Disclaimer: This story is totally fiction. All characters were made up and any similarities are just coincidental. This is gay erotica between teenage boys so if that offends you, please discontinue reading. Also, if it is illegal for you to read such material, you have been warned. Continual reading could cause a knock at your door. If you like this story, I also have the series "Josh: sex slave". And you can always contact me at zarek@roadrunner.com mailto:zarek@roadrunner.com with suggestions or concerns. Thoughts and suggestion are always welcomed and may or may not be implemented. Concerns will be considered and addressed as much as possible.
I hope you're enjoying it so far and that the story draws you in wanting more. Some people have noticed that this story was "inspired" by another story, a great story, here on Nifty, "Riding Lessons" by Andrew Todd. I hope I don't step on anyone's toes and you give this story a chance. While there may be some similarities, I believe there will be enough differences as well. Mr. Todd was given my rough draft before I made my first submission. He was flattered by the fact I like his story and wanted to refer to it. He's also flattered by those who wrote him to "warn" him about this one. All I can say is, I'm glad you are loyal to him and I hope any references I use do his story justice. If you feel that I let his story down in any way, shape or form, please call my attention to where I did.
This is another longer chapter. Some will like that and others may not. Unless someone expresses a concern over the longer chapters, I may try to continue with them at this length. I cried a little while writing and proof-reading this chapter. It is definitely an emotional one. Someone ask Dusty where I can go invest some stock in tissues.
AND, if you enjoy the stories on Nifty.org, please give a donation to help cover their expenses. While the site is currently free, only donations from loyal fans can help keep it that way. Any amount will help.
Another Chance
Chapter 20
Joe woke up and looked at the clock? It said six. He got up, put on the forest green robe that his new mom had bought for him. He liked the thought of that, a new mom who actually cared about him despite his being gay. Joe went out into the hall and pounded on Jim's door. "It's Christmas!" He shouted. Then he pounded on Mrs. Bolt's door and shouted again.
Mrs. Bolt opened her door. She was wearing a baby blue robe with white lace. "Yes, it is Christmas, Honey." She smiled at Joe's excitement.
Joe pounded on Jim's door again. "He's probably not in there. Ever since he met Zac and started working at the ranch, he's been up around five. I never get to make breakfast anymore because he usually has it done." Mrs. Bolt smiled some more.
Joe made his way downstairs as quickly as he could. He went to the kitchen and there was Jim at the stove. He was wearing a pair of red flannel shorts with white fur at the leg openings and a black belt at the waist. He also had on a Santa hat. "Hey Joe." He called out as he was flipping sausage patties. Joe heard a noise at the backdoor.
He went to check and jumped back when Colby jumped up. Jim chuckled. "They've been out playing in the snow for about fifteen minutes. Want to let them in, you can."
Joe opened the door and Kunoichi ran over by Jim and shook her fur dry. Jim hollered as the cold snow hit the back of his legs. This time Joe chuckled. "Do you always run around with hardly anything on?" Joe asked, not that he minded. Jim does have a nice body.
"I think he'd run around naked if I weren't here." Mrs. Bolt said.
"Probably." Jim grinned. "Breakfast is almost done."
"Then do we open presents?" Joe asked.
"We have to wait for Zac and Mom number two to get here." Jim said.
"Well go get them." Joe couldn't believe how excited he was to open presents. This was without a doubt his best Christmas to date.
Jim set the sausage on the table. He poured a glass of juice and a glass of milk for both him and Joe. Mrs. Bolt grabbed a cup of coffee. There were also eggs and English muffins on the table. Jim grabbed a muffin and placed a sausage patty and an egg on it. As he sat down, the doorbell rang. Joe went to answer it.
"Boy, you look excited." Zac said when the door opened. Zac had his arms full of presents. Mrs. Schoen was behind him with her arms full, too.
"They're here!" Joe said excited. "Can we open presents, now?"
"You have to eat your breakfast, first." Mrs. Bolt chuckled. She looked at Jim. "Do you regret not growing up with a brother?"
"No way, Mom. I had you and Dad all to myself all these years. While I love having Joe as a brother now, I don't think I'd appreciate it as much if I had a brother growing up."
"You are so sweet." Mrs. Bolt smiled. Jim smiled as he ate.
Zac and Marilyn Schoen sat at the table and chatted while the rest ate. Jim offered them some food, but Zac said that they already ate. Marilyn did accept a cup of coffee and Zac grabbed Jim's juice. Jim gave him a funny look then grabbed another glass. Joe told Zac about Kunoichi getting Jim cold and wet which made Zac laugh. Zac commented on Jim's Santa shorts.
