“He’s leaving me, isn’t he?”

Gabriel slammed his car door a little harder than he had to after he’d loaded the last potato sack.

It was inevitable, he tried to remind himself. He’d anticipated it from the beginning. They had started off as a limited-time deal. If his feelings had gotten involved, it was his own damn fault.

And the noise of a truck engine didn’t make him feel any better. He heard Chad before he saw him pull up beside him, and by the time Chad got out, Gabriel gave him two middle fingers.

“What’s that for, asshole?” Chad greeted him, rolling down the truck window. He sounded drunk.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been drinking. Seriously?” Gabriel snapped. He’d suspected it before, but it had never been this blatant.

Chad rolled his eyes. “Of course not,” he said with a sneer. “Not like you care if I live or die, anyway.”

“Don’t even fucking try playing that card,” Gabriel hissed. “That’s taking other people’s… you know what? No. I’m not playing that game. What do you want?”

“You to admit you’ve made a mistake. Has he told you he’s leaving yet?”

A chill went down Gabriel’s spine. Had Chad heard something he hadn’t? Had Orion been out today saying goodbye to people? Or was this coincidence, and Chad giving him the same line he had been for the last week, hoping it would work?

He wasn’t gonna give him the satisfaction to his face of showing him that he’d gotten to him. It would only make Chad’s harassment worse.

“Of course not. Fuck off. Cora says you’re not welcome on the property ever again,” Gabriel told him. “And you’re not welcome next door, either. At the place I know you know I live now.”

Chad leaned out his window, his stare as desperate as his words. “But you have to see that I’m better! I’m at least gay. And I live here. I’m not running off on you the moment I can. You know he’ll only leave. I’ll never leave you.”

“I wish you would,” Gabriel snapped. “Oh, but not that kind of gay who does gay shit,” he imitated Chad. “You’re just the kind of gay who doesn’t care what he fucks. A hole’s a hole, right?”

Chad’s eyes widened, but he didn’t defend himself as he stared at Gabriel.

“So no, we’re never dating again,” Gabriel told him, his voice finally as harsh as his feelings. “I wouldn’t wanna accidentally flip you over and get my ass shot. And here I thought it was some kind of stupid, drunk love you had for me. You ever talk to me again and I’ll make sure you regret it. Now fuck the hell off.”

He might never have said it if he hadn’t been so damn upset. Orion had driven off with a word of explanation, his emotions a brick wall. He’d acted like Gabriel had slapped him or something.

“Don’t even bother trying to explain or apologize for what you said about me. I don’t want to hear it,” he added, just as Chad opened his mouth.

If Orion was on his way out of town, God only knew what would happen to Gabriel. He had to have a word with Cora, though. It was either that or move back in with his aunt and uncle.

At least there was one bright side, if his life was about to fall apart: Chad seemed to actually take his words to heart.

“Fine. You’ll regret it, but fine. I’ll be here when your life goes to shit,” Chad muttered.

Just then, a gunshot went off.

Gabriel dropped behind his car on instinct, but it hadn’t come from Chad’s truck. In fact, it hadn’t come from nearby at all.

When he slowly straightened up and looked toward the farmhouse, the source was obvious.

He could just see Cora standing in an open second-floor window, her shotgun resting on the windowsill. If he squinted, he could figure out which finger she was holding up at Chad.

Chad’s face, still paper-white, turned to disbelief and shock when he realized where the shot had come from.

It was enough to make Gabriel start laughing, and then he found he couldn’t stop.

Chad looked genuinely taken aback. “What the fuck? Cora? She’s batshit crazy! I thought I was gonna—I thought—Jesus!”

“She did say she doesn’t want you around,” Gabriel managed around his fits of laughter. It was good to see Chad realizing that his behavior had consequences, for maybe the first time ever.

“You know what? Whatever! Fine!” Chad exclaimed, throwing the truck into gear. “Fuck!” Chad peeled onto the road and floored the gas.

“Make sure you get that piss out of your upholstery soon,” Gabriel shouted after him.

The laughter finally faded when Chad’s dust settled and he glanced back toward the house. Cora wasn’t in the window anymore, and there was no sign of Orion, either.

Which brought him back to what he was dreading thinking about.

Gabriel managed to unload his car without any sign of Orion, but there was still work in progress. It looked like a machine had broken down, and a lot of guys had opinions on how to fix it.

That was decidedly not Gabriel’s area of expertise, so he headed for the house and knocked gently on the door once he got there. “Cora?” he called, since the window was open. “It’s Gabe.”

“Oh, come in, come in. I’d get the door, but someone would yell at someone else about it.” She sounded grumpy, and he couldn’t blame her. The constant bedrest had to be getting irritating. No wonder she kept trying to push her limits.

“Hey,” he greeted once he was inside, offering her an apologetic smile. Cora was settled in a sea of pillows on the couch. The TV was on, showing news about the explosion out on Victory.

It was the talk of the town, but it was mostly local news. Then again, the explosion was probably the most exciting thing to have happened in Hidden Creek since it was founded. No doubt the place would be crawling with reporters.

