Free Clouds and Rain by Zahra Owens

of me. I guess the last thing he wanted was for the other guys to think he was queer, but I know for a fact that what he chased in town was cock, not women.”
    Flynn was a little surprised by Gable‟s colorful choice of language, but he wanted to know more about Grant, so he urged Gable to continue.
    “Was he unfaithful to you?”
    Gable nodded. “And he didn‟t bother hiding it either. His excuse was that he needed it. And he needed more than I could give him.”
    “Hell, Gable, you didn‟t need to put up with that!” Flynn almost shouted. His voice sounded too loud, so he continued in a softer tone.
    “You deserve better than that.” Flynn kissed Gable‟s neck and snuggled closer, resting his cheek against the back of Gable‟s shoulder.
    “Grant didn‟t believe in cuddling or kissing much. And certainly didn‟t believe in us sleeping together. His room was your room, and if he slept in the house, it was in that bed. But the longer he was here, the more he‟d disappear. I‟d hear him sneak out late at night. Sometimes he was back in the morning, sometimes he was gone for three or four days, and he‟d come back looking like he hadn‟t slept all the while he was away.”
    “Is that what happened when you got hurt? Was Grant not around to take you to the doctor?”
    Gable didn‟t say anything immediately. He swallowed hard and Flynn thought he was fighting off tears, but eventually he answered.
    “I was breaking in horses. In the corral. He‟d left the night before and I didn‟t expect him back, but I needed to get the horses ready for auction, so I had to keep working. One of the big ones threw me trying 53

    Zahra Owens

    to jump out of the corral and my foot got caught in the stirrup. He dragged me along for a good while until the stirrup leather broke, but by then I‟d been knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I couldn‟t move. I hurt all over, but I couldn‟t figure out why I couldn‟t move.
    Eventually it got a bit better, but it still took me three days to crawl back to the barn.”
    “Three days? My God, Gable, and that bastard didn‟t show?”
    “I haven‟t seen him since that night he left. Calley found me and called an ambulance. I guess he somehow found out what happened and just decided to come pack his things and disappear for good. He wasn‟t the type of guy to take care of a cripple.” Flynn squeezed Gable closer, hoping to convey that he was nothing like Grant. “You‟re not a cripple.”
    “Yes, I am. I can barely walk, I can‟t take care of this ranch alone any more, and….” Gable stopped midsentence and pulled away from Flynn, just enough for him to loosen his hold.
    “I‟m still here,” Flynn said softly. “And I‟m not going anywhere unless you tell me to.”
    “Well, maybe you should leave. There‟s nothing here for you.” Flynn sighed. He didn‟t know what to say to make Gable understand that he had a reason to stay. And that reason was Gable.
    “There‟s plenty here for me. There‟s a great ranch, which we can easily handle with just the two of us. I‟m sure that Hunter‟s payment will keep us in business for another year, right?” Gable nodded in agreement.
    “And I have what I‟ve never had before. A home, and someone here who cares for me even though he hates to admit it, even to himself. And you know, that feels a heck of a lot better than having someone who says he loves you, but who really couldn‟t care less.”
    “How did you know?” Gable asked, his voice sounding emotional and broken to the point that Flynn was sure he was crying.
    “How did I know you cared for me?” Flynn smiled and snuggled closer to Gable again. “Your face when you thought that rattlesnake had bitten me was pretty much the giveaway, but there were other things too. There are moments when you seem to be afraid to look at 54

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    me, and other moments, when you don‟t think I‟m taking any notice, that you can‟t seem to help yourself and