Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 09:57:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: RedDirt Writer <reddirtwriter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Maverick Cattle Company Ch 01

All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system
without the written permission of the Author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either
are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and
any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments,
events or locales is entirely coincidental.

<><><><><><>

This series is a sequel to my earlier Wrangler Butts series. While this is
written as an independent series some things will be clearer if you've read
the earlier series first.

<><><><><>

Darrin woke to Mitch's panicked shouts and the sight of their bedroom walls
painted red from a horizon engulfed in fire. Still trying to completely
comprehend what was happening, he stumbled across the floor searching for
clothes and boots in the bedroom he shared with his husband, Mitch. He
faintly heard the stomp of Mitch wrestling on his boots and then racing for
the door.

"Come on!" yelled Mitch. "It's a damn grass fire!"

"Go! Get that stack of blankets in the pickup! I'll be there in a second,"
answered Darrin.

Only barely aware of Mitch's rush out the door, Darrin sprinted after him
once he had yanked on his jeans and boots. Vaulting from the porch, he
jumped into the pickup just as Mitch rammed it into re-verse. In seconds
they were speeding down a dusty county road toward the raging crimson
monster. Darrin had never seen a fire this large. The entire western sky
seemed skirted with a red wall of flame. The pickup fishtailed around a
hairpin curve; jolting Darrin out of his fascination with the beast and
back into the danger they were racing toward. Sliding the pickup in beside
a grassfire pumper truck, they both vaulted from the vehicle. The volunteer
firemen were making the final check of their equipment as one of them
looked up and nodded in acknowledgment of their arrival.  Finishing his
task at hand, the fireman sprinted over to the pair and filled them in on
the strategy for this firefight.

Mitch piled in a pickup with a group trying to keep the flames from
reaching a canyon lined with cedar, which would go up like a roman candle
if the fire reached it. Darrin watched for a few second as they sped toward
the fire line and then turned to clamber onto the pumper.

The rest of the night was a blur of smoke and flames as hundreds of acres
of tinder-dry grass burned. Darrin was pushed to the limits of his
endurance numerous times as the crew he was with advanced and retreated
against this enemy. But as the brilliant orange dawn crept across the
Oklahoma sky, he could see that they had won. He was concerned about Mitch,
but the report they had received indicated no injuries. But he was still
eager to see Mitch for himself. He couldn't help but worry. That was his
part of the marriage, right?

Darrin waved to his new friends as they drove off. He chuckled to himself
in amusement at how 6 hours of fighting could cement a new friendship. He
had hoped that Mitch would already be waiting, but after a quick check he
realized that wasn't the case. So he dropped the tailgate and eased his
tired body down to wait. As the dim predawn slid into morning, Darrin
realized that as far as he could see to the west was a charred black
wasteland. The fire crews had saved the one house he could see, but the
pasture was a total loss. Once the enormity of the disaster revealed itself
to Darrin, his level of worry for Mitch increased. He knew Mitch would be
expecting to find him here, but he really wanted to search for his missing
husband.

Just as he was about to try to find him anyway, he saw a hard-used pickup
top the rise and barrel down the dusty road toward him. Once it was close
enough for him to spot in the passenger seat, he was able to relax. As they
got closer Darrin had to smile as he watched Mitch's animated gestures that
he was sure were punctuating whatever they were discussing. The driver
slowed to pull in beside Darrin and both men stepped out of the truck
without a pause in the conversation.

"Now Doug, you gotta be reasonable. We don't have any livestock right now
so the grass is just fire hazard," said Mitch as they walked back to
Darrin.

"No, think about it. I'd rather pay you for pasture than truck in hay. Lord
knows it's easier to open a gate and let them on your place than hay 'em
until it rains."

"Alright, alright. I give," said Mitch throwing up his hands in
surrender. "You give us whatever you feel is fair for the pasture and we'll
call it good."

The older cowboy nodded in agreement and then turned to introduce himself
to Darrin.

"Hi, name's Doug Parker. And apparently I'm leasing pasture from you, in
spite of your partner's poor bargaining skills."

Darrin chuckled as he took the offered hand and shook it. "Yeah, he
sometimes is a bit hard headed. I believe his mother said he would argue
with a fence post if it would argue back."

Doug laughed, "I can believe it! I think a few of those flare-ups he
stopped through pure force of will."

Darrin looked startled, "Why, what happened?"

Mitch answered quickly, "Nothing Darrin, no need to worry."

"Nothing?" said Doug, "Chuck would disagree. You pretty much saved his
bacon!"

Darrin turned to Mitch with a raised eyebrow. "Oh really? We'll talk about
this when we get home . . . dear."

Darrin realized what he had done about the same time a booming laugh
erupted from Doug. Glancing over, Doug saw the looks on each of their faces
at Darrin's slip, which only drove him to new levels of laughter. As he
regained his composure he winked at Mitch.

"It's nice to know that you guys don't get out of your share of the 'yes,
dear' moments," said Doug with a chuckle. "But I need to git home or I'll
be having my own moment with the missus. It was great to meet you both and
I'll move the cows over later today."

Mitch nodded, recovered from the awkwardness of a few moments
before. "Sounds good, just let us know if you need help."

Doug nodded and waved to them both as he crawled back into his pickup, and
he was soon a cloud of dust disappearing into the distance. Once the
neighbor was out of sight Darrin rounded on Mitch, crossing his arms across
his chest.

"What happened? And don't bullshit me, you know someone will tell me the
whole thing," said Darrin.

"The fire got too close to one of the guys and I pulled him out. It wasn't
that big of a deal.  Honest," re-plied Mitch.

Darrin caught Mitch's wrist and turned it to survey the damage. With a
glance he saw that the normally dense dark hair on Mitch's forearms had
been singed off. Looking up he locked eyes with Mitch.

"How close, Mitch?" asked Darrin in a heavy tone.

"Umm, pretty close."

"Uh-huh, and how close was that?"

Mitch pulled his arm back, unconsciously covering it. "Close enough to burn
the hair off my arms, ok. But I wasn't going to let the guy die. He was
trapped in a tangle of cedars that all the sudden exploded in fire. I
grabbed one of the wet blankets, wrapped up in it, and got him out. It
really wasn't as bad as it sounds."

Darrin let out a sigh. "It was too fuckin' close. You could have gotten
hurt."

"Just a light roasting," said Mitch with a laugh.

"Light roasting my ass. Get in the pickup and we'll get you home where I
can look you over and see how bad it really is."

Once they arrived at the house, Darrin pushed Mitch into the bathroom and
stripped off his shirt. His arms were pink from the burns and not only was
his forearm hair gone, his eyebrows and hair were singed too. But Darrin
could find no serious burns. Exhaling a sigh of relief he lowered himself
to sit on the edge of the tub.

"Looks like you got off lucky again. Damn it though! You could have been
hurt bad!"  said Darrin in exasperation.

"But I wasn't, now was I, babe?" said Mitch. Looking at his arms that
seemed to be getting redder by the minute he said, "But this does sting a
little. I think a cool bath would feel good right now."

Darrin waved him out. "Go strip in the utility room. I'll draw the bath."

