The Hollow Hills - 2. Chapter 2

Galen

I stood on the porch of the New England colonial farmhouse, looking out at the stone barn nestled among a copse of trees across from the house. Next to the barn was a pasture containing two horses – a brown one and a big black one. They stood with their heads held high, staring at me as I surveyed the property.

I had a big grin on my face and shook my head as I remembered the directions that Liam had given me. He never said a thing about a horse farm. I knew that Alannah was a rider – and a very good one – but during all the talks we had about her he never once mentioned that she lived on a farm.

I loved horses. There’s just something about them that speaks of freedom and beauty and grace. The funny thing is that I’d never even ridden a horse, despite living in Texas for so long. Jamie couldn’t stand the thought of all that dirt and smell.

“Can I help you?” a light voice with an Irish lilt asked.

I turned around and grinned at the slight blond-haired woman standing in the doorway. “You must be Alannah. It’s so great to see you!” I held out my hand.

She looked at me in confusion and shook my hand tentatively. “I’m afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage. I’d certainly remember if we’d met.” She winked as she checked me out.

“Oh, we’ve never met. I’m Galen.”

She looked at me blankly.

“Liam’s cousin. I did get the day right, didn’t I? I swore he said today!”

“Oh! Of course! Come in, lad! My apologies. You weren’t exactly what I was expecting.” She held the door open and I entered a small mudroom filled with boots and jackets.

“You can hang your coat up here. Use this side though, unless you want to smell like horses.”

I laughed and hung my black pea-coat on a hook on the wall next to the door. “Let me guess… you were expecting a middle-aged housewife named ‘Gail’.”

“Aye. Pretty much.” She laughed and the sound was like music. I could see why Liam liked her so much.

We walked into a large kitchen with an island to the left and a table and chairs in the middle. Liam was seated at the table and stood up when he saw me. “I take it you found it ok, cuz.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I found it just fine, Willie.”

He grimaced, then laughed, ignoring my use of his hated nickname. He despised being called Willie as much as I did being called Gale. He put his arm around my shoulders and guided me around the island. “I’d like to introduce you to our chef for the evening.”

A man was kneeling in front of the oven, examining the contents. Liam never mentioned it would be more than just the three of us. The man straightened up and turned to face us, holding a tray of assorted hors d’oeuvres using a dishtowel as a potholder. I gasped when his eyes met mine, transfixed by the depth I saw in the mesmerizing brown orbs. I couldn’t look away and as sappy as it sounds, I knew in that moment that love at first sight was possible. Even though I couldn’t tear myself away from his eyes, every detail of the man was seared into my consciousness. He was slightly taller than me with salt and pepper hair. He was trim and wore a white apron over blue jeans and a plaid button-down shirt. He stared back at me, his mouth slightly open and a shiver ran through me as neither of us looked away for a full minute. Our reverie was broken when he hissed in pain and dropped the tray, shaking his hand.

“Shit!” He bent down and started scooping up the hors d’oeuvres that had spilled all over the floor.

I knelt next to him, grabbing his hand to inspect it. I led him over to the sink and ran the cold water. I could feel the heat from his hand despite the cold stream, but I didn’t think it was from the burn. “I think we got it under the water in time.” I didn’t want to let go, but reached for a towel next to the sink and handed it to him.

He smiled. “Thanks. I’ve certainly had worse. I think I’ll live.”

I leaned against the counter and grinned. “I’m Galen.” I held out my hand. He looked at me blankly. “Liam’s cousin.”

He shook my hand and smiled. “I’m Josh.”

I let go of his hand after realizing it would be a bit awkward to hold onto it the entire evening, considering we had just met. I smiled mischievously. “I’m not what you were expecting, am I?”

He blushed and shook his head.

“Let me guess… you were expecting a middle-aged housewife named ‘Gail’.”

The look on his face was all the answer I needed. I rolled my eyes, walked over to Liam, and punched him in the arm. “You’re such an asshole.”

Liam laughed and swatted at me playfully. We traded a couple more blows before I returned my attention to Josh. He slid another tray of hors d’oeuvres into the oven. “It’s a good thing I made extra.” He started gathering a bunch of vegetables. “Would you like something to drink?”

“I’m good for now. Is there anything I can help with?” Even though I hated to cook, I would have done anything to remain in Josh’s presence.

“Sure. Do you know how to chop vegetables?”

“Well…I assume you take a knife and cut them.”

