Chapter 18Every part of Teo ached. With August almost upon them, he had been up and out even before Clay, drenched in sweat by the time the sun had broken the horizon. In some ways, work made it all easier. He could shut off his brain and let his body take over, forget about the outside world to concentrate on the hard-packed soil, the fresh scent of animals, the weight of tools in his hands. His muscles might hate him at the end of the day, but it was nothing a good shower and solid sleep didn’t fix, at least until the next morning when he rose and did it all over again.
Working so much blocked out thoughts of how quiet his life was now. He hadn’t realized just how much he relied on Ryan’s company, how soothing it was to have his laughter in the background, to see his lean form standing
