Sentinel Mountain

Sentinel Mountain 50-51

Sentinel Mountain

Chapter Fifty

Horseback Riding and Skinny Dipping
By Sequoyah
Edited by Jesse and Scott           Prior warning apply.
©Sequoyah

The three rode into the pasture at a trot and spread out to make sure they did not miss Cam if he had been thrown. As they topped a slight rise, they saw Cam coming toward them at a healthy walk. He was obviously not a skilled rider, but he was doing remarkably well for his first time on a horse. It was also obvious the horse had chosen the boy. It would have been almost impossible to tell she was not a docile and well-trained horse. The three reined up and waited for the boy/man.

“So how's horseback riding, Cam?” Nelson asked.

“Well, I love it, but I'm sure I'll have a sore ass.”

“Not just your ass, I suspect,” Josh said, “although I guess you haven't been faster than you were moving when we topped the hill. When you move out of a walk to her natural gait, you'll have a sore back and belly unless and until you get them in top shape, but you are looking good. I think you and the horse are made for each other. So long as she is available, she's yours. That means you care for her, work on building up your muscles, especially in your belly and back and you take lessons from Nelson and do exactly as he says. I don't want you or the horse hurt. By the way, you'll need to be very serious about choosing a name for the horse. Remember, you wouldn't like to be called some cutesy name, so don't do that to her.”

“You mean that, Josh? I mean about her being mine.”

“Of course I mean that. Ride on back to the stables and give her a good currying and brushing. Put her in the paddock while you muck out a stable, put down clean straw, clean her water trough, then put her in the stable. Give her half a scoop of oats.” Had Cam won the lottery he couldn't have been happier.

As Cam rode on toward the stables, the other three rode in the opposite direction, kicking their horses into a fast trot. All three were excellent riders, if not in the classic English style. Were they riding any distance, they would have easily outlasted English riders because they rode as they would have on the ranch, their movements geared to the horses' movements, but in a smooth, relaxed style, not the exaggerated -- at least to them -- English style which was for show, not work. The pasture fence ran about a hundred yards up the mountain and two thirds the width of the valley floor which, where they were, was about a mile. When they reached the end fence, they rode along it at a good walk and then along the fence on the side of the mountain. Since it was near the valley floor, the mountain side of the pasture was not steep.

When they reached the stables, Cam was leading the sorrel to the stable, but stopping every few minutes to place his arms around her neck to hug her. He put the horse in a stable and fed her while the other three took care of their animals.

The vans and drivers were gone and Cam and Walt were living at their place and cooking their own meals, so the group at supper was reduced a bit. The Masons would be moving out Monday if all went according to plan and Walt, Josh, Alex, Sally and Brenda would be leaving Wednesday for points west. Cam would come to the House while Walt was gone, one advantage of the Mountain's extended family.

Thursday morning, since he and Shane were giving the proposal a rest, Josh went with Alex to work with the horses. They rounded up the animals and got them all in stalls. There were six Nelson and Alex had not tried to ride and six someone had been on daily for several days. The three they had ridden yesterday and Cam's sorrel were placed at the bottom of the list, so there were only two which hadn't been ridden. Nelson suggested Alex and Josh ride those and he would work on another one in the corral. The horses weren't, of course, fully broken and wouldn't be for a while, but they were not completely wild either. They pulled the usual horse tricks when Josh and Alex put a saddle on them and tightened the cinch, but learned right away the two knew them all as well.

The lovers mounted and the horses decided to tolerate them, but as soon as they left the corral and entered the pasture, they decided to run. Josh and Alex held them back to a sedate walk, but the horses were trying all kinds of tricks. They rode for half an hour, then kicked the horses into a gallop. They now resisted the fast gait as they had done the walk, but resistance proved futile and the two were galloping across the pasture. When they were back at the stable, they groomed the animals and put them in stalls.

“You know,” Alex said, “I bet when Boys' Camp is up and running, Cam will be a natural leader since he is here and will have been here if he becomes a non-resident student which I assume he will. Since he seems to have been bitten by the riding bug, why don't we teach him trick riding and he can help teach boys who are interested. Will be a great way to make Boys' Camp known.”

“Great idea, especially if we can lure Mavis here for a few weeks now and then. We'll definitely put that in the hopper of creative activities we list in our proposal and I'll call Mavis about listing her as adjunct instructor.”

“Something I'd be interested in as well,” Nelson said.

“Then let's keep an eye out for horses we think would do a good job,” Josh said.

“I guess Boys' Camp won't be up and running before Christmas parades come and go, but a year from now, let's plan on making Asheville's and another large Christmas parade and maybe a couple or more small towns',” Nelson said.

“Oh, you plan on being around that long?” Josh asked.

Nelson kinda grinned and said, “Well, you said I was here as long as I wanted to be. I'm keeping up with online classes, well-housed, well-fed and doing what I love, why wouldn't I stay?”

