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No worries though. I kinda like it. Feels almost like I have a piece of you here with me. Or that I can pretend I’m there or something.
It’s weird. I know it.
Anyway, want to hear some gossip? Or not gossip really, but a theory.
Remember when I told you about my boss and all the guys around here? If not, the refresher is about Clancy and Gerald.
Clancy - Boss man. Older than you. Widower. One son died, and the other left a while back. He’s a good boss and has a heart of gold for helping people.
Gerald - Boss’s right hand. Between mine and your ages. Single and reserved. He’s always ready to jump in to do the right thing. Will back Clancy’s decisions pretty much every time.
Now that I’ve given you the short version, here’s the big news…
DRUMROLLLLL
I think they’re dating.
Yes, I know I shouldn’t speculate, but hear me out. I’ve been noticing some things lately. Stolen glances, lingering touches, and the like. It’s all very romance movie worthy stuff. And it only happens when they think they’re ALONE.
This is the new focus of my energy. It’s also the mountain I’m willing to die on right now.
If it turns out I’m right, then I get to win the biggest prize in the history of prizes. I don’t know what that will be, but I’m claiming it.
Hope my letter brings at least one smile to your face.
Later days,
Corey
Chapter Four
Ashley
Beingon the ranch was fascinating. Even in the upheaval that came at the news of Gerald’s disappearance, there was an energy to this group of men that I’d never felt.
Meeting so many of the people I’d come to know through Corey’s letters had me energized. It was also, in part, due to the big plate of food he’d presented me with before they all came in. I was fuller than I’d been in months. Maybe even years if I was honest with myself.
Military rations weren’t always the most filling of meals, and I’d been deployed for longer than most. Without any family to come back to, I spent most of my time away from the states in an effort to not face my loneliness. By the time I had someone to come back for, I was too well known as the guy you used to fill in the numbers.
Being a civilian again meant I could come and go as I pleased. You’d think that with such ability, I’d want to travel all over to get my fill of said freedom.
I didn’t.
There wasn’t a single place I could picture myself outside of the ranch. Not unless that place had Corey with me. I could create visions in my mind of him on the beach laughing with meor up on a mountain sweating from a grueling hike. No matter the instance, I was never alone on the journey.
My mother used to tell me that loving someone meant they became your home. She claimed to feel that way with my father, often claiming she’d get homesick if they’d have to be apart.
I’d never understood her words as a child, but I could piece it together now. In the time I’d spent getting to know Corey, he’d become my home. I loved him with as much affection as I ever had anyone.
It wasn’t something that was too soon, nor did it feel wrong to fall for someone simply because of the letters they’d sent me. With arranged marriages still a thing, I knew there were people who had built their forevers on much less.
At least we liked each other. And there was chemistry there too. I’d felt it in the kiss.
Fuck.
That kiss.
It had been years since I’d felt arousal so powerful. It had nearly toppled me off the stool with how fast it pulsed through me.
