Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 18:05:44 EDT
From: Tulsadriller7@aol.com
Subject: Tales from the Ranch, Chapter 40/?

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

TALES FROM THE RANCH
Copyrightc 2003 by Tulsa Driller 7.  All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests.  You will
see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is
also the story of young men who love other men and their coming
of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding.  It is a
story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues
but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's
world.

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

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

Tales from the Ranch
Chapter 40:  That's Entertainment?
     Dale took Joey to the ranch with him, agreeing to meet
everyone else at 11:30 for lunch at the Cattlemen's Hotel.  He
and Craig thought this would be a nice place to entertain Craig's
parents since the dining room was more casual at noon, but
requiring men to wear coats in the evening.
     Craig drove the borrowed pickup back to the Bar-W and Frank
followed in his car so he would have a ride back to the condo.
     Jason and Kevin were almost out to the road, but Dale knew
the bus was just leaving town as he and Joey started out to the
ranch.  They saw it waiting for a stoplight to change.
     Dale parked so they could get out and visit with the two
Williamson boys.  After they greeted each other, Kevin said,
"I've really missed not seeing you of a morning when we're going
to the bus.  Dad said you had to go to Houston again."
     "Yeah, that's right.  We're going to make Joey a citizen of
Williamsport now.  He's decided that he wants to stay," Dale
said, giving Joey a jab in the side.
     "That's cool," said Jason.  "We know you'll like it here and
maybe we can all get together and talk about Boy Scouts or
something."
     "Hey fellows, Joey has a really great model of the
Battleship Missouri.  I've never seen a model that big."
     Joey proudly said, "It took me a year to paint it and put it
together.  My Dad, Joe, had to special order it from somewhere,
but it's neat.  You'll like it."
     "I can hardly wait," Jason said.  Maybe we can see it real
soon."
     Joey agreed.
     They heard the bus approaching, but since Jason and Kevin
were already out at the road they didn't have to hurry on to the
stop.  They told each other goodbye.  As Dale and Joey were
getting back in their Blazer to drive to the office/barn, Craig
and Frank left in Frank's car, the one he was buying.  They waved
at each other, but didn't stop to talk.  As they got out of their
vehicle, Dale retrieved the milk container and egg carton from
the back seat.  He told Joey to remind him they needed to take
more of each home with them that evening.
     Dale decided to walk down to the construction site.  There
were two pickups there, but no sign of Ray.  Dale and Joey were
really impressed as all of the wood trim was complete, including
inside doors, and the underlay for the floor tile had been put
down.  In addition, the plumbing fixtures were in place, except
for the kitchen sink.  The kitchen cabinets had been installed,
along with the countertop.  Boxes containing the dishwasher and
microwave were sitting in the room.
     "Wow, they've really been busy since we looked at this place
on Tuesday night," Joey said.
     "They sure have, I think they may be through in another
week, and I need find out about blinds and curtains for the
windows, too," Dale said.
     They went downstairs to the basement.  The washer and dryer
had been unpacked, along with the furnace and air conditioning
units, but they weren't in place yet.
     Dale realized that he needed to talk to Marty to see who was
going to be responsible for purchasing beds, furniture, blinds,
curtains and the other things needed to make the house ready for
occupancy once the builders were through.
     They went to the second floor.  Again, it wasn't going to
take much to complete that area.
     As they were walking back to the office, John, Michael and
Pat arrived in John's car.  They greeted Dale and Joey, then went
to the cooler area to get the ice chest packed and fix thermos
bottles of ice water.
     "Good to see you back.  Did everything go okay in Houston?"
Michael asked.
     "Yes, we got everything accomplished and brought the things
Joey wanted to keep, so we're all set for him to start to school
here next Monday," Dale told them.
     "Were you looking at the house?" John asked Dale.
     "Yes," Dale said.  "How much notice do you have to give that
you are moving out of the Starlight?"
     "I don't know," John told him.  "We pay monthly so we can
get a 10% discount on the rent."
     "So, you are paid to the first of November?" questioned
Dale.
     "Yeah, I am.  I guess that Michael and Pat are, too.  Do you
want me to ask them?"
     "Sure.  I'll talk to Ray today and see if he can give me a
completion date.  Even when he's through, it will still take
another week to make the place ready for you to occupy.  There
are blinds, curtains and furniture to buy and put in place.  Let
me see what I can find out and we'll talk about it at quitting
time.  I would guess that we are talking about three weeks for a
probable move-in date for you fellows," Dale said.
     Michael and Pat came in from the other room.
     "When do you guys pay your rent?" asked John.
     "The first of each month," they answered, almost together.
     "Do you know how much notice we have to give that we are
moving out?" John asked them.
     "I don't know, we never heard Al mention it," Pat said.
     Michael agreed.
     "I'll try to get a completion date today, but I think that
house may be ready for you fellows to move about the middle of
November.  Why don't you check with Al and see what he requires?
It's only fair to let him know in case he has someone who wants a
room - but don't give notice until we come up with a date for
you," he told them.
     "Okay!" John said.  The others echoed and all slapped hands
together.
     "Now, how much did you fellows get accomplished Wednesday
and yesterday?" Dale asked.
     "We've completed all the plowing and disking and should be
through drilling wheat today, probably by the middle of the
afternoon," John told him.
     "Great.  Bring the equipment back to the ranch and clean it
up when you are through.  Call me on my cell phone and I'll have
someone help me bring the pickup back here," Dale told him.
     He had them fill in their timesheets, reminding them that
today was payday for them.  He realized that he also got paid
today.  He and Craig really needed to sit down and talk about
finances and what they were going to do about a different place
to live.
     "Let me call Marty and see if he has a little time to talk
to me, then I need to spend some time looking at the stuff on my
desk.  If I can get the information I need from Marty, we'll
either leave early to go to town for lunch or take care of our
banking business after we eat."
     "That's fine.  I brought a book to read," Joey told Dale.
     Dale pressed the numbers for the house.  Mrs. Wood answered
the telephone and Dale was glad because he needed to tell her
that he would not be eating lunch there today.  He asked to speak
to Marty and she transferred the call.
     "Hi Dale, I hope the Houston trip went well," Marty said.
     "Oh, yes, fine.  We got set up with a realtor and people to
hold an estate sale, so we hope we've left everything in good
hands.  The people came well recommended, so I have confidence we
chose the right people."
     "That's great.  What can I do for you?" Marty asked.
     "There are several things I want to ask you about.  The
first is the completion of the new housing for the field crew.
After Ray is finished, the house needs to be furnished with beds,
chairs, tables, blinds or curtains and other things that are
needed," Dale said.
     "Yeah, guess you're going to be busy," Marty told him.
     There was a long silence.
     Marty laughed.  "Dale, don't worry about it.  Chris and my
mother are going to take care of it."
     You could hear the relief in Dale's voice.  "Thanks, Marty,
you really had me worried there."
     "Chris is looking forward to it, so don't worry about it,"
Marty said.  "I figure you have enough to keep you busy without
worrying about that.  By the way, are all three of your men going
to sign on as permanent help?"
     "Yes, we've discussed it and they are interested, so I guess
we need to offer them a contract?" Dale asked.
     "Sure do, although it really isn't binding since they are
hourly paid, but it probably will give them a sense of security,"
Marty said.
     "I just want a clause in there about the house being kept
clean and neat."
     "That shouldn't be a problem.  I'll have Gus Douglas make
sure it's part of their employment contract," Marty said.
     "Ok," Dale answered.  "The other thing is that I need some
financial counsel and thought maybe you could direct me to the
right person at your bank."
     "Sure, what do you need?"
     "We closed out Joe's checking and savings account yesterday.
