Chapter 22 

The day after Michael and Karl left for New York, Maggie was notified that they would be arriving home that evening, cutting short their planned five-day New York vacation. The weather had turned oppressively hot, with a dry and dusty wind blowing across the range. For their homecoming, Maggie had prepared a supper of cold chicken sandwiches and potato salad. She also baked several lemon meringue pies. Karl had made it clear that lemon meringue was his all-time favorite and that no one had ever come close to the perfection that Maggie had achieved in making them. Maggie knew that she would never again try to tempt Karl into another dalliance with her, but she always reserved that little grain of hope that Karl would like to show his appreciation in some sexual way to her for baking his favorite pie.

"How did everything go down here, Maggie, while we were gone," inquired Michael.

"Well, you weren't gone long enough for anything unusual to happen," said Maggie. "I feel kind of sorry for Tony, though. He really does well in the kitchen, and he's a big help. But last night after we finished feeding the gang, he just went back to his room and never came out. He didn't have his TV on, either. And tonight, when we finished cleaning up the kitchen, he did the same thing, even though he knew you were on the way home. He's in his room again with the door closed, and with both his light and his TV off. I offered to play a game of Gin with him, but he just said he doesn't like cards and went to his room."

"Oh, Maggie," said Karl. "I just don't know what to do about Tony. I guess I shouldn't have brought him down here. I should have realized he wouldn't be happy. He's a terribly sensitive young man and he really needs someone to mother him. I don't know what to do about him."

Michael said, "I think we should be able to figure out something for Tony. I have some friends in Goliad he might like. He needs to make some new friends now that he's down here. I'll take him into town one day for lunch and introduce him to a couple of guys I know. Don't worry, Karl. I know you feel an obligation to him. He'll be okay."

Several days later, Corky loaded a number of new watering troughs onto the truck and set out early the next morning for the far reaches of the ranch to install them as replacements for those that had become badly corroded over the years. He intended to be back by noon, but the work was going slowly and it looked as though it would end up as an all-day job. On his cell phone he called Tony, who that day was fixing lunch for the hands.

"Tony, this is Corky. I'm out here on the east end and I won't be able to get back for lunch. So don't make any sandwiches for me today."

Tony replied, "Well, you can't go without lunch, Corky. After I give the hands their lunch bags, I'll take the jeep and bring your lunch to you."

"That sounds great, Tony. I'm over on the east side just where Hammond Road dead ends at our fence."

When Tony pulled up to where Corky was working, he unloaded a cooler containing several cans of beer, a thermos of coffee, and a thermos of milk.

"Corky, I didn't know what you wanted to drink, so I brought a variety. You can take your pick. Also there's two ham sandwiches and two cheddar cheese sandwiches. And I've got a big wedge of watermelon there in the cooler if you want it."

Corky put down his tools and sat down on the grass under a tree. "Did you bring anything for yourself to eat, Tony? Why don't you stay and keep me company while I eat."

"Yeah, I did bring a sandwich along for myself in case you wanted some company. Say, Corky. Where's Ricky? Every time I see you working, he's usually with you helping."

"Oh, I don't know," Corky sighed. "I'm not sure what's going on. You know, he and I room together."

"Yeah, I know. And I know you guys are really close."

"Well, Tony, we used to be very close. But lately . . . I don't know . . . he lets me touch him and hug him and all that, but that's about all. He used to live with Jake, but they had a falling out over something really dumb. Now all Ricky seems to be able to think about is Jake. I love Ricky a lot, if you know what I mean, but it's so hard now to live with him when I don't know really what his feelings are for me anymore."

Tony stared at the ground and said, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Corky said, "You and Karl used to be lovers when you were back in New York, weren't you?"

"Yeah. 'Used to' is right. But I lost him when he came down here. I knew that I'd lost him, but I still wanted to be near him. I badgered Karl until he brought me down. And I had some twisted idea that we could still be together. I don't anymore, though."

