Wild Trail (Clean Slate Ranch #1)(11)

Mack opened his mouth to retort, then shut it again as it hit him. The little shit was baiting him, trying to get a response. Two could play that game. “If you’re interested in viewing the horses, Reyes there can show you the barn. See you at lunch.”

He pivoted and walked toward the main house, leaving a slightly openmouthed Wes behind.

*

Wes squinted at the very pleasant sight of Mack’s departing backside—not happy that Mack was leaving, but he had a great ass, perfectly showcased in very worn denim. His plan hadn’t worked quite as he’d expected. Mack had definitely cruised him earlier, but he’d basically ignored him now, even with Wes flirting up a storm with Colt.

And Colt was a pretty accurate name for the guy. All blond hair and bright smiles, he had an excitability about him that made Wes think of a pony. A pony he wouldn’t mind riding if he hadn’t already set his sights on roping Mack. Maybe a nice roll in the hay with a real cowboy would help him bury Drake’s betrayal for good.

“So you were using me to make Mack jealous, huh?” Colt said. He chuckled. “I don’t know if I should be honored or offended.”

“I couldn’t help myself,” Wes replied. “No hard feelings?”

“None at all. I’ve known Mack for...hell, almost eight years now, and trust me, you got under his skin. Well done.”

“You think so? How can you tell?” Mack had barely twitched a muscle during the whole exchange. Wes was very good at aiming his attention in one direction while keeping his peripheral attention on those around him. It had served him well dancing around onstage. But he still couldn’t get a read on Mack Garrett.

“Easy,” Colt said. “He walked away.”

“Him walking off with a sour expression is a good thing?”

“Mack’s not afraid of confrontation. And he ain’t afraid of rowdy guests.”

“Are you an actor?” Reyes asked.

The quiet one’s question came out of the blue, but Wes still answered him. “Yes. Not the one who was in American Beauty, obvi, but an actor nonetheless. Did a stint in Hollywood, like, a decade ago, as Westin Bentley, but mostly I do local stuff in San Francisco.”

Reyes groaned. “God, do us all a favor and leave Mack alone.”

Wes straightened his spine. “Excuse me? He’s got something against actors?”

Colt and Reyes shared a look that said, yeah, Mack had something against actors. Wes harrumphed. “Well, as his friends, I’m sure you won’t tell me why he doesn’t like actors, but maybe you can give him a message? We aren’t all the same vapid, self-aggrandizing stereotype that gets played out in the media. I’m a person first, actor, like, third.”

“What are you second?” Colt asked.

Wes cocked a hip. “Absolutely fabulous.”

“Obviously. And it’s not that he doesn’t like actors, exactly. He, uh...” Colt glanced at Reyes, who offered him no help. He also didn’t tell Colt to shut up, which was interesting. “Look, he got his heart broken by an actor once.”

Him and me both.

“That sucks,” Wes said, silently grateful for the confirmation that Mack swung his way. “And I don’t want to date the guy, but a little harmless flirting never hurt anyone. He needs to loosen up.”

Colt chuckled. “You’ve never seen him on the dance floor at the Badlands.”

“You guys go to Badlands!” Jesus, had he actually lucked into two gay cowboys in this place? “Does Mack wear the cowboy hat and boots?”

“No, he wears regular club clothes, believe it or not. None of us are born and bred cowboys, we just kind of...fell into the jobs here at the ranch.”

Not real cowboys? Bummer.

Also? Good to know. Drake wasn’t a real cowboy, either, but he’d been close enough, considering his role on the show.

The comment also seemed to have pulled Miles into the conversation. He stood slightly behind Wes, to his right, but was close enough now to ask, “What did you do before the ranch?”

“Los Angeles County SWAT, same as Mack,” Colt replied. He fixed on a crooked smile. “Anyone ever tell you that you’ve got the prettiest green eyes in Northern California?”

“No. Uh, I’m going to keep taking pictures.” Miles scampered a few feet away, his camera up and trained at the barn.

Reyes, Wes couldn’t help note, tracked him and didn’t look away immediately.

Huh.

“So you guys were both SWAT,” Wes said. “That’s hella sexy. Why’d you quit?”

Colt shrugged. “It sounds sexy on paper, but it’s a hell of a lot of work, and it’s dangerous. We both reached our breaking points. Mack first, but it didn’t take more than a few months before I followed him here.”

Wes got the feeling that these guys didn’t open up about their personal lives to every guest who asked, so it made him wonder why he was special. Maybe they didn’t get a lot of gay guests with whom they could be open about it. Maybe they liked the idea of their friend Mack having a fling with a guest, to scratch whatever itch might be bothering him.

Mack was for sure his favorite type: big, muscles, broody and probably hairy, if the thin pelt on his forearms was any indication.

“How long have you been here?” Wes asked.