That amounted to almost $17,000, and then there were several CD's
made out with Joey being the co-owner.  This is money outside his
trust fund and it totals about $80,000.  I guess I need some
guidance about investing it, or putting it somewhere to earn some
money for him."
     "Yeah, I'd say you do.  Let me call one of the Vice-
President's in that area.  When do you want to talk to him?"
Marty asked.
     "Whatever works in his schedule.  We will also have money
from the sale of Joe's house and belongings, later.  The proceeds
of that should be around $250,000," Dale said.
     "That's quite a bit of money so it should be easy to get
someone in the Trust Department to help you with this.  I'll make
a phone call or two and get back with you.
     "Thanks, Marty.  And. thanks for allowing me the time off
from the ranch."
     "Dale, don't worry about it.  The place didn't shut down
because you were gone and it certainly doesn't shut down when I'm
gone.  We're all here to help each other."
     "I appreciate it, Marty.  I really do," Dale said.
     They broke the connection and Dale continued on with the
pile of paperwork on his desk.  I was amazing how quickly it
seemed to grow and get out of control.
     * * * * *
     The next phone call Dale had to make was to Morris
Johnsmore's office as there was no indication of Mort having
faxed the timesheets to his office.
     Amanda answered the phone.  "Hi Amanda, this is Dale from
the Bar-W.  I was out of town yesterday and need to know if Mort
faxed the timesheets to your office last evening."
     "No, I was the last to leave last night and the first in the
office this morning so if you will send them now, I'll give them
to Bret so he can include them in the payroll for everyone else
at the ranch today."
     "Okay, thanks.  I'm sending them now."
     "Thanks, Dale," she said.
     They each hung up and Dale faxed the three timesheets to the
office.
     * * * * *
     Almost immediately, the telephone rang.
     "Dale Richards," he answered.
     "Dale, it's Marty.  I made an appointment with you to see
Leland Stanton at 10:30 this morning.  His office is on the 5th
floor of the Bank of Commerce."
     "Great, I really appreciate this because I didn't know where
to go," Dale said.
     "We just hired him during the summer.  He worked for Smith-
Barney in San Antonio.  They insisted on moving him to Houston
but he didn't want to live there.  We gained a really
knowledgeable person for our bank.  Their loss, our gain."
     "I'm grateful for this, Marty.  Thanks a lot."
     "Anytime.  I may see you a little later today."
     "Ok, goodbye," Dale said.
     "Bye," Marty replied as he hung up the phone.
     * * * * *
     "Marty made an appointment for us to see one of the
investment people at the bank this morning at 10:30.  We need to
stop at the condo and pick up the cashier's checks from closing
the bank accounts and your CD's on the way," Dale told Joey.
     "Great," was Joey's reply.  He was reading a book he'd found
at the library on the history of the Texas Capitol Building.
There were pictures of them taking stone out of the quarry and
also references about them taking timber from the Bar-W Ranch.
He was proud to be a part of that ranch today and it made the
history more meaningful to know the descendents of some of those
who were written up in the history books.
     "Dad, I need to call Paul to arrange a practice time.  He
wants me to sing a solo on the communion hymn on Sunday," Joey
said.
     "You can call him now," Dale said.
     "He's at the church practicing until noon.  He said to call
him at the rectory at noon and we could figure out a time then."
     "Works for me.  You can call him when we leave the
restaurant after we eat, okay?"
     "Sure.  Don't let me forget," Joey said."
     * * * * *
     Doris was fussing around in the kitchen, making a grocery
list, planning menus for that evening and Saturday, then Sunday
morning and noon.  She and Frank sat at the kitchen counter to
visit and enjoy being in each other's company.
     "I want you to drive Joe's car, but I think I want to buy it
anyway," Frank said.  "It's a nice vehicle and if you want it for
your car, that's fine, otherwise we'll replace the Buick I've
been driving."
     "I'll be glad to drive it, there just never was a chance
with all of the traffic in Houston.  I don't know my way around
there and just didn't want to try it out."
     "That's fine.  You can drive it to the grocery store here
and later this afternoon we can take it out on the highway,"
Frank said.
     "Give me the keys because I'm going to change my dress and
go to the grocery.  Do you want to come along?" Doris asked.
     "No, I think I'd like to go for a walk and I'll take Mitsy
with me.  Didn't I see her leash on the hall table?"
     "I think that's where I saw it.  Craig said he would leave a
key for the apartment there, too, in case we wanted to go out."
     "You take the key.  Do you have any idea how long it will
take at the grocery?" Frank asked.
     "Oh, I'll probably be gone about 45 minutes to an hour.  Our
boys are pretty well stocked up on staples, but there are some
things I want to get for tonight and tomorrow that they don't
have.  I know I'll be back in an hour."
     "Okay, I'll head back this direction so I'll be back in
about 45 minutes.  We can either walk around the block again or
sit on the steps and wait for you.  See you a little later,"
Frank told her.
     "Bye, hon.  Have a good walk."
     Frank took Mitsy's leash.  He would snap it on her after she
was through taking care of her needs.  She was excited about
going as the leash always meant a walk for her.  He waited in the
corner of the yard, then called when she was through, snapping
her leash on.
     They started toward the high school.  Frank and Doris had
only been to Williamsport about a half dozen times, but they
liked the small city.  It was quiet here, but close to several
major metropolitan areas.  They both thought Craig and Don
Albrecht had made a good choice in locating here and their
business seemed to be successful.  They were especially thrilled
with Dale and now, Joey.  Craig had always been happy, but it was
apparent these last two times they had seen him that he had
"bloomed" and they could only attribute it to his being in love
     By the time 45 minutes had passed, Frank and Mitsy were back
at the condo.  Frank unsnapped Mitsy's leash and she immediately
headed to her favorite place in the flowerbed.  He was standing,
watching her when he heard someone yell, "Get that damn dog out
of my flowers.
     It was Mrs. Ernst, whom Frank had never met and didn't know
about the confrontation she and Craig had had the previous
Saturday.
     "I beg your pardon," he said.  "My son and grandson have
been allowing her to use that area for her bathroom.  They didn't
tell me to keep her away from there."
     "Who do you think you are?" she questioned.  "Do you live up
there in that apartment, too?  How many people does he think he
can move in up there and get by with it?"  She was getting riled
up.
     "I'm sorry if you are upset.  You will have to take this
matter up with my son.  My wife and I are just visiting for a few
days.  Any dealings you have about the dog will have to be
discussed with him.
     About that time Dale and Joey arrived and parked in the lot,
followed by Doris in Joe's car.
     That really set Mrs. Ernst off.  She started in on Dale,
berating him for the dog using the flowerbed for a bathroom.
Then she started in on Joey and was so caught up in her obsession
that soon Doris was included in her tirade.
     Frank turned to Dale.  "What do we do?"
     "Ignore her," he said.  "She got after Craig and Joey last
Saturday and said she was going to report him to the homeowners.
We have a homeowners group here, but they are only concerned with
the outside maintenance of the building.  Craig owns his
apartment, so there are no restrictions about the number of
people who live there.  She thinks he can't have a dog and that
he is the only person who should be allowed to live there.  So,
just ignore her and we'll let Craig handle it.  She also had a
run-in with the fellow who lives on the second floor about his
dog."
     Mrs. Ernst hadn't let up yelling about the dog, the number
of people and whatever else she could think of.
     Joey helped Doris get some of the grocery bags out of the
car and they started to the elevator, Mitsy bounding up the
stairs ahead of Dale and Frank who had gotten the rest of the
groceries.
     Mrs. Ernst was running full-throttle now, threatening to
call the city about the dog running loose and also that there
were five people living in that apartment on the top floor and
that they were parking four vehicles in the parking lot.
