“I call poetry.”

Josh shoved him, and he shoved back because hell, that was how they rolled.

“Not as bad as the summer you decided you wanted to be an astronaut—” Josh began.

Jack threatened him with the knife he’d been cutting the steaks with. “We do not speak of the summer of ’89.”

Josh grinned, then shook his head. “It’s different to the kinds of shit we got into.”

“You want me to talk to him?” Jack and Logan had always got on, and Logan loved horses. Jack connected well with anyone who loved animals.

Josh nodded. “I think I took my eye off the ball with him. What with Anna an’ all.”

“These things happen.”

“Well, I appreciate it.”

Jack couldn’t resist tagging on a proviso. After all, he didn’t want Riley to find out that he’d worn a tin hat indoors and spoken like a robot for his entire seventh summer. Well, not from Josh anyway. “On the understanding we don’t mention that summer.”

Josh raised a single eyebrow. “That’s, like, my last blackmailing chip.”

“Your choice. You want me to be Uncle of the Year, we never mention the tin hat.” Jack started to laugh, he couldn’t help himself—the look on Josh’s face was comical. He bumped shoulders with Josh, then poked the coals. They were white now; time for meat.

Riley sauntered over with beers in one hand and Connor tucked in the other. “Thought he should be one of the boys.” Connor babbled something, twisted tiny fingers into Riley’s hair, and yanked. “Yep, see. He didn’t want no girly hair shit they got going on.” Riley deliberately roughened his words and slurred them a little, which had Josh and Jack staring at him like he’d lost his mind.

It led to more laughing. Which was definitely how they rolled.

Luckily Beth and Steve turned up at that moment, and Riley was distracted by the arrival. Emily immediately ran over to Sarah, who was now with Lea and Hayley, and Steve lifted Cam out of his car seat. Steve and Cam joined the others at the barbecue.

“This the guys’ area? Cam here is looking for beer.”

Riley and Steve exchanged parenting nightmares, people ate steak, and at one point Max sat on the steps of the porch next to Logan. He didn’t stay long; Jack gave him some steak in one bowl and salad in another. Max had taken to refusing food if it was mixed together. Although somehow salad with dressing seemed to be on the okay list. Carol took Max back inside; apparently they had important things to do. Jack resolved to encourage Max back outside as soon as it grew dark. Max was less anxious in the dark, and Riley had suggested it was because he assumed people couldn’t see him. Jack wasn’t entirely sure that was the reason, but he did agree the idea was probably on the right track. Low light was probably kinder on Max’s brain, but who knew what was in Max’s head? Riley caught Jack staring and leaned in. Connor reached out and patted Jack’s face.

“Everything okay?” Riley asked.

“Yeah. Thinking we should get Max to come out later.”

Riley nodded. “I’ll go in and see him for a bit now.”

Jack watched as Riley left, gathering Lexie in his free arm from Eden and walking into the house. He stopped and chatted to Logan, who at least answered back, if not animatedly. Seemed to Jack that Logan had the whole emo-kid thing going on, but that was not like him. Who was Jack to say what Logan should or shouldn’t be doing? At Logan’s age, Jack was trying to run the Double D and had spent every waking minute living and breathing the survival of the ranch.

The coals were cooling, the cooking done, and Robbie and Eli joined them with more beer. Liam sat with them, anxiously checking his phone. Marcus was probably going to be here at any time. The only people missing were Darren and Vaughn, who had gone down to Laredo to sign final papers on the full sale of the Bar Five. Now was as good a time as any to have a quiet chat with Logan. Jack grabbed a beer and made his way over in the least suspicious way he could. Which, for Jack, was sauntering and pretending to look at anywhere but at the steps and Logan.

He finally made it. “This seat taken?”

Logan glanced up at him, pointedly looked at the empty seats out under the gazebo, then with a heavy sigh, he nodded his assent.

“How’s school?” Jack went straight in there. With hindsight, he wished he’d asked about the food, the weather, the Cowboys, horses… anything, really. Because what had started out with good intentions immediately morphed into Logan pursing his lips and hiding behind his long bangs.

“It’s fine,” he snapped. Then he stood. “I need a drink.”

And with that he left, not toward the buckets of water and ice that held cans of soft drinks, but over toward the cars, before disappearing around the corner, talking on his phone.

“That went well,” Beth said as she sat next to Jack.

“Josh asked me to try talking to him. Didn’t go the way I’d hoped.”

“He asked me. I tried when he was in the kitchen. He mumbled something about exams and disappeared.”

The fact that Josh asked Beth didn’t surprise Jack. Logan worshiped her, always had done, but to hear he’d shut Beth down was worrying.

“And he didn’t say anything else?”

“Not that I could make out.”

“I’ll try to talk to him again.”

But Connor was fractious, cutting a tooth, and Sarah complained of feeling sick. So, with Connor on his mind and worrying about poor little Sarah, Jack never got to talk to Logan.

CHAPTER TEN

Everyone left by ten, and Riley helped clear up whatever was left of the barbecue, before slumping dramatically on the porch swing. The swing moved, and he gently pushed with his toe to enjoy the late evening. Jack chose his moment and sat next to him, and they exchanged news about Logan, Josh, and Eden. They sat until it turned midnight, the ranch was quiet and there was darkness everywhere.

By unspoken agreement they crossed to the barn. Their barn. Jack unlocked the door and locked it behind them.

“I’ve been thinking all day about what I want to do to you,” Riley said. At that moment it was made very clear who would be in charge tonight.

He shoved Jack a little, back from the door and into the main space that was little more than clean hay and blankets. There was a soft light that Jack had hooked up to electric, and it cast a small glow on the ground. Not enough to brighten the space like sunlight, but they could see each other. That was all they needed. Riley wasn’t lying; he’d been fantasizing since their talk about getting Jack to himself, being in their space, and with a whole lot of added detail. He was going to tease Jack until his husband couldn’t bear it anymore—that was a given.

“What?” Jack unbuttoned his shirt and unzipped jeans. All the while Riley watched as he edged back toward the center and the low light.

“Boots off,” he said.

Jack complied without a word.

Riley glanced to where he knew the soft silky rope sat innocently coiled over one of the old pens. It was made for this kind of play, and as they stepped past with Jack now nearly naked, Riley grabbed it. Jack paused in pushing off his boxers, but only for a second, then those too were off and he was standing gloriously naked in front of Riley. Jack’s cock was hard, and he circled it with one hand. Riley didn’t tell him no. How could he? Standing here fully clothed and watching Jack move his hand over his cock was making Riley so hard.

“Hands,” he ordered.

Jack held out one hand, and with some reluctance he added the second, shiny on the palm where pre-cum had smeared.

“All day, Riley. I wanted you all fucking day.”

Riley nodded. He couldn’t say a word. He could bend Jack over and fuck him into tomorrow. They would get off in a minute, and as fast as they connected, he would be coming deep inside Jack. He was so tempted. He didn’t move, but he groaned his pleasure at Jack’s words.