A Second Chance
Chapter 17
By Tickie
©Tickie
Editor: Radio Rancher
Re-write Editor: Gerry Young
We were on our way home, and it had been a wonderful trip. JC was doing ninety percent of the work for the company and I simply loved it. He was doing a great job. He took control, like a bulldog with velvet jaws. He was so damn cute when he was upset with someone, but never did I see him raise his voice to a soul. His control was so much better than mine was, and he had a way of putting people in their place with only a few, simple words. But then again, that was one of the traits that James had that I loved so much. And, yes, I still think of James and miss him so very much, but JC had filled that huge hole of emptiness in my heart... well, at least he had plugged up most of it, anyway. There are still times I find myself daydreaming of what it would be like having James in my arms again. Then I seem to hear James telling me to 'Stop it! You have someone to love who needs you as much as you need him.' I loved every second of our time together, and I'm sure my Li'l Cowboy was felt much the same way.
From the beginning of the trip, the entire staff stayed with us; not once did we have to use Buckaroo to ferry anyone home. JC and the entire crew got along great; in fact, I think they fell in love with him as much as I did. Richard found that he was able to be as open with JC as he had ever been with me. And Clyde really started to take better care of JC than he did me. Truth be known, I felt a twinge of jealousy sneak in a time or two, but bit my tongue. Thank God for that too, for jealousy is surely one thing that will break up a relationship faster then anything but death.
<<><><><>>
JC had just hung up the phone from speaking with Mike's parents and had come into the lounge. "My God;' he exclaimed, "Mike graduated with honors and wants to come up and start work right away." He was smiling at the news and so were the rest of us.
"That's great; why don't you give him a call and tell him we can pick him up on our way home; it won't be that far out of the way," I enthusiastically told JC.
"That's a great idea, hon; I'll just make the call in the bedroom if you don't mind?" He looked at me and I could feel what he was thinking. 'He loves me, I know, but wants to talk to Mike without prying ears.' I do trust him, with all my heart, and with everything I own, TOO!
"Not at all," I reassured him. "Use the satellite phone; that way, you'll have a better connection. Tell him I send my congratulations and love, and hope to see him soon." I waved JC off toward the master bedroom in the aft of the plane.
"Thank you, love; I'll be back soon!" He smiled back at me.
JC <><><><>
I felt funny asking Charlie if this was all right. 'God, but I love him more than life itself. There is no one else who will ever take his place... ever!' I thought to myself; I just wanted to be able to speak with Mike alone for a little while. I checked the time; it would be around 4 pm in Phoenix and I was hoping that Mike would be there. I entered the master bedroom, sat down, picked up the satellite phone and placed the call to Mike's private number.
I waited for several rings but no one answered, not even the answering machine which was strange. So I called his folks' number.
"Hello, is that you, Mike?"
"Yes it is, JC; God, it's nice to hear your voice again." Mike spoke excitedly.
"Well, nice to hear yours, too! Now what's this shit about you graduating with honors?" I chuckled into the phone.
"Oh, THAT! It's nothing, but the rents think it's great, and that's all that counts," he bashfully stated. If I could've seen his face, I'm sure it was a shade of crimson.
"Well, I certainly think it's great, too! And so does Charlie; in fact, he sends his congratulations and love, and hopes to see you soon." I hoped he was getting the fact we were pleased with him.
"Thanks, but really it's nothing. I just want to get started, and I called the ranch a few weeks ago and got hold of Ben. He sure seems to be a nice guy."
"Oh, yeah! What happened to your private number? I tried calling it just now and nothing, not even an answering machine."
"Sorry, JC; since I'm gonna be leaving, I had it disconnected... no need to pay for something I'll never need again. Or at least I hope I never need again." There was doubt in his voice, which caught my ear.
"I'm glad you like Ben; you recommended him, ya know?" I chuckled, then continued, "We hired him to keep an eye on the place and to watch over the construction until we got back home."