     Dale flashed her his 1000-watt smile.  "Mrs. Ernst, if they
won't talk to you on the telephone when you call with your
complaint, I'll be glad to drive you down to the city offices so
you can tell them in person.  Just let me know when you are ready
to leave."
     As he and Frank walked past her, he said, "I hope you have a
really happy day."
     Poor Frank thought he was going to lose it before they got
to the 5th floor and inside the condo.  As soon as Dale shut the
door, Frank started laughing.
     "That's the funniest damn conversation I've ever heard," he
said.
     "Oh, she's turned out to be a real jewel," Dale said.  "She
took in after Joey and Craig last Saturday.  We had just gotten
home and Joey let Mitsy out.  Craig found out the next day that
she had tangled with our neighbor on the second floor about his
dog using the same space."
     Doris spoke up.  "Sounds to me like the typical nosey
neighbor who doesn't have anything to do, so keeps track of
everything the neighbors are doing.  If she doesn't like it, she
lets them know about it."
     "That's her.  Craig thinks that she's probably lonely.  She
doesn't have a car, so someone has to take her to the grocery
store or do her shopping for her, although neither or us have
seen anyone around.  Craig thinks that maybe her son owns the
unit, but I don't think he's ever checked that out."
     "You fellows are awfully early for lunch aren't you?" Doris
asked.
     "We have an appointment at the Bank of Commerce at 10
o'clock to take care of some banking for Joey.  The things we
need to take with us are here," Dale said, going to their bedroom
to get the envelope from City Bank in Houston.
     "We'll see you at 11:30 at the Cattlemen's Hotel for lunch.
If we run late, I'll call Craig on his cell phone to let him know
when we expect to be there," Dale said as he and Joey went out
the door.
     Mrs. Ernst had pulled a chair from her apartment outside and
was sitting on the landing, holding a flyswatter.
     Dale and Joey both spoke as they went past her.
     "No damn dogs gonna' use those flowerbeds no more.  I'll see
to that," she said, waving the flyswatter.
     "You're not gonna' hit my dog.  She's trained to attack,
you'll be sorry," Joey said.  He was both scared and upset.
     "Go ahead and get in the Blazer.  I need to take the milk
and eggs upstairs.  Be right back," Dale told him.  Joey got in
the vehicle while Dale retrieved the containers and went back
upstairs.  He unlocked the door and walked to the kitchen where
Doris and Frank were sorting groceries and putting them away.
     "Mom, here's two gallons of fresh farm milk, two dozen brown
eggs and a quart of cream that you might be able to use in the
kitchen."
     "Thanks, Dale.  I'll be able to use them - or I guess I
should say that you boys will be using them."
     Then he turned to Frank.  "If you have to take Mitsy
outside, put her on a leash and take her down the elevator.  Mrs.
Ernst is sitting on the landing with a flyswatter.  She said she
wasn't going to allow any damn dog to use the flowerbeds.  Go
ahead and let her go there, but just keep her on a leash and use
the elevator to avoid having a problem with her until we can
straighten this out," Dale told them.
     "See you a little later," he said as he went back out the
door.
     As he went past Mrs. Ernst, he gave her a big smile.  "It's
going to get really hot today."
     She didn't say anything.
     Dale got in the Blazer and as he was backing out, told Joey,
"I told Frank to keep Mitsy on her leash and use the elevator
when they go out."
     "Thanks Dad.  She's not going to make us get rid of Mitsy,
is she?"
     "No, she can't do that.  I'm going to call Craig and tell
him what's going on.  Maybe he can figure out whom to call about
her.  She has to have someone who is responsible for her well-
being, taking care of her shopping and other things."
     As they were waiting for a stoplight to change, Dale called
Craig and gave him a quick rundown of what had just happened with
Mrs. Ernst.
     "Thanks for telling me.  I'll see what I can find out.  She
definitely has a problem with all of us, our dog and our cars,
that's for sure," Craig said.
     "Just wanted to let you know.  Sorry to dump this on you,
but you know better than I do about whom to call.  We'll see you
at lunch, we're on our way to the bank right now to see about
Joey's money."
     "Okay.  Thanks. I think," Craig said.
     * * * * *
     Dale parked in the bank parking lot and they took the
elevator to the 5th floor.  Dale told the receptionist who they
were and that they were to see Leland Stanton.
     She checked the appointment book on her desk, picked up the
phone and said, "Mr. Richards and Mr. Sullivan are here to see
you."
     Pause
     "Thank you, sir, I'll bring them right back."
     She stood.  "Follow me, please," as she indicated they were
to follow her.
     Leland Stanton stood to greet them as they walked into his
office.  Dale guessed him to be in his mid-30's, in trim shape
and that he probably spent a lot of time outside with one
activity or another.
     They shook hands, exchanging greetings.
     He was taken with the appearance of both young men,
surprised at how much alike they looked, but having different
last names.  His one thought was "Woof!"
     "Thank you for seeing us on such short notice," Dale said.
     "Not a problem.  Marty Williamson indicated that you were
the general manager for the Bar-W.  I've not been out to see that
operation yet, but you certainly have a good reputation all over
the state for a well-run ranch."
     "Thank you.  Although I've worked for them starting in the
summer after I was out of high school, I've only been full-time
for about four years.  Our general manager is retiring and I was
surprised to be appointed to take his position.
     "That's great.  I've recently moved here from San Antonio.
I quit Smith-Barney rather than take a required transfer to
Houston.  I just didn't want to live in a big city," Leland said.
     "Joey is moving to Williamsport from Houston and will start
high school on Monday.  We are half-brothers and our father died
just a week ago.  I am Joey's guardian and we need some financial
advice," Dale told him.
     "What can I do for you?" Leland asked, wondering exactly why
Marty had asked him to take care of these people.
     "For starters, there were several CD's listing Joey as owner
upon Joe's death.  The City Bank in Houston cashed them and gave
us a cashier's check in the amount of," looking at the check,
"$80,481.39.  We need to put this money to work for Joey and
there will be some other funds coming in, also.  I also have two
checks from closing Joe's checking and savings accounts.  One is
for $9,340.17 and the other is $7,657.75.  I think these two
checks need to be put into something like a Money Market account,
but you may have a better suggestion.
     "Also, we will be selling Joe's car over the weekend.  We
need to get it appraised, but it's a 1990 Oldsmobile Cierra sedan
and the buyer agreed to pay appraisal price."
     "I can get you the Blue Book figure on it, if you want me
to," Leland said.
     "That would help, but I thought maybe we could take it to
Jerome Robinson at Crawford's GM."
     "That's even better than using the Blue Book.  That just
helps us establish loan value," Leland told them.
     "Ok," Dale said.  "The other thing that we have to talk to
you about is the sale of Joe's house in Houston.  Before he died,
he signed the house over to me since I'm Joey's guardian.  This
is outside Joey's trust fund and the terms of his will, which I
have a copy of if you need to see it.  The realtor seems to think
we can sell it for about $290,000 and the estate sale people
handling the sale of personal property think we could clear
around $17,000 to $20,000 for our share.  Joe suggested that in
addition to seeing to seeing to Joey's needs and college
education with that money, that we might also build or buy a home
as our two bedroom apartment is a little crowded for three adult
men."
     "Three adult men?" Leland questioned.
     "Yes, my partner, Craig Bastian, and myself and Joey is
almost an adult."
     Immediately Leland Stanton knew why he was getting some
pings on his gaydar.
     "Okay."  Leland had been making some notes as they talked.
"What is the deal on the house, does the realtor have any
motivation for a sale?"
     "Yes, Craig's father is the business manager for a large law
firm in Dallas.  He insisted on a 60-day contract.  However, the
realtor seems to think he might have a buyer immediately.  It's
in a good area of Houston and he told me his firm is selective on
the property they list."
