Stonegate Stable

Stonegate Stables

Chapter 44

Del settled right in to William's house. He and TJ rearranged things at their end of the place so that they slept in the smaller bedroom and used the larger master suite as an office and family room, outfitted with a comfy couch and a huge TV.

Having left all his colt-starting customers behind in Loooziana, Del tagged along with TJ to work each day, and began to help with the Foundation horses. We were up to fourteen at the moment, more than Gabriel could keep up with, so Del worked on the roughest ones, getting them to the point where Gabriel could put the finishing touches on them. He was excellent with the tough cases, and by the time he'd been there two weeks, he was an integral part of the team.

One evening when they were over for dinner, I talked with him about what he wanted to do, thinking I might hire him, but he said he just wanted to kick back for a while and see how things went. TJ interpreted that comment as meaning that Del maybe wasn't serious about staying and got bitchy with everyone for a few days until they straightened it out. I'd never seen TJ so touchy, but then I'd never seen him in love either, and it was obvious that he wasn't completely sure about Del's intentions.

Corleone's first annual April Art Walk was a big success. Vincent and Tony had put a lot of thought into the setting; they'd created a circular paved walkway along the river bank, winding it through the trees, with wider spots here and there dotted with benches and small gazebos. A few short docks were built out into the water with tables out at the ends.

Food stations were interspersed amongst the artists' booths, starting with appetizers at the station nearest the entry to the walkway, and progressing through salads, to main courses and desserts. There were several bars, as well, serving a variety of wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks.

They did a trial run of the food service for friends and family two weeks before the event to fine-tune things, and it went pretty well. Since Vincent was busy running around, I wandered along with my folks, introducing them to Paula and Jack when we ran into them at the bar on the first pier. Katie had taken a part time job at Corleone's and was working the salad station.

Most of the guys were there. Matt and Adam had staked out a shady table toward the end of the Walk where they collected friends who passed by. When I came along a little after 4 pm, pretty much everyone was there, lounging around under the trees. Kelly had taken quite a liking to Del, and was sitting near him tossing bread to the ducks that stood in a quacking semi-circle around him.

It was a fun day, and the real deal two weeks later went off without a hitch. I drove by in the early afternoon as I made a trip to the feed store, and the place was packed. The additional parking that Vincent had arranged was full, and people were hiking down the side of the road. When I went back just before 6 pm to see how Matt and David were doing, it was even busier.

Since most of Matt's work was a little too risqu‚ for a family event like the Walk, he had framed many of the drawings and sketches that he'd done with David over the past year. Despite the fact that he had more commissions than he could handle drawing people's kids, dogs, and horses, he was surprisingly nervous about displaying his wares for the unwashed masses.

"God, what if nobody buys anything?" he worried as I helped him one Sunday afternoon in David's studio.

I was doing pretty well emotionally, but Vincent was still careful of how I spent my spare time, and since he had to work today, he'd arranged for me to spend the day with Matt. We were choosing frames for some of the larger nature scenes he'd done last summer. I was sorting through frames, trying them against the drawings, and Matt was practically wringing his hands as he paced around the studio.

"Honey, relax. I guarantee you people will buy your stuff." I picked up a foot square colored pencil drawing of a scrub jay sitting in a mesquite. The dusky blue of the bird contrasted nicely with the yellow blooms of the bush, and the jay looked like he was about to take off. "Look at this. It's lovely, Matt. They all are."

He studied the drawing critically for a moment, and then sighed dramatically. "I hope you're right."

I smiled to myself at how much he was taking this little art show to heart, but it was his first one, and I guessed I'd be nervous too.

I stopped walking as soon as I could see his booth, watching from a bend in the sidewalk. Matt was making change for a woman and her young daughter. The girl was clutching a small drawing of Ginger in her hands and gazing at Matt as if he'd hung the moon. As they walked away, Matt smiled after them, and then ran his eyes over the crowd. They landed on me for a second, went on by, then came back quickly, and his delighted expression said it all.

"I'm almost sold out," he said as I came near, struggling unsuccessfully to suppress a huge grin. "They love the horse ones and the series I did by the creek."

He had only a few pieces left, one of which was a favorite of mine. It was a charcoal sketch of Eyeore standing next to the old hand pump behind the hay barn. He was half asleep, and a bird was sitting on his rump, plucking hairs from his fuzzy winter coat. It was a charming picture and I couldn't imagine why it hadn't sold, except that he'd had a lot of donkey drawings. I pulled out my wallet and tried to hand him some bills, but he was appalled that I'd try to pay him for it and thrust it into my hands with an apology.

