Double Trails - Chapter Seventy

Chapter Seventy

- Ryan-

"Wanna put a schedule up on the white board, so we can keep track of things?" Will asked.

"We're not having that many guests," I countered.

"It's not that many all at once, but we do seem to have them lined up this summer. I don't really remember us having that many visitors before."

"Well... you and Patrick visited one summer, then you visited another summer. We've had Christian here. But I'll give you that, by volume, we're having more folks visit this summer than any I can remember. Plus with Kirk changing his mind and staying for the summer, instead of going to Jacob's, we're short a guest room," I said.

"It does make sense that Kirk is staying. Here he's got a job and can earn money for college, whereas at Jacob's..."

"At Jacob's he wouldn't be able to move there till early July, then try to find a job for what six or so weeks... not worth it."

"Plus there's the added bonus," Will started.

"You mean that Chet won't have to face Jacob each time he visits?"

"Yeah. Jacob's playing the role of big brother to the hilt at the moment."

"I think it's big brother with a bit of `dad replacement.'"

"Agreed."

"So, what time do our first guests arrive," I asked.

"Gavin called about two hours ago; they were just passing where I-40 spills into I-81 at Douglas Lake."

"So, depending on how bad a lead foot Jake has, they should be here soon."

"Your dad was saying they've never visited..."

"Jake was here once with the DC rodeo group, when I was much younger. Then he moved to Nashville. Since he moved to Nashville; nope, no visits at all."

"What finally got them to visit?"

"They're going to a wedding in Lynchburg," I explained. "They're here tonight, then driving over to Lynchburg tomorrow for the wedding. They're staying at a bed and breakfast there Saturday and Sunday night, then they're back here the entire week, next weekend, and leave Monday the fifth."

"Then my folks arrive the next Friday and stay till Monday."

"How much do you think they'll actually be here during the day, and how much do you think Grandma will be up in Wolford?"

"Actually, the time with us is just us. They're going to Patrick and Tiffany's after they leave here."

"Gotcha. I hadn't really heard all the details."

Before I could say anything else, the driveway alarm rang.

"I'm guessing company's here," Will said. "Come on..."

We walked out back, figuring they'd be almost to the house; instead, they were only half-way up the driveway moving at a snail's pace.

"That's the new Nissan isn't it?" Will asked.

"Yeah, the 350Z..."

"It's not made for a rutted, dirt driveway, is it?" Will said with a bit of a laugh.

"No... not at all..."

We waited a few more minutes before Gavin pulled the little sports car into a parking spot.

"Welcome!"

"Thanks," Jake said.

"Man, this reminds me of home," Gavin exclaimed, as he turned around to get a good view of the property.

"You're not from Nashville," Will asked?

"Naw," Gavin said, showing off his best Appalachian draw. "I'm from over near Hazard, Kentucky."

"Relatively close," I commented. "Didn't want to hang around?"

"No! Too closeted for my tastes. I don't know how y'all do it here."

"We live our lives; keep the personal part as private as possible; and hope for the best," I replied.

"Let's get your things upstairs, then we can give you the full tour," Will suggested.

"Sounds great," Jake replied. "Where are Tracer and Erik?"

I grabbed a suitcase and tried my best to stifle a laugh.

"What?" Jake looked puzzled. "I say something wrong?"

"No. No. It's just that... well, you'll have to see it to believe it."

"What Ryan's trying to explain," Will interrupted. "Is Erik and Tracer are out doing poison ivy removal."

"And???" Gavin nudged a bit.

"See, all of us are pretty darn allergic to poison ivy; so, the best way to deal with it is in Tyvek bunny suits."

"You mean, like the stuff they wear in clean rooms?" Jake asked.

"Yeah! So, picture them both in a white Tyvek bunny suit with purple Playtex living gloves duct taped on, a pair of white clean room booties over their shoes, a face mask, and goggles," Will explained.

"That sounds... ridiculous," Gavin said.

"Not as bad as getting poison ivy," I replied. "We have a section of woods we want to open up to riders at some point. When they surveyed the area last fall, they found it full of older poison ivy vines with many as thick as your arm going up trees."

Will continued the explanation. "The guys went along last fall and cut the vines at the base of the trees. Now nine months later, the vines are starting to die; so Tracer and Erik are pulling as much as they can down. We'll have to do this a number of times till the area truly starts to clear out."

"Why don't you just spray something on it?" Jake asked.

"Well, the area is close to the creek, and we didn't want herbicides getting into the water. Plus once poison ivy's leaves turn shiny, it's much harder to kill that way. We're trying to be a bit greener about it overall."

By this point, we had the guys' stuff in their room.

"Tour?" Gavin asked.

"Sure," Will replied.

We walked through the house, the barn, and were headed for the stable when we saw Tracer and Dad coming out of the woods. The four of us stopped to laugh. As they got closer, Dad asked, "Mind helping us out of these get ups?"

"Let me get some gloves and overalls," I said.

I ran into the office and grabbed a pair of old overalls and slipped them on. Then I grabbed a pair of latex gloves, and finally I grabbed a pair of scissors. When I got back to the group, Dad and Tracer were explaining what had happened.

