Too close
637 Words
Ethan's POV
Ethan Hayes had a problem.
A serious one.
Unfortunately, the problem had a name.
Damien Black.
The city boy was supposed to quit.
That had been the entire point.
Nobody lasted long at Hayes Ranch if they didn't belong there.
The work was hard.
The days were long.
And Ethan wasn't exactly known for being welcoming.
Yet somehow Damien was still here.
Still arguing.
Still complaining.
Still refusing to give up.
It was annoying.
Very annoying.
Ethan watched from the stable as Damien approached Titan.
The horse immediately turned away.
Damien pointed at him.
"That's rude."
Titan ignored him.
Ethan rolled his eyes.
The city boy had started talking to the horses.
That couldn't be healthy.
Unfortunately Damien's shoulder was still bothering him.
Not badly.
But enough.
And today they needed to check the far western fence line.
A long ride.
Far longer than Damien should manage alone.
Which left Ethan with a problem.
A very irritating problem.
One he wasn't happy about.
"No."
Damien crossed his arms.
"No?"
"No."
Ethan's patience immediately disappeared.
"Get on the horse."
"No."
"It's one ride."
"No."
The argument continued for several minutes.
Until finally Ethan snapped.
"For God's sake, Damien."
The city boy blinked.
Apparently surprised.
Ethan rarely used that tone.
"Your shoulder is injured."
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
"I am."
"You're not."
Damien glared.
Ethan glared back.
Eventually the CEO sighed dramatically.
"You are unbelievably bossy."
"Get on the horse."
Ten minutes later Ethan regretted everything.
Because Damien was sitting behind him.
On the same horse.
Far too close.
Much too close.
The horse moved forward.
Neither spoke.
The silence was unbearable.
Ethan had spent years riding.
Normally sharing a horse wasn't a big deal.
Normally.
This wasn't normal.
Because every movement reminded him Damien was there.
Every shift.
Every bump in the trail.
Every breath.
It was distracting.
Very distracting.
Which irritated him.
Damien seemed uncomfortable too.
Good.
At least Ethan wasn't suffering alone.
The city boy kept trying not to touch him.
An impossible task.
The trail was rough.
The horse moved constantly.
Every few minutes Damien would accidentally bump into him.
Then immediately pull away.
As if burned.
It was ridiculous.
Finally Damien broke the silence.
"This is awkward."
Ethan almost laughed.
Almost.
"You think?"
"I hate this."
"So do I."
The answer came too quickly.
Damien snorted.
"You're such a liar."
Ethan frowned.
"What?"
"If you hated this, you'd be complaining more."
The city boy had a point.
Unfortunately.
The ride continued.
The ranch stretched endlessly around them.
Golden grass swayed in the wind.
Birds circled overhead.
And for the first time in weeks...
Neither argued.
Not really.
The silence wasn't hostile.
Just quiet.
Strange.
Unexpected.
Dangerous.
When they finally reached the western fence line, Ethan immediately dismounted.
Too quickly.
Damien noticed.
Of course he noticed.
The man noticed everything.
"You okay?"
The question caught Ethan off guard.
He frowned.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You seem weird."
"I'm always weird."
Damien laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound surprised Ethan.
More than it should have.
For a second he found himself staring.
Then immediately looked away.
Annoyed.
Mostly at himself.
The rest of the day passed normally.
If normal meant arguing.
Which it did.
Fortunately.
The familiar irritation felt safer.
Easier.
Less complicated.
Because Ethan didn't know what was happening.
Didn't know why Damien was getting under his skin.
Didn't know why the thought of the city boy leaving suddenly bothered him.
And he definitely didn't want answers.
Not yet.
So when they returned to the ranch and Damien thanked him for the ride—
Ethan did what he always did.
He scowled.
Rolled his eyes.
And walked away.
Leaving Damien standing there.
Completely unaware that for the first time since making the deal...
Ethan Hayes was no longer counting the days until he left.
- Writer
