Stonegate Stables - 37. Chapter 37

Saturday morning we had a big breakfast, courtesy of Matt and Adam, who had apparently spent the night. Between them they dirtied every pan in the kitchen, but it was worth it - bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs with thinly sliced zucchini and onion topped with cheese and salsa, and homemade biscuits slathered with my mom's grape jam. It took an hour to make and fifteen minutes to eat, but we lolled around the table for another hour, sipping coffee and picking at the biscuits. Finally, we cleaned up and went up to shower. I was able to talk Matt and Adam into joining us in the big shower where we all scrubbed each other, but didn't get serious about fooling around.

The afternoon rodeo performance was due to start at 1pm, so I went over there around 11 to make sure all was well. The cowboys were getting ready for the day - checking tack and washing horses as they geared up for the competition. Many more rigs had arrived that morning, guys who lived within driving distance of home and had decided to come try their luck. They had a different look than the circuit regulars, not quite as hungry or as serious. For the guys who traveled with the rodeo, today and tomorrow were work days, a chance to pad their meager bank accounts with enough money to stay on the road, and hopefully have a little left to send home.

The crowd started arriving around noon, parking along the fence line at first, and then swelling to fill the field on the far side of the rodeo grounds. They wandered around checking out the livestock, eating hotdogs, and chatting up the few cowboys who ventured out of the campground. I recognized a lot of people, waving at the Bransons when I spotted them in the concession line. Julia was decked out in a cowboy hat with a hawk feather in the band, and looked completely at home standing there in the dust with her folks.

Things got rolling with the national anthem playing over the loudspeakers as a girl’s drill team galloped around the arena. They weren’t as fancy as the team we’d seen in Amarillo, but they had lots of enthusiasm, and they were local girls, so the crowd cheered them on.

Today’s events would set the order of go for tomorrow, the money day. There weren’t enough competitors to require eliminations, so everyone was a little laid back, knowing they’d be in the finals on Sunday. I watched for a while, but went back to the barn around 3 to catch up on things. I schooled two jumpers for Amanda, forced myself to do some paperwork, and then headed home for supper around 6.

Vincent had worked all day as well, so we made a simple meal of cold chicken, fruit salad, and a crisp chardonnay. The evening was clear and warm, so we sat out long after we were finished eating, talking about buying the restaurant, David’s apparent fascination with Levi, Adam’s appearance at our breakfast table.

Around 9 Vincent stood and stretched, then held out a hand to me. As I rose, he pulled me to him, one arm around my back, the other sliding down to pull my hips into his. He rubbed slowly against me as his mouth followed the curve of my neck up to my ear, making me squirm as he licked and chewed. My dick responded in predictable fashion, so we quickly cleaned up dinner and made our way to the den.

Instead of leading me to the couch, Vincent stepped behind it and turned me away from him. As his erection pressed against my ass, he undid my shorts and let them drop to the floor. His own followed in a few seconds and he knelt on them as he pushed me over the back of the couch and tugged my feet apart. Nosing his way down the crack of my ass, he grasped my nuts in one hand and my hard cock in the other.

I groaned into the cushions, concentrating on Vincent’s tongue which was tracing tiny circles around my hole, zeroing in now and then to penetrate me slightly, then easing back out to tease me some more. He kept up a steady stroking of my cock, sliding his hand up to short-stroke the head for a few seconds, then following with a full pump that almost finished me. He realized it and let go of my cock to prime my ass for fucking. When I was whimpering into the pillows, he stood up, gripped my hips, and lined up the head of his dick. I sank gratefully back onto him, taking it slow so I could relish every inch of him.

When he was buried in me, I stopped and let him take over. His thrusts were long and leisurely, and I felt myself drifting into that fog of pleasure where time slows and every sense is heightened. This is the best part of fucking – for me, at least. I listened to his breathing quicken as he became more excited. I felt his fingers clench and release with each stroke, then tighten and hold as he neared orgasm. I let myself go then, knowing we would be close.

Vincent’s hands slid to my hips as he arched back, gasping as waves of contractions emptied him into me. I straightened as I began to cum, the pulsing of his cock intensifying my climax. Vincent wrapped an arm around me, pushing me down onto him as he strained upward.

As we relaxed, he dropped his head to my shoulder, breathing hard against my neck, his body quivering against mine. After a few minutes I pulled free and turned to him, taking his face in my hands. He raised dark eyes to me as I spoke to him.