"So what was the biggest vine," Gavin asked.

"Larger than my wrist," Dad said.

"You pulled it all out of the trees?" Jake inquired.

"No. We'd already cut the vines at the base of the tree. So we cut them again as high up as we could reach, then removed the segment we'd cut out. What's higher up in the trees will die and fall out over the next few years," Tracer explained.

"We also pulled as much of the vines as we could that were on the ground," Dad said.

"Gonna burn it?" Jake asked.

"Hell no," Tracer said. "We'd have half the area sick, if we did."

"Huh?" Jake seemed confused.

"The oil from poison ivy gets air born when burned. Anyone that breathes it in gets their lungs infected - can be deadly," I explained.

"Wow," Jake responded. "Did not know that."

"In fact, the area we cleared won't be useable for a while."

"Missed a lot?" Gavin asked.

"Not really, we pretty much cleared it out and bagged up what we pulled. But the oil is still on everything out there, and can take two to five years to wear off. Plus we'll have things re-sprout for a while... it's gonna be a long process," Tracer explained.

While they'd been talking, I'd carefully cut off their gloves and helped them out of their bunny suits. Will ran and got a trash bag, I put all the pieces in, then carefully took off the latex gloves and added them to the bag. Will tied off the bag and carried it to the trash bin.

"How much area are you adding?" Gavin asked.

"It's about half an acre of additional space that will allow us to run a trail along the creek joining our inner and outer loop," Dad explained. "We've been riding along the creek for a while, but wanted to make it a safer ride for the customers."

"We'll take you for a ride and show you everything when you come back from the wedding," Tracer said.

"We appreciate you putting us up," Jake said.

"I'm just glad you finally decided to visit," Dad replied. "Why don't we go inside and visit."

The six of us went inside. As we went through the kitchen, Will asked. "Anyone want something to drink?"

"Beer," Jake said.

"Same," Gavin chimed in.

"Coke," Tracer said.

"Beer," Dad said.

"Coke," I told Will.

"Three beers and two cokes coming up," Will said, waving us into the den.

We all took seats and started chatting.

"From what we've seen, this place is incredible," Gavin said.

"It's certainly changed since I was here," Jake said. "It's been what..."

"I was... hmmm... I was twelve, so that's nine years ago," I replied.

Will came in with the drinks and passed them out.

"Well, there's one thing that's certainly changed!" Jake exclaimed.

"What?" I asked.

"You! You've grown into quite the young man. And of course found yourself a handsome young partner."

I looked at Will, who blushed deep red.

"Aw, he's blushing," Gavin teased.

"He blushes at the slightest thing," I said.

"You two had the tongues wagging in Nashville for most of the winter," Gavin said.

"Huh?" Will grunted.

"After the Halloween party last fall, a lot of our friends kept asking about the two sexy cops. Evidently, you two generated a lot of interest among our friends. In fact, Peter has talked about you every time we've seen him," Jake explained.

"I would say that if you two were closer, you'd be propositioned constantly. But how are you going to top the police uniforms?" Gavin asked.

"We haven't talked about it yet," Will said. "Time to search the Internet."

"Tracer and I need to start searching too," Dad admitted.

"A second year in costume? Wonderful!" Jake said. "But why search the net?"

"It's not like there are a lot of options in the area," Tracer explained. "Create your own from a thrift store, go to Wal-Mart, or order it from somewhere else."

"We'll give you the police uniforms," I said.

"I don't think they'd fit," Tracer said with a laugh.

"We're not that different in size," Will said.

"Enough," Dad said. "And you've grown since last year. They might not fit either of you now."

"They stretch," I said. "Well, some."

"As I recall, you two used a lot of talcum powder to get them on," Tracer reminded us.

"Very true."

"Hmmmm... how about a thong?" Will said.

"Ummmm... boys, I don't want the party to become an orgy," Jake said.

"Aw... shucks," I teased. "Actually, neither do we."

"We'll think of something," Will said.

"We should start dinner," I said to Will. He nodded in agreement.

"Need help?" Tracer asked.

"Nope, the four of you keep talking, and we'll get it done," Will replied.

In the kitchen, Will and I got busy working on dinner. We already had things lined up, the meat marinated, the potatoes peeled and sliced - so it wouldn't take long to get steak frites with green beans on the table.

I was pulling the steaks off the grill when Kirk came up.

"How was work today?" I asked.

"Not bad. Noah and I painted a lot of fence segments. We felt like we made good progress. You know, it's funny, he's a nice guy; but... well, when we were in school together he seemed more of a jerk."

"A jerk?" Will asked.

"You know... it wasn't that he picked on me or anything like that. He was a year ahead of me, but he hung in a group of kids that picked on kids. More like he went along with them to stay popular. But after spending a few days with him, he seems really nice."

"No more peer pressure," I said. "He doesn't have to try to fit in."

"That makes sense," Kirk replied.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up for dinner," I suggested.

"Back in a minute," Kirk said, as he headed upstairs.

