All Play & No Work

After sending it, Nate waited a few minutes before calling Ryan back. When Ryan answered the phone he was still laughing so hard he could barely talk. “Priceless,” was all Ryan managed to get out before choking on his merriment.

This was what he loved about his men. The simplest things they took joy in. Yeah, Charlie eating their snowman was funny, but Nate knew, it was Rio’s soon-to-be reaction that Ryan found so funny.

When his laughter slowly ebbed, Ryan sighed. “You know you’re going to have to put clothes on and put Charlie in the barn.”

Nate looked down at his near-naked state. “Why can’t Rio do it,” he whined.

“Because if you’re calling, it means Rio’s worn out and asleep.”

“Damn, you’re a smart man.” Nate started walking toward the bedroom. “I love you,” he whispered, not wanting to wake the bear. “I’ll let Rio tell you about our day. I want you to experience his joy as much as you can.”

“I love you, too, baby. I’ll meet you both at five-thirty. Do you want to go to the Canoe or Deb’s Diner?”

“Which place gets the most foot traffic on a Thursday night?” After grabbing up his clothes, Nate walked back into the living room.

“Uh…Thursday is fried chicken night at Deb’s. It seems to be a town favourite, so that would be our best bet.”

“Okay, we’ll meet you there,” Nate said, wincing as he slipped on his cold wet boots. He hung up the phone and