“Well, I'm delighted, but what about Neil and your mom?”

“Mom is bitching, of course, but that's nothing new. She just has some new themes, “I'm living among gentiles; I don't attend church; I'll probably end up in a mixed marriage; I couldn't be wearing the garment because she found them all stuck back in my closet ... and a few hundred others, about fifty percent new,” he laughed. “I told her I was in church every Sunday with a nice girl I had met who never missed church. That pleased her. Of course, to her church meant an LDS meeting house, but I didn't remind her that there were others. I told her a third of the people here were Mormons without saying they were excommunicated, disfellowshipped or completely inactive. Dad? All Dad wanted to know was whether or not I was keeping my grades up, if I was behaving and was I enjoying being here. I called last night and told him about the horses and that unless I was kicked out, I planned to be on the Mountain until I left to finish college and planned to come back after college unless something really changed. He was pleased for me.”

“Looks to me as if you and the Mountain are kinda like Cam and the sorrel,” Alex said.

“I notice you seem to have taken an interest in one of the local hillbillies as well,” Josh said and raised an eyebrow.

“Jan? Jan is a great woman. We are becoming very good friends. At this point, I'd say, our relationship is developing into the kind of relationship I always wanted with a best friend, but never had. Dad wasn't the only one who thought I might be gay and once you get tagged with a label in high school, at least in our very clannish high school, you might as well have it branded on your forehead. I never had a best friend, male or female. Of course, I never saw it as a possibility with a woman as I only saw them as desirable or undesirable walking pussies.”

“I guess now you understand you paid a pretty high price for some ass,” Alex said.

“Yeah, I sure did. Anyway, I suspect Jan and I will be great friends and we will not unless I keep it in my pants.”

“I suspect it would never be in your pants again if you think 'I need a hot piece of ass' and act on it. I suspect Rob and/or Jan's brother Randy will cut it off and cram it somewhere you don't want it,” Josh laughed.

The three went into the pasture with lariats and captured the horses. None were docile, but none were as opposed to being captured as the stallion had been.

They rode for almost an hour, then groomed the horses and took out three more. They rode those as well for an hour, groomed them and put them in stalls. “Looks like lunch time to me,” Josh said after looking at his watch. “After lunch and a nap, how about we go for a real ride? Louise says there are animal trails horses and riders can travel if the riders are careful about branches higher than animals.”

“That I would love,” Nelson said. “I'm sure Alex would agree we are very tired of seeing the pasture.”

“Agreed,” Alex said, “but I do need a nap."

After lunch, Susan put the boys down for a nap and Josh and Alex went to their room and undressed and crawled into bed. It was clear Alex was tired, but when Josh mentioned it, he said it was a 'good tired' and dismissed it. He was asleep almost by the time his head hit the pillow and Josh was not far behind. An hour later, Josh was awakened by a hot, wet mouth around his hard cock. When he looked down, Alex looked up at him with a twinkle in his eyes, took his mouth from Josh's cock and said, “The sleeping prince awakes.”

“To the wonderful feel of the prince's hot mouth on his cock!” He then crawled over Alex until his cock was over Alex's mouth and he took Alex's throbbing, hot, precum-slick cock in his mouth. The wonderful taste of Alex flooded his being. Before he knew it, he was shooting load after load of cum in Alex's mouth, so much and so quick, Alex had not kept up with the flow as he swallowed again and again. Josh ran his tongue under Alex's foreskin, which he knew Alex loved. It was enough to send his lover into spasms of ecstasy. Alex shouted, his body went into convulsive spasms and he started shooting while moaning, “Josh, Josh, Josh.” His gusher was also more than one man could handle and some ran from the sides of Josh's mouth. Alex continued to have spasms as Josh licked the cum from his belly, cock and balls. He finally collapsed beside Alex and they exchange cum-tasting kisses which got hotter and hotter.

The two realized the Nelson would be waiting for them and exchanged a final kiss, hit the shower for a few minutes, dressed and went to the kitchen which was where you were likely to find anyone in the house during the day. They joined Nelson at the kitchen table and Janie sat tall glasses of homemade lemonade before them and animal crackers and peanut butter in front of Alex. “I'll share,” he grinned as he dug an animal cracker into the peanut butter. When they finished their lemonade, Nelson said, “It's almost time for the school bus. Shall we take the sorrel and meet Cam?”

“Sounds good,” Alex said. “Pity we don't have a horse for Jan.”

“Yeah,” Nelson said and blushed. “'Course she could ride a pony.”

“Not such a bad idea. She's not so tall her feet would drag and the ponies would easily carry one of us if we held our feet up. Think Brenda and Sally might like a ride in the woods?” Alex asked. “I know they passed up breaking horses, but they could handle any one of the horses now I think.”

