Bygones by Bailey Bradford

Author:Bailey Bradford [Bradford, Bailey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQIA Romance Fiction
Publisher: Totally Entwined Group
Published: 2023-03-09T00:00:00+00:00

* * * *

“And it had to be at a county fair,” Rye groused, taking in the fairground’s canvas tents, amusement rides, carnival games and food trailers and carts. He didn’t know which was noisier, the mooing and whinnying of livestock from the former or the mechanical music just about covering up the grinding of machinery of the rides. The bells and sirens of the midway games and the yelling and shouting of the people playing them were serious competition too.

“What’s wrong with our local county fair?” Jonas asked, all innocence.

“It’s a little small?” Rye suggested. Still, it was a good a place as any to help put around the idea that he was merely in town to discharge his duty of guarding the items on loan from the Waco HQ, with plenty of leisure time at his disposal because he wasn’t engaged on any clandestine mission, no siree Bob.

Aldric sidled up, dragging Darrell by the hand away from the group of mostly men they were chatting to. Cops, co-workers of Darrell’s, Rye thought. Aldric stopped in the middle of greeting him and Jonas and sniffed. “What do I smell?”

“Motor oil? Machinery?” Darrell replied, shaking Rye’s hand.

“Nooo…” Aldric tipped his head back to inhale and half-turned to face the row of food tents.

“Oil and grease from deep fryers,” Darrell said.

“Hot dogs. Corn dogs. Popcorn. Pretzels. Funnel cakes!”

Aldric looked so comical, inhaling and naming food items that Rye had to grin.

“So, like I said, oil and grease.” Darrell shook his head, looking resigned. “Now he won’t stop. But wait until we meet up with the others, huh?”

“There’s Meredith. And Trent!” Aldric waved wildly. He gaped. “They got their faces painted!”

“And with a couples’ theme,” Jonas added, with a sly look at Darrell and Aldric.

Aldric took the bait and was still running through ideas with Darrell nixing every one when two other guys joined them.

“Rye, Elliot…” Jonas waved from one to another.

Elliot Douglas was older than Rye had expected, even though he knew the guy owned the business Jonas, Aldric and now Trent worked at, so he’d hardly be some fresh-out-of-school kid. Maybe it was his dress and mannerisms as much as his silvering hair that made him seem middle-aged.

“And Drew Harrington.” Elliot’s younger and darker-haired partner introduced himself, giving Rye’s hand a hard shake. “And yes, the rumors you’ve heard are true—I’m English. Guilty as charged.”

Rye laughed. “That mean I gotta mind my Ps and Qs around you?” he asked, somehow expecting the answer was no.

“The way he cusses?” Elliot scoffed. “Of course, you won’t understand when he is. That’s the good thing about it.”

“It’s true.” Aldric was not so subtly steering the group over to the food trucks as he spoke. “I didn’t know what a wanker or a tosser or a bell-end was until I met Drew.”

“That…could be taken the wrong way,” Drew replied, making Aldric blush and splutter out denials that of course he didn’t mean Drew—he’d never say that about him and—

“And I think you need a snack,” Darrell said, cutting him off.

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