He was also concerned. Ahm didn’t know about mending fences. If the barbed wire snapped back, it could kill his mate or brother. Bryce was pretty confident in Gavin’s skills, but Ahm was new to all of this.
Easing from the truck, Bryce damn near swallowed his tongue when his mate pulled his shirt over his head to wipe at his face, exposing nicely shaped pecs and a flat abdomen with slight ridges. He was so pale that his brown nipples stood out in stark contrast to his white skin.
“You need to rest?” Gavin asked as he straightened. The barbed wire was in place, but Bryce could see a few more places needing repair.
“I’m good,” Ahm answered, but Bryce could see the slight wince on his mate’s face. Ahm was not good. He was in pain. That set his back teeth to grinding. What was the man trying to prove?
Bryce cleared his throat. “Pa sent me up here to help.” It was a lie, but Bryce wasn’t about to watch Ahm work until his stitches were busted open. The fences needed to be mended because the cattle were going to be turned out for the summer, but that didn’t mean his mate had to suffer in order to get things done.
Ahm slid his eyes toward Bryce in a covert manner, and Bryce pulled his shirt off, admittedly peacocking for the man. “Let’s get this done.”
He could see the knowing snicker on Gavin’s face. His brother knew exactly what Bryce was doing. Ahm just kept stealing furtive glances, pretending to ignore Bryce.
“Grab the wire and get it ready for the next fence,” Gavin said as he pointed to the spool on the ground. Bryce bent at the waist, letting his muscles flex as he grabbed the wire.
“Can you finish up here?” Gavin asked. “I need to get some things done in town.”
Ahm’s head snapped toward Gavin, his eyes narrowing.
“Sure, go ahead.” Bryce waved him off. “We can handle things from here.” He just prayed they finished their work. Bryce had other plans in mind. He wasn’t going to mate Ahm just yet, but they could have so much fun doing other, equally pleasurable things together.
As soon as Gavin pulled away, Ahm turned, his eyes raking over Bryce’s chest. “Okay, you’ve gotten me alone. Now what?”
“Don’t know what you are talking about,” Bryce said as he began to walk down to the next section that needed to be repaired. “I just came out here to help. How was I supposed to know Gavin would ditch us?”
They worked side by side for the next few hours, Bryce making sure he did most of the hard work. He didn’t want Ahm hurting himself any more than he had to. The stubborn man had refused to go sit down somewhere.
Bryce finally stood, stretching his back when the sun began to set in the sky. “I think we got it all.” He was going to need to sit in a hot bath after the afternoon he just had. Whether Ahm knew it or not, Bryce had done most of the work.
But Ahm hadn’t slacked off. He was covered in sweat and his white beater was filthy. The guy looked like he had rolled around on the ground in it. As tough as Ahm acted, Bryce knew for a fact the guy wasn’t used to manual labor. He was going to have to talk to his pa about finding something easy for Ahm to do—at least until he healed.
“We worked right through supper,” Bryce said. “But there should be a plate set aside for each of us.”
“Do you work like this every day?” Ahm asked as he helped Bryce load the tools and supplies into the truck.
Bryce scoffed. “This was an easy day compared to most.”
“I see why you’re as big as a bear.” Ahm slammed the tailgate closed. All Bryce could do was stand there and stare at his mate. Had Ahm just complimented him?
Ahm gave Bryce a small smile, and Bryce knew he was not immune to it. He was a charming man when he wasn’t being a stubborn jackass. Bryce liked the flirting Ahm. It was kinda nice.
But just that fast the flirtatious look was gone. Ahm was clenching his jaw, and Bryce didn’t think all the sweat on the man’s body came from work.
Ahm was in pain.
And he proved it when he hit the ground hard.
Bryce rolled him over onto his back and checked his breathing. Ahm’s eyes were partially closed, but he wasn’t speaking. A small groan escaped his throat.
“You overdid it today,” he reprimanded Ahm as he lifted his mate up into his arms and hurried him toward the front of the truck. His heart hammering, Bryce settled the tall man inside and snapped the seat belt in place. “I’ll have you home in a minute.”
As he slid into his side, Bryce grabbed his phone and called Dr. Sheehan, asking the man to meet him at the ranch.
He didn’t like that Ahm wasn’t saying a word, or that his eyes were still partially closed. Driving the truck as fast as he could without becoming reckless, Bryce made it to the house in less than thirty minutes.