Still Another Chance ~ Book Four of Another Chance

(A Crossover with Priorities)

by Zarek Dragon

Author’s Note:  To avoid unnecessary repetition, the reader will need to read the corresponding chapter in Priorities to get all the interactions between the various characters.

 

Patrick Henry asked his parents if he could have his party at the ranch. His true friends were there and he didn't have any relatives planning to come see him. They agreed and suggested that he take whatever he was planning to have and wear after, so he could start his "vacation" after the party.

Jim couldn't believe how fast the week had been going. It seemed like they just had Brock's wedding and here it was the Fourth of July, already. When Patrick Henry's family called, Zac advised them to come early. They would be leading the parade this year and as long as they were coming, they would like Patrick to have the honor of wielding the American flag.

At the start of the parade, the announcer stated, "Folks, you remember Patrick Henry? Last year he was very ill and his family wasn't sure he would see Christmas. Thankfully, God or someone stepped in and cured the boy of an incurable disease. What better person to carry the American flag than one with such a patriotic name as Patrick Henry? And I'm told that today is his birthday. If you want to help him celebrate, he will be at the Another Chance Ranch. Along with the family will be a representative taking donations for the Leukemia Foundation. And the new owners of the ranch will be giving tours of the soon-to-be opened, Another Chance Boys' Home. They will be accepting donations as well. So let's do Cody proud and help both of these great causes."

Once they were back at the ranch, Zac, Jim, Joe and Chris couldn't believe how busy they were. Joe, Chris, Eric and Tuck went over to the Boys' Home to give tours to the guests wanting one. Aunt Sallie waited with the donation buckets. Joe watched as an elderly lady approached Aunt Sallie. "Ma'am, is there a minimum that I must donate for a tour?"

Aunt Sallie replied, "Donations are strictly voluntary. You may donate as little or as much as you wish and donations are not mandatory for a tour but are appreciated."

"Can I wait until after the tour to donate?" the lady asked.

Aunt Sallie smiled at the lady and simply said, "If you would like."

Joe asked the lady if she would like to have him or Eric give the tour and she looked at Eric. "He's more my size, you may walk too fast."

Eric offered his elbow and advised her, "If you think I walk to fast, let me know. You seem like a nice lady and I don't want you to miss anything."

It was almost an hour later when Eric returned with her. The elderly lady walked back over to Aunt Sallie and handed her a wad of hundred dollar bills. "That young man did such wonderful job explaining everything. I have ten bills here that I would like to donate and I have no relatives to leave anything to, can I put the Home down as my heir?"

Aunt Sallie started to cry, "We would love that, and any time you want to stop by after we open, I'm sure the boys would be happy to visit with you."

"Well, what I have isn't much," the lady offered, "I'm a retired history teacher, but if everything was sold, I'm sure it would help a little. Do you think the boys would mind if I visit and share a few history lessons?"

Joe returned from taking his guest on the tour, "Ma'am, I couldn't help but overhearing. We will be teaching the boys here. If you would like to visit and share a few history lessons, we would be honored. Come as often as you like."

The lady smiled, "I'd be happy to teach a history lesson on a scheduled basis if you would like."

Eric looked at her and said, "I'd bet you know a lot about history. As we were talking, you taught me a few things I didn't know about Buffalo Bill Cody. You're definitely not old enough to have known him personally, but the way you talked, it sounded like you did and you made me want to know more." The lady patted Eric on the head and then left after giving Joe her phone number.

A snobbish looking woman approached Aunt Sallie. She inquired, "Do I need to donate to both?"

"Dear, donating is entirely up to you," Aunt Sallie replied. "This bucket is for the Boy's Home and that bucket is for the Leukemia Foundation." Aunt Sallie couldn't tell how much the lady donated, but she did see several large bills.

At the end of the day, Heather and the representative counted the donations. Between what Patrick Henry and Aunt Sallie took in, they raised $250 thousand to help fight leukemia. The representative said, "This will be a big help, but we still have a long way to go." They counted $326 thousand for the Home.

