Tales from the Ranch

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

TALES FROM THE RANCH Copyrightc 2002 by Tulsa Driller 7. 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 world.

This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. Any similarity to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. This work is copyrightedc by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author.

PLEASE: In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist. My characters have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around the read the last chapter of this story.

Tales from the Ranch Chapter 21: Friday was a busy day

Friday morning dawned clear and warm. Jason had set the alarm for 15 minutes ahead of their usual time to wake up. He had laid out clothing and camping items the night before and had packed and repacked his backpack three times.

As soon as he awoke, he remembered something else he wanted to take with him, so had gotten that out of the closet he shared with Kevin. By the time he stuffed another polo shirt in, there wasn't room to add anything else without using a shoehorn. He had way more stuff than was needed, but this was his first experience in camping with the Boy Scouts and although he had been told he only needed two changes of clothing, he was way beyond the "Be Prepared" motto of the Scouts.

It was time to start to get Kevin into "wake up" mode. He gently shook his shoulder and said, "Kev, it's time to wake up. Come on, it's Friday. Only one more day of school this week."

Surprisingly, Kevin seemed to be more awake than usual after the first attempt to get him up. He rolled over and rubbed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked Jason.

"Finishing packing my backpack for the campout."

"Again?" Kevin asked. "You did that three times last night," he added.

"I thought of another shirt I wanted to take," Jason said.

"You've already got more clothes that you are supposed to take." He then recited the list that Jason had been given. Kevin knew it because Jason had repeated it so many times.

"A cot, sleeping bag and an optional air mattress. Heavy shoes or boots, at least one pair of denim pants, underwear, socks, shorts for if it's hot, two shirts, one short sleeve and the other long sleeve and a light jacket. You will need toothpaste, a toothbrush and deodorant and any other toiletry items. And you're supposed to give them $10 toward food and take any snack goodies you want."

Jason opened his backpack and emptied it again. He settled for what was on the list with an extra pair of Levis and two extra pair of heavy socks. Amazingly, there was room to spare in the backpack after he repacked it for the fourth time.

"Thanks, Kev. I guess all the extra stuff I was going to take would make me look really dumb, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know about dumb, but you have to hike a mile and that backpack will get heavy before you get there," Kevin said.

"Thanks, anyway. Hey, we've got to get ready for school."

With that Kevin went to the bathroom while Jason put the extra clothes back in his drawers and closet.

Eddie Thompson woke up at his usual time and got ready for his morning run. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. He looked at the outside thermometer in the kitchen window. 70 degrees at 6 a.m. 'Perfect,' he thought as he did his stretches outside the house.

He had been gone about 40 minutes when the alarm rang on Tom's side of the bed. He stretched himself awake, rolling on his right side. He could smell the "Eddie scent" on his pillow where Eddie had rested his head behind Tom. He wished he could package it and take it with him to give himself a good whiff several times during the day.

Tom got out of bed and the package from the uniform company was still on the chair beside the double dresser in their bedroom. When he'd asked Eddie what it was, Eddied just got a big grin on his face and said, "You'll find out soon enough." The package was still sealed. He wanted to open it, but knew he shouldn't. Eddied wouldn't be mad, just that it would spoil whatever the surprise was.

He quickly shaved, then stepped into their large shower. The hot water felt good and he wished Eddie were there with him. He started to get hard as he soaped his groin and back under his balls and ass crack. He was tempted to take care of it, but decided it was more fun with his lover.

Back in their bedroom, he pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and a pair of brown crew socks. He chose a pair of beige slacks and a beautiful green print shirt that Eddied had given him for his last birthday. Putting on his shoes, he was ready to go to the kitchen to start the coffeepot.

Surprise, the coffee was ready to drink. Eddie must have made it before he left on his run. Tom was just pouring himself a glass of orange juice when Eddie arrived from his run. They exchanged a kiss.

"Ummm, you smell good. and all sweaty, too," Tom said after taking a deep sniff.

"So do you," he said as they kissed again. "Nice cologne."

With that, he proceeded to strip off his running clothes, dropping them in the laundry chute in an alcove of the kitchen where they would fall into a basket next to the washing machine in the basement.

Tom was watching the strip show, and felt his cock twitch. He thought Eddie was a hunk and was glad he belonged to him.

Craig stirred as Dale reached over to turn off the alarm. It was 6:15. Both were wide-awake as soon as the clock buzzed. Usually Dale's internal clock woke him up, but it felt so good to be cuddled up to his lover as they slept, that he could very well have slept a lot longer this morning. They still had about 15 minutes before they really had to get started for the day.

After a tentative kiss, they discovered neither had morning- breath. Wrapping themselves around the other, they started their morning with lips and tongues engaged in a passionate kiss. They had each awakened with morning wood, and this just made them harder. They soon were poking each other in the groin and the stimulation of that caused each to start leaking precum. It didn't take very long before their actions caused a slick mess, which soon became so sticky they were almost cemented together. Having your pubic hair stuck to your lover's cock wasn't exactly the greatest feeling in the world. They managed to disentangle themselves. Craig headed to the kitchen and Dale to the bathroom. While Dale was brushing his teeth, Craig set a glass of orange juice on the counter for him.

Craig started his own ablutions and was through shaving at the same time Dale was. Of course they each had to admire Dale's new mustache, which was really filling out nicely. Craig thought it made him look even more handsome and sexy than before, if that were possible.

They crawled into the shower together and decided that they would save the sex play until another time. It really was more fun in bed when they could take their time.

As they were drying themselves, Dale asked Craig, "What would you like for your birthday? I'd really like to get you something special that you wouldn't buy for yourself."

Craig had to think about that. "You know, I'm going to have to think about that. My first impulse is to say that I've already received it, meaning you."

Dale blushed a little. "You can have me anytime you want, but I'd really like to do something special for you, or get you something really nice."

"Let me think about it today and see what I come up with," Craig answered.

"Okay," Dale said. He reminded himself to think about it also. He might come up with something that Craig didn't think of.

"Do you still want to eat lunch together?" Craig asked.

"How could I turn down an invitation like that? Of course I do," Dale told him.

"I'll have to come out to the ranch when Ray calls me for an inspection. That should be before noon. Then we can eat after that."

"Sounds good to me," Craig replied.

After dressing and eating a toasted bagel with cream cheese, they exchanged another kiss and Dale was out the door on his way to work.

The previous evening, Nolan Nichols had signed out of the dorm before John picked him up. Nolan actually signed out for the entire night, but took a pass card in case he wanted back in the dorm while the door was locked between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. He didn't intend to spend the night there.

John had picked him up about 6:20, having showered and changed clothes before leaving for the college. Michael had asked John if he wanted to eat with them, but John had declined. He hoped John wasn't mad at him and Pat because of Pat's refusal to become involved in some sex play with John.

Although Michael enjoyed what he did with Pat, it was pretty juvenile stuff compared to what he and John had done. He'd gotten Pat to suck him off once after he had sucked Pat. Even though Pat enjoyed it, almost enthusiastically, he thought Pat had some kind of hang-up about it. When he asked Pat about it he had simply replied that it was okay to jackoff together, but the other stuff they had done was queer.

