Desolation

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Phil Ford

DESOLATION

CHAPTERS FORTY-ONE TO FORTY-FOUR

by Phil Ford

CHAPTER FORTY ONE

Breakfast went pretty normally and Scotty sent Brian down with breakfast burritos for the bunkhouse crew. He and Clavo tended the garden and brought in the produce. They got pans from the cook house and stocked the shelves there, bringing back the large pans to use at the house. By ten he had both lunch and supper prepped to go into the ovens before serving.

Clavo had his own work to attend to, and left. Scotty found the men working and offered to help. Tim took him up on it immediately and they drove to Dan's house to bring his washer and dryer for use at the bunkhouse. After lunch Scottie went back out and drove a smaller dozer working with Tim again. He really could do all the ranch work. They found out he was a great roper that afternoon.

Bob called the trainer that evening "I need eight more horses if you have some ready to sell, and if you have any with special talents like the mare, I'd like them best." Scottie and Clavo teamed up at breakfast each morning to prep meals ahead and built up a good selection stored in the freezers. They ranged from sandwiches to prepared food or burgers for lunches with each person to fix their own meal. Both the houses sold. Shaun and Brian got their licenses and began to visit their parents more often. Each of the new men was rotated to work with one of the 'family' crew members until they were trained and knew every task.

All the bee hives were put in place, a total of three thousand hives. The wind generators were starting to go up, making an odd looking landscape. The cross fencing was finished on the thirty sections, the roads there were finished, and a series of ponds with dams ran the seven mile length of the creek awaiting the fall rains. Thirty two new wells with circular irrigation systems, fenced around their perimeters were plowed and ready to plant in fall grain crops by the middle of august. The five section place had trellises and drip irrigation for the vines installed and waiting for the young grafted vines to arrive, with all the work rows between trellises ready to plant in fall grain as well. The old concrete ditches would serve to irrigate the grain. The work wasn't complete yet, but well on its way.

On the second Sunday in August, all the members of Gary's family over the age of fourteen, with Brian, Scottie, Johnny Mac, Bob, Tim, and Dan were confirmed by Clavo and his bishop, having already been baptized in the Baptist church. It consisted of each person being anointed with ashes and oil and being baptized in the spirit of Christ passed on through the hands of the apostles down to Clavo and his Bishop and through them to all that were confirmed. The confirmation mass took four hours and was the only mass that Sunday.

Bob gave Brian and Shaun their pick-ups the third week in august. He had only paid them six dollars an hour and the trucks had cost him three to four thousand each at Bob's fleet price, they had earned them. They started back to school a week later and took a weeks vacation to be kids. They still worked every afternoon after school and on weekends after that, but lived at home again. They both got raises to nine dollars and hour after that as well.

Four teams competed in roping competitions over the summer; Gary sat out until he improved. At least one team won or placed each time. The summer had passed like a blink of an eye. Most of the money spent was on fuel, or labor, or livestock. Martin had been good about purchasing equipment like the circular irrigation systems and some had been stored from the ranch because they were no longer needed. He had spent about five hundred thousand dollars, but there was more to be spent.

Bob kept thinking, "It will get better soon. It will slow down soon and there'll be time to relax soon," but it seemed like it wasn't going to happen. All the guys were happy to be making money. The fall did bring a slower pace. The wind generators had been partially financed by grants and the balance was paid from half their income producing electricity. What remained after the payment was made was still a sizable monthly check. Part of the fall planting was clover and legumes, to feed the bees with its pollen and nectar and feed the soil with its roots. It took a month to bring in the honey but at an average of sixty pounds per hive and eight pounds of wax, it was a good profit, too. The grain harvested in June and September was stored in silos for the livestock as they needed it. The pigs and several calves went to the locker plant. Finally only a remnant of the garden remained; it was all finished except some greens that grew through the winter. Even the milk cow dried up and wouldn't make more until her next calf was born. She would calve in November.

"In twenty years, if someone asks me what I did this year, I want to be able to say something besides 'I worked.' I can say I found Clavo, but there needs to be quality to life. We all need to take some trips away from the ranch after the vineyard is planted and we finish fall planting and insemination of the heifers," Bob said at breakfast one morning. Scotty was quick to offer his help finding a few choices for them to pick from. He had traveled a little more than the rest of the men. He had been getting some weekends away, going home to see family and friends just a couple of hours drive away from Desolation. One Sunday he brought a friend to the ranch named Quentin, he had known all his life. While everyone went to church, he gave him a tour of the ranch.

Quentin was very quiet. Like Scotty, he was six feet tall, but his chestnut brown hair contrasted with Scotty's strawberry blonde and was cut short instead of down past his shoulders. Even alone with Scotty, he didn't say much, just a nod or a brief comment as they drove around the ranch. There was a look of wanting in Scotty's eyes, but it was only met by a hug or a pat on the back. Scotty cooked a special Sunday dinner to show off what he'd learned in culinary school and it was ready after the men and then Clavo returned from church.

Quentin talked with the men, if you could call it that, as they sat in the den while Scotty finished the meal. He revealed that he and Scotty had been lifelong best friends but separated while Scotty was gone to California, reunited again just a few weeks past. He praised the land readied for the vineyard saying he worked at the viniculture research center not far away. Asked what he did, he replied "Nothing special, manual labor taking care of the vines, trying different ways of pruning them and harvesting methods, just work. It's a job and I'm lucky to have one." He still lived at his parents and from the look of his truck the job didn't pay a lot. That could have been the cause of his quietness after seeing how Scotty had gone to school and had such a good job at the ranch, or maybe it was just his nature.

