Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 18:35:07 -0500
From: David Dillon <tulsaauthor@hotmail.com>
Subject: Tales from the Ranch: Book 2, Chapter 4 (Rural section)

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 2006 by Tulsa Driller.  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
society.

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 to read the last chapter of this story.

NOW:  On with the story.  Since I've not posted a new chapter for
way too long, I would suggest that some of you might want to read
Book II, Chapter 3 again to get familiar with the story and
characters as Chapter 4 picks up in the middle of a scene that I
left open.

Tales from the Ranch
Book II, Chapter 4
     And, there Ray was, rubbing his own hairy chest and
massaging his pecs, staring at John's crotch.
     John's brain seemed to have shorted out.  "I. umn. I'm.
sorry," John started to say.
     "You don't need to say anything," Ray soothed.  "Your dick's
saying it for you."
     "Bu. but." John managed to stammer.
     "Hey bud, it's okay.  I like to read these magazines.
That's why I subscribe to them."
     John still didn't comprehend what he was hearing.  All he
could think of was that Ray was pulling a trick on him. and was
going to fire him for being queer.  He shouldn't have been
looking at the stack of magazines on the coffee table.
     "You. you. read these.?" John asked.  His tongue and brain
weren't working in tandem yet.
     "Hell yes, John.  I put them out to see if you had any
interest in them.  I can see that you do and I'm glad," Ray
replied.
     "Wh. wha. what do you mean?" John wanted to know.
     "John, I finally admitted to myself that I was gay about a
year ago.  I think you are a hot stud, so I put these magazines
out to see what kind of reaction you might have. and if you would
look at them.  I was too chicken to confront you and just ask if
you might be gay, too."
     "I. I. don't know. what I am," John honestly said.
"Besides. you're my boss."
     Ray walked over to stand in front of John.  He offered his
hand to help him stand up in front of himself.  They were so
close they were almost touching each other.
     "Don't let that bother you.  It doesn't me," Ray breathed
aloud.   "I won't hold it against you," he said, then rubbed his
crotch against John's still-hard dick.  "Or maybe I will hold it
against you," he said, wrapping his arms around John's back.
     John snickered.  "I can't believe this.  I thought you were
a real stud and was thrilled when you asked me to come to work
for your company, but I never thought that we'd end up like this.
I'd hoped."
     His next words were lost as Ray's mouth found his.
     As they broke the kiss, both were super hard.  Ray wasn't
wearing any underwear, so his dick was pointing straight up.
John had another problem.  His dick was tangled up in his boxer
shorts and didn't have anywhere to go.  He was so hard, it was
almost painful and when Ray put his hand on it, he could feel the
wetness to the left of the fly on John's 501's.  John almost had
an orgasm from the grope Ray gave him.
     Ray could tell that John was big - larger than he was.
     Their mouths found each other's again.  John found out that
he liked to kiss, something that he and Nolan had not fully
discovered the times they had sex with each other, although he
and Michael had kissed the few times they were together.  But
that was nothing like he was experiencing with Ray.  It was like
a lightning rod drawing electricity to his cock and he could feel
the precum leaking in his Levis.
     "This could be more fun without clothes," Ray told him,
breaking the kiss.  He was waiting for consent to unbutton John's
fly and hoped he would do the same for him.  Levi 501's were the
best aphrodisiac yet invented, he thought, and John certainly
wore his well.
     Ray searched for John's mouth again, and then moved down his
throat to tickle his Adams apple.  No one had done that to John
before and it almost caused flashes of light and bells to ring.
     John decided to do the same for Ray, backing off and then
coming back as the aggressor.  He must have had the same effect
on Ray that he'd just experienced.  Ray didn't wait any longer;
he popped all the buttons on John's 501's in quick sequence, and
then tugged them downward, his sticky boxer shorts following.
John's actions were causing Ray to get harder himself, and he
took care of his own needs, ripping his buttons open, too.
     Soon their wet cocks were mashed up against each other and
Ray started lifting John's polo shirt upward so it could tug it
off and finally admire this guy who had been causing him wet
dreams for the last three weeks.  Wow!  John was really hairy for
only being 19-years old.
     Ray actually was more of a virgin than John.  The only two
times he'd sucked someone else's cock was at the rest stop just
south of Williamsport and that had just whet his appetite for
more.  But he had been afraid to approach guys, even those he
knew were gay, a couple of which attended the Dignity/Integrity
meetings.  He really wasn't sure how to go about communicating
his desires to other men.  This whole scene tonight could well
have backfired on him, but he had decided that it was now or
never and if he lost John as an employee, then he really had let
his dick do his thinking instead of his brain.
     But, he had an idea that John was more than a willing
participant tonight.
     Ray sank to his knees, trailing saliva down the middle of
John's chest and abs.  As he sniffed and licked around John's
scrotum, he was fumbling with John's athletic shoes, untying them
by feel, as he was otherwise engaged.  Finally he was able to
work John's shoes off and helped him shed his pants.  He felt
John's hands under his armpits, lifting him upward as John helped
Ray shed his 501's also.  Once Ray was free of his pants, they
were both naked except for John's white socks and that turned Ray
on.  He hoped John didn't want to take them off, unless he
removed them for him.
     "Let's go upstairs," Ray finally whispered, realizing that
the only sounds they had been making were groans of pleasure.
     * * * * *
     Dale called Leland Stanton early on Monday morning to talk
to him about making a bid on the two pieces of property that were
available, telling him what Marty and Martin had said about what
to offer.
     Leland listened to Dale, making notes while they chatted.
He confirmed that the same realty company had both farms listed,
then told Dale that he would call the realtor and tell him that
he had an interested party who wanted to make an offer.
     "Let me make an offer on your behalf.  That way the realtor
won't know who's wanting to buy the property and they won't be
able to hassle you."
     "That would be great," Dale said.  He was enthused over the
chance of buying the farms, as were Craig and Joey.  In a way it
seemed like a lot of money to spend on ground to build a house,
but as Marty had suggested, Dale could either farm it himself or
lease the land and collect a portion of the sale of whatever was
produced.
     They, along with Frank and Doris, liked the idea of having
their own horses and the opportunity to be able to raise a few
steers and chickens for their own consumption.  Joey had
expressed the idea that he'd like to have a few ducks and geese
"because they're neat."
     "Since both pieces of property have been on the market for a
while, it's my opinion that they are overpriced.  The owners of
the larger farm may be willing to accept a bid since they are
trying to close an estate and this is the last item for them to
dispose of.
