“Are you enjoying our little cookout?”

  “I am. This is an amazing setup.”

  “Noah and his daddy planned it all out. They went to the Lowe’s and had one of those meetings, you know? Boys and their toys.”

  He smiled, but his toys involved project management software and snowboards. Still, he nodded and smiled, because he was a master at small talk.

  She grinned over at him, and he could see where Noah got his eyes. “How long are you staying?”

  “I’ll have to get back to Aspen in a few days. My business needs me. I’ve been handling it from here, but I have events that require personal attention.” And the mountains were calling.

  “Ah.” Something in her tone made him look at her more closely. Her smile never faded, but she said, “That’s probably good.”

  “Is it?” Ah, the worried mother speech. At some point, you were too old for that, right?

  “Well, this is Texas, sweetie. We all know Noah prefers men, but he does have a lot of people depending on him. He’s a busy man.” She just kept smiling, like a crocodile. “You see, it’ll be better for both of you to keep yourself up in the mountains. They’re more liberal up there, and you can be proud and all, run your little business, and Noah can have an outlet. I mean, he’s an oilman. He has a certain reputation.”

  He stared at her for a second, the white noise in his brain threatening to make him say something unkind. “I would never hurt Noah, Mrs. Wright. I care for him.”

  “Of course you do, that’s obvious.”

  “And I’m not interested in interfering in his business dealings.”

  She blinked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Well, of course not. It’s not like you’ll be marrying in or anything.”

  Don’t do it. Don’t say anything. Mothers are just that way.

  “Please don’t be offended, Mr. O’Reilly. I wouldn’t want you to feel like….”

  “Part of the family? No, ma’am. I don’t think that will be an issue. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get Miss Priss fed.” He stood and scooped up his pup and headed back through the dark toward Noah’s house.

  On the way, he called Rick. “Hey, can you please arrange me a one-way ticket to DIA? I need a seat for me and one for my dog. First class.”

  “For when, babe?” Rick didn’t ask the why, which made him grateful.

  “Tomorrow. Not too early, but not late. I want to come home. I’ll rent a car to get home.”

  “Bullshit. It’s beautiful in Aspen right now. Jeff and I will drive you. A dog?”

  “I found her. She’s beautiful. Miss Priss.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Sure I am. I got the matriarchal ‘don’t hurt the reputation.’ I’ve heard it before.”

  “Did she at least write you a check?”

  “No, go figure. However, I am allowed to keep seeing him so long as I do it in Aspen and promise not to marry him.”

  “Ouch. Oh, babe, we love you.” Rick sighed. “So, first class, you and Miss Priss. What kind of pup is she?”

  “Shih Tzu and Papillon mix?”

  “Oh, good Lord.”

  “Yes. She will bite you so hard and smile doing it. I adopted her today.” He would get her a rhinestone collar and a leash with those rainbow sparkles.

  Rachel would adore her.

  “We can’t wait. Love you. We’ll see you tomorrow with bells on.”

  “Thanks, Rick. I mean it.” He hung up so he could hunt a bowl and some food for his girl. Barb had to have procured some food when she got the bed.

  “Mason? Are you in here?” Noah’s voice came from by the back door, and this was as close to his lover as he’d been since Sammy dropped by for lunch.

  “I am. I was looking for puppy food for my girl.” He kept it light, because it wasn’t Noah’s fault that he needed to go home.

  “Oh, I think Barb said she put some cans in the pantry.” Noah came in and went to the sink to wash his hands before moving to Mason’s side. “Burgers are pretty well done.”

  “That is an amazing setup, man. You Wrights can throw one hell of a party.”

  “Thanks.” Noah watched him carefully. “You’re upset. What happened?”

  “Just the standard ‘you’re not good enough for my son’ talk. Nothing special.” There was no reason to lie. Noah wasn’t stupid, and Mason wasn’t upset so much as disappointed.

  “My mom?” Noah sighed. “I’m sorry, honey. I really am. She can be so protective.”

  “I hear that’s common. Don’t worry, I have her permission to see you so long as I stay in Colorado and don’t marry you.”