The most Quentin said was in praise of Scotty's cooking during the meal. It was the first time in Bob's memory he had eaten in the dining room instead of the kitchen. Scotty had put out the china and the silver, that hadn't left the china cabinet in years. The table seated eighteen and the crew from the bunkhouse was invited to the house to share the meal. They went through three cases of wine; all three were different varieties Scotty picked to go with certain courses of the meal and all Texas wines from a vineyard near the viniculture research center where they were developed.

They went down for roping practice after lunch and Quentin joined in. Scotty gave Tim a dirty look when he gave the mare to Quentin to ride, and she accepted him without a sign of protest. Quentin's skills excelled everyone else, he was clearly a competitor. As he started to leave for home around four, Bob walked up to his truck while Scotty was saying goodbye. "I'd like you to consider coming to work here" Bob offered. "We'll need someone to work the vineyard and all we know about it is from reading, you have the experience." He offered him the same salary as Dan with all the benefits and was let down when Quentin thanked him for the offer saying he'd think about it, without accepting, and then drove away.

At eight that night Scotty brought the phone to Bob and he went into the office. It was Quentin calling to say he'd take the job and would come on Saturday in two weeks. "Do you want to bunk in with Scotty, have your own room in the house, or down at the bunkhouse?" Bob asked.

"With Scotty will be fine," he answered.

Bob came back out and told Scotty privately to get ready for a room mate. Scotty smiled. "I guess he must have liked my cooking."

CHAPTER FORTY TWO

The vines began to arrive as scheduled, on Monday. The order was for a staggered delivery every few days. The trellises were spaced for mechanical harvest and vines went in every six feet down the rows and marked by the drip lines already in place. With everyone planting, thirteen rows were planted at a time, bare root vines carried in backpacks and sharp shooters in hand. The bundles were two hundred and fifty vines about two feet tall with the roots nearly a foot in length, but the width of a pencil, on each one. As soon as they reached the end of a row, the drip was started and rows were broken at a quarter mile spacing because of the wire used for the trellises and to leave lanes that crossed the rows. At the end of the week, nearly a whole section was planted.

Shaun and Brian had been taught to do the inseminations of the heifers and cows. Bob would line them out when they came at three thirty after school and they'd get twenty in the old dairy barn, with head restraints to hold them still and put twenty who'd been bred two weeks earlier in the restraints for pregnancy testing before starting. When they finished doing the inseminations and had the newly bred cows back to their separate pasture, they'd begin checking for pregnancy on the others. It was set up with pans in the concrete floor beneath each cow to catch some of her piss, and hopefully over the two hours they were in restraints, each one would piss. When the order had come in with a thousand early pregnancy test kits, Bob had gotten a lot of laughs. It was cheaper than having the vet do the job, as was doing their own insemination.

If a heifer or a cow came up negative, they were culled back to join the ones left to breed. They boys had learned their job in just a week and were nearly finished with all the breeding. The ranch had twelve bulls. The vet collected the sperm and stored it. It was sold as any calls came in from other breeders and some could be kept at the ranch for up to a week. Dan and Bob went over the bloodlines and selected which bull to use for which cow, identified by their ear tags, and some was bought from bulls owned by other breeders. Cows that failed to get pregnant were marked with yellow paint across the ass that wore off after a few months. If they failed three times, marked by three stripes, they were sold at auction. All the breeding was done so the calving was spaced out over a four month period and the approximate due dates would be known so they could be brought up to the barns and held a week beforehand. It made life a lot easier and more controlled than having calves born all year long.

The boys usually stayed an hour or two after work each day, just hanging around or using the computer in their bedroom for schoolwork. They stayed Friday and Saturday nights. Bob would plan their Sunday morning work so nothing involved got them too dirty to go to church and they'd get in a little roping practice afterward. There was never any sign they were more than friends, but that was true for all the men.

When Quentin arrived over a section and a half of the vineyard was planted. He had two days to relax and settle in to his new surroundings. Scotty did take him to town to get his bank account opened Saturday morning and he was surprised at getting the bonus. A truck was already there for him and he drove it to town. Quentin got more talkative. Hearing how they were planting the vines, he pulled out a planting tool he had and demonstrated it to Bob. It was similar to a bulb planter with a wide slit in the cup and allowed you to plant a vine in one motion. Bob got on the computer right then and ordered twenty from the supplier that would arrive sometime Monday. "You don't fuck around, do you Bob," Quentin responded. "I saw these on a gardening show and it took the center a year to decide to order some. I'd already bought this one a week after I saw it."

Quentin tried out the whirlpool, played some pool with Tim, and he took a long nap with Scotty. They took a shower together after the nap, they kind of needed to. It had been years before, while still in high school, that they last shared a bed. Scotty handed him a warm towel as they got out and showed him the switch by the towel bar that turned on the heating element. "What a great idea!" Quent exclaimed. When they came back into the den, Johnny let out a wolf whistle and said "they sure make good looking men over where you and Scotty come from." He got a big grin and a blush out of him, for sure. Shaun and Brian had come in then. They scooted up next to Quent on each side and said, "Tell us about yourself buddy."

It put him on the spot and he was forced to talk now. "I'm the oldest child of nine children from an Irish Catholic family that has been farming and ranching here in Texas for six generations now. I couldn't go to college because there wasn't enough money for it. Dad didn't need my help on the ranch. It's not very big like this one. I worked at the research center where they grow grapes and make wine over near my home. I've known Scotty all my life and he's more than my best friend, but I've been lonesome without him around for a long time. I like to dance. I play guitar. Scotty and I used to play guitar together a lot. I love to sing. I like animals. I love to fish and hunt. I like sports and played football in high school. That's about it."

