Dan knew what he wanted to talk about to Sara and Charlie. Sara was sweeping the stoop free of horse manure that dropped from the boy’s boots. It was a bonus stink from the cattle barn. There is no getting away from ‘what is.’

“Howdy ma,” cried out Dan approaching the stoop.

“Morning Dan, I ‘speck you came from the barn with mush on your boots, but sit a spell. I got me a broom I’ll keep on sweeping.”

“Nah, they’re clean, I just came from the bunkhouse.”

“Are you hungry? C’mon inside and I will fix you something to eat.”

“0bliged – I’m fine, Randy is keeping us well fed. I just want to talk.”

“Is Randy working you too much? But don’t give that a worry, pa will handle him,” grinned Sara breaking into a big smile. What’s troubling you?” she asked.

“It’s nothing like that. I like to work and Randy is fair-minded with everybody. ”

“You’re busting with the truth there son. However, you’re a rock of strength. What’s on your mind?” Sara asked once more.

“It’s about my sister. Remember me telling you about Lucy, who is married and living in Nebraska. We grew up in an orphanage together in Lincoln.”

“The seamstress - I do?” replied Sara. “I recollect you saying the wonders she could do with a piece of cloth.”

“Yup the seamstress, that’s Lucy for sure. She is coming here,” Dan, blurted out with no advance warning. I don’t know what to do.”

“That’s nothing to be worrying about.” Sara calmly replied.

“Ma, I said, LUCY is coming to Abilene, here to the Paxton farm. ” Dan babbled nervously. “ Now, what do I do?”

“What are you two jabbering about,” cried Charlie, coming on to the stoop and catching the tail end of the conversation. “Who’s coming here?”

“Danny’ sister,” replied Sara. She is coming to visit and that sounds mighty nice to me.”

“Not visiting ma – to live here in Abilene, or thereabouts. Her husband Jack drove a wagon across the Platte River and never made it. The current flipped the wagon and Jack was lost. Lucy’s a widow woman.”

“Dang fool should know better,” Charlie declared. “That river is long and deep, no telling what could happen with a dragged out tired old horse.”

“Shucks, it already went and happened, and now Lucy is alone, never having young-ins of her own, she’s plenty scared with no family or friends, except me,” confessed Dan.

“You can’t be leaving a young girl alone without a man. It just taint right,” said Charlie. “Lucy is welcome anytime.”

“Don’t let your mind wander,” declared Sara. Our boys are Paxton’s, and you’re all our family.

“I Never could forget that ma – never could,” Dan affirmed.

“Lucy is welcomed, like pa says, and we will make room. Stop worrying your handsome head. I’ll handle everything,” said Sara.

“Now get your butt out to the east meadow for branding the stock. Alex, Ross, and Mickey need a fourth man,” shouted Charlie.

“Yes sir boss – I mean pa.”

“Charlie stood in the doorway on the stoop. His arms folded, and he was smiling. “That boy has some mighty fine qualities,” he quietly thought.

Dan trotted back to the barn and in minutes, he was stirring up dust riding his horse Cyclone, out to the East Meadow.

Cyclone, gentle and sweet,  was given to him by Charlie after being a wild horse. Dan had the best-looking stallion on the ranch. Cyclone was solid black, strong and powerful. Dan would coddle, feed him sugar and carrots as a treat, then, brush him regularly.

“Lordy, how he loves that horse. Dan is quite a man,” said Charlie, putting his arm around Sara’s shoulder.” I shore put a stack of trust in him.”

Sara grabbed Charlie’s hand with a tight grip. “We owe a heap of love for the giving that boy does, and he never mentions it and never complains. Our Danny’s proud to be a Paxton,” she confessed.

“Now don’t overplay it ma,” said her husband. “We don’t want to spoil him.”

“For land sakes, hush up, you old fool,” she mumbled, kissing Charlie’s cheek. “You’re the only man around here that needs spoiling.”

******

Mickey brought up on a farm, had a soft side. When other farm boys were catching frogs, climbing trees and waddling in horseshit; Mickey was petting the animals and picking wild raspberries.

As a grown man, he was squeamish about putting a branding iron to a calf’s hide. Branding was the last thing he wanted to do. It was Randy, the foreman who sent him with Ross and Alex to the East Meadow rounding up calves to be put to the iron.