Over dinner, Gavin and Jake talked about the wedding they were attending and more of what had been going on in their lives since we saw them in October. Finally, they got around to finding out more about Kirk.

"Will you be joining the guys this October for our Halloween party," Jake asked Kirk.

"Um... I'll be in Williamsburg by then," Kirk explained.

"William and Mary?"

"Yes."

"I guess that would be a long drive," Jake admitted.

"You would get to meet a lot of cute men in Nashville," Gavin teased.

"He's got a cute guy in Williamsburg," Will explained.

"OH?" Gavin said.

"Yeah, he's got Chet," I explained. "You'll get to meet him next weekend."

"How did you already get a guy in Williamsburg? Someone from your school that's a bit ahead of you?"

"We met when Ryan and Will took me there for a tour in March. He came out for my graduation, and we've spent a lot of time on the phone."

"We look forward to meeting him," Gavin said. Jake nodded his head in agreement.

Dinner discussion continued, and afterwards, Kirk helped Will and I clean things up. Kirk disappeared after dinner, I assumed to call Chet - his new nightly ritual. The rest of us spent a good bit of time chatting in the den prior to bed.

Saturday morning, Will joined Noah and Kirk in painting the fence, trying to get the final section across the front of the farm done prior to the Fourth.

I was sitting in the office working on some paperwork when the driveway alarm went off. I assumed it was Jake and Gavin leaving, but a few minutes later, a well-dressed woman walked in.

"May I help you?"

"Yes. I'm moving into the area in July and will need to board my two horses. My real estate agent mentioned your farm as a possibility."

"Welcome to Double Trails. I'm Ryan Chamberlain. Are you looking to self-board or full-board?"

"I'm Delores Bishop," she explained. "I've always had full-boarding, and would like to continue that here in this area."

"Nice to meet you Ms. Bishop. Our full-board is fairly comprehensive; I'm sure we can cover all your requirements. Let me show you around and we can talk about your needs."

I led her through the side door and directly into the stable.

"Looks relatively new," she commented.

"This part of the stable is original structure and about forty years old; we remodeled and expanded last spring, so everything got a full refresh. When we expanded the stable, we reorganized stall assignments, so that all our boarded horses are together here in the front."

"How many horses do you have total?"

"The farm owns eighty at the moment, and we have forty boarded with us. Of the eighty, we have fifty horses for rental, riding classes, and like. Typically, we have about five studs and fifteen breeding mares onsite, and finally we have the staff horses. The number may vary depending on the needs of the breeding program."

We continued down the aisle, and I pointed out different features of the stalls and the building. "All of the farms' horses are American Quarters," I explained. "Our boarders have a variety of breeds. What do you have?"

"Friesians."

"Big horses. Beautiful too. Out stalls should be large enough for them." I got to an unassigned stall and opened it. Continuing, "We use a rubber mat in each stall, then a full inch of straw for comfort. We muck the stalls daily, and do a full replacement on alternate days. We provide feeding services and can either provide our standard mix, a custom blend, or owner-provided feed as needed. All boarded horses are turned out for exercise daily; either in large groups into one of three large, fenced in pastures, or in small groups into one of four paddocks closer to the barn."

"Blankets?"

"If you provide your own, we put them on as appropriate. If you don't, we can provide them for a nominal charge."

"Trails?"

"The farm is just over two hundred and seventy-seven acres, and well over two hundred of those are wooded. Currently, we have two main trails. If you'd like I can saddle up a horse and we could ride out."

"Tempting, but I don't think I'm dressed appropriately."

"I could take you out in one of our ATVs, if you like. The outer trail starts out at that end of the farm," I said pointing. "It runs towards our property line, then towards the back of the farm; it then snakes along the hills and valleys through to the far end of the farm ending at a picnic area we have. The outer trail winds along Sugar Run for a long stretch, we have wide foot bridges over the creek at each point. The inner trail starts closer to the road, then twists and turns through the property until reaching the picnic area as well. The outer loop is over a mile and a half long; the inner loop is just under a mile. Currently we have a mid-point cut through that was part of the original loop path years ago. Finally, we just started a clearing project to improve an area for a new trail along the Run itself, riders are always welcome to blaze their own trail; however, we can't guarantee any unmarked area will be free of poison ivy."

"That makes sense," she replied.

As we stood there for a few more minutes, Tracer walked up.

"Ms. Bishop, let me introduce you to Tracer Klein. Tracer, Ms. Delores Bishop. She's interested in boarding. Tracer is one of the other owners of the farm."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Bishop."

"Delores, please. Nice to meet you, Tracer. Is Double Trails a family operation?"

"Yes," I replied. "We're a limited liability corporation with four owners. Tracer and his brother Will, my dad, and myself."

"Interesting," she said. I thought I heard a follow up question coming. Instead, she asked. "What are your hours?"

"For boarders, the farm is open three hundred sixty five days a year. Staff is on-site and available from six a.m. to five p.m. daily during the school year. We have staff available from six a.m. until sunset in the summer. We do ask that boarders notify us if they plan to be on the farm before sunrise or after sunset."

"How big is the staff?"