Once everybody was done eating, they retreated to the living room. Jim turned on the tree and started handing out presents. Joe opened up the box that Jim handed him. It was the green western shirt. "How did you all know that green is my favorite color?" Joe asked.
"We didn't, but that shirt goes great with your eyes, Bro." Jim responded. Every time Jim called him "Bro", Joe started feeling emotional.
When Jim handed a gift to Zac from his mom, Mrs. Bolt told him to stop. "There should be an almost identical box for you, Jim. I want you boys to open them at the same time."
Jim found his gift and sat down. Unlike yesterday, when Jim took his time, he just ripped the paper. He waited until Zac had his paper off and they opened their boxes at the same time. They both received a Taurus Gaucho forty-five caliber revolver. "As with the rifles, you need to take shooting lessons before we'll get you any ammo." Mrs. Bolt said. "Remember, guns are not toys."
"Well aware of that, Mom. You and Dad were always good about making sure I know that. Even when I did have a toy gun, I was to treat it like it was real." Jim said, feeling emotional. He hugged his mom and thanked her for the gift.
Zac opened up a gift from Jim. It was a saddle case for his rifle that matched his saddle. "I knew you were getting the rifle, so I thought you would like that."
Zac chuckled and handed Jim his present. Jim opened it and it was a black gun-slinger's holster. The Taurus Gaucho fit perfect in it. "I also knew what your Mom got for you. I just didn't know that I was getting one myself."
At that, Mrs. Bolt hand Zac a present and Mrs. Schoen handed Jim one. Each mom made sure that the other one had a matching rifle case and holster. "Since we knew what you were getting each other, we thought we'd make sure the other had one, also." they said.
Jim handed Joe a present from Mrs. Bolt. Other than the weight, the box looked like it could be another shirt. The box felt like it weighed around ten pounds. Joe ripped the wrapping off. As he lifted the box lid, he couldn't believe his eyes. Mrs. Bolt had given him his very own laptop. It was a Toshiba Qosmio. Joe started to cry. He ran over and hugged Mrs. Bolt tighter than he ever had.
After Joe wiped his eyes, he handed Jim and Zac his presents for them. "Thanks, Bro. Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll love it." Jim said tearing the paper. When he and Zac opened them up and saw the spurs with the black leather strap and silver accents, they were almost teary-eyed. "I think this is an awesome present. Can I give you a hug?"
Joe held his arms out and Jim walked over. He picked Joe up as he hugged him. Joe felt so excited. He was hoping that Mrs. Bolt would love her gift just as much. He handed her a package. As Mrs. Bolt opened it, she smiled. It wasn't a very big present, and she didn't know what Joe paid for it, but none of that mattered. When she saw the silver necklace that said "#1 Mom" she started to cry.
"You don't like it?" Joe asked. "Or do you already have one?"
"No, I love the gift, Joe. It just makes me happy and sad at the same time. I'm so happy that you feel this way, but also sad about what you must have gone through your entire childhood to feel this way." Mrs. Bolt clarified.
"What I went through is my past. Thanks to my current family, I have a brighter future. We can't change what has happened, but I know that what will happen will be great." Joe said smiling.
Rest of the presents were opened except the one in the corner. "Well, I guess that's all the presents. I hope every liked what I got for them." Jim said putting his holster around his waist and strapping the spurs to his bare feet. Everyone laughed.
"Hey, there's one more present for somebody." Zac said.
"There is?" Jim asked.
"Yeah, it's in the corner. Who is it for?" Joe asked.
"Let's find out." Mrs. Bolt said.
Jim pulled out the present. "It's from Santa Claus. " Jim started as he was looking at the package. "It's for Joe."
Joe opened the box and found the three boots. He gave a funny look. "I don't have three feet." Joe said.
Jim walked over and pulled the special boot out. "May take you a while to get used to it since you've been walking with one leg shorter, but this will even out your legs." Jim said.
"And when you ride horses with us, that boot won't fit in the stirrup, so you have this boot for riding." Zac said as he pulled up the other left boot.
"OK, that makes perfect sense." Joe started but he felt so emotional over what these two boys had done. Within an hour of just meeting him, they went out and had this done. Joe started to cry. "Thank you so much, Santa Jim and Santa Zac." Joe said hugging the two of them. He tried to stifle the tears coming out of his eye. They both kissed him on the cheek. Jim and Zac told him it was alright and kept holding him while he cried. Heather Bolt and Marilyn Schoen were so proud of their boys, they had tears as well.