"I didn't know you liked that one. Why didn't you say so? I'd have given it to you back when I first drew it."

"I like so many of them that I'd run out of wall space in heartbeat if I took them all. But since you still have this one, I want it."

David had done well also, selling several large oils. His sketch book was lying open on the table, and as I leafed through it I began to smile. Page after page of Levi looked back at me - smiling at the viewer; looking partially away with his eyes downcast; asleep on the couch with one arm flung out to the side; laughing with his head thrown back; gazing quietly at me with his face half in shadow. I glanced up to find David watching me.

"These are great," I told him. "Just beautiful."

He shrugged. "He's a good subject, very expressive, and he just lives every moment like it's his last." He paused, and the smile died from his face. "I didn't think I could feel like this again. It's kinda scary."

I put the book down and hugged him. "But wonderful, too, huh?"

I spent some time doing a little early Christmas shopping, and was buying a silver bracelet for Vincent when I heard a deep voice in my ear. "And who would you be buying that for, laddie?"

With a widening smile, I turned to meet Ryan's twinkling green eyes. "Hey. I didn't know you'd be here. You should've called."

We found a vacant bench and talked for an hour until Vincent found us. He was eating an Italian ice and spooned a big bite into my mouth as he sat down, laughing as my face puckered from the lemony tartness. He was very nonchalant as he glanced around, which I knew meant he was thrilled with the day. We sat there as the crowd began to dwindle and the artists packed up. Finally Vincent stood.

"Come up to the restaurant.... we'll have dinner."

We ate a leisurely supper of appetizers, salad, and bread that hadn't been consumed during the Walk. Tony joined us after he finished running the preliminary numbers for the day, and lifted his glass to me; I looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

"To Sean's brilliant idea. The Art Walk was a smashing success.... we did triple what we do on a normal Sunday."

We all drank to that, and spent the next hour in pleasant conversation. Ryan was a well-read guy and I really enjoyed his company. Tony excused himself to oversee the final clean-up, and the three of us left for home after convincing Ryan to spend the night again. We headed for the hot tub, with Vincent stepping out of his shorts as we rounded the last bend. Ryan laughed as he flung them on a chair and climbed straight into the bubbly water. Vincent shot him a look.

"My fucking feet are killing me," he moaned, holding them up to one of the jets. "I bet I walked fifty miles around that damn sidewalk today."

Ryan didn't hesitate in shedding his clothes, giving me my first look at his body. He had an average cock, but uncut, and a nice big set of low hanging nuts that I'd have loved to juggle with my tongue. We spent the next hour soaking and talking. Ryan had been married for a few years in his mid twenties, and claimed it had been a good experience.

"Taught me a lot about what I really wanted.... and didn't want.... in a relationship." He paused, looking down into the water, "....and it made me a better person to be with.... more tolerant, more open with my feelings."

Never having been with a woman, I was pretty curious about his marriage. "Why did you split up?"

"It just got to a point where it wasn't fair to either of us to stay together. We're still really good friends. After our divorce, Sharon moved back home. She's a real estate agent in North Carolina."

When we went our separate ways in the upstairs hall, Ryan pulled me into a hug. "I'm really glad you're doing better."

I turned to say something to him just as he leaned in to kiss my cheek and our mouths met unexpectedly. He pulled back abruptly with an apologetic look at Vincent. "Sorry, I, uh..."

"No problem," Vincent said as he quickly kissed a surprised Ryan, "long as I get one, too."

He herded me off down the hall, and when I glanced back as we turned into our room, Ryan was still standing there watching us.

At the end of April, Danny found me in the hay barn and told me he was moving back into his old apartment.

"Things not going well with Gabriel?" I asked him as I counted rows and stacks of alfalfa and orchard grass.

"I don't know if it's him or me, but there's just not much of a connection. We had a good time in bed.... for a while.... but that kinda played itself out. He's a quiet guy - ya never know what he's thinkin'. I want someone I can talk to, someone..." He shook his head in frustration and shrugged. "Fuck, I don't know. I guess I want what you and Vincent have." He was silent a moment, then, "You suppose that'll ever happen?"

"Ah, Danny, you gotta believe it will. Look at Matt and Adam, how they met. They're an unlikely couple.... an orphan street hustler and an aristocrat, but their relationship is really good. Then there's TJ and Del. That started out as a one-night thing in Amarillo. Took a while, but they ended up together."