"We have eight full time, including the four of us," Tracer explained. "During school months, we have four part-timers; and during the summer, we add four summer hires."

"I didn't expect to find such an operation in this area," she said.

"We are unique," I said. "The farm was originally owned by my dad's Uncle Phil, who focused on breeding and boarding. Under my dad's management, the rental and lessons were added. A few years back, the farm incorporated when Tracer, Will, and I bought into it. We've been working to enhance our services with a broader range of classes, more trails, and improvements to our breeding options."

"It's very nice. As impressive as many of the farms up in northern Virginia."

"One thing we do pride ourselves on is our landscaping," Tracer said.

"Oh?"

We've been working hard to develop the natural and native beauty. In late May or early June, depending on the year, the woods explode in color from all the mountain laurel and wild rhododendron hedges. We also have native dogwood and eastern redbud in the woods. Over the last few years, we've added plants like partridge berry, wild ginger, and bloodroot. Our goal is to showcase the native plants and enhance the rides."

"As you might have guessed, Tracer leads our landscaping efforts. In fact, he led a large effort two years ago to restore part of the property damaged after Sugar Run flooded."

"Flooded?" her voice showed a large level of concern.

"Sugar Run runs through the back part of the property and did flood when a strong storm sat on this part of the state for about five days," Tracer said. "The Run is not a threat to this part of the farm. It's about fifty feet lower in elevation and far enough back on the property."

"Oh, good. I was concerned there for a moment."

"What else would you like to know?" I asked.

"If you'll excuse me," Tracer interrupted. "I'll leave you in Ryan's capable hands."

"Nice to meet you, Tracer," she said.

"Nice to meet you, and I look forward to serving your needs." With that, he continued to wherever he'd been headed before I interrupted him.

"Well, there's always price."

"Let's walk back to the office and I can provide you with our price list. We try to custom tailor our boarding to the needs of the client and horse."

We went in, sat down at the table, and I went through the pricing, our contract, and other details

"Ryan, this has been most impressive, and much more than I expected here."

"Here?" I asked.

"I'm from Fauquier County in Northern Virginia. It's considered the heart of Virginia's horse country. I'd expect your farm there, not..."

"Not in the middle of Appalachia," I finished.

"Correct. I'm not trying to be a city snob about it..."

"You're not coming across that way at all. Our breeding program has been very successful over the years, and allowed the farm to grow at times when others struggled. We're the largest boarding farm in the three surrounding counties. We also do a large rental business in the summers which leads to more riding classes. We also host a great Fourth of July event with hay rides, a petting zoo, rentals, and more."

"Spectacular. I think I've made up my mind, but I would like my husband to have a chance to look around. He arrives tomorrow," she said.

"To give him a chance to catch his breath, would you both be available on Monday?"

"We could make some time, I'm sure."

"I'll book a couple hours and take you both on a horseback tour of the farm. You can meet Erik and Will, and get a real feel for the place."

"I'd appreciate that. Say, one o'clock?"

"That works fine. Let me give you my business card, and if you think of anything, don't hesitate to give me a call."

"I must also admit, I never expected a young man such as yourself to have such a firm grasp on this business."

"Thanks for the compliment. I've lived on the farm since I was five, and worked it since I was able to do chores. I recently graduated, and I've been focusing on learning more about the business management of the farm."

"Will you be heading off to college soon?"

"I graduated from Virginia Tech in May."

"I'm sorry, I'm not good with judging folks ages. Did you major in business?"

"I got my degree in agriculture and applied economics with a focus in agri-business management."

"Impressive."

"Thanks."

I gave her a copy of the contract we used, explained a few of the details, and showed her out. I hoped that my sales pitch worked.

Over dinner, I let everyone know that we might get two more horses for boarding.

"What's a Friesian?" Will asked.

"It's a breed from Holland," I explained. "It's about the size of a light draft horse, but their more ummm... graceful than most draft horses. They can be ridden or used as a harness horse."

"I've seen a few," Dad put in. "Beautiful black horses with very thick manes."

"How do they compare in size?" Will asked.

"The smallest Friesians are about the size of a large Quarter with the biggest about a hand taller," Dad explained. "They are also broader than Quarters."

"Did she have a lot of special requests," Tracer asked.

"She indicated that she has some specific supplements... other than the usual stuff."

I went through the different items she would be needing. I also explained about the ride and meeting on Monday.

"Sounds like you handled everything well," Dad complimented.

"Thanks. I do want you and Will available about one to meet her. Let her get to know the farm's management team a bit."

After dinner, we all watched some television before heading for bed. By the time I got cleaned up, Will was already curled up and his breathing let me know he was asleep. I slipped under the covers carefully and snuggled up to him, wrapping my arm over his chest. The warmth of his body helped me relax, and I drifted to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up in almost the exact opposite position, Will was snuggled up to me, and his morning wood was pushing into my ass crack. From his breathing, I could tell he was still asleep.

I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the lube, trying not to move too much. I reached behind me and covered his dick liberally. Will woke up as I pushed my ass back on his cock.

Will whispered in my ear. "What a great way to wake up!"

