The Catwalk On The Prairie

Something sharp hit me in the ass; I opened my eyes or came to or whatever. Looking down I could see I was laying over my Stallion, Ram, and, apparently, had been currying him when either I passed out or decided to take a nap. Either way, looking further down I could see the curry brushes and, a bit behind that, my boots which were not on the ground. Ram was putting up with this as he had one hoof balanced on the front edge horse shoe and was quietly waiting for me to do something. Another zing hit my other ass cheek and with more force than the first, hurt more. I slid down, turned around, wondered where my gun was then saw my partner, Heck, sitting on the fence, that stupid wonderful grin on his face, a rubber band and some folded over bottle caps carefully balanced on the rail beside him. "Get a good nap? Shore looked like one poohed out cowboy, leastways from what I could see."

I stood there, blank, the curry brushes still on my hands, just looking at him. He hopped down, picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, said that Ram had enough currying for one day, I'd had enough work for three men for one day and he was calling not just a time out, but an end to the day, didn't give a shit what time it was. 

He pushed the corral door closed with his boot, used my butt to push across the wooden piece that acted as a lock on the door then marched toward the open door at the end of the barn. Again using my ass, he pushed the door on its track shut, clicked the lock by raising his boot and clicking down the lock then proceded across the space between the barn and the house still with me wrapped around his neck. At some point first one than the other brush dropped to the ground not that I cared. Through the basement door, across the rumpus room, up the stairs to our bedroom where he dumped me on the bed, removed all my clothes then sat down beside me, taking my head in his hand.

"Dane, you're so fucking tired, you've worked too hard 'n I know why, all this means a big bunch to you, does to most of us but, buddy, I can't have you so stove in that you can't even walk or talk or fuck now can I?" I tried to come up with something to say but....it wasn't there, nothing was there. All I knew was I was on our bed in our room in his home and I was bone weary, almost collapsing with no strength left and...he knew it. "Ya know what? I gotta cure, well, we'll start with one, for right now. You just stay there, not that I think you can move much and I'll be straight away back. He looked down at me, ruffled my hair, leaned over, stroked my stubbled chin, kissed me then moved down and kissed my cock. Got no reaction.

"Fuck, you are gone. I kin usually get a little rise out of you..." I could feel the tears begin to drool down my cheeks. He sat down beside me, held me. "Aw, it ain't so bad, yer just one cowboy who's been ta too many rodeos and it's snapped you in the ass, you're down for the count. Might have ta do a little more for you...." he mumbled something about all the fucking work I did that my cocksucker cousin and his brother pushed over on the two of us. Quietly he was saying, "ain't right, no sirree, no way is this right and by gum I'm gonna fix it but gotta get Dane well...jeez I'm worried, never saw a man go to sleep over a horse unless he was tied up behind a rider. He looked at me, a tear or two still dripped  down my cheek and made a zig zag path through my unshaven face. He was turned away from me. "Fuck, nothin' I love more'n that man over there. Gave me his cherry, his work, his love, his promise to always be mine, to stay here, fuck whatever he'd done. Happy to be a cowboy 'n he's on his way ta being a good one, just a little too enthusiastic. Jeez he shore is pretty even tired like that. He laughed, wonder what them folks who loved his pictures would think if they saw him now? Just a tired cow hand, stark naked and out cold. But I wasn't. Quite.

He came over sat down on the bed by me, pulled one of those beautiful hand made quilts he had over me, kissed me and...I felt a tear fall from him. Again, quietly, "I'm a damn ol fool, letting him work to prove he can to please me why, fuck I know'd all that, first day when he picked up the two feed bags. Look at those shoulders now, twicet as big, those cannons, those calves...he's as fuckin strong as I am and it's all work muscle leastways most of it. When he isn't doin' somethin he's playing with that high bar thing or those weights he made from ceement, a steel pole and some cans filled with the ceement. Doesn't even strain...now. Yeup, he's said goodbye to that career of everyone lookin at him, he's home, he's my man and he's in pain in my bed. He plunked down beside me, putting his hand on my shoulders. "Don't worry, Partner, you've earned some time off and I'm shore as shootin gonna see you get it. He got up, went into the bathroom, heard the water and I thought I knew what he was planning; Something he and I didn't do very often but when we did, we sat in opposite ends of the big, old fashioned tub in all the bubbles and jacked each other off with our toes, That's what he's up to. It was fun, too, at least when I could remember what my toes were and what to do with them.