"Will he con... continue to work there after I come up?" Mike asked with hesitation in his voice. I could tell something was bothering him. I guess I thought for a few moments too long and Mike continued, "It's alright if I have to work for him; I was... I was just hoping the job was still open?"
"Stop that, Mike! You're the ranch manager and will have the say. You've been in school, so Charlie and I made the decision to hire him on your recommendations. So... if you want him to stay on... it's your call... not his. You got that, my man?" I felt bad for not calling him much earlier and explaining more about what was going on.
"Sorry, JC, I just didn't know. I'm so sorry for doubting you, my friend." Mike's voice was cracking as he spoke.
"No, Mike; you just didn't know all the facts; I'm the one who is sorry. With all that's been going on in my life these last four months... well... let me just say I've had my plate full to overflowing. But, God, I do love Charlie! And that's so fucking real it hurts." I had tears in my eyes.
"Well, I should've known you wouldn't lie to me. I still should not have thought wrong of you... or Charlie." I could tell he was on the verge of tears himself.
"Well, let's just drop it now; nothing has CHANGED. Okay?" I kind of raised my voice a little more than I should have, I know, but I needed to get the point across.
"Thank you, JC, for everything; I really owe you!" He still sounded upset, but why, I didn't know.
"Mike, you just be ready, and we'll be in Phoenix in about nine hours or so; we're just ending our around-the-world trip. Charlie wants to pick you up on our way home. Can you be at the airport and ready to go?" I tried hard to be warm and friendly in my speech.
"My God, yes, I'll be waiting for you!" He sounded better, and I could instantly tell that once again he was excited about everything.
"Okay, then; I'll call you again on your cell phone. I do have the right number, don't I?"
"Yes, it hasn't changed, bud."
"Okay then, talk to you soon, and please don't worry about anything." I chuckled into the phone as I hung up. I then went back into the lounge where Charlie and the rest of the crew were sitting around chatting.
Charlie <><><><>
"How did the call go?" I grinned at my man as he returned.
"Everything's ok; he seemed a little upset with things, but that was my fault. I should have called him months ago and explained what was going on at the ranch." He looked kind of upset with himself, it was plain as could be.
"Well, I have been kinda keeping your nose to the grind stone, honey," I joked back at my Li'l Cowboy.
Greg looked up as Clyde asked, "Will anyone want a snack before I close up the galley? I need a few winks." He looked tired and we did keep him up late, as we wanted to get home a little sooner. Yes, it had been a long four months and a getting home a few hours quicker at the end of the trip was something we all were looking forward to.
Everyone said something along the lines of, "No thanks! Thanks for everything, Clyde; you're a wonderful chef!"
Clyde left the lounge for the crew's sleeping area, along with Greg and Carl. That left only JC and me, and we, too, headed toward the master bedroom together. We both were very tired and wanted some time before we got home. God, how wonderful that sounded after being away for so very long. I know JC and I were looking forward to being back on the ranch again. And with all the new construction, it would be different. I guess it was more then I had expected, but JC took me to the Jacuzzi in the master bath, and he began stripping me, so I returned the favor by removing his clothes ever so slowly and sensually. We both were sporting hardons and... wow!... were they ever hard!
Once the Jacuzzi was filled, JC pulled me in and cuddled up with me. Like so many other times, we were enjoying ourselves and the pleasures of exploring our bodies as always. It sure didn't take long and we both were drained of the love juices. Then we got out, dried each other, and headed for the bed, cuddling up and drifting off to sleep.
The phone began ringing. JC picked it up the receiver; "Hello!" he was somewhat annoyed at the call from the look on his face. "Ok, we'll be up in a while, and thanks for the call." He just leaned over me and kissed me, "That was Clyde, telling us we were about an hour out of Phoenix." Then he continued kissing me more, moving down onto my neck, then on down to my nipples, stopping there while I began playing with something between his legs that was oh, so very hard. Not to say mine wasn't; it was more like a morning hardon, but here it was, the middle of the night. But who cared! Not me, for I had my Li'l Cowboy.