     "I would suggest that you put the proceeds from the CD's in
a high-yield municipal bond fund.  We can put the cash from the
bank accounts in a locked-in Money Market account at a guaranteed
rate for 2 years, or allow the rate to float up and down.  I'd
recommend the locked figure because I think that interest rates
will be coming down.
     "As far as the car, I'd add that money to the Money Market
account.  That way it's available to you without paying a penalty
if you should need the money from it."
     "Sounds good to me," Dale said.
     "As far as the sale of the house, we could consider an
investment which would allow you to finance your own project,
whether buying and remodeling or building a new house.  In effect
you are borrowing money from yourself, but the principal stays
intact to earn interest and dividends, but guarantees the
payments if you can't make them for any reason."
     "That is an interesting concept," Dale said.  "I like that
idea."
     "We're doing this more and more.  It's a new idea, but
attractive to all concerned." Leland said.
     "Now, you mentioned a trust fund for Joey.  What can you
tell me about that?"
     "I just signed the paperwork yesterday which makes me the
administrator and authorizes the Trust Department of the Bank of
Houston to remain as trustee," Dale said.
     "What kind of money are we talking about?" Leland asked.
     "Something like $1.3 million.  Joey gets full control when
he either completes a master's degree in his chosen field or when
he turns 25."
     "How old are you now, Joey?"
     "I just turned 14 last June," he said proudly.
     Leland was thinking that Joey was older than that.  He was a
good-looking boy and was well on his way to being a real hunk
like his half-brother.
     "I know some people in that Trust Department, they are sharp
and that money should more than triple by the time you are old
enough to have it turned over to you," Leland told Joey.
     "Awesome," was Joey's reply.
     "Let me put some details together for you.  Do you want me
to take the checks for safe keeping today?" he asked.
     "No, we'll go downstairs and open both a checking and
savings account for Joey.  He has a check from closing his
savings account.  We can write checks to you for whatever we
decide to do later, can't we?" he asked.
      "Sure, that's no problem.  I'll have some figures put
together for you to look at on Tuesday," Leland said.
     "That's fine," Dale told him.  "I have some money of my own
that I need to have you put to work for me, too.  I've sold my
house and some other things and also have some insurance money
coming from Joe shortly."
     "Good.  Be glad to handle it for you.  Do you have any idea
how much we're talking about?" Leland asked.
     Dale mentally added some figures together.  "About $90,000."
     "I'll be glad to set something up for you.  You want to
complete everything we've talked about today before starting on
that, don't you?"
     "Oh yes," Dale said.  "No big hurry."
     They shook hands as they left, Leland again thinking about
what good-looking men these two were and that Dale's "partner"
was certainly lucky.  He wondered if he was a hunk, too.
     * * * * *
     Craig called the man who was "The Carriage House Homeowners
Association".  His name was Peter Dunn and he worked in the
property management division of the Williamson Property Company.
It was his responsibility to collect the monthly dues from the
property owners and make disbursements for mowing, watering,
trash pick-up and other outside maintenance.  He had many other
tasks in his job description as the Carriage House account had
little activity.
     "This is Pete Dunn.  Can I help you?"
     "Pete, this is Craig Bastian.  I live in unit 5-A of the
Carriage House.
     "Oh, yes.  What can I do for you?  You're the only person
who lives there that never complains about anything."
     "That's because you do such a great job of taking care of
us," Craig told him.
     "What can I help you with?"
     "There is a Mrs. Ernst in our building and she lives in 3-B.
Has she called you with any complains?" Craig asked.
     "No.  What would she complain about?" Pete asked.
     "Two of us who live there own dogs and they use the
flowerbed at the corner of the lot as their bathroom, as do some
other dogs in the neighborhood.  She's all upset about the dogs
messing in "her flowerbed" and also that there are three of us
living in my unit.  Then this weekend my parents are here with
two cars, so last night we had four vehicles parked in the lot.
She seems to think that five of us are living in my apartment
now."
     Pete laughed.
     "We've had a couple of other complains about her from some
of the others who live in the building.  I've always figured that
she was harmless, but lonely and confused," Pete told Craig.
     "Does she own her unit or is there someone responsible for
her?" Craig asked.
     "No, that unit is owned by a Vernon Ernst who lives in El
Paso.  I don't know what the relationship might be, but when he
bought the empty unit, he had it divided into rooms and
decorated.  The work was hardly completed before she moved in."
     "Well, today she's sitting outside her unit with a
flyswatter in her hand and is telling everyone that, "No damn
dogs gonna' use those flowerbeds no more.  I'll see to that."
     "Oh my," Pete said.  "Sounds like she's gone off the deep
end, doesn't it?"
     "I'm no judge of that, but someone needs to be notified that
she may be losing touch with reality.  I've never seen anyone
around her unit, but someone has to be taking care of her," Craig
said.
     "You're right.  I'll see if I can get in touch with this
Vernon Ernst and find out who is seeing to her needs.  And, also,
let him know of the situation."
     "Thanks.  I hate to trouble you, but I didn't know where
else to go," Craig said.
     "Not a problem.  You did the right thing.  I'll let you know
what I find out and what can be done to help her."
     "Thanks again for helping," Craig said.  "Goodbye," as he
hung up.
     * * * * *
     Craig picked his parents up at the condo at 11:15.  Mrs.
Ernst was still sitting outside her unit, holding her fly
swatter.
     "Keep your damn dog away from me.  If he attacks me, I'll
hit him," she sneered.
     "The dog won't hurt you.  Wouldn't you rather go inside
where it's cooler?" Craig asked gently.
     "No.  I have to guard this place from intruders.  There's a
whole bunch of 'em living upstairs.  They have no right to be
there," she said, starting to get agitated again.
     "That's okay.  You just keep them out," Craig said, feeling
sorry for her and going on up the stairs.
     He entered the apartment.  His father was ready to go to
lunch.
     "Your mother will be ready in just a moment," Frank told
him.
     "That's okay.  I called the property management company and
talked to the person that takes care of the Carriage House
problems.  He's going to check with the man who owns Mrs. Ernst's
unit.  He lives in El Paso, so Pete is going to see if he can
find out who is responsible for her needs."
     "Do you think she has a mental problem?" Frank asked.
     "Something has happened to her.  She's sitting out in the
heat and told me she was guarding the place because, as she said,
'There's a whole bunch of 'em living upstairs and they have no
right to be there.'  I think she's lost in a fog right now, but
we can't do anything about it.  I just hope that Pete is able to
find the person who is supposed to look out for her."
     "I know you are worried about it.  That's a good sign that
you care about others, but you've done your part in reporting
this, and that's all you can do," Frank told him.
     About that time Doris came into the living room.  She had
heard the last part of Frank's statement.
     "Are you talking about poor Mrs. Ernst?" she asked.
     "Yes," Craig said, then told her about his phone call and
his encounter when coming up the stairs a while ago.
     "Well, I suggest that we use the elevator.  If we use the
stairs it may upset her even more," she said.
     They left in Joe's Oldsmobile as they were planning to
return to the condo, and then dress for a horseback ride along
the river at the Bar-W Ranch.
     Dale and Joey were waiting for them and the host seated them
immediately.  They ordered cocktails with a soft drink for Joey.
     Everyone had several interesting things to tell of their
morning activities.  Mrs. Ernst was the main topic of discussion
by all.  Frank and Doris were of the opinion that she might have
suffered a small stroke that had left her thinking impaired.
     One of the daily specials was Chicken-fried steak.  It was
served with a house salad, green beans and dinner rolls.
Everyone ordered the same thing and was impressed by the fact the
steaks covered the dinner plate and were both flavorful and fork-
tender.
