This is the last of five chapters. This is a work of gay erotic fiction. If such stories are not to your liking or if you are not allowed access to such stories under the laws under which you live, please exit now.

I want to express thanks to Andrew, who has again done proofing and editing for me.

All stories which I have posted on NIFTY can be found by looking under my name in their Prolific Authors lists.

This work is copyrighted by the author and may not be copied or distributed in any form without the expressed written permission of the author.

One Saturday in early August Jake left just after breakfast to attend to some business in town.

There was an order at the hardware store to pick up and he'd taken Dave's list of the kitchen stuff they needed. By the time he'd done all the shopping the rear of the pickup was full and a few items had to go on the passenger side of the cab.

He headed over to Dot's Cafe for lunch.

He was in no hurry to get back to the ranch and happy to have a little time to himself. It was still hard for him to get Tom off his mind and he was glad to have some time alone to try to think things through. He assumed he'd had his chance with the kid and let it slip by. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out how he felt about that.

Was life passing him by? He wondered. Maybe he'd have just gotten hurt, but he knew sometimes you had to risk some pain to have what was really important.

After lunch he decided he had time to hit the saloon before heading back. Maybe a few beers were what he really needed.

He dawdled over his beer and by the time he left the saloon the weather turned on him. When he left the saloon the sky had gone dark and there were threatening clouds off to the southwest and hading his way.

Back at the truck, he lashed the tarpaulin tightly over the supplies and headed home. He'd not gone five miles before he was overtaken by a sudden and violent storm. He managed to get the pickup through a couple of flooded washes but by the time he got to the ranch it was very late. He pulled the pickup into the barn and left it until morning. The supplies would be dry and, fortunately, he'd not bought anything which needed to be refrigerated. Fighting the pelting rain, he made it into the bunkhouse to find Dave sleeping at the table, waiting up for him.

Jake gave Dave a gentle shake, waking him from his slumber. "I'm glad you're back, Jake," the old man said. "It's nasty our there."

"Yeah, safe and sound, Dave, just wet and tired." He looked at the older man, grateful for his concern. "I guess the guys have all gone to bed."

"Yeah, we sort of figured you'd stay in town, with the storm and all."

"But you stayed up."

"Well, I figured I'd give you another hour."

"Thank, Dave," said, giving the old man a pat on his shoulder. "You go to bed."

"There was a tornado hit Higginsville, but it's moved off northeast now." Dave said as he rose from the table.

"I heard."

"I guess it'll rain all night." The heavy downpour drummed incessantly on the bunkhouse's tin roof, making conversation all but impossible. "Coffee's cold, but I can warm it up."

"No, Dave, thanks. I just take a warm shower and then I want to get to bed."

"Well, if the lightening starts up again, you sure don't want to be in the shower."

"I know, Dave," Jake said, smiling at the older guy's concern. "I'll watch it."

"Well, good night, then," Dave said as he went off to his room and Jake went off to his. Jake stripped off his wet clothes and slipped into the bathroom for a quick shower.

The door to Tom's room was open, which in itself was common enough. Jake moved across the bathroom to close it before turning on the light. He didn't have to worry about making any noise which might wake the kid. It would have taken a minor explosion to be heard over the continual pounding of the rain on the roof.

As he reached out to pull the door shut he sense movement and looked into Tom's room. He knew immediately, even in the dim light, what he was witnessing.

Two muscular male bodies writhed in the rumpled bed.

Jake again found himself frozen in place. It was just like that first night in March when he couldn't take his eyes off Tom's sleeping form. He stood there, naked and mesmerized in the open door.

As his eyes adjusted to the meager light, he understood more fully what he was seeing. He realized that he was totally erect but he didn't dare touch his cock or he knew he'd explode.

Ryan lay on his back and Tom lay over him. Tom's muscular buttocks were circled by the other guy's legs, locked around him so forcefully that Tom would have had difficulty escaping if he'd wanted to. It seemed unlikely that Tom wanted to escape. He was powerfully fucking Ryan, who seemed as pleased with the situation as Tom was.

The two muscular bodies glistened with sweat. The unmistakable odor of sex permeated the room. Both men were moaning loudly but the sounds of the storm covered the sounds they made.

Tom was thrusting into Ryan with incredible power. His hips were pounding into him like some crazed beast.

Jake's mind went back to the two horses mating by the riverbank, the big stallion driving his huge cock into the willing mare.

Each time Tom's buttocks drew back toward Jake, he felt as if he could see the wet shaft of the kid's cock, there, visible for a second in the shadowy recesses between his powerful legs, then driving foreword again, pounding into Ryan's wet, dilated ass.