When Dan got there, Ross was branding and Mickey along with Alex, were tracking down the strays bringing them to Ross roped and tied. Alex helped Ross with the struggling animals, flipping them on their side and holding them pressed to the ground. Mickey made an effort to help but clearly, this job was not his best line of work. In fact, he hated it.

Alex understood how Mickey felt; they were the same age and assumed how each other thought, much of the time. Alex was gay and had suspicions that Mickey played the same game, but he never talked about pecker playing with him.

Mickey’s eyes would wander. He saw Danny as stud beef on the hoof. Indeed, Dan was all of that and more. You could see Mickey’s eyes undressing him and Alex recognized ‘that look.’

Mickey was anxious to get out of there, when the last calf was branded.  Ross packed up the gear and headed back to the farm taking Mickey along with him.

“Meet you both at the bunkhouse,” said Ross to Alex and Danny. “Pa has some work he’s putting out for the boys, so come back directly.”

Alex didn’t reply, but shook his head – “okay.”

Dan leaned down putting out the embers of the branding fire and Alex squatted down across from him. He tossed his glance between Dan's legs watching the frog moving in his crotch.

“Want to get your pecker wet,” Alex asked a sexy looking Dan.

“Want to put your mouth on it?” asked Danny. He rubbed the growing cannon in his pants, showing his bulge to Alex. He loved teasing Alex with his unique manly assets.

“Oh yeah, shore enough do.”

Without hesitation, Dan unbuttoned his pants and flipped his pecker out for Alex to hold. That’s all it took, and the queer Paxton wanted to work.

Alex finished stomping out the embers from the branding fire. He stood between the horses, tied together in order to be concealed. Dan was beside him in the matter of seconds.

“You have to make this fast. Pa wants us back at the farm. Get on your knees, and suck. I’ll even help.” Danny mumbled. The horses hid them well, so they thought.

They often had “quickie” sex; now Dan was heating up Alex’s passion once again for his farm fed body. By now, they were doing everything together with nothing being off limits.

It was awesome the way Dan would talk nasty, never knowing what erotic even meant. He would say whatever popped into his head. It was queer driven jabbering, but to Alex, hearing it was heavenly.

“You’re a hungry animal!” Dan would tell Alex. He said the same thing several times in a row. Dan didn’t like the word, “animal” but he would use it, when getting his pecker sucked. Sex talking made everything different.

“I saved it for you,” mumbled Dan, pulling Alex up and kissing his lips and face. Alex had become his everything. They were both homos, so kissing was the catalyst that got them started. Danny was his boyfriend.

“I should wash my crotch,” Dan whispered as if it was a secret.

“That’s my job. I’m doing for you; just don’t forget me.”

“I won’t.”

It was then, they spotted a rider coming faster than a tempest wind, Dan’s pecker was back in his pants, and they were adjusting their saddle cinches, to look occupied. Ben was coming straight towards them.

“Yew, you scared the living daylights out of me,” yelled Alex.

“Suppose it was pa coming, you would be in deep shit,” scolded Ben.

“Why, did you see anything nasty going on between the horses?”

“Nope, didn’t see nasty, but did see a couple of homo’s, hanging on to each other,” admitted Ben.

“Ben is right; we can’t be doing dirty, where folks can catch a gander.”

“Let’s get out of here. I’m too shaken up for sex right now,” admitted Alex.

“I shore could use a poke, if Dan’s obliging” mumbled Ben, looking at Danny’s hard packed butt. “Want to help a brother out?” he asked.

Danny, being gay, would often have sex with Ben and Alex as a threesome. It took them months of living together to get to that point, but they did.

“It sounds mighty tempting,” replied Dan.

“I’ll fuck you ‘till the rooster crows,” bragged Ben pushing his hips forward showing the package of all packages. He had more cock than you could hang on a fence, it made perfect sense.

“That’s a lot of rooster,” Danny grumbled - “Okay.”

“Deep is what I had in mind.” Ben proudly stated, he was already hard and outline on the right side of his jeans that housed the famous Paxton cannon.

“A homo round of cock playing should set things straight. But I am not doing it unless Alex plays too,” said Dan. “Since Alex isn’t willing, I am not leaving him.”

“I’ll have to go and make love to a pillow,” declared Ben disappointed.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Danny replied.  “In fact, take any prize off the top shelf.”

“Sure, and for a dollar, I get three more tries, chuckled Ben.

********