Disclaimer: This story is totally fiction. All characters were made up and any similarities are just coincidental. This is gay erotica between teenage boys so if that offends you, please discontinue reading. Also, if it is illegal for you to read such material, you have been warned. Continual reading could cause a knock at your door. If you like this story, I also have the series "Josh: sex slave" continuing to run. And you can always contact me at zarek@roadrunner.com mailto:zarek@roadrunner.com with suggestions or concerns. Thoughts and suggestion are always welcomed and may or may not be implemented. Concerns will be considered and addressed as much as possible.
I hope you're enjoying it so far and that the story draws you in wanting more. Some people have noticed that this story was "inspired" by another story, a great story, here on Nifty. I hope I don't step on anyone's toes and you give this story a chance. While there may be some similarities, I believe there will be enough differences as well. The author of the story which is referenced in this one was given my rough draft before I made my first submission. He was flattered by the fact I like his story and wanted to refer to it. He's also flattered by those who wrote him to "warn" him about this one. All I can say is, I'm glad you are loyal to him and I hope any references I use do his story justice. If you feel that I let his story down in any way, shape or form, please call my attention to where I did.
AND, if you enjoy the stories on Nifty.org, please give a donation to help cover their expenses. While the site is currently free, only donations from loyal fans can help keep it that way. Any amount will help.
Another Chance
Chapter 18
Monday morning, Jim and Zac headed to the ranch. They were excited because yesterday, they were too busy to go riding. Today, they can put in a full eight hours and include some riding time. As they pulled in, they saw Jackson talking to a man who looked to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties. The man was wearing a business suit.
As they parked, the man headed for his car. "Who was that?" Zac asked.
"That was my insurance agent. After reading the reports about the fire, they already cut me a check for the damages. It won't cover all the cost of building the house, but then I didn't expect it to. I'm planning to put my house on the market to cover the rest."
"Well, I know a good realtor." Zac said smiling.
"Darn, I had already spoken to your mom about selling it." Jackson kidded. Zac just smiled.
"Looks like the construction crew isn't wasting any time, neither. Can't even tell that the office was there." Jim stated.
"Yea, CJ made some calls. I swear, I don't know how he seems to have connections to get everything done. Guess when you have his kind of money, it's a lot easier."
"What kind of money does he have?" Jim asked.
"I'm not sure exactly, but his grandfather left him and his siblings lots of money. Anyway, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so if you want to spend it with your families, or need to, I totally understand. I won't be here either day. Josh already told me that he'll be here until noon tomorrow. If you plan to come in, let him know so he can plan."
"Thanks, Jackson. Not sure what our moms have planned, so we'll probably take the day off, too." Zac said.
"That's what I told Josh, so I told him that unless you say otherwise, to not expect you." Jackson headed to his makeshift office in the barn.
Zac and Jim started to head toward the barn when a black Hummer pulled up. I tall man, very lean got out. "Excuse me, Son, can you direct me to Jackson Sprayberry?"
"Sure can, sir." Zac said.
"Please, don't call me sir. I was never an officer. Name is Staff Sargent Vince Abrams, retired. You can call me Vince." The man said.
"You must be a friend of Sarge?" Jackson said coming back out of the office.
"Yes, sir. We've met a few times, had the same battalion commander." Vince said.
"So, what have you been told so far?" Jackson asked. Vince started telling him what he's heard from Sarge as they walked back toward the "office".
Jim and Zac finished their chores and went to get Silver and Gold. As they walked into the barn where they were kept, they noticed Jackson was still chatting with Vince. They were laughing and seemed to be enjoying the chat. They were almost to the barn door when Jackson called them over.
"What's up, Jackson?"" Zac asked.
"Well, Vince here, was Sarge's top recommendation and I've decided to cancel the other interviews. Vince and I have discussed what we expect from each other, and he will be in charge of security."
"Glad to have you aboard." Jim said.
"Thank you. So which one of you is Zac?" Vince asked.
"That would be me? You just wanting to get to know who's who or what?" Zac responded.
"Well, kinda, but also, Mr. Sprayberry says that you're kinda third in charge around here. You and Josh are the ones who have worked for him the longest, but since Josh is an adult, he's here more."
"Please, rule number one, if you work for me, it's Jackson."
"Yea, and Josh is a good guy. Even if Jackson told him specifically to have me do something, he usually asks. And he's been around horses longer."