On the seventh, Jim looked at Zac and asked, "Are we just having a party? You know Jackson will suspect something if we invite him to the ranch."

"You are probably correct," Zac replied, "but he isn't aware that we know his birthday. Ryan and I do have a plan." With that, Zac explained to Jim what they were thinking.

Later that day, Jim and Zac were at the bank talking with the manager. After much discussion, Zac asked if he could use the bank's phone to make a call. Zac spoke into the phone, "Hey, ummm, Jackson, didn't you sign the paperwork to transfer the ranch's funds over to Jim, Joe, Chris and me?"

Jackson replied, "I sure did, the manager took care of it, himself."

Zac sighed, "He said that he thought you had, but he can't find it and we don't have access to pay the ranch's bills, payroll or anything until either it turns up, or you come sign another one."

"Ugggh," Jackson responded. "Ryan and Colt are out with my car. Ryan said that he was going after something and asked Colt if he wanted to tag along. I'll see if I can get Dad or Jacob to take me."

Zac said, "Jim and I would appreciate it. It would be sad if we only owned the ranch for a month and couldn't pay the bills."

With that, Jackson walked across the drive to talk to Jacob. "I didn't see Dad leave, but he's not home and I need to go to the bank. Is there any chance that you can run me over there, or let me use a vehicle?"

"Well, Elizabeth and Jared left this morning to go to South Dakota, so only my truck is here," Jacob answered. "If it's important, I can take you, but you don't need to run. By the way, happy birthday."

"Shhhh, not many people know today is my birthday and I like keeping it that way," Jackson whispered.

Jacob grabbed his keys and was out the door. Within minutes, they were at the bank. It was seventy-seven degrees, so not too hot, but Jacob didn't feel like waiting in the car, so he followed Jackson in. Jackson headed for the manager's office but the secretary redirected him. "I.T. is working on his computer so he's in the conference room."

Jackson looked at her, "How did the transfer of accounts get lost? I've never seen this bank that careless."

"Perhaps the manager can shed some light on that," was all that she said.

Jackson opened the door as a crowd of people yelled, "Surprise!" Jackson wagged his finger at Ryan…

Colt walked up to him, "Dad, did we surprise you?"

Jackson feigned grumpiness, "Yes, dang it." Then he smiled, "I taught you boys well. I'm guessing the 'document needing me to sign' was just a ruse."

The manager smiled, "Of course it was. Did you honestly think I would be that careless? The boys told me what they wanted to do and since Another Chance is our biggest client, I was happy to help."

The cake had Jackson's and Jacob's names on it. Jackson looked at his brother and said, "I guess this is a surprise party for you, too."

Jacob chuckled as Elizabeth gave him a hug. She said, "You played your part well."

"You were in on this?" Jackson asked.

Jacob smiled and admitted, "It was my job to make sure you had a way here."

Jackson enjoyed the party, even if it was a surprise party, and he and Jacob received lots of presents. Jackson walked up to Jim and Zac and said, "I'm glad you didn't have this at the ranch. I would have spoiled your fun."

Patrick walked over and inquired, "How old are you now, twenty-three?"

Jackson gave Patrick a hug, "I like you more and more, but you weren't too far off. I turned twenty-five today."

Patrick gave Jackson a "puppy dog" face and asked, "Are you forgetting something, Mmmmmisssss…?"

"Don't you dare say that word," Jackson chuckled as he mussed up Patrick's hair.

As he fixed his hair, he muttered, "Old geezers…" and then he smiled at Jackson. With the party a success, Jackson "threatened" to get even.

Things were quiet, other than the daily phone calls to Mrs. Granger and to Phoenix. Mrs. Granger proved to be very friendly and helpful. Zac could tell that her main concern was the well-being of all of the boys under her charge, and that included Phoenix. "Mrs. Granger, I can see from Trevor and Roger how much you care about the children you protect. I'm glad that you were willing to work with us on Phoenix, and I promise that, as this home takes in boys, they will know that we are here for them and not the other way around."

