Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 11:34:31 EST
From: Tulsadriller7@aol.com
Subject: Tales from the Ranch, Chapter 20/?

Disclaimer:  The following story is a work of fiction.  If you
are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man
relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH
Copyrightc 2002 by Tulsa Driller 7.  All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests.  You will
see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is
also the story of young men who love other men and their coming
of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding.  It is a
story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues
but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's
world.

This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any
specific person or persons.  Any similarity to actual persons or
events is entirely coincidental.  This work is copyrightedc by
the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the
specific written permission of the author.  It is assigned to the
Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but
it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the
written permission of the author.

PLEASE:  In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist.  My characters
have unprotected sex.  I hope you use proper precautions because
I'd like you to be around the read the last chapter of this
story.

Tales from the Ranch
Chapter 20:  Wednesday into Thursday
     Nolan Nichols was almost the exact opposite of John
Sterling.  John was 19, about 5'11" and weighed 190, most of it
muscles from working on his father's farm.  John had thick auburn
hair and green eyes.  His body was hairy for a 19-year old and he
had a 7-1/2 inch uncut cock which hadn't had much experience.
     Nolan, on the other hand, was about 5'7", almost 20 and was
a swimmer.  He weighed about 140 and had light brown hair and
hazel eyes.  For the size of his body, he had a very respectable
6-inch cut cock.  His body hair was somewhat lacking, and he used
to shave what little he did have as the swim coach thought any
body hair was too much body hair.  His lower legs sprouted a very
respectable growth of curly brown hair.
     He had started playing around with some of his swim team
mates when a freshman in high school.  There were two guys he
used to get together with for jackoff sessions.  They later
turned to helping each other, then sucking and finally anal sex
was introduced.  Both of Nolan's buddies had gone off to college
away from Williamsport.  Nolan went to Western Junior College,
but they didn't have a swim team for him to compete on.  Since
his coaches thought so much of him, he was allowed to help with
the high school swim team when he could.  Repayment was tutoring
help in a couple of his weak subjects.
     He had "hooked up" with one senior who was on the team last
year, but they hadn't done anything more than jackoff while
watching each other.  To Nolan, that was better than getting his
rocks off by himself.  He wanted to do more, but didn't want to
rush Dwayne too quickly.
     Nolan had been attracted to John the first time he saw him
when they were living across the hall from each other in the
dorm.  John had helped him in Algebra and it was all he could do
to keep his hands off John's body.  He was fascinated with the
hair that peeked through his open shirt collar.  There was only
one other fellow on campus that seemed to be hairy like John.
Nolan didn't have much hair on his body and being required to
shave, hairy guys fascinated him.
     As they were driving back to the Starlight, Nolan hoped that
John was going to be willing to do everything he thought he
wanted to try.  He didn't have a lot of experience, but had seen
several porn tapes the previous year and knew of the
possibilities.
     John had always thought of Nolan as "cute".  He was good-
looking, but appeared to be younger than his age.  John was
attracted to him, but when they were in school, studying
together, John was afraid to act on his instincts, as was Nolan.
     It was too bad because they had missed a year of sexual
exploration with a willing partner.
     They arrived back at the Starlight, John quickly unlocking
his door so they could go inside.  He glanced at the window in
Michael and Pat's room.  The curtains were shut but he could tell
that there was a light on in the room.  He wondered what they
were doing.
     The door was barely shut and Nolan was all over John,
pulling him into a kiss that meant business.  John happily
reciprocated.  Nolan was hot and John was with him.  They each
started shedding clothing, starting with their shirts.  Nolan
pulled his polo shirt off and John unbuttoned his own shirt,
pulling the tails out of his Levis and dropping it on the floor.
     Nolan was in heaven.  Here was John's beautiful, furry chest
on display for him to look at and feel.  His nipples were barely
visible under the hair, but they crowned pecs that felt they were
made out of steel, as were John's abs.  Nolan noticed that if
John didn't shave down to his neckline each day that the hair on
his upper chest would become part of his beard.
     John was equally fascinated by Nolan's bare chest.  He
remembered when he didn't have hair on his chest, but that had
been several years ago.  It started growing the year he was a 9th
grader.
     Their hands and lips were all over each other and within a
few minutes they were ready to reveal more of their bodies to
each other.  Both were wearing athletic shoes that had to be
removed before pants could come off.  Balancing against each
other, those came off their feet in short order.  John was
wearing button front Levis and Nolan was wearing chinos of some
kind.  Buttons and zippers seemed to open at the same time and
they were standing there in their shorts.  John was wearing
boxers and Nolan was wearing bikini type shorts.  They shed those
and both were standing there, wearing only socks.
     They pulled together again, poking each other in the groin
and belly with their wet cocks.  Each was leaking a lot of
precum.  Nolan was excited.  Not only was John hairy, but also he
was not circumcised.  He had seen uncut guys before, but never
had been able to touch one.  He looked into John's eyes as he
tentatively took hold of it, almost like asking permission to
handle the goods.  John knew what this was about; many guys
hadn't experienced an uncut cock before.
     Their lips sought the others again and John took hold of
Nolan's shaft as his other hand stroked his ball sack.  Nolan
shuddered.  That felt good, it had been way too long since his
last "hands on" experience with another guy.  John wasn't
terribly experienced either, but he knew what he wanted and went
after it.
     They ended up on the bed, lying on their sides, front to
front, rubbing each other by wiggling around, stroking with their
hands and fingers and exploring with their tongues.  Nolan wanted
to play with John's furry chest and ventured downward to lick and
pinch his nipples.
     John gave a start.  That felt good.  He wanted to do the
same to Nolan.  He bit down a little harder than he intended,
maybe that was because Nolan was starting to thrash around when
John's lips touched his pec.  Nolan groaned.
     "Oh, yes," he said.  "That feels sooo good."
     "Uhnngh." John made a noise as he explored Nolan's pecs,
licking up to his neck, then down to his belly button.  Nolan had
shaved his pubic hair and trimmed it to where it was just a
small, short patch above his cock.  A "swimmers cut" John
guessed.  He hadn't shaved his groin for over a week and John
could tell that he would be fairly well covered with hair down
there if he would allow it to grow.
     Realizing that the other might have experienced this before,
they turned to get into a 69 position, almost inhaling the
other's cock.  John was larger than the other fellow Nolan had
sucked and he had a hard time getting more than half the length
in his mouth.  Then he remembered the porn tape he'd watched, so
he knew it could be done.  He went down until he felt he could go
no further, and then tried to relax his throat and breathe
through his nose.  Bingo!  It worked.  He managed to swallow John
to the root and could feel his balls resting on his nose.  He
discovered that he could tighten the muscles in his throat, the
ones which helped swallow food.  He was rewarded with noises and
John moving around.  'He must like it,' he thought.
