"In my experience the transfer will cause a few issues, so yeah, but gentle stuff," Robbie commented.

"Agreed." What Robbie said made sense. Out of the three, Daisy, Storm, and Catty, only Daisy was restless and irritable. The other two were calm and still. Jack climbed the stable door and stood by Daisy, just talking low and gentle. The scent of the horse was reassuring and he murmured soft words.

"It'll be fine little lady… you'll like it here…" On and on he chatted and stroked and settled the feisty roan. Alex brayed a disapproving warning from her stall. She'd probably be put out that Jack was spending time with new horses. His girls were possessive and loving. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Robbie join Alex in the stall on the other side and when Alex finally settled Jack knew one thing.

He had found the right man in Robbie.

CHAPTER 7

Riley might have known Josiah wouldn't let things rest. Even after contracts were finalized he was causing trouble and the latest press release from Santone Corp was absolutely perfect evidence of that.

He was pacing and didn't stop even when Eli walked into his office and stared in amusement.

"What's wrong?" his friend asked.

"Nothing," Riley snapped.

"Okay."

"Shit. Fuck. Why would he do this?"

Eli stopped Riley's pacing only by physically standing in his way and when they collided it was enough to snap Riley out of his anger.

"Start from the beginning?"

"It doesn't matter. One of the partners in this deal has issued a press release and it got my back up more than you can think."

"What did it say?"

"Long story short, he's come over all 'I'm guiding the young Riley Hayes, son of Gerald Hayes, to stop him from making mistakes like his daddy'." Riley looked to Eli for a reaction. Eli had never actually met Gerald Hayes but Riley had told him enough to give his friend the idea that they didn't get on.

"Who's printed it?"

"Everyone."

"What does it mean for you? Will it undermine what you've done, or is it just embarrassing shit? Or can you just ignore it until it is yesterday's news?"

Riley sighed. This was just Josiah taking a pop at him in the hope of stirring something. All the anger and need to smack something disintegrated in a second and he perched on the edge of his desk.

"You're right."

"I am?"

"It's just embarrassing. And fuck, they didn't even get my surname right."

"Okay. So here's what you do. Contact the big presses with a release. Something about how you love learning from the old guys so you can see what you could do differently."

"That would be childish," Riley said.

"Damn right it would. Doesn't mean you have to do it… but you know you could."

"Since when did you get so wise, Eli? As I remember it, your advice at college was confined to sexual positions, pranks, and kinds of beer." Riley was joking but something twinged inside him when Eli's answering grin dimmed a little. Riley watched as his friend caught himself and replaced the nervous, thin-lipped smile with his trademark grin again. Something was in Eli's eyes, a flicker of pain, of hurt, and Riley wanted Eli to know he was here for him. How did he even say that when all he was working on was instinct?

"Shit happens," Eli quipped. "You promised me lunch?"

Riley grabbed his phone and led the way out of his office, passing Kathy with a nod and a "be back later". They walked a short distance from the office until they found a café and both ordered chicken salad. Hot days called for ice water and a beer.

"You never said what you were up to when you decided to leave college."

"You mean when I was kicked out?"

"You did crash the dean's car."

"It was an accident." Eli looked so damned serious but then his face broke into a grin. "Nice car. Shame it was totaled. Dad replaced it but it was the first in a long list of life lessons. Now you see me"—he gestured down at himself—"all responsible and grown up."

"I was sorry to hear about your dad."

"Ten for drug dealing you mean?" Eli wasn't expecting a response and Riley simply nodded. "Apparently he'd blown his inheritance, hence he's blown mine, blah blah, etcetera, and so on. We don't talk. In fact we stopped talking when I, in his words, decided to be gay when I was sixteen. Then we moved on to a simple financial relationship. Not nice."

"I remember you said that."

"I did?" Eli looked surprised. Clearly he didn't share that story around.

"You were drunk at the time."

"That explains my lack of discretion then. Of course it didn't help that Mom did the whole Playboy MILF spread." Eli shook his head in disbelief at what he was saying. Riley imagined his friend was still reeling from that one as well. "Then there was the cancer."

Riley was busy looking at the approaching waiter with their food and his arrival broke into the conversation. As soon as the guy left Riley simply ignored his food and looked at Eli. Cancer? He hadn't heard that right. Surely not Eli?

"Cancer? Your mom? Dad?"

Eli twisted his mouth in a parody of a smile then tapped his side. "No, me. In my kidney. It's rare for people under forty to get kidney cancer but leave it to me to be the one in a million. Had the diagnosis maybe a few months after I left college, moved back home, had the treatment. Instead of taking out all of the kidney, the surgeon just removed the tumor and the part of the kidney surrounding it. Lost my hair though with the chemo." He tapped his head. The hair there was thick and tamed and Riley couldn't actually picture Eli without hair.

"Shit. I'm sorry." Riley sat back in his seat, deflated.

Eli shrugged.

"It's done with now. The meds I was on made me tired and I hated that. I was trapped inside for such a long time. So when I was better, a few years back I suppose, I took my camera and left the house to get some air. Haven't looked back."

Riley extended his arm to touch Eli but hesitated. Eli may not want sympathy. Instead Eli grabbed his hand and held it. They gripped hands across the table and Riley felt regret swell inside him that he hadn't been there for his friend.