Fields of Gold Part Eight Continued
Title: Fields of Gold
Authors: Deans Dark Dream
Pairings: Dean/Sam,
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Based on a RL love story. Slash, rimming, hummers, love.
Disclaimer: I don't own Dean, Sam, Cas or Adam.
Summary: Sam and Max are called to testify against Rand. Castlewood holds it's first horse show and an adorable donkey is born.
A/N: Saddle up my friends, it is going to be a wild ride! Love DDD
Fields of Gold
Part Eight Continued
The next morning, I rode Xia to work and was just unsaddling her when James found me. He was smiling, but didn't say anything until I was finished putting Xia into her stall.
"Come see," was all he said as he walked to the south barn. There in a stall deep with straw was Sherry the donkey with a fuzzy grey baby by her side. She looked pleased with herself, snuffling her nose along the baby's back as he poked under her belly for a drink. I went in with them, smiling as I ran my hand over his soft downy coat. He was the first baby born since I'd owned Castlewood, and although he wasn't a horse, he was still all mine.
Max received his high school diploma the following Wednesday in a small ceremony at Chris's office. Chris, Cas, and I were there, and took Max out for lunch at Stiva's afterward where Vincent joined us.
"So, do you feel any smarter?” Cas asked after we'd ordered.
Max grinned. "Nah. It was something I wanted to do, but I'm glad it's over. Now I can concentrate on my art."
"On that note," Cas said, handing Max a package.
Max tore the paper off to reveal a soft leather case holding a full set of Kolinsky Sable brushes. There were rounds, brights, filberts, mops, and fans everything Max would need for years of painting. It was a beautiful gift thoughtful and generous something Max probably wouldn't have splurged on for himself.
He stared at the brushes for a long moment, running his fingertips across the little leather loops holding them in place before looking up into Cas's face.
"How did you know I wanted these?"
Cas smiled at him, locked onto his eyes. "I just bought the best ones I could find and hoped you would approve."
They smiled at each other, the intimate smile of two people who are beginning to know one another well. It was Sam’s turn to give me the sideways glance and subtle smirk as we watched. Thank God our food arrived then, or they might have crawled under the table together.
Sky started vet school that week. He had morning classes Monday through Thursday, spent the afternoons at the barn helping Faith, and studied all evening. I often saw him and Gabriel with their heads together over one of the horses, and finally I asked Sky about it.
"Gabriel's a really smart guy. I was having a hell of a time the other night, so he read the chapter, and then talked me through it. His explanation was clearer than the one in the book, so now we're sort of studying together. I tell him about what happened in class, and then we go through my notes. I bought a second set of textbooks so we could both read at the same time, and it's really helping me. I suppose he'll never be a vet, but he'll probably wind up knowing damn near as much as I do."
"Well, if he really sticks with it, I'll use him for a lot of the minor stuff and pay him accordingly."
I saw them again a few days later. They were sitting side by side on a bale of hay, leaning back against another, eating lunch out of a brown paper sack from home, and reading Practical Veterinary Medicine. Now and then one of them would lean over to the other, pointing out something in the book, their heads close together.
We'd stayed in touch with Jack and Paula, Katie's parents, and they drove over for the gymkhana. I told Katie I'd have a horse she could use since her jumper wasn't suited to the quick starts and tight turns of gymkhana events. They showed up on Friday afternoon, and Katie was out of the car before it stopped, dashing across the yard to me.
"Dean! This place is beautiful! How old are the barns? Where's the horse I'm gonna ride? Is Max here?"
She grabbed me in a quick hug, which I returned with a laugh. She was so enthusiastic about everything it was hard not to get caught up in her excitement. Max pulled in just then, and she ran over to his truck and jumped on him when he got out. He held onto her for a minute before leading her off for a barn tour.
Paula watched them until they were out of sight, shaking her head. "Can we leave her here until dinner? I think she'll behave herself. We threatened her with everything from no phone to dishes for a month, so I think you'll be safe for a few hours."
"Of course. I was gonna send them off on a ride, if that's okay with you. I'll watch her in the arena for a little bit to make sure she's okay with the horse I have for her."
"Sure, sure. She brought all her riding gear along. Just make sure she wears her helmet."
We agreed they'd be back in time for dinner at our place, and they drove off to find a motel and meet with a realtor. I found Katie and Max in with Ginger, who was munching carrots and getting her belly scratched.
"You guys wanna go for a ride? You could get used to the horse you'll be on tomorrow."
