Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:40:57 -0500
From: fireflywatcher_ford <fireflywatcher@gmail.com>
Subject: Desolation, chapters 31-40

The usual disclaimers apply. If you are under eighteen or live where sexual
content is illegal, read no further.

I reserve all rights to this original fiction story. It may not be
reproduced or published without my written consent.

I want to thank Miguel Sanchez and Clark for their work editing and
improving this story. I'd Llike to thank Rock Lane Cooper and George Grassby
for their continued encouragement.

Please donate to nifty.

Please contact me with any comments or suggestions. I answer every email.

fireflywatcher@gmail.com

All my writing can be found at

http://groups.google.com/group/Fireflywatchers-Stories

It is mainly a storage site. You may read or comment without joining.

DESOLATION

CHAPTERS THIRTY ONE TO FORTY
*

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
*

Dean was driving by Laura's parents on the way to the motel after work
Friday afternoon. There was a car in the driveway and the garage door was
up. There at the front was Laura's couch. He pulled over and ran to the
couch, reached down inside the cushion, pulled out his roll of bills, and
stuffed the money in his pocket. As he rose up her mother came out the door.
She'd never met Dean. Before she could say anything he said "Is James home?"

"There is no James that lives here" her mom replied.

Dean said "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house" and turned and left. Two
blocks down the street he pulled out the roll and counted the money. It was
all there. He still hated the bitch. Now he had nearly eight thousand
dollars. Life was good again.

Laura had a date that night. He was a real cute cowboy who seemed very nice
and polite. He had asked her out several times before and this time she said
yes. They drove into town for dinner and a movie. Aunt Patti said she looked
real nice, which meant she looked good but was covered up appropriately and
not wearing anything overtly sexy. The restaurant was an excellent one for
steaks and catered to wealthier clientele. He drank too much. At the movie
his hands were all over her. When she said "no" or "Stop" he didn't. She
went to the restroom, called Aunt Patti to come get her in the women's
section of the Wal-Mart and walked down the street to wait. Inside she
looked around and tried on clothes until Patti showed up.

Brian was bored to death. School ended Friday and he was sitting alone at
home. The girl he met at the lake had already lost interest in him. No
friends called or came by. Tim and Dan weren't around. He sat in the chair
on the porch and moped. Even Dog was gone. He remembered where the key to
Dan's back door was hidden and thought at least there might be a couple of
beers in the fridge.

"Party for one" he said as he went in the back door. He went back out and
put the key where it went; "Better not forget that." Almost two cases were
in the kitchen and six cold ones inside the fridge. He popped one open. His
parents were gone for the evening but knew Dan was living at Bob's, so he
kept the lights dim. They'd think he was out with friends anyway on a Friday
night, the last day of school. He saw the computer in the bedroom and turned
it on. He connected to the internet and went back into the living room. He
stuck one of Dan's porno movies in and went for another beer. He put more in
to get cold. Letting the movie play, he went to the den and knocked pool
balls around a while, spying the whiskey bottle up on the high shelf. He got
it down and took it with him back into the living room. The porno was damn
wild. It was a bi flick with guys doing guys doing girls doing girls and
every combination; and the damn thing was four hours long. One scene had two
girls holding a guy's legs down so he could suck his own dick. It was a huge
dick. He laughed like hell. He had the thought "Yeah, if men were like dogs,
they'd all lick their own dicks." He jacked off once and got bored with the
whole porn thing. He left it running and went to play on the computer. The
porno played in one room, music played in the den, and he played on the
computer. Go figure.

One gulp of whiskey had been enough, too much really, he hated that shit. He
got a third beer and set about finding some chat on the net. He put in a
username of Desolation69, nothing too creative. He found a chat room for
West Texas teens. Some guy named Boomboxboi was the most talkative. Messages
flashed back and forth between them for a couple of hours. They were both
bored on a Friday night the last day of school. He was eighteen and lived in
Desolation, too. They'd seen each other at school but never talked. It was
cool. They exchanged numbers and would try to get together some during the
summer. He signed off and crashed in Dan's bed. The TV was a blue screen.
The radio station was off the air and it was silent in the den. The computer
screen was black waiting for someone to hit a key. Only four beers were
gone.

Gary was asleep waiting for Donnie to show up at the cabin. Nothing seemed
right. It was Friday night before graduation. Johnny and Donnie should be
there. They should be partying their asses off. That was how it should be.

Gary knew Johnny wouldn't show up if he wasn't there already. He usually
came early in the evening. Donnie had never taken off like this. He always
told Gary what he was up to even if he didn't tell anyone else.

He smoked one joint by himself and drank a six pack. Their caps and gowns
were hung up near the door on a nail. He should have gotten in one of the
beds.

He woke up at ten the next morning. Graduation started at noon. He dropped
off Donnie's cap and gown at his aunt and uncle's house, "Donnie didn't show
up, he'll get here, don't worry" he told them. He went home to clean up and
get ready. His mom wanted to take pictures before they left.


*

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
*

When the radio station came back on the air, the noise woke Brian up. He
turned everything off, straightened the bed, and picked up the beer cans.
The whiskey went back up on the high shelf in the den. He had the yard
mowed, the mower put up back at his house, and was sitting on the porch
drinking beer in one of Dan's coffee cups when the guys drove up.

Dan gave Brian his money and he begged to go fishing with them. It was
already eight. Brian loved the Dodge. They loaded the gear and the ice chest
and beer. At the Gas'n'Go they bought ice, bait, and cokes. Bob's gear was
already in the truck.

The road to the far side of the lake seemed a lot rougher, or was it
unnoticed before with the bad shocks on the old trucks? They split up more
to fish today. Dan and Tim kept their usual spots, Brian fished between
them. Johnny and Bob went further down the shore to another creek inlet,
carrying bait and beer with them.

Brian caught the first fish. It was a decent pound and a half crappie. Bob
liked catfish best for eating, so he put out two poles with stink bait on
treble hooks dropped down to lay near the bottom. Then he set a line with
two minnows on a crappie rig since Brian had brought in a crappie. Before
long he caught two sand bass at the same time. Johnny Mac had one pole with
a minnow and one pole with a worm. His first fish was a big yellow disk
shaped sun fish, different from the usual blue gill perch more common out
west. He replaced the worm and tossed the line back in. Dan and Tim both
brought in black bass between two and three pounds about the same time. They
were in the better spots to get the bigger game fish where the schools of
smaller fish swam near deeper water.

Everyone was catching fish. By noon no one had gotten a bite in over half an
hour. There were still a dozen minnows left, but Bob said he had an old
stone water trough by the barn he always put his leftover minnows in and
they seemed to thrive there. It was a big haul of sixty eight fish; six cats
caught by Bob and the rest a mix of game fish. Brian and Bob tied for the
most fish with sixteen each. They kept patting each other on the back and
saying "Hey lucky."

Bob's gear included two big tubs with lids to put the fish in. The gear was
all loaded and they started back to the ranch. This time they took the road
that circles to the south, back toward the dam and the highway instead of
the north side road they usually traveled.

Johnny Mac spotted Donnie's truck as they headed toward the dam. "Hey guys,
can you hang here for a minute and let me look for Donnie? He's supposed to
be graduating right now and shouldn't be out here. I was asked to go myself,
but it's not my thing." They agreed and pulled up a little way from the red
truck.

It looked empty and sat tilted so Johnny Ray walked toward the shore calling
"Donnie, Donnie" as he walked. The terrain was rough in this area and it
wasn't possible to drive any closer to the shore, which was quite a distance
away. Tim walked over to the truck. Donnie lay across the seat and after
several days of hot weather, the sight was bad. He went back to the truck
and had Bob call the sheriff. The shots must have thrown him back across the
seat and the door was shut or he would have been a mess. Coyotes would
surely have torn him to pieces.

As the sheriff's car was driving up Johnny Ray walked back. "Oh shit man,
better stash the beer quick. I couldn't find Donnie, he must have wrecked
here and left the truck" he said getting close. They could see an ambulance
approaching following in the same path the sheriff had come. Johnny was
running and screaming now and two sheriff's deputies were looking into the
red truck. Bob grabbed Johnny by the shoulders and tried to stop him saying
"Johnny, you don't want to look." Johnny was moving too fast and pulled
away, continuing on to the truck.

The smell hit him first. With a door open now, it reeked of death. You could
see the barrel still on his chest and his fingers still touching the
trigger, but the body was so bloated there was nothing that resembled Donnie
in the corpse lying across the seat. The deputy stopped Johnny and said,
"You'll have to step away son, we have some work to do here." The other
deputy told them they had to leave "it is a crime scene and we can't have
anyone in the area," he said. Johnny was screaming and bawling, but they
managed to get him in the truck. Bob hugged Johnny Ray close to him all the
way back to the ranch. He never stopped bawling. When they got out of the
truck, Johnny bent over with his hands on his knees and started throwing up.
They got him to wash his mouth out and wiped off his face with a wet towel.
Bob gave him a glass of whiskey and he slammed it down. He gave him another
and he sat on the couch blubbering into the glass. Johnny kept saying "oh,
god, oh god" but nothing more; he kept drinking and crying.