Gabriel didn’t find himself particularly caring, though. Nobody had been hurt, which was the important part. Stuff could be replaced—people couldn’t. His heart twinged as he thought about Orion, then tried to let it go.

“Did they yell at you about, uh, what you did to Chad?” he asked, a bit too brightly.

“Oh, I got back downstairs quick enough they thought it was the neighbors.” Her eyes sparkled for a moment as she gazed at him, then saw right past the attempt at humor. “So, what happened?”

“Chad stopped by…”

“No, no. I mean other than that.”

Gabriel opened his mouth, and then closed it as he sank into the sitting chair opposite her and avoided her gaze. “Uh…”

“It’s to do with Orion, isn’t it?” Cora said, her tone surprisingly gentle for once. “He was in a hell of a mood when he came back half an hour ago. Went out to talk to Pete…” She rolled her eyes. “Like walruses, all of them.”

That made Gabriel chuckle, at least. He could picture the Mieles butting heads over territory like walruses did. Even if they were cool-headed, they were sharp-tongued when their tempers finally blew.

Orion’s peevishness earlier really shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Gabe had heard about the fall from one of the farm helpers who’d come to bring him more fresh greens. Of course there would be conflict about that.

Especially if Orion was leaving.

Gabriel’s shoulders crumpled, and he laced his fingers together tightly.

“Spill,” Cora ordered him. “I don’t have all day. Well, I do, but I’d rather spend it ordering people to make me juleps.”

Gabriel managed a little smile at that. “Uh. Yes, ma’am. I just… It’s Orion, yeah.”

“Boyfriend problems.” She clicked her tongue sympathetically.

Gabriel shouldn’t have been surprised she knew—or was guessing correctly. There was no point in hiding anything. “We never settled on, you know, an official label. Because he was never planning to stay, was he? He was waiting to leave. He told me that first thing. But I got attached. It’s my own stupid fault.”

Cora held up a hand. “Hold up there. You’re gonna let go of a guy like my boy just because he moves a piddly couple miles away?”

Houston was more than a couple miles, but also not exactly a full day’s drive, so he couldn’t argue that. “No,” Gabriel murmured, looking down again. “But he has a lot on his plate, and… I can’t ask for more from him.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s not… I mean, fuck, I don’t know. I’m just guessing,” Gabriel groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Maybe he’s not ready for all of this. But he’s never told me when he’s leaving. Not once. I’ve moved in with him and I still don’t know if he’s gonna take off back to his life and leave me… I don’t know. I’d move in with my aunt and uncle again, but—”

“Hold up!” Cora interrupted. “Before you let your imagination run wilder than a mare in heat, how about you two talk about it?”

“Ugh.” Gabriel rubbed his face and looked up again. “I wanted to today, but he wouldn’t even talk to me. He was pissed off about…” he trailed off. Probably about you falling.

“About me.” Cora’s lips quirked. “I’m going to behave myself from now on. Or misbehave a little less, anyway. He said he’s working on something I can do sitting down. And he bragged about the yard project he’s doing with you. Said it’ll take a few months to get right, but he’ll start working on designs with you soon.”

“He… did?” Gabriel looked up, dazed.

“Your aunt and uncle don’t fight much, do they?”

Gabriel slowly shook his head. “They didn’t, growing up. If they did, they’d go for a walk together and talk about things.”

“Aw. How sugar-sweet. We don’t do that. We get a little testy,” Cora said with a grin. “It’s one of our flaws. You know me. You know him. Why are you assuming the worst now? Look at the big picture. He loves the hell out of you.”

Gabriel opened his mouth and then closed it again. She wouldn’t talk again, though. She was staring pointedly at him, waiting for a response. Finally, he had to admit, “Because I keep… watching everyone else leave without me. Waiting for them to do it. Even if he loves me, how long is that gonna last?”

“Honey, the people who love you aren’t gonna take off to Houston without you. Maybe they just don’t know what they’re doing and they’re afraid to tell you, because they want to be a rock for you when you’re going through a tough time of your own.”

Gabriel blinked a few times before his cheeks started to burn. “Oh.”

“Oh,” Cora teased and laughed. “You know what happens when you assume. You make an ass out of u and me.”

Gabriel groaned again, but this time, he laughed slightly.

“Now go bring the iced tea in the fridge out to Orion, and don’t come back until you’ve fixed whatever little raincloud is hanging over your heads. I don’t want him burning supper because he’s lovelorn tonight.”

Gabriel laughed again. This time, it came a little easier. He was still dreading the conversation, but maybe… maybe there was reason for hope after all.

And if the worst should happen, Houston wasn’t so far away, and his savings weren’t so very bad.

Look at the big picture, he reminded himself.

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

“Oh, don’t give me those eyes. Come here, you.” Cora wouldn’t let him go until she’d hugged him and kissed his cheek. “Now, shoo.”

His steps were slow as he carried the pitcher and two glasses toward the greenhouse where Cora said he’d find Orion. He hadn’t bothered asking how she knew, but once again, her almost supernatural knowledge of who would be where paid off.

When Gabriel pushed the greenhouse door open, he found Orion alone, standing at a trestle table with trimmings and small seedling pots all around him.