“I love you.”

He smiled slightly. “I know you do, Sean. I love you, too.”

I looked at him, watching me expectantly, waiting, and all I could think to say was ‘I love you,’ over and over until he never forgot.

“That’s it – just I love you.”

He studied my face for a moment, then took my hand and placed it palm-down over his heart as he spoke slowly and clearly. “I know you do.”

We stared at each other for a few seconds before he pulled me close, nuzzling his face into my neck and rocking me a little. I stood with my eyes closed, snug in his arms, until he stepped back and led me upstairs to bed.

For Sunday’s performance I had roped off a section of seats for friends and family. I did a final walk around the grounds before climbing up in the stands to play spectator. Vincent patted the bleacher between his feet, so I sat down in front of him and draped my arms over his knees as his hands settled on my shoulders. I closed my eyes and grinned as he planted a kiss on the back of my neck.

“Are you gonna be able to relax and watch, or do you need to dash around and personally make sure everybody’s having a good time?”

I made a face at him. “No, I’m good. I might need a hot dog later.”

“I got a hot dog for you,” he stage-whispered, pressing his knees into me.

“Knock it off, you two. Jesus.” Wade rolled his eyes at us, but reached over to squeeze my arm.

Danny was sitting next to Gabriel, knees bumping occasionally, smiling as they chatted. I watched them for a few moments, but they were engrossed in each other and didn't notice. Jesse had an arm draped over Ben's shoulders, and a beer in the other.

We all stood for the national anthem, the girls galloped around the arena, the announcer gave his opening spiel, and my first rodeo was underway. The saddle and bareback bronc riding passed without incident, and then it was time for the team roping. The healer of the first pair missed his calf. He threw his second rope, but their time was way out of the money.

The second and third teams turned in good times, and then the announcer startled us all by saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, we got us the odd couple comin’ up next. Our fourth team consists of a seasoned professional and a teenage kid in his first rodeo. Please welcome two-time National Futurity Cutting Champion Cody Birdwell heading, and high school sophomore Kelly Caldwell on the heels.”

We all stared as Cody on Queenie and Kelly on Rascal backed into the chutes, both horses dancing in anticipation. When Queenie settled down with her butt against the back of the chute and her eyes riveted on the calf, Cody nodded sharply. The gate burst open, the calf dashed out, and the horses sprang into action, flinging dirt clods against the back of the chutes as they sprinted after the fleeing calf.

Cody’s rope shot out and settled cleanly around the calf’s neck as Queenie turned away to set the calf up for Kelly. He angled Rascal close, timed his swing, and let fly. Heeling is a total mystery to me. How you can get a rope to nab both back feet of a bounding, leaping calf is beyond me, but Kelly did it, whipping his arm up and yanking Rascal hard to the left to pull the rope tight.

It all happened so fast that we were still getting over the surprise of hearing them announced when their time flashed on the board, putting them into second place. We leaped out of our seats, whooping and hollering as Cody and Kelly high-fived each other and loped out of the arena. A couple other teams had good runs, so our boys ended up fourth, a great finish for a couple of guys who’d never roped together before.

Cody was back in the next event - tie-down roping - and did well again, placing second. Queenie did her part, keeping the rope taut as Cody leaped out of the saddle, raced to the calf, and tied him quickly. I glanced up at Vincent as we applauded, and caught sight of Wade’s face, glowing with love and pride as Cody accepted his second place check. I had been worried about them back in February, but things seemed good now.

At intermission I decided I had to have that hot dog, and took orders from everyone else. Danny offered to help, so we made our way down the stands and were headed for the back door to the kitchen when Danny's dad came around the corner of the building and almost ran into us. Danny's face shut down as he stepped back, giving him to pass us.

His dad looked at me, and I took the opportunity to introduce myself. He hesitated just a moment before taking it.

"Henry," he said with a curt nod. "Pleasure."

Henry studied Danny's face as Danny gazed out across the crowd.

"Doin' okay, boy?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Yup," Danny replied stonily, still looking away.

Henry studied him for another moment, and then nodded at me again before walking off. Danny watched him go, taking a deep breath as he turned to me. His face was set, but his eyes were miserable, and I realized he missed his dad terribly.

