The Hollow Hills - 4. Chapter 4

Galen

I sat on the floor in front of the couch, my laptop on the coffee table along with all my paperwork from the case I was working on. I was frustrated and hungry. Overloading myself with work in order to forget about Jamie and take my mind off Josh had some drawbacks. The doorbell rang and I opened the door to Liam dressed in his Sheriff’s uniform, holding a bag of takeout.

“I hope you’re in the mood for Chinese.”

“You are a godsend,” I said. “I’m starving.”

Liam set the bag down on the kitchen counter and started removing its contents. I grabbed a couple of plates and set the table. We each scooped out generous portions of General Tso’s chicken and beef lo mein. It was several minutes before either of us talked. I think he was just as hungry as I was.

“How’s work? Did you get a lot of calls today?” I asked.

“Not too many. I have a ton of paperwork to catch up on, though. I hate paperwork.”

I gestured to the coffee table. “Preaching to the choir, cuz.”

Liam shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it. I’d hate having a desk job.”

I shrugged. “I like the law. The corporate part sucks, but I can always switch tracks, I suppose.”

“You just like the paycheck.” He smirked.

I frowned. “It’s nice having a bit of a cushion, but that’s not why I became a lawyer.”

“I know.” He took a bite of his egg roll followed by a swig of pop. “Alannah and Josh invited us for dinner again next week. What day works for you?”

My heart leaped upon hearing Josh’s name. I was reluctant to go back to the farm, though. Both times I saw Josh we weren’t able to keep our hands off each other and I was feeling incredibly guilty that he had a boyfriend. It wasn’t fair to any of us.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I have to go to Boston at some point, but I don’t know what day.”

“Well, let me know so I can tell them.”

“Ok.” I ate a few more bites of lo mein. “Tell me about Josh’s boyfriend.”

Liam frowned and looked out the window. “Why do you want to know about him?”

I raised my eyebrows. Was he kidding? “I think you know why.”

Liam sighed and looked at me. “Look. One thing you’ll learn after hanging around a bit is not to ask about Roger.”

“Why not?”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“You know me, cuz. What’s the issue with him?”

“Alannah has been trying to get Josh to dump Roger for years. He’s an ass, and that’s being nice. He flirts with Alannah constantly when he’s over and that’s not very often. When Josh isn’t around, he’s even tried to get her to sleep with him. He’ll call Josh about an hour before he’s coming over and then leave an hour or two later, after they’ve had some alone time. I’ve only met him a few times and he’s hit on me, too. Right in front of Josh. The man is an asshole. I’m sorry, Galen.”

I was floored. How could someone as wonderful as Josh allow himself to be treated like that? “Why doesn’t Alannah tell him he hit on her?”

Liam sighed. “She has. He doesn’t believe her. Or else he doesn’t want to believe her. He says that Roger’s just a flirt and doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s got some serious blinders on when it comes to Roger.”

“Oh my God. How could he not believe her? Why does he put up with that shit?”

“I don’t know. He gets really pissed off whenever anyone says something negative about the asshole, so we’ve learned to just keep our mouths shut. He says that we don’t know Roger like he does, that Roger needs him.” Liam snorted. “What a crock of shit.”

I was horrified by this news. If I couldn’t be with Josh, I wanted him to be with someone who cherished him as much I would. I pushed my plate away.

Liam’s CB crackled with static. “Base to Sherriff MacLeod.”

He pressed a button on his shoulder. “MacLeod.”

“We have a domestic in progress on Route 39 just past 302. It’s the Donaldson place, sir.”

“I’m on my way.” He shoved the rest of the egg roll into mouth and stood up. “Gotta go, cuz. Let me know about next week.” He squeezed my shoulder on his way out.

I cleaned up the rest of lunch and put the leftovers in the fridge. I managed to get some work done, but my concentration was shot. All I could think about was Josh and Roger. I wished like hell that he’d choose me instead of him.

