Tiger Bound Read Online Free Page B

City. Heath had allowed him to keep up the practice because his time was so consumed making his ranch a success. He took the bottle back out of the cabinet and dumped the rest of the pills into his hand. Ten days worth remained. How the hell could he be so irresponsible as to not find out where his father got the supply after all this time? He thought about it and came to the conclusion that the pills were the single thing they never argued about. He needed them. His dad had asked to do that small favor for him, and he’d allowed it because of that. Now what? He had to have them or suffer without them. Maybe his father had information in his papers.
    Heath left the bathroom and strode along the hall to stop at his dad’s bedroom door. He’d closed it the day he got the news, and when he opened it now, the familiar scent of the man hit him hard. He slammed the door and backed away. He had work to do.
    Outside, he threw himself into feeding the cattle until Buck noticed. “Hey, pace yourself, dude. You’ll throw out your back, and then what? Who’s going to pick up the slack?”
    Heath pulled off his hat, ran fingers through his wet hair, and stuffed it back on. “Just have some things on my mind is all.”
    “Like what?”
    They worked together to toss more hay into the feeder. He needed to buy a new tractor, as the used one he purchased a few years ago gave him more trouble than it was worth. He hesitated to talk to Buck about his feelings regarding his dad, but discussing Deja was fine.
    “I asked Deja about becoming lovers,” he blurted.
    Buck looked around as if checking to see if anyone else was near. “You mean like girlfriend-boyfriend stuff?”
    Heath frowned. “Yeah, I guess.”
    Buck said nothing for a long time. Heath thought he had no opinion on the matter, or he wanted to avoid an argument. Then again, that never stopped the man from voicing what he felt. When they took a break and sucked down a few bottles of water, Buck swiped an arm over his face then used the hose to douse his head. Heath waved a hand, deciding not to follow suit.
    “So don’t you have anything to say?” he insisted.
    Buck pulled a tin can from his pocket and stuffed a few bites of tobacco into his mouth, frustrating Heath all the more. He spit and spoke at last. “The way I see it, if you want to have a piece of that black meat, you do it in secret. Hell, I always wondered why you and she was best friends, but sounds like you want to get serious. I think—”
    “ I think you’ve already said more than enough,” Heath bit out. “I never figured you to be prejudiced.”
    “I’m not,” Buck denied.
    “What do you call it?” Heath took a step toward him, but Buck held up his glove-covered hands, retreating.
    “Come on, Heath, I’m your friend.”
    “Fuck off.”
    Buck wouldn’t let it go. “You’re telling me you’re okay with having her for a girlfriend, or hell, a wife? I mean, if you didn’t have any reservations, don’t you think you would have done it before now? And why wait until your dad was gone? Why now? Because he wouldn’t approve? Maybe you’re doing it because you’re scared you’ll lose another person, and you don’t want that.”
    Even as his anger boiled, Heath couldn’t deny the sense Buck made. Had he really made Deja the offer because he didn’t want to be alone? If that were the case, he was no better than a child, a little boy, unable to get along in the world without help. He grabbed Buck up by the collar of his shirt and jerked him hard. When he raised a fist to smash into his friend’s nose, he paused. Punishing Buck for his small mind didn’t mean he was the better man, and it didn’t clarify for him if he felt the same.
    “Go ’head, if you think it will help,” Buck said. “Then we can get back to work.”
    Heath sneered at him, but he backed off. Ignoring Buck was the least of his issues. When the day came to an end, he mounted his horse and took to the fields behind his