     John decided that if Nolan could swallow his 7-1/2 inches, he
should be able to easily take his dick, too.  Nolan wasn't as
long as Michael and certainly not as thick.  It was like Nolan
was almost made to order for John to fellate.  John was able to
swallow the entire length and then run his tongue around the
bottom side.  It made Nolan bounce on the bed.
     As Nolan came back up and the tip of John's cock was on his
tongue, he was rewarded with a dollop of precum.  The foreskin
was retracted and he could also taste a little smegma, but it
wasn't bad, just a little tangy.  He'd heard that uncut guys
accumulated this behind the ridge of their cockhead.  He wondered
what it would be like if John had worked in the field all day and
not cleaned up earlier.
     They went to work on each other in earnest.  Both wanted to
explore the other's ass, but that could wait for another time.
At least they each hoped there would be another time.
     Nolan was enjoying himself.  John was much larger than
either of the boys he'd sucked before, but the combination of the
uncut cock, and John being so hairy, he was really turned on.  He
used the fingers on one hand to tickle John's ball sack and the
other to tease his navel.  The position they were in kept him
from playing with John's tits.
     John thought of Nolan being more like a young high school
boy rather than a fellow his own age.  He thought it was because
he didn't have much pubic hair - or other hair, for that matter.
Regardless, he felt protective of him and wanted to make him feel
really good.  He started taking long strokes up and down Nolan's
dick, keeping his tongue in motion all the time.  He could tell
it was having the effect he desired, because Nolan's balls were
starting to pull up and the sack had tightened to where it was no
longer loose.  Nolan was using his throat muscles on John's cock
and he was enjoying the sensation, so he tried to do the same to
Nolan and almost gagged.  He slowed down a little and tried it
again.  He knew it had the desired effect because Nolan bounced
on the bed and he could tell his dick was getting harder.
     Nolan worked harder on John and was rewarded from time to
time with more precum.  All of a sudden he could feel John's dick
getting harder and maybe even larger.  His balls had pulled up
tight.  He knew what was going to happen and he was going to stay
with it.  John started shooting volleys of cum, the first couple
going directly down Nolan's throat and after he pulled back the
rest landed at the back of his throat on his tongue.  It tasted
good; maybe a little more tart than he expected, but John had
drunk three mugs of beer, too.
     As John started cumming, he really began to give Nolan's
cock a workout.  He wasn't as far along as John and it took him
another couple of minutes before he was rewarded with Cum ala
Nolan.  He lapped up the thick liquid, which also seemed tart to
him.  He just chalked it up to the thought that everyone was
different.
     He lovingly drained Nolan's cock as Nolan was doing for him.
Finally both cocks softened and they let them go, turning and
sitting up so they could kiss.  At first Nolan wasn't sure he
wanted to kiss John, but they remembered that it was his own cock
that had been in John's mouth.  What was he worried about?
     They had each swallowed everything the other had given them,
but there was still the lingering taste in the other's mouth.
They traded saliva and it seemed they were trying to wash the
other's tonsils.
     Finally, after they calmed down, they pulled apart.
     "That was awesome," John said.
     "The best I've ever had," Nolan agreed.
     About that time Nolan saw the clock on the table beside
John's bed.  It read 10:40.
     "Oh, my gosh, I've got to get back to the dorm.  They lock
the door at 11 o'clock and I didn't sign up to stay out later, so
I don't have a pass card to get in after hours."
     John knew the rules.  "Get your clothes on and I'll drive
you back to the campus.  We've got plenty of time," he told the
worried fellow who thought he was going to have to walk back.
     "I really appreciate this," Nolan said.  "You were
wonderful.  Thank you," he added.
     "You weren't so bad yourself.  I wish I'd known last year
that you liked to do this, we could have had a lot more fun
studying Algebra," John teased.
     "I would be scared to try to do something like this in the
dorm.  Can I come back over here again - maybe tomorrow?" Nolan
asked.
     "Sure, just call the Starlight Motel and ask for me or room
17.  I can come pick you up, or we could meet to get something to
eat and then come back here."
     That sounded fine to Nolan.  He was glad that John liked to
play around and they certainly had made each other feel really
good tonight.
     By this time they both had pulled on their clothes and
headed out the door.  They didn't know that Michael had slipped
out to get a cold Coke from the vending machine and saw them get
in John's car.
     'Hhmmm,' Michael thought, 'I wonder who was in John's room
and what they were doing?'  He was wondering how he could ask
John about it.  Pat and he had done their usual mutual
masturbation routine that evening, but Pat didn't want to do
anything else.  Michael would like to get together with John
again, but if there was another person, could he do so?
     John drove Nolan back to the campus and pulled up in front
of the dorm with over 5 minutes to spare.  They both wanted to
kiss the other good night, but you never knew if there were eyes
out in the darkness that were watching what was going on.
     They held hands briefly and gave the other a squeeze.
     "I'll call you tomorrow evening.  What time do you get
home?" Nolan asked.
     "I'm almost always back here by 6, usually a little before.
Then I clean up and go out to eat."
     "Okay, I'll call you at 6 tomorrow evening.  Thanks a lot,"
he said as he got out of the car.
     "Nite, buddy," John said.
     He watched until Nolan went through the door, and then drove
himself back to the Starlight.
     * * * * *
     Dale and Craig went to bed shortly after Louis and Jerry
left.  They really weren't tired, but just wanted the luxury of
being with each other where they could kiss, rub the other and
lay with their head on the other's chest if they wanted to.
     They discussed their day and Craig told Dale that they would
probably be going to his parent's home on the Saturday night of
their trip to celebrate his birthday with a family dinner.
Although Dale had been some apprehensive about meeting Craig's
family, he now wanted to.  If they were anything like Craig, they
had to really be special people.
     "I'm looking forward to it," Dale told Craig, kissing him on
the side of his nose and pinching his tit at the same time.
     "Ouucch," Craig said, pretending to be really wounded.
     "Ouch, yourself," Dale said, teasing as he pinched the other
one.
     "I try to be so nice to you, give you a home to live in so
you won't be on the street, see to it you have clothes to wear
and you treat me like this?" Craig pretended to sniffle.
     "Ahhh, poor baby," Dale responded.  "Let me kiss it and make
it better," as he dove for Craig's left tit and flicked his
tongue over it.
     "That's more like it," Craig said, pulling his face back up
for a mouth-to-mouth kiss.
     They enjoyed moments like this, just laying together,
enjoying the other's presence.
     They discussed the group at their cooking class.  Louis and
Jerry were the only ones who were talkative and they had enjoyed
meeting them.  Neither were sure about Andrew.  He seemed to be a
little too "friendly" and they both thought he had a little bit
of an attitude problem.
     Dale had several things he wanted to ask Craig about.  The
first was that he hadn't heard from his real estate salesman as
he'd expected.  Craig told him not to worry about it, but that if
he hadn't heard by tomorrow when he got home, they could call Don
Albrecht and have him check on it from his end.