By the same token, Michael thought that it was "queer" because Pat wanted to sleep in the same bed with him and cuddle up to sleep, but wouldn't do anything more than help the other get their rocks off.

Michael wanted to resume what he and John had started, but was afraid that he would make Pat mad, or that if John had found someone else to play around with, then Michael was still stuck with living with Pat. Right now he couldn't figure out a solution and didn't want to tip his hand that he had seen someone else in John's room.

After John picked Nolan up, they went to Tony D's to pick up a pizza he had ordered ahead of time. On the way back to the motel he stopped at a convenience store to pick up a six-pack of beer.

As luck would have it, Michael needed something out of his car and walked out the door of their room to get it as John and Nolan arrived in John's car. He waved to them, then watched as they made their way to John's room with the pizza and beer. Although he didn't have a claim on John, he really wanted to be in Nolan's place right then.

Although the two fellows had a hard time keeping their hands off each other, they decided they should eat the pizza while it was still hot. They talked about their days and Nolan told John that he had signed out for the night, but had a pass card to get back in the door after it was locked.

"Neat," John replied. "You can spend the night, but I'll have to get up earlier to drop you at the dorm so I can get to work on time." He then thought that he'd have to go buy a sandwich to take to work with him instead of fixing one in Michael and Pat's room.

He then had another thought. 'What if Nolan and I become really good buds? What about the move into the new ranch house? I can't take him there to spend the night.' That was a lot to think about.

Nolan did end up spending the entire night and they played around with each other for a couple of hours, widening their sexual activities. At one point they fell asleep for a couple of hours, then awoke only to start over again. The night was spent with them playing around more than sleeping.

John set the alarm for 6:15. That would allow both of them to shower and him to take Nolan back to the dorm before going to work.

Michael was unhappy because not only did John not come to fix a sandwich, he didn't bother to tell them he wasn't riding with the two of them that morning. He'd have to have a talk with John to find out what was going on.

Dale met Jason and Kevin at the end of their driveway and had about 5 minutes to talk to them before the bus arrived. Dale really enjoyed the chance to visit with the brothers. They were smart and well behaved and interested in what went on at the ranch. Dale's thought turned to the fact that these boys could be his bosses in a few more years.

Dale had news for the two that during the afternoon a truck was to arrive at their campsite to unload tents. Also that their sleeping bags, cots and mattresses would be transported to the site, too.

Jason clearly was beside himself at the thought of the campout. The school day was going to be a long one for him.

"Hey, fellows," Dale asked. "What's going on with the Riley twins? Are they still giving you trouble."

"No," Jason replied. "They had to go to the school counselor. They've been back in class, but don't say much to any of the other kids. Most everybody is glad and stay clear away from them."

"I hope you stay away from them, too," Dale said.

"No way am I gonna have anything to do with them," Jason said with Kevin agreeing.

"Mr. Harris makes them sit in the front seat of the bus and not talk to the other kids, too."

"Just watch out for them and stay out of their way," Dale replied.

About that time they could hear the bus before it came around the curve, stopping in front of their driveway.

Both boys gave Dale a hug, which he returned.

When they got on the bus, one of the boys asked, "Why did you give that guy a hug, he's not your dad?"

"Yeah, why was that?" another boy added.

"That's Dale. He's our ranch manager and our pal. He's a real neat guy."

The second boy spoke up. "I wouldn't even hug my dad, let alone somebody else's dad."

That made Jason mad. "Well, for your information I give my dad both hugs and kisses - and he returns them, too."

"You're getting to be too big to do that. That's little kid stuff, like Kevin might do," the first boy said.

"For your information, our family all loves each other and I don't see anything wrong with giving my mom and dad hugs and kisses - or my grandparents, either."

About that time Wade Harris turned around. "Take your seats boys, you'll make me late and I can't drive while you're standing in the aisle."

They sat down about five rows behind the two boys who had questioned them, both feeling sorry for the other boys because they didn't get hugs from their parents.

Dale parked in his usual spot and then four other vehicles came up the driveway almost immediately. First was John in his car by himself. Then Ray Evans in his pickup, followed by Pat and Michael in Pat's car, then the other pickup belonging to Ray's company with three workmen in it.

He thought it was strange that his three men had arrived in two vehicles because they always rode together, but dismissed the idea because John must have to do an errand during his lunch hour or after work.

Dale had them sign their timesheets, reminding them that they would be paid that evening before they went home. Michael and Pat loaded up the supplies they thought they would need, took the cell phone off the charger and headed to the field in the pickup assigned to them. John stayed behind to start cleaning up the two mowers and rake so they could be stored.

"If you need help getting those detached from the tractors or moving them around, give me a nod and I'll come help," Dale told him.

John seemed like he was in a really good mood, so Dale decided to wait until he was through cleaning equipment before he told him to clean out the horse barn and cow stall. This was supposed to be a job that rotated among the men, but he knew John had cleaned just last week.

He remembered to call Mrs. Wood to tell her that he would not be eating at the house today, and then walked out to check the two fuel tanks. It looked like they could get by for another week without a refill. They certainly didn't need it today but on Monday he was going to start the three men plowing some of the new ground they were buying. He then went upstairs to their supply storage area. It appeared that he needed to order more diesel fuel filters for the tractors and they could use another dozen spools of baling wire, but there was no reason to order that until next season. It would just tie up money sitting on the shelf.

About that time, two flat bed trucks arrived from the West Texas Hay Company. Dale met the drivers and the two men who were with each. Mort had made arrangements for payment at the time he sold the hay and Dale confirmed that there would be a count of bales from both sides to establish the billing. The drivers had been told that it would probably take 6 loads to complete the job so it was agreed they would pick up two truckloads today, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. He got into his Blazer and led the trucks to the field where they would be loading the hay. Pat and Michael were making good progress and it appeared that they would be through baling hay before the day was over. That was good. The truckers wouldn't have anything to complain about.

Craig arrived at his office. After working for a couple of hours he called LeGourmet to order a picnic lunch for the next day. He talked to Tricia and told her what he wanted. She made several suggestions for an entree and various dishes to go with them. He told her he would like to be able to pick the lunch up about 10:30 and she agreed that it would be ready.

Craig had the contract that Phyllis Richmond had given Dale the previous afternoon. He showed it to Don, who went over the figures, then got out the paperwork she had given him. There was a big discrepancy in the realtor's commission and the net that Dale would receive was almost $1,000 less than Don's paperwork indicated. He was livid.

"This is the second time that she's tried to screw someone on a deal of mine. I happen to have all of the paperwork from that deal, too. So, Phyllis Richmond is going to get reported to the Realtor's Association this morning. If we are right about this, the contract she gave Dale is null and void and I'll deal with him directly. There won't be a realtor fee and I think Dale and I can come up with a deal that allows me to pay less and him to receive a little more because of her dishonesty."

Craig was elated. "No wonder she wanted the contract signed on the spot yesterday afternoon. She didn't want to take "no" for an answer."

Don went to his office to call the president of the Williamsport Realtor's Association. They spent about 15 minutes on the telephone. He came back out of his office with a big grin on his face.