I guess I wasn't tracking all points 'cuz Heck sat at one end of the bathtub but instead of enjoying himself, he was having to work to keep me from sliding under the bubbles and into the water. "Well, Fuck." He climbered out of the tub making sure he had a hold on me, turned the empy spigot watching all my body be covered in pink bubbles then hauled me out of the tub and into the shower. There was a fair sized bench built in, wide enough to sit or lie down on-he took the former, I got the latter. Couldn't tell whether he was talking to me or himself or just "some one" who didn't have to be around. He also mumbled here and again so I might have missed some of it....

With the shower running hell for leather, the rain room getting moist and enfolding, I wanted nothing but to lay there, my head in his lap, his holding me while he ranted on. Didn't mean much but it was good for him to say it and good for me to hear it. Heck lacked subtlety so whatever he was saying he meant and whether he meant it.....perhaps the warmth and the water would sluice off him, maybe calm him but I knew better than to lie to my self, he wanted old fashioned blood to setttle the imagined score and that's all he would accept. Got up and paced back and forth doing some sort of counting exercise which made little sense as all I could hear was something, "One them cock.......three, naw, that's too good for 'em"... long stretch of pacing but this time he was working on his summation for a non-existent jury, all male, based on what he was saying and must have been in an all male court room. Judge, deputies, gentlemen of the jury all in cowboy gear, all leaned forward as only a cowboy can do, elbows on knees, hat pushed back, big cowboy bulge on each of 'em....it was his kind of  jury and they were eating whatever he was serving up. This wasn't my Heck, this was lawyer Heck, the good guy wearing the white hat, with the Amarillo roll on the brim, white shirt, unsnapped to just above his navel, white jeans, bigger bulge than any man on the jury, worn just like his and, of course, white boots with a roping heel and about a twenty inch shaft. His hair blew in the breeze, his green eyes flashed, he was asking, no demanding for a punishment so terrible the jury almost, but not quite. recoiled in fear of rendering a verdict but then he came to the final few words. something about his partner, so tired he'd gone to sleep over the back of his stallion and didn't even rise when he, personal, sucked the cock that gave us so much happiness. The eyes of the jury turned demon red, there was a black horse ridden by a twin to Heck working at getting free to go stomp someone. The rider twirled an envelope toward the jury fore man who read it. stood up and said.....the room lost all sound. " Your honor, we have a unanimous verdict...."

Somehow I stumbled into the well stark naked in front of the Judge, the Jury and Heck. "Please Sirs, whatever is in that envelope, don't read it. You got my man in front of you and he deserves no punishment other than to be stuck with me for the rest of his life.." there was a good humored chuckle..."what he wants is justice, no, vengeance for something I stupidly did, I worked too hard to prove to him I wanted to be a cowboy, that I really loved him, that no matter what, drought, tornado, prairie fire, I'd be right by him so.....as to the other two, well, Sirs, drop the envelope into the can, drop a match, forget whatever was on it just, please, give me my cowhand that I love......" The courtroom was quiet. Heck came to me, picked me up and started to carry me away when the Judge asked him to stop, to bring my body before the bench, he asked the Men of the Jury to step up, too. 

"Gentleman, it ain't often we get a man asking for only what's rightly his. I'm calling for a Unanimous Verdict that makes the one in the arms of the man he loves and who loves him, a cowboy now and forever." Not having good sense, I passed out.

