The Boy Who Cried Sapphire Tears

As always, I have to thank my proofreaders first. Vann, Jarod, and George. I look to you guys to help make this story as perfect, grammatically, as possible, and you always come through for me. Thank you guys so much for your help.

As I promised on the previous chapter, I have chosen a name for this book from a suggestion by a reader. I want to thank Tony for the name "The Boy Who Cried Sapphire Tears". He will be receiving the next five chapters in advance of the posts on Nifty and StoryCove.us. He suggested the title and told me he thought I should remain within the gemstone theme. Thank you, Tony for the great title.

To you, the reader. Without you guys this story probably wouldn't still be going on. Thank you for hanging in there with me and for enjoying the roller coaster ride that this story has taken us all on. I appreciate all the emails I get and hope to continue to get many more as the story continues. Thank you all.

If you haven't already, go and checkout the Facebook group page at http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=142654375767439 There are some good discussions, a short bio of myself, and a few pictures and some videos. There is no authorization required, just Like us and you're in.

I guess, without any further ado, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

The Boy Who Cried Sapphire Tears -- Part 2

After Papa and Blake talked, they went back into the kitchen, where Blake found out who Mama was. Norman explained that he took care of the business and employees, but Mama took care of all the little things like the food, shopping and such. Little things that everyone knew they couldn't do without.

Blake also found out that Papa used to be in the oil business, back in Texas. His family grew up with a lot of Texas land passed down from generation to generation, leaving Papa about four million acres when his father died of a massive heart attack at the age of 53. He never wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, but being the only child, and not wanting to disappoint his mother, he did so for about five years.

He was out in the field one day when a dirty old pickup truck came barreling down the lone dirt road. When the driver appeared, Papa went crazy with words, chastising him for speeding on the property. What he heard next, stopped his mouth from moving. The driver informed Papa that there had been a nasty car wreck and his mother was involved. Papa got behind the wheel and sped off towards the hospital. When he arrived, he learned that his mother had died.

Sickened with grief, he took to his bed for two months, leaving his father's friend in charge of the business. When it came time, the lawyer arrived and read his mother's will. She had left him everything and made a note in the will that told him if he wanted to sell; he had her blessing to do so. Still grieving his mother's passing, that was the first time he smiled since the accident. He hated the oil business and wanted desperately to get out of it. Now, he knew he could.

He had several meetings with potential buyers and eventually sold his land and the business for millions. Papa didn't express how much, exactly, but liked to say the word millions a few times to illustrate his point. After he sold the business, he felt lost and also felt guilty about selling the family business. He somehow felt as if he'd let his father down. He puttered around the country for about a year before he decided he needed to do something to make his father proud. He knew the only other thing his father loved more than the family and the business was his military service, so that's what Papa decided to do. Join the military.

At that point, Papa stopped his story, saying he'd finish it later, but he'd wasted enough time talking and now he had work to catch up on. Papa bid Blake a farewell, and turned back to his office. After he was gone, Blake looked at Mama and asked, "So, what about you?"

"Me," Mama smiled. "That's a story for another time. Now, I got to finish up dinner for everyone. You go on home and take these next few days to relax. You're gonna need it come Monday."

Blake, reluctantly, obliged, but before he left, Mama had poured him a glass of tea in a plastic cup with a lid and straw. "For the road and for memories of home." Blake smiled, wished him a good day, got back in his car, and made the trip back down the twisted mountain road. Getting back into Eureka Falls, he decided to go back to the bookshop and see if it was still opened. Seeing it was, he parked the car and went inside.

"Welcome back," said the lady behind the counter.

"Hi, Ms. Diane, is it?" Blake said.

"Why, yes it is. How'd things go up at the ranch?"

"Great, I got the job. I just wanted to come back and thank you for the notice."

"You're very welcome. So, you met, both, Oliver and Norman?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. They're nice men. Papa seems tough, but..."

"Oh, he is," Ms. Diane interrupted, "But beneath that façade, lies a big ole teddy bear. Don't let his demeanor worry you."

"Thanks," Blake said. "I won't." He looked around the store and asked if she sold postcards. Ms. Diane pointed and around the counter was a spinning stand with a good choice of postcards. Blake thanked her and walked over.

He picked up two and asked Ms. Diane for a pen. She reached up into her hair and felt around for a moment before producing a black pen and handed it to Blake. He filled out the postcards, filled in the addresses, and asked if she also sold stamps. She handed over the necessary postage and then rang him up. She explained that the post office was just a street over, and he decided on the way home, to swing by and drop them in the box.

Once he got back to the apartment, he realized his roommates were home. He walked in and Mark asked where he'd been.

"Went looking for a job," Blake answered.

"And," Tripp asked.

"I got one. I'm gonna be a ranch hand over at Safire Fields ranch, over in Eureka Falls," Blake explained.

"I've never heard of it," Tripp said.

"It's a place where the locals can board their horses, and some can be rented for tourists. They needed someone to fill one of the positions, and get this, its run by a gay couple."

"Really," Mark asked. "Who are they?"

"Oliver and Norman West? Ever hear of them?" Blake quizzed.

"No, don't think so," Mark answered, and Tripp agreed.

"Also, out of eleven employees, me included, nine of them are gay. Mama, sorry, Oliver, said they kinda recruited them from all over the country when they went on vacations. The ranch manager and his wife, the bookkeeper, are the only straight ones there."

"Well, congratulations," Mark said. "When do you start?"

"Monday," Blake answered. "Gotta be there at six in the morning."

"Damn, that's early," Tripp said.

"Yeah, and that's just for training. When I really start, I gotta be there by 5:30."

"How long did it take you to get here from there?" Mark asked.

"About half an hour," Blake said.

"Damn, it's too bad we don't live closer," Mark said.

"Yeah, they also told me I could move in if I wanted, but I think I'll try it from here first."

"Move in, as in their house? I've never known an employer to let their employees live with them," Tripp said.

"It's not in their house," Blake said. "They have a separate house for the employees. Ten bedrooms, a living room slash kitchen, and two bathrooms with gym showers."

"It sounds pretty cool," said Mark, "but you just got here. I don't want you leaving yet."

"I won't be leaving, really. I'm gonna try it from here for a while, but if it doesn't work out, then I might think of moving over there, but I'll still be around. I have every other weekend off and work is done around 5:30 every day, from what Mama told me."

"Who is this Mama you keep referring to?" Mark asked.

"Sorry, Mama is Oliver, and Papa is Norman, the owner of the ranch, and Mama's partner. They call him Mama because he takes care of the cooking, shopping and stuff that moms would normally do."

"What does the job entail?" Tripp asked.

Blake repeated what was told to him by Papa.

"Well, I gotta say, it does sound good," Mark said. "Have you ever done manual labor before?"

"No, this will be the first, I just hope I can keep up," Blake said.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Tripp said. "Now, are you ready to go to the gym and show us the routine that turned you into the Hulk?"

Blake gave a chuckle and said, "Sure, but can we stop by the Verizon store first? I need a new phone and I know that Pax is gonna chew me a new asshole for not calling him sooner."

Looking at his watch, Mark said, "Sure, we got about an hour before they close, then we can go to the gym."

"Great," Blake said, and went to his room to change into his workout clothes.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at the Verizon store and the boys went in and started looking at phones. A few minutes later, a woman walked over and asked if she could help.

"Yep, I'm looking for a new phone. My last one, well, I kinda dropped it in the toilet, so it's ruined," Blake explained.

"Not necessarily," she said. "You can try putting the phone in a bag of rice for a day and a lot of times that will dry the phone out and it'll work just fine."

"Great," Blake said, sarcastically. "Now that I've moved over 2000 miles away someone tells me this."

The woman gives a small smile and said, "So, I guess you do need a phone, then."

"Yeah. I wanna get one of those smart phones I keep hearing about," Blake said.

"Well, we have the new Android phone. It rivals the I-phone, but I like this better," the girl explained.

She picked up a sleek black phone and handed it to Blake. He started exploring the phone and found that the bottom of the phone slid out so he could have full keyboard as well.

"All of the applications will work with the Android and you can get online and keep track of your email and basically everything else you need to do," she explained.

"Sounds good to me," Blake said and handed the phone back to her.

"So, you wanna get it, then?" she asked.

"Why not?" he said, and smiled.

"Great, if you'll come with me up to the counter, we'll get you all set up."

They walked up to the counter and she asked if he already had an account with them.

"My dad gave me my other phone, so I don't know whose name it's in."

"What's the old number?" she asked.

Blake told her, and his account popped up. She asked for the name and he told her and she explained that it wasn't in his name.

"I figured it would probably be in his name, but I wasn't sure," Blake said.

"If you want to add this phone to this account, we'll have to get his permission to do so," she explained.

"No, I want to start my own account," Blake explained.

"Well, the old account will still be charged until it gets shut off. You might want to let your father know."

