Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2012 21:04:53 -0400
From: Andrew Todd <atodd867@gmail.com>
Subject: Riding Lesson Chap. I

This story is an act of fiction involving a (eventually) sexual
relationship between teen-aged boys. If that bothers or offends you, please
move on. This isn't going to be a hot & steamy stroke story, but hopefully
a more realistic `romantic' story.

This is my first attempt at writing this type of story. Comments and
constructive criticism are appreciated. Contact me at atodd867@gmail.com


RIDING LESSONS

By

Andrew Todd


Chapter I.


The sharp rap on the door, followed by an urgent "Zak, are you up!?" made
Zak bolt upright in bed.

"'M up, Mom, I'm up." He mumbled.

"We have to leave in a half hour; you need to be downstairs in 15 minutes
if you want to have breakfast before I drop you off at work."

"OK, I'll be right down."

He heard her walk away from the door and head back downstairs. He lay back
down on his bed, pulled his pillow over his face and screamed as loudly as
he could.  Being awoken at 6:30 on a Saturday morning was not his idea of a
great start to a weekend. When his Mom had suggested he get a summer job,
he had at first been excited. He would be turning 16 in August and his Mom
had promised him he would inherit her old Toyota, but he would have to be
able to pay for the insurance and gas.

He had gone right to the library and Mrs. Clinton the librarian was
thrilled to offer him a job as an assistant librarian, he would mainly work
in the kid's section helping younger kids with their summer reading and
helping out in general in the library. He thought he was set for a nice
easy, air-conditioned summer. But, his Mother had other plans. She had
secured him a job at a local ranch. She insisted that he be outdoors during
the summer, and that he be more active. His only physical activity during
the school year was swimming at the YMCA two or three days a week. He was a
great swimmer, but he was not interested in joining the team. Her
insistence that he take this job had resulted in Zak basically giving his
Mom the silent treatment for the past week.

And what was worse, in order to get him `ready' for his new job, he had to
spend every Saturday and Sunday there for the last month of the school
year. After school ended he would work there five or six days a week. He
wasn't exactly sure what would be expected of him. He figured he'd be
shoveling shit most of the summer. He figured if he screwed up enough this
weekend, maybe they would fire him and he could get his library job back.

Looking at the clock he realized time was getting away from him. He jumped
out of bed and ran to his bathroom. He turned on the shower and, after
dropping his briefs on the floor jumped in. He quickly showered and then
stepped out and started to towel himself off. He caught of glimpse of
himself in the mirror. His blond hair was started to get shaggy, but he had
decided to let it grow out this summer. He didn't think he was the worst
looking person in the world. He considered himself plain, but had heard
some girls at school whispering about him; apparently they thought more of
his looks than he did. He had a slight swimmer's build lean and taut. He
was slender and short for his age, barely measuring 5' 4". He was hoping
for a growth spurt this summer, but since his Mom topped out at 5' 3" and
his Dad had been only about 5" 7' (at least according to his Mom), he
figured that ship had pretty much sailed.

He did not remember his Dad, who had died in a car accident when he was
only a toddler. His blond hair and blue eyes he got from his Mom, according
to her, he got his love of books and imagination from his Dad. He would
often look at the pictures of his Dad and wonder what the last 13 years
would have been like if it hadn't been just him and his Mom.

After his Dad passed, his Mom had taken the BA in Accounting that she
earned just prior to marrying his Dad and parlayed it into a Vice
Presidency at a local bank. She was a bit of a workaholic, but had been
able to provide a nice home for Zak and her job offered them financial
security and stability.

He stepped out of the bathroom and went to his dresser. He had no idea what
he should wear, since he had little to no idea what his job would
entail. He didn't want to wear anything that might be irrevocably ruined
since he had the feeling there would be a lot of muck and dirt in his
future. He figured he would go with some ratty old jeans and an old
t-shirt. He also decided to wear his old sneakers since he wasn't about to
run around a ranch in his new Chuck's. It was only about 60 degrees out so
he grabbed his old black hoodie and ran downstairs.

His Mom was leaning against the counter drinking what was probably her
third or fourth cup of coffee.

"Well, it's about time. I was about to go knock down your door."

"I'm ready." He looked out the kitchen window, "Mom, it's barely even light
out. Are you sure I'm supposed to be there this early."

"Yes, Jim said Mr. Jones was expecting you there at 7:30 this morning and
that he would expect you to be there until 6 tonight and 4 tomorrow. He's
not keeping you as long on Sundays right now because of school." Jim was a
co-worker of his Mom's, Mr. Jones, the owner of the ranch, was a friend of
his and when Jim heard he was looking for summer help he told Zak's Mom and
the rest was settled before Zak knew what hit him.

"Did Jim know exactly what I would be doing?"

"Well, it's a horse ranch so I would imagine there will be a shovel in your
future."

He shot his Mom a dirty look as she grinned at him. "Ha, Ha" He rolled his
eyes, "What makes you think this is the job for me? I've never even been to
a ranch and the last time I was near a horse was the pony ride at the fair
when I was five."

"Zak, Jim told Mr. Jones all about you, the work you do with younger kids
at the library and the Y and about how good you are with computers, he also
told him that you needed to get outdoors more."

"Mom..."

"Let me finish. I know you had your heart set on the library job, but you
know as well as I do that this job will pay you a lot more than working at
the town library. You'll be able to earn more, you'll be out in the fresh
air, and maybe you'll make some new friends."

`Ah-ha', he thought `The other shoe has dropped.' His Mom was always
dancing around the fact that he was essentially a loner. He had a few
friends at school, but there were just that school friends. He spent most
of his time alone or at the library or the Y where he mainly worked with
kids that were younger than him. He was often uncomfortable and tongue-tied
around people his own age. Most people at school saw him as a small, smart,
shy nerd and he didn't disagree with their opinion of him.

He had known he was `different' since he was much younger, it wasn't until
puberty hit that he was able to put his finger on what made him different
than the other boys at school. While they were chasing the girls, all Zak
could think about was chasing them. He had never seen what his male
classmates saw in their female counterparts. But just being in the boys'
locker room made his heart race. He knew that if anyone of his classmates
knew his secret his life would be unlivable. They might spend a lot of time
in the media telling you `It Gets Better', but you had to survive `It'
first.

From the moment the realization of his sexuality hit him, he had found
himself more comfortable with younger kids. They were honest; he had fun
teaching little kids to swim & read and helping them with schoolwork. When
he was working with the little kids, he didn't have to worry about being
turned on or aroused. He could relax, and in those moments he could be
himself, not the guarded automaton he was in school.

His Mom's voice woke him from his daydream. "Well, we need to get going."

"OK, I'm ready." He grabbed a banana off the counter and ran to the fridge
to grab a bottle of juice.

They didn't talk much on the way to ranch. Zak's Mom knew he was nervous
about this job and she felt a little guilty about forcing him to take it,
but she was concerned about him. He spent too much time indoors and with
kids much younger than he was. She knew he had a brilliant future as a
teacher or in some other career working with kids, but she felt he needed
to get outside and make some friends his own age. She didn't know if the
friends part would be accomplished with this job, but she was glad he
wouldn't be spending the summer all cooped up inside. Making the deal to
give him her old car was worth it to make him accept this job.

The ranch was about 15 miles outside of town. Zak was again daydreaming as
they drove. He was nervous, but he knew his Mom was right about the money
thing. His library job would have been one step above a volunteer
role. They might have been able to pay him a few dollars a day and some of
the parents would pay him to tutor, but the ranch job was paying him $10 an
hour, the kids working at the local fast food joints weren't going to make
that much. He'd promised his Mom that he would try his best and he would,
knowing that if he screwed up he could still get the library job
back. Mrs. Clinton had made it clear that she was creating the job for him
and she would not be filling just for the sake of filling it.