“Speaking of the devil,” Nelson laughed as the two walked into the kitchen. “We were just wondering if you two would like to join us for a ride in the woods. Know you were taking a break from running a horse ranch, but this is a pleasure trip, albeit on some semi-trained horses.”

“Sounds like fun,” Sally said. “Who all's going?”

“We three and we thought we'd take the blond sorrel for Cam....”

“That horse is as bad as the stallion,” Brenda said. “She'll kill the boy!”

“She didn't yesterday,” Nelson said. “Alex and I noticed that when Cam was around she was a perfect lady and when he wasn't, she was a real bitch, every bit as bad as the stallion.” He then told her about Cam and the horse yesterday.

“I'll be damned,” Sally said. “This I have to see.”

The five went to the stables and picked out five horses and saddled them. Josh once again decided to ride the stallion who wasn't very happy with the idea. Nelson saddled the black pony for Jan and Josh and Alex got the blond sorrel saddled. “Why did you saddle a pony?” Sally asked

“For Jan,” Nelson said. “I think she can handle this one.”

“If she can handle any of them, she can handle that one,” Brenda said. “I have actually been on her a few times.”

They arrived at the bus stop in time to hear it coming up the steep rise to the Sentinel Mountain gate. As it approached, the kids were hanging out all the windows looking at the horses. When Cam stepped off, the sorrel started whinnying, pawing the ground and snorting. Cam walked over to her, stroked her jaw and leaned his head against hers. She nudged him in return. Josh had made sure there was a rock beside the horse so Cam could step on it and into the saddle easily and didn't have to be boosted. He could thus preserve his image which was very important to any sixteen-year-old male.

Jan stepped off the bus and Nelson hopped off his horse and went to meet her. “Jan, I didn't think you wanted to try staying on one of these wild horses, so we brought a pony if you'd like to join us. We are going to try some of the mountain trails.”

“Well, I've never been on a horse before, so I don't know about this. Cam says there's a lot of falling off.”

“Doubt the pony will try to throw you, but the nice thing about a pony is you don't have far to fall if you do.” He helped her into the saddle and adjusted the stirrups and they rode down the road a ways before seeing an animal crossing marked by a trail on both sides of the road.

Sally said, “I'll take lead, but all of you need to watch for limbs across the trail. We're taller than any animals around here -- I hope.” They had to ride single file and it was a good thing they had Jan along or they would have been lost almost from the time they left the road. She always knew exactly where they were. She rode directly behind Sally. After they had been riding for fifteen or twenty minutes, the trail dipped down into the valley and disappeared in the tall grass of the meadow.

“I need to tell Dad he needs to get on this meadow. It was ready for mowing yesterday.” Jan said. The riders could now ride two abreast. Jan and Nelson took the lead and rode toward the creek where everyone stopped and let the horses drink. While the horses drank, Jan said, “Seems to me the horses are well-trained.”

“Cam's has adopted him, but I suspect if someone else got on her they'd have a handful,” Josh said. “I have been riding since I turned thirteen and had a great teacher to teach trick riding. You get to where you have a fair feel for the horse you're on and have some idea what's going through their brain, but this stallion could give me real problems. Alex and Nelson have been riding practically since they were able to sit up and both came home pretty bruised up after their first day breaking horses. The horses are being trained and Sally and Brenda had already started before they got here, but they are still capable of some real antics.” As if to prove his point, the stallion suddenly reared up on his hind legs and then attempted to run. Josh quickly let him know that wasn't permitted and at the same time spoke to him softly and stroked his neck and he calmed down.

“Can we go to Sentinel Rock?” Cam asked. “Kevin at school told me it was awesome.”

“Afraid that's a rather long ride,” Josh said.

“In the Jeep it is,” Jan said, “but walking or on horses, you don't have to stick to the road. Maybe a couple three miles there and back to the stables if we take the shortcuts.”

“Then lead on, Jan,” Josh said.

Jan called the bare trail with huge rocks Alex and Josh had driven a road, so it is not hard to imagine what she called a trail! Several times Josh was sure they'd never make it and a few times he expected the lot of them to fall off the mountain. He was amazed that the pony seemed to manage the really difficult spots easier than the horses did. They finally arrived at the base of the Rock and made their way around it to the top. They tied up the horses and walked out on the Rock. “Wow!” Cam exclaimed. “I'll have to tell Kevin he was right. This is truly awesomely awesome.” Josh and Alex, stood, arms around each other's waist and enjoyed the view and the pleasure the others were experiencing. Alex nodded toward Nelson and Jan who were on the very edge of the Rock, holding hands.

After Jan had pointed out places in the valley and up the side of the mountain across the valley, they all mounted and headed back toward the stables. Several times, Josh, Alex and Nelson had to remind their mounts who was boss. Each time one of the horses acted up, Cam's mare would look at it as if to say, “Behave yourself!”

