Notes: This week I decided to revisit Van and Bobby from a previous week’s flash fic.
Hitched
The sight of Van in well-worn jeans and chaps never failed to made Bobby weak in the knees, so when he suggested they take a few days to camp out under the stars and check the fence on the far west side of the ranch, Bobby didn’t stop to wonder why. He should have, but he was too distracted trying to get those jeans open and taste Van to really stop and think.
Van had taken to ranch life surprisingly well in the year and a half since he moved in with Bobby. There was the incident with the cow shit that Bobby refused to let him live down and another one with a snake in his sleeping bag that had him screamin’ like a four-year-old, but overall, he’d done quite well transitioning from a city slicker to a country boy.
A long day in the saddle still made Van cranky as hell, but he was gettin’ there.
Now here they were at the end of their first day out and as Bobby slid down from Sadie’s back to make camp, Van bitched and moaned about his sore ass. “Then why the hell did you suggest this camping trip?” he grumbled.
Van went silent and Bobby rolled his eyes as he grabbed Sadie’s reins. He turned and saw Van down on one knee, with Amigo’s reins in one hand. He blinked stupidly, dazzled by the sunset in his eyes and Van doin’ something Bobby never expected to see.
“What do you say?” Van asked, his smile nearly as blinding as the sun.
“This is why you wanted to come out here?” Bobby asked.
“I believe I promised to make an honest man of you, so I thought it was about time I made good on that promise.”
“You’re happy here on the ranch?” Sometimes it worried Bobby that Van had given up too much for him. They took trips into the city when they could, but Van swore up and down that he was enjoying the country life. Bobby wasn’t sure how he’d cope if Van ever changed his mind.
“I am.” Van grinned. “I’ll take all the shit and snakes in the world if it means I’m with you.”
Bobby’s bark of a laugh made Sadie jerk and shy back. He patted her. “Easy, girl.”
“Come on, Bobby, don’t leave me hangin’ like this,” Van said softly. A flicker of worry crossed his face. Bobby took a step toward him and Van took his hand. “What do you say, Pardner, wanna hitch your wagon to mine?”
“Not if you keep talkin’ like that.” Chuckling, Bobby leaned in to kiss him. “But yeah, I’ll marry you.”
He pulled Van up and into his arms, kissing with a ferocious hunger that belied their exhaustion after a hard day’s ride. “I hope your ass isn’t too sore from a day in the saddle,” he murmured against Van’s lips.
“Not too sore for you.”
Soft, grass scented lips nuzzled the back of Bobby’s neck and he jerked, feeling Sadie’s slobber slide down his neck. “Damn it, we’ve gotta take of the horses first,” he muttered, pushing her muzzle away. “Sure you want to marry a rancher?” he grumbled as Van reached for Amigo’s discarded reins.
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