"Clavo will be real glad to know you're catholic so he won't have to teach another catechism class for adults right now. He's back teaching the kids again and ain't got time" Brian told him.

""Who's Clavo?" Quent asked.

"He's that dark haired guy that was roping when you were here before. He's the priest in town, but lives here with us, um well, Bob anyway. My whole family and all of us here just became catholic because he's such a good guy. Grandma said we had to anyway and nobody goes against her wishes. We were Baptists before but the preacher is a real asshole." Shaun piped up.

Bob showed Quentin the karaoke equipment and the CDG and CD collection and told him to give it a try. Saying he sang country best, he selected several songs and began to sing. With the wireless microphone he was as animated as a performer on stage. His voice was bright and clear. It was a safe bet he sang the songs better than the original artist had done. He put the microphone down and the quiet Quentin returned as if he only came alive in the music.

"You can't believe how amazing you sound, Quent" Bob said. All the others praised him in agreement.

"I can't play one of those songs. My radio in my truck is stuck on a country station and I kind of got to singing along with them when I'm driving" he answered.

Scotty knew him better than anyone on earth and knew his talents. He left it to Quentin to tell the others more about himself. When he was ready he wouldn't hesitate, Scotty knew for sure. They waited supper for Clavo to get home. He came in a little late, around seven thirty. Scotty had already finished cooking and had made a meal of oriental dishes from several cuisines. The men in the bunkhouse had a goat cooked by the two Mexicans, who brought a leg quarter to the house. They met Quentin and afterward started talking in Spanish to Dan.

When they left, after thanks being given for their meat, Dan told Bob what they had said. They hadn't thought the ranch would be hiring any more men. They asked if any men – bee keepers specifically, were needed and said they had two friends in Mexico who did farm and ranch work, but were mainly bee keepers. Dan had told them he would talk to Bob and find out. Bob was interested but said they'd discuss it later.

Quent, Scotty, and Clavo got out their guitars and for the rest of the evening before going to bed, they entertained the others and found songs they all knew and could play together. It was an early evening.

The next morning Bob and Dan went to the bunkhouse to talk with the Mexicans. Bob's Spanish was really fluent growing up in Maria's care, but so many words related to farm work were missing from his vocabulary. At the end of the discussion Dan tactfully asked, "Son socios como tuyos?" are they a couple like yourselves? (Are they partners like yourselves?). He got an affirmative headshake but no more followed by side glances. Bob told them to write or call and have them come to work and got all smiles and thanks.

The one lone cowboy, Sye, overheard the discussion with the Mexicans and came up to them as they headed to the house. "I got a pardner I'd like you to talk to if you might need another man. I kind of need me a bunk mate and we've been buds for a long old time, close like this (holding two fingers up pressed together). He was working for an outfit north of here and must have done or said something. Lots of folks don't take to our kind, I guess, and they fired him. He's a good hand at most anything. It would give Rosie a rest and make me a lot happier if you know what I mean."

Bob told him to have him come as soon as he could get to it. They were almost late leaving for church. Tim, Scotty, and Quentin were waiting by the truck and the others were already gone. They made it in the door just before the processional started.

Returning from church, two cowboys were waiting outside the house. The man was introduced as Dave Harris. Bob had him walk with him down to the horse barn and they talked as they walked. All he had was a saddle and a suitcase, no truck, nothing else. He went through all his experience and said "If word gets out a man is queer, it follows him around. It makes life hell wondering how long it will take to catch up and get you fired again, or worse. That's why I've had so many jobs and ain't got shit. I've been on my sister's couch three weeks now and she's none too happy about it. I need a job, Mister Esterhazy. From what my bud says, you'll judge a man by his worth and not his personal life."

Bob pointed to the mare and said "That mare only likes gay men. A gay man trained her. I've never seen anything like it, but she gets all riled up around straight men. You pass her test. Here's two hundred bucks. Tell Sye to take you to town and get whatever you need. Get settled in and be ready to work at seven in the morning.

Bob hadn't gotten involved in the personal lives of the men in the bunkhouse. He now thought that had been a mistake. This evening after supper he thought he set things right. He turned in time to catch Dave and said "Tell Sye to bring everyone up to the house after you get settled in. We're going to have a party, so plan on staying a while."

He got help pushing the couches back to leave the center of the big room open. There were enough seats between the couches, the kitchen bar, and the bar to seat everyone. He let the guys in on his plans and sent Tim to get Shaun and Brian to come as soon as they could stop without leaving anything unfinished. Then he changed from his church clothes to gym shorts and fixed himself a drink at the bar.

Everyone pitched in and they put together a spread of both Mexican and American food with the Sunday steaks as the main course. Scotty made pozole with dishes of veggies, herbs, meats, and cheeses to add to the bowls. A frozen container of Clavo's carne asada went into the slow cooker to heat. Dan made guacamole and Tim made potato salad. Quentin made baked potatoes in the microwave. Johnny, Gary, Brian, and Shaun made some snacks and appetizers. They carried two tables and their benches up from the yard and set up a folding table for the food. Before Clavo got home from the second mass or the crew came up, everything was ready. The grill was hot and ready to cook the steaks and the hot food was still in the kitchen. There was even a stack of towels near the pool.