     "Are you going to be at the job site tomorrow?" he asked
Craig.
     "No, there really isn't any need until before they are ready
to pour the stem walls.  I need to check to be sure they've put
in the proper amount of rebar and tied the forms together
properly.  I know there won't be any problem with Ray, but we
really have to watch some of the other contractors in the area."
     "Okay, the last question this evening."
     "If you insist," Craig teased.  "I could talk to you all
night."
     "Well, I've been thinking about going to church last Sunday
and I'd like to go with you again.  But, could you explain the
service to me before we go so I can better understand what is
happening?"
     Craig was really proud of his man, his Dale.
     "Sure, sometime before Sunday we'll get out the Prayer book,
the lectionary (which has the scripture readings) and a couple of
other books which explain the meanings of things done in the
ritual and ceremony.  One of the books tells why things are done
the way they are, but it all goes back to the beginning of the
church over 2,000 years ago and some of it is even tied into the
Jewish ceremonies, too."
     "I thought it was all interesting, but I think I would enjoy
it more if I knew exactly what meanings and reasons are tied to
different parts of the service.
     "As I said, I didn't try to explain it ahead of time,
because I knew you would really be confused.  It's better to have
you see and experience it, then try to explain it.  There are a
lot of things I don't know for sure, but just take for granted
because it's the way it's done," Craig answered.
     "Okay," Dale said, laying his chin on Craig's shoulder.
     Craig turned his head and they kissed.
     "I love you." they started to say at the same time.
     Dale scooted back to turn off the light on his side of the
bed, and then they pulled up the sheet and quilt, wrapping
themselves in each other.  It may have been that they were so
comfortable with each other and needed each other, but they were
both asleep within five minutes.
     * * * * *
     Thursday morning dawned with it being cooler and partly
cloudy, but there was no rain in the forecast.  For some reason,
Craig was awake before Dale and he had to pee badly.  He did his
best not to awaken Dale, then looked at the clock and discovered
it was already 6:30.  They hadn't set the alarm the night before.
     He would have loved to be able to lie there and cuddle, but
that would have to wait for another morning.  He leaned over and
used his tongue to tease the end of Dale's nose.  His eyelids
popped open immediately and when he realized what had awakened
him, he gave Craig one of his famous 1000-watt smiles.
     "Hi Sweetheart," Craig whispered.
     "Hi, you," Dale responded.  He realized that Craig was awake
before him.  "What time is it?"  He scooted up to look at the
clock.
     "We overslept," Craig said, "but we've still got plenty of
time.  Just can't play around unless you want to be late."
     Dale rolled over and sat up.  Craig rolled behind him and
sat up, rubbing his hands over Dale's fuzzy pecs and gave each
nipple a little pinch, then stuck his tongue in Dale's left ear
and swabbed it out.  Dale was already hard from needing to pee,
but that action made it like steel.
     He rolled around and pinned Craig to the bed, giving him a
dose of his own, but squeezing his hard cock instead of pinching
his nipples.
     "Hey, fella," he teased.  "Wanna go play in the shower with
me?"
     "You know the answer to that," Craig giggled.
     Dale was have loved to pick Craig up and carry him to the
shower, then dump him in.  Although he outweighed Craig by about
25 pounds and was three inches taller, he wasn't going to take
the risk of injuring either of them.  But. the idea sounded like
fun.  He reached out for Craig's hand to help him get out of bed.
     Craig headed toward the kitchen to get orange juice and
start the coffee, his dick leading the way.
     Dale went into the bathroom to pee, then brushed his teeth
and started the shaving process.  Craig was soon right there and
started through the same routine.  By the time Dale was through
shaving and admiring his new mustache, Craig finished, too.
     "Damn, that is going to be one fine ball tickler you're
growing," Craig said with a big grin on his face.
     "Wait until you see what it can to do your asshole, you
won't want my dick up there again," Dale replied.
     "Oh, I don't know about that.  I love the way your pubic
hair tickles my balls."
     This conversation was having an effect on both their dicks,
which were back to full hardness.  They stepped into the shower
and after washing their own hair and rinsing it, each used their
washcloths and soap to wash the other.  Boing!!  Back to being
hard again.  Only one way to take care of that and they
instinctively soaped the other's dick and started stroking it up
and down, using the other hand to caress their ball sack and on
back over the perineum.  Their mouths found the other and with
the tongue action and hand action they both were coming to a
climax quickly.
     "Uhmmn." Dale said and started firing.  They weren't
standing directly under the water and Craig could feel the hot
cum on his groin and stomach.  Dale quickly scooped up what he
could and added it to the already slick lather he was using on
Craig.
     His breathing quickened and he, too, fired several shots,
which landed on Dale, from chest to groin.
     Although they both had masturbated many times in the shower,
it didn't compare to sex in bed.  But, this was somewhat of an
emergency - they both needed some relief and this was fast and
clean.
     As they pulled away from each other, they each rewashed
themselves quickly, then Craig shut the water off and handed Dale
a towel, taking one for himself.
     Their mouths met in a kiss as they were drying off.
     "Thanks for helping me out, stud," Craig said.
     "No, thank you.  I guess we both needed that," Dale replied.
     Dale went into their bedroom to pull out clothes for the day
while Craig took the empty glasses to the kitchen and brought
back a mug of coffee for each of them.
     They dressed quickly and Dale sat on the end of the bed to
pull his boots on.  It was just 7:10 and they were pretty much on
time, both walking to the kitchen to have a second cup of coffee
and a sweet roll.
     * * * * *
     Dale arrived at the Bar-W just in time to stop and speak to
Jason and Kevin as they were already at the highway.  Dale hadn't
seen the bus on his way from town and it was time for it to
arrive.  He pulled over and got out so they could talk.  Both
boys swarmed to him, giving him hugs, which he returned.
     Jason gave Dale a full report on their upcoming camping
trip.  "I wish you could go with us," he told Dale.
     "I may be down to check on you on Saturday," Dale told him.
"Some friends of Craig and mine are going with us to take the
horses out about noon on Saturday.  We're going to have a picnic
up at the little lake on the river, where we went last week."
     "Neat, but I'm really looking forward to the camping trip."
     "I wish I could go, but Mom and Dad said that Terry could
some out to stay overnight on Friday night and Jack can stay on
Saturday night," Kevin said.
     "That's okay," Dale said, relieved that Kevin was going to
be busy.
     It was way past time for the bus to be there.  Dale looked
at his watch, it was 7:42.  "I don't know where the bus is this
morning.  I didn't see it and usually I'm either right ahead or
right behind it.  I think maybe I'd better take you to school so
you won't be late."
     About that time, the other three men arrived in Michael's
car.  Dale flagged them down.
     "Did you see anything of the school bus this morning?" he
asked them.
     "No," Michael replied.
