Tales from the Ranch

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. If you are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH Copyrightc 2006 by Tulsa Driller. All rights reserved. This is a story of men who have two common interests. You will see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is also the story of young men who love other men and their coming of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding. It is a story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's society. This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. Any similarity to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. This work is copyrightedc by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author. PLEASE: In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist. My characters have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around to read the last chapter of this story. Book II, Chapter 7 All Dads Get in Line, please.

The end of the year arrived and went past in a blur. 1991 was a fact of life and in their New Year's toast to each other, the "Bastian family" acknowledged that 1990 had brought many positive changes to their lives, but that 1991 was really going to make things bloom. It was on Monday afternoon when they realized no one they knew was having a New Years Eve party. After a few phone calls, eight other people were invited to Dale and Craig's condo for drinks and a buffet. Joey asked if he could invite some friends and invited Matt, who would be with Tom and Eddie. Matt wasn't sure if he would spend the night, or not. Joey also included Daniel, who would spend the night and Forrest was still staying at the condo with Joey. They could all sleep in Joey's room. So, it was Frank and Doris, Tom and Eddie, along with David Perkins and Leland Stanton who completed the guest list. Ray Evans had declined the invitation saying that he and John had already decided to rent some movies and spend a quiet evening together. Their relationship seemed to be on-track to growing stronger. Doris didn't mind being the only woman in the group. The men were all interesting to talk with and she had never been uncomfortable being around a group of mostly gay men.

• • • • • Later as Dale and Craig were lying in bed idly playing with each other, they recounted the last four months they had shared their lives with the other. "I can't believe how lucky I was to find you," Craig told his lover, leaning over the give him a peck on the nose. "Hey, guy. I think I'm the lucky one. I loved working for Marty at the Bar-W, but hated my life. I was going to sell my house and my old Mustang, then move into the Starlight and buy a motorcycle." "Oooh, I love butch bikers. Were you going to grow a beard and get tattooed, too?" Craig teased. "Hadn't thought about that, but if that's what it takes to turn you on, I can do it," Dale leered back, smiling his famous thousand-watt smile. "Naah, no need to go to the trouble of doing that. You turn me on pretty good just watching you walk toward me - or sometimes even when you walk away from me. I love Levis and cowboy boots," Craig stated, giving Dale's cock a quick squeeze. Both were half hard, but were enjoying their quiet time together, just talking to each other. They nuzzled each other, Craig running his fingers through Dale's chest hair. Dale leaned in for a tonsil-swabbing kiss. Craig had opened up his world and then Joey had come along, an unexpected bonus in his life. It was fun to reminisce, talking about their wonderful weekend in Ft. Worth and Dallas, along with celebrating Craig's birthday. Then a couple of weeks later they went to the horse show in Waco. In rapid succession, Dale's father died. He, with Craig's help, became responsible for Joey, moving him to Williamsport. Then, "IT" happened. Saber Computer Store became a reality. Craig's parents moved from Arlington, Frank taking a leave of absence from his job to help them get the business started and then deciding that he wanted to stay. The fine points of his retirement from the Stevens-Simmons Group, the largest law firm in Dallas was being worked out Dale had been named General Manager of the Bar-W Ranch upon Parker Morton's retirement, which was being celebrated by a retirement party for him and his wife, Margie, the next weekend. Yes, a lot of changes had taken place in their lives. Dale was confident that he and Craig were in a permanent relationship and they were looking forward to their Commitment Ceremony in late February. Craig was thinking similar thoughts. His own world had seen a lot of changes, but nothing compared to what Dale had experienced. He knew that things would get better and better for them, their loved ones and their friends. Holding each other, they slipped off to sleep and would find themselves in the same position when they awoke on New Years Day.
• • • • • Forrest had been sharing Joey's room and bed since Christmas night, the day his grandmother had died. Almost every morning found the two young men were cuddled together and there had been no embarrassment on the part of either, even though they both awoke sporting wood. Forrest was grateful for his friend, Joey, and for the hospitality he and his Dads had provided. The friendship had started as a chance meeting one morning when a very naked Joey had opened the door to allow his dog to go outside as Forrest was delivering the morning paper. Joey invited Forrest to join him and his friends for lunch and the other boys made him welcome. Then he had joined the staff at Saber Computers and had done quite well there, working as a salesman, along with Joey and Daniel Pearson, plus two others who were students at Western JuCo. So, Joey's "sleep over" turned out to be just Daniel and Forrest. Matt declined, saying he had to be up early the next day, but in truth he was afraid his secret lust for Daniel would be discovered. He was still not sure how these three young men would react to any advances that he might be tempted to make. Had he known that a circle jerk would happen, he might have decided otherwise. So, Daniel and Joey approached Forrest to see if he was okay with watching some movies from Joey's collection. Joey hadn't mentioned owning any movies, so Forrest didn't know about the collection. He was curious about what they would be watching, thinking they would be standard comedy or dramas. Daniel and Joey had already decided that they didn't want to watch any "straight porn" but thought maybe they should ease into it, watching part of one that had a woman and two men in the opening scene. The movie was untitled and the only plot was that it appeared the three were going to have sex, and then the men started kissing each other. The woman quickly dropped out of the picture and the rest of the video showed the two men performing various sexual acts with each other. Joey didn't know it, but a friend of his father had made the movie in his own garage studio. He was a cameraman for a TV station in Houston and had purchased good, used equipment from the station to use for his own little production company. This was a first effort for the man who later moved to the west coast and became famous for his excellent quality male-male films. Forrest wasn't shocked at the movie, he'd seen part of an old 8mm print of "Deep Throat" that seemed to be out of focus; but he certainly was surprised at the extent of Joey's movie collection and how he came to have it. When Joey explained that his father was gay, Forrest better understood the situation. He thought it was neat that Craig and Dale allowed Joey to have the videos and share them with his friends. For his part, Joey swore them to secrecy, telling him that if the wrong guys found out about the movies it could cause a lot of problems for him at school, as well as for his Dads. As the movie progressed all three of the young men were sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed and had obvious bulges in their pants. Daniel was the first to do something about it, unzipping his chino pants to make it easier to rub himself. Joey was having the same problem, but was watching Forrest to see what he might do. Forrest needed no encouragement. He was trying to be discrete in stroking himself. He wanted to do as Daniel was doing, but was stealing glances at Joey. After all, Joey had been his masturbation fantasy on many occasions. Now it looked like it was going to come true. Finally, it was Daniel who suggested that they all get more comfortable. He stood up, kicked off his Nikes and dropped his pants. His pullover shirt was next. Joey had been thinking that it would be fun to play strip poker, but it was too late for that. He popped the buttons on the front of his 501's, and then untied his athletic shoes. Soon all he was wearing was his boxers and socks. Joey wasn't paying any attention to Forrest and realized when he finished stripping that Forrest was wearing only boxers, along with his white socks. Daniel's hardon was visible in his briefs. None of the three were embarrassed and Daniel dropped his briefs, kicking them onto the pile of his other clothes. He sat back down, leaning his back against the bed as he had been before.