The shower was not only moisture laden but fog had started to build up. Heck stood at one end, facing several of the shower head, I couldn't see his face but his body was in the relaxed stance of Michelangelo's David, just no stone in his hand. When Heck thought there was no mistaking what he was doing, it was intense and led to him making a decision or coming up with an idea. Somewhere in the fog I had the impression of twelve cowboys and a judge smiling, swatting me on the rump with attaboys but they didn't exist....really. Just laying there, waiting for Heck to deliver his own verdict and, when he did, it was with a smile. "Buddy, you 'n me, we're goin' away, take us a trip, see something we ain't seen before." He sat beside me and worked my head onto his saddle muscled thighs, "Yessir that's what we're gonna do and the only person I need to call is.....our travel agent." I wondered who that might be? 

He picked me up, amazingly I stood without giving him fright that I couldn't stay upright so when he scrubbed me, rinsed me then turned off the water, always careful with water, he got me wrapped in one of those huge towels and set to drying me off. I guess I must have been wetter than I thought for it took two more towels to get me as dry as he wanted me. Back to the bedroom where with elegant softness, he put me in bed, pulled the quilts over me, closed my eyes for me so I heard but did not see the door close.

It was dark although what hour, no idea. Heck had removed all the time telling devices saying that if we wanted to sleep in then that's what we'd do. Having always been very careful about time, this new way of seeing it had been hard on me at first. Not saying anything, he put my watch someplace where I couldn't find it then staged an elaborate search party to try and recover it; Strangely, it was never found. A long time later a red faced Heck confessed to me that my obsession with time, rather than with him was...unsettling so he took direct, if sneaky, action and hid it where he knew I wouldn't find it and he was right, After pretending to be annoyed for about ten seconds I put it in a drawer, my arms around him, forgave him then fucked him. Hey, there had to be some modest "punishment".

Heck was not in bed which was unusual however, I knew him so well that to wonder where he was amounted to wondering about nothing so I rolled on my side, grabbed a pillow, adjusted a quilt and went back to sleep.

The sound of two men laughing came to me, one was clearly Heck but the other one....sort of familiar but....Heck stuck his head in the door and announced that our travel agent had come to pay us a call. That got me sitting up. The next man around the corner was my Dad, should have known, he and Heck had grown very close, I knew how much time they spent on the phone just being buddies gassing with one another. 

I was so glad to see him I hopped up on the floor, hugged him and just held onto him. Held him back, looked at him, then just held him remembering what Dad always smelt like.

"Like our travel agent? No body better 'n he's got a buddy with him." Bob the Barber in Amarillo stuck his head around the door. "Member me?" I hugged and kissed him, too."

"He'll settle down directly so why don't we all go to the rumpus room find some rumpus making spirits and wait for my cowboy to get some clothes on and come join us....that is if he's able?" There was genuine concern in his voice, I knew he'd seen me down as low as I'd ever been, sleeping over Ram....didn't look good but now I was almost fully recovered and seeing Bob and Dad, well, it just carried me over the bar without a pole.

No idea why this informal gathering of the clan was occurring but I felt I'd find the reason and it would have some sort of sloppy logic. Whatever the reason I was glad to see all of them, particularly my Dad. I led it off as I suspected I was the reason they were all here. Wasn't very clever but..."What's up, what brings you to not quite town? Glad to see all of you but...."

Dad was first. "Yeah, Dane, Heck has told us about the furious pace you've set for yourself and he thinks, really hard to disagree with him, that it's done to make him, to assure him that you can do it, be a meaningful part of the range but, Son, the way to doing that isn't almost killing yourself. He knows you love him, hell, we all know that but dying for love only takes place in Romance Novels not on cattle ranches."

Bob was next up. "I know you've set quite a store by getting me out of the hair trade and into the skin trade but, Dane, I will get there, now that I've seen and understand, it's a great way to make money, stow it away then go back to barbering when the time to fold my muscles and depart arrives. You've bent over backward, typical for you, to get all this done and you'll be amazed at what your ideas an concepts have put together. Since that first day in the tack room, there'd have been no act, no successful haircutting if it hadn't been for you."

I think I was blushing. Heck sat beside me, held me close and whispered, "Buddy, they all love you, none more'n me but it's close. Just listen to a few suggestions and think about it."