Darrin turned on the water, adjusting it until he was happy with the
temperature. He watched silently as the huge claw-foot tub filled with
water. He smiled that the one renovation they had been able to accomplish
so far was this enormous tub. Other additions were coming, including a new
shower for two. But they had only lived in the house for a few months, and
he hadn't officially started his new job in the Agriculture Department at
High Plains University. He checked the water again and was turning it off
when he felt warm arms wrap around his waist. Turning he smiled at Mitch,
who was one of the most beautiful men he'd ever seen. His short dark hair,
sideburns and rough scruffy face definitely got Darrin's juices
flowing. Letting his hand trail down Mitch's back, he cupped his hairy
tight ass and kissed him gently on the lips.

"You might not want to start something you can't finish, good looking,"
said Darrin.

"And what makes you think I can't finish it?" asked Mitch as he ran his
hands under Darrin's t-shirt.

Darrin sighed as Mitch's rough hands rubbed over his nipples. "Well you are
the same color as the lobster we had over spring break. That's one reason
you might not want to be bumping and grinding for a little while."

"Nah! I'm nowhere near that red. And you're a little pink yourself,
College."

Darrin laughed, "A little, and you are going to have to stop calling me
College now. I'm not a student any more."

Mitch lifted Darrin shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. "You're
still college, you're just a professor now instead of a student."

Darrin's muttered reply drifted into a sigh as Mitch leaned in and started
flicking his tongue over Darrin's nipples. Holding Mitch's head tightly, he
relaxed and slowly rolled his head back as the pleasure swam across his
nerves. Darrin's hands glided over the muscular expanse of back that he
could reach, enjoying the feeling of warm skin as it passed under his
fingertips. He gasped softly as Mitch's teeth closed on one of his erect
nipples and he bit down slightly as his tongue danced over the tip. Darrin
could feel his cock jump with each new sensation that was delivered. With a
soft moan, he lifted Mitch's face and pressed their lips hard against each
other. Slowly they separated, a single strand of saliva connecting their
mouths.

"Let's get in the tub. I'm ready to get this nasty shit off me," said Mitch
with a wink.

Darrin let his hands run down Mitch's bare body until he reached his
target, Mitch's steel hard cock. He pumped it once, cock snot coating his
hand as he skimmed his wet hand over the soft skin that sheathed Mitch's
rigid dick. Darrin pushed the hard shaft down and then released it, smiling
at the re-sounding pop it made when the boner slapped against Mitch's hairy
belly. After a final kiss on the side of Mitch's neck, Darrin pushed him
toward the tub.

"Get in. I'm right behind you," said Darrin.

He began stripping while he watched Mitch ease into the cool water. As the
water lapped up on Mitch's hairy legs, crotch and finally torso, Darrin's
cock was dancing with desire.  Darrin moved to the back of the tub and slid
in behind Mitch, his breath hissing with surprise at the cold water on his
over-heated body. Once he was submerged, Darrin sighed as the cool water
took away a burn he hadn't realized existed. Working the soap into lather
on his hands, he started gently washing Mitch, covering first his broad
back and then his muscular chest with the cleaning froth.

"How does that feel, babe? You're covered with smoke and grime," said
Darrin.

"Yeah, that feels good. You're doing a great job."

Mitch relaxed against Darrin when the cleaning became more erotic as Darrin
explored the amazing body that was resting on his chest. Darrin moved his
hands to Mitch's pecs and then to his nipples. The gentle nipple play
caused Mitch's cock to belch out more precum. Darrin let his hand slip
lower, wrapping it around Mitch's cock as it floated above the water and
stroked it slowly. Mitch let out a low moan as Darrin's fist started
traveling up and down his hard shaft.

"Oh god. That feels so good. You keep that up and you'll have me unloading
in no time."

"Do it, babe. Give me one of those Mitch eruptions that I love," said
Darrin.

With that Darrin hand increased it's speed, soon jerking Mitch's cock
furiously. As the hand job got closer to reaching it's desired effect,
Darrin could feel Mitch brace his feet against the tub and drove his
shoulder against Darrin's chest as his pelvis rose above the tub
water. Mitch's muscles suddenly locked and his entire body
trembled. Knowing he was about to get what he wanted, Darrin stopped
flogging Mitch's cock and used his thumb to dig into the tender underside
of the deep red head.

"Oh fuck yes! Fuck! I'm coming!" Mitch said with a moan.

With that the first jet of white cream zipped across them both. Over and
over again Mitch shot out massive volleys of cum. Exceeding even his
normally generous loads, Mitch painted them both in ribbons of white. When
the orgasm tapered off, Darrin caught the last oozing cum from Mitch's dick
and tasted it. Once he had sucked his fingers clean he wiped up another
pool and offered it to Mitch, who lunged forward and began nursing it off
Darrin's finger.

Once Mitch had sucked Darrin's finger clean he release it with an audible
pop. Twisting in the water he pushed Darrin up on the edge of the
tub. Reaching up he grabbed Darrin's nuts and started stroking them with
his thumb. Mitch surveyed his cum coated chest and then smiled at Darrin.

"Shoot on my face, baby. Give me your load."

"Oh god, that sounds fuck'n hot!" said Darrin.

Darrin wrapped his fist around his hard cock. Pressing it downward he
rubbed it over Mitch's coarse stubble, reveling in the shock wave the
abrasive face sent through Darrin's system. Again and again he rubbed his
throbbing cock over his man's rough face, leaving a wide trail of precum
with each swipe. Looking down, he slowly ran his free hand over Mitch's
face as he started jerking faster. He knew he wouldn't last long after the
fun they had already shared. Soon his nuts were hugging his shaft, his eyes
locked shut, while he enjoyed the sensation of his own hand flying over his
steel hard cock. Just as he was reaching the edge, he felt a hot tongue run
over his tight nuts.

"Oh! Fuck! Yesss," said Darrin with a hiss.

His load exploded from his cock. Darrin felt his body tense and then
release as the first shot spewed from his cock. Smiling he watched through
thin slits while his convulsing body left trail after trail of baby batter
on Mitch's face. Darrin's body trembled from the release as the last cum
oozed from his slit. Reaching a trembling hand to his husband he slowly ran
his fingers over Mitch's cum smeared face.

"Damn," said Darrin with a sigh, "That was amazing."

Mitch laughed, "You always say that."

Darrin chuckled and lowered himself back into the tub. Nestling Mitch's
face between his hands he softly kissed his sexy partner. "That's because
it's always amazing. Each time is different, but god it's so good."

Mitch laughed and pulled Darrin close, splashing him with water. "Come on,
sex maniac.  We need to wash the cum off us before it dries and we're
peeling it off."

Darrin nodded in agreement and he tossed Mitch a bar of soap as they
quickly cleaned themselves.

<><><><><>

Pulling on his jeans, Darrin glanced at Mitch. "I'm starved, and I don't
want to cook. You wanna try that caf? south of the ranch? We keep saying
we're going to eat there but never have."

Mitch paused for a minute as he pulled on his shirt. "That sounds like a
great idea. I'm hungry and I'll pass on the cooking duties too."