"Craig, it seems like this isn't the first time this has happened. She's always claimed it was an honest mistake in the previous 5 times that they know of. However, we don't know how many times she's actually gotten by with it."

"I had to deal with her when I bought my condo. I didn't have any problems, but she certainly was pushy."

"I talked to Wes McOwen, who is President of the Realtor's Association. He's going to call Gus Douglas and talk to him. Mz. Richmond may be in for a big surprise." Don laughed. "If that woman had balls, she'd have to wear jockey shorts to keep them from banging against her knees when she walks."

They both had a good laugh over the idea that if she had balls, they would be big ones.

"Tell Dale just to tell her that he's been busy and hasn't had a chance to look the contract over yet."

"Will do. I'm going out to the Bar-W to check on the construction before they start pouring basement walls, so I'll pass on the information."

Don had some sketches for the proposed shopping center that he had completed and had asked Craig to start putting the dimensions into the computer system so they could get some rough drawings started. That took him about 45 minutes and he was just finishing up when Ray Evans called him.

"We're within an hour of getting the forms set. Do you think it's okay if I go ahead and tell them they can deliver concrete at 1 o'clock?" Ray asked.

"I don't see why not. I've never had any problems with you on rebar and preparations before. I can get away from here in about 5 minutes, so will come look it over right away," Craig answered.

"Okay, see you then," Ray replied, then hung up.

Craig left notes on both Don and Sherry's desks that he was going to the Bar-W to check on the construction project. He wasn't sure where Don was, but Sherry had traded some time off this morning for working another day on her part-time schedule. He knew she would be in to prepare checks for payment of bills later in the afternoon.

As he drove in the driveway at the Bar-W, he noticed that Dale's Blazer wasn't in its usual place. He was going to drive on back to the construction site when a young fellow (Craig hadn't met John before) came around the corner from the area where the farm equipment was stored.

He rolled his window down and asked, "Do you know where Dale is?"

John replied, "He took out of here about 10 minutes ago. Something about checking on something up the road at the cattle operation."

"Okay, my name is Craig. If he gets back here in a few minutes, tell him that I'm at the construction site."

"Will do, Craig," John answered, wondering whom this good- looking man was.

Craig thanked him and drove on back, parking next to Ray's pickup.

The construction crew was down to just two panels to set in place and tie together, so it was easy to see that the amount of rebar being used was correct. Everything was tied together properly. Next Craig walked around the basement area, checking the plumbing, which would be covered by concrete when the floor was poured.

"Looks good, Ray. I knew there wouldn't be any problems on this job."

"I have the first load of concrete scheduled for 1 o'clock. We're going to take an early lunch hour and then be ready to go to work when they get here."

"Good. I'm going to lunch with Dale then maybe we can watch them get started."

'Lucky you,' thought Ray. Then he asked, "Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet. We didn't decide this morning and he's up at the cattle operation headquarters right now."

"I'd invite you to come along, but since you don't know when Dale is going to be back, we'd better get our lunch out of the way."

"Fine with me. Maybe next week sometime," Craig said.

"Works for me. We'll be taking the forms off on Monday and should be ready to pour the basement floor on Tuesday. Then we're ready to starting framing."

"If the weather holds, you are really going to zip through this project, aren't you?"

"No bad weather in the forecast, so every good day is just a chance to get that much more accomplished before bad weather," Ray answered.

"I hope you can sail right along," Craig said.

About that time they saw Dale drive in, then talk to John. A couple of minutes later, Dale walked back and joined them.

Ray greeted him and shook hands.

Craig wanted to kiss him, but knew he couldn't. He settled for squeezing his arm and saying quietly, "Hey guy."

"Hey, yourself," Dale replied, his eyes sparkling and his face showing how happy he was to see his lover.

Before Craig couldn't say anything more, Ray asked Dale if he and Craig would join him for lunch.

Craig gave a little "yes" nod with his head and Dale agreed.

"I'm ready to leave anytime and my men can go as soon as they set that last form in place and tie it together. I've got a bunch of junk in the cab of my pickup, would one of you fellows drive?" Ray asked.

Dale quickly volunteered and they headed to the barn/office to get in his Blazer. Ray crawled in back and Craig got in the passengers seat. With Dale driving they headed out the driveway.

Ray said, "This is a nice vehicle and smells new. Did you just get it?"

"Yeah," Dale said. "It's one of my new perks for trying to run this place."

"How do you like your new job?" Ray asked.

"I think I like it better as each day goes by. I honestly didn't understand why they wanted me to take this on, but they told me they wouldn't take no for an answer. I really don't know anything about the cattle and horse operations, but we have experienced managers in that area and they are cooperative. Guess as long as I don't try to reverse their decisions, I'll do okay," Dale laughed.

"Dale, I've known Marty and his parents since we were in the third grade together and we've been friends all this time. My company has done a lot of construction and remodeling since I went into business about 15 years ago. He has never asked me for a bid, just called me to do the work. He knows that I have to make a fair profit, but that I won't hold him up. I'm sure that friendship aside, if he ever felt I was cheating him, that would be the end of me doing anything for the Bar-W.

"I think you are in the same situation. He knows you are honest, will ask questions when you don't have the answers. Obviously you have done a good job since you started here. I know you worked here in the summers when in high school and while you were going to college, then came on here fulltime after that.

"You got promoted to foreman a year later. That speaks well for both for you and the fact that you work hard; but also for them in recognizing a natural talent when they have it right in front of them."

Dale was a little embarrassed at the praise, but knew Ray was sincere.

"Thank you, too, for having faith in me. I owe Craig a lot for helping me realize who I am and what I can so. I'm really lucky to have him to love me and support me." With that he took Craig's left hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss.

"That will have to do until I can properly thank you tonight," he told Craig, smiling his 1000-watt smile.

"Lucky dog, both of you," Ray said, giving each a pat on the shoulder. "Hey, since I'm buying, let's go to La Pi¤ata Have you ever been there?"

Craig had, Dale hadn't, but knew where it was. They were ahead of the lunch crowd so were just getting their orders when the restaurant started to get busy. They enjoyed the conversation and good company of the others while they ate.

As they left the restaurant, Dale and Craig thanked Ray for the meal and chance to become better acquainted.

They arrived back at the Bar-W, right behind Ray's crew who had gone to a fast food establishment. They hadn't much more than gotten out of their vehicles when the first truckload of concrete arrived. Dale walked down to watch them start, as he really had never seen them pour anything other than a flat surface like a floor or driveway.

The truck backed into position and the driver had to work the chute into the correct place to dump concrete into the forms. In addition the crew working for Ray had to position guards and deflectors to keep the concrete from overshooting its destination. Two of the men had long prods to stir the concrete once it was in the forms to insure there were no air bubbles, which would weaken the foundation.

Dale didn't realize that pouring concrete was almost a form of art. He knew that between Ray and Craig's supervision, the job would be done right.

He had work to do, so told Ray and Craig "good-bye", that he was going to his office.