"Sweetheart, how about a little more fun before Mike gets here?" I just rolled my eyes at him and began kissing my way down his gorgeous body. It really didn't take that long and we were both treated to a wonderful male 'cocktail'. Then we both got up and took care of the shower, and other necessities of life. Soon we were both heading into the lounge, finding everyone else sitting there, waiting for us to arrive.
"Good morning, all!" I smiled as I looked at everyone except Clyde; he was in the galley, so I stepped inside and said, "Hello, my man, how goes breakfast?"
"It's a midnight snack, Charlie; haven't you checked the time?" He was giggling at me like a little schoolboy.
JC snickered, "Yes, sweetie, you forgot it's dark out there." He was pointing his finger at the window of the cabin.
I glanced at Clyde, then at JC, "Why don't we wait until Mike's aboard and have our meal on the ground before we leave for Casper?"
"Sounds like a great idea to me love; how about the rest of you? Can you all wait that long?"
Greg spoke up saying, "No problem, and that way the flight crew and Richard can join us."
"Well, if you all don't mind, then ... one second... and how about you, Clyde? Will that work for you, or will what you've done be ruined?" I more or less told everyone waiting for Clyde to respond.
Clyde simply said, "Works for me, and everything will be just fine." He reached for the intercom and told Richard the plan.
Richard came back over the intercom, "Great; Ed and I are both hungry as bears and could use some of that great food of yours!"
Clyde grinned and started putting things on hold for later as we were approaching Phoenix. We could feel the flaps being lowered and Cowboy felt like it was again stopped in mid-air. I still never get over that feeling, no matter how many times I fly.
No sooner did we feel the flaps and we felt the breaks being applied and Cowboy slowing down. We never even felt the wheels touch the runway – Richard's an expert at that. Then it turned onto the taxiway. It seemed like it took a long time before we stopped. Greg got up, went to the cabin door, and opened it. The ground crew pulled up a set of rolling stairs.
JC and I both stepped out onto the stairs and looked around. There was Mike and his parents waiting by the building. "Honey, you don't mind if we invite his parents to eat do you?"
"Why did you even ask? Of course, I don't mind!" I smiled at him as he started down the stairs to meet Mike and his folks.
JC, Mike and his parents soon were coming up the stairs into Cowboy. Carl took his bags and stowed them for him. "Thank you, Carl," Mike said with a grin. It surprised me that he remembered Carl's name.
It was the first time Mike's parents had seen the plane, and were they shocked. The expressions on there faces were priceless. And Mike was as proud as a peacock as he started telling them about it. He headed them off toward the back of Cowboy, showing them around. I just let him have his fun and so did JC; we both just watched, enjoying his enthusiasm; his eyes were bubbling over with pride at being part of something this big.
When they returned to the lounge Mike said, "Sorry, you guys; except for JC, none of you have met my parents yet, have you?" He looked at his mom and said, "This is my sweet mother, Elenor." Then patting his dad on the back said, "And this fellow is my father, Zeke." He had a warm loving smile on his handsome face while he spoke of his parents. "If it weren't for them, I guess I wouldn't have finished college, or even met JC." He paused for a breath and then continued, "Sorry, I guess I should've asked if it was alright to show them around."
"That's no problem, Mike, you're part of the family now," I told him, more for the benefit of his parents, than his.
Everyone in his own way greeted Zeke and Elenor.
Zeke was checking out the lounge, "Is that a painting of you, JC? It's sure a good likeness!"
"No, Zeke, that's my uncle James; he and my man, Charlie, here..." (He had his arm over my shoulder) "... were life partners many years ago until he was killed." JC's eyes turned glassy and so did mine.
Zeke walked over to the painting and read the nameplate on it. "So this plane is named 'Cowboy' for James?"
"Yes" I told him; then I told the story to both Mike's parents about what happened to James, and then the story of how JC and I met. They were very interested in our relationship and were at ease with it. Mike watched his parents with deep interest, for they knew he was gay, but he didn't know how they would take a real relationship between two men. While I was telling the tale, Clyde was in the conference room setting up the place for a wonderful meal. God, how he can just whip up a great midnight breakfast!