"Oh, okay," Blake said, knowing full and well that was one call he wasn't going to make. He didn't care how much his father paid for a phone that wasn't working any longer. He hoped his father didn't realize it for months.

After ringing Blake up and him handing her his debit card, he was done with the purchasing part of the transaction. She asked him if there was anything else she could help him with, and that's when he remembered his phone contacts.

"Is there any way to get my old contacts put on this phone?"

"Only if you backed them up from the old phone. Do remember if you did or not?"

"No, but a friend of mine might have. Is there any way to check?" he asked.

"Well, since it's not in your name, I'm really not supposed to, but I can check. If there is a backup list, you'll need to verify five names, and then I can transfer them onto the new phone."

She asked for the old number again and looked through the account and found that there was, indeed, a backup list of contacts. She asked for five names to verify the list and Blake called out Pax, Kelly, Christine, Don, and Todd.

Getting a satisfactory answer, she asked for Blake's new phone and plugged it in and transferred the names over. After handing it back, she showed him the new list and asked if it was everyone that he remembered. Answering that it was, she asked if there was anything else. When Blake said no, she told them goodbye and they headed out towards the gym.

Still at Cowtippers, Todd and Zack were finishing their conversation and dinner, when Todd asked Zack what he was doing for work.

"I'm still in school, right now. I go to the Savannah College of Art and Design. I'm getting my masters in Graphic Design."

"What's graphic design?" Todd asked.

"You know, when you see a logo or letterhead? That's graphic design. I would like to work for Hollywood and design movie posters, but first, I gotta learn how."

"Is it fun?" Todd asked.

"So far," Zack said. "Of course you have to learn the little things before you can really get in there and start designing, but it's interesting, to me, at least," he said, smiling at Todd.

"Hey, it sounds like you gotta plan. It's more than I can say for myself, right now."

"What year are you?" Zack asked.

"Just finished my freshman year at NYU."

"Oh, you got plenty of time to figure out what you want to do. Don't let it stress you out. Just work on your core subjects, then start thinking of things you might want to do. Make it an interesting job. They say that if you find a job you love, you'll never go to work again."

"I'm afraid I don't follow you," Todd said, confused.

"Meaning, if you find a job you love, it won't be like working. You'll want to go to work."

"Yeah, I guess it's true, but right now, I don't have a clue as to what I want to do."

"Don't worry about it now. It'll come to you, eventually," Zack explained.

"I hope so." Todd looked down at his watch and said, "Well, I guess I better be going. I had a real good time tonight."

"Good," said Zack. "I'm glad. Think about what I said, regarding Blake. Try to let your anger go and see it from his perspective."

"I'm gonna try, but I can't promise anything," Todd said.

"How about we get together later on in the week and see a movie or something?" Zack asked.

"Sounds good," Todd said. "But, I guess you'll need my number in order to call me, huh?"

"It would be helpful," Zack said, smiling.

Todd gave Zack his number, and Zack returned the favor, then they asked for the check. They each paid for their share of the check, and then wished the other a good night. When Todd got in the car, he remembered that Pax wasn't too far away and decided it was still early, so he decided to go over and say hello.

When he arrived at Pax's place, he saw Tristian's car out front. Walking up the walkway, he got to the door and knocked. A few moments later, Pax opened the door.

"Todd," he said, and opened his arms to give Todd a hug.

Todd walked into the hug and gave a vigorous hug in return.

"How've you been?" Pax asked, as Tristian came from the living room.

"About as good as can be expected," he answered then walked over and hugged Tristian hello. "I would have come sooner, but I've barely left the house recently."

"Can't say that I blame you," Pax said. "I told him not to do it this way, but he just wouldn't listen."

"I know, he's stubborn," Todd said. He looked into the living room and saw the TV on. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"No, we were just watching TV. I finally got TiVo, so, I can rewind what I missed."

"You know, for being so rich, you sure are slow with the technology," Todd said to Pax.

"Yeah, well, you can thank Tristian for that thing in there," Pax said, grabbing some glasses and the tea out of the fridge.

"He claims that he didn't really watch TV before, but every time I've come over, that's all we do. You know, snuggle on the couch, watching TV," Tristian said.

"That sounds great to me," Todd said.

Pouring the tea, Pax distributed the three glasses and then headed back into the living room. Pax and Tristian went to their previous seat, while Todd chose the big, overstuffed chair facing the TV.

"So, how was school this year?" Pax asked.

"Not too bad. Passed everything, I think. Just gotta wait for the grades for it to be final," Todd answered.

"Any idea what you want to major in, yet?" Tristian asked of Todd.

"No. It's funny, I just got through with dinner with a new friend and he told me to just worry about my core subjects and then my major would come to me. I never really thought about what I wanted to do after college so I'm not going to let it stress me out. I'll come up with something eventually."

"So," said Pax in a flirty voice, "who is this new friend?"

Todd couldn't help but smile and say, "It's just a friend. We met at Starbucks. His name is Zack."

"So, was this dinner a date?" Pax asked with a big smile.

"Pax, I'm not really in the mood to date right now. Hell, I don't even know what kind of relationship I have with Blake anymore. I don't want to start something else."

"Well, I wouldn't blame you if you did go out on a date," Pax said.

"Paxton Andrews," Tristian said. "Would you leave the subject alone? Can't you see he doesn't want to talk about it?"

"I'm sorry, but I think what Blake did was wrong. There are a million other options out there, but he decided to leave without saying goodbye. I just feel that if Todd wanted to date someone, he shouldn't feel that he can't. I mean, he's not the one who left."

Tristian was about to retort, but Todd cut him off. "Its okay, Tristian. I appreciate your help, but Pax is right. Blake did leave me. He couldn't face telling me in person or over the phone, so if I really wanted to date someone else, I guess I could. The problem is, I don't know if I can. At least, not without putting an end to me and Blake for good."

"I'm not saying I want you guys to break up," Pax said, sitting on the edge of the couch, "it's just that the way he did this makes me a little upset. I told him not to leave without seeing you first or at least to call you to explain things, but..." he let his words trail off, not knowing what to say next.

"I know, and thanks for that, but I think mom was right. She told me that I would try to talk him out of it. I know why he did it the way he did, but I just wish he could have told me without me coming home and finding the note and his ring."

"What ring?" Tristian asked.

"The promise ring I gave him. He left it, saying that if I wanted to move on, then the man I love should be wearing my ring. The problem is, the man I love isn't. If only he had kept the ring, I wouldn't feel so alone," Todd said, bringing a finger up to wipe his right eye.

"Oh, honey," Pax said, and walked over and sat on the arm of the chair, putting his arm over Todd's shoulders. "I know he loves you, but maybe he thought you wouldn't understand. Maybe when he left, he thought you wouldn't want to see him again. That you would just move on without him."

"Well, he thought wrong. I miss him so much, but the way he did this, he's pissed me off is what he's done," Todd said.

"I know, baby. I know," Pax said, patting Todd's shoulder.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, before Todd asked what they had been up to while he was away. Pax, going back to his seat and grabbing Tristian's hand, told Todd that he had bought a couple of properties in Vail, Colorado and Seattle, Washington. They had gone to Seattle and visited for a week when Pax came across a small rental property for sale.

"Oh, Todd, it's just beautiful. It has ten apartments in a wonderful neighborhood. I have a great property manager, Tina Smith, running the place. All of the units are on six levels. The top level was two units, but since they were empty, I hired a contractor to turn it into one big unit for me and Tristian.

"Each unit is three bedrooms with two and a half bath. Spacious living room and kitchens. And I've renamed the complex."

"Pax," Tristian said, in a whiney voice.

"To what?" Todd asked, waiting.

"Bergeron Court, after Tristian."

"Yeah, yeah," Tristian said, waving Pax off.

"Since he moved from Seattle, I figured it was appropriate. Either way, it's a place for us to stay when we go and visit."

"If I may ask," Todd started, but Pax knew what he was going to ask and said, "A little over three million. The rent is sixteen hundred a month for the other tenants. I couldn't help myself. It was just a great little place. From our place on the top floor, you can see the perfect view of downtown and of the harbor."

"Well, tell me about Vail," Todd said, excited.

"That property is a little different. There is a small apartment-like building there, as well as a few cabins. All of them are time-share rentals. They rent from one to three weeks, and prices range from $1000 a week for the one bedroom units to $2000 for the three bedroom units. I got this one for one point five. It was in such disarray, they were trying to get rid of the property, so I bought it, hired a contractor to come and fix up everything, and I've already got the entire winter booked.

"Again, I think I got a great manager who lives on property. He's a handsome young man. He graduated a few years ago with a hotel management degree. The first day I advertised the position in the paper, he called me and we met up and he seemed perfect for the job. Of course, he and Tina live on the properties for free, but they're responsible for their own utilities."

"Wow, that's a great deal for them," Todd said.

"Yeah, I think it is. So far, they seem to like it," Pax said.

