Convincing Landon (6 page)

Fuck it all to hell
!

He still had no idea what had gone wrong. One minute he and Landon were exchanging Valentine’s gifts, followed by a very hot sexual encounter—the next, Landon had completely withdrawn. The pain was worse than it had ever been, even when he was still in high school. At least then he hadn’t known how wonderful they could be together.

Now the loss of what he’d had and would never have again weighed him down. It would take a long time to get over, and he wasn’t at all sure he’d even manage to ever do so. Only time would tell.

Chapter Three

Riverside, Texas

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Landon got out of his ancient car and stretched. Every muscle ached despite the fact that the drive from Houston had only been just under two hours. It was from the combination of his father’s death yesterday and the knowledge that he’d have to face Ray at Monday’s funeral, maybe even before. While he hadn’t been close to his father in many years—hell, they hadn’t even spoken since Mom’s funeral—his death still hurt. As for Ray? He hadn’t even thought it necessary to call Landon to let him know their father had wrapped the car around a tree when coming home drunk on Friday night. Greg had found out from the police and passed on the message.

Landon sighed as he got his overnight bag out of his trunk and made his way to Greg’s front door. The little blue house with its white shutters and neat front yard was as well maintained as it had always been. The wraparound porch might not be much use in November, but sitting outside and watching people while sipping lemonade had entertained him and Greg on many occasions when the weather was warmer. His visits hadn’t been frequent, but he remembered each one fondly. Coming back now wouldn’t make for happy memories, but maybe he could find some closure.

“Welcome!” Greg had opened the door before Landon’s knock. “I’m so glad you could make it this quickly.”

“Hey, little brother. Missed you.” Landon dropped his bag so he could hug Greg. “And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.”

“Well, you’re welcome here anytime, you know that.” Greg stepped aside to let him pass inside after he’d moved his bag into the hallway. “I hate the reason you’re here, and this visit isn’t going to be much fun, but I’m hoping to talk you into moving back to Riverside eventually.”

“You always try.” Landon smiled, settling on the sofa.

“Yeah, and I think it’s about time you make it happen. But I’ll get back to that later.” Greg sighed as he got a beer from the kitchen, offering it to Landon before sitting in one of the easy chairs. “First, we have to deal with the funeral on Monday morning then the reading of the will in the afternoon. Not to mention seeing Ray again.”

“You haven’t seen him, either?” Landon downed half his beer, the cool liquid refreshing him as it slid down his throat.

“Fuck, no. I haven’t even run into him since our last fight at Mom’s funeral.” Greg swallowed. “I hate to admit this, but in a way it’s a relief we can close that chapter of our lives permanently once all this is over.”

“You don’t want to try to reconcile?” Landon didn’t really expect Ray to apologise, and that was the only way he’d consider getting back in touch. But if Greg wanted to try to patch things up, he wouldn’t stand in his way.

“No way!” Greg looked furious. “He’d need to show some remorse first, and based on the fact he didn’t even call me himself to let me know about our father’s death, I’m not holding my breath.”

“I know what you mean.” Landon shook his head.

“I have no idea what I did that made him so angry.” Greg looked sad, even a little bitter. “I mean, really. He was the one who beat me up, not the other way around. You stood up to him, so I can see why he’s angry at you. But all I did was become a coach rather than a rancher.”

Landon still hated Ray for treating his little brother the way he had. Sure, he may have wanted to make sure the ranch was all his, but surely they should have been able to talk about it? Lots of families dealt with children having to share an inheritance. God, being here and dealing with this shit was going to be harder than he’d expected. He discarded his half-empty beer bottle. No way was he going to turn into his father. Getting drunk wasn’t a solution. He needed to stay sober and support Greg.

“I don’t know what to say.” Landon swallowed the lump in his throat.

“No need to say anything. You’ve always been here for me, and I really appreciate that. We’ve made it without the bastard so far, and that isn’t going to change.” Greg smiled. “So, we’ll get through this together and then I want to talk to you about moving back here.”

Landon groaned.

“I’m serious this time.” Greg frowned. “You’re the only family I have and I’m fed up with never seeing you. Just so you know, I’ve decided that I can always move to Houston and get a job there if you don’t want to come back.”

“You’d do that?” Landon sat up. “Really?”

“Yeah, sure.” Greg grinned. “I’ve got a good job here, but there are high schools in Houston that need coaches, too. I happen to think that Riverside could do with another good social worker. There’s a big need for youth counselling. Not everyone even makes it to high school, where we can reach some of the endangered teens. Too many just live on the streets. There are some rumours about the inner city developments including better support for the homeless, but I’m not sure how realistic those are. I’d love to talk to you about that, see what you think can be done. Who knows—seeing that your abilities are needed may change your mind about staying. Failing that…sure, I’ll move. There’s nothing to stop me.”

“No girlfriend to keep you here?” Landon tilted his head.

“No.” Greg looked serious all of a sudden. “What about you? Have you finally found Mr. Right?”

“No.” Landon wasn’t going to talk about the fact that he’d found him but had been too stupid to hold on. And anyway, Kendall had moved back to Riverside once he’d graduated four years ago, so if anything, that was another reason to stay away from Riverside. Running into him now would just be too painful, since he’d never be able to make it up to him after all this time.

“What a fine pair we make.” Greg chuckled.

“At least we have each other.” Landon couldn’t have wished for a better brother than Greg. He’d gone from needing protection when he was younger to being a loving friend in recent years. Greg was the only person Landon had felt comfortable enough with to come out to, and Greg’s actual reaction hadn’t disappointed. Greg’s acceptance and support had been unwavering.

