by Jake Mactire
I WAS sound asleep the next morning when I heard Mike calling me. He must’ve gotten out of bed and went downstairs to make coffee. The headache had gone from the mother of all headaches to just plain bad. I got up and put on my socks, long handles, and jeans. I headed downstairs. Sheriff Johnston was in the kitchen.
“You feelin’ okay, son?”
“Headache’s better than it was last night. I suppose I’ll just end up taking it easy today.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re doing better.” Mike set a mug of coffee in front of me and another in front of the sheriff.
“Two things, boys, first the good news, Sandy’s gonna take you to pick up your truck tomorrow, Jeff.”
“Great!”
“Second thing, I stopped by the gas station/garage today to check on your truck, Mike, just a hunch. I got them to put it up on the hoist, and I’m glad I did. Your brake line was cut.”
“What?” Mike had a puzzled look on his face. “Somebody sure has a sick idea of a joke.” Mike was getting mad. The sheriff’s words caused a chill to go through me, like some ghostly finger was tracing a path down my spine.
“You don’t reckon it’s a joke do you, sir?”
“Honestly, Jeff, I don’t. Remember you told me that biker was screaming that you’re dead, and the boss man is gonna come and kill you? I reckon he tried last night. One other thing, I got the report back from the lab on the different shootings. The same rifle was used to kill Pedro, shoot at you, Mike, and Wayne, kill the biker, and shoot at Jeff here.”
“Porky was involved with the rustlin’, too, wasn’t he?”
“The tread on his bike matched the tread on the motorcycle tracks we found in the national forest where the cattle were processed. I’d have to say he was.”
“So was he shot because he was such a screw-up, or because it looked like he was gonna get caught and could identify the others?”
“Probably both, Jeff. Every time he tried to get at you or Mike he failed. I reckon he didn’t have much credit left with the others, and when it looked like he would be arrested, he was killed.”
“Sheriff, I don’t know the law too well, but here in Washington, wouldn’t the murders committed durin’ a cattle rustlin’ make the rustlers eligible for the death penalty?”
“You’re right, Mike, it would.”
“So really by killin’ one of their own, or killin’ someone else, they wouldn’t have a whole hell of a lot more to lose.”
“I reckon they wouldn’t.”
“In other words, sir, you’re of the opinion that someone’s gunnin’ for me, or Mike and me?”
“Yes, Jeff, I think that is the case.”
“Okay, so what do we do?”
“I’ll try and have myself or the deputies drive by once in a while, but we’ve got a lot of territory to cover. You’re locking the door at night now, aren’t you?”
“Yes, sir. Since we found Porky in here, the door’s been locked all the time.”
“The hood on your truck only opens from the inside, right Jeff?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then use your truck. Make sure the alarm is turned on also. I’d caution you not to reschedule your hunting trip until we catch the sons of bitches who are behind this. You may want to stick around home a bit too. Best advice I can give is to be really careful.”
“Sheriff, I’ll be honest, that doesn’t make me feel a whole lot safer.”
“You shouldn’t feel safe, Jeff. Not until these criminals are behind bars.”
“That just really grits me, sir. We have to change everything we’re doing, put off things, just because whoever is a coward. If he’s gunning for me, why doesn’t he have the balls to show his face?”
“Could be a lot of reasons, Jeff. First and foremost, you probably can recognize him. We figure it’s got to be a local, and everybody knows everyone in these parts. Second, he still has rustling or thievery he can do and get away with it. Third and finally, you’ve been really lucky. He doesn’t wanna risk leaving you for dead and having you wake up in a hospital to tell who he is.”
I was angry and Mike looked real unhappy.
“Boys, give me a call anytime you need to. We’ll get this maniac sooner or later, and they’ll be behind bars.”
“I hope sooner.” Mike looked at the sheriff.
“Me too, Mike. Sandy should be by around one Monday afternoon. We’ll do our best to keep an eye on you boys.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.” With that we said our goodbyes, and he headed out to his cruiser. By now I was ready for someone to kick, but any movement like that would make my head pound. The day dragged on very slowly. I couldn’t do too much without my head aching to beat the band. Mike and I just read and watched TV.
