Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:18:46 -0700
From: qwb224@gmail.com
Subject: Stonegate Stables ch 44

Stonegate Stables

Chapter 44


Del settled right in to William's house.  He and TJ
rearranged things at their end of the place so that they
slept in the smaller bedroom and used the larger master
suite as an office and family room, outfitted with a comfy
couch and a huge TV.

Having left all his colt-starting customers behind in
Loooziana, Del tagged along with TJ to work each day, and
began to help with the Foundation horses.  We were up to
fourteen at the moment, more than Gabriel could keep up
with, so Del worked on the roughest ones, getting them to
the point where Gabriel could put the finishing touches on
them.  He was excellent with the tough cases, and by the
time he'd been there two weeks, he was an integral part of
the team.

One evening when they were over for dinner, I talked with
him about what he wanted to do, thinking I might hire him,
but he said he just wanted to kick back for a while and see
how things went.  TJ interpreted that comment as meaning
that Del maybe wasn't serious about staying and got bitchy
with everyone for a few days until they straightened it out.
I'd never seen TJ so touchy, but then I'd never seen him in
love either, and it was obvious that he wasn't completely
sure about Del's intentions.


Corleone's first annual April Art Walk was a big success.
Vincent and Tony had put a lot of thought into the setting;
they'd created a circular paved walkway along the river
bank, winding it through the trees, with wider spots here
and there dotted with benches and small gazebos.  A few
short docks were built out into the water with tables out at
the ends.

Food stations were interspersed amongst the artists' booths,
starting with appetizers at the station nearest the entry to
the walkway, and progressing through salads, to main courses
and desserts.  There were several bars, as well, serving a
variety of wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks.

They did a trial run of the food service for friends and
family two weeks before the event to fine-tune things, and
it went pretty well.  Since Vincent was busy running around,
I wandered along with my folks, introducing them to Paula
and Jack when we ran into them at the bar on the first pier.
Katie had taken a part time job at Corleone's and was
working the salad station.

Most of the guys were there.  Matt and Adam had staked out a
shady table toward the end of the Walk where they collected
friends who passed by.  When I came along a little after 4
pm, pretty much everyone was there, lounging around under
the trees.  Kelly had taken quite a liking to Del, and was
sitting near him tossing bread to the ducks that stood in a
quacking semi-circle around him.

It was a fun day, and the real deal two weeks later went off
without a hitch.  I drove by in the early afternoon as I
made a trip to the feed store, and the place was packed.
The additional parking that Vincent had arranged was full,
and people were hiking down the side of the road.  When I
went back just before 6 pm to see how Matt and David were
doing, it was even busier.

Since most of Matt's work was a little too risqu‚ for a
family event like the Walk, he had framed many of the
drawings and sketches that he'd done with David over the
past year.  Despite the fact that he had more commissions
than he could handle drawing people's kids, dogs, and
horses, he was surprisingly nervous about displaying his
wares for the unwashed masses.

"God, what if nobody buys anything?" he worried as I helped
him one Sunday afternoon in David's studio.

I was doing pretty well emotionally, but Vincent was still
careful of how I spent my spare time, and since he had to
work today, he'd arranged for me to spend the day with Matt.
We were choosing frames for some of the larger nature scenes
he'd done last summer.  I was sorting through frames, trying
them against the drawings, and Matt was practically wringing
his hands as he paced around the studio.

"Honey, relax.  I guarantee you people will buy your stuff."
I picked up a foot square colored pencil drawing of a scrub
jay sitting in a mesquite.  The dusky blue of the bird
contrasted nicely with the yellow blooms of the bush, and
the jay looked like he was about to take off.  "Look at
this.  It's lovely, Matt.  They all are."

He studied the drawing critically for a moment, and then
sighed dramatically.  "I hope you're right."

I smiled to myself at how much he was taking this little art
show to heart, but it was his first one, and I guessed I'd
be nervous too.

I stopped walking as soon as I could see his booth, watching
from a bend in the sidewalk.  Matt was making change for a
woman and her young daughter.  The girl was clutching a
small drawing of Ginger in her hands and gazing at Matt as
if he'd hung the moon.  As they walked away, Matt smiled
after them, and then ran his eyes over the crowd.  They
landed on me for a second, went on by, then came back
quickly, and his delighted expression said it all.

"I'm almost sold out," he said as I came near, struggling
unsuccessfully to suppress a huge grin.  "They love the
horse ones and the series I did by the creek."

He had only a few pieces left, one of which was a favorite
of mine.  It was a charcoal sketch of Eyeore standing next
to the old hand pump behind the hay barn.  He was half
asleep, and a bird was sitting on his rump, plucking hairs
from his fuzzy winter coat.  It was a charming picture and I
couldn't imagine why it hadn't sold, except that he'd had a
lot of donkey drawings.  I pulled out my wallet and tried to
hand him some bills, but he was appalled that I'd try to pay
him for it and thrust it into my hands with an apology.

"I didn't know you liked that one.  Why didn't you say so?
I'd have given it to you back when I first drew it."

"I like so many of them that I'd run out of wall space in
heartbeat if I took them all.  But since you still have this
one, I want it."

David had done well also, selling several large oils.  His
sketch book was lying open on the table, and as I leafed
through it I began to smile.  Page after page of Levi looked
back at me - smiling at the viewer; looking partially away
with  his eyes downcast; asleep on the couch with one arm
flung out to the side; laughing with his head thrown back;
gazing quietly at me with his face half in shadow.  I
glanced up to find David watching me.

"These are great," I told him.  "Just beautiful."

He shrugged.  "He's a good subject, very expressive, and he
just lives every moment like it's his last."  He paused, and
the smile died from his face.  "I didn't think I could feel
like this again.  It's kinda scary."

I put the book down and hugged him.  "But wonderful, too,
huh?"

I spent some time doing a little early Christmas shopping,
and was buying a silver bracelet for Vincent when I heard a
deep voice in my ear.  "And who would you be buying that
for, laddie?"

With a widening smile, I turned to meet Ryan's twinkling
green eyes.  "Hey.  I didn't know you'd be here.  You
should've called."

We found a vacant bench and talked for an hour until Vincent
found us.  He was eating an Italian ice and spooned a big
bite into my mouth as he sat down, laughing as my face
puckered from the lemony tartness.  He was very nonchalant
as he glanced around, which I knew meant he was thrilled
with the day.  We sat there as the crowd began to dwindle
and the artists packed up.  Finally Vincent stood.

"Come up to the restaurant.... we'll have dinner."

We ate a leisurely supper of appetizers, salad, and bread
that hadn't been consumed during the Walk.  Tony joined us
after he finished running the preliminary numbers for the
day, and lifted his glass to me; I looked back at him with
raised eyebrows.

"To Sean's brilliant idea.  The Art Walk was a smashing
success.... we did triple what we do on a normal Sunday."

We all drank to that, and spent the next hour in pleasant
conversation.  Ryan was a well-read guy and I really enjoyed
his company.  Tony excused himself to oversee the final
clean-up, and the three of us left for home after convincing
Ryan to spend the night again.  We headed for the hot tub,
with Vincent stepping out of his shorts as we rounded the
last bend.  Ryan laughed as he flung them on a chair and
climbed straight into the bubbly water.  Vincent shot him a
look.

"My fucking feet are killing me," he moaned, holding them up
to one of the jets.  "I bet I walked fifty miles around that
damn sidewalk today."

Ryan didn't hesitate in shedding his clothes, giving me my
first look at his body.  He had an average cock, but uncut,
and a nice big set of low hanging nuts that I'd have loved
to juggle with my tongue.  We spent the next hour soaking
and talking.  Ryan had been married for a few years in his
mid twenties, and claimed it had been a good experience.

"Taught me a lot about what I really wanted.... and didn't
want.... in a relationship."  He paused, looking down into
the water, "....and it made me a better person to be
with.... more tolerant, more open with my feelings."

Never having been with a woman, I was pretty curious about
his marriage.  "Why did you split up?"