I put down my clipboard and pulled him to me by the front of his shirt. He clunked his forehead down onto my shoulder and blew out a noisy breath as he tucked his thumbs into the back pockets of my jeans. He lightly squeezed my ass with his fingers as he spoke.

"I sure hope so. I'm tired of being by myself. With Del at the house now, him and TJ always playing around... well, it's depressing to watch. That's why I wanna move."

I thought for a quick minute before saying, "Why don't you live with us for a while. You can have the whole one end of the upstairs to yourself, and, if you want, you can join Vincent and me now and then."

He pulled back abruptly to frown at me. "You serious?"

"You had a good time with us last summer, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he replied decisively.

"I sure as hell did."

"Then come stay for a while. You can leave your furniture at the house, if you want."

"Well. shit, all right."

"Come on over for dinner and just stay."

We went our separate ways, and I gave Vincent a quick call to let him know we'd have a house guest.

"Cool. How about we do the hot tub tonight?" Then as an afterthought, "He fucks, right?"

I told him I was pretty sure he did, and we hung up.

The hot tub was where we'd first fooled around with Danny, so I figured I knew what Vincent had in mind. I got home before either of them and threw some left over lasagna in the oven to warm while I sliced a baguette for garlic bread. About five minutes later, Vincent came through the door from the garage with a gleam in his eye and plunked down his briefcase. Then he stepped up behind me, clamped both hands firmly over my crotch, and planted a big, wet kiss on the side of my neck, growling as he chewed on me.

I'd given Danny a key, and he walked in just as I was giggling hysterically and struggling to get away from Vincent's roaming hands and busy mouth. He stopped and watched with a big grin on his handsome face, laughing when I begged for help. I still had a butter knife in one hand and a slice of bread in the other, so I threw the bread at Danny and managed to duck out of Vincent's grip.

"I'll remember this," I panted at Danny, "when you're bitching about some horse sitting in your lap."

We ate on the patio. It was a little cool, but the wine warmed us, along with thoughts of what was still to come. When Vincent pushed his chair back and stood, Danny looked up at him inquiringly.

"Hot tub, anyone?" Vincent asked, holding his glass aloft.

Danny and I jumped up and followed him down the path to the tub, lit only by the dim lights in the shrubbery. We stripped silently and slid into the water, each of us making a soft sound of pleasure as the warm water enveloped us. Vincent was between Danny and me, with one hand on my leg and the other holding his wine glass. After we'd soaked for a bit, he drained his glass, sat it back away from the tub, and reached over to hold the back of Danny's neck.

"Come here," he said, tugging on Danny a little.

Danny's eyes caught mine for a second as he moved over to straddle Vincent's legs, facing away from him. Vincent's hands slid down Danny's body until they disappeared into the bubbles, making Danny catch his breath as they settled into his lap. I couldn't see what Vincent was doing, but having been the recipient of many such hot tub crotch rubs, I could well imagine. Imagining was enough to stiffen me up, and I idly played with my cock as Danny leaned back against Vincent's chest and moaned.

He must have been pretty excited just thinking about this evening cause it wasn't long before his brow furrowed in concentration. I stood and moved around in front of him, keeping one hand on my dick and tweaking Danny's nipples with the other. That did him in and he arched back against Vincent, his mouth open as he grunted through what sounded like a great orgasm, wincing a couple times as Vincent squeezed his nuts or something.

I was smiling at him when he finally opened his eyes.

"Geez, when's the last time you got off?"

He rolled his eyes and grinned ruefully. "This morning."

I laughed at him, but Vincent was ready to go upstairs and get serious, so we climbed out of the tub and walked up to the house, cocks bobbing as we trotted through the chilly night air. In our bedroom, Vincent took the lead again, pushing Danny and me onto the bed, side by side on our bellies. He crawled up from our feet, one hand on each of us, his mouth going back and forth between us.

He was in heaven with two butts to work on, and kept Danny and me both happy by using his fingers and his tongue as he shifted from Danny's ass to mine. Danny and I shifted a little until we could kiss and reach each other's dicks. Getting your ass rimmed by one hot guy while getting kissed and stroked by another is about as close to perfect as it gets, and I felt my brain shutting down as my body lit up.

I knew Vincent wanted to fuck Danny, and wasn't surprised when he began to concentrate his efforts on that. I rolled over to watch him work two fingers into Danny's hole, his other hand kneading Danny's white, round ass. He really did have one of the most spectacular butts I'd ever seen, and I reached over to put my hand along side Vincent's, feeling his fingers slide in and out of Danny. On one inward stroke, I added a finger of my own, getting a deep groan from Danny and a scorching look from Vincent as he leaned down to kiss me hungrily.