     Frank insisted on paying for the meal and wouldn't let Dale
or Craig leave a tip.
     "I don't get to do this very often," he said.  Then winking
at Dale, added, "Don't ever let your wife get control of the
checkbook or you'll never have any spending money."
     Dale flashed his 1000-watt grin.  "Good advice, just keep
'em barefoot and pregnant?"
     "Yeah, but you must not be doing a very good job.  Your only
child is 14 year old," Frank teased back.
     Poor Craig.  He was afraid to enter the conversation
centering on this joke.  He was sure he'd come out the loser -
along with his mother.
     Doris was laughing, as was Joey.  By the time they got to
the door, all five were enjoying a good laugh.
     As they walked to their cars, Dale said, "Why don't you come
out to the ranch about 1:30?  Craig can show you the Army
barracks he's designed, then we can saddle up the horses and go
exploring."
     "That sounds fine to me," Frank said.  "That should give us
plenty of time to change clothes and be ready to shake down that
big lunch we had."
     Dale and Joey left to go back to the ranch, Joey calling
Paul on Dale's cell phone and making arrangements to meet Paul at
5 o'clock.  Paul promised that it would only take them about 20
minutes to rehearse.
     * * * * *
     Craig and his parents drove back to the condo.  When they
were a block from the building they could see flashing lights in
the parking lot were coming from an EMS ambulance.  Frank drove
into the parking lot but parked well away from the fire truck,
the ambulance and police car.  They were bringing the stretcher
out of the elevator as they got out of the car.  The blanket
covered the body completely.  It was Mrs. Ernst.
     Her very distraught daughter was weeping and wailing as she
followed the EMS people out of the elevator.
     Craig was later able to piece the story together from what
they heard from the various people there.  Her daughter, who
lived in Williamsport, had not checked on her since the previous
Monday afternoon.  It didn't appear that Mrs. Ernst had eaten
anything for several days and the thermostat in the apartment
showed the temperature was 87 degrees.  The air conditioner had
been turned off.  It also appeared that Mrs. Ernst had not slept
in her bed all week as her daughter had changed the sheets when
she was last there.
     Pete Dunn had called her son, Vernon Ernst, in El Paso.  He
immediately called his sister and was most unhappy to find out
she hadn't checked on their mother for 4 days.  He demanded she
go over there immediately.  She arrived to find her mother
sitting in the chair she had drug out of her apartment.  She was
still holding the fly swatter, but was not alive.
     Because of it being a warm day, the doctor at the hospital
was unable to determine how long she had been dead, but based on
the information Craig gave the EMS workers, seemed to think it
had been less than an hour.  He pronounced her DOA at the
Memorial Hospital.
     Craig and his mother were, of course, upset because if they
had been more alert, her death might have been prevented, but
Frank told them that they had probably done all they could with
Craig notifying Pete Dunn.
     * * * * *
     When Craig and his parents arrived at the Bar-W crew
quarters, Ray was there with three of his men.  They had the
kitchen sink in place and were hooking up the water and drain
lines.  The dishwasher was the next appliance to be installed and
the refrigerator would be delivered as soon as the floor tile had
been put down.
     "Hey, Craig, great to see you.  We've gotten a lot done in
the last couple of days without having you around to slow our
progress," Ray teased.
     Frank and Craig got a hearty laugh out of that.  Doris
wasn't sure what to think about Ray, as she wasn't sure he was
teasing her son.
     "There comes a time when the birds have to allow the little
ones to try to fly, so that's what I was doing with you," Craig
laughed.
     "Come on out here and meet my parents," he said introducing
Frank and Doris when Ray crawled out from under the sink.
     "So, you're the people responsible for this dip being like
he is?  I'd always thought that he was hatched from an abandoned
vulture egg," Ray laughed as he shook their hands, saying, "I'm
really pleased to meet you."
     Frank, of course, immediately liked Ray.  Doris was sure he
was teasing but was a little more reserved around new people.
     Craig took his parents through the house, explaining that
this was a trial project and they might be building two other
houses for the cattle and horse crews to live in.
     Thanking Ray for his time, the three exited to walk to the
office/barn.
     Dale and Joey were coming toward them and Marty was
approaching from the house, so Craig had a chance to introduce
his parents to him, also.  Joey asked if he could see the pups
and Marty told him to let them out.  Dale and Craig were
surprised at how much their appearance had changed in the last
few days as their permanent coats were growing and they were
starting to look like adult dogs.
     The dogs were being well trained and followed the "sit"
command well.  Also, they offered their paws to shake when
commanded to do so.
     The adults visited while Joey played with the dogs.  Finally
Dale said that it was time for them to saddle the horses for the
ride up the river, when across to the horse farm.
     Marty shook hands with Frank and Doris, then clapped Dale
and Craig on the back.  He did the same with Joey, telling him
that he would take the dogs back in the house.
     * * * * *
     Dale had figured out that he would ride his own horse, Toby.
He thought that since Joey had ridden Molly before, that she was
the obvious choice for him.  Craig would ride Sourdough, Frank
would ride Topper and Doris would ride Blaze.
     The horses saw the riders approaching the barn and went
inside, waiting for the treats they knew they would receive.
They had carrots and sugar cubes for the horses.  It didn't take
anytime at all to prepare the horses for their ride, Dale helping
Frank and Doris onto their mounts and adjusting stirrups to make
sure they were okay.  He went over the basic commands the horses
understood.
     Doris hadn't been on a horse since she was in college and it
was almost as long for Frank.  By comparison Craig and Joey were
almost experienced horsemen.
     Dale led Toby through the first two gates, then got on to
ride across the next pasture.  He and Craig led them down the
dirt road to the Boy Scout campsite so Joey would know where it
was, then started up the broad flat path along the river.
     * * * * *
     John, Michael and Pat were sitting on the tailgate of the
pickup, eating their lunch and talking about the upcoming
weekend.  Then the conversation turned to the move to the new
house for the crew.
     Since their confrontation with Nolan at The College Inn that
night, there had been more discussion about being gay.  Pat
admitted that he enjoyed having sex with Michael, but was still
in denial about actually being gay.  His reasoning was that they
enjoyed doing things with each other and it was nobody else's
business.  At the beginning he was upset because Nolan had
"outed" all of them, but then realized that he had done all of
them a favor as far as the four of them being able to talk about
it.  Even though Pat's parents lived 200 miles away, he was still
convinced that someone was going to find out about him and tell
them their son was queer.
     As far as Michael was concerned, he didn't care what Pat
called it, because he was now able to admit they weren't the only
gay guys on earth and could explore the possibilities of what
they could do to each other.  He wasn't about to upset that apple
cart.
     "Are you excited about moving in out here?" John asked the
other two.
     "Oh yes, it's like a palace compared to the Starlight," Pat
said.
     "I hope we can choose our rooms," Michael said.
     "Are you guys going to bunk in the same room?" John asked.
     "Well, yeah. at least the double room," Michael answered.
     "I'd like to use one side for sleeping and the other side
for a living room, but I don't know how that might go over with
Dale," Pat said.
     "Well, there's room for two double beds on each side,
couldn't you just ask to put both beds in there and then put some
of your other furniture in the other room?" John asked.
     "Hey, that would work and then it might not look too
suspicious," Pat said.
     Michael was excited about that as it hadn't entered his mind
they might be able to do that.
     "I'd like to have the south room upstairs for us," Michael
told them.
     Pat agreed.  "That's fine with me."
     "I'll take the north room upstairs then," John told them.
"I haven't figured out a way for Nolan to come out and spend the
night, though because he doesn't have a car."
     "Yeah, that's a tough one," Michael said.
