Ben was sitting on the rocky bank of the creek. The legs of his jeans were muddy and wet from slipping and falling on the way over, but he didn’t care.

He wasn’t even sure why he’d gone out to that clearing again in the first place, aside from the fact that he’d been crying too hard to safely drive anywhere else and he couldn’t stand the thought of being alone in that damn house.

Eric hadn’t even questioned him when he’d saddled up the horse and headed out for the tree line.

Which was good, because Ben wasn’t up to talking to his brother, either. Not after the hellish morning they’d already gone through.

Yet another thing that had been all Ben’s fault.

Still, he knew that keeping the ranch had been the right thing to do, even if it also happened to be the most difficult thing.

He was stupid to fool himself into thinking that everything would work out so easily in the end. Life just wasn’t like that—not for regular people like him and Chase, anyway. It had all seemed so harmless at first, just having fun and doing what came naturally.

Then Ben had messed it all up by letting himself fall in love. He’d spent most of his life keeping his feelings in check, decidedly not letting himself accidentally fall in love with his best friend, no matter how tempting it had been at times.

And it had been very tempting when they were teenagers and Ben hadn’t known any better. Even then, though, he’d been smart enough to hold himself back.

He picked up a rock and skipped it across the water. What in the hell had he been thinking?

Moving to New York? Really?

God, his parents would have gotten a kick out of that. Ben had lived in the country all his life. It’s what he knew. Working with horses and cattle was in his blood, going back generations.

New York City would have chewed him up and spit him out in a heartbeat.

For all that they had in common, he just wasn’t built for adventure the way Chase was. Ben was happier to sit around the table with good food and good company than to go looking for something that would give him an adrenaline rush.

No, he kept his heart protected at every turn, and he always had. Which was exactly why he’d come up with that stupid rule about not getting attached, not getting emotional, and sure as hell not falling in love.

One damn rule.

And he had broken it almost immediately.

His heart had ended up getting the wrong idea, and setting it straight had been one of the most difficult things Ben had ever done. Worse, he had hurt the best friend he’d ever had—the only man he’d ever loved—in the process.

He didn’t expect Chase to forgive him anytime soon. Ben wasn’t even sure if he could forgive himself.

Ben jumped as a loud noise echoed through the clearing.

He’d been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t know what it was, but it sounded like… a car door? In the pasture?

God, his mind really was playing tricks on him now. Payback for all the stress he’d put his body through the past few days, no doubt.

Ben cocked his head to the side and listened. He definitely heard something. Not another car, but something that sounded like a wild animal charging through the brush.

Feeling a sense of panic wash over him, Ben scrambled to his feet, ready to either jump into the creek or try and fend off whatever was about to appear in front of him.

Please don’t be a boar.

Or a skunk.

Please don’t be—

“Chase?” Ben nearly fell over backwards as the man burst through the trees, looking around as wide-eyed and feral as anything Ben could have imagined. “What in the—”

“Ben, thank God you’re here.” Chase paused for a moment to catch his breath and untangle his feet from some briars that had apparently been in his way. “We need to talk.”

“I—what?” Ben shook his head. Was he imagining this whole thing? Had he suffered a complete mental breakdown? He blinked hard and looked into Chase’s eyes. If this was a figment of Ben’s imagination, it was the sexiest, most sincere looking figment ever. “How are you even here? Aren’t you supposed to be on the road to New York by now?”

“Nope.” Chase took a step closer. “I don’t wanna go.”

Ben cocked his head to the side. This wasn’t making sense. Chase wasn’t making sense. “You… don’t wanna go? Since when?”

“Since you said you couldn’t go with me.”

Ben couldn’t help but smile at the sudden sweetness in Chase’s voice. Still, he wasn’t going to get ahead of himself. He absolutely wasn’t going to get his hopes up.

That’s what had gotten him into this clusterfuck in the first place.

“What about starting over? What about your job with Jake?” Ben asked. “What about your ‘all of the adventure’ and… everything?”

“I realized that none of that matters. I don’t need to reinvent myself in New York City when I can just be the regular old me right here. The old me that has the old you as a best friend.” Chase shrugged. “And Jake will understand. He’s got his own life, anyway. I’m sure he didn’t really want his little brother tagging along and getting in the way.”

He took another step toward Ben. They were close now, just a few feet apart. Ben’s chest was tight, though, and as much as he wanted to be in Chase’s arms right at that moment, he also needed a little bit of space while his brain tried to comprehend what in the hell was going on.

Ben persisted, hoping that he’d find a little clarity in at least one of the answers. So far, each answer Chase gave had just led to more questions. “And your parents? Your mom? The unborn grandkids they keep trying to get out of you?”

Chase laughed and took one more step closer. Ben knew for his own sanity that he should back up, that he should put a stop to this right now and tell Chase that whatever he was hinting at wouldn’t actually work.

But first, he wanted to hear what Chase had to say.

Just in case.

“They’re barking up the wrong tree for grandkids,” Chase said, finally. “But there’s still hope that Jake will come through for them.” He closed the gap between them and took Ben’s hands, making the breath catch in the back of Ben’s throat. “Listen to me, Ben. I want to be with you. I don’t want anyone else. I don’t want to go anywhere else. Just you and me. Here. Now. Together. That’s all I want.”

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted,” Ben whispered, afraid that if he said it any louder it might get taken away from him again. “But you’ve always said—”

“I’ve always been an idiot, babe,” Chase said, making them both laugh. “What I thought I needed and what I actually needed turned out to be different things. I was so convinced that I had to find myself somewhere else that I couldn’t see my future with you right in front of my face.”

He squeezed Ben’s hands and Ben had to blink hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over any moment. They weren’t sad tears this time, though.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Ben asked, still just barely above a whisper. “How do you know you won’t change your mind in a week or a month or… whenever?”

“Because this is home,” Chase said, simply. “You and I have history here, and family. I left once and regretted it for a long time. I don’t wanna make the same mistake again.” He shook his head. “I don’t wanna risk turning my back on love a second time. You might not give me a third chance.”

The tears were flowing freely, but Ben didn’t care. Everything Chase was saying was exactly what Ben had been hoping to hear since… well, since forever.

But there was one word that stuck out. One word that hadn’t even shown up in Ben’s wildest dreams.

“Love?” he asked, searching Chase’s eyes through his own blurry tears. “I’ll give you as many chances as you need, because—”

What he’d been about to say next was cut off by Chase’s mouth pressing against his own, kissing him with a needy hunger that took Ben’s breath away. He was in Chase’s arms, pressed against Chase’s body, and everything finally, finally felt right with the world.

After taking his kiss, Chase backed away just enough to look into Ben’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I think I interrupted you…”

Ben laughed. “I’ll take that kind of interruption all day long.” He reached up to dash away his leftover tears and continued. “I just want you to know that you’ll never run out of chances with me, Chase. That’s what love is all about. It’s unconditional. And I love you. Unconditionally.”

“I love you, too, Ben Harper,” Chase said, kissing him again and again. “You helped me find what I was looking for. You helped me come home.”