Tony pulled up his knees and rested his chin on them as he looked sadly out over the range. "I don't know what I want to do anymore. I don't want to go back to New York. Not without Karl. And I don't want to stay here anymore."

When Karl finished his sandwiches, he lay back on the grass and stared at the sky. "Aw, Tony. You make me feel sad when you tell me that. I guess nothing seems to be working out for either one of us."

"Yeah, I guess," sighed Tony. "I do my work, and they tell me I do it okay, but then when I'm done, I just go to my room and go to bed. Sometimes I cry myself to sleep. And sometimes I'm so tired, I just go to sleep. I just don't know what I want to do."

Corky knew what Tony was going through. He had begun to have that same feeling of displacement and, in a way, that helpless feeling of being forsaken and rejected.

Soon, Tony got up and said that he needed to get back to the house since he was having to prepare dinner that evening also. After Tony had left, Corky remained lying there, staring at the clouds floating by. He thought about how fragile love is, and how anxious and faltering he had felt about his relationship with Ricky from the day they started sharing a room together. He had felt that there was always something between the two of them, but now he was certain of it. It was Jake. And he knew it would always be Jake. That great line from the movie "All About Eve" came to his mind. It was the line where Bette Davis realized that Eve was coming between her and her lover. "It's all about Eve, isn't it? It's always about Eve!" Corky closed his eyes and repeated over and over, "It's all about Jake. It's all about Jake."

That evening, when the ranch crew had finished supper and the kitchen was cleaned up, Tony once again went without a word to his room and closed the door. Corky had eaten his supper with Enrique. When he finished, he put his hand on Enrique's arm.

"Ricky, I'm going back to the bunkhouse. Are you coming?"

"Not right now, Corky," answered Enrique. "I want to talk to Jake for a minute."

"Okay, Ricky. I'm going to watch TV for awhile in our new TV lounge. That's where I'll be."

Corky watched television for about an hour and fell asleep in his chair. He awoke about eleven o'clock and walked back to his room. Enrique was not there. Corky stepped outside and looked down to the end of the building at Jake's window. The light was out. An empty feeling swept over Corky as he went back into his room. He lay on the bed in the dark, fully dressed, staring at the shadows on the ceiling cast by the yard light outside.

He suddenly felt a terrible wave of loneliness sweep over him. All he could picture in his mind was Jake and Ricky lying in bed together. Then he thought of Tony—poor Tony—lying in his own bed, probably crying himself to sleep again. He and Tony needed each other. He thought if any two people needed each other at that moment, it was he and Tony.

It was now midnight. Getting up and walking outside, Corky left his door unlocked in case Enrique returned. As he walked toward the house, he found Michael and Karl sitting on the back verandah totally naked and each sipping on a glass of wine. They had just made love and were sitting outside relaxing together before going to sleep. Thinking they would be alone, they were both startled to see Corky approaching at that hour.

Looking rather distressed, Corky said, "Michael, I need to go inside and talk to Tony for a few minutes. Is it okay if I go in?"

"Well, sure, Corky," replied Michael. "Can I ask, though, is something wrong?"

"No, no. Everything's okay. I just need to talk with him about something."

Corky knocked lightly on Tony's door, but there was no answer. After knocking several more times, he turned the knob and slowly stepped inside. The outside yard lights at the rear of the house cast enough light into the room so that Corky could see that Tony was sound asleep. Corky felt disappointed since he desperately felt he needed to talk. He sat down as quietly as he could on the side of Tony's bed.

Corky shook his head and covered his face and thought, "What the hell am I doing here. This is really stupid."

Just as he was about to get up and leave, Tony moved and opened his eyes. "Corky! You scared me. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just passing by." Corky thought, 'My God, what a stupid thing to say!'

"Tony, you know we talked about things earlier today. I just felt like I needed to talk some more."