Bob threw his shorts on the bench next to the stack of towels and dove into the pool. In minutes all the guys had done the same thing and were splashing right in there with him. Quent blushed a lot, but didn't hesitate. Clavo got home. When he had his clothes off, he was headed for the pool and the crew knocked on the door. He opened the door and led them to the pool jumping in when he came to the edge.

Bob said, "jump in guys we're having a party. The food is all fixed except the steaks." Sye and Dave both confessed they couldn't swim. "Well, stay in the shallow end or try the baby pool" and he pointed to the bubbling whirlpool. They went for the whirlpool. "Boss, can you put one of these things in down at the bunkhouse?" Sye asked after a few minutes. Bob didn't answer.

They all swam and played around a while with the older guys eventually joining Sye And Dave in the whirlpool, leaving the boys and the Mexicans sitting together on the side of the pool splashing their feet in the water. Brian hadn't ever seen an uncircumcised dick before and asked Johnny why the Mexican's dicks looked different. "They aren't cut," Johnny Mac answered.

"They got balls Johnny, nice big ones, too" Brian responded. Just as casually as if he was stroking himself, Johnny reached over to Juan the Mexican beside him, grabbed his dick and pulled the skin back showing the head.

"See" said Johnny, "They've still got the extra skin we got cut off."

Juan smiled and immediately got hard, still getting stroked in Johnny's hand. They all got hard and started laughing. The Mexicans, Juan and Mario were both twenty, Johnny's age. Johnny's twelve inch monster was the biggest; the Mexicans were both about ten inches, then Brian with eight and Shaun and Gary both with about seven inches.

Tim yelled from the whirlpool "look at all the flag poles over on the side of the pool."

Everyone was laughing now. The men in the whirlpool had the same reaction. Bob motioned them all to move up on the edge and show their boners off, too. Bob was only a little smaller than Johnny, and the others were between nine and ten inches, but close enough in size to need a ruler if you wanted to check for sure. They all got out, dried off, and pulled on their shorts or pants for lunch after that. The boners by the poolside broke the ice and it became more of a party among friends. They all got better acquainted and talked about all the things never discussed before, and things never discussed while working in the past.

Clavo got Scotty and Quent to get their guitars and they played and sang a couple of songs. Sye spoke up, "Get these Mexican boys to join you; they're playing the damn things all the time."

"Traigan sus guitarros," Clavo told them and they returned from the bunkhouse with their guitars after a few minutes. They managed to follow along with the other guitars and also played some campesino songs of their own. Clavo showed them some other Spanish music in different styles from popular songs like Enrique Iglesias sings to salsa. Karaoke came next, with everyone singing.

Bob had a huge variety and even Spanish songs he had bought for Maria's benefit. After karaoke Bob said "Quent said he liked to dance, so let's get it."

He put on some two step music and since he and Dan were the only guys who didn't know how, he grabbed Clavo saying "Teach me, bud." They danced with their partners a few dances and then switched partners until each had danced with every guy, then a couple more with their partners and it was time for bed. A lot of liquor was consumed, but they all managed to get to their own beds for the night.

The next day things were back to the normal routine, but a little friendlier. Quent was able to plant more than two rows to everyone else's one. The tools Bob ordered arrived at noon and after lunch the pace really picked up. In just over two weeks with the new tools and two more men working, the vineyard was planted. That was followed by planting between the rows and regular flood irrigation from the ditches. The insemination and fertility tests were finished at the same time.

The last big project of the year was buying feeder calves for the new pastures. Bob went to the auction and bought a thousand head. They went into the feed lots first and got ear tags, shots, and got wormed. The pasture had been aerially seeded by a plane with winter grasses, but the rains hadn't started. They were late. The grain circles were up about a foot high, though, and there was untouched natural pasture. Water troughs, hay rings, and feed troughs were in place. In groups of thirty head, they moved them to pasture.

Quent suggested, almost insisted, that they needed trees planted at the perimeters and at regular spacing throughout the vineyard for wind breaks to cool and protect the vines and later the grapes. Wind breaks would have to wait. Bob would need some time to see if enough space would be left to operate machinery in the vineyard and to find out what trees would best serve the purpose. He knew now that he should have started out better informed.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Scotty had their first trip planned. He knew he could sell Bob on a trip to the wine country in Northern California for sure. He had a little more planned he didn't mention. He planned on taking them all out to see the San Francisco nightlife as part of the trip. Bob agreed and told Scotty to start checking on hotels and airline schedules.

Bob called his lawyers; just to let them know he was planning a trip in case they had and business he needed to take care of first. He'd never taken a trip before. The senior partner came on the line while he was on hold. "Mr. Esterhazy. You do know you have use of the corporate jet any time you need it don't you? It is, after all your company and your jet."

"No, I really didn't know that. I thought it was your firm's jet actually" Bob replied.

"We have nothing critical coming up in the near future. I'll have the secretary in charge of flight scheduling call you and see to your needs" his lawyer answered and said his goodbyes.

Within a few minutes, the phone rang. "Yes ma'am, this is Bob Esterhazy. (Then) I'll put my employee on the phone who is planning our trip and you can work out the details with him" and he handed the phone to Scotty. Scotty told her eight would be traveling, the hotel they were staying in, and that they needed transportation to visit the wine country, Berkeley, and some trips around the area. They needed to leave on a Sunday afternoon and return the following Friday afternoon by three. He told her they had more trips planned for a few weeks later. She said she would arrange everything and make the hotel reservations. It was all set. The plane would pick them up next Sunday at two.

