Ebony River 2: The Cowboy's Desire

Chapter 1

The Cowboy's Desire [ManxMan]

|Chapter 1|

March 3, 2017

Tristan Stanley stared at the ranch house in front of him. The country style house stood two stories tall with a grey roof and brown shutters. Shrubbery hid most of the windows from view and Tristan knew from experience that they cast long shadows in the rooms that they bordered. A bright green door stood in the center of the ranch house, beckoning guests in.

There was an air of danger about the place that Tristan remembered from his childhood years, a sense of foreboding that could not be explained.

Maybe those feelings were just residual echoes from his childhood brought back by memories but Tristan felt the more likely scenario was that an air of danger is what his father cultivated at the ranch.

Charles Stanley was no angel and he never claimed to be. He lived his life as he wanted and everyone else's opinions be damned. His ranch and family were taken care of in a similar fashion, with an iron fist. Never one to be seen as a coward or a pansy Charles was always one breath away from striking his animals or his family members, be that his wife or child.

Tristan had grown up in a tumultuous environment, always waiting for the next blow and never knowing from where it would come. He had lived in constant fear of his father and what he would do to him or his mother. The only reprieve he had was spending time with his best friend Maximilian Sterling.

Summer days were spent riding the pastures and discovering all the secrets the Ebony River land had to offer. Nights were spent having sleepovers with the other neighborhood kids and forgetting that in the morning he would have to return to the monster that lived in his home.

Pulling himself out of his reveries with a sigh, Tristan pulled the satchel he had strewn over his back higher onto his shoulder for a more secure hold and headed for the front door. There was no use thinking about the past, it was over, his father had ensured that his boyhood ended much sooner than it needed to.

The only regret Tristan had was not being able to communicate with Max in the last twelve years since he was sent away from the only place he knew as home. He missed his best friend, missed what could have been had he been allowed to grow with Max and develop what that kiss they shared on their last night meant.

Frowning at the green door Tristan tried to let go of the resentment he held in his heart even if he knew that was impossible.

He'd gone through a lot of therapy to try and get his mind straight over the years but the one thing he could never get over was his father stealing his opportunity to have a relationship with Max that was more than friends.

With another great sigh, Tristan knocked softly on the door and waited for his past to greet him.

A man in his forties wearing worn jeans and a plaid button-down shirt opened the door. He had kind brown eyes that looked tiredly at Tristan. It was surprising that anyone was still up at this hour but from the looks inside the door, the ranch had yet to go to sleep. Bright lights illuminated the front entrance and a soft melody played from somewhere in the back of the house.

Those kind eyes stared at Tristan for a few minutes before recognition flitted across the man's face and his eyes widened, "Tristan?"

"George," Tristan smiled at the man who had been more of a father to him than the man he was here to see. Letting his satchel fall to the floor Tristan enveloped the man in a big hug, squeezing tightly, "It's so good to see you."

Releasing the man, Tristan noticed the changes in his friend. Where there used to be dark black hair now there were thin charcoal grey strands, black eyes that used to shine with humor now reflected years of work and exhaustion, small laugh lines decorated those eyes adding to the sadness there.