"Corky, shouldn't you be back in your room with Ricky?"

"That's just it, Tony. I think Ricky's spending the night with Jake."

Tony sat up, revealing that dark skinned, slender torso of his. Reaching out and laying his hand on Corky's forearm, Tony sighed, "Oh, Corky."

Looking at the floor, Corky said, "Tony, I don't know what to do. I have this terrible feeling that I've been abandoned and thrown aside. I've been alone all my life, Tony. Or at least since I was twelve, when I ran away from home. I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but when I came to work for the Walkers, they were so good to me that I made up my mind I was going to be a good person and work hard and never hurt anybody. And I actually thought I was being rewarded when Ricky came into my life. Ain't that silly? I wasn't being rewarded at all. I was just being played with."

The tears on Corky's cheeks glistened in the rays of the yard light coming through the window. Tony threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat next to Corky with his arm around Corky's shoulder.

"Corky," choked Tony, "I'm so glad you came in here to see me. I don't think there are two people in the world who feel what each other is going through as much as you and me. Hug me Corky."

Corky threw his arms around Tony's bare body and they both fell over onto the bed. Corky lightly kissed Tony on the cheek and neck. "I'm glad I came in, too. I just think I needed to be with someone tonight."

Tony kissed Corky on the cheek. "We both just need to be with someone tonight. We just need to know that there is someone near us who cares a little bit."

Neither Corky nor Tony felt inclined to have any sexual activity with each other. What they each needed more than anything was to be held tightly by someone who understood and who cared.

When Maggie's breakfast bell rang, Corky awoke with a start, still fully dressed, and finding himself pressed close to Tony's naked body. Looking down at Tony's sleeping face, Corky thought what a dear, sweet face he had. He looked like a child—not a day over fourteen or fifteen. And how kind and understanding Tony had been. Corky had failed to take a shower the night before, and he felt sweaty and cruddy. But he felt a new calmness come over him. He had always been sort of a loner and had never been particularly friendly with anyone on the ranch. But now he felt an affinity to Tony that he had never felt before, except with Ricky. Here was someone to whom he had opened up his feelings; someone who truly understood.

Corky leaned over and kissed Tony on the cheek and tip-toed out. As he passed through the kitchen to the outside, Maggie gave him her usual knowing look. Corky blurted out, "We didn't do anything!" Immediately, he thought, 'Another stupid remark!'

When Corky opened the door to his room, he found Enrique in bed and asleep. He quietly undressed and took a shower and shaved. As he was dressing, Enrique awoke and propped himself up on one elbow and looked at Corky.

"I got back here sort of late. I was down in Luke's room playing cards with him and a couple of other guys. I lost track of the time and when I noticed it was already two in the morning, I left. But then I found you weren't here."

"You were playing cards? I thought you were with Jake, Ricky."

"Jake was playing cards with us for a little while, but he went back to his room early and went to bed." Enrique sat up on the side of the bed, looking puzzled. "Corky, why did you think I was with Jake? Did you think I was with him all night? In his room?"

"Well, Ricky, you didn't tell me where you were going after supper, and when you still weren't here at midnight, I just assumed . . . ."

Enrique looked down at the floor. "I know, Corky. I know how you assumed that because of what I told you before. You know, about how much I missed him and all that. If I was gonna stay with Jake again, I'd sure tell you."

"Ricky, do you want to stay with Jake again?"

Enrique sat quietly for a long time before he answered. "I don't know. Maybe. I just don't know. I hear Josiah's coming home pretty soon. And that'll kind of settle the question."

Corky knew in his bones that the days of his relationship with Enrique were numbered and he felt it was nothing short of torture for both of them to let it go on. Facing Enrique and putting both hands on his shoulders, Corky said, "I want you to find some time today to talk with Jake. I want you both to come to some understanding about what you mean to each other. And that means you both need to be very honest with each other. If the two of you agree to have you move back in with him, so be it. I'll understand, Ricky."