     "I don't know where it is, but I'm going to take the boys to
school so they won't be late."  Then he asked, "Did you finish
mowing, Pat?"
     "Yes, and we brought the tractor back last night after you
left," he answered.
     "Okay, take the other baler.  Get four more spools of wire
out to take with you.  Follow Pat in the pickup with the flashers
on.  I'll stop at the field on the way back from the school."
     By this time both boys were in Dale's Blazer and he turned
it around to go back to Williamsport.  He dropped the boys off at
the two buildings.  "I'll check on the bus to make sure you have
a way home.  If it isn't running for some reason, there will be
somebody here to pick you up after school."
     "Thanks, Dale, you're the greatest," Jason said as he got
out and headed toward the school building.
     Dale drove on around to the opposite side of the block and
let Kevin out.
     "Bye. Thanks," Kevin said as he got out.  "See ya later."
He gave Dale a kiss on his cheek.
     Dale drove back to the Bar-W, thinking about what great kids
they were.  For a moment he wondered what it would be like to
have children of his own, but knew it couldn't ever happen.
     He stopped at the hayfield.  John had just pulled away with
the rake and Pat was starting his first round.  Michael was just
ready to start the engine on his baler.  Dale grabbed one of the
cell phones and went over to talk to Michael.  He gave him the
phone, explaining how it worked.  Michael had used one before so
probably knew more than he did.  Dale gave him the number of his
cell phone, along with some other numbers that might be useful,
warning him about personal phone calls.
     "Here's a carrier for your belt to keep the phone in.  I
wear mine all the time during work hours and set it to vibrate,
because most of the time it's too noisy to hear it ring."
     * * * * *
     His next stop was up at the headquarters of the cattle
operation, about 6 miles up the road.  Sam was just parking his
vehicle when Dale drove up.  They greeted each other and Dale
gave him the other two cell phones, explaining how they worked
and a list of numbers they might need.
     Sam told him that he'd stopped by Dale's office a couple of
times since he had seen him the other day.
     "I know," Dale said.  "I found evidence of paperwork you
tried to sneak in on me."
     They both laughed about that.
     "Dale, I'm going to pretty much leave you in a 'hands off'
mode.  You know most of the things you need to know about the
operation and I know you'll find me if you need anything."
     "Thanks, Sam, I appreciate it.  And. you can be assured that
I'll be calling you, whether you think I need to or not," he
laughed.
     Dale's next stop was his office at the Bar-W.  'Gee, it felt
good to think of it that way,' he thought to himself as he sat
down at his desk.  He called Mrs. Wood to let her know that he
planned to eat lunch at the ranch house.  She told him that it
was likely to be him, Chris and herself as Marty had gone to San
Antonio for the day.  Dale told her he would be there at noon.
     He looked at his watch.  It was almost 9:30.  About that
time he heard the rumbling of a big truck.  He walked to the door
and saw a big green dump truck coming up the driveway.  It was
the first load of gravel for the driveway extension.  He went
outside and walked up to the truck as it backed around into
position to start dumping gravel.
     "Mornin'," the driver greeted him.
     "Hello," Dale said.
     "We've got 5 loads of gravel to drop this morning.  At least
that's what Johnny thought you would need."
     "That's fine," Dale replied.  "Why don't you back up about
another 5 feet and start dumping there?" he asked.
     "Your job," the guy said as he started backing.
     Dale watched him as he started raising the bed.  As soon as
the tailgate opened, the driver started moving forward.  He
marveled at the skill with which he handled the dump truck.  He
had enough gravel to go about 20 feet and was just at the end of
that section when the second truck drove in.  It was the same
way.  By 10:45 they were completely through and the gravel seemed
to be a uniform 6 inches thick from the present driveway to the
end of the new one.  Dale knew that as soon as the gravel was
packed down, they would overlay it with blacktop to provide a
smooth surface to drive on, but this would be better for the
construction vehicles and pickups.
     Back in his office, he called Harley Bergman about selling
his Mustang.
     "Yeah, Jerome told me that you had one of them Shelby GT's.
What year is it?
     "A '72," Dale replied.
     "What kinda shapes the body in?"
     "There aren't any dents," Dale told him.  "But, there is a
little rust, not bad, but it needs new paint.  I guess you'd be
doing that anyway, wouldn't you?"
     "Yeah.  How many miles?"
     "About 65 thousand," Dale answered.
     "What color is it?" was the next question.
     "A metallic gold," was the reply.
     "Hmmm, not original, probably repainted.  Engine run good?"
was the next question.
     "Not any problems, it's quiet, no lifter noise and doesn't
use oil."
     "When and where can I see it?"
     Dale told him, "I work for the Bar-W and that the car is
parked here at the moment, but I can bring it into town if you
want me to."
     "Nah, you gonna be there this afternoon?"
     "I can be if you give me a time."
     "How 'bout 2 'clock?" Harley asked.
     "That's fine with me.  I'll see you then."
     Harley hung up without saying anything more.  Dale thought
that the guy sounded like a "real character" and wondered if he
would look the way he sounded.  He envisioned him having long
hair, tied in a ponytail and being greasy and fat.  Well, he
guessed he'd soon find out.
     About that time another truck came up the driveway from the
highway.  It was carrying the forms for the basement stem walls
and the driver drove on back to the construction site.
     'No need to walk down there, Ray will be along pretty soon,'
Dale thought.
     He decided that he needed a "Craig fix" so called his office
number.  Sherry recognized Dale's voice as soon as he asked for
Craig and transferred the call, saying, "Dale's on line 2."
     Craig closed his door before picking up the receiver.
     "Hi, how's my favorite guy this morning?"
     "No fair, I was going to ask you the same thing," Dale
replied.
     They both laughed.  They were already thinking alike after
just a few days.
     "I just wanted to hear your sexy voice," Dale said.
     "Is my voice sexy or do you want me to say something sexy?"
Craig teased.
     "Both"
     "Well then, how's this?  I want to give you a full-body
tongue bath," he said as seductively as he could.
     "Hey, I can be there in 10 minutes.  Get naked."  Dale was
now laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes.  It felt great to
have a real true friend who was also his lover.  He was realizing
more and more how lonely he'd been since his mother had gotten
sick.
     "I take it that was sexy enough?" Craig questioned.
     "Any sexier, and I really would drive to town."
     They both had a good laugh over that.
     "Are you coming into town for lunch today?" Craig asked.
     "No, darn it, I've already let Mrs. Wood know I'd eat at the
house.  I think it's just going to be she and Chris and me."
     "Well, I know it will be great if what she served the other
day is any indication."
     "Maybe we can try for tomorrow?" Dale asked.
     "Let's talk about it this evening.  Don't forget that we
have a meeting about your sale at 6 o'clock at your house."
     "I have it on the calendar.  The other reason I called,
except to hear you be sexy, is that I haven't heard anything from
the real estate salesman and I haven't been able to reach him."