"Our midnight breakfast is served!" Clyde announced with a grin at the hallway to the conference room.
Everyone, including Richard and Ed, our two pilots, and the rest of the crew, all sat down for the wonderful meal of French Toast, Pancakes, Ham, Bacon, Sausage, and Eggs to order, and of course, lots of hot coffee, tea or milk, 'your choice,' plus real French pastry. Mike and his parents were shocked, to say the least, but they did enjoy themselves.
Elenor looked at JC, "JC, we heard Charlie's side of the story, now tell us... how did you and Charlie find each other?" she smiled as she was sipping her tea.
JC began telling the story from his point of view and was it ever interesting for me to sit there and listen to him tell it! I had never heard his side of the story before and I was laughing at times. When he mentioned his father, I felt his hurt. And I felt sadness, at times with tears, when he told of James' part in all of this, but most of all I was feeling a very deep love for the man at the end of the table telling his story.
Mike on the other hand was dreamy eyed, and I could see he was fond of JC. Oh, yes he was definitely attracted to him, but I also knew my Li'l Cowboy, and wasn't in the least bit worried about his fidelity.
At that moment I began thinking of Mike as a partner for my man if anything happened to me. Yes, I was already planning on that day coming; one has to do that for peace of mind. JC was finishing his story, and, my God, the time had passed; it was almost 3 AM when Zeke and Elenor excused themselves and said their goodbyes to us all, and their son, and left.
Mike looked a little lost for a few minutes until I said, "Mike, is this the first time you'll be away from mom and dad for an extended period of time, so to speak?"
"Yes, Charlie it is!" He really looked kind of lost, but he began to smile, and then he continued, "I told them they could come up to the ranch anytime; I hope you don't mind me doing that?" He had that look of 'God, I hope I didn't fuck up already' on his face.
"Not at all, Mike; you'll have your choice of places to call your own. You can have a room in the house or your own apartment in the new bunkhouse, and your folks are always welcome at the Lazy L, and don't you ever forget that," I told him as JC was smiling at me.
Greg even looked on with an amusing expression. "Mike, there's something you need to learn right now, and that is that Charlie seldom disapproves of things that make your life better; I can vouch for that." He was grinning at me, then turned so he could see JC sitting at the other end of the table. "Now, with JC over there," pointing his finger at him and shaking it, "you'll never know; he always has a deadpan look on his face! SEE? What did I tell you?" Greg couldn't hold back and busted up, choking on his coffee, because JC, try as he might, couldn't keep a straight face either, and also busted up laughing. It was contagious because soon Clyde, Carl and I were hysterically in stitches at the antics of everyone.
Carl excused himself and placed a few calls to Casper. I knew he was calling about the vehicles. Richard and Ed also excused themselves and headed up to the flight deck, and it wasn't long before Cowboy was again winging it's way home. Yes, home was the next stop; JC pulled me up and we headed off to the lounge to enjoy the rest of the trip home; Mike followed like a puppy. I just thought to myself, 'I think this is going to be a wonderful time, and I sure like Mike; he's like a grandson that I never had.'
Greg, JC, Mike and I all chatted about all sorts of things on the way home. About the ranch and what Mike's job was going to entail. He found out just how much authority he was going to have as the Ranch Manager. That shocked him, for he thought he was only going to be a foreman. Both JC and I made sure he understood what we expected of him. Also, he was told that he was a member of the household, which allowed him to come and go as he pleased. All matters of running the ranch were his total responsibility, not to say JC or I wouldn't have a final say in important matters, for we would, and he understood that.
"I just want to tell you all how excited I am about this new job, and I'll do all I can to make it both profitable and fun for all of us!" Mike enthusiastically stated in a matter-of-fact tone. He was so darn cute for being so young, in my eyes, but he seemed to be so mature in his actions.