Enrique threw his arms around Corky. "I love you, Corky. Ever since you rescued me from that fire, I . . . ."

"That's no basis for love, Ricky," Corky interrupted. "What you're feeling is gratitude. And I don't want you to stay with me and sleep in my bed only out of gratitude. Now you get dressed and get out there and go to work. I see on the work list for today you'll be working with Jake all day.

It had been several weeks since Josiah and Brian had been rescued. The time was drawing near when Jeff and Paul would be going back to Austin to start the fall term. But before Jeff left, he and Michael decided they would drive up to San Antonio and visit the two boys. Both had now been moved out of Intensive Care and into private rooms, and someone from the ranch had visited them each day.

Almost as soon as Jeff and Michael entered his room, Josiah asked, "How's Jake been? Everybody else from the ranch seems to have come up here to see us, but Jake hasn't ever come up. I hope he isn't mad at me or something."

Michael put his hand on Josiah's arm. "I know Jake hasn't been up to see you, Josiah. He has this crazy idea that all of this has been his fault—you know, getting beat up and then shot by Joseph, and then this. He thinks that he's bad luck for you and that if he sees you, something else will happen to you. He keeps telling me he wants to resign from his job and leave because he's brings bad luck to you."

Josiah just stared at Michael with his mouth open. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's untrue! How could he think that? If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have come to the ranch and I wouldn't have found you guys who have been so nice to me. He's been like my Paw. He could never do anything to hurt me."

"Josiah," said Michael, "I'm not going to accept his resignation, and I'm going to insist he come up and see you. Don't blame him. He means well, Josiah. You're like a son to him, but he's scared that he has brought you bad luck."

"No, no, no!" retorted Josiah, "If it wasn't for him, I would never have met Brian. You know, Brian is the best friend I ever had. I never knew what it was like to have a friend, someone who really liked me."

Jeff said, "I know, and we're really glad you and Brian have become so close."

"Yeah," Josiah continued. "Brian and me, we tell each other everything, all our secrets and stuff. We both can walk okay now and we go into each other's room here a lot and talk. Neither one of us remembers that accident. But did I tell you that both of us had the same dream—the one when we both promised each other that if one of us died, we would both go together?"

As tears began to fill his eyes, Josiah said, "And we both still have that dream. Brian and I will always be together." And then covering his face with his hands, he stammered, "I love Brian, Michael. I love him."

Michael and Jeff each took one of Josiah's hands and held them tightly. Jeff, fighting to hold back his own tears, said, "I know, Josiah. You'll need to tell Jake about you and Brian. You know that, don't you?"

"I know. And I will."

Michael and Jeff stopped in to see Brian, but he was asleep. Before they left, they saw the doctor sitting at the nurses station looking through some charts. Stopping to talk with him, they learned that he would be discharging Josiah and Brian in the next few days. He believed that any further recovery could be done at home. Around the clock nursing care was no longer needed.

As they drove back to the ranch, Michael said, "You know, it makes my heart swell to see the love Josiah and Brian have for each other. They're two wonderful boys, who have had such sadness and loneliness in their lives. I think I know what I'm going to do when they come home. My house in the cottonwoods is finished now. I think I'm going to tell them both to go out there and stay in that house for several days, or for however long they want, away from all the rest of us, just so they can be alone together for awhile. They've had a rough time—a really terrible time. They deserve the time together."

Adriano had been thinking about Charlie and the pending motorcycle ride ever since he had given Charlie the tour of his facilities. The fall semester was about to start, and the coming weekend would be the only time he would be able to get away to meet Charlie in Fort Stockton. He called Charlie and made the arrangement with him that he would drive over and meet him at his apartment at noon on Saturday.

"Hey, little buddy!" was the greeting Adriano received as Charlie answered the door and ushered him inside. Charlie was dressed in a sport shirt and jeans.

