Big Sky Country Ch. 03

To see Frank's face light up as Gabe was starting to drift off made Gabe embarrassed that he hadn't been more attentive to the man before then--and that he had no intention of giving Frank what he really wanted. Yes, he'd let Frank fuck him when he had recovered, but Frank obviously wanted more. Gabe couldn't afford to want more with Frank. Still, he couldn't not say what he said.

"And, Frank," he said. "If you want to fuck me--whenever you want to fuck me--there'd be no charge."

"It's OK, this isn't the time--" Frank started to say.

"Because I like it from you as much as you do."

Frank smiled at that and patted Gabe on the shoulder. "I'm glad you do--and that you told me."

"If, when we get to your place--to Sunshine--I'm sure we could manage to... I'm not hurt where it matters for that."

When they got to Sunshine, they did manage to and, after he'd come after rocking gently with and inside Gabe, Frank left Gabe's bedside with tears in his eyes.

* * * *

Gabe rolled over onto his back from his right side, where just a few minutes before he'd been held close in the embrace of Frank at three points. Frank's knees had been pressed into the fold behind Gabe's knees; Frank's left arm had been slung over Gabe's chest, his hand palming Gabe's right pec; and Frank's cock was buried in Gabe's channel. He had gone flaccid again, but even when soft, he filled Gabe.

The young man had barely recovered before he'd moved to Frank's bed and Frank was covering him nearly every night. It had been Gabe, not Frank, who had pushed this. Gabe knew that Frank was pining for it and he felt the obligation to give Frank what he was too polite to demand for giving him shelter and care. Besides, having been a whore in the diner, Gabe realized that he wanted it regularly. Two of Frank's cowboys, Russell and Lewis, were fucking him too, but that was occasionally, in the barn, and it served to dispel any tension that the rancher was getting in the ranch house what his cowboys couldn't get in the bunkhouse. Gabe didn't throw it into Frank's face that Gabe was giving it to more than him.

They had slept in this position, but before and after that they had fucked. Frank was virile and vigorous for a man in his mid-thirties. He was hard as a rock in both muscles and cock. He also was the attentive lover that Gabe had never had before--what Collin had promised to be during initial seduction and then had dropped when he was in the saddle. The more comfortable the two became with the relationship, the more forceful, dominating, inventive, and demanding Frank got with the cocking, although he never was cruel. Gabe tried not to move a muscle, not wanting to do anything that would cause Frank to withdraw from him and rise to the responsibilities of the new day.

Frank was normally an early riser. He had to be to manage this cattle ranch of his north of Guthrie--even though it was a small ranch on the scale of ranches here in northern Texas and even though he had four men to help him. It was past time for him to be up and at it now--and for Gabe to be so, as well, but Gabe didn't want him to go. He wanted to feel the man's wet lips in the hollow of his throat, his fingers start again to pinch and roll Gabe's nipple or descend to his cock, to experience once more the cock coming to life inside him, engorging and filling him to the limit and beginning to move inside him, coaxing him to move with it, for the two of them to become one--for Frank to hold him close, a prisoner, for those times when he was more forceful and demanding, times when Gabe loved losing himself in the heat of Frank's need.

As he held his breath, wanting more, even though it was too late in the day to justify the want, especially considering how many times Frank had come and made him come as well in the night, he looked out of the window beside the bed, up into the big blue sky. The sky here, on the Texas plain, was much different from the sky in Louisiana. It was bigger, broader. It even was bluer. In Louisiana it extended in all directions from treetop or from one building to the next. Here in Texas, it extended from horizon to horizon. Here you could actually see that the earth curved.

He sighed as Frank pulled away from him and rolled up, first, into a sitting position on the bed, where Gabe pulled himself up, as well with a groan, and plastered himself to Frank's back, his thighs encompassing Frank's hips, his arms reaching around to palm Frank's pecs and play in the dark body hair swirling there, and his face buried in Frank's throat.

Frank laughed, unwound Gabe's arms, and stood up from the bed. He turned back toward Gabe, and Gabe gasped as he always did when he saw how heavy the rancher was hung. Who would have known that a shy, always modestly dressed, mid-thirties rancher was hung like a bull? Gabe moved to take Frank's cock in his mouth, but, with another low laugh, Frank pulled away from him.

