Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:37:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Colorado <clrdjhn@yahoo.com>
Subject: Farmer turned rancher  chapter 5

by John of Colorado
clrdjhn@yahoo.com
Farmer turned rancher

If you are not of age or man/man sex bothers you, or this illegal in your
area, then I suggest you leave NOW! Why are you still here, I told you to
leave! The names have been changed but the story itself is basically based
upon facts. However, it is fiction.

Chapter 5

Now we knew what was causing our problem. All we had to do was decide how
to solve it. Jack Carlos and I were at a complete loss. We would decide one
way and then the other. Neither one of us wanted to hurt the other.

The people of the wagon train decided to spend the winter with us. We
cleaned out the barn and they moved into it, out of the elements. We put in
a large fire pit with a large chimney so that they would have heat and
would be able to cook. We made several lean-tos, for the animals to have
shelter. Fortunately, the winters in Central Texas are rather mild, one or
two ice spells that only last a couple of days each.

Jack Carlos and the young lady were able to see each other on a daily
bases.. Soon it became apparent what his decision would be. He was still
very reluctant to make a decision, however. One day, he and I were sitting
at the table drinking a cup of coffee.

"Jack Carlos, when are you going to ask Julie to marry you? You know you
are going to, and I want to wish you both all the happiness in the
world. What I don't like is that you will probably go to California with
her."

"Paul, would you be upset if I did?'

"Jack Carlos, I will always love you and want to have you friendship, but
your happiness is all that I want. I will never stand in you way and will
give you your freedom." I said, with tears in my eyes. "Just a minute, I
will be right back."

I went into the bedroom and got my mother's wedding ring. I took it out and
gave it to Jack Carlos. "I want you to have this. It means more to me than
anything in this world. This is my way of saying, I love you and cherish
our friendship," I said through my tears.

"Paul, I can't take this. I know it belonged to your mother and I know what
it means to you."

"Just knowing it is on the finger of the one you love, is good enough for
me. I know every time you see it, you'll remember me."

"Thanks!" was all Jack Carlos could say. We just stood there hugging each
other and crying. We both knew this is what we both wanted.

On Christmas day, Jack Carlos and Julia were married. This should have been
the saddest day of my life, but instead, it was the happiest. I had loved
and no one can take all my good memories from me. Now I have two friends
for life.

It was near the middle of March; Uncle Big Man stopped by the ranch. He
gave the settlers a big surprise but between Jack Carlos and I, we
convinced them that he was friendly. He had another shocking surprise for
me. Uncle Big Man and his people were moving up north (Oklahoma
Territory). They would not be returning. He wanted to give his valley to
me. I asked him if it would be alright to move the settlers into it. He
said it was mine and I could do with it as I saw fit. He and I made a trip
to the woods and then he was gone.

Once again my heart was breaking. I wanted to find a hole to crawl into and
never come out. Once again, I had to given up another who had stolen my
heart. I knew that Uncle Big Man and John Carlos would always live in my
heart. They would never leave me completely.

Before he left, he told me to go to his old tepee site, .. He was leaving a
surprise for me. He would not give me any clues. I had to wait three days
before I went over. All his people would be gone by then, never to return.

I waited my three days and went to the village site. Everything was gone. I
got the surprise of my life. There, sitting in Uncle Big Man's site, was a
blond haired boy about my age. I could not believe my eyes.

I rode cautiously up to him. "Are you Paul?" He asked.

"That I am, and who are you?"

"I am Jeremy. I was told to wait for you and that you would arrive today,
and that I was to wait here in this spot.."

"Why are you here all alone?"

"My father kicked me out because I am gay. I had no place to go and I
stumbled upon this Indian camp and was taken in by the man you call Uncle
Big Man. He told me all about you and he had his way with me several times,
all of my choosing. I see why you call him Uncle Big Man. I have been with
him for three weeks now. His people have moved and he went with them. I
have my horse and everything that I own, a change of clothes and a blanket
over there in the trees. Uncle Big Man told me that you would take me in,
or find a place for me to stay. I am willing to work to pay my way.. I
don't want to be a free loader."

"Let's get your things and we can discuss the minor details later. Uncle
Big Man gave me this valley and I have people at my place ready to move
here. All I have to do is get them to stay and not go to California. You
can stay with me, or build your own life here in the valley or if the
settlers decide to go to California, then you can go also. Your decision
will be made by you and only you, but we will go into that later.."

"Me being gay doesn't bother you?"

"Jeremy, I am gay and on my own. My mother and father died . I have been on
my own since I was 14. I have been in a relationship with a man whom you
will meet later on today. We split on very good terms, and he is, and
always will be, my friend. We can work out the details later. Uncle Big Man
liked you or he wouldn't have taken care of you. Shall we go?"

"Just how old are you."

