Letting Hearts Heal by Luna Jensen Read Free Book Online Page B

while—the sight of Mason and Wyatt had also melted his heart. Without thinking about the consequences, or perhaps choosing not to, Dean leaned in and brushed his lips against Mason’s.
    It was meant to be light—a thank you. But as soon as their lips touched, old feelings—some buried, some forgotten—resurfaced and lit a fire between them. Hands tangling in hair, tongues fought for control, and loud breathing almost echoed in the dark hallway. Just before losing his self-control completely, Dean remembered himself and pulled back, slightly dazed. He wished he could see Mason clearly.
    “I….” Mason was breathing heavily and all Dean wanted was to kiss him again, haul him into the nearest bedroom—which happened to be his own—and not come up for air until the sun rose. He also knew he couldn’t.
    “I’m not sure I should have done that, but I’m not going to say I’m sorry. I’d just be lying. Good night, Mase.”
    Dean didn’t breathe until he was safely inside his room behind a closed door. He felt like he was going to pass out, vomit, and maybe start laughing hysterically. What had happened to his carefully structured life?
     
     
    M ASON DIDN ’ T get any more sleep that night. He was shaken and kept going over what had happened. It wasn’t just the kiss, although that deserved a whole night of insomnia on its own. Wyatt reaching for him instead of Dean had surprised the hell out of him, and while he sat with the trembling boy in his arms, he’d realized two things. One was that the bond between Dean and his son was almost nonexistent, which was worrying, and the second was that he was a bastard because he enjoyed being the boy’s favorite.
    Then there was the kiss. It had been nothing like the teenage kisses he and Dean had shared in the past. Like fine wine, kissing Dean Walker also got better with age. Mason wasn’t sure what to think of the retreat afterward, but at least Dean hadn’t apologized.
    Just after dawn Mason climbed out of bed and got ready to go outside. As a teenager he’d forgotten many of his problems in the Walker stables, so that was where he headed after a quick cup of coffee. He’d almost become friends with the coffee maker.
    It was almost like going back in time to be around the horses and Old Joe again. Mason had loved coming to the Walker ranch, loved spending time with the majestic animals, who never judged him, and Joe, who was never anything but nice. There weren’t many horses left in the stables, but even though it wasn’t his job to take care of them anymore, Mason was secretly happy that Dean had decided to keep a few. He hoped he’d get a pony too. A kid like Wyatt, growing up on a ranch, needed to learn to ride early. Mason was sure he’d love it.
    Old Joe coughed as he battled a bale of hay. Mason rushed over to help him but was dismissed with a wave.
    “Happy to be back?” Joe asked once he’d caught his breath.
    “Back? In the stables, on the ranch, or in the valley?”
    “Yes.”
    Mason laughed. “Yeah, I am. At one point I thought I might never want to come back, but then I kind of ran out of choices….”
    “Well, personally I’m real happy to see you back here. It wasn’t right how Mr. Walker ran you off.”
    “You knew?”
    “You sound surprised.”
    “Extremely,” Mason admitted. “I… well, I didn’t think he’d want people to know. And if you know, then what about Dean?”
    “Dean doesn’t know.” Joe leaned against a stack of hay bales. “Mr. Walker started drinking quite a bit in the last few years before he died. Sometimes I’d pick him up in town, drunk as a skunk, other times I’d find him in his office. And if he wasn’t half asleep, he’d start talking. I could always tell when he was rambling and when he wasn’t.”
    “And he talked about me?”
    Joe nodded. “I wish I could tell you he was sorry about what he’d done, Mason. I think he was scared, though—scared because deep down he knew that Dean was gay