Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 08:53:11 -0700 From: Kolorado Kowboy Subject: The Deputy and the Kid - Chapter 4 WARNING: This piece of literature contains illusions to and actual descriptions of man/boy, man/teen sex and sexual themes. If you do not like this type of story or if you are not of legal age in your state/province then please do not continue reading! The author and publishing authority are not responsible for any consequences that reading such material could possibly lead to. THIS IS PURE FICTION for entertainment only! It is not meant to condone or encourage any behavior that is frowned upon (sigh) in this modern day and age. I sincerely apologize to one and all for being so terribly long in getting this story out. The past year has not been the best of times for me. ============================================== The Deputy and the Kid - 4 ____________________________ Dawn came about two hours early, or so it seemed. I opened my eyes to the dusky interior of my cabin and lay listening to the sounds of a new day. As difficult as it was for me to remove myself from the bed, filled as it was with a beautiful ten year old boy, I knew that if I didn't get up NOW, I'd never make out 'til sometime around noon. With a deep sigh, I slowly slid my arm from under Andy's head and got out of bed. After putting some coffee on the stove, I stood in the door looking out over my (our) little valley. The sunlight was slowly moving down the ridge to the east almost in a solid line, gradually painting the blacks and grays of night with the brilliant tones of color that only can be achieved in clear mountain air. With a light heart, I did the mornin' chores and readied mine and Andy's horses for the trip to town. Entering the cabin, I was surprised to find Andy busy fryin up a batch of bacon and eggs. "Mornin', Dad!" He shouted, as he jumped into my arms and planted his sweet lips on mine. "Mmmmrrrnnggg" was about all I could get out with him sealed to my lips. "How long have you been up?" I asked, after I freed myself. "I was awake when you made coffee. I liked laying there and watchin' you stand in the door watchin' the sunrise. Gave me kinda a warm feelin' all over." "Well, let's eat and then get on into town so I can get that money back to the bank and get you some clothes, ok?" I asked as I reached out and tousled his golden hair. Later, as we approached town, I reined up. "Son, you're goin' to be meetin' a lot of new folk this mornin' and I just want you to remember something. Always hold your head up and be proud of who you are. Always be honest and square with folks so you can look 'em square in the eye." "What if they ask about ... uhmm ... well, you know ... us"? "You tell them that you are now my son ... anything past that is private. There is a difference between something that's a lie and something that's just plain not their business. They ask more, they are being pryin' and don't deserve an answer, ok?" "Ok. That's kinda what I thought but, I just wanted to make sure." "You'll do fine, boy, you just keep followin' your gut feelings and I think you'll do just fine." I replied as I reached out and tousled his blond hair. Then, movin on into town we drew up in front of the general store. "Let's go in here, first, and get you outfitted while we wait for the bank to open. Ok son?" "Ahhhh, do we have ta?" He asked, trying his best to look pouty, but only succeeding in looking cuter. (As if that were possible) Laughing, I reached up and dragged him from his saddle and into my arms. I had to fight the very real temptation to hold him longer as I set him down on the boardwalk. Andy walked into the store as if in awe of everything he saw and I, once again, cursed the people who had 'raised' this boy and not even allowed him into a store. "Mornin' there Marshall Thomas, That your latest owl hoot fer the pokey you got there?" The store owner asked as he smiled down on Andy. "Mornin, Zeb." I replied. " Andy, this here is Zeb Brooks, he owns this store and is a good friend to know." "Good morning, sir." "Real polite, ain't he? Well boy, you just call me 'Zeb' because none of my friends call me 'sir' or 'mister Brooks' and we ARE friends, ain't we?" Zeb asked as he held out a candy stick for Andy. "Go ahead, son, you can have it. Zeb, we need a complete outfit of clothes for him and mebbe a change or two. Can't have him runnin' around like this all the time." "I think I can set ya right up. Though he does look kinda cute as an indian boy." Zeb replied with a big grin and a wink in Andys direction. After about half an hour or so, we left the store with Andy dressed in regular clothes and lugging a huge sack with extra clothes and shoes that Zeb had not charged me for after he had heard how I had found him and of the way his 'folks' had treated him. Andy hooked the bag over his saddle horn and followed me across the dusty street to the bank. Amid greetings from the two tellers, I walked to the back of the bank and knocked on the door. Getting a gruff 'Enter' command, I, with Andy trailing, entered the spacious office. "Dan! By all that's holy, am I glad to finally lay eyes on you. Is that the stolen money there in those saddle bags?" The banker asked as he rose from behind his desk. Nodding, I handed the bags over to him as he walked past me to the door. There he handed them off to his head teller with an order to count it and return it to the safe. Turning, he almost tripped over Andy and then he stopped and took a step back while looking Andy over from head to toe. "And who's this, then? Someone you found along the way?" "Judge, this is Andy. Andy, this is Judge Benjamin L. Nambla." "Pleased to meet you, son. You mark my name, boy, because some day the name of B.L. Nambla is going to be well known. Just you wait and see" The Judge replied as he waved us to sit on his couch and offered me a drink and then with a questioning look at me he gave Andy a coin and told him to go next door to the steak house and get a sarsaparilla to drink while he and I chatted. For the next half hour I relayed the story of my experience on the trail of the robbers and then answered questions that the Judge had in regards to it. There was a moment of silence and then the Judge asked me about Andy and what was to become of him. "Well, Judge, that's kinda something that I wanted to talk to you about." I answered hesitantly. "You see.......ummm, well, that is ....I was sorta wondering if I could make him my son." The Judge was silent for a long moment as he sat and studied me. "Dan, I've