The Jouster's Lance

by A. J. Marcus

  “I had to tell you this. I told Phillip I’d be back in a couple of minutes.” He didn’t tell her he’d almost bounced all the way over to the pirate bar. His heart was still beating hard from talking to Dale.

  “Well, out with it. There’s no telling when the next drunken lout is going to want another cup of beer.”

  “We have a date tonight.”

  “What do you mean ‘we have a date’?” She glared over the bar at him.

  He lowered his voice before continuing. “Dale, aka Diederik, and Lady Catherine have asked us, that’s you and me, out to dinner tonight to make up for him getting so drunk at the party.” He paused and stared at her. “Which, by the way, you didn’t do anything to his drinks, did you?” “He’s a flatlander drinking in the mountains. I didn’t have to do anything to his drinks.” She sounded slightly put out by his suggestion, but he could tell she thought it was funny.

  “How can I help, m’lord?” she asked the man who had walked up behind Austin.

  “Be ready by eight,” Austin said before he hurried back to work, feeling better than he had in days.

  Chapter 13

  Dale paced in front of the corral, stopping every now and then to rub one of the velvety noses that hung over the top pole of the fence. Clearly the horses hoped he might give them treats. The big palomino was the pushiest of the bunch. Catherine leaned with her back against the truck, looking relaxed.

  “What’s taking them so long?” he asked, stepping away from the fence.

  “It’s two minutes after eight,” Catherine replied. “They’ll be here in a couple of minutes.” She stepped close enough she could lower her voice and not risk being overheard. “Are you always this nervous before a first date?”

  “This isn’t a date,” he hissed and went back to pacing.

  “Could’ve fooled me,” she said just loud enough for him to hear.

  Seconds later, footsteps sounded on the path leading to the campground, followed by Austin and Jasmine coming into view. Dale’s breath caught, and he tried not to stare at the tight black T-shirt that covered Austin’s lanky, well-defined form. The tail of his shirt was tucked into an equally tight pair of blue jeans that left little to the imagination. He’d pulled his long dark-brown hair back into a ponytail the way it had been this afternoon at the pirate shop, but he looked much sexier without the bulky pirate hat. Without it, his blue eyes flashed in the evening sun.

  “Sorry we took so long. There was a line at the showers,” Austin said as they strolled closer to the corral.

  “No problem, we just got here ourselves,” Dale replied. “Why don’t we get out of here. We can decide where to go on the road.”

  “Sure,” Catherine said as she opened the rear driver’s side door.

  Dale looked at her, trying to understand why she was surrendering the front seat to Austin, but she just smiled and winked.

  “So what kind of food would you like?” he asked as he eased the truck into the last bit of traffic from folks leaving the fair.

  “We’re really open,” Austin said, “but I would suggest going toward Monument or the Springs. If you head toward Denver, we’re liable to be in congestion for a while.”

  “Cat, do you know any good restaurants down that way?” Dale asked as they rumbled over the railroad tracks.

  She thought for a moment. “Oriental, burgers, or pizza?” “Pizza,” the other three replied in unison.

  “I know a great place.” She laughed.

  Dale didn’t question either Catherine’s or Jasmine’s motives when the two slid into seats on the same side of the table, forcing him and Austin to sit next to each other. The ladies were obviously trying to give them time to talk.

  He didn’t know why he was nervous; maybe it was the fact it had been a couple of years since he’d actually been on a date. Most of the time, he had quick tricks and then they went their separate ways. Austin was definitely attractive, but did Dale want to risk getting involved with someone in this closed-minded area? Someone he’d be leaving behind in seven weeks? Long-distance relationships, from what he’d heard, were hard.

  “What’s life like here in Colorado?” he asked as he settled into his chair.

  “I’d guess that Denver is much like living in any other big city. We just have mountains closer,” Austin replied, sipping his Coke. “That makes it easier to get out and go hiking, boating, skiing, and other outdoors things.”

  “Do you ride?”

  “Ride what? Motorcycles, bicycles, or horses?”