     "Oh, Hon, this is Don's agent you'll be dealing with.  It's
a woman and her name is Phyllis Richmond.  I'll call her and see
if I can find out what's going on.  Okay?" Craig asked.
     "Sure, I just assumed my agent was handling all this since
he listed it."
     "No, it's a multi-list deal so for some reason your agent
isn't involved.  I don't understand how they operate sometimes,
but I'll try to call her.  If I find out anything I'll call you
back on your cell phone."
     "Okay.  Hey, I've got to go now.  I love you," Dale said.
     "I love you more."  They both laughed again, knowing that
was an argument neither would win.
     * * * * *
     Just before noon Dale had finished cleaning off his desk and
had an envelope to go to the accountant as soon as he added the
timesheets later in the afternoon.  He was walking up to the
ranch house for lunch when Ray Evans came drove in.  They waved,
then Ray stopped his pickup and Dale walked over to greet him.
     As he approached the vehicle, Ray was watching him and
thought, 'Woof!  Craig was sure one lucky guy.'
     Dale was comfortable enough with Ray by now to tease him.
"I didn't think you were going to be here today, so your men and
I figured out how this jigsaw puzzle goes together."
     "Oh darn, there goes an extra two weeks work to straighten
out the mess," he smiled back.
     "Hey, how are you, Bud?" Dale asked.
     "Doing good.  I see they got the driveway rocked this
morning."
     "Yeah, didn't take them much more than an hour.  By the time
everyone drives over it for three weeks, it'll be ready for
blacktop."
     "I need to get some supplies unloaded and lay out some
plumbing while the men are unloading forms.  Have you been down
there yet today?"
     "No, didn't think there was anything new to see."
     "There probably isn't, but why don't you walk down after
lunch?"
     "Will do."
     Ray drove on back to the construction site.
     Dale walked into the kitchen and Mrs. Wood greeted him.
"I'll have everything ready in about 5 minutes," she said, "go
ahead and sit down, Chris will be here right away.  She forgot to
bring something she'll need when she goes on errands."
     About that time Chris came in the room.  Dale stood and they
exchanged greetings.
     "Chris, while I'm thinking about it, the bus didn't come
around this morning so I took Jason and Kevin to school about
7:50 so they wouldn't be late.  I don't know what happened,
because I know the boys were out there in plenty of time."
     "Thanks for telling me, Dale.  Let me call the school before
we eat and see what I can find out."
     She went to the kitchen counter to look the number up,
punching in the digits.  After a brief conversation she came back
to the table.  "They driver had a flat tire and they had to wait
for a service truck, so he was about 45 minutes late on his run
this morning."
     "I knew there had to be a good reason."
     "Thanks for taking them, Dale."
     "Glad to do it."
     Mrs. Wood was preparing the plates and set the dishes in
front of them.  There was a nice tossed salad like the other day.
Today's offering was a chicken breast served on rice, steamed
broccoli, which had been chilled and dressed with a tangy cheese
sauce and a corn casserole, somewhat like they had fixed the
night before at the cooking class.
     They held hands and Chris asked a blessing.
     Dale commented about the corn casserole and told the women
about the cooking class he and Craig were taking.
     "That's great," Chris replied.  I know several people who
have taken the second course and I recommend you fellows do that,
too.  If nothing else, you will get some good recipes that are
easy to fix."
     "Last night we learned about the different knives and how to
use them.  I didn't know there was much difference between them
until he showed us what each style was for and how to hold them."
     Mrs. Wood spoke up.  "Don't let them get dull.  They are
more dangerous when in that condition than when they are sharp."
     The conversation continued with the three talking about
several different subjects.  Dale selling his house, Jason's
scout camp out, Kevin's Cub Scout project, Dale and Craig's trip
to Ft. Worth and Dallas and the Central Texas Horse Show in Waco
in two weeks.
     "You will really enjoy that show," Chris told Dale.  "They
have a competition with the horses and riders and those horses
can do some amazing things.  Some of them seem as smart as a
human."
     "Is this like a rodeo?"
     "No, definitely not.  These horses are trained completely in
a different way and it is a good exhibition.  The winners here go
on to a national contest and several in the past have gone on to
be on the Olympic team."
     Dale was impressed.
     Mrs. Wood took up the plates and returned with slices of a
yellow cake, topped with cherry sauce.  It was delicious.
     * * * * *
     Tom Bryant handed out parts for a play he wanted to perform
in class the next day.  It had to do with the events leading up
to the Battle of the Alamo.  He had discovered when in college
that young people paid more attention to lessons like that than
lecturing, assigning homework and giving quizzes.  This somehow
made it seem more real to the class when the people involved
became alive and part of the class.  He did this about once a
week and there was anywhere from two or three to a dozen parts
involved.  Jason drew the part of Jim Bowie.
     * * * * *
     Kevin aced a math test.  School was easier for him this year
than last.  He didn't know if it was the teachers or if Jason's
help made it better for him.
     * * * * *
     Finally it was last hour and time for Phys Ed.  This was
becoming Jason's favorite class, other than history.  While they
were changing clothes to play soccer, he and John and Tim
discussed the camp out which would start the next evening.  John
was going to be in the tent with Davis Horton, who was 16 and
Skip Caton who was 15.
     Jason, of course, was going to be in the tent with Scott
Maxwell, the leader of Wolf Patrol, and Dustin Fields who was 14.
     Tim was a member of Hawk Patrol, of which there were only 4
members.  This Patrol had just been created to help train new
Patrol leaders and make room for new members coming into the
troop.  Other boys would be moved around so there was an age
spread among the boys.
     The three boys were excited over the activity.  John, of
course, had been on 3 of these ventures already, but this was new
to Jason and Tim.
     * * * * *
     Tom Bryant arrived home from school an hour before Eddie,
who had a junior boys football practice after school.  Eddie
would be home before 5:45.  There was a package sitting in front
of the door under their mailbox.  It was addressed to Eddie, but
Tom recognized the return address, which was a "uniform surplus
company" they had ordered from before.  He wondered what treat he
was in for this time.  Since the package was addressed to Eddie,
he wasn't going to open it.
     Tom liked to do his workout exercises after school, rather
than run in the morning like Eddie.  He didn't mind lifting
weights and other routines after school.  It just seemed
unnatural to do it in the morning.  He'd rather have that extra
hour of sleep.
     He made his way to their bedroom, stripped off his clothes
to put on a jockstrap before going downstairs to exercise on
their Bowflex machine and lift a few reps on their free weights.
He wondered what kind of surprise Eddie had ordered.  They had
discovered quite by accident that they both loved "uniforms" and
other type gear.  It certainly "spiced" up their sex life.
     They had both officer and enlisted men's uniforms for the
Navy and Marines, Coast Guard, football, wrestling, track,
policemen, firemen, EMS and several other occupations.
