Read Convincing Landon Online

Authors: Serena Yates

Tags: #Gay MM/ Contemporary

Convincing Landon

BOOK: Convincing Landon
3.29Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Convincing Landon

ISBN #
978-0-85715-813-0

©Copyright Serena Yates 2011

Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright November 2011

Edited by Stacey Birkel

Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2011 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a
heat rating
of
Total-e-burning
and a
sexometer
of
2.

Men of Riverside

CONVINCING LANDON

Serena Yates

Book seven in the Men of Riverside Series

Afraid of being openly gay, Landon rejected Kendall after a brief affair. Will they be able to make a fresh start when chance reunites them years later?

Landon Tully is a social worker who only returned to Riverside for his father’s funeral. But when a job opportunity opens up, he decides to stay for a while. Within days he runs into Kendall Gable, the man he’d thought was too young for him eight years ago – only now Kendall is all grown up and on the opposite side of a bidding contest for the land Landon has been asked to obtain to build a homeless shelter.

Kendall has made a life for himself as an architect. Focusing on work has helped him fill the hole in his life that Landon left behind. Running into him is painful, but helps him realise some of the issues in his professional life need fixing.

Will Kendall be able to convince himself, and Landon, that they deserve a life together after all?

Dedication

For those who never give up hope that luck, determination and love may bring separated lovers back together for the happy ending we all crave.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Coke
:
 
The Coca Cola Company, Atlanta, Georgia

Bud:
Anheuser-Busch InBev

                                                                                        

Chapter One

Riverside, Texas

Thursday, June 6, 1991

“No!” The ragged scream tore into the mid-afternoon silence, brutally ending the peaceful quiet time just before the day’s chores were done.

Landon’s head jerked up, his eyes rising from the dusty ground he’d mindlessly been staring at as he was walking towards the very building that the pain-filled sound had come from. The barn they kept the horses in was just as ramshackle as most of the other buildings on their run-down farm, but it pretty much served its purpose most of the time.

Who was even in there right now? Most of the hands hadn’t returned from the fields yet, wouldn’t be expected back for at least another hour. Hell, he wasn’t supposed to be here, either. But the dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s graduation ceremony at Riverside High had gone so well, they’d all been sent home early.

Another scream, more muffled than the first one, spurred him into action. He ran the rest of the way, pushing the heavy wooden doors open with enough force to bruise his hands. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust from the glaring sunshine to the half-dark of the barn’s interior. He scanned the mostly empty stalls, quickly walking past them towards the tack room, searching for anything out of order.

“Please. Please don’t.” The voice sounded small and scared, and undeniably belonged to his younger brother, Greg.

“Shut up.” Ray was five years older than Landon and nobody would call him soft. Or even nice. But the venom dripping from his short utterance just now was chilling.

Landon almost ran to the last stall, stumbling in his haste to reach Greg. He gripped the wooden separation for support, only vaguely noticing the splinters penetrating his skin. What he saw not only confirmed his suspicions from hearing the screams, but made the blood freeze in his veins.

Greg was curled up in the foetal position on the floor, straw sticking to his jeans and the T-shirt that had slipped up, exposing several bruises on his sides. His hands covered his head as Ray kicked him brutally in the back with the heavy cowboy boots their eldest brother preferred to wear.

“Stop it!” Landon stepped farther into the stall, attempting to get between Ray and Greg to stop this madness.

Greg whimpered.

Ray looked up, the anger in his eyes quickly giving way to shock.

“What are you doing here?” Ray staggered, supporting himself by placing a hand on the back wall when he reached it. “You…you’re not supposed to be back yet.”

“I’m glad I returned earlier.” Landon went on his knees to place a supporting hand on Greg’s head, not taking his eyes off Ray for a second. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Just a little much-needed discipline.” Ray sneered at Greg’s cowering form. “Let the little shit here know that his easy days are over, now that you’re graduating and moving away. It’s about time he starts pulling his weight around here.”

Landon’s mouth dropped open.

“What? You didn’t think I’m going to stand by when you leave to go to that fancy college of yours after the summer and do nothing?” Ray snorted, pulling himself up to his full height. “This place doesn’t run itself, so Greg here is going to have to pick up the pieces and start helping out. He didn’t do a very good job of it today, so I just helped him understand what happens when he’s lazy.”

“Wasn’t lazy.” Greg’s voice was barely audible since he hadn’t moved a muscle and was pretty much speaking into his own chest. “Just can’t lift those heavy bales of hay as fast as you want me to.”

“You’re going to have to learn.” Ray’s face was a hard mask of anger.

“Look, Greg is only sixteen. You can’t expect him to be as strong as you are. He’s still in high school, for heaven’s sake.” Landon shook his head. Greg was strong for his age—a very good football player—but he was no match for Ray’s towering six-foot-four frame and muscles honed by years of hard labour on the ranch. “Come on, Greg, try to get up. I’ll take you to the house to check you out. Let’s just hope we don’t have to go to the hospital.”

“Hospital? Don’t make me laugh, that would be just like the little weakling. Showing off on the football field is all you’re good for, isn’t it? As soon as you’re asked to do a man’s job, you collapse.” The glance Ray gave Greg was full of hatred.

How had Landon missed the bad vibes before now? This was clearly not a sudden outpouring of feelings. Whatever Ray’s problem was must have built for a long time for him to be so vicious now. Was it because he was the eldest and their father expected him to take over one day? Dad was strict and demanding, but was that any reason for Ray to be so mean to their youngest brother?

Greg struggled to untangle himself, but he finally managed to get onto his knees. With a last wary look at Ray, he turned towards Landon and took his outstretched hand. Landon pulled him up, ready to support him as he hobbled out of the stall.

“This isn’t the last of it!” Ray had followed them but stayed in the barn when they left. “You hear me, Greg? Just because Landon is here to protect you—for now—doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it once he’s gone. Someone has to do the chores, and I’m telling you, you’re it.”

Landon ignored that for now and focused on walking back to the house.

“Oh, God, I’m so sorry about this.” Greg was looking anywhere but at Landon.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.” Landon could have kicked himself for not noticing. They needed some shade and the first aid kit. Then he would deal with the rest. But he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “How long has this been going on?”

“Just a few days.” Greg entered the kitchen and sat on one of the chairs, supporting his head in his hands.

“A few
days
?” Landon shook his head as he got what he needed from the cabinet in the utility room. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Was going to handle it myself.” Greg looked up, his lips pressed together. “Didn’t do a very good job of it, did I?”

“No.” Landon worked hard to suppress the laugh that wanted out, despite the awfulness of the situation. He wetted down a cloth to clean up Greg’s face. “But this is not something you can handle on your own.”

“Why not?” Greg didn’t even flinch when Landon started washing the scratches.

“Because Ray apparently has an issue about running this place once I’m gone, and you’re the person he’s taking it out on. He won’t listen to anything you might have to say.” Landon sighed as he put aside the cloth and picked up the antibiotic ointment they used for smaller injuries, dabbing it onto the many small surface wounds, careful not to hurt Greg more than he needed to. “I’ll need to find out what his problem is then try to find a solution. We can’t let him get away with this.”

BOOK: Convincing Landon
3.29Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Hitler's Girls by Emma Tennant, Hilary Bailey
Deadly Echoes by Philip Donlay
Handful of Heaven by Jillian Hart
Eve in Hollywood by Amor Towles
Marriage and Other Games by Veronica Henry
Something to Prove by Shannyn Schroeder
Another Sun by Timothy Williams
Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan