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 Copyright(c) 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 copyrighted(c) 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 2, Chapter 8: Who Said That?

The Friday after the New Year, Dale received a phone call from Leland Stanton.

"Bar-W Ranch," Dale Richards speaking," he answered.

"Dale, Leland Stanton here. How are you this morning?"

"Great. Christmas and New Years are behind us and everything is back to normal except for shedding the extra pounds we've all put on. How about you?"

"The same. That was some wonderful food and drink we had at your house over the last two weeks. Next year you'll be in your new home and will really have a grand time entertaining."

"Looking forward to it," Dale said, wondering about the reason Leland was calling.

"I have good news for you concerning the property east of your new ranch," Leland said.

"What's that? Did they accept our bid?" Dale wanted to know.

"They were trying to get you to come up $10 thousand. I told their attorney that I thought you had made a fair bid. He balked, and then talked to the heirs. They finally agreed to the offer of $38,500. I told him to have the paperwork drawn up and that we are ready to close as soon as he has everything in order."

"That's excellent news to start the year off right. You do good work, Leland. Craig and Joey, along with me, are very grateful for all you've done for us in the last few months. We have a successful business and think that the store is in good hands with David and Frank running it. The other ventures we are getting ready to launch should add to what you've already accomplished," Dale told him sincerely.

"You fellows just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Believe me, it's not always easy to start up a new business, but you are in an industry that will grow by leaps and bounds. You got into it at a good time and I see you opening additional stores in major markets in the future."

Dale hadn't thought about that, but knew Leland was right. They were on the "cutting edge" of new technology.

"So," Dale questioned, "what do we need to do about the property?"

"We'll do the closing in my office. I'll cut the necessary checks for abstract fees, realty commission and title transfer for the Register of Deeds office. All I need is your and Craig's signatures and we're all done.

I figure they should be ready for closing early next week," Leland said. "I'll let you know ahead of time."

"We're excited about this. Joey can hardly wait to get our horses moved to the new place. He and I have checked the fences and they are secure. The outbuildings all need a coat of paint, but we need some warmer weather before we can do that. It will make a good project for Joey and Forrest. Maybe they can con some of their friends into doing it for them," Dale laughed.

Leland laughed along with him. "Yeah, those two make Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn look like amateurs."

Leland went on, "You and Craig are making the right decision as to adopting Forrest. I can tell that he and Joey are really right with each other. Forrest is really deserving of what you guys are all doing for him."

"Yeah, they are good for each other. Forrest has worked hard from a rather young age to help pay for some of his grandmother's needs. It's time that he is able to enjoy his adolescent years and feel secure," Dale replied. He was proud of both boys and knew that regardless of the title, he and Craig would be "Dads" to both of their boys.

Talk drifted to the weather, then Leland told Dale, "I'll let you know about the closing as soon as they give me the word they are ready."

Dale took that as his cue to say "Thank you" again and tell Leland good-bye.

He broke the connection, then sat at his desk for a few minutes thinking about the good things that were happening in his life. * * * * *

That evening Dale was relating the phone conversation with Leland. There was much slapping of hands and thumbs up at the news of the purchase of the other land. Craig and Dale decided that they needed to make an appointment to go visit Gordon Marwick to look at the house they now owned and to sign a new lease agreement with him and his wife.

Craig had some sketches of the patio that they had more or less agreed on. The area close to the kitchen would contain a brick fire pit, along with a built-in smoker. There was plenty of room for the hot tub Dale had won the previous fall at the Builder's Trade Show in Ft. Worth.

Joey spoke up. "Are we going to have a swimming pool?"

Craig and Dale had talked about it, but nothing more had been said, as they were busy with the floor plan and the appearance of the inside and outside of the house.

"Do you want one for just splashing around, or are you serious about swimming laps and diving?" Craig wanted to know.

"Serious swimming," Joey said. Forrest agreed. "I love to swim, but I've never been good enough for the swim team at school."

"I was always a good swimmer, but I'm like Forrest. It was never competitive," Craig told them.

"I can swim well enough to keep from sinking," Dale told them. He had learned to swim about the time he was in the first grade, but seldom had the chance to build endurance or work on his form.

"Guess we need to design a pool, then," Craig said. He would need to go to a company that built swimming pools to get ideas about size and possible location. The yard was plenty large, so he didn't want to crowd the patio area too much.

The others agreed. * * * * *

The Sunday morning mass was the observance of the Feast of the Epiphany, marking the end of the 12 days of Christmas. The Bishop would be visiting St. James on February 10, the Sunday before Lent started. There were 28 people in the confirmation class, which was half way through their preparation course.

Fr. George had been making regular announcements about the "Epiphany Procession," a service that was going to be held for the first time at St. James Church. The service originated at York Minster in York, England. Fr. George and Paul had seen it once before they came to the United States. He promised that it would be an interesting service, explaining about the 3 Magi visiting the newborn Christ, bringing their gifts.

Paul, in turn, had been rehearsing the choir for the unique service. The church was well filled when the service started in the darkened building.

The service began with two processions. The First, moving from the East, represented the journey of the Wise Men - or, as ancient tradition called them, the three Kings - bringing their gifts. The Second, moving from the South, represented the pilgrimage of Everyman, of us all, to Bethlehem. The two processions met, greeted and united at the West Door, and the pilgrimage continued up the central passage of the Nave to the altar. The whole Congregation knelt as the newborn King was adorned and the offerings made to our eternal high Priest.

The choir and clergy (which was beautifully robed) had been divided into two groups, each waiting in the passage aisle on either side of the chancel.

The First Responsory was Psalm 72 and sung by the Procession of the Wise Men in the distance, as they advanced from the East. Jason Williamson, swinging the thurible, followed by a processional cross and candles, led them. The lights were turned up a bit. After they were in place in the Mary Chapel, the Procession of Everyman advanced into the Chapel of St. Joseph singing "Lo, how a Rose e'er Blooming. That procession was led by another thurifer and followed by a processional cross and candles. As they moved into place the lights came up a little more.

The First Lesson was Isaiah 60:1-6, foretelling the light that would arise to destroy the darkness of the world.

The carol, "How bright appears the Morning Star" was sung, accompanied by the organ as both processions moved up the side aisles to the west doors.

At that point the choir sang the Motet, "O magnum mysterium," a' cappella.

The Second Lesson was from St. Matthew 1:18-23, "the Evangelist telling of Emmanuel's birth."

The choir sang the Second Responsory: "Arise, shine, O Jerusalem for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."

Then the procession slowly moved up the nave to the high altar, singing "Earth has many a noble city, Bethlehem, thou dost all excels out of thee, the Lord from heaven came to rule his Israel. Paul was playing a magnificent organ accompaniment for the congregation and choir.

The Third Lesson was from St. Matthew 2:1-9, detailing the wise men going to Bethlehem and returning to their own countries by another route to avoid King Herod.

"We Three Kings," was sung by the choir and congregation

The Fourth Lesson was from St. Matthew 2:10-11, the Wise Men adore the King of Kings.

The Third Responsory was chanted, followed by the hymn, "Songs of thankfulness and praise."

At the end of the hymn the choir and congregation knelt to adore the Savior in silence. The three Wise Men presented their gifts:

The first King and his attendants, saying, "I bring lights, to figure Him who was the true Light coming into the world to lighten all people," placed two candles on the altar.