Jim, Joe and Mrs. Bolt went upstairs to get dressed. Joe came down wearing his new boots. It did feel a little awkward, but he noticed relief in his back from not having to compensate for the shorter leg, too. He also had on a pair of jeans and the sweater that Mrs. Schoen had given him.
Mrs. Bolt came downstairs wearing a red and green plaid skirt and a green blouse. You could see the necklace proudly displayed around her neck. Joe looked at her and smiled. "You look beautiful, Mom." Joe said.
"Thank you. You look handsome, yourself." Mrs. Bolt was stifling a tear as she said it.
Everyone heard the distinct sound of spurs jingling and looked up the stairs. Jim had just started down them. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, a black western shirt, a royal blue neckerchief, his cowboy hat and boots. He had his holster around his waist and spurs on his feet. "Do I look like a gunslinger, or what?" Jim asked.
"Almost, but you left your six-shooter down here, partner." Zac chuckled.
Jim instinctively reached for the holster to feel that it was empty. "Dagnabit!" Jim yelled and everybody laughed. Jim took off the holster and spurs and placed them with his other gifts. He did put the revolver in the holster.
Rest of the day was just a fun Christmas. Jim started a fire in the fireplace. Mrs. Schoen and Mrs. Bolt retreated to the kitchen to check on supper a few times, but everyone enjoyed each other's company and watched the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life". At dinner, Joe thought he'd be cute and repeated the line from another movie that they watched, "A Christmas Carol". "God bless us all, everyone." Everyone laughed.
Thursday morning, Jim went into Joe's room and woke him up at five. "What's going on?" Joe asked.
"I'm going to fix breakfast and when Zac comes over, we'll be heading to the ranch. Thought you'd like to get ready so you can come along. We'll be riding horses sometime today." Joe's face lit up.
Jim fixed breakfast while Joe got ready. Mrs. Bolt and Joe came down around five thirty. As they sat eating French toast, Jim looked at his mom. "Would you have a problem if I took what I got for Christmas to show Jackson?"
"I'm sure he would like seeing what you got. I guess it would be alright, especially since you have no ammo." Mrs. Bolt said. "And thank you for asking."
"And Joe's going with us if you don't mind. We're planning to ride horses sometime today. Plus, we're hoping Jackson might have something that he can do."
"I'm so glad you want to include him. I have the day off, myself. I might come out later to see about riding, too. I really do miss it."
"And Dad would want you to keep riding. You know that, right?"
"Yes, but it's so hard. I miss him so much, especially right now."
Jim never really thought about how much his mom missed his dad. He started to cry and hugged his mom. "I'm so sorry, Mom. All this time, I've been thinking about how much I miss him. I never even considered that you did, too. I love you so much."
"I love you, too, and you needn't apologize. You were hurting so much. Your dad would be so proud of you right now."
"I never knew him, but the two of you make me miss him, also." Joe said. Jim and Mrs. Bolt hugged Joe. Mrs. Bolt kissed his forehead.
"He would have loved you, Joe." Mrs. Bolt said.
"And just so you know, the ranch isn't really open for people to come riding right now, with the snow and all, but I'm sure Jackson wouldn't have a problem if you came out. Just because it is winter doesn't mean the horses don't need exercised." Jim stated.
They finished eating and Mrs. Bolt cleared the table. Zac walked in at a few minutes before six. Jim suggested a time for his mom to come out, then he and Joe grabbed their winter jackets. Jim placed his presents in the back of Zac's truck. He was thankful that Zac had put a tote back there so they wouldn't be in the snow. The boys got in the truck and headed for the ranch.
When they got to the ranch, Zac pulled into his usual parking spot. They sat for a few minutes and Joe said, "You get paid to sit out in your truck?"
"No, we usually get here a little early. Sometimes we kiss while we wait. Other times, we just talk, and plan the day. Today, we have a body between us and I think we should tickle that body." Zac said.
"That sounds like a plan." Jim agreed and they startled tickling Joe. Joe squealed at the tickling.
As they saw Jackson pulling up, they jumped out of the truck. They each grabbed their Christmas gifts and walked toward him. Jackson got out of his Dodge Ram. "Whoa, partner. If this is a hold-up, I have no money on me." Jackson kidded when he saw the rifles.
"Naw, no hold-up, but we thought you'd like to see what we got for Christmas." Zac said.
"And who did Santa give this handsome young man to?" Jackson asked pointing to Joe.
"He's my new foster brother." Jim said with a big smile. "Joe, meet Jackson. I promise, I won't tell him that you asked if he were a horse." Jim continued with a chuckle.