Johnny didn't ask why. He knew the answer already. Donnie was wearing the
same shorts he had on when he left the cabin. No one saw his reaction as
anything other than grief for the loss of a friend. Johnny didn't think he
cared about anyone but himself. He didn't think he had a conscience. No, he
wouldn't steal, unless maybe it was beer or booze, or weed, or better yet
cash; but if he thought any shit would come back to him, it didn't seem
worth the hassle. If a punk had it, he'd just take it from him without
giving it a thought. In a situation like Bob's house a case or a bottle
today wasn't worth loosing a freely given supply that would be there another
day. No, in situations like that he always did the right thing, always
behaved himself, but might loose it if he was drunk and fuck things up. His
strength, his temper, and his violent nature would snap all the time if
someone pissed him off. He still knew when and around which people to keep
his temper in check. He would fight at the drop of a hat and sometimes even
fuck someone up just because he was pissed and they were there. He wondered
if he cared about Donnie and Gary or were they just punks he used and got
used by. He had thought that was the way he felt, but the sex and Donnie
dying had him thinking crazy. He felt guilt. He felt anger. He was confused
about everything but the more he drank the less he thought about anything.
He stopped crying. After a while, he passed out.


*

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
*

Bob stayed in the house with Johnny Mac. Dan, Tim, and Brian were busy a
while cleaning fish. Around the corner of the house from the patio, Bob had
a garden shed with a sink and washing table for the vegetables brought in
from the garden. He kept his tools, the tiller, and mowers there, too. It
was his place to clean fish, too. The mood was very somber. None of them had
known Donnie; Brian had seen him and knew who he was but no more. Their
concern was for Johnny. When suicides happened, they seemed to be contagious
and were followed by more deaths, and no one could say if Donnie's death was
suicide or an accident. Like everything else lacking in such a small town,
there was no counseling available, the duty of comforting and healing the
living was left to friends and family, or a minister. Ministers tend to be
less than helpful when a death is by suicide and in Donnie's death, that
couldn't be ruled out yet.

Bob joined the others after Johnny passed out. The fish were cleaned and
filleted, just the cleaning up remained. The chickens and ducks got the
remains of the fish. Bob and Brian carried them down and stopped by the
horse barn before going back. Brian raved about the horses. Even living in
the country his exposure to ranch life was limited.

Dan had his own battles with death. Life had changed so much in just one
week and he hoped his thoughts would change too. They didn't. At the
strangest times when everything seemed perfect, that thought of suicide
would hit him. He go to the john or away from everyone for a few minutes and
shake it off, like a chill, and come back with no one ever noticing any
change of mood. Sometimes he'd get bitchy for a while or crack a few jokes
that were out of character. It was never anything to give a hint he thought
of suicide.

"Oh man, those are beautiful horses! Bob says I can ride them whenever I
want" Brian burst out as he and Bob walked up. The ranch wasn't all
manicured fields. The pasture offered several trails in areas that weren't
blocked up with fences to control grazing. Several stock tanks were in the
back and were the fishing holes Bob fished most often. "I'll take you back
on the trails anytime you want" Bob offered. "The horses need to be ridden
to stay used to it. I can teach you to rope, too. They're all cutting
horses."

"Hey, I could get into that myself" Tim said. He had done it a few times
with Dan and other friends in the past, in high school, way in the past.
Neither of them had horses or any place to keep them so he'd forgotten all
about it. Dan had still ridden working on his old job, but mostly herding,
never roping, and the horses were only available when needed for work. The
old boss was an asshole. His horses weren't cared for much either. They'd
just run loose in a pasture grazing what they could find and had to be
caught up when they were needed for work. They might even try to buck you
off until you sat their back a while.

Laura had heard about Donnie. Janet who worked with her on Saturdays made a
point of telling everyone who came in that evening saying "poor boy, so sad'
and things like that. Laura wasn't really sure which boy he was, just one
who came in occasionally. "You know which one Laura. That pot smoking kid
who comes in so stoned all the time" Janet added. Laura thought speaking bad
of the dead was in bad taste and changed the subject.

Gary had been home from graduation about a half an hour before the sheriff's
car pulled up in front of the house. They were celebrating the graduation
and the whole family was there, Donnie's parents and family, too. They were
a little pissed at Donnie, but he graduated anyway with Gary accepting his
diploma and they could take pictures later, they thought.

The deputy related the events with as much compassion as he could muster,
but the crying and wailing couldn't be avoided. He said that Tim had found
him coming home from fishing and Johnny Mac, with him, had identified him.
He advised them not to view the body due to its condition; "remember him as
he was and don't mess up that memory with such a terrible sight." He said
they could make arrangements with a funeral home as soon as the coroner
released the body and gave them his card.

Gary was devastated but his reaction was "how could you go away and leave me
here alone?" He called him names and cursed and spouted out his rage
eventually falling into the same grief that overcame Johnny Mac. He needed
to see Johnny Mac but the family kept him there to grieve together.

Johnny Mac woke up just as supper was ready. He was still somber but able to
talk. Tears only roiled down his cheeks a few times. He ate a hearty meal.
The fried fish was great. More alcohol followed the food. Dan seemed to have
a gift for counseling about death. He'd had to give himself the same talk so
many times he knew just what to say, no one else knew that. Bob had another
toy he brought up to get the mood lighter. He had a karaoke set-up and a big
assortment of CDs that went with it. He set-up a camera that recorded onto
DVDs to save all the performances. It worked, who would have thought Bob
liked to sing? Everybody took a turn, even Johnny Mac.

Brian got permission to stay the night. Bob said for him to sleep wherever
he wanted, in any bedroom or on the couches in them or the couch in den was
fine, just be comfortable. He stayed in the kitchen playing on the computer
after everyone went to bed.

Boomboxboi was online again. The messages went between them for a couple of
hours again. There is a lot to getting acquainted. Actually they got to know
each other better than they would have in person because all you can do is
talk, no interruptions from other activities or interference from other
people. Their last topic was Donnie's death. Boomboxboi said he didn't feel
like talking about it right now, Donnie and Gary were both his cousins, but
he would see Brian at the funeral. Then he signed off.

Brian didn't want to sleep in the den. Being up so late he didn't want to
wake up early the next morning. He walked down the hall into Bob's room. Bob
looked so peaceful, with a smile as he slept. Brian brushed the hair out of
his eyes with his hand leaving him with his dreams. He thought Dan and Tim
might be embarrassed if he slept in their room so he passed it by. In the
other hall the three empty rooms were all nice but he couldn't decide so he
looked in on Johnny. Johnny was whimpering in his sleep. He crawled into the
bed putting his arms around Johnny and the whimpering stopped so he stayed
there and slept next to Johnny Mac. It seemed like the right thing to do and
he was comfortable.

The light coming through the window was already bright as Johnny started to
wake up the next morning. His arm was wrapped around Brian and he was
spooned up against him with his hardon pressed against the crack of Brian's
ass. As he moved Brian woke up, too. Johnny rolled to the far side of the
bed and started crying again. "I'm so sorry Brian. I didn't mean to, I
didn't mean to" and he cried some more until snot was running down from his
nose.

"Don't cry Johnny. It's natural to wake up cuddling if you sleep with
someone and every guy wakes up with a boner" Brian wanted him to feel better
not worse or he wouldn't be there. "Hell, I've woken up with mine poking Dan
in the butt when I slept over there." He reached over and put his arms
around Johnny and just held him until the tears went away. Then he tugged
him up and said "Come on man, lets go cross our streams and you can blow out
your nose." Johnny was a big guy but as their piss mixed in the toilet he
thought that for being eighteen, Brian might outgrow him. Brian started to
reach for his shorts, but Johnny grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the
kitchen saying "Breakfast is the naked meal in this house unless ladies are
present, house rules."

Brian had juice while the rest drank coffee. All he ever drank in a coffee
cup was beer when he sat on Dan's porch. His mom would say "Why don't you
drink coffee at home?" after she saw him earlier drinking from a cup at
Dan's. He'd just say "Aw mom, Dan buys a different kind and it tastes
better." She'd come back with "Ask him what kind and I'll buy you some since
you like it." He'd always say "I will" but never did; he didn't think she'd
buy him beer.

Pastries were breakfast, some frozen ones that just had to be heated, and
they all pitched in on the chores. There were already plenty of veggies in
fridge and freezer, so they made up mixed bags to take to Maria, Patti,
Brian's mom, and Johnny's parent's later in the day. Then they all went out
to ride the horses. Bob showed them how a roping horse did its job using the
dairy calf. It ran out of the shoot with the horse behind it and when the
rope was thrown it stopped. When the rope hit the ground, it started backing
up. They let the calf loose and shooed it back in the pen with the cow. It
probably wouldn't run a second time anyway.

Riding down the stock lane between the pastures they came to the larger open
pasture at the back where the stock lane took a curve. The gates were built
where you could open them from horseback without getting off. Bob latched it
back against the fence so they would only have to close it on the way back.
The terrain changed from the flat profile of the fields and managed pasture
to rough and hilly land. There were cedar breaks along the sides of shallow
cliffs and hillsides with large rocks and boulders all around. It fell
sharply from the elevation at the house and at the bottom was the creek bed
that flowed down from the lake dam. The banks were covered in willows with
only a few open places where you could get through the brush to the stream.
It had a small flow now but would dry up as the summer went on. Bob pointed
out one water gap and said "that's one we have to fix after rains a lot, two
more are toward the other side of the pasture." It was a high welded gap
gate that would swing up to let brush pass beneath carried by the flow and
that type only needed the remaining brush cleaned from under the gap gate so
it would close again. It was pretty fancy and most ranches had simpler ones
that took more work to repair.

Dan led one saddled horse behind him so all six would get exercised. They
saw deer several times, jackrabbits, turkeys, and one armadillo. The first
stock tank was decent size and like the second one the water was muddy red.
The third had clear water and was surrounded by willows and cottonwoods. Bob
said it was spring fed. They stopped there and tied the horses. It had a
little sandy beach. They shucked their clothes and went in for a swim. They
had a great time splashing and playing and sat on a big rock to dry off
before they got dressed again. Dan switched horses for the ride back. Bob
said they'd see the water gaps and more stock tanks another time, "Don't
want to shoot your whole wad all at once, you know."