"Damn Bob, this is just like a gun; point and shoot. All I need to do is help you figure out where to go and make a call. Someone else takes care of the rest" Scotty said.

"I didn't know it was my jet. Nobody ever told me" Bob answered.

All the work was lined out for the crew at the bunkhouse and Shaun and Brian would check each evening to be sure the work was getting done. Clavo notified his bishop and a priest in town would be available if needed, which was added to the missals for the next services. Scotty insisted some shopping was necessary and got everyone to town. He gave them all choices, but only what he selected, all they had to do was make sure of the fit.

Sunday at two, the plane landed. The pilots loaded their luggage and they took off. Three hours later they landed in San Francisco, at three Pacific Time. A limousine was waiting and took them to their hotel. The driver helped the bell boy take their bags up and when the bell boy left, he gave Bob an itinerary and said he was in an adjoining room and would be available whenever he was needed during their stay.

Scotty had been called back and given the secretary more details of where they wanted to go and any restaurants they preferred. The suite had four bedrooms with king size beds, a common living area and bar, and the adjoining room for their driver. They were going through the wine country and visiting several wineries the next day. Tuesday they would go to Berkeley and see a baseball game in the afternoon. Wednesday a trip to see the giant redwoods was scheduled. Thursday they would see Golden Gate Park and the arboretum, and drive down the south bay in the afternoon. That evening, going to the restaurant, Bob asked the driver what he did while they ate. When he said he waited in the car, Bob insisted he eat with them and think of himself as their tour guide, more than just their driver. The table was large enough to accommodate nine, but he had the driver call and add himself to all their other reservations. On the way back to the hotel, Scotty asked him if he knew where several clubs were located and he said all those and more were in walking distance from the hotel and he'd be happy to accompany them. They were all gay clubs Scotty found listed on the internet.

Going from Desolation to a huge city with a totally different climate kept everyone in awe for the entire trip. They learned a lot visiting the wineries and from information they got on vineyards at Berkeley. The nightlife, with their drivers help, and the trip through the giant redwoods were the highlights of the trip. Seeing the Oakland A's and crossing Golden Gate Bridge were right up there, too. The tremendous variety of trees in Golden Gate Park and the arboretum was incredible. They landed back at the ranch at on Friday afternoon having taken hundreds of pictures and still in shock from all they had seen and done.

Everything was fine at the ranch and the guys were glad to see them back. No task had been neglected and all the work had gotten done. The next day the plane landed again. The head of Bob's law firm was onboard. He wanted to see the ranch, so Bob took him on the grand tour pointing out everything and explaining all the new projects. When they were done, he said "Can I talk you out of a few drinks, Bob?"

Sitting in the den, he started telling Bob a few things. "The wind generators are bringing in six hundred thousand a month. A vineyard that size is what Gallo has in California and they're the world's largest wine producer. A hundred acres of vineyard goes for a million, easily, anywhere wine is produced. Your feeder calves should bring you six times what you paid for them. The bee operation will make a lot of money, too. Do you know you're going to make more money here than your fathers company, Bob?"

"I had no idea. I'm doing just what dad did and never saw it."

"I watched your father make his business his life. He neglected you. He neglected this ranch. I don't think he was a happy man. Don't make the same mistake. Delegate out parts of the operation to your men, but don't overburden anyone. Do more of the things you enjoy. If you want more money, the wind generators are the way to go. They run automatically. If they break down, the power company has them repaired and deducts the cost from what you are paid. Let us know and we'll buy more land for you and get them built. Lastly, you have more money than you'll ever need. Use some for a good purpose. Set up a trust. Fund some charities. Give some away. "

He finished his drink, talked a little more, and flew away on the plane. Bob thought about what he was told. His lawyer was right, but he forgot about something. He forgot to say anything about love. You can't live a truly happy life without love. Maybe he knew Bob loved Clavo, but love wasn't something he should have left out of his advice.

That evening he began to discuss his ideas with the household. He wanted Dan to manage the breeding operation, with Shaun and Brian doing the breeding and showing calves. They were to offer calves to any kids interested in showing calves who couldn't afford the calves or lacked a place to keep them. The feed would be provided and daily transportation to the ranch to work with their calves. But anyone who neglected their responsibilities would loose the calf and it would be returned to the herd.

He wanted Tim to manage the fields and irrigation systems. He wanted Quent to manage the vineyard and Scotty to manage the winery. He wanted Gary and Johnny to breed and train cutting horses as a team management. He said that he would manage the beekeeping operation. He heavily emphasized the word manage and said more help would be hired to do the actual work, but everyone should be ready to pitch in and help in the other operations whenever needed. He added that the bunkhouse crew might move into other positions as new projects started and there was a need. Clavo was asked to manage a trust designed to help those in need by several means. He wanted everyone to have enough free time to enjoy life.

Gary asked "How are we going to know how to train cutting horses, Bob?"

"Well, you're going to be on my payroll but going to work with the horse trainer every morning for quite a while, if I can work that out." Bob added "what we've been doing when we're roping is only a part of the training. The horse has to learn how to know which calf you want cut out of a herd. That is why they call them cutting horses. Our horses know how, but I haven't taught you how to do it yet. You still have to rope the calf after the horse cuts it out of the herd. The calf will take off just like it does coming out of the chute. You use your legs, or you whistle, or you talk real soft to your horse, but mostly you stare at the calf you want and the horse knows which one it is. That's part of what you'll learn from the trainer because he trained your horses. Do you know how much these horses cost, Gary?"