"Later. We both have work to do today," he said. His voice was infused with joy, though, at the relationship that the two men had achieved. It wasn't a partner one--not yet at least. Frank knew that two of his hired hands, Russell and Lew, had fucked Gabe too since he'd come to the ranch. But that was happening less and less and he felt that he and Gabe were coming closer together. It was only a matter of time, he hoped, before they could become what he wanted--partners, Frank dominant, of course, and Gabe submissive. He had hopes that Gabe would be with him only, but he understood what Gabe had come from, recognized that Gabe was highly sexed, and had the patience to wait for a deeper relationship to develop.

"I want you to go to the south quarter with Russell today and count how many head we have down there--keeping a separate count of ones ready to go to market. It's nearly time to make up another shipment for the Omaha stock yards," Frank said. The Union Stockyards, here in the mid-fifties, had become the premier destination for cattle across the West. "I have to pick up a shipment of the feed supplement in Lubbock I've ordered for some of the ranches around here and deliver it."

He had been padding around the bedroom, naked, and gathering the clothes together for the day. It had only been recently that he had overcome his modesty and walked around naked in front of Gabe. He was doing so at Gabe's request. Gabe had told him how beautiful his body was. Frank apparently hadn't been aware of that before. He didn't know that he was hung like a bull until Gabe told him--or that young men would lay down for a man with a big cock. He hadn't made the effort to compare himself to other men. But knowing that Gabe became aroused at seeing him swing free encouraged him to be nude in the house more.

It also encouraged him to play with himself. Before he had masturbated in private, in the dark, and only by necessity of relieving tension, embarrassed that he was compelled to do it. Gabe said he enjoyed watching Frank masturbate, so he was doing it in front of Gabe more. He had also learned not to feel guilty or embarrassed when Gabe sucked it--or when he sucked Gabe's cock. He was learning to revel in sex.

He noticed that Gabe's eyes were downcast.

"Is something wrong, Gabe?" he asked. "Did you want to go with me to Lubbock today? Did you want to try again to find your friend?"

"No, no, everything's fine," Gabe said, looking up and producing, with a bit of effort, a smile. "Checking out the south quarter is just fine." He didn't want to reveal that it was going out on the range with Russell was what wasn't all that fine. Having become satisfied with and feeling safe with Frank in bed, Gabe had started denying other guys--he didn't need the extra money now, either, as he'd given up on the Lubbock idea--but Russell hadn't been as cooperative with that as Lew had been.

Life thus far at Sunshine Ranch had been complicated for Gabe, but it was all starting to settle down. Although the ranch had a bunkhouse for the hired hands, Gabe had been put in a bedroom in the main house when Frank had brought him from Guthrie--and he remained in the main house even after recovering and starting to work for Frank.

Frank had cared for him for two weeks until he could comfortably walk again and then had offered him a temporary job.

"I know you told me you were just passing through on your way to Lubbock," he'd said, "but one of my men, Art, has had to go off because his mother is having a rough time dying and I don't know when he'll be back. It takes five men to run this place. If you can stay on for a while, you could fill in for Art until he gets back. And maybe you could use the money I'd pay you. We'd see what was what then. I don't really want you to leave--unless that's what you want."

Gabe had been waiting for Frank to say what other way than sex Gabe could earn money from him. He knew Frank wanted to fuck him--once or twice a day if he didn't restrain himself. And he'd tentatively brought this up. "Sure, I can fill in for your guy, but is that really how you want me to earn my keep here? You've been great to me. I want you to have what you want. You want me to remain here in the house, or, if I'm going to work the ranch, do you want me to move over to the bunkhouse?"

"I want you to stay in the house," Frank answered in a hoarse voice. He didn't follow that up, though, and he didn't look at Gabe directly.

Gabe had had to take matters into his own hands. That night, he came, naked, into Frank's bedroom. He pulled the sheet off Frank to find that the man too was naked--and Gabe gasped at seeing how hard bodied he was and hung. Frank had been furtive with him the few times they'd fucked before, not letting Gabe see what Frank was putting in his ass. Once they had started into it, Gabe taking Frank's cock in his mouth and running his hands over Frank's body and, when Frank was hard and groaning, positioning his channel over Frank's cock, sinking on it, and riding it to a mutual ejaculation, Frank showed, for the rest of the night, that he was ready, willing, and very, very able.