Mrs. Granger stated, "I know you will. I've talked with Miss Dewill, or Aunt Sallie as you know her. She told me how you boys are with Jake and Patrick. And she told me a little about the young man going to school to be a case worker; I believe she said his name is Joe. I find it admirable that he could go to school and be whatever he wanted, and that is what he chose. If I didn't think Phoenix would be in good hands, I wouldn't have assisted in getting the transfer ready. Please, don't tell Phoenix yet, I am planning to tell him tomorrow."

Zac chuckled to himself, then spoke, "I'm not even going to tell my husband. I'm going to leave that up to Phoenix, but I hope I'm there when he does." Mrs. Granger thanked Zac for his patience and then hung up. All day, Zac was in a really good mood and Jim didn't know why.

On the eighteenth, Jim was just starting a training lesson when Joe came out of the office. He walked over and offered, "Let me take care of this class, you have an important phone call from Rapid City. I'm not sure if Phoenix is really excited or upset, but he insisted on talking with you. Zac's talking to him until you get in there."

Jim turned the class over to Joe and rushed to the office. He overheard Zac saying, "I'm sure everything will work out, here's Jim now."

Zac thought Jim sounded out of breath, both from rushing and from being worried, "Phoenix, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"I was just told that I won't be able to stay with the Kings after this week," Phoenix stated.

Jim's heart was breaking, "Why not? We had everything worked out so you could stay with them until you can come here? Does it have anything to do with them coming here for their wedding?"

"Well, yeah, sorta," Phoenix teased. "See, Mrs. Granger expedited the transfer request and when they go to Cody, I get to go and stay. She just told me today."

"Oh, I'm sorry to…" Jim started and then it hit him. "Wait, no, I am not sorry, are you serious?!?! I am so happy!" Zac started chuckling as he recorded Jim.

Jim couldn't wait for the Kings to arrive. He and Zac had talked about the pros and cons of adopting Phoenix and felt that it wouldn't be fair to Phoenix, Patrick or Jake if they did, but having him on the ranch, at the Home would be the next best thing. At his age, chances were slim that he would get adopted, but if it happened, Jim would be happy for him, but sad at the same time.

The twentieth finally arrived and the Kings would be pulling into the ranch at some time. As they were approaching Gillette, WY, Trevor got a bright idea and opened his Skype to call Patrick. "I thought you would like to know that we are on our way and should arrive in about five hours," Trevor announced.

Patrick got excited, "That's cool, and Dad and Papa are barbecuing a whole cow! They started it yesterday and said that it probably has about six hours left to cook."

"I'll let Dad and Grandpa know so they can plan when we stop to eat lunch accordingly," Trevor declared.

After Patrick got off Skype with Trevor, he asked, "Can Scott, Austin, Eric, Jake, Patrick and I ride horses to the front gate so we can hang our banner we made for Phoenix?"

Zac looked thoughtful, "You can if you want, or if you prefer, Dad or I can drive you to the main gate. It is six miles. And you may want a ladder to hang it high enough."

"Dad's busy talking to the hands cooking the cow, so can you?" Patrick asked.

Zac mussed Patrick's hair and said, "Let me grab a ladder and I will meet you boys at the truck."

When the bus pulled in, everyone was waiting to greet them. As soon as the doors opened, Phoenix ran off the bus into Jim's waiting arms. He cried, "I can't believe that I'm actually here."

Once everyone was off the coach, Patrick took Scott over to meet Trevor and Roger. As soon as Patrick introduced Scott to Trevor, Scott's eyes went wide as Trevor gave him a very passionate kiss. When they broke the kiss, Trevor turned to Patrick and said, "You're right, he IS a great kisser."

Everyone else was milling around and Trevor realized not everyone knows who everyone else is. He called Patrick over to him and both stepped onto the steps of the motorcoach. "Excuse me everyone, Patrick and I realize that not everyone here knows everyone else, so, I'm going to introduce everyone who got off the coach, and Patrick is going to introduce everyone who's here from Another Chance.

"So, I'm Trevor King, standing right at the base of the steps is my boyfriend, Roger Duchamp."