Once again they reached the valley floor and its meadow and rode along the fence of one of the cattle pastures and crossed to the foot of the waterfall. The stream was not huge, but made a beautiful waterfall which filled a very large basin with crystal clear water. “Anyone for a swim?” Jan asked. “This is a great place to swim once you get yourself conditioned to the water. Best way is to grab the rope hanging from the tree, swing out over the pool and drop in.”

“Pity we don't have swim suits to try it,” Brenda said.

“I assumed no-one was going commando,” Jan said, “or we could go skinny dipping.”

“You can't be serious,” Nelson said.

“Why not? We're all adults more or less. Afraid you'll get embarrassed by getting excited? Would be something to behold if you did in this pool,” she laughed. Nelson blushed. For an experienced cocksman, Nelson had been doing a lot of that lately.

“Well, I'm game,” Alex laughed.

“Last one in's a rotten egg,” Cam said, hopped off the horse, tied her to a limb and started shucking his clothes. Alex was right behind him. Everyone else kinda looked around, then joined in. Soon they were all in their birthday suits, waiting their turn at the swing. Not a single one of them commented on the water until Nelson, the last one, had started his swing. “Man, this water is damn cold,” Sally said as she surfaced from her swing. Nelson now hung from the swing, inches above the water's surface.

“You chicken, Nelson?” Jan asked. Well, of course, Nelson dropped into the pool and when he surfaced said, “I know two people who better watch their backs for getting me in this ice bath.”

Half an hour was all any of them could stand the cold water and all came out, lay on the grassy bank in the sun to dry themselves, got dressed and rode back to the stables. The horses were all groomed and the tack replaced in the tack room and they all went their own way.

Alex had arranged for an hour with Shawn by phone and went into the office for that. Josh sat on the front porch and went over the next week before using his cell phone to make calls to Blankenship. He talked to Prue and planned to have her schedule an hour with Luc and dinner with Luc and Cândido.

Before he could say more than, “Prue, Josh...” Prue said, “Good thing you called, Josh, I have been trying to get in touch with you the last fifteen or twenty minutes. I didn't think to try the cell phone since I assumed it was you on the phone.”

“That's Alex. He's doing long-distance therapy while he is here.”

“How's he doing?”

“Very well. Much better than either of us expected in fact. Sentinel Mountain seems to working its magic on him. He's actually been busy breaking horses. We have a dozen unbroken Mustang mares and a stallion and he and Nelson, Sheriff Rogers' son, have been working like mad with them. We took six out for a ride yesterday.”

“I find it hard to imagine you on a horse even though I have seen you go rhapsodic when you talk about Prince. Is he there?”

“No, he and Princess, Alex's horse, are still in Boulder. I'll see him while I am there. I'll probably spend a week there before coming back here unless I need to be here for meetings concerning Boys' Camp which we hope to have open by the New Year. So why were you calling?”

“Luc asked me to get you on the phone. I think it might have something to do with Kelly.”

“Shit, if you'll pardon my French.”

“No need to apologize. I worked for him, remember. I'm putting you through to Luc.”

“Josh, glad Prue found you.”

Josh laughed, “Actually I called her to make arrangements to get together with you while I am in town next week. What's up?”

“Seems Kelly has started the same old stink about how we stole the company from his mother. He's found some shady lawyer who has brought suit against us. He's got a state representative investigating Blankenship and that is not doing us any good.”

“What do our lawyers say?”

“They assure me he doesn't have a leg to stand on, but he's causing damage to our reputation.”

“Have any idea what the hit would amount to in terms of business and income?”

“No, none at all. If anyone has a grudge against us, it could provide an escape from their contract. It wouldn't break us, but it wouldn't do us any good.”

“Have you talked to Mr. VanWinkle?”

“I haven't. I have only talked to our lawyers.”

“I'll check with him and see what he thinks. Meanwhile, have our lawyers file a counter-suit against Kelly and the lawyer. I'll call Bull and see what he and/or his son can find out about the lawyer and if someone is behind Kelly on this. Who's the state representative?”

“Boles. He was one of Kelly's buddies before Kelly really got into drugs.”

“I'll ask Bull to look into him as well. Meanwhile, how are things going?”

“Very well. We have a gold mine in the Geeks Poker Club. We just licensed the communication system and the royalties are already coming in. A group from Brazil and one from Peru would like to visit Sentinel Mountain and see a fully operational installation. I have been holding off until you had time there free of business.”

“Free of Blankenship, but we have been busy getting things lined up to make a formal proposal to the state concerning re-opening Boys' Camp ....”

“Will it still be called Boys' Camp? I thought it might be renamed to honor Elijah.”

“We all are thinking about a new name. Of course, to people here it will, I suspect, always be called Boys' Camp.”