The rest of the flight to Casper was uneventful. Carl took JC, Mike, and me to the ranch, while one of our other company drivers took the rest of the crew home in one of the company vans. Carl helped Mike with his gear; JC and I we only had our briefcases and a small bag of personal items each. Ben had already moved out of the house and into the new bunkhouse; yes, it was completed about a week before we got home.
It was early morning when we got home, so as soon as everything was put away, we let Clyde go home and told him to stay there for a few days. He had earned some time off. Between JC, Mike and myself, I figured we could survive without poisoning each other, and we did have the Corral as a backup. Clyde wasn't too happy about it; of course you'd have to know him to understand why he felt that way, as he was never one to miss a day on the job, and was so dependable that he would never take off even when I told him to.
JC helped Mike settle into the guest room, or at least for a while until he got his feet wet and made his own choice of sleeping arrangements. JC headed for the kitchen to try his handy work at preparing a second breakfast for the day. I joined him; he scrambled the eggs, and I fixed the coffee, while Mike made toast. What a threesome we turned out to be. I felt like an old man with his son and grandson waiting on him. But I loved every minute of it, believe me. I just couldn't get it out of my mind how very lucky I was, at finding my man.
After breakfast was over, we all headed out to the new bunkhouse to find Ben working around, picking up the new construction trash and getting everything shipshape for us.
"Good morning, Charles!" Ben said, with a hand full of trash as he was heading for the dumpster, "And you, too, Mike, nice to see you my friend." He stuck out his hand, after throwing the trash away and wiping his hands on his pants, to shake JC's, "Thanks for hiring me, JC; I sure hope you guys like this place!" He gestured at the new building, "I sure do!" He had taken one of the cowhand rooms; he didn't know how Mike wanted to use the building and didn't want to be presumptuous by taking one of the apartments.
Ben took us on a tour of the new facilities; you'd think you were entering a Holiday Inn, but without the check-in counter. As you entered the front doors you found the first apartment on the right and the second one on the left, and office next to the first apartment with an adjoining door so there was access for the occupant. Then it opened up into a recreation room. Off the recreation room, two hallways left the room, one on the right and the other to the left. And out the back of the recreation room was the dining room and kitchen area. Down each hallway were ten private rooms for cowhands. Each room had its own shower with sink and commode. Very similar to a motel room, and with a double bed in each. The second floor only had three apartments, each with outside access, as guest housing for the ranch. The place really looked nice and JC was so pleased with the outcome of the plans. The contractors did a wonderful job on it, and as we had planned on doing a lot of the work ourselves, Ben had already taken the initiative to clean up the site, himself.
"Ben, did all the furniture arrive okay?" JC asked, looking into one of the apartments.
"Sure did! And it looks great, too. I've been trying to get the place looking good, but it's such a large building."
Mike looked at Ben, then at JC and me, and said, "I think one of the first things we need is some hands to help us, Ben. Do you have anyone that might like a job? Of course we need some good stock, too. I was thinking on the lines of Black Angus and some quarter horses. What do you think, guys?"
JC glanced at me with a smile and I knew right away what he meant. Mike, with those few words, told us all we needed to know about Mike, he was going to do a fine job. "I think you hit the nail on the head, Mike!" I told him, shaking my head in agreement.
"Charlie, would you and JC like to join us on a buying trip next week?" Mike asked in front of all of us.
I looked at JC and I knew the answer before I spoke; JC and I are so close we can almost read each other's minds. "No, Mike, you're the manager now; you make the choices. It's not that we wouldn't love to go with you, but we want you to have the freedom to make the right choices without our interference and pressures."
"I have to agree with Charlie! Mike, you're the one making the decisions now, and you'd better do a good job of it or I'll have to take you down to the river and dunk YOU!" JC laughed as we all were heading back toward the barn to show Mike what else the contractors had done since he was last there.
There had been several rooms added for tack and feed rooms, along with a medical room for vet supplies and a few larger general-purpose rooms for storage. Mike was so pleased and excited about everything. He made plans with Ben for the next day to start on the cattle-buying trip. While still in college, and using some of the school's resources, he had researched companies and knew where to find the best buys. This was also very interesting to both JC and me. He was no dummy, that's for sure.
