Page 6 of Dust and Desire
Colt laughed, that rich sound again. “Smart man. Though there’s nothing quite like that eight-second rush. Pure adrenaline.”
We’d stopped walking, standing near the arena fence as the sun continued its descent. The evening air was thick with the scent of hay and leather, horses and dust. It smelled like home in a way that made my chest ache.
“So, what’s the deal with the boyfriend?” I found myself asking before I could stop the words.
Colt’s eyebrows shot up. “Boyfriend?”
Heat flooded my face. Shit. Had I misread the situation? “I just... I thought... aren’t you with someone? Eli something?”
“Eli Daniels,” Colt said slowly, a strange expression crossing his face. “Where’d you hear that?”
“I don’t know, just... word gets around the circuit, you know? About who’s with who.” I was babbling now, desperate to backtrack. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s...” Colt ran a hand through his red hair, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “Eli and I, we’re...” He let out a long sigh. “We’re together. I need to get used to sayin’ it.” He gave me a good once-over. “You gay too?”
I shot him the friendliest smile I had to offer. “Fuck yeah.” I looked out over the pasture, watching the sky fill with golds and reds as the sun went down. “Been gay as long as I can remember. You ain’t got nothin’ to worry about with me.”
The tension in his shoulders eased in an instant. “Sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I spent so long keepin’ it a secret that I still get those knee-jerk reactions, you know?”
“I get it,” I nodded. “Sorry to hear you’re taken though.” Colt lifted an eyebrow in my direction, but I ignored it. I knew what I said. “Anyone else in this town like us? Or is it just you and Eli?”
“Actually,” he smiled, giving me a nudge. “There’s a lot of us. Me and Eli, Logan and Dakota, Beau and Lucas, and most recently, Rowan and Brooks.”
“So only couples,” I sighed. “But a lot more than I expected.”
“Yeah, this place has become a bit of a gay magnet.” He paused. “And actually, the guy that saved this ranch, the investor, he’s single. His name is Dustin.” Colt glanced toward the north end of the ranch. “He’s as handsome as they come, but I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so… I don’t know…lonesome.”
Lonesome. I knew what that felt like.
“You know what? You should come out to the diner tomorrow night. We’re all doing karaoke. It’s kind of a tradition of ours.”
“Buncha gays singing show tunes?” I laughed. “How original.”
“We sing country songs too,” Colt shot back with a chuckle.
“I bet I can sing better than you,” I grinned, my competitiveness kicking in. “If I can’t date the most handsome man in town, I might as well kick his ass, right?”
Colt squared his shoulders, giving me a good once-over before he crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “I’m the best lookin’andthe best singer.”
I matched his pose, not backing down despite the fact that I was much smaller than him. “I guess we’ll just have to see about that.”
“You lookin’ for a rival, Reyes?”
“Looks like I already got one,Dawson.”
He gave me a discerning look that melted into a smile. “Fine,” he said, holding out his hand. “You’re on.”
I grasped his hand, giving it a strong shake. “Damn right.”
Chapter 3
Dustin
Istood outside Dolly’s Diner, shifting back and forth nervously. It wasn’t the first time I’d been invited to karaoke, and not even the first time I’d attended, but that didn’t stop the nerves from acting up. The singing wasn’t the difficult part, not that I ever did that. It was just the socializing… and the realization that I was the only one there without anyone. It made me feel horribly out of place.
I forced myself to take a deep breath. I was being pathetic again and feeling bad for myself. And what did I have to feel bad about? I had money, my own place, and all the peace I could ask for. I wasn’t tied down to a marriage anymore either. But I still couldn’t help feeling like an outsider, like a stray that the others tolerated out of some sense of pity.
I pushed open the glass door to Dolly’s, the familiar chime announcing my arrival. The diner was exactly what you’d expect from a small Texas town. It had red vinyl booths, checkered linoleum floors, and the lingering scent of coffee and fried food permeated everything. But tonight it felt different, alive with laughter and the buzz of conversation from the back corner where someone had set up a karaoke machine.