“I'd place money it won't be if you incorporate Elijah in the title.”

“I'll remind the people here we need to come up with a new name before we submit a proposal to the state. I'll get Bull and Mr. VanWinkle on the Kelly problem right away. I smell a real rat in all this.”

“So do I. How's Alex?”

“You'd hardly recognize him. He's tanned, has put on a lot of his lost weight and training horses is hard work. His stomach is rapidly developing a six pack, his back is ramrod straight and he is strong. We went skinny dipping a short while ago in icy water and he has a body he can be proud of and he still has a ways to go to get to the point where he wants to be. He still has nightmares and small things like getting rolled up in a sheet can send him off, but he's really making rapid progress. Right now he is talking to Shawn in Boulder.”

“Good, very good.”

“I'll get on the Kelly thing and will call as soon as I have a definite schedule for being in San Francisco. Don't worry. Blankenship will come out ahead in any showdown with Kelly and I think this will be a showdown.”

Sentinel Mountain

Chapter Fifty-one

Surprises -- Good and Bad

When he hung up, Josh called Mr. VanWinkle. After he had made a report on Alex's progress, he told him the situation with Kelly and Rep. Boles. “I wonder if James Davis is behind this?” Mr. VanWinkle asked. “He's a tricky one, but ethical. I suspect this is sailing, if not outside, then barely inside the ethics code and he would have nothing to do with it. I'll get Bull on both right away.”

“Mr. VanWinkle, do you think VanWinkle, VanWinkle, VanWinkle and Adams would take me on personally in this matter? Blankenship has lawyers on retainers for the company, but I feel some responsibility for this since at least part of it is Kelly being vindictive.”

“Sure we will.”

“Take retainers out of my account ....”

“I wouldn't want to do that, Josh. There's clearly a conflict of interest there. Send a check for a couple thousand. I'll take Bull's bill out of the account. I'll contact James Davis since this suit is definitely not in his client's interest. In the meantime, stop the transfer to Kelly's account and put the money in an escrow account pending the outcome of a suit challenging the contract. That should put some pressure on Kelly. When will you be back in town?”

“Sometime next week. I'll be in contact.”

With the Blankenship business out of the way, Josh called Gertrude. He gave her a report on Alex and told her they would be back sometime next week. Alex would probably stay a month, but he would have to get back to the Mountain within a week, but might have to go to San Francisco as well. “I need to call Mavis now,” he said.

“You're in luck. She's right here. Mavis.”

“Mavis, you wouldn't believe what's going on here.” He then told her about the horses and his plans to teach riding to all the boys at Boys' Camp and trick riding to those who were interested. “I need you to come here and tell us how to construct the ideal place for that. Think you and Gertrude could get away for a couple weeks?”

“I don't see why not. By the way, Senhor D'Cruz is in the hospital. When one of my students went over to care for the horses two days ago, she found him in the stable with Meu Rei, struggling to stand. She called nine one one and he was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a relatively mild, but serious, heart attack. He seems to be responding to the medicine, but will be incapacitated for some time. I went to see him yesterday and he gave me a bill of sale for the horses made out to you. I say you're getting a bargain. He is very concerned that you get the horses as soon as possible so he will know they are cared for. He also asked if I'd take Meu Rei should he not be able to ride again. I think he knows his days are very numbered, after all, he is ninety.”

“Ninety! That's hard to believe, but I will make arrangements to get the horses immediately. Please tell Senhor D'Cruz that and that I will see him sometime next week. How many horses are there? I recall six mares and a stallion. I don't think the stallion I saw was Meu Rei.”

“No, he is kept pretty much in a pasture by himself. He and the other stallion did not get along at all. There are actually the seven and a colt, I think a year, year-and-a-half. I'm sure he will be happy knowing they are soon to be under your care.”

Josh and Mavis talked a bit more about what he planned for Boys' Camp and she was thrilled with the idea of having a good group of boys to learn trick riding. “Will it still be Boys' Camp?” she asked as they were concluding their conversation.

“You're the second person who asked me that today. Luc thinks the name should honor Elijah.”

“I agree.”

“I'll talk to everyone when we get together Friday. Friday night has become family night for the Mountain's extended family.”

He called the company who had transported the horses from Wellsburg and insisted on talking to the owner. He told him he had seven horses and a colt a year to a year-and-a-half old he needed transporting from Boulder. “I want absolute assurances what happened before will not happen again,” he said. He got the assurances he wanted and scheduled a pick-up on Friday which was as soon as the transporter could manage it. He called Mavis and told her, and that he hoped Sally and Brenda would be coming to accompany the horses to Sentinel Mountain. “Please tell Senhor D'Cruz."