He used his arm, already wrapped around me, to pull me closer to him - helping his dick work in deeper. Once I felt his pubes against my ass, we lay still for a short while, serene and peaceful. I could feel the pulsing of his dick inside my hole, and each time I clenched my ass in return.

Quiet and still for a while, Will's hand started playing with my chest, and his tongue found the back of my neck. I started to writhe a bit moving my ass back and forth on his cock.

"Morning, Lover," I said. "You've always said I could wake you like this any time I wanted."

"And I mean it!"

Will maintained his fuck strokes as we remained spooned. "A little harder?" I asked.

"Yeah," Will answered. "Flip over onto your back."

Will pulled out, and I did as he said, rolling onto my back. Will pushed my legs up and slipped his dick back into my ass quickly.

"Perfect," Will cooed.

He leaned down and kissed me. As his kiss progressed, I let his tongue slip into my mouth, sucking on it as he continued to fuck me with long, powerful strokes.

I put my arms around Will's back, pulling his chest and head to me. He buried his dick in me and stopped fucking. We kissed for several minutes, alternating whose tongue pushed into whose mouth. Finally, he broke the kiss.

"I need to fuck, or I'm gonna go soft" Will warned.

As Will started moving his dick in and out of my ass, I started squeezing my ass muscles around it.

"Oh, fuck! That's making it stiff!"

My hard dick was trapped between our stomachs. I grabbed the lube bottle, squirted a dollop into the palm of my hand, reached between us, and lubed my dick.

"Fuck me, Baby," I urged.

"I'm gonna cream that ass good!"

"Do it! Shoot!"

I kept urging Will on as he fucked me harder and harder.

"Fuck yeah!" he exclaimed as I felt him shoot into my ass.

I reached in between us to finish myself off, but Will swatted my hand away.

"No so fast," he said. With that he grabbed my dick and stroked it a few times as he repositioned himself and slid his ass down my shaft.

"FUCK!" I moaned as his ass ground into my body.

Will started working, bouncing, thrusting his body up and down, milking my cock with his ass.

"I need that cum injection," he said.

"It's not gonna take much," I replied.

Will put his hands down on the bed, arching his back as he moved his ass up and down.

I ran my hand up his legs to his abs as he continued to buck on my cock.

"Fill me up!" he urged.

"Milk it, Baby!"

I started thrusting up to meet his ass and felt my cock explode.

"FUCK, yeah!" he groaned.

His ass clamped down on my cock and milked the cum out. Will lay back a bit more, his ass still on my dick as my orgasm faded.

"What a fucking good way to start a morning," he said. "Shower?"

"Sounds like a smart idea."

We scrubbed each other's backs, and otherwise took the time to enjoy a long hot shower together.

Sunday was relatively quiet around the farm - most of the staff was off to rest up for the week ahead. We had only one small group of riders in the afternoon and a number of boarders out on the trails.

Gavin and Jake returned late afternoon and got settled in for a good visit. We heard all about their friend's wedding, and a little about the bed and breakfast they stayed at in Lynchburg.

Dad was off on Monday and planned to spend much of the day with Jake and Gavin. But he promised to be around when the new customers arrived to meet them.

I pulled Noah aside when he arrived, and asked him to help me get things ready for Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. We spent a lot of time grooming Lucky Lady, Diablo, and Sir Galahad, then more effort on ensuring the tack was perfect.

I slipped the caramel colored tack onto Lady and thought a moment. It stood out on Grand Empress Dowager with her Bay coloring. The caramel leather had shown brightly on her dark, reddish-brown coat. Lady was more chestnut, much lighter than Empress, so the tack blended in well with her coat too.

I had Noah put a nice set of black tack on Diablo to compliment his deep black coat, while I put another set of black tack on Sir Galahad.

Galahad's got a very different coloring that most of the horses," Noah pointed out.

"He's what's called Cremello," I explained. "Some folks think he's an albino based on his coloration. The Cremello and Perlino are the rarest colors for an American Quarter Horse."

"What's Perlino?"

"Similar to Cremello, but the points, mane, and tail are darker than the rest of the coat."

"Oh. Like Lady Guinevere."

"Correct."

"I'm starting to learn a bit."

"You're learning a lot," I agreed.

"So, why the fuss over these folks? I mean it's just two horses, isn't it?"

"Let's see how to explain it," I started. "It's my first real solo sales pitch. I want everything to go well."

"I'm sure it will," Noah enthused.

"Thanks. You see, Dad ran the farm for years. Since he's joined, Tracer's made the biggest sales. Now that college is out of the way, this will help me feel like I can contribute."

"Huh?"

"I've lived here since I was five," I explained. "This farm has always been the focus of my life. I want to prove to myself that I can be successful here... be a good sales person, a good breeder, a good owner."

"I'm sure you'll succeed," Noah encouraged me. "But don't rest all your dreams on one thing."

"That's pretty deep."

"It's something my momma always told me. I'm not a success or a failure based on any one thing, but on all the things I am and all the things I do."

"Sounds like you've got a wise mom."

"I really do. She's always been there for me since my dad was killed."