Katie's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"
I'd ridden Xia over a few days ago, and Flex the next day. They were hanging out together in a double stall, dozing hipshot until they heard me opening the stall door. I let Katie tack up Xia so that I could see how she handled a horse. I knew she could ride from her junior title, but didn't know how well she'd get along with Xia, who could be a little grumpy sometimes. But everything was fine, and I took them to the arena to get mounted, fixing stirrup lengths and making sure Katie was dialed in on riding western.
After having them both walk, jog, and lope for me I turned them loose on the trails, telling them the horses better be cool when they got back, and that we were eating at 6:30. They waved and trotted away.
With them out of my hair for a couple hours, I cornered Bella in the office to make sure everything was in place for tomorrow. She gave me one of those flat-eyed stares, daring me to ask again (this was the third time I'd asked her today), sighed theatrically, and assured me that it would come off without a hitch.
"Dean. It's a gymkhana, for Christ's sake, not the Queen's coronation. The kids'll have a ball, almost no matter what. Go bother somebody else."
With that, she turned her back on me, so I decided to take care of something I'd been thinking about doing for a while. Gabriel was free-jumping Cooper over a series of low jumps in the big round pen. Cooper was circling the pen at a slow canter, leaping gracefully over the two-foot jumps as he came to them, rating his own stride while Gabriel talked to him from the center of the pen.
"Come see me when you're finished.” He nodded and I wandered back to my office, thinking of what I'd say to him. He knocked on the open door about twenty minutes later and I waved him in. He’d filled out a little from the steady physical work, and was tan and healthy looking. He sure filled more of the office doorway now than he had that first day when he came in, asked me for a job, and told me about his prison record. He’d shaved his beard after he moved in with Sky, so I knew there had been some influence there. There was a certain rugged beauty about his younger looking face now that the beard was gone. He’d taken 10 years off his age.
"Close the door.” I waited until he sat down across from me. He was watching me warily, and I wondered just how badly he'd had it before coming to Castlewood. "You like working here, don't you?"
"You know I do. Best place I ever worked."
"Good. You've got a knack with the rescues that Sky keeps hauling home. Wanna work for the Foundation?"
He eyed me for a moment. "Maybe. Doin' what?"
"A lot more than you are now. You'd be responsible for the evaluation and rehabilitation of the horses. The six we have now plus whatever Sky comes home with in the future. I'd like to adopt them out if they're suitable. That'd be your call, as well as what kind of rider they'd need. You'd interview prospective homes, and do follow-up visits for the life of the horse, so there'd be some travel involved if they get taken out of state. I'd supervise for the first six months, then gradually step back until you were running that part of things. If it gets to be too much, we'll hire another guy as your assistant."
He was staring at me by now. "Jesus, really?"
When I nodded at him, he got up and paced away from the desk, stopping halfway across the room with his head lowered. After a few moments, he spoke in a strained voice. "I'm gay."
I could just tell from the way he said it that this was the first time he'd ever uttered the words aloud, and so I was careful with my reply. "Me, too, Gabriel. It's okay. At least half of Castlewood’s employees are gay."
He turned to me with a driven look in his eyes. "I've never said that to anyone before. I wasn't even sure myself until just before I got into trouble. Then I was in prison, and Christ knows you don't want to admit that in there." He walked back until he was standing a few feet from me. "Working here has been . . . it's like coming home. I'd love to work for the Foundation, Dean. Thanks for the offer."
I stood up with my hand extended, smiling at him. We shook slowly, and as we looked at each other, we knew that there was more to it than him accepting a job. I was accepting him as a gay man, something no one had done before. He finally broke into the first real smile I'd ever seen on his face. We grinned at each other for a few seconds, and then I tugged on his hand, pulling him close enough to kiss the corner of his mouth lightly. He closed his eyes for a second, and I felt the breath of his sigh against my cheek.
"Welcome to the family," I told him. I handed him a small box. "There's a cell phone in there. Keep it on you all the time in case Sky, Faith or I need you, AND keep studying with Sky. Go send James in here, will you?"
When I informed James that his crew was now lighter by one stable boy, he just shrugged philosophically. "I figured you'd eventually tag him for something more than shoveling horse shit. He's a bright guy." James always had a line on another kid or two, and went off to call one of them after finding Sky and sending him my way.
"He accepted, huh? Great." Sky seemed pleased with the prospect of working more closely with Gabriel.
"Anything happening with you two?" I asked him.
He shook his head, but he was smiling. "Nah, but I really enjoy him living there with me. Thanks for thinking of that. He's real comfortable to be around, and I'm starting to like him a lot. The studying thing is good, too. We spend every spare minute together, talking and reading. This is what I always wanted it to be like getting to know a guy pretty well before sleeping with him."
I got up and hugged him close, happy that we were friends. "Good. I'm glad it's going the way you want." I didn’t tell Sky about the gay part of my meeting with Gabriel. I figured they’d sort it out for themselves given time and compatibility.
After he left, I plowed through the paperwork necessary to add Gabriel to the Foundation's payroll, and then went out to see if the kids were back from their ride. They were just putting the horses away, so I waited until they finished and then led them to Sherry's stall. The baby donkey was frisking around in the straw, kicking up his little heels and squeaking, while she watched indulgently. Max and Katie were entranced, and I had to drag them out of the stall when I heard Katie's folks arrive.
Katie had to show them the donkeys before we left, so we spent another ten minutes saying 'awww' every time he did something cute, which was about every thirty seconds. Paula asked what his name was, and when I admitted that he didn't have one, she suggested a contest with the winner getting visitation rights for a year. I thought it was a great idea, and stopped by the office to tell Bella to make a sign for tomorrow.
We drove home in a little procession with me leading the way, then Max and Katie in Max's truck, followed by Jack and Paula in their SUV. They gave each other a long look when they got out in my driveway and glanced around. I'm not sure what all Max had told Katie about how we lived, but they looked surprised at the size of the house and grounds.
Sam was home already, and opened the front door to welcome us in. He hugged and kissed me like he always does regardless of who's around, and I loved that he was so comfortable with us as a couple. Jack was looking around the entry hall, but Paula smiled at me over Sam's shoulder.
We had lasagna from Stiva's with salad and lots of garlic bread. Sam had brought home a few good bottles of wine, and we had a really pleasant evening. Jack and Paula were friendly, casual, and intelligent, and our dinner conversation covered a wide range of subjects. Max and Katie hung in there through desert, but then ran off to Max's room.
At the end of the evening, Katie begged really hard to spend the night at our place. Sam just shrugged and Max nodded with a smile, so I said it was okay with me, assuring Paula that Katie would have her own room with a private bath. She didn't seem near as concerned with that aspect of it as she did with the prospect of Katie driving us all crazy, but I told her we'd manage for one night, so they drove off without her. Max took her bag up to the guest room at the far end of the hall.
Having Katie in the house put the kibosh on our usual dress code of underwear for TV watching, so we all ended up in sweats, and lounged around the den eating ice cream. Around 10pm, I chased both of them upstairs so that they'd be fresh for tomorrow's busy day.
After they left, Sam pulled me down onto him and shoved his hands down the back of my sweats, gripped my ass, and dragged me up and down his body. I started to move with the motion of his arms, and in a few minutes we were both hard and grinding into each other. As I started to breathe more quickly, Sam slowed us down and pushed me to my feet.
"We can't fuck here. There's a seventeen-year-old girl loose in the house."
I had completely forgotten about Katie as soon as Sam's hands had landed on my ass. We made it up the stairs, down the hall, and halfway to the bed before Sam dropped to his knees, taking my sweats with him. As my cock met the wet warmth of his mouth, I exhaled in a long 'uhhhhhhhhh', making Sam smile around me. We were between the doorway and the bed with nothing to hang to but each other, so I held Sam's head as he sucked me.
When my knees began to quiver, he brought me down to the carpet, never losing his hold on my dick. I lay on my back thrusting up into his mouth as he fondled my balls, and I had the wild thought that when I died, I wanted it to happen right in the middle of a fabulous blow job. But then I thought about how awful that would be for the person doing the blowing and quickly cancelled the idea.
After he had milked me dry, Sam straddled my chest and jerked himself off using my cum for lube. He watched me as his expression went from enjoyment to deep concentration to the grimace of orgasm, and he dropped down to kiss me as he tugged the last few drops from his cock. After he wiped me up we finally made it to the bed.
I was edgy about the first event at the new show grounds, and was in the kitchen at 5am making coffee while I watched out the window for rain. Since there wasn't a cloud in the sky, weather wasn't going to be a problem, but I was sure other things would come up. When I got to the stable at 6am, a few horse trailers were already parked along the fence as the early birds got the best spots. The concession stands were doling out coffee and donuts, and horses were munching hay while their owners chatted with each other, filled water buckets, or unloaded lawn chairs and coolers.
I love a horse show. There's a camaraderie to it all that I miss, and I was pretty happy to be having one on my own property. I wandered around saying hi to people, lending a hand here and there, and answering questions. By 7am, Bella and her helpers were doing a booming business in class registrations, and it looked like we'd have a full day.
Every horse needed to get a quick look by Faith or Sky, and the vet line was moving smoothly when I walked by. Gabriel was holding horses for them while they moved around the animal checking feet and legs for soreness. Now and then, one of them had a word with the owner, but so far, not one was rejected, and I hoped it stayed that way.
At 8am, Cas, our announcer, called the first classes to the 'in' gate. All horses in a given class waited outside the arena until it was their turn, milling about as each horse or team ran, riders talking to each other and checking out the competition. We were running the same event in both arenas simultaneously, 10-13 year olds in one and14-18 in the other.
Things came to a brief halt when one girl flew off her horse in a turn and sprained her wrist. She argued her mother into letting Faith wrap it in an Ace bandage and staying for the rest of the day, although we wouldn't let her ride.
Katie was absolutely fearless in the saddle, running Xia through the pole bending like the prize was a million bucks. I was very impressed with her riding ability, and Xia looked surprised that she had gone that fast. Katie won that class, with Max coming in 9th on Flex, who was more into retirement mode and didn't see much point in running anywhere.
We broke for lunch from 12 to 1, giving horses and riders a chance to eat and rest a bit before the afternoon events. The 'Name the Donkey' contest closed at noon, and I helped Bella and Faith sort out the entries. I suppose it should have come as no surprise that ‘Eeyore’ won by a landslide. When we announced it at the end of the lunch break, the crowd roared loud enough to scare a few horses. Ernesto painted up a sign real quick, and hung it on the donkey pen. Eeyore didn't look particularly impressed with his name.
One of the afternoon events was the egg race, where you clamp a plastic spoon between your teeth with an egg in the bowl. The object is to get from one end of the arena to the other while weaving through cones faster than anyone else without losing your egg. Two things Flex did still have going for him were a very smooth lope and good steering, and Max had practiced quite a bit the last couple weeks. Since he'd only been riding a few months, this one event was probably the only place he had a chance of doing well.
When his turn came, he had a little cheering section consisting of Sam, Sky, Gabriel, Zane, and me. Cas was still in the announcer's booth, but I knew he'd be cheering silently also. In the egg race there are four horses running at once. Katie ran in an early group and managed to hang onto her egg, but she walked the entire time and was fairly slow. Max was in the last group of four, and I could see him settling deep into the saddle as we'd discussed. He clamped the spoon between his molars where it would bounce less, another trick I'd mentioned to him, and then the whistle blew. He immediately asked Flex for a lope, reining him gently around each cone as they outdistanced the other competitors by a mile.
As he crossed the finish line we hooted and whistled at him, and when he realized he'd won, he stood up in the saddle with both arms raised, promptly dropping his egg onto Flex's neck, where it broke and slid down his shoulder to drip into the dirt. When we got back to where Xia and Flex were tied up for the day, Max was talking with Katie and grinning like he'd just won the lottery.
"I won!" he yelled, grabbing me in a big hug. "Thanks for the tips."
"Tips? You coached him?" Katie stared at me with her hands on her hips and an indignant expression on her pretty face.
"Yes, Miss State Champion, I did,” I said, leaning forward to get in her face a little. “He didn't grow up on a horse like you and every other kid here. I just gave him a few pointers." Max and I beamed at each other and high-fived.
Katie won another class and was thrilled with herself since she'd never done gymkhana before. She loved Xia, and was already making plans to drive over at least three weekends a month so that she and Max could ride and hang out.
Cas found me as I was helping load a reluctant horse.
"Can I use Minx tomorrow?” He sounded somewhat excited.
"Yeah, I suppose. What's up?"
"I want to put Katie on her. She's got a phenomenal seat, and I want to see what she can do on a real jumper."
"Have you asked her folks?” Jack and Paula had spent the day at the gymkhana cheering on Katie and Max as they rode.
"Yeah, they're fine with it. Katie only has one more year in Amateur Owner before she'll be too old. If she's going to move up, she needs to get on a better horse. I figured Minx was a good place to start."
I agreed, and we planned to meet at 9am to see what Katie could do with a Gran Prix horse in her hands.
The last class finished up around 4:30, and trailers started rolling out the drive shortly thereafter. It had been a great day. Kids had fun, parents were happy to have a local show venue, the bathrooms never had a line, and no one got hurt aside from the sprained wrist. I chalked it up as a winner, and was already thinking about what I'd do differently for the next one.
The last trailer pulled out about 5:30, and we closed the gates with a sigh. Max and Katie had gone home to clean up. Jack and Paula were staying in town for the night. Sam had left an hour ago to go cook dinner, so I called it a day and drove home, tired but happy. Sam greeted me with a kiss and a glass of wine, sending me up to shower while he put the finishing touches on a salad to go with the meat loaf and baked potatoes that were in the oven.
We ate, and then the kids cleaned up before running up to Max's room for the evening. Sam and I took coffee and tiramisu to the den, lounging on the couch and talking as he fed us both.
"So it was a success, huh?" he asked as I licked his finger way more than necessary to get the sticky desert off.
"God, it was great. It all came off pretty much the way I planned it. It's sooo satisfying when that happens."
He held me while I slept through a movie, rubbing my back slowly, and then woke me so that we could go upstairs. As we walked past Max's room, I heard voices, so I stopped for a moment. They were talking softly, giggling now and then, and I smiled to myself. The door was slightly ajar, so I glanced in as I moved on.
They were lying on their sides face to face on Max's bed, drawn up knees bumping between them. I tapped softly on the door before stepping in.
"It's getting late. You guys about ready for bed?"
Katie sat up and smiled at me.
"I had a wonderful time today. Thanks a lot for letting me ride Xia."
She walked off down the hall to her room, and a moment later I heard the door close behind her. I turned to Max, who was still lying on the bed, on his back now, watching me.
“Please leave the door open halfway when you guys are in here, okay? I need to be able to look Paula in the eye in the morning."
He chuckled and smiled at me, nodding. I leaned over the bed on one hand to kiss him, losing my balance when he pulled me down onto him. He rolled quickly so that I was on the bottom, and attacked me with kisses. By this time, Sam was missing me, and stuck his head in the door.
"Jesus, I can't take my eyes off you for a minute. I thought you were tired."
Max was chewing on my neck at that point, so I was laughing as I replied, "I thought so, too. Wanna join us?"
"Let's take the party to our room, the bed's bigger." So we did, getting to sleep one hour and three orgasms later.
Cas was riding Minx in the arena when we got to the barn the next morning. Katie was all decked out in her jumping gear and looked a lot different than she had yesterday in jeans and a t-shirt. Jack and Paula had joined us and were taking a keen interest in Cas’s ‘future student’.
I tossed her onto Minx, where she gathered up the reins and listened to Cas's instructions as he adjusted the stirrups.
"Go through the gaits, both directions, to get used to her. Then we'll start with some low jumps and work our way up. What's the highest you've jumped?"
"Three-six." (3 1/2 feet)
She settled into the saddle and worked Minx up and down the gaits. Cas was right. Katie had good hands and an excellent seat. You could barely see her cue Minx to canter. After twenty minutes, Cas headed for the gate, and we all went over to the jumping arena where James had set up three-foot fences for her. She circled Minx once, and then aimed her at a vertical jump, soaring over it with room to spare. The look on her face made us all smile. She lit up like someone had flipped a switch.
"Wow! What a jump! That was great! Was there, like, two feet to spare?" she asked Cas.
"Well, not that much, but, yeah, it was a nice jump. Do the line down the right side."
She cantered along the fence, jumping each fence easily, and then pulled up near Cas again. James and I raised the jumps to three-six, then four feet, then four-six as Katie got used to the feel of a GP horse. At four feet six inches, Minzx wasn't even breaking a sweat, and Katie was getting used to the greater impulsion the horse used over larger fences. We raised a couple jumps to five feet and one to five-six, and then sent Katie around the entire course.
She knew this could be a big break for her if Cas decided to take her on as a student, and you could see her concentration from where we sat in the bleachers. She'd been on Minx for about two hours at that point, and had gotten a fairly good feel for her. They went around the course cleanly and fairly fast for her first time over fences of that size. Paula looked a little pale, but didn't say anything as she watched her only child pilot a 1200-lb horse over jumps taller than she was.
When Katie was finished, we all went into the arena, where she was jumping up and down next to Minx as she told Cas how cool it was to ride a real jumper. We sent Katie and Max back to the barn to unsaddle Minx and put her away, while Cas and I talked to Jack and Paula.
"She's got a lot of ability, and I'd like to take her on as a student . . . my first student, actually. I'm not sure how soon you thought about moving, but we could probably work something out for Katie to board here until you do. Maybe with Dean, or maybe with Faith and Bella."
Paula turned to me. "Are you comfortable with Katie staying at your place on the weekends for a couple months? You've done such a good job with Max that I trust you taking care of my baby."
I assured her that we'd be happy to have Katie stay over for as long as it took them to buy a house and get moved. I left them haggling with Cas over money, and went home to have lunch with Sam.
It was a beautiful day, so we decided to take a picnic down to the stream. I told him about Katie spending weekends and he thought it was a good idea something about the three of us learning to act like gentlemen when we were at home. Sam packed up a basket, I grabbed a blanket, and we walked down through the meadow to a patch of low grass close enough to the water that we could hear it tumble and splash over the stones of a little rapids. I spread the blanket, took off my shoes, and helped Sam empty the basket. He'd brought all sorts of goodies - cheese, crackers, grapes, chicken salad, baby carrots, brownies, and a good bottle of Pinot Grigio. We lay back with the food between us, sipping wine and watching the clouds as the afternoon passed.
After a while, Sam put the food away and lay down on his side with his arm across my chest and his head in his propped up hand. I looked up at him, loving the way his face softened as he looked at me.
"What are you thinking?" I asked him softly.
"That I know your face better than I know my own. I know what it means when you narrow your eyes a little when I'm fucking you. I know how to get you to smile that little one-sided smile that makes my dick hard every time. I know when you're going to tell me that you love me because you get a certain look in your eyes." He leaned down and kissed me lingeringly. "I love knowing you that well. I love what you and I have together. I've never been in love before, so I don't have much basis for comparison, but I think it doesn't happen like this very often." He sighed and shrugged an eyebrow. "Maybe everyone who's in love thinks that, but it's true for me."
His voice trailed off and he lay down with his face in my neck. He doesn't often get like that contemplative and serious. It's more my style, and it touched something in me. I rolled to him so that we could look at each other.
"I love it that you know me that well, too. We haven't talked much about it, but since that morning in our room when we exchanged rings, I've felt like I belong to you, that you own a part of me that no one's ever touched. Whenever you do something special, like my birthday, it makes me feel incredible. No one understands me like you do."
He lay there quietly for a bit, thinking about what I'd said, I guess. When he spoke, his voice was vibrant with emotion. "I knew from that first weekend we spent together that you were the man I wanted. When you injured your shoulder, it almost killed me to see you in so much pain. No matter what happens to us, promise me you'll never forget that I need you, that you're what makes my world complete."
He was watching me with solemn eyes, holding my gaze. I swallowed and nodded. "I promise."
Wednesday Sky stopped me in the barn aisle outside Ginger's stall and asked me if it was okay that he took Friday off.
"Sure. We'll live without you for a couple days. Doin' something special?"
He started to give me a nod, but broke into a foolish grin instead. "Yeah. I might as well tell you." He glanced away for a minute, then back at me. "I'm going to see Del."
I stared at him for a second. "Del? Amarillo Del?"
Sky nodded. "We've kept in touch, and he's only about three hours away this weekend, so I'm gonna go see him."
I'd begun to smile as he spoke. "No kidding. Well. What about Gabriel?"
"What about him? I don't know what's going on with him. I think he likes me, but so far we're just pals. He hasn't so much as grabbed my ass yet."
"Huh. Well, give Del my regards, and drive safe." I hugged him close for a minute, enjoying the feel of his long, lean body. I'm not sure I'll ever get over my thing for Sky.
When I spotted him Monday afternoon he was leaning against Cooper, one elbow draped across his back, the other hand holding a stethoscope to Cooper's now invisible ribs. He had the same dreamy smile on his face that he'd had that next morning in the hotel in Amarillo, and I thought Gabriel better get with the program, or Sky would be moving to Looosiana.
I strolled over to him. "So, fucking Del put a smile on your face, huh?"
His eyebrows shot up. "I didn't fuck Del. He fucked me."
It was my turn for the eyebrows. "He topped you?"
"Yeah. Why? What'd he do to you?"
"He didn't do anything to me, but he bottomed for Sam."
"He did? We're talking about the same guy, right? Big guy, fat dick, black Stetson? I figured him for a total top."
"Yeah, that's him. I thought he would be, too, but not that night he was with us. He was in fuck-me mode right from the get-go." I gave him a suggestive look. "You're just so fuckable he couldn't resist."
He chuckled, but I could see him mentally adjusting his take on Del.
When I got home a few nights later, both Sam and Max were subdued as they greeted me. In response to my questioning look, Sam nodded at the little desk in the corner of the kitchen. On top of the pile of bills and catalogs was a notice from the district attorney's office informing Sam and Max that their presence was required at the trial of Rand Mitchell a month from now. I blew out a breath. We'd known this was coming, but in the five months since Rand's arrest we'd managed to keep it at the back of our minds.
Max and Sam had been questioned extensively in Dallas before being released, but the trial would mean coming face to face with Rand, and answering endless questions of a very personal nature in front of a courtroom of strangers.
Max was chopping potatoes with a great big knife that I knew Sam kept sharpened to a razor's edge, but his eyes were staring unfocused at the countertop just beyond the cutting board. I walked to him and put my hand gently on his shoulder. When he stopped slicing to look at me, I took the knife from his hand, set it on the counter, and wrapped my arms around him. He slumped against me with a sigh so deep it was almost a moan.
"It'll be okay, Max. Sam and I'll be right there with you the whole time. You'll be safe."