He needed to call Rob and see if the second horse pasture was ready. He knew the stables for the Mangalarga Marchador were ready as they were under the same roof as those for the Mustangs. It was probably not necessary to keep the two breeds completely separate, but he thought it best, so the stables were divided, each having its own corral and opening on its own pasture. Rob said the pasture was ready, but he would like to mow it before the horses arrived. Josh asked if it could be done the next day and Rob said he could do the mowing and it could be raked and baled the next day if the weather held. “I'm sorry, Rob, I'm simply not thinking straight. The horses won't be loaded until Friday and won't be here until Monday. And, Rob, don't mow the holding pasture. Sally talked to a vet and there is less chance of grass foundering on mature grass. Of course, the horses coming from Colorado have been in better pasture than those which came from Utah, but not the equal of the pastures you have maintained.”

“I'll get Bob on the mowing tomorrow and it can have until Saturday before it's raked and baled. That will be better. Bob will be glad to get out of working on the house anyway. I think he'd never go in a house if he had his druthers.”

Josh had just hung up the phone when Alex came out to join him. He sat in Josh's lap and starting kissing him passionately. Josh loved it. The two were completely wrapped up in each other, tongues locked and sporting serious erections when Sally and Brenda came out. “Don't let us stop you,” Sally said. “I hate to tell you, I know you're trying to breed, but it won't work. Brenda and I have the same problem.”

“Maybe we should swap partners,” Brenda said.

“I can tell you that won't work either,” Alex said.

“I agree with that,” Sally said.

“Well, I guess you're right, but we could all make pretty babies,” Brenda laughed.

“Sally, on a serious note, have you checked on how things are going at the ranch?”

“I have and all is well. It's not as large as Sentinel Mountain, but one thing they have in common are employees that are like a large family and treat the ranch as home.”

“Think you and Brenda could be away a few more days?”

“I see no reason why not. What's up?”

“I seem to have acquired six mares, a colt and a stallion.”

“Senhor D'Cruz' Mangalarga Marchador?”

“Right. He had a mild heart attack -- which is pretty serious since he is ninety -- and is very worried about the horses. He gave Mavis a bill of sale for them and would like to have them placed as soon as possible. I have made arrangements -- with the firm understanding that what happened before better not happen again -- for them to be picked up Friday morning. They should be here Monday. I'll fly you to Boulder Thursday so you can be there to make sure the loading is done right and we'll make the trip to Wellsburg next Wednesday. I'll see if Walt can find a co-pilot to fly back here from Boulder and I'll pick up a small plane. Since Walt won't have to be flying out, we can take the small plane. I can fly you to Longview that way.”

“We can do that. Are you planning on making any Mangalarga Marchador-Mustang crosses?”

“I sure am. I think it would be great if the better qualities of the two could be combined, but you never know. I'm not sure how much of the Spanish blood is left in ours, but there is at least some and the Mangalarga Marchador has much more. I think Mustangs are probably heartier, but they do not have that wonderful gait of the Mangalarga Marchador which makes pleasure riding superb. Anyway, yes.”

“Since you have a stallion, maybe I could get some sperm?”

“You want me to fuck a fake woman like horses do fake mares? Not sure I'm for that,” Alex laughed.

“Or you could jerk off in a cup, a very, very small cup,” Brenda laughed.

“Sure,” Josh said. “I'll see that you get all the sperm you want from my stallion.”

Suddenly the front door flew open and two small explosions hit the porch followed by Winston and Susan. The two boys headed for Josh and Alex and it was clear Alex was expected to find his own chair so Alexander could climb in his lap. When they were settled, Winston said, “Josh, it's going to take me a couple, maybe three weeks to check out and service all the vehicles and equipment here. It's all had basic maintenance done, but nothing more.”

“Well, it hasn't been done before, so there's no rush. I do want you to get settled in the garage, and soon you need to advertise to let people know there's a garage in the area now. If what Rob tells me is any indication, you'll be snowed under.”

“Susan will take care of customers, I'll take care of the vehicles. I'm planning on calling the garage Mason and Taylor Motor Service. I thought about Garage and about Auto Repair, but I guess if its burning gasoline or diesel and has more than one cylinder, I'll work on it.”

“Winston, it's your business. You name it what you please and you make the rules -- and you let Susan enforce them.”

“The way she enforces her rules on me.”

“Like you pay attention,” Susan laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

“Yeah,” Winston laughed.

While they were all sitting on the porch, Louise drove past headed toward Boys' Camp. Josh smiled. He thought she had found a winner in Shane and he was happy that Shane had waited for Louise who was definitely worth a wait, even a long one.

He thought that he might enjoy a nice glass of red and remembered there was a wine cellar which he had never explored. “Everyone up to a little exploring?” he asked. He got a nod from everyone, including the boys. “I've been told there is a wine cellar which I have never seen. Wanta take a look?” Again, nods. They went inside and found Janie in the kitchen. “Janie, Rob told me there was a wine cellar here. You know anything about it?”