The two men in the movie were making out, obviously sharing

deep, deep kisses. Joey was the next of the group to get comfortable, raising his hips off the floor and pulling his boxers off. Forrest saw what was going on and did the same. Daniel was leaning against the bed, stroking his 6-inch cock while Joey and Forrest we sitting a ways away, also facing the screen, but able to watch each other, too. Daniel didn't have any hair on his body except for a small patch of pubic hair and in his pits. Joey, of course, was a fuzzy little bear cub. Forrest had a lot of hair on this thighs and a little patch between his pecs that ran down to his navel and then spread out into a very respectable pubic bush. There was some hair around his nipples. Of the three boys, Forrest was the oldest at 17 and his dick was about the same size as Daniel's, about 6-inches and cut. Once the boys had cast their shorts aside, stroking began in earnest. "Are you okay with this movie?" Joey asked Forrest. "Unnn. yeah, it's cool. I'd never thought about doing some of the things they do, though. they are hot!" he replied. Joey was rubbing himself and each time the foreskin covered his cockhead, a little precum flowed out of his piss slit and Joey worked it down his dick to make it slick. It felt good to stroke with his buds. Forrest was watching Joey. The action made his own cock harder and he realized that he was producing a little precum. He'd not experienced that before. It made stroking himself more pleasurable. Soon all three boys were watching each other and not the TV screen. Their hands were moving in unison, matching themselves in their efforts to achieve a climax. It was interesting to watch the technique each used. Daniel simply made a ring with his thumb and forefinger, sliding up and down his tool. Forrest varied his whole-hand technique, sometimes with the palm under his cock and sometimes flipping his hand over and rubbing it up and down the topside. From time to time he would add some spit to the oozing precum to really make it slick. Joey frequently would cover his cockhead, sliding his finger inside the foreskin to circle the corona. That really stimulated his cock. He was getting nearer to an orgasm.

"I'm getting close," Daniel announced. "Eergh. me, too," Forrest panted. The way Joey handled his own cock really turned Forrest on. "Won't take me much more," Joey added. This was fun! He really missed the Boy Scout camping trips his old Houston troop used to go on. Suddenly, Daniel was past the point of no return. He sped up his efforts and was soon rewarded with the best and biggest orgasm he'd ever had. That's all it took for Forrest to erupt and Joey was right behind him. All three of the young men sprayed their chests and abs with the first few shots, then the remainder of their cum oozed over their fingers. Joey licked his fingers. It tasted good. Daniel, who hadn't tasted his own cum until spending the night with Joey earlier, did the same. He wanted to taste Joey again and also Forrest, who seemed to have really sprayed himself. Daniel scraped some of Forrest's load off his right pec and swallowed it. It had a stronger taste than himself and Joey. Forrest hadn't thought about tasting his own cum and wasn't sure he wanted to, but the other two men were enjoying it. So, he was surprised when he licked his fingers that it was better than he expected. He wondered what it would be like to suck a load out of another guy's cock.

Daniel had the same thought. 'Maybe he'd get a chance

sometime.' Joey got up, going into the bathroom and getting warm washcloths for his guests. "That was awesome," he announced as he handed Forrest and Daniel the wet terrycloth items. "That was fun," Forrest replied. "I've never had the chance to do this with another guy before. I hope we can do this again." Daniel agreed. The three young buddies went into the bathroom to finish cleaning themselves up. They took turns peeing, and then brushing their teeth. Joey was turning the covers down on his bed when the other two guys came into the room. "Are you guys okay with us all sleeping together?" he wanted to know. "Sure, beats the floor," Forrest replied. Daniel shook his head. He was hoping that he and Forrest could sleep next to each other. As it turned out, Daniel was in the middle. He had a best bud on either side of him. Mitsy didn't have much room, but made herself comfortable between Joey and Daniel's legs. Sleep came quickly to the three guys, who had further cemented their friendship with each other.

• • • • • The next morning all of the guys were in the kitchen, wearing only boxer shorts. Craig was getting ready to fix pancakes. Dale had poured juice and the coffee pot was nearing the end of its brewing cycle. Dale and Craig had enjoyed an early morning romp and both were wearing a little evidence of dried cum on their chests, as were the three who had shared Joey's room. Forrest thought it was neat that there was no problem with what they had done the night before. He couldn't imagine that straight parents would approve of the fun they'd had together. Daniel was in awe of the two Dads. 'They were so cool,' he thought, 'almost like big brothers.' Joey, for his part, felt that maybe Forrest and Daniel might be gay. That didn't bother him a bit. After all, in his short life, being gay was okay. Being straight wasn't a thought.
• • • • • That afternoon Frank and Doris invited Dale and Craig to their house to talk about what needed to be done regarding Forrest's future and where he was going to live. As they were starting to get out of Craig's car, they noticed Leland Stanton was parking his new El Dorado in a vacant stall. They greeted each other as they walked up the steps to Craig's parents' apartment. After everyone greeted each other they sat down in the living room. "I realize that Forrest is old enough to take care of himself, but he needs someone to be responsible for him," Doris said to start the conversation. "I agree," Dale said. "He's welcome to stay at our place, but he's a minor and someone has to be responsible for paying bills and seeing to it that the house is maintained. He really shouldn't be staying there by himself and he's still too young to have a roommate his age living with him, too." "The truth of the matter is that there isn't any money, except for a small amount of Social Security that Forrest will receive until he turns 18, which is in September," Leland told them.