Craig followed Dale until they were about halfway to the barn/office. "Hey guy, I showed Don the contract on your house and it's not what he agreed to. This is just among the three of us, but he called the Realtor's Association president and he's going to talk to Gus Douglas. This isn't the first time this has happened on some of her deals."

"Oh great, no wonder she wanted me to sign without reading."

"If she calls, just tell her that you haven't had a chance to look the contract over."

"Will do. I honestly expected her to call me at 8 a.m. when I got to the office."

"I'm going to go watch them pour concrete for a little bit. I'll see you when you get home."

"I'm already looking forward to it," Dale replied.

The first thing Dale needed to check was John's progress on cleaning up equipment and getting it ready for storage. He went to the storage area. John was just finishing the first mower and ready to start on the next. Dale checked, John had painted the moving surfaces with grease and had scraped out the hay that had accumulated and stuck to the housing.

With a minimum of instructions, he told John that he was going to the hayfield to check on the progress of baling and loading bales of hay.

Upon arriving at the field, he quickly determined that Michael and Pat would be through baling hay before the day was over. That was fine with him as he could start them plowing two fields on the land the Bar-W was acquiring.

The hay crew was making good progress. They had one trailer loaded and were about half through with the second. Dale walked over to the first truck and did a quick calculation of the number of bales that had been loaded.

He flagged Michael down and gave him instructions about moving the balers back to the storage area when they were through, telling him to call him if he had any problems.

As he was leaving the field, his cell phone rang. It was Mort, calling on Sam Jealso's cell phone. Thank goodness he was only telling him that he had a couple of invoices to add to the envelope going to the accountant's office this evening.

Jason had been so excited today that the day had really dragged on and on. Even his favorite teacher and subject seemed boring; except for the little play they did about the events leading up to the "Battle of the Alamo". Jason really thought it was neat to play out the various parts assigned to his classmates. His role was as Jim Bowie and he was required to do some research on the person and tell biographical facts, as did the others who had been assigned roles. It took over half the class time for each to tell of the character they were portraying. The actual play was only about 10 minutes long and then Tom Bryant led a discussion about the events for the rest of the class.

Tom asked the people who had visited the Alamo to raise their hands. Twenty-seven of the 31 children in the class had been to the site in downtown San Antonio.

[For those who don't know the history of the Alamo, the famous battle of the Texas independence from Mexico took place there, resulting in the Republic of Texas being formed in 1836 before it became part of the United States in 1845. The Alamo is actually a small building, built as a mission, housing a monastery and church that was enclosed by high walls. The men defending it during a 13-day siege chose to die rather than surrender. Davy Crockett and James Bowie were among the 182 Texans who lost their lives. The building was almost torn down several years ago, when rescued and restored as a National Historical Landmark.]

Tom had a passionate interest in the history of his state and Jason was interested because his family had been tied to Texas from the very beginning of statehood, with the town of Williamsport being founded by Col. Purvis Q. Williamson.

So, Tom's plan of making Texas history more meaningful to the children in his 5th grade class seemed to be successful.

For Jason, that class passed quickly as it always did. His next class was Phys Ed, his second most-favorite period of the day.

Jason and his friends, John Clark and Tim Cranston, were the first to arrive at the locker room in the gym. Eddie Thompson was there to tell the boys to dress to play soccer that day. That was fine with all three boys because it was a favorite game of theirs.

They were almost through changing clothes and Jason was taking his basket back to be locked up when the Riley twins came in. This was the first time they had shown up for gym class for several days. Jason greeted them, but got no response. What he didn't know was that they had been warned that if they couldn't say anything good to or about anyone else, they were not to talk. They chose to be silent instead of participating in any discussion which might include them.

However, that didn't keep them from complaining to Eddie. In the first place, both had forgotten the combination for their locks, then the next thing was that they didn't have jerseys to wear over their t-shirts. Then they started to get loud when Eddie gave a red jersey to Larry and a blue one to Jerry. Of course they vocalized their complaint about not being on the same team. They didn't want to learn to play soccer to begin with. By drawing a red jersey, that put Larry on Jason's team.

Jason and his two buddies didn't hear any of this because they had already gone outside.

Since there were enough players to only field three teams, they rotated so each team would get equal playing time. The third team was given two basketballs and instructed to practice free throws. They hoops had been lowered to accommodate the height of the 5th and 6th grade boys.

Surprisingly, the Riley boys didn't cause any problems, they just didn't participate; missing plays and when playing basketball, not even trying to hit the backboard. Eddie was torn between disrupting the class to work with the twins or ignoring them. It was a moot point. He ignored them.

Soon, it was time to start sending the boys to the showers and John was in the first group. After five minutes, Jason's team was sent. That meant that the school day was almost over. He was in the shower when the third group came in.

Eddie took his position at the door to make sure all of the boys took their gym clothes home to be washed.

At the Bar-W, John was through cleaning up the equipment and went looking for Dale to see what he should do next.

"I know we are supposed to rotate among you to clean out the horse barn and area where the boys milk their cow, but I'm afraid since Pat and Michael are still working, that it's up to you."

"Don't worry about that, Dale, I'm glad to do my share. Besides, it's not that bad of a job."

"Okay, bud. I'll see to it that you don't have to do it again until the others have had to clean up twice each."

The bus ride home was uneventful, the Riley twins sitting in the front seat as ordered and not talking to anyone. Jason and John discussed the camping trip and reminded each other that they were to meet at the Methodist Church at 5 o'clock so they could leave for the campsite by 5:30.

Kevin went to his friend Terry's house get his backpack which had his clothes and other things he would need to stay overnight at Kevin's house. This was the first time that Kevin had been in Terry's house. Terry had two older brothers and a younger sister. The oldest brother, Bret was 16 and slept in a room by himself in the basement. The next older brother, Paul, was 13 and shared Terry's room next to Bret. All three shared a bathroom. The younger sister was 8 and had her own room on the second floor.

"Hi Mom," Terry said as they went through the kitchen. "You remember Kevin from Cub Scouts, don't you?"

"Yes, hi Kevin. I'll be ready to take you and Terry to your house in about 10 minutes. I need to get this casserole in the oven so my family will have something to eat when they all get home."

"Hi, Mrs. Jenkins. Thanks for letting Terry come spend the night. Jason's is going on a Boy Scout camping trip. This is the first time I've been able to have somebody stay over with me."

"That's fine, Kevin. You boys are getting old enough to be able to stay over at each other's houses. Maybe you can come over here some weekend when Paul is staying with a friend and we have room for you."

"I'd like that," Kevin replied. Suddenly he felt more grown- up with being able to have friends stay over and being able to go to their houses, too.

The boys went downstairs to Terry's room to get what he needed. Terry had also included some Nintendo game cartridges and a Star Trek video, not knowing if Kevin had it or not. Terry proudly showed him his baseball card collection and Jason was impressed. Then Kevin discovered the collection of model airplanes and cars.

"Some of these belong to Paul and some are mine. Bret gave us some of his cars, too, 'cause he'd rather collect airplanes and ships.

Terry grabbed his backpack and they returned to the kitchen just as his mother was closing the oven door.

"Boy's, I'm ready to go. I've got to get back here to take Paul to the church with his stuff for the camping trip.