*

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
*

Donnie's family was having a hard time finding a preacher who would do the
service without a sermon on suicide and none would consider that it might
have been an accident. The worst was their own pastor who ranted on about
people who commit suicide being condemned to hell and the entire clan
decided to leave his church for good. Their family had attended that church
for generations. Now it would have thirty five fewer members. They wanted to
bury Donnie with compassion and concern for their grief, not hell fire and
damnation. The service would be held in the school gymnasium if a preacher
could be found. Boomboxboi's name was Shaun. He rode with Gary that morning
to keep an eye on him. The family was afraid he'd do something stupid and
wouldn't let Gary leave without him.

They visited a couple of friends in the morning, but on Sunday morning only
a few were at home, and there weren't many Gary counted as friends. For him,
who he counted as a friend was pretty limited to one person—Johnny Mac. With
Donnie gone, his next closest friend after Johnny Mac was Shaun. They called
Johnny from his parent's house and got directions to Bob's.

The drive took too long, too damn long. Donnie kept watching the mailbox
numbers as they passed them going down the road. Shaun was digging his
fingers into the seat. He hadn't ridden much with Gary driving and Gary's
focus was on the mailbox numbers, not the road. When they pulled in it felt
like an hour had passed. Only a few minutes was all it had taken. Johnny and
Brian were leaned against Johnny's truck waiting for them.

"Check out my truck, man. Bob says I can have it when I wear it out and he
has to buy a new one for me to use." Johnny opened the doors so they could
all get a good look and started the engine. He revved it a few times and
shut it off. They were impressed. Gary hadn't paid much attention to it
before. He'd been focused on finding Donnie and this time his inspection was
more enthusiastic. Johnny wasn't ready for the serious matters yet. He led
them on a tour of the barns, they looked in the bunk houses and Martin's
little house, saw the horses and the garden. Then they walked around to the
back past the pool and whirlpool and came inside from the patio.
Introductions were given all around and quickly came a tour of the house,
then back to the den. Johnny started to pour some drinks at the bar when Bob
spoke up "only if they're staying the night, Johnny or just cokes."

"We'd love to, Bob. If it's OK we'll stay. We were going out to the cabin.
There's too much going on at home. This beats hell out of staying out
there." Gary was polite and said he'd call home and tell the family in case
they came looking for them. Tim and Brian had made a quick trip dropping off
the veggies from Bob's garden and with permission to stay a few days, Brian
grabbed clothes and what he needed from home. He'd be staying, too. It was a
full house, now. It had been very empty a long time.

Johnny started to pour glasses of tequila when Brian spoke up "Hey Tim, can
you make us something that tastes good? Drinking liquor straight out of the
bottle tastes like shit." Tim took over the bartending real quick. Although
he knew how to make a variety of drinks, Tim's taste went toward the simple
ones. He usually drank whiskey on the rocks or with coke, but mostly drank
beer. He looked over everything and scratched his head. He checked the
juices in the fridge. There were damn sure more ingredients than he knew
what to do with.

Bob had steaks ready to cook for supper. The drinks couldn't be too strong.
He went with weak and simple. He made some lemonade (it was pink, but what
the hell) and used it to make Tom Collins. The way he made them, beer was
probably stronger. After pouring one glass he decided to mix the whole
pitcher. Sometimes laziness can come in handy.

Dan knew the discussion of Donnie's death was going to start eventually. He
was surprised it hadn't already. A little fun after at least a day of grief
and sadness had to help. Shaun and Brian wanted to get in the whirlpool.
When they suggested it, it sounded good all around. Johnny took the lead and
stripped off, laying his clothes on a bench nearby. Tim brought the pitcher
and a tub of ice and they all got in. The whirlpool was made for eight, but
seven guys filled it tight enough.

When the pitcher was dry and they all started to wrinkle up, they got out to
start the steaks. After supper Johnny and Gary retreated to Johnny's room to
go about their grieving. Shaun and Brian took another bedroom to get
acquainted. Peace set in. It was a big house.

Dan, Tim, and Bob sat in the Den watching TV. Tim had the remote control and
found a movie to watch. Bob was happy having others in the house after being
alone so many years. Dan was deep in thought. He wasn't focused on the
movie. His relationship with Tim had changed a lot in just a few days. They
were not much more affectionate, just an occasional hug or a touch. Kissing
was a foreign thing but became more frequent at private intimate times. The
real change was that they were together as much as possible. Dan had never
had an active social life. His world was Tim and Brian with occasional
visits of others in their company. His co-workers were nothing more than
mannequins in his life. Tim's job took him all around the area. He knew
everyone and had such a sparkling personality they all warmed up to him.
When Dan sat alone at home in the past, he always thought Tim was having fun
with other friends; Tim did have an occasional date or night out with
others, but more often he sat alone himself thinking Dan needed time away
from him or he would wear out his welcome. Those reasons were gone now. For
both of them, it was a comforting feeling to know they were loved.

Dan's job with Bob brought the best out in him. His experience was so broad
that with the possibilities open for new endeavors, he could discuss
everything he had ever considered with Bob. Bob had been looking, too, and
they gave each other more new ideas to consider. Whatever Bob decided, it
had to be practical, only require a reasonable amount of work and
investment, and the land needed to be easily converted to other uses if it
wasn't profitable.

There was a scratch on the patio door, it was Dog. He took the spot on the
pillow by the fireplace. He hadn't been used to being inside so much. Dan
had seen him a lot lately down by the chicken pen, just sitting there
looking at them. He had followed them a while during their ride that
morning, too, but took off after a jackrabbit. He was just now getting back.

Johnny Mac managed to get most of the story told of finding Donnie before he
broke down. Gary got a little pissed. "You're supposed to be the big strong
guy who gets me to stop crying, damn it, Johnny, not the other way around.
Neither of us would have ever thought this would happen and we'll never know
why." Gary had a few tears running down his face, too. Johnny grabbed him
tight and said "I'm just so sorry he's dead." Gary came back with "I'm
madder than hell he bailed on me. I drove around this morning talking to
friends. Except for you, I don't even like a damn one of them."

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Monday morning was back to the usual routine for the most part. Dan and Bob
were making pancakes when Tim drug in at nearly the time he had to leave for
work. The guests and Johnny were already eating, boys are bottomless pits.
Dan and Bob had talked while cooking before anyone came in the kitchen. "I
think Johnny might need the next few days off" Bob threw in, "With the boys
here, he needs to have time to grieve at least until the funeral Wednesday."

"For me, when I'm at my lowest after something like this, if I do my best to
pass each day normally, the pain and depression goes away faster. It's not
like my best friend got killed or anything, but granny, mom, and dad died,
and I've suffered from depression all my life. Just getting out of bed in
the morning can be hard, but it helps." Dan said that without going into his
battle with suicidal thoughts.

Bob took the middle ground. After breakfast he made a proposal to the guys
"If ya'll want to help Johnny do the chores, mow the yard, and weed the
garden, he can take the rest of the day off, and ya'll can do whatever you
want the rest of the day." The garden was mulched a foot deep with hay and
damn near had no weeds at all. It had a sprinkler system on timers like the
yard, but the grass was getting high in the yard. Bob hadn't mowed in over a
week. They agreed to help Johnny, and for the hospitality at Bob's house.
Bob and Dan returned to testing wells, leaving the guys alone.

Working on the wells, they talked. "Why were you depressed, Dan?" the
conversation began.

"I lie to myself and say my brain chemistry is screwed up, but I don't
really know. Sometimes I'm happy when I should be sad and sad when I should
be happy. I'd say it's because I like guys in a straight world, but I know
the feelings started before I even knew I liked guys. It's all messed up
Bob, but it's still a battle. I've never stopped being depressed." Dan
answered.

"Does Tim know? I wouldn't have guessed." Bob frowned. "I always figured if
you wanted to be happy in this world, you had to make yourself happy the
best way you could. It's never seemed like anyone gave a shit if I was happy
or not."

"Tim would think it was something he did, if he noticed, but I think you've
got it pretty much right. I do think that people who love you want you to be
happy. Depression is kind of crazy though. It's being unhappy for no damn
reason at all." Dan closed up the switch box. Ants had built a nest inside
and had to be cleaned out before they tried it. He flipped the switch. "This
one seems to be working." The water began to flow out of the pipe and the
volume increased. "As old as these pumps are, it's a miracle any of them
work."

"How did you know you liked guys?"

"I don't really know what Tim would say, don't really understand how he
feels, but I was never interested in girls. I tried but maybe girls sensed
something about me that I didn't really know myself. I've never had a date
or had sex with a woman. I've never had sex with anyone except Tim. I've
gotten a hardon around guys but never gotten one with a woman. I fought the
feelings. Even the first time with Tim was an accident. We were wrestling
around and his dick was right in my face. I grabbed his dick and he grabbed
mine. I swallowed it down to the base at his pubes and Tim moaned. Not to be
out done, he did the same thing to me. We hadn't thought about it, it just
happened. Having a warm mouth on my dick felt so good, I couldn't stop. I
think Tim felt the same way. I felt him throbbing and got a mouth full of
cum. I fired mine off right then. We both swallowed the loads. Then Tim
asked if we could do it again and I said yes. We were fourteen and we've
been doing it and more ever since then."