     Tom's favorite "uniform" even though he was 6'1" and 190 was
a "French Maid" uniform, which was totally out of character for
him, but usually promised great sex.  The "uniform" consisted of
a pair of "fishnet" stockings, high heels (hard to find in a size
11), crotchless panties and a black, lacy bra with a filmy top
over it.  Although he was a hairy hunk, he loved the get-up.  He
wasn't into "drag" but it always was guaranteed to get him a good
fuck.
     Eddie, of course, wasn't into women, but seeing his somewhat
furry lover in that costume really turned him on and got his
juices flowing.  Eddie, himself, had a few favorite costumes of
his own; a football player, a Marine officer in his dress blues
and one that he really had a good time with:  a meek newspaper
carrier who frequently didn't get the paper on the porch and had
to come collect the money due him for the subscription.  For
that, of course, Tom dressed as a businessman who was stern and
didn't put up with slothfulness.
     They had carried the games far enough that they had a jar
for each of them with the costumes they might wear listed on a
slip of paper.  They would each draw a slip, take turns getting
into their costume without the other knowing what character they
were playing.  Then one would slip out the backdoor and knock.
When the other would answer the door, they would improvise their
parts, always ending in hot sex for the both of them.
     So far, one of the hottest scenes they had created was that
of Tom in his "French Maid" costume with Eddie playing the part
of a lost Mormon missionary teenager who was trying to find the
other young man he was paired with.
     So, while Tom was working out in the basement, he couldn't
help but wonder what new costume Eddie had ordered and how soon
they would be able to try it out.
     * * * * *
     Dale's visit from Harley Bergman took place at the Bar-W at
the appointed time.  Dale was shocked when Harley came driving up
the driveway in a classic 1938 Packard that had been lovingly
restored.  He was further shocked to see a man wearing khaki work
clothes that were spotless.  Harley was about 6'2", weighing
about 170 and perfectly groomed with clean fingernails that
appeared to have been just manicured.  He couldn't have been more
wrong about his assessment until Harley spoke.  His appearance
deceived his crude language and mannerisms.
     Dale walked out to greet him, not sure about the man.
     "'Llo," the man said.  "Harley," as a manner of greeting
Dale, pumping his hand.
     "Good to meet you, Harley," Dale said.
     'That th' car?" Harley questioned, nodding toward Dale's
Mustang.
     "Yes," Dale said, pulling out his key ring.
     Without another word Harley took the keys and tromped off to
look at the car.  He walked completely around it, pushing down on
the rear and front ends to check the shocks.  He popped the hood,
looking under it.  Then leaving the hood open, he opened the
driver's door, seating himself and starting the engine.  It fired
immediately and came to life.  It was quiet, even when Harley
almost floor-boarded it.  He dropped the car in gear and backed
up about 10 feet, then parked the car back where it had been.
     Dale was standing there, amazed, not knowing what to think
about this man of contrasts.
     Harley got out of the car, walked around to the front again,
reached under the hood and goosed the linkage from the gas pedal
a couple of times.  Still with no words, he walked back to the
driver's door, reached in and shut the car off, pulling the key
out of the ignition.
     Shutting the door, he looked at Dale and said, "Two
thousand?"
     Dale wasn't sure what to say.  He didn't expect to get more
than about $900 for it.
     Harley, mistaking Dale's hesitation, said, "Twenty two.
That's final."
     All Dale could do was nod his head.
     Harley reached in his pants pocket and pulled out a roll of
bills, counting off twenty-two one hundred dollar bills.  Dale
was watching him, astounded at the transaction.
     As he handed Dale the money, he said, "Be back in a hour."
At that he got in the old Packard, started it up and drove down
the driveway, waving out the window as he drove forward.
     At that point Dale realized that he didn't have the car
title with him, so got in his Blazer and drove to his house to
get it out of a box he kept in the back of his closet.  He
decided that he needed other things in that box, so loaded it in
his vehicle and was back at the Bar-W within 20 minutes after he
left.
     True to his word, almost exactly an hour later, Harley
arrived back at the Bar-W, this time wearing dirty work clothes
and a blue bandanna tied around his head.  A young man who looked
a lot like him was driving an old Ford pickup.  Harley got out,
collected the keys and title from Dale saying only, "Thank yew,"
getting in Dale's Mustang and following the pickup out the
driveway and down the road.
     Again Dale was glad he didn't have to talk because he was
stunned at both the transaction and change in Harley's
appearance.  He guessed he was right the first time.
     * * * * *
     He decided that he'd better check on the men working in the
hayfield and drove to their work site.
     They were making even better progress than Dale had hoped
for.  John was almost through raking the hay into rows and the
baling was almost half completed.  Michael was almost at the end
where Dale parked, so he waited for him to shut the baler off so
they could talk.
     "How's the equipment running?" Dale asked.
     "Not any problems," Michael answered.
     The next question was, "Do you need any supplies?"
     "No, I think we have enough baling wire to finish up this
evening.  We'll probably need to bring three or four spools with
us tomorrow morning."
     "Okay," Dale said.  "I'm going to talk to John.  You fellows
are doing a great job."
     John came to the end of the field about that time and Dale
indicated he wanted to talk to him.
     "Do you have any idea how much longer it will take you to
finish raking?" he asked.
     "Probably less than an hour and a half."
     Dale looked at his watch.  That would make it about 5
o'clock.
     "Okay, call me on my cell phone and I'll come get you and
follow you back to the ranch.  You can clean up the equipment
while the other two finish up."
     John agreed, Dale telling him that the cell phone was
probably on Michael's belt.
     * * * * *
     Dale's next stop was the construction site.  He was amazed.
Ray and his two men had over half of the forms in place and the
plumbing that would be under the cement floor was in place.
Clearly, they would be ready to pour the stem walls the next day.
     Ray was pleased to see Dale and crawled up the ladder to the
ground.
     "We're right on time.  Craig should be able to approve this
in the morning and we can pour concrete tomorrow afternoon.  Then
the forms can come off Monday and we'll be ready to put the top
plate on and get the basement floor ready to pour on Tuesday."
     For the first time Dale was able to get an idea as to the
size the house would be at ground level.  It was much larger than
he had envisioned.
     "Tell Craig that I'll give him a call after we get started
in the morning and let him know what time he can come out here."
     "Okay," Dale replied.  "I'm sure he will be pleased at your
progress."
     They parted, Dale driving back to his office.  He thought
his job had certainly become more "administrative" than
"supervision" as he got to his desk.  About that time Mort drove
in and parked in front of Dale's vehicle.
     They greeted each other as Mort entered the office area.  He
gave Dale an envelope full of paperwork.  "I need to show you
several things here.  Lee gave me some invoices for feed and vets
bills and. here are two for 9 new horses he's purchased.  I've
signed off on them, but you need to approve them for payment and
forward them to Morris."
     He showed Dale the proper procedure for readying the bills
for payment.