"I will turn 17 next month, and what about you?"

" I just turned 18. I am glad to find someone my own age.. Everyone, I know
is older than me and they treat me like a kid."

"Jeremy, from now on, you are not a kid anymore. You will have to work
hard, and as an adult, if you are going to survive. I know because I have
been there. I was forced to leave my youth behind and live my life as an
adult. Let's head to my place. It is just a couple of hours from here."

"Led the way, I am with you."

Jack Carlos and Julie came running to meet us, followed by Sarah and Mark
. They had no idea where I had gone. I just told them that Uncle Big Man
wanted to see me and had left. I dismounted and ran to meet them, greeting
them each with a hug and a kiss.

"Jeremy, get down and come here. I want you to meet my family. This
beautiful young lady is Julie, wife of that ugly one who is Jack Carlos."

"Daddy, he is not ugly and you know that!" shouted Mark.

"Son, I know that. Next to you, he is the best looking guy around. I was
just teasing." I exclaimed.

"Jeremy, I would like to have you meet my son, Mark, and his sister,
Sarah."

" Everyone, this is Jeremy a friend of Uncle Big Man. He was a drifter and
homeless until Uncle Big Man found him. Now he has come to live with us."

"Daddy, Jack Carlos is leaving for California in the morning with the
settlers. They are all back in the barn getting ready to go. Don't Let him
go, please!" cried Sarah.

I looked at Jack Carlos and he shook his head yes. Both he and Julie had
tears in their eyes. "Hey everyone, Let's go to the barn. I need to talk to
everyone and they will have a big decision to make. Come on Mark, race you
to the barn and you had better let me win this time." Mark, of course,
won. Everyone else finished close behind.

Mark yelled, "Hey, everyone, Paul is back and he wants to talk to all of
you. So gather around!"

"I know that you people have decided to pull out tomorrow for
California. You have picked a good time to leave and I know there will be
lots of grass for your animals. Something very interesting came up, and I
think all of you might be interested in some new developments. Remember the
Indian man who was here a few days ago? I just got back from his camp where
I got the surprise of my life. The Indians have moved North. They gave
their valley to me, which means that it is now open for settlement and
development."

"Before I go any farther, I would like to introduce my friend, Jeremy. He
is a drifter and drifted into the Indian camp. He can vouch for me and for
what I am about to say." Jeremy shook his head yes and bowed to the people.

"I know that all of you have gone through some hard times and that you
probably don't have the money to make it to California. Your wagons and
animals are not in the best of condition and may not make it all the
way. You probably don't have the means to replace them. I have a little
money and can borrow some from the other settlers in this
valley. Therefore, I can help you reach California, if you so desire."

"The valley which I now own, can support a few settlers. It is small but
has some nice farm plots, plenty of grass for a large of herd of
cattle. Timber is available for building houses and out buildings. There is
a creek that runs year around. This creek is spring fed and offers a
beautiful building site with lots of trees. It is only about 1½ hours ride
from here. The potential is there and with a little hard work, it can make
dreams come true."

"The other settlers in this valley and I can help you break the land, build
houses, plant crops, etc. I can help you get seeds for you crops and later
help you get some cattle. All of this is being offered to you at no
charge.. You can file on the land and get clear titles to it.. Before you
make a decision, I would like to invite all of you to ride over and look
the place over. This would mean delaying your departure for a day, but what
is one day compared to a lifetime? Remember, no one has to make a decision
now unless you just want to. I am going to take the kids and go back to the
house and come back later. Jeremy you might want to sit in on the
discussion. You will be making a decision also. "

"Come on kids, race you to the house!"

We stayed in the house for quite some time. The kids could not take it any
longer so we went back to the barn.

Sarah, not being the one to mince any words, said, "Ok, what have you
decided? Are you staying or going.?" She had broken the ice for the rest of
us.

A rather plump middle-aged woman stood and spoke. "I don't know about the
rest of the group but I would like to ask for a job as housekeeper, cook
and caretaker for the children. I lost my husband just before we got
here. I have absolutely no money and no way of making a living. I would be
hard pressed survive and would be living off others. I don't know how long,
I could survive on my own. I am not asking for a salary. I just want roof
over my head, in other words all I need is room and board. All I have to
offer is my services."

"Mrs. Brown, I think you have just solved one of my problems, what to do
with the children. As you know, I will turn 17 shortly. I know nothing
about raising children. I am going to need all the help I can get. I made a
promise to myself that I would look after the children and lay down my life
for them if need be. I can't offer much in the line of salary, but what I
have I will share with you. So kids, what do you think? Do you think that
Mrs. Brown would make a good grandmother?"

Both children ran to her, yelling "Yes! Yes"! They threw their arms around
her neck and started smothering her with kisses. There was not a dry eye in
the whole place.