He nodded against my shoulder, and when he spoke, his breath was warm on my neck. "I know. It's just that it's been so good here and I’m kinda scared. They can't . . . they can't take me away, can they?"
I hugged him tighter for a second, and then gripped his arms as I held him away from me so that I could look into his face. His frightened, apprehensive expression reminded me so much of the first time I'd seen him that it almost made me sick. "No, honey. You just have to answer their questions. That's all, I promise you."
He stared at me for a moment before swallowing hard and exhaling. I gave him a kiss, which he returned, and I let him go back to the potatoes, making sure he was actually looking at them before I turned away. Sam had been listening from the stove and gave me a little smile when I came to him. He didn't look as bad as Max, but he certainly didn't look happy.
"You okay, baby?" I asked him softly as I cupped his cheek. He nodded glumly and kissed my palm before turning back to the skillet of pork chops he was browning. We ate a mostly silent meal, cleaned up, and went into the den. Max sat down, stood up, changed chairs, looked out the window, and finally left the room. I could hear the murmur of his voice just before he came back in to tell us he was going over to Cas's for a while.
After he left, we flipped through the channels a couple times before turning the TV off. Sam lay back and let his eyes wander over the ceiling as I watched him, wondering what I could do to make it easier. When he reached for me a little bit later, I went to him eagerly, needing comfort myself by then. I hated that this was intruding on our lives again, and I knew the next month would be hard on all of us.
We lay there for a long time, just holding each other and listening to the sounds of the house settling for the night. Max came home around midnight and went straight up to his room. Hopefully, Cas had been able to provide whatever Max had needed this evening.
Things were a little better in the morning as we got used to the idea. I knew we could get through this. It just sucked to have to relive the hurt all over again.
The following Thursday I was saddling Cooper for a trail ride when Sky called my cell. His voice was strained as he spoke curtly to me.
"I need Gabriel. Have him bring two kill shots."
'Kill shots' are what we called a hypodermic loaded with enough barbiturate to euthanize a horse. Only a vet can purchase the drugs, and we used them very infrequently, but a stable the size of ours always had a few on hand for emergencies.
I didn't bother to ask what he'd found. It had to be really bad if he needed to put two horses down.
"Where are you?"
"Out Twin Oaks off 28. He'll see the rig from the road. Tell him to hurry."
Gabriel locked onto my eyes as I told him about Sky's call, and he was out of the yard three minutes later in a cloud of dust. I went back to work, but my mind was on the two of them dealing with God knows what in some cesspool of a stable.
I'd been watching for the rig, and when it pulled in a couple hours later, I walked out to meet them. Sky was white-faced with a tight jaw and haunted eyes, and he was breathing shallowly like he was trying not to cry. Gabriel silently helped him unload two horses that were in pretty bad shape. I had a couple stable boys take them away with instructions to have Faith inspect them immediately.
Sky closed the door on the trailer, turned his back on us, and walked away toward the hay barn. As I started to follow him, Gabriel laid his hand on my arm. "Let me. Please."
We looked at each other for a long moment. I almost pushed him aside, but then I remembered them sitting on that bale of hay reading together a couple weeks ago, sharing the lunch Gabriel had made for the two of them. "Okay, but you take good care of him, you hear me?"
He nodded and hurried after Sky, who had disappeared into the big barn. I watched him go with a heavy heart. It's bad enough to see suffering, mistreated animals, but it's even worse to have to kill them yourself. Knowing you're putting them out of their misery is small comfort as you depress the plunger on the syringe and watch the light go out of their eyes.
I gave them a few minutes before walking quietly into the barn. As I came around the corner of a big stack of orchard grass bales, I saw Sky silhouetted in the open back door. His hands were braced against the door frame on either side, and his head was hanging down on his chest. Gabriel was standing behind him and slightly to the side, talking softly as Sky shook his head slowly back and forth.
When Gabriel reached a hand out to Sky's shoulder and Sky shrugged it off, I almost went to them. I just wasn't sure that Gabriel was able to give what Sky needed right now, but then Gabriel grasped Sky by the arm and turned him around. Their eyes met for a moment, Gabriel lay his other hand along Sky's cheek, Sky's face crumbled, and they came together in a rough embrace. Sky began to cry long, keening sobs that raised the hair on my arms and I turned away. About an hour later, I noticed that Gabriel's truck was gone.
On the way home, I stopped by their place. Gabriel answered the door in sweats and a t-shirt, the first time I'd seen him in something other than jeans, and he looked good. I hugged him briefly and asked about Sky.
"I don't know. He went to his room when we got home."
"And you didn't go after him?"
He looked a little uncomfortable. "No . . . figured he might need to be alone."