"One or two thousand, is what a horse costs, do they cost more?"

"They cost twenty to thirty thousand dollars."

"I guess the horses are smarter than me, at least until I learn more."

Brian wanted to know "How are Shaun and I going to learn how to show calves?"

"Several of us have shown calves and we'll teach you. You're eighteen now and there's time to learn. We may need to breed some cows a little later or a little earlier to have calves the right age for showing. You're also going to need to go to a lot of shows to see what makes a winner. Every winner from our stock increases what we can get for our cattle. The best calves need to go to the kids we help, though."

"Quent, you need to get us a list of trees for the wind breaks, preferably ones with long bloom seasons and pollen and nectar for the bees. Some fruit trees and pecans or walnuts will be fine to use but fruit trees have a short bloom time and the nuts aren't good bee food at all. We saw that huge variety of trees at the arboretum, so there is a world full of trees to choose from. We'll need some of the same trees planted in the pastures for wind breaks and to shelter the livestock."

"Dan will need to find more pasture grasses and bee plants good for grazing. He needs to find out what native plants are already in the pastures that we need to save when we clear out brush. Everything he finds must thrive on our rainfall."

"Tim needs to find other crops and cover crops beneficial to bees and grazing or soil building to diversify what we grow on irrigated land. I have a list of some special cover crops that make sterile seed or no seed that will help us keep the fields clean and weed free. I want him to look through them. He will also be in charge of grain storage and feed mixing. If the irrigation systems require too much work, his job may be divided between three people and he can pick which job he prefers."

"Scotty won't have grapes to make wine with for a few years. He does a lot getting us fed. He'll need to learn about making wine and blends, plus get plans for the winery and all the supplies and equipment we'll need. He does a lot of the garden work with Clavo, besides helping us all, but might see if any of our produce would be profitable as a crop. He can also help Quent getting the vineyard growing."

There weren't any questions when Bob finished talking. Then he added "By the way, we have too much money so I'm doubling your salaries and Clavo will get the same for managing the trust and charities."

"We'll need to discuss that, Bob," Clavo protested.

"We don't spend anything we make Bob. You supply everything except tobacco" Dan put in.

"What you do with you money is up to you. I have too much of my own to deal with" Bob said, basically ending the discussion. "Let's have some fun."

"Do you want the crew to come up to the house?" asked Brian. He got a yes from Bob and he and Shaun ran down to the bunkhouse.

It was early October now. It was cooler, but still very warm. The full moon had just risen above the horizon and some faded remnants of the sunset lit the western sky in deep shades of purple mixed with black. Inside the bunkhouse the four cowboys were watching TV and the two young Mexicans were sitting with two strangers, both Mexican, too, playing cards at the table. Brian and Shaun yelled out together "Want to come up and party?" They heard some say 'hell yeah' and others say 'si'. Heading back out the door, they yelled back "Come on then when you feel like it." They heard footsteps behind them all the way to the house. They held the door open as the men entered.

The two strangers walked toward the couches and one started talking, saying "Hey dudes; we're Juan's cousins from Bakersfield. We were down visiting family in Mexico when he called saying you needed bee keepers. Granddad and both our dads are bee keepers and we've been messing with bees since we were little kids. I'm Pablo and they call me Paul up here, he's Francisco, Frank up here."

Tim gave them his best cat who ate the canary grin and said "Cool Dudes, what do you want to drink?"

"I like Hot Damn or Pucker if you've got any and he likes Amaretto on ice and a beer." Frank just nodded. "He don't talk a lot, I guess you can see that though."

Tim found the requested liquors and passed them over. To the others he said, "Help yourself guys, you know where everything is."

Bob looked them over. Both had shoulder length hair and wore tank tops and basketball shorts to their knees. He stood and extended his hand "I'm Bob Esterhazy, this is my ranch. Did Juan tell you we only hire gay men?"

Paul answered "Yeah, he said that and if it makes any difference, Frank and I are sort of the kissing cousin type, at least since we found out what that thing hanging between our legs was good for anyway."

"Have you done any farm or ranch work?" Bob inquired further.

"Yeah, you don't work bees all the time. Bakersfield is a lot like here. It's desert but damn near anything grows. We've done farming, orchard, vineyard, and produce work. Never did any ranching though, but we can ride horses" Paul responded. "We just got here a half hour ago, it was a long drive."

"You can bunk in the back bedroom down the back hall tonight if you want, and get unpacked and settled in tomorrow after church. Clavo is the priest and if you don't go, there will be hell to pay," Bob ended with that and added "Let's party."

Paul looked at Clavo and said "You the key to his heart, man?"

"Yeah, you got it," and turning to Bob Clavo said "It's my name Bob. Clavo means key in Spanish."

Paul ran out the door saying he'd be right back and returned with a CD. "Hey Tim, put this on man. It's some guys from near here, some town named 'San Angelo'. They call themselves 'Los Lonely Boys' and play some mean guitar." Tim put it on.

"Do you play guitar?" Scotty asked.

"You know all California boys want to grow up to be rock stars. Fuck yeah, both of us play."

Frank finally spoke "If you want to jam I'll go get the guitars; acoustic or electric?"

"Acoustic, and bring Juan's and Mario's, too" Scotty answered.

The evening was a jam session accompanied by heavy drinking, but with Clavo exiting for bed, the rest followed suit.