     "I can't stay at the dorm with him and it would look really
funny if I stayed at the Starlight and didn't move out here where
the rent is free," John said.
     "Well, Dale generally leaves here around 5:30 in the evening
and comes to work between 7:30 and 8 o'clock of a morning.  So,
he wouldn't know if Nolan stayed here if you picked him up after
that and were back here before he came to work," Pat said.
     "Yeah, but I hate to sneak around about it.  If he found out
that any of us had someone spending the night, regardless of it
being a guy or a gal, I'm sure the shit would hit the fan and we
could get fired," John said.
     "I have to agree with you," Michael said.  Then he added,
"It's a tough decision.  Do you think you guys are going to stay
together?  Like after he finishes school?"
     "We haven't even talked about that.  We just enjoy being
together and, he's damn good at what he does in bed," John said,
blushing.
     "So is Michael," Pat said, turning red, too.
     "And. Pat's getting better," Michael added, without
blushing.
     Pat really turned red then and the other two laughed.
     "I'll get even with you," Pat said, joining in.
     * * * * *
     Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones remembered the money he'd stashed away
in his desk and also the money he'd given Marlene.  Bret Jenkins
hadn't been to the jail to visit him.  He immediately thought of
the Bible verse, Matthew 25:36.  "I was in prison and you came to
me."
     'Well, that certainly hadn't been true, had it?' he thought.
     He wondered if the money had been found and, if so, why
hadn't someone made a lot of noise about it.  And also, what had
happened to his 'devoted' wife.  Nobody had bothered him since
Marcus Streeter had brought him two changes of clothing on
Wednesday afternoon, then told him he couldn't represent him
because of no guarantee of payment of his fee.
     Jimmy Bob was in a quandary.  He didn't want to admit that
he'd been stealing the cash offering from the church.  They could
file additional charges against him for that.  By the same token
he wondered who would eventually find the money and what they
would do with it.  He almost called Marcus Streeter to see if he
could still get into the church and have him get the money, but
he wasn't sure he could trust him with it, either.
     He thought about praying for a good ending to his quandary,
but decided it was foolish to try to make a deal with God.  He'd
done all those things he'd preached against, so how could he pray
and ask for forgiveness?  After preaching on those subjects for
so many years, he'd started believing himself - that there was no
salvation.
     * * * * *
     Marlene had been to the grocery store to get some things she
needed to fix dinner for them that evening.  It was funny; she
didn't want to cook for Jimmy Bob at all, probably because his
eating habits turned her off.  Tonight, she was fixing a pot
roast with all Scott's favorite vegetables.  This would be enough
to last both of them for a couple of meals.  If she fixed
anything like that for Jimmy Bob, she'd be lucky if he didn't eat
it all by himself at one meal.  That was just one of the reasons
she had quit cooking.
     Living with Scott seemed to have brought about a "mothering
instinct" in her.  She needed someone to take care of.
     She was waiting for Scott to arrive home from school as she
was feeling like she had an itch inside, way at the top of her
vagina and the only thing that could scratch it was Scott's dick.
He'd been doing a lot of "scratching" lately, more like plowing
with his equipment running at full throttle.  It wasn't about
making love, it was simply two horny people getting it on and
they both loved it.
     As she was taking her birth control pill, she realized that
she was about out of them and the pharmacist couldn't fill her
prescription again as it was now a year old.  She called Dr.
Vandean's nurse and was told that since she hadn't been examined
for a year, the doctor needed to check her over before writing a
new prescription.  Marlene made an appointment for a week from
the next Monday.
     As she hung up the telephone, Scott walked in.
     "Something smells good.  What are we having for dinner?" he
questioned after giving her a passionate kiss.
     "Pot roast," Marlene replied.
     "Yum.  With carrots, onions and potatoes, I hope?"
     "And, brown gravy, too."
     "You really know that the way to a man's heart is through
his stomach," Scott laughed.
     "Yes, but I've discovered another organ that seems to get
you going, too," she said, feeling Scott's already semi-erect
cock through his pants.
     "Ummmnn," he said, feeling her breasts and discovering she
was wearing no undergarments beneath her caftan.
     The two love-struck people barely made it to their bedroom
before Scott was naked, lying on his back on the bed with Marlene
on top of him, their mouths locked together.
     * * * * *
     Frank and Doris, along with "their boys" thoroughly enjoyed
the ride to the "swimming hole" as Joey called it, then along the
other trail to the horse operation.  None of them had ever seen
so many cattle as they rode along the path, crossing several
pastures.  Dale avoided riding through the area where the horses
were grazing.  These horses weren't used to people being around
all that much and he didn't want to spook them or the mounts they
were riding.
     After they left Lee Baker's area, it was about 6 miles back
to the ranch.  Dale explained he was going to let their horses
run out, if everyone was comfortable with being on a horse.
     "Come on, grandma and grandpa.  It's a lot of fun." Joey
begged.
     They agreed they were ready for the adventure.
     Dale let out a yell, signaling his horse to go with the
wind.  The other horses followed as they realized what was going
on.  Too late to change their minds now.  Dale allowed the horses
to run for about 4 miles, then started reining Toby in, allowing
him to slow back to a brisk trot.  The mounts the others were
riding followed without any special signals.  Doris was laughing
and Frank obviously was having the time of his life.
     As the five riders were back together, Frank said, "Dale,
that was just great.  I'll trade jobs with you anytime you want.
This is much better than riding a desk all the time at my
office."
     "Glad you enjoyed it.  We really don't take the horses out
as often as we should.  I think Marty, Chris and the boys ride
some, but it would be good for all of them if they were ridden
everyday."
     "I was just trying to get a feel for the amount of land
here.  Did you tell me 26 sections of ground?" Frank asked.
     "That's about right," Dale told him.  "It's kind of an odd-
shaped piece of property, but about six miles by four miles, with
some other sections tacked on.  For the first time in the history
of the ranch, all of the land is not all in one contiguous parcel
of ground, but Marty has made offers for the land between and
seems to have first option on buying it at a fair price when the
owners decide to sell."
     About that time he reined in his horse and the others did,
too.  They were just below a bluff, looking down into a valley to
the east of where they were stopped.  It seemed like they could
see for miles.
     "I think this is one of the prettiest views on the ranch and
you should see it when the sun is coming up," Dale said.
     Craig was looking around.  Indeed it was a perfect spot.
The area where they were was sheltered by the high hills to the
north.  There was a view looking in a 270-degree arc as you could
see to the west, south and east.  The soil was probably good,
judging from the stand of prairie grass.  There were lots of
trees in the area with a small lake about two hundred yards to
the east, down a gentle slope.
     "I'd love to be able to buy a few acres right here and
design a house to fit the terrain," Craig said.
     "So would I," Dale agreed, "but I don't know if Marty would
sell it to us or not.  We can ask."
     "Ask him," Frank advised.  "You might be surprised."
     "How far are we from a road?" asked Craig.
     "Close to 3 miles," Dale said.  "It's not one that's used
anymore because it's within the Bar-W property, but it's
passable."
     "I wonder about getting electricity into here.  How close is
the nearest line?" Craig asked.
     "Actually only about a quarter of a mile."  Dale pointed to
some poles that Craig hadn't noticed.  "They run up to the horse
operation, but the road access is from the other side of the
ranch, from the main highway."
     Joey spoke up.  "Dad's are we going to build a house to live
up here?"  He was excited.
     "Now, don't get all excited about us just sitting here
making remarks.  In the first place, the land might not be
available to buy and there could be all kinds of problems in
trying to build a house up here.  Roads, electric power, water
and at least a dozen other things I can't think of right now,"
Craig said.
     "This is a neat place," Joey said.
     Frank and Doris were in agreement.  "This is truly a
beautiful view from here," Doris said.
