Friends and Lovers (27 page)

Egan cringed and shied away, and Tom shook his head in disgust. As he’d suspected, Egan was nothing more than a bully and a coward.

“Your kind give leather daddies a bad name, Egan. Leave Joshua alone.” A final glare to let the bastard know he wasn’t kidding, and then he turned on his heel and walked out.

“No, Ken hasn’t called in ages.”

“Oh, wait a minute!
You
didn’t call
him
?!”

“No.” HisJosh flushed but met his eyes steadily. “No, I didn’t.”

“But you wanted to?”

“He’s like an addiction, Tommy. I know he’s bad for me, that I should stay away from him, but when I remember the good times… We did have good times, back in the beginning.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I have to keep reminding myself that the good times weren’t nearly as good as the bad times were bad. I’m sorry. I am being maudlin. Let’s talk about the Halloween party instead, okay?”

“Okay, buddy.” He rubbed HisJosh’s arm. “We’re gonna have a ball. I hope you have your costume, because they become scarce as hen’s teeth by this time in October.”

“Yes, I thought I’d – ”

“What’s scarce as hen’s teeth?” Jack had abandoned the grill and joined them. He draped a possessive arm over Tom’s shoulders.

“Halloween costumes.”

“This is true. Do you have one, Andretti?”

“I thought I’d go in my leathers.”

Jack started to choke. “No, you can’t!”

Tom pounded his back, grinning.

“Why not?” HisJosh asked innocently.

“That’s Tom’s costume!”

“Doesn’t mean there can’t be two biker dudes. What are you going as, Sweet?”

“Table for Two.”

“Huh?”

Tom couldn’t help laughing. “Really, babe?”

“Yes, really.”

“Someone mind explaining that to me?”

“When Theodore and Catherine were younger, their mother wouldn’t allow them to have store bought Halloween costumes – ”

“And I didn’t feel I could go against her,” Jack said.

Tom could remember how hard Jack had fought to keep that marriage going, and how lost he’d been when he finally realized he couldn’t. “So Jack came up with the idea of them going as a table and chair. He cut out a circular piece of cardboard, put a hole in the middle for Catherine’s head, then draped it with an old tablecloth and glued some of the plastic cups and dishes from her dollhouse on it.”

Jack’s face was lit with the pleasure of that memory. “She got such a kick out of it. She even found an old flower arrangement of my Momma’s and put it on her head as the centerpiece.”

“And you fixed up more cardboard to make Theodore into a chair.”

“Very clever, Sweet.”

He blushed and shrugged a shoulder. “It made them happy.”

“Speaking of happy, it looks like someone definitely isn’t.”

“Who… Oh, Kira.”

She had stormed out of the pool, grabbed a towel, and was briskly drying herself off, shooting daggers at her boyfriend.

“Well, I guess she’ll be looking for a replacement.” Tom wished she could find someone she’d be happy with, but none of the young men she dated for increasingly shorter periods of time seemed to be the one. And now, not only were her grades starting to suffer, as he’d learned, but her work here at the ranch as well.

“How often does that happen?” HisJosh looked bemused.

“More often than we like. I could really shoot Nick for hurting her like that.”

“Nick?”

“Her boyfriend.”

“Which one?”

“The one who mattered the most.” Tom sighed. “They dated through high school and most of college, and then he broke her heart by getting another girl pregnant and having to marry her.”

“I hear things aren’t going so well in Eden,” Jack murmured

“Huh?” HisJosh looked from Jack back to Tom, obviously confused. Tom patted his shoulder.

“That’s what the kids call Reverend Harkness’ house.” House. It certainly wasn’t a home. “Nick and Betty Jean are living there until he can save enough to put a down payment on a house for them.”

“It must be tough. I don’t imagine any father would think too highly of a son-in-law like that, and to have him living underfoot, a constant reminder of his daughter’s fall from grace...”