"Do you have a place in Vail for you two?" Todd asked.

"Sure do," Pax said. "I had them fix one of the three bedroom cabins for us."

"Before long, you're gonna have a home in every city in the country," Todd said.

"God, I hope not," Tristian said, cutting in. "The way he's going through money, if he keeps buying, it'll be gone in two years."

"That's what you think. I told you that my grandmother left me some money, that was over eight years ago. Since then, I've done some smart investments and done some other things. I have more money than you think."

"Wait a minute," Todd said. "You told me and Blake she left you $180 million, roughly, right?"

"Yes," Pax said, nonchalantly.

"So, then...how much are you worth now?" Todd asked.

"About $350 million," Pax answered.

"Holy shit," Tristian said. That was the first time Todd had heard Tristian curse, and all he could do was stare at Tristian for that little word.

"What? I had great investment advice and a great investor who's still making me more money as we speak," Pax explained.

"Before we go any further in this relationship, we need to go and see your lawyer, soon," Tristian said.

Todd was a little confused, but Pax asked the question Todd was thinking of.

"Why?"

"Why?" Tristian repeated. "You told me you want to go register for a domestic partnership, but before we do, we are getting whatever the equivalent of a pre-nup is first," Tristian explained.

"No, we are not," Pax said. "How many times do I have to tell you, that I love you, and I want to share everything with you? It's not like we can get married, unfortunately. If you ever cheat on me, or leave me for whatever reason, what's mine is mine and what's yours is yours. But while we are together, what's mine is also yours."

Grabbing Tristian's hand, Pax said, "If I didn't trust you, I would have never told you about the money in the first place. I have more money than I know what to do with. Sharing it with you makes me happy. Hell, sharing it with everyone makes me happy. That's why I do my little Christmas thing every year."

"What Christmas thing?" Todd asked.

"Every year at Christmas, I take about $200 thousand and put some in envelopes and when I see someone who looks like they need help, I give them an envelope and wish them a Merry Christmas.

"A lot of times they look confused, but when I'm out of sight, I try to watch them when they open the envelope and the look on their faces when they see what's inside just makes me happy knowing I might have helped them out of a jam or something. I never look for a thank you or anything. I just want to do what I can and help people. That's why I'm always giving to charity."

"Pax, I knew you were generous, but I never knew you were that generous. It makes me proud to know someone who does that. I just wish I had the money to do it with you," Todd said.

Pax ended up changing the subject and they talked for about another half an hour before Todd excused himself to go home. At the door, ready to leave, Pax stopped him for another question.

"I'm expecting Blake to call me, just to let me know he got where he was going. When I talk to him, do you want me to tell him anything?"

Without missing a beat, Todd answered, "No. Don't even tell him I came over. I want him to wonder about me as much as I'm wondering about him. I don't want him to know anything."

"Are you sure?" Pax asked, placing his hand on Todd's bicep.

"Yeah," Todd answered.

"Okay, then," Pax said, and leaned over and gave Todd a kiss on the cheek. "You drive careful, now."

"I will. Thanks, Pax," Todd said, then flashed a smile and walked out to his car.

Thursday came and he and Zack ended up going to the movies as promised. After the movie, they went to a little diner and drank coffee and had some breakfast and talked until the wee hours snuck up on them.

Zack asked Todd if he would come over to his apartment in the next week, because he had some music he wanted Todd to listen to. Todd agreed and they left for their respective homes around 2:30 that morning.

Saturday, Don was sitting around watching TV, when he saw the mail truck pull up the street. He stood up and saw that the mailman did put something in their box, so he headed on down to the street to retrieve it. When he opened the box, there were only a couple of envelopes and two postcards. He looked at the picture on the cards and saw a beautiful, distant shot of a snow covered mountain, with the red sky behind it, indicating sunset.

The other card showed a beautiful mountain stream coming from between two huge mountains. Turning the cards over, he saw that one was for him and Christine and the other for Todd. Reading his as he walked back to the house, he found that Blake was doing fine, and that he had found a job. He described that the mountain on the front of the card was within his viewing range from his job and that it was more beautiful in person.

"Watcha got there?" Christine asked.

"A postcard from Blake," Don said and handed it over to his wife.

"Oh, wow, that's beautiful," she said.

"Yeah, he said he can see it from his work, where ever that is," Don said.

Christine turned over the card and read the note. "It seems like he's getting things in order. I hope it all works out for him." Looking over at Don, she noticed the other postcard. "What's that one?"

"It's for Todd," Don said, showing her the picture.

A minute later, Todd came down the stairs. "Did you just call me, dad?"

"No, but this came for you," Don said, handing over the postcard.

Looking at the picture, he didn't quite know who would have sent him a picture of a mountain stream. Turning it over, he read the note and realized it was from Blake.

`I hope you're not still mad at me, but if you are, I understand. I miss you so much and wish I could see you soon. I love you. Blake'

"It looks nice," Todd said and put the card on the counter. "Did you guys need me for anything?"

Both his parents shook their head and he said, "Well then, I'm heading back upstairs."

Over the next five days, Todd went about his daily life, just lounging around the house and swimming and sunning himself. He had worked every summer during high school, and he told himself he wanted to take the first summer of college off just to do nothing, and that was what he was doing.

While enjoying the sun on Thursday, he got a phone call from Zack.

"Hey, watcha doing?" Zack asked.

"Just laying by the pool," Todd said. "What's up with you?"

"Not a whole lot. Just sitting around, bored. Watching TV," Zack explained.

"Well, get your suit and get your butt over here. It's a great day for a swim," Todd said.

"Cool. Tell me how to get there."

"I'll text you starting from Peachtree Street. Go and get yourself ready and you'll have the directions by the time you get ready to leave."

"Cool. See ya, soon," Zack said and Todd began to text the directions from Peachtree to his house.

About twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the front door, but it went unanswered. A minute later, Todd's cell phone rang again and it was Zack.

"Yo?" Todd said.

"I'm at the front door," Zack said.

"Be there in a minute."

Todd hung up the phone and headed inside to let Zack in.

Opening the door, Todd asked, "Why'd you wait so long to call me?"

"Just been busy. Had to go and visit my mom and dad. Always nagging me about when I'm gonna get another boyfriend, asking about my love life, asking about dates. Sometimes I hate going to visit them."

"At least they're supportive."

"Yeah, right. They're like the king and queen of PFLAG in Chattanooga. Everyone with a gay kid knows my parents. Ever see that show `Queer as Folk'?" Zack asked of Todd.

"Never even heard of it," Todd answered, closing the door and walking into the living room.

"Well, they are both like Debbie; she's the supportive mom on that show. Get this, the day after I told them I was gay, at sixteen, and a sophomore in high school, they got all of their friends and all of my friends together and threw me a coming out party. I was so embarrassed. Imagine the surprise on my friend's faces. I hadn't told anyone but my cousin at that time."

"Be glad they're supportive. I'm glad that mine were, but Blake's parents threw him out when they found out."

"Yeah, I am, but sometimes they just get on my last gay nerve. And, I'm sorry to hear that about Blake. What happened to him?"

"He lived in his car for a while, and then my mom made him come and live here with us. That strengthened our relationship...well...until he left," Todd said and looked around the room

They both stood in an uncomfortable silence for a moment when Todd saw Zack standing with a bag in his hand. "If you need to change, there's a bathroom right over here," Todd said, pointing down the hall leading to the back door.

"Nope, put them on at home under my jeans," Zack explained.

"Well, then, let's hit the water," Todd said and started walking towards the pool.

At poolside, Zack chose a chair and put his things down and began undressing. He took off his shirt and Todd noticed that he had the slightest of abs forming, but when he breathed, they disappeared. He saw the hotness in Zack, even though he wasn't looking for it.

After his shirt was removed, he kicked off his shoes then went to his jeans and started unbuttoning. Todd's eyes were watching like he used to watch Blake get undressed. He realized he was staring and quickly averted his eyes. Once Zack's jeans were opened, he shucked them past his hips and Todd saw the blue Speedo Zack was wearing and for some reason, his mouth started watering.

Turning around, so as not to stare at Zack, he cursed himself for having those thoughts about Zack. He's a friend,' he told himself in his head. Nothing more.'

A moment later, he heard Zack's voice and turned back around. "So, how's the water?"

"Uh, great. Yeah, not too cold. Just perfect," he said, wondering if he was excited, and if so, was it visible. He had glanced down at Zack's crotch and noticed the outline of the muscle lying underneath the thin fabric.

When Zack turned and walked towards the pool, Todd stared at the two perfectly round mounds that made up his butt, and then quickly looked down at his own crotch. Not seeing anything, he felt the fabric and, luckily, found nothing. He was limp, and hoped to stay that way.

A second later, he heard a splash and then Zack reappeared. "Wow, the water's great. You were right."

