doubt in Flynn‟s mind that Gable had meant that “he” was a lover, not just a guy who worked the ranch with him. Flynn wasn‟t sure if he was happy or sad about what Gable had revealed. Of course it was nice to know that Gable liked men, but did that mean that Flynn had a chance with him? He liked the man, lusted after him too, and he had to admit that he didn‟t mind being the transitional man, the rebound guy. He didn‟t believe in everlasting love anyway, and if anything came of him and Gable, he could easily stick around longer than the agreed-upon six weeks. In fact, a year or so in the same place was starting to sound nice, although he didn‟t really count on it. Gable only seemed to tolerate his company because of the work he did.
    Despite Gable‟s gruff exterior, Flynn had more than once seen the tenderness the man could show, especially to the horses. They seemed to take to him naturally as he walked among them, respecting their herd mentality as well as their individuality.
    After Flynn had again dared to suggest to Gable that they needed to start training the horses, Gable had given him an impressive demonstration of exactly what his bond with those animals was by picking a colt out of the herd and taking it into the corral to accept first a bridle, and then a saddle. The horse barely protested, and when it did, Gable soothed it, stood by it silently, and gave the horse the time to adjust. The colt was too young to be ridden, but