     "The owners of the smaller property are probably needing the
money to pay off the mortgage on the farm.  I know that they
haven't made their monthly payments since the house burned, so
I'll check to see what the loan balance is," he told Dale.
     "We can't think you enough," Dale told Leland.  "My only
experience with a realtor around here wasn't a good one as
Craig's partner and I had Phyllis Richmond 'working a deal for
us'," he laughed.
     Leland laughed along with Dale.  "Yes, there weren't any
tears shed, except by her, when she lost her real estate
license."
     "Well, she sure tried to run over me.  I think she thought I
was a hick from the sticks and she was not happy that I wanted to
look the papers over before signing them.  She really got into a
snit about that."
     "Let me make some phone calls to find out what I can about
the properties; if there is a current appraisal, what the taxes
are and see what the present debt is on them and I'll get back to
you, hopefully later, today," Leland told Dale.
     "Gee, you move fast on everything, don't you?" Dale said.
     "Hey, what can I say?  We're a service organization," he
laughed.
     "Thanks, Leland.  I really appreciate your helping us out on
this," Dale told him before hanging up the phone.
     * * * * *
     Craig was telling Don Albrecht about their fortune in
finding two farms that were next to each other and what Marty and
his father had told them.
     "That sounds ideal for your needs.  Building on a hilltop
can make for a lot of privacy, plus you can see cars coming up
the driveway from the road," Don told him.
     "It also makes it easy to put a garage in the basement and
use the rest of that floor for either storage or living areas.
I'm still thinking that we should have two floors of living area
and put the bedrooms on the upper level".
     "Are you going to go the solar energy route?" Don asked.
     "I'm thinking about it, at least for hot water," Craig
answered.
     "Stone, wood or brick?" Don wanted to know.
     "I'm in favor of a mix of native stone and used brick,
myself, but we haven't discussed that at all," Craig replied.
     "You'll go through a hundred revisions before you start
drawing plans," Don joked.
     "Hey, it doesn't cost anything to dream and sketches are
cheap," Craig smiled.  He knew that he could count on Don for
good ideas.
     * * * * *
     Frank and David talked about having a Christmas party for
the employees of Saber Computers.  There were 14 full-time
employees and 4 others who worked on Saturdays and other times as
they couldn't work a full schedule.  So, they figured that they
should plan for about 40 to attend the festivities on a Sunday
evening.  The question was, "where to have the party"?  There
were two possible options.  The first was to use the classroom
area at the store and have the meal catered; and the other was to
look for a restaurant that could prepare a meal and serve that
many people.
     * * * * *
     Doris invited Dale and Craig to eat lunch at her house on
Monday.  She needed ideas for Christmas presents for them and
Joey and they needed ideas for Christmas presents for Frank and
Doris, as well as Susan, Chuck, Becky and possibly Doug as they
were still seeing each other.
     Frank and Doris had invited the Dallas contingent of the
family to Williamsport to celebrate the holiday, so they would
have to share in sleeping arrangements again and the dinner would
be held at Dale, Craig and Joey's home because of the larger
kitchen and area to set up tables.
     Craig suggested that they add Forrest to the guest list as
his grandmother was in the rest home and he would be alone.
     Doris asked, "What is going to happen to Forrest when his
grandmother dies?  He's too young to be allowed to stay in that
house alone."
     "If the truth be known, he probably shouldn't be staying
there now, although he's old enough to take care of himself.
But, if anyone really wanted to make an issue of it, he's still a
minor," Dale said.
     "Does he have any money?" Doris asked.
     "I think he gets a little Social Security because his
parents were killed in an automobile accident.  That probably
will stop when he turns 18.  His grandmother gets Social
Security, but I think that probably was assigned to the rest home
when she was moved from the hospital.  So, no, he probably
doesn't have much money besides what he earns at the store," Dale
told them.
     "He's at that unfortunate age.  Too old for someone to adopt
and too young to be out on his own.  The house is in a trust fund
for him, but he can't sell it until he turns 21.  Leland set that
up for him because his grandmother didn't have a will.  Now,
thanks to him, she does," Craig said.
     "It sounds to me like they need to arrange for someone to be
his legal guardian.  That should meet the requirements for the
state law and allow him to stay in the house, as he would have
non-live-in supervision," Doris observed.  "I'm going to talk to
Frank about that tonight.  He'll know what the legal requirements
are."
     * * * * *
     Joey had a good day at school.  He really liked his teachers
except for Kent Korte and he and Daniel were doing well enough
working on their own.  They had gotten three programs to work by
copying a program out of a book and then modified it to other
applications.  Daniel's contribution was to come up with a
routine that would convert Celsius to Fahrenheit temperatures.
     Joey took on a slightly harder program to figure simple
interest using the formula I=PRT and doing a date calculation.
Only one section of code give him a problem, but he quickly
figured out what was wrong, fixed it, and the program ran.
     Daniel was working on a program that would use a database to
print a membership list and it was coming along nicely.  He was
trying to work without any help from the book Joey had found at
The Electronic Home.
     Joey decided that his next effort would be to write a
program to allow the input of several figures, such as test
scores, total them and find the average number.  If that was
successful, then he wanted to add a routine to allow for the
input of a name along with the data, sort the list and print it
in alphabetical order.  It was a lot of computer code and he had
to use the book frequently.
     He and Daniel were going to work on the program at Joey's
house after school that evening.
     * * * * *
     Doug Tate, the Principal, left word for Joey to come to his
office for a few minutes at the end of his lunch period, saying
that he would have a late slip for him to get into his 4th hour
class.
     Joey presented himself to Mr. Tate's secretary at the
appointed time.  She told him that he would be with him in a few
minutes and Joey had just sat down to wait when Mr. Tate came
into the office from the hall.
     "Hi Joey!" he greeted him as Joey stood up and shook hands.
"Come on into my office, I need to talk to you for just a minute
or two."
     Joey followed him into his office and sat down where Doug
Tate indicated.
     "The Student Council will consider appointing you to take
Leslie Brannock's place at their meeting after school this
evening.  They would like for you to give a short speech as to
why you feel you are qualified, what you would like to see
changed at Davy Crockett High School and how you would implement
those changes."
     Joey took a deep breath.  "This evening?" he questioned.
     "Yes, they meet in the cafeteria at 3:35," was the reply.
"Here's your late slip for 4th hour and an early leave slip for
your P.E. class, since the meeting starts in the middle of last
period."