"I just got back from the animal clinic. We're open on Saturday mornings. Come on in while I change into my motorcycle duds."

Charlie led Adriano into his bedroom. There was a double bed that looked like it hadn't been made in months. Dirty clothes and underwear were strewn all over the floor, and hanging on the closet door was a large poster of a woman being fucked by two great looking men from behind in the ass and from the front in her pussy. Adriano wondered whether it was women or men for Charlie, or maybe it was both.

Charlie said, "I see you looking at my poster. Ain't that hot? It's a great scene to jack off to."

Adriano inquired, "Charlie have you ever done what those guys are doing?"

"Naw, I'm afraid not. I never had the opportunity."

That didn't answer Adriano's question, and he was still left wondering which way Charlie swung. Charlie brushed the dirty underwear off of the chair and motioned to Adriano to sit down. Then he removed his shirt, revealing his sensuously rounded pectorals and a washboard stomach. Adriano tried not to stare and be too obvious with his interest in Charlie's body as Charlie removed his shoes and pants. When his briefs were removed, a large package of balls and penis was released, flopping down heavily between his legs.

As Charlie reached down and scratched his balls, as well as the rest of his crotch and between his ass cheeks, he said, "Goddamn, little buddy. I've got jock itch today that won't stop. Just wait here. I'm gonna take a quick shower. Why don't you entertain yourself while you wait. There are some good magazines there on the floor."

Adriano looked through them and found both heterosexual and homosexual magazines. They were all well dog-eared and rather sticky. Obviously Charlie had given them heavy use.

After Charlie emerged from the shower, Adriano watched him get dressed with what he called his motorcycle clothes and boots. Adriano shifted in his chair to relieve the discomfort being caused by his hard-on being confined so tightly in his own jeans.

Soon, they were outside. Adriano still had not completely made up his mind whether or not he would ride the motorcycle, but Charlie literally picked him up and placed him on the passenger seat at the rear of the bike. As Charlie climbed on, he said, "Now put this helmet on, put your feet on those little bars down there, and put your arms around me and hold tight."

Doing as he was told, Adriano brought his hands around to the front of Charlie and could feel the hard ridges on Charlie's stomach. 'Oh, my God,' he thought. 'My cock is hard as a rock and it's pressing up against Charlie's butt. I wonder if he can feel it.'

With a roar, the motorcycle took off, throwing Adriano's head back and causing him to dig his fingers deeply into Charlie's stomach. He had the horrible feeling that any minute he was about to be thrown off the bike and onto the pavement. In short, he was terrified. He closed his eyes tightly. Not seeing what was going on seemed to help. He could feel the bike tipping this way and that as Charlie took the curves at a high rate of speed. At every curve, the bike leaned so far over that Adriano believed he would either be thrown off or the bike itself would tip over. Soon he could feel the bike straining as it was apparently climbing a hill.

As they reached the top, Charlie shouted, "Hold on tight. Here we go!"

Adriano felt his stomach turning as they started down the other side of the hill. With his eyes still closed, he felt like he was free-falling through space and that it would end only when they hit bottom with a crash. He wondered how many seconds of terrible pain would he suffer before death actually came. He soon felt the bike leveling off.

My God, thought Adriano. 'How long is this going to be? Is this trip never going to end? Please, God, make it end soon!'

Adriano could feel the bike slowing down and then going over some rough ground. Opening his eyes, he could tell that they were now off of the highway and moving slowly along a gravel road beside a small lake.

Coming to a full stop in a small clearing at the shore line, Charlie said, "Well, how did you like it. Ain't it thrilling. There's nothing like going seventy-five or eighty down a hill. Wasn't that a great feeling?"

Adriano remained speechless and continued to sit with his hands clutching at Charlie's stomach muscles.

