Who wouldn’t want a do over?
When Thaine wakes up in the hospital after a bull-riding injury, he immediately asks for his lover, Jerry. He has no idea who this man next to his bed is, despite the fact Drew insists they have been an item for the last five years.
Thaine’s best friend, Jesse, calls Jerry. He thinks it’s a pretty crappy thing to do to the new boyfriend, but tells himself it’s unlikely Jerry will come after so many years. He also doesn’t get why Thaine would pass up the opportunity to be with Drew since he’s young, optimistic, and hardworking. In short, everything Jesse ever wanted in a man.
Jerry still carries a torch for his cowboy, so when Thaine asks to go home with him to recover, Jerry agrees. At first they pick up their intense physical relationship right where they left it before the breakup. Jesse, in turn, consoles the now homeless Drew and offers him quite a bit more than a shoulder to cry on. But in the back of all the men’s minds loom Thaine’s lost five years.
JERRY WAS working late. He looked at his watch and flipped on the eleven o’clock news. Okay, so he was working very late. He glanced up at the gray-haired anchor giving a brief overview of the top stories and then went back to his research, reading through the reports on Stiller Inc.’s assets.
The floor was empty aside from his office. Hell, the whole building was probably empty—there weren’t many who burned the midnight oil these days. Of course that gave him an advantage, and he wasn’t one to pass up an advantage.
READ MOREHe took notes as he read and managed to time it perfectly—he dotted his last i just as the sports came on. The Astros had won their game, three—zip. Cool. They were on their way to a pennant this year if they kept winning like they were. He was about to pick up the next report when a sports news segment caught his eye.
“Also, today at the Mesquite Rodeo, Houston native Thaine Russell was riding Destiny’s Son when he was thrown and trampled. Mr. Russell is in critical condition at Mesquite Medical Center. His sponsor, Wayne Leathers, says their prayers are with the family, and they hope to see Thaine back on the circuit next year.”
Thaine Russell. Lord, lord, there was a name he hadn’t heard in… well, it had to be five years. Not since they’d gone their separate ways.
He waited to see if there’d be more, but the anchor went on to talk about football scores around the country, and Jerry turned off the TV.
Jerry stood and went over to the little wet bar and poured himself a finger of whiskey before going to the window and looking out over the bright lights of the city.
Thaine Russell.
Well, if anyone could recover from getting trampled it would be Thaine. He was the most stubborn, ornery man Jerry knew. Gave those bulls a run for their money.
Jerry chuckled and sipped at his drink.
“Good luck, T. You come back and get that bull next year.”
He shot back the rest of his whiskey and returned to his desk, picked up the next report. If he worked hard he could have a plan in place to take over Stiller Inc. by morning.
COLLAPSE