"Why is that?" Craig wanted to know. "A benefit because of the death of his parents," Leland told them. "It's a standard benefit to help pay the expenses of children until they are of age. Unfortunately, it doesn't even begin to cover those costs."

Frank agreed.

"What do you suggest?" Dale asked. "When Mrs. Ross went into the rest home, I had an attorney on the bank staff draw up a will for her, leaving everything to Forrest and putting the home into a trust for him. He will own the house when he turns 21. I suggest that the house be rented to produce a little income for him and to pay expenses until that time. Then he can continue renting it, live in it or sell it, if need be," Leland told them.

"So, what do we need to do?" asked Craig. Frank jumped in. "Someone needs to step forward either to be his guardian or adopt him. Otherwise, he could become a ward of the State of Texas and be placed in a foster home."

There were groans around the room. "Frank and I would take him in a minute, but I think he would be happier with you fellows," Doris stated. Dale and Craig hadn't even entertained that idea. They had thought Forrest would be able to return to his home when he was ready. "Boy, I'm glad we haven't finalized plans to build our house," Craig said. "This means that Forrest will need his own space, too, like Joey."

"I'm agreeable to Forrest living with us," Dale told them.

"What do we need to do?" "Our first step is to talk to Forrest to find out his thoughts. Then there is a juvenile judge in Austin who would probably make everything legal for us. He's the judge who gave Eddie and Tom custody of Matt Rhodes, so he doesn't have a problem with same- sex parents. But. we need to find out if Forrest has a problem with living with you fellows and Joey. Do you know if he is gay?" Leland wanted to know. "Honestly, we don't know. He certainly doesn't seem to have a problem being around us. He and Joey get along well. He's a hard worker and has done very well working at our store," Dale explained. "I would welcome having him living with us. Like Dale says, he and Joey get along with each other and he knows that we're gay. I don't think it bothers him that we are," Craig added. He wasn't about to tell Leland that he and Dale knew the three young men had watched porn movies together the night before. Then he wondered, 'What flavor of movies they had watched.' He'd have to ask Joey about that. "Well, we need to get this underway. Shall we go to your condo and talk to Forrest, or do you want him to come over here?" Leland asked. "Might as well do it at our place. Someone would have to go pick him up and bring him here, so it would be easier to go to our place," Dale told the group.

"Fine, let's go," Leland said, standing up. "Let me call and make sure they haven't gone somewhere?" Craig said. He went into the kitchen to make the phone call, punching in the number. He wanted to warn them that they were coming home. They might be in Joey's bedroom, watching more porn. 'How embarrassing,' he thought.

Joey answered the phone on the second ring.

"Hi bud," Craig said in greeting.

"Hi, Dad." Joey wondered why Craig was calling. "Listen, I'm glad you're there. We're over at your grandparents and need to talk to Forrest. We're just ready to come home and Leland is with us," Craig told him. "Cool," Joey replied. Daniel left to go home a while ago and we're playing around with the computer, looking at some new software we got at the store. See ya in a little." After they told each other, "good-bye" and hung up, Craig went back into the living room. "They're both at home," he told everyone.

• • • • • When everyone was settled, Leland told Forrest what was going on, explaining why he needed a guardian or adoptive parent and what had been discussed earlier. "It's important to get this started as soon as possible because there could be plenty of people who would complain that you shouldn't be living by yourself because you are underage. And, believe me, the Juvenile authorities love cases like this. They don't use their best judgment and go by whatever rules they make up as they go, causing many problems along the way. The welfare of the person in question isn't always considered." Forrest was alarmed. He had heard about custody cases before and didn't want something like that happening to him. He realized that he could be moved to a different city, even.

"Can't I stay here with Joey and Dale and Craig?" he asked.

"I mean, if they will let me." "Probably. That's why we need to get started on this right away, so that the deal is closed before anyone else can get involved," Leland explained. "We probably can do this two different ways. The first would be to have the judge appoint Dale or Craig as your guardian and be responsible for seeing to your welfare."

Leland paused.

"What's the other?" Forrest wanted to know.

"That either Dale or Craig adopt you," came Leland's reply.

"Cool," came Joey's reply. "That would be so neat," Forrest said. "I barely remember my parents and it would be nice to have some again."

"Would we be like brothers?" Joey wanted to know. Dale laughed. "I guess you can be whatever you want to be. Technically, I'm only Joey's legal guardian."

"But Craig's my mom," Joey teased.

After the laughter died down, Forrest said, "I want to stay

here, if you will have me." Then to Leland he added, " These guys all treat me so well and I hardly knew them before I started working at their store."

"Of course, we'll have you," Craig said. He had tears in his

eyes and so did everyone else. The various options were discussed and it was finally agreed that if the Juvenile Judge in Austin would consent, Craig would become the adoptive parent. Leland had talked to Tom and Eddie and had gotten Jeremy Houser's name and phone number. He had already talked to Jeremy before this meeting. Jeremy told Leland that there shouldn't be any problem and he would help in any way he could. So, it was with elation that the meeting broke up. Forrest felt even more secure than he had before.