That night, we took Mike and Ben to the Corral for dinner, and all enjoyed the meal and the companionship. I think Ben was straight, and poor Mike we know about. But all in all, everyone had a great time. Returning to the ranch, we dropped Ben off at the new bunkhouse, all saying our goodnights. Then JC parked the pickup and told Mike that this was now his vehicle along with any of the trailers the ranch had.
Upon entering the house, we all went into the living room and JC turned on the TV. Then we went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. I took Mike into the office for a few minutes and had him sit down while I dug through some mail before I found what I was looking for. Opening the envelope, I pulled out a credit card and handed it to Mike; his eyes popped open as he looked at it.
It was a platinum card that had his name on it. Michael Hendricks, Ranch Manager, Lazy L. He truly was shocked. I made him sign the back of it, and told him he also needed to get his drivers license changed to a Wyoming one as soon as he could, so that it would have the same identification on it as the credit card. I also told him he had a million dollar limit on it. I thought for a minute he was going to faint, but he was without words for sometime, thinking about what had just happened. Then, adding more fuel to the fire, so to speak, I said, "If you want more, just let us know, and we can take care of that over the phone with our bankers."
"God, Charlie you and JC have been so damn nice to me, are you sure you want me to have this much money to spend?" It was obvious that Mike wasn't thinking straight, for how in the hell could anyone go on a cattle buying trip without enough money?
JC came into the office about the same time as Mike was speaking; when he finished, he looked at him and said, "Mike, I know you, and I can almost lay a wager you won't spend a dime more then you think proper. I'm right?" he seriously asked while taking off his sunglasses. "Aren't I?" He then joked, emphasizing the word...
Mike, still in shock, replied, "You're right, JC; you guys are just too good to me. But I'll do all I can to make you both not regret hiring me." We all got up, headed back into the living room for a while, and watched some TV. We had some coffee and ate some delicious apple pie that JC had pulled out of the freezer and zapped in the microwave and then added some ice cream on top. God, it was good, but Clyde's apple pie was always good, frozen or not.
It was getting late; Mike excused himself and headed off to bed in the guest room, while JC and I closed up the house. As we passed Mike's room, we all said our goodnights. Mike smiled, "Good night, you two!" We knew that he knew what we were about to do.
JC went in and got the Jacuzzi filled while I got undressed. When he got back into the bedroom he looked upset.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"You got undressed without me!" He frowned with a puppy dog look.
"Come here and let me take care of that!" I pulled him into a hug, my nakedness pressing into his clothes. All the while I was undressing him slowly one button at a time. He was hard, but so was I, and he had no problem seeing or feeling it. Soon, I had him completely naked, and something very hard was standing at attention. Pulling him by his hard member, we headed into the bathroom -- hand on cock.
He helped me into the tub and we soaked for a long time before we cuddled up in the hot bubbling waters. He positioned me so he could lower himself onto my manhood, and God, did that feel good. We were home and he was treating me to a 'welcome home,' and what a welcome it was, as I felt his love canal slowly engulf my manhood. Then he began raising and lowering himself, slowly at first, until he couldn't take it any longer. Was he ever hard! I was pumping him so fast and he was meeting every stroke with a riding of my cock. It didn't take long for this old man to loose it. "Oh... Li'l Cowww..boy I'm cooomin', oh... shit it feels so good!
"Meeeeee... toooo... sweetheart... me toooooooo!" He shouted with pleasure, then collapsed onto my lap, with my cock still deep up his love canal. Resting for while, we finally pulled apart, begrudgingly, but we did. He pulled me up and we dried each other. Heading into the bedroom and cuddling up for the night.
"Charlie, it's sure nice to be home again, my love," JC whispered into my ear as he drifted off.
"God, I love you, my man!" I whispered back, pulling him tighter.
As I started to fall into a deep sleep, I know I felt something kiss me on the cheek, whether it was JC or James I couldn't tell anymore, for I was in love with them both... and who really cared, anyway?
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