Clouds and Rain

laugh.

    18

    Clouds and Rain

    Gable urged Brenner to gallop down to the ranch, despite how much it hurt his foot. If anyone was doing any horse dealing, it was him, not Flynn.

    FLYNN knew Hunter was flirting with him and he was enjoying every minute of it. It felt like ages since a guy had paid him any attention, so he wasn‟t about to give the handsome buyer the cold shoulder. Of course he couldn‟t talk shop with him. Hunter had told him from the word go that he was here to buy some of Gable‟s horses, and Flynn had immediately made it clear to Hunter they needed to wait for Gable to come back, but that didn‟t mean they couldn‟t spend their time in more comfortable surroundings.
    “Why don‟t I get you a cold beer while we wait?” Flynn suggested.
    Hunter pursed his lips. “I don‟t usually drink before I reach a deal….”
    “I told you I can‟t offer you a deal. The horses aren‟t mine. I just work here.”
    “Oh, come on,” Hunter drawled, leaning a little closer. “You have more invested in this ranch than your labor, don‟t you?” Flynn looked away, pretending he had no idea what Hunter was getting at.
    “Grant wasn‟t exactly a stable boy here either,” Hunter added.
    Flynn was tempted to let Hunter continue. Without too much coaxing he‟d already found out the name of Gable‟s ex. Who knew what else Hunter would let slip, given enough encouragement?
    “You know better than to deal with the hired help,” Gable interrupted after bringing his galloping horse to a sudden halt. Gable gave Flynn a stern look before he jumped out of the saddle and onto the ground. He winced slightly, but Flynn saw how he tried to hide it from Hunter by walking toward him virtually without a limp. Gable handed Brenner‟s reins to Flynn and then gave Hunter a quick look intended to coax him to come with him toward the house.

    19

    Zahra Owens

    “Don‟t take the saddle off yet. We‟ll be going out again in a little while. Saddle T.C. for Hunter,” Gable told Flynn.
    Flynn simply nodded. He didn‟t mind being ordered around, but Gable‟s tone of voice was nothing less than condescending and he did take offense to being treated that way. He‟d left jobs for less than this but didn‟t want to say anything in Hunter‟s presence. In any case, he had plenty of work to do, so despite his curiosity, he didn‟t really want to help sweet-talk Hunter.
    There was no use mulling over the way Gable treated him. He was the hired hand, there was no need to deny that, but he didn‟t know if he could continue working for Gable if this was the kind of disrespect he was going to get for it. Flynn clucked at Brenner to make the horse follow him into the stable, making a mental note to talk to Gable later.
    Flynn had just finished saddling T.C., Gable‟s paint gelding, tightening the cinch when the two men returned. This time, Flynn didn‟t even get a look, let alone a thank you, from Gable. Hunter nodded his thanks, but was given little time to mount his steed, as Gable couldn‟t seem to gallop off fast enough. Flynn watched the two of them speed off into the distance, realizing Gable didn‟t look like he was being any nicer to Hunter than was necessary to sell the horses.
    After finishing up outside, Flynn washed his hands at the sink in the mudroom, kicked off his boots and traipsed into the kitchen in his socks, wondering if he should make an effort for lunch in case Hunter was staying. He didn‟t mind. Lunch was usually sandwiches and there was plenty of bread, cheese, and ham left for all of them. He just hoped Gable‟s mood would lighten up after the sale, otherwise he would rather have his lunch on the porch, far away from the other two.
    Through the kitchen window, Flynn saw Gable limp over to the house, with Hunter nowhere in sight. He didn‟t turn around when Gable entered a few minutes later. He knew he‟d trained him well enough by now to be sure that Gable wouldn‟t walk into the kitchen in his boots anymore.
    “Coffee‟s about done,” Flynn announced.
    Gable‟s only acknowledgement was a grunt.

    20

    Clouds and Rain

    “Hunter not interested in buying any horses?” Flynn asked tentatively, still not looking directly at Gable. He was peeling potatoes for dinner and that gave him the perfect excuse not to turn around.
    “Why? Are you that eager to see him again?” Gable replied gruffly, slamming the fridge door shut and throwing a plate on the table with a loud bang.
    Flynn took a