• • • • • In January Craig and his partner, Don Albrecht, completed the drawings needed to get the restoration and modernization of the old Beauford property started for Pawl and LouAnn Garnoski. The house had been lifted from its old foundation and the workers were preparing the forms for the new basement walls. In the meantime, Craig was bringing the plans for his own new home and that of his parents to completion. There had not been many changes in the plans for Frank and Doris' home. They were using a basic floor plan from their home in Arlington, but scaled down somewhat and having only a partial second floor. At their own home site, the driveway up the side of the hill had been completed. They had to construct some retaining walls for that project. A lot of dirt had been moved and the result was a wide driveway with a parking area for about 10 cars in front of the four-car garage, which made up a portion of the first level of the house. The partially underground, walkout basement had been dug and Craig and Dale were going to be their own contractors, subbing out various jobs to local contractors. It would be easy to add another room for Forrest, but Craig quickly found out that the boys had no problem sleeping in the same room, or Forrest could use the extra bedroom in Joey's suite. They could put a second bed in Joey's bedroom and that still left them the other room for computers, the entertainment center and extra chairs, along with the fireplace. Both of the boys were excited about the idea of having a brother and that they seemed to share the same group of friends. As it turned out, Ray Evans submitted the best bid for the concrete work. The weather in December and early January had been mild so the big warehouse project was moving toward completion, at least as far as getting it closed in and roofed. They were protected from bad weather, but still had a lot of inside work to do, such as insulation, plumbing and electrical work, plus the block and brick office of two floors at one end of the warehouse. Closing up the building freed up two crews for other work. Ray had also been the successful bidder for the refurbishment project on the old Beauford mansion, now owned by the Garnoski's. There didn't seem to be any lack of new business for Custom Home Builders and Ray, Andy and Keith were finding it necessary to further expand their company in the spring. They decided to reorganize the company, changing the name to Custom Builders of Williamsport. As part of the reorganization, they decided to each retain 28% of the stock, making 16% available for three of the foreman, plus John Sterling and Pete Rowland to buy if they were interested. Realizing that those men probably didn't have the cash to buy stock, they were allowed payroll deductions until the loans were paid off. As it ended up, John and Pete bought a total of 5% each and the three foremen each bought 2% of the stock. John was very pleasantly surprised when the "good performance bonus" was paid in April that he received over $8,000 dollars. And, he had only worked for the company for only two months at the end of 1990. Certainly he felt that he had made the right move by going to work for Ray and his partners.
• • • • • Matt Rhodes had been invited to spend the day with Roger Hurst, who was the nephew of one of the teachers Tom taught with. The visiting boy was 16 and from Seattle. Marge Winthrop needed help in keeping him entertained. His parents had a last minute chance for cheap tickets to go to Cancun. Roger opted to visit his favorite aunt instead. Tom and Eddie took advantage of Matt's absence and were able to make an appointment with Jeremy Houser to discuss Matt's future. Mrs. Rhodes had finally contacted Jeremy to tell him that she and her husband felt it would be better if Matt didn't live with them, telling him she hoped maybe one of the men he was living with would want to adopt him. Jeremy immediately contacted Tom and Eddie, finding out they already knew of her plans. They agreed to meet for lunch as Charlie Stephens was visiting from Houston that week. They discussed Matt's options, which were not good. A 15-year old young man who was openly gay was not likely to be adopted. The foster home scene was pretty bleak; he was likely to be harassed, or worse - sexually abused. Jeremy wasn't even sure if there were any homes where Matt could be placed, should Tom and Eddie not want to keep him. He quickly found out the opposite was true. The men loved Matt like he was their own son. He wasn't any trouble for them and they would adopt him in a minute if allowed to do so. Jeremy knew a friendly judge in the Juvenile Division, the same judge who had signed the order to allow Matt to stay with Tom and Eddie. He was sure that he could get the judge to handle the adoption in his court, but told Tom and Eddie that only one of their names could be on the adoption papers. Eddie was to become the official father. Both men were elated. However, Tom would be given Power of Attorney over Matt to make decisions if Eddie was unable to do so. They needed to talk to Matt so it was decided that Jeremy would be invited for dinner. They could talk about this in an informal manner in the privacy of Tom and Eddie's home.
• • • • • Frank and Doris were set to obtain a bid on building their new home. Ray Evans submitted a fair bid, but told Frank they were still tight on their schedule and couldn't start construction before March 1st. Two other companies submitted bids. Both were higher than Ray Evans' company and Frank later found out one was unreliable. It appeared the start on their new home would be delayed for a little while, as Frank really wanted Ray's company to build the house.
• • • • • Jeremy Houser accepted the invitation to have dinner at Tom and Eddie's home. They didn't tell Matt the reason he was there and had decided it was better to allow Jeremy to break the news and see what his reaction was before they told him of the plan they had formulated. Jeremy arrived at 5:30 on a Saturday evening (January 5th) and they had time for two drinks before dinner was served in the beautiful dining room. During the dinner of roast pork with wild rice and cranberry dressing, Jeremy quizzed Matt about the Williamsport schools and what he was learning compared with the Mt. Olive Christian School in Austin. Matt was enthusiastic about the high school and his new friends, especially Joey, Daniel and Forrest. Tom and Eddie were somewhat surprised at him saying that, as Matt seemed to keep mostly to himself. They were proud of his good grades and that he was on the honor roll and would be taking Advanced Placement courses in math and science the second semester. Conversation about Matt's family continued through dinner. Matt was a little upset because he had tried to call his mother three times to thank her for the Mustang and other gifts he'd received for Christmas. Once, Mrs. Fremont (the housekeeper) had answered the phone telling Matt that no one was home. He could hear Ruth and Thomas in the background. His mother hadn't returned his phone calls. "I guess they'd just as soon forget about me. It's almost like I don't exist anymore," Matt said sadly. He added, "But I've got Mr. Thompson and Mr. Bryant to take care of me and I hope I can stay here." That was the opening that Jeremy needed. They were through with the meal except for dessert and Tom suggested they move into the living room. After they were settled in there, Jeremy continued. "Matt, Eddie and Tom would like to adopt you. They have come to love you like their own son, but we need to talk to you to see what your feelings are about this idea." Matt thought for a minute and gathered his thoughts. "They've been more like parents should be. My parents are never home and Mrs. Fremont is mostly in charge. She always sees to it that we are taken to appointments at the dentist and drives us to places we are supposed to be and then pick us up later. There is never any affection from her, either. I don't think that I ever really got to sit down and talk to my parents; certainly not my father. If mother doesn't want to talk about a subject, it isn't discussed. She'll just brush me off and I know she does the same for Ruth and Thomas. I'd hoped that I'd have a chance to help them learn from my experiences, but I guess that's not to be, is it?" He sighed, and then continued. "Are you trying to tell me that my own parents are going to give me away?" Matt's tears started, but he wasn't as upset as they thought he might be. "Your mother feels like it might be best if you didn't live with them anymore. I don't know what else to say besides that. Your mother thinks that you have found a good home here and they are willing to pay your expenses as Eddie and Tom take care of you. And, they will pay for your college education. Money will be set aside in a trust fund for you." This was a surprise to Tom and Eddie. Tom's thoughts were, 'Out of sight, out of mind. Money doesn't mean anything to us and we don't want him being a bad influence on his siblings.' Eddie had similar thoughts. 