"At least he's speaking to you," I said softly, as we went into the kitchen and loaded up a tray with food. He just nodded, and we trudged back up into the bleachers with hot dogs and drinks for everyone. Gabriel picked up on Danny's mood immediately, leaning in to say something as Danny sat down next to him. Danny replied in a few short words, and Gabriel reached up to squeeze the back of his neck before turning his attention to his chili dog.

Barrel racing was up next. Katie was fifth up, and could barely keep the lid on a wound up Ginger who was dancing around behind the start gate, spinning in circles and rearing slightly. She'd obviously competed before, and had caught the excitement of the crowd. They raced around the barrels in a respectable time, disappearing out the end of the arena at top speed, Katie laying low on Ginger's back.

Several of the girls were pros, traveling the circuit just like the cowboys did, and four of them beat Katie’s time. She was ecstatic with 5th, and we cheered like crazy for her when they handed out the ribbons.

The bull riding was the last event, and it was crazy. Three guys went to the field hospital with various cuts and sprains, and one guy got stepped on bad enough to be taken to the hospital in town. The winning rider drew the bull that had snorted at me that first day – a huge brown and white beast that leaped and twisted. He looked impossible to ride, but the guy stayed on the required eight seconds, and threw his hat into the air in celebration when he jumped off.

The crowd headed home when it was over, but I stayed to make sure the competitors all got on the road okay. I was walking from the campground to the livestock area when I saw David saying goodbye to Levi. They were standing in the shadows of Levi’s truck, arms around each other, David’s head against Levi’s chest with Levi’s hand clamped on David’s butt. I ignored them as I went by, but from the look on both their faces, they had forged a real connection in the four days Levi had been in town.

A couple weeks later Vincent was working late at a dinner, and I was preparing a solo dinner of leftovers when Matt came in from the garage. I smiled a hello at him.

"Hey. Didn't think you'd be home. Want some pasta?"

He nodded, and got bread and drinks as I headed for the den with our plates. We settled onto the couch, me with my feet on the coffee table, and Matt sitting cross-legged facing me. Matt ate silently for a while as I flipped through channels for something worth watching, but he only picked at his pasta, finally setting the plate on the table and stretching out with his feet against my leg. I finished eating, put my plate next to his, and turned to him.

"Something on your mind, Matty?"

He heaved a sigh. "Yeah, I guess." He toyed with the fringe of the afghan for a minute before continuing. "How did you know Vincent was the one?"

I look at him, but his eyes were fixed on the fringe, so I pulled his feet into my lap and began to rub them as I spoke. "We were friends for a long time - about eight years - so we knew each other pretty well before we decided to make it permanent." I paused, and then added, "But I almost picked TJ."

Matt's eyes came quickly up to meet mine as his eyebrows shot up. "TJ? Really?"

"Yeah. I still got a thing for him, but nothing like what I feel for Vincent. TJ is like a hot fudge sundae - great for a treat now and then, but you don't want one for every meal. Vincent is the 'every meal' guy for me."

"That's what I mean," Matt nodded. "How did you know it was Vincent, not TJ?"

"Well, I didn't, at first. There were a couple awful weeks when I was thinking about it. I had just slept with TJ for the first time, so he was all new and exciting. And I was the first guy to fuck him, so that figured into it. When I told Vincent, he said he didn't want to see me again until I had made a decision."

I stopped then, recalling how empty I'd felt without Vincent in my life.

"And?" Matt prompted me.

"One night Wade told me to follow my heart. When I did that, it led me straight to Vincent." I turned to face Matt, tugging him toward me until his butt was against my thigh with his legs across my lap. I lay a hand on his belly and circled slowly. "What's going on, Matt? Is there a problem with you and Adam?"

"I don't know if it's a 'problem' really." He sighed again, and was silent for a bit. "He's really gentle with me."

I looked at him more closely. "And that's a problem because……?"

"Too gentle. You know how sometimes Vincent gets a little rough with you? And you love it?"

My dick twitched at the mere thought. "Yes," I replied.

"Well, Adam is always really careful with me, like he's afraid he's gonna hurt me."

I smiled at him then. "Oh, Matty - do you remember when you first came here? What kind of shape you were in?"