"Yes, but he doesn't have the same passion about the horses as you do." Jackson said. "While he knows about riding, you can tell he's doing it more as a job. You do it because you enjoy it."
"And since I got a riding companion, it's even more enjoyable." Zac said staring at Jim.
"Yes, well, when you two are no longer in school, I have plans for you. That is, if the two of you agree to what I have planned."
"We trust you, Jackson, so we'll probably agree." Jim said. Jackson smiled.
"Well, I bet the two of you want to get to your riding, and I need to head home, take care of business there and make plans for my move."
"You have any family coming with you?" Jim asked.
"No, I never married. I thought military life would be too hard on them."
With that, the boys took their horses to the cross ties to prepare for their ride and Vince shook hands with Jackson, then headed for his Hummer.
The boys rode out by the lake just taking a casual ride and talking. It was nearing three in the afternoon when the boys had finished their ride and got the horses put away. They climbed into Zac's truck and headed home.
Jim walked into his house and saw a sandy haired boy sitting on the couch. Not sure what to think because his mom should have still been at work, yet this kid was obviously not there to do any harm, Jim spoke and startled the kid. "Can I help.?" Jim started and then stopped when the boy turned quickly. Someone had obvious hit the boy a few times. He had a black eye and his nose had been bleeding. He also had a busted lip.
Jim heard his mom call out from the kitchen, "Jim, can you come here please? And if Zac is with you, have him come, too."
Zac had just stepped in the door when he heard Mrs. Bolt call out. They headed for the kitchen and saw her making an icepack. "Who's the boy?" Jim asked.
"His name is Joe. I really don't know much about him, but his father found out he was gay, hit him a few times and threw him out of the house." Mrs. Bolt explained.
"So, what's he doing here? Not that I mind, just curious." Jim inquired.
"I had signed up to be a foster parent when we first moved to Wyoming. I was hoping at the time that having someone else in the house would help you, but then when you met Zac, I never removed my name from the list. They called me at work and said that they needed someone in an emergency and I was the first available person on the list. Joe may be with us for a while."
"That's cool, if we can help the kid out, I'm all for it. So, what about his father?"
"He's being charged with assault, child endangering, and abuse. Joe was an only child, so there are no other children to worry about. Children's Services will be here later to drop some things off for him and see how he's doing." Mrs. Bolt said as she finished making the icepack. She started to take it to Joe.
"Let me take it to him." Jim requested. Mrs. Bolt handed him the icepack.
Jim walked out to see Joe. "Hey Joe, my name is Jim. Come with me and I'll show you where you can sleep. And you'll have your own bathroom, too, so you can clean up." Jim said handing over the icepack.
Joe took the icepack and stood up. When he stood, Jim immediately noticed that one leg was slightly shorter than the other. He also noticed that Joe was almost same height as him. Joe didn't say anything but stared with emerald green eyes as Jim tried being friendly.
Jim led the way, followed by Joe and Zac took the rear position. Jim took him to the guest bedroom. "This will be your room. Choose whichever bed you want and I'm sure Mom won't mind if I put the other bed in the basement so you have more room. Bathroom is over here." Jim opened the door to the bathroom.
Joe went in and Jim grabbed some clean towels and washcloths. "By the way, my name is Zac. I live across the street, but I'm Jim's boyfriend, so you'll probably see a lot of me." Zac finally introduced himself.
"You're his boyfriend?" Joe spoke for the first time. His voice was soft almost angelic.
"Yea, I am." Zac said smiling.
"So, what say we take some time to get to know each other? We already know about your dad. Too bad you didn't have a dad like mine." Jim said.
"Will he be home anytime?" Joe inquired."
Jim looked down and had to stifle a tear. "No, he was killed almost a year ago. This will be my first Christmas without him."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Joe apologized.
"No way you could have known without someone telling you." Zac said.
"It's alright. He lives in my heart and my memories." Jim said. "He was the greatest dad ever. When I came out to him and mom, they both told me that they will love me no matter what, and hugged me."
"My dad found my secret stash and discovered I was gay. Then he did this." Joe said pointing at his face.
"Well, hopefully, he learns to accept you. If not, it's his loss." Zac said.
"What about your dad? Did he accept you?" Joe asked hoping he wasn't sticking his foot in his mouth again.
"My dad doesn't know. He left when I was thirteen and I haven't seen or heard from the bastard since. But our moms love both of us." Zac said.
