 Once the sun set, the air turned from pleasantly crisp verging on warm to decidedly chilly. Riece flipped the collar of his shirt up and stuffed his hands into his pockets as they walked to the main lodge. “The temperature drops fast at night, even in the warmer months. This close to winter it gets colder faster,” Mason said. He wore jeans, a Henley, and a dark leather jacket that matched his hair and set off his blue eyes. Riece thought about stepping closer to Mason, which would encourage him to put an arm around Riece and share some extra body heat. Mason had always been willing and happy for any such opportunity, but Riece held back, not sure if it would give Mason the wrong idea. Then again, they’d just had very memorable sex, which probably gave Mason all sorts of ideas, and Riece wasn’t certain any of them would be wrong. The truth was Riece wasn’t sure what he wanted Mason to think. He could barely sort out what his own thoughts were. As they walked Mason nudged his arm and pointed up. “Check it out.” Riece stopped and gazed up. “That’s…. I wish I’d come to this part of the country sooner. I completely understand why you love it here so much.” The sky had darkened to a deep purple-blue. With no city lights, Riece saw the Milky Way, a vibrant speckling of glitter arched across the sky. Brighter points of light dotted the whole area from horizon to zenith. “Did you ever think of trying astrophotography?” Mason asked. “Yes.” Riece sighed. “That takes special equipment, but I think I’m going to get serious about looking into it more.” Mason laughed and pulled the door to the lodge open, standing to the side while Riece went inside. In the bar and grill, they were seated near the far end, close to the window wall and next to the fireplace. Riece was happy to see a cheery fire burning. Riece looked over the menu, taking in his choices between beef, chicken, venison, and bison. Mason sat quietly while Riece scrutinized the choices. It was a gift Mason had and one Riece didn’t possess, the ability to make a choice off a menu with little information. Riece remembered Mason’s mention of a friend employed here and came to the conclusion he’d tried some of the offered dishes and already had a favorite. Riece made a few mental notes of which details of the various dishes to ask about before he decided on an order. A man arrived at their table, and Riece assumed he was about to inquire who would get the check. “I should buy our dinner since I initiated sex.” Riece’s words rushed out a little louder than he’d intended. Mason bit back a smile and folded his hands on the table in front of him. The man standing next to their table rocked on his heels and looked around the room. Taking a deep breath, Mason said, “Riece, this is my friend, Tyler McCall. Tyler, Riece Burrell.” Tyler grinned and held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, man.” The slight difference in accent alerted Riece to the fact Tyler wasn’t a Wyoming native. With long, messy blond hair that fell over his eyes, bushy moustache, and tanned, toned body, Tyler looked more like he should be surfing off the Baja Peninsula, not driving a beer truck around the Black Hills. Clear eyes, one blue and one green, twinkled and sparkled as he extended one hand. He was obviously one of those outgoing, cheerful men. “Hello,” Riece said quietly. Pulling a chair up and turning it so he straddled it, arms crossed over the back, Tyler looked from Mason to Riece and back again. “It’s great to finally meet you. The only thing Mason’s talked about for weeks is you. I feel like I’ve known you for years.” His smile widened. He took a breath, glanced between Riece and Mason again, and added, “So how do you like Wyoming so far? Is your room okay?” Riece focused on Mason for a few seconds, genuinely surprised by the remark that Mason had talked about him to his friend. The next thing he realized was that Tyler had said “room” not “rooms.”     Comments are closed.
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