Free A Prairie Dog's Love Song by Eli Easton

than chest.”
    “Then old Jenks stood up. You know how crazy he is about Old West history. He said cowboys humped each other all the time, back in the day, cause they were on the trail so long, and there weren’t any women. And some of ’em even paired up for keeps, living together like two old bachelors—wink, wink—so he didn’t see how we could get all uppity about it, like it weren’t something real men did, when that was ‘part of the history of the true West.’”
    Joshua grunted.
    “And Amy Wentworth said she wrote gay fan fiction for some TV show called Supernova or somethin’, and that she already shipped you and Ben. Then Madge said all the arguing gave her a headache. And Bill said maybe he should go into porn, ’cause they likely didn’t have headaches all the time. And about then Ike said ‘better a good-looking boy like Ben than sheep.’ And I swear that was aimed at someone in particular, I just know it, but I can’t figure out who.”
    Joshua had a few ideas, but he didn’t say them.
    “Then folks started eatin’, and that was that.”
    Nora paused to take a breath. “I never woulda guessed some good would come outta Jenks reading all them Western history books. But I think folks took what he said kinda serious. Like, if it was some modern laxitudiness comin’ into town, that was one thing, but hell, if the old boys done it….”
    Joshua grunted. “Nora, what’s the gist of it?”
    Nora patted his arm. “Joshua, you’re a fine human being and good rancher, and most people have never heard you string more than three words together in your life, so folks know this is important to you.
    “The gist of it is, not everyone’s gonna be dancing at your weddin’, and I reckon you’ll lose a few customers. But no one’s gonna run you outta town, shoot your livestock, or spit on you at Mickey D’s. You bring Ben home, you two’ll be fine.”
    Joshua shook his head. He should have felt relieved about that, but now a new concern was born, and it ate at him with sharp little teeth.
    He looked down at his rough hands. They sure weren’t polished and fine like the boys of B2B.
    “Now that I put my intentions out there, what if I can’t get Ben to come home? Or what if he comes home and he don’t want me? I’ll look like a fool.”
    Nora eyed him up and down. “Honey, don’t take this the wrong way, but you are one seriously hot piece of sausage. Now that you’ve outed yourself, if Ben don’t take you up on it, we’re gonna have queer cowboys linin’ Main Street trying for their shot.” She snorted. “Hell, maybe we’ll start us a gay pride parade.”
    Joshua could almost picture it. And suddenly, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

~10~
     
    B EN GOT off the Greyhound bus and looked around the parking lot. His dad’s truck was there, but Chet wasn’t waiting for him in it like he was supposed to be. Ben put his bags in the back and looked around, but there was no sign of his brother or the keys. He checked his phone for messages, feeling disappointed. Chet knew what time his bus got in. Hell, it was weird enough that Chet wouldn’t come pick him up at the airport in Billings, and that Ben had been told to take the bus to Clyde’s Corner. But his dad’s surgery was tomorrow, so maybe Chet was busy at the hospital. Then why hadn’t he left the keys in the truck?
    The bus left. Ben found himself alone, and he shivered. He’d missed the cold, crisp air of Montana, but his blood had lost the feel for it. He cautiously walked to the end of the parking lot so he could peek down Main Street. There was a good foot of snow on the sidewalks. Main Street looked so pretty in the dark, with the garlands and lights, and the big tree all lit up at Town Hall. The street stretched off farther toward the lights of Gibbon’s Theater and Nora’s Diner and, farther down, Macy’s Park. There were a lot of people on the sidewalks tonight, just hanging out. And there were a slew of lights