Trying to dismount, Charlie said, "Hey, buddy, your killing me here. You're digging into my stomach something terrible. Your fingernails are imbedded in me. I wonder if I'm bleeding!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Charlie!" When Adriano released his grip, Charlie climbed off, pulled up the front of his shirt, and looked to see what damage had been done. The skin was decidedly red where Adriano's nails had been pressed.

"Aw, shit. I might as well take the damned thing off," said Charlie as he pulled his shirt off up over his head. Sitting down on the grass, facing the water, he said, "C'mon, Adriano, take yours off, too."

Adriano thought that this man certainly didn't seem like he was going to go through any subtle formalities. As Adriano pulled off his shirt, Charlie started removing his boots and then his pants. Adriano thought, 'My God, what happened to the little game two people are supposed to play with each other's minds before we went this far?'

Charlie was finally completely naked, propped up on one elbow, looking at Adriano as he was struggling to remove his shoes and pants. "C'mon, get 'em off," said Charlie, pointing to Adriano's briefs.

When Adriano had finally removed all his clothes, Charlie looked down at Adriano's prostrate figure and said, "I've been wondering and really looking forward to knowing what your little body looked like naked. All I can say is … Yummy!"

As Charlie leaned over and ran his tongue over Adriano's nipples, a shudder of ecstasy visibly ran through Adriano's body. Charlie propped himself up again and, looking into Adriano's eyes, said, "I haven't been with a guy like this for so long."

"How long's it been?"

"Oh, maybe six or seven years. That was when I had a lover. But after he walked out on me, I just had no more interest looking for someone else. Every time I'd get horny and see someone I liked, I'd just go somewhere and jack off, and that'd last me for awhile."

"What made you want me, Charlie? It seems like you actively worked to get me right here naked and out in the woods."

"I don't know. You just seemed different."

"You really never asked me or tried to get me to give you signs that I would like to be with you. You brought me out here and told me to get naked and then told me you wanted to see my naked body. You must have had a sign that all this would be okay with me."

"Yeah, I did get a sign. It was your hard cock pressed against mine when we hugged that day in your office. That was a good enough sign for me." Then lying flat on his back and looking up at the sky, Charlie said, "I'm not gonna rape you or anything like that. I just thought you were a nice guy that day we met in the hospital back in San Antonio." And then still looking up at the sky, he added, "And besides that, I think you're good looking. I like guys your size. You're so easy to hug. I just loved hugging you back there when we were in your office. You're kind of fragile. I like fragile guys."

"What do you mean by fragile?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just think they're kind of vulnerable. I like vulnerable guys. They just give themselves over to me so I can love them. They're not all full of aggression and shit. It's hard for me to love an aggressive guy."

Adriano propped himself up and looked down at Charlie. "So you like me because I'm a little 'fragile' guy, who's vulnerable, and maybe you can take advantage of me and do what you want with me?"

"No, that isn't what I mean. I would never do anything you didn't want me to do. I just like you because you're not an aggressive type who wants to call all the shots."

Adriano was still a little confused, but didn't care. He leaned over and kissed Charlie on the lips. Charlie put his arms around Adriano, but in a most gentle and loving way, and slowly pulled him close to his body. Adriano felt he was doing just what Charlie wanted: giving himself over to Charlie and loving it. 'Yes,' he thought, 'I am vulnerable. He's holding my body tightly, but so gently against his body. Yes, I have given myself to him.

Charlie and Adriano continued to kiss deeply searching out every corner of each other's mouth. Charlie's hand moved slowly and very gently over Adriano's ass cheeks, once again sending shivers through Adriano's body. Charlie moved his head and began to run his tongue over Adriano's smooth, velvety cheeks and eyes and ears and neck as he moved his fingers into Adriano's ass trench and over his puckered asshole.

Adriano could feel Charlie's tongue sweeping down over his breasts and nipples, running in circles over his stomach and then into his pubic hair. Charlie began grabbing the hair between his teeth and pulling on it gently. Adriano thought it a strange, but wonderful sensation. Lifting Adriano's legs into the air, Charlie ran his tongue up the backs of his thighs and calves, stopping to suck on the soft hair that covered them, then running his tongue down with a swoop into Adriano's ass crack, sucking and pulling on the mass of tangled black hair that filled the trench.