  Noah’s face went kind of slack with shock. “Oh, wow. Well, it’s a good thing I’m not the marrying kind, huh?”

  Funny that no one ever asked him if he was. “It’s okay, Noah. I’m going to head home tomorrow, I think. I have work waiting for me. Rachel is starting to panic, and I know your people are stressing too.”

  “Wait, what?” Noah took his wrist in a light grip. “I thought we had some time.”

  “Mister, I get more face time with you when I’m in Aspen, and we both know it. I can’t just sit here when there’s work back home.”

  Noah stared at him for a long moment, his face grim. “I don’t want you to go so soon, Mason. Please.”

  “Tell me you have time to spend.” He knew better, but Noah was breaking his heart.

  “I cleared my schedule.” Which was a nonanswer. So much of what Noah did every day was unscheduled. Everyone wanted a piece of him. Mason understood. He really did. But he was bored and hanging around. He felt useless with the ranch stuff, and he was… lonely.

  “I know. I did too. But—”

  Noah’s phone rang, the ringtone like an air-raid siren. “Shit. That’s an emergency. I have to take it. I’m sorry.”

  “No worries, Mister.” He was doing the right thing. He really was. Noah had a life. He had a life. Hopefully their lives would meet every now and again.

  He dug out food for Miss Priss, then watched her eat while Noah stepped out of the kitchen with his phone. If he wanted commitment, well…. He was getting a dog, wasn’t he?

  Chapter 21

  “N o. No, I don’t think that’s going to work for me. You write up a new proposal, and I’ll look at it Monday.” He thought Mike Levain was a good man, but he was asking for a lot of money for improvements to a shared drilling operation, and ecologically it would just be better to shut the thing down. More cost-effective too. “I need something that’s going to make it worth the work and make it less damaging to the site, Mike.”

  He hated turning people down, but that seemed like all he was doing lately.

  Noah checked his cell phone since he was on his office phone with Mike. He’d texted Mason earlier, and he was hoping for a reply.

  It had broken his heart to see Mason go, but he got it. He did. Hell, he hadn’t even been able to tell Mason goodbye in person. He’d had to leave for a site that evening. Mason had been decent, but Noah thought his lover was hurt, angry.

  So much for pampering Mason and getting him to fall in love with the ranch. He would be lucky if Mason ever came back.

  He hadn’t been able to face his momma either, not knowing she’d warned Mason off. That was pushing too damned far.

  No reply. Damn. Mason had a small convention he was running through Saturday, but Noah had hoped.

  His phone beeped, and he grabbed it, sighing when Jonah’s name popped up.

  Dinner?

  Not the best company today

  Stop pouting and come bend my ear. I’ll buy

  Where

  Pick u up in 10

  Shit, was he still on with Mike? “Sorry, Mike, did I space on you?”

  “I’ll get you what you need, Monday.”

  “Thanks, man. Sorry, I was just out of it for a minute. I appreciate it.” He would work something else for Mike too. A counter. He wouldn’t leave the guy without income.

  “Yeah. Talk to you.”

  He hung up his office phone, and then his phone beeped again.

  He checked it, relieved as hell when Mason’s name popped up.

  Hey u. Miss u like crazy

  Miss you. What are you up to?

  About to serve supper 2 40 buttheads. U?

  About to go to dinner with 1. Jon

  Ah. U home 2morrow?

  I am —he would be come hell or high water—Skype?

  Please. Gotta go. Love!

  Noah found himself beaming when he walked out of his office. Mason always made his day better. “Maydell, why are you still here?”

  “Noah, dear. I was wrapping up those reports for the EPA. I thought you’d be off already.”

  “I’m heading out to dinner with Jonah. Can you call Bill and let him know I won’t need him?”

  “Of course, dear. How’s Mr. O’Reilly?”

  “Good. Doing a convention this week.”

  “Tell him I said hello, would you?” She smiled at him, just as decent as could be. She liked Mason. Too bad his mom hadn’t taken the same time to get to know his lover.