The second King presented the Gospel Book, saying, "I bring Holy Church's Scriptures to Him who came that all might worship the Father in spirit and in truth."

The third King and his attendants placed the cross and chalice, prefiguring the suffering of this Holy Child, saying, "Even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The service continued with a Motet based on the scripture, St. Matthew 2:1,11. And then the choir and congregation chanted "The Lord's Prayer" together.

The Deacon chanted the Collect of the Epiphany and after Fr. George pronounced the blessing, the choir processed out the sides of the chancel, along with the clergy.

There was a wine and cheese reception in the parish hall. Everyone was talking about the unique and beautiful service they had just witnessed.

As usual, the boys of the choir were already helping themselves to cookies and punch when Dale, Craig, Forrest, Frank and Doris entered the hall.

Matt was with Tom and Eddie. Dale and Craig each gave him a hug, along with congratulations on his adoption. Forrest bumped fists with Matt to show his approval.

Forrest made an appointment to talk to Fr. George Tikker after school on the next evening. He hadn't said anything to the others about this meeting as he felt he needed to talk to Fr. George first.

When he entered the office wing, he could hear organ music. Paul was either practicing or teaching a student. The secretary greeted him as he entered her work area.

"Hello. You must be Forrest," she stated, rather than questioned.

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied.

"Fr. George is on the phone right now. Why don't you have a seat and I'll let him know you are waiting?"

He had just picked up a copy of "The Anglican Digest" when Fr. George walked into the waiting area and greeted him. "Hello, Forrest. I hope you had a great day at school today."

Forrest was always impressed with Fr. George's enthusiasm.

"Yes, it was a good day. The teachers are starting to assign a lot of homework. I'm glad I have Joey as a study buddy. Even though we're not taking the same classes, he's great to study with because he's interested in what I'm doing."

The men visited for a short period of time, then Fr. George asked, "What can I help you with, Forrest?"

"I've only been attending church here since Thanksgiving. My grandmother was a member of the Presbyterian Church, but we never attended on a regular basis. She also told me that I'd never been baptized, either."

"That's not a problem, okay?" Fr. George said.

"Un... yeah... I mean I know that Dale and Joey are going to be baptized and confirmed and I wondered what I have to do... and could it be at the same time this happens for them?" It all came out in a rush of words.

Fr. George realized that this was very important to Forrest and obviously he was sincere in his quest of being a church member.

"The confirmation class is about half way toward completion of their course. If you are willing to attend the rest of the classes, do some required reading and meet with me once a week for about 15 or twenty minutes, I think we can get you ready to join the others in being prepared for confirmation. This is a step not to be taken lightly and I'll be glad to have you as a member of this parish. As far as being baptized, you can join Dale and Joey and share in the celebration we have for them that Sunday." Fr. George looked at his calendar. "Their baptism is scheduled for January 27th."

Fr. George handed Forrest three folders, telling him to read them before starting through the Catechism of the Episcopal Church.

"Dale, Craig and Joey can probably help you get started with the learning process," he said.

Forrest had several questions, which were easily answered. He realized that he'd been in Fr. George's office for almost a half hour.

Fr. George stood up. "I don't like cutting this short, but we have Evening Prayer scheduled in about 15 minutes and it's my assignment this evening. Perhaps you can join us in the Mary Chapel? The service only takes about 15 minutes," he told Forrest.

"Sure, I've not experienced that service before, either."

After the service was over, Fr. George greeted the people attending the service. He told Forrest, "If you have any questions the other fellows can't answer, I expect you to call me." He smiled as he said this and Forrest knew he was sincere.

That night Dale and Craig were getting ready for bed when Dale settled into one of the chairs in their bedroom. "Come sit with me," Dale said, putting his legs up on the ottoman.

"What are you going to do to me?" Craig teased, walking up to the chair.

"Well, what do you want me to do to you?" Dale replied, taking his hand and pulling him down on his lap. They exchanged a kiss which had the effect desired. They both started getting hard.

"Before we get into this, we need to talk about Forrest," Dale said.

"Okay," Craig replied. He was disappointed, but knew they would soon be in bed.

"His birthday is coming up on February 12th and he'll be turning 17," Dale said.

"I guess I thought he was already 17, but when I think about it I guess he said he'd soon be 17. You know, at his age boys can't wait to be older. Now the years are moving a little quicker than I want," Craig said.

"Tell me about it," Dale said.

"He's like Joey, very responsible for his age. They will be good brothers for each other," Craig proudly said..

"Well, we need to start thinking about his birthday and what he might need.

He's been working for a long time and most of what he's earned from mowing lawns, odd jobs and delivering papers has gone to helping with his grandmother's medical expenses. I talked to him about an allowance and he told me that he was making more money working at the store than he'd ever earned before and we didn't need to do anything more." Dale went on, "He needs to save some of that money for college. We can help him out so he can hang on to most of his earnings."

"I agree with you. I don't have any idea what he might need. We need to get started emptying his house, have a sale and get it ready to rent. That money needs to be set aside for something he really needs or to help with college, too," Craig told Dale.

"I agree and we can get that project started this week," Dale said.

"What do you have in mind for his birthday?" Craig asked.

"Actually I was thinking of buying him a car. I notice that he and Joey both either walk or wait for one of us to take them somewhere. Joey told me that he'd ride his bike to the store, but unless a truck was unloading, he can't get into the loading dock unless someone lets him in."

"He's been working some evenings and it's close to dark when he comes home.

I don't want him riding his bicycle at night," Craig said in agreement.

"I've done some checking at Crawford's GM. That dealer has some pretty nice school cars. They have a couple of Camero's that are about 5 years old as well as several other small cars. The salesman told me that they usually had a half dozen cars of that type on the lot and if we didn't find anything we liked, they could have their used car buyer look for something at the car auction in Dallas. He goes up there about every two weeks."

"You think of everything, don't you?" Craig asked, giving Dale a kiss.

"Not always, but in reality this could benefit both of the boys - as long as they are going the same place," Dale laughed. "Joey is still a year and a half away from having his own car."

"Knowing those two, they will watch out for each other," Craig proudly said.

"They certainly have bonded with each other pretty quickly. Do you think they are 'doing it'?" Dale asked. "Maybe you are going to have to have a talk with them about safe sex." Dale's eyes were twinkling and he had a big grin on his face.

"Me?" You're the expert," Craig said. His mouth found Dale's and locked onto his lips.

Dale pinched Craig's right nipple. It got the desired result.

"Well I suppose that we'd better find out what's going on and assure them that we don't want them hurting each other. And to be safe," Dale replied.

"The joys of raising kids," Craig giggled. "I wish I knew then what I know now. None of the boys in my school would have been safe - well maybe a few of the ugly ones." He was in full laugh mode by now.

Dale joined in the laughter. "Yeah I was somewhat in the same boat. The attitudes of the young people seem to have changed a lot in the last ten years. But, there are still a lot of ignorant bigots running around loose."

"So, are we going to look at cars tomorrow?" Craig questioned.

"It wouldn't hurt. I'll probably have to come into town to take some parts to the welding shop and pick up the ones left last week. We might meet for lunch and then go shopping," Dale told him.

"Works for me. I'm working on some drawings for a new project Don wants to go after. It's going kind of slow as he's not feeding me the information as fast as he could. I'm not needed at the old Beauford property until the house is back on its foundation and that will be the end of next week," Craig replied.