"Your uncle and I are ashamed of the way Britt has acted and it didn't take many phone calls to realize what he was doing was aimed at you, make you drop from exhaustion cuz they knew you'd never give up." Heck picked it up. "Clem was deep in it as Britt, he's long wanted to get away, he's sick of the ranch, the life here, me and now you so there's only one clear way they could see n that was to sicken you with work but....they hadn't quite planned on your guts and....." He had to swallow hard to say it, "Your love fer me." He quit speaking because I had my lips on his mouth then on my Dad's, whether he'd been kissed like that or not. Didn't seem to hurt him.

"I guess....I'm supposed to ask, 'what now'" Or is there a next step, we just pitch them in the horse tank and let them....." My father stopped me. "There's more, son, there is more." I could tell they were mentally passing the hot potato around trying to find the person best suited to tell me the next part and it fell on my Dad. I could see he dreaded it but....he took the short stick and it was his to tell. Big sigh. "Dane, they planned to break your legs figuring that you'd go into some place that looked more like a city and where they could whoop and holler......."

After the part about breaking my legs, I lost track of the conversation, just stared out the nearest window, course there was nothing to see then fooled them all by passing out.

I thought I heard someone say, "Christ, we'll be lucky if he didn't break a leg..." and another..."Naw, he's too tough fer that, just plain ole shock, anyone say they blame him....?"

No clothes back in bed. Bob was checking me over, apart from a couple of very minor sprains, I was going to be fine. Or maybe not as fine as I'd been a few minutes ago but, eventually, fine. I knew I wasn't going to ask why, didn't need to, just wondered which of the two first thought up this little idea. Didn't ask about that, either, I'd know, yes I would, I'd know which cocksucker wanted to shut it all down and, how disappointed they must have been when it all rolled back on them. I did wonder why Jerry wasn't with them and that I did put somewhere to ask about. Real soon, too.

It was quiet in the room. Heck snuggled up, held me, kissed me, with tears in his eyes, all he could muster was to say how sorry, how very sorry....but I put first my finger and then my lips over his and stopped the conversation. There'd been enough talk for one evening. I rolled over so I could scoot into Heck, closed my eyes and prepared to go back to sleep, I guess I did.

This time it was morning, for sure. Heck was beside me but he wasn't the only one, Dad and Bob had their side as well and, very much to my surprized there had been some sort of action. I punched Heck, aimed over his body with my thumb and gave him a good, "What's up?". He tried to surpress laugher but it would have required more effort than he had. Leaning in to me he whispered, "Shit in my hat if them two didn't cozy up to each other, course the booze might a helped as well, and by the time they were off to bed, you'd a laughed yerself sick, they couldn't find them rooms so they just decided to bunk in with us....not much happened, an I know cuz I was next to 'em. But theys shore friendly, leastways what I could see 'n best thing for us to do is nothin'. Won't hurt 'em to let off a little steam might do them some good. 

He sat up and stretched for a couple of minutes, leaned over, gave me a peck on the cheek then wandered off toward the bathroom followed by wash up and shaving noises. Came back to the bedroom reached into some drawers and a closet, pulled on his button front work pants, some work socks, shirt, pulled on his boots and by damn it was Heck. He looked at me, winked and headed for the kitchen. That left me with my Dad, Bob and a whole lot of curiousity. I tapped Dad on his bare shoulder. That roused him as he made a whole lof of noise, then took stock of the situation. Trying to roll over to get out of bed, he rolled right over Bob and that surprised him. " Holy shit, Son that isn't supposed to be there."

"Relax, it was a boozy evening, or so I'd gather, and everyone else just got comfortable. If the two of you did anything, I'm betting you and Bob enjoyed it so just be quiet about it an see what turns up. Wanna shower?"

"I'm following you." He looked back. "Are you sure?"  "No, but then neither are you so just forget about it, if you did, you probably enjoyed it, as did he, no point in replaying the point. Come on in, the water's just right. For old times sake, scrub my back." It was great being with Dad, the warmth of the shower, the warmth of his body, his slow circles that spreak the good gel all around which turned to soap which turned to thick viscous lather. It was the sort of experience every father should have with their father for it said that we're two men, no secrets, just the shared pleasure of a sort of intimacy that is just that without leading to intimate actions that would have shifted the spectrum and not for the better. 

