“I never said he was. I said he needed someone to show him the way and he won’t let me do it.”
I chewed on the inside of my mouth for a moment. Kyle exhaled. “Look, let’s rewind this a bit and put aside the personal stuff for now. I’m going to need a bit to get that all settled in my thick skull.” He tapped his temple. I bobbed my head in agreement. “Right, so, you’re gay. Have you told your family?”
“Yeah.”
“And I have to assume your mom and grandpa were cool with it?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, that’s good. You do realize that your being gay is not an issue on this ranch, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Excellent. There is no one here in upper management who would treat you differently or allow anyone who works here to use any slurs of any kind. This damn ranch is so queer it’s a wonder the cows don’t give birth to rainbow calves.”
“Yeah,” I said with a sort of chuckle.
“Good, good. So we’re all good on the employment aspect and the family situation.”
“Yeah.”
Kyle snorted loudly. “It’s funny. I know you have a head full of words given all those fancy philosophy and science books that you read, but right now I’m having trouble getting more than ‘yeah’ out of you.”
Shit. “Sorry.” My cheeks grew hot. “I’m not super comfortable talking about my gayness yet.”
“I get that. I was just teasing you. Do you want me to tell the boss and the big boss and the big, big boss about our talk?”
“Yeah.” I grimaced. Kyle gently rapped the side of my leg with his fist again. “Yes, please. I don’t want to make a production out of it, I just want to be.”
He nodded along. “I get that. And for the Will thing…just know that I do love my brother, but I’m a realist. And his behavior before coming here did not give those around him any great hopes for him making something of himself. Maybe with a good man in his life, he can turn himself around. I hope so. I love the moron.”
“I love the moron too,” I said with a smile that quickly evaporated. I’d just copped to loving Will out loud. To his brother. My gut twisted up.
“Good. He’s a lucky man. Now, let’s get this delivery put away so you can get back to romancing my brother.” He shook his head then laughed lightly. “Romancing my brother. You realize that will be a full-time job? Will’s not happy unless he’s stirring up some sort of mayhem.”
Yeah, I knew that. And I felt that was what made Will and me work. It was also one reason that I loved him. I. Loved. Him.
It was scary wonderful to think about. Loving someone. Trusting. It was all so heady. And utterly terrifying.
The morningof the fall gathering was crisp, clear, and thankfully cooler. I met Will in the kitchen area of the bunkhouse with a whispered “Morning” and a quick kiss. Will pulled me close, deepened the kiss, and then spun away before things slipped away from us and we snuck off to my room or the barn for shared hand jobs and more kisses. There was no excuse for being late that my mother would accept. She and Kenruh both were on the planning committee for the gathering. Me being late for the first dance category at noon would get me chewed out as only a mother can chew you out.
“I can’t wait to see you dance,” he told me at least ten thousand times as we cruised to the reservation with a sky as blue as his eyes smiling down at us. I explained the different categories of dance we’d see over the course of the next couple of days if we could get to the powwow after today. We were so shorthanded at the ranch that the few remaining workers were pulling double duty. He nodded along as I told him about the women’s fancy shawl, traditional dresses, and jingle dress categories.
“I’m entered in two,” I said as we cruised past the Entering Jante River Indian Reservation.
“Do you wear the same outfits?”
“No. The grass dance has ribbons on the arms, legs, and waist to represent the movement of the tall grasses in the spirit world. After the Grass Dance, there’s a traditional dance then fancy. I’m in the fancy dance too in regalia that Kenruh wore when he danced.”
“Why did he quit?”
“Bad hips. The fancy dance is really energetic. It’s fun though. The crowds really like it. Lots of bright colors, feathers, and beadwork. Stick with Mom while I’m dancing. She’ll get you a great shady place in the drummers and singers’ area.”
“So this is a big thing? Like, lots of people?” He was really interested in what he was going to experience today. That made me stupid happy.
“Yeah, thousands of people and hundreds of dancers from all over South Dakota, Idaho, Canada, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. There’s a bunch of tribes represented, not just Shoshone and Arapahoe. The dancers compete for cash prizes. It’s a pretty big deal.”
“Cool.” He leaned over to kiss me on the ear. I swatted him away as my heart glowed as brightly as the sun peeking out from behind the Tetons.