'Jeremy hadn't told them about the money. That didn't make any difference to them. Certainly the college money would make it much easier on them, but Matt's need was to be secure in the fact that he was loved and would have parents, even if it wasn't the traditional family.' Matt spoke up. "That's my parents. If they thought we needed something, they bought it. But, the catch was that something we didn't play with much was soon out the door to the church or the Goodwill. We never had very many toys at a time and the house always looked like the place where the Cleaver's lived. We were supposed to be the perfect family and maybe we were in her eyes. But it didn't really work that way." Matt was starting to get angry but he was right. Kids were okay - as long as they were perfect, but don't deviate from the script - whatever it was supposed to be. "Is she going to get rid of Ruth and Thomas, too?" he asked. "They might not turn out to be perfect, either." He was upset, but some things were becoming clear. At least he could depend on Eddie and Tom and he'd felt more love from them in the short time he'd lived here than all the years of living with his parents. "Matt, I have no idea about your sister and brother. Right now it's you I'm concerned about. I've spoken to the judge about this. Texas law is somewhat vague about two men adopting children together. It's not impossible, but not common either. He suggested that only one name show on the adoption papers and Eddie's name is on the custody order, so it's less of a problem for him to become your legal father. Tom would like to be your father, too, but not recognized by the court. So, the way around that is to give him Power of Attorney for both you and Eddie. That way if something should happen to Eddie and he not be able to make decisions for either himself or you, then Tom would have that authority. That has been done in other non-traditional families and seems to be good protection regardless of the circumstances. In effect, Tom might be considered to be your God- father," Jeremy explained. That was good news to both Tom and Eddie. Matt thought it over for a little bit. "I like that. When's it going to happen?" "We can get the paperwork started right away. Since the same judge is involved, it won't take long, maybe in as little as a month," he was told by Jeremy. "Wow! Hey! What about my last name? I don't have to still be Matt Rhodes, do I?" Eddie was surprised at this question. He hadn't even thought about it. His concern was of Matt's welfare. Tom was equally surprised. 'Matt was sharp. Really sharp,' he thought. Matt looked at the two men. "Is it okay to use both of your names?" "What do you mean?" Eddie asked. Tom was puzzled. "Can I have my name changed to Matthew Bryant Thompson?" he asked proudly. Both men were stunned. They rose as if they were one person and Matt went to them for a group hug. There were tears - of joy all around. Eddie motioned for Jeremy to join them. "I love you. Thanks, all of you," Matt told them as they broke the hold they had on each other. The men moved into the kitchen so Tom could serve dessert, which was a deep-dish peach cobbler with ice cream. The men talked for another hour. Jeremy questioned Tom and Eddie about taking another young boy. Matt spoke up immediately. "Do you think that will happen? Would he be about my age? Where's he from?" "Whoa," Jeremy said. "In the first place, there is nobody in the system right now who needs a good home like this one. And, in the second place, your new fathers haven't indicated they are interested," he smiled. Tom laughed. "Yeah, since we have full responsibility for you right now, your life might get a lot tougher." At first Matt believed him, then saw the smirk on Eddie's face. "Oh, you guys'. You're kidding!!" He loved it when they all teased each other. That had never been allowed within earshot of either his mother or father. He knew he was going to like having two Dads, like Joey Sullivan. Later, after Jeremy left, the new family was visiting as the dishwasher was being loaded and the dining room cleaned up. "I'm excited about this," Matt explained. "I feel a whole lot better about things than for a long time." He asked, "Are you okay with this. Dads?" It seemed strange to call Tom and Eddie by that name. He liked it. "Yes," the men said, almost in unison. "You are a good young man and you deserve the best care you can get and we'll be happy to provide it and anything else you need," Tom told him Eddie spoke. "I like being called 'Dad'. Is it okay if we call you 'son'?" "Sure. and thanks for allowing me to use both of your names. I feel like I really belong to you now." "That's a good idea. I'd never thought about you wanting to change your name," Tom said. He was thrilled that Matt wanted to use both of their last names. "We're a real family now, aren't we? I mean I'm happy about this and it will make me feel more a part of you. If my parents don't want me, why should I want their name? It doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I never existed and." Matt was on a roll. "They don't exist in my mind, either." He went on, "I can't wait to tell my friends what's happened." "We can't either." Both Tom and Eddie agreed.
• • • • • There had been a lot of dissatisfaction with an Internet Service Provider in the Austin area. That ISP provided a Williamsport access number, but there were frequent complaints about not being able to get a connection on the first try, being dropped in the middle of a session and the frustrations of slow connection speeds. Even those areas of Williamsport that had been rewired with fiber optic cable were not immune. David Perkins and Dennis Masters had done some checking and it wasn't just the Williamsport customers who were having problems with "Open World Dot Com". AOL, Prodigy, and CompuServe were available in Austin, but there was no local number for Williamsport customers to call. If you wanted access to the Internet by those ISP's, you had to pay a toll each time you connected. At the store meeting on January 15th Frank presented the preliminary profit and loss statement for the period from the date the Venture Capital Agreement was signed through December 31, 1990. Of course, Leland had been over the figures with a fine-tooth comb and was ready to send the accounting papers to the CPA firm he had retained to audit the books. He wanted to gloat and rightfully so. Although it was Dale and Craig's (and Joey, too) names on the Venture Capital Agreement, he was the one who had brought everyone together and made it happen. David had done an excellent job as manager. He had been able to negotiate better prices with suppliers and had quickly gotten the store name before the public. The mail order business was ready to launch. Dennis had set up several network systems in addition to the Williamsport Public School System and their own LAN system within the store. They were going to have to hire one person who would be dedicated to helping him. The company party had been held two evenings before and Leland was repeating part of the speech he'd given to the employees. It wasn't a pep talk; the sales figures were far above the projections. It was a "thank you" speech and well deserved by the employees. The bonus payment to the employees was a big surprise and well received. It would create a lot of loyalty to the company.. For the monthly company meeting, he went over the sales figures. The profit was reflected in the large quantities they were buying from the suppliers and that figure should multiply as the increased sales volume from mail orders kicked in. The first classes for the customers wanting to know more about their computers had been held. A computer club had been formed and the store agreed to provide classroom space for them to meet twice a month. Already two people in the club had upgraded their computers. When the meeting agenda arrived at the place where new ideas could be considered, David spoke briefly about the lack of a good ISP in Williamsport and suggested that Saber Computers might want to fill that gap. He and Dennis had done their homework and had a two-page report with startup costs, projected profit at several different levels of revenue and other things to be considered.