The last elicited a soft chuckle from them both. Neither of them wanted to
chance Mitch's questionable cooking skills. Hunger had them hustling to get
dressed and they were soon headed toward their destination. Darrin watched
as pasture and wheat fields rolled past.  Lucky, he decided that was sure
the word for it. They were really lucky to have found a place where they
both could be doing what they wanted. With his freshly finished doctorate
in Animal Science, he had found a dream job at a small university in
southwestern Oklahoma. Mitch had also recently finished his masters,
sharing an office was how they had met, and wanted his own ranch. The
purchase of their current home and the 1,000 acres that came with it had
more than met his wants. That both of them had what they wanted had given
them the gift of being able to stay together without either of them
comprising their dreams. During the past few months they had spent almost
every waking hour working to get the ranch back in working order. But
Darrin would be starting his job soon and the majority of the ranch work
would fall to Mitch. Darrin smiled and decided that last night's fire had
forced them to meet more of their neighbors than they had managed since
they had arrived. Darrin was jolted from his thoughts as Mitch pulled into
the caf? parking lot.

"We're here," said Mitch.

"Yup," agreed Darrin, "We are."

They both sat quietly for a few minutes. Neither of them had acknowledged
that part of the reason they had not made more efforts to meet anyone was
they were not certain what kind of reception they would get. While they
hated to admit it, they saw some validity in the stereotype that small town
people were not as accepting of same-sex marriages. But they had faced
prejudice before and survived it intact. Both flashed a smile to the other
with the silent promise that no matter what happened they would be there
for each other.

Jumping out of the pickup they walked into the caf?. Looking around it felt
like they had walked into scene straight out of the 1960's. The place was
packed, mostly with men catching up on the local gossip while they had
their morning breakfast. A few women were also scattered around the room,
most of them looked to be ranchers wives. The few heads that turned when
they walked in the room paused briefly and then smiled in their
direction. Darrin was relieved when the room didn't change
perceptibly. Once they had settled into an empty booth, the waitress
appeared and it was all Darrin could do to not laugh. She looked just like
Flo in the old sitcom "Alice", complete with the beehive hairdo and popping
gum. His thoughts must have been evident on his face because he suddenly
got the point of Mitch's boot raking across his shin. Jumping a little, he
got himself under control quickly. But once the waitress began speaking
Darrin had to grin, she made him feel right at home.

"Mornin' ya'll. Ain't seen you around these parts before. Well, welcome!
Ya'll want some coffee, juice or somethun else?" said the waitress.

"Coffee would be great," said Mitch.

"Can I get a coke?" asked Darrin.

"Sure! We got Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Coke, and diet of most of 'em
too."

"Coke would be great," said Darrin with a smile. He'd forgotten that 'coke'
was the local term for soft drinks. He couldn't help but smile
though. After she had walked away Mitch leaned across the table and smacked
his arm.

"Stop it, you dumb ass," whispered Mitch.

"What? What'd I do?"

"You know what. You were laughing at her."

"I was not! I just thought she was . . . cute," said Darrin.

Mitch rolled his eyes and then looked at Darrin again. "Well don't make fun
of people.  We have enough problems without borrowing more."

She was back shortly with their drinks, took their orders and then hustled
off to wait on her other customers. Mitch and Darrin were discussing last
night's excitement when they sensed a presence coming toward them. Together
they looked up and saw a large man in a sheriff?s uniform moving
closer. Darrin's hope that he was going to bypass them evaporated when he
grabbed a chair and pulled it to the end of their booth. As he straddled
the chair backwards Darrin could tell this wasn't someone you wanted to
mess with.

"Hey boys. Hope you don't mind me crashing your breakfast for a few
minutes," he said and then smiled, "Don't worry. You haven't done anything
wrong. I just wanted to visit."

"Sure Sheriff. Let me get you a cup of coffee," Mitch started to signal the
waitress and the Sheriff stopped him as he shouted across the room.

"Hey Nina, could you bring me some coffee? I don't want to fall asleep
while I'm visiting with these two young'uns." He turned and smiled at the
couple, "Last night was kinda late for an old man."

Mitch and Darrin both chuckled at being called young'uns, but they were
only in their late 20's. So by comparison they could understand the
moniker. But it didn't eliminate their underlying concern about why local
law enforcement wanted to talk with them.  They sat quietly and sipped
their drinks as they waited for the Sheriff to settle in with his coffee.

As the white ceramic mug clinked onto the table, the Sheriff began.

"The name's Jim White Cloud. I'm the Sheriff for this county. I just wanted
to let you know that was an impressive rescue last night. Chuck wouldn't be
among the living today if it weren't for you."

Mitch flushed and waved his hand. "He would have been fine. There were
other people who would have got him out. I just happened to be the
closest."

"Not what I heard," said Jim, "I heard you grabbed a blanket, soaked it and
you jumped into a cluster of burning cedars and dragged Chuck out. Is that
pretty much it?"

Mitch nodded, not knowing what to say in response. "Yeah, I guess that's
pretty accurate."

Jim nodded and smiled, "Well Chuck is glad you were close enough to save
his bacon."  He turned and looked at Darrin, "I heard you worked your ass
off on the spray rig too."

Darrin nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "We were just trying to help
out."

"Well you two boys have made a good impression around here. People in these
parts put a lot by helpin' out neighbors. Personally I'm glad to have some
Two-Spirits again. It just isn't right otherwise."

Mitch looked at Darrin, who shrugged in response to the unasked question.

"What's a 'Two-Spirit'?" asked Darrin.

Jim smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I guess you boys might not be familiar with
the term." He paused for a minute to collect his thoughts and then began to
unwind his story.

"Well boys, a lot of the native tribes recognized more than just male and
female. Some of them had three or four terms for gender. Those people were
generally looked upon as special, unique, and in some tribes holy. So a man
who is attracted to other men is considered to have some of the spirit of a
woman. It didn't have anything to do with masculinity, just preference. But
they were said to carry two spirits, so that's where the term comes
from. The Kiowa tribe, which I'm a member of, is from this area and we
haven't had any Two-Spirits in years. They bring a different view that we
need around here, you know what I mean?" Jim looked at the two men to see
if they were following.

Darrin and Mitch both slowly nodded. Taking in this new information and the
revelation that, at least to some people, their arrival was welcome.

Jim smiled, took a slow sip of coffee and continued, "You see, native
people saw Two- Spirits as more connected to the spirit world, having more
insight, since their personality comes from both sides. Sometimes they
would become healers, or councilors, or just a good omen. So yes, I'm glad
to see a Two-Spirit couple in the area. I think it's a good thing."

Darrin and Mitch slowly ate their breakfast, absorbing everything Jim had
said. One concern they had both had about moving to a small town in
southwestern Oklahoma was the potential for bigotry. But from what Jim was
saying, that might not be as large of a problem as they had originally
thought. A question occurred to Darrin.

"Wait, how'd you know we were a couple? I thought we were doing a pretty
good job of keeping it un-der our hats."

Jim laughed this time, almost spilling his remaining coffee, "Son, you live
next to the biggest gossip in the county. I'm sure by now Doug's 'Dear'
story had been spread to everyone he knows."

He paused a moment and smiled, "Don't be mad at Doug though, he thought it
was sweet."

"Oh jeez!" moaned Mitch.