“Serves the little pissant right.” Jack’s mouth was a tight, white line. “If some bastard pulled that crap with Cath, I’d – ”

“
We’d
, buddy.
We’d
all see he never fathered another baby.” Tom hugged him in spite of the fact that anyone could see. This was their home, goddammit, and if these little redneck boys didn’t like it, they could leave. And find another fucking job while they were at it! It wasn’t likely they’d find a boss as good as Jack Sweet!

“Count me in too, Sweet. Your Cath is a nice girl, and I – ”

“You what, Andretti?”

“Oh, please. Don’t take that tone with me! You know I’m gay! And –” His mouth dropped, and his eyes glazed over.

“Josh? What is it, Josh?” For a second Tom was afraid his friend was having a seizure or something.

“Oh, momma, buy me
that
!” HisJosh all but moaned.

“It’s Farmer John!” Since Jack had the added height, he had no trouble seeing. “I’m sorry, Josh.” And it truly sounded as if he were. “He’s straight.”

HisJosh blinked two or three times, shook his head, then sighed. “It stands to reason. Oh, well.”

Tom knew that he’d never played with straight boys, not even in his younger years, when he and Tom had hung out together, when Tom had been anything but a sterling influence.

HisJosh smiled ruefully. “But my, that boy is
fine
!”

Bobby Joe had crossed to the pool deck. He was wearing a pair of square-cut swim trunks and had shed his shirt sometime earlier. Tom had to agree that he did look buff. He had apparently been working out – he’d always had well-muscled arms from all the manual labor he did, but now he had developed good muscle definition over the rest of his body as well. His light brown hair had been bleached from working in the summer Georgia sun, and he still looked blond. His tan was smooth and ended at the base of his spine, as evidenced by the dip of his trunks over his bubble butt.

HisJosh wasn’t the only one to notice how fine Bobby Joe was looking.

Kira went to join him, an exaggerated sway to her hips, and linked her arm through his.

Even from where they stood, they could see his stunned expression. And when Kira led him to the table where the food was laid out, he followed her willingly.

“Like a lamb to the slaughter,” Jack groused. “Farmer’s a damn good worker. I just hope that girl doesn’t ruin him.”

“We’ve all had someone in our lives like that, I guess,” HisJosh murmured.

“Don’t worry, buddy.” Tom felt awful. He patted his friend’s shoulder, wishing there was something he could do for him. “You’ll find someone soon.”

“I know, Tom.” His next words were so low, Tom wouldn’t have heard them if he hadn’t been standing beside him. “But
when
?”

7. Trouble in Paradise –
(scared you again, didn’t I?)

Farmer John – even Bobby Joe thought of himself that way after all this time – stood in the doorway to the family room of his boss’ home, known by everyone who worked for Sweet Construction as ‘the ranch.’

Mr. Tom, who kept the books for Jack Sweet’s construction company, was in a recliner, and in Mr. Jack’s big recliner next to him was Josh Andretti, his friend from when he’d lived in Florida.

Farmer had actually got to know Mr. Andretti; they’d spent time together the first time Farmer had come to pick up Kira. She was never ready on time, but that didn’t matter to him, since she was always worth the wait, and talking with Mr. Andretti made the time pass quickly. He was a good man, a nice man, and Farmer liked him. He’d understood when Farmer had one day spilled out his frustrated desire to go to college and how he couldn’t because no one in his family had, and how when he’d brought it up to Daddy, Daddy’d asked was he trying to be better than his family?

Mr. Andretti had looked concerned, and Farmer was afraid that he’d say something and Farmer would have to defend Daddy’s position, even though Farmer was unhappy about it himself, but Mr. Andretti had just patted his shoulder, which made Farmer feel better about having said anything in the first place.

He pulled his attention from Mr. Andretti, turning it toward the two young men who were also in the room.

Teddy Sweet, his boss’ son, and Josh Harden, Teddy’s boyfriend, sat cuddled together on the loveseat, laughing hysterically as they watched something on the TV, inserting their own dialog, which grew more and more outrageous as he listened.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Yes! Yes! Yes! You burning hunk of love! Give me that big dick of yours!”