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR

The next morning, coming into the kitchen and seeing everyone naked, Paul shucked his shorts saying he must be over dressed. He never stopped talking and asking questions until he and Frank went to the bunkhouse to dress for church. He made mention of his talking and said it was because he was excited meeting all the guys. After he was out the door Tim said "I don't think that guy shuts up except to play guitar or when he has a dick in his mouth." The house roared with laughter, except of course for Clavo who was already gone.

Local roping competitions were done for the year. There wouldn't be any more until spring. With the divided pastures, the horses were all getting used daily moving animals from one pasture or grain field to another. Four men could easily move the herds at the scheduled times, Bob had done the same with the smaller breeding herd last year and done most of the other work by himself, too. With two men working the irrigation systems and Tim taking care of feeding, they had some idle time, but it could disappear when a repair became necessary. Quent could maintain the drip system in the vineyard and was idle more than occupied. Bob, Paul, and Frank would have been completely idle, but had to build an equal number of pads and enclosures for when the hives divided in the spring. Bob left that task to Paul and Frank. Scotty stayed busy cooking, just improving the quality of the meals. Shaun and Brian had their own show calves to work and did the chores in the afternoon now instead of the morning. The fall rains finally started Sunday morning, long slow rains that soaked deep into the soil. They didn't amount to a lot in inches, but with the cooler weather the soil stayed moist and the winter pasture grasses would be up soon. It would remain a relaxed work schedule until calving begins in March. There would be time for more trips. Today was another day for fun.

Clint and James, the other two cowboys at the bunkhouse were beginning to open up more. The drove up to the house and knocked on the door without getting an invitation first. Johnny Mac answered the door and told them to "Come on in." They wanted to use Bob's exercise equipment out in the garage. Clint said Dave and Sye were making up for lost time in their room and the Mexican boys were drinking beer and playing cards. They needed to get away for some peace and quiet a while.

"We're more toward the quiet side. Neither of us have been anywhere to speak of except within a few hundred miles of here. We like plain old country music, watching the football games, hunting and fishing, or a game of dominos now and then, and rodeo. It's like we ain't on the same planet as Paul and as for the others, we don't know a lick of Spanish more than you see on a restaurant menu" Clint said. There was a lost sound to his voice.

Dan knew where he was coming from. He had felt a lot like Clint did working at his old job, but in ways it had been much worse. Clint didn't have anyone laughing at him or standing around watching him work without offering to lend a hand, or a boss that constantly yelled at him for what anyone did because no one else understood what he was saying. He thought maybe the language difference might make Clint think he was being laughed at when the reality was just some guys laughing and having a good time together. "Come use the weights and machines anytime you like Clint. Only Johnny and Gary use them much lately, we've been too tired and too busy," Dan said wanting to set them both at ease.

"Come on and I'll show you how to work the stuff" Johnny said. "You can use the whirlpool after you finish, it's under the porch roof, or you can use my shower if you want to cause its nice and big with a lot of fancy gadgets." There was a bath with a shower off the garage so you could clean up and not bring the filth from the ranch work in on you, but it was just a plain shower.

Quent was busy on the computer in the kitchen looking for information on trees he might be able to use in the wind breaks. He wasn't experienced using a computer and when a lot of unrelated things kept coming up doing searches, he got frustrated and thought maybe some books would be better. After cussing several times he got up saying "I can't do a damn thing right with this machine but play solitaire. I need a beer." Changing the order of the words, he finally started to get some results. One tree that was a cross between desert willow- chilopsis and catalpa, called chitalpa was a sterile hybrid that bloomed from spring to fall seemed to be a good choice. He found some mesquite relatives that made much larger trees on low rainfall from South America; the native mesquites were only a ten feet tall or shorter. Chinese tallow tree looked good, too. He'd have to look up each tree individually later and decided to play pool for a while telling Tim," I get the winner on the next game."

Gary was the shortest of the guys now. Shaun had passed him over the last few months and was now as tall as Dan or Tim. Johnny was working out with Gary and his chest broadened. At nineteen, Gary wasn't likely to get any taller, but he was getting pretty buff. He and Johnny joined Clint and James for their workout.

"You guys look damn good without working out" Johnny said walking in. James was bench pressing with Clint as his spotter and almost lost it, turning bright red.

"This beats sitting around on a rainy day" Clint replied. An hour later all four men showered together in Johnny's bathroom. Johnny soaped James' back while Gary massaged the soap into Clint's. Turning around, their chests were done, and then they returned the favor. All four sat on the bench letting rain bars above and to the sides cascade the steamy water over their bodies. Warm towels were the kicker. More play continued in the bedroom and after a few minutes James said "We may need another shower before we go back to the den guys."

Gary responded "there's plenty of hot water."

Scotty was making an oriental meal again. He had spring rolls started. Bob was grilling several different meats to go in them and to use in other dishes. With some grilled beef he was making suribachi, a Japanese stew with soba noodles, topped with egg that had dried mushrooms and a miso base. He had a hot and spicy shrimp gung pao already done. In another dish was one with grilled chicken, pear preserves, and cashews, plus more chile peppers. A Thai salad hadn't been started yet. Shaun and Brian had worked their calves in the barn earlier and were starting two batches of home made ice cream. Dan had been playing DJ but when Clint said he and James liked country, he put the radio on a country station. He was just kicking back now until his turn came up playing pool. Clavo sat beside him. The doorbell rang as Bob brought in a platter from the grill, so he answered it.

"You have a house full now I see," Maria said as she and Charlie came into the den. "Even Father Clavo is here."

"Just call me Clavo here Maria. You might have noticed I don't live in the rectory anymore. I get to be just another young guy instead of a priest around here. It feels good" Clavo responded.