"Damnit, what he needs is a warm body wrapped around him. He needs comfort, Gabriel, not solitude." I pushed past him and walked down the hall until I could see into Sky's room. He was lying on the bed on his side with his knees pulled up and his arms wrapped around his chest like he was cold. As I watched a tremor moved through him.
I yanked Gabriel a few feet down the hall. "One of us is gonna get naked, strip him, and climb into that bed. You or me?" I asked him angrily.
He stared at me for a moment. "God, Dean, all I've ever done is trade blow jobs a few times. I don't know what the hell to do with him."
"I'm not asking you to fuck him, for Christ's sake! He needs to be held. You can figure that out, can't you?"
When he just stared at me, I pulled my shirt loose from my pants and started thumbing buttons open as I went back to Sky's door. As I was about to walk in, I glanced back at Gabriel. He was looking past me at Sky with an expression I thought I recognized, so I turned and tugged his t-shirt over his head. He didn't resist, and as soon as his arms were free, he dragged his sweats off, stepping out of them as he walked to the bed in just his socks. He hesitated for a moment, and then reached for Sky, rolling him onto his back as he undressed him.
I came into the room and pulled the covers back as Gabriel climbed in and pulled an unresisting Sky to him. As I pulled the sheet up over them, Sky looked up at me with red eyes.
"I didn't have any choice, Dean, I had to put them down.” His voice cracked in anguish, and I felt an answering wrench in my chest.
"I know you didn't, baby. It's okay. Gabriel's here, it'll be okay."
I kissed his forehead as his eyes closed, and watched as he turned in Gabriel's arms to bury his face against Gabriel's chest. When I left them Gabriel was murmuring softly as he ran his hand the length of Sky's back in slow sweeps.
I phoned Vincent from the kitchen, and he showed up an hour later with Matt and dinner from Corleone's. I told them what I knew about this afternoon, and then went down the hall to TJ's room. Gabriel was sitting up against the headboard with TJ leaning against him and they were talking.
"Hey," I said, stepping into the room. "Sam brought lasagna. You hungry?"
They both nodded, and I left the room to give them a little privacy while they got dressed. When Sky came into the kitchen, he looked a lot better when I'd last seen him, smiling when Max and Sam greeted him with warm hugs. I walked over to Gabriel and pulled him to me. He heaved a big sigh and hugged me tightly before leaning back so he could look at me.
"Thanks. I don't know what the fuck was the matter with me in the hall there. I just froze when you said I had to get in bed with him. I know you didn't mean for sex, but it just caught me by surprise, I guess."
"It's okay. He looks a lot better, so you did good."
"Yeah, we talked about it and he knows it was the only thing to do."
"Doesn't make it any easier."
Max had gotten plates and forks out while we were talking, so we loaded up and went into the big family room at the back of the house. The entire back wall was windows that looked out over the meadows of Castlewood. It was almost dark, and the lights of the pool lit the backyard with a soft blue glow. We ate while Sky told us what he'd found.
He'd been unable to get two of the four horses to their feet always a bad sign and he'd done the right thing in euthanizing them. His voice was steady as he talked, and I knew he'd be all right. The first one is always really hard. Not that you ever get used to killing a defenseless animal, but the first one can be a career breaker.
After supper, we cleaned up the kitchen, and left them together on the couch with coffee and chocolate éclairs, Sam's Italian cure-all.
The next day I was unsaddling Chloe's latest acquisition, a flighty Arabian she'd picked up at the Scottsdale sale a few weeks ago, when Sky found me. "Got a minute?"
"Sure. Just let me get done here." After I got the horse put away, Sky and I wandered to my office. "You okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I've never had to kill something before. Well, anyway, I'm sorry."
I looked at him. "What the hell’re you sorry for? I'd think you were weird if it didn't mess you up a little."
He nodded again. "Yeah, I guess. Was it your idea for Gabriel to . . . ?" His voice trailed away.
"No, his.” I watched as he processed this. "Why?" I asked him.
"Just curious." He shrugged it off. "What I really wanted to talk to you about is the shoeing. I can't keep up with all the horses you have now and still have enough time to study."
"No problem, I'll call Tay."
Sky went back to work and I dialed Tay's cell. I hadn't spoken to him in the few weeks since our little rendezvous in the pantry, and found that my heartbeat had picked up a little as I waited for him to answer.
"Tay here."
"Hey, bud, can you fit us back into your rounds?"
"Dean? Somethin' happen to Sky?"
"Nah, he's just too busy with school."
"Yeah, sure. When you want me to start?"
"Next week?"
"You got it. See you Tuesday."
Fields of Gold Part Nine