What's His Passion 2 - Climbing the Savage Mountain (7 page)

He ignored the looks they got for holding hands. Jensen didn’t care if some people were uncomfortable with two men being together. He wasn’t about to make out with Toby in a crowd, but he wouldn’t have done that even if they were some place a little more accepting. Jensen didn’t really believe in effusive public displays of affection anyway.

“Hey there, man,” Jigger called out to him as they approached the baggage claim area.

“Toby. Toby,” Pamela chanted from where she stood beside her father.

Toby crouched and held open his arms so Pamela could stagger over to him for a hug. He swept her up before bussing her cheek. She shrieked with laughter and patted his face. Jensen clasped Jigger’s hand then slapped his back in the man clasp they’d perfected. Then he tickled Pamela’s side and she threw herself at him.

“Whoa there, Pammy.” He caught her then she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Jigger and Toby embraced as well. Then the bell went off to warn them their luggage was coming.

“We’ll stop and pick up Cat then get some supper on the way to the house,” Jigger informed them, just like Jensen had explained to Toby.

While they waited, Pamela demanded to return to Toby and she chattered at him the entire time. Jensen didn’t have any real idea of what she was saying, but just having Toby grunt and acknowledge her seemed to be enough to make her happy.

“All your stuff arrived just fine. I have it piled in your old trailer. Cat got it cleaned out for you. Might as well use it while you’re here instead of trying to squeeze in with us.” Jigger poked Pamela in the side.

She laughed. “Jens sleep wit me.”

“Thanks, honey, but I won’t fit in your bed,” Jensen told her. “Plus where would we put Toby?”

She wrinkled her little nose as she pondered the problem. “Right. Too big. No room.”

Jigger and Jensen grabbed the two bags they’d checked while Toby kept Pamela busy. Jensen’s friend led the way out of the terminal to the parking lot. Once they were all settled in the SUV, Jensen glanced at Jigger.

“Are we going for a hike tomorrow?”

“You know it, man. Might as well get you started, plus you’ll need to start running more. As the weeks go on, we’ll start doing some higher treks. My mom’s coming in to watch Pamela while we head up into the Rockies for some fourteen thousand foot climbs. By the time we head out to Nepal, we’ll be as ready as we can be.” Jigger sniggered.

“No one is ready for Everest,” Jensen muttered. “Not even guys who guide it are ready. Every minute on the mountain is different than it was the year before.”

Jigger nodded. “People think mountains are these giant immovable objects, but the rocks tumbles and the glaciers melt. Snow falls and ice breaks. At the summit, you look down and all you see are the same clouds you saw while you were climbing up.”

Toby made a sound and Jensen glanced at him. He saw Toby swallow before flashing him a trembling smile. Twisting in his seat, Jensen stretched out to touch Toby. He tried to make his own smile reassuring, but he knew it wasn’t a good effort.

The silence alerted Jigger something was up and he met Jensen’s gaze for a second before using the rear view mirror to catch Toby’s eyes. “I’m not going to insult you by telling you not to worry. You wouldn’t be human—or in love with this guy here—if you didn’t get freaked out about him going to Everest. Any kind of climbing is dangerous and anyone doing it should approach it with caution.”

“We’ve been doing this together for a few years now, Toby. There’s only one person I’d trust more to watch my back and that would be you.” He squeezed Toby’s knee before settling back in his seat. “Have you talked to Cat about teaching Toby her world famous fried chicken recipe?”

They all knew he was changing the subject and Jigger let it happen.

“You’re going to have to bribe her. She’s never even showed me how to make it.” Jigger shook his head.

“Don’t worry. I know just what I can give her to get that recipe from her.” Toby wiggled his eyebrows at Pamela and the little girl squealed with joy.

“What?” Both Jensen and Jigger asked.

Toby shrugged. “I’m not telling you. One of the things I’m going to do is promise not to share it with the two of you. If she wanted you to have it, she would’ve given it to you a while ago.”

“He has a point,” Jensen told his friend.

Jigger sighed. “I know. Okay, here’s Cat’s place. I’ll run in and get her.”

Once Jigger strolled toward the building, Jensen turned to look at Toby. “I’m sorry about that.”

“About what? What Jigger said about mountains?” At Jensen’s nod, Toby flapped his hand in dismissal. “Don’t be. I’m not an idiot. I realize all of that stuff, but I have to say everything is dangerous. Hell, I hate flying because all I can think about is all the things that can go wrong while we’re up in the air. Nothing’s safe, no matter how much we’d like to believe it to be so.”

