Stars & Stripes

“It’s Agent Grady, Mother.”



Ty gave her a charming smile. “The Marines didn’t want me, and it’s hard to find a job where you can shoot things without getting arrested.”



Zane actually groaned.



Beverly was struck speechless for a moment, and Ty took advantage to change the subject. He looked around the table, addressing Harrison and the others.



“So, what exactly has been going on? Can someone fill me in?”



“Well,” Harrison started.



“Do we really need to talk about such nasty business at dinner?” Beverly asked. She still sounded flustered, and Zane couldn’t decide if it was unsettling or amusing. His mother didn’t like it when things were out of her control; that was where their similarities began.



“Your husband was shot on your own property. Doesn’t that make you a little angry?” Ty asked.



“Made me angry,” Harrison mumbled as he sipped at his water.



“Of course it’s upsetting,” Beverly snapped. She straightened and cleared her throat daintily, then looked to Harrison. “Don’t you believe we should wait until Mark is here to discuss it?”



“Mark won’t be here until tomorrow, Mother,” Annie said.



“Still. I believe we should wait for him. He does have a military background, after all. And don’t we need someone with a mind for this sort of thing before we go off half-cocked?”



“Mother, really. Zane and Ty do this for a living.”



Zane opened his mouth to tell her about Ty’s background, but he felt the tip of Ty’s foot at his shin. Ty shook his head and smiled.



“Harrison?” Beverly said, ostensibly deferring the decision to Zane’s father, despite her warning tone.



Harrison sighed and nodded. “Problem’s been going on for a good while now. I think we can afford one night to give Ty here a chance to rest before we put him to work for us.”



Zane smiled, impressed with his father’s quiet diplomacy. He looked at his partner and found Ty watching Harrison, head cocked. Ty nodded. “I appreciate that, sir, thank you.”



Harrison smirked knowingly.



Beverly wasn’t as impressed with her husband’s decision as Zane was, but she let it go at that. It was like watching a shark release its hold, and something in Zane began to relax.



She placed her napkin on the table and stood. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have plans to attend to in the study.”



She left the formal dining room, and Zane watched the doorway for a long moment. He reminded himself it would just be a few more days, and then they’d be out of here.



“Well, that went well,” Ty finally said, sounding far too chipper about it.



“Lie to her, Zane, it’ll help,” Zane grumbled in a high-pitched mockery of Ty’s drawl.



Ty chuckled.



“Speaking of lying,” Harrison said, leaning both elbows on the table. “You two care to come clean now, while your mother’s out of earshot?”



“What?” Zane asked, panic settling heavy in his stomach.



“I don’t know what it is you’re both hiding, but I can smell it.”



Zane swallowed hard and glanced at Ty. Ty raised an eyebrow, nodding. He looked calm, but there was no telling what was going on beneath the surface. Zane licked his lips and was surprised to find his mouth dry.



“Ty and I . . .” He looked at his father, the fear and uncertainty skittering through him. “We . . .”



Out of the corner of his eye, Zane saw the compass rose around Ty’s neck. He’d worn it almost every day since Zane had given it to him. He would do anything for Zane, and he deserved the same. Ty bit his lip and looked down at the table as Zane hesitated, and though Zane caught only the briefest glimpse of his lover’s expression, he recognized it: disappointment. It burned its way through his body and settled uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach, pushing him toward the words.



“Ty and I . . . we’ve been dating for about a year now.”



Ty’s head shot up, and Annie glanced between them, eyebrows climbing so high her bangs hid them.



“Dating?” Harrison echoed.



Zane met and held Ty’s gaze. “Ty isn’t just my partner at work. He’s my boyfriend. I love him.”



“Oh.” Harrison sounded thoughtful. “Well, that explains it.” He went back to cutting the churro on Sadie’s plate, and Zane and Ty both stared at him, incredulous.



“That’s it?” Ty blurted.