There was general discussion and Joey told of his problems in trying to connect to the Internet at the store when trying to do a demo for a customer. "It's frustrating, especially if there are several customers in the store and we're trying to hurry so we can serve them, too." Then he added, "It's no better at home during the evenings and weekends when everyone is trying to connect. It can take as many as six or seven tries before you get a connection and then it might not hold."

That discussion convinced the men that Saber Computers was in a position to solve the problem. The company needed to hire an expert to design the right system, buy the hardware and make the installation. It was projected that three people would be needed in that area to begin with and as the service grew, at least one more might be needed. The next question was where would the equipment be housed. Although the building was getting full, there was still space available. Maybe they needed additional space for the ISP equipment, along with the people taking calls for the mail order division. Some work in the service department could be located offsite, but how much?

Craig thought the building they occupied was huge when he and David Perkins rented it. It was in an excellent location with plenty off off-street parking, so moving the store was out of the question. There was a vacant double lot across the alley that was just sitting there. Maybe they could buy it and put up their own metal building to house some of these departments. The building would be handy to the store and someone could run parts to the service department as needed.

The suggestion was made to look into that, but the immediate vote was to proceed with establishing an ISP in Williamsport. Joey, in his love for words, immediately suggested a name. "Saber Sonic" was a hit with the men. They would purchase state of the art equipment and beat the national carriers at their own game.

• • • • • Dale was surprised when he answered the telephone in his office at the Bar-W Ranch and heard the voice of Torrance Greenwood. He and his brother, Bryant, wanted to visit the Bar-W Ranch to see the horse operation. He indicated that they were thinking about buying 15 mares for their operation, Southern Pride Ranch, near Pollok, Texas.

"I realize that it isn't many horses when you consider the big spreads across the state, but we're really just getting started. Fifteen horses will double our herd."

"It doesn't make any difference as to the size of your operation, we sell horses to anyone who is in the business and some who just want a champion horse so they can say they own one," Dale told him.

It was agreed they would arrive at the Bar-W Ranch on the afternoon of January 18th. Dale steered them to make reservations at the Cattleman's hotel as he thought the men would enjoy staying in one of the "turn of the century" restored rooms.

Later, Dale talked to Lee Baker about the men visiting the Bar-W Ranch and wanting to buy some mares. Lee remembered the men from meeting them at the Central Texas Horse Show in Waco.

They can pick horses out on Friday afternoon and we can hold them in one of the corrals for a few days. I don't like to keep them penned more than about three days. They aren't used to it," he told Dale. Dale called "Tor" back and was told that they would make arrangements for a truck to be at the Bar-W early in the morning on the 21st to load their horses out and they would follow the truck back to their ranch.

Later that evening, Dale was relating his telephone conversation to Craig. "They want to take us to dinner the nights they are here. We need to keep Joey and his friends locked away during their visit and probably should put a "pervert warning sign" on the campus at Western JuCo."

Craig thought that was funny, but agreed with Dale's thinking, remembering the men's statements about going to the nearby college towns to pick up tricks. He hoped that they would be discreet while in Williamsport.

• • • • • True to his word, Leland Stanton was able to get the ball rolling toward Forrest's adoption by Craig. He had the help of Jeremy Houser and at his urging, had spoken with Alan Zimmer, the attorney in Austin who was making a name for himself and his partner, Jeffery Fields, as gay rights advocates. Alan told Craig and Jeremy that he didn't foresee any problems with the adoption and that Judge Claude Sumner had read the petition and approved it.

"I'm glad you are doing this now," the judge told Alan and the other men, "instead of later and possibly having problems with the Child Welfare System in this state. They don't always work toward what's best for everyone concerned. There have been several times I've had to overrule their decisions on custody because they would leave a young person as a ward of the state when there were people wanting to adopt him. All for a caseworker's ego, I'm afraid," he told the men.

"To satisfy the State of Texas, we have to have an open hearing for the adoption to become final. This isn't a big deal, but has to be public. I'll have my clerk notify you of the date and time. The whole thing won't take 10 minutes in the court room."