  That probably wasn’t fair. Momma was a momma, and she was a bear. Maybe he’d go talk to her after all.

  “I will. Let me walk you out to your car.”

  “Oh, thank you, dear.” She chattered at him on the way out, and he hated to admit he missed most of it.

  His mind was on other things. Personal things.

  “Noah, can I give you a bit of advice?”

  “Of course.” He never said no to anyone older than him when they offered.

  “At some point, you have to let yourself have what you need most, no matter what. I won’t be indelicate, but Mason loves you. Any idiot can see that.”

  “I know. I love him too.” He did. So much it hurt every day they were apart. Like an open wound.

  “Then do something about it, dear. I know my boss. He is not an idiot.”

  “No? Sometimes I wonder.” He bent to kiss her cheek. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Tell Jonah to be polite.”

  “I will. Not that it will do any good.” Jonah would take him to someplace fancy and burp the alphabet or take him all the way out to someplace like Billy Bob’s or Southern Junction and get in a bar fight.

  It might be fun, believe it or not. Noah could totally blow off steam and call in sick tomorrow. That way he would be there whenever Mason wanted to skype.

  He needed to see his lover, face-to-face.

  Chapter 22

  “B oss, you have the numbers for the ski week proposal?”

  “Right here, Rach. I’m at the ranch, for fu….”

  “Family harvest festival, boss. Language.”

  “Right. Sorry. I’ve got the printouts. As soon as Stoney’s done with his hayride, we’ll meet. Thanks for the reminder.”

  “No worries. I’ll talk to you then.”

  He clicked off his phone and took a deep, deep breath. Okay. Mason just needed to go kick off the three-legged race and he could sit a minute.

  The families were amazing—mostly gay couples with a handful of lesbians and some poly families having a weekend of costumes and spooky stories and hayrides.

  Stoney was having a ball.

  Ford kinda looked… bemused every time Mason saw him. He thought Ford was rather like his Noah. He’d been used to a very different life before returning to the Leanin’ N.

  Now Ford was holding a little girl and assuring her that monsters weren’t real and that he would find her daddies straightaway.

  “Can I help?” Mason smiled gently. “What are your daddies’ names, sweetie?” Ford had dealt with one kid. Quartz. This was more Mason’s area.

  “Daddy and Da.”

  “Well, let’s find them.” Really, all he needed to do was search for two panicked fathers and he could be a her—

  There they were.

  “Look who’s here!”

  “Daddy! Da!” The little girl squealed. “You finded them.”

  Ford handed over the wee one with a strained smile, and the two dads piled on effusive thanks.

  “How do people do that?” Ford asked. “Have those little creatures, knowing they’ll give you heart attacks?”

  “Ask your husband, man.” Although he wouldn’t be opposed to a baby. Jaycee was the light of his life.

  “Nah, that was stupid luck. Ask him to tell you that story one day.” Ford winked. “Apple cider?”

  “Yes, please. This seems to be a good event, huh? Everyone seems to be having a good time.”

  “It does. I like it. It’s low-rent but high-entertainment for the dollar. I think we ought to do it again next year.”

  “You know where to find me. Stoney is having a ball.” The cowboy was dressed up like an Old West stagecoach driver, complete with huge drooping mustache.

  “I know. It’s unnatural.” Ford dipped up hot mulled cider. “It’s great to see Angie wrangling that team.”

  “And Quartz is doing great with the pony rides.” Stoney and Angie rescued ponies from terrible conditions and fostered them at the ranch. Rather than making them walk in circles, Quartz led each pony out with a rider one at a time, leading them around the paddock. “You’ve made a cowboy of him.”

  Ford snorted. “That boy’s going to be the most illustrious engineer in history.”

  “Yeah?” Now he knew what to get Quartz for Christmas. Some kind of building set. He owed the kid for dog wrangling.

  “Yep.” Ford peered at him. “We hoped we might see Noah this weekend.”

  “I haven’t even talked to him in a week. He’s very busy.” Obviously. Because they hadn’t skyped in three of those weeks.