Harrison shrugged and chewed a piece of the sweet bread Sadie had stuffed into his mouth. “Had a gay bull I had to sell last year. That was a damn nuisance. Gay son? That don’t cost me nothing.”



Ty laughed before he could stop himself. He had one of those boyish, infectious laughs that made the people around him giggle too no matter why. Soon they were all laughing raucously, the sound ringing through the massive house like bells in a cathedral.



Ty stood in the foyer, looking up at an oil painting tucked away in one corner of the grand entryway. He’d seen the painting before dinner, a fascinating vista of browns, oranges, and pinks that made up a surreal look at the Hill Country outside the door.



It was pleasing to the eye, and the colors were well-suited to the décor, so Ty couldn’t understand why it had been shoved into this alcove where no one would see it unless they made a concerted effort to do so.



He cocked his head and took a sip from the wine he was trying to finish before Zane came back from talking with his father and sister.



“You like it?” Annie asked as she came up behind him.



Ty turned and gave her a confused smile. “It seems familiar to me and I’m not sure why.”



“Are you a connoisseur of art?”



“Hardly. I’m more a photograph person, if anything.” He cocked his head the other way, examining the colors and brush strokes. There was an element of profiling to looking at a painting if you knew enough about art, but Ty didn’t.



“You’re familiar with the artist.” Annie stopped at his side and looked at the painting with a smile.



“No, really, I can only name like five painters.”



“I bet you can name this one.”



Ty looked at her sharply, and then turned his eyes back to the painting. He pointed with one of the fingers holding his wine glass. “Zane painted this?”



Annie nodded.



“You’re shitting me!”



She laughed, and Ty looked around with a wince as his words echoed off the marble floors.



“That’s incredible,” he added, quieter. He studied the painting again. Careful strokes, meticulous details that still somehow formed a sloppy likeness of the sun setting over the desert. There was calm beneath the vibrant surface, like Zane in reverse.



“You didn’t know Zane could paint?”



Ty shook his head, still gazing at the brush strokes.



“He’s quite a talented artist. His charcoal sketches were heartbreakingly beautiful.”



“I never knew he could do that.”



“Even so. You recognized this as his.” She patted his shoulder and Ty felt her move away. He licked his lips and set his wine glass down, eyes still riveted to the painting. He had to force himself to look away and followed her to the front door.



Annie slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. They strolled through the yard, the temperature surprisingly comfortable. It was still hot, but there was a breeze that seemed to be apologizing for the sun trying to melt them all day. Ahead of them, Zane and Harrison were trailing along behind Sadie, who was fluttering like a butterfly, chasing lightning bugs.



“Why do you tease him like you do?” Annie asked.



“You want the real answer or the one I’d give his sister?”



“The real one.”



“Fair enough. Because I enjoy it,” he said with a sideways glance. “And so does he.”



“So . . . foreplay.”



Ty barked a laugh.



“And the answer you’d give his sister?”



“I don’t know, I’d have had to stall to come up with one. Probably would have tripped you or something.”



Annie laughed. “Well, Ty Grady, I bet he has his hands full with you.”



“God, I hope so.”



“I’m glad he has someone. I worried about him for so long.”



Ty nodded, his mood turning more somber. They walked in silence a moment, and Zane and Harrison slowed their pace until he and Annie came abreast of them. Harrison was moving well, but seemed to tire quickly. He had his hand on Zane’s arm, and when they caught up he took Annie’s arm instead, freeing Zane to fall in next to Ty. Sadie was a few dozen yards away, dancing, twirling, and skipping around the yard.



They ambled along, content in the silence. Ty stopped and stared as the sun melted into the ground ahead of them.



“That’s spectacular.”



“Everything’s bigger in Texas,” Zane whispered, a smile in his voice.



“Oh God.”



Zane laid his chin on Ty’s shoulder to watch the sunset. His familiar scent and his comforting presence were wonderful, and Ty turned his head to touch his cheek to Zane’s. He was aware of how close they were in front of Zane’s family, and though he was enjoying the moment, he could feel his shoulders tensing.