  The response took Dale back a bit, but after a second it made sense. “Horses.”

  “Well, I haven’t been on a horse in almost ten years. I went out with a cowboy back in college. He took me riding a couple of times. I guess I did okay. I didn’t fall off or anything overly embarrassing.”

  “I was wondering if there are places up in the mountains to go riding,” Dale said. “I’ve never had the horses up in the high country before. There are some areas in Texas and Arizona where I’ve had them out trail riding, but I thought this might be fun if we get more days off like we had yesterday.”

  “You had yesterday off?” Austin asked.

  “Yeah, Max had something to do in town. It was good to have a down day. Every day since I got here, we’ve been practicing or performing. Most troupes try to give actors at least one day off a week so we don’t get burned out.”

  “I think I might be able to direct you to a couple of places,” Jasmine said from across the table. “Some of the folks who come into the coffee shop I work at are upper-crust ladies of the South Denver area, and they’re all the time talking about going up into the forest on their trail rides. If you like, I can try and find out where they go.”

  “That would be awesome,” Dale replied. “Maybe Austin might want to come along.” As the words came out of his mouth, he realized he’d just set up the possibility for another date, a real one this time, without the ladies along, since he only had two horses. That, and he’d never before offered to let anyone other than another jouster, in an emergency, ride either of his boys.

  “Hey, I like the mountains, it might be fun,” Austin replied with a big grin on his handsome face.

  Before anyone could say anything else, their breadsticks arrived.

  After several minutes of chewing, they finished the appetizers.

  “So Dale, how long have you been a jouster?” Austin asked as he pushed his plate aside.

  “About five years,” he replied. “I’ve always loved horses and riding. Grew up on a ranch in south Texas. When I went to the Texas Renaissance Fair down in Houston and saw my first joust, I was hooked. I had a huge fight with my mother right after that when I told her I wanted to be a jouster. I guess, looking back, it was like saying I wanted to join the circus. She made me finish college before I could actively pursue the idea. But I spent the time learning all sorts of trick riding, like falling off a horse without getting hurt. I even took a few acting classes. The summer after I graduated, I couldn’t get on with any of the jousting troupes, but I kept trying, and when Joust America had an opening, I got in.”

  “That sounds so cool. You’re a jouster with a college degree,” Austin replied.

  “I’ve seen over the past week he’s a man of many talents,” Cat chimed in.

  Dale fought down the blush that tried to rise. “It’s only a BA in business with a minor in acting,” he said. “But it kept my mother happy, which is important. This is the first time I’ve worked outside the Joust America troupe.”

  “So how’s it working out for you?” Jasmine asked.

  “Overall, not bad. Trying to figure out the rest of the troupe is at least interesting. Cat and Chip have helped me a lot with that.” “Chip?” Austin asked.

  “Chipmunk,” Dale clarified.

  “Oh.” Now it was Austin’s turn to blush—the red went right up to the roots of his brown hair. “I’ve never heard anyone call him Chip before. We all call him Chipmunk.”

 
Dale shrugged. “I figured it sounds more dignified than Chipmunk. I think the little guy could use a bit of uplifting, don’t you?”

  Austin thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I guess he could. He’s a nice guy, just needs a little more self-confidence… or something.” “Exactly what I thought when I first met him,” Dale agreed. “Chipmunk sounds almost derogatory to me, Charles a bit too formal, so I opt for Chip.” He didn’t bother to add he hated seeing people put down for any reason and tried not to do it if he could help it.

  “It would take some work to get everyone to just call him Chip,” Jasmine said. “We’ve been calling him Chipmunk for years.”

  Catherine laughed. “That’s what I’ve been telling you, but you’re set on changing his name, over time at least.”

  Their pizza arrived, and again silence descended as the four tore ravenously into the meaty, cheesy goodness of the pie. Dale tried to watch Austin casually as he ate. Austin was handsome enough to hold his attention. He wondered if the same were true of him.

  They reached for the last piece at the same time.

