Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2021 07:34:05 -0700
From: Backwoods Boy <backwoodsnatureboy@gmail.com>
Subject: The Ranch Boy Next Door - Part 38

The Great Escape

We were up at the crack of dawn. Aiden remembered first.

"Merry Christmas, guys. What a way to create a new tradition."

Andy opened a round holiday-decorated tin.

"We've even got fruitcake and homemade Christmas candy."

Aiden smiled. "I think we brought our traditions with us."

Austin and Andy cooked sausages and eggs to go with the goodies. While we
sat around the table and ate, we shared our family traditions. I'd been
reflecting on the day.

"I guess we'll all be opening gifts late this year. And I'll bet our
parents are waitin' to open theirs too." I wiped tears from my eyes. "But
ya know what, I can't imagine a better way to start this day than right
here with my best friends. Merry Christmas, guys."

Aiden smiled. "I think we all feel that way, Hot Kid."

I smiled back. "Are ya gonna pass that name on to everyone we know?"

He tousled my hair like he would a little brother.

"You can bet your sweet ass we are, whether ya want us to or not."

"Do ya think the teachers will pick up on it?"

Andy smiled. "At least two that I can think of."

************

After breakfast, we cleaned up, loaded the sleds, sealed up the cabin, and
headed up the hill. Now with two ropes attached to the front of each sled,
we worked in pairs. Austin and Andy were well matched. Aiden could easily
have pulled our sled alone, but he made sure only to do his half so that I
felt useful.

Once the trucks were loaded and chains installed on all four wheels, we
started down the hill. I rode with Aiden in his monster pickup. He was
obviously skilled at driving in deep snow. He broke through several smaller
snowdrifts, and then arrived at the first problem area, one he had noted
the day before. He stopped and turned off the engine.

"This will take a while."

We all got out and evaluated the snowdrift. Aiden had instructions, mostly
for my benefit.

"We'll start in the middle and work towards the outside shoulder, very
carefully, until we find the edge. Stepping off the edge into a deep
snowdrift could be fatal. Once we find the edge, we'll widen to the inside
until there's enough room to get through safely. We'll work in teams of
two. When you're on break, sit in the truck and warm up."

The first project took a half hour. The next, soon after, half of that. The
further we went downhill, the less snow and fewer drifts we found. By the
one-mile mark, the drifts could be managed with the truck, and the
shoveling was over.

It took three hours to get a mile and a half. Approaching the next bend, we
saw a problem - three trees down across the road.

"Shit! We can walk from here if we have to, but I don't want to."

We all jumped out of the trucks to evaluate the situation. Aiden was
getting his chainsaw and chaps out when we heard a chainsaw start up around
the corner.

Aiden raised his hands in a victory salute.

"Hot damn!"

Grinning broadly, we climbed over the logs and walked around the next
bend. A few hundred feet away, a truck which matched Aiden's, with the
added feature of a snowplow, stood in the road. Bob Mason, Harold Johnson,
and Don Collins were preparing to clear out four more logs. Our dads had
come to the rescue.

After about ten minutes of hugs, greetings, and conversation about
strategy, the crew went to work. With two chainsaws, seven workers, and the
front-mounted winch on Aiden's truck, the road was cleared in no time,
which translated to about an hour. Then the convoy proceeded the remaining
half-mile to Austin and Andy's home where lunch awaited us.

A couple feet of snow remained down below, but roads and driveways were
cleared. Life was returning to normal.

I turned down the suggestion to ride home with Bob and Dad. After goodby
hugs with Austin and Andy, I climbed into the truck beside Aiden. I
intended to end this adventure with those I'd shared it with.

Bob had already dropped off Dad when Aiden and I arrived. Aiden pulled into
the driveway and turned off the engine. We sat there for a while looking
out the window. thinking our own thoughts, before I spoke.

"Aiden, thank you so much for everything. All of you guys did so much for
me up there at the cabin. And the conditions may have been familiar to you,
but for me, it was the adventure of a lifetime."

He smiled. "I was glad to help out. We all were. And you need to know that
you carried your part of the load all the way through."

We hauled my belongings and Mom's coolers into the basement. I walked back
to the truck with him and gave him a final hug.

