The Lonely Heart (26 page)

“Same here.”

Grady pretended to watch the front doors for Josh, his silence making Isaiah grimace.

Six weeks and the man was still struggling to adjust. Still tended to blame himself for any harsh words aimed their way over their sexual preference. Isaiah was working on helping him, but it was hard for someone to change the habits of a lifetime. At least Grady had avoided any fights recently. Of course, that might be because they never let him venture into Edmonton alone. Hey, Isaiah was willing to play dirty when it came to the safety of his man.

Tony said a cheerful goodbye, scampering off to answer another parent’s summons.

The mass of children was thinning out, buses pulling away from the kerb with squealing tires and the hiss of closing doors.

Isaiah slung an arm over Grady’s shoulder and gave his partner a quick squeeze, easily ignoring the way the broad shoulders tensed under his touch.

“Looking forward to a few days off?” he asked.

“Hmmm,” Grady hummed in agreement. Isaiah almost whooped in triumph when Grady leaned into him, just the tiniest bit. Every step forward was counted as a victory in this battle.

“Finally.” Isaiah stepped away, waving at the bundle of energy hopping down the stairs. “Where have you been?” Isaiah asked, taking Josh’s Transformers backpack. God, it weighed a ton. What were the teachers trying to do, give kids back problems before they even hit puberty?

Josh smirked and shook his head, one finger pressing against his lips.

“A surprise, huh?” Grady drawled. He pulled off his hat and dropped it on Josh’s head.

Isaiah smiled at the way the brim slipped down over Josh’s eyes.

The kid pushed it back, grinning up at them.

“Let me guess,” Isaiah replied dryly. “It has something to do with an upcoming school event.”

“And what do you want to bet that you’ve been volunteered?” Grady teased.

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THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 168

“God.” Isaiah shuddered dramatically, earning a light giggle from Josh. “Get in the truck, you two,” he scolded playfully. “We’ve got plans.”

Josh pumped one fist in the air and climbed into the truck, Grady’s hand on his butt helping him up. Short legs and raised pickup cabs didn’t mix.

Isaiah stowed Josh’s backpack and rounded the truck. He fired up the engine and smiled, listening to the soft sounds of laughter as he pulled away.

Yeah, life was looking pretty good, indeed.

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THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 169

Darn, irritating…

Isaiah flung his arm out, slapping blindly at the table. After a minute of searching, he finally found the snooze button. He rolled over, folding the pillow over his head.

The buzzing continued. He groaned, pulling the pillow tighter around his ears. When that didn’t work, he hit the button a few more times.

After several sluggish moments, realisation crept into his fuzzy brain. Not the alarm clock.

“Hellfire and damnation,” he cursed. As usual, the sheets had inexplicably wrapped themselves around his legs. He struggled to free himself as the blasted phone continued to ring.

Isaiah squinted at the glowing green numbers of his alarm clock.
Oh
. It wasn’t that late, so it hopefully wasn’t someone calling about a dire emergency. Of course, now he was up, so he might as well answer the darned thing.

Isaiah managed to escape from the sheets. He staggered across the room, groaning as his thighs protested.
Stupid stepladder, and then the garland
. His ears were still ringing from childish squeals and if he never tasted mulled cider again it would be too soon.

He dug through the pockets of his inexplicably glitter-coated jeans, crowing triumphantly when his fingers closed around the hard plastic case.

“’Lo?”

“Finally.”

A wide smile spilled across Isaiah’s face. He flopped back onto the bed, grinning like an idiot. “Hey, you.”

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Grady asked with a light teasing note in his voice.

“You did, actually.” Isaiah made the admission without the slightest bit of shame. He’d had a rough day. He was entitled to crash early.

Grady’s warm laugh came through the phone. Isaiah never got tired of the sound. “It’s only…what, nine-thirty there?”

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THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 170

“You try spending an entire day surrounded by wild creatures hyped up on sugar cookies. See how you feel.”

“Ah, I almost forgot. How did the decorating go?”

“Slowly,” Isaiah said wryly. “You gonna be back in time?”

“You know it.”

Isaiah hummed in contentment. Despite the nagging headache and the sore back, he was completely and utterly happy. Of course, he’d be happier if a certain someone was in bed with him instead of halfway across the country.