He looked up to see that his Mom was turning down a dirt road. Ahead of
them was a large locked gate. Over the gate was a sign reading `Triple J
Ranch'. The car came to a stop.

"OK, Sweetie, I'm going to drop you here, so I can get to work. Mr. Jones
said to just go through the gate and go straight up the road and he would
meet you at the barn. Do you have your phone, so you can call if you need
anything?"

"I've got it, but I should be OK."

She leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek "I know you
will. Just do your best and try to have fun, maybe you'll end up liking
it."

He looked at her as if she had just taken complete leave of her
senses. "I'll try, Mom."

"I'll be back to pick you up at 6."

He started to get out of the car.

"I love you, Zak."

"Love you, too, Mom."

He watched as his Mom turned the car around and went back down the dirt
road.

He walked over and unlatched the fence. He walked through the gate and
locked it behind him. He might not know anything about a ranch, but he
didn't want to get blamed for any animals getting out of the gate.

He looked up and saw nothing but woods and a long dirt road. He started
walking down the road. He walked for about 10 minutes when he finally saw a
large building he assumed was the barn. He walked towards the
building. When he was about 500 feet from the entrance of the building, he
saw a huge dog come running out of the building and straight towards
him. The dog was barking loudly and coming right at him. Zak stopped in his
tracks thinking that he was going to be this dog's breakfast before he even
started his job.

The dog came at him full speed and jumped up on him hitting him square in
the chest with its front paws. The dog caught him off guard and Zak fell
backwards and landed on his butt. He closed his eyes and waited for the
jaws of this beast to go for his throat. When nothing happened he slowly
opened one eye, the dog was standing over him and Zak could swear it was
grinning at him. It took a step forward and licked him straight up his face
from chin to forehead. Zak couldn't help himself, he sat there are started
laughing while the dog continued to bathe his face.

"Ember!!" He looked up and saw a man marching out of the barn towards
them. "Get off that poor boy!!"

The man stopped in front of them and the dog stopped licking Zak's face and
walked over to the man. He reached down to offer Zak a hand up. "You must
be Zachary."

Zak jumped to his feet and brushed himself off. `Yes, sir, Zachary Myers,
but most people just call me Zak."

"Nice to meet you, Zak, I'm Martin Jones and you've met Ember. Sorry about
her greeting you that way. She's too damn friendly to be much of a
watchdog. She's more likely to lick a trespasser to death."

"Oh, that's OK. She just startled me; I haven't been around animals too
much. What kind of dog is she?"

"She's a Golden Retriever. Their known for being a big friendly ball of
fluff and this one is that in spades. As much as I wish she was a little
more of a protector, given the number of people we have come and go at the
ranch, I guess I'm lucky she's as friendly as she is."

Sensing she was no longer in trouble, Ember walked over to Zak and moved
her head under his hand. Zak smiled down at the dog and scratched her head.

"Well, I see she's made another friend." Mr. Jones laughed. "Why don't you
come with me into the barn so we can talk some?"  Zak slowly followed
Mr. Jones into the barn. Ember stayed right with him, given his small
stature he was able to keep petting her while they walked.

Mr. Jones led him into a small office area. He sat in a chair behind the
desk and motioned for Zak to have a seat across from him. Zak sat down and
Ember sat at attention right next to him.

"Son, are you sure you don't have a dog at home?"

"No, Sir, I asked my Mom for one when I was little, but she thought it
would be too much for me at the time and I never thought about it since,
why?"

"Well, she's usually friendly and rambunctious, but I've never seen her
take to someone as quickly as she's taken to you. The only other person she
follows around like that is one of my other hands, but that guy has a way
with animals that I've never seen in another person. Maybe we'll find out
you have that same gift."

Before Zak could stop himself, he laughed out loud. Mr. Jones looked at him
curiously.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, I don't mean to be rude, but I have never been
around animals at all. My Mom sprang this job on me as a surprise. I
promised her that I would do my best and give it a try, but I've never been
an outdoor person or an animal person. I like animals, but I've never had
any experience with them."