"We can talk about it tomorrow. Right now I have something important to show you," Dale teased. "You'll find it on the bed."

Craig stood up, holding out his hand to help Dale out of the chair. He admired his lover. Truly they were the perfect match for each other. Joey had completed their "family" when he came to live with them and now Forrest had joined them, to be adopted by Craig. He and Joey seemed to be pretty tight, more so than most brothers. He and Dale both wondered if there was a sexual attraction there, also.

Together Dale and Craig rolled onto their bed and toward each other, meshing their bodies to the other, mouths searching for another as Dale moved Craig onto his back and started lavishing him with big wet kisses.

"Hey, Cowboy," Craig whispered. "I wanna ride your saddle horn again. I have an itch that only your tool can reach." He was practically panting in anticipation.

Dale realized that this wasn't the night for foreplay. Craig needed servicing and Dale was the man to do it. He moved down to where he could give Craig's pucker the attention it deserved, his mustache tickling the area just above his tongue. Craig was almost bouncing on the bed. Dale realized that they hadn't had sex for a couple of days. Their schedules had been busy, they had things to talk about when they went to bed and then they fell asleep.

Tonight they would fall asleep for a good reason.

Dale packed Craig's hole full of saliva, then used the precum both were producing in quantity and added more saliva to coat his dick. Slowly, he slid into his lover until his pubes were against Craig's balls.

"Oh yeah... feels good," he heard Craig's murmur of contentment. This was the night for a slow fuck and that's what Dale intended until Craig locked his legs around Dale's waist and started to pick up the rhythm, increasing it little by little, trying to scratch that itch somewhere up in his bowels. "Fuck me, Cowboy!!!" Craig gasped out. "Do it. Fill my tank with your hot cum!!" Craig needed it, badly. It was seldom he was that vocal. Dale complied with his pleas. He picked up his pace and they quickly became a sex-machine, working to bring the other to the height of ecstasy; driving the other to sexual overdrive, resulting in a climatic orgasm for each. Craig's itch was scratched. He felt so fortunate to have Dale to love. Sleeping with him was just an added bonus. Dale felt the same way. He would have been just as happy to spread his legs for Craig. That's what made their sex life so great. They never expected the same thing to happen again, like many gay couples that assumed "gender roles".

Enjoying the afterglow of great sex, they slowly untangled from each other.

They had forgotten to put towels on the bed and without cleaning up; they drifted off to sleep, glued together by the evidence of their love for each other. * * * * *

Chuck and Susan had both given their notices at their work places and were packing their respective apartments for the move to Williamsport. Chuck was surprised that he really didn't have that much stuff to move, mainly a bedroom suite, two recliners, a coffee table and a couple of floor lamps.

Susan didn't have much more herself. She had a nice divan, a small dining room table with four chairs and kitchen appliances. They each had plenty of clothing, along with a few pictures and wall hangings they wanted to keep. Of course, Susan had some nice tableware that her mother had been purchasing for her after she graduated from college and started her current job.

At Dale and Craig's suggestion, they found a company who would handle estate sales. The first company didn't want to take on the sale as the items to be sold were in two locations. They referred the couple to another company. That company would combine their things with two other households of furniture for a larger sale. However, Chuck and Susan had to rent a U-Haul to move their things to the place where the sale was to take place.

That accomplished, they rented another U-Haul to pack their things to be moved to Williamsport. Dale and Craig still had some things in storage from Joey's move to Williamsport. They offered Chuck and Susan their extra space to store their things until they could decide on a place to live.

So, Chuck drove the small U-Haul, towing his car behind and Susan drove her Sunbird.

After storing their furniture in Williamsport, they set out to find housing for themselves. They decided to rent an apartment where Chuck would take up residence and Susan would stay with her parents. In the meantime since he thought it was crowded at Dale and Craig's place, Chuck would sleep on the couch at Susan's parents and she would sleep in the second bedroom.

Frank and Doris wondered why they just didn't live together, but didn't say anything to the couple. * * * * *

A few evenings later Forrest, along with Frank and Doris was working at the house where he and his grandmother had lived. He was packing up personal items as well as scrapbooks, pictures and other items belonging to his grandmother. Later, Doris would help him go through the entire house and then hire Carol Stanhope and Paula Hunter to hold an estate sale for him. There was little to keep in the way of furniture, but there were some collectibles in the form of carnival glass, old cut glass and some early Hummel figurines. Forrest was surprised to find out that they had considerable value and would sell well at the sale.

Doris urged Forrest to keep more things than he had planned, telling him that he would later realize why.

Joey was glad that Forrest wasn't at home as he wanted to discuss some things with his two Dads, and they wanted to discuss some things with him.

They went to Tony D's for dinner. Greg greeted them and put them in a corner where they could see into the dining room, but still have some privacy. He took their drink orders, asking if it was okay if he brought Joey a small glass of wine. Both Dale and Craig consented. Joey, of course, was pleased to be treated as an adult. Greg was back quickly with the drinks and said; "I haven't seen you in here for several weeks. I was beginning to think you didn't like me anymore." He smiled, wiggling his eyebrows. The men quickly brought Greg up-to-date on their activities, with Forrest's grandmother dying, him moving in with them, Susan and Chuck moving to the Williamsport area and the construction of two new houses. "I understand what you are telling me. It's just that you used to come in here at least once a week or would order pizza to be delivered to your house." He smiled his best. These guys were good customers as well as friends. They placed their orders and Greg disappeared. While they were waiting for their salads, Joey launched into his first question.

"Hey, Dad Dale, do you remember when I moved to Williamsport you told me that you maybe could adopt me?"

Dale hesitated. "Yes."

"Well, I've been thinking. You know that Tom and Eddie are going to adopt Matt and Dad Craig is going to adopt Forrest?"

Dale though he knew where this conversation was going. "Yes, it's for both Matt's and Forrest's best interests. They could both end up as a Ward of the State of Texas and possibly be put into a foster home, like what could have happened to you."

"I know. It could be a bummer for them and I'm so glad that you and Dad Craig rescued me from that."

The two Dads agreed.

"Well, I've been doing some thinking. I guess with all that's going on, I'll be the only guy in my group of friends that doesn't have a 'real dad'."

Before either Dale or Craig could say anything, he rushed on.

"I don't mean any disrespect, you guys have been super nice, but if Dad Dale were to adopt me, I'd really feel great about it." There, he'd said it.

Dale was beaming. He'd thought about this, but wasn't going to talk to Joey about it. He felt that Joey needed to instigate this conversation and now he had. It made Dale very proud as he and Craig had talked about this happening.

"Congratulations, Joey," Craig said, slapping his hand.

"You've made me very happy," Dale added, giving Joey a hug since they were seated side-by-side.

Joey was relieved. His Dad's were okay with his idea. "I'm still going to call both of you 'Dad' and I think that Forrest wants to call both of you 'Dad' if that's okay with you."

"Of course, it's okay with me," Dale said, his smile turned up to the full wattage.

Craig agreed. He got up and came around the table to give Joey a hug, too.

"You'll always be my boy and I'm proud that you want to call me Dad, too. I know that Dale appreciates the fact that Forrest wants him to be his Dad, also."

About that time Greg came to the table to see if they wanted more salad.

"Is it okay if I tell Greg?" Joey wanted to know.

"Sure," his Dads answered, almost in unison.