“I miss you,” Isaiah murmured.

“Miss you, too.”

“Everything going okay out there?”

“Fantastic. We’re looking pretty good for making the final cut.”

“That’s great!” Isaiah sat up, loving the sound of excitement in his Grady’s voice. The Shires had taken everyone by surprise. Their first little foal was sweeping up awards at shows region-wide. Grady had finally taken a chance and hauled Gypsum out to California for a show, where the prize money—and the accolades—were a bit bigger. He’d been reluctant. Christmas was right around the corner and it would just about kill Grady if he couldn’t be there.

Hence the day spent atop a stepladder. With Grady gone for nearly a week, Isaiah had been at loose ends. It made him do stupid things. Like volunteer to help with Josh’s school Christmas party. Setup and all.

“Hey, did I lose you there?” Grady’s voice was soft and the affection—plain even at a distance—eased Isaiah’s stress, his headache melting away.

“No, still here. Just thinking.”

“Good thoughts, I hope.”

“Oh, yeah. Very good.” Isaiah made sure to add a little tease to the words, knowing he’d succeeded when a low groan caressed his ear.

“You’re a wicked, wicked man,” Grady scolded.

“But I’m
your
wicked man.”

“That you are.”

The loose board in the hallway squeaked loudly and Isaiah chuckled. “Sounds like someone is trying to sneak out to the barn again.”

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THE LONELY HEART K.M. Mahoney 171

“Better go catch the squirt before he gets pneumonia. It’s too damn cold for him to be sleeping in the stable.”

“Yeah.” Isaiah paused, reluctant to hang up. But the duties of parenthood called, so he just said, “Be safe and come home soon.”

“Absolutely. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Isaiah hung up and reached for a pair of sweat pants, still smiling. Yeah, life had changed a lot since that phone call over a year ago. But maybe his life had needed a little bit of shaking up. Now? He wouldn’t change a thing.

“Josh!” he yelled down the stairs, pulling his sweatshirt over his head. “Get your butt back up here!”

Nope. Not a darn thing.

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Yuletide Yearnings: In Teddy’s Arms

K.M. Mahoney

Excerpt

Teddy looked around and wondered how on earth Pierce had talked him into this. He was cold and hungry and there was only one bed and…

“Stop it,” Teddy ordered himself. “This is getting you nowhere.”

When Pierce had suggested they rent a cabin in the mountains, ‘get away from it all’, well, Teddy should have nipped the idea in the bud right then and there. But he had a horrible time saying no to Pierce. Then Pierce was off and running and it was much too late to halt his latest scheme.

Pierce had been Teddy’s best friend ever since he could remember, his neighbour since second grade. When it came time for college, it just seemed natural for them to head off together. They were roommates first and now, as juniors, shared an apartment.

It wasn’t just Teddy and Pierce, either. Their families were close to inseparable. In fact, that was part of the problem. The Johnsons and the Madens had decided to spend the holidays together. Unfortunately for Teddy, their parents had chosen to do it on a week-long cruise that had left before winter break began.

“You can make do without us, can’t you?” Teddy’s mom had asked breezily. “We’ll be back in plenty of time, nearly two whole weeks before you have to go back to school. We’ll celebrate Christmas then.”

Teddy had agreed. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal. He and Pierce would just hang around the apartment, share the holiday together.

And then Pierce had come up with his latest madcap scheme. Now Teddy was stuck in the Rockies in an ancient cabin freezing his ass off.

Sometimes, he really hated his best friend.

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Said best friend banged back inside, arms loaded down with wood, sporting a wide, crazy grin.

“Found fuel,” he said cheerily.

Teddy watched the familiar lean form stagger across the small room. “Yes, but do you know what to do with it?”

“Of course I do, silly.” The pile of wood landed on the floor with a humongous clatter.

Teddy winced.

“Why don’t you bring in the rest of the gear?” Pierce asked. “I’ve got extra blankets and sleeping bags in the back seat.”

Pierce knelt in front of the massive fireplace. His coat rode up his back with the motion, jeans pulling tight across his compact ass. Teddy stared at the show and tried not to drool.