"A horse? You thought I was a horse? Neigh." Jackson chuckled. After Jim laughed at Jackson neighing like a horse, he explained to Jackson why Joe asked. "Out of curiosity, are your guns loaded?"
"No, our moms want us to take shooting lessons before we can have any ammo." Zac explained.
"That's smart of them. If you want, when Mr. Abrams gets here in a week, week and a half, I can see if he'll give you lessons. He is ex-military. I'll also check with your moms. Hopefully, that'll be acceptable."
"That would be cool." Jim said.
"So, what's this guy going to do while the two of you work?" Jackson asked.
"We were kinda hoping you could give him a job? We're not sure what he's capable of doing, but he's willing to do whatever he can. Otherwise, he'll probably hang with us watching what we do. Hope you don't mind we brought him." Jim said.
"With the expansion of the ranch, I'm sure we can use him." Joe smiled when Jackson said that. "For now, I need to get a horse trailer and run some errands. Can you sit at the desk and answer the phone? I'm assuming you boys plan to ride sometime today. When you're ready, just come get him."
"Thanks, Jackson. What kind of errands you have planned? Or is it personal?" Zac asked.
"No, it's errands for the ranch. I need to fill out some paperwork. When this crew is done with the new house and office, they are going to start construction on the Rescue ranch. Hoping to have it functioning by spring. I also have a horse to go look at."
"What kind of horse?" Joe asked.
"Well, she's a quarter horse mare. She has issues. She never fully grew and the people want to get rid of her. She won't be worth much other than as a riding horse, maybe to young teens or kids, but if I don't take her, she's going to be glue."
"That's horrible." Joe said.
"Big problem is, she's not broke yet and most of my hands are too big to ride her. I was thinking that maybe one or both of you could help since you're still growing." Jackson said staring at Jim and Zac.
"I used to help my uncle before he died of leukemia." Joe said.
"Well then, she's yours to break. Instead of answering the phones, you want to go with me to get her?" Jackson asked, then looked at Jim. "If you don't have a problem with that."
"I trust you a hundred percent, Jackson. So does my mom." Jim stated. "Have fun, Joe and if you want to talk to Jackson about what we discussed, that'll give you a great opportunity."
"OK, let me hook up a trailer and we'll be on our way. You two will be only ones here today, so if you here the phone ring, either answer it or let it go to voice mail." Jackson said.
Jim and Zac got busy with what they needed to do. While the hands took care of the horses on Christmas, they weren't as thorough as they should have been, so the boys had more work than they expected. They heard Jackson ask Joe what he wanted to discuss as the two were getting in Jackson's truck.
"Well, tell you what, when we get back, you can see if there are any horses that you like in particular. If there are, we can discuss some kind of an arrangement then." Jackson told Joe.
"I can see why Jim and Zac like you so much. To hear them talk, you're almost like a god to them." Joe said.
"I'm definitely no god. I don't even have a physique like a god." Jackson chuckled.
They pulled onto the farm where Jackson was to check out the horse. Joe got out and helped Jackson lower the trailer ramp. "Hope I don't offend you, but you get along pretty good with your disability." Jackson said.
"Been dealing with it all my life, but it got easier thanks to Jim and Zac. They got me these boots for Christmas to help. I've only known them since Monday and they have done so much for me, already. I feel so special, Jim treats me like a real brother, I think."
"You think?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah, I was an only child, so I can only guess how I would treat my brother if I had one. I really like Jim and Zac and I know they like me, too."
"Well, from what I've seen already, they definitely do. Let's take a look at this horse." Jackson said.
They went to the house and let the owner know they were there. The man walked with Jackson as they went to the barn. The mare was solid black except for a white patch around her left eye. It was almost a star shape. She seemed a little agitated when she saw her owner walking toward her but calmed down as she noticed others with her. That caught Jackson's attention.
"Well, other than size, I can't see anything wrong with her." Jackson said as he was looking at the mare. "I'd have to have a vet do a more thorough exam to know for sure."
The man handed Jackson a report from his vet. "My vet says that there's only a ten percent chance of her reproducing. And if she does, with her stunted size, it would possibly kill her. She's not worth much to me, but the factory offered two hundred for her. You match that, and she's yours."
"What do you think, Joe? Think we can break her for riding?" Jackson asked.
Joe walked up to her and she nudged his hand. "She sure is a pretty girl. I think we should at least try."
"That being said, I'll give you what you're asking." Jackson said. "Will you accept a business check?"
"From you, I will. You have a good reputation." The man said.
Joe helped load the horse into the trailer and they headed back to the ranch. Jackson got to know Joe very well by the time they pulled back onto the lot. Mrs. Bolt pulled onto the lot almost right behind Jackson. Zac and Jim came to see the horse.
