Expanding Horizons
We didn't get up until eight o'clock. Logan made huckleberry pancakes, something which took too long on a weekday. After we finished eating and the dishes were done, we headed out for the fence inspection. Logan drove and showed me the rest of the ranch. I realized how much work he did taking care of it, and was amazed by everything he knew and could do.
"Gramps works all day too. He keeps an eye on the fences and makes sure the cattle stay inside them. Sometimes he does things like weed control. Sometimes I help him move cattle between pastures. We cut hay together too. He does plowin' and diskin' too. It all depends on the season and what needs to be done. And there's always equipment to repair and maintain."
"Do you have horses?"
"No, we don't have enough use for them to have our own. They take a lot of time and energy to take care of properly. We use four-wheelers when we can, and if we need more help, we hire neighbors with horses, usually with herdin' dogs too."
"Here's the fence I wanna check out. You can see that it's leanin' a little, both along the road here and the section goin' across up ahead. There's several broken posts too. That's somethin' ya can't let go for long, or the cattle will discover it and get out. So next week I'm gonna be doin' a lot of fence work after the irrigation is done."
He parked the pickup at the cross fence he'd pointed out. We got out of the truck and walked the fence for a half-mile or so. Logan was using his cell phone to make notes about what needed to be done and what supplies needed to be ordered.
"I'll give Gramps a list at the end of the day. Sometimes we have it delivered, but this will be a small load, so he'll take the bigger truck into town and pick up what we need."
We walked a couple more fence lines while he took notes.
"There's a lot of walking in this business." I hiked a lot, so I wasn't tired, but a whole day of this could be a bit much.
"When I do the repairs, I'll drive inside the pasture. There will be a lot of barbed wire, posts, and tools to bring along. Now, I got somethin' else I wanna show ya."
Logan drove to the end of one of the fields, and then a short distance along the end of it to a draw. I realized this was a higher part of the creek I was already familiar with. Pulling to a stop, we got out. The creek here flowed through a natural meadow, full of flowers.
Logan grabbed the pack that held our lunches. He led me through the meadow to the creek. Here, it passed through a swimming hole which made the other one look small. With a gray wall of basalt rock on the other side, it was a stunning location.
Logan took off his clothes. "Time for a swim."
I stripped too. From a rock about three feet above water level, we dove into a deep pool. The water was refreshing after all the walking we'd done. It was also cold, so we didn't stay in very long.
Climbing out on the flat diving rock, we let the sun dry us as we ate our sandwiches, entertained by the music of the creek and the dragonflies hovering overhead.
"I've always wanted to have sex in this meadow. It's the perfect place."
I grinned. "What are we waiting for?"
He led me to an area near the edge of the meadow where the grass was shorter. Pulling me down with him, he rolled me onto my back.
"I don't got no lube, so we gotta do it the natural way." Spitting into his hand, he spread it on his pole and slowly entered me.
Logan gently moved inside me, pleasuring himself. I knew this was for him, and I didn't expect or want him to look after my needs. We kissed gently, and my hands roamed over his back, urging him to do whatever he wanted.
The only clue that he was going to cum was a brief gasp before he blew his load. He relaxed on top of me, his hand stroking my hair and the side of my face.
"That was perfect, hot-body Toby. Thanks for makin' my dream come true."
That was the first time he'd ever thanked me for something sexual. He'd always just taken, as if it was his natural right, like a bad-boy should.
I looked into his eyes and smiled. "Thank you for showing me this beautiful place. I hope we can do this again sometime."
We both wanted to stay there longer, but we had work to do. Specifically, I needed a lesson in tractor driving. As we reluctantly left the meadow, I paused to look back, capturing the moment in my memory before shifting back into work mode.
"This here is a John Deere 4020 tractor. It's old, but it's reliable. It's been part of the ranch since Gramps was a young man. His father bought it new. Now, I want ya to sit in the driver's seat and tell me what yer gonna do."
I climbed into the driver's seat, and Logan climbed up and sat on the left fender beside me.
"On the left side of the steering column is the clutch. It works just like a car. On the right are two brake pedals, one for each wheel. I'll be using them as if they were a single pedal. There's an ignition key here in front of me. The tractor is in park right now. Once I start it, I'll put it in a gear, probably fifth, and leave it there."
"The main difference between this and the truck is that there's no gas pedal. The throttle is on the steering column. I'll pull it down part way and start the engine. When it's running, I'll set the throttle to about 1000 RPMs. Then I'll push the clutch all the way in, put my other foot on the brake pedals, put it in gear, slowly release the clutch and brake pedals, and I'll be moving at a working speed. When I wanna stop briefly, I'll push on the brake pedals. If I wanna turn off the engine, I'll push the throttle to the top. Then I'll use the clutch to put it in park."
"Excellent! Now do it."
I'd studied well. Although it felt completely different than the pickup, I quickly had the tractor moving down the road.
"Okay, now stop it and back up about thirty feet." Using the brake, clutch and shift lever, I did as instructed.
"Now turn it around and head back to the shed where we got it. Stop outside the shed and we'll talk about it some more."
When I had the tractor parked, we both got off. Logan walked me around the tractor, pointing out safety and maintenance issues and identifying all of the working parts.
