Page 13 of Hollis (The Moore Men #2)

Eight

Hollis

“ I t’s baby makin’ time, fellas,” I drawl as Finn opens the trailer, revealing the five fifteen-hundred-pound beasts waiting for us inside.

Springtime is here, and that means breeding season has arrived.

Every year, like clockwork, around the beginning of April, we bring in a handful of quality bulls—those with great genetics and sturdy, masculine structures—and turn them out with the cows for a forty-five-day breeding period.

This ensures we’ll have calves before the end of January, which is exactly how my father has always done it—and how his father and grandfather did it before him.

As cattle ranchers, breeding is one of the most important aspects of the job.

Simply put, if we don’t have calves, then we don’t pay our bills.

Period. There’s a lot riding on our cattle, and to make sure they have a healthy, successful breeding season, a lot goes into preparing for it.

From separating the heifers from the mature cows and adjusting their diet because their nutritional needs are different, to performing wellness checks and making sure each and every one is properly vaccinated, then finally, monitoring the herd for signs of heat.

It’s an extensive, yet imperative process.

After Finn and I get the bulls in the pasture with the cows, we head back toward the barn, needing to get started on the rest of our mile-long to-do list. We’re down a guy this week, and I can feel it.

August went out of town with his boyfriend, Tripp.

He’s a student at the college, and school’s out for spring break.

Think they went to visit Tripp’s family, but I’m not sure.

I kind of tuned him out when he was telling us about it.

It’s one of those days where I already know neither Finn nor I will take a single break.

It’s Wednesday, and both of us want to finish everything before it’s quitting time.

Every Wednesday, we gather at my dad’s house for dinner.

It’s something we’ve done for years. Working on the ranch, we see each other all the time, but the weekly dinners are a chance for us to relax and catch up outside of work.

Nine times out of ten, we end up talking about ranching anyway, but it’s still something nice to look forward to.

After grabbing the tools from the barn, we ride out to the north pasture.

The fence needs fixing because something—a coyote, if I had to guess—damaged a corner of it over the weekend.

We’ve put it off all week because we’ve had other, more important, shit on our plate, but it has to get done before we move the herd in here.

During breeding season, we rotate them between pastures every week or so.

While Finn’s checking out the fence, I pull out my phone and click on Hive .

It’s been almost a week since my mystery man all but encouraged me to un-match with him and apologized for wasting my time.

After reading the message, I considered doing just that, but for some strange reason that I don’t understand, I didn’t want to.

Sure, the guy is skittish, and because of that, we might not ever meet in person, but even knowing that, I don’t feel like he wasted my time.

It was my choice to chat with him, and there’s something about him I’m still drawn to.

And besides, I promised to be his Modern-Day Dating Yoda.

I may not be many things, but one thing I am is a man of my word, which means I have to see this through, even if he’s flighty.

Figuring the guy probably needed a little space, I didn’t reply right away. And honestly, how fucking insightful of me. I’m killing this Yoda thing already; he should feel pretty damn lucky. Impatience and boredom had me finally responding last night after I got home.

KnockinBoots: Based on the fact that you sent that message instead of just un-matching with me, I’d say the intrigued part of you outweighs the part that’s freaked out.

He never responded, and I wondered if maybe he wouldn’t at all. Maybe he deleted the app. But a smirk tugs on my lips as I notice the unread message from him. My stomach does a weird dip and roll as I click on our thread.

FireInMyVeins: You’re probably right about my intrigue outweighing the fear. This is way outside the realm of anything I’ve done in the past. I don’t know what I’m doing or how I’m feeling, and it’s honestly a little overwhelming. I’m not used to questioning myself this much.

Dang, hitting me with some vulnerability on this fine Wednesday afternoon.

KnockinBoots: That’s fair. But you don’t need to know what you’re doing all the time. I’m here to teach… Remember?

“You gonna pull ya damn weight and help me, or sit there and smile down at your phone like a damn fool the rest of the day?”

My head snaps up, gaze landing on my brother. He stands in front of the fence with a hand on his hip. “Someone’s sassy today,” I tease. “What’s the matter, brother? Not gettin’ your daily dose of dick?”

Finn’s jaw tics, and his scowl deepens. “My sex life is not the problem here,” he mutters. “My issue is with you slackin’ off while I bust my ass. Put your fuckin’ phone away and get to work.”