"What is she, about nine hands?" Zac asked.
"Actually, according to her paperwork, she's eight and a half hands," Jackson stated, "and she's done growing."
"Well, we get her broke and she should be good for younger teens, or pre-teens, maybe older kids. Joe could use her for a while." Jim suggested.
"I like her and all, but I'd like a full size horse." Joe said.
"Besides that, as Joe grows, she'd get to be too small for him." Jackson stated.
"Yeah, that's true." Jim admitted.
"Can you boys get her stabled? I still need to go sign that paperwork." Jackson asked as he was unhitching the trailer from his truck.
"Count on us, Jackson." Zac said.
"And Joe, see if any of the other horses are what you want." Jackson stated.
"He going to work out a deal with you, Bro?" Jim asked.
"What kind of deal?" Mrs. Bolt was curious.
"Hey Mom. Joe would like his own horse, so he talked to Jackson about making a deal like he did us. And you'll need to sign paperwork for Joe like you did me." Jim replied.
"That would be nice. My only concern, which I hope never happens, is what if they take Joe away from us?" Mrs. Bolt inquired.
"I'm sure Jackson would work something out with him." Jim said.
As Joe and Zac got the new mare stabled, Joe spotted Gold. "That's a beautiful horse. Think Jackson would let me have him?"
Zac chuckled. "If he owned him. That's Jim's horse, Gold. The white one in the stable beside him is my horse."
"Shucks, I really like the looks of Gold." Joe said.
"I can show you another palomino." Zac offered.
"Whoa, look at that palomino, I think she needs to go on a diet." Joe said as they walked.
"She's pregnant. Gold is the sire." Zac said chuckling.
"Who will own the colt?" Joe asked.
"Jackson offered it to me, if I want it. Could be yours, but you won't be able to ride him or her for a few years." Jim said coming up behind Joe.
"He wanted to know if Jackson would work out a deal with him for Gold." Zac chuckled.
"Can you blame him?" Jim grinned.
"Does Jackson own that horse?" Joe asked pointing at another palomino stallion.
"Yeap, but you work out a deal for him, you might be paying for a long time. He was Jackson's first stud and has brought him lots of money. His name is Caesar." Zac said.
"He probably wouldn't part with him, then." Joe said sounding disappointed.
"I like that horse. It reminds me of the first horse your dad and I owned." Mrs. Bolt said pointing to a brown quarter horse with a white boot.
"We call her Bootsie." Zac said. "She's very gentle and would be good, especially since you haven't ridden in a while."
"Here you go, Joe. This is the other horse I wanted to show you." Zac said.
"She's not as pretty as Gold. Her color is pale in comparison." Joe said.
"Part of that is her winter coat. Another part is her breeding. Caesar is her sire, but her dame was a pure white mare." Zac said. "Jackson got her as part of the deal when he bought Caesar."
"Think he'd sell her?" Joe asked.
"If you're interested, he might. He talked with me a few times about buying her and I seriously considered it. Then he found Silver."
"Lone Ranger's horse?" Joe asked.
"My horse." Zac responded.
"So, you own Silver and Jim owns Gold. Kinda corny if you ask me." Joe said.
"Yea, well, Jim named his horse about three years ago?" Zac looked at Jim and Jim nodded his head. "Mine was named by someone else. It just worked out that way."
After Joe decided to ask Jackson about this mare, Jim and Zac started prepping the four horses for their ride. Mrs. Bolt helped prep Bootsie. She really did miss riding. Maybe she would start riding again. She knew that Jon would want for her to continue. Horses were his passion and she grew to love them as much.
Joe changed his boot so he could mount his horse. Mrs. Bolt got on Bootsie and rode beside Joe. Zac and Jim led the way, but stayed close enough in case one of them needed them. "How much does Jackson charge to go riding? Unless you have a problem with it, I may come out once a week." Mrs. Bolt said.
"You didn't read your certificate very well did you?" Jim asked.
"Not really, just saw that it was for free riding." Mrs. Bolt responded.
"Jackson let me make the certificate up. You get free riding whenever you want for the rest of your life." Zac told
"Seriously? I take it then, you wouldn't have a problem with me coming out each week." Mrs. Bolt thought about shedding a tear but thought it'd freeze to her cheek if she did.
"We'd love for you to ride with us. Maybe not every time we ride, but definitely once in a while. Once a week would be cool." Jim said.
"Keep that up and you'll make my face freeze." Mrs. Bolt laughed.
"I'd love for you to come ride with me as often as you want." Joe told her. She leaned over and hugged him.
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