Earth and Sky

and his gaze dropped to his feet, where he was kicking around some stalks of wayward straw. He knew he couldn’t hold it against him, so he smiled, more for himself than anyone else. “Bought a nice little mare off him, though.” He turned her around to face Grant. “I’d like you to meet Honeybee.”

    Grant stifled a chuckle, then laughed out loud. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, his spirits clearly lifted. “This is Davenport’s replacement?”

    “What’s wrong with that?” Hunter asked, not ready to admit he knew it looked funny.

    “I suggested you find an easier-to-handle horse, not a little girl’s pony,” Grant answered, still laughing.

    “She’s not a pony!” Hunter replied.

    “No, she isn’t,” Grant replied with another chuckle. “But I bet your feet can almost touch the ground when you’re in the saddle.”

    For a moment, he didn’t know how to take Grant’s comment. He looked at Grant’s teasing face, then at the docile creature with the long eyelashes next to him, and decided it had gone far enough for now, so he took his hat off and used it to swipe at Grant. He missed him by the smallest of margins, but only because Grant moved aside and back. Hunter only had to step forward to corner Grant inside the stable. They both noticed the sudden added privacy, and Grant’s face turned serious. It only took an almost imperceptible nod from Grant before Hunter launched himself at Grant’s mouth and kissed him.

    Hunter felt his control slipping as Grant kissed him back, a strong hand at the back of his head. His arousal grew as he felt the bulge in Grant’s jeans grow more defined as well. He was about to slip his hand into Grant’s pants when the noise of footsteps invaded his blissful cloud. They stopped kissing but didn’t dare move, only looked over the opened half-door of the stall toward the rest of the barn. One of the stable hands walked right into view, looked around as if he’d lost something, noticed the open door, and kicked it closed before walking out again without spotting them. It wasn’t until the sound of the footsteps had died away that they both exhaled loudly.

    “That was fucking close,” Hunter said, leaning a little closer to Grant again.

    Grant gave him a quick peck on the mouth and ruffled his hair. “What would happen if he’d actually registered us being here?”

    “I don’t want to think about it,” Hunter answered sternly before pulling away.

    “Would it be so bad?”

    “Asks the guy who never admitted being gay to anyone,” Hunter was quick to add.

    “You’re not exactly out of the closet either.”

    “That’s because I’m not….” Hunter didn’t finish his sentence, because all of a sudden he couldn’t deny it, at least not to Grant. He turned around and started fiddling with Honeybee’s halter just to occupy his hands. He knew what they’d been doing to each other was enough to prove he was gay, although it had less to do with their actions than with the feelings those actions caused in him. The attraction to men had always been there, he’d just never acted on it before, because sex with women was easier. He didn’t have to hide, and since he wasn’t a bad looker and he owned a flourishing business, he practically had to swat the women off anyway. It wasn’t until Grant came along that he’d realized he could take his secret fantasies further and not be turned off. Quite the contrary. Whenever they were in the same room, sparks were flying, and Hunter found himself avoiding Grant because he was afraid everyone would be able to see it. After a few days it became unbearable, though, and he had to seek him out.

    “I’ve had relationships with women too, Hunter,” Grant admitted. “It makes it confusing, but I know what gives me the satisfaction I crave.”

    Hunter swallowed hard. Was it really that easy? Jeez, they hadn’t even gone all the way. All they’d done was some kissing and groping—and yes, of course, how could he forget those blow jobs in the truck during the downpour? One side of him was glad that Grant was giving him time to explore these new sensations and didn’t push him, but another side wanted more.

    “We have nowhere to go. I can’t bring you inside the house. Not with four women living there. I swear they have eyes in the back of their heads and better hearing than bats! And we can’t do anything in the crew quarters because I’m the boss and I shouldn’t even come there. If