I bark out a laugh, shoving the phone into my back pocket. “Would you relax, ya big fuckin’ grump. I was on it for a few minutes, no need to get your panties in a bunch. Besides, I see you textin’ Ash all the time.”

“Yeah, about my kid,” he grits out. “Think that’s a little different than you textin’ your latest conquest.”

“Oh, only about Tucker?” A smirk slides into place. “What about the other day when Ash sent you a picture? Ya know, the one in the shower, with his hand wrapped around his co?—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Finn cuts me off.

“I’m just sayin’! It was a hot-as-fuck photo but had nothin’ to do with your kid, so you ain’t no better than me.” Laughter spills out of me as his scowl deepens. Nothing amuses me quite like watching Finn get all territorial over his boyfriend. “Ya know what they say about glass houses, brother.”

I don’t need to see under my brother's sunglasses to know he’s rolling his eyes. It’s too damn easy to rile him up. “Cut the shit and get back to work, Hollis,” he growls. “And next time you look over my shoulder at shit you’ve got no business seein’, I’m kickin’ your ass.”

Throwing my head back, my shoulders shake with laughter.

The rest of the afternoon drags on miserably, especially when we get hit with a downpour.

Normally, a little rain wouldn’t bother me, especially since it usually only lasts about ten minutes or so, but it’s hot as hell out.

The moisture mixed with the heat creates a humid sort of hell.

By the time we call it a day, I’m dripping sweat and exhausted.

Back at my house, I preheat the oven before getting naked and hopping into the shower.

The cool water feels incredible as it beats down on my overworked body.

Once I clean myself and get out, I wrap a towel around my waist and saunter into the kitchen, tossing a frozen pizza in the oven.

My stomach grumbles, knowing I’ve barely eaten anything all day.

I need to make sure to pack a lunch for tomorrow because it’s going to be just as long and grueling as today.

Swiping my phone, I open the app, finding a message waiting for me.

FireInMyVeins: What’d you have in mind?

I pull myself onto the counter, sitting across from the oven while I wait for the pizza to cook. What do I have in mind? We could meet up and fuck. That sounds like a pretty damn good idea. But nah… I want to get a little deeper now.

KnockinBoots: Let’s start with your story.

FireInMyVeins: My story?

KnockinBoots: Yeah. You’ve admitted to being fresh out of a relationship… But how fresh? And are you gay? Bisexual? Pansexual? Were you married? Have kids? Tell me more about yourself. *smirk emoji*

FireInMyVeins: We’re getting real personal tonight, I see.

KnockinBoots: Think we’ve been doing the small talk bullshit long enough, don’t you? *wink emoji* I want to know the down and dirty details about you. Make you less of a mystery .

FireInMyVeins: I don’t know… I kind of like the mystery. I like how you don’t know who I am.

KnockinBoots: Yeah, well we’re moving past that. Answer the questions.

I stare at my phone long enough for the screen to go black, and then I stare at it some more, confusion clouding my mind. Why do I care so much about this guy’s back story? What is it about him that has me so curious?

Is it really just the mystery aspect of it?

FireInMyVeins: Can I be honest with you for a minute?

Huffing out a breath, I shake my head. This fucking guy.

KnockinBoots: Please. That’s kind of the whole point.

FireInMyVeins: Talking about this stuff is hard for me. It’s uncomfortable, but knowing I’m just another stranger to you makes it feel less uncomfortable.

KnockinBoots: I’m glad I make you feel that way. Just relax, baby. I’m not asking for first, last, and social here. I simply want to get to know you better. So I know what I’m dealing with. Mr. Miyagi, remember? *smirk emoji* Gotta know the facts to be the best teacher I can be.

And that’s all it is.

FireInMyVeins: Okay… You first, though. Have you always known you were attracted to both men and women?

KnockinBoots: A little tit for tat, huh?

Okay, I’ll bite if it’ll help you open up.

High school was when I fully realized I was bisexual.

Although, early in middle school was when I started noticing how guys were attractive, like I did with girls, but up until high school it was always unattainable guys, like Tom Welling or Hugh Jackman. Celebrities or men way too old for me .

FireInMyVeins: So, what happened in high school?

Before I have a chance to type out a response, I freeze, re-reading the last couple of messages.

How did he know I was bisexual?