"It just got to a point where it wasn't fair to either of us
to stay together.  We're still really good friends.  After
our divorce, Sharon moved back home.  She's a real estate
agent in North Carolina."

When we went our separate ways in the upstairs hall, Ryan
pulled me into a hug.  "I'm really glad you're doing
better."

I turned to say something to him just as he leaned in to
kiss my cheek and our mouths met unexpectedly.  He pulled
back abruptly with an apologetic look at Vincent.  "Sorry,
I, uh..."

"No problem," Vincent said as he quickly kissed a surprised
Ryan, "long as I get one, too."

He herded me off down the hall, and when I glanced back as
we turned into our room, Ryan was still standing there
watching us.



At the end of April, Danny found me in the hay barn and told
me he was moving back into his old apartment.

"Things not going well with Gabriel?"  I asked him as I
counted rows and stacks of alfalfa and orchard grass.

"I don't know if it's him or me, but there's just not much
of a connection.  We had a good time in bed.... for a
while.... but that kinda played itself out.  He's a quiet
guy - ya never know what he's thinkin'.  I want someone I
can talk to, someone..." He shook his head in frustration
and shrugged.  "Fuck, I don't know.  I guess I want what you
and Vincent have."  He was silent a moment, then, "You
suppose that'll ever happen?"

"Ah, Danny, you gotta believe it will.  Look at Matt and
Adam, how they met.  They're an unlikely couple.... an
orphan street hustler and an aristocrat, but their
relationship is really good.  Then there's TJ and Del.  That
started out as a one-night thing in Amarillo.  Took a while,
but they ended up together."

I put down my clipboard and pulled him to me by the front of
his shirt.  He clunked his forehead down onto my shoulder
and blew out a noisy breath as he tucked his thumbs into the
back pockets of my jeans.  He lightly squeezed my ass with
his fingers as he spoke.

"I sure hope so.  I'm tired of being by myself.  With Del at
the house now, him and TJ always playing around... well,
it's depressing to watch.  That's why I wanna move."

I thought for a quick minute before saying, "Why don't you
live with us for a while.  You can have the whole one end of
the upstairs to yourself, and, if you want, you can join
Vincent and me now and then."

He pulled back abruptly to frown at me.  "You serious?"

"You had a good time with us last summer, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he replied decisively.

"I sure as hell did."

"Then come stay for a while.  You can leave your furniture
at the house, if you want."

"Well. shit, all right."

"Come on over for dinner and just stay."

We went our separate ways, and I gave Vincent a quick call
to let him know we'd have a house guest.

"Cool.  How about we do the hot tub tonight?"  Then as an
afterthought, "He fucks, right?"

I told him I was pretty sure he did, and we hung up.

The hot tub was where we'd first fooled around with Danny,
so I figured I knew what Vincent had in mind.  I got home
before either of them and threw some left over lasagna in
the oven to warm while I sliced a baguette for garlic bread.
About five minutes later, Vincent came through the door from
the garage with a gleam in his eye and plunked down his
briefcase.  Then he stepped up behind me, clamped both hands
firmly over my crotch, and planted a big, wet kiss on the
side of my neck, growling as he chewed on me.

I'd given Danny a key, and he walked in just as I was
giggling hysterically and struggling to get away from
Vincent's roaming hands and busy mouth.  He stopped and
watched with a big grin on his handsome face, laughing when
I begged for help.  I still had a butter knife in one hand
and a slice of bread in the other, so I threw the bread at
Danny and managed to duck out of Vincent's grip.

"I'll remember this," I panted at Danny, "when you're
bitching about some horse sitting in your lap."

We ate on the patio.  It was a little cool, but the wine
warmed us, along with thoughts of what was still to come.
When Vincent pushed his chair back and stood, Danny looked
up at him inquiringly.

"Hot tub, anyone?"  Vincent asked, holding his glass aloft.