"Craig is going to adopt Forrest and Dad Dale is going to adopt me instead of just being my legal guardian," Joey said with a huge smile on his face. All of the guys were grinning.

"Congratulations," Greg said, giving them each five. "Where is Forrest?" Greg wanted to know.

Craig spoke up. "My mother and father are helping him pack things at his grandmother's house so they can have an estate sale and then we'll get it ready to rent."

Greg was pleased to be included in the good news. When it came time for the ticket to be presented, Greg told them the meal was his treat in honor of the positive things going on in their lives. For the first time, there was no argument from Dale and Craig.

"Thanks," Dale said, leaving a tip on the table, then giving Greg a hug. Joey and Craig exchanged hugs with Greg, also.

That evening Dale and Craig were getting ready for bed. Dale spoke up. "I just happened to think that we will only have three horses for four men. I need to talk to Marty and see if we can buy a horse of the same quality as what he gave us for Christmas. We also need to buy tack; saddles, bridles, blankets, grooming tools and feed. Marty told me to help myself to bales of hay. We could buy those, but the clover hay from the Bar-W is better feed."

"When are we supposed to get the horses?" Craig wanted to know.

"Lee said we could move them about the 19th. His men have been working with them, getting them over their reluctance to be ridden. You realize that these horses aren't going to be as docile as what we've been riding, don't you?"

"I kind of had that idea, since they've been running free. Should we leave them at the ranch?" he asked.

"No these horses need to be ridden and it will mean taking some time at least every other day and working with them. Not all of us have to go each time, but at least two of us should go together. They'll be pretty frisky, even running on our own land."

"I wonder if Forrest knows how to ride a horse?" Craig questioned.

"Don't know. Probably not. We can ask him in the morning at breakfast," was the reply.

Forrest's sum total of riding a horse had happened at a birthday party for a friend when he was in the second grade. Every one of the young people got to ride a pony around the yard for about 5 minutes each.

Ray and John were enjoying their newly found relationship with the other. John spent most nights at Ray's house. Ray would have liked for John to move in, but felt it was too soon to spring the question to his friend, who he hoped was more than just a fuck-buddy. They were having fun exploring a sexual relationship. Several years before Ray had found a book called "The Joy of Gay Sex" in a used bookshop in Austin. They were having a ball (no pun intended) studying the illustrations and reading the text to each other.

Then they tried the various positions described, laughing when one didn't work and enjoying the ones that brought pleasure to each of them. If something didn't seem to work, they would reverse positions to try it again.

For his part, Ray wished that his coming to terms with being gay had happened years earlier and seemed to be making up for lost time, but only had desires for John.

Sexually, what John had with Ray was a relationship that he never dreamed possible. He and Michael hadn't done much more than kiss and suck each other off. Nolan had been willing to try more, and John was a willing participant but sex seemed to be the only thing they had in common.

• • • • • Dale was working at his desk the next morning when the phone rang. Since he could tell it was an outside call, he answered, "Bar-W Ranch, Dale Richards speaking."

"Dale, it's Leland Stanton. Good morning."

"Well, good morning to you, too. It's a pretty day today."

"Yeah, I envy you being out on the ranch and being able to be outside. Of course, I know that it can get extremely hot and cold out there, too. But, today I'd like to be outside."

"I'll call you the next time we're baling hay." Dale had to grin at the thought of Leland trying to stack hay bales on the wagon as it followed the baler around the field.

"No thanks. Now you're talking about physical labor. I was just talking about being outside," Leland joked.

"Whatever, thought you might be thinking about changing careers. I need to hire a couple more fellows to work out here.

"Can I pick my bunk mate?" Leland teased. He thought that might be fun. He remembered there were some pretty studly-looking guys working on the ranch.

"Sure, they would probably let you work on their sore muscles," Dale said, laughing. Leland had dropped a lot of his inhibitions and had gotten to the point he would kid around a lot. Dale thought that Leland was pretty uptight the first time he'd met him.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Leland told him. Then he turned to his serious self.

"I have the paperwork on the addition to your ranch and we can take care of the closing anytime you and Craig can come to my office," he said.

Dale had planned to go up to the horse operation to see about their horses.

Marty had no problem with selling them another saddle horse and had urged him to go up and pick out their mounts from the group of about two dozen horses being broken to ride.

"I don't think Craig has any appointments set up, but let me call him and I'll call you back. We can probably be there whenever you have time for us," Dale told him.

"Why don't we make it about 11:30 and then I'll take you to lunch. I owe you after all the meals I've had at your place in the last month or so."

"I don't have good clothes with me. I'm wearing Levis and a sweatshirt.

The thought that Dale wore his Levis quite well went through Leland's mind.

"That's okay. I was thinking of Mexican food anyway. Is that okay with you guys?" Leland asked.

"I can answer for both of us." Dale was hoping they might go to Zapata's for lunch. He thought they had the best tacos in Williamsport. He continued. "If you don't hear from me in ten minutes, we'll see you at 11:30. If there's a problem, I'll call you back, okay?" Dale asked.

"Fine. See you then," said Leland.

They broke the connection and Dale punched in the number for Craig's office. When Craig came on the line, he asked, "How would you like to meet me at the bank and lighten your pockets?"

"Great. Is Leland ready to close on the other land?"

"Yeah, he has the paperwork ready for us to sign and then he said he'd take us for Mexican food for lunch."

"Good. I hope we go to Zapata's. They have great food."

"He didn't say where, but told me it's his treat since he's been to so many meals and parties at our house the last couple of months."

"Okay. I'm working on a redesign project for Don and after lunch I'm to meet with him at the shopping center Warren Collins is building. We're already into alterations and the walls are barely out of the ground." Craig sounded annoyed. "Warren won't stand up to the tenant and we're going to have to pour some additional footings to accommodate a different front and entrance for Function Junction," he added.

"Hey, I forgot to tell you. Marty hinted that he's ready to build a building for the crew at the horse operation. He's thrilled with the one we built here for my men, so guess you'll be hearing from him before too long," Dale said.

"Actually, he called me this morning. He wants to be able to accommodate the twelve men who are working up there now, plus room for maybe six more, if the horse operation keeps expanding." Craig was pleased and wondered if they would be building housing for the cattle workers this year, also.

"Great. I hope that Ray Evans' company will build it," Dale replied.

"Don't think there is any question. Ray's company has built everything new on that ranch for the last 10 years. I don't think he would consider anyone else," Craig answered.

"You're right. Anyway, is 11:30 a good time for you to meet at the bank?" Dale asked.

"Sure. I'll just let Don know that I'm going to lunch and have him shove our meeting up to about 1:15 or so. I know that it's no problem for him," Craig told Dale.

"Okay lover, see you then. Bye."

"You too. Bye," Craig said.

That evening to celebrate the purchase of their ranch, Dale and Craig took Joey and Forrest out to eat at the dining room in the Cattlemen's Hotel. As this was a formal restaurant, each wore a coat and tie. Craig was pleased that Forrest, like Joey, was comfortable eating where there were multiple forks and spoons at each place setting.

"Okay," Dale said after the waiter took drink orders and left the table, "we need to come up with a name for our ranching venture."

Joey told them, "We've been using the name 'Saber' for the computer store and ISP, can't we find another word to go with it for the ranch?"

"Sounds good to me," Craig said, everyone agreeing.