  “Why don’t we split it,” Austin suggested. “That is, if the ladies don’t want it.”

  Catherine and Jasmine had been sitting on the other side of the table, quietly chatting among themselves. It had been several minutes since either one of them had reached for a slice.

  “Oh, no,” Catherine said. “Please, you two split it. I think we’ve had plenty. You guys are obliviously in need of the calories.” Jasmine nodded her agreement.

  Dale picked up his knife and tried to split the piece as evenly as possible, making sure to err on the side of Austin getting a slightly larger portion.

  “So, Austin, what do you do when you’re not working the fair?” Dale asked after he’d washed down his last bite with a swig of root beer.

  Austin shrugged, and his black T-shirt rode his broad shoulders nicely. “Right now, I work in a printshop. Things have slowed down a lot since so many people do things online or paperlessly. Last year, my hours started dropping, and nowadays, I only work two, maybe three days a week. I wish I could find something better and will probably begin looking after fair is over. I guess I need to, now that Rick is gone.” “Who’s Rick?” Catherine asked before Dale could.

  “My ex. We’ve been drifting apart for a while now, but last week was the final straw.” He glanced over at Dale. “I’d rather not talk about it right now, if that’s okay?”

  Catherine held up her hands in surrender. “Consider the topic closed. So, what do you all say we hit a club or something before we head back to the site? Get in a little dancing before bedtime?” “I don’t know,” Jasmine said.

  “Hey, it’s only nine thirty on a Saturday night. I know a nice little place a few blocks down. We could dance for a bit and still make it back to the site by midnight. The parties there will just be winding down.”

  Dale looked at Austin, who shrugged. “I’m game for a little while,” Dale said. He wanted to see how Austin moved to the music, and it would give them an excuse to extend the night a little longer.

  “Sure,” Austin agreed.

  Dale paid the bill, and the four of them piled back into the truck to head down the street to the club.

  Chapter 14

  “I haven’t danced that much in years,” said Austin as the four of them walked out to Dale’s truck. He was tired and a bit sore but felt better than he had in weeks. Spending the evening hanging out with Dale and Catherine was the thing he’d needed. Even Jasmine was having fun. Austin couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her dance with a woman, but the two of them had spent almost as much time gyrating on the dance floor as he and Dale had. Dale had proven to be a very good dancer. He was totally in tune with the music, no matter what the DJ played. They had discoed, two-stepped, and even slow danced. For a moment during the slow dance, he had thought they were about to share their first nondrunk kiss, but the song ended, and Dale retreated to their table for a couple of songs before leading Austin back into the sweaty fray.

  “I’m glad we thought of this,” Catherine said as she waited for Dale to unlock the truck.

  “You thought of it, Cat.” Dale laughed as the truck beeped, announcing the doors were unlocked.

  “Oh, that’s right, I did.” She giggled before sliding into the seat.

  “I had fun,” Jasmine announced, closing her door. “I can’t remember the last time I went dancing.”

  “Wasn’t it that Tejano bar with that guy Carlos a few years back?” Austin asked.

  “How is it you remember his name?” she replied.

  Austin laughed. “Oh, you remember, he was cute and more into me than he was you, even if he was your date.”

  “Yeah, you were out with his friend,” Jasmine continued. “What was his name?”

  Austin thought for a moment. “You know, I can’t remember his friend’s name.”

  Catherine laughed. “Wow, I take it you two go way back.” “Back to high school,” Jasmine replied before Austin could.

  “Yeah, she rescued me from the school bullies more than once,” he said.

  Dale looked over at Austin, a searching question in his eyes, until the stoplight changed, calling his attention back to the road. “I can’t see you needing rescuing in school.”