"Mrs. Brown, I think you have your answer. Only one thing, you are no
longer Mrs. Brown but `Grandma' to us. I hope that you will be my grandma,
also. I never had a grandma and would like very much for you to be one for
the kids and me. The job is yours."

Jeremy was the next to stand. "I hope that goes for me also. I am only a
year older than Paul and I need a grandma also. I have decided to stay.
Paul, I would like to work for you also. If not, I would like to take you
up on your offer for a homestead. All I can offer is a promise of a lot of
hard work and a friendship. As you know, I have no one, now. I like the
idea of a ready made family."

"Jeremy, I was hoping that would be your answer. I have an extra bedroom
here in the house. If you want, you can call it yours. Welcome! Friend!"

Jack Carlos and Julie were standing. "Paul, you made a decision easy for
us. Neither one of us could stand the thought of leaving you. You mean too
much to us and we couldn't just walk away and leave you. We want to start a
place of our own. Grandma is going to be one busy woman. She is going to be
Grandma to our children also. She had better start practicing, because we
have a little one on the way."

Grandma and I ran over to Jack Carlos and Julie and started hugging and
kissing them both. Soon everyone had joined us. We were all so happy!

Finally, Mr. Dunlap, the father and grandfather of the remaining group,
stood. "Paul, you are the answer to our prayers. We were in Virginia and
got involved with a shyster. He promised to take us to California, purchase
land for us, etc. He took off just before we got here with all our hopes
and money. Mr. Brown couldn't take it and had a heart attack.."

"We didn't know what to do. We started heading west, hoping to find a place
to spend the winter. In my heart, I knew that God would take care of us and
I know he led us to you. We made it to your place and now you have solved
our problems. God bless you, Paul. You are a saint!" With that the rest of
the group stood and cheered. Again the tears were flowing. "I would like to
say a little prayer, if I may." We all stood and held hands, while the
prayer was said. I was saying my own silent prayer.

Grandma decided to spend another night in the barn and would move into the
house in the morning. I think she realized that Jeremy and I needed some
time alone to get to know each other. We both were relieved. She even asked
the kids if they wanted to sleep in the barn with her. Bless her heart.

Needless to say, the children were overjoyed..

Jeremy and I said our good nights, kissed the children good-night and
headed for the house. We were like teenagers on a first date. In fact, we
were teenagers on a first date. Neither of us knew what to do and how to
act. We just knew that this was something we both wanted.

"Jeremy, you can sleep in my bed if you would like. You don't have to sleep
in the extra bedroom."

"What about Grandma and the kids?"

"The kids will be just fine. They are aware that Jack Carlos and I were
sleeping together. No one ever told them that two men can't act like a
married couple. We don't have to worry about Grandma either. She has
already accepted us as a couple. Why do you think she and the kids are in
the barn tonight?"

"Paul, Uncle Big Man was the only man that I have ever slept with. I hope
this doesn't change things for us. My dad caught a neighbor boy and I
playing with each other and hit the roof. You know the rest of the story."

"Jeremy, Uncle Big Man was my first, also. Then I told him the story of
Jack Carlos. So you see I am not all that experienced ,either."

"Paul, why do you call him Uncle Big Man?"

"He is one big fellow and you saw how he is hung-like a stud horse. He is
really a big hearted man and is a gentle giant.  He would do anything for
his friends. Let's get ready for bed. It has been a long day!"

"Paul, do you have some night clothes that I could use. I don't even have
any underclothes. My dad wouldn't let me take anything."

"Jeremy, I don't wear underclothes either, and I sleep in the nude. I hope
this doesn't bother you." I had started taking off my boots and getting
undressed.

Jeremy was just standing there. "Jeremy, we don't have to do anything until
we are comfortable with each other. We can take all the time in the
world. We don't have to force anything. If something is going to happen ,
then it will. I would like to just lie in bed and hold you, tonight. I have
a lot that I have to work through as well."

Jeremy started slowly removing his clothes. Soon he was completely nude. He
turned away from me and turned his back to me, embarassed.

"Jeremy, I think you and I are about the same size. Neither one of us need
to be ashamed of what we have in the manhood department." Slowly I put my
hands on his shoulders and gently turned him around so that we were facing
each other. He began to smile and started to hug and kiss me.

We moved to the bed still kissing. "Jeremy, would it be ok with you if we
just held each other tonight. I just need to feel your arms around me. I
want you to be my security blanket." Have I found love again? I certainly
didn't want to rush things and ruin my chances.

"Paul, I think that will be nice. I want the same thing." We hugged
together and went to sleep all spooned together.

Editor's Notes: Hello everyone.  I discovered this story very recently.  I
found it to be very interesting and asked if I could be the editor.  John
graciously accepted my offer, and this chapter is the first one I have
edited.  I can see that it is going to be a very nice story.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher