Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run 6)

“You sure pulled out all the stops with the welcoming committee,” he said, gesturing toward her daughter.

“If it makes you feel better, she’s like that with everyone.”

“She’s a little sparkplug,” Ty drawled. He looked at Zane again. He had Sadie propped on his hip, watching her with a smile as she chattered about her pony that she insisted was pink.

Annie laughed. “You have no idea.”

“Mama, I want to see my pony,” Sadie announced.

“What’s your pony’s name?” Zane asked as he set her down.

“Pink Pony!”

Annie laughed at the expression on Zane’s face. Ty glanced at her, but found his eyes going back to Zane.

Zane shook his head and kissed Sadie’s cheek. “She’s your pony. I guess you can name her what you want.”

“Uncle Z had a pony named Tortilla,” Annie told them.

“That’s a silly name for a pony,” Sadie said with a frown.

Zane shot Annie a look before glancing at Ty. Ty smiled warmly when their eyes met. Zane looked back at Sadie. “All right. Go see Pink Pony, and I’ll see you for dinner at Granddaddy’s house, okay?”

“Okay!” she answered, hugging Zane around the leg before running for the door.

“Did you say good-bye to Ty?” Annie called after her.

She didn’t stop running, merely blew him a kiss over her shoulder and followed it with a trailing, “Bye!”

“See you guys later,” Annie said with a wave before jogging after her runaway.

When they were gone, peace and quiet again descended. Ty watched the door for a minute longer, and then looked at Zane with a raised eyebrow. “Wow.”

“Sorry she woke you.” Zane moved close and slid his arms around Ty’s waist. “She promised to stay quiet.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen that type before. She’ll never be quiet again.”

Zane laughed.

Ty put his hands on Zane’s shoulders. “It’s okay, I love the creepy feeling of waking up to someone staring at me.”

“Did you get any rest?”

“Some. You?” He gave Zane a tug and started backing toward the couch.

Zane went along, keeping his arms around Ty. “I sat and stared at you while you slept.”

“Look who thinks he’s funny.”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Zane said as he held tight to Ty and rested his chin on Ty’s shoulder.

“I just came to get a hat.”

Zane laughed and kissed him, bending him backward just enough to force him to hold onto Zane so he wouldn’t fall. It made the butterflies start churning in his chest. He loved when Zane did that to him.

“Then you’re in luck,” Zane said against his lips. “I know just the place to find one.”

“How far away from dinner are we?” Ty asked roughly.

“Formal dinner’s at eight. Drinks beforehand. So we’ve got about thirty minutes. What have you got in mind?”

“I was just wondering if anyone else would be stopping by to look through those big-ass windows or if I could ride you down here on the couch,” Ty said, forcing his voice to sound nonchalant. Zane’s breath caught on a sharp exhale, and Ty plucked at one of the buttons of Zane’s shirt. “Too bad I don’t have a hat, though. Can’t ride without a hat.”

Zane caught Ty’s good hand and placed it on his chest. “Sure you can.”

Ty tried not to smile as he met Zane’s eyes. “Better safe than sorry, huh?”

“No one else will come by,” Zane growled. Then he shrugged and added, “And if they do . . .”

The invitation tugged at Ty, and he took a deep breath as he mulled it over. He didn’t want Zane to come out to his family by being caught in a reverse cowboy on the couch, but the idea had its merits all the same.

Ty’s body was responding, anyway.

He exhaled to calm himself, kissing Zane again as Zane finally straightened up and loosened his hold. They both knew thirty minutes wasn’t enough time.

“Zane?” Ty said, voice more serious. “What do you plan to tell your family about us?”

Zane stared out the bank of windows for a few moments before looking back at Ty. “I’d like to tell them the truth. Can I rent Chester, do you think?

Ty laughed and pushed his fingers through Zane’s hair, fighting against the bout of nerves that fluttered through him.

“I’d like to tell Annie, for sure. She already knows about me; it’s just telling her about you. I think . . . I hope Dad would be okay with it. He’s pretty laid back.” Zane rubbed his cheek against Ty’s shoulder like he could burrow deeper. “If I had a choice, I wouldn’t tell Mother.”

“I’ll follow your lead. I don’t mind telling them we’re just partners if it makes your life easier.”

“I know,” Zane whispered. “But I’m tired of easy. Like you said, we deserve better.”

Ty kissed the side of his mouth, then ducked his head for more.

Zane’s grip tightened on Ty’s hips until it was almost painful. “I love you, Ty. More than anything.” He took a deep breath, as if steadying himself. “But it’d be smarter to wait until things have settled down here.”

“Whatever you think is best.”

Zane nodded, looking drawn and worried. Ty slid his fingers down his lover’s face. He knew where the stress was coming from.

Zane rested his head on Ty’s shoulder and Ty rubbed a hand down his back. “Let’s go get ready.”

Zane held on tight. “Not letting go,” he whispered.

“Okay.” Ty drew out the word with a frown. “But that’s going to make dinner awkward.”

They drove down the private road that serviced the Carter Garrett Ranch, arms hanging out the windows. The land was wide open on both sides, surprisingly green with those strange, knobby little hills and scrub trees, dotted with cactus flats and brush. It seemed tame, but Ty could see just how difficult it would be to traverse, either on foot or in a vehicle.

The land wavered with heat, even as the sun descended. Summer evenings in Texas were apparently blazing hot right up until the sun went down, when they became merely uncomfortably warm.

Zane was so quiet that the silence started getting to Ty, who fidgeted and squirmed more and more. He took his baseball hat off and messed with the bill, then put it back on and removed his sunglasses, wiping them clean before putting them back on and finding something else to mess with. He moved the air vents around and fiddled with the radio buttons, flipping through station after station of static before turning it off altogether.