It got quiet while each was thinking. The bartender delivered Beefeater Martini's for Dale and Craig along with a Ginger Ale for Joey and a Dr. Pepper for Forrest.

Various ideas were tossed about as they enjoyed their drinks.

Saber Acres, Casa Saber, Rancho Saber, Estate of the Saber, Saber House, Saber Farms and Land of the Saber, were a few that everyone seemed to like.

"We don't have to decide this tonight," Craig said. "Just something to think about. Write down your ideas and we'll look at all of them again later.

The waiter came to the table to take their orders.

Craig told him, "We're not in any hurry and you aren't crowded so we'd like to enjoy a leisurely dinner this evening."

"Right, gentlemen. May I get you something for an appetizer?"

The waiter thought that there were four fine-looking young men at his table tonight. He wondered what their relationship was. Certainly two of them looked enough alike to be brothers. He would have been surprised to find out that the two youngest were in high school.

"Do you fellows like oysters on the half-shell?" Dale asked Joey and Forrest. He knew that Craig loved them.

"I've only had them once. I think they were okay," Forrest said.

"I like them, with lots of lemon juice and horseradish with cocktail sauce," Joey answered.

Craig teased, "What are you trying to do, burn out your taste buds and open your sinuses?"

"Something like that," Joey grinned his 1000-watt smile.

"That's the way I like them, too," Dale said in his defense.

Everyone was in agreement, so Dale ordered a half-dozen each for them to eat.

Their conversation continued through the salad course. There were some questions that needed to be addressed and this was as good of a place as any to ask them.

Craig spoke first. "Forrest, I assume you want to keep your name as it is?"

"Sure. That's okay, isn't it? I mean, I know that Matt is going to change his name, but I think he has a good reason for doing it. After all his parents don't want him anymore."

"I'm pleased that you want to keep your family name. Although your parents are gone, you are part of their legacy. I assume that your father was your grandmother's son?" Craig asked.

The others were listening to what Forrest had to say.

"Yes, my grandparents had two children; my father who was Edward Ross and a younger child, a baby who died when my Dad was 3. The baby was named Louis Ross and he only lived for about a week. My father and mother married the week after they got their bachelors degrees at the University of Texas. My mother taught English and my father completed a masters degree in Social Science. I was born right after he got his degree. About four years later my parents decided to move to Dallas so my father could take a position at SMU. They were going to look for housing and left me with my grandparents here in Williamsport for a few days.

"Coming back from Dallas a semi that was ahead of them suddenly went out of control and jackknifed. My mother was driving and couldn't stop. In all, there were 8 cars involved in the accident and four people were killed outright and another died the next day. The driver of the semi was badly injured and could offer no explanation as to what happened. The insurance company said that the brake system malfunctioned, but they never proved anything."

"I think I remember that accident," Craig said. "Didn't it happen on the interchange where I-35W and I-35E merge south of Dallas?"

Forrest was pleased that there was some remembrance of the tragedy. "Yes, they were on a viaduct and there was no way to avoid the accident."

Dale and Joey felt sorry for Forrest. Neither of them knew what had happened, just that Forrest's parents had been killed in an accident.

"I'm sorry that I caused you to dig up unpleasant memories," Craig said, reaching over to squeeze Forrest's shoulder.

"It's okay. I just don't remember my parents very well. Then my grandfather died about a year after that. So it was just grandma and me. Then she became ill and couldn't work anymore when I was about eleven. That's when I started mowing lawns, doing odd jobs and delivering papers to try to help out with her expenses, mostly her medicine."

"You were a big help to her, I'm sure," Dale said. He knew a little of what Forrest had gone through. It was the same with him when his mother got sick. However, he had been older and was able to earn more money that Forrest could.

"I'm glad you aren't changing your name. The Ross name should be honored and maybe you will have children someday to carry on that name," Craig told him.

Forrest didn't want to tell the others that it might not happen. He was pretty sure he was gay and needed to have "The Talk" with his new Dads and Joey, too. He knew they wouldn't be bothered by it and could give him a lot of support.

"Thanks for sharing that story with us," Dale told him. "I know that your grandmother depended on you and I'm glad you are going to be part of our family now."

"Hey brother," Joey said, leaning over to give him a hug.

Craig had tears in his eyes. He was thankful for the blessings of a healthy family and parents who were caring. He knew that Dale had not grown up in a loving household, but Joey and Forrest had. He was confident that he and Dale would do everything in their power to show Forrest and Joey that they were loved and how much they meant to this family.

About that time their steaks arrived and they dug in. It was an excellent dinner and everyone was comfortably stuffed when they were ready to drive home.

The next morning when Dale was driving the boys to work, Joey spoke up. "We're going to Forrest's house this evening to pack up a few more things. We can walk home from there."

"Yeah, I want Joey to see some of the toys that belonged to my father. There are some neat old John Deere models; tractors, a combine and some other implements that I'm going to keep," Forrest said.

"I have some models like that, too. I'd forgotten I had them and the women who held my sale found them in the basement. They belonged to me when I was little and I'm proud I still have them," Dale agreed.

Joey laughed. "Yeah and Craig is finally getting the electric trains that belonged to him when he was younger. I guess that grandpa took them over."

"I love model trains. I always wanted one when I was younger, too, but there wasn't the money for it," Forrest said. "But I've got a train scrapbook that I assembled from pictures of trains. I found it in a closet the other day."

"The model trains that belong to Craig and his Dad will be set up in a room in the new house. I think the room will be a little larger than where they are now, and I'm looking forward to getting them moved and running again when the time is right," Dale said. He really was looking forward to it. He'd always wanted a model train, too, but his wishes were ignored.

By this time they were at the school. "Have a great day," Dale told them as they were getting out of the Blazer.

"You, too. Bye Dad," Dale heard in an almost stereo effect. Forrest's voice was deeper than Joey's.

It made Dale proud that he now had two sons and they were good friends as well as brothers.

Since Jeremy Houser was handling Forrest's adoption by Craig, Dale called him to discuss Joey's desire to become Dale's adoptive son.

"This should be an easy one," Jeremy said. "You are already Joey's legal guardian and are the administrator for his trust fund. I don't see any complications. I'll start the ball rolling on this one, too, and contact Judge Claude Sumner to let him know we have a third adoption case in the works. Maybe we can get him to schedule this right after Forrest's case. Then all of you fellows will have several reasons to celebrate that evening."

Dale was pleased with what he was hearing. He knew this was important to Joey. There would be no name change. Dale was against the idea and Joey wanted to honor his father. After all, his name was Joseph Dale Sullivan, Junior.

A week later Dale was working in his office. It felt strange to think of it that way. However, the last two months Mort hadn't been around all that much. The Williamson's hosted a big retirement party for him and his wife at the Lakeshore Country Club. Dale and Craig had been invited, along with Lee Harper and Sam Jealso and their wives. Dale knew that Mort had been given a nice check as a bonus for his years of service to the family and their ever-growing ranch. When it was time for speeches, Dale rose to thank Mort for hiring him to work at the ranch for the first time as summer help when he was just out of high school. Then he became summer help again when he was at Western JuCo and finally was offered a permanent job, making him the "crops foreman" the next year. He was grateful for the opportunity and many times had wondered what he would be doing now if Mort hadn't hired him to begin with.

Lee and Sam had nice things to say about Mort, making a few jokes regarding his lack of understanding of their part of the ranch operation.