Trevor gestured towards each individual, "This is Henri and Marine Duchamp, Roger's parents, next to them are my parents, Nick and Bobby King. Over here is my Grandpa, Nathan King, He's talking to our housekeeper Ange, and her two boys, Robert and Jacques. Over by Ryan Sprayberry are two of my best friends from the orphanage Roger and I came from, Alex Brooks and Nigel Cooper. And as you all know, Phoenix, my kissing cousin, got off the coach, but he's from Cody now!"

Phoenix, who still was holding Jim tightly, heard what Trevor said and yelled back, "You're the one who kissed me, and I must add, Roger is lucky!"

Patrick began introducing everyone from Another Chance, "Most of you know me, but for those that don't, I'm Patrick Bolt. The gorgeous guy to my left is my boyfriend Scott Gavin. Over there are my parents, Jim and Zac Bolt, and my little brother Jake. Next to Jake is my cousin Austin Jordan, then one of my best friends, Patrick Henry and another cousin, Eric. We have my Grandma Heather and Grandpa Nick. Grandma is a great cook and makes the best liver and onions." Everyone laughed as Jake shook his head and made a face. "My silly brother doesn't like liver and onions."

"You're silly, Patrick," Jake shouted out. Everyone chuckled, again.

"Anyway, beside Grandma is my Uncle Chris. He says that he's not a hero, but he is, and he saved Dad's life at the risk of his own," Patrick had to wipe a tear from his eye. "Eric's parents are Uncle Joe and Uncle Buster. Then we have Colt, Jackson and Ryan. Next is…"

As Patrick got to the Dylan family, Ryan interrupted, "I'm sorry Patrick, but I must make an announcement at this time. Nigel, do you remember when these two came to the group home and spent the day with you?"

"Oh yes, I had fun and enjoyed being with them," Nigel replied. "I told Mrs. Granger that I would love to be adopted by a family just like them."

Ryan gave the boy a smile and said, "I'm glad, they filed paperwork and I'm happy to say that it was approved. Jacob and Elizabeth are your new parents."

Nigel looked excited and asked, "For real?"

Alex tried to smile, he was happy for Nigel, but he was also going to miss him. Jackson questioned, "So when are we filing for adoption?"

Ryan said, "I already filed. I told them that if Nigel's adoption wasn't approved, Alex wouldn't want to be adopted either, but I wanted the paperwork started."

Alex looked at Ryan and asked, "And?"

Ryan simply replied, "Welcome home, Son."

Alex muttered, "But home is in Denver, so I'll still be able to see Nigel, just not very often."

Ryan squatted so he was eye-level with the boy, "Do you remember, I told you that if Jackson and I are able to adopt you and Nigel's adoption was approved, you would stay with Grandma and Grandpa?"

Alex answered, "Vaguely."

Ryan told him, "Unfortunately, that won't be the case." Alex's heart sank. He wondered, 'Why did Ryan bring that up?' Ryan gave him a grin, "The law firm I used to work for had a partner move to New York to open an office there. They asked me if there was any chance I would be interested in coming back, so I gave my notice two weeks ago. The end of this month will officially be my last day as a judge and we are moving back to Cody. Jacob asked Grandma and Grandpa to move in with them so we will have the house across the drive for us."

Alex's face lit up at the thought of him and Nigel being adopted and living just across a driveway from each other. He ran over to Trevor and asked, "Did you know?"

Trevor had a tear running down his face, "Yeah, I did, and I'm so happy for both of you. You better keep in touch, I know where you live."

Colt looked at Ryan and asked, "You were guaranteed a job for the rest of your life, and you were making good money. Will you make as much? Why did you give it up?"

Ryan hugged Colt and said, "Money wasn't the issue, but I will actually be making a little more. As for job security, I am guaranteed a job as long as the firm stays in business. What made me give up the judge position was, I was tired of seeing you and Jackson only on the weekends, and I know how much it means for you to move back here. I turned in my notice and called the law firm. That's when they offered me the position."