     "I'd go for it.  You don't have anything to lose by asking,"
Frank said.
     Dale was a little apprehensive.  He'd shown them his
favorite spot on the ranch.  He'd never thought about actually
living here, it was just a beautiful place to ride when he wanted
to be alone and think about things.  But, maybe the others were
right.  It certainly wouldn't hurt to sound Marty out about
acquiring a few acres here.
     Craig was thinking that a well-designed house would be a
challenge for Don and him to plan.  Certainly, it could be built,
but trying to take advantage of the panoramic landscape and the
challenge of getting materials here would present some problems.
He'd have to think about it and that was something that Dale,
Joey and he needed to sit down and talk about.
     "Are you ready to go back to the ranch?" Dale asked.
     "I thought we'd never left it," Frank joked.
     "You're right.  I meant the main buildings," Dale told him.
     He started his horse down the gentle slope to take them
across the pastures, riding a full circle from where they had
started.  The other horses followed, carrying their passengers.
     They had been gone well over two hours.  Jason and Kevin
were just starting their evening chores when they arrived back at
the corral.  Joey introduced Frank and Doris as his grandparents
to the Williamson boys, further confusing them as to how everyone
was related to each other.
     Frank and Doris had never been on a farm before, so Jason
and Kevin, along with Joey, proudly took them on a tour of the
area, pointing out places of interest.  Kevin showed them about
gathering eggs and Jason gave a demonstration of his ability to
milk Star.  Joey, of course, had to show that he could milk the
cow, too.
     Dale and Craig were left to groom the horses and clean the
leather tack they had used.
     "Thanks, hon, for taking us up to your favorite spot today.
It really is beautiful," Craig told Dale.
     "You're welcome.  I used to ride up there a lot after I lost
my mother.  I discovered the place by accident one Saturday
afternoon and I used to ride up there about every other day for a
long time.  Now, today was the first time I've been there in
several months, I guess maybe since last summer," Dale said.
     "I can understand your reason for going up there.  It's so
peaceful and yet, you almost feel that you are at the top of the
world," Craig answered.
     "Yeah, I hadn't thought of it like that, but you are right."
     By this time they were through and took care of feeding the
horses, remembering to tell Kevin they had taken care of that
chore for him.
     Dale handed out paychecks to John, Michael and Pat, and then
one for himself.  Lee and Sam had driven to the office to pick up
their checks and the ones for their men.
     Gathering up the rest of their clan, they got into two
vehicles to ride back home.  Dale dropped Joey at the church,
after making sure he had Craig's cell phone so he could call for
a ride home.
     As they walked up the stairs they couldn't help but think of
Mrs. Ernst and their brief encounters with her.
     * * * * *
     After everyone cleaned up, Frank fixed drinks while Doris
took "her boys" to the kitchen to explain the evening meal and
assign tasks for each to accomplish.  Tonight, the menu was baked
butterfly pork chops with a bread stuffing and gravy.  The
vegetables were escalloped stuffed eggplant, Harvard Beets and
English Peas.  Doris had baked a yellow cake earlier and had
fixed fresh strawberries with an orange sauce to serve with it.
The salad was easy, a bag of spinach greens and a bag of other
mixed lettuce varieties.
     Fr. George brought Joey home on his way to meet a
parishioner.  After Joey freshened up, he was assigned to slicing
and dicing tomatoes, green onions, green peppers and a water
chestnut to toss with the lettuce.
     It didn't take the four of them very long to get everything
ready for last minute preparation as the pork chops had to bake
for an hour and the eggplant for 45 minutes.  They could relax
for at least forty minutes before finishing the kitchen
preparation.
     Craig set the table and opened a bottle of wine to breathe.
     Back in the living room they talked about the day and what a
great time they'd had together.
     "What would you like to do tomorrow?" Dale asked.
     "It's supposed to rain later tonight and not clear up until
late tomorrow evening," Craig said.
     "I forgot about that," Dale answered.  "Well, there ought to
be plenty of inside activities for us to consider."
     "This may be the beginning of fall," Craig reminded him.
It's to cool off with a high of about 50 tomorrow."
     "Brrr," said Joey.  "It was cold when it was 62 the other
morning."
     Frank laughed.  "This isn't tropical Texas up here," he
said.
     "You may want to buy a little heavier jacket that what you
brought with you," Craig said.  "I don't think you need a heavy
one, but we have a lot of days in the 40's and 50's during the
winter and it does get down to freezing often, but doesn't stay
that low for very long."
     Dale agreed.  "Generally our coldest weather lasts about six
weeks, starting at New Years."
     "Does it snow very often?" Joey asked.
     "No," Dale told him.  "We generally have a couple of light
snows during the winter, but it doesn't stay on the ground very
long.  However, it seems like once about every six years we get
dumped on pretty good and the whole area may seem like it's shut
down for a few days.  The city puts sand on the main streets, but
that's about it."
     "I remember that we had snow in Houston several years ago.
Everything closed up and people got fined if they were driving
their car and it wasn't an emergency," Joey told them.
     "We have more rain than other bad weather, but being cold
and rainy can sure make it seem nasty," Dale added.
     About that time, Doris told them they needed to go back to
the kitchen.  Frank fixed another round of drinks for everyone,
then sat at the counter to visit while everyone finished their
tasks.
     * * * * *
     The meal was delicious and hadn't been hard to prepare,
although it would have taken longer if just one person had been
working alone.
     Craig poured Joey a small amount of wine to have with his
meal, but didn't allow a refill.  It made him feel like the adult
he almost was.
     "We still didn't decide what are going to try to accomplish
tomorrow," Dale said.
     "Do we have to decide tonight?" Doris questioned.
     "No, not at all.  I just thought maybe someone had something
special they wanted to see or do," Dale replied.
     After dessert was served, Joey and Doris cleaned up the
kitchen while the men sat in the living room to talk.
     "Are you going to stay in this apartment?" Frank asked.
     "I don't know, Dad, we really haven't had a chance to
discuss it very much," Craig said.  "The events of Joe's death
were sudden and we've been so occupied with everything that had
to be done that we almost haven't had time for ourselves."
     "I can understand that," Frank said.
     Dale spoke up.  "We could get by living here, but there
really isn't a place for Joey to have his things out, like his
models.  He needs a basement or rec room to play in and a place
to have friends stay for a sleepover."
     "Don't forget that you won that nice hot tub at the
'Builder's Trade Show', Craig reminded Dale.  "We certainly don't
have a place to put it here."
     Frank asked, "Hot tub?"
     "Yeah, after we got home from the trade show, Aspen Spas
called to tell Dale that he'd won a hot tub and it included
installation.  Did you ever check to see how long you had to
decide about it?" Craig asked.
     "Yeah, I talked to the man again.  The offer is good for a
year, although they would like to install it before then, but he
agreed that if we didn't have a place to put it, they would work
with us or give us about half the purchase price in cash."
     "What do you want to do?" Craig questioned.
     "I'd like to have the hot tub," Dale told him.
     "What about buying a large, older home and remodeling it
like they did to the rectory?" Frank asked.
     "I understand that some of the properties in that area may
come up for sale before too long," Craig said.
     "I know where you can find a realtor that could help you,"
Dale teased.
     Frank didn't know the story, so they told him what had
transpired with Phyllis Richmond.
     He laughed.  "There was something like that happened in
Dallas not too long ago.  That woman had to serve time."
     "Have you thought about what you might do with this place,
should you choose to buy and remodel or build a new place?" Frank
asked them.
     "As much as I hate to get into rental property, I'd be
tempted to rent this.  The purchase of the unit is clear, but I
still owe money on the interior work.  That note still has five
years to go before it's paid off," Craig said.