Todd nodded his head, and then said, "Better watch out. I'm coming in," then took off at a run and did a cannonball into the water.

Over the next couple of hours, they played around in the water, while having fun. They swam laps, had breath holding contests, and even once, Zack ended up on Todd's shoulders. Todd couldn't remember how that happened, but he sure could remember the feel of what was up against his neck. For that, he knew he had to stay in the water for a short while to `cool' off.

After a few more minutes, Zack suggested they lay under the sun for a while. Todd agreed and got out and led the way over to the lounge chairs. He figured if he went first, then he wouldn't have to look at anything.

Getting settled in his chair, Todd put his head back and closed his eyes, when Zack asked if he had any lotion.

"Lotion?" Todd asked, surprised.

"Yeah, sun tan lotion? I don't want to burn."

"Oh, yeah." Todd reached down and grabbed the lotion he used earlier and tossed it over. He couldn't explain it to himself, but when Zack said lotion, he immediately thought of something else. The other sexual something else.

Was he attracted to Zack? And was fighting the feelings he was having because of Blake? He told himself no, that he still loved Blake, or at least, he thought he did. Blake had made him angry and maybe this was his head telling him it was okay to like Zack, if he wanted. Maybe it would hurt Blake back if he ever found out. He shook his head and laid it back on the chair and closed his eyes again.

He heard Zack settle in and say that the sun felt great. Todd agreed with a grunt, but then couldn't help but open his eyes and look at Zack. There he was, laying in nothing but tiny swim shorts that clung to him like a vinyl sticker to a glass window. Todd could see that what was hidden beneath the shorts was impressive, but he also knew he needed to get his mind off of Zack.

He did his best to keep his eyes away from Zack, but he did take a few more peeks, for he did like what he saw. But when Zack flipped over, Todd was secretly grateful, but was then disappointed with Zack's backside, because of how perfect it was. He thought he was about to die, but Zack got his attention and asked if Todd would lotion up his back.

"Sure," Todd said, happy to be doing something.

He squeezed the lotion into his hands and warmed up the solution before touching Zack's back. The moment his hand touched Zack's skin, there was a sexual shock to Todd's system. He started getting excited. Maybe', he told himself, it's just that haven't had any in a long time. Yeah, that's it. I'm just horny. It's not Zack; it's just that I'm horny."

When he stopped thinking about the situation, he saw his hands at the top of Zack's butt and wondered if he'd been there too long. He didn't know, so he did a few more swipes along his entire back, just to cover if he did linger a little too long.

As he was just about to go to back to his chair, Zack asked if Todd wouldn't mind getting the back of his legs too. Todd took a deep breath and moved lower, straddling the chair and repeating the process. He started at the ankles and worked his way up to the knee, and then he started at the other ankle and worked his way up, all the while, staring at Zack's blue covered butt.

After the knee, he knew he had to go further, unless he told Zack to do it himself, but in his head he knew he wanted to touch Zack just a little longer. Taking another deep breath and adjusting himself, he put the lotion directly on the back of Zack's thighs and then started rubbing in the lotion. He had misjudged his aim and some lotion got on the very bottom of the swim suit. When he got closer to Zack's ass, he started making wider circles, trying to get the lotion on the suit with his finger tips, but he couldn't get it to work. Finally, he just swiped the little bit of lotion with a finger and said, "Got some lotion on the suit. Sorry," to which Zack gave a grunt.

At the top of Zack's thighs, Todd thought he was done, but Zack opened his legs just a little to allow Todd to rub in the lotion better. Standing at half mast, already, Todd knew if he stayed too long, he was surely going to be saluting before the lotion was fully absorbed. He got a little more lotion on his hands, and rubbed the top of Zack's thighs, feeling that perfect ass on every stroke to rub in the lotion. He did this as quick as possible and once finished, said, "All done," then hurried back to his own chair, but kept standing with his back facing his friend.

He avoided sitting back down, knowing he would show off what was going on in his pants if he did, so he rubbed in the excess lotion on his chest, doing everything he could to get his mind off of the perfect skin he had just had his hands on. He even made an excuse to add more lotion, just to give himself more time. After he had fully deflated, he got back on his chair and again put his head back and closed his eyes.

A short while later, Zack announced he was getting hot and suggested they go out to a movie or something. Todd agreed and got up and grabbed his towel.

"Do you need a towel?" he asked of Zack.

"Nah, the sun dried me off pretty good. Plus, I brought one with me. I just gotta change."

"Well, my clothes are inside, so you pretty much have the entire back yard to yourself. It's completely private, or if you want, you can come inside and change," Todd offered.

"No, this will do. I don't care who sees. I'm not shy," Zack said and smiled at Todd.

That was the last thing Todd needed to hear. He was afraid he was going to get excited again and quickly said, "Well, when you're done, meet me in the living room," and before getting an answer, he hurried off to the house. Going up the stairs, he stopped for a second and looked at the bathroom window and wondered if he could get a peek.

Walking in, he slowly walked up to the window and slowly moved the sheer curtains aside and got a peek at Zack. He was still in his Speedos, but was reaching in his little bag and grabbing something. A second later, Todd saw it was his underwear.

Dropping his underwear on the chair, Zack reached to his hips and grabbed the swim suit and started pulling them down. When he did, Todd inhaled, sharply, and held his breath and closed his eyes. A moment later, he made them into slits and saw that Zack was using his towel to dry between his legs and Todd couldn't help but get hard. It excited him to see this hot guy drying himself off. He wasn't doing anything sexual, but Todd couldn't help it.

At one point, he realized he was grabbing at his crotch. He looked down and saw his hand fondling himself and physically had to tell himself to stop. When he looked back out the window, he saw that Zack had already slipped on his grey boxer briefs. Knowing the skin show was over, Todd quickly went to his room and changed into a button-up shirt and blue jeans. He sat on the bed and told himself to stop thinking of Zack in a sexual way. He also reminded himself he needed to jerk off tonight so he could release all of his sexual energy.

Finally arriving at the gym in Missoula, Blake told Mark and Tripp that he needed to make a long overdue phone call and that he would meet them inside in a few minutes. They understood and went in, flashing their badges to the clerk on duty.

Finding and calling Pax, he heard the ring and a knot instantly formed in his stomach.

On the second ring, Pax answered with a nice, "Hello?"

"Hey, Pax. It's me," Blake said.

"It's about goddamned time. I have been worried sick. When did you get there?" Pax demanded.

"I got here on Sunday, but I didn't have my phone. I dropped it in the toilet before I left. I'm sorry I didn't get back with you sooner."

"Damnit, Blake, you could have called me collect."

"I didn't know your number. I have it programmed in my phone, so when I got my new phone, they were able to get my contacts from my other account. I'm really sorry. But think about it, if something bad had happened, I would have called someone to get in touch with you. Remember, no news is good news."

"That's bullshit. I have been worried sick. All I could imagine is you going over a cliff or something. Where are you, by the way?"

"Right now, Missoula, Montana. I'm staying with my cousin and his boyfriend. I got a job over in Eureka Falls, about 30 miles away," Blake said, trying to change the subject for the better.

"Well, that's good, I guess. Did your car give you any trouble? I mean, since you didn't know my number, I wouldn't know either way, now would I?"

"No, my car got me here fine. Not one bit of trouble."

"Thank God." There was silence between the two for a few moments before Pax spoke again. "Blake, you can't keep doing this to me. I worry about you too much. You're like my little brother, but then again, I see you like a son. You can't let me keep worrying about you. I just love you so much."

A tear started to form in the corner of Blake's eye, and he wiped it away, and gave a sniffle, and said, "I know, Pax, I'm sorry. I really am. I just wasn't thinking right. All this, me leaving and knowing Todd's at home, I just haven't been in my right mind.

"I got here on Sunday, and Monday and Tuesday I just hung out in bed all day, wondering if I did the right thing. Finally, today, I got up and decided I wasn't going to wallow around anymore, so I went looking for a job."

"So, what'll you be doing?" Pax asked.

"Working on a horse ranch called Safire Fields. It's a beautiful ranch with 25 horses."

"Safire Fields?" Having his spirits lift, slightly, Pax said, "Funny. That name reminds me of a drag queen I met once. Her name was Safire Skyy. Anyway, what's the job?" he asked.

"Ranch hand. Cleaning the stables, grooming the horses. Things like that."

"It sounds good. How much does it pay?" he asked Blake.

"$350 on property, $400 off property," Blake said.

"What does that mean? On property? Off property?"

"Basically, if I live on property, I get $350 a week, but all of my utilities are paid and all meals are provided, along with a room. I'll only have my car insurance and my cell phone. If I live away from the property, I'll get $50 more a week."

"It seems like a good deal, I guess."

"Yeah, and the owners seem nice too. I haven't met anyone else, yet."

"Well, I hope you enjoy it. Maybe this is the adventure you were looking for. Being in the fresh air every day, working with horses, meeting new people," Pax said.