"Oh don't fret so, it wasn't like it was a surprise to anyone who has been
paying attention.  You boys been out at that ranch working for months, and
no one has seen you with a girl.  I mean we might be country, but we ain't
stupid," said Jim with a smile.

"So, we are going to be. . . welcome?"

"Son, we're just people and some of the ones around here have some of the
most asinine ideas. But most are glad you're here, and especially after
last night, you are more than welcome. Some of the old biddies over at the
Baptist church might have a huff or two in your direction but that's just
until they find something else to ruffle their feathers. They don't mean no
harm, they're just old and have way too much time on their hands."

Darrin smiled in recognition of the trait as he heard Mitch's soft
chuckle. Looking at the Sheriff, Mitch nodded, "Well if there's anything we
can do to help you. Just let us know."

Jim smiled, "Be careful what you offer. People around here will take you up
on an offer like that."

"Good, that's exactly how it was meant," said Mitch with a definitive nod.

"Oh yeah, you're gonna fit in just fine around here," Jim said with a
nod. "Well boys I best get goin'. Take care and we'll see you soon."

The guys echoed the Sheriff's pleasantries and then quietly finished their
meal. As they drove back to the ranch they both were thinking about the
events that had just unfurled.  Eventually Darrin looked over at Mitch.

"Well. That was interesting."

"Yeah, not really sure what to make of it. It sounds too good to be true,
if you asked me," said Mitch.

"I know, but I guess we'll find out if he was just trying to set us up
sooner or later."

"Yeah, time will tell I suppose," said Mitch.

"Well, we have too much to do to worry about it. As soon as we get back we
need to . . ."  and Darrin began to name off the things they needed to get
done over the few days.

<><><><>

Darrin wiped the sweat from this face, his bare chest glistening with
perspiration. He'd been working most of the afternoon cleaning up the small
house that had came with the property. They didn't need the space right
now, but he had pointed out to Mitch that it would work as a guesthouse if
one of their families came to visit. But it was the last of a long list of
chores he'd worked on that day and between the scorching Oklahoma heat and
the backbreaking work, he was ready to call it a day. As he stood surveying
the results of his effort, Mitch walked through the door. Darrin glance
over at his man and couldn't help but smile. Mitch had also stripped to the
waist at some point and his sexy chest hair was matted with sweat. Darrin
caught a whiff of Mitch's sweat drenched body and felt his cock respond.

"Looks good!" said Mitch as he looked around the space.

Darrin scrutinized the newly painted and scrubbed accommodations. "Yeah, it
cleaned up pretty well. It's small but for one person it should be fine."

"Bigger than a dorm room!" said Mitch with a laugh.

"That's true! But damn it's hot. We need to get a window unit before anyone
can live in it," Darrin said and then motioned to himself. "Look at
me. Every stitch of clothes I have on is soaked."

Mitch walked closer and ran his hands over Darrin's wet chest, smiling as
the drenched hair matting further. Moving his hand behind Darrin's neck he
pulled them together and kissed him softly. Darrin smiled and wrapped his
arms around Mitch's muscular torso and pulled them together, their chests
pressed against each other with their sweat mingling.  With a look deep
into Mitch's eyes, Darrin began kissing his man softly. Mitch tilted his
head to the side, enjoying it as Darrin kissed his way down Mitch's exposed
neck. Darrin ran his hands down Mitch's back and into his jeans. He felt
hands caressing his hairy ass and smiled as a soft moan escaped from
Darrin's lips. Mitch knew the strong smells that had ripened on him today
only served to excite Darrin more. Soon they had entered their own world as
they explored each other, reveling in a shared passion that used all their
senses. Mitch felt Darrin's lips part slightly and he sensuously slid his
tongue inside, tasting and exploring the recesses it found. After several
minutes of shared passion they separated, both panting with desire.

"You know, you stink," said Darrin.

"And I know you love my stink," replied Mitch. Mitch then raised his arm,
exposing his sweat drenched armpit and pulled Darrin into it. Darrin let
out a soft groan and then moved tight against Mitch and buried his face in
the darkly-furred space. Mitch groaned as his lover slurped and licked
through his dense pit hair. He knew Darrin was enjoying the tastes and
odors of a day of hard work in the fierce Oklahoma sun. Mitch kept Darrin's
face pinned against his sweaty armpit as the sweet sensations of warm wet
tongue sent tingles coursing through him. Mitch smiled at the slightly
stoned look on Darrin's face as they separated. Darrin stood panting while
he looked at Mitch.

Mitch lowered his arms and grabbed the front of Darrin's jeans. Pulling
Darrin to him, he opened the button and listened as the zipper slid down a
few inches. He passionately kissed Darrin, his fingers drifted through the
wiry hair that was released. Mitch let his free hand trail across Darrin's
face as their kiss broke. He had always loved Darrin's closely trimmed
goatee and his crystal blue eyes. He especially loved them when they were
icy with lust like they were now. Mitch slipped both hands inside the grey
jockstrap Darrin was wearing and fondled his hard shaft. As his kisses
drifted down Darrin's chest, Mitch's thumb rubbed over Darrin's swollen
cockhead and smeared the leaking precum over it. Darrin moaned in
appreciation, his hips rhythmically thrusting forward as Mitch teased him,
loving it when Darrin lost himself in their lovemaking. Mitch's lips closed
around the pink nub protruding from Darrin's chest. The shudder that
traveled through Darrin's body as a result made Mitch smile to
himself. Wanting to push Darrin harder, Mitch closed his teeth around the
nipple and bit down, let-ting his tongue dance over the trapped tit.

"Oh god! That feels good. Fuck you make me horny," said Darrin with a sigh.

Mitch released Darrin's nipple and slipped his hand around and grabbed
Darrin's ass.

"You are smoking hot, babe. I love your sexy body," said Mitch.

Darrin laughed softly, "Yeah, all the work you have lined up should keep me
from getting the desk belly that most of the faculty have."

Mitch smiled as he continued to fondle Darrin, "Yeah, no middle age spread
on my man.  Or I'll have you out chasing cows every morning at 5am."

"Umm, for this, I'd get up at 4am."

Mitch released Darrin's butt and taking him by the hand pulled them into
the tiny bedroom. Pushing Darrin onto the bed he grabbed one foot and then
the other, removing boots and sweaty socks. He gently stripped Darrin,
enjoying a slow piece-by-piece cadence of his efforts. Once Darrin was
naked, Mitch ran his hands over his legs, enjoying the texture of Darrin's
lower body. His hands traveled up-ward and rubbed his hands against
Darrin's dangling testicles. Wrapping his fingers around Darrin's scrotum,
Mitch trapped his nuts and gently tugged on them. Darrin's turgid dick
flexed in response and belched out a wad of clear cock honey that slowly
ran down its heavily veined surface and past the circumcision scar. Mitch
smiled as Darrin began to thrash on the bed from his attention.

"Oh fuck, yes! That feels amazing. God babe, let me come," moaned out
Darrin.

"Oh I don't think so, stud. I think I wanna piece of this grade A man ass."

"Shit yes! Fuck me baby. Juice me up good."