"What happened to him?"

"He was killed when I was seven in the South Mountain mine explosion."

"Damn, I'm sorry to hear that. That's the one down in Wise, right?"

"Yeah, him and seven others were killed." He was quiet a minute. "I know Erik's your Dad. What happened to your mom?"

"She left us when I was four. We never heard from her... then a couple years ago my half-brother contacted me. He found out about me after she died."

"I'll offer you the same - sorry to hear that."

I wiped a tear from my eye and looked at Noah, realizing that he was starting to mist up too. "Let's get this done," I said quietly.

The Bishops arrived promptly at one, and I gave them the full tour, so the husband could see everything. While we rode the trails, I tried to point out as many features and facts as possible. I was getting concerned that I was pushing too hard - trying too hard.

After the ride, Dad and Will were in the stable, so I was able to introduce everyone.

"You've got quite the salesman, Mr. Chamberlain," Mr. Bishop said to dad.

"That's why he's one of the owners," Dad replied.

"We're hoping to get the boys down in about three weeks," Mrs. Bishop said. "So, please make sure you have your best stalls ready for them."

"Are you bringing them down yourself," I asked.

"We were planning to have the farm where they are now bring them down," Mr. Bishop explained.

"We can provide that service as well," I explained. "Actually, I'll make you an offer... Will and I have a college friend in Reston that we'd like to visit. We can take a trailer up, visit him for the weekend, and bring the horses back. You pay only for the trip up and back with no overnight charges. With the drive nearly eight hours one way, I'm sure the other farm will require you to pay an overnight."

"Deal," Mr. Bishop said.

I looked at Dad and he smiled broadly.

"Let's go into the office," I said. "And we can get all the paperwork signed."

It was all I could do not to do cartwheels all the way to the office.

At dinner that night, everyone congratulated me on signing on the new boarders. It really made me feel good. As the shop talked wound down, I asked Jake and Gavin about their plans.

"Well, we're going up to the Breaks for some hiking tomorrow," Gavin explained. "We're going to hit Jefferson National forest later in the week, but we might spend more time at the Breaks, depending on how things work out. We're going to do the Overlook Trail tomorrow too."

"That gives you a great view of the canyon," Tracer said. "Just remember that the start of the trail is at over nineteen hundred feet, so it's all downhill for the first half..."

"And all uphill for the return trip," Jake finished. "Gotcha. I'm hoping we see some of the peregrine falcons and red tail hawks."

"You should," Dad said. "They fly around the gorge a lot. Remind me to show you some of the shots I got on one visit. Ryan and I were at about eighteen hundred feet on one of the trails, and this falcon was flying just over the tree tops down by the rapids about a thousand feet below us. I had my telephoto lens on, so I got some great shots."

"That sounds cool," Kirk added. "I'd like to see them too."

"Any favorite spots you would recommend," Jake asked Kirk.

"I've never been," he said quietly.

"I guess that happens, something so close, but yet you never take the time to go."

"I'll get there someday," Kirk said, a bit more brightly.

"Are you working tomorrow? If not, you could go with us," Gavin suggested.

"I'm working through the fourth," Kirk explained. "Then I'm off a couple days while Chet's here. I need to make as much money for school as I can."

"Maybe you and Chet can go hiking," Will said. "He's said he wants to do outdoorsy things. Like camping in the woods and hiking."

Kirk blushed a deep red at the mention of camping in the woods.

"Something struck a nerve. Good memory?" Jake asked.

"Yeah," Kirk said very quietly. "Taking Chet to the Breaks is a great idea."

The color in Kirk's face wasn't lessening, and stood in stark contrast to his white shirt.

"I think we've really embarrassed him," Gavin pointed out.

"When Chet was here for Kirk's graduation last month, we provided supplies, and the boys went camping in the woods," Dad explained.

Kirk sat up a bit more in his chair. "It was our first time really being alone."

"A budding relationship. Wonderful," Jake enthused.

We talked a bit more about Jake and Gavin's trip to the Breaks as dinner wrapped up.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were a mix of business as usual, and the progressively increasing demands of getting the farm ready for the Fourth.

Chet arrived late on Thursday the first, and he, Gavin, and Jake all offered to help out on Friday and Saturday with the final preparations for the Fourth's festivities.

We'd tried to keep the reservations on Friday and Saturday to a minimum, but it was hard to turn down business. A local summer camp had booked rides with us each Friday afternoon, so as the time approached, I helped two of the summer hires get enough horses ready for the kids. The camp sent along a few chaperones, and I asked Colleen and Trevor to monitor the riders. They were back for another summer and had enough experience to cover most any situation, so I was comfortable sending them out. They'd been gone for about thirty minutes when the sky quickly started to darken.

I walked into the stable from the side.

"Can you go check the weather," Dad said to me when he saw me enter.

I hurried into the office, logged into my workstation, and pulled up Weather Underground. I got the local radar map and found that a powerful line of thunderstorms was moving from the Norton-Wise area towards us. Given the storm's speed, I figured it'd hit us in thirty minutes or so. I went over to the radio base station and grabbed the mic.