"It is so good to see so many in this house when it was so empty for so long. Something smells very good, too" Maria said looking toward the kitchen. Introductions were made all around; she and Charlie hadn't been over in quite a while, since before everyone moved in.

Bob was done with the grilling and sat down next to Clavo and Maria and Charlie got seated. Tim brought Maria a glass of wine and beers for Bob and Charlie. "The lawyers tell me I have too much money Maria and with his Bishop's permission, I got Clavo to take on some work for a trust fund they set up and to manage a charity," Bob brought up. "I could use your help and Charlie's with a few things, too."

"He wants to do one thing similar to habitat for humanity and build some houses for the poorer families, but leave it where they pay back a part of the money" Clavo explained. "I'll be asking for help finding out who is in need and we need to talk with the Ladies Auxiliaries in the other parishes to help there too, but include everyone, not just Catholics."

"I want to set up a trust to fund the food banks and build community centers, too. I'd like to build Charlie a new shop at his place and put of couple of kids in the auto mechanics program at the college to work for him half days, if he's willing and maybe an auto parts and tire center there at the shop, too," Bob said giving more details.

"Sure Bob, that's fine with me. There's more work around fixing all these old cars than the co-op and I can get to and a lot of folks who can't afford to get it done. Auto parts are needed bad. Every time I need something I have to drive to town and loose two hours. Besides, I'm getting old now," Charlie answered.

"I'll be happy to help, but you should ask Sally. With her store, she knows more about everyone in Desolation than anyone else," Maria answered.

"Great! You're staying a while and going to eat with us aren't you?" Bob asked. She said she was. Johnny and the others came back in then and more introductions were made. Bob told her about all the new land he'd bought and how, needing more help since Martin's death, he'd hired all the men. No one in Desolation had mentioned the windmills, but from the lay of the land and the remoteness of the ranch maybe no one had seen them except close neighbors and they must have minded their own business.

"Johnny Mac, I'm so glad you went to work for Bob. You did such a great job for us, I'm sure you are a big help to him," Charlie said. "And Tim, you know I'm getting a lot more work since you left the co-op." They both just smiled.

"My cousin's son went to work for Dan's old boss. He makes him stay in the house or leave. He says he told him that if he bothers the men or yells at them any more, he'll tell them all to quit. Now he goes in the house alone and gets a list of everything they need to do and the man stays quiet" Maria told everyone.

"Bob is such a good hearted kind man; and it was like a living nightmare all the years I worked for him. I'm awake now and the bad dream is over," Dan admitted. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he grabbed Bob in a big hug and held him tight.

Scotty got Brian to run food down to the bunkhouse saying the meal would be on the table in a few minutes. He'd set the dining table so everyone would have a place to sit. When Brian returned everyone was taking a seat. Scotty had made a platter of dim sum and fried won tons, too, with several different kinds of stuffing inside the dumplings. There were dip sauces for the spring rolls and hot chile garlic sauce for those who wanted to add some kick, and egg rolls with hot mustard and plum sauce. A huge bowl of shrimp fried rice made with wild and jasmine rice was passed around the table, followed by all the other dishes. Not a bite was left in any bowl or platter, but the ice cream carried them all into overkill. One was banana nut with pecans and the other was a peach that tasted like biting into a fresh fully ripe peach.

The meal was such a success; it was hard to stop praising Scotty. Tim made raspberry daiquiris for after supper but it was really pushing the brain freeze thing. Soon afterward Maria and Charlie left followed by Brian and Shaun. Clint and James hung around a while.

"What's the deal Bob? Do you kind of adopt us guys to keep us safe and make sure to make up for all the hurt in our lives? Cause that's what you've done for me" James said. "My life has been nothing but a fucked up mess since I was fifteen, until I came to work for you. This cowboy got me to give him a blow job in the parking lot behind the rodeo barns one night and had a bunch of guys watching. I'd never done it before. The next day everyone in town knew about it and by nightfall my old man put me on the street and told me never to come back. No fucking faggot was a son of his. I've been just trying to survive ever since."

"I didn't know I was gay when I hired you James. I knew Dan and Tim were, and Johnny and Gary, but I was just trying to keep any problems from coming up. I just knew it was the right thing to do" Bob explained. "I haven't heard a story from everyone yet, but those I have heard all seem to have some things in common. Guys are getting used. Guys are getting abused. Guys are getting fucked over, beat up, or fired. Guys kill themselves or try. They're all barely surviving and can't make a decent wage. It ain't because you don't work your ass off either. It ain't because you're bad guys, cause you're not, you're damn good men. It's because of who you happen to sleep with and it's either hide it or have life go from bad to worse. It ain't right, it just ain't."

"You won't ever hear all the stories Bob. A lot of guys don't live through what happens to gay men, to be around and tell their story. I've already lost two cowboys I loved that way and I'm only twenty five. Nothing ever happens to the killers either. It's like they're heroes after that," Clint opened up too.

A party can't stay serious too long. Tim mooned everyone saying something about no sane guy being able to resist an ass as cute as his and they were right back laughing and having a good time again. Blaming it on having too many drinks to make it to the bunkhouse, Clint and James bunked in with Gary and Johnny for the night. They weren't too quiet, either.

"You have a talent for making people laugh," Dan told Tim as they settled into bed.

"No Dan, I just have a cute ass. It ain't got no hair on it."

"It used to have hair on it."

"I know. I started shaving it when you started to like kissing on it."