"So, do you like horses?" Jim said. Joe didn't have to answer as his face lit up as soon as Jim asked. "Zac and I work at a ranch. We each have a horse but there are plenty of horses there. Maybe we can take you riding."
"I would love that. I haven't been since my uncle past away. He had a small farm and a couple horses over in Ranchester." Joe said.
"I'll be right back." Jim said and almost ran Zac over getting out of the bathroom.
He ran downstairs and found his mom on the phone. When she hung up, he looked at his mom. "Joe going to be with us for Christmas? I need to get him some presents."
"Yes, I was just talking to the social worker. She's hoping that we're willing to let him stay for as long as necessary. I told her that if he's still here when he graduates, we won't mind." Jim's face lit up. He never really thought about having a brother, but having Joe there felt so right.
Next, Jim stopped at his room. He didn't see any clothes with Joe. He knew his mom said a social worker would be dropping off some things, but what if Joe wanted to shower and get out of his bloodied clothes. Jim grabbed a pair of black sweats and a red athletic shirt. He also grabbed a pair of boxers and headed back to Joe's room.
"Where'd you go in such a hurry?" Zac asked.
"I'll tell you in the truck. Joe, thought you might like a shower and change of clothes. You look about my size so I grabbed some of mine. If you want, you are welcome to keep them. Is there anything that you would really like?" Jim asked.
"You mean besides a father who accepts me?" Joe said.
"Yea, Santa can't perform miracles like that." Jim said trying to lift Joe's spirits.
"Well, I never really thought about it, but I've never had a western shirt or a pair of cowboy boots." Joe said.
"Well, take a shower and take as long as you like. Zac and I will see what we can do."
Zac and Jim started heading out. Jim told his mom that Joe was taking a shower and he'd be back shortly. As they drove to Jake's store, Jim told Zac that Joe might be there for a long time. Didn't take long before Zac pulled into the lot.
Jim found Jake sweeping the floor. "Jake, I need a western shirt. I would like it to be as close to emerald green as you can."
"I have exactly what you need in your size, too." Jake said.
"Well, it's not for me, but the kid is my size." Jim said.
"You have a new boyfriend?" Jake asked as Zac came in the door.
"Nope, he's stuck with me, but he has a new foster brother." Zac said.
"OH!!! I take it that this is a Christmas present?" Jake said.
"Yea, and we need two pairs of identical boots, size ten." Jim said.
"Two pair, eh? Identical?" Jake inquired.
"Yea, I want to take one of the left ones to Mr. Cobblestone and see if he can make it special. Joe, my foster brother, has a shorter left leg."
"Well, I only have one size ten left until my shipment comes in after the first of the year. But my display model is a left boot and it happens to be size ten. I don't know what happened to the right one. I'll throw it in as my Christmas gift and I'll call Mr. Cobblestone and ask him to put a rush on it when you get there."
"You're great, Jake." Jim said.
Zack and Jim paid for their purchase and headed over to the shoe repair shop. When they got there, Mr. Cobblestone was waiting. "I understand this is a rush order?" he said when the boys walked in.
"If possible, we'd like to give it as a Christmas present. If not, then, we can give the pair for Christmas and just give the other boot when you are done." Jim said.
"You're looking at about a hundred dollars for the necessary alteration." Mr. Cobblestone said.
"With the look I think we'll get, it'll be worth it." Zac said.
"Come back in about an hour, I'll have it done, or be close." Mr. Cobblestone said.
Jim and Zac went to the mall. They wanted to pick up a few other things that they thought Joe might like. Mainly, they walked around killing time for an hour. They wanted to get their presents wrapped, but also wanted to wait for the third boot so it could be in the box with the other two.
After an hour, they went back to Mr. Cobblestone's shop. He had put the closed sign in the window and they thought they were too late. Zac jumped when Mr. Cobblestone opened the door. "Come in, boys. I think you'll like the alteration."
Jim looked at the boot and it looked like it was made that way. Jim pulled out his wallet to pay for the repair but Mr. Cobblestone looked at him and just said, "Merry Christmas."
"You serious?" Jim asked.
"Whoever you're doing this for must be pretty special for you to be willing to spend so much on him. I just want to hear if you get the reaction that you expect."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Cobblestone. We'll be sure to let you know." Zac offered.
Once they had the third boot, they went to have all there presents wrapped.
I have created a mailing list. If you would like to be added to it to be informed of new submission, please contact me at zarek@woh.rr.com mailto:zarek@woh.rr.com .