Josh laughed. “So that’s a ‘no’.” He handed me a peeler and directed me to the sink, where he showed me how to peel potatoes and carrots.

I caught a glimpse of Liam and Alannah standing and staring at us, open-mouthed.

“Don’t forget the ‘rule’, guys.” Josh ushered them out of the kitchen.

“What’s the rule?” I asked.

He looked embarrassed. “Alannah and I have an agreement when it comes to the kitchen. I do all the cooking and she leaves me to my craft.”

I thought it was a bit of a weird explanation and wondered what he was leaving out, but shrugged it off and continued with my task.

After I finished peeling the potatoes and carrots, Josh showed me how to chop them. I had no idea there was an actual process to chopping vegetables. No wonder I was such a lousy cook. He stood close as he showed me how to tuck my fingers in so I wouldn’t cut them and hold the knife close against them, making the slices of carrots the same size. I got goose-bumps every time his hand touched mine.

Josh placed the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove and showed me how to make a vinaigrette for the salad. I had just finished mixing the ingredients when the timer dinged. Josh removed the second tray of hors d’oeuvres and placed them on a serving dish.

“What would you like to drink?”

“What are my options?”

“I have red or white wine, beer, water, iced tea. No soda, though. Sorry, but that stuff is pure garbage.”

“No problem. Iced tea sounds good.”

He retrieved a pitcher from the fridge and poured two glasses. He took the plate of hors d’oeuvres and one of the glasses and I followed him into the living room, carrying the other glass. Josh set the plate down on a coffee table that was situated in between two couches. I sat next to Liam and Josh sat on a chair at the head of the coffee table. Liam handed me an hors d’oeuvre that looked like a mini quiche. I popped it in my mouth and rolled my eyes back in my head. I moaned in pleasure. I had no idea so much flavor could be packed into one bite.

“Oh my God…I think this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

Liam smirked and handed me a different morsel. I didn’t even look at it before shoving it in my mouth. It tasted even better than the quiche thing.

“Holy shit! I had no idea food could taste this good! Where did you buy them?” I asked, looking at Josh.

The look on his face made me think I insulted his mother. “Alannah?” he said tersely.

She laughed and patted his leg. “He’s a chef, love. He only buys ingredients.”

I turned bright red. Oops. “You made these? Wow! They’re fantastic!”

He smiled and nodded.

Liam bumped my shoulder. “I wasn’t joking when I introduced him as our chef for the evening. He’s a Michelin Star chef.”

“Well, you’re amazing. Where do you work?”

“I don’t work as a chef anymore. I’m an editor for a major food and wine magazine.”

“Cool.”

“What type of work do you do?” Alannah asked.

I made a face. “I’m a lawyer. No jokes, please.”

She laughed. “Don’t you like your job?”

“I work in corporate law so it’s not the most thrilling job in the world, but it pays the bills.”

“And then some…” Liam muttered.

I frowned at him.

“Do you want to help me assemble the salads?” Josh asked.

I grinned. “Sure!”

We headed into the kitchen, where Josh proceeded to show me how to layer the salad. I had no idea there was a process for that, too. Any time I made a salad I just dumped the bag into a bowl with some bottled dressing.

“You don’t cook much, do you?” It was more of a statement than a question.

I blushed. “I can make mac and cheese.”

“Oh? What kind of cheese do you use?”

I fiddled with the lettuce. “Um…whatever they call that orange stuff that comes in the packet.”

He laughed. “Please tell me you’re not serious.”

I frowned. I really liked that stuff.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I’ll have to teach you how to make the real thing. It’s not that hard.”

I smiled. “That sounds great.” I didn’t want to tell him how hopeless I really was when it came to actual cooking. All I cared about was spending more time with this gorgeous man.

“Why don’t you bring the plates into the dining room and I’ll get Liam and Alannah?”

I nodded and grabbed a couple of plates.

After we were all seated we started in on the salad and fresh rolls and butter. Josh made the rolls from scratch. I wondered if he churned the butter, too.

“I love this dressing. Great job as usual, Josh.” Liam said.

“Your cousin made it. It came out great, Galen.”

I beamed at the compliment. “Thanks, but all I did was stir together the stuff you told me to.”

Liam laughed. “Just don’t ask him to cook chicken.”

I scowled and kicked him under the table.

Josh looked amused. “I’m guessing there’s a story here?”

“I went to visit him in Texas and he decided he wanted to cook for me. I ended up in the hospital with food poisoning because he undercooked the chicken.”

