Page 36 of His Country
“Aiden!” Ethan grabbed him by the shoulders, bodily turning him so that he had to look up at him. “Breathe. You’ve got to stop. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
He glared up at him petulantly. “It’s my fault! I’m supposed to take care of him and?—”
“And he colicked,” Ethan finished for him, face stern. He grabbed Aiden’s hands and tugged him so close he could smell the disinfectant on his hands. “Horses colic. Sometimes for a reason but oftentimes because theyjust do.It’s unfortunate. But it’s not your fault.”
“I was too busy,” he argued. “I was trying to fix the sprinklers in the hoop house before this weekend and I wasn’t payingattention.” Guilt gnawed at him, familiar and heavy, and he tried desperately to fight the heat prickling at the back of his eyes. Aiden should know better than to trust himself. He’d grown too complacent. This is why he shouldn’t take on special interests because all he does is ruin them.
And now he was going to speak at the town meeting?Stupid.He can’t even take care of his favorite horse!
He tried to tug his hands away, but Ethan gripped them harder. “Stop, Aiden. Hey.” He tried to get his attention, but all Aiden could do was look down at his boots and shake his head, desperate to keep Ethan from seeing him cry. He wasn’t even sure why he was still here. People didn’t stay for Aiden. Not when they knew there was something wrong with him. Something cowardly and?—
Big hands gripped his face, tipping it so when he opened his eyes all he could see through the tears threatening to spill was deep, brown eyes looking down at him with such intensity it took his breath away.
“Aiden, baby, you’ve got to stop. Take a breath. You didn’t do anything wrong, ok? It wasn’t your fault.”
He wasn’t sure if it was the ferocity or the pet name,but he paused. Once he’d stopped, his breath caught up with him. After a couple of deep inhales and exhales he found he could think better. That clawing ugliness abated, its familiar figure skulking back to the hole it was banished to whenever Ethan was around.
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do,” Ethan said confidently, his face softening. “I know you. You are meticulous and you love these animals. There is nothing you could do that would ever hurt them.”
Aiden realized his hands had buried in Ethan’s jacket, tugging him closer even as his brain was screaming to let him go. Before he could say anything else he was dragged into a hug, Ethan tucking Aiden’s head into his shoulder.
Ethan called himbaby.Casually too, like that was how he saw Aiden in his mind, and it just slipped out when he wasn’t paying attention.
But that couldn’t be right. Aiden wasn’t anything to Ethan. He was just a guy who wouldn’t deck him for kissing him. Someone to make the winters a little less cold. They didn’t have labels or endearments.
Sniffling, he pushed away from Ethan only to notice what he was wearing. Under his work coat he had on a nice button up and slacks.
Ethan noticed his confusion. “Oh, I was heading to dinner with my parents when you called. They’re driving through and we were going to meet up before they had to hit the road again.”
Aiden wasn’t sure where his parents lived now but Ethan mentioned he didn’t get to see his family much. “Y-you weren’t working?” Ethan worked with another vet. They covered for each other when they were off. “Why didn’t you tell me to call the other vet?”
A look Aiden didn’t understand crossed Ethan’s face. “You needed me.” He stepped closer, hand sliding to the back of Aiden’s neck. Gripping firmly, he felt himself sinking into the grounding hold. “I will always come when you need me.” A small smile flickered across his lips. “And when you don’t. I’ll just be here.”
He didn’t know what to say to that, so he just let Ethan hold him. It wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be.
CHAPTER NINE
Whoever said roosters only crowed at dawn, were either liars or really good rooster salesmen.
It wasn’t unusual to hear their roosters going off at all hours, waddles wobbling with glee. Aiden had never met a rooster that abided by a schedule and would just as soon not have the bastards around. But it wasn’t a rooster that dragged him from his sleep this morning.
A sharp whinny had him jerking awake—although to say he slept would be an exaggeration. It was closer to prolonged blinking. He rubbed his gritty eyes only to look up and see Eagle glaring at him from across the aisle. Aiden knew that look. That was his ‘you’re late for breakfast asshole’ look and Aiden had never been happier to see it.
As he felt the blood returning to his limbs, he tried to get his bearings. To the left he could hear Sugar sniffing around the stacked hay, no doubt searching for some poor rodent to harass.
The last thing he remembered, he and Ethan had been sitting against the wall, watching Eagle and trying to keep themselves awake. Ethan had been talking about his brother’s wedding. Aiden said he’d never been to a wedding and then…nothing. He must have fallen asleep.
His spine twinged in protest as he pushed himself up. With a yawn, he glanced over to see Ethan resting up against a feed bin. Arms crossed, head lolled back, he was in the most uncomfortable position because he’d allowed Aiden to lay on him. He’d been draped over Ethan all night, soaking in his heat and comfort without even realizing it. And Ethan hadlethim. He would have been well within his rights to elbow him off or leave. After Eagle turned a corner around ten, he could have gone home. Told Aiden to call if anything changed.
Aiden needed him, so he came. And then he stayed.
Ethan always stayed. When Aiden had been crying in Sugar’s fur because he’d seen Billy and Everett for the first time. When he drank too much and nearly died. When he tried to say goodbye after the bar and didn’t want to say goodbye. He stayed even when Aiden told him not to. When he spat and called him dumb. He stayed when there was nothing for him to stay for.
Ethan stayed for Aiden.
And as the warm glow of morning caught his dark lashes and the thick lock of hair that fell between eyebrows that weren’t symmetrical, Aiden realized he never wanted Ethan to leave.