By evening, it was just like a normal headache. I felt close enough to normal to start a business plan for the dude part of the ranch. I put the cost of ten prefab cabins and some other facilities together, added in some advertising costs, and then balanced out how many dudes we’d need to break even. It wasn’t as bad as I had feared. I started on the website also. That made the time just fly by; I got a rough draft put together and also downloaded an application to the American Dude Ranch Association. I could link to their site, put a mini page on it, and link back to our website. When I looked at the clock, it was after eleven p.m. Mike was asleep on the couch with his feet in my lap. I signed off the computer and rubbed his feet through his black work socks.
He stretched and smiled at me. “Feelin’ better?”
“Yeah, I am; you about ready for bed, cowboy?”
“I reckon I should wake up so we can go to bed.” We turned off the lights and made sure the doors were locked and the heat was turned down. I made a mental note to myself to check out security systems when we were in Wenatchee on Monday. Once upstairs, we stripped and got into bed. Mike and I held each other for a while and kissed gently; he must’ve known my head still hurt because he was being real gentle. Feeling pretty tired from the long night before and little sleep, we fell asleep all tangled up with each other. As I drifted off to sleep, it occurred to me that with anyone else I wanted to be on my side of the bed. With Mike I wanted to be all wrapped up with him. That thought made me smile.
WHEN I woke up, Mike and I were still all intertwined. The sun was coming up; the light from the skylights was a soft gray. I could see clouds above. It was breezy too; I could hear the wind whistling through the pines near the house. My headache was pretty much gone. I nuzzled Mike’s beard and neck. He gave out a contented little growl type of noise and pushed into me. We seemed to find each other’s mouth without even trying. I licked his lips gently before moving my tongue against his. He smelled good. I kept on kissing him while I moved my hand through the thick fur on his chest and belly. I kept rubbing in circles until I reached his red bush. I kept my hand massaging that area for a couple of minutes. He obviously liked it as he was moaning into my mouth. He had one of his hands on my cock and would stroke it a few times and then fondle my balls. After rubbing him just above the base of his dick for a few minutes, I gave in to his pushing and thrusting with his hips and grabbed his cock. He was dripping precum, so I used that to lube him up and began to gently stroke him. He had been doing the same to me, and his hand was sliding easily up and down my shaft.
After a few more minutes of that, I moved around so my dick was in his face. He got the hint. It felt incredible to slide into his hot, wet mouth. His tongue was doing a gentle massage on the back of my dick. He began massaging my balls with a free hand. I ignored his cock and began to tongue his beautiful ass. I licked around the hole and then began to tongue fuck him. When he’d start squirming, I’d back off and gently rub my beard up and down his crack. When he was good and wet and relaxed, I moved back and stuck a couple of fingers into that tight, slick hole. I swallowed his cock. I heard him sigh in pleasure around my dick. After a few minutes of a very pleasant sixty-nine position, I moved up to kiss him. It was a bit awkward as I kept my fin
ger in his ass. I smiled at him.
“Good mornin’, buddy.”
“Mornin’, Jeffy.”
“You about ready to get fucked, bud?”
“I’m always ready for you.”
“Why don’t you lube me up and put the condom on me?”
He did that while trying to continue kissing me as much as possible. He stroked me both before and after he unrolled the condom on my cock. I was really raring to go by that time. I got up on my knees, and he pulled back his knees by his ears. I positioned myself and slid in. He opened to take me and then got all tight. It felt so incredible. I held still, just savoring the sensation. He had his legs far enough back that I could get in, push up, position, and kiss him while I fucked him. I began a nice easy pumping. After a few minutes of kissing, I whispered, “Feel good, buddy, was this worth waitin’ for?”
“It’s incredible, Jeffy. I feel so full.”
“So you like my big cock? Makes ya feel real good, don’t it?”
“Oh yeah. Ride me, cowboy!” I began thrusting a bit harder. He was smiling at me. When he got really into it, his eyes would roll back into his head as he gave himself up to the pure sexual pleasure. “Fuck, this feels good! You could keep this up for hours if you wanted to.”