I played with my salad. “Steak is good rare…I thought chicken would be good with some pink to it, too.”

Josh was trying hard not to laugh. He almost succeeded.

“So what on Earth possessed you to move from the nice, toasty south to here in Vermont in the winter?” Alannah asked.

I stabbed my salad with my fork. “I came home from work early one day and caught Jamie in our bed fucking another man.”

“Galen!” Liam practically choked on his food.

“What? It’s the truth!”

“Well you don’t have to be so crass about it!” He looked at Alannah apologetically. “Galen doesn’t have much of a filter sometimes.”

I looked at them briefly. “Sorry. What I meant to say was that I came home from work early to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary, only to find my boyfriend having carnal relations with another man in our bed. Better, Liam?”

Liam put his face in his hands and shook his head.

“I could have forgiven that one time, but it turned out he was just one of many.”

Alannah put her hand over mine and gently squeezed.

“Well the man is a bloody fool.”

I smiled at her gratefully. “Thanks.” I looked at Josh, gauging his reaction.

“Oh.” Was all he said. He stood up and gathered his and Liam’s plates. I followed suit, but before I could take Alannah’s plate, Josh snatched mine out of my hand. “Guests don’t help clean up,” he said abruptly, then headed into the kitchen.

I slowly sank back into my chair. I stared after him as he cleared the rest of the salad dishes and returned shortly with the main course.

After I mentioned Jamie it was like someone flipped a switch inside Josh and he barely even looked at me, let alone spoke to me. I tried to shrug it off and continued to have a pleasant evening with Liam and Alannah. The more I got to know her, the more I liked her. I could see I was going to have to take matters into my own hands to get him to pull his head out of his ass and ask her out.

During dinner we talked mainly about the farm and Alannah’s career. The farm was owned by Alannah, but she had only lived there for the past ten years, after she inherited it from her grandmother. She grew up in Ireland and moved here after her grandma passed away. Josh was leasing it at the time and eventually became Alannah’s trainer, guiding her to a career that encompassed victories in both the World Championships and the Olympics.

So in addition to being an amazing cook, Josh was apparently a horseman, too. Could he be any more perfect? I suppose if he acted like less of an asshole.

After dessert we brought our dishes into the kitchen. I brought mine in with a bit of trepidation after getting practically yelled at earlier. Alannah walked over to the sink and nudged Josh out of the way, taking the dishcloth from his hands. “Why don’t you go do night check and take Galen with you so he can see the horses?”

I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest. “Oh! That’d be great! I’d love to see the horses!”

Josh glared at Alannah. “It’s your turn for night check. I have a lot of cleaning up to do.”

Alannah wasn’t going to back down so easily. She put her hands on his shoulders and shoved him towards the door. “You’ve been in this bloody kitchen all day. Now, be a good host and go to the barn and show our guest the bloody horses!”

I stood there awkwardly and said quietly, “He doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to.”

Alannah snorted. “Nonsense. Ye’re not coming here without a tour of the barn.”

She went to the fridge and handed me a couple of carrots. She patted me on the back and smiled at me. Josh was already out the door and I grabbed my coat and hurried after him. He stayed several strides ahead of me on the walk from the house to the barn. I was very hurt and puzzled by him. I thought we had been getting along so great and then the next minute he wanted nothing to do with me. I felt a connection with him that I had never felt with anyone else before. Not even Jamie. I was amazed at how deeply someone I had only known for a few hours could hurt me. There was one good thing about having him in front of me, though. I got a great look at his very nice ass.

Physically, Josh was the antitheses of Jamie. Jamie was slightly shorter than me, with short jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes. I know I call myself a fashion snob, but I’m nothing compared to Jamie. My God, the man was beauty incarnate. I wouldn’t describe Josh as beautiful, though. He was, however, handsome. I guessed he was about ten years older than me. I thought his black hair salted with gray was very sexy, and he had just the right amount of scruff. When he smiled at me, his beautiful brown eyes sparkled and his whole face lit right up. He wasn’t smiling then, though. That gorgeous face was frowning at me as I hesitated at the door leading into the barn.

I looked at him briefly before I heard a chorus of piercing whinnies welcome us. I got a huge smile on my face and walked over to a stunning black horse that was looking at us expectantly. The horse nuzzled me and just about shoved me over. I laughed and ran my hands over his face and along his neck. The horse snuffled in my pockets and I remembered the carrots that Alannah had given me. But before I could give one to the horse, Josh grabbed it out of my hand. He broke a piece of it off and then placed in in my palm.