"Yeah, maybe it is. I'll probably feel better when I start work, next week. Then hopefully, feel much better after I call Todd next month."

"Why are you waiting so long?" Pax asked.

"Because I want him to get over his anger. I know he's pissed, and I figured if I wait a while, maybe he'd be able to see my side of it, and he won't be so angry with me."

"But what if he's moved on by then?" Pax asked.

"Then I'll never forgive myself, but I need to discover who I am, first, before I' can become a we'. If he decides to move on, then I'll just have to go on living my life, but at least I will have known what true love felt like."

"So, you still love him, then?" Pax asked.

"More than anything." Blake took a deep breath and then asked, "So, have you seen him since he's been home?"

Pax was about to answer truthfully, but decided to do as Todd asked. "Nope. Don't know what he's been up to."

"Oh, well, if you see him, tell him I said hi," Blake said.

"I will, baby," Pax said, finally becoming his old self again.

"Listen, I hate to run, but my cousins are waiting on me. I'll call again this weekend and we can talk some more."

"Sounds good. You take care. I miss you," Pax said.

"You, too," Blake said. "I love you, Pax."

"I love you, too, Blake. Talk to you soon."

"Okay, bye." Blake hung up the phone and turned towards the gym door and walked in.

Over the next few days, Blake hung around the house as Tripp and Mark had to work, but on Friday night, they decided on a movie and dinner. Saturday was spent hanging around the pool in the apartment complex, having fun with the neighbors and each other. Sunday rolled around and they decided on a cookout. They prepared steaks, baked potatoes and corn on the cob, and enjoyed their dinner while watching a DVD movie. Come seven o'clock, Blake bid his cousins goodnight and went for a quick shower, then off to bed.

At 4:30, Blake's alarm started blaring for him to get up. Rolling over, he slapped the clock and silenced the alarm. Ten minutes later, it started blaring at him again. This time, he rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed and turned off the alarm. Giving a yawn, Blake felt his stomach growl, and decided a quick bowl of cereal would tide him over until Mama served breakfast.

Figuring no one would be awake; he decided not to worry about underwear and headed out of his room to the kitchen. He fixed the cereal to his liking and began to eat while leaning against the counter. A moment later, a sleepy, naked Tripp came to the kitchen, alarmed.

"God, I forgot you had to be up so early," Tripp said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Blake said.

"I heard someone out here and thought we were being robbed." Tripp rubbed his eyes and asked, "What time is it?"

"About 4:45. Go on back to bed. I'll try to be quieter," Blake said.

"Nah, it's okay. It's your first day of work. I'll hang with you until you have to leave. It probably won't happen tomorrow, but since I'm up, I don't mind."

Tripp walked past Blake and got a bowl and poured some cereal and added some milk and sugar. Leaning against the opposite counter, he began to eat his breakfast while they made some small talk to allow Tripp to wake up.

"So, what do you think you'll be doing today?" Tripp asked.

"I don't really know. I guess they'll start training me on how to take care of the ranch. Cleaning the stalls, grooming the horses, maybe even saddle them, too. I guess I'll find out when I get there."

"You think you're gonna like it?"

"I hope so. I've never seen a horse in person before and never done anything manual before, but maybe this change is what I need. To actually work with my hands and get a little dirty," Blake explained.

"I hope this works out for you, Blake. I'm sorry you had to leave to find yourself, but I think everything will work out for the best. You gotta have hope that it will."

"I know, and I do, but mainly, I hope I didn't make the biggest mistake of my life. I guess I'll find out next month when I make the call."

"Yeah. You'll just have to wait," Tripp said.

Blake emptied the bowl of the milk and turned and rinsed the bowl before loading it in the dishwasher and then turned back around and asked, "By the way, were you two watching another movie last night? I woke up about 11 or so and I heard some yelling or something."

Tripp instantly turned three shades of red. "Sorry about that. We were kinda having sex. I guess I got a little loud."

Blake cracked a big smile and said, "No, no. Loud sex is the best sex."

"I know, right? I guess the gym gave Mark a little more energy than usual. He was going at it good. I'm surprised I'm able to walk this morning."

"I know that feeling," Blake said, then drifted off into memory for a moment. "I hope I know that feeling again, one day."

Walking over to the sink to rinse his bowl, Tripp said, "You will. Hopefully with Todd, but if not, with someone. You're a great guy, Blake. Things will work out for you, I promise."

"I hope you're right," Blake said. "Guess I better go and get dressed."

"Yeah, and I gotta go and pee," Tripp said, and gave Blake a playful slap on the butt as he walked away.

After getting dressed, Blake looked at the clock and found he needed to leave in ten minutes, then thought about it and decided it was best to be early. He went out the door, locking it behind him and headed out towards Eureka Falls.

He arrived about fifteen minutes early, and parked his car. Getting out, he saw a tall, brown haired man, with a goatee walking towards him. When he got close, he introduced himself as Thomas.

"You must be Blake," Thomas said.

"Yes, sir," Blake said, and shook Thomas' hand.

"Come on with me. I'll walk you over to Julie's office so you can get the paperwork done and over with. After that, I'll show you how to groom the horses today and give you a tour of the ranch, maybe even take you out and show you the land."

Walking with Thomas, Blake confessed, "I've never seen a horse before, much less ridden one."

"Don't worry about that. I'll let you ride Cotton Candy. She's the gentlest horse on the ranch. By the end of the week, I'll have you riding like you're a pro."

"Okay, then. Sounds good," Blake said.

"Well, here we are," Thomas said, opening the door and walking in. "Hey, honey," he said to Julie.

"Well, hey, you two," she said, seeing Blake following Thomas.

"This is Blake, the new employee," Thomas explained.

"Yeah, I saw him the other day before Papa kidnapped him into his office," she said, standing. "Good to meet you, Blake," she said, reaching out her hand.

Taking her hand and shaking it, he said, "You, too, ma'am."

"Oh, please, call me Julie. My mama is ma'am," she said with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Julie."

"Well, I'll leave you two at it. Send him over to the stable when you're done with him," Thomas said, walking outside.

"Okay," Julie said. Reaching into one of her desk drawers, she pulled out a folder and gave it to Blake. "I need you to fill out all the forms in here. And I'll need your driver's license and if you have it, your social security card. I need copies."

Blake reached in his back pocket and produced the two articles she had mentioned from his wallet, and she handed him a pen and told him to use the desk up against the wall.

He walked over and sat down and started filling out all the paperwork in the folder. He had to ask her a few questions, but other than that it was pretty much smooth. When he was done, he walked back over and handed her the folder. In turn she handed him his license and social security card back.

The paperwork had lasted a little longer than he expected, but when he was done, he found that only an hour had passed. Once everything was done, Julie released him and sent him over to the stables, telling him where he could find Thomas. Blake thanked her and set out towards the red barn. When he arrived, he looked down the long line of stalls and saw his first horse in person.

"Ahh, you're done. Great," Thomas said.

Walking up to the first horse he saw, he said, "Yeah, it wasn't too bad," then Blake just fell silent. He was mesmerized with the beauty of the animal that stood before him.

"This beautiful creature is Golden Streak. He belongs to a local, but at one time, was the best race horse out there. He won almost every race he entered."

"Can I pet him?" Blake asked, looking at Thomas.

"Sure. Just don't move too fast. You don't want to startle him," Thomas explained.

Blake lifted his hand, slowly, and placed it on the side of Golden Streak's face and stroked his cheek. "Wow. This is amazing. He's so soft."

"Yeah, his owner takes great care of him. We see her about twice a day. This is all she has left. Her kids live in different states and her husband passed away a couple years ago. Golden, here, is her companion now. He's all she has left."

Thomas lifted his hand and stroked the other cheek of the horse before pulling Blake away over to his desk.

"So, you ready to get started?" Thomas asked.

"Sure am," Blake said.

"Okay, well first you need to know that you need to treat the animals with respect. These horses are powerful enough to kill you, should an accident happen. If you do as I tell you and watch out for their hooves, you'll be fine. No reason to be scared of them. They're big and strong, but very gentle animals. Just follow my instructions."

"That sounds easy enough," Blake said.

"Right, now," Thomas said, grabbing a clip board and looking it over, "Jackson and Amy are grooming the horses, and Joan, Dwight, Bruce, Charles, and Miguel are mucking the stalls. We'll teach you how to muck the stalls next week. I want to get you comfortable dealing with the horses, directly, this week."

"Okay, so you want me to work with Jackson and Amy, then?" Blake asked.

"I'm gonna show you how to groom the first horse, then if you have any questions with the other horses, Jackson and Amy will help you out."

"Okay, cool."

Standing, Thomas said, "So, come with me and let's get started."

Blake stood, eager to get his hands dirty. He followed Thomas down the corridor of stalls. Thomas named everyone they passed, but being on a time schedule, the workers were too busy to stop for introductions. Thomas assured Blake that he would meet them all, properly, at breakfast.