They headed to the driveway where the family sedan was parked and got in. It didn't take them very long to get to the Bar-W ranch.

Jason already had his camping gear piled on the patio outside the kitchen door. Marty had called Chris to arrange for Dale to take Jason to the Methodist Church, their point of departure for the weekend adventure. His meeting in Austin had gotten started late.

Chris saw them drive in and went out to greet Mrs. Jenkins.

"Hello, Mrs. Jenkins. I'm Chris Williamson."

"It good to meet you, Chris, please call me Beth."

Beth Jenkins was surprised at how friendly Chris seemed. She had often seen her around Williamsport, but had figured that with her wealth she might be standoffish, at best. This woman was dressed like she'd been cleaning house. Beth knew the family had a woman who lived with them, to cook and clean so she was surprised.

"I appreciate you being able to bring Kevin and Terry out here this evening. I think we have Jason ready to go camping. This is his first time, so I'm sure he's taking much more stuff than he really needs."

"Mom, this morning he unpacked all the stuff that wasn't on the list," Kevin informed her.

Terry and Kevin were getting out of the car as he said this.

"Bye Mom," Terry said.

"Bye, Terry. You boys have a good time."

"Beth, one of us will be glad to bring Terry home tomorrow afternoon. What time do you want him to be home?"

"Would 3:30 work okay for you?" Beth asked.

"I don't think that should be a problem. My husband is going to help with the camping trip, but he's not going to stay out there. One of us will have him there at 3:30."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," Beth said. "Goodbye, Chris, it was nice to make your acquaintance."

"Yours also, Beth. Have a good evening."

As Beth drove out the driveway, her thoughts turned to how nice Chris seemed to be. She had expected a "society woman" and Chris seemed to be a happy housewife, like herself.

Jason got his chores done and was just finishing when Kevin and Terry arrived. Kevin still had to feed the chickens and other poultry and gather the eggs. Terry had never been on a farm before and was impressed with Star, the family cow and with the horses in the corral. Terry didn't realize that eggs came from chickens. For the fact that he lived in a farm community, he was largely ignorant. This was a good evening as there were 23 eggs in the nests.

Kevin had been watching an area in some tall grass close to the chicken house. One of the geese had a nest where she had been sitting on 8 eggs. Four of the eggs had hatched since he had been there the night before. Terry, again, had no idea that eggs of any kind could be hatched and could produce baby chicks, ducklings or goslings. The goose didn't want anyone bothering her new family and hissed at Kevin as he approached. About that time one of the ganders came around the corner and tried to run the boys away.

"Watch out, Terry, they can be mean sometimes. We don't have any problems with the chickens or ducks, but the geese are very territorial and they also make good "watchdogs" as they make a lot of noise if someone bothers them.

Terry was very impressed with what he had seen of the farm animals. "We used to have a couple of sheep and a goat for a 4-H project Jason was doing. Next year it will be my turn to have something like that as a project."

"You mean you have things like sheep and goats for pets?" Terry asked.

"Sure. Sheep are neat."

"Wow, I didn't know that." Terry was in awe.

About that time Sandy (their collie) came back from making her rounds, pursued by the mad gander that was chasing her and hissing up a storm.

Both boys thought that was funny, although Kevin thought the gander was a little too protective of their territory.

He showed Terry where they kept the eggs and milk, then Terry wanted to go back to look at the horses again. Kevin got out a bunch or carrots and some sugar cubes so they could give the horses a treat when they fed them.

"Do you get to ride them?" Terry asked.

"Sure, but I'm not big enough to saddle them by myself," he said. "Jason can saddle his horse and mine, but he's not big enough to get the others ready to ride."

"I've never been on a horse, except for a pony at the petting zoo in Austin. Then he was hooked to a big wheel-thing that only let us go 'round in a circle."

"Maybe you can come back some evening or on a weekend when somebody can help us saddle the horses, then go with us. Okay?"

Kevin felt a little sorry for Terry because he lived in town and didn't have all the neat things he had on the farm.

The courier from Morris Johnsmore's office arrived about 4:30 with the payroll checks and some computer printouts of information that Dale would have to have Mort go over with him. It had to do with inventory, cattle and horse sales, sale of timber and oil and projected budget items. Dale thought this was where he really needed help, trying to understand the finances of the operation.

The phone in the office rang and Dale answered it. It was Phyllis Richmond and she was not a happy camper.

"I've been trying to call you all day and there was no answer. You don't even have the courtesy to have an answering machine."

Dale saw a tinge of red as he was listening to her tirade. "Well, Mz. Richmond, I'm sorry, but this is what we call a 'working ranch' and that's what we do here, is work. I'm sorry if you are incon." He was interrupted.

"I'd like to come out and pick up that contract so we can get this sale finished. Now that I know you are there, I'll be out." Dale interrupted her.

"Mz. Richmond. I've been busy today and haven't had time to look this over. I'll have to get back with you on Monday. Have a nice weekend." And he hung up.

Phyllis Richmond was really annoyed now. She didn't know if Dale was ignorant or what his problem was. Most people who were selling property wanted to get the deal closed as soon as possible so the buyer didn't have a chance to back out. She would deal with him on Monday and she intended to make him look stupid when he did sign the contract.

Dale got in his Blazer and made a quick trip up the road to the cattle and horse operations headquarters to leave the payroll checks for the men who worked for Sam and Lee. After telling them that he had to take Jason into town for his scout campout, he was back at the ranch in 10 minutes time.

Pat and Michael had just pulled into the equipment storage area, Pat driving a hay baler and Michael following in the pickup. Dale told them to go back to get the other baler and asked about the loading of the hay.

"They left with the two loads about a half hour ago. We were just finishing the last of the baling. They said they would be back about 9:30 or so tomorrow morning."

"Thanks," Dale said. Here are your paychecks and I'll leave the timesheets on my desk for you to sign out at 5:30. John is cleaning the horse stalls and the three of you can start cleaning up and greasing the balers so they can be stored. I've got to take Jason into town, so I won't see you until Monday morning. Have a good weekend."

Dale took John's paycheck to him, telling him to start on the hay balers when he was through, then reminded him to sign out before they left. He wished him a good weekend, also.

Jason was getting impatient, but knew Dale would get him to the Methodist Church on time. He was happy when he saw him come back from the equipment storage area.

"I'll be right there," Dale yelled to Jason from across the yard.

He disappeared into the barn/office for a minute, then got in his vehicle and drove up to load Jason's gear.

"Hi, Jase. I bet you thought the day would never be over, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I can hardly wait for this. I think it will be a lot of fun."

"Well, the weather is supposed to be perfect. There's nothing worse than going camping when it's cold or raining."

As they were loading Jason's backpack, cot and sleeping bag in the Blazer, Kevin and Terry were coming back from the outbuildings after having had the "grand tour" which took them out to the new crew living quarters.

"Hey, Dale, that new house they are building is awesome. I hadn't been out there before."

Kevin then introduced Dale to Terry, saying, "This is Dale Richards. He runs the ranch for us, but he's also our big brother, too. He helps us do a lot of things."