“Keep your hand flat and only give them a piece at a time,” he told me brusquely.

“Okay.”

I looked at him but he was already at work throwing hay into the stalls. The horse nuzzled me again and I gave him the piece of carrot. I couldn’t stop smiling when the horse kept rubbing against me. I laughed and looked at Josh. “I think he likes me!”

I couldn’t tell if he looked amused or irritated, and he muttered under his breath, “Charlie likes everyone”.

I frowned and decided to ignore the comment. I visited all the horses while Josh fed them and filled their water buckets. When he was done, he started for the door and curtly stated that it was time to go. I stared at the ground and stood back. When he was about halfway to the door, I took a deep breath, looked up, and asked, “Have I done something to offend you?”

He stopped and flinched as if I had struck him. He turned slightly towards me, and still looking at the ground said softly, “No.”

I shuffled my foot in the dirt and frowned. “It’s just that I thought we were getting along so well, but then you started pretty much ignoring me. I was just wondering what I did to upset you.”

His back stiffened and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “You didn’t do anything,” he said abruptly and then started walking toward the door again.

“Is it because I’m gay?” I blurted out.

He stopped dead and was quiet for a minute. He said so softly that I almost didn’t hear, “Yes.”

I had no idea that one word could cause so much pain. I ran my hand through my hair as I spun around trying to process the entire evening. “Wow.” Was all I could manage to say. Then I got pissed. “Boy, did I misjudge you,” I spat as I stormed by him.

I stopped just short of the door and then glared at him with all the disgust I could muster. “I never would have pegged you as a homophobe.”

As I turned to walk out the door I heard him yell, “Wait!”

I stopped but didn’t look at him.

“It’s not what you think.”

I looked at him and then and told him, “I think you’ve made yourself perfectly clear.” I started to walk away again.

“It’s because I’m so damn attracted to you!”

I stopped dead and slowly looked over at him, trying to gauge if I had just heard him correctly.

“I’m not a homophobe.” He sighed. “I think you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” He looked at me and I could see the sincerity in his deep brown eyes.

I slowly closed the distance between us. I took his face in my hands and gently pressed my lips against his.

I felt like I had been jolted with a live wire. I know he felt it too because both our eyes widened and then the next thing I knew, our mouths were devouring each other. He opened his mouth and accepted my probing tongue. I didn’t think it was possible to like cheesecake even more than I already did, but tasting the remnants of our dessert as I kissed Josh made the experience all the more incredible.

I ran my hands underneath his jacket and along the waistband of his jeans until I could feel his flesh trembling underneath my fingers. I drew my hands as far up his back as I could reach, pulling him close to me. I ground my hips into his as I crushed him against the barn wall. I could feel his desire and I have no doubt he felt mine. I kissed along his jaw, delighting in the feel of his stubble, stopping just under his ear. I licked and nibbled his neck and earlobe, producing a long moan from the gorgeous man writhing in my arms. I made my way back to his tasty lips, licking them before thrusting my tongue back inside his mouth. I moved my hands to the front of his jeans and palmed his erection before starting to undo the button. He moaned appreciatively and ran his hands over my scruff before kissing me right below my ear. He moved his hands down to mine, entwining them and bringing them away from his straining front.

“I already have a boyfriend,” he whispered.

I stopped abruptly and stood back, looking at him in bewilderment. “Shit. I shouldn’t have assumed. Of course you do.” I stepped away from him and walked toward the barn door.

“Galen, I’m so sorry.”

I looked at him and smiled ruefully. “So am I.” I walked out the door and back up to the farmhouse, Josh trailing behind me.

“I have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so I’m going to head home.” I hugged Alannah tightly. “It was so great to finally meet you. I feel like I already know you from how much this guy talks about you.” I leaned close to her ear. “He adores you, ya know.”

She smiled and looked sidelong at Liam. “Really?”

“Yup.”

Liam looked like he was about to kill me. Josh was standing near the sink, looking at the floor and fidgeting.

“Bye, Josh.”

“Bye, Galen.”

Liam looked at me quizzically before I headed out the door. He followed me to my car. “Everything alright, cuz?”

“He has a boyfriend.”

“Yeah. He does.” Liam’s face clouded momentarily.

“Can you come for lunch tomorrow instead of Thursday?”

“Sure thing, cuz. Call me if you need to talk.”

I nodded and drove home to my empty apartment.