Harrison cleared his throat. “Now, I believe we need to discuss this situation a little more seriously,” he said as the landscaping lights began to flicker on around them.



“You mean, should we tell Mother that Ty and I are screwing?” Zane asked, voice flat.



“Oh, look,” Ty said. “Horses.” He took a step and made to escape.



Zane reached out and grabbed him by the back of the neck, and he flailed and stumbled as Zane’s fingers snagged his collar.



“No wandering off, Grady. This is your problem now too.”



“Do you have to tell her at all?” Annie asked. She looked genuinely concerned. Ty wondered how many members of Zane’s family would give a damn if Zane was gay. It seemed the real problem on everyone’s mind was what Beverly would do. Ty was beginning to think that perhaps all this family money was hers. If not the money, then definitely the power.



“She’ll find out through the grapevine soon enough,” Zane said as Ty tried to shake him off.



“Well, yes, I suppose she will,” Annie said, wincing.



Harrison lit the cigarette he’d rolled before dinner, and Ty gave one last swat with his cast before he stopped struggling against Zane’s fingers.



“You prepared for what might happen when you mother finds out?” Harrison eyed Zane’s grip on Ty’s collar, shook his head and smiled. “Let your friend go, Z.”



Zane released Ty’s shirt collar, and Ty squared his shoulders and straightened his shirt, giving Zane a glare. Zane smiled serenely when he met Ty’s eyes.



“I say let her find out when she finds out,” Zane said. “I told the important people.”



“If that’s the way you want to play it,” Harrison said. “But I do have one question.”



“Okay . . .” Zane said.



“Not for you.” Harrison nodded at Ty instead.



Ty raised his chin and braced himself for whatever Zane’s father could throw at him. After facing down his own father, he didn’t think anything could scare him now.



“You know anything about horses, son?”



Ty raised an eyebrow and leaned closer, not sure if he’d heard right. “Not much, sir,” he answered. “I know how to get on one, and I know how to fall off one.”



Annie snickered and Harrison nodded. “Well, then. I guess we can’t all be perfect.”



Ty narrowed his eyes at Harrison. “I have a question.”



“Fair enough.”



“How in the hell do you do that with your mustache?”



Harrison gave him a grin and wink as he turned away.



Zane and Annie watched in total exasperation as Ty spent most of the evening teaching Sadie how to jab a pressure point with two fingers, and where the most effective pressure points were located.



Zane could only laugh as Sadie jabbed at Ty’s carotid and Ty sprawled in the grass, complete with his tongue hanging out for effect. Sadie was enjoying it a little too much. But then, so was Ty.



It was well past dark when they returned to the guesthouse and Zane finally had Ty to himself. As soon as they walked in, Zane pulled Ty toward him and kissed him, taking his time, drawing it out.



Ty grinned against his lips. “How does it feel?”



“Damn good,” Zane growled as he squeezed Ty’s ass.



“That’s not what I meant.”



Zane laughed. He didn’t let Ty go, but he nodded. “It feels good. I can’t believe my dad took it like that.”



“Your dad is pretty epic, Zane.”



Zane laughed again, harder this time. He met Ty’s eyes, taking in the whole package. The hat brought out the hazel, making them sharper, shadowing them and giving Ty that mysterious cowboy aura that so many people tried and failed to achieve. Ty could almost pull off the hat better than he could and Ty’d only had it for a few hours. The way Ty had handled himself tonight, the way he’d charmed Annie and Harrison and even little Sadie, and held his own with Beverly, made Zane proud.



Having someone to be proud of was an indescribable feeling.



“I love you,” Zane said as he gazed into Ty’s eyes, reveling in the truth behind the words. Every step they took as a couple felt so damn good.



Ty smiled, eyes bright. Then his expression fell and he smacked Zane’s chest. “Why didn’t I know you can draw?”