“Not really. When Elijah was alive, he took care of that. I don't think anyone's been there since his death.”

“But you do know where it is.”

“Sure. It's kept locked. The key's here,” she opened the pantry door to reveal a rack of neatly labeled keys, took one and handed it to Josh. “It opens off the cellar and is actually dug back into the mountain. It's supposed to remain at a constant temperature, I think of fifty-something. Anyway, at the bottom of the stairs, go to your left. There's a door in the wall.”

They all trooped down the steps to the cellar, turned left and soon faced a wall with a large door. There was a light switch beside the door which Josh flipped, then opened the door. Instead of a room, the door opened onto a tunnel several yards long, which ended at another door, this one with a rubber seal around it. It was not locked and, when opened, revealed a rather large room filled with racks of wine, hundreds and hundreds, perhaps thousands of bottles of wine. A thermometer near the door read fifty-three degrees. The cellar was not overly humid and the labels appeared to be in good shape. Not surprising was the fact that the wines were predominantly French and Italian. Elijah had died in 1979 and probably had not purchased wine since the cellar was completed. Later, when Josh read his journals he discovered the French government had made him a gift of almost two thousand bottles of wine including some very rare ones, and hundreds of bottles of brandy. There were a few hundred bottles of a variety of sherries and Madeira, gifts from Spain and Portugal. Italy had contributed fifteen hundred bottles.

The racks were all neatly labeled and there was also a catalog of the cellar's contents on a small table near the door. Alongside each entry was a comment and a 'drink by' date. Also on the table was a basket for carrying six bottles. Josh knew very little about European wines and decided he'd have to learn, since it was foolishness to purchase wine when he had a cellar full. He selected a sherry and a couple bottles each of two different reds which were cataloged as 'nice for a casual glass' and they all explored a bit before heading back upstairs. “There's enough wine here to float a battleship,” Nelson commented. “Guess I'll just have to learn to drink wine.”

“Not legal until you're twenty-one,” Alex said.

“Yeah, and your mom would die if wine touched your innocent lips,” Josh laughed.

Nelson grinned. “No, she'd just have another thing to nag about and add it to the list of no temple garment, boxer briefs, living among Gentiles and nine hundred ninety more bitches. So far that hasn't included cheerleaders.”

“Cheerleaders?” Sally asked.

“You don't want to know,” Josh said. Nelson blushed.

“Oh, I think I do already," she laughed.

Upstairs, Josh found a cabinet of wine glasses, asked who wanted wine and poured glasses for everyone except Janie. “Nelson, you are eighteen, right?” Nelson nodded. “I happen to think that learning to drink responsibly should begin in the family and eighteen is not too early. Not legal, but if you like, you can have half a glass. Alex also took half a glass as his medications intensified the effects of alcohol. They enjoyed the fine old wine and took their glasses to the table with them where Janie was serving a flank steak she had marinated and grilled outside.

After dinner, Josh and Alex went to their room. Instead of starting to make out at once, Alex said, “I had a good talk with Shawn. After all my reports since I have been here, he and Henry wanted to know if I thought I could cut back on my meds. I thought about it and I guess if you are willing to take the risk, I am, or maybe we need to wait until we get back to Boulder. I told him we had advanced pretty well with our love-making without any serious problems. He wanted to know exactly what 'advanced pretty well with our love-making' meant and I told him. He was obviously surprised and asked if I was sure you had not given me a shot and I told him you hadn't. I did tell him about the nightmares.” There had been several almost as bad as the one he had when bound by the sheet. Sometimes what had triggered one was obvious, most of the time they weren't. “Shawn said one of the medications sometimes 'opened the door' for nightmares and said he would talk with Henry about eliminating it or changing it. Since it is basically for depression, I told him I certain didn't feel depressed, far from it. Anyway, he will talk to Henry and Henry will call tomorrow. What do you think? Think it's worth the risk?”

“Barefoot Boy -- who does have cheeks of tan and a few more sessions like this afternoon, all your cheeks will be tan -- it's finally up to you. I think I am prepared to handle any situation if it's no worse than the major one in Boulder and none since have come close. You're surrounded by people here, so help should be a short time in coming if needed. Basically, I think there is little more risk here than in Boulder, but you're the one who has to suffer through any reaction.”

“I'll wait until I speak to Henry, of course, but if he gives the go ahead, I'll reduce the meds. I want off them as soon as possible. He did want me to speak to Helen after I told him we had engaged in fellatio and he asked if I had cum in your mouth and I said I had. He said I should have known better and we should have used a condom. Anyway, Helen was available and she joined us in a conference type call. Shawn asked that I tell her what we had done and when I did, she said, 'Well, Alex, I told you no unsafe sex until after your check at the end of the year and I stand by that. However, we know you are STD free except for the rather remote possibility of HIV. It's not something I would worry too much about, but I wouldn't do it again without a condom. Precum can contain the HIV virus and any break in the mouth, even from brushing your teeth, can provide an entry point. You don't want to use spermicidal lubricated condoms and, in fact, regular ones don't have a very romantic taste. Flavored ones are available.”