known you for a long time. Hell, I knew you back in the 'war' even. And I've watched you mature and get better and better at you talents of hunting and tracking. I would like to believe that I know you better than anyone else alive, maybe even better than you know yourself. So be straight with me here ..... There is a little more to it than that, isn't there?" My heart froze for an instant as I thought over the Judge's statement and question. He was right about knowing me. And, up til now at least, I had been able to talk to him or ask him about anything at all. No secrets. But now, how do I talk to him about my feelings for Andy when they are all so new and confusing to me? How will he react and what will he think of me if I tell him that I think that I am in love with a ten year old boy??? "Maybe I can make this easier on you, Dan." The Judge said softly. "Your in love with that boy, aren't you?" Nothing like going straight to the heart of the matter! The Judge stared into my eyes for a bit and then with a slight smile he said, "I thought so. I saw the way you looked at him, had your arm around him and how you seemed to almost glow while he was still here. It's obvious that he loves you, too." The Judge held up a hand. "Don't be alarmed, Dan, what we say in this room stays just between us. I give you my word on that. Also, nothing you can tell me will shock me or make me think any less of you. OK?" "Uh, well, yeah, I guess." I stammered. Oh well. I thought to myself, I have to trust somebody sometime or I'm gonna bust. So, taking a deep breath, I stumbled through most of the details and a lot of my questions and thoughts. After I was done, I looked up at the Judge to see if I still had a friend or if I should go start packin my bags. "My boy, I'm glad you were straight with me and trusted me. I think that I can answer a lot of your questions and help you out here." The Judge said. "you see, Dan, you and I are more alike than you might have thought. You know that I have three sons myself. Well we are all quite open with each other and we do show our love for each other just like you and Andy have done and more." "There's more??" I asked before I could stop myself. "Oh, yes. But, to do more than you and Andy have done, you need to proceed very carefully so that you both get the best feelings. And I do mean VERY carefully or you could hurt Andy and I'm sure you don't want to do that." I knew that the Judge had adopted his sons over the last few years. His oldest boy, Sean, was now thirteen. Then the next in line, Seth, was ten like Andy; and then his youngest, Zeb, was eight. They were all extremely cute boys but I had never dreamed that they were being so intimate with each other and the Judge. I decided that I had a lot to learn. We talked intently over the next hour or so, so completely absorbed in our conversation that neither one of us paid any attention to the time. I'm ashamed to admit that I forgot about Andy next door in the steak house. So, just as I got done signin' the adoption papers that the Judge 'just happened to have handy', I was surprised to see Andy come back in with the Judge's middle boy, Seth. Seth was going to 'show Andy around' and after I said that was fine as I had a lot of catching up to do over at the office, I found my arms once again filled with a bundle of joy as Andy hugged me and then he and Seth ran tearing from the bank. "Well, he's in good hands." The Judge laughed as he watched them run from the room. "Like as not you'll probably find him up at my house when your ready to go home this afternoon anyway, so why don't you just plan on having dinner with us tonight before you head on out to your place?" I told the Judge that I'd give it some thought and took my leave to go catch up on things that had piled up during the time I'd been gone. I remember thinking on the way over to the office how much my life had changed in so short a time and how many changes were going to happen in the future. Little did I realize, just how much they were going to change. -------------------------------------------------- Chapter 5 will pick up the story as seen through Andy's eyes. -------------------------------------------------- I feel at this point that I should explain some of the thoughts that I have had concerning the "old west" in the era of this story, roughly the 1870s. In some of my e-mail communications that I had with readers of my story. I find that I am not alone in these beliefs. The west was just barely beginning to be settled by families and women who were not either prostitutes or to rough around the edges for most men were few and far between. Prior to this time there were even fewer women. That being the case, I find it very hard indeed to believe that gay sex, while not being discussed maybe, was not extremely prevalent throughout the west. It was a 'mans world' in every sense of the word. Most cowhands of that era hardly ever rode alone. This was mostly for protection and it's difficult to think that this scenario would not lead to quite a bit of sex. Not only that, but, the bunkhouses on ranches were small and crowded and it would be difficult to believe that these men would not make use of each other to release built-up tensions. You have to remember that most of the men were in their twenties with a lot still in their teens. There are all sorts of records and stories of boys as young as 13 or 14 drifting through the West on their own. Therefore they found themselves at the peak years of their sex drive with few options for relief As the early migration west began, whole families were lost to various reasons. Accidents, Indians and sickness just headed up the list of ways a person could find himself dead. Consequently, there was a lot of orphans that found themselves faced with the options of fending for themselves, dieing or allowing themselves to be 'adopted' by whoever would take them in. It was not unusual for these orphans to find themselves 'adopted' for no other reason but to work for the man or family that took them in. As a matter of fact, a lot of couples had a lot of children just for that reason ... to help work the farm/ranch. Some of these kids were no more than slaves and lived a forlorn life of abuse until they were old enough to run away. In those instances, it was looked upon as good riddance, one less mouth to feed. Sad, indeed. It is upon this belief of what I feel was the more accurate atmosphere and lifestyle then prevalent, that I have based this tale of Love. Thank You. Kolorado Kowboy xnavair@msn.com