After that, there increasingly was less and less awkwardness between the two and no possessiveness either. When Art came back after Gabe had been there for six weeks and, over three weeks, had worked his way into full-time duties on the ranch, nothing was said of Gabe not having a job. Frank said nothing, either, about Gabe going with both Russell and Lew for money or, more often, establishment of good will on occasion, although he surely knew this was happening. After Gabe had been there for two months, Frank brought Lubbock up.

"You have said you have someone to go to in Lubbock," he said. "You probably have saved up enough money to get there now, but if you want to go, I'll drive you there." This obviously meant that Frank knew Gabe was making money on the side and also knew the most likely way Gabe was making the money. Although he paid Gabe for his work on the ranch, it wasn't much, as room and board were included.

Gabe was taken aback that Frank would be so willing for him to move on, but he hid as best he could that this hurt him a bit. Indeed, he didn't realize that he would be hurt that Frank was willing for him to leave until Frank mentioned it. It wasn't until now that Gabe realized that he was growing as close to Frank as he was.

"You'd drive me there?" he said, trying not to look disappointed. "Yes, that's what I'd like then." If Frank didn't think they were becoming close--that Gabe was just a nice, convenient lay--then maybe it was best Gabe moved on, he thought. He realized he'd been dropping hints of Russell and Lew fucking him to see if it would get a rise out of Frank. But it didn't. Frank wasn't the least bit possessive of Gabe. He didn't criticize his lifestyle or his promiscuity or hem him in in any way.

There was no way for Gabe to know that this only was because Frank was afraid of losing him.

The road trip to Lubbock had been a disaster for Gabe, though. Frank drove him into the center of the city and stopped at a telephone booth.

"Maybe you want to call him before we go there," Frank said. In his mind, from what Gabe had said about this Adrian friend of his, the guy sounded like a real player. Frank didn't think he would have waited for Gabe to show up on his doorstep even though he'd invited Gabe to join him.

And Frank turned out to be right. The telephone call got someone speaking Spanish and not producing anyone else when Gabe provided the name of Adrian.

"OK, we tried advance notice. I'll drive you on over there. Now that we're here, I know you won't want to leave without being sure."

"Over there," turned out to be a three-story adobe apartment house in a seedy part of town. And those at the apartment address Adrian had given were still solely Spanish speakers. The super, though, answering the door of the apartment marked as the office, was quite happy to see them and focused his attention on Gabe.

"Lover boy Adrian? He got in with some guys making TV commercials and other kinds of movies. They liked what he'd do and took him off to tinsel town. He's in L.A., I think. You look like the film guys would like you too. Maybe you could follow him out there. You want, I'll put you in contact with them. You could stay with me until you're set up if you'd like. I'd like. Adrian and I got along real well. Real well, if you know what I mean."

Both Gabe and Frank knew what the guy meant. He was a little greasy but he wasn't a slob. Gabe knew what was behind the leer the man was giving him. He hesitated. He didn't see much in the way of options.

"You could come home with me--back to Sunshine," Frank said.

Was that a tone of hopefulness or "put-upon" resignation in Frank's voice, Gabe wondered.

"I don't know. I can't live off your generosity forever he said."

"It's not generosity, Gabe. It's deeper than that. I'd like you to come home with me."

Gabe looked up at the sky. Even here in Lubbock, everything looked flat. Everything was covered by a big, deep-blue sky. "I guess we could give it a try," he said, "if I wouldn't be too much of an imposition for you."

When they got back to the Sunshine Ranch, Frank showed Gabe how much of an imposition it wouldn't be. They stayed in Frank's bed for a day and a half, while Frank showed Gabe that lovemaking went way beyond mere fucking.

* * * *

"You know it won't take all day to do the cattle count on the south quarter," Russell said as he and Gabe rode out from the ranch compound on horses. Gabe was surprised they hadn't taken the Jeep, but Russell had said the south quarter actually had some hills and gullies where water ran into a shallow river during the wet season, making Jeep travel problematic. There were some places on the ranch that could only be reached by horseback. Gabe hadn't been to that quarter of Sunshine and hadn't really seen much in the way of hills and gullies in Texas yet, and he hadn't experienced a rainy season here.