Dan's mind was flooded with things to say but he couldn't, he hadn't ever
expressed them before, even to Tim. "One thing I know for sure. If it had
been a choice, I wouldn't have chosen to like guys. I was in love with Tim
for years before anything ever happened. I wanted it to be the way you loved
your best friend, but it was a lot more. It made me ache inside. I wanted
him to be happy more than I wanted to be alive. After we had sex the first
time, I went to bed for a week. I told everyone I was sick. I was sure I'd
destroyed our friendship and lost him forever. He came and crawled in bed
with me and held me. He told me I had to get better because he was going
crazy without me around."

"No one ever liked me in school. I was a skinny geek and didn't grow or fill
out until after I graduated. My dad was an ass. I was another possession
like this ranch and reminded him of my mom. You have no idea how hard it has
been just to feel good about myself. I have no idea what I like. The only
boner I've ever gotten with anyone around was that first night you came over
and we were in the whirlpool. The porn I've watched always had men and women
in it. Maybe I should watch some with just women or just men and see what
turns me on. I always thought I'd live the rest of my life alone. I don't
want it to be like that anymore." Bob knew his world had changed. "I knew
Maria and Charlie loved me. Martin was gruff. He was distant. We didn't
talk. When he died he left me all his money and I knew he loved me, too. He
lived his life alone and very lonely. I don't want to live like that."

They worked checking out more wells and talking. Lunch time snuck up on
them. The boys and Tim were cooking burgers when they got to the house. The
yard was mowed, the garden was weeded. Three large crates of veggies from
the garden were stacked on the kitchen counter. Johnny hadn't seen how
veggies were prepped and packed for freezing, but the freezer had plenty
already. "Can you take the veggies to the priest at the Catholic Church
after lunch, Johnny? We have more than we need right now and some things
aren't producing yet, we need to leave some room in the freezer." Bob looked
around and noticed the place had been swept and mopped and the rugs
vacuumed. Most of the house was tile floors with area rugs. He had most of
the carpet taken out after his dad died, it had been getting ratty and was
as old as the house. The tile was easier to keep clean. "Nice job cleaning
too guys!" he added.

"Sure, we'll take the veggies to the church. Can we check out the bunk
houses this afternoon, Bob?" Johnny wanted to see what they looked like
inside.

"There's a key board on the office wall with tags, so go ahead. The keys to
the four wheelers are on the board, too, if ya'll want to play some." Bob
thought if Johnny had the afternoon off it shouldn't be work. Dan and Bob
returned to work on more wells. It was one then. The afternoons were short.
Chores still had to be done on weekends and harvest times required longer
days until crops were in so regular work days tended to be somewhere near
eight hours long.


*

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
*

The priest was a young man, about twenty six, of mixed heritage, Anglo and
Mexican. He had been in Desolation just over a year and served several area
churches, keeping him busy from Friday evening through Sunday evening each
week. In all he served seven churches, all with small rural congregations
and considered missions by the church, but the rectory was in Desolation.
Again it was a hot day. His dark curly hair contrasted with his blue eyes
and fair skin, making his hair look blacker and his eyes a deeper blue. He
had only done a daily mass at seven each morning in Desolation, but had
stopped because most mornings he found himself alone at the church with no
one to say mass for. This afternoon, he sat barefoot and shirtless in
basketball shorts matching his favorite team, the Spurs, on the porch of the
rectory.

The priest he replaced was a stern old Irishman from New York who only did
the mass in English and had spent forty years in Desolation. Clavo Davis
grew up in the liberal environment of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Nearly all the
congregations he served were predominantly Mexican, with few who spoke
English fluently. He only said the Sunday evening mass in Desolation in
English, the morning mass there was in Spanish. He was drinking a beer and
trying to follow along with a new Santana CD on his guitar when the boys
drove up. He noticed the crates of veggies they were unloading and set his
guitar down as the CD continued to play. The song was 'Turn Your Lights On'.

"Do you know where the priest is, Bob Esterhazy sent us with these veggies
for him?" Johnny inquired.

"I'm Father Davis, but you can call me Clavo if we're not in church" Clavo
answered.

"Thank Bob for me if you will. Maria brings veggies from him all the time,
but I've only met him a couple of times. Ask him to visit me sometime; I
need to thank him again in person. We have a lot of poor families that
really appreciate what he gives us."

The boys were in shock. Here was this six foot two guy with washboard abs,
who looked like one of their buds and played guitar standing in front of
them. He didn't look like a priest. He didn't even look like a preacher. He
was even drinking a beer. They carried the crates into his kitchen and the
veggies were all sorted out along the counter. Brian took the crates back to
the truck. Clavo gave Johnny a beer but offered cokes to the rest, Johnny
looked old enough. He didn't ask. Clavo picked up his guitar again and began
to play along with the music.

"Clavo, what do you think about suicide? I mean, would you talk bad about
someone at their funeral if they did it?" Gary had to ask.

"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Intervention is the
best thing you can do, but after someone is dead it's too late. It's time
then to help those left behind, the survivors, just as you would do for any
death. I prefer to have friends and family tell stories of good times they
had with the person and to talk about the love and joy they brought into
their lives. I don't usually mention how they died, I tell how they lived."
Clavo answered. "Even a criminal, a murderer should be buried with
compassion. It's not our place to judge, that is for God and I believe he
forgives us all."

Gary told the story of Donnie's death, briefly. He added that how he died
was unknown, but suicide was a possibility. He gave Clavo the phone numbers
for Donnie's parents and asked him to call. They might not like a catholic
priest doing the service, but his heart was in the right place. Johnny drew
a map to Bob's and left the phone number as well.

The boys spent some time exploring the bunk houses and Martin's house. The
bunk houses were identical. They had five rooms on each side with double bed
sized bunk beds, a closet, desk, and dresser in each one. One end was a
large bathroom with a shower for six, two toilets, a urinal, and three
sinks. A long table went through the center of the room. At the other end
were couches and chairs with a TV and a fireplace to the side. Between the
two buildings was a kitchen building, completely equipped. It had a huge
pantry, fridges, and freezers; all unused for a very long time. A light
coating of dust covered everything from the tile floors to the furniture.
The ceiling fans in each room were a mass of spider webs. Martin's house was
spotless. There were cleaning supplies in the kitchen and they started
working. The ceiling fans and the corners got dusted out first, and then all
the mattresses were beaten out. The floors came last. The brooms were old
and lost a few straws in the process but got the sweeping done. They didn't
wash all the windows which were fogged over and needed it badly, but that
could wait for another day. A little pine sol in the mop water got things
smelling good. It was five thirty by then, so they headed to the house for
supper.

Clavo was playing his guitar and having a drink as they came in. He talked
while he played, never looking at his hands "Thanks for getting me in touch
with Bob guys. I already got a tour of the garden. Gary, your aunt and uncle
asked me to do the service. I'd like you and his friends and family to write
something to say there. I'd say that what comes from the heart at the moment
would be fine, but emotions make people forget what they want to say. It's
better if it's written down."

Clavo stopped playing to look through Bob's CD collection. "Damn Bob, you've
got a great collection here. CDGs too, you must do karaoke."

Surprised to hear him cuss, Bob came back with "I like to sing and it's a
lot of fun."

Tim cooked supper that night. Tim's fried chicken was damn good. Dan was
surprised, "You've been holding out on me for years, bud," he said. It was
true that Tim could only cook a few things. After the meal when Clavo was
about to leave, he confided "This has been a great evening guys. My friends
I grew up with, back home, still treat me like one of the guys, but it seems
that to everyone else I'm just a priest. Thanks for letting me be human for
a while." Bob gave him an open invitation to come back any time. They would
all see him on Wednesday at Donnie's funeral.

The next day went about the same as Monday until the afternoon. Neither Tim
nor Dan had done their banking the previous week. Suits for the funeral had
to be bought for everyone. Bob bought suits for Gary, Shaun, and Brian. They
looked at bed linens for the bunkhouse but decided they were too bulky to
buy right now. They ate supper at an all you can eat Chinese Buffet. Gary
and Shaun went home that night, new suits in hand. The next day would be
hard to get through. Brian took on the chore of getting everyone's boots
cleaned up and polished.

After chores Wednesday, rather than getting into the other projects, they
went to see the boy's work on the bunkhouses. A fresh paint job would help,
but they really looked good. It was unlikely there would ever be another use
for the bunkhouses other than as they were intended or as a party place, but
cleaning them up meant they could be used. Tim came in about eleven, having
taken off early to eat lunch and get dressed for the funeral.

As they entered the school gym, Clavo was at the front playing a soft
instrumental hymn. Johnny had to join the other pall bearers on the front
row. The large family filled the rows next to the pall bearers and several
more behind them. There had been no vigil the night before, because it would
have had to be in town so people greeted the family and offered their
sympathy before the service began. It was a half hour early when the guys
arrived from the ranch.

Clavo began with the words "We come together to celebrate the life of Donnie
Mitchell, who will be greatly missed by all who knew him." Several friends,
including Johnny, his cousins Gary and Shaun, and members of the family all
told stories of their memories of times with Donnie. Each speaker was
followed by a song, some of them Donnie's favorites and some of them hymns.
His grandmother and his parents spoke last. Clavo did a more protestant
style service that still included bible readings of hope for the world to
come and a short compassionate homily. He then sang a song he had written as
the casket was carried out. His voice was clear and bright and it was a
fitting end to the service.

The casket was very light. Donnie had to be cremated because of the
condition of his body and the odor even if it had been sealed. Cremation was
frowned upon and the casket was used to keep the fact a private matter. It
had not been a huge crowd, but for Desolation, it brought together a lot of
people.

Clavo rode to the cemetery with Bob, Tim, and Dan. It wasn't traditional
since the minister usually rode at the front of the procession behind the
family. It wasn't traditional for a priest to wear a suit or perform a
protestant service, either, but the needs of the survivors came first. Like
any funeral, many tears were shed.