I watched as he backed out of the driveway and waved at me. Then I watched
until his truck was out of sight before going back into the house.

************

I went upstairs, carrying one of the coolers. Mom was in the kitchen. I
gave her a kiss and a big hug.

"Thanks for everything, Mom. And I mean everything."

She kissed me back. "You're quite welcome, Hot Kid."

I smiled. "Did you use that on your own?"

She chuckled. "I would have anyway, but your dad told me it's your new
name. I have a strange feeling it's going to stick."

I hugged her again. "So do I, and ya know what? I'm conceited enough to be
good with it."

"We saved the presents to open this evening. And Christmas dinner was put
on hold until then too. We're having guests, by the way - Coach, James,
Shago, and Jason."

I suddenly realized nothing had been said about someone else important.

"Is Logan here?"

Her expression changed slightly. "Yes, and he has a boyfriend."

I think my smile surprised her. "I'm very happy for him."

"One other thing. Rusty asked to stay advised about your little
adventure. You might want to send him a text."

I pulled out my phone and sent the text.

"I'm home. The adventure was interesting."

The response was immediate.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"How are you doing?"

"Okay. Maybe we could talk later in the week."

"That sounds like a great idea. Later."

"Later"

************

Dad was in his home office. He looked up as I entered.

"Have a seat, Hot Kid."

I grinned. "Thanks. And thanks for comin' to our rescue. Oh, and thanks for
the early holiday gift. It ... ummm ... has been useful several times."

He laughed out loud. "Excellent! And how are you doing emotionally?"

"Quite well, I think. Bein' stranded with my best friends for two days in a
winter wonderland was the best therapy ever."

"Sometimes it's strange how things work out."

I paused briefly. "Who shoveled the driveway and sidewalks?

"Colton. He used one of Gramps' tractors."

I grinned. "I'm not surprised. I'll look after Oreo tomorrow. Thanks for
doin' that while I was gone.

He smiled. "I didn't. Nate did, yesterday and today. Your mother arranged
it. And he plans to do it tomorrow too."

"Mom's been full of surprises lately. Who else would have known which
friends to call and exactly what they'd do?"

"No one, and that includes me. Be sure to tell her that."

"I will, but here's one thing I'm gonna tell only you right now. When Rusty
left, Mom came to my room. The first thing she said was, 'Who do you want
to talk to?' Not that it wouldn't have been helpful to talk to her or you,
but the difference between that and 'Do you want to talk?' is far more than
two words. I'll never forget that."

Dad gave me one of those rare my-boy-is-growing-up looks.

"Someday when the time is right, I'll mention that to her."

I had one more thing to do. It required a trip to the barn. I entered - and
smiled. Nate had taken care of something I'd planned to help him with that
morning. I sent him a text.

"Thanks for covering for me, both feeding and delivering."

The response came quickly. "Welcome back. I'll see you in the morning."

I went back to the house. Dad was in the kitchen with Mom.

"Mom, Dad, will you put on your coats and come with me?"

Curious, they followed me into the barn. I ushered them in, and then stood
back to watch.

"Merry Christmas."

They looked around for a few seconds. Mom spotted it first.

"Don, I think Oreo cloned."

Dad grinned from ear to ear. "How did you manage that?"

I stepped between them and put my arms around them. "With help from
Nate. He looked around and recommended a heifer from a neighbor, at a good
price I might add. I was supposed to help him bring her this morning. He
took care of that himself."

Dad was pleased. "Very resourceful of him, and you too, Hot Kid."

Mom had an announcement. "We have another gift for you, but it's been
delayed."

I smiled. "Sounds mysterious. I'm sure I can wait."

************

When the West family arrived, Jason ran straight to me and gave me a big
hug.

"I'm glad you're back, Hot Kid Toby. Was it exciting to be snowbound?"

"I'm glad too, Little Bro Jace. It was exciting, fun, and a lot of work. It
was a lot of teamwork too."

Jason smiled. "You and I know about teamwork. We did a lot of that buildin'
fence and, umm, other things."

I laughed. "Very good. And there was a little of the, umm, other things" I
lowered my volume. "Think Basset Hound."

He giggled. "Got it."

After hugs all around, we sat down to dinner. It was simple. Mom had
prepared a ham, scalloped potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Coach brought a
salad, and James had baked an apple pie, of course. Shago and Jason brought
their appetites.