Mitch released his hold on Darrin's nuts. Stepping back he opened his pants
and started to strip. He glanced up to see Darrin's watching him and slowed
down, making it more of a strip tease for Darrin. But he found himself
being turned on by his own sensual movements, his rock hard cock dripping
by the time the last sock joined Darrin's clothes on the floor. Realizing
they had forgotten lube, Mitch quickly retrieve a tube from the bathroom,
knowing that Darrin would enjoy the sight of his hairy ass as it moved
across the small room. Moving back to the bed he swatted Darrin's hip,

"On your knees, lover. I want a little doggie sex this afternoon."

Darrin smiled and moved into position, his knees spread as he kneeled on
the edge of the bed. With his chest against the bed he opened his ass and
presented his puckering pink eye for Mitch's inspection. Mitch leaned in
and spat on Darrin's hole. Moving his hand over it he smeared the spit over
his man's gateway until it was nicely swollen from the stimulation. Popping
open the lube, he squirted out a generous dollop and then smeared it over
Darrin's hole. He slowly worked first one and then two wet fingers into
Darrin, enjoying the elastic sensation as Darrin's gateways opened for
him. Mitch slowly finger fucked Darrin, watching as the body under him
responded to the probing. As Darrin's moans escalated in volume and his
body pushed back against his hand, Mitch let his fingers slip out of their
hot sleeve.

"Shit no! Put 'em back. Oh damn, baby, give me back your fingers."

Mitch smiled down at his panting lover without a sound. Coating three
fingers, he slowly slid them into Darrin's receptive hole. Pumping them in
a little and then letting them slide back Mitch was soon buried deep
inside. He enjoyed the searing heat of Darrin's ass as he began finger
fucking him in ear-nest. Soon Darrin's initial gasps of discomfort were
replaced with animalistic sounds emerging from his lips. Mitch smiled as he
watched Darrin try to force his fingers deeper inside his hungry
ass. Eventually Mitch decided they were ready for the main event, and let
his fingers slide slowly from Darrin's now throbbing ass.

"What do you want now, lover? You ready for some dick in your hungry ass?"

"Oh goddamn, Mitch. Fuck me! Shit, just shut up and fuck me!"

Mitch gripped his rock hard cock and zeroed in on Darrin's twitching
hole. Rubbing the head up and down Darrin's slick trench, Mitch coated his
cock with clear slippery gel.  Pressing the dark red head of his cock
against Darrin's hole he pressed in slowly. Mitch enjoyed the sensation as
he slipped through Darrin's outer sphincter. The rumbling groan that
emerged from Darrin's lips were a testament to the skill Mitch was
showing. With his cock jammed between Darrin's two gates, Mitch bumped
against the final entry into Darrin's hot ass. With each gentle thrust of
his hips, another, louder, sound drifted from Darrin.

"Goddamn! Put the fucker in already!" yelled Darrin.

Mitch grinned, clenched his ass cheeks and pushed past the last
obstacle. Shoving forward relentlessly, he didn't stop until his coarse
black pubs were grinding against Darrin's ass cheeks. Mitch sighed as
Darrin's hot ass surrounded his hard cock. Without pausing he began to
rotate his hips, exploring the depths of Darrin's gut with his rigid tool.

"Oh fuck, babe. Your ass feels so good and tight," said Mitch.

Darrin looked over his shoulder with a look of pure lust. "Good! Now fuck
my ass. I want you to fuck the cum outta me!"

"Oh yeah, I can do that!"

With that Mitch pulled out slowly, until only his swollen glans was still
inside. Pushing forward, he moaned loudly as the velvety smooth heat
sheathed him again. Moving faster with each full thrust, Mitch targeted
Darrin's prostrate. As he hit it, Darrin went wild under him. His body was
thrashing at the sharp pleasure of his prostate being assaulted over and
over again. The sweat ran off them as they merged into a hungry meld of
passion. Darrin suddenly pressed back and screamed, his ass clamping down
and pinning Mitch's invading pole.

"Oh! Oh! Fuck! I'm coming!" screamed Darrin.

Mitch gripped Darrin's hips tightly as he felt Darrin's ass rhythmically
clamp onto his cock as Darrin's cum shot onto the bed. With a last
convulsion of muscle the final measure of cum oozed from Darrin and he
collapsed onto a bed coated with his own semen.

"Damn," Darrin said as he panted, "You're an amazing lover."

Mitch growled, maintaining his grip on Darrin's hips.

"Yeah, I'm about to tear you a new ass!"

"Do it baby! Fuck me."

Mitch began a hedonistic display of lust as he pounded his thick cut cock
into Darrin over and over again. The build up of passion was enough that he
knew it wouldn't take much to push him over the edge. After only few hard
strokes Mitch felt his orgasm begin.  Thrusting wildly, he pounded Darrin
until he lost control and his cock began emptying the content of his balls
into Darrin's gut. Mitch released a loud grunt as each shot rocketed from
his slit. The wet sounds of his cock's movement in Darrin's ass slowly
magnified as he filled it with white hot cum. When the last massive shot
emptied from his cock, he fell across Darrin's back. Their rivulets of
sweat merged as they gasped for air.  As his breathing slowed to near
normal, Mitch moved higher and kissed Darrin on the back of the neck.

"Damn, sex with you is amazing," said Mitch quietly.

Darrin's hands made a feeble attempt to lift his hand as incoherent
muttering came from his mouth. Finally he was able to speak.

"Oh god, I've definitely been fucked. Damn, you are the amazing one," said
Darrin with a moan.

Mitch chuckled and moved back slowly, his softening cock slithering from
its wet lodging. Mitch smiled as a white stream oozed from Darrin's ass and
then slid over his nuts and to the bed. He ran his fingers through the flow
and then pushed some of it back into Darrin's ass with two fingers. He
slowly started finger-fucking Darrin again.

"Oh god no. I can't take another round right now. And this place is damn
hot. Let's shower and get back to the house and AC."

Mitch chuckled and let his fingers slide out. "Yeah, it probably wouldn't
be good for our bodies to be found and we'd died of heat stroke while
fucking. Come on, I'll get the shower going."

<><><><>

Darrin and Mitch were cleaning up from supper when they heard the crunch of
gravel as a car slowed to a stop in front of their house. Looking out the
window Darrin glanced at Mitch.

"It's a county sheriff car."

"No shit? Wonder what's wrong now."

"I don't know, but it's Jim. He's climbing out of the car now. I guess we
should see what he wants," said Darrin.

Pulling on their boots quickly, they opened the door as the Sheriff stepped
on the porch.  Looking up Jim smiled and tipped his hat to the pair.

"Howdy boys, sorry to intrude on you this way but . . ." he paused as if
searching for words.

"Whatever we can help with Jim. Like I was saying at the caf? the other
day," said Mitch.

"Well, I guess I'm here to see if you meant that. Cause I have a little
problem in the back of my car."

They glanced over and realized that someone was seated in the back of the
vehicle.

"What's going on? What did they do?" said Darrin.

"He. And far as I can tell he hasn't done anything," said Jim.

Mitch looked back at the Sheriff with a puzzled look. "Then why do you have
him?"

"Well, interesting story there. The neighbor called it in, said there was
all kinds of hell breaking lose at the kids house. So I went out to see
what the problem was. Near as I can tell the parents found out the kid
wasn't straight, and were beating the hell out of him."