After their discussion was over, the judge shook Craig's hand and dismissed him so he could discuss the adoption of Matt Rhodes by Eddie Thompson.

"I called Mrs. Rhodes because I've only had one other case where the parents voluntarily gave up a teenager for adoption. In that case, the parents, who had also threatened the boy with being forced to join the Army when he turned 18, were verbally abusing the boy.

"It was simply a case where the boy and the parents couldn't get along with each other. After he left the home, his grades went up and he eventually won a college scholarship and now holds a masters degree in civil engineering. He was lucky in that there was a fellow who owned an abstract company and had helped some other young men before. I took it upon myself to visit this man and he agreed to take on a guardianship role. We got the paperwork signed pronto and the parents were out of the picture. The young fellow really excelled from that point on. The parents later left the state and we don't know what happened to them."

Jeremy and Alan loved to visit with Judge Sumner. Jeremy hoped that he would hold his post for many more years as he really tried to help young people by researching the options.

"Anyway," the Judge continued. "Mrs. Rhodes doesn't seem to have a good excuse where Matt is concerned. She told me that she and her husband traveled a lot. They found out that instead of being a good Christian boy; that he was perverted and they couldn't have that in their household, as there were younger children still in the home.

"I don't buy that, but did talk to her enough that I agree the boy would be happier in another environment. I've spoken to young Matthew Rhodes and his only concern is that he won't see his sister and brother on a regular basis. He's actually relieved to be allowed to leave the family home. And, it seems that the men who are adopting him truly love him. I see this as a win-win situation for all of them."

"How do you want us to proceed?" Alan asked.

"I've forwarded their attorney the forms they need to sign to give up custody of young Matthew, and also to approve his adoption. They are in the process of setting up a trust fund for his college in the amount of $75,000. The Bank of Commerce is to be the trustee. With help from scholarships, he should be in good shape for college when he graduates from high school. As soon as I receive notification that the trust fund is set up, I'll sign the adoption petition and that adoption will be final after a public hearing. I wish all of them were as straightforward as these two are.

"Jeremy, you have some good contacts all over the state. Keep up the good work for the sake of our young citizens of Texas." With that, the judge stood to shake hands, indicating the meeting was over.

Both men thanked the judge and walked to the lobby of the Juvenile Services Division. Alan shook Jeremy's hand, saying, "Ya done good, Mr. Houser. It's always a pleasure working with you."

"No more so than you, Alan. Thanks for all of the help you give my office. I know you don't get paid for your advice to us, but you have certainly headed off some potential problems before they occurred."

"Not a problem. The people who work for us are up on the legislation in every state and have helped draft statutes and new laws concerning adoption, custody and gay-related rights. We can certainly give you our knowledge and are glad to see positive results from our efforts."

• • • • • As it turned out, both Matthew's and Forrest's adoptions were scheduled for the same day, January 25th, 1991. The hearing for Matthew was at 3 p.m. and Forrest's was to be at 3:30, the last case of the day on Judge Sumner's schedule.

Tom and Eddie, along with Dale and Craig decided to have a party for the two young men after the court hearing was over and it was agreed to have it at their house. Doris agreed to help with snacks and refreshments and the party would start at 4:30, after their friends were out of school.

• • • • • Joey and Forrest were in their room studying one evening and were ready to take a break. Joey went to the kitchen to get them each a Coke, along with some peanuts and pretzels. Sitting at his desk, he faced Forrest, who was in the chair at the computer table. Mitsy was lying on the bed, watching them. It was crowded in the room, but they knew they were going to have a lot more space in a few months.

The conversation turned to Forrest's adoption by Craig. "You told me that you wanted to call both Dale and Craig 'Dad' because you didn't want to favor one over the other. What did you mean?" Forrest asked.

"Well, this may be hard to explain, so bear with me," Joey said before launching into the story. "As you know, my real Dad died last October. I knew that I had a half-brother, but that's about all I knew. My Dad had only seen Dale once and that's when Dale was about 12 years old. I think he felt guilty because he hadn't married Dale's mom. At that time I was about 2 years old and Dad didn't tell Dale that he had another family.

The only other family I have is an elderly aunt who isn't in good health and some cousins who live somewhere in Oregon and I'm not sure if my Dad knew how to locate them. Then when he went into the hospital for the last time, he realized that something had to be done about finding a place for me to live and there wasn't much time to do it."

Forrest nodded his head. He knew part of the story.

"So Mr. McCormick, the social worker at the V.A. was able to locate Dale. He brought Craig with him to meet our Dad and both of them agreed to provide a home for me, even before they met me. That impressed Mr. McCormick as well as my Dad. They didn't even know anything about the money that Dad had or anything about me - you know, like was I hostile, a problem kid that did drugs or anything." Joey paused. "I'm not sure I would agree to let a total stranger move in if I were them, but it's all worked out really super. I love them both and that's why I call them both 'Dad' 'cause they really are."

"So Dale's your half-brother and guardian, but Craig isn't really related?" Forrest was trying to get the picture straight in his mind.

"That's true," Joey said. "But, we all got to do something that most parents don't get to do and that's pick our family. They brought me to Williamsport so I could see how they lived. I met some people in the choir and Paul and Fr. George had a little party for me so I could meet some other people. That showed me that they were responsible people and I knew I'd be happy in their home. They are both such neat people. You'll be glad that you chose them as your Dads, too."

"I think it's cool that they are gay and are comfortable with your friends being around all the time," Forrest said.

"Believe me, I'd rather have gay parents anytime than some of the other parents I've met. They don't go around waving banners and marching in gay parades. I think that might embarrass me, but they are great when it comes to discussing things. They told me that it was okay to keep the movies, but to be discreet about who I allow to watch them with me."

"I know, I had no idea what we were going to watch the other evening," Forrest stated. "It almost blew my mind when the first scene opened. Then it really got interesting when the woman left."