The rose blanket covering the casket and then the grave was all yellow
roses. Yellow means 'I'm sorry' and was chosen because his parents wished
they could have spared his life. There is never truly any closure when a
death is unexpected and the victim is so young.

Before returning home Johnny wanted to visit the place by the lake where
Donnie died. With Clavo in tow, they drove to the backside of the lake. As
they watched and then joined in, Johnny built a fire hearth circled by
stones and placed stones around it spelling out Donnie. They built a fire
and watched it burn down as Clavo played his guitar. When the fire burned
down, they carried some dirt back to the graveside and Clavo played again
while the handfuls of dirt were cast on the grave.

After dropping Clavo off to get his car, he followed them to the ranch for
supper at Bob's invitation. Bob had decided it was pizza night. He got to
work immediately after the got home. His bread maker was great for making
the dough. It only made two pizzas at a time, though. Since a batch took
about twenty minutes to go through the first rise and be ready to spread out
on the pans, he and Dan got all the toppings ready to make four and fixed a
big salad. Johnny and Brian drug Clavo to see their work on the bunkhouses.

The furniture was all in the rustic style. It gave the place a contemporary
southwestern look. "This is a cool place, guys. It reminds me of Santa Fe a
lot" Clavo praised them on their efforts, thinking there should be some good
use for the buildings. Brian left them alone to go and gather some more bell
peppers from the garden for the pizzas. Sitting on one of the couches,
Johnny turned to Clavo asking, "You do that confession thing, don't you
Clavo?"

"Yeah Johnny, I do. Do you know anything about it?"

"Not really Clavo, but I've done a lot of praying lately and it ain't
helping any."

"Well, the main thing is that I can't ever repeat anything I'm told in
confession. What I'm told is usually a sin or what someone thinks is a sin,
but it might be anything they feel bad about or feel they did wrong.
Confession is to receive forgiveness and on a more modern way, to set a
person at ease about what is bothering them. It's partly religious and
partly just counseling."

Johnny related the story of his experience in New Orleans. He told about his
failed attempts at sex and his revulsion for homosexuality. "I was the
quarterback. I might have gotten a boner in the showers a few times, but I'd
never even have thought about touching another guy." He went on with his
story as Clavo listened. "A while back I got drunk with Donnie and Gary out
at the cabin. We did that a lot. I don't remember what happened, but the
next day they said I made them suck me and I fucked them." It happened
several times. He got tenser. "Last Tuesday I was there with Donnie alone.
After we drank a few beers, I told him to do me again the way he had done
before since I didn't remember it. He didn't complain. He did what I asked
and just made me grease up my dick before I fucked him. I must have fucked
him all night. He was covered in his own cum the next morning. He asked me
to pull out and let him go piss. When he went outside, he got in his truck
and left. No one ever saw him again. I'm sure I'm at fault in some way for
his death."

Clavo held Johnny Mac as the tears burst forth. "God made straight people
and gay people Johnny and it's not something a person can change. God
doesn't make mistakes. As humans we make mistakes all the time, some of the
worst are failing to give our understanding to others and condemning them in
our shortsightedness. I don't know if what happened between you and Donnie
was his reason for his death; we'll never know that. You have your whole
life ahead of you. Let this all be something that makes you a better person.
Learn to accept and love yourself and to love others around you. Say prayers
for Donnie. I never knew him, but from what I've seen the last few days, you
did care for him."

Clavo and Johnny were late getting back. Gary and Shaun had come in their
absence. Two more pizzas were in the oven and only scraps remained of the
first four. After eating the eight guys were drinking beer in the whirlpool
again. The beer supply was getting low. Bob had kept ordering more each week
for a long while but never drank much in the past. Only two cases remained,
and then it would have to be liquor until the delivery brought more the next
day. He ordered a lot extra for this week, not being sure what would be
consumed regularly.

Johnny's mood was considerably improved. He had been very somber since
Donnie's death and was light hearted and joking now. "Guys, I think I'm gay"
Johnny announced with a joking tone.

"Well no duh, I figured that out a while ago and I don't think you're alone"
Gary came back. "You're not a very damn horny fucker though. We slept
together a lot the last week and you never even touched me by accident."
Johnny Mac looked at Gary stunned by what he said.

The discussion broadened, "us too" Tim said pointing to himself and Dan.
Shaun confessed he thought he was gay but added that he hadn't ever done
anything, hadn't ever had sex at all. Bob and Brian both confessed to being
virgins and not really sure if they were gay or straight. Clavo came last.
"I'm sorry if this makes you think less of me guys, but I'm gay myself. I
took my vows. I can't change who I am. I'm not a damn pedophile, just a gay
man. I will stay celibate until someone very special comes into my life that
I want to be with forever."

It wasn't long before the last beer was gone. It was getting late; Dan and
Tim were the first to go to bed. Not much later Shaun and Brian left, and
then Gary and Johnny went to bed. Clavo had gone beyond his limit and Bob
offered to share his bed with him, "or you can take another bedroom down the
back hall" as an alternative.

With it decided that Clavo would sleep with Bob, they kicked back and had a
few more drinks. Clavo didn't have much opportunity to be away from the
rectory and he might as well enjoy himself when he could. Going to bed,
finally, neither man hesitated stripping down. Bob moved close to Clavo and
hugged him saying "I think you are the most exceptional, maybe even the best
person I have ever met." They embraced and holding each other and fell
asleep.


*

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
*

With the morning getting off to a late start, only Tim was up and barely had
coffee made before he had to leave for work. One by one each guy finally
made his way to the kitchen. Bob and Johnny were all apologies, but Bob
sloughed it off saying they did chores every day and one late morning
wouldn't hurt. Bob had a hell of a hangover. He didn't feel like going out
at all and hoped he'd be up to it by lunch. Dan and Johnny went to work on
wells at the new property and Gary and Shaun agreed to do the chores. The
calf hadn't been penned up the previous evening so the cow didn't need to be
milked. Clavo just tended to Bob and got him to take some ibuprofen.

Clavo kissed him on the forehead saying "get feeling better guy." Bob
grabbed his wrist and pulling him into his embrace said, "You have to do
better than that with a guy who's never been kissed," going on instinct and
giving him a long deep kiss, tongues battling in their mouths. When they
broke apart Bob added "I know we didn't do anything last night, but every
time I woke up I was hard and it was pressed up against you. I think the
question of my sexual preference is settled."

Clavo hesitated for a few minutes, and then responded, "Let's take this slow
and get acquainted better before we do anything serious."

Bob came back with "I hope it doesn't take too long. I'm a little behind on
this part of my education, but you'll see I'm a very patient man." They
spent the rest of the morning talking, talking about their lives and their
dreams, growing closer all the while. Bob swore it was the kiss and not the
pills that were making him feel better and managed to talk Clavo into
several more.

The ranch was at the end of a dead end road. All the adjoining property that
was purchased was along one side. When Dan and Johnny Mac were returning to
the house for lunch, they noticed a sign had been put up on the fence across
the road. It was a simple 'FOR SALE" sign you might buy at a hardware store
with just a phone number at the bottom. The fence was barely enough to be
called a fence, nothing that would keep livestock inside. The view from the
road was of natural scrub land, not improved in any way and as it might have
been a hundred years earlier. They wrote down the number and gave it to Bob
at the house. Bob went into the office and called his lawyers office. He
left the number and the message, "If the price is right and I can afford
this property, buy it, it connects to the ranch on the opposite side from
the newly purchased land." A secretary took the message saying she would see
they got it.

On their way to the house at beer thirty, the sign was gone. An hour later a
car with a middle aged man and an elderly woman drove up. The man was a
notary who certified the lady's signature and Bob's, leaving the papers for
him to send the lawyers. "I've already been wired the money" the lady said
"and thank you." They left and Bob briefly looked over the deed. He had just
bought thirty sections, nineteen thousand two hundred acres, for less than
seven hundred thousand dollars. His jaw fell open. In one week's time, his
well managed ranch of fifteen sections had grown in size to fifty sections.
He might be filling up the bunkhouses after all. What he needed to do now
was find a way to make enough income off of it to cover the taxes and
salaries or his investment would be the same as flushing money down a
toilet. The flip side was his money was being spread around instead of being
tied to the fate of a single business.

Everything had taken place behind closed doors in Bob's office. With the
sign gone Dan and Johnny had their suspicions, but had no idea who the
visitors were. It still wasn't five yet, and Bob said, "I'll be back in a
little bit," and went to express mail the papers to the lawyers. When he got
back, without saying anything, he began to open bottles of champagne,
passing out glasses. With a big smile he said, "Guys, I just bought thirty
sections. Thanks for telling me about the sign. I thought the property would
be a couple of sections like those I just bought. I told the Lawyers to buy
it and they did. The next time I tell the lawyers to do something, I'd
better ask more questions first." He offered the younger boys jobs for the
summer and Gary a full time job, all accepted. He threw in that if Johnny or
Gary wanted to attend the junior college two mornings a week, he would pay
for it and they could work Saturday to make up the time. The beer and the
weeks order had been delivered at lunch as usual. When the bottles of
champagne were empty they went back to drinking beer. Clavo was staying the
night again but said he had to do mass at his Friday parish the next day and
would leave by noon. He decided to cook a New Mexico feast—*fiesta* for them
that evening and got to work cooking.