After dinner, we went into the living room. I sat in one of the easy
chairs, and Jason sat down between my legs. I pulled him close and gave him
a kiss.

"Love ya, Little Bro Jace."

He smiled happily. "Love ya too, Hot Kid Toby."

The conversation revolved around my adventure. I had lots of stories to
tell, and I held their attention, especially Jason's, whose
already-excessive hero worship expanded. Then Jason had something for show
and tell. He pulled his cock ring out of his pocket and held it so only I
could see it.

"Is it okay to show this to your mom and dad?"

I laughed. "I think they'd get a kick out of seein' that."

The adults were all watching the exchange with interest. Jason held out the
ring so they could see the engraving. "Hot Kid Toby has one just like it."

Jason's dads and Shago grinned. Mom and Dad smirked. They waited to see
what I'd do. I'd wipe the smirk off Mom's face, that's what. I grinned, and
reached into my pocket.

"And here it is! And now Mom's gonna tell us how she found it in my
bathroom."

Mom was a good sport. She told them about finding mine and sending it along
with Austin and Andy. That got lots of laughter from Coach and James. I
felt no embarrassment about it with this group.

Coach brought out a cardboard tube with a bow on it.

"Jace picked this out for you. It's the same as the one he has."

I pulled out a poster of Tom Daley. The poster was smaller, and Tom was
younger, but like my life-size poster, he was wearing his speedo and
nothing else.

Coach explained. "Jace saw your life-size version and thought you should
have another one to go with it."

I was delighted. "It's perfect. Thanks, Little Bro Jace. Shall we go down
and find a place to put it up?"

"Yeah!"

************

We put it up over my desk. It went perfectly with the one I already
owned. While we were doing that, Jason asked a question which showed his
spontaneity wasn't limitless - he had some discretion.

"I didn't wanna ask this upstairs, 'cause I thought it might embarrass
you. Do you carry your cock ring all the time?"

"Yeah. How about you?"

He grinned. "Yeah, I do. I never know when I might need it."

I grinned back, a co-conspirator. "Same here."

When we went back upstairs, Mom had our gift for them ready.

"This is for all of you, including Shago. Toby hasn't seen it yet. I think
Jace should open it."

Jason sat between my legs again and quickly removed the gift wrap. He
turned to look up at me.

"One is you, but who is the other guy?"

"Hand it to Shago. He knows."

Shago looked at the picture and smiled. "I've seen the other guy before, or
I should say his picture, in a photo album here. That's Toby's
great-great-grandfather. He was fifteen when the picture was taken one
hundred years ago."

I looked at Mom. "Now I know why you were so particular about the pose. It
needed to match his. And I see you edited my picture with the same sepia
tones."

Coach and James looked at the picture. Coach looked up at Mom.

"Shago told us a little about your native ancestor. This is a wonderful
gift, thank you. We'll find a place for it in the living room. In my
teaching career, I've never had a picture of one of my students, other than
in the annuals. I'll be proud to have this on my wall, of a young man I'm
very proud of, and an ancestor we're all proud of."

Coach and James were very aware that some of us had experienced a long and
stressful day. They soon rose with Shago to leave. Jason didn't want to go.

"Dads, can I stay overnight with Hot Kid Toby?"

Coach looked at me. "What do you think?"

I grinned at Jason. "I'd love it." Out of courtesy, I turned to my
parents. "Is it okay with you?"

Dad smiled. "It's your room and your guest."

I turned to Coach. "Either Dad or I will bring him home in the morning. And
I've even got an unopened toothbrush for him. Little Bro Jace, only one
thing. I'm tired, so we gotta go to bed and go to sleep right away."

"That's okay with me."

Jason and I went downstairs promptly. Showered and teeth brushed, we
crawled into bed. I pulled him over on top of me and kissed him. "No sex
tonight, Little Bro Jace. I'm too tired."

He smiled. "That's okay, Hot Kid Toby. I had plenty at Cowboy Colton's
place."

I fell asleep with my little bro in my arms, the perfect end to Christmas
Day.


*** If you enjoy this kind of story, please donate to Nifty to ensure that
this free resource can continue: https://donate.nifty.org/ ***