*****

I used work as an excuse over the next three weeks to avoid going back out to the farm. Liam came over for lunch regularly and I don’t think he was buying my excuse. I was depressed. Jamie’s betrayal still hurt like a son of a bitch and I was so confused about Josh. I had only met the man twice, but both times were so intense. I knew I was falling for him, but the fact that he was unavailable and dating an asshole really stung. I wanted to be his friend, but was afraid that I would always think of him as more. If I ever met Roger I doubted I’d be able to act very civil. I was still reeling from Liam’s description of the man. How Josh could let himself be treated that way was beyond me. Then there was the fact that Josh seemed pretty willing to play around with me behind Roger’s back. Granted, he did stop me the first time we made out in the barn, but I don’t think he had any intention of stopping before Alannah and Liam walked in on us the second time. Did I leave Jamie only to fall for another cheater? What did that say about me? Was Josh only interested in having sex with me? My gut told me no; there was a lot more between us than just physical attraction. I could see it when he looked at me.

I was sitting in my apartment on a Saturday morning, attempting to concentrate on work, when my phone rang with Liam’s ringtone.

“Hey, cuz.”

“What are you doing?”

“Work. What else would I be doing?” I snorted.

He sighed. “You’re working too much, Galen. You need to get out of that apartment. How’d you like to go for a ride on Pal?” Pal was Liam’s horse.

I instantly perked up. “Sure! I’d love that!”

“Put on jeans and boots. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hung up the phone.

I changed into a pair of jeans and threw on a sweater over a thermal shirt. I rummaged through my closet until I found a pair of boots I was willing to wear to the barn. I liked my rustic ensemble and was really looking forward to my first time riding a horse. Liam raised his eyebrows when I opened the door.

“We’re going riding, not out on a date.”

I narrowed my eyes. “These are old clothes.”

“And the boots?”

“They’re the oldest pair I have.”

“They probably cost more than I make in a week! You do realize they’re going to get all muddy?”

“I can just buy a new pair, besides they didn’t cost that much. It’s not like these were an exclusive or anything.”

“You should buy some barn clothes if you plan on riding regularly.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my clothes.”

“Galen, your clothes probably cost as much as I spent on Pal!”

“So what? You know I like to look nice.”

“Pal don’t care what you look like.” He shook his head. “You know you could wear a garbage bag and still look gorgeous.”

I rolled my eyes as we left my apartment.

Liam was very chatty as he drove toward the barn. I didn’t think much of it until we turned onto a familiar-looking road. I glared at him.

“You didn’t tell me you moved Pal.”

“I’ve been wanting to keep him here for a while. They finally had a stall open up,” he said as he turned down the Hollow Hills’ driveway.

“You should have told me.”

He stopped his truck and turned to face me. “What’s your problem? You’ve been avoiding this for weeks. Josh and Alannah both adore you, and don’t tell me you don’t enjoy it here.”

“You seem to have it all figured out. You tell me.”

“So Josh has a boyfriend. It doesn’t mean you can’t be his friend.”

I scowled. “I know, but it’s not that simple. When are you going to get your head out of your ass and ask Alannah out?”

“Don’t make this about me. It’s complicated.”

“It’s as complicated as you want it to be.”

“I could say the same to you.” He put the truck in drive and proceeded down the driveway, parking in front of the barn.

I exited the truck and promptly stepped in a mud puddle. My boots were ruined, but I didn’t care. We entered the barn and it was thankfully empty. The horses whinnied in greeting and the big black horse, Charlie, stuck his nose out to be petted. I happily obliged.

“That’s Charlemagne, or Charlie. He was Alannah’s first grand prix horse. She brought him over from Ireland with her. She won her first Olympic medal on him,” Liam said.

I scratched Charlie’s neck. “So you’re pretty famous, huh?”

Charlie bobbed his head happily.

“Pal’s down on the end.”

As I walked with Liam toward Pal’s stall, I heard Josh’s voice giving loud, clear instructions. A thrill ran down my spine. Liam gestured down a short aisle that led to an indoor arena. Josh stood in the middle giving directions to a group of riders. He spied us and waved.

“We’ll be done in about a half hour if you wanted to use the ring.”

“Thanks,” Liam said, taking my arm and guiding me back to the barn aisle.