Bob shut himself in the office for a while. He checked all his accounts.
Martin's money in the separate account hadn't been doubled but now held
three quarters of a million dollars more or less, a lot more than double. He
had about one million in a discretionary fund for the ranch. After the days
purchase, various other accounts held six million in cash, as his lawyers
had always done to insure he wouldn't be broke if businesses or investments
failed. The total value of his other investments exceeded fifty million
according to the last report. It was his first time to see his total wealth.
He had always left his finances in the lawyer's hands. He sent an email to
the lawyers, "See if you can find any grants or assistance for a wind farm
for electric generation and a company to evaluate the ranch for
feasibility." Next he began to order bees, hives, and all the necessary
equipment. Then he returned to the den and the guys.

He offered Tim a job. Tim had been casually offered a job already and said
he had been at the co-op a long time. He was happy there but salary was
never discussed. He offered him the same pay as Dan, which was double what
the co-op paid, so he agreed, but would need to give notice before he could
leave in good conscience and without burning bridges. He made the offer of
paying tuition for Dan and Tim if they wanted to take some courses saying he
might join them himself if they went on different days than Johnny and Gary
so someone would be at the ranch to work. He looked at Clavo but Clavo said
"unless you need a full time priest you'll have to make do with me on my
days off" before he got a word spoken. That got a big laugh. Clavo had
cooked *pozole* and *carne* *asada*. The meal was delicious. From a group of
men who had only known each other a few days it had become a house of
friends, co-workers, and almost a family.

`

Bob went back to the office again. He made a call to a cutting horse trainer
living in the area. Martin had bought four of Bob's horses from the man and
he knew he could rely on anything he said. He negotiated to buy and have
delivered the next morning at seven thirty, two new horses. There were extra
saddles and gear in the tack room. The business was completed very quickly
and he returned.

They watched a comedy that night. It was old, 'Cowboy Way' with Woody
Harrelson and even though most of them had seen it before they enjoyed it.
Everyone took off for their bedrooms after it finished and oddly, all the
doors got closed.

Johnny and Gary were discovering a new world. Johnny gave and Gary got their
first blowjobs. When Johnny finished he pulled Gary into a kiss and said
"Does mine taste like yours Gary?"

"A little saltier I think. Let me check again" and Gary proceeded to find
out. They didn't get much sleep that night.

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

Friday morning Bob was up early. Clavo didn't know he was gone until he felt
the cold spot beside him. In the kitchen Dan was just pouring himself a cup
of coffee. When he asked where Bob was, he just got a shrug. It was still
too early for conversation. He went back to take a shower, coffee cup in
hand and passed Tim on his way to the kitchen. The water beads shimmered
down his belly and he looked especially cute this morning, even the dimples
in his ass cheeks.

Bob had all the horses saddled when the pick-up with the horse trailer
behind pulled up to the barn. He handed the man a check before he could even
get out. They were beautiful horses. "If they don't live up to your
standards, give me a call and you can come over and pick out others or have
your money back," the man said. It was still dark. You couldn't see cutting
horses work in the dark, especially without some calves for the
demonstration.

Bob changed their halters for bridles and after checking for fit, found
saddles for both he thought were good. He got them saddled and went back to
the house leaving all eight animals tethered and waiting at the barn. He
wondered what everyone would think.

"Get you boots and jeans on guys, we've got some riding to do" Bob announced
coming through the door. Clavo protested. He had boots but had worn borrowed
shorts since coming there from the funeral. "Mine or someone's should fit
you, go check," Bob replied. He knew they were about the same size. He had
to remember to keep some extra clothes around in several sizes, this was
happening too much. Gary and Shaun had come in boots and jeans, they lived
in them anyway. Tim called in and took the day off; he didn't want to miss
anything. Dressing and breakfast went quickly. The sun was about to rise,
still in half light, as they went out the door.

Seeing all the horses saddled and the two new ones Dan said "Damn Bob, you
were up early." Bob and Dan took the two new ones, being able to judge them
just for riding, but also they were more experienced with horses they would
be able to handle them better if they got ornery. The sound of the hoof
beats on the asphalt was like a rodeo parade. Through the gate Bob led out
toward his ranch's back side and the water gap they missed on their other
ride. They were going at a good lope, not a slow walk like before. There was
a lot of ground to cover this morning and the terrain was rougher. Along the
road this place was only a mile wide. The maps showed it went back about
eight miles, across four miles and narrowed coming back toward the road. His
ranch shared a common fence for four miles, near which they found the water
gap. They crossed over and followed the fence line, then down the back fence
line and returned to the creek at the water gap. On the high bank above the
creek that marked its maximum flood depth, they followed the creek away from
the water gap. It went due north about three miles turning west at that
point. At the far fence line on the west the creek crossed another water gap
into the next property. They ran that fence line.

It hadn't been a thorough inspection, but a damn long ride. The only bad
fence was along the road. They didn't see any stock tanks, or at least no
trees giving sign one was there. No electric lines entered the property, so
it was a safe bet that if there were any wells a windmill would have stuck
up in the pasture even if it no longer worked. It was eleven then so they
returned to the house.

The boys stayed at the barn unsaddling the horses and brushing them down
after their hard ride. The men went on to fix lunch, Clavo to get ready for
his evenings work, and Tim decided to go in and tell his boss at the co-op
he was leaving. Clavo left at noon, going by the rectory to clean up and
dress, but packed some clothes to take with him. His cell phone number was
posted at each church he served, so he could easily be wherever he wished
and if needed he could respond. Normally he got to a church an hour early to
hear confessions. If children were in catechism, he taught an hour class as
well. There were no children to instruct in the Friday parish. None came for
confession. He spent the time he waited writing a homily to go with the
scriptures for the mass. He should have already written it, but sometimes he
had to compose one as he spoke from the pulpit and usually did well
regardless.

With the words "the mass is ended, go in peace" he exited and exchanged
greetings with his parishioners. The lady who cared for the church came
last. "The flowers were beautiful this week Delores. Please be sure to take
them to the nursing home tomorrow and let others share their beauty." She
agreed as she did each week and he said his goodbyes. It was an hour's drive
back to the ranch. At seven thirty he was sitting on the couch in the den
having a beer with the guys.

Tim noticed the suitcase in Clavo's hand first thing and asked, "You moving
in too bud?" No answer was necessary. Tim's afternoon at the co-op was
shorter. He didn't go until one so everyone would be back from lunch. He had
a private talk with his boss explaining the job offer and the salary. He was
happy for Tim, but his abilities would be missed. He said no notice was
needed and he could go to work at the new job immediately. There were papers
to fill out and his 401K would be sent to him in a few weeks. He gathered
his personal items and said his goodbyes. It had taken him only about an
hour. Before going back to the ranch, he went to town and deposited his
check. He stopped in the Wal-Mart and bought small gifts for everyone and a
big cake in the bakery. He bought Chinese take out for supper and was home
by four.

The boys had spent some time in town themselves. Bob gave Johnny his
paycheck and a check large enough to open bank accounts to each of the
others. All their pay would be given by automatic deposit and no more trips
to the bank would be necessary. He had already done it for Dan and set it up
for Tim to receive it the next week. Coming home they stopped at each of
their parents homes, collected their things, and returned to the ranch right
after Tim. All the parents were happy. Jobs were hard to come by in
Desolation.

Bob and Dan spent the afternoon in planning. Bob told him about the bees he
had ordered and what had to be done to prepare for their arrival. He had
decided to plant the entire five sections of the first purchase in
vineyards, wine grapes on a drip irrigation system and with mechanical
harvesting. The grapes would take three to five years to produce and drain
cash in the intervening time. All Bob's work making adobe bricks could be
put to a purpose building a winery.

Bob had a lot of plans now and knew he had the funds he needed to bring them
into fruition. He decided to begin using the feed lots that had gone unused
for so many years. More fields would be put into production. He would start
a beef herd on the thirty sections, gradually improving it, adding wells and
circular irrigation systems and improving the pasture and improving the idle
land on the original ranch as well. It would mirror what he already had on a
larger scale. They would need experienced help to get the work done. He saw
the best way of finding that new help in participating in cutting horse
competitions and rodeos. They were all going to learn to rope, they already
had the horses.

He told Dan about the wind farm idea. He had already gotten some response
from the lawyers and the survey would begin the next week. For seven years
Bob had sat dormant, developing ideas and never realizing the extent of his
wealth. Now it was time to make his ideas a reality.

Supper was finished for everyone else when Clavo got home. His share had
been saved for him. "Damn I love Chinese food," he said as he wolfed it
down. His parishes were all in the country away from town and he had rarely
looked around there much. He didn't know there was a Chinese restaurant. He
did five masses on Saturdays, so he had to make it an early night. The first
was at eight, a half hours drive away, plus the hour to hear confessions
beforehand. He would leave at six thirty. In all of the parishes there were
only twelve children receiving catechism and with the events of the last
week he had forgotten school was out for the summer and catechism wouldn't
resume until school did at the end of summer. He decided to announce a
change of mass times in Desolation to two morning masses, one at nine and
the second at eleven thirty, giving him time for confessions twice and some
socializing in the church hall, plus the evening free.

Tim handed out his little gifts. He didn't know anyone's head size but his
own and Dan's. Making a guess, he bought four his size, two a little larger
and two a little smaller. They were inexpensive straw cowboy hats for
summer. All were plain manila colored straw. By chance everyone had one that
fit. Bob made a note of the sizes. They played with them shaping them to
suit themselves and really liked the hats. Clavo bid them goodnight and
headed to Bob's room. Shaun and Brian talked Bob into letting them set up
the still boxed computer in the bedroom they shared and took off to get it
done with his approval.

"You know you guys can go where you like and don't have to stay here all the
time don't you" Bob said to Johnny and Gary, knowing Dan and Tim already
knew it. "We'd just be together out at the cabin if we weren't here. This
house is a lot nicer" Gary answered.

