Hank’s stomach, but he nodded nonetheless. “I’m at your disposal for the next two weeks, then.”
***
When Thom made the original agreement with Hank, two weeks had been so far on the horizon he hadn’t given it any real thought. When the days, not to mention the nights, sped by, however, he started to worry. A week had already passed. They’d reached the halfway point. Yet he hadn’t gotten over his initial infatuation with the overprotective and slightly intimidating man. If anything, he grew more attached to him every day.
“I’ve checked on the crops, patched the broken fence out by the southwest pasture, and finished replacing the boards with bullet holes in the barn.” Hank sat down and picked up the coffee cup with a smile.
The list made his head swim. The sun had barely risen. How had the man found the time to do a full day’s work before even having a cup of coffee? “You’re”—he paused as he searched for the correct word in his sleep-addled brain—“impressive.” Irritating would be more accurate, but he didn’t want to offend.
“I’m a morning person.”
He took a drink of his coffee and grimaced at the bitterness. Hank’s coffee always tasted better than his own. Then again, he did everything better so coffee shouldn’t come as a surprise. “I’ve gathered.”
“Did you sleep well? I tried not to wake you when I got up.”
At the memory of their night together, his irritation changed to desire and his cheeks heated. “Yes, you wore me out. I was dead to the world until a half an hour ago. I doubt I would’ve woken up if you’d had a marching band come through my bedroom.”
“Good.” Hank’s smile contained a hint of swagger. The man’s cockiness turned him on and annoyed him at the same time. Why did he have to be so damn good at everything?
“So, what are your plans for the day? Since you’ve finished my chore list, maybe I can help you with yours?”
The other man’s smile fell flat as if he were fighting to keep it in place. “I thought I’d drop you off at your physical therapy then go see Drew. He’s said something about ordering another shipment of crops.”
“If he wants to order more produce I should be the one to talk to him.” His voice came out a little sharper than he’d intended. “It is my farm, and my crops, after all.”
“Of course.” Hank’s smile disappeared altogether. “But his schedule is kind of crazy right now, and you’ve got PT today. Also, I needed to talk to him about something else anyway. I thought it would be helpful if I got some initial numbers from him since I was headed out to Los Lobos. I’ll have him come over tonight after you’re back from town.”
Remorse made his stomach turn. The man had been true to his word. He hadn’t once done something Thom had told him not to do. More importantly, he hadn’t told Thom he couldn’t do something because of his injury. It would be nice if he left a couple more things for Thom to do, but he couldn’t fault the man because he happened to be a morning person. “How about you go over the initial numbers with him and write up a report for me to look over tonight? I can schedule some time to meet with Drew early next week to go over any changes that might need to be made before we finalize it.” It would be win-win for him. He didn’t like meeting with Drew. Hank acted different around the man. He took charge of every situation. Thom had to fight to keep the reins of his farm firmly in his grasp. The other man would happily take the farm work over as well. He deferred to Drew, however.
At first, he hadn’t noticed. He’d been too sleepy to notice much of anything when he’d first gotten home from the hospital. When he’d gotten better, he’d started observing more. When he’d asked the man about his relationship with Drew, he’d said they were old friends. Then Hank had switched the meetings from the farm to the commune. Something didn’t add up. Drew
***
When Thom made the original agreement with Hank, two weeks had been so far on the horizon he hadn’t given it any real thought. When the days, not to mention the nights, sped by, however, he started to worry. A week had already passed. They’d reached the halfway point. Yet he hadn’t gotten over his initial infatuation with the overprotective and slightly intimidating man. If anything, he grew more attached to him every day.
“I’ve checked on the crops, patched the broken fence out by the southwest pasture, and finished replacing the boards with bullet holes in the barn.” Hank sat down and picked up the coffee cup with a smile.
The list made his head swim. The sun had barely risen. How had the man found the time to do a full day’s work before even having a cup of coffee? “You’re”—he paused as he searched for the correct word in his sleep-addled brain—“impressive.” Irritating would be more accurate, but he didn’t want to offend.
“I’m a morning person.”
He took a drink of his coffee and grimaced at the bitterness. Hank’s coffee always tasted better than his own. Then again, he did everything better so coffee shouldn’t come as a surprise. “I’ve gathered.”
“Did you sleep well? I tried not to wake you when I got up.”
At the memory of their night together, his irritation changed to desire and his cheeks heated. “Yes, you wore me out. I was dead to the world until a half an hour ago. I doubt I would’ve woken up if you’d had a marching band come through my bedroom.”
“Good.” Hank’s smile contained a hint of swagger. The man’s cockiness turned him on and annoyed him at the same time. Why did he have to be so damn good at everything?
“So, what are your plans for the day? Since you’ve finished my chore list, maybe I can help you with yours?”
The other man’s smile fell flat as if he were fighting to keep it in place. “I thought I’d drop you off at your physical therapy then go see Drew. He’s said something about ordering another shipment of crops.”
“If he wants to order more produce I should be the one to talk to him.” His voice came out a little sharper than he’d intended. “It is my farm, and my crops, after all.”
“Of course.” Hank’s smile disappeared altogether. “But his schedule is kind of crazy right now, and you’ve got PT today. Also, I needed to talk to him about something else anyway. I thought it would be helpful if I got some initial numbers from him since I was headed out to Los Lobos. I’ll have him come over tonight after you’re back from town.”
Remorse made his stomach turn. The man had been true to his word. He hadn’t once done something Thom had told him not to do. More importantly, he hadn’t told Thom he couldn’t do something because of his injury. It would be nice if he left a couple more things for Thom to do, but he couldn’t fault the man because he happened to be a morning person. “How about you go over the initial numbers with him and write up a report for me to look over tonight? I can schedule some time to meet with Drew early next week to go over any changes that might need to be made before we finalize it.” It would be win-win for him. He didn’t like meeting with Drew. Hank acted different around the man. He took charge of every situation. Thom had to fight to keep the reins of his farm firmly in his grasp. The other man would happily take the farm work over as well. He deferred to Drew, however.
At first, he hadn’t noticed. He’d been too sleepy to notice much of anything when he’d first gotten home from the hospital. When he’d gotten better, he’d started observing more. When he’d asked the man about his relationship with Drew, he’d said they were old friends. Then Hank had switched the meetings from the farm to the commune. Something didn’t add up. Drew
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