     Dale followed his instructions and added them to the
envelope he had prepared for the accountant.
     Mort settled back into a chair on the front side of the
desk.  "We're all set to go to Waco.  I've confirmed reservations
for Martin and Jeanine, Marty and Chris, Margie and myself, you
and Craig and for Lee and his wife.  We'll take out of here about
3 o'clock on Friday afternoon.  That will allow us to get checked
in at the Holiday Inn and be in plenty of time for the cocktail
party mixer at 6 o'clock.
     "Marty and I'll take care of the bar tabs so all you have to
worry about is your room, meals and personal expenses while we're
there.  If you have any questions about what you should pay for,
check with either Marty or me."
     "Okay," Dale said.
     "One other thing.  This show is fairly casual.  You should
have nice clothes for the banquet on Saturday night, but you can
get by with Levis, chinos and slacks with sport shirts for most
of the rest of the activities."
     "Thanks, Mort.  I was going to ask about that since I've
never been to one of these shows before."
     "You'll do fine.  This is really a 'P R Trip' for you.
Everybody will be wearing a badge that has their name and who
they work for.  We'll see to it that you are introduced to the
people you need to know.  Just have a good time."
     Dale wondered about Jason and Kevin, but didn't ask if they
were going.  He assumed that Mrs. Wood was in charge.
     * * * * *
     As Mort left, Dale's cell phone vibrated to life.
     "Dale Richards," he said after he clicked the 'talk button'.
     "Dale, this is Phyllis Richmond.  I'm Don Albrecht's agent."
     "Oh yes," he said.  "I've been expecting your call."
     "I'm sorry.  I was called out of town earlier in the week
and am just now getting caught back up to yesterday.  I have a
contract for you to sign to sell your house."
     "That's no problem.  I thought my own agent was handling
this, but Craig told me that you were the person."
     Phyllis cut him off.  "Yes, I'm the only person who works
with Don and I'm always on the lookout for property he might want
to buy."
     Dale thought she was just a little rude, but maybe that was
the way real estate people were.
     She continued.  "I'd like to get this contract to you yet
today so you can sign it."
     Dale remembered what Craig had told him about a closing and
possession date.  "I have an appointment with the people who are
going to be handling my sale this evening after I get off.  At
this point in time, I don't know when they will be able to do
this."
     Again, Phyllis cut him off.  "If you are wanting to sell
this property to Don, he is going to want immediate possession
since you aren't living there.  It will be up to you to get your
belonging out and have the sale somewhere else."
     It was Dale's turn to cut her off.  "Now, just a minute I
haven't even seen the contract he is offering yet.  We can talk
about that after I have it in hand."
     Phyllis didn't like someone to talk back to her.  In her
mind she was the best agent in Williamsport and if you were
dealing with her, you did it her way.
     "I'll bring it to you now.  Where are you?"
     "In the office at the Bar-W Ranch.  It's in a barn across
from the main house and my Blazer is parked in front.  You can't
miss it.  I'll be waiting for you."
     She didn't even bother saying "good-bye", just hung up in
Dale's ear.
     Dale was generally even tempered, but now he was pissed.  He
clicked his phone and pushed the talk button again to dial Craig
at his office.
     Sherry put his call through to Craig, sensing Dale was upset
about something.
     Craig answered, "Hi hon.  What's going on?"
     "Phyllis Richmond is what's going on," he said tersely.
     "Oh, the great super-cunt must have finally called you.
What's her problem this time, an ingrown hair in her ass?" Craig
laughed.  He'd had dealings with her before and didn't like her,
either.
     Dale didn't think the joke was funny.  "I don't know what
her problem is except she is pushy.  She's bringing the contract
out right away and expects me to sign it immediately, then give
immediate possession regardless of my having a sale.  I don't
like it."
     "Hey, guy, settle down.  Let me ask Don something, he's here
right now.
     Dale could hear Craig talking to Don, but couldn't
understand the conversation.
     Craig came back on the phone.  "Don didn't tell her that he
wanted immediate possession.  That's her doing.  Just tell her
that you want a chance to look the contract over and you will get
back with her on the price, closing and possession date.  Don't
tell her that you've talked to either Don or me.  Just be nice to
her and get rid of her, we'll work this out later."
     "Thanks.  What's her problem anyway?"
     "She would like to think that she runs the world of real
estate here in Williamsport, but she has run over so many people
since she got some kind of award a year ago, that she's become
intolerable.  People are starting to see her for who she really
is and she's losing business because of it."
     "Okay.  Thanks, guy," Dale replied.
     "I'll see you later.  Let me know if you are coming home or
if I should meet you at your house."
     "Right now it looks like I'll have time to come home, but
I'll let you know either way.  Okay?" Dale asked.
     "That's fine.  The day is almost over.  How had your
afternoon been?" Craig questioned.
     "Really great up to the time I talked to Mz. Richmond.  I'll
tell you about it later."
     "Okay, bye."
     "Bye."  Dale clicked off his phone.
     It didn't seem that he'd much more than hung up when a new
green Cadillac El Dorado came roaring up the driveway.  No one
needed to tell Dale who it was.
     An older woman, bright red hair piled on top of her head,
dressed in an expensive looking pants suit got out of the car.
She was wearing way too much jewelry which made her look like a
department store display.  He couldn't help but smirk as he
remembered Craig calling her "super cunt".
     Although she had parked on the blacktop and there was a
sidewalk to the door of the office, she gave the appearance that
she might as well be walking on fresh cow piles.  She was wearing
high-heeled sandals; her toenails painted bright red (like her
perfect fingernails) and had on what appeared to be a diamond
ankle bracelet.
     Dale walked to the door to hold it open for her.  She gave
him a glance like he'd been out rolling in the mud with the hogs.
He wished he had, just for her benefit.
     "Hello." he started to say when she cut him off.
     "I'm here to see Dale Richards," treating him like he was a
second-class doorman.
     "You're looking at him," he said as he held out his hand for
her to shake.
     "Oh, I didn't realize I was dealing with a cowboy," she said
in a disdainful voice, ignoring his hand.
     Dale was pissed, but he was going to have fun with this
woman.
     "At your service ma'am," he said with the most polite voice
he could muster.  "I've not been out on my horse herding cattle
today, but the men who work here generally dress the way I do.
It saves wear and tear on my blue pinstripe suit which is my
general manager's uniform here, but I usually only wear it when I
have to try to impress somebody like you."
     He gave her his best 1,000-watt smile.  'Two could play her
game,' he thought.
     Mz. Richmond wasn't sure what had happened, except this
person didn't seem to realize exactly who she was.  She didn't
know if Dale was making fun of her or if he, indeed, was a dumb
cowboy.
     "Now, I understand that you have a contract for me to look
over."
     She fumbled with an envelope, pulled out a contract and
handed it to Dale along with a ballpoint pen.  Dale took the
contract and handed the pen back to her.