I pushed his legs off me and got up to reach for a box of pictures on the shelf next to the TV. Matt moved up next to me as I rummaged through it. I found the one I was looking for and looked at it a second before handing it to him. It had been taken in the harsh light at the clinic to document his scrapes and bruises. In it, he had his shirt off, and all his ribs were visible; his hip bones jutted out above the droopy waist of his jeans, and his face was thin and frightened. He barely looked like the handsome, relaxed kid sitting next to me now. Matt stared at it for several seconds as his hand tightened reflexively on the picture.

"Jesus," he whispered. "I never looked in the mirror."

"You were so fragile. That's why he's so careful with you, honey. That's still in his head, even though he knows you're healthy now. I felt the same way at first, but I got over it as I saw you get better. Just talk to him about it. Maybe bite him or something," I joked, and Matt smiled. "Adam’s just naturally a gentle guy, but he’ll get more aggressive with you if he knows it’s okay, that you want him to."

Matt nodded agreement, then pulled me along with him when he lay down, sliding his knee up between my legs to nudge my nuts. I pulled back so I could see his face, and raised my eyebrows. It had been a while since just Matt and I had been together, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't misreading him. He gave me a devilish grin, so I climbed onto him and proceeded to chew on whatever parts of him I could reach until he was laughing and shoving me off.

I grabbed his wrist in one hand, pinned it over his head, and dropped my weight onto him. He went still under me, his eyes wide with surprise. I stared down at him for a moment before kissing him hard, crushing his mouth with mine as my tongue forced his lips apart. His cock firmed up against my belly, and he grabbed my ass with his free hand as his breathing became ragged. I moved against him, slowly at first, then faster, getting him close before pushing back onto my knees between his legs.

He lay there open-mouthed and panting, his cock tenting his shorts as I unzipped him and tugged them down. The head of his penis was velvety soft on my tongue as I licked in slow circles. I gripped his nuts firmly in one hand and rolled his nipple in the fingers of the other until he groaned and twisted into the pressure. I gradually increased the pressure of both hands, and about two minutes of that was all it took before Matt was spurting cum all over both of us. His head was arched back into the couch, and his expression was one of agonized pleasure, which was exactly what I'd been aiming for.

When he finally quit twitching, I gathered him up in my arms and just held him until he fell asleep. That's how Vincent found us when he rolled in at 9:30. He surveyed the dried cum on my clothes and the wad of tissue on the table before speaking.

"Special occasion?"

"Matt needed someone to rough him up a little."

Vincent's left eyebrow rose, and he smirked at me. "So he picked you?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes," I replied a little testily. "I can play the dom top if I need to."

"Yeah, right. Maybe for Matt," he said, plopping down next to me with a sigh. "Christ deliver me from wedding dinners. The bride's ex boyfriend showed up drunk and told everyone what great blow jobs she gave before we could get him outside. What a fiasco."

Matt woke up when I shifted him to the couch, smiling sleepily at Vincent's story of the outraged husband, the tearful bride, and the appalled mother-in-law. I rubbed Vincent's shoulders as he told us how Tony and another cousin had dragged the boyfriend down the center aisle of the reception hall as he hollered out the bride's techniques in a loud voice.

"…..and just as they got him to the door, he ends it with, "And she swallows!" I thought the husband was gonna have a stroke, he was so purple. Fuck." He leaned back and kissed my cheek. "I'm exhausted. You ready for bed?"

The following Wednesday afternoon I was slogging through paperwork in my office at Stonegate when Teresa buzzed and said someone was here to see me. It turned out to be a girl, about 20, with the twang of south Texas in her voice.

"This the place they had the rodeo couple weeks ago?"

"Well, we had a rodeo, but so did a bunch of other places, probably. What did you want?"

"Was there a horse in the barrel racing? Bright chestnut with four socks and a blaze?"

Only one horse in the barrel racing fit that description. Ginger.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Gail Martin. I used to own a horse like that. My friend was at your rodeo and said it might be her. I been looking for a couple years."

"Why don't you have a seat and tell me about the horse."

We settled into my visitor’s chairs, and she told me a tale of a lecherous step-father who gave her horse away when she wouldn’t sleep with him. Out of spite he’d given it to the meanest ranch in the area, certain it would be worked to death or neglected until it died on its own. He’d almost gotten the job done, because Ginger had been in such bad shape when we found her that she wouldn’t have lasted another week.

I was certain it was our Ginger, so I explained that we had a horse that fit her description; that it had been signed over to a private party and registered with the AQHA. She assured me that she didn’t want the horse back; she simply wanted to know what had happened to her.