I suppose it was while we were in the shower that the conversation of earlier in the day came round. The water turned cool, from somewhere a chill breeze went up my lets and caused my nuts to gather up and hide away. The was the remembrance of three men saying that something would be done. Something would be done about the two and what they'd once thought of doing. 

"Dad?, Yesterday, you and the other guys kinda said that something would have to be done.....about.." He honed in on a spot that must have been extra dirty. "Yep, that we did and Heck is getting the first part ready now." I whirled around, "Dad, no, I may have been the aggirieved party but you cannot...." He was very silent, for Dad, far too silent. He sat me down on the bench and sat by me. "Yeah, we can and will. Help us or not, approve or not, those two are in for what they've so richly deserved in a long time. You know it, Heck knows it, even Bob knows it. No one is going to be sorry unless it's you and I would lose some respect for you if you did."

I looked at him, the father I loved and realized....I'd been an idiot to let those two hellions get away with all they did and then to think in in despertation, they'd intentionally damage me...." I sat down hard on the shower floor. "What about Jerry? You told him?" "He just laughed his ass off, said to send pictures. Of all of us, he's the most damaged cuz you see son, Britt broke his Daddy's heart." He leaned his head against the shower wall, closed his eyes and tears appeared. From both of us.

Broke Jerry's heart. The little shit, of course that's just what he'd done over too many years. Left Jerry to hold the bag for whatever miscue he's made. Stuck me with elaborate excuses for what or why or who....he wasn't there. But broke his heart. Of course he wasn't here, and I was glad of it. Which calf called to his mother the longest? Britt. Which calf clung to his father hoping he'd get him out of scrapes, 'Britt. To any any and a dozen questions the answer was "Britt". 

Then there's was Clem. Heck never talked about what a mess he was, didn't need to, it was obvious. Plus Heck had put up with him and in dimishing returns for far longer. Britt at worst could only throw tantrums but Clem could do that, plus play merry hell with the way the ranch worked, or he didn't work and Heck, silent and totally lacking in expression, just....took it. What else could he do? When we came along, well, as it turned out, as I came along, he must have prayed that I'd stay, love him or not, just stay to be his friend, the man he worked side by side by....but that didn't work out quite that way either. If there was one thing Heck was sure of, it was me and how did he know? Because I didn't just tell him, I'd showed him. 

I'd gone back to our bedroom just to lay down and, of course, went to sleep. The noise that wakened me was a few hits with a hammer, no particular sounding noise but still I got up to see what was going on. On what we laughingly called the back yard, there was now an old looking piece of timber, maybe twelve feet tall, been around for a lot of years and depending from it, two iron ring, one on each side, I knew what it was, the thing Heck often laughed about, the whipping post. He finished sticking wedges in at all for sides, gave it a good rub and walked away. It was real and would be used, no question or doubt.

Heck appeared in my door. "It's time. Put some clothes on and join us. And Dane, for me, for us, you gotta do this," I nodded my acceptance, quickly dressed and went out to where the post was, Britt and Clem were tied up by another pole, gagged so they'd cause nothing other distraction, waiting for the main event. Which was about to start. Bob and My Dad took the  pair out and, using a short step ladder, hauled each pair, one at a time up to the rings and secured their wrists. Heck went up and stripped their clothes from them using a Bowie knife-someone had thoughtfully removed their boots already. 

"A'int much to say so I'll keep it quickly. You two know what you did and hearin' it again won't change nothin. Told you more'n once what happens when ya turn against yer people or your friends-you did both. Theys pieces of wood between your jaws, use em if you have to." He made the snake skirl around the ground a few times, grasp at their ankles then drew it back. It was if in that moment, the air, the birds looked away. The stroke looked almost lazy but you could come back if you know the who, the why and the how to address someone. The crack was loud, full of lust and anger and pain but was only a promise as the two men, almost falling down in fear, were moved to the central post, the whipping post, their arms pulled up, their legs pulled out to pegs pegs in the ground and secured, their clothes ripped off then it was truly silent. Heck said nothing but furled and unfurled the long thick leather cord until it wrapped around both bodies, falling away leaving a tracery of where it had been. Left side, right side, their bodies twitching and gyrating with pain. Blood began to seep from the wounds; It was easy to discern that they would have been screaming had their mouths not been secured. And then it stopped.