"In the rainy season, we could get some real gushers where we're going," Russell said. "No place for a vehicle then. Caught by a gusher, we could be out there cut off from the rest of the world for days, just the two of us. How would you like that, Gabe--all alone out there for me a couple of days? We'd have time for me to do you royally. How would you like that?"

"Yeah, that would be something, Russ."

"You're pretty much with Frank now, right?"

"Right, Russ."

"But we really had it on, didn't we? I can't think of Frank giving you what I gave you."

Gabe wondered what Russell would do or say if Gabe told him that Frank had two more inches to give him than Russell did. And, like a lot of submissives, inches and thickness counted with Gabe. Russell had a short fuse. A little bit of crazy, Russell was.

"We really got it on, didn't we?" the cowboy continued. "You'd like some more of that, I'll bet. There are some cottonwoods by the river where we're going. Some shade. I brought some beer. The ice packs should hold till we get to the river. We can do the count later. And, yeah, I brought money. I know you do it for the money."

There wasn't much more to say. Russell was a big bruiser. He outweighed Gabe by a good sixty pounds--sixty pounds of muscle. And Russell had gotten it from Gabe before. It's not like Gabe didn't do it for money and hadn't done it with Russell before for money. It was clear that Russell was going to do him, money or no money.

And Russell was right about doing guys like Frank never had or would. Russell had a mean streak in him and that's how he did it.

Russell fucked Gabe in the shade of a grove of cottonwood trees on the bank of a shallow river running through a gully that indicated that, when the rains came, it would hardly contain a raging torrent.

Russell fucked Gabe hard and vigorously and bound and then he slapped him around and whipped him. He just tended to beat the young man enough to help make Russell hard. He knew better than to main the boss's poke. Once started, it was hard to maintain control, though.

Gabe had gotten a taste of the cowboy's cruelty before but nothing like this. Being out in the raw, arid wilderness like this brought a heightened sense of power and wild-man entitlement to the big, leather-skinned brute. On top of this, he had leave to play out his resentment that Gabe got to sleep in the main house, under the rancher, even though he was a rent-boy and that he'd been avoiding Russell. Well, Russell's money was as good as Frank's, his cocking was a damn sight more interesting, Russell believed, and he was as much a man as Gabe could take.

He put Gabe, naked, belly over a saddle resting on the ground, tied off the young man's wrists, his arms over his head, with a leather strap wrapped around the base of a young cottonwood tree, and he had Gabe's legs spread and staked out. He mounted Gabe's ass from above and behind and rode him hard.

"You love it, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, I love it," Gabe cried out--and embarrassingly, he did.

He didn't love it so much when Russell laid into him with a hand whip, striking him on the back, buttocks, and thighs. But Russell didn't put his full force behind his strikes, and the welts he'd left Gabe with would have done nothing more than sting for a while if then, after Russell mounted and fucked him again, they hadn't had to ride the section and do the cattle count they'd been sent out there to do.

"You're walking gingerly," Frank said when they returned and Gabe climbed the stairs of the ranch house. "Saddle sores? I would have thought you'd be used to the saddle by now."

"Yeah, saddle sores," Gabe mumbled as he passed Frank and went into the ranch house. He wasn't about to tell him all that had happened out there in the south quarter. He had to fit in in this outfit. Russell was the senior cowboy here. And Russell had paid him well for what Russell got. Gabe would just have to suck it up--and try to avoid being alone with Russell in the future. "I just haven't done as much riding before as I had to do today," he said as he disappeared into the ranch house. Or been ridden as hard, he added in his mind.

Frank sensed something was wrong, though, and followed Gabe into the house. As Gabe was going to the shower, Frank came into the bathroom and saw the welts on the young man's back, buttocks, and thighs.

"You didn't get that from riding a horse," he said. "Russell did that to you, didn't he?"

Gabe turned and gave Frank a scared look. "I don't want to cause trouble at the ranch, Frank. I want to fit in. I'll figure this out."

"I want you to fit in too," Frank said. He turned and walked back to the living room and to the gun safe, which he opened. Gabe came in as he was taking a rifle out of the case.

"No, Frank. You don't want to do this. I'm a whore. Russell didn't take anything away from me that I haven't given other men. He paid for it."