Dan looked at Sara; with her hands clutched, she stared at the letter resting on Dan’s knee. “Oh my,” she gasped, something she always said.

“That sounds strange,” added Mickey.

“STRANGE! That is a freakin “love ‘em and leave ‘em broke” plan if I ever heard of one,” barked Ben. “What is Susan, a dang fool?”

“Watch your language Ben, you don’t know a thing about this man, and we don’t use that word around here, scolded Sara.

“What word – FREAKIN? - Okay ma, to please you, but it still is a freakin hustle; by the way Susan describes it.”

“You could be right, but we are going to put Susan out of our minds. What she decides, is nothing for you and me to be concerned over,” said Sara.

“I’m with your thinking,” agreed Dan. Susan is my sister, but I’m not her keeper. Everybody became quiet – it was time to change the subject.

“I’m going to the bunkhouse,” said Mickey. This is Dentin business and I don’t need to hear it.” Then he leaped from the stoop and walked away.

“He is a sensible young man. I like Mickey a lot,” said Sara. He is talented.”

“That he is,” added Ben, watching the wiggle on Mickey’s butt as he strolled away from the stoop. “I believe that cowboy has talent,” Ben groaned.

Dan knew exactly what Ben was thinking. He loved fucking a wrangler’s butt, and Mickey was a package that needed unwrapping. Sara, as expected, caught on to nothing.

Dan and Ben finished unloading the supplies from the wagon. They put everything in the storeroom for Sara. Ben drove the empty wagon to the barn and Dan hopped in for a ride to the bunkhouse.

“Are you getting in that wrangler’s britches,” asked Dan?”

“Who, are you talking about Mickey?”

“I ain’t saying Annie Oakley,” Dan replied a little sarcastic.

“Nope, not with Mickey, that’s what your butt is for,” Ben stated being sure of himself.

‘It ain’t any more”.

“What is that supposed to mean,”

“You’re on your own – get fuckin married and poke holes all you want,” stated Dan. “You need a good woman who fucks like a rabbit. That might cool you down a bit.”

“I’m doing just that,” confirmed Ben. “I’m getting me a wife.”

******

They put the wagon under cover and walked to the bunkhouse together. There was no animosity between them. They actually prized one another.

The three of them, Alex, Ben, and Dan, were Paxton’s first and cowboys second. They shared everything including, the good, the (not so good), and even their bodies when hunger struck their fancy, or when one of them wanted a poke. They differed in their opinions at times, but it never meant a thing, except plain old jawing to pass the time of day.

Sex was what they knew about, and what they did together. They weren’t queer homosexuals like people in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia – not in Abilene, where cowpokes like the Paxton boys lived. Naw, none of that stuff, they were cowboys, who messed with other cowboys, plain, and simple, that’s all it was.

The farm boys, would stroke off together, or fuck, in the barn, but never talked about what people would never understand. They kept “pecker playing,” to themselves living a clandestine life.

******

That evening, Dan and Ben played checkers, while the extra ranch hands were sleeping in the other room.

“Are you sure you’re not jumping the gun” asked Dan.

“What do you mean,” Ben inquired.

“Getting hitched with Gloria, you know she just wants a husband.”

“Who the fuck cares, I just want a woman,” confessed Ben.

“It’s not supposed to work this way, from what I gather. You should study on this. Where are you going to live? Her pa is rich, how you going to keep up with that? Besides, you should be in love.”

“LOVE – who needs love, I’ll think of something,” Ben answered, not liking where this jabbering was heading.

“Gloria ain’t about to scrub floors from morning to night like a farm women who is poor, and takin in washing…Yass sir - you bet your dumper, you got to know women, before a ring goes in your nose.” Dan concluded.

“We’re jawing about dumb wedding plans,” said Ben. “However, I stock no need in that stuff, that’s what women do.”

“Okay, pay me no never mind, I’m just jawing. Are you still going to put your pecker in men?” Dan asked.

“Not today.” Ben replied, I have to trust my instincts.”

******

Dan put Ben’s marriage out of his mind and went to sleep, thinking about Susan’s letter.

When Susan wrote the words –

“You have no idea how wonderful it feels being loved by a man, who turns night into day, just being by your side,”

She described Dan’s love for Alex, who constantly turned his night into day.

******

The following day, Ben sat at the kitchen table talking to his ma, (Sara) and Pa, (Charlie.) She kept trying to give him something to eat, but Ben just wanted to talk about getting married.

“It’s like this….” Ben began.

“Hold on a piece,” interrupted Charlie. “It isn’t up to your ma and me to be telling you who to marry and hearing your business. You’re grown now, and you have to fix what needs fixing,” declared Charlie.

“Oh hush up, and let the boy talk. Stop being a badger,” Sara said to her husband giving him a stern look.

“Maybe I’ll head out to the barn,” said Charlie.

“Go ahead pa, and miss hearing about the Paxton family vs the Lockroy family, after Gloria and I are hitched.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Chet Lockroy is getting a “Paxton” for a son in law. Is that what you’re fussing about,” said Charlie.

“We are getting Gloria, for a daughter,” added Sara, “don’t forget that.”

“Yup, and more,” replied Ben. He felt comfortable once he started talking.

“Gloria is bossy like you would find nowhere if you searched for a year, she makes Calamity Jane look like a beginner. I fear she is powerfully spoiled by her pa, being the only girl on the ranch. It isn’t anything I can’t handle directly, but why have conflict when your newly hitched,” Ben stated.

“What conflict are you talking about?” asked his ma, now taking an interest in Ben’s words. “You know it’s the bride who plans the wedding, the men folk just go along with it.” She added.

“That isn’t it. I don’t give a hang about any harebrained wedding. It’s afterwards that’s got bumps lifting on the back of my neck.”

Charlie pulled his chair closer to Ben and Sara sat next to him. “Talk!” said his pa. “What is Lockroy up to?”

“Yesterday, I got to jawing with Chet Lockroy and he has the future planned out. He is Gloria’s pa, so will decide what is best. I’m her husband, (or will be) but she listens only to her pa. It’s something crazy like that.”

“I’m not stupid, but that’s not the way marriage supposed to be. A husband takes care of his wife,” said Ben.

“That doesn’t sound too awful, if he wants to help out,” said Sara.

“Gloria doesn’t want to leave the Lockroy ranch, and mighty sure about that. She said, we would live on the Lockroy farm, where she feels at home. That didn’t set well with me, and it got worse, complained Ben.”

“I’ll be working for Chet and get paid when I want to buy something. That’s me, working against my own pa. I’m not about to do that. No sir - I am not working for Chet Lockroy, beholding to him, married to Gloria.“

“To give me permission to marry his daughter, that’s what it takes. Honest goodness, this is what he said. I’m not twisting a twig, but he doesn’t know a Paxton. It doesn’t set well with somebody else’s pa telling me what I have to do.” Ben continued clearly upset.

“Oh my,” said Sara. “No, that doesn’t set well at all.”

Charlie leaned forward with his hands clenched together, a scowl on his face, and his pipe clenched between his teeth. “Yup, that is not a good start,” he mumbled, finally saying something.

“I don’t want to work on the Lockroy farm, and not about to live there. Gloria doesn’t want to leave, and live on Paxton land. Did you ever hear of such goings on?” I want my own farm land and house near Abilene.”

“Ben, my boy, there is only one thing left to do,” said his pa.

“I already did it. I took back the proposal and told Gloria to grow up and be a woman, not a daddy’s girl. No cowpoke wants to marry her pa.”

“She agreed. We are just not right for one another.” Ben finally concluded.

“Do you love her?” asked Sara.

“Not especially – Dang it, NO, she is annoying.” Ben admitted, “She is always telling me what to do.”

“It’s just what I suspected. Stay away from the Lockroy farm and let things simmer to a stop. The right one will come along; just don’t jump at any unmarried female,” cautioned his ma.

******

When Ben told Alex and Dan the reason for not getting married, they waited until everybody had gone off to the pasture to work.

The three of them, went to the hayloft for the wildest non-marriage sex party, they could muster up, and still be able to walk back to the bunkhouse.

Ben fucked them both and for the first time, he guzzled Alex and Dan’s cocks. Cum moved like cream in the butter churn. They didn’t give a hoot about anything except catering to Ben, whom they loved. It seemed they tried to demonstrate they were more fulfilling partners, than having sex with Gloria.

Ben wanted to be with them more than being married. It was always that way, but now he recognized it as being necessary. - Ben at last, was home. 

******

To be continued...