“Right, but I don’t want you to dwell on it while you’re here. You’re going back home in four days then I won’t see you for five months. I’d like this time to be happy memories for the times when you get freaked out—or worried. You can look back on them and smile.”

Toby unhooked his seat belt then edged closer to Jensen. He leaned forward to kiss him, quick and gentle. With Pamela in the car as well, they couldn’t get too hot or heavy.

“Any time I get to spend with you—whether here or at home—is happy for me. I’m not going to tell you I won’t worry and that there are going to be days where I hate you because you’re gone. You’re too smart not to realize I’m going to feel those emotions while you’re away. But I can promise that I will welcome you home with a hug and a kiss, plus some other things that we can’t discuss in front of a certain little girl.” Toby winked before easing back to buckle back up.

Before Jensen could reply, his door popped open and he struggled to get his own seat belt undone before he was strangled to death.

“Cat, wait. I need to get out,” he protested as his friend dragged him out of the SUV.

The tall, dark haired woman threw herself into his arms and almost crushed his ribs hugging him. “I’m so glad you’re here. It’s starting to feel real.”

Jensen embraced her just as tightly. “I’ll get excited when we get to Lukla and start trekking into Base Camp.”

Cat slugged him. “You’re so jaded. Now where’s your wonderful partner?”

“Sitting in the back with your beautiful daughter.” Jensen pointed to the back passenger door of the vehicle.

“Great. I’ll sit back there with them and we can chat on the way to the restaurant.” Cat pecked him on the cheek before she climbed into the back with Pamela and Toby.

Jigger chuckled at Jensen’s expression. “There are days when she’s like a hurricane, dude, and all you can do is endure the whirlwind that is Cat.”

When they piled back in, Cat and Toby started talking up a storm around little interruptions by Pamela, who was telling her mother about her day. Jigger shot Jensen an amused glance.

“It’s like they’re long lost siblings,” he muttered and Jigger nodded.

Jensen loved how much Toby and Cat adored each other. It meant a lot to him that his two best friends liked the man he loved. Of course, he wished Toby’s best friend liked him more, but there was nothing he could about that. Simpson would believe what he chose to believe about Jensen and all he could do to prove him wrong was to keep returning from these trips.

“Oh my God, really?”

They both winced at the volume and shrillness of Cat’s voice. Jensen looked back in time to see her try to hug Toby, but there wasn’t any room for her to do that. Toby smirked in Jensen’s direction before nodding.

“Yes. In exchange, I want your fried chicken recipe,” Toby negotiated.

Cat’s head bobbed up and down as though she was one of those bobble head dolls. “Of course. I’ll show you how to make it while you’re here.”

“Great.” Toby shot Jensen a smug smile.

“Woo-hoo! We get fried chicken.” Jigger gave Jensen a fist bump. “Haven’t had that in a while.”

“I thought it would take a million bucks or something to pry that out of you. What is he bribing you with to get that recipe?” Jensen asked.

Cat mimed zipping her lips shut then locking it before throwing the key over her shoulder. “I’m not going to tell. It’s a deal between Toby and me.”

Jensen pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. “Fine. Be that way.”

Jigger pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. After piling out, they made their way inside then found a table. The waitress waved at them, showing she’d seen them. When she was done with the couple she’d been talking to, she brought over menus.

“How are you doing?” She greeted Jigger and Cat then patted Pamela on the head.

“We’re fine, Sally. You remember Jensen Brockhoff, our climbing buddy?” Cat nodded toward him.

“Of course. Good to see you again, Jensen. And who is this handsome man?” She flashed a flirty smile at Toby.

“This is Toby Schwartzel, Jensen’s partner.”

Jensen saw her inhale sharply and he thought Jigger had crushed her hopes. He didn’t say anything, not wanting to get Sally upset, though she never seemed to be disgusted by him.

“Figures,” she muttered. Then she pulled out her pad. “What can I get you all to drink?”

Iced tea and coffee were ordered around the table since Cat and Jigger didn’t drink either. Jensen studied the menu, even though he knew what he wanted. Toby looked everything over and Jensen wondered what he thought of the choices. They hadn’t come to this place the last time they’d visited Wyoming.