Danny and I jumped up and followed him down the path to the
tub, lit only by the dim lights in the shrubbery.  We
stripped silently and slid into the water, each of us making
a soft sound of pleasure as the warm water enveloped us.
Vincent was between Danny and me, with one hand on my leg
and the other holding his wine glass.  After we'd soaked for
a bit, he drained his glass, sat it back away from the tub,
and reached over to hold the back of Danny's neck.

"Come here," he said, tugging on Danny a little.

Danny's eyes caught mine for a second as he moved over to
straddle Vincent's legs, facing away from him.  Vincent's
hands slid down Danny's body until they disappeared into the
bubbles, making Danny catch his breath as they settled into
his lap.  I couldn't see what Vincent was doing, but having
been the recipient of many such hot tub crotch rubs, I could
well imagine.  Imagining was enough to stiffen me up, and I
idly played with my cock as Danny leaned back against
Vincent's chest and moaned.

He must have been pretty excited just thinking about this
evening cause it wasn't long before his brow furrowed in
concentration.  I stood and moved around in front of him,
keeping one hand on my dick and tweaking Danny's nipples
with the other.  That did him in and he arched back against
Vincent, his mouth open as he grunted through what sounded
like a great orgasm, wincing a couple times as Vincent
squeezed his nuts or something.

I was smiling at him when he finally opened his eyes.

"Geez, when's the last time you got off?"

He rolled his eyes and grinned ruefully.  "This morning."

I laughed at him, but Vincent was ready to go upstairs and
get serious, so we climbed out of the tub and walked up to
the house, cocks bobbing as we trotted through the chilly
night air.  In our bedroom, Vincent took the lead again,
pushing Danny and me onto the bed, side by side on our
bellies.  He crawled up from our feet, one hand on each of
us, his mouth going back and forth between us.

He was in heaven with two butts to work on, and kept Danny
and me both happy by using his fingers and his tongue as he
shifted from Danny's ass to mine.  Danny and I shifted a
little until we could kiss and reach each other's dicks.
Getting your ass rimmed by one hot guy while getting kissed
and stroked by another is about as close to perfect as it
gets, and I felt my brain shutting down as my body lit up.

I knew Vincent wanted to fuck Danny, and wasn't surprised
when he began to concentrate his efforts on that.  I rolled
over to watch him work two fingers into Danny's hole, his
other hand kneading Danny's white, round ass.  He really did
have one of the most spectacular butts I'd ever seen, and I
reached over to put my hand along side Vincent's, feeling
his fingers slide in and out of Danny.  On one inward
stroke, I added a finger of my own, getting a deep groan
from Danny and a scorching look from Vincent as he leaned
down to kiss me hungrily.

Vincent's cock was drizzling precum like a leaky faucet as
he scooted closer and took aim.  As he sank slowly in,
Danny's closing fists scraped up folds of sheet, and he
bared his teeth in a grimace.  I ran a hand up his back to
rub his neck.

"You okay?" I whispered.  He just nodded.

Vincent was breathing in short little pants by the time he
ground his clipped pubes against Danny's ass.  Danny had his
head buried in his folded arms, moaning softly.  I lay on my
back, jerking off slowly, watching Vincent's face as he
began to move his hips in a steady rhythm.  His eyes would
close for a few strokes, and then he'd open them to look
down at Danny or me before dropping them shut again as his
head tipped back.

After a while, Vincent tugged my leg to bring me closer.  He
lifted my ankle to his shoulder, sliding his hand down my
leg until he could massage my nuts and poke a finger into me
now and then.  I reached under Danny to grab his cock, and
once Vincent saw that all of us were taken care of, he began
to thrust more quickly.

Again Danny was the quick-draw king, erupting into my fist
with a series of deep grunts.  I finished him and then used
the same cummy hand on my own cock, staring up into
Vincent's face as he watched me.  He plunged a finger into
me, tickling my hot spot while he pumped quickly into Danny.
We came within a few shots of each other, his finger jerking
inside me as his body convulsed.

When he was done twitching, he pulled out of Danny and
crashed onto the bed next to me, his still half-hard cock
angled across his belly.

"Jeee-zuz," he groaned.