“I dunno, buddy, that sweet ass of yours is pretty hot. You get me goin’.”
“You keep me goin’ with that beautiful body, that fuckin’ huge cock. Fuck me, Fuck me!” He bucked up to meet my thrusts.
“You really love to get fucked, don’t ya boy? You crave my big cock in ya, don’t ya?
“Oh yeah, Jeffy. Jeffy, fuck me,” he murmured that softly.
“I can tell you love gettin’ fucked. And one thing, boy, you know how to fuck back. Yeah, clamp down just like that. Fuck back, boy, show me how much you love it.”
“That’s hot. You like me clampin’ down like that?”
“I love it, buddy. It feels great. I love to fuck. I love to fuck you. Who’s your ass belong to?”
“You.”
“Who?”
“You, Jeffy. My Jeffy. Fuck me. Ride me hard. I’m so close.”
“I’m fuckin’ you, boy; feel my big cock slidin’ in and out of your sweet ass? You just love me fuckin’ you, don’t you, boy? Fuckin’ your ass till you cum. Cum for me, boy. Shoot all over. Show me how much you love me inside you.” He was so excited he was trembling underneath me. When he was riding my cock and pushing his ass up into me, his cock was slapping against my belly. I started kissing him again. I was close too. I began to fuck harder, and all of a sudden he moaned, and I felt his hot spurts on my belly and chest. He continued to tremble, and that got me off. I shot into him. I kept pumping slowly and gently until I was getting soft. Even as I slid off him, we continued kissing. I broke the kiss and propped myself up on one elbow. I gently ran my hand across his red beard.
“Damn, Jeffy. That was unbelievable. That was far and away the best we’ve ever had. That turns me on when you tell me I’m a boy who loves to get fucked. I was shakin’ so hard when I came. I felt that from my head to my toes. That was fuckin’ intense.”
“I reckon that means you liked it?”
“What a great way to wake up. Where in the hell did you learn to fuck like that?”
“I just watch you. If you seem to like somethin’, I keep doin’ it or sayin’ it. You let me know when I’m on the right track.”
“Fuck, damn, shit, Jeffy! That was incredible. Did you like it?”
“Hell yeah, buddy. We seem to fit pretty well together. I reckon I’ll keep ya.”
We both laughed at that.
“Do you think I’m weird?”
“What in the hell does that mean?”
“Well, like the other day, when we wore each other’s underwear and socks.”
“I enjoyed it too. I wasn’t sure I would, but it got me goin’ too.”
“You didn’t mind it when I asked you to leave ’em on when you fucked me?”
“Not at all, I’m sure as time goes on, we’ll find out things like that about each other, things that turn you, me, or us both on. I reckon it’s only natural. Like I get real hot when you call me Jeffy when I’m fuckin’ you.”
“Thanks, I just wanted to ask since this is kinda new to me.”
“You’re handlin’ it like a pro, bud. Now you ready for coffee and breakfast?”
“Can we just leave this all over us?” He gestured to the sticky, musky stuff covering our chests and bellies.
“If ya want.” I pulled on my socks and then my long handles and then gave him a little slap on the ass.
“C’mon, buddy, it’s breakfast time.” We ran down the stairs. I got the coffee started. Mike started fiddling around in the fridge and turned to me.
“I’m makin’ breakfast for you, Jeff.”
“Okay.”
“Scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and pork chops okay?”
“Sounds like a winner to me.”
“What do you got planned today, Jeff?”
“I got a couple of sculptures I have to finish up, buff, polish, and get all nice and shiny.”
“I was plannin’ on makin’ a couple more hat bands and workin’ on a belt.”
“Your belts are real nice, buddy.” I was remembering how I’d like one, and trying to think of how to work in Christmas.
“You want one, Jeff? I’d love to make you one.”
“You sure? I don’t want to put ya to no trouble.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to pay me back.” He winked at me then.
“I’ve created a monster!” Mike was busy, and I was just watching him at the stove. His jeans were tight, and I had a perfect view.