     "Wow, that's not much time to prepare, is it?" Joey said.
     "You aren't required to make a long speech.  There are a few
on the council who don't know who you are.  This is a chance to
tell a little about yourself, your viewpoints on problems you
think exist and how you would solve them.  Maybe about 3 minutes,
max," Mr. Tate said.
     "Ok," Joey said.  "I can write that in computer lab, we
pretty much work on our own in that class, anyway."
     "You'll do just fine," Mr. Tate said, knowing that Joey was
the only person they were considering appointing to the vacant
position.
     * * * * *
     When he and Daniel sat down at a workstation in Mr. Korte's
class, Joey told him that he needed to write a short speech to
give at the Student Council meeting after school.
     "What's going on, are they going to do something about Thad
Wilson attacking you?  It's a little late for that, isn't it?" he
questioned.
     "No, Leslie Brannock is moving to Albuquerque 'cause his
father is being transferred there.  That leaves a vacancy on the
Student Council and I was asked if I would be interested in being
appointed to fill his place," Joey told him.
     "Way cool!" Daniel said, offering the palm of his hand to
Joey.  "You'll be good at that job, 'cause everybody likes you."
     Joey smacked Daniel's palm.  "You really think so?  I hope I
can do it."
     "What do you have to say in your speech?"
     "A little bit about who I am and why I moved to
Williamsport, then I'm supposed to talk about any problems I
might know of and give some suggestions about how to solve the
problem or implement the idea," Joey explained.
     "Sounds like you got a handle on it already, my man," Daniel
smiled at him.  "What are you going to talk about?"
     "Well, at first I thought about starting a Gay-Straight
Alliance group, but I don't know if there would be enough
interest or if people would be afraid to join, you know, like
people might think they were gay if they joined?"
     Daniel thought it was a good idea and said so.  "I can see
the need for it after what happened to you last week, but you
might be right about people being afraid to join and some might
try to join just to see who went to the meetings."  Daniel was
somewhat afraid it might not stop the problem Joey had
encountered.
     "Well, I agree with you.  So, I came up with the idea of
'safe zones' where teachers who were willing to help students
with problems and discuss it with them, but keep it to
themselves," if you know what I mean."
     "That's a good idea.  It might work okay, but what if the
teacher couldn't help without going to another teacher or the
principal?" Daniel quizzed.
     "Then it would have to be a mutual decision of the student
and teacher for that to happen.  The teacher could invoke the
'safe zone' also and report a problem that exists, maybe without
saying who was having the problem.  I don't have it all worked
out, but we would have to identify the teachers and maybe put a
symbol on their door or outside their room."
     "It's still a good idea and some teachers would sign up
immediately, other's probably would stay away from it," Daniel
agreed.
     "I need to use the computer to write my speech.  You can
look over my shoulder and help me, if you want," Joey told him.
     "Okay, kind of like a ghostwriter?" Daniel questioned,
teasing Joey.
     "Yeah, if you want to call it that," Joey said, starting up
the WordStar program.
     * * * * *
     Eddie Thompson was in the gym dressing room when Joey
arrived for P.E. class.  He gave his early-out slip to the coach.
Eddie looked at it and said, "It's up to you if you want to suit
up for class, but we're going to play volleyball and you won't be
able to play for more than about 15 minutes when it will be time
to take a shower and leave."
     "You're not going to blow your whistle at me if I don't
play?" Joey asked.  They both knew he was teasing.
     "No, but you'd better be prepared to run laps the entire
class the rest of the week," Eddie said, winking at Joey.
     "Sounds like a deal to me," Joey said as they both laughed.
     Joey sat on the bleachers and watched the rest of the class
play.  Those who weren't playing at a given time were sitting in
the area where Joey was and they all visited among themselves.
For some reason Joey didn't have any classes with most of these
boys, then found out that many were either sophomores or juniors
and hadn't filled their P.E. requirement when they were freshman.
.    * * * * *
     Joey arrived at the corner of the cafeteria about 3 minutes
before the meeting started.  The council members had pulled their
chairs around so they were sitting in a circle.  There were two
teacher advisors for each class, so each class had three
representatives and two advisors.  There was one empty chair.
     The Student Council President called the meeting to order
and immediately asked for a motion to recognize the need to fill
a freshman vacancy on the Council caused by Leslie Brannock
moving away.
     There was a motion and a second.
     The President stood.  "I would like to introduce Joey
Sullivan who has been recommended to fill the vacant freshman
slot.  Joey, would you tell us a little about yourself?"
     Joey stood and the president motioned him to stand in front
of the empty chair so he moved there.
     "My name is Joseph Dale Sullivan, Jr. and everyone calls me
Joey.  I moved to Williamsport about 10 weeks ago after having
attended Remington Middle School in Houston.  The reason for the
move is that my father died and my half brother became my
guardian and care provider.
     "I have been an honors student since fifth grade and plan to
take Advanced Placement courses next year.  I have a First Class
rank in Boy Scouts, although I haven't joined the local troop
yet.  I've played Little League Baseball for four summers and
have played soccer for two years.  I also sing in the choir at
St. James Episcopal Church.  My brother and I own Saber Computer
Store, along with another partner.
     "I've thought about what might be done to help students that
are having problems, but no one to turn to who might be able to
counsel them.  It's my feeling that a number of instructors might
be willing to help those students out and be able to talk about
anything the student wanted to discuss and possibly help them
with the problem.
     "We would need to identify those teacher's classroom as a
'safe zone' where anything discussed would not leave the room,
except where the student and instructor both agree that someone
at a higher level should intervene.  Again, the 'safe zone' would
be invoked and the student would not be identified.
     "The instructors who take part in this program would have to
be honest and trustworthy, otherwise, it will not work.  I feel
that this would be a great benefit to those students who can't or
won't talk to their parents and have no one else to turn to
without being ridiculed."
     "Thank you for considering me to be a member of the Student
Council."
     There was applause all around the room and Joey didn't know
if he should sit down in the circle or find a seat elsewhere.
     The Student Council President, Tracy Watkins spoke up.
"Well said, Joey.  I think you have made a valid proposal."  Then
he followed up, "Do I hear a motion to allow Joey Sullivan to
take Leslie Brannock's place on the Davy Crockett High School
Student Council?"
     "So moved," someone said.  There was a second to the motion.
     "All in favor, respond by saying 'Aye'," Tracy asked.
     "Aye," almost as one voice.