“Why should I? You have one of your own!” They both laughed harder.

He was feeling more and more comfortable in their company, even though Billy Ray, his older brother, asked after every time he spent some time at the ranch if they’d corrupted him.

And at first he had been wary, expecting either one of them or one of the other gay boys who came to the Friday afternoon barbecues to grab his crotch or his ass, or make comments about his package, but it never happened. In fact, they treated him better than a lot of the straight boys he’d known in high school.

As for Teddy and Josh, it was easy to see they were so wrapped up in each other he could parade in front of them stark naked and they wouldn’t even notice.

Not that he’d do anything like that. His Momma and Daddy had raised him to be more… modest? It had taken Kira, his girlfriend, the longest time to convince him to make love with the lights on. At first she’d thought it was cute, but she’d begun to lose her patience, and it was only the knowledge that she’d walk out on him that gave him the courage to do it that first time. He still wasn’t too comfortable with it, even now seeing himself as the chubby teen he’d been in high school, and always worrying that he wouldn’t come up to her expectations, that he’d disappoint her.

It wasn’t that he had anything to be ashamed about. He’d started working out when two things happened: Kira had broken up with her long-time boyfriend, and she’d known his name. He’d hated it, the snide comments from Billy Ray, accusing him of trying to suck up to his queer boss – meaning Mr. Tom, since they weren’t aware Mr. Jack was – the overzealous concern from Momma, telling him he needed to eat more because his clothes had grown loose and were in danger of falling off his hips. And was he sure he didn’t want another helping of biscuits and gravy?

But it had all been worthwhile when Kira had actually
seen
him that day at the barbecue and agreed to come to the Halloween party with him, not that he’d ever dreamed that would happen. He’d gone as a Roman gladiator, although he’d felt a little awkward in the leather breastplate and kilt. Well, all right, maybe more than a little awkward. He was afraid someone would try to look under the kilt and he’d be teased for wearing his white Fruit of the Loom briefs instead of going commando, like a real gladiator would have.

Everyone had been nice to him though, and he found himself spending more and more time after work at the ranch. Of course Billy Ray had said something about it over dinner, and Daddy had hit the ceiling. “They’re gonna make you queer, boy!”

And Momma had wailed, “Oh, Bobby Joe!” – he’d almost been tempted to look around to see who she was talking to. “They’re godless heathens, and they’re just waiting to snare your soul! You’ll burn in hell for all eternity!”

From somewhere he’d found the courage to face his parents. “They won’t make me queer, Daddy. They know I like girls. And they’re not godless, Momma. Mr. Jack’s daddy is a preacher.”

Daddy had scowled and Momma had used the corner of her apron to wipe her eyes, but then one of the little ones spilled his cup of milk, drawing attention to him, and the conversation was dropped.

Until they found out he was dating Kira Valentine. Surprisingly, only his mother objected. “She’s the Whore of Babylon, Bobby Joe! She’s fast and loose and sleeps with one boy after another, and she’ll take you down to hell with her!”

Daddy had puffed out his chest, though, proud of him for a change. “Now, now, woman. Boys will be boys.” And he’d slapped Farmer on the back, nearly sending him flying from his chair.

It was a good thing they didn’t know he liked Kira so much he was thinking of asking her to consider marrying him in a few years. He’d been living at home and giving Momma most of his pay; it would take a while for him to save up for them to get a nice apartment.

His folks were always after him to find a nice girl and settle down, and Kira was a nice girl. He knew – well, he was pretty sure, his folks would love her once they got to know her.

“Bobby Joe!” Mr. Tom’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Come join us!”

Farmer took a quick look at the TV screen. His eyes widened, and he felt a painful blush ride up his cheeks. Those two men… were they really… He swallowed and forced his eyes away.

“Theodore, take out that DVD.”