"Sheriff, we aren't a home for every gay kid with family problems," said
Mitch with a look of concern on his face.

"No, no. I understand you guys aren't the poster children for gay people
everywhere. But you did say if you could help . . ."

Darrin sighed and rolled his eyes slightly, "Yeah, we did. How long are we
talking about?  Overnight?"

Jim looked over his shoulder and without meeting their eyes said, "Well he
turns 18 in a couple of months."

"A couple of months! Fuck! There's no way," said Mitch in a barely
controlled voice.

"Now, now. Calm down. I'll look for somewhere else then. But can you keep
him over the weekend? That'd give me some time."

Darrin stepped in, "Yes, he can stay here for that long. It'll be
fine. We're both here for the next couple of days."

The Sheriff breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, this kid doesn't need to be
bounced around too much. He won't admit his parents hit him. He says the
injuries are from a kid at school. And he keeps muttering 'I'm going to
hell' over and over."

Mitch and Darrin glanced at each other. Darrin flashed 'the look' at Mitch,
and Mitch knew he was sunk. He recognized that as far as Darrin was
concerned, this kid was staying as long as he needed. Mitch had to admit
the kid's story sounded a lot like Darrin's, which wasn't pretty. With a
slight sigh he turned to Jim.

"Alright. I'm not going to be the asshole who kicks the kid out again. But
he's not going to fuckin' freeload off us. He's gotta work."

"Perfectly reasonable. Probably wouldn't be good for him to sit around and
think about stuff too much right now anyway," said Jim. "Let me get the
kid."

As the Sheriff walked back to his car, Mitch whispered to Darrin, "You so
fuckin' owe me on this one!"

Darrin smiled and said, "Oh yeah, I'm well aware of that."

They both watched as the kid crawled out of the car and followed Jim to the
porch. As he got closer Darrin could see that he was pretty tall, maybe
taller than Darrin, which would put him over six feet, with a slender
build. His body language telegraphed complete defeat as he moved toward
them with a definite limp. Never looking up as he followed Jim, all Darrin
could see was the top of his battered green John Deere cap. Pausing, Jim
did introductions. "Guys, this is Joshua. Josh, this is Mitch and
Darrin. They've agreed to let you stay with them for a bit."

Josh nodded without looking up. When Jim gave him a gentle nudge he almost
whispered, "Yes sir."

"Well alright. I'll let ya'll to get settled in. I'll take care of
everything with Human Services. If you need me just gimme a call," said
Jim.

Mitch looked at the kid who was being left with them and then at Jim. "Oh
you can be sure of it, Sheriff."

Jim chuckled and walked off. While the sounds of his tires on gravel
receded, Darrin had been watching Josh. He couldn't remember ever seeing
anyone looking more dejected.  His clothes were coated with dirt and other
stains and all he had was a small gym bag that Darrin assumed was his
clothes. Heaving a silent sigh, Darrin braced himself to handle the
situation that he had gotten them into.

"Alright Josh. Let's get you settled in and cleaned up," said Darrin.

"Yes sir," came the muttered reply.

"Josh," Mitch started, "It's ok. You're safe here."

The tall slender young man in front of them started trembling. "No sir. I'm
gonna go to hell."

Mitch started at the reply but Darrin knew where this was coming from. "No
Josh. You are not going to hell because you are attracted to other guys."

Josh's head suddenly snapped up with a look of disbelief, giving them the
first view of his face. They both cringed at the massive bruise covering
almost the entire left side of his face. It was far beyond a black eye, it
looked like someone had beat on his face repeatedly. Quickly recovering,
Mitch leaned in and took the gym bag from Josh's hand and then motioned him
toward the house.

"Come on. We'll get something to eat and then you can clean up," said
Mitch.

Josh followed them quietly and sat at the table while Mitch and Darrin
grabbed the fixings for sandwiches. He quietly nibbled at the food when
Darrin sat it in front of him but once past his initial hesitation, Josh
fell on the food like a starving man. Mitch noticed once he relaxed, Josh
seemed uncomfortable in the chair. When the last bite of food was gone from
the table he looked at Josh and caught his eyes.

"What's wrong? You seem to be in pain."

Darrin watched Josh's eyes enlarged to saucers and his body freeze into
place. He knew that Josh's clenched teeth were happening when he hit
particularly sore spots on his butt.  Josh wouldn't yet admit what happened
but the moisture gathering in the corners of his eyes gave Darrin a pretty
good idea. His suddenly closed eyes and full body shudder let Darrin know
he was close to the end of his endurance. Josh's eyes flew open when he
felt a hand clamp on his shoulder.

"Come on, Josh. Let me see how bad the damage is," said Darrin with a look
of concern on his face.

He watched as the teenager's body sagged further when he could no longer
keep up the stoic front and nodded his acquiescence. Darrin squeezed his
shoulder as he stood up and gently pushed him to the guest bedroom. Part of
Darrin thought it was stupid that they didn't just look at the damage in
the kitchen so Mitch could help if needed. But he knew this kid's fragile
ego couldn't take much more, and having two gay men checking his ass for
wounds might be the final straw.

Once they were in the bedroom Darrin motioned Josh to the bathroom and
showed him where the towels were stored. "Strip in the bathroom and then
you can cover up with the towel and come out so I can take a look."

Josh nodded, the tears now silently running down his face as he waited for
their revulsion once they found out what had happened to him. He shuffled
into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He bit back cries of pain
as he separated cloth from drying wounds.  Once he finally got the last of
his clothes removed he wrapped the towel around his small waist and stepped
back into the bedroom. He looked at Darrin who motioned him to lay face
down on the bed.

Darrin had braced himself to see the aftermath of a beating, but already it
was worse than he had imagined. Josh's back was covered with raised welts
and black bruises. Darrin took the tips of his fingers and began to pull
down the towel when he heard a sob.

"Please. Don't," said Josh in a whisper.

"Josh, it's not your fault. I just need to see if you need stitches or if
we can doctor you here," said Darrin.

Josh nodded once and buried his face in the pillow to absorb his sobs as
Darrin exposed his butt. A gasp escaped Darrin when he saw the kid's
rear. It was a maze of cuts and dark colored bruises, with a few deep
punctures. Darrin was so overwhelmed that he wasn't sure where to
begin. Finally, without thinking, he asked the question Josh didn't want
asked.

"What happened to you? And don't tell me it was at school because this is
from a beating.  What did they hit you with?"

"A belt . . ." said Josh around sobs.

"And? This wasn't just from a belt."

"Yeah, it was. But sometimes it was with the buckle."

"The buckle . . ." said Darrin quietly as it dawned on him, "A trophy
buckle. The hook made the holes."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Josh, who did this. Did your dad beat you like this," asked Darrin.

Josh shuddered, "Some of it was Dad, Mom's the one who used the buckle end
on me."

Darrin shuttered and shook his head. "Ok. Well you need some antibiotic
cream on them.  But first you need to clean up. Take a shower, there's some
antibacterial soap under the sink that you can use. Yell when you're out
and I'll doctor the cuts," said Darrin

Josh nodded, not trusting his voice. Darrin waited for a minute and then
slipped out of the room. Walking back into the living room he saw Mitch
looking at him.