"Attention! Attention! Severe thunderstorms approaching from the west. ETA thirty minutes. Repeat, severe thunderstorms approaching from the west. ETA thirty minutes. Take all appropriate precautions. Ask all riders to return to the stables." It was a script I knew well, as summer storms were a frequent problem. This one just looked worse than normal.

I put down the mic and hurried outside. Looking into the pasture we had a number of horses grazing, so I ran out to start bringing them in. I saw Noah coming across from the barn and called for him to help me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tracer and Randy starting to drop the shutters over the stable openings.

By the time Noah and I had the first four horses to the entrance of the stable, Hank and Marty were there to greet us. We handed off the horses, letting them lead the horses to their stalls.

We had most everything battened down when the riding group came out of the trail opening. As soon as the riders started clearing the tree line, Colleen spurred her mount and moved to a fast trot. As she came close, I saw Dad wave her towards the front of the stable. She took them inside to dismount.

The summer heat must have cooked up a good line of storms as the wind started to howl and the thunder boomed. I helped Randy close the main doors after Trevor came through. All the staff were helping the kids off their horses as the rain began pelting the metal roof. Added to the wind and thunder, it was a loud, cacophonous mess.

The youngsters from the riding group seemed to huddle together. I guessed they weren't used to the noise of a storm in the environment of the stable. I walked over to them, figuring a distraction was in order.

"Sorry your ride got interrupted. Were y'all having fun?"

I got nods of agreement.

"As soon as this blows by, we'll get everyone back on the horses and out riding again."

Their few smiles were quickly wiped away when a loud crack of thunder rattled the building.

"So, who can tell me the tradition about horse shoes," I asked.

One younger boy said they were for good luck.

"That's true. When you put them on a wall, which way do you hang them?"

The same boy pointed to one we had over a doorway.

"Exactly," I agreed. "You want them with the open end pointing up. That way, the luck doesn't spill out."

The kids all chuckled.

"How many of you have ever been on a horse before today?" I continued.

A few hands went up.

"Was everyone having fun?" I asked.

A few nods. I kept asking questions, trying to distract them as the storm peaked. After about thirty minutes, things started to calm down; and very shortly after that, Dad opened the main doors.

"Fortunately, that line of storms moved through fast," I told the kids. "Everyone ready to go riding some more?"

I called Colleen and Trevor over.

"Take them out the full circuit like planned... don't want to spoil their fun."

The nearest camp counselor thanked me. The staff helped get everyone mounted and out for their ride.

As I walked out of the stable, I was a bit stunned.

"Man," Will said, as he came up to me. "That one packed a punch."

Everywhere you looked, small limbs were down, and the pasture was strewn with debris.

"Look," Will said, pointing towards the woods.

"Crap, it's going to take a while to clean this all up," I said looking at the large number of broken branches in the distance.

"Hey, Dad!" I called into the stable.

"What's up?" he asked, as he came through the doors.

"We've got a mess," Will explained.

"We've still got so much to do tomorrow to get the place ready for Sunday - and now this. Yeah, a mess is right," Dad agreed. "Let's see who can stay until sunset tonight and get started on cleanup. I say we focus on the pastures, riding ring, and such."

"What about the picnic area?" I asked.

"Get Trevor and Colleen to tell you how it is when they get back. We can focus on it tomorrow," Dad replied.

Everyone agreed to stick around - of course the overtime pay was a nice incentive. We got things started, but the cleanup seemed like a daunting task.

I was working out in the pasture on cleanup, Will had used the tractor to bring the trailer out; and he, Noah, and I were throwing all the debris on it. I heard a stomach growl and laughed.

"Agreed," I said.

"Huh?" Noah said.

"I heard a stomach growl, and was agreeing that I'm getting hungry too." I grabbed my walkie-talkie and hit the button. "Hey, anyone near the office?"

"I am," Tracer replied.

"How about calling Giovanni's up in Richlands and ordering pizza?"

"They don't deliver," Tracer reminded me.

"Yeah. True, but we're gonna have a big order. We've got almost twenty hungry folks working. Why don't you call them and order five or six of the nineteen-inch pizzas? With that big an order, I'm sure they'll deliver. Hell, offer to pay!"

"I'll try," Tracer responded.

I got back to work. About fifteen minutes later Tracer reported that the pizzas were ordered.

My own stomach was starting to growl a lot when I finally heard, "Come and get pizza!" over the walkie-talkie. I got on the tractor and started it up, Noah and Will climbed onto the trailer, and we headed in... I ate like a pig!

The whole house was up early on Saturday morning. Will, Tracer, and I threw together a hearty breakfast, then the eight of us headed out for what was sure to be a busy day. Most of the staff arrived between six and seven a.m. and got busy.

A little after seven, Randy and I were moving some equipment across the yard from the stable to the barn when I noticed a line of trucks and cars heading up the driveway.

"Please tell me we don't have surprise riders," I said.

"Amen to that."

We got the stuff into the barn and walked over toward the parking lot as folks started climbing out of their vehicles.