"Zak, I appreciate your candor. I'll be just as honest with you. When my
friend Jim asked me about taking you on, I was a little apprehensive, but
he spoke of you glowingly. He told me you were a smart, courteous young man
who spent a great deal of his time teaching and helping others. That's what
I'm looking for this summer. Yes, there will be lots of hard work and
manual labor, but we have a lot of fun here as well. We're not a huge
operation. It's basically me and two hands and now you. We have about 20
horses give or take, most are owned by me, but we do have a few
boarders. We give lessons and offer trail rides. I know horses can be
intimidating for some people, and you might feel a little nervous around
them at first, especially given your smaller stature, but my first advice
for you is to remember to let them know who is boss. I've seen a 17 hand
horse follow a small child around the ring, cuz the kid let that horse know
he was in charge."

"You have a horse with 17 hands?"

Mr. Jones let out a loud belly laugh. "Sorry, you're going to have a lot of
horse lingo thrown at you over the next couple days. Hands are the way you
measure a horse. One hand is roughly 4 inches and you measure them to the
top of their withers, that's their shoulder."

"So that's a big horse?"

"Yes, very big. Most of ours are between 14 ½ and 16 hands. And most of
them are extremely gentle and friendly. They have to be, if I can't trust
them with inexperienced riders, I'd lose my business."

"So, what exactly will I be doing?"

"Well, for the next few weekends, I'm going to turn you over to one of my
hands, Dusty. He'll go over what we expect from you and walk you through
everything. The only thing I ask is that you listen carefully to everything
he tells you and if anything doesn't make sense or you're not quite sure,
always ask."

"Yes, Sir, I will." Zak replied, thinking to himself "Oh, great I'm gonna
spend the weekend with some old cowboy with a cliché for a name."

As he rose from his chair, Mr. Jones said "Dusty should be here any minute
and then I'll turn you over to him. I think you'll like it here, Zak."

He offered his hand to Zak and Zak shook it.

"Thank you, Mr. Jones, I'll try my best."

"I believe you will, Son. Now, I need to check on some things in the other
barn. Why don't you wait here, like I said, Dusty should be here any
minute. I'm sure your new girlfriend will be more than happy to keep you
company."

Zak laughed as Mr. Jones left the office. He leaned over in his chair and
rubbed the big dog's ears and petted her sides. He had been honest with
Mr. Jones, after the one time he asked his Mom for a dog, he had never
thought about it again. His Mom had given him a lot to try to make up for
his Dad not being there, but she never tried to spoil him. Even at five, he
had known she was right, neither of them was in a place to take care of a
dog and since he did not have many friends, he had no experience with
animals at their houses either. Looking down at Ember, he suddenly thought
that maybe if things went well he might ask his Mom if he could get a dog
now. She knew he was responsible and she always wanted him outside and a
dog would get him out for walks. That was something to think about.

He sat in the office for about 10 minutes just petting and talking to the
dog; he was starting to feel more relaxed and thinking that maybe this
wouldn't be the train wreck he was anticipating.

He heard someone come into the barn and assumed it was Mr. Jones. Ember's
ears pricked up and she took off like a shot out of the office.

"Hey, Emmy, how are you?" He heard a voice. It wasn't Mr. Jones.

As he was getting out of his chair to investigate Ember came charging back
into the office followed by the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. He was
about 16, deeply tanned with black eyes and long black hair pulled back in
a ponytail. He was wearing faded jeans, scuffed up leather boots, a wife
beater and a denim jacket. He had to be almost 6 feet tall and was slim and
muscular.

Zak just stared as the other boy offered his hand.

"Hey, you must be Zak" he said with a radiant smile. "I'm Dusty."

Zak stood up and took the offered hand and shook it.

"Oh, Man" he thought "It's going to be a long summer."


***Well, hope you like the start of things. Like I said, if you are looking
for a quick stroke story, this is not going to be it. If you like the
story, let me know, if you don't let me know, but let me know why.***