"He'll be ok. But he's been beaten pretty bad."

"What's he doing now?" asked Mitch.

"Showering. He was covered with dirt, dried blood and who knows what
else. So I told him to take a shower and then I'd use the antibiotic
ointment on him," Darrin smiled at Mitch. "I gave him your fancy
antibacterial soap to use too. So I guess I owe you even bigger."

Mitch rolled his eyes and then sighed. "He probably needed it worse that I
do at this point.  What are we going to do with him?"

"Well first you're going to give him some of your briefs that are too
small," Darrin said with a gleam in his eyes. "And then he's going to get
some sleep. I'm no shrink, but I think he's at the end of his rope."

Mitch stomped off with mutters of mutiny, but was soon back with a pair of
white briefs.  "Here," he said as he tossed them to Darrin. "But it's your
loss. 'Cause now you can't rip the tiny underwear off my ass and fuck me."

Darrin chuckled and opened the briefs, which were small but would probably
fit Josh's slender teen-age body perfectly. Looking back at Mitch he
chuckled. "They're going for a good cause. And I can fuck your ass with or
without ripping off your clothes first."

Mitch finally broke his frown and chuckled. "You better check on your
child. The shower is off."

Darrin nodded and went back down the hall. Knocking on the door, he
asked. "Josh, can I come in?"

"Ah, yeah. I suppose."

Darrin opened the door to see Josh standing in front of him. With his hair
ruffled from the towel drying and the dirt and grime washed off, Josh
definitively looked young. His smooth face and almost hair-less body made
him look younger than his true age. The only hint at puberty was a thick
dark treasure trail that plunged downward from just under his
navel. Realizing that he was still very nervous, Darrin smiled slightly and
motioned to the bed.

"Lay down again and I'll get the stuff to put on them."

Darrin walked into the bathroom as Josh crawled onto the bed. Moving back
to the side of bed he flicked back the towel and surveyed the
injuries. With the dirt gone they seemed even more prominent and Darrin
quickly and quietly administered the ointment to them. As he finished the
last one he asked.

"Want me to do the ones on your front? Roll over and we can wrap this up
pretty quick."

"No!" Josh almost squeaked. "I mean. I'll do it. I can reach those."

Darrin smiled and laid the tube beside the bed, putting the underwear with
it. "Yeah, you're probably right. I left some of Mitch's old
briefs. They're clean and too small for him. I wasn't sure if you needed a
clean pair or not."

Josh gulped and nodded, silently acknowledging the gift. Darrin left
without pushing the issue. He smiled at Mitch as he sat beside him on the
couch. Lying against his husband, he enjoyed the faint musky scent that
Mitch always seemed to have.

"How is he?" said Mitch.

"Better I think," said Darrin with a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"I think he had an erection. He didn't want to turn over and let me do the
cuts on his chest and the front of his legs."

Mitch laughed, "You do that have effect on people. I know you touching my
ass would give me a boner."

Darrin swatted his lover on the shoulder with a chuckle, "A strong wind
gives you a boner, you horn dog."

Mitch made a barking noise that caused them both to laugh. They talked
about the day and how many things they needed to finish before Darrin
started work on Monday.  Eventually they saw the lights go out in the spare
bedroom.

"Looks like he's going to sleep. I think it's time for us to go too," said
Mitch.

Darrin stifled a yawn and nodded. "Yeah, come on my sexy man. I'm ready for
some serious spooning."

Mitch grinned and helped pull Darrin to his feet. They quickly went through
their nightly ritual and crawled into bed. Both had stopped wearing clothes
at night as they discovered that they enjoyed their bare bodies against
each other as they slept. Even more than normal Darrin enjoyed Mitch
wrapping his muscular arm around his chest and spooning against him. Darrin
drifted off feeling very safe and secure, protected from the kind of
prejudice that Josh had been dealt.

<><><><>

Darrin woke the next morning to find they had kicked all the covers off the
bed and that his morning wood was wedged between Mitch's ass cheeks. Still
partly asleep he started moving it slowly up and down, the precum that was
flowing coating the hairy furrow of Mitch's ass.

"Grab the lube and get busy, stud," said Mitch in a gravely voice.

Darrin grabbed the bottle of lube and pumped a few squirts into his
hand. Slathering it over Mitch's asshole, he let first one and then two
fingers slip into the slick opening.  After several minutes of slow finger
fucking Darrin let his fingers slide out and he added more lube and soon
wedged three slick fingers inside Mitch's hairy ass. On his side Mitch
groaned softly as his lover's thick fingers penetrated. Enjoying the lazy
motions of early morning sex he slid his top leg up higher to give Darrin
better access. Soon his ass felt like gelatin and he needed the hard cock
that Darrin was holding for him.

"Throw me a fuck, baby. I need your hard cock inside me," said Mitch with a
growl.

Darrin wiggled in close until he was spooning Mitch again. Gripping Mitch's
tight hips he pushed for-ward, never stopping until his pubic hair was
grinding against Mitch's ass.  They luxuriated in the slow early morning
fuck as Darrin's swollen cock explored the depths of Mitch's ass. Darrin
wrapped his arms around Mitch's chest and ran his thumbs over his distended
nipples while he slowly pushed into his gut.

"Oh yeah, babe. That feels good," said Mitch softly.

Darrin slid his hands lower and grabbed Mitch's cock. Jerking it in time to
his thrusts he soon had them both moaning with pleasure. As they reached
the edge, Mitch let out a guttural scream and tensed. When his ass clamped
onto Darrin's dick it triggered his orgasm. Mitch's semen was painting the
sheet with stripes of translucent white as Darrin plunged in deep and
pumped his ass full of cum. In their relaxed positions the wave of pleasure
rolled over them again and again. The loud moans quieted and their
breathing slowed to something more normal as the passionate build up
receded. Mitch ran his hand down Darrin's thigh and chuckled.

"I think we just provided morning jackoff material for our guest."

Darrin glanced up at the open door. "Shit. You think so?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I heard the pitter patter of teenage feet
racing back to his bedroom," said Mitch with a chuckle.

"Well I guess we need to invest in a door lock."

Mitch laughed, "Maybe we should try closing the fucker first."

<><><><>

Their day unfolded without any more drama, although it was several hours
before Josh could look at them without his face turning red. Mitch and
Darrin both ignored his reaction, thinking that anything they might say
would only make it worse. Mitch had set an ambitious schedule of chores to
be finished on Darrin's last full day at home until next weekend. With
Josh's help they had managed to accomplish them all. By the end of the day
even Mitch had to admit that Josh was a valuable addition to the ranch.

Darrin cooked steak and baked potatoes for supper and then they broke out a
gallon of ice cream to serve over a hot apple pie from the caf?. They all
were relaxing in the living room when Mitch levered himself up and headed
back to the kitchen.

"Anybody need anything? I'm grabbing a beer."

"Yeah, a cold beer would be great," said Darrin.

Mitch looked at Josh and smiled, expecting him to ask for a beer too, but
he remained mute. Finally Mitch decided to cut him some slack and asked,

"Josh, you wanna coke?"