Vincent's cock was drizzling precum like a leaky faucet as he scooted closer and took aim. As he sank slowly in, Danny's closing fists scraped up folds of sheet, and he bared his teeth in a grimace. I ran a hand up his back to rub his neck.

"You okay?" I whispered. He just nodded.

Vincent was breathing in short little pants by the time he ground his clipped pubes against Danny's ass. Danny had his head buried in his folded arms, moaning softly. I lay on my back, jerking off slowly, watching Vincent's face as he began to move his hips in a steady rhythm. His eyes would close for a few strokes, and then he'd open them to look down at Danny or me before dropping them shut again as his head tipped back.

After a while, Vincent tugged my leg to bring me closer. He lifted my ankle to his shoulder, sliding his hand down my leg until he could massage my nuts and poke a finger into me now and then. I reached under Danny to grab his cock, and once Vincent saw that all of us were taken care of, he began to thrust more quickly.

Again Danny was the quick-draw king, erupting into my fist with a series of deep grunts. I finished him and then used the same cummy hand on my own cock, staring up into Vincent's face as he watched me. He plunged a finger into me, tickling my hot spot while he pumped quickly into Danny. We came within a few shots of each other, his finger jerking inside me as his body convulsed.

When he was done twitching, he pulled out of Danny and crashed onto the bed next to me, his still half-hard cock angled across his belly.

"Jeee-zuz," he groaned.

We took a quick shower and climbed back into bed, to sleep this time. Danny moved his clothes in the next day, and we settled into a comfortable routine. Vincent and I spent most nights alone, but occasionally dragged Danny up the stairs with us. After the first few days, he relaxed and began to enjoy the little conveniences of having a housekeeper who made your meals and did your laundry.

"Shit, Sean, I'd have moved in a long time ago if I'd known it would be this good," he joked Tuesday morning as we were lounging on the patio waiting for Maria to call us in to breakfast.

Less than a week after Danny moved in with us, Gabriel cornered me in the tack room and gave his notice. I tried to find out what the problem was, but he was no more talkative than he'd ever been, and simply said he was ready for a change. Considering his past, I was a little concerned about his future, but it wasn't in my hands.

After he left, I sat and thought about things for a while, then tracked down Del, who was longeing a horse in the round pen.

"Wanna get on the payroll yet?" I asked him as the horse trotted around.

"Doin' what?"

"Just what you're doing now, only more of it. Gabriel's leaving, so you'd be in charge of the rehab part of the Foundation. You and TJ'd be running things."

I mentioned the salary and that got his attention. He whoa'd the horse, gathering up the longe line as he walked over to me.

"I'd need to hire another guy."

"No problem," I assured him.

"Well, might be.... he's already workin' for ya."

I frowned at him as the horse nibbled on my sleeve. "Who?"

"Kelly. He's great with the horses."

As far as I knew, Kelly cleaned stalls, polished tack, and washed out trailers. I knew he was good with his own horse, Rascal, but it hadn't occurred to me that he had a knack for bringing along the abused Foundation horses. That required the patience of a saint, a lot of psychology, and a good deal of perseverance - not traits that come to mind when you think of a 16-year-old.

"Really? What's he been doing?"

My faint disapproval must have come through in my voice because Del hesitated for a moment before replying. "I had him help me with that skinny little roan that come in a couple weeks ago. I'm too heavy for her, so I put him on. He was real good with her, had her bendin' and listenin'. Let me use him for a bit.... see what you think."

I agreed, knowing that Del and Kelly had hit it off and figuring they'd work well together. That turned out to be the case, and I added Kelly to the Foundation payroll at a hefty pay increase from his stable boy rate. He was thrilled - both with the money and to be working with Del.

By the time June was half gone, I was feeling pretty damn good - good enough, in fact, to throw myself the birthday party I didn't have in January. I wanted to surround myself with my closest friends, so we planned a Saturday pool party for just us boys. The day dawned hot and got hotter, making it perfect weather for playing in the water.

Everyone was able to make it; Jesse and Ben came for the day, and Ryan drove out from Dallas. He'd become a good friend since we'd met in the aftermath of Dylan's death, and he'd spent a few weekends at the house. He slept in the guest room next to Danny's, and on those nights, we all stayed in our own rooms. The first time the four of us had traipsed down to the hot tub after dinner and stripped, Ryan had done a double-take when he caught sight of Danny's fat cock. No one noticed but me, and during the evening, I caught him giving Danny the occasional speculative look.