Martin Williamson had hired Mort 38 years ago. He reminisced about the growth of the ranch and the changes that had been made in the ensuing years.

When Marty stood to add his thoughts to what had already been said, he simply told Mort that he had made his own job a lot easier as it freed up time Marty needed for other financial and civic interests the family had.

Joey and Forrest were pretty open with each other as to their need to jackoff. Sometimes they did it by themselves in the shower and other times they watched a movie from Joey's collection and jacked as they watched - each other and the movie, too. Forrest would have liked to try mutual masturbation, but wasn't sure how to approach Joey about it. Certainly what they were watching on the screen was way beyond jerking off - together or separately.

Finally one night when they were getting ready for bed, Forrest got up the nerve to talk to Joey about his feelings. This probably was the hardest thing he'd ever done.

"Hey, Joey, there's something I need to talk to you about and we need to do it before the adoption becomes final, 'cause you may not want me for a brother."

"What could be so terrible, are you going to tell me that you're straight or something?" Joey giggled.

Forrest was somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected that answer.

"Hardly. I... um... think maybe I'm gay and you need to know it. I mean... we've been sleeping in the same bed and we've cuddled up to each other and we've jacked together... and we've tasted each other's cum. I've liked it." There, the ball was in Joey's court now.

It was quiet for a minute. Finally, "And you think that I'm supposed to freak out because you tell me that you're probably gay? Ain't gonna happen, bud."

"You're okay with it?" Forrest asked, relieved at the answer he'd heard.

"Why shouldn't I be okay with it? Are you blind or something? My father was gay. Dale's gay. Craig's gay. Matt's gay. I asked Dale to adopt me. Craig's gonna adopt you. Eddie and Tom are going to adopt Matt. In case you haven't noticed, our priest is gay and his lover is Paul, our organist. If you expect me to be grossed out about you, I'm not and I admire you for telling me. I don't know if I'm gay, but I like to play around with other guys and really like having you as my best bud, living here with us. Dale and Craig love you and they love me. And I love you, but maybe not in the gay way. What else is there to talk about?" Joey asked with a big grin.

Forrest was quiet. He was processing what Joey had said.

"I'll probably wake up in the morning, and we'll be cuddled up together. We'll both be hard and if we jack together or alone in the shower, it's not gonna change anything. I like to jack and it's more fun to do it with you, or Danny, or other guys. "It's not like I'm gonna ask you to blow me or let me fuck you in the butt, but I might consider it if you asked real nice." Joey wondered why he'd made that last statement. Would he really do that to his brother?

"You know what, Joey?" Forrest asked. "You're awesome!"

Forrest thought for a minute, and then asked. "Could I kiss you - to see what it's like?"

This stumped Joey for a minute. 'Forrest is my best bud, so why not?' he thought. 'After all they had tasted each other's cum. What was a kiss with a little tongue?'

"Yeah, why not. Maybe I'll learn something new."

Since they were sitting side by side, their backs against the headboard, it was a simple matter for them to scoot around, side-by-side facing the other.

They brushed each other's lips the first time. It made Forrest get harder than he already was. The second time Forrest ran his tongue over Joey's lips. This made Joey get harder, if that were possible.

They were each starting to breathe heavier. Forrest leaned toward Joey again. This time when he ran his tongue over Joey's lips, they parted and he felt Joey's tongue touching his. It was the equivalent of an explosion. It really was. Forrest's dick gave a big twitch and started unloading all over his chest and abs, a few splatters landing on Joey's chin.

Joey mashed his mouth against Forrest's and realized that he was about to cum. He took hold of his cock and that's all that was needed. He painted his chest with cum and got some on Forrest, too.

They continued kissing and both were leaking profusely, the cum on their chests was running together. Both thought that was the most profound thing that had ever happened to them. "Wow!" they said, almost in unison, as they pulled apart. Joey tried something he'd seen in the movies. He leaned over, licked some of the cum off Forrest's chest, he wasn't sure who it belonged to, and leaned in to share it with Forrest. His brother reciprocated. They shared with each other until their chests and abs were clean, but sticky. Joey laughed. "Well, we are truly brothers now. No denying that." "Yeah. I think that kissing is awesome," Forrest announced. He was thinking that maybe Joey might be willing to try other things. He hoped. As for Joey, he found out that he enjoyed kissing. If that was gay, he didn't care. It was a breathtaking experience. * * * * *

The next morning was Saturday. They each took a separate and quick shower, then pulled on clean boxers to meet their Dads in the kitchen for some breakfast. Both Forrest and Joey were scheduled to work at the store from opening time to 5 o'clock.

"It's about time you got here," Craig said noticing the big grins each of the boys had on their faces. He wondered what had transpired.

Dale noticed it, too. Obviously something sexual had happened and he decided that it was time for a talk and the best way was with all four of them present. The best way to get into the subject was to meet it head-on.

"Do you have something you want to tell your Dads?" Dale asked, his eyes twinkling. Craig turned toward them, after removing a breakfast casserole from the oven. He wondered how the boys would answer that question.

"Un... err..." Joey didn't know where to begin, but knew they were going to have to answer the question. Forrest had turned red. He was more than willing to let Joey talk.

"Are we playing charades?" Dale was enjoying himself. That statement relieved a lot of tension as all four of them laughed together.

"Well Forrest decided to tell me that he thinks he's gay. He thought I'd hate him for it and I told him there was no problem with me or with you two.

One thing led to another and Forrest wanted to kiss me. It was the most awesome thing I've even experienced." Then Joey started to get embarrassed.

"And we shot cum all over each other without hardly touching ourselves." There, he'd said it. It all came out in one big rush of words.

Dale grinned. "I know what you mean. It happens to me every time I kiss your mother."

It was Craig's turn to be embarrassed, although he knew Dale was trying to keep the mood light.

It took Forrest a little bit to realize that Dale was referring to Craig as "Joey's mother." He started laughing, which further eased the tension.

"Hey guys, you didn't invent kissing other guys and you don't have a monopoly on it. Craig and I just want you fellows to know that you are welcome to discuss any aspect of sex and we'll answer it to the best of our abilities. We're willing to help you guys along by answering your questions. I just wish that I'd had someone to help me along when I was your ages and I needed answers."

"Thanks... Dads," Forrest said. "If I'd known kissing was so amazing I would have kissed Joey the first night I slept with him."

"Hey guys, we can continue this while we eat, but the casserole is ready to be dished up and there is juice and biscuits to go with it." They each had a cup of coffee already.

The conversation continued on through breakfast until it was time for Joey and Forrest to get dressed for work. Forrest was relieved that nobody was going to sit in judgment about the activities of the previous night.