Each time Pierce moved, fabric pulled taut, highlighting that fascinating body. Teddy wanted to touch, so badly. Maybe if he just…

Teddy shook off his semi-trance and turned away with difficulty. He used to be able to ignore Pierce’s lean, sculpted frame and the way he seemed to flaunt his every asset. Lately, though, Teddy’s control was slipping. And that just wouldn’t do. Teddy didn’t know what would happen if Pierce found out how much he wanted him.

Teddy stepped out onto the rickety front porch and took a deep breath. The cold seared his lungs and made him cough, but he didn’t mind. The slap of the frigid wind against his heated skin actually felt good. If he stood out here long enough, it would be more effective than a cold shower.

Tugging at the bottom edge of his coat, he jumped off the porch, snow spurting up around his boots. The snow drifts were piling higher and he had to take a circuitous route to the car. He tried to open the passenger side back door, but couldn’t get it. He kept ramming into a gigantic pile of snow, and there was a tree in the way, too. Pierce needed a few more lessons on parking.

Teddy rounded the front of the car and yanked open the other door, half-crawling in until he could tug on the large tote bags on the floor. He pulled and wiggled and was actually sweating a bit before he gathered all the bags. How many blankets had Pierce packed, anyway? Was he expecting company?

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When Teddy found at least three sleeping bags, his heart sank. It wouldn’t be the first time that Pierce had invited along others and not told Teddy. Where Teddy was quiet and preferred the company of one or two good friends, Pierce was happiest surrounded by a crowd. He was popular and outgoing and everybody loved him.

Teddy included.

He sighed, seeing his visions of a quiet weekend together slip away.
Merry Christmas to
me.
Well, knowing Pierce’s friends, at least there would be plenty of alcohol with which to drown his sorrows. With a heavy heart, Teddy gathered their bedding, juggling bags and bundles until his arms were full and weighted down. He slipped and slid back to the cabin, bumping open the door with his hip.

“Finally,” Pierce said. “I thought maybe you’d fallen into a snow pile.”

“Ha, ha. Come and get some of this, would you?”

Pierce grabbed some of the burden and Teddy sighed with relief. Amazing, how heavy a bunch of blankets could be.

Pierce tossed the bags on the small double bed in one corner while Teddy let the rest of the junk drop to the floor. While he’d been outside, Pierce had managed to get a small fire going. The warmth emanating from the blaze was negligible, but the mere sight of the crackling flames made Teddy feel warmer. He crossed the few steps to stand on the small rug, hands outstretched, feeling the warmth sink into his chilled fingers.

“You look wet,” Pierce said in his ear.

Teddy jumped slightly, not having noticed that Pierce had come up behind. “Yeah,” he replied. “The drifts are getting bigger. I think it’s snowing harder.”

“Sweet.”

“Sweet? What are you, nuts?”

“Nope, that would be you. I just always wanted to be snowed in somewhere. It sounds cool.”

“Not cool.” Teddy scowled. “Cold. Very cold. And boring. And—”

“Come on, Teddy Bear, lighten up.” Pierce slung an arm around Teddy’s shoulders and yanked him closer. “We’re having an adventure.”

Teddy drew back and ground his teeth, manfully resisting the urge to slug the grinning idiot. “I hate adventures. And don’t call me Teddy Bear.”

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“I know. That’s why they’re good for you.” Pierce ignored the ‘Teddy Bear’ complaint as he always did.

The room had finally begun to warm, the chill leaving the air. At least the small cabin heated quickly. Teddy felt like he could remove his coat without risking frostbite. He hung the fluffy red and white jacket on a hook by the door before rushing back to the fire. A draught leached through the front and he didn’t like it.

“So, Mr Adventurous,” Teddy said. “What are we going to do for food?”

“The oven works.” Pierce sounded proud. “I checked.”

“But did you bring anything to
cook
in the oven?”

Pierce’s expression fell.

“Oh, Good Lord, you didn’t, did you?”

“Hang on!” Pierce held one finger up and wagged it before whirling around. He dug through his duffle bag, muttering to himself. When he turned and brandished a brightly wrapped package, his expression was triumphant. “Here ya go. Merry Christmas.”