  Austin smiled. “I was much more of a gangly geek back then. Lots of acne, which thankfully cleared up. It wasn’t easy being a gay kid in school. That was before so many folks were coming out and we had role models. I mean, what kind of role models were the Village People and Boy George? Okay, there was that swimmer guy, but I wasn’t into swimming. I think it’s easier nowadays with so many celebrities coming out for the kids to look up to.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right,” Dale agreed. “I never fit the stereotype and actually never found one I was comfortable with. I’m closer to a leather bear but don’t like pain in my sex. I get enough of it in my job and never really liked the fat bears. I don’t have much patience for that.” He glanced over at Austin with a hungry look in his eyes. “I like my men fit and furry.”

  Austin gulped and wished the women weren’t in the backseat. Other than the aborted kiss on the dance floor, this was the most forward Dale had been all night. Had they been alone, he would’ve slid across the seat and cuddled tight against him.

  “Glad to hear that,” he said, grinning so big, he hoped it didn’t look foolish.

  A line of taillights greeted them as they swung onto the highway.

  Unfortunately, none of them were moving.

  “Well shit,” Catherine exclaimed from the backseat.

  “Is there another way around?” Dale asked as they joined the latenight parking lot.

  “There is, but I don’t know the cross street to get us back to the fair,” she said. “I’m a Denver gal.”

  “Me too,” Jasmine piped in. “I’ve taken the back road from Denver to the Springs once. It’s very pretty, but I don’t think I could find it again, and if I could, I wouldn’t know where to cut over.” Dale looked at Austin.

  He shrugged. “No idea. I was with Jasmine the one time she took the scenic route, but that was it.”

  “So it’s going to be late when we get back to the fairgrounds,” Dale said, glancing at the dashboard clock.

  “If it’s an accident, maybe they’ll clear it quickly,” Cat said.

  With a sigh, Dale looked back at Austin. “So you grew out of your gangly stage?”

  “Yup. Well, more I decided to do something about it. In my late teens, I realized if I was going to attract a decent man, I should be offering a better package. I started going to the gym and pretty soon lost the awkward teenager. I was amazed at how popular I became when we went out.”

  “Unfortunately, he was popular with the losers.” Jasmine giggled.

  “I haven’t seen you do much better,” he snipped back.

  “I’m sure we’ve all had our share of less-than-stellar guys,” Catherine added. “Some of the most attr
active men can be the worst. All looks and nothing else. At least Dale and Austin both bring complete packages.”

  Austin felt himself blush. At the rate they were going, he wondered if he was ever going to get to see Dale’s complete package. Would they have time to do more than say good night after they got back to the campground? He’d hoped for a little alone time just man to man.

  “Some of the stupid ones can be good diversions, though,” Dale said as traffic moved forward a couple of car lengths before stopping again. “One drawback to being on the road so much is finding stability. I’ve spent a lot of time with guys who were good in bed but didn’t have much upstairs. They were just a gorgeous staircase.”

  Austin shifted in his seat. Did he just indirectly say he only does short-term connections? he wondered. I’m okay with that… I think. Do I really need a serious relationship this quick after breaking up with Rick? But damn, he’s hot. I could get used to waking up and seeing him there every morning.

  “I know what you mean,” he agreed, looking out over the slowly winding line of red lights ahead of them.

  They settled into further discussion of men as the traffic crept forward. Catherine had interesting tales about a lot of the men on the cast and crew of the Renaissance fair. She wasn’t afraid to divulge a snippet or two of information on most of the men she’d slept with, but then she’d drank more at the bar than the rest of them had. She even revealed some of the gossip she’d heard from other folks, things like the mole on the head of the king’s dick that she heard about from none other than the princess herself. Had they actually been father and daughter and not just playing on weekends, it would have been much more scandalous; all they could really laugh over was the age difference. That was, until Catherine revealed she’d slept with the previous bishop, who was as fond of boys as he was of girls. Apparently, the old man had not been as pious as his character. They all laughed until they reached the cause of the backup.

  A semi had rolled over, and it looked like a small car was caught underneath it. Rescue workers were busily working to free the trapped driver while attempting to keep whatever liquid the tanker held from escaping the accident. All the cars were being forced off the road and onto the grass. Bright lights had been set up to allow the workers to see what they were doing. It was strange and surreal, making the colors way too bright.