Alex said, “I guess our cock-sucking days are over until we can get some good-tasting condoms.”

“Sounds wise to me,” Helen said, “But I am definitely not worried. From what both you and Josh told me, It would be hard for an HIV-positive person to have gotten into New Beginnings Clinic, and sucking cock is hardly the only way to make love.”

"Anyway," Alex said, "I object to the 'No cock-sucking edict' and see no reason I can't suck your cock."

“Look, if I can't suck your cock, then you shouldn't suck mine."

“Don't punish me, Beloved Boy. You insisted on getting tested when I did, and you had been tested for HIV after Kelly, so we know you are disease-free. Why would you deny me the pleasure of making love to that beautiful cock of yours?”

“Well, there are other ways of making love,” Josh argued.

“Show me!” Alex laughed and pulled Josh to his feet.

They started making out in the sitting room then moved to the bedroom where they undressed each other and crawled into bed. After exchanging hot kisses for several minutes, Alex kissed Josh’s hard cock and took it into his mouth. “So much for arguing against your going down on me! Damn that feels good, lover boy.” Josh had his hands in Alex's hair, holding him, stroking his hair, pulling it gently as his lover made love to him with his mouth.

Alex sensed Josh was approaching the point of no return and took his mouth from his lover's cock, slipped up and over Josh's body until he could cover his mouth with his. When he broke the kiss, he whispered, “Josh, I want you inside me, please.”

“I'm not sure, my beautiful Alex. That's not a step, that's a leap. You have been doing so well and I don't want a setback.”

“Please, beloved, I want you joined to me so bad.” He kissed Josh deeply and said again, “Please.”

Josh opened the bedside table where he had put a jar of Albolene, also condoms and lube in anticipation of a far-off day when Alex would be inside him, not even daring to think it would be Alex who took his lover's cock into himself. After Josh opened the drawer, Alex reached in and took a condom and lube. He rolled off Josh, placed the rolled condom on the nightstand, gave the lube to Josh and lay, resting on his chest and knees, his ass in the air, his rosebud exposed. Josh worked lube into his lover with first a finger, then two. When he was thoroughly lubed, Josh slapped him on the butt and he turned over, reached for the condom, rolled it onto Josh's precum-slick cock and lubed it well. He grinned at his lover and said, “You're saddled up and I am ready to ride!” He squatted over Josh who guided his condom-covered cock to Alex's hole, cupped Alex's ass cheeks in his hand and guided him as he slowly impaled himself on the condom-covered man's tool.

When his ass was resting on Josh's pubes, Alex leaned forward and started kissing Josh, sucking his tongue into his mouth, drinking in the taste of Josh. “Babe, I have wanted this for so long. I dreamed of it when dreaming of ever seeing you again seemed foolish, chasing something that could never be. I am so happy, so very, very happy.” He started sliding up and down on Josh's pole and in minutes Josh grabbed him and held him still to keep from cumming. With Alex still inside him, Josh grasped his lover's cock and stroked him, slowly at first and gradually increasing his speed until Alex cried, “Hold! I'm not ready to cum!”

Josh stopped, reached up and wrapped his arms around Alex and rolled over, taking Alex with him, his cock still hard and in his lover. He leaned over and kissed Alex, then opened the nightstand, took out the Albolene and applied a generous amount to Alex's cock. He then leaned forward and moved up and down, his cock sliding in and out of Alex, Alex's cock being massaged between them. Suddenly he felt Alex's ass muscles tighten around his cock as he shot between their bellies. That was enough to push him over the edge and he started shooting inside Alex.

Still inside his lover and still hard, Josh didn't resist when Alex pulled him down and started kissing him passionately. Josh again started sliding up and down Alex's cum- and Albolene-slick stomach, his sensitive cock moving in and out of his beautiful lover. Although both had just experienced intense orgasms, they remained joined, changing positions, moving fast and slow, Josh stroking Alex, sliding over him, or holding on to his hips as he moved in and out of him doggie style while Alex stroked himself. Finally, while Alex rode him cowboy style, Josh stroked him to his second climax and he exploded inside Alex again. They lay, wrapped in each other's arms and legs until Josh's now-limp cock slipped out of Alex. Josh pulled the spent condom from his lover's ass and carried it and Alex to the bathroom where he tossed the condom and carried Alex into the shower. After they had showered and dried each other, they changed their sheets -- their sex had been a bit messy -- and crawled between clean sheets, wrapped in arms and legs and gazing into each other's eyes, drifted off to sleep. Alex slept peacefully, no nightmares.

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