He showed me how to groom Pal and put on the saddle and bridle. Josh walked up to us as we were heading toward the arena and handed me a helmet.

“Try this on. If it doesn’t fit, I have another you can try.”

I tried it on and it fit perfectly. I felt a bit out of place among the fancy show horses with English tack. Liam rode western. The other riders wore proper riding clothes as opposed to my jeans, sweater, and jacket. I was thankful that I didn’t have to wear English riding clothes, since they didn’t leave much to the imagination. If I experienced the effect that Josh usually had on me, everyone would be able to see it. Thankfully there were enough other things to concentrate on, like steering Pal, that I didn’t have time to think of Josh.

Pal was very tolerant of my fumbling attempts to get him to turn where I wanted him to. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire time, especially when I successfully navigated the ring without Pal dragging me into the middle to visit Liam.

“Do you want to try trotting?” Liam asked.

“Sure!”

“Give him a little kick with your legs.”

I did and Pal broke into a slow trot. I bounced all over the place and he stopped after a few strides.

“Try it again. Relax and keep your heels down.”

I gave Pal another kick and he trotted off again. I tried to do as Liam suggested, but still bounced all over the place. It hurt, but it was fun. Pal realized pretty quickly that I couldn’t steer and trot at the same time and took advantage of that fact, walking into the middle of the ring and stopping in front of Liam.

Josh had joined my cousin and walked over to my side. He placed his hand in the small of my back and pressed, causing me to sit up straight. He then guided my leg into the correct position. I had to shift in the saddle due to the immediate effect Josh’s contact had on me.

“This saddle puts your leg too far forward and the stirrups are too long. Next time we’ll put you in an English saddle and teach you some solid basics.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a western saddle. It’s probably more comfortable for him as a beginner,” Liam said.

“You’re right. But if I’m going to be teaching him, it’s English.”

“Don’t I get a say?” I asked.

He let go of my leg and smiled. “Not if you want me to teach you.”

“I’ll do whatever you want me to.”

“I’ll look at my schedule before you go and we can set something up.”

“Sounds good.”

I walked around the ring a few more times and attempted to trot once more before we called it a day. I fell on my ass in the dirt when I dismounted, to Liam’s amusement. Liam showed me how to take the saddle and bridle off and I lugged the heavy western saddle into the tack room to put it away. I had to lift the saddle in order to put it on the rack, and missed the mark, falling forward. I really needed to get to the gym. A pair of hands grabbed the saddle and helped me wrestle it into place. I turned right into Josh. We stood for a few seconds, face to face; the look in his eyes was smoldering.

I moved toward him, but he held up his hand and walked to the door. He shut the door and locked it, turning back to me with a smile. I grinned and then his mouth was on mine, his tongue hungrily delving into my mouth and I was more than happy to accept it. He pressed me up against the wall, running his hands along my waistband and I arched into his touch. I placed my hands on his lower back, pulling him close as I kissed along the edge of his neck up to his ear, taking his earlobe into my mouth and drawing a long moan from him. I captured the moan with my mouth and moved my hands to his chest, following them as I slid downward. I was determined not to be thwarted in my quest for my prize this time, consequences be damned.

I should have known that the moment would be short-lived. The doorknob rattled as someone tried to enter the locked tack room.

“Why is the bloody door locked?” Alannah’s voice carried clear through the door.

Josh guided me to my feet and drew me close. He brushed my hair back and kissed me one more time before stepping away from me and unlocking the door, exiting the room. A befuddled Alannah stared after him, and then me as I followed and started grooming Pal.

After I was finished and Pal was happily munching hay in his stall, we all headed up to the farmhouse for dinner. Alannah had made an authentic Irish shepherd’s pie and after changing my clothes I helped Josh make salads.

I honestly don’t remember much about that dinner, other than the looks I exchanged with Josh and the electric charge that remained on my skin from where he had touched me in the tack room. I do remember how that evening ended, though. The phone rang while we were eating dessert – cheesecake – and Alannah handed the phone to Josh with a stony look on her face.

It was Roger. He was coming over in a couple of hours. I lost my appetite after that, and Liam and I left shortly after.