"Yeah. Dr. Pepper would be great if you have it," replied Josh.

Mitch walked to the fridge and dug around for a minute. "Yup, you're in
luck. But it's a diet."

"Diet's fine. I just love DP," said Josh with a tentative smile.

Mitch walked back from the kitchen and distributed the drinks to everyone
and dropped into the over-stuffed chair with a sigh. Taking a healthy swig
from his beer he smiled and then let out a loud burp. Darrin laughed and
shook his head.

"Damn it, Mitch. I just can't take you anywhere."

"Oh chill out, Professor. We're at home and I can belch and -" Mitch lifted
one leg and farted, "fart if I want to."

Darrin laughed and waved his hand through the air while Josh softly
chuckled. "Damn it, Mitch! That was rank!"

Mitch worked his eyebrows and smiled, "Why, thank you."

Mitch drained the rest of the bottle and sat it down on the table beside
him. Drying his hands on his pants he looked over at his partner. "You know
we have to decide on a ranch name. We need to have business cards and shit
made and we have to come up with a name."

Darrin sighed and took another drink of his beer. "I know. I just don't
like anything we've come up with so far."

"AM Cattle Company wasn't bad," said Mitch.

"No, it wasn't. But just using our last names together is about as creative
as a turd roller."

Josh looked at Darrin with a confused look, "A turd roller?"

Mitch laughed, "Yeah Mister College means a dung beetle."

"Oh. Sorry. I guess that was a stupid question," said Josh quietly.

"Nope, the only stupid question is the one you don't ask," said
Darrin. "But I still don't like AM Cattle Company."

Mitch smiled and got the glint in his eye that Darrin knew meant
orneriness. "Well how about Two Bulls Ranch, or Tall Pines, Crossed Swords,
or just White Holes Resort."

Darrin almost spewed his beer with the last one and grinned at Mitch,
"Yeah, those are all subtle as a heart attack, and White Holes? Damn this
isn't a gigolo stable, Mitch."

"Ok, College. What'd you got?" challenged Mitch.

"Ok, well what about Two Spirits Ranch or Mountain Shadow . . . "

"Jeez, Darrin. You're trying to make us sound like a soft porn novel," said
Mitch.

"Well shit, I'm out of ideas. Any other suggestions?" Darrin looked at
Mitch with a lifted eyebrow, "And ones that don't sound like an erection
would be good."

They both paused, trying to come up with another name. As the silence
stretched on for several minutes they heard Josh clear his throat.

"Josh, you got a suggestion?" asked Mitch with a smile, "If you do just
spit it out. It can't be worse than ours."

"Well, I was thinkin'. You're kind of rebels, in several ways . . ."

Darrin held his breath, hoping the kid wasn't going to suggest something
like Rebel Yell Ranch. But he carefully kept his fears from his face and
smiled at Josh with encouragement. "Sure, I can see that."

Josh swallowed hard and they could see him brace himself to get out his
suggestion.  "What about Maverick Cattle Company? Cause you're mavericks to
do something new, and you haven't been tamed either. I think it sounds kind
of male too."

Josh sat there quietly as they looked at him, his hands shook so hard he
finally sat the drink down. As the silence stretched on for too long he
started talking again, "Never mind, it was dumb. Sorry I shot my mouth
off. I won't do it -"

Darrin held up his hand to stop Josh's self-deprecation. "I like it. I like
it a lot. What'd you think, Mitch."

Mitch smiled over at Josh and nodded. "I believe we have a name for our
ranch."

<><><><>

Darrin's first week at the university had been frantic, but he was settling
in to the routine.  Mitch had finally relaxed around Josh, and he was
looking at them when he talked, at least most of the time. Mitch was
keeping Josh busy with the fence building since he wanted to buy a load of
stocker cattle to overwinter on their ranch. When Mitch was working, he
worked hard. Which also mean that Josh was exhausted by the evening, almost
falling asleep at the table a few times. He'd also let Darrin check the
cuts a few more times, but only the ones on his backside. Darrin still
thought Josh was get-ting erections from the touch, which made him chuckle
to himself.

He was glad Mitch and Josh were working things out, because while nothing
was going wrong, he had plenty to deal with at work. The new faculty
orientations, which were endless prattle, and meetings at just about every
level of administration became a little overwhelming. But today were the
introduction of new faculty and then all the hoopla would be over and he
could focus on his own work and teaching.

Finishing a last note to himself he started to the meeting room to get
through this last meeting. As usual it was mostly rah-rah speeches to get
everyone excited about the coming year. After the better part of an hour
had been pissed away, they got to the introductions. He stood and smiled as
the department chair called his name and gave his background. He sat down
to congratulations from the people around him and then realized the other
new faculty in the department was being introduced. Curious who the other
new guy was he glanced up, and his jaw fell open with shock. As if to
confirm his eyesight at that moment he heard,

"and Kevin Boorman has also joined our faculty in -"

Darrin sat thunderstruck. This was the asshole who had snuck around and
yelled homophobic slurs at he and Mitch while they were graduate
students. It had come to a head one day when they confronted him and
dressed him down. Darrin let a small smile flicker across his face when he
remembered Karen's vicious defense of the two of them as she ripped Kevin a
new asshole.

Coming out of his stupor, Darrin realized the meeting had ended and most of
the people were gone. He glanced over at Kevin again and was met with a
predatory glare. Deciding he should at least make an effort at
reconciliation he walked over and extended his hand.  Kevin simply
continued to glare at him and ignored the offered hand, which Darrin slowly
let fall. By this time the room was empty but for the two of them.

"Anderson. I didn't realize you were here too."

"No, I didn't know you were either, Kevin."

Darrin cringed inwardly as Kevin leaned forward with an evil smile
plastered on his face.  "So I wonder how long you'll last once I out you
and your little perversion?"

Darrin started to chuckle and it rapidly progressed into a full belly
laugh. Kevin watched him with furrowed brows, trying to determine why he
was laughing when he thought Darrin would be begging for his
silence. Finally Darrin caught his breath.

"Go for it, Boorman. I told them I was gay during the interview, and about
Mitch."

Kevin's face contorted, his lips moving soundlessly as he struggled to
comprehend.  Darrin smiled, turned and walked back to his office. Four
days, he thought, at least he had four days of peace before finding the
biggest problem he was going to have.

<><><><>

Darrin walked into the kitchen, paused, and listened to Mitch and Josh
playing video games in the living room. Josh was never allowed to have a
game system before, or a computer for that matter, but he was rapidly
making up for lost time. Darrin and Mitch each had a computer, as well as a
couple of different game consoles. But Mitch enjoyed the games more than
Darrin, so he was glad there was someone to take his place. After a few
minutes he let his shoulder bag drop to the counter.

Mitch looked up and smiled. "Hey babe. How was the day?"

Darrin watched Josh and noticed he didn't even react any more. At least he
was getting more comfortable with the fact that he and Mitch were a
couple. Turning to face Mitch he shook his head.

"Guess who the other new faculty is . . ."

"Who, babe?" said Mitch.

"Kevin Boorman."

"Our Kevin Boorman?"

"Yes, the one and only."

"Fuck!"

"Yeah, fuck is right."

<><><><><>

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