The selection was simple and rustic—nothing gourmet. He knew Toby wouldn’t care. He wasn’t a snob about his food or where he lived or anything like that. It was just Toby might not have seen some of the meals being offered.

“Are you ready to order?” Sally asked after she delivered their drinks.

“What do you recommend?” Toby gave her a smile and Jensen saw her fall under his spell.

His lover had a way of getting people to like him, but Jensen knew it was part of Toby’s charm. He was a nice guy to begin with.

“Our meatloaf is probably the best in the county,” Sally told him.

“Then I’ll have that.” Toby handed her his menu. “What comes with it?”

“Mashed potatoes with gravy and a salad. What kind of dressing do you want?”

“Ranch.”

She turned to the rest of them to get what they wanted, plus a hot dog for Pamela. Once she was gone, Toby turned to look at Cat.

“Are you excited about going to Nepal?”

Cat nodded. “Oh yes. Not just to climb, but to be able to see the monasteries and the scenery. I’ve heard the people there are wonderful and friendly.”

“I want to climb, but I want to see the mountain. If I don’t make the summit, I can still stare up at Everest and see how amazing it is.” Jensen wiped his hands on his thighs as he spoke.

Toby glanced at Jigger. “What are you looking forward to when you get to Nepal?”

“Summiting Everest, man. There’s no other reason to go there. What’s in Nepal but the highest mountain in the world?” Jigger eyed Toby as though he were stupid.

Jensen and Cat laughed at Jigger’s response. For him, there was no other reason to go there—just like there was no other reason to go to Pakistan except to climb K2, or to go to Japan except Mount Fuji. Jigger was about the mountains, nothing else.

Toby shook his head. “Maybe when you get back from your expedition, we can take a couple weeks and go to Australia, Jensen. I’d love to dive on the Great Barrier Reef with you.”

“Ooh…you could go to the Guadalupe Islands and cage dive with Great White sharks. There are charters that will take you out,” Jigger suggested.

Jensen expected Toby to say no, but he seemed intrigued. At the thought of swimming with thousand pound eating machines, Jensen’s heart literally skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure he trusted the cages to keep them safe.

“That might be an adventure for us to take after your climbing days are over,” Toby told him.

“Umm…yeah. Maybe several years after I’m done climbing,” Jensen hedged.

The three of them stared at him and Cat grinned. She leaned over to poke him in the side.

“You aren’t afraid of the water, are you?”

He glared at her. “I’ve been swimming with you before, Cat. Of course, I’m not afraid of the water.”

“Then you must be afraid of the sharks. You’ll be in a big cage, for goodness’ sake. They can’t attack you in there,” Jigger pointed out.

He swallowed then Toby took his hand in his. Meeting Toby’s understanding gaze, Jensen said, “I know that, Jigger, but somehow knowing that it’s a few bars of steel to keep me from being eaten by a dinosaur doesn’t fill me with confidence.”

“Dino?” Pamela perked up when she heard one of her favorite words.

Cat pulled out a stuffed T-Rex from the bag she’d carried into the restaurant then handed it to the little girl, who proceeded to make roaring noises while shoving the animal all around the table.

“So we know one thing you’re afraid of.” Jigger propped his head on his hand. “That’s good. I thought you were a fearless man.”

“There are a lot of things that scare me. Hell, I’m scare sh…witless every time we’re on the side of a rock wall, hanging hundreds of feet in the air with only some rope and a piece of metal to keep us from plunging to our deaths. I was scared to death when I saw Toby the first time after being gone for six years,” he confessed.

Toby tightened his grip on Jensen’s hand, bringing his complete attention to him. Jensen licked his lips and Toby gave him an encouraging smile.

“I was so afraid you wouldn’t let me talk to you. That you’d tell me to leave the instant you saw me and would never allow me to tell you the reasons why I left. I was prepared to do whatever I needed to do to convince you to forgive me. Somehow Fate smiled on me because you did, and I got a chance to be with the only person I will love forever.” Jensen closed his eyes when Cat and Jigger applauded his heartfelt admission.

“Ignore them,” Toby whispered. “I’m glad you showed up at my apartment. I knew you’d have stuck around, badgering me until I broke down and let you in. Maybe I should’ve made you suffer more or grovel more, but I couldn’t. I loved you before you left, and I thought I hated you while you were gone. Yet the moment I saw you in that bar, I realized I’d been lying to myself. I still loved you and I’ll always love you, no matter how many times you leave me.”