Jackson added, "And I already sold the ranch in Denver to that guy that wanted it. He offered me twenty percent over what I paid for it."

Colt gave Ryan and Jackson hugs and said, "Thank you, I love you."

Alex asked, "Is that why Mrs. Granger had us pack up everything in our room like we were moving out? She said they had to do some work in it while we were gone."

Ryan replied, "I'm sure she will give the room a fresh coat of paint, but there is no need for you to go back there."

Alex asked, "But what about the rest of our stuff? How will we get it?"

"Anything you don't have that you need, we'll get for you. If there was something you wanted that was left behind..." Ryan started but was interrupted by Trevor.

"Sorry to interrupt but, can Alex help me with these boxes in the back storage of the coach, they seem to have his and Nigel's names on them."

In the back of the coach were the boxes Alex and Nigel had packed with all their things from the orphanage.

Jim stood on the bumper of his and Zac's truck, "Now that we know who is who, I was planning a tour of the Boys' Home, but the beef will be done before the tour, so why don't we head to the Home and I can show you the kitchen and dining hall. That is where I figured we would eat."

"You have anything planned to go with the beef?" Henri inquired.

Heather spoke up, "I brought some potato salad, but if you have something else in mind…"

Henri remarked, "Show me this kitchen, and if it is alright, I will prepare something special to go with the beef and potato salad."

Jim gave Henri a smile, "You better believe it's alright. My mom makes the best potato salad, but I have faith, whatever you prepare will help bring out the flavors of the beef and potato salad. We actually have two kitchens that you can use. The one for the Boys' Home is bigger, as it is meant to feed a hundred teenage boys."

Heather threw in, "There is no kitchen big enough for that."

Jim gave his mom a smile and continued, "The other kitchen was added to the 'Party Barn,' as we call it. It is big enough to prepare big meals for Thanksgiving or parties. Both kitchens are at your disposal while you are here. I figured that you would like the bigger kitchen for preparing for the wedding, and the other for everyday cooking."

Henri looked pleased. "That is an excellente idée excellente idée (" French for Excellent idea ")," he responded. "Care to show me the kitchen?"

Joe said, "See that building clear over there? You may feel like we walked halfway to Rapid City, but trust me, we aren't."

"Actually," Jim chuckled, "if you would rather not walk, we have a couple of sleighs hooked up. They have small wheels for when there is no snow."

Zac suggested, "Or if you would rather, I can transfer the horses to a wagon. And go on a hayride to the Home."

Nick looked over at his husband before replying, "A hayride... I haven't been on one of those... ever."

Zac nodded his head, "Then it's settled. Give me just a few minutes and I can switch the horses over to the wagon.

Looking at the group, Jim asked, "Does anyone have experience driving a wagon?"

Trevor stared over at his host, "I seem to remember Patrick telling me about his first time driving a sleigh... I'm not sure if I'd want him driving..."

Patrick growled at Trevor, "Thanks, I thought you were my friend."

Jake chuckled and Jim smiled. Jackson came to Patrick's defense, "He's driven the wagon a few times. If he wants to drive it, I'll ride with him, anytime."

"Thanks, Jackson," Patrick commented. "I know who my real friends are." Then he winked at Trevor.

After a few minutes, Zac returned with the wagon. There were fifteen bales of hay on the back of it. Patrick asked, "Can I drive?" and then stuck his tongue out at Trevor.

Zac responded, "If you drive, two of the ladies can sit on the bench with you. I have Silver and Gold saddled so Dad and I can ride."

"That's right, Daddy, you're up front with the ladies." Trevor said, gaining him a smack on the back of the head.

"Just for that, Trevor, you're walking!"

Gold shook his head, to which Jim offered, "Gold will let you ride on him with me, Trevor." Phoenix gave Jim a funny look when Gold shook his head.

Jim, Zac and Jackson helped everyone get on the wagon. Some sat on a bale of hay, others dangled their legs over the sides. As they rode over, Joe informed Henri, "I hope you don't mind, but when we designed this kitchen, I sorta used my memory of your restaurant's kitchen for the basis."