We took a quick shower and climbed back into bed, to sleep
this time.  Danny moved his clothes in the next day, and we
settled into a comfortable routine.  Vincent and I spent
most nights alone, but occasionally dragged Danny up the
stairs with us.  After the first few days, he relaxed and
began to enjoy the little conveniences of having a
housekeeper who made your meals and did your laundry.

"Shit, Sean, I'd have moved in a long time ago if I'd known
it would be this good," he joked Tuesday morning as we were
lounging on the patio waiting for Maria to call us in to
breakfast.


Less than a week after Danny moved in with us, Gabriel
cornered me in the tack room and gave his notice.  I tried
to find out what the problem was, but he was no more
talkative than he'd ever been, and simply said he was ready
for a change.  Considering his past, I was a little
concerned about his future, but it wasn't in my hands.

After he left, I sat and thought about things for a while,
then tracked down Del, who was longeing a horse in the round
pen.

"Wanna get on the payroll yet?"  I asked him as the horse
trotted around.

"Doin' what?"

"Just what you're doing now, only more of it.  Gabriel's
leaving, so you'd be in charge of the rehab part of the
Foundation.  You and TJ'd be running things."

I mentioned the salary and that got his attention.  He
whoa'd the horse, gathering up the longe line as he walked
over to me.

"I'd need to hire another guy."

"No problem," I assured him.

"Well, might be.... he's already workin' for ya."

I frowned at him as the horse nibbled on my sleeve.  "Who?"

"Kelly.  He's great with the horses."

As far as I knew, Kelly cleaned stalls, polished tack, and
washed out trailers.  I knew he was good with his own horse,
Rascal, but it hadn't occurred to me that he had a knack for
bringing along the abused Foundation horses.  That required
the patience of a saint, a lot of psychology, and a good
deal of perseverance - not traits that come to mind when you
think of a 16-year-old.

"Really?  What's he been doing?"

My faint disapproval must have come through in my voice
because Del hesitated for a moment before replying.  "I had
him help me with that skinny little roan that come in a
couple weeks ago.  I'm too heavy for her, so I put him on.
He was real good with her, had her bendin' and listenin'.
Let me use him for a bit.... see what you think."

I agreed, knowing that Del and Kelly had hit it off and
figuring they'd work well together.  That turned out to be
the case, and I added Kelly to the Foundation payroll at a
hefty pay increase from his stable boy rate.  He was
thrilled - both with the money and to be working with Del.



By the time June was half gone, I was feeling pretty damn
good - good enough, in fact, to throw myself the birthday
party I didn't have in January.  I wanted to surround myself
with my closest friends, so we planned a Saturday pool party
for just us boys.  The day dawned hot and got hotter, making
it perfect weather for playing in the water.

Everyone was able to make it; Jesse and Ben came for the
day, and Ryan drove out from Dallas.  He'd become a good
friend since we'd met in the aftermath of Dylan's death, and
he'd spent a few weekends at the house.  He slept in the
guest room next to Danny's, and on those nights, we all
stayed in our own rooms.  The first time the four of us had
traipsed down to the hot tub after dinner and stripped, Ryan
had done a double-take when he caught sight of Danny's fat
cock.  No one noticed but me, and during the evening, I
caught him giving Danny the occasional speculative look.

Ryan was friendly and fun, but so far, he'd kept his hands
to himself.  He kissed me hello and goodbye, but they were
brief kisses, nothing more than affectionate, and he barely
hugged Vincent and Danny.  I wasn't sure if he felt somewhat
inhibited because of his prior relationship with Dylan, or
if he was simply taking his time getting to know us.

He showed up driving a cherry red SL500, which I saw from
the kitchen window as I was filling a tray with crackers.  I
walked out onto the porch to greet him, wolf-whistling at
the car as he climbed out of it.  He did an eye roll and
then laughed at himself as he joined me in admiring the
sleek Mercedes.

"And what is this?"  I asked him with raised eyebrows and a
big smile.

"Aww, I got a thing for these," he grinned, "and when I saw
this one, I couldn't fucking resist.  Is it just totally too
much?"
"No, no, it's great!  Beautiful color.  How's it drive?"