Dale drove them to the store and then went home to Craig. They discussed the sexual situation of Joey and Forrest and what it might lead to. It made both of them horny and it was close to noon before they took a much-needed shower themselves. * * * * * This was the day that Lee Baker was going to move the horses to their new ranch so Dale and Craig drove out to the Bar-W horse operation. They had taken Joey and Forrest out the previous Tuesday evening to pick out the horses they wanted. On the advice of two of the men who had been breaking the horses to ride, they picked four as their own. Dale and Craig were thankful for Marty's generosity and all four of the men would write thank-you notes to show their appreciation. There were plenty of saddles at the ranch, so Dale showed Forrest how to saddle his horse and make sure everything was secure before he helped boost him into the saddle. Forrest was a little apprehensive about getting on his horse for the first time. Joey held his reins as Dale adjusted the stirrups and made sure he was comfortable. He realized that Forrest needed western boots, too. After Joey and Craig were in their saddles, Dale mounted his horse. He had already explained that they were going to ride slowly until everyone was comfortable and then they would allow the horses to break into a slow trot. He warned the other three that the horses were likely to "test" their riders, so to hang on and keep the reins somewhat tight. Joey and Craig had no problems, but Forrest wasn't taking any chances. He held the reins tightly and squeezed his knees into the horses' flanks. Dale could tell that Forrest wasn't enjoying this, yet, but the mare must have realized that she had a novice aboard. Dale and Craig were riding male horses that had been gelded (neutered) and the female horses Joey and Forrest were riding had also been neutered. They had some slight genetic flaw that kept them from being sold as breeding stock. They would make excellent saddle horses and could be entered in most contests, if the owners were willing to train them for showmanship. They rode their new horses for almost an hour, visiting while enjoying the ride. Dale worked with the other three, but especially with Forrest to make sure they were comfortable and he demonstrated how to make the horse obey commands. By the time they were back at the horse headquarters, each was tired and cold, but elated. Dale and Craig had already picked names for their horses. Dale's was "Cutter" and Craig called his horse, "Lance". Joey decided to name his horse "Sabra" (a variation of Saber) and Forrest came up with the name "Socks" for his mount as it looked like she was wearing black socks above her hooves.

Two of Lee's men were ready to take the saddles from the horses and groom them. Dale was thankful, although he really needed to show the others how to care for their horses. However, there would be ample opportunity to do that when they were at their new quarters. * * * * * Torrance and Bryant Greenwood arrived at the Bar-W close to the appointed time on January 18th. Dale was working at his desk approving invoices to pay when he saw their station wagon rolling to a stop in front of the office. He got up from his desk and went outside to greet them. He wished he could say he was anxious to see them again, but honestly couldn't. The experience at the restaurant when at the Central Horse Show had left a bad impression on both him and Craig. Both of the men had apologized to them, but Dale thought they were being forward in assuming that he and Craig might become their sexual conquests for the evening. He put on a smile before opening the door. "Hi Dale," Torrance said, being echoed by Bryant, who got out of the passenger side. Dale moved toward them to shake hands and felt himself being drawn into a hug. He remembered the money they were spending to buy horses and put his thoughts behind him, giving in to the hug. Both men were wearing Levis and a sweatshirt with "Southern Pride Ranch" embroidered across the front. "Great to see you, guy," Bryant told him. "Lookin' good," Torrance told him. "How's Craig?" he asked. "He's doing really well. We've had a lot happen in our lives since we last saw each other and it's all been good," Dale replied. He remembered that they liked to be called Tor and Bry. "You'll have to bring us up-to-date this afternoon," Tor told him. "I'll fill you in while we're looking at horses. Glad you fellows could come for a visit. We can go up to the horse operation anytime you want. Lee Harper and his men are breaking horses and are available to let you look at as many horses as you want to buy. They will separate them into a corral to hold until your truck is here on Monday morning." "I'm ready, but can we use the restroom? We drank too much beer with lunch," Tor said. "Sure, come on into the office. I need to put a jacket on, anyway. You may want to take one with you. It can get chilly when the sun starts to go down," Dale told them. He opened the door for them to step inside and pointed out the room down the hall. Tor went first and Dale was visiting with Bry when he came back. "Nice office you have here," Bry said as Dale was putting on his jacket. "Thanks. This building serves as the main ranch office. We keep an inventory of belts, filters, hydraulic hoses and other things necessary to keep equipment running in the upstairs area. There is an area where we milk the cow and also have a cooler room for keeping milk and eggs. One of the fringe benefits as we can help ourselves to whatever we need. Nothing seems to go to waste, but we don't seem to run out, either." "I see two houses. Do Marty's parents live here, too?" Bry asked. "Yeah, you passed their house when you drove in. Marty and his wife, Chris, and their two sons, Jason and Kevin live in the big house. Actually we have a third house back behind the trees where the crops crew lives. We just built that about 3 months ago. It's a good fringe benefit and the men really appreciate having a clean place to live at no cost to them," Dale said, warming to the subject of how well the Williamsons' took care of their employees.

"I've always heard that this is a very desirable place to work," Tor said.

"The Williamson family is very generous. We're the only ranch in this part of the state that offers group insurance, vacation, sick leave and a profit-sharing bonus. We've recently added more land and I'm going to have to hire at least two more to work in the crops area. I'll be interviewing for that position next week," Dale added.

Tor laughed. "Me and Bry thought we were getting into big stuff in buying 15 mares from you. Maybe someday we'll be more than a farm with a few great horses."

Bry added, "We're gonna grow slow. We'll pick good stock and go from there. We're lucky that we have an income that allows us to indulge in an expensive hobby, our ranch."

"Are we ready?" Dale questioned.

"Sure, do we leave our car here?" Tor asked.

"Yeah, it's safe, but might not hurt to lock it up," Dale told them.

As they were on their way to the horse operation, Tor questioned Dale. "We hear that a big independently owned computer store has opened here. Do you know anything about it?"

"Dale grinned his best smile. "Actually, yes. It belongs to Craig and me and our son, Joey."

"Congratulations." We want to see that while we're here, too. As you know we own a software company. Maybe you can help us sell some custom software."

"Tomorrow we can go to the store and introduce you to our operations manager, David Perkins. Craig and I know very little about computers, but we had a chance to get into the business and it's been very successful so far. We're opening a mail order division the first of February and probably will begin manufacturing some common hardware later. Oh yes, and we're getting ready to launch an ISP business."

Tor was astounded. "You've done all of this since we met you in Waco last fall?"

Before Dale could answer, Bry spoke up. "You said your son, Joey? You didn't say anything about having a son. He can't be more than about 6 years old, can he?"

"To answer both questions, yes we've done all of this since meeting you last fall. Joey is actually my half brother, but the paperwork is being completed to allow me to adopt him. He's 14-years old and an honors student. And... a friend of Joey's recently lost his grandmother, making him an orphan. To keep him from becoming a ward of the state, Craig is adopting him. Forrest is going to be 17 next month."

"Wow! I'm impressed," Tor said.

"Me, too," Bry added.

"We can talk more about this when you come over for drinks later this evening," Dale said. They had arrived at the horse operation. It appeared that all of the men were busy with the horses.

Lee Harper walked toward Dale's Blazer as the men got out. He shook hands with Tor and Bry, welcoming them to the Bar-W Ranch. Dale thought he was remembering their names, and then realized they were on their sweatshirts.

"Where do you want to start?" Lee asked. He already had about 200 horses in the pasture closest to where they were standing. "We have a couple of horses saddled if you want to ride among the horses, or we can walk. Those you like, we'll lead to the corral and you can keep narrowing your choices down until you have selected the ones you want to buy."

"Let's ride, Tor," Dale heard Bry say.

Dale told the three men, "I'm going back to the office to work. When Tor and Bry have made their choices, call me and I'll come get them and take them into town to check in to their hotel."

That was fine with the men. Dale really couldn't be of any help in picking horses for them.

About 4:45 he was wanting to go home when the phone rang. It was Lee, advising they were through so Dale went to get the men.

Tor drove their station wagon and Bry rode with Dale. He led them past the building where their condo was located, then on to the hotel. They were due back at Dale and Craig's place at 6:30 for drinks.