     "Anyone against?"
     There was silence.
     "Joey, welcome to the Student Council.  Please have a seat
and feel free to ask questions since the business before this
meeting will be new to you."
     "Thank you," Joey said, taking his seat.  He was very proud
of this latest development in his life.
     * * * * *
     Much to Daniel's disappointment, since Joey was now a member
of the Student Council, they weren't able to work on their
computer programs at Joey's house that evening.  Also, Daniel was
hoping to be able to view some of the movies Joey had.  He was
really curious about the collection Joey's father had put
together and he thought it was awesome that Dale and Craig were
cool with it.  He couldn't imagine his parents even allowing he
and his brother to rent a non-PG rated movie to look at in their
own home.
     * * * * *
     That evening while eating dinner, Dale asked Joey how his
day at school had been.  Joey hadn't made any mention of the fact
that he was being considered as a member of the Student Council,
mainly because he didn't think he would have a chance at being
elected.
     "You'll never guess what happened," Joey said.
     Craig was very interested as his first thought was the
trouble Thad Wilson had caused Joey.
     "Well?" Dale asked.
     One of the students in our freshman class moved to
Albuquerque because his father was transferred.  I was elected to
fill his term on the Student Council."
     Palms were slapped around the table.
     "That's great!" Craig said.  "Did you know this was going to
happen?  I haven't heard you say anything about it."
     "Actually, Mr. Tate talked to me about it last week, but I
didn't say anything because I really didn't think I had a chance
since not too many students know who I am."
     "Congratulations!" Dale heartedly approved.
     "Yes," Craig replied.  "You will be good because I think
everyone respects you.  You seem to attract good guys for
friends."
     The conversation continued as they ate with Joey filling
them in on his suggestion for "safe zones" where students could
go to instructors for help with any problem they might be having.
     "I wish we'd had something like that when I was in high
school," Dale said.  "There were a lot of times that I could have
used a kind ear and guidance."
     "Me, too," Craig agreed, "although I was always able to go
to my parents if I had a problem, but many in my class didn't
have understanding parents."
     * * * * *
     Doris had decided that she wanted to buy her boys' nice
leather coats as a Christmas gift from she and Frank.  But, the
big question was what style of coat to buy.  Should they be a
dressy coat, such as a sport coat, or a bomber-type jacket.  She
and Frank finally decided that a casual jacket might be more
practical, but it wouldn't hurt their feelings if the coats were
exchanged for one of another style.
     * * * * *
     Business at the store had taken off and everyone was
enthusiastic with the sales volume shown on each days reports.
The "zip code report" each day showed that over 60 percent of the
customers were coming from areas around Williamsport and another
20% were Austin zip codes.  Leland was almost beside himself and
was frequently in the store for an hour or two each day.  He was
almost like a child with a new toy and David was thankful for the
guidance Leland gave.  He wasn't being pushy in his
recommendations; they were well thought out and mostly concerned
inventory levels which he recommended be kept high.  He felt that
they might be able to move into the mail-order business more
quickly than he had originally forecast, based on people coming
from other areas to buy computers and accessories.  Word had
gotten back to him that Saber Computers was hurting the business
of one store in Austin.
     David was thankful that Leland insisted on hiring an
advertising agency to take over the work on the weekly newspaper
ads as well as the proposed new catalog.  It was a lot of work to
put those ads together, especially when he had to work with a
salesman from the newspapers' advertising department in Austin.
This freed up time for David to be able to look for new suppliers
for the additional computer component parts they would soon be
stocking to support a mail order business.
     There was a new agency, Creative Concepts, in Williamsport
that had already landed the advertising account for Commerce
Bank.  Roger Graham was from Williamsport and had worked for
Allied Advertising in Austin before establishing his own company
back in his hometown.  His business partner was Bill Kendrick,
who had worked for a public relations firm in Austin.  Leland was
sure that Roger and Bill, both in their late 20's, had a
relationship beyond being business partners.
     When Leland and David put forth the idea of some TV spots,
using employees of Saber Computers, Roger and Bill jumped on the
idea.  "That's a super idea," Roger said.  "We've had some
experience with this sort of thing before, mostly with furniture
stores, but the clients were emphatic that they use the 'down
home, folksy approach' and while the ads seemed to help their
business, we were hoping they would aim for a more sophisticated
approach."
     Bill added, "I wasn't comfortable with people that looked
and sounded like someone from the backwoods being their
spokesman.  With your permission, we'd like to put together a few
commercials and give some of your employees a screen test.  Not
everyone should be on TV, as you probably know."
     David and Leland agreed.
     Work was underway to complete two classrooms, accommodating
a dozen computers in each.  Dennis was busy running cable for the
networked computers.  These classrooms could also be used as a
demonstration for how a network of computers worked.  After
Christmas the store would start offering software instruction
courses for those who wanted them.  In addition Dennis and David
would be doing some on-site training with new network systems
that would be installed in two businesses after the beginning of
the New Year.
     David's first sales call was to the Williamsport School
System to survey their needs and come up with a proposal to
furnish new computers for the computer lab and take the older
computers on trade.  Actually his plan would save the school
board money in the long run as computer equipment was going down
in cost and they could have the latest hardware and software
packages when school started each fall.  What was more import to
him was that the name "Saber Computers" be plainly visible on the
monitor and keyboard of each computer in the lab.  Name
recognition was important.
     A second proposal was in the works to replace the computers
in the school offices with newer equipment.  Those computers
there were 3 years old and could not run some new software
programs designed to track attendance and grades.
     David was amused upon meeting Kent Korte.  One would think
that the instructor would be pushing hard for new equipment, but
Mr. Korte seemed to be disinterested in the proposal, saying that
the computers in the lab were adequate for the students' needs as
he was teaching programming in Basic along with WordStar and
Lotus programs.
     David pointed out the fact that they needed faster machines
with greater memory, as Windows was rapidly becoming the standard
computer operating system.  Windows 3.0 had been released just a
few months before.  He added that many companies were releasing
both Windows and DOS versions of their major programs and that
Internet usage was increasing.  Kent Korte remained unimpressed,
saying that he couldn't think of any reason why one would need
access to two or more programs at a time.
     The real "zinger" came when David told Kent that Bulletin
Boards were going to become as obsolete as dinosaurs since
Internet Websites were going to replace them; that as Windows
usage increased, the old DOS Utility programs would no longer be
necessary and fall by the wayside.  He would have loved to have a
picture of Kent's face when he heard that bit of news.
