Julia frowned at the sight of Mr. Glynn’s golf bag propped up against his half-open door. It was the end of the month and they had a load of work to get through to balance things up. Surely Mr. Glynn wasn’t contemplating taking off early? She knocked on his door and went in, waited for him to finish his phone conversation.

“Good morning, Miss Lowell. What can I do for you?”

“Good morning, Mr. Glynn.” Julia held out Luke’s file. “I wanted to ask you why you’ve declined Mr. Warner’s account.”

Mr. Glynn drummed his short, stubby fingertips on the desk. “You know why, you’ve lived here all your life. His family is scum.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Well, not all of them, I suppose his Aunt Josie is a respectable enough citizen, but Luke Warner’s father and mother were drunks and layabouts.”

Julia struggled to keep her temper. “Whatever your opinion of Mr. Warner’s parents, they’re dead now. You can’t judge him by their actions.”

“Yeah, I can.” He gestured at the file and she handed it to him. “This guy turns up with five thousand bucks in cash, and you believe he came by it honestly?” He tossed the file down on the desk. “I can’t prove anything, but I can at least keep him out of my bank, make him travel down to the next town to get his filthy money out.”

“Sir, I’m certain that’s against the bank’s policies.”

Mr. Glynn’s cheeks flushed dark red. “And what are you going to do about it, missy? File a complaint?”

Julia held his gaze. “Yes, if I have to.” So much for being promoted, so much for her dreams. Sometimes a gal just had to take a stand for her friends.

Mr. Glynn’s smile disappeared. “I think you’ve been getting a bit above yourself lately, Miss Lowell, acting as if you run the bank and not me.”

“For all intents and purposes, I do run the bank, sir.” Julia manufactured a smile and reclaimed the file. “I’ll have the monthly summaries on your desk in an hour.” She turned smartly on her heel and walked out before she overcame her desire to leap over the desk and throttle the little shit.

She sat down at her desk and contemplated her next move. Luke had as much right as anyone to open an account at the fucking bank. She knew what it was like to grow up in a small town where the sins of your parents were regularly brought out and attributed to you. There was no way in hell that she would allow Mr. Glynn to do that to anyone, let alone Luke. So what that Luke only had five thousand bucks to his name? That was nobody’s business but his.

Julia sighed. If she stood up for Luke, there would be consequences and because of Mr. Glynn’s contacts, she might be the one who ended up without a job. She typed in a secure bank e-mail address, filled out the form, clicked SEND, and sat back. Whatever happened, she had done what she needed to do and to hell with her career. There were always other banks in other towns.

Luke waved at Ramon, who was heading for the ranch offices and walked down to the barn. He’d borrowed Julia’s car to drop Ramon off at home. It also gave him a great excuse to drop in and see what Paul was up to. As he hesitated in the shadows of the barn, he heard Paul’s voice out back in the corrals and changed direction.

It took him only a moment to locate his best friend. Paul was riding a young horse around the circular arena. From the look of it, the horse had just been broken in. Luke leaned up against the railings to appreciate the sight of Paul talking to the horse, the gentleness of his commands, the subtle way he used his voice and his body to soothe the frightened animal into accepting a man on his back. He rode like he’d been born on horseback, something Luke had never managed despite all Paul’s early coaching. Paul’s body swayed with the motion of the horse, his hips perfectly aligned with every skittering jump the horse took.

Luke didn’t say anything. He knew that Paul would come over to him when he was done with the horse. He would never leave a job unfinished, just as he would never leave a friend.

Eventually, Paul patted the horse’s neck and slowly dismounted. Luke opened the gate and Paul and the horse moved by.

“Thanks.” Paul nodded, his blue eyes hidden beneath the low brim of his Stetson.

“You’re welcome.” Luke followed him into the barn, waited while Paul took his time removing the tack from the horse and brushing him down. “I’d forgotten how awesome you are at breaking a horse.”

Paul looked at him for the first time, his gaze guarded. “I don’t break them. I just try and convince them that having a human on their backs isn’t so bad after all.”

Luke shrugged as Paul shut the stable door and walked down toward the feed and tack rooms. “Whatever you want to call it, it’s awesome.”

“Why are you here, Luke?” Paul leaned against one of the neatly stacked hay bales, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I brought Ramon back. He finished up the wiring early so I offered to bring him home. It was the least I could do.”