"I know. I've only watched a few of the movies, but had discovered that one a couple of days earlier. Some of them are pretty gross, you know, like treating each other roughly and trying to dominate each other. Most are just pure sex, but better than what they teach in school," Joey laughed and Forrest agreed.

"Hey, we're about the same as brothers now, aren't we?" Forrest wanted to know. He hoped that he was gaining a brother out of this as well as parents. He needed have worried.

"Yeah, and remember this, I chose you - not just having to take what God gave my parents," Joey snickered. He loved to tease Forrest. When the four of them were teasing each other it was always a lot of fun.

"Well, I guess I could say the same," Forrest replied. "I never dreamed when I first met all of you that I would be living here, too."

"Well, we are brothers. We've eaten each other's cum," Joey said. "That's not something that all brothers do." He felt his face turning red, but it was the truth.

"I guess this brings up the next question," Forrest said.

"What?" Joey wanted to know.

"The Gay question," Forrest stated. He figured they needed to get this out of the way and the sooner the better.

"Oh," Joey answered. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Forrest answered carefully. "Well I may be. Guys turn me on and I don't have much interest in girls right now. Until the other evening, I'd never done anything with another guy and I haven't been on a date with a girl. But, I'm not sure I want to do that," he said, trying to be truthful. He hoped Joey understood, but judging from the movies, he was at least open-minded. He didn't want to tell Joey that he was one of his masturbation fantasies.

It was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know what I am. I've had a lot of fun with other guys, mostly circle-jerks in scouts, but women are a mystery. But I get hard watching a movie, whether it's a guy and a gal or other guys. I'm not sure what that means. You know, sometimes you just have to jack."

"I know what you mean," Forrest told him.

"I've talked to Craig and Dale about it and they told me that I was overly concerned, that I was only just past 14-years old and still had a lot of time to discover my sexual orientation."

"Gee, you're lucky to have someone to talk to. I never did. I certainly couldn't ask my grandmother. I'm in scouts, but because of my grandmother being ill, I haven't been on a camping trip for 3 years. I've probably missed a lot of fun after the lights went off," Forrest said.

"You're right there. I need to transfer my membership to the local troop and get active again. I'm a First-Class, but have done some of the work on my Star rank. I don't want to lose that. You can go on campouts now that you live with us," Joey told him.

"Hey, I hadn't thought about that. I'm only a Second-Class and haven't even been to a meeting for three years. It's nice to have some money to spend as I please instead of trying to help my grandmother," Forrest replied.

"Hey Bud, that's something else Dale and Craig need to talk to you about and that's money. Right now I have a savings account that my earnings from the store are deposited in. I also have a checking account and get an allowance that's used mostly for my lunches at school. They will probably set up the same thing for you to have," Joey informed him.

"You're kidding?" Forrest said.

"Nope, telling you the truth. I can work at the store whenever I want, but my Dads get concerned that I'm not taking the time to do the "kid things" that my friends are involved in. So, since the holidays, I've only been working about 10 hours a week."

Forrest thought about it. "You're right. That's about the number of hours I've been working, too. With my homework and a couple of AP classes, I spend a lot of time studying."

• • • • • Joey and Forrest continued sharing his bedroom and bed. They had a few "j.o. sessions" together, but nothing progressed beyond that. Both were caught up in school activities and their work. Forrest was taking two A.P. courses and was able to maintain a 3.8 GPA on them. Joey wouldn't be eligible for A.P. classes until his sophomore year, but was carrying a 3.95 GPA on his curriculum courses.

They were enjoying their new status as brothers. When Forrest told the rest of "the gang" that Craig Bastian was adopting him, the only smart remark was from Bryce Barnett and after a glaring glance from Joey, he felt it wise to keep his mouth shut. Joey wondered what Bryce's problem was. He was a little too quick to make a smart-ass remark about the sexuality of various people but, by the same token, was very closed-mouth about why his mother and his two brothers lived in Williamsport while his father was serving in the Air Force in Germany. That family also attended Victory Temple from time to time, which further made him a question in Joey's mind.

The other young men congratulated Forrest on his good fortune, expressing their sadness at the passing of his grandmother, but letting him know they approved of his becoming Joey's "brother" as soon as the court could act on his adoption.

Word was also getting around school that Matthew Rhodes was going to be adopted by Coach Eddie Thompson and would soon be known as Matthew Bryant Thompson. Again, there were a few smart remarks about that event, but few had any opinion about it. Matt was known as somewhat of a loner, but was friendly and well respected among the student body.

• • • • • Joey realized that among his friends at school, he was the only one who didn't have a father in the real sense of the word. Sure, both Dale and Craig were his "Dad's" but that was because he loved both of them and knew they loved him in return. There had been some discussion about Dale being his guardian and the question of adoption had come up several times. He would have to think about this. Craig was going to become Forrest's "real dad" and Dale was Joey's "guardian". He wanted to think this through because he didn't want to slight Craig. He didn't want him to think he was changing "his loyalty" to him. Being adopted by Dale wouldn't change his relationship with Craig or Forrest. The two of them could still be brothers, just not related - and they weren't right now, either.

He needed to think about this. He knew he could talk to his "grandparents" who were really Craig's parents. 'Gee,' he thought, 'Life gets complicated.'

He needed to talk to his two "Dads" about this. He didn't know what he should do, but felt his questions needed to be resolved.

• • • • • To be continued * * * * * Author's Note: Thank you for the overwhelming amount of emails you sent following the release of Book II, Chapter 6. It is wonderful to hear from a lot of old acquaintances as well as a number of emails from people who have just discovered this saga and report that they have read the entire story in a few sittings. That's a lot of reading. I continue to enjoy reading your comments and appreciate the continued interest in the story.

This chapter deals with several open issues and there will be more surprises in upcoming chapters.

My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon ("Dukes of Windsor"), who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors. Also to Randy Smith of San Juan Capistrano, who has been a loyal reader from the very beginning. Any comments are appreciated and you can reach me at TulsaAuthor@hotmail.com.

Thanks, David.