Arriving at the end of the stables, the two of them found Jackson and Amy hard at work.

"Hey, guys, this is Blake, our new hand. Blake, this is Amy," Thomas said, pointing to a ponytailed brunette with a hefty frame, and round face. When she smiled, Blake actually felt happy. She had a wonderfully, huge smile that engulfed the room. He reached out his hand and shook her very strong handshake. He resisted the urge to shake his hand afterwards, out of fear of showing his weakness.

"Blake, this is Jackson," he said, pointing to the other guy there. Jackson was a very handsome guy, about 25 or so, Blake thought. He stood about six foot with a nice frame. His hair was a dirty blonde that grew to about shoulder length. When Blake grabbed his hand for a shake, he found it was the perfect grip. Blake could tell that Jackson had some muscle behind the handshake, but Jackson didn't feel the need to show it off.

"Please, call me Jack," he said to Blake.

"So," Thomas said, "who's next?"

"This is just seven and eight. Go out there and take your pick, boss," Amy said to Thomas. "We still got seven more to go, unless you heard from some of the owners yet."

"Nope, so far, everyone should be coming." Turning to Blake, he said, "So, let's go get a horse."

They started out to the holding pen, which was a good-sized area fenced in with a water trough and fresh hay scattered about. "Looks like Cotton Candy's available. Since you'll be riding her later, why don't we introduce you two?"

They walked into the pen and up to a strikingly white horse, with just a bit of red scattered in her mane and tail. Thomas reached up and grabbed the reins and gave Blake a short lesson.

"This whole contraption is called the bridle. Once you slip it on, you have control of the horse. When you pull on one side of the reins, the horse's head turns that way, and they start going in that direction. Same for the other side. Since we'll be walking her back to the stable, take the rein off her back and carry it in your hand and lead her."

Thomas illustrated his words and showed Blake how to lead the horse around by the bridle. Once back at the stall, Thomas hooked the bridle up to two straps to keep the horse steady, and then he started his lesson.

He showed Blake the different brushes used in grooming the horses and what each was called. He demonstrated on one side, how to use the brushes, and let Blake do the other side of the horse. Going through all aspects of grooming Cotton Candy, took them about half an hour. Thomas explained that once he got the routine down, it should take him about fifteen to twenty minutes per horse.

After putting Cotton Candy back in her clean stall, Thomas asked Blake if he understood what he needed to do.

"I think so, but I might get confused on the brushes."

"It's okay, just ask Jack or Amy. They'll be happy to help you out. I got to get some paperwork done and gotta put in an order with Julie, then I'll be back to check on you."

"Okay," Blake said, and turned to find Jack walking his horse to its stall.

"Are you about to go and get another one?" Blake asked.

"Yup. Coming with?" Jack asked.

"Sure," Blake said and let Jack finish putting his horse away.

"So, where're you from?" Jackson asked.

"Atlanta," Blake said.

"Ahhh, never been to Georgia before. I hear it's nice."

"Yeah, and hot in the summer. This is nice up here. Not nearly as humid."

"Yeah, we got good days and bad days, just depends."

"What about you?" Blake asked. "Where are you from?"

"San Francisco. The most beautiful city in the country," Jack said.

"If it was so beautiful, then why'd you leave?" Blake asked.

"Well, that, sir, is a story for a different time. I gotta get to know you before revealing all of my secrets," Jack said with a wink and a smile. "And you left Atlanta because...?"

"Honestly, I think I left to find out who I am. To get to know me for a change."

"How long have you been out?" Jack asked.

Looking at Jack, Blake asked, "How'd you know?"

"Mama told us we had another `family' member starting today. Family is his code word for gay."

"Oh, well, I've known for a little over two years, but only came out about a year and a half ago."

"That's cool. I came out when I was seventeen. But, I think I really knew when I was like ten."

"If you don't mind, how old are you?" Blake asked.

"24. And yourself?"

"18. I'll be 19 next month," Blake explained.

"Wow. I thought you were older. You sure act older," Jack said.

"Thanks," Blake said and smiled.

"Well, here we are," Jack said, looking out at the pen. "You want me to pick one for you?"

"I think I can handle it," Blake said, opening the gate and walking in.

"Cool, but a piece of advice, if I may," Jack said, following Blake through the gate.

"Sure."

"Don't choose the black one, over there," Jack said, pointing to a solid black horse near the opposite side of the pen. "We call him Lucifer, but his real name is Black Night. He's the meanest horse you'll ever meet, but can be the sweetest thing with his owner."

"Why's he so mean?" Blake asked.

"Don't know. Amy's the only one he'll let touch him, but if anyone else gets close, he'll stand on his back legs and start kicking with his front. Almost got me one day, but I moved mighty quick to avoid him."

"Thanks for the warning," Blake said and looked around. "Any others I should know about?"

"Nah, he's the only one."

"Good, then I'll take the brown one, over there," Blake said, pointing to his right, about fifty feet away.

"That's Apple Cobbler." Blake looked at Jack and was about to ask a question, but Jack cut him off, thinking he knew what the question was going to be. "I don't know. Ask Mama, he named her."

Blake smiled, having his question answered. He went over and retrieved Apple Cobbler, then met back at the gate with Jack and his next horse. They walked back over to the grooming area, and began work.

Blake did pretty much okay without Thomas there. He had to ask Jack a couple of questions, but pretty much did the job on his own. When he was done with Apple, Amy did a look over and was impressed with his first horse. By the time he was done, both Amy and Jack had completed two.

He walked Apple Cobbler over to her stall, and found it was clean with a fresh lining of hay on the floor. Leading her in, he swung her around, facing the hallway, then rubbed her cheek before walking out and closing the door. Heading back, he passed Jack and heard him call that he was working on the final horse.

"Do you mind if I do it?" Blake asked.

"Sure. Just started, so you can do it all," Jack said.

While grooming the last horse, finally down to cleaning the hooves, Thomas arrived from his morning chores and looked over Blake's horse.

"Looking good, Blake," he said, then turned to Jack. "Did he have many questions?"

"Only a couple. Trying to remember what to do next, and which brush to use. Over all, he did two by himself."

"Great," Thomas said. "Now, show him how to fill the oats bag, then you guys head on in for breakfast."

"Awesome," Jack said. "I'm starved."

Showing Blake how to fill the oats bag was pretty simple. Blake got the hang of that pretty quick, and within ten minutes, they we all heading up for their morning meal. Jack decided to take Blake under his wing and show him everything he knew. He kinda felt left out, seeing how everyone but he and Lindsey were a couple with someone; he wanted someone to talk to. He wanted a close friend he could confide in, if needed.

Over breakfast, Blake sat next to Jackson, as his request, and enjoyed the meal of pancakes, eggs, bacon, ham, grits (from Mama's southern days), biscuits and toast with butter and jelly, and coffee, milk, apple and orange juice for options. The first few minutes were kinda quiet, except for the sounds of forks against china, and the occasional slurping of drink, then from the head of the table, Papa asked Thomas a few questions.

Once their conversation was done, the other hands started to zero in on Blake and ask him questions. Where he was from, what he did before coming to the farm; things of that nature. In between bites, he answered all questions thrown his way. After everyone got their answer, they put their attention back on the plate of food in front of them.

During breakfast, Mama heard a car drive up and excused himself to attend to the potential customer. While he was gone, the one question Blake avoided, because it wasn't asked, was asked to him, finally, by the only member of the group that didn't speak English.

"¿Por qué te fuiste de Atlanta, y cómo acabaste aquí en Montana?" Miguel asked, looking and waiting for an answer from Blake.

Blake looked at Miguel with a confused look and said, to Charles, "I don't speak Spanish. All I understood was Atlanta and Montana."

Charles looked at Miguel and said, "Él no habla Espanol."

"Entonces usted le pregunta," replied Miguel.

"Déme un segundo y lo haré. Quisiera solamente que usted supiera que él no le entienda," Charles said to Miguel. Turning his attention back to Blake, he translated, "He asked why you left Atlanta, and what brought you to Montana?"

"Oh, well, it's... uh... really a long story, as to why I left, but the reason I came to Montana is because I have a cousin who lives in Missoula. He goes to the university."

As Blake answered the question, Charles translated to Miguel. When he was done, Miguel said something else, and Charles redirected the statement to Blake.

"He wants to know why the story is so long."

By this time, everyone at the table was giving Blake their undivided attention. Instead of answering them, he sort of fidgeted in his seat and was playing with his food when Mama came back and asked why everyone was so quiet.

"Miguel wanted to know why Blake left Atlanta, and why the story would be so long," Lindsey explained.

Mama looked at Blake, and then said, "Why he left Atlanta, is his business. If he's not ready to say, then it's not your place to ask. All your plates are empty, so get back to work." As they all scrambled at Mama's words, including Papa, he added, "And don't be bugging Blake about this anymore."

