"The Denton Boys"
Part 16
The Denton's had the ideal spot. In the evening, the sky filled with blackness became darted with stars. Sawyer would look upward deep in thought. In his solitude, he liked to dream with no limit to his imagination.
Ezra and Clara were unaware that Sawyer was dreaming. They would never understand their masculine son longing for a man. That just wasn't possible in their minds. Not understanding was typical reaction for the times in which they lived.
"I should be doing something else, besides sitting here listening to the sounds of the night and lookin at stars," complained Clara. She was so used to working and keeping busy, she didn't see the point to just sitting.
"Did you know, began Clara that the ranch hands no longer come to the house for breakfast? Jesse got the cast iron cook stove working in the bunkhouse, and it burns wood proper like - so they are using that. Hank was a cook on a wagon train and he cooks breakfast. I saw him in the smoke house hackin off some bacon and they got plenty of eggs down at the hen house. He fries up potatoes with the eggs in the morning. I know the boys are not going hungry. Jesse gathered coffee beans from the barrel and a brewing pot just this morning."
"It sounds about right to me," said Ezra. "Think of the work it saves you. Let Hank cook all he wants. It will keep me from hiring a bunkhouse cook eventually. They still pile in here for supper, so we need the long table. Don't forget, we will have Chad with us, after Tuesday next," continued Ezra."
"I've got some socks to darn before going to bed. Stay on the stoop and finish that nasty cigar. I wish you would smoke your pipe. It smells so much better."
Ezra grinned and tipped his hat. "Yes `em, I'll give that a thought or two."
"Oh, be off with you, crazy old fool," laughed Clara going back into the house. The screen door slammed shut and she was gone.
There was loud talking coming from the bunkhouse. The hands were playing cards whooping and hollering when somebody won a pot of money. They were wranglers, however they called themselves, "The Boys," riding, working and playing together. All four of them were real cowboys.
Ezra opened the door to the bunkhouse just as Sawyer was getting up from the table where they were playing cards.
"Hey fellows, look - it's pa. Tom yelled greeting the top boss of the ranch.
Ezra glowed with joy seeing everybody having a good time. The boys were playing cards and drinking beer. Everybody was in a good mood and Ezra loved that. He really loved the manliness of his boys enjoying themselves.
He sat down at the table and got into the poker game. Hank put his arm around Ezra and poured him a glass of beer.
"There you be pa," said Hank. "What one does around here, we all do," he announced proudly – drink up."
"So, if one of you cowpokes rob a bank – you all rob the bank?"
"Awe, no, no, - nothing against the law. We work together and look out for one another," sprung back Hank, "that's it – plain and easy."
"Yeah, I knew what you meant, I was just funning with yawl," Ezra blurted out giving a wink to Hank.
An hour later, Ezra had lost $4.10 in the poker game and it was time to turn in. Daylight comes early and they were smart enough to limit their drinking. On the weekends, they went into town, on their own time, and Ezra allowed that.
Ezra was especially fond of Hank. He was older, mature and a no nonsense sort of cowpoke. Everybody liked Hank he was dependable and looked out for the three of them as if his own boys.
There was nothing sexual happening anywhere. However, Jesse never stopped eyeballing Hank's butt. The obvious is still the obvious. This cowboy packed solid with naughty flesh was just a glance away.
Jesse could see Hank `play-acting' towards his dad (Ezra) getting favors he wanted. He became the ranch cook doin chuck wagon work, relieving Clara from catering to the men. It was all good. Ezra knew that helping Clara, was a beneficial thing.
Clara was friendly and neighborly giving things to people. She asked Jesse and Sawyer take the buckboard and bring a Bushel of potatoes and homemade jam to Lester and Pearl Hicken's who lived next to their property.
Pearl was not especially friendly but that didn't stop Clara from being neighborly. Only a fence and a row of pine trees separated their land from Denton land. The Hicken's were hard workers, but barely sociable keeping to themselves on their farm.
They had a large farm, working and complaining all the time. Pearl wanted to sell the place, but Lester would hear nothing of it. Perhaps the never ending chores, were the reasons Pearl seemed irritable all the time.
After bouncing on the buckboard, for about a mile, Jesse started talking.
"What do you think of Hank and Tom," he asked his brother Sawyer.
"Are you asking as sexy men or as ranch hands?"
"We work with them, so work is in plain view, I mean as men," Jesse replied. "Okay, sexy men!"
"They're ok!"
"That's it – Just ok? You don't talk that way about Chad," said Jesse.
"I've told you before – that's different."
"That sets me to wondering," continued Jesse.
"Just quiet yourself. One more time I will tell you – Chad is different."
"Okay – got it."
"About time," said Sawyer, gently tapping the horse with the reins.
"Well I like `em," admitted Jesse.
"I like them too, but that's all I like," Sawyer concluded.
There are things people say about other people, and then there is reality. Sawyer indeed noticed Chad the first time he stopped at the farm on horseback.
In the beginning, Sawyer trailed after him with thoughts that would shock his ma. Sawyer wanted Chad to touch him putting his hands everywhere, but even more, he wanted to be like him, quirky, strange and sexy beyond belief. He wanted Chad who lifted heavy objects, got dirty, and took up space – He wanted to say, "This is the first real living I have ever done in my young life," and mean every word of it.
The following day would be Tuesday and Chad was coming home tomorrow. The excitement that Sawyer felt was unimaginable.
Please remember Nifty, for posting these chapters. Readers check daily for more of the story, and one person reads it twice, as not to miss anything – (I was told.) - Thank you Nifty and thank you everybody.