“Thanks,” Paul said. “Do you want to walk over to the ranch office and get some coffee before you leave?”

“I’m not leaving yet.” Luke shut the door into the feed room behind him and locked it, blocking the only exit. “Not until we’ve straightened out a few things.”

Paul sighed. “Hell, I knew you wouldn’t let this go.”

“Let what go?”

Paul swallowed hard and then locked gazes with Luke. “The fact that I’m attracted to you.”

“To me?” For a second Luke could only blink at him. He’d been expecting Paul to say many things, but not that.

“Yeah.” Paul grimaced. “Yeah, go ahead and laugh. I know why you came back to town, Luke. You came for Julia, not to hear some pathetic crap from me.”

Luke straightened and walked across to Paul until they were nose to nose and, more importantly, cock to cock. He shoved his hand between their two bodies and cupped Paul’s cock and balls through his jeans.

“So tell me, what do you want from me that’s so pathetic?”

Paul’s cock filled out beneath Luke’s fingers, and he squeezed him hard. Paul closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the wall, didn’t even protest as Luke ripped open his jeans and thrust his hand inside. “What do you want, Paul?”

“This,” Paul groaned. “You, touching me, my cock in your mouth, my mouth around yours…Christ.”

Luke kept working Paul’s shaft as he unzipped his own jeans then closed his fist around both of them and made Paul do the same so that they pumped each others shafts together. Luke bit down on Paul’s ear.

“Do you want it all, Paul? My cock in your ass, your cock in mine?”

Paul groaned. “Fuck it, yes.”

“Do you want to do me right now?” Luke used his free hand to shove down his jeans. “I want you to.”

In answer, Paul grabbed him and pushed him face down over the bale of hay. Luke’s cock made contact with the rough hay and he almost came before Paul’s big hand covered him. Luke shuddered as Paul’s wet cock brushed against the crease of his ass.

“I don’t suppose you have any lube on you?” Paul asked hoarsely. “Because I want to be in you, like, right now.”

“No lube, just spit on it. I don’t care, just do it. Do me.” Luke deliberately urged Paul on, wanted this first time to be hard and fast and crude, wanted to remember it forever, this taking, this harsh possession.

Paul swore and Luke let out his breath as he felt Paul shove one wet finger inside him and then another and another. “Just do it, Paul. Fuck me.” Luke gasped as Paul’s big cock pushed inside him, groaned as Paul’s fingers gripped his shaft and played him to the same rhythm as the fast, frantic thrusts of his cock.

Paul went still when his balls hit Luke’s ass, and Luke savored the sense of being filled, the heat throbbing from Paul’s shaft and the beginnings of pleasure. “Yeah, that’s good, Paul, fuck me hard now.”

Paul took him at his word, his rough movements strong enough to make Luke have to brace himself against each forward thrust, to revel in Paul’s strength and luxuriate in being thoroughly fucked and played by the one man he’d always dreamed about.

When Paul climaxed he lowered all his weight on Luke, almost flattening him into the straw. Luke came too, his cum spilling over Paul’s still-working fingers.

“Fuck,” Paul muttered. “Just…fuck.”

Luke waited for Paul to roll off him and then turned to face him. “If you haven’t worked it out yet, I’m not averse to being your fuck buddy as well as your best friend.”

Paul smiled as him. “I guess not.” He busied himself tucking his cock back into his jeans. “But how does this work with Julia? I kind of assumed you came back for her.”

Luke tucked in his shirt and zipped up his jeans. “I did.”

Paul grimaced. “I can’t hurt her. If she wants you, I’m not going to stand in her way.”

Luke nodded and unlocked the door. “I hear you. Let’s see if she’ll meet us for dinner at her place tonight so that we can sort it out.” He checked the entrance to the barn, saw no one about, and gestured to Paul to follow him into the warm sunlight. “I have to go into the bank today anyway. Paying Ramon and buying the supplies wiped out my cash supply.”

“You’re welcome to borrow a few bucks whenever you want.” Paul shoved his hands in his pockets and studied the dusty ground. “You know that, right?”

“I don’t need your money, Paul.” Luke started off along the path leading to the main house.

“That’s right, you choose to live in a building that’s falling down, and own three T-shirts, a pairs of jeans and one pair of cowboy boots with holes in them.”