A few of them apologized, not to Blake, but to Mama. It's as if they were almost scared of Oliver. Jack did offer his apology to Blake for the interest, which Blake waved off and explained, "If I really knew the answer to that question, then I'd answer it. I'm still trying to figure it out myself."

"Hey, it's cool. For whatever reason you left, I hope this was your best option and that things work out for you," Jack said and placed his hand on Blake's left shoulder.

"Thanks, Jack," Blake said, and then they started back to the barn.

After work that day, Blake was full and tired. Mama had fed them a dinner of meatloaf, corn on the cob, green bean casserole, new potatoes with butter, and sweet and unsweet tea to drink. As usual, they sat outside for this meal as well. Behind the house sat a great big tree that offered shade, and beneath that tree, Mama and Papa had put three picnic tables there and that's where Mama served the employees. Because there was a breeze blowing and he was stuffed, Blake wanted to just lie down on the bench and fall asleep.

"Too bad you don't live here," Jack said. "You could go right in your room and go to bed."

"It's tempting, but since I just moved in with my cousin and his boyfriend, I don't want to abandon them just yet. I'm gonna test the week out and see what happens."

"I hope you get enough rest," Jack said.

Blake stood and started walking with Jack, towards the employee's house. "Me too. I don't know how long I'll be able to stay awake with all this food in me. Mama sure knows how to cook."

"Yeah, and he does it all himself. If you ever want something for dinner, like a craving or something, just let Mama know in the morning, and if he has it, he'll make it," Jack explained.

"Sounds good." They reached the front door of the house and before Blake turned to his car, he asked Jack one last question. "Why do ya'll call him Mama?"

"Well, he does the cooking and stuff, and if we have a problem, we go to him for advice, like kids do when they're little. I mean, look at Papa. He's the one out working and riding the ranch. The roles kinda speak for themselves. But when I got here, that's what they were already calling them. If you want to know the real reason, I guess you'll have to ask Mama. I never asked him, so I don't know."

"Maybe one day, I will. After I get to know them better."

Blake wished Jack and the rest of the crew a good night and headed home. When he got there, Mark and Tripp were already home and in their birthday suits. Walking in, they asked Blake how his first day was.

Stifling a yawn, he said, "It was fine. Learned how to groom the horses. Next week, I'll clean the stalls and then sometime after that, I'll learn how to saddle the horses."

"Cool," Mark said. "We were talking about what to have for dinner. Any thoughts?"

"Me, no. I'm stuffed. The job comes with three meals a day. I just got done with meatloaf, corn, green beans, and potatoes. I couldn't eat another bite if I had to."

"Aren't you the lucky one?" Tripp asked.

"Seems like it, but right now..." Blake started, but yawned instead, "I'm gonna take a nap. I'm exhausted."

"Sleep well," Mark said, and then Blake turned to his room and stripped down and got in bed. Unknowingly, he slept until four the next morning.

Over the next couple of days, things went just like they did on Monday. He got to groom the other horses he didn't get to on his first day, and, also, got faster in doing so. He was getting one horse done, to Jack's one and a quarter horse. He was happy with himself for catching on and challenged himself to keep up on Thursday.

Unfortunately, he didn't do it. He actually slowed down a bit and was back to one horse per one and a half of Jack's. The problem was, he was getting excited, for no reason. He kept having to hide his crotch from the other workers. He didn't know why, but he was getting hard and it was frustrating him beyond belief. He figured it'd been a while since he took care of himself, but when this had happened before, it usually went away with a little concentration. Today, his dick had a mind of its own and it wasn't going to stop.

After he got home that night, he jumped in the shower and took care of his problem, then cleaned himself and headed straight for bed. After Friday's work, he came home and collapsed again, but Saturday and Sunday, he and his cousins had a good time. They went to a movie, and swam, and just enjoyed each other's company. He knew that come Monday, he was going to learn the hard stuff, so he went to bed early to prepare.

After another evening out with Zack, Todd came home and fulfilled his reminder he had given himself earlier in the day. He had one of the best orgasms of his life, alone. The last time he felt that kind of power in his loins was the last time he was with Blake. He smiled at the memory, then quickly cleaned himself up and fell into sleep.

The next couple of days were spent with Zack coming over for a swim and things went much better for Todd. He already knew what was beneath the Speedos Zack wore, so his excitement wasn't nearly as high as it was on Thursday. When Zack was invited over on Saturday, he finally got to meet Don and Christine.

They had a quick lunch of sandwiches and chatted to get to know each other a little better. Don and Christine, both, liked Zack, but in the back of Don's mind, he secretly hoped that Todd was still in love with Blake, as Christine had said he was. Seeing how attractive Zack was, Don had to wonder if there wasn't more there than what Todd said. He knew he couldn't tell Todd not to like Zack, if he did, but he had grown to love Blake as a second son, and didn't want to see that relationship die.

Once Christine started clearing the island of the empty plates, Todd announced that he and Zack were going for a swim.

"Do you mind if I join you guys?" Don asked.

"That's fine, dad, but you gotta wear a suit," Todd said.

For a split second, Don thought about trying to start a little argument between he and Todd, hoping to make the family seem like not such a great place to be involved, but his conscience, not to mention the feel of Christine's stare on him, make him think otherwise. "Fine, no problem. I just want to do a few laps, that's all."

Todd and Zack walked outside, and Don headed upstairs. "Why did you tell your dad he had to wear a suit? Isn't it standard?"

"Not around here. Without company around, we usually don't wear suits, unless mom's swimming with us."

"You skinny dip?" Zack asked.

"Yeah. Just like the feeling of being free," Todd explained.

"Nice. I haven't skinny dipped since I was 18. A group of friends and I headed up to Lake Lanier, and we ended up on this little beach. There wasn't anyone else around, but the problem was, we didn't bring suits. See, we were going to visit a friend close by, but they were out of town; last minute trip with the parents. So, the group and I headed over to the lake. Everyone was complaining about wanting to go swimming and no one but me thought of the obvious solution.

"I walked closer to the water, and started taking off my clothes. They were all staring at me, and finally one of my girlfriends asked what I was doing. I said flat out, "I'm going swimming," and shucked my pants and everyone started giggling. I looked over at my guy friends and asked them if they were suffering from shrinkage syndrome. Basically, I embarrassed them to get naked and go swimming with me. Before you know it, everyone was in the water. Some of the girls decided to keep their panties on, but the majority of us were naked.

"Over all, that day was a great day. Those guys got over their insecurities, at least for the day, and I got to go skinny dipping. Not to mention, seeing my hot friends naked. That was pretty cool."

"Did they know about you then?" Todd asked.

"Yeah. After I came out to my parents, I never had to hide who I was, but I never advertised it, either. If someone asked, I gave them the truth. Personally, I thought it was funny that the gay guy had to finally do what was the obvious thing. There were six other jocks there, but they were all afraid to get naked. I don't know if it was because I was there, or girls were there. Hell, I didn't care. I wasn't sleeping with any of them, so I didn't care what they thought about me. Plus, not to brag, but I'm happy with my size. I have nothing to be ashamed of."

In his mind, Todd agreed and really wanted to see for himself, but quickly shook the thought from his mind and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with Zack. Over the next week, Zack became increasingly busy, and he had to put off inviting Todd over to his apartment for that music he wanted to share. But on Tuesday of the following week, things opened up and he invited Todd over for a cookout.

Todd accepted and headed over on Tuesday afternoon about two o'clock. When he arrived, Zack was starting to prepare the little things for the dinner.

"You're right on time," Zack said, as he invited Todd in.

"Great," Todd said. He looked around the little apartment, and noticed that Zack did a lot with what little room he had. To his left, he saw a piano, over in the corner of the living room. Past the piano, looked to be a small hallway that leads back behind the kitchen. To the right of Todd, sat a small table with four chairs, and straight ahead, sat the kitchen. Looking through the back windows, on the patio, sat the grill they were going to use later.

"I hope you like ribs and burgers."

"I love `em," Todd replied.

"Good. I figure a small salad around six or so, and then we could start grilling. I also made some potato salad."

"Sounds good to me," Todd said and then asked if Zack liked ice cream. "I figured I could at least bring some dessert."

"Great. I didn't even think of that. What flavor?" Zack asked, taking the brown bag from Todd and putting it in the freezer.

"Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie." Zack looked at Todd and he shrugged, "It's my favorite."

"Mine too. Followed closely by the Chocolate Brownie Batter," Zack explained.

"My second is Dulche Delish, then the Key Lime Pie."

"Oh, yeah, that's good, too," Zack said, closing the freezer door. Shaking his head, he said, "I can't believe that both of our favorite ice cream flavor is the same."

"And we both love the Tales of the City series, too," Todd chimed in.

"Oh, right. How far have you gotten?" Zack asked.

"'Bout halfway through the third book."