All in all, it was a pleasant weekend with the men. They were impressed with Joey and Forrest, but didn't invite the boys to join them for dinner when they took their Dads out.

On Saturday they took Tor and Bry to the Saber Computer Store and the men were impressed with the operation. Dale introduced them to David Perkins and then to Craig's father, telling the men that they were the brains behind the operation.

Tor and Bry visited with both of the men and they were interested in their software company. David, of course, had heard of it, and was glad to meet the owners. Dennis Masters happened to come into the store to get additional cabling needed for a LAN system he was installing. David introduced Tor and Bry. Dennis knew of the company and that they had a good reputation for the product they sold.

Saturday night after they returned Dale and Craig to their condo, they declined the offer for a nightcap, saying they were tired. In reality, they changed into Levis, boots and western shirts, and then drove to Austin to the bars around the University of Texas campus. They were successful in picking up tricks, although they had to rent a motel room for the night.

They met Dale and Craig for brunch after church. After they ate Tor told Dale and Craig they had decided to drive to Johnson City to see the LBJ Ranch and State Park and invited them to ride along.

Craig was glad that Dale declined. The men enjoyed staying at the Cattlemen's Hotel and thanked Dale for recommending it. As promised they took Dale and Craig to dinner on Sunday night and it was suggested they might enjoy eating at Tony D's. Greg was working that night so Tor and Bry were introduced as ranchers from eastern Texas. They had an excellent dinner as always. Greg was busy with other customers and only checked on their table a couple of times. On Monday morning the trailer was at the Bar-W by 8:30 and loading started as soon as the equipment was backed into place. Tor and Bry told Dale and Lee good-bye and left, following the horse trailer. For some reason, Dale was relieved to see their taillights going down the road. However, they had sold 15 mares. That was a small number compared to many other sales, but Tor and Bry seemed pleased with their purchase and told Dale they would be back to buy more in several months. They were trying to buy land adjoining their ranch and would be able to handle more horses later. * * * * *

Judge Sumner, in his gracious manner, made an addition to his court docket on January 25th. In addition to Matt's adoption taking place at 3 p.m. and since these were simple adoptions, he moved Forrest's case up to 3:20 and added Joey's case at 3:40. The hearings would take place at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin.

Joey and Forrest were both excited about what was going to take place, although it wouldn't change anything in their relationship with their Dads, just that it would be legal and they would be protected.

Tom and Eddie were planning a celebration the next day on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. It had originally been scheduled for 4:30 on Friday, but with Joey's adoption being added to the docket and the fact that the proceedings would take place in Austin instead of Williamsport, meant that no one would return home until around 5 o'clock. There was a basketball game on Friday night that would prevent some invited guests from attending.

All of the parties concerned dressed in suits and ties for the trip to Austin. Tom, Eddie and Matt were in Tom's car and the other four men were in Craig's car. They arrived at the courthouse about 2:30, which gave them time to park and get inside the building. There was a short line waiting to get through the security gate. While they were waiting in line Dale whispered in Craig's ear, "I hope you wore your rubber cock ring instead of that big metal one." Craig turned red, then laughed. As if he needed a cock ring. The idea made him start to get a little hard. Dale was enjoying teasing his lover.

Finally they were through the gate and found their way to the 3rd floor where the Juvenile Court Rooms were located.

Promptly at 3 p.m. the Bailiff announced, "All Rise," and went through his announcement about the court of the Honorable Claude Sumner being in session as the judge took his place. Eddie and Tom, along with Matt and Jeremy Houser were already sitting at the table in front of the rail.

The Judge addressed those in the audience. "This is a simple hearing. Gerald Edward Thompson has been the guardian of Matthew Rhodes since October 25, 1990. He is petitioning this court for adoption of young Matthew Rhodes who is 15 years old and has consented to the petition, desiring to become Gerald Edward Thompson's legal heir."

Matt wasn't sure what all of the legal jargon meant, but it sounded good to him.

"Are there any objections?" asked Judge Sumner.

There was silence in the courtroom.

"Be it so ordered that Matthew Andrew Rhodes will now be known as Matthew Bryant Thompson."

Judge Sumner banged his gavel and announced, "This court is in recess until 3:20 when it will hear the petition for the adoption of one Forrest Edmond Ross by Craig Connor Bastian."

The Bailiff announced, "All Rise" as the judge left to go to his chambers. Tom, Eddie, Matt and Jeremy all had hugs for each other and then moved into the general seating area where they hugged the other men. * * * * * Just before 3:20 Jeremy Houser motioned for Craig and Forrest to join him at the table. Promptly at 3:20 the Bailiff announced "All Rise" and the court was in session for the adoption of Forrest Edmond Ross by Craig Connor Bastian. Judge Sumner read the summary of the adoption petition and asked, "Are there any objections?" Again there was silent. "Be it so ordered that Forrest Edmond Ross has consented to become Craig Connor Bastian's son and legal heir." Judge Sumner banged his gavel and announced, "This court is in recess until 3:40 when it will hear the petition for the adoption of one Joseph Dale Sullivan, Junior by Dale Joseph Richards. The Bailiff announced, "All rise" and this hearing was over.

Again the men at the table hugged each other, then moved into the seats behind the rail to exchange hugs again with Eddie, Tom and Matt. * * * * *

Joey and Dale moved to the table to sit with Jeremy. It seemed that they had barely gotten settled when the Bailiff announced, "All rise," and the court was in session for Joey's adoption.

The judge had read the petition carefully since the papers granting custody of Joey to Dale had been executed in Harris County and that Joey's natural father had died on October 5th of 1990. Joey's mother had deserted the family when he was about four years old. The divorce papers, showing desertion as the cause, along with Joey's birth certificate were in the file. Also with the papers was the marriage license and marriage certificate for his parents. Dale was Joey's half-brother, who held a very responsible job and together with Craig and Joey, owned Saber Computer Store in Williamsport. In addition, Joey had a very sizeable trust fund that couldn't be touched by anyone until he either finished a master's degree or turned 25.

In the financial portion of the petition, he further noted that there was a second fund with Dale being the administrator. That money was being used to secure the financing of a new home that Dale, Joey, Craig Bastian and Forrest Ross would occupy as soon as it was constructed.

'Joey was one lucky young man. It was obvious that there was a lot of love in this male family,' the judge thought.

The judge read the petition out loud to the few people assembled in the small courtroom.

"Joseph Dale Sullivan, Jr., a minor, has petitioned this court to become the son and legal heir of Dale Joseph Richards. Young Mr. Sullivan's natural father is deceased and he has been under the guardianship of Mr. Richards, who is his half-brother, since October 2, 1990."

The judge paused. "Are there any objections?" Joey reached over to squeeze Dale's hand.

"I object!" a loud voice came from the back of the courtroom. Every one looked to the back, not recognizing anyone they knew.

The Judge banged his gavel. This wasn't in the script. "Who spoke and what is your reason for objection?"

A woman, probably in her late 30's, wearing a suit that obviously wasn't tailored for her, stood up. "My name is Valerie Miller and I am Joseph's mother."

Joey was heard to say, "That's not my mother" in a loud voice before the judge banged his gavel and ordered interested parties into his chamber.

To be continued

• • • • • Author's Note: Thank you for the overwhelming amount of emails you sent following the release of Book II, Chapter 7. 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.