Luke couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, that’s right. I like my life just the way it is.”

“Bullshit.”

“Money doesn’t change a man, Paul. It just makes everything more complicated.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Paul spread his arms wide. “I love this place like I would a child, but sometimes I just wish I could walk away from all the responsibility and simply do what I want.”

Luke stopped walking. “If I’d asked you to come with me after graduation, would you’ve come?”

“I thought about coming after you, about leaving it all.” Paul’s smile was full of regret. “But my mom was sick and there was the ranch, and then there was Julia who couldn’t believe you’d really left her.” He sighed. “And yet, I still wanted to follow you.”

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you had, Paul. I didn’t really know what I wanted then.”

“Yeah, I get that. And you didn’t ask me, did you? You asked Julia.” Paul ran a hand through his hair. “How about you go see her and I’ll see you both this evening.”

Luke nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll get Julia to call you if it doesn’t work out.”

“Hell, you don’t have a phone, do you?”

“Nope, or a laptop or an Internet connection. I am truly a free man.”

Paul held his gaze, his blue eyes serious. “Not that free, Luke. After all, you came back home.”

Luke drove back to town, his thoughts in turmoil. Paul had fucked him, really fucked him. And now he had to talk to Julia. He avoided a pothole on the bumpy ranch drive and then straightened the wheel. He liked seeing her in the bank, her air of authority, the confidence she’d always longed for so apparent in everything she did.

He remembered to park around the back of the bank in the employee spaces and separated Julia’s car keys from the tangle of his. The bank was cool inside, the neutral wood floor and beige furnishings making it feel more like someone’s house than a place to do business. He walked up to the counter and recognized the young guy who’d first helped him.

“Hey, Dave, isn’t it? Is Ms. Lowell available?”

“Wow, you got here quick. She only just put down the phone.”

Luke grinned. “Well she couldn’t have been calling me. I don’t have a phone, cell or land.” The expression on Dave’s face was priceless, as if he couldn’t imagine a world where you weren’t connected 24/7 to everything.

“I’ll take you in to her.” Dave headed for Julia’s office and Luke followed along behind. Julia sat behind her desk, her head bent, her attention on a sheet of graph paper covered in figures.

“Ms. Lowell? It’s Mr. Warner.”

Julia’s head shot up. “Are you psychic or something? I was just about to come around and see you.”

Luke smiled at her, “Yeah. That’s it. It’s totally a mind thing.” He took the chair in front of her. “What’s up?”

She sighed. “My boss, Mr. Glynn had denied your application for an account.”

“Denied me?” Luke fought an unbearable desire to laugh. “What the hell for?”

“Because apparently he had issues with your parents.” Julia rubbed her forehead. “And, yes, that’s total shit, and I’m already onto Regional about it.”

“He won’t like you going over his head.”

“No, he won’t, but I’m sick of covering for his incompetence.” She smiled slightly. “If he won’t let me do my job properly, I’d rather get another one.”

Luke sat forward, his hands clasped loosely between his knees. He knew Julia far too well to believe that. Security was way too important to her.

“You wouldn’t really leave Gulch Town because of a disagreement over me, would you?”

“If I had to.” Her gray eyes met his unflinchingly. “I’ve realized that my desire to stay here has cost me a lot in my life.”

“Like me?”

She nodded. “I should’ve come with you when you asked me to.”

“No, you shouldn’t have, and I was a fool to ask.” Luke studied her beautiful face. “I was so fucking mixed up, I would’ve ruined everything in six months.”

“You reckon?”

“I know.” He got up and leaned across the desk to give her a kiss on the nose. “Perhaps we all needed to grow up a bit, right?”

“I suppose we did.” She gazed at him thoughtfully. “Did you speak to Paul?”

“Yeah, I did. He wants to meet up with us both at your place for dinner—is that okay?”

“Sure, and don’t worry about your bank account. I promise you I’ll get that all sorted out.”

Luke snapped his fingers. “Oh, right. Can you lend me your cell? I need to make a call.”

She handed him her cell just as the phone on her desk rang. “I have to take this. Bring the phone back with you, tonight, okay?”

Luke blew her a kiss and sauntered out into the parking lot. He flipped open the phone and entered a number he knew by heart, smiled when a familiar voice answered.

“Mike? Yeah, I know it’s been a while, but there’s something you can do for me. It’s about my bank account.”