"There aren't too many people in Desolation I care for much except you guys
anyway. We'll get out more eventually but right now we're getting to know
each other better in a new way"" Johnny added.

"Can we get a pool table daddy Bob, please, please?" Tim said sarcastically
"Dan has one we can bring over here from his house."

"You figure out where to put it and it's fine with me" Bob replied. They
kind of took a visual measurement of the den. Like most of the rooms in
Bob's house, it was a large room sparsely furnished for its size. With a
little furniture rearrangement the room would still be spacious and
accommodate a pool table. They would take the day off from fishing and move
it in the morning. Bob decided to join Clavo and soon after Johnny and Gary
left for bed, he went back to his and Clavo's room, too.

After they were alone Dan suggested they both should sell their houses." We
have a great place to live we're happy with and the houses are a waste. I
think if we put a little in them, we might get a decent price." Going
further "Central air and some remodeling to give them a modern look might
help and with your 401K and what I've got we can afford it if it would pay
off."

"Let's talk to a real estate agent first and if they won't sell maybe we can
rent them out" Tim answered agreeing they wouldn't need them anymore.

When Bob climbed into bed Clavo stirred and planted a big kiss on him. "I
think I've gotten to know you well enough now Mr. Esterhazy" he said as he
moved lower in the bed. Bob was nearly going crazy when he exploded.

"Father Davis, I'm no expert but you do that extremely well, can I give it a
try?" Bob smiled at him and pulled him back up to the pillows and did his
best to repeat what Clavo had done, without any protest from Clavo.

"Cowboys or at least this cowboy must be fast learners. Do you have any
lotion or Vaseline?" Clavo questioned.

"No, but will teat crème work for what you have in mind, I keep some in the
bathroom" and Bob ran to get it. Bob entered Clavo slowly with a lot of
instruction from Clavo. Things speeded up and it got pretty noisy. Bob asked
Clavo to do him when they finished and Clavo complied. One more round with
Bob on top followed. When they were done, both wanted to sleep joined as
they were and certain they were meant to be together.

The next morning Bob woke Clavo with a cup of coffee and the shower already
running. After tenderly washing his body, exploring it all with his hands,
he dried him off with a warmed towel. He left to fix breakfast so Clavo
could finish getting ready to leave. There was still half an hour left
before he needed to leave when the meal was finished. Clavo, by habit,
usually ran late, rushing out the door at the last minute. Today he was more
relaxed and ready for his long day ahead. Dan and Tim got up as Clavo was
leaving.

This morning they were dressed and out the door after only coffee. They
disassembled and returned with the pool table by seven thirty. Seeing the
basket of eggs on the counter Dan said "We forgot."

"I asked the boys to do the chores this morning, I'm being lazy" Bob
returned. Dan asked Bob if he had any boxes. He said that after every
delivery, he opened them up and folded them flat, and stored them in the
machinery barn to burn later because they took up too much space in the
dumpster. He said he would be gone most of the day and would see them in the
evening.

With the pool table reassembled Dan laid the cue sticks and rack on top,
with the cheater bar and chalk block, and went back to Dan's house to get
another load. The next trip was everything from the kitchen and the items
that decorated the high shelf in his den. What remained in his closets and
his dresser fit in the truck, too. They reloaded all his tools in his old
truck along with everything of value in the garage and storage building. The
frozen food and canned goods went inside the cab in the back seat. His TV,
stereo, CDs, DVDs, and tapes filled the remaining space leaving just enough
room for the driver. Back they went to unload again, Tim driving Dan's old
truck. Getting it unloaded and put away took longer. There was no sign of
the boys. Off to Tim's with his old truck following and the same process was
repeated there. Tim had a lot less to move. Dan stopped by the Gas'n'Go on
the way back. He bought cigarettes for himself and snuff for Tim. He talked
with Miss Sally a while and told her about their new jobs with Bob and their
day spent moving. She recommended a real estate agent in town that handled
most listings in Desolation. Tim was finished unloading when he arrived and
they made fast work of unloading Dan's truck.

The real estate agent met them at Dan's an hour after he called. She
recommended only adding central heat and air because most loans required
them to go through. The exteriors looked fine. Interior painting was their
decision as it wouldn't affect the sale price, but might help them sell. She
appraised them both at about sixty thousand, much higher than either
expected, and said with no listings in Desolation for a long while, the
houses should sell fast. She would get bids and arrange for the central
units to be installed and it would be paid for when completed, unless the
houses sold first and would then be deducted from the sale price. Finally it
was time for a beer and some rest. Four more new used trucks were parked at
the house when they got back. Bob had been busy.

They found Bob down in the feed lots with eight hundred head of yearling
heifers, putting out round bales. There were twenty roping sized heifer
calves penned up near the horse barn, too, all the new stock Black Angus. He
drove in four more of the big bales and put the tractor away. "How about a
ride to the house guys, I'm tired" he said. Tim handed him a beer and the
drove to the house.

They melted into the couch in the den. "The red truck is yours, Tim. The
other three are a year older. I think we've bought all the crew cabs left in
town for now" Bob explained. "Have you seen the boys?" As he was saying
that, Clavo came in the door.

"I saw them this afternoon when they brought your veggies for the church.
The Ladies Auxiliary makes up the boxes and delivers them on Saturday
afternoon. I stop by between masses." It was late already, nearly eight now.
Sandwiches were their supper; they were all too tired to cook. When the boys
came in about nine they told their adventures of the day. Mostly it was
visiting family and friends. They insisted that everyone go to Clavo's
church the next day.

"He's a part of our life and we should go for him" Johnny said.

The trucks outside weren't mentioned, perhaps unnoticed in the dark. All
around, it was an early night. The day had been a long one.


*

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
*

Early Sunday morning as the sun rose, Bob was down in the tack room going
through the roping gear. He quickly found more than eight lassos that had
the feel of the right balance between stiff and limber needed to perform. A
working cowboy might carry three or four; it wasn't speed that mattered but
getting the calf roped. In competition only one rope was used. If it took a
second rope you would be out of the competition. One man was the header and
as the name says, he roped the calf around the head. The other partner in
team roping was the healer who aimed at roping the calf around one hind
foot. Single competitor calf roping just aimed for the head. When Bob
thought he had enough gear sorted out, he went back to the house for
breakfast. He did pick out more than one rope per man. They were learning.

It wasn't a rush for Clavo this morning. Masses were at eleven and five
thirty, but the next week would change that. Having one at nine thirty and
one at eleven would fill his morning. There were plenty of missals left over
from his other parishes. They were the guide to the service with the
scriptures and songs listed and printed each week for the next service. One
side was in English and the other side in Spanish, folded in quarters with
news, announcements, and other items on the opposite quarter. The Ladies
Auxiliary printed them. It was a mission parish as were the others joined by
the common bond with Father Davis. He was paid by the church in Rome. All
tithes collected were dispersed to pay utilities, an addition weekly to a
building fund which maintained or added to the existing structures, and the
balance, unless partly dedicated to a specific purpose, went to help the
poor. A lot of the money, in food, went into hungry bellies along with Bob's
veggies.

Clavo and Tim played pool until it was time for Clavo to leave. Tim was a
good player, but Clavo beat him almost every game. Clavo was better. When
the boys came in at nine from doing the chores their first question was
about the new trucks.

Bob said "Tim gets the red one and Gary gets the next pick. Shaun and Brian
can agree or toss a coin to decide who gets which one."

"Me and Shaun ain't got licenses yet, Bob" Brian questioned.

"You'll need them to drive here on the ranch to do your jobs. If you can
pass the written and driving tests, we can get you both legal at the same
time," Bob answered back. They were still fiddling with the trucks when
Clavo drove away. Tim checked out the red one. He decided to drive it to
church. Gary would do the same with his and drive the boys. They all went in
to clean up and dress for church. Seven spiffy looking cowboys gathered in
the den a half hour later. They wore nice new jeans and dress shirts with
ties. Clavo had told them to dress nice, but not to over do it because it
would embarrass those less fortunate.

The preacher at the Baptist church stood at the entry greeting people as
they filed in. His was a much smaller group than usual. Glancing down the
street toward the Catholic Church, he noticed a lot of familiar cars. He was
mad. He got angrier with each car he recognized stopping before arriving at
his church. His planned sermon was forgotten and hell fire and brimstone
would take its place. Less than a third, about fifty people, of his
congregation showed up. Where he had needed to use more compassion, he had
responded with hate and it came back to bite him in the ass.

Most of Gary, Shaun, and Donnie's families came to the Catholic service.
There had always been an anti-catholic sentiment, but they overcame it this
Sunday. Counting the guys from the ranch, over a hundred new faces were in
the pews. The normal congregation was dwarfed; it usually varied between
fifty and sixty people. Clavo greeted them all as they approached the doors,
saying, "Thank you for coming." He knew this was his one shot and might
never have the chance to move them with his words again.

As Tim passed he whispered into Clavo's ear "Nice dress Clavo," and chuckled
as he made his way to a seat. The bells had been ringing and it changed to
organ music for the processional. The altar boys carried first the cross,
then the bible, and lastly an incense burner or censor, swinging and wafting
the smoke as they preceded Clavo to the altar, kneeling briefly and placing
each object in its proper place. Clavo knelt, rose and lifted the bible from
the alter holding it as high as he could reach, saying "This is the word of
the Lord. Praise be to God," with the congregation repeating the response
along with him, "It is right to give him thanks and praise." The newcomers
quickly noticed that everything being said was written in the missal and
began to follow along.