"Mr. Mullins," I said to our neighbor from up the road. "Good to see you. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"My nephew Trevor called last night and said y'all needed help. After y'all put all my cattle on your property and then didn't let me pay for how much damage they did, the least I could do was lend a hand."

"A hand?" I said looking at the group of men and women standing around him.

"Well... you know the Mullins clan is one of the largest in the area. So, we're all here to help!"

"That's damn nice of you," I said.

"What can we do?"

Randy called Dad on the walkie-talkie, and he arrived quickly. After he too expressed his gratitude, we started lining up tasks. With the Mullins' clan on the job, I was sure we'd get things ready in time.

I ran into Trevor at one point after lunch and told him how much I appreciated him calling his uncle.

"He's always talking about how good it was of y'all to pen his cattle up at the picnic area during the flood. He also talks about the fact that you wouldn't let him pay for the damage. You know how it is; he wanted to repay that debt."

"He's doing it, plus!" I said.

By the time night fell, the cleanup was done, the play areas were clean, the food was prepared - we were ready!

The Fourth of July festivities went off without a hitch. Late that evening, the eight of us hauled our exhausted asses into the house and gathered around the island in the kitchen.

"Coffee?" Will asked.

"Decaf," Gavin said.

While Will got the coffee started, I grabbed a tray and put a selection of cookies on it. Though exhausted, everyone was wound up and discussed the happenings of the day. It was about eleven when Will and I excused ourselves and headed upstairs.

"Shower?" I asked.

"Bath. A shower will wake me up too much."

I grabbed fresh towels out of the linen closet and plopped them down on the floor next to the tub. Will turned on the jets as I climbed in. I let my body settle into the hot water and leaned back, letting my legs stretch out. We sat in the tub letting the bubbles tickle and excite.

"I think I could fall asleep in the tub if we turned the jets off," I said.

"And turn into a prune?"

We were sitting on the diagonal from each other in the tub, so I asked him. "Come sit with me."

Will got up and moved around so that his ass dropped between my legs. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him closer to me.

"I love it this way," Will said.

"Any time, Baby. Any time."

His head laid back against my chest. I debated whether I should let him completely relax or start a bit of play - I opted for play!

I let my hands rub up and down his chest, stopping to tweak his nipples, and then letting my fingers run down to his bellybutton. I felt Will shiver a bit as the tips of my fingers danced over his skin. As my fingers rubbed his body, I let my tongue play with his ear.

"That tickles," he sighed quietly.

I ran my tongue across his lobe and onto his neck. He shifted his head a bit, giving me better access, and I started nibbling down to his shoulder. His body quivered at that, and I let my teeth sink in a bit harder.

"Ah," he groaned.

With my teeth holding his neck lightly, I let my tongue move around on his skin, sending quakes through him with each touch. As I continued my play, Will pushed his body back into mine. I ran my left hand down his chest and abs while letting my right play with his tit. I found his hard dick pressed against his abs, I took hold of it and started moving the foreskin up and down over the head.

"FUCK!" he groaned.

I stopped nibbling on his neck and said, "How about you fucking me with this cock!"

"Damn right!"

Will climbed out of the bath and ran over to the vanity. He came back with the lube a few seconds later.

"Stand up," he ordered.

He lubed up his cock as he climbed into the tub. He lowered himself down until his cock just stuck out of the water. I lowered myself down on his dick and he let us sink into the tub.

He sat still a moment, wrapping his arms around me. As he squeezed, I pushed down harder, getting him in deeper. I ground my ass on his crotch for a few minutes, then gripped the side of the tub. Using the sides, I lifted up a few inches, then dropped back down.

As I continued to bounce fuck myself on his dick, he reached around and started stroking mine. That got me groaning.

"You keep that up and I'm gonna cum," I warned.

"Nothing wrong with that!"

He ran his hand down my shaft, then as it came to the top, he shortened his strokes, running his hand over the head rapidly.

"I'm gonna..." I warned. With that, cum started spraying out of my cock. "Oh, Man, that was good!"

"Lift up, Baby. I think it's time we get out of the tub. I know I'm turning into a prune."

"You didn't cum yet," I said.

"No worries. I'm sure we'll think of something."

I lifted off his prick and climbed out of the tub. He got out and reached for his towel. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my mouth around his cock.

"Oh, YEAH," he moaned.

I buried my mouth into his pubic hair and let my tongue work around the shaft.

"I'm getting close," he groaned. "FUCK! FUCK!! FUCK!"

The first shot blasted while he was buried deep in my mouth. I slipped back on the shaft as his cum flooded my mouth.

"Aw, damn..." he moaned.

I kept working on Will's cock until I'd licked it clean.

"Yum," I said after swallowing.

I stood up and we kissed deeply. We dried off and climbed into bed. After the day's work and sex, he was snoring softly in moments. I drifted off almost as quickly.

Copyright 2008 - 2014 BndgDawg (BndgDawg@gmail.com). Do not reproduce or distribute this story without the author's permission.

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This is Chapter Seventy of Double Trails. I attempt to respond to all feedback. Contact me at: BndgDawg@gmail.com

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