"Oh, yeah, the whole Jim Jones thing. That's a good one. You know, they made the first three books into movies, right?" Zack asked.

"No. Are they as good as the book?" Todd asked.

"Yeah. Wanna see the first one? It's in several parts, but they're in one hour intervals."

"Sure. I'd like to compare the books to the movie. At least, the first little bit."

Zack went over to his DVD collection and retrieved the movie he was looking for. He opened the case and popped the disk in the player. While the player read the disk, Zack went to the kitchen and told Todd he was going to pop some popcorn and asked if he wanted any. Todd agreed and a few minutes later, the corn was ready.

"You want a beer?" Zack asked.

"I'm not old enough. You know that," Todd said.

"I also know that we aren't in public. I won't let you have too many. You'll be sober before you leave tonight."

Thinking it over, and realizing that Zack made sense, he said, "Sure. Why not?"

Grabbing two bottles from the fridge, he walked back to the living room, handing a beer to Todd and placing the bowl of popcorn between them.

"Get ready for the visual adventure of Tales of the City," then Zack clicked the remote that started the movie.

After the third installment of the first book, Zack called a bathroom break and headed off down the short hallway. While he was out, Todd walked over to the piano and hit a couple of the keys.

"Do you play?" Zack asked, returning from the bathroom.

"Me, no. I don't know how. I can sing a little, I guess. I mean, I never got any complaints from Bl...," he cut himself off, not wanting to be reminded of his current situation with Blake. "I assume you play, since you have one."

"Yup. A cousin of mine taught me."

"Could you play something?" Todd asked.

"Mind if we do it later? I still have to boil the ribs and get them ready for the grill, then I gotta prepare the salad."

"Sure, no problem. Anything I can do to help?" Todd asked.

"Nah, it won't take too long. If you want to start the fourth installment, go ahead. I can watch from the kitchen."

"Yeah, okay," Todd said, not knowing what else he could do.

"You want another beer?" Zack asked, going into the kitchen.

"That'd be great."

A minute later, Zack emerged with a freshly opened beer. "I'll be back in about ten minutes. Go ahead and start the next one."

Todd sat and clicked the remote to start the next installment of the series. Ten minutes later, Zack was back in the living room watching with Todd. When that hour was over, Zack called Todd into the kitchen.

"By the time we're done with our salads, we should be able to start grilling."

"Cool. You got a gas grill, or do you use charcoal?" Todd asked.

"I think food tastes better with charcoal and wood chips. I've had some soaking for a few hours now, but I gotta start the fire so the grill will be ready," Zack explained.

"Please, let me do that. My dad tells me that I can build a fire better than anyone he knows. I don't know why, I just put them in a pyramid like he does."

"Awesome. Lighter fluid is out there already. Matches too. If you need anything, let me know."

Todd went out and poured the charcoal and stacked the briquettes like he usually does, then doused them with lighter fluid. After a couple minutes of letting them soak, he threw in his first match, and the flame slowly started to spread. A second match, on the other side, helped to get the fire going faster. Putting the grill back over the flames, he watched the fire for a minute, before coming back inside.

"Fire's going and the grill's on top. Should be ready in about thirty minutes."

"Great," Zack said. "I've got the salads on the table, and the dressing too. Let's get started."

Todd excused himself to the bathroom to wash up, then returned to the table, and enjoyed the salad Zack prepared. After the fire was ready, both boys had finished their salads, and they headed outside with a plate of raw meat, ready for grilling. They each decided on one burger and a few ribs, so they only took what meat they knew they were going to eat. Placing the food on the grill, Zack went in to wash the plate, and returned with two new beers.

Handing one to Todd, he said, "Probably should be your last. Don't want you leaving with a buzz."

"Agreed," Todd said, and touched the top of his bottle to Zack's, for a toast.

They continued to talk as the heat was cooking the meat. When it was done, they retreated to the table and began to enjoy their little feast. They chose to drink tea with dinner; Zack didn't want Todd to feel left out. When dinner was over, Zack put up any leftovers, while Todd started washing the dishes. Zack tried to protest, but Todd said it was the least he could do.

When the kitchen was cleaned, they retreated back to the living room. Zack grabbed another remote and clicked on the stereo. They listened to the music for a few minutes, and then started talking. About half an hour later, Todd reminded Zack about him playing the piano.

"Oh, yeah," Zack said, and got up to head to the piano. "Any requests?" he asked of Todd.

"Whatever. I can't think of anything right now."

Zack placed his hands on the keys and started to play. He played around with a few songs, sang to a few of them, too.

"I want to hear you sing. What song do you want played?" he asked of Todd.

"Oh, God, I don't know. The only thing I can think of is a song I don't want to sing right now. How about you sing another one. All mine are tied to something I don't want to think about."

Zack understood, and thought of another song. He debated whether he should sing it or not, but finally decided to do so.

He started to play a slow melody with the keys under his fingers, which he repeated twice, then the words started to come.

Here we are Isn't it familiar Haven't had someone to talk to In such a long time And it's strange All we have in common And your company was just the thing I needed tonight Somehow I feel I should apologize `Cause I'm just a little shaken By what's going on inside

At this point, Todd swallowed hard, and tried to listen closer to the words Zack was singing.

I should go Before my will gets any weaker And my eyes begin to linger Longer than they should I should go Before I lose my sense of reason And this hour holds more meaning Than it ever could I should go I should go Baby, I should go

Todd came around the piano and sat down on the bench with Zack. He watched him as his fingers touched the keys, and occasionally, looked up and watched him sing.

It's so hard Keeping my composure And pretend I don't see how Your body curves beneath your clothes And your laugh Is pure and unaffected It frightens me to know so well the place I shouldn't go I know I gotta take the noble path `Cause I don't want you to question The intentions that I have

A feeling started stirring inside Todd. He didn't know what it was, but something came over him and he was having to fight with himself to hold his composure.

I should go Before my will gets any weaker And my eyes begin to linger Longer than they should I should go Before I lose my sense of reason And this hour holds more meaning Than it ever could I should go I should go Baby, I should go

Oh, but now I don't mean to leave you with a trivial excuse And when you call tomorrow, I'll know what to do

I should go Before my will gets any weaker And my eyes begin to linger Longer than they should I should go Before I lose my sense of reason And this hour holds more meaning Than it ever could I should go I should go Baby, I should go I should go Baby, I should go Should go Ohhh

When the final sound left Zack's mouth, Todd leaned over and placed his lips upon Zack's. Zack didn't pull away, instead, kissed Todd back. A second longer, he did pull away, and looked at Todd.

"What about...?" he started to say, but Todd brought his fingers up and covered Zack's lips.

"Shhh, there's no one else but us, tonight," then he leaned in and started kissing Zack again. Zack started to get into the kiss more and more and before either of them knew what was happening, they were standing, grabbing each other's shirt, trying to rip them over each other's head.

Breaking away from each other to remove their shirts, Zack wanted to make sure Todd wasn't making a mistake. "Are you sure?" he asked, trying to catch his breath from the previous make-out session.

"Positive," Todd said, and threw his shirt over on the couch and started to attack Zack again with his lips.

As they made out, they started to feel the body of the other. Zack felt of the muscles on Todd's back, as Todd felt the smooth flesh of Zack's lower back. Letting his hands slip down to the perfect mounds he had seen in Speedos just a few days before. Zack mimicked Todd's actions, and his hands were squeezing the tight muscles of Todd's perfect butt.

They continued to grind their bodies against each other as they continued kissing with passion. Todd brought his hands around between him and Zack and grabbed the buttons of Zack's denim jeans and started unbuttoning them. Before he finished, Zack grabbed Todd's hands and said, "Wait a minute. I want to do you first."

He reached down and started unbuttoning Todd's jeans, then unzipped the zipper. Pushing the denim down over Todd's hips and butt, he let them fall to Todd's ankles, all the while, still kissing Todd. Todd, in a fury to get rid of the jeans, lifted his legs to remove them, only to lose his balance and start to fall. Breaking the kiss, Zack caught Todd from falling, and bent over and removed the jeans from Todd's feet.

Their lips touched again and they were going at it like teenagers. Finally, Zack's lips left Todd's and started kissing his cheeks, then his neck, chest, nipples, stomach, then finally, Zack got down on his knees and kissed from Todd's stomach, down past his belly button, following the happy trail to the top of Todd's underwear. Todd placed his right hand on Zack's head.

Zack reached his hands up and put his fingers inside the waistband and hooked them, then slowly started pulling then down. He had wanted to do this since the first day he saw Todd at the coffee house. He knew he was about to get his wish. It only took his hands about three inches of movement, and then he saw it.

"Blake?" Zack said.

To Be Continued...

ALL RIGHTS TO THE SONG "I SHOULD GO" BELONG COMPLETELY TO LEVI KREIS.

`I SHOULD GO' WRITTEN BY LEVI KREIS AND DARCI MONET