     About that time Doris and Joey came back to the living room.
     "What's paid off?" Doris asked.
     "We were just talking about this place," Craig said.  "I've
still got five years of payments before it's. ours," he said,
looking at Dale.
     "I asked them if they were to get another piece of property
that was larger if they would keep this unit," Frank told her.
     "There are some large, older homes near the rectory that may
become available and they would be interesting to restore, like
we did to that property.  Essentially, we preserved the inside,
but gutted it, put in new plumbing and central air, then
reinstalled the rooms pretty much as they were.  The place still
has a lot of character, but has the conveniences of a modern
house," Craig told them.
     "What's the difference in cost between restoring an older
home and building a new one?" Dale asked.
     "Your guess is as good as mine," Craig said.  "Too many
factors to enter into it.  The purchase price of an older home
and the amount of strengthening you have to do and all they have
to do to fit everything back in and make it look right.  A new
house is much easier, because it's all new construction and
everything is designed to accommodate the structure and contents
and built as you go.  Then, the size, construction materials and
about a thousand other factors enter in.  The only thing we
really can do is to design a new home like we want, then look at
other property and see what has to be done to them.  It's still
comparing apples to oranges, but easier to figure the possible
cost of each."
     Dale told them what Leland Stanton had to say about
investing the money from Joe's estate and using that to finance
the construction of another piece of property.
     Frank was knowledgeable about that process and agreed that
it was the best way to go and should get them a much lower
interest rate, too.
     "Well, we certainly don't have to decide any of this
tonight, but it gives Craig, Joey and me a lot to think about.
It would be nice to be able to spread out and have room for a
workshop, garden, pool and not have neighbors practically living
with you," Dale said.
     Everyone laughed, but knew Dale was right.
     * * * * *
     They decided to play a game of Monopoly and since there were
five playing, it was every man for themselves.  Joey got the
upper hand early in the game by buying Boardwalk and Park Place,
plus all four of the railroads.  Within 45 minutes he was the
clear winner with Frank and Craig being out of the game, then
Doris fell and Dale declared himself out of the game, too.
     As they were getting ready to go to bed, they heard thunder,
and then noticed lightning to the west and southwest of the city.
Craig started to pull the living room drapes shut, thinking Joey
would sleep better.
     "Leave them open, "I love thunderstorms," he said as he
started for his bedroom to get clothes to put on the next
morning.
     Joey let Mitsy out and followed her down the stairs to make
sure she went where she was supposed to go.  He couldn't believe
that Mrs. Ernst had died so suddenly, the thought reminding him
of his own father.
     * * * * *
     Dale suggested they leave their bedroom drapes open, as he
loved thunderstorms, too.  Craig was tired enough that he thought
he could sleep through anything.  The storm was approaching
quickly and the lightning was frequent enough they could see each
other without the aid of any other light in their room, although
there was a nightlight in the bathroom.
     They loved removing each other's clothes and gave their full
attention to newly uncovered body parts that appeared as shirts,
Levis, then boxers were removed.  Each had perspired enough that
there was a slight salty taste on their skin.  Craig knelt in
front of his lover, loving the smell of his groin area.  There
wasn't any "horsy" smell, but there was plenty of smegma under
Dale's foreskin.  He licked around the end of his cock, then used
his right hand to push the foreskin back so he could claim his
treat.  Dale was semi-erect and the feeling of Craig's tongue
mouth on his cock was like a bolt of lightning from the
thunderstorm outside.
     Craig claimed his prize, then stood up to share it with
Dale, painting the inside of his mouth and tongue with the ripe
taste of the cock cheese.  Dale loved it, then eased Craig onto
the bed and into a "69" position.  He devoured Craig's cock in
one gulp.  Another bolt of lightning.  Craig didn't know if it
was from the storm outside or the storm in his own body.  He
hungrily reclaimed his earlier prize, Dale's cock, and went to
work on it in earnest.  Dale was doing the same to him.
     Each managed to wet a finger and work it into the others
asshole, then added more saliva and another finger.  It didn't
take long before both were feeling that distant tickle somewhere
in their groin, between their anus and balls, somewhere behind
their cocks.  The storm outside was getting stronger and so was
the storm in their bodies.  Each sensed that the other was
nearing a climax and they were determined to finish it
immediately instead of working the other to the edge, then
slowing, up and down, as was their normal way to make love.
     Both seemed to swell in the other's mouth and with a bang
(was that a bolt of lightning and immediate thunder?) it was all
over.  Cum pumped into the other's gullets, then slowed down to a
trickle as they lovingly slowed almost to a stop, but cleaning up
the little bit of cum that was still leaking.
     Back to their mouth-to-mouth ritual, sharing the little bit
of the other, mixing their juices together, then swallowing.
After cuddling together while they came down from their sexual
high, they made a trip to the bathroom to pee and then brush
their teeth.
     Back in bed, they wrapped themselves in the other's limbs,
pulling the covers up.  It felt so good as they whispered sounds
of love to the other, exchanging little kiss pecks.  The outside
storm was over, but they could hear the rain hitting the window.
It was music to sleep by.
     * * * * *
     Joey had had a big week.  He too, liked storms and this was
a much different thunderstorm than they experienced in Houston.
The storms in Houston usually came in from the Gulf coast, while
this one had come across the prairie and hills to Williamsport.
He couldn't describe the difference, but knew it existed.  It
just felt different.
     He couldn't help but think about the fun he'd had all week
being with Dale and Craig, then Craig's parents, his grandma and
grandpa as they liked him to call them.  Although he and Joe had
been tight, sharing most everything with each other, for some
reason for the first time in his life, he really felt the
security of being a member of a family.  It wasn't a traditional
family, by any means, but it functioned as one.  He now had two
parents.  Sure they were both "Dads" as he liked to call them,
but it was a comforting feeling that he had two people who had
opened their lives to admit him and he loved them, knowing they
also loved him.
     And he had grandparents.  Of course, he had barely known his
own mother, as he was just four years old when she left.  Joe,
his father, had never met any of her family.  He knew that his
Sullivan grandparents had died before he was born.  They had
lived in Abilene, Texas and moved to the Oregon coast when his
father was in the Navy.  He thought Joe said they had been in a
car accident and died as a result.  Joe had written out all of
the family history he knew and it was in a notebook that Joey
made sure he brought with him.  He knew that Dale would want to
see it someday, too.
     But Craig's parents were something else.  He knew they loved
both of "their sons" as they called Craig and Dale, and that love
now included him.
     He lay there, enjoying the thunderstorm and realized that he
was getting an erection.  He idly ran his fingers through his new
crop of chest hair, then down to his groin and through his pubic
bush.  That brought his cock to attention.  He used saliva and
the little amount of precum he produced to lube himself up.  It
didn't take long to get himself ready for a climax and this time
he had a sock ready to catch it.  Now the sock was soggy and the
combination of sweaty feet and cum was a pretty rank smell.
     He used the other sock to wipe himself off, inserting his
cock into it to catch the last dribbles.  He rolled over, the
rain providing a wonderful sound pattern that brought on
immediate sleep.
     * * * * *
     (to be continued)
     AUTHORS NOTE:  Thanks for the great emails on the last few
chapters.  I really enjoy hearing all of your comments, both
critical and good.  My special thanks to Paul Daventon for his
help in catching the obvious errors in the story.  As I've reread
the story recently, I've found a few inconsistencies from
previous chapters, but you've been kind to me in not pointing
them out.
     There have been some who have feared that I've introduced
too many new characters, however, few will be of much importance
to the story, we all meet a lot of people in our everyday lives
and Dale, Craig and Joey will, too.  Any comments you have may be
directed to me at TulsaDriller7@aol.com.  Thanks for reading.