Dale offered his hand to Terry, who happily shook it. "Pleased to meet you, Terry. I hope you enjoy your stay here at the ranch."

"I already am. There are lots of neat things to see and do here. I got to see the baby geese, too."

Jason broke in. "Do we have some new babies?

"Yeah," Kevin said proudly. Four of the eight eggs have hatched and the old gander didn't want us around. He even chased Sandy away." Sandy had come back with the boys and all three of them were petting her.

"We've got to get Jason to town. I'll see you fellows later. Nice to meet you, Terry."

"Goodbye," they all said, almost at once.

As they drove off, Jason told Dale, "Thanks for taking me this evening. I guess Dad got held up in Austin at a meeting."

"I'm glad to do it, Jason. Your dad's meeting started almost two hours late, but he has to be there because it's ranch business. He'll be out at the campsite tomorrow to make sure everything's going okay."

As they arrived at the church parking lot, it looked like the staging ground for a war. Whoever was in charge must not have done this before, as it didn't look very organized. He got out of the Blazer and handed Jason his backpack. He took the cot and sleeping bag and they headed up to the area where things were being loaded onto a pickup.

Dale decided that it was pretty well organized after all. It was the fact that the scouts were excited and running around in different directions that made it look otherwise. They were directed to the pickup where the Wolf Patrol member's stuff was to be loaded. Dale knew the fellow driving the pickup and they exchanged greetings. The fellow had a son on the little league team Dale helped with.

With the arrival of the last member of their Patrol, Fred Moxley, the Wolf Patrol was ready to go to the campground.

"Dale, one of the parents hasn't shown up yet. Would it be possible for you to take some of these boys out to the camp?"

"Sure, are you driving this pickup?"

"Yeah, we're ready to leave now."

"Okay, I'll follow you."

Jason was surprised that they drove directly to where the tents were to be set up. He thought they were going to have to hike for a mile. They got to the campsite and one tent had been set up. It was the tent where they would store the food and first-aid kits. The members of the Wolf Patrol were the first of the scouts to arrive, except for the Scoutmaster and a couple of other men who were helping him.

Dale greeted the men to see if they needed help and was told they had things under control. Scott Maxwell had his Patrol get three tents off the truck and move them to the area he selected to set them up. Since Dale wasn't needed, he left to go back to Williamsport, after waving goodbye to Jason, who was off on his first great Boy Scout adventure.

Dinner that night at the Jenkins home was a quiet one. Terry was staying the night with Kevin and Paul was at the Boy Scout campout. That left Bret Senior and his wife, Beth, along with Bret Junior and Sally to eat together. Bret Junior had never been an exuberant boy, instead his parents thought him an unhappy child, but wouldn't try to find out why. If you didn't admit it, maybe it would go away. Paul and Terry had always dominated mealtime talk with their school and church activities. Sally was always quiet, too, probably because she never had a chance to talk and her parents didn't push she or Bret Junior to contribute to the family time.

"I met Chris Williamson when I took Terry and Kevin home this evening. I was surprised that she seems to be such a down- to-earth person. I'd always figured her to be a "society matron", I guess," Beth said.

"Don't sell her short," her husband said. "She and Marty have a lot of money and pretty much get what they want done in this town."

"She doesn't strike me as being pushy."

"I didn't say she was 'pushy', just that they control the town, or certainly the people who run this town."

"But don't they give a lot of money away, like to charity and their church?"

"Oh yes, but it's not always in the best interests of the community at large."

Bret worked as an accountant for Morris Johnsmore's company and was familiar with the Williamson's family finances, knowing where the money came from and where it went.

"I probably shouldn't say this, but that ranch is just part of the goldmine the family owns. It generates a lot of money and makes a lot of profit because they don't have that many employees. I think there are only about 20 or 21 employees and they have thousands of head of cattle and horses and have just bought another 1200 acres of ground to expand the ranch again.

Then, in addition, they own controlling interest of the Bank of Commerce and they own a property and development company, which generates a lot of money every year. So, there's not much that goes on in Williamsport they don't have a finger in. Marty's on the school board and is on the board of Goodwill and has been chairman of the United Way, as well as his father."

Bret was on a roll. His wife had never seen him as agitated as he was at this meal. She wondered if he'd had a bad day.

"The thing I don't understand is that they are big Republicans in this state and give a lot of money to that party, but they are more liberal than most Democrats. They even gave a bunch of money to that fag group that meets at their church. Of course, that's to be expected since their priest is a fag, too"

Bret Junior's ears were taking in all the information his father was telling, but it was the last bit of what he said that really got his attention. "Fag group". He wondered what that meant. And what church? What priest?

The Jenkins family belonged to Victory Temple, a very fundamentalist group that had no denominational ties. Instead, for a minister they had a poorly informed bigot who held forth the idea that very few people - and that included most people in his own congregation - would ever see the inside of heaven. The message of "God Loves Everyone" didn't ever play in that church. The God of that congregation was one of a God who was seeking retribution for any sins committed, or just supposed. The minister, Brother Jimmy Bob Jones, liked the idea that if God didn't punish you for your sins, he himself would.

What members of the Victory Temple congregation didn't know was that although he appeared to be very happily married to his wife, they didn't have sex because the Reverend Jimmy Bob thought women were unclean. Instead, Jimmy Bob liked little boys that were between 10 and 13 years of age.

Bret Junior had been a victim of Reverend Jimmy Bob and had been a happy child until he was first molested at the age of about 10. That was the time he clammed up and quit communicating with his parents or anyone else. Then, when he first started sprouting hair above his cock, Jimmy Bob dropped him with no explanation. Bret Junior was one very confused 16 year old. He had liked what Jimmy Bob had done to him, but then he went to church and heard him condemn what they had been doing.

"Homosexuality is a sin!" he would shout from the pulpit, garnering shouted "Amen's" from his congregation. He had all of the Biblical reasons why this was so, as well as a few dozen more that he had thought up himself. Of course, he himself was without sin. In his own mind he was exempt from all this because he was a man of the cloth.

Of course homosexuality was just the tip of the list of what were sins in his eyes. Wearing too much makeup, clothing that was too tight or too short, sex outside marriage, sex before marriage (in his case - sex after marriage) and anyone who didn't attend his church were also condemned to hell. The man was a real piece of art. Loved by his followers and laughed at by those who weren't.

Paul Jenkins had escaped the clutches of Reverend Jimmy Bob, because a friend had warned him about what was going on. Paul's friend, Fred Moxley, had told his parents about being approached by Jimmy Bob. They didn't bother to confront him; they simply started attending another church. The information provided to Paul scared him and he avoided Jimmy Bob, even when his parents tried to get him involved in church work crews or youth groups. Of course, Paul was watching out for his younger brother, Terry, too.

Paul had tried to talk to Bret Junior about Reverend Jimmy Bob, but Bret refused to discuss the subject at all. Paul was just trying to find out if his older brother had ever been approached.

So, the mention of the word "Fag" got his attention. He had enjoyed it when Reverend Jimmy Bob had played with him and he liked it when he was allowed to fondle the minister's big dick. Did that make him a fag? Why had Jimmy Bob suddenly wanted nothing to do with him? Was there someone out there somewhere who would understand what had happened that he could talk to?