We walked outside and into the western barn where Ginger had her head hanging over the stall door, dozing in the afternoon heat. Gail stopped dead, staring at the wide white blaze on Ginger’s chestnut face, and then teared up and clapped a hand to her mouth.

“It’s her. Oh, my god,” she whispered. After a few moments she walked closer. As she neared the stall, Ginger heard her and pricked up her ears, eager as always for a carrot. I watched her carefully, but didn't see any signs of recognition. Gail reached out and laid a hand on Ginger's neck, and then stepped closer to press a kiss to her cheek. Ginger held still for a minute, then snorted softly and tossed her head. Gail turned to me with a big smile. "She looks great. Just like I remember her."

We spent some time with Ginger, and then walked along the barn aisle with me telling Gail a little about the various rescues. As we left the barn I invited her back to the office and showed her the pictures of Ginger that we took the day TJ brought her in. Even though she had just seen Ginger and knew she was now safe and healthy, Gail burst into tears when she saw how awful Ginger had looked. After a bit she thanked me profusely for what we'd done, and I told her to come by any time.

After she left, I sat at my desk pondering the twists and turns life hands out sometimes. I was glad the mystery of Ginger's origin's was solved, but I was depressed at the meanness of people like Gail's stepfather. After a while I went back to work, but couldn’t concentrate, so I went out and saddled Calvin. He was getting regular workouts in the jumping ring with Katie and Adam, so he was happy to just wander along. We did the trails for an hour, and got back to the barn just as Danny was pulling into the yard. I hadn’t seen him in a week or so.

“Hey, stranger.”

He smiled at me as he walked up to scratch Cal’s nose. The grin got wider, and after a moment, he chuckled. I looked at him curiously, and he blushed that deep pink that was so attractive on him.

“What’s with you?” I asked. He didn’t reply, just turned a deeper shade of pink, and it suddenly hit me. “You got laid.”

He coughed out a bark of laughter, but nodded as he cleared his throat. “Yeah. Yeah, I did,” he agreed, his grin a mile wide.

I stared at him, putting the pieces together. “Gabriel?” I ventured.

He nodded again, looking off across the yard as his blush faded and he sobered up. “Yeah. God, I had no idea it was gonna feel like that.”

“He topped you?”

He made a face. “Well, he wasn’t real sure about my dick, so, yeah.”

I watched him as he thought about it, his face serious for several moments, but ending with a smile as he looked up at me for the first time. “I like him a lot."

"He seems to like you, too. You guys were cute together at the rodeo."

He chuckled. "Yeah, that was a fun day. That's pretty much when it started between us."

I legged Calvin into a walk. "Well, enjoy yourselves."

We said goodbye, I put Cal away, and walked back to my office. Danny and Gabriel. If it went anywhere, this would be the first romance for each of them, and I wondered how they'd do. When I told Vincent that evening in the kitchen, he made a face.

"Great. Does that mean he's off limits?"

I shrugged. "Probably. First love and all that. I'm sure they'll be all wrapped up in each other for a while. You'll just have to make do with me."

He reached out and pulled me onto his lap. “Yeah, that’s a real hardship.” He kissed me a little, then turned my back to him and hugged me loosely. He was quiet for a bit before he asked me in a low voice. “Remember that time you came to my door? When I didn’t let you in? What were you thinking when you left?”

I was amazed he had brought that up. Even after all these years, and as close as we were now, there were still some things that I wasn’t comfortable bringing up to him. I began to turn toward him, but he tightened his arms until I sat still, and I realized he didn’t want to face me as we talked about this.

“At first I just thought you’d gotten in a fight or something…… but then I saw the marks on your wrist, and I knew it was more than that.” I stopped for a moment, reliving that afternoon. “And I was scared and confused.” Vincent’s arms tightened again, this time in comfort. “I didn’t know what it meant for us - if you were gonna maybe stop seeing me because of whoever it was.”

“Nothing could have kept me from being with you, Sean. Not even him.”

“God, if I had known what you were going through…….”

“You’d have what? You were a skinny twenty year old kid. Ray would have eaten you alive. And I wasn’t gonna let him anywhere near you. I made sure he never knew about you.”

I turned to him then, wrapping my arms around him, and we were still sitting there when Matt came home.