"When we start on Monday, I'll drive it out to the field with the trailer attached. Then we'll take turns drivin' it. All yer gonna be doin' is startin' and stoppin', just like ya did today. I'll teach ya more when ya gotta know how to do a particular job. Good work, fast-learnin' Toby. Ya done good."
We could see Logan's grandparents driving out to the road en route to my parents' house.
Logan seemed reluctant. "We gotta shower and be sociable now, I guess."
"You don't sound excited about it."
"It'll be fine. I'm just not a social person, and as Gramps says, I don't idle well."
"Don't worry, we'll find things to do while the others socialize."
He grinned. "Can we make use of yer bed?"
I grinned back. "Probably not."
Before we left for my parents' house, Logan and I took showers. I was waiting to go when he came out of his room. He was wearing his John Deere cap, his newest work boots, clean Levis, and a muscle shirt that displayed his hard body to its best advantage.
"You look great, Logan, but wouldn't a less sexy shirt be better for making a good impression on my parents?"
Logan grinned. "Relax, uptight Toby. I wanna be myself. Yer parents would see through a false front immediately. It'll be okay. Trust me."
Everyone else was in the backyard when we arrived at my parents' place. Logan and I walked around the house.
"Mom and Dad, this is Logan. Logan, this is my mother Ellen, and my father Don."
Dad followed up. "Hi Logan, we're glad to meet you. I'm sure we're going to get along with you as well as Toby does. He's enjoying being a ranch hand."
Logan was on his best behavior. "I'm pleased to meet both of ya. Toby is a hard worker and helps me a lot. I'm glad yer lettin' him work with me."
Logan did introductions too. "These are my grandparents, Toby. They're gonna want ya to call them Grams and Gramps like I do."
Gramps smiled at me. "We're both glad to meet you, Toby. You're a lot of help to Logan, and we really appreciate it."
Gramps and Dad were discussing the finer points of barbecuing the steaks that Gramps had brought over. Mom and Grams were sitting at the patio table getting acquainted. Logan and I were listening from a distance, and Logan was getting fidgety.
"Come on, Logan. Let's take a walk in our wood lot. It's only five acres instead of 2500, but it's a nice quiet place to be in."
Logan and I soon found a log and sat down on it. It seemed like a good time for me to ask some questions.
"If you don't mind telling me, why is it that you live with your grandparents?"
"My parents were killed in a car accident when I was five. I've lived with Grams and Gramps ever since then. They've been both parents and grandparents to me, and they do a great job with both roles. Parents are supposed to be more strict, and grandparents more easy-goin', but they manage both at the same time. I really appreciate them."
"How long have you been working with Gramps doing ranch work?"
Logan smiled. "Actually, since I was six. At first I just collected the eggs and helped with the garden. Gramps kept addin' new things every year. By the time I was ten, I was drivin' the tractor, and I had my driver's license before any of my friends did. I was movin' pipe by myself at twelve, and helpin' to fix fence soon after. It may sound like I'm overworked, but that's not true. I love it. Now, Gramps and I are more like partners."
Logan stood up, apparently having no questions to ask of me. "I can't sit for long. Let's go back and see what's goin' on with the food preparation. Maybe we can help."
Mom had us take the food out of the house to the table. Dad was done with the meat, so we served ourselves and sat down to eat. The conversation revolved around things my parents might want to get involved with in the community.
Gramps turned to my dad. "There's one subject I want to bring up which will probably require some thought from you and Ellen, and Toby too. There is some other work I would like Toby to help Logan with if you're willing. The first is some fence work. I need to stress that nothing we ask Toby to do will be dangerous. The law limits him to working no more than nine hours a day, and no more than six days a week. We won't ask him to do anything beyond what he wants to do and what all of you are comfortable with. If you could get back to me tomorrow on that, I would appreciate it."
Dad responded without hesitation. "Ellen and I have already made an agreement with Toby that he can make his own decisions about work within the framework of the law and common sense. The decision is his."
Gramps turned to me. "What about it, Toby?"
"I wanna do it. Thanks, Gramps."
"I should be thanking you. The fence work starts on Monday. Logan will give you the details."
I was so excited I could hardly contain myself, but I managed to act mature and pretend decisions like that were a daily matter for me.
After dinner, we sat around talking as a group for a while. Mom asked Logan questions about his life on the ranch and the school we would both be attending. They were hitting it off very well. I'd worried needlessly. Logan had been right about being himself.
The evening was ending. Dad and I walked out front with Logan and his grandparents.
Dad shook Gramps' hand. "Thanks for coming over. I hope we can do this often."
Gramps agreed. "So do I. It's been a great evening."
I walked with Logan to his truck. "I'll be over for the night tomorrow. Building fence is gonna be fun."
Logan grinned at me. "It's gonna be hard work. Don't kid yerself."
I walked back and stood by Dad, waving as they backed out of the driveway.
Dad put his hand on my shoulder, an unusual gesture. "You love him, don't you, Toby?"
I gulped. I had to be honest. "Yeah, I do."
Dad squeezed my shoulder gently. "Don't let him break your heart."
Dad went into the house to help Mom. I stood there for a few minutes absorbing what had just passed between Dad and me. I wasn't sure about Mom, but Dad understood more about me than I'd realized, and he was on my side.
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