     Later that evening was the weekly store meeting.  David was
giving Frank, Dennis, Leland, Dale, Craig and Joey a report of
his meeting with Kent Korte.
     "I don't think the guy has a clue about new computer
technology.  He's not interested in new software and I really
don't think he knows what Microsoft Windows can do and how it can
help speed the computer by allowing multiple programs to be
running at the same time."
     Of course, Joey was becoming well versed in using Windows,
along with Forrest and Daniel, as it was a package which sold
well at Saber Computers due to the demonstrations they provided
for customers.  The demos almost always resulted in an immediate
sale of the Windows package. They were selling Windows software
packaged with other software of the customer's choice, all at a
discount if purchased at the same time.  Again, many customers
didn't really know what they were buying or how they were going
to use it, but it was a case of having the newest - just to say
they had it.
     "Mr. Korte doesn't know what's going on, all he is
interested in is the Bulletin Board he runs on his home computer.
He wasn't all that impressed with the Basic programs that Daniel
and I wrote and didn't even look at the printout of the program.
He did give us each an A for it and told us that we'd passed the
computer lab course," Joey reported.
     "Well, at least he gave you boysgot a good grade for it,"
Dale replied.
     "That's not the point," Joey stated,  "I'm wondering if the
others in the class are going to get A's, too, without doing what
Daniel and I've accomplished.  We're all pretty much self-taught
and if it hadn't been for the book I bought from Dennis and
having Daniel working with me, I'd still be in the dark."
     "Is Computer Lab a one semester course?" Craig wanted to
know.
     "We can take Computer Lab II next semester if we want, but I
think it will be a waste of time," Joey answered.
     "He's right there," Dennis said.  "He's fulfilled the work
needed to pass the course.  What is Korte going to be able to
teach him next semester?"
     "The jerk needs to be replaced.  Computer knowledge is going
to be necessary for about 95% of the workforce within another few
years.  If you don't learn computer usage in school, what's the
purpose of the school offering a course where no knowledge is
gained?" David stated.
     "Someone needs to make the school administration aware of
what's not happening," Craig told them.
     "They're aware that a problem exists and I think the
situation has taken care of itself," Leland said.  "I had a talk
with Marty Williamson about this and he told me that Kent Korte
has this job only because the person they hired received a better
offer just before school was due to start.  They needed someone
quickly and Korte was available.  They didn't have time to
adequately check his qualifications.  Those have been checked and
he's failed the course, so to speak."
     "What do you mean?" David asked.
     "Just between us, he's being replaced at the end of the
semester.  The new person has excellent qualifications and we
expect to have a contract for new equipment to be installed in
the lab when he starts next month," Leland stated.
     "Wow!" was Joey's reply.  "Maybe I'd better check to see
what is going to be offered in that lab next semester."
     "Do whatever you want, Joey, but I'll bet that you already
know more than will be taught in that course next semester.  Look
at what you've learned just since you got a computer at home,"
David told him.
     "Yes, and look at the sales dollars you are generating from
being able to demonstrate computer programs.  We might have you
teach one of the evening classes," Frank said, grinning at him.
     "That would be so neat!"  Joey was enthused.
     "Wait a minute.  We need to consider Joey's schoolwork and
the other activities he's involved with.  I think that working at
the store for a few hours on Saturday is enough for right now.
He needs time to relax and enjoy being with his friends," Dale
said.  He thought that Joey was spreading himself too thin.
     Joey was disappointed, but realized that his Dad was
probably right.  He was involved with too many things:  school,
the store, choir and now student council.  He really didn't have
time to do things for fun.
     * * * * *
     Dale's cell phone rang late the next afternoon.  He was
working at his desk in the Bar-W office.  His first thought was
that Michael or Pat was calling him, but they were working on
cleaning equipment.  He wondered who might be calling, as only a
few people knew this number.  Craig generally called the office
phone before trying his cell number.
     "Bar-W Ranch, Dale Richards speaking."
     "Dale, it's Leland.  I have some information on the two
pieces of property you and Craig are interested in buying."
     "Yeah?"  Dale was hoping for the best.
     "I did some checking.  The old Darrington property can be
picked up pretty cheaply.  There hasn't been a principal payment
made since the house burnt.  I found out that there are two years
taxes due.  Someone in the bank goofed and didn't follow through
when no tax receipt was brought in.  I talked to the realtor and
I think we have a deal if you guys approve."
     "Great.  What kind of money are we talking about?"
     "How does $15 thousand sound to you?  That includes the
taxes being brought up to date."
     Dale was astounded at the price.  "That sounds really good
to me.  I'm sure that it's fine with Craig, too, but I need to
check with him."
     "I know that," Leland replied.
     "What about the other place?" Dale wanted to know.  He was
clearly excited about the whole deal.
     "I made an offer of $38,500 cash with an immediate closing.
Their attorney about had a stroke at that offer, but the real
estate agent told me that no one else was interested and two of
the heirs were really pushing to get rid of the property and
close the estate.  The other one is greedy, but may come around
if the others push him," Leland told him.
     "So, we're talking about $53,500 for both pieces of
property?  That's less than Marty said to offer.  You are good,
my friend," Dale excitedly told him.
     "As I said, we're a service organization," Leland laughed.
     "I guess we'll be writing a check then?" Dale questioned.
     "I don't know why," Leland replied.  "I told you that we can
finance that whole deal by using your own money.  We can give you
a lower interest rate and when the house is built, we'll finalize
the land and construction all rolled into one.  It's a new way of
financing something of this type and believe me, you qualify with
no problem.  All you and Craig need to do is to come to my office
and sign a short-term note."
     "I know, it's just that I've been concerned about Joey's
money even though Joe told me to use it for a new house, if we
wanted," Dale replied.
     "Actually, Dale, you are simply borrowing money from
yourself and paying yourself back, it's just a different way of
financing this venture for your family."
     "Okay.  Let me see if I can find Craig and I'll call you
back in a little bit.  I'm sure that this will meet with his
approval, but need to be sure," he said, smiling at the thought
of giving his lover the good news.
     "Okay, I'll be in my office about another 30 minutes.  If
you don't find Craig, call me in the morning," Leland said.
     They told each other goodbye and broke the connection.
     It was about quitting time.  Dale decided that instead of
calling Craig, he'd rather wait and tell him and Joey both in
person so they could all share the good news.