"You did? But you were only there for thirty minutes!"

"My memory isn't as good as Jim's, but when it comes to cooking, I almost have an eidetic memory," Joe answered.

As Patrick pulled the wagon up close to the Home, Zac and Jim dismounted. Once everyone was out of the wagon, Jim tied Silver's and Gold's reins to it. Zac pulled out his keys and removed one key. He handed it to Henri, "While you are here, the two kitchens Jim told you about are yours. No one will be allowed in them unless you grant permission. This key will let you in any part of the Home except upstairs where Joe, Buster and Eric live."

Accepting the key, Henri simply said, "Merci." He took the key and tried it in the door. He could tell that the lock was still virtually new, but the door did open. The kitchen still had a newness in the air, something that Henri planned to change right away. As they were looking at it, Henri turned to Joe and said, "You do this simply from half hour in my kitchen? Magnifique! I already know this kitchen!"

Joe told Henri, "Some things may not be exactly where you place them, if not, please feel free to rearrange any of it."

Henri shook his head, "This is your kitchen, they should be where you want them."

Joe put his hands out as if to say "stop!" Then he urged Henri, "I like your kitchen and I think you know better than me how to make it more efficient. As you can smell, I haven't used this kitchen yet, so however works best for you will work for me."

"If you insist," Henri agreed, taking a gander around the kitchen, not noticing anything needing to be moved. "You help me cook, no?"

"Yes!" Joe enthusiastically acknowledged. "I would love to help you cook."

Henri shooed everyone out of the kitchen except Ange and Joe. He noticed that there wasn't much food in the kitchen, but then, it wasn't really planned to go into use for the Home yet. He did find some asparagus, bacon and Sauvignon Blanc. Joe explained, "We really didn't know what to stock for you, plus we weren't sure what you would bring and wanted to keep the space available for your wedding plans. I do have some portabellas upstairs, along with some lettuce, green peppers, onions and roma tomatoes."

"If you don't mind, I can use all of that," Henri remarked. Joe went to get what food he had upstairs.

While Joe, Henri and Ange were preparing food in the kitchen, Jim went to check on the beef. Zac, Jackson, Ryan and Jacob were chatting with Bobby, Nick and Nate King. Nick Archer received a phone call and then said that he needed to go to the office, but would try to make it back before everyone left. Heather and Elizabeth were chatting with Marine. That left the boys all alone to chat.

Patrick stated, "I wanted to camp all of next week, starting Sunday, but Dad said that we should wait until Thursday."

"Did he say why?" Roger asked.

"Yeah," Patrick replied, "he gave several reasons. First, he and Papa want to help Phoenix get situated and feel at home. Second, he knows that we'll want Alex and Nigel with us and thinks they should spend time with their new families before we take them away. Third, someone is having a birthday on Wednesday next week. Eric will be an old man of fourteen." Trevor and Phoenix slugged Patrick in the arm at the same time.

Roger shouted, "For that, you are not allowed to kiss Scott until after Trevor and I have kissed twice." Trevor gave Roger a kiss right away so he amended his statement, "Make that four times."

Trevor switched subjects a little, "So if we're not camping until Thursday, where are we all staying? Do we want to stay together? I could rent the whole top floor of the hotel for us."

"I thought Grandpa had a hotel suite for us until Sunday," Roger stated.

"Dad and Uncle Joe were going to offer the Home's dorm for the Kings to use, why don't we see if we can use them?" Patrick suggested.

Eric looked a little nervous, "Will there be sex?"

Patrick shook his head, "No, we save that for when we are in private; besides, we have Patrick, Jake and Austin to consider."

"Ok, we may need to ask Dad and Uncle Jim, but I'm in," Eric announces.

"I'm not sure when, but I know Dad, Papa and Uncle Joe said they need to have a conference with Phoenix sometime tomorrow."

Phoenix asked, "Do you know what about?"

"Some sort of orientation, I think," Patrick answered.

As Patrick and Phoenix were talking, Trevor and Roger said they were going to check in with Nick and Bobby.

