Wild Trail (Clean Slate Ranch #1)(88)

“I’ll bring a blanket. We can stargaze together.”

God, that’s the most romantic thing he’s ever said to me.

“Then it’s a date,” Wes said.

“Meet me by the access road. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

Wes was a little surprised Mack didn’t want him to meet him at the main house, but he didn’t let it bother him. It made more sense than backtracking, and no one had to explain his car to Judson or Arthur. Still, why the secrecy? “Does anyone besides Reyes and Colt know you’re dating me?” he asked.

“Don’t really see as it’s anyone else’s business right now.”

Don’t let that hurt as much as it does.

Nope, it still made Wes feel like a dirty little secret. A fling with an actor that Mack didn’t expect to last, so why tell anyone about the fling at all?

“Why?” Mack asked. “You tell other people?”

“Of course I did. I’ve told people at work. Sophie and Conrad know, and probably Derrick by extension. Hell, I even told my parents I was dating a sexy cowboy when I talked to them last night. I’m not ashamed of dating you, Mack. This was a huge step for me, you know. I took a chance on telling people because I assumed you weren’t ashamed of me, either.”

“Hell, Wes, I’m not ashamed of you. Not even a little bit. It’s just...private. Yeah, I’m out at the ranch, but I’ve never been the guy who discusses his private life. And maybe that’s force of habit, from being a gay cop working with a lot of straight dudes, and I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

Wes wanted to take him at his word. If Mack was really pushing him away, he wouldn’t have agreed to tonight’s date. Unless he wanted another go at Wes’s ass before Wes got the movie, Mack decided he couldn’t handle a cross-continent relationship, and ended things. Wes’s emotions ping-ponged all over the place, unable to settle.

So he painted on a happy smile. “It’s okay,” Wes said. “I get it.”

“Thanks. I’ll see if Patrice can help me put together a goodie basket for tonight.”

“You going to tell her who it’s for?”

“I think I’ll do exactly that.” Mack grinned. “See you in an hour.”





Chapter Twenty-One

The idea of a picnic under the stars was ridiculously romantic, and to Mack, exactly right. Things between him and Wes had been off since their Sunday morning conversation about Wes’s audition, and he wanted to get them both back on solid ground.

He’d walked to the road junction, partly to enjoy the mild evening and partly to avoid leaving one of their vehicles so far from any buildings or people. Patrice had given him all sorts of knowing looks when he asked for help packing a picnic basket for him and Wes, but she hadn’t pried. Only encouraged him to enjoy himself. So he had a picnic basket in one hand, supplies in his back pocket and a blanket tucked under one arm.

Now all he needed was his boyfriend.

Headlights flashed down the road a little after seven. Wes was a tad later than he’d expected, but he was here. Rolling slowly up to where Mack waited by a scrub tree. Mack put his things into the back seat, then climbed in.

Wes leaned over and kissed him, licking into his mouth with that stud. “Hey, you,” Wes said. “Sorry I’m late. I had to stop for something.”

“I’ve got condoms.”

He laughed. “I like where your brain is at. No, I meant a bottle of wine and your favorite beer.”

Mack glanced at the paper bag he’d spotted in the back seat. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Yup, but it always bears repeating.” Wes indicated the marked dirt path. “So just follow the yellow brick road?”

“To Oz.”

Wes drove carefully down the beaten track, his headlights making the reflectors easier to see in the dimming light. They’d get a spectacular sunset before the stars came out. They chatted easily about their days, nothing heavy and nothing else about the audition. Mack wanted to put that out of his head for one evening and simply work on them as a couple. Find a way to get closer to Wes, instead of feeling like they were being pulled apart.

The rented trailer was to the right of the track, where it dumped out into the valley that held his project. He’d purposely put it a good dozen yards from the start of the work area, so he didn’t need to have it moved later. Eventually, an actual working office would be built to look like part of the town, he told Wes as Wes parked next to it.

“That’s awesome,” Wes said. “You’ll have a place to work without ruining the aesthetic with metal siding.”

“Exactly.”

They collected their stuff from the car. Mack spread the blanket out in a grassy area near the trailer, where they deposited the basket and alcohol. Wes immediately used a bottle opener on one beer and handed that to Mack, then poured wine into a plastic cup. “I’m very high class, can’t you tell?” Wes teased.

“You’re talking to a man who drinks his beer straight from the bottle. Never did figure why folks pour it into a mug. Loses carbonation that way.”

“We’re both low-maintenance drinkers. Now show me.”

Mack didn’t have a lot of exciting progress, but he showed Wes where they’d put the septic system in, which they’d hide with plants and small trees. The electric was being run next week, while the foreman hoped to start reinforcing the saloon on Monday.