After each part Clavo repeated the same thing in Spanish. When they sang the
hymns, Clavo was joined by three boys in playing guitar, backed up by the
organ. Bibles were in the racks on the back of the pews along with hymnals.
When a bible reading was read, one column of each page was in English and
beside it the same words in Spanish on the other column. His homily was on
the love of family and friends, which fit with the scriptures for the mass.
The exchange of handshakes and saying, "Peace be with you," to those around
you had a strong effect on all the newcomers. At the conclusion he invited
everyone to the church hall for coffee and refreshments. Clavo had won the
hearts of the largest family in Desolation. He won the hearts of the guys
from the ranch as well, but had already won their friendship. The
announcement was made of the change in mass times beginning the next week.

Clavo shed his vestments and joined everyone in the church hall. It was a
mingling of acquainted people and a lot of information about the church was
exchanged. Clavo had to greet and speak with almost everyone and stayed busy
walking through the room. Gary's grandmother shook his hand and without a
'can we' or 'we would like to' announced to him that the entire family was
joining his church. She was sort of the matriarch of the family and what she
dictated was done, or there was hell to pay. Clavo said they would begin
catechism classes at eight the next Sunday. "Like Sunday School," she said
with a chuckle and said that would be fine. She invited him to Sunday dinner
but he declined politely saying "I still have a busy day ahead of me.
Perhaps after the schedule is changed next week I'll have time to take you
up on your offer, and thank you." He had been asked six times already and
answered the same way each time.

Back at the ranch, he shed his collar and suit in favor of shorts and a
t-shirt. Bob had steaks cooking on the grill already. "That was a real nice
service, Clavo. I went with Maria a lot as a kid, but the old priest was
nothing like you. I think you better put on boots and jeans instead of
shorts though, we've got business to attend to after lunch," Bob added
enthusiastically. Reluctantly Clavo went and changed, but under protest.

The roping practice or lessons really, began right after lunch. They started
out just trying to rope a fence post. Bob demonstrated how the cutting
horses worked, doing their jobs. You used your knees to direct them and how
you sat them told them what direction or speed to move. Each took their turn
at calves running from the chute. The horses would actually get close enough
to drop the loop around their neck. They did practice some longer tosses,
too. The horse would stop right after the rope was thrown or when it went
taught. As it slacked up he would start to back up until it was taught
again. Clavo never let on he had roped as a teenager, they thought he was a
natural until his first attempt as a heeler was successful and brought the
calf right down. Three more successful throws later, Bob told him to go rest
up for his mass later, that he didn't need a lot of practice. He sat in the
whirlpool, took a short nap, and was back from church before the guys came
in.


*

CHAPTER FORTY
*

The next week was a busy one; everyone was split apart doing different
tasks. The roadside fence with a cattle guard and main gate was put in for
the thirty sections. Concrete pads for the hives were poured with caging to
keep varmints out and shade covers to cool the hives. The temperatures were
reaching one hundred some days. Hives and beekeeping equipment was
delivered, but no live bees as yet. The heifers were moved out to vacant
pastures leaving the manicured pastureland in shorter supply, but there was
still enough space to rotate the grazing. The natural pastures would
substitute until more fences and improved pasture could be put in. Wells for
the thirty sections were started by a contractor. The survey crew began
their work assessing the ranch for use as a wind power farm, with
instructions that the windmills couldn't obstruct irrigation or necessary
work space. Tim worked laying out a grid road network across the thirty
sections using a GPS system that came with his truck, and then bulldozing
the roads. Dan started deep root plowing on the five sections. Bob fell in
wherever help was needed.

They tried to get an hour of roping practice every day, but weren't always
successful. Days of hard work, coming in tired, and getting to bed early set
in as routine. Clavo had more church work he did like visiting the elderly,
but was still relatively free every day. He took over the care of the garden
since more went to the church than what was used at the ranch. He ordered
plants and seed for a fall garden to be planted in the next few weeks and
began preparing an expanded garden to receive them. Clavo had the horses
saddled and the calves penned so no time would be wasted that could be used
for practice. On Tuesday, after they were all saddled, the guys weren't up
to it and he had to unsaddle them by himself. After that, he called Bob
every day before he started. The weekend came as a welcome relief for all
but Clavo.

Bob decided they were going to kill themselves at the pace they were going
that week. It looked like time demands were only going to increase for the
next few months. He made calls, put up notices in English and Spanish at
Sally's and the co-op, and even put ads in the programs at area rodeos.
Pretty soon some inquiries began to come in.

Eight men came by for interviews over the weekend. Dan and Bob had a set of
questions they asked to find out their abilities and more than anything
else, to see if they could work with gay men peacefully. Two were Mexican
who said they wouldn't work separately and even though their mannerisms were
just those of a regular Mexican man, it was fairly obvious to Dan that they
were lovers.

Brian was with the horses each time Bob took applicants on a tour of the
ranch. His horse was a mare, the rest were geldings. When the last man left,
Brian said "Blondie holds her ears and tail different around some of those
men. Around some of them she holds herself the same as she does around us
and around others her ears go forward, her tail goes way high, and she gets
a pissed off look, if horses can look pissed off." He asked Brian to tell
him which men she held herself the same as with them, around, and he wrote
the names down. The two Mexicans made the list. He had specified over the
phone that he was only looking for single men.

Bob called the trainer to ask some questions about the horse, she was one of
the two new ones. The man answered the phone and recognizing Bob the first
thing he said was "You calling about that mare, Bob? I thought you might be
bringing her back. My trainer who worked with her is a gay man. She never
would let anyone else touch her. If they tried to ride her, she'd buck them
off. I never worked with her myself, but hoped she'd just taken a disliking
to my other men and would be fine with you. She's a damn good cutting
horse."

Bob told him more "She's fine with a kid who's working for the summer, but I
thought something was strange. I've been interviewing new men to put to work
and she seems normal around some of them and pissed off around others."

"Well, what you've got there is a horse with gaydar, Bob. She might get used
to someone after a while, but she seems to sense a gay man and that's the
kind of man she likes. My trainer is my best man with the horses. I'd be up
shit creek without him. If you want a different horse, bring her back and
we'll pick one out" he answered.

Bob said she was great with the boy and he'd be keeping her. He'd probably
want a few more horses soon and would get in touch when he needed them. They
wouldn't need to ask any more questions except about experience from now on,
Blondie would tell them the rest. He called the Mexicans and the three men
Blondie liked and hired them to move into the bunkhouse the next day. He did
a quick order for bedding over the internet that would come overnight in
time for their arrival.

Sunday after church they were all practicing their roping skills again. The
delivery arrived about one. Clavo had gotten home by then and was with them.
A van pulled up at the horse barn and a young guy with really long hair got
out. He walked over, so Bob got off his horse to see what he wanted. He went
on to say he was looking for a job and after seeing the sign at the Gas'n'Go
he got directions and drove out. He'd been raised on a ranch a little
further east and was familiar with all the work. He'd recently finished
culinary school and had wanted to be a chef, but as it turned out McDonalds
paid almost as much as he could make. They did the Blondie test and he
passed. With all the mouths to feed, someone who would cook was badly needed
and with his experience farming and ranching, he could pitch in when he was
needed. His car was packed and he was on his way back from California when
he stopped. He didn't go to the bunkhouse; he got one of the bedrooms. Bob
excused himself from roping practice and gave him the grand tour starting
with fields and pastures, then barns and bunkhouse, and ending at the house.

His name was Scotty. He'd worked for six months in Los Angeles after
graduation and couldn't make it on his pay. He was twenty two. He tried to
find a job in Las Vegas, but found the pay just as low starting out, so he
decided to come back home. Bob showed him his room, and then set him up at
the computer to order the next weeks delivery. He told him to order for
thirteen men including beer, wine, and booze, for any menu he cared to fix.
When that was finished, Bob showed him everything they had on hand. He gave
him a check for his hiring bonus and told him to open a bank account in town
the next day and his pay would be deposited each week. He got a quarter less
than Dan and Tim, but more than Johnny or Gary. He was more than happy. They
played pool and had a few beers to get acquainted and Bob left him to go
back to practicing.

The new hires showed up over an hour period and were directed to the
Bunkhouse. All the bedding was still in boxes. They'd have to pick rooms,
make their own beds, and get their possessions put away. Beer was already in
the Cook house if they wanted any. They didn't get signing bonuses because
they were untested and without references that could be checked. Everything
they might need would be provided, except tobacco, but they could get that
if it was deducted from their pay. Bob asked them all to room in the same
bunkhouse but with only two TV's, they could watch either if there was any
disagreement. He left them alone saying supper would be brought down later.

"Damn something smells good," Brian said as they came in the door.

"I didn't pay thirty thousand bucks to go to school and make burgers for
McDonalds," Scotty replied. Dan said he needed to take five plates to the
bunkhouse. He loaded them, coffee, some snacks, and bathroom supplies and
hurried to deliver them so he could get back and eat.

With everyone served and seated Scotty said, "This is beef *bourganione*,
French country stew and I hope you like it, but I'm a country boy myself and
I'll fix whatever you like if you let me know." They ate it like it was
their favorite dish and Scotty got worried he hadn't cooked enough.

Tim was the first to get up and rinse out his plate saying, "You're a
winner, Scotty, welcome to the ranch."

"Yeah, he's cute and Blondie likes him, too," Brian felt compelled to say.

"Who's Blondie?" Scottie asked.

"She's Brian's horse and she only likes gay men," Bob answered.

"Is that going to be a problem?" Scotty asked again.

"Not at all, you're in like company, but keep that under your hat," Bob said
ending the discussion. It was Sunday night and still fairly early, so the
alcohol flowed. Scotty was a good bartender, too. He got a warning that
breakfast was a naked meal, house rules. The evening went by as just a group
of friends who were together enjoying each others company.