     * * * * *
     Craig had only been home a short time when Dale walked into
the kitchen and gave him a deeply felt kiss that made their
groins tingle.  "Wow, what brought that on?" Craig giggled.
"You can do that again."
     "I just missed you today," Dale told him, giving him a hug.
Craig groped Dale and teased, "You are glad to see me, aren't
you?"
     "Yeah.  Where's Joey?"
     "He had a Student Council meeting last period and then was
supposed to work with one of the advisors on his proposed project
for "safe zones" where the students can talk to the teachers
without any fear of the conversations becoming public."
     "Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten about that.  What time will he be
home?"
     "Should be here anytime," Craig said, smiling.  "Why, do you
wanna play around a little bit?"  He wiggled his eyebrows
provocatively.
     "That, too, but guess it can wait.  What are you fixing?" he
questioned.
     "Mom gave me her recipe for chicken breasts baked in
mushroom sauce with wild rice, so I just finished up boning them
and can put the rest of the dish together in a little while.  I
got two bags of salad greens, fresh green beans and there's a bag
of succotash in the freezer.  We have cake left from last night."
     "Yum." Dale started to say as Craig reached his lips for
another kiss.
     About that time Mitsey barked and raced toward the front
door.  Joey was home from school.  He knelt down to play with her
for a little bit and then she ran toward the kitchen with Joey
following.
     "Hi Dad's" Joey said.
     "Hi!" he heard in a double reply.
     "I haven't fed Mitsy yet," Craig said, "but she's been
outside.  She didn't race me to the kitchen when she came back
inside.  Guess she was waiting for you to do the honors."
     "That's okay," Joey replied.  "Ya hungry girl?"  Mitsy was
dancing around in front of her dishes.  Joey measured the dry
food into her bowl, then put it down and washed the water dish
while Mitsey gobbled her food down.
     "How was your day?" Dale asked Joey.
     "Good.  We had two pop quizzes, one in math and the other in
English.  I think I got a 100 on each.  Mr. Korte was in a really
foul mood today and wouldn't talk to anyone.  He didn't even
bother to read the names of the people who hadn't logged onto his
bulletin board the previous day.  Do you think he's found out
he's getting canned?" Joey asked.
     "Hard to tell," Craig said.  "I think if I was in his place
and got my walking papers, I wouldn't show up in class again."
     "He may have to in order to get paid," Dale said.  "He just
may realize that there are going to be big changes made in the
Computer Lab set up and he's not qualified to teach the new
technology either."
     "Ain't that the truth!"? Joey replied.  Craig was nodding
his head yes.
     Dale couldn't wait to tell the good news.  He started
smiling and Craig and Joey both noticed the 1000-watt grin.  "Oh
boy, we're gonna get it," Craig laughed.  "Look at your other
dad's smile."
     "What.?" Joey started to ask.
     "Are you guys ready to become farmers?" Dale asked, his grin
getting even wider.
     "We got the land?" Craig asked, clearly excited.
     "At least part of it.  We got the old Darrington property
for $15 thousand.  Leland made an offer of $38,500 for the other
place and he thinks the owners will probably accept it, but maybe
not right away.
     "That gives us the place to build our house.  If we can get
the other place later, that's great.  If not, it wasn't meant to
be," Craig said.
     "Neato!" was Joey's reply.  The three men pulled themselves
into a group hug.
     "How soon will we start building the new house?" Joey wanted
to know.
     "We have to get the plans completed first, then find a
contractor to build it.  It will be at least the end of February
before anything happens as far as digging a hole," Craig said.
"But, now we know where it's going to be will let me work out the
details of things we've discussed.  At least the area where the
house is going to go is large so we don't have the constraints of
a city lot to work with.  The big thing will be to figure out how
to build a driveway and where it will have to be.  That's a
pretty good climb from the road."
     "That's right," agreed Dale.  We've got to get building
materials up there, as well as cement trucks."
     "Let's have a drink to celebrate and talk about this some
more," Craig said, "then if I can get you and Joey to help me in
the kitchen, we'll get dinner underway."
     "What are we going to have, Mom?" Joey teased, causing Dale
to laugh.  Every time Joey called Craig "Mom" he thought of him
being dressed as Cinderella for the Halloween party.
     Your grandmother gave me her recipe for chicken breasts
baked in mushrooms sauce with wild rice," Craig said.  "I need to
see if I can make any sense out of it," he teased.
     Actually all three were becoming very proficient in the
kitchen.  At least one of them always helped Doris in the kitchen
when they were invited to Craig's parents home for a meal.  Doris
was an excellent instructor and along with the cooking course at
Wyler's, both Dale and Craig were doing very well.
     "That's easy to do," Joey told him.  "Have you boned the
chicken breasts yet?"
     "Yeah, that's done and I saved the bones for chicken stock,
too," Craig proudly replied.
     "That's the hardest part of putting the dish together," Joey
told them.  Both agreed with him.  They were starting to work
well together as a kitchen team and Craig planned to replicate
this kitchen in the new house, maybe making it a little larger.
     Craig fixed Beefeater martinis for himself and Dale, along
with a ginger ale for Joey.  He carried the drinks to the
kitchen.  Dale was snapping green beans and Joey was slicing the
mushrooms that Craig had already washed and dried.
     After they "cheered" each other, Dale said "I don't think
I've been so excited since I found out that your other dad was
gay," causing all three of them to laugh.
     Craig put his hands on his hips.  "I want to know, did I get
first place or did the farm get that honor?"  That added more
laughter.
     "You have that honor and always will," Dale said, turning
around to give Craig a tonsil-swabbing kiss.  Joey was looking
on, fascinated.  He loved his dads and was grateful they loved
him back.  "Come on, dads.  Get a room!" he giggled.  Actually he
wondered how a kiss like that felt.  He could feel himself
getting a little hard.
     When Dale and Craig pulled apart, it was obvious they were
more than just a little hard.
     The banter about the day's activities continued as they set
about their tasks of getting dinner ready.
     Joey talked about the student council meeting and that his
idea of "safe zones" had their attention.  He was invited to give
a more detailed report at the next meeting and Mrs. Chilton, one
of the freshman advisors, was going to work with Joey as she had
had some experience with this in another school.  She wanted to
put a good presentation together to take to the school
administration.  In addition, two other members of the student
council would be joining the planning group.
     Craig's report was that they were finally ready to break
ground on Warren Collins new shopping area.  He was hoping that
Ray Evans' company would build the buildings, but they had
declined to bid as they had too much work and their crews were
spread too thin to consider the project.  Ray had been most
apologetic, as he hated to turn down business.  But the
warehouse/distribution center between Williamsport and Austin was
under way and it was taking a lot of effort to keep the project
on time.