Although Beth Jenkins didn't approve of the conversation at the dinner table, she didn't dare say anything to her husband. He agreed with the Reverend Jimmy Bob that the wedding vows of "love, honor and obey" meant just that. The one time that she had argued with her husband, she couldn't leave the house for several days because he had slapped her hard enough that she had a bruise on her cheek. If he demanded sex, she had better be in there bed with no excuses.

Bret Senior was just getting wound up. "Their foreman at the Bar-W Ranch is retiring and they promoted one of the guys who works there to take his place. He's a fag and lives with another guy who's a fag. Makes me wonder why the Williamson family loves fags," he ranted.

Beth Jenkins tried to introduce a new subject.

"I thought Chris Williamson was a nice person and she's going to bring Terry home tomorrow afternoon. You know, she could have just told me to pick him up. I think that's a real credit to the kind of person she must be."

It didn't work.

"The next time they have a "fag meeting" at that cathedral the Williamson family belongs to, we ought to go see who attends and make their names known around town. That should put a stop to that!" Bret Senior declared.

The picture was becoming clearer now to Bret Junior. He knew the Williamson family attended St. James Episcopal Church. He'd always wanted to go see what was inside the building because it was so beautiful on the outside. He'd heard that they had a pipe organ that had cost almost a million dollars. Wow! That was a lot of money. He was going to have to figure out a way to get inside the building.

The ringing of the telephone brought about the end of the dinner conversation at the Jenkins household, because the call was for Bret Senior and it was his parents. He would hardly give Beth's parents the time of day, but she knew he would be on the telephone with his parents for about 2 hours.

Bret Junior helped his mother clear the table and wash dishes. For the first time in several years, he realized how much he loved his mother and felt sorry for her. He just wished he could talk to her about what had happened with Reverend Jimmy Bob Jones and the earlier conversation at the dinner table.

Dale arrived at home only a few minutes later than his usual time. Of course, his lover was glad to see him and he was glad to see Craig. They wound themselves around each other, exchanging a kiss that wouldn't quit. That had the expected results of making each get hard. They loved it.

"I missed you this afternoon, but I couldn't figure out how to stay around to be with you," said Craig.

"No more than I missed being with you, but I had a lot of things that had to be accomplished this afternoon, so the time passed quickly. Now I know why Marty bought me the Blazer. I wasn't around the ranch enough today to get anything done. I think all the running around I did today must have taken a half tank of gas."

"Do you want to go out, or eat in?" Craig asked.

"Do we have anything to eat here?" said Dale.

"I did stop and get some steaks and baking potatoes, but if you don't feel up to it we can order a pizza or go out."

"I'd settle for spending the evening at home, looking at you and thinking how lucky I am," Dale said.

"Well, that's down to two choices. Order in or fix something here," Craig told him.

"Do we have anything to make a salad?" Dale asked.

"Yes, but if we order from Tony D's we can get a salad that's ready to eat."

"Let's do that," Dale said. "I think I'm ready for one of your wonderful drinks."

"Hey, we haven't had pizza since the night we discovered each other," Craig laughed. "Do you think I could get lucky again?" he said, leering at Dale.

"And you don't even have to get me drunk to 'do it'," Dale laughed.

They both thought that was funny. And, they each thought they were the luckiest guy in the world. Both of their worlds had taken quite a turn, and it was for the better for each of them.

"Do you realize that we will be in Ft. Worth a week from tonight?" Craig asked. "Next week we'll be on our honeymoon," he teased.

"If it gets any better than the last two weeks, I don't think I can stand it," Dale said.

"I can guarantee that it's going to get better. We haven't even gotten started yet," Craig told him.

"I know what will make me better. You fix drinks and I'm going to go take off my Levis and boots and get comfortable."

Craig headed toward the bar and Dale went to their bedroom and shed all of his clothes except for his briefs. On second thought, he pulled those off and put on a clean pair of boxers. He hoped that Craig would do the same when he was through mixing drinks. Next he went into the bathroom and washed his face. Already he felt like a new person. He went back to the living room just as Craig was starting toward their bedroom with two of his special martinis.

"Wow, you really did get comfortable, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why don't you do the same?" Dale replied.

"I will," Craig said, handing a drink to Dale. They silently 'cheered' each other, then Craig handed his glass to Dale, going into the bedroom himself.

"Did you notice that Mrs. Hopkins was here to clean today?" Craig asked.

"No, I hadn't even looked around except to put my dirty clothes in the laundry hamper."

"I hope she didn't wonder why we had 'crusty' sheets," Craig giggled.

"They may not have been too crusty, remember we've been using a bath towel on the bed. Now we just have crusty bath towels." Dale was laughing.

"Right. Much easier to disguise," Craig said, snickering.

"Does she even know that two people live here, now?" Dale questioned.

"Yes, I told her last week because you were so worried about your dirty clothes. As it has turned out, with your job change you don't even have dirty clothes anymore."

By this time Craig was through changing his clothes and he took his drink back from Dale. They each had another sip, and then locked their lips together again. That had its expected effect. Still kissing, they rubbed each other to full hardness.

"You feel so good," Dale told his lover.

"Mmnn. so do you," was his reply.

Dale led the way to their favorite place to sit on the love seat. He sat with his back in one corner with his right leg along the back. Craig sat in front of him, turned at an angle so they could caress each other and look into the other's eyes. Dale put his right hand on Craig's right shoulder and pulled him closer so Craig's left cheek was against Dale's chest. They enjoyed just being together. Although it was erotic for them to rub against each other, they were just enjoying the closeness of each other.

Dale set his glass on the coffee table, then took Craig's glass and set it beside it. "Did you have a chance to do any thinking about what I can get you for a birthday present?"

"Actually, I did."

"And."

"I don't know if I should suggest this or not."

"Tell me anyway."

Craig took a deep breath.

"We love each other, right?"

"Yes."

"And we want to be together, don't we?"

"Certainly." Dale was a little puzzled about where this was going.

"What would you think about us buying rings to wear. to show our commitment to each other?"

"I'd be honored to wear your ring."

"I was afraid that you might think this was too soon."

"I don't think it's too soon. I know that things have happened quickly for us, but I don't think I'll feel any different about you next week, next month or next year."

Craig leaned up to exchange another kiss.

" I think that's what I'd like, for each of us to wear the other's ring. Kind of like claiming each other as our own."

"I think that's a great idea. I like that idea. that you belong to me and everybody else will know it," Dale said, tears in his eyes. "And that I belong to you."

They exchanged another kiss.

"Do you know that I feel that you are the only person who has really ever loved me?" Dale asked, his eyes starting to overflow.

"Oh, hon, you know that your mother and grandparents loved you."

"Maybe so, but. I don't know. it's just not the same as our love for each other is."

"There's a big difference. at least I think so. between romantic love and the love you have for your mother and family," Craig tried to reassure him.

"I know what you are trying to say, but I've always had the feeling that my mother thought she missed her opportunity to get away from her parents and leave Williamsport, because of me."