The spectacle went on and on. Both men were obviously strong and they had incredible endurance. They also had the sexual experience and skill to prolong their pleasure as long as possible.

Jake just stood there, frozen in place, staring at the two younger guys as their bodies writhed in pleasure. Jake's cock was weeping a steady stream of clear fluid but he didn't touch himself and could do nothing to stop the steady flow.

Suddenly Tom seemed to freeze. All movement stopped. For a moment Jake feared he'd been heard. Then, as Tom uttered a sound which was much closer to an animal's growl than human speech, Jake realized the guy had climaxed.

Jake had a sudden vision of Tom's seed catapulting deep into Ryan's gut. Ryan, or as much of him as Jake could see, was also caught in the convulsions of sexual climax. His legs, still locked around Tom's body, shuddered. His shoulders seemed to tremble.

The two young men held very still for a minute or more and then Tom slumped onto Ryan's chest. Ryan's arms came around Tom and stroked his muscular back. His legs relaxed and slid from around Tom's hips and they lay like that for a while. Jake wondered if they were kissing. From the positions of their heads, he suspected that they were.

Tom's cock seemed to have softened and slipped from Ryan's ass. It looked wet and shiny and Jake wondered if it was sheathed in a condom. He hoped the boys were careful and, knowing Tom, he suspected that they were.

After a while Tom rolled off Ryan and lay close against him, their bodies pressed together. Tom lay like that for a few seconds, his left arm bent and resting over his face, covering his eyes. Then he move his arm and stretched a little. Suddenly he rose up into a setting position and, for just a second, stared directly at Jake. Then, just as quickly, he slumped back onto the bed and softly uttered one word.

"Shit!"

Jake turned in the darkness, silently closed the door and turned on the bathroom light. He looked at himself in the mirror and was shocked by his appearance. He looked haggard and his hair, which had been wet from the rain, had dried stiffly. He looked dirty and unkempt. He adjusted the water and stepped into the shower, not bothering to even reach for the soap, just letting the warm water pour over him.

After a few minutes, as his knotted muscles relaxed, he reached for the soap and lathered his body. When he'd rinsed, he took the soap again and worked thick suds into the hair around his crotch.

It took only a few strokes to finish himself off. He shot a big load but achieved no satisfaction from his climax.

Worn out, he dried off and staggered to his bed. For once, he didn't bother to find a pair of boxer shorts.

Jake and Tom were together several times over the next few days, but always in the presence of the other men. It was several days before they had a chance to talk alone.

They were in the stables late one morning after the other men had ridden out.

"I didn't intend for you to see," Tom said, his voice low, almost a whisper.

"I figured," Jake responded, knowing at once what Tom meant. "How long have you and Ryan been getting it on?"

"It started about two weeks after he and the other guys arrived."

"He seems like a great guy."

"Yeah, he's cool."

"I was surprised he let you fuck him."

"Why?"

"Well, you know, he seems like a powerful guy. He looks strong as hell."

"Strong doesn't have anything to do with it, Jake." He paused, and then, taking the plunge, said, "I let him fuck me, too."

Jake turned and looked directly at Tom for the first time. "I guess there's a lot I don't understand," he said.

They were silent for a while as they went on about their work. While Jake was straightening out a tangled coil of rope, he sat on a bail of hay. Tom went over and squatted down in front of him.

"Jake," the boy said, "I'd have never started things with Ryan if I'd thought there was any chance of anything between us."

"I know that, Tom," Jake said, giving the boy a slight smile. "It was me who cut it off between us."

Tom looked down at the dusty stable floor, thought a moment and then looked back up at Jake. "If you ever changed your mind, I'd bottom for you anytime."

Jake didn't know how to respond. He just looked at the boy and, after a long pause, slowly nodded.

"Thanks, Tom. Part of me really wants it, but I can't."

"Well, your call," Tom said with a grin. As he rose up he reached out and gave Jake's knee an affectionate squeeze.

Was it really true that there are few certainties in life, few things and fewer people you can really count on? Jake thought about it and wondered if maybe it was his own fault. Maybe it was more a question of trust than of trustworthiness.

When the summer ended and the boys were gone, Jake sat many a lazy afternoon, thinking about Tom and about Ryan and about himself.

What had he missed?

What had he let slip through his fingers?

Was it fear or some sort of misdirected male pride? He didn't know, but he knew, deep in the recesses of his heart, that something rich and wonderful had passed him by.

Months later Tom received a brief note.

The end