     "I hope they will be in a place where they can consider
bidding on our new home when the time comes," Craig said.
     Dale agreed, and then added,  "What about being our own
contractor and sub-contracting everything out to the best bid?"
     "I've thought about that.  Certainly with Don's help we
could probably do that.  After all, I'm drawing the plans and
know what has to be done and in what order," Craig told them.
     "Couldn't we save some money by doing that?" Dale
questioned.
     "Sure, probably even about 25%.  We don't have to worry
about making a profit, just keeping the contractors on course and
making sure they are following the plans.  The most important
thing is keeping everyone on schedule, as some things have to be
accomplished right along with a task that belongs to another
contractor.  Can't have one sitting around waiting for the other
to finish up," Craig replied.
     "Didn't that John fellow quit the Bar-W and go to work for
Ray?" Joey questioned.
     "Yes, and he's doing quite well.  He stopped at the ranch
the other day to thank me for encouraging him to leave that job
and work for Ray.  He said that he loves the work and everyone in
the company has been very helpful in sharing knowledge and making
sure he understands his new job.  Actually, except for working
with a couple of the crews the first two weeks, his main job has
been going from site to site, checking progress, making sure
material is being delivered on time and troubleshooting
problems," Dale said.
     "That's great, how are the other two working out?  Aren't
they living in that new house by themselves?" Joey asked.
     "They are living in the house and seem to be doing their
jobs well.  We've shut down any fieldwork until sometime in
February, so they have been cleaning and repairing all of the
machinery.  We'll have a mechanic from John Deere come out in a
couple of weeks to go over the tractors and make sure they are
ready to run when we start using them again.  With four tractors,
it's easier to have their mobile service truck come out here
rather than drive them to the dealer's shop," Dale told them.
     "Are you going to hire more people to work in the fields?"
Craig questioned.
     Dale replied, "Yeah, I'll probably need two to start before
the first of March and at least one more a little later.  With
the additional land Marty bought we'll have more crops to take
care of.  Most of the movement of cattle and horses has taken
place, but there are still several herds to move to new areas and
thatthe land where they've been will have to be plowed and put
into crops.
     "I'd like to work out there for a little while, just so I
could learn something about farming - since we're all going to be
farmers," Joey grinned.  "Don't forget that a couple of my
friends from Houston want to come visit and want to see the
ranch, too."
     "Joey, I wouldn't mind having you work out there, but I'm
afraid that you are going to spread yourself too thin with all of
your activities.  I realize that school will be out right after
the end of May, but you need to decide about working at the store
and working on the ranch.  You still have four more summers until
college beckons and you may even want to take A/P classes some of
those summers, too," Dale told him.
     Craig was standing there, nodding his head in agreement.
"He needs to have some time for fun because he's only going to be
a teen-ager once."
     "That's right" Dale told them.  In my case, I had to work to
help out at home, especially after my mother became ill.
Although I have no regrets about it, I did miss out on some
activities that would have been fun."
     "I know," Joey said.  "Like Forrest.  He pretty much has to
support himself, although he gets a little money from Social
Security every month because his folks were killed in an
accident."
     "Forrest is doing really well at the store.  Dad's glad he
hired him.  We'll see to it that he goes to college, but don't
tell him that.  He'll be better off not knowing about that until
the time gets closer and as smart as he is, he may get enough
scholarship help to make it on his own," Craig told them.
     * * * * *
     Ray led the way upstairs to his loft bedroom.  John was
admiring his tight buns.  It was easy to tell that like his own,
Ray's tight, muscled body came from hard work, rather than from
working out in a gym.  They were standing next to the bed and Ray
was pulling the cover and top sheet down.  Bob men were extremely
horny.  Ray had never had another man in his bedroom and
something was about to happen that he'd only dreamed of
happening, the chance to explore another man's body.
     John hadn't been with Nolan for about three weeks because of
John's new job and Nolan was having to make up for lost time to
get his grades up to the point he could finish the semester and
not have to take all of his classes over again.  Although they
talked on the phone every few days, John's hand was his only
source of relief.
     John started to pull his socks off when Ray stopped him.
     "Leave them on.  I don't know why, but I find men wearing
socks very sexy."
     "I do too," John whispered.  "Why don't you put some on?"
     Ray broke the embrace just long enough to open a drawer and
hurriedly pull out a clean pair, bending over and pulling on the
white work socks.  That seemed to excite each of them even more.
     "Lay down on your back," Ray whispered, not realizing that
he wasn't speaking out loud.  John complied, pulling Ray on top
of his body.  Their lips found each other again.  Ray was
wondering why he hadn't had the guts to do something like this
with another man before.  It had been almost a year since he'd
had his last, hurried experience in the men's room at the rest
stop south of Williamsport.  He'd tried to suck a man off, but in
his fear of getting caught, he'd actually just jacked him until
he came.  The man's cum had blasted all over Ray's shirt.  He was
scared and left the room without saying anything to the man.  All
he could think about was getting out of there before someone else
came along.  After he returned home, he took off his shirt and
sucked some of the cold cum from the shirt while he beat off.
This was going to be a lot more fun.
     Ray and John were a perfect mesh for each other; they could
stimulate each other in the right places simply by rubbing
together.  Although John had experienced this with Nolan, Ray was
hairy like himself; although he didn't look that way because his
chest hair was lighter in color, not dark like John was.  Both
enjoyed kissing each other.  John had more experience with this
than Ray, but he was a quick study.
     Ray was attracted to John's un-cut cock.  He had seem other
boys who were uncircumcised in the locker room in Phys Ed, but he
really didn't know how they worked and he was surprised when he
pulled the foreskin back that John's cock looked just like his
own.  The only difference he could see was that the skin was
loose on John's cock while he was tight with the skin barely
moving when he jacked himself.  He loved the way John's cockhead
disappeared and reappeared when he stroked him.
     Because Ray had read a lot of stories in "Advocate Men" he
had more knowledge as to what two men could do to pleasure each
other than John.  He was anxious to experience some of the things
he had read about.  He moved himself down John's body, stopping
to lick his Adam's apple, which caused John to bounce on the bed.
Okay, so this must be one of the erogenous areas he'd read about.
He continued on down thru the fur to lick his left nipple.  More
bouncing on the bed, with a louder "Ummph" from John.  While he
nibbled on that nipple, he was pinching the one on the right pec.