“Anythin’ goin’ on for Halloween, Jeff?”
“There’s usually a town dance in the community center. Everyone comes in costume.”
“We gotta think of some costumes!”
“Any ideas?”
“What about Batman and Robin?”
“I reckon we could do that. Or we could ask Sandy, Maria, Josh, Renee, and José to join us and go as the X-Men.”
“That would be fun. I could go as Gambit; he’s Cajun too.”
“You wouldn’t want to be Jubilee?”
“No, I don’t reckon I got the right equipment for that. Who would you be, Jeff?”
“Either Wolverine or Cyclops. What do you think?”
“Wolverine, he’s hot.”
“Or we could go as characters from Star Wars. I could be Han Solo, and you could be Princess Leia.”
He got real quiet. “That’s the second time you suggested I be a female character. Do you think I act like a girl?” He looked real hurt. I had just been joking. I stood up and put my arms around him.
“Not at all; you’re one-hundred-percent man. I’m just funnin’ ya. If it bothers you, I won’t do it again.”
“No, it’s okay. I guess it was hearin’ my old man call me stupid pansy, or askin’ if I want to be a woman. Ya’d think I’d be able to put all that shit behind me, but it’s hard.”
“Mike, one of the many reasons I’m attracted to you is because you’re a guy. I mean, jeez, so many guys in San Francisco act like little girls. You, though, are a guy through and through. I’m gay, buddy. I like men. And you are one hell of a man.”
“Thanks. It’s been goin’ through my head, my old man askin’ if I want to be a woman ’cause I like it so much when you fuck me.”
“Mike, buddy, I like to fuck you because you’re a man. Hell, if you wanna switch sometime, just let me know. Catchin’ when your partner pitches doesn’t make you any less of a man.”
“I reckon I still got a lot of baggage from when I was growin’ up.”
“Hell, I’d be surprised if you didn’t. I’m here for ya though. Ya know, I’d actually suggested Jubilee ’cause she’s a bit annoyin’, and Leia is great. I didn’t do that to make you feel bad or insinuate anythin’.”
“Don’t worry about it. I like your idea about bein’ X-M
en. Although, I thought Batman and Robin would be nice. I bet you’d look hot in tights and a little speedo.” I was envisionin’ him asking me to dress like that for play sometime, but luckily he continued on. “I really like the idea of all of us dressin’ up as a group. We can ask Sandy when she comes what she thinks.”
“Good idea, bud.”
“What kinda party is it?”
“It starts out with kids and everyone in costume. They have candy for the kids and prizes for their costumes. Then about nine, the kids leave, and a band starts up. You can buy beer there too.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun.”
We finished up breakfast, got all showered and dressed, and waited for Sandy. She came a few minutes early. I suggested that we all go out to dinner at a real nice Italian restaurant in Wenatchee. Everyone was agreeable, so we piled into Sandy’s truck and off we went. The truck was small, and the two and a half hours it took to get to Wenatchee seemed longer. I was crammed in the middle between Sandy and Mike.
First stop we made was at a security company to see about house alarms. I bought one, and they said that they would be out next week to install it, which made me feel a bit better. Next stop was the lawyer’s office. Mr. Silas was a slender gentleman who had to be in his sixties. He had bright blue eyes and a full head of hair. In his gray suit, he reminded me more of a banker than a lawyer.
He ushered us into his office. I ended up signing a bunch of papers. Apparently Dad had added my name to everything quite a while ago. That made things a lot easier. I had thought about what to do with Dad’s investments. Mr. Silas let me know that Dad had left instructions about some sells and buys he’d researched for the next month or so. I asked him to just follow those instructions, and we could go over what to do next. He gave me the information about Dad’s bank accounts and other things. Dad’s truck had been totaled in the crash in which he died. It was really a sad thing for me. Everything was so final. It was like we were closing his life out. It hit me then that I had to clean out Dad’s room. That was something I really was not looking forward to. Mr. Silas also brought out the letter we talked about on the phone. It was in a manila envelope and sealed. I put it in the inside pocket of my Carhartt vest. Mr. Silas looked at me quizzically.