But this was different. Ashton actually liked him and wanted him in his bed, not as some living toy but, it seemed… just for him. And it wasn’t as if Ben wouldn’t have had wild sex with Ashton, because the guy was gorgeous and checked all of Ben’s boxes. Ashton seemed to want it too. But instead he’d held Ben all night and looked after him. Ben had never before been so blown away by something a guy hadn’t done in bed.
When he woke again, Ashton wasn’t with him. He listened, but the house seemed silent, and he wondered if he was alone.
Ben pushed back the covers and was about to get up when Ashton slowly came into the room with a tray. “Where’s your cane?” Ashton looked a little tippy, but he made it to the bed, and Ben took the tray from his hands. “Breakfast in bed?” No one had ever done that for him before.
“I thought it would be nice. It’s just some toast, jam, and eggs. I have some orange juice, but I couldn’t figure out how to get that in here without spilling it all over the place.” He sat down and joined Ben in bed.
Ben shifted the tray onto Ashton’s legs and hurried out, grabbed the glasses of juice from the counter, and strode back to the bedroom. He closed the door and got back into bed.
It was fun feeding each other breakfast. The eggs were only warm by the time they ate them, but Ben didn’t care. Being in bed with someone, smiling and just having fun, not worrying if he was going to upset his partner and end up in a screaming match—he loved it. Dallas had been so demanding and fussy about everything. Toward the end of their relationship, Ben knew that he meant nothing to Dallas. But Ashton wasn’t like that, and being with him felt real… which scared Ben.
Though he knew Ashton was nothing like Dallas, Ben found it hard to trust. He’d had the worst luck with guys, Dallas being a prime example. Maybe he wasn’t ready for any sort of permanent relationship. He couldn’t help thinking that maybe him moving on would still be best for everyone here on the ranch. But just as the thought flitted through his mind, Ashton handed him a piece of toast and slipped the tray onto his legs, pressing a little closer.
“I think I’m done eating,” Ashton whispered, and Ben felt his own appetite take wing. He downed the last of his toast and juice and shifted the tray to the bedside table. Just as Ben rolled over, intending to straddle Ashton and explore every inch of Ashton’s delectableness, Ashton’s phone vibrated.
Ashton groaned loudly, then looked at the screen and picked up. “What is it, Marcel? … I see….” He groaned again. “Okay, I’m on my way.”
Ben lay back down and closed his eyes. “You know, I’m beginning to think your ranch is the biggest cockblock I’ve ever seen in my life.” He tried to keep his comment light.
“No kidding.”
Ben sighed as Ashton sat on the edge of the bed. “What’s going on? Do you need help?”
“I don’t know. Marcel and Reg found fresh tracks in the snow this morning that were a little too close to the house. We need to check them out.” He got his pants on. “It seems to me that someone is playing with us, trying to wear us down.” He finished getting dressed and leaned over the bed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay near the house phone and call if anything happens here.”
Ashton picked up his cane and walked to the doorway before stopping, turning back with longing in his eyes. For a second, Ben thought he might return, but Ashton huffed and limped down the hallway. Ben wanted to tell Ashton not to go. He was in pain—the lines around his eyes and mouth told him that pretty clearly—but Ben didn’t have any right to stop him.
Ben got out of bed and headed for the shower. He started the water and stepped under it, sighing as the heat made its way into his bones. Wyoming was vastly different from Texas, and he had never experienced cold the way he had the past few days. He was learning just how lucky he’d been to have made it to the barn and not ended up in a snowbank where no one would have found him until spring.
The water’s heat felt so good, and his mind went to Ashton and how hot the man was. It was so tempting to let his hands slide down his belly, but he stopped himself. He could pleasure himself, but he would much rather have Ashton do it for him, and eventually patience would pay off. After washing, he turned off the water and stepped out, then dried off before going to the bedroom. Ashton had given him some clothes to wear the previous day, and he pulled them on, gathering his dirty clothes to put in the washer. He got it running and found the dogs in the living room.
A sharp crack sent the dogs into a cacophony of barking. A second crack sounded, and Ben dropped to the floor, gathering the dogs to him and hoping to all hell that all of the guys were okay. Those had to be gunshots.
He crawled over to the phone. “Are you okay?” he asked as soon as Ashton answered.
“Yes. Stay where you are and keep the dogs safe. We’re hunkered down for now and we’ll be there as soon as we can.” Ashton hung up.
Ben stayed on the living room floor, hugging the dogs, who thankfully seemed to sense that he was upset and stayed close to him.
He jumped up when the back door opened.
“Get him on the sofa,” Ashton said, and Marcel and Reg helped Lucy to the sofa.
“Was he shot?” Ben asked. “Who did this? Did you see them?”
“The bastard just winged my leg as he rabbited away,” Lucy growled. “I’m going to be fine. It isn’t that deep.”
“Oh, be quiet and let us look you over,” Marcel snapped as he got Lucy settled on the sofa. Ashton went to get bandages.
“Bring scissors,” Ben called after him. “We’ll need to cut the leg of his pants off.” He waited for Ashton, then took charge of the situation, cutting off the pants and adding pressure to the wound, which had pretty much stopped bleeding.
“I’ll get some hot water,” Reg said and hurried away. He returned with a basin and a cloth, and Ben wiped away the drying blood.
“You were really lucky,” Ben told Lucy. “The bullet just grazed your leg, and it isn’t really deep. But it’s pretty wide, so you’re going to have to take it easy or it’s going to start bleeding all over again.” He cleaned the wound and bandaged Lucy’s leg. “You really should go to the hospital to have this checked out. It could get infected.”
Lucy snorted. “You did as good a job as any doctor, and I don’t have to pay thousands to go to the emergency room. I’ll be fine. We just have to catch this son of a bitch so I can beat the living shit out of him.”
“The sheriff is on his way,” Ashton said as Ben got to his feet. He sighed, wanting to get Ashton into the bedroom behind closed doors so he could check him over carefully and make sure he wasn’t hurt. This whole incident stank of the kind of shit Dallas would pull.
“Lot of good he’s going to do,” Lucy mumbled. “This sort of thing is way beyond what he usually handles.”
“I agree with that,” Reg said. “Our guys are a few hours out, but once they get here, we’ll get our equipment installed and beef up the perimeter around the entire ranch. The sheriff has a job to do, but so do we. He can’t protect Ashton and Ben, but me and the team sure as hell will.”
“Count us in,” Lucy said.