Having each other definitely helped them get through Sunday, when they went to the ranch to see if there was anything they could do to make amends. Instead of talking, Ray closed the door in their faces after threatening to call the police if they didn’t stay off his land. The funeral on Monday was quiet with very few people attending. Ray behaved himself, even if him totally ignoring them raised a few eyebrows.

Landon was glad when it was over. Seeing his father’s casket lowered into the ground made a lot of memories come back. Good ones, from when he was younger, and bad ones from more recent years. It made him think about the relationship they’d had, and he again felt the rejection by a person who should have loved him unconditionally. He wondered, not for the first time, what he’d done to deserve his father’s wrath. Now he’d never know.

Saying goodbye like this also made him realise that a large part of the reason he’d left Riverside was his father’s lack of acceptance, and that had been without the man knowing Landon was gay. He hadn’t been willing to face the rejection on a daily basis, and he certainly hadn’t wanted to see what his father would do if he knew Landon was gay. But now that he was gone? Maybe Greg was right and it was time to stop running and reconsider.

A few hours later, he
knew
it was time. The reading of the will hadn’t been a real surprise. Landon hadn’t expected to inherit anything, and neither he nor Greg did. The ranch and everything associated with it, which was all their father owned, went to Ray. What had made him mad was Ray’s sneer throughout the proceedings. It was almost as if his brother felt he had won a personal victory of some kind.

“Ray thinks he’s the better son because he stuck around and that we don’t deserve any of Father’s hard-earned money.” Greg had snagged them a table in the Front Porch, an up and coming bar near the city centre.

“Well, he’s welcome to it.” Landon had no intention of contesting the will. “Dad never wanted us to share his life, so I’m not going to fight for a share of what he’s left behind.”

“Same here.” Greg stared at the menu.

With their orders out of the way, Greg took a sip of his beer then looked up. “How long can you stay?” Greg looked hopeful.

“A week for now.” Landon’s boss had been incredibly generous about giving him personal time. If Landon had been less secure, less certain that he was good at his job, he’d suspect the woman wanted to get rid of him.

“That’s hopefully going to be long enough to convince you to move back here.” Greg frowned. “Unless Ray’s little display of arrogance has managed to chase you away permanently?”

“Hardly.” Landon snorted.

“No?” Greg tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

“On the contrary.” Landon leant back in his seat, beginning to relax. “It’s made me think that maybe it’s time I stop running.”

“Yay!” Greg’s smile could have lit up an entire city.

* * * *

Riverside, Texas

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving preparations were in full swing, with Landon in charge of making salads while Greg was dealing with preparing the stuffing and stowing all the extra food they had inexplicably felt compelled to buy. Even though there was only going to be the two of them, the kitchen looked as if they were preparing to feed an army.

Landon frowned when his cell phone rang and the name of his boss appeared on the display. He hadn’t expected her to call at all while he was off on personal time. What could she possibly want?

“Elaine? What can I do for you?” Best to go on the offensive.

“Hi, Landon.” She cleared her throat. “I hope you’re okay?”

“Getting there.” Landon shook his head. This was very odd.

“I’m sorry to bother you during your time off. But an opportunity has come up, and I need to talk to you about it before you return to Houston. Seeing as it’s the long holiday weekend, unfortunately, that means today.” Elaine sighed. “This is pretty important, so I really hope you’re going to say yes.”

“I’ll need to hear what it is first.” He wasn’t into making unsubstantiated promises.

“Sure, sure…I get that.” Elaine laughed. “You’re nothing if not conscientious, which is why I’d like you to accept this project.”

 
“Project?” Now she had his full attention. He’d been mostly focusing on counselling for so long that he’d almost forgotten the excitement of other aspects of his work.

“It’s a great opportunity, which has come up quite unexpectedly. We’ve talked about expanding our programme, and now we have a real option to do it. I just found out there’s a major city renewal project going on in Riverside, in an area just south of the city centre.” She rustled with some papers. “Ah, here it is. The city council, or at least some of its members, would like to improve the facilities for the homeless as part of an effort to clean up the inner city streets. They’re hoping to improve property values and attract more businesses. They have looked at several charities and have made up their minds that Promises Kept is the most suited to what they’re looking for. Apparently, the commercial side of the plans is quite advanced, but so far there has been a lack of proposals from charities or other organisations which could help with the social aspects of the project.”

“Interesting.” He was beginning to see where this was going. “Do you know why the focus has been more on the business side of it? Other than the obvious reason of the interest in making money being higher than the interest in bringing about social change? Is there something we need to know?”

“I’m not sure. It’s always possible there are some behind-the-scenes interests or struggles for power.” Elaine sighed. “You know what it’s like. Cleaning up the streets sounds good but making it happen—at the cost of city income—is much harder.”

“That’s what I was afraid of. Not that it’s new and surprising.” He hated that improving lives was so low on most decision-makers’ agendas.

“This brings me to the reason for my call.” Elaine took a deep breath. “I’ve spoken to the other board members and we’d like you to be our front man in Riverside. You know the town, possibly even some of the people involved.”

“It’s been a long time, Elaine. I don’t know if anyone will even remember me.” Never mind in a positive light.

“I understand…believe me, I do.” She sighed. “I wish you weren’t so hesitant. You have a real talent for dealing with people, when you put your mind to it. And having someone who knows the city—a ‘local man’—may be just the edge we need. It’s also a lot better than sending someone who doesn’t know the town and would have to spend precious time familiarising themselves with the location and the people involved.”

“That sounds like it might be a tougher situation than usual.” Landon sat up. Maybe that was what he needed—a challenge.