Adriano's penis was now so hard, it almost felt like it might explode. He was afraid to touch it because, if he did, just even a slight touch would bring him to orgasm. He could feel Charlie's tongue searching and pressing on his asshole, pushing to get in. He relaxed as much as he could to allow Charlie's tongue to enter. As he felt it sliding into his rectum, he shuddered.

"Charlie, I can't help it, but I'm gonna cum in a second!"

Charlie pulled his tongue out and quickly plunged his mouth over Adriano's throbbing hard penis. Just then Adriano let out a yell and bucked his hips as he flooded Charlie's mouth with his hot, thick sperm. Thrust after thrust, Charlie could feel the power of each stream as it hit the roof of his mouth. As Adriano continued to buck his hips with every subsiding thrust, Charlie sucked and sucked Adriano's softening penis until every drop had been consumed.

As Adriano lay almost breathless, he looked at Charlie and said, "Please, Charlie, I have to have you inside of me. I want to take all of your hot sperm inside of me. Please push it in hard and fuck me and fuck me and fuck me."

Even though Adriano had had his orgasm and emptied a sizeable load into Charlie, he still felt an overwhelming passion for Charlie to take him—to take his body and do what he would with it. "Take me Charlie! Take my body and fuck me any way you want! Just take me!"

Charlie brought his mouth down to Adriano's asshole and covered it with saliva. Standing up, he lifted Adriano up by the hips from the back, with Adriano bent over Charlie's arms. Both of Adriano's feet and hands were off the ground. Charlie plunged his cock into Adriano's waiting asshole. Adriano hung there limp and helpless over Charlie's arms, crying, "Take my body, Charlie! Fuck me hard! Fuck me anyway you want to!

Charlie pounded his hips against Adriano's ass unmercifully hard. His cock hurt Adriano a lot, but Adriano felt almost in Heaven, having given himself over completely to Charlie. That was what Charlie wanted, and that is what Adriano desperately wanted to give him. Adriano began to feel Charlie's cock pulsating and then the flow of hot liquid into his rectum. Charlie howled as his orgasm built and hit a final excruciating climax. As it subsided, Charlie's knees began to weaken, and he slowly let Adriano down into the soft grass.

Adriano looked up at Charlie who was now kneeling beside him. "Charlie, I have never been through such a passionate experience in my life. I gave myself over entirely to you. I was totally helpless and loved it."

Charlie lay down next to Adriano and said, "Adriano, you are everything—everything I have longed for, for so long."

They lay there for a long time, just hugging and looking into each other's eyes. Then, they dressed, mounted the motorcycle and headed back to town. This time Adriano felt no fear, only passion for Charlie as he held his arms around him. As Adriano got into his car, they kissed again and agreed that they had to meet again. On the way back to Austin, Adriano thought about finding a way of getting Charlie to move to Austin and take a job with the University in the animal labs. There just had to be a way!

Michael and Jeff spent several days getting the little house in the Cottonwoods prepared for Josiah's and Brian's return to the ranch. Maggie saw to it that the refrigerator was well stocked and that the freezer was full of ready cooked food that needed only microwave preparation. Neither of the boys had yet been informed of their surprise. But before they came back home to the ranch, Michael and Jeff agreed that they would need to talk with Jake and make him completely aware of the relationship that had developed between Josiah and Brian, and that the two would probably be living together. It would be important to make Jake fully understand what Josiah's feelings were for him. In other words, Jake would need to recognize that Josiah truly loved him as a father and a mentor. They believed that informing Jake of this turn of events would not be particularly difficult since Jake was still insisting that he brought only bad luck and would not have further contact with Josiah.

To be continued...