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. And I have to look on the bright side. If you hadn't come along, where would I be right now?" Craig questioned.

Dale hadn't thought of that possibility. "In that case, it changes everything for me, too."

"We are good for each other and I think we'll always be together. I'm so proud of you, hon," Craig said, reaching Dale's lips for another kiss.

Dale handed Craig his drink, then picked up his own. They each had another sip, and then exchanged another kiss.

It just felt so good to sit together this way.

"Where should we go to buy rings?" Dale asked. "I'd like to have some that are alike."

"There is Mercier Jewelry here in Williamsport. He has a good reputation for quality merchandise."

"Do you think he would have a problem with two men buy rings alike?" Dale asked.

"If he does, then he doesn't get a sale. I'm sure he's had much stranger requests for jewelry than ours is going to be. Or we can look in Ft. Worth and Dallas, but I'd feel better if somebody could recommend a store there because I don't know who has a good reputation."

That's fine. Let's go to Mercier's and see if he can help us," Dale said.

"Okay. We have a fairly full day tomorrow, but we could go early in the morning or later in the afternoon. I'm supposed to pick up the picnic lunch at 10:30. Tom and Eddie are supposed to meet us here at 11 o'clock and if you want to pick your new clothes up, they are supposed to be ready sometime after noon. We can call the store in the morning to see if they might be ready earlier. That could save us some time in the afternoon."

"That sounds fine to me. If I'm supposed to try the clothes on, it would be nice to do it in the morning so we don't have to rush around after the picnic. We'll have to clean up after riding the horses."

"I know, but I'd lick you all over your body whether you smelled horsy or not."

"Don't be too sure about that. It gets pretty rank even if your clothes and body aren't touching the horse directly."

"I'll be sure and check it out when we get back," Craig leered at him, then leaned up for another kiss. "Did I ever tell you how much I love you?"

"Uhmmm. I think so, but remind me again, will you?"

Dale set their glasses down again and this time they proceeded to show each how much they loved the other. The action soon moved to a more suitable location. the bedroom. Dale would still have loved to carry Craig into the bedroom just to surprise him and he knew he was strong enough, but they were too close to the same size.

Settling on the bed after the quilt and sheet were drawn back, they soon moved to a '69' position after laying on their sides, facing each other and rubbing the other's body lightly. They must have both been horny because it seemed like it was only a matter of minutes before they came to a roaring climax, almost at the same time.

After draining the other, they moved into a position to exchange the harvest of their efforts, mixing the cocktail in the vessel their mouths made, stirring it with their tongues. After swallowing, they lay in each other's arms, enjoying the afterglow, rubbing the other's body lightly, and exchanging small kisses and hugs.

Each was the reward the other had sought in looking for a partner.

Finally they went to the bathroom to freshen up and putting their boxers back on, went to the other room. Craig called Tony D's for a pizza and two of their wonderful salads.

When the delivery boy brought their order, Dale answered the door just in his boxers. The young man saw Craig dressed (or undressed) in the same way. He was so busy looking at the two hunks that he could hardly give Dale their order and count the change. He wouldn't have cared if he hadn't gotten a tip even, looking at these two men was good enough for him.

Dale carried the meal to their kitchen and Craig got up to follow him. They started laughing.

"I think if you had invited him in, he would have forgotten about delivering any more pizzas tonight," Craig teased.

"Hey, guy, I've got all I can or want to take care of right here, and don't you ever forget it," Dale told him.

"I know. I feel the same way. I was just teasing you. I'll bet the poor kid is down in the parking lot jacking off right now."

"I hope so," Dale teased back. Actually the idea of them making the kid horny was funny to both of them.

Scott Maxwell took charge of setting up the three tents for his Patrol. Jason and John Clarke were the least experienced of the 8 boys and all they could be expected to do was to hold ropes until stakes had been driven in the ground. Scott was a good leader and knew what he was doing, one of the reasons he had almost fulfilled his requirements to earn his Eagle badge. With only the Wolf Patrol working together, they had their three tents set up before the next Patrol arrived.

The established routine was that no Patrol could be transported to the campsite until all members were present, unless arrangements had been made ahead of time with the Scoutmaster and Patrol leader. This was to instill a sense of responsibility in the boys, that they were all expected to cooperate with each other and that they had to depend on each other. This had created some problems in the past and it probably would again in the future, but the thought was that if a boy couldn't be held accountable for his actions, then he was not Boy Scout material.

While Wolf Patrol was making their fire pit ready to use, Hawk Patrol had arrived and was beginning to set up their tent close-by. Jason's friend, Tim Cranston, was in that Patrol, which only had 4 members, so all, would sleep in the same tent.

In short order the entire troop had arrived. There were 41 boys, divided into 7 patrols and sleeping in 12 tents. There was a Scoutmaster and 4 Assistant Scoutmasters. They would sleep in two tents a little ways away from the rest of the troop. The troop owned a "chuck wagon" which really was an aluminum trailer with a kitchen in it. Since they were getting a late start this evening, the two men who were in charge of meals had pulled the trailer to the campsite earlier in the afternoon and had made a delicious beef stew and a fudge-brownie cake for dessert. The boys could have their choice of milk, lemonade or grape Kool-Aid to drink.

The Patrol Leaders lined all the boys up for the troop chaplain to ask a blessing for the boys on the trip and the food they were about to eat. Tables had been set up and a Coleman lantern had been set on each one. As is usual, food always tastes better when you are outdoors and this was no exception for this group of boys. Most had seconds of both the stew and cake.

At noon the next day, they would prepare their own meals under the supervision of the Patrol Leaders and assistant Scoutmasters.

Scouting had changed a lot over the years. They had more facilities than they used to with hot, soapy water to wash their plates and eating utensils in. They also had 5 Porta-potties, which saved them from having to dig a latrine. It wasn't as "rough and tumble" as it used to be. However the older boys would experience "scouting the way it used to be" when going to the big scout camps around the country.

After eating, some of the boys went down to the river to look around and several tried to show others the art of skipping stones across the water.

As it started to get dark, they gathered around the large bonfire. The Scoutmaster talked about the campout and what was to be accomplished. Most of the boys would be working on merit badges the next day and help would be assigned to oversee and help the boys with their work.

Finally as it got dark, the older boys started telling jokes and sharing stories, most of which were scary ghost stories, then ended the evening singing camp songs. Most of them were new to Jason, but he learned quickly. He was having a great time and was looking forward to a visit from his father sometime tomorrow and also from Dale and Craig and some friends who would be with them.

(to be continued)

• • • • • Author's Note: This is my first attempt at gay fiction, and the only way I can learn whether or not I should continue is from my readers' feedback. I would appreciate your comments, criticism, suggestions, and anything else that you would care to say. All Email will be answered. If you wish to receive e-mail notification of subsequent posting, please let me know by sending your request to the e-mail address below. Contact me at: tulsadriller7@aol.com

Thanks for the overwhelming response to previous chapters. I received positive replies from all over the world. My special thanks to RW, whom I've known for many years and value his suggestions. Also for the proofreading help of Paul Daventon, author of "Turning the Page" found in the "Adult-Friends" section of Nifty. Please read it.