Ryan was friendly and fun, but so far, he'd kept his hands to himself. He kissed me hello and goodbye, but they were brief kisses, nothing more than affectionate, and he barely hugged Vincent and Danny. I wasn't sure if he felt somewhat inhibited because of his prior relationship with Dylan, or if he was simply taking his time getting to know us.

He showed up driving a cherry red SL500, which I saw from the kitchen window as I was filling a tray with crackers. I walked out onto the porch to greet him, wolf-whistling at the car as he climbed out of it. He did an eye roll and then laughed at himself as he joined me in admiring the sleek Mercedes.

"And what is this?" I asked him with raised eyebrows and a big smile.

"Aww, I got a thing for these," he grinned, "and when I saw this one, I couldn't fucking resist. Is it just totally too much?" "No, no, it's great! Beautiful color. How's it drive?"

"Mmm, like it's on rails. I love it."

"Well, then..."

By this time Vincent was missing me, had spotted the car, and everyone was milling around it. We all agreed it was spectacular, and Ryan looked a little more comfortable with it by the time we went back out to the pool. It was a great day; everyone was relaxed and in a good mood. No one commented on Gabriel's departure, and I concluded that he'd made no real friends among us. We ate, played in the water, lay around in the sun, ate some more, and finally did one last hot tub session after it got dark.

The dim light from the garden lamps cast soft shadows on our faces, and made the secluded hot tub area seem even more private than usual. We were all a bit quiet; maybe from an afternoon of sun and play, or maybe from something a little deeper. In any case, it was a while before anyone spoke, and then it was Danny. He was sitting next to me on the edge of the tub, his legs on one side of Vincent, mine on the other.

"Well, my daddy stopped by the barn yesterday, and allowed as how having a queer kid might not kill him after all."

I swung my head to smile at him, and he grinned back at me. I was probably the only one there who knew how much it meant to Danny to be close to his father again. Ryan looked at him curiously.

"You just came out to him recently?"

"Hell, I just came out to myself recently."

He told Ryan the tale of the pre-nuptial blow job, our kiss on my wedding day, his first time giving head in this very hot tub. When he was finished, Ryan glanced at me.

"Thanks," he said.

"For what?" I asked him.

"Sounds like you're the reason Danny's here today."

"Ah, he would have figured it out."

"Maybe not," Ryan remarked. "Lotta guys don't.... not without someone they're comfortable with to get things started that first time."

I glanced at Danny, who shrugged, then said, "That had a lot to do with it, I admit. I trusted Sean. I figured he wouldn't tell anybody, and he probably wouldn't kill me when I asked him to blow me."

"I almost did," I said, thinking back to that day and how pissed I'd been that he just assumed I'd leap at the chance, although I was dying to once I got over the surprise.

We talked some more about making that first connection, how important it was, and told our own stories. For some, it was just a chance encounter in a bathroom or parking lot; others, it was a seduction by someone more experienced; and for some of us, it was a mutual thing between friends, like Danny and me.

The party broke up soon after that, and as the last set of tail lights disappeared around the bend in the lane, Danny said good night and went upstairs. Vincent took my hand and we walked down the hall to the kitchen, collecting the odd glass along the way, and cleaned up a little. As I was wiping down the sink, Vincent came up behind me and nuzzled the back of my neck. I put the sponge down and turned to him, holding his hips as he settled his crotch into mine.

He humped me slowly for a minute or so, then took my face in both his hands and pulled back to look at me. His eyes roamed over my features, lingering on my mouth before coming up to meet my gaze. As we looked at each other, I smiled at him, but he remained somber. After looking at me for a long time, he spoke softly.

"I love you, Sean. I know you know that, even though I don't say very often, but it doesn't begin to cover what you mean to me." He paused, running his thumb gently along my bottom lip before saying, "You are my heart beat."

It was such a stunning statement of how he felt about me that I was speechless. Our gaze held a bit longer, and then he kissed me lightly.

"Let's go up to bed, sweetheart."

I put my arm around his waist as he draped his over my shoulder, and as we stepped out of the kitchen, I reached over and flipped off the light.

This is the end of Stonegate Stables in real time. There will be one more chapter in a few weeks that takes place 20 years after the beginning of the story. Some of you (hi Robert) don't like things all wrapped up; others have begged me not to leave things hanging in the breeze. I gotta wrap it up.

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who wrote to me over the past 18 months. It truly kept me going to know that so many people enjoyed this story. Thanks to David of Hope for suggestions and corrections. Thanks to my Steve for everything else.

Gabriel Morgan