There was a louder noise from John, causing him to sit up and
pinch both of Ray's nipples.  . It was like a bolt of lightning
had hit him and Ray could feel his cock belching some precum.
     The men were rubbing each other, making a lot of noise with
their 'oohing and ahhing' as new stimulations were tried.  John
tongued out Ray's navel, causing more bouncing on the bed.  This
was fun.  Finally they settled into a 69 position, Ray devouring
John's big cock as far as he could.
     "Hey, watch the teeth," John gasped.  It felt wonderful, but
Ray's teeth hurt.
     "Sorry," Ray said, pulling off briefly before swallowing
again.
     John reciprocated with the action Ray was performing on him.
     Hardly any time had passed until both could feel their
organism approaching.  That just stimulated them on to a greater
desire to give the other the best blowjob ever.  For Ray, this
would be the first time someone had sucked him to organism.  John
had a little more experience, but he could tell that Ray was
really "into this" as he prepared to blow his load down his
throat.
     John's first torpedo of semen felt like it was blowing the
back of Ray's mouth open, but he bravely accepted the gift,
moving back up John's cock so he could taste the next salvo
offered.  The action caused Ray to erupt into John's mouth, where
John greedily sought his load.  They kept the other's cock in
their mouths, gently coaxing out the remaining semen as their
organs relaxed.
     Without any thought as to what they were doing, their lips
searched for the other and they mixed their rewards in their
mouths.
     'Wow, so this is what guy sex is about,' Ray thought.  He
wished he'd had guts to do this 15 years ago when he was in high
school.
     John came down from his sexual high slowly; savoring the
taste of Ray and the feelings they had stirred in the other.
Somehow, Ray's eagerness made it the best sex he'd experienced.
He wanted to do this again.
     Ray had the same feelings, but all of a sudden he was hungry
and that reminded him of why John was at his house to begin with.
     Kissing one more time, Ray said, "How 'bout we raid the
kitchen.  I invited you over here for some food.  We've had the
appetizer and main course, but how 'bout some real beef and then
we try this again?" Ray said with a leer.
     "I'm with you.  That was fantastic," John agreed.
     "Our clothes are downstairs," Ray said.  "How 'bout we just
put on our boxers and I'll start a fire and we can eat in front
of the fireplace?"
     "Fine with me.  What can I do to help?" John asked.
     Ray dug a pair of Joe Boxers out of his underwear drawer,
putting them on.  "Your shorts are downstairs, so why don't you
grab them.  I'll start the fireplace and grill, then you can help
me put the salad together and get the burgers ready to cook."
     "Okay."  John was glad Ray didn't suggest getting dressed.
This would give him a chance to scope out Ray's body.  Maybe if
he was lucky, they could have a repeat performance.
     As they shared the meal, each exchanged sexual history with
each other.  Both were pleased that the other was somewhat
inexperienced.  That would give them a chance to slowly explore
male sex with each other.
     John was concerned because Ray was his boss.  He wondered
how that would affect his job.
     Ray's thoughts were somewhat in the same direction.  He
hoped that he hadn't ruined their working relationship and
decided that he'd better tell his partners, Keith and Andy what
had transpired.  They knew that Ray was probably gay, as they had
discussed it at one point.  Keith and his girlfriend lived
girlfriend together.  Ray thought that Andy seldom dated the same
woman more than twice.  At the rate he was going, he probably was
running out of available women.
     Dinner conversation was quiet.  Both men were eyeing each
other and liked what they saw.  Ray was wondering how to proceed
in this relationship, should there be one.  He hoped so.
     John felt more sexually fulfilled than with either Nolan or
Michael.  Maybe it was Ray's maturity that tweaked his libido.
'To hell with me working for Ray,' John thought.  'I'd gladly
quit and go back to the Bar-W Ranch, if Dale would have me, just
so I could see Ray again.'
     Ray was thinking somewhat the same thoughts.  He hoped that
allowing his dick to do his thinking wouldn't totally fuck up
their relationship.  If John got annoyed about something, he
could easily hold it over Ray's head and cause problems as an
employee.  He would have to proceed with caution, but wanted John
to be part of his life.  His thoughts were twisted.
     After they finished the delicious burgers and salads in
front of the fireplace, they were sitting on the floor in front
of the loveseat.  The two beers they drank with the meal relaxed
them even more.  The heat from the fire felt good on their mostly
bare skin as all they were wearing were boxer shorts and the
socks.
     Ray felt compelled to ask, "Are you okay with what we did
earlier?"
     "Oh yeah," John answered.  "I've been wishing. but I was
scared.  You're my boss and." John trailed off.
     Ray leaned over so they could mesh lips.  After a deep kiss
they pulled apart.
     "I know.  I wanted this to happen, too, but I don't want
this to ruin our relationship at work.  I'd like to see you
again.  The sex was great and I'm happier than I've ever been.
Before I was scared to death about my sexuality, but I feel great
about what happened earlier."
     They exchanged another kiss.
     "Do you want to spend the night?" Ray asked.
     "Oh yeah," John eagerly answered, leaning in for another
tonsil-swabbing kiss.
     John helped Ray put things away in the kitchen, rinse dishes
and load the dishwasher.  The two gathered John's clothes from
the living room and carried them upstairs.
     * * * * *
     Author's Note:  Thanks for all the emails you sent after the
release of Book II, Chapter 3.  I did not get all of them
answered, as some of you have found out.  However, I have to
point out that I am no longer with AOL as an ISP.  Two people
sent emails containing a virus that trashed my computer and
erased files and sent a lot of emails that I didn't send.  I was
lucky that I had just backed up the sub-directory a day or two
prior to receiving those files, but I lost some programs and
other data that I can't replace..
     I finally got fed up with AOL.  They pulled the plug on me
sometime back when I sent a notification note to readers advising
them of a new chapter.  Too many came back because email
addresses had been changed and then one person reported that I
was sending unwanted SPAM.  AOL finally relented and allowed me
back on line, but with the warning that if it happened again,
they would shut down both my primary and secondary emails.  After
I ordered new service, they didn't shut my account down and
didn't tell me it was still open.
     My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon
("Dukes of Windsor"), who has taken time to help me catch obvious
errors.
     Chapters 5 and 6 are well along toward completion and will
be posted soon.
     Any comments are appreciated and you can reach me at
TulsaAuthor@hotmail.com.
          Thanks, David.