Heck walked forward curling the snake as he moved then like a meat butcher, assayed the condition of each hunk of their carcasses. "Almost", he said, almost. "Turn 'em". He took out a smaller whip, a cat o nine tails, lashed it across their faces. two times in each direction. "Gentlemen remember the price of beauty?" Each face had been carressed twice with the cat leaving ugly scars on each one. Maybe it would heal back to what it had been but....not very likely.

"Take 'em away". From no where a black pick up truck appeared and the two were set upright in the back, their faces in masks, their bodies held up by a tracery of strong cords and a pole. "Drive on." Clem and Britt turned away and went...somewhere. Heck turned, washed out with the enormnity of what he'd just done and stood there. He croacked out, "Call Billy, tell him the two prime pieces are on their way, let me know how it goes. Thank him for....all of us." He started back into the house and we followed him.

The silence was not only profound but painful. Each of us had our own reaction and sharing it just then would have accomplihsed...nothing. I went behind the wet bar, drew a large carafe of water and starterd making coffee. Didn't know if any one might want some but it seemed an attachement to a previous time, a previous place. Didn't even get out mugs or any of the fixings, just announced when it was ready. No movement.

It fell to the youngest, the curious to ask.....anything. "Did they know where they're going?", No answer, at least not right away. Dad looked up and said that there had been arrangements made for them to go to a sort of school for cowboys who forget they are. They'll see the marks, they'll know the tale and apart from days of whining, they'll be left alone, can't come back here, far too far away, won't know where they are and nobody's gonna tell 'm. After that, it's really up to them, Britt, my pick to fail, will blubber until his face washes off and then they'll be some hard decisions to make, Come to that one when we need to. 

I could not take it all in, somehow I felt responsible but knew that wasn't wholly true. It was their fault although what had been done might have seemed excessive....maybe. Britt's career....Mine if I ever wanted it again. Only thing I could think of to do was go to bed and, to Heck's surprized, I asked Dad if he'd bunk in with me. All I wanted was to hold him, fix in my mind his smells, how he felt, nothing more but I was definite on those; People moved around so quickly, Bob didn't quite know what to think apart from Heck telling him nothing else was gonna be much different, just take a little time for him and me to give give a little time to see what happened. 

Heck suddenly stood up, "Gents, I don' t know about you but I think I'd like a drink." The sound of stools, boots, normal sounds congregating around some place where we'd all had a short snort in the past. Just this time it didn't seem companionable, it was short by two even tho no one missed them and wanted them there. We each had a short snort then one at a time, no excuse, none needed, we headed for the our rooms. No one said good night, fuck you, go to hell, just doors closing. Dad and I just stood there, no reason to undress but no reason to just stand there either. "Shower?" He looked at me like a shot went through the room then subsided. "No thanks, you go on ahead, maybe get some of that pain from the roofing job done."

Again, I had to take the steel poker and break the glass. "What will you say to Jerry? I don't know how much money Jerry relied on 'Britt to support....."

"Your brother and I could support you and your brother quite well even if you'd never smiled at the birdie. Don't worry about Jerry, he's nicely fixed, so am I and, frankly, this gig in Vegas isn't going to hurt our cash flow. Only thing I worry about now is...you. You and Heck. "

"Yeah, I worry about that a little myself sometimes. Hecks clever, he's got this one figured it out. " We started easing out of our clothes which meant sitting down on our boot bench and each helping the other pull his boots off. Once done, we just sat there. 

"Dad, would you ever consider fucking me? Maybe tonight?"

"Yeah, I'd think about it but wouldn't do it. Now, if you was to say lets hop up in that bed, give each other massages.....I'm all for it."

"Hoped you'd say that cuz so am I. Jeez I love you Dad."

"Back atcha Son, back atcha....."