"Mmm, like it's on rails.  I love it."

"Well, then..."


By this time Vincent was missing me, had spotted the car,
and everyone was milling around it.  We all agreed it was
spectacular, and Ryan looked a little more comfortable with
it by the time we went back out to the pool.  It was a great
day; everyone was relaxed and in a good mood.  No one
commented on Gabriel's departure, and I concluded that he'd
made no real friends among us.  We ate, played in the water,
lay around in the sun, ate some more, and finally did one
last hot tub session after it got dark.

The dim light from the garden lamps cast soft shadows on our
faces, and made the secluded hot tub area seem even more
private than usual.  We were all a bit quiet; maybe from an
afternoon of sun and play, or maybe from something a little
deeper.  In any case, it was a while before anyone spoke,
and then it was Danny.  He was sitting next to me on the
edge of the tub, his legs on one side of Vincent, mine on
the other.

"Well, my daddy stopped by the barn yesterday, and allowed
as how having a queer kid might not kill him after all."

I swung my head to smile at him, and he grinned back at me.
I was probably the only one there who knew how much it meant
to Danny to be close to his father again.  Ryan looked at
him curiously.

"You just came out to him recently?"

"Hell, I just came out to myself recently."

He told Ryan the tale of the pre-nuptial blow job, our kiss
on my wedding day, his first time giving head in this very
hot tub.  When he was finished, Ryan glanced at me.

"Thanks," he said.

"For what?"  I asked him.

"Sounds like you're the reason Danny's here today."

"Ah, he would have figured it out."

"Maybe not," Ryan remarked.  "Lotta guys don't.... not
without someone they're comfortable with to get things
started that first time."

I glanced at Danny, who shrugged, then said, "That had a lot
to do with it, I admit.  I trusted Sean.  I figured he
wouldn't tell anybody, and he probably wouldn't kill me when
I asked him to blow me."

"I almost did," I said, thinking back to that day and how
pissed I'd been that he just assumed I'd leap at the chance,
although I was dying to once I got over the surprise.

We talked some more about making that first connection, how
important it was, and told our own stories.  For some, it
was just a chance encounter in a bathroom or parking lot;
others, it was a seduction by someone more experienced; and
for some of us, it was a mutual thing between friends, like
Danny and me.

The party broke up soon after that, and as the last set of
tail lights disappeared around the bend in the lane, Danny
said good night and went upstairs.  Vincent took my hand and
we walked down the hall to the kitchen, collecting the odd
glass along the way, and cleaned up a little.  As I was
wiping down the sink, Vincent came up behind me and nuzzled
the back of my neck.  I put the sponge down and turned to
him, holding his hips as he settled his crotch into mine.

He humped me slowly for a minute or so, then took my face in
both his hands and pulled back to look at me.  His eyes
roamed over my features, lingering on my mouth before coming
up to meet my gaze.  As we looked at each other, I smiled at
him, but he remained somber.  After looking at me for a long
time, he spoke softly.

"I love you, Sean.  I know you know that, even though I
don't say very often, but it doesn't begin to cover what you
mean to me."  He paused, running his thumb gently along my
bottom lip before saying, "You are my heart beat."

It was such a stunning statement of how he felt about me
that I was speechless.  Our gaze held a bit longer, and then
he kissed me lightly.

"Let's go up to bed, sweetheart."

I put my arm around his waist as he draped his over my
shoulder, and as we stepped out of the kitchen, I reached
over and flipped off the light.


**********************************************************

This is the end of Stonegate Stables in real time.  There
will be one more chapter in a few weeks that takes place 20
years after the beginning of the story.  Some of you (hi
Robert) don't like things all wrapped up; others have begged
me not to leave things hanging in the breeze.  I gotta wrap
it up.

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who wrote to me over the
past 18 months.  It truly kept me going to know that so many
people enjoyed this story.  Thanks to David of Hope for
suggestions and corrections.  Thanks to my Steve for
everything else.

Gabriel Morgan