     "I'll have my attorney, Mr. Gus Douglas, look at this
tomorrow and I'll get back to you after he sees this.  After I
talk to the people having my sale this evening, we'll come up
with a closing and possession date."
     "But." she started to say.
     "Ma'am, I appreciate you taking your valuable time to drive
all the way out here to bring this to me," he said while walking
to the door to open it for her.  "It's been a real pleasure to
meet you and I'm sure glad we are doing business together."
     Mz. Richmond wasn't sure what had happened, but the next
thing she realized, she was standing in front of the office.
Dale had shut the door and she saw him give her a wave through
the glass.
     She got into her car and roared down the driveway, wondering
just who Dale was to talk to her like that.  She'd had dealings
with Augustus P. Douglas the Third before.  How was a cowboy like
Dale able to afford someone like that?  She didn't like it.  What
she didn't know was that Mr. Douglas was the attorney for the
ranch and Dale didn't even know him, let alone have the nerve to
call him.
     What Dale didn't know was that Mr. Douglas would have been
more than happy to take on Mz. Phyllis Richmond.  She had tried
to pull a "fast one" on several of his clients.
     He went back to sit at his desk and all of a sudden, the
whole thing struck him as being extremely funny.  This had been a
great day.  He'd sold his car for more than twice what he thought
it was worth and had bested a real estate saleswoman that had
tried to treat him with disdain.  Wait until he got home to his
love and told this story!
     * * * * *
     Dale's cell phone vibrated to life again.  He pushed the
talk button.
     "Dale Richards."
     "Dale, this is John.  I'm through mowing and it's a quarter
after five.  Do you want to come get me or wait until Michael and
Pat are through in a few minutes?"
     "Might as well signal them to quit and follow you back to
the ranch.  How much more baling do they have to do?"
     "I would guess probably about two hours each will finish
them up in the morning."
     "Okay.  I don't know what time they are going to be here
tomorrow to start loading it up, but sounds like we're in great
shape for finishing up before they can catch up with us.  I'll
see you fellows in about 15 minutes and I'll have your timesheets
ready to sign."
     "See you," Dale heard John say before disconnecting.
     * * * * *
     The three arrived back at the ranch just at 5:30.  Michael
parked the pickup while John put the tractor away.  As they
signed their timesheets Dale told them that Pat and Michael would
finish baling in the morning while John cleaned up the mowers and
rake to get them ready to store.
     They left to go back into town, John hoping that Nolan would
call him as promised.
     Michael was still wondering who had been in John's room, but
didn't know if he should ask.
     * * * * *
     Dale faxed the timesheets to Morris Johnsmore's office so
they could prepare the payroll checks for the hourly-paid
employees tomorrow morning.
     He didn't get away as soon as he wanted, so it was 5:45 when
he was ready to leave the ranch, so he called Craig at their
condo to tell him to meet him at his house so they could talk to
the women together.
     He and Craig arrived at the same time, Dale parking on the
driveway and Craig pulling up behind him.  They had barely gotten
out of their vehicles when two women arrived, driving a GMC
pickup.  Craig had met them before, so made the introductions.
The women were Paula Hunter and Carole Stanhope.  It quickly
became apparent to both Dale and Craig that they were a couple,
too.  Both were masculine looking, wearing Levis, work shirts and
boots and had very firm handshakes.
     Dale unlocked the front door and they went into the house.
Dale explained.  "I think I've gotten everything packed up and
moved out that I want to keep, but there might be things I
missed."
     "Don't worry about it.  We'll set up tables and lay
everything out and price it.   At that time you can go through
the sale items and pull out anything you want to keep.  If you
disagree on how we have things priced - maybe you think something
is worth more than we priced it - we can change it.  We'll run an
ad in the paper and start the sale a week from today, drop the
prices by 25% on Friday and to half-price on Saturday.  Anything
that doesn't sell, we have people who have space at flea markets
who sometimes buy everything that is left.  Furniture that
doesn't sell, we donate to whichever of the three charities you
want.  The Salvation Army, the Disabled American Veterans or
Goodwill.  They'll come pick it up.  After we're through on
Sunday, we'll haul the trash, mop the floors and vacuum the rugs.
We charge 20% of the total sale dollars for our fee and the house
will be empty when we are through."
     Craig had been through this before, so there were no
surprises.  Dale thought it was reasonable.  Certainly he
couldn't take the time to do it and wouldn't know how to price
things, anyway.
     They walked through all the rooms, both making comments
about several things they thought would sell well.  They looked
in the basement as well as the garage.  Dale mentioned that the
carpet in two rooms was fairly new and asked if they might
include them in the sale.
     The four of them agreed that all of the carpets were in good
shape and could be added also.  Saying that this would be a good
sale, Carole filled out a contract for Dale to sign.
     "I really appreciate you being able to do this so soon,"
Dale said as he signed the contract.
     "Actually, we had a cancellation for next weekend so were
looking for something to do.  When Craig called we put off
another prospective sale because he said you had a contract for
the sale."
     "Oh boy, did I get a contract," Dale laughed, rolling his
eyes.
     Paula, who had been quiet up to that point, said, "Sounds
like you met up with the famous Phyllis Richmond.  I saw her
'Sold' sign in the front yard."
     Dale had missed the sign and walked to the door to verify it
was there.
     "Yes, I met her this afternoon," he said, telling them the
story.
     By the time he was finished all four were laughing up a
storm.
     Craig put his arm around Dale's waist and kissed him on the
cheek, an action that the women immediately picked up on.
     "Excuse us for asking, but are you fellows together. a
couple?"
     "Yes," they said almost in unison.
     "It's great doing business with you.  We've been partners
for about 6 years," Paula said.
     Craig replied, "Well, you've got six years on us, we're just
starting out."
     "Congratulations," they both said, shaking hands with each.
     They exchanged goodbyes and parted, the women getting in
their pickup and Dale and Craig getting into their vehicles to
leave for their condo.
     * * * * *
     As they drove down the street, Paula told Carole, "I'd
rather be with you, but if I wasn't a lesbian, I could go for
either one of those guys."
     Carole laughed, "I'll have to watch out now that I know I
have competition."
     * * * * *
     (to be continued)
     * * * * *
Author's Note:  This is my first attempt at gay fiction, and the
only way I can learn whether or not I should continue is from my
readers' feedback.  I would appreciate your comments, criticism,
suggestions, and anything else that you would care to say.  All
Email will be answered.  If you wish to receive e-mail
notification of subsequent posting, please let me know by sending
your request to the e-mail address below.  Contact me at:
tulsadriller7@aol.com

Thanks for the overwhelming response to previous chapters.  I
received positive replies from all over the world.  My special
thanks to RW, whom I've known for many years and value his
suggestions.  Also for the proofreading help of Paul Daventon,
author of  "Turning the Page" found in the "Adult-Friends"
section of Nifty.  Please read it.