“Iced tea for you. Whatcha doing?” Gabriel said to announce his arrival, picking his way down the aisle toward the table.

Orion glanced up slightly and then back down. “Thinking. Gardening. Not doing either particularly well.”

“Cora would tell you off for multitasking. It’s—”

“The best way to do nothing,” Orion repeated along with Gabriel, then laughed. “Yeah, she would.”

“She just scolded me. Let me pass along some of that heat, at least.” Gabriel set down the glasses and poured from the pitcher, then found a spot on the table to put it.

Orion picked his glass up, and finally, he looked up at Gabriel. He looked tired, his brow wrinkled with worry, but he still smiled. “Thank you.”

“Of course. It’s a sneaky way to get you to talk.”

Orion chuckled quietly. “Okay. What about?”

“Let’s get Cora in the herb business.”

“Whoa. She’s open-minded, but…”

“These herbs, you doofus,” Gabriel said, starting to laugh as he gestured around the table.

Orion paused and then joined in his laugh with a quiet but sincere chuckle of his own. “Oh. Yeah. These herbs.”

“Repotting clippings is a seated activity. All the pruning is, too. With modifications, we could figure out how to get the paths in good shape, and make a route out of the house around the driveway, around back of the cold storage, to this greenhouse.”

Orion was staring at him as he drew his finger through the dirt that dusted the tabletop in a rough map of the farm.

Gabriel continued, “That path wouldn’t get chewed up by machinery like the driveway does. Then we clear these aisles,” Gabriel gestured up and down, “and make sure there’s seating everywhere. Good, comfortable benches. Same with her garden, as we work on that. And the herb thing? It’s a spinoff business… or, dare I say, offshoot,” he grinned.

Orion groaned, but he was smiling, too. “She loved the startup of this, and when it got handed over and she restructured. Starting businesses is fun. She stopped liking it so much when it got big and unwieldy. But her own little enterprise?”

“And conveniently, there’s a location to sell herbs from. When she’s doing better, she can get back to interacting with people in public. Less physical labor, but enough to keep her interested.”

Orion slid an arm around Gabriel’s waist, his eyes alight as he looked over the table, then back to Gabriel. “You’re a genius.”

“I’m not,” Gabriel snorted, leaning in to peck his lips. He took a deep breath and looked down at his glass of tea to give himself strength. “I’m just focusing on what matters. And trying not to think about you moving to the big city when I’ve gone and fallen in love, and now I can’t imagine myself not seeing you for days or weeks on end, and… that freaks me out.”

Orion pulled off his glove, and then his hand cupped Gabriel’s cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You can say that all you want, but when you’re, I don’t know, guarding Rihanna at some New York gala—”

“Baby,” Orion said gently. “I don’t want to interrupt you, but: I quit my job.”

Gabriel looked up at Orion. He opened his mouth and then closed it again as that sank in. He’d been left speechless more times in this past month than he had in… God, probably ever. “Oh.”

“Yeah. So I’m scared as shit that I did the wrong thing, and even more scared that you’re gonna move to Houston without me now. Like you’ve been telling me all along.” Orion gave him a wry smile.

“Oh. Well. Uh.” Gabriel cleared his throat. “I’ve been doing some thinking about that myself.” It was hard to say out loud. He’d barely admitted it to himself. “And I realized that… you know, I’ve put down roots here. I didn’t mean to. I planned to leave. But I never did leave, and why? Because I like it here. Something kept me here, not just… savings. That was never really the problem.”

Orion gave him a small, cautious smile. “Do you want to stay?”

“I think…” Gabriel trailed off, embarrassment creeping in again. “I think part of me wanted to leave because you had. I thought that was because it made it seem cool, but maybe it was because I wanted to follow you.”

“You had it bad for me, huh?” Orion grinned at Gabriel, and finally, his lips met Gabriel’s in a brief but warm kiss. “Even if I’m a dick sometimes?”

“Especially if you’re a dick sometimes. I like dicks.”

“So do I, it turns out.” Orion laughed, setting down his glass to wrap his arms tightly around Gabriel’s body. “What a strange life I’ve got.”

Gabriel grinned and kissed Orion’s cheek.

“I’ve just gotta sort out some odds and ends,” Orion added. “But I want to keep renting this place, or buy somewhere else on the street if something comes up. I’ll figure out a job. I’ll work in the family business if I have to. But I’m… back for good. And I want to be your boyfriend.”

“For real?” Gabriel murmured, pulling back to look at him.

Orion grinned. “Gramma called it already, and she knows best. Yeah, Gabe. For real.”

Gabriel answered by grabbing Orion’s cheeks and kissing him hard, then hugging him as tightly as he could. He could tell Orion’s answering hug was purposely gentle so he didn’t crush Gabriel, but that made it all the more adorable.

“God, yes,” Gabriel murmured. “That’s… perfect.” He let himself breathe in the faintly woody, fresh, herbal scent of Orion. Crushed against that wall of muscle that he could call his boyfriend now, his body relaxed before he even intended it to.

Tucked against Orion, Gabriel felt warm, grounded, and above all else, safe.