  “Oh.” Ford flushed. “Sorry, I just assumed. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. He’s…. He’s married to the corporation. I’m his consort, so to speak.”

  “That sounds sad, Mason.” Ford held up his hands. “I mean, your business is your business. I’m sorry if I’m out of line.”

  “We’re friends, aren’t we?” He had Rick and Jefferson. Rach. He wanted to count the Leanin’ N group among those friends.

  “We are. I might even have a unique perspective on Noah’s side of the situation. Maybe he needs help understanding that just because you’ve done something one way a long while doesn’t mean you can’t change it.”

  “I don’t want him to change, Ford.” Mason shook his head, sighing softly. “I love him. I love that he’s driven. I just… I don’t know. His life is so huge and full and electric, and mine is… not.”

  He had Miss Priss and his condo and work.

  “Don’t sell yourself short. He told me how much he admired you after the wedding. How you handled everything with a cool head and a warm heart.”

  “We’re not breaking up. I’m just… lonely.” Maybe he should see if Noah could come up for a day or two around Christmas. They could go on a sleigh ride and drink hot cocoa….

  “Call him.” Ford winked.

  “You two look too serious.” Geoff joined them, peering into the cider container. “Refill. How are the cheese pumpkins and crackers holding up?”

  “Tiny is doing a glorious job, Geoff.” The big man could make a cheese tray.

  “He’s amazing. Okay, I’ve got cupcakes cooling to be frosted, and the kids will all take back a goodie bag. Am I missing anything?”

  “I don’t think so. We’re almost done. It’s been a good day.”

  “It has.” Geoff didn’t bother with polite hands-off advice like Ford. He just gave one of the best hugs ever.

  Mason took it. He needed it. Hell, he needed it bad.

  Geoff held on until it was time to let go, he guessed, and Mason thought he might just make it through the day.

  His nights? Well, they belonged to Miss Priss.

  * * *

  A soft knock on the door of his home office had Noah exploding up out of his chair, cell phone in hand. Really? He was just about to finally sit down to call Mason and someone was fucking knocking?

  “What?” He flung open the door, ready to tear someone’s head off.

  “Don’t you fucking snarl at me, Ark. I am fat and grumpy, and I will kill your ass!”

  Noah sighed. “I love you, Sammy, but you have the worst timing.”

  “Like that’s news. Can I sit?”

  “Come sit with me in the front room. The recliner is way more comfy than my meeting chair.”

  “It’s fine.” She brushed past him into his office, so Noah closed the door.

  He sat behind his desk, steepling his fingers on the wood top.

  “So, why aren’t you still seeing the party planner? Was it Momma?”

  “What? I was just about to call him when you showed up.”

  “Jonah says you love him.”

  “I do.”

  “So why is he in Colorado? Is he too good for us?”

  “No. He thinks we’re too good for him.” He raised a hand when she opened her mouth. “That’s not entirely fair.”

  “Ah, it was Momma.”

  “Yeah.” Dammit. And damn Momma too for putting this wedge in between them. “Hell, Sammy, what if that’s not all of it? What if he came down and saw my life and decided not to buy into the Wright insanity?”

  “Why on earth would he do that? You got everything a person could want.” Sammy rubbed her belly. “Is he still with you?”

  “I think so?” He sat back, rolling his head on his neck. “It’s been three weeks since we could skype. I mean, he’s answering my texts, he’s calling. I miss him so bad, but it’s like the universe is conspiring to keep us apart.”

  “If he loves you, he’d make the world move to get y’all together.”

  Noah blinked. Okay. Okay, sure, but why was that Mason’s responsibility alone? “How do I make time, Sammy? How do I get all of the calls and emergencies and meetings to stop long enough to go?”

  She stared his ass down. “When they call you, you tell them to call me. Or Doug. Or even Daddy. Jonah knows all your damn passwords. If I call you? Then you panic, because your nephew is coming. Otherwise, you don’t answer your damn phone. Ark, why do you think I went traveling for so long?”

  “Because you’re a free spirit who likes to break the rules.” He didn’t even think hard on that.