They found them talking with Grandpa. "Excuse me, but can we ask a question?" Trevor inquired.

"Well, you just did, but go ahead." Trevor's Dad chuckled.

"Assuming we get permission from Joe Bolt, we'd all like to stay in the dorms here. All us kids, that is. Is that going to be a problem?" Trevor asked.

It appeared that Nick was going to deny their request when Grandpa spoke up. "I think that's a great idea. Go find out if that's going to be okay and get back to us." Trevor wondered because he'd never seen Grandpa interfere in decisions his parents made regarding him or Roger.

After Trevor and Roger had gotten far enough away, Grandpa turned to Trevor's parents and said, "Had you denied his request, you realize it would be the first of his requests you'd denied? It's not an unreasonable one either. He's an intelligent boy and if you want your secret to remain so, don't change how you normally treat them." Receiving nods from both, the three continued their previous conversation.

Trevor poked his head in the kitchen; before Henri could ask him what he was doing, he inquired, "Can I talk to Joe for a few minutes, please?"

Joe wiped his hands on a towel and walked over to Trevor, "What can I do for you?"

Trevor felt confident when he requested, "We were talking, that is, us boys were and we are wanting to sleep in the dorms until we go camping."

"And who will be sleeping in the dorms?" Joe asked.

Trevor replied, "Patrick, Scott, Austin, Jake, Patrick, Phoenix, Eric, Roger and myself; that is, with your permission and if you let Eric. And until Sunday, maybe Robert and Jacques."

Joe gave Trevor a smile, "What does Eric think about it?"

"He was nervous that we would have an orgy, I think," Trevor answered, "but when we told him that we wouldn't have sex, he was for it."

"I'll talk with Jim and Zac. If they don't have any objections, I see no problem with it," Joe stated. "You won't have any adult supervision, so I will be trusting you boys."

"Thank you Joe. I believe you know that I won't do anything to violate your trust, at least not intentionally," Trevor responded. He headed back to his parents with what Joe said. Then after they agreed, he sat back at the table with the boys and shared the conversation.

Jim led a few hands carrying the cooked cow. Some parts looked a little charred; Jim was told that this was caused by flare ups from the fire and underneath was good meat. One of the hands started slicing off the charred part, revealing some really moist beef. Once the char was gone, the hand continued slicing off pieces of good meat for everyone to grab what they wanted.

Jim was about to get everyone's attention when young Brock came in. He walked over to Jacob and said, "There you are, Jacob. I was looking for you to tell you I was leaving for the night." Then Brock went to give Jared a kiss.

Jacob replied, "Hold on a second, Brock, I would like to introduce you to our guest. They helped us make adopting Nigel a little easier. This is Bobby and Nick King. Gentlemen, this is Brock Radcliffe, the Eighth."

"Radcliffe? We know a Brent Radcliffe, I wonder if there's any relation," Bobby mused.

"Perhaps, the name sounds familiar," Brock answered, "but I would have to ask my dad. He just returned from his honeymoon today. I imagine he spent at least $10 million on it."

Jacob looked at the boy and said, "I'm sure your father wouldn't be happy with you just throwing that out to strangers."

"But I can smell it, these gentlemen have more money than most people will ever see," Brock declared. "Why, I'll bet my yearly allowance that, like my dad, they make Bill Gates look like a pauper." Bobby pulled out his phone.

Jared looked at Brock and asked, "Do you have to go? You can join us for supper."

Brock pulled out his phone and called his dad. When the older Brock answered, Brock asked, "Has Mom started fixing supper yet? Jared just invited me to stay for supper." Brock liked calling Tonya "Mom."

"We're having homemade lasagna, so if you want to stay, you may. You can always heat yours up tomorrow for lunch," the older Brock answered.

"Thanks Dad, and ummm, do you know a Brent Radcliffe?" Brock inquired.

"I'd rather not discuss him over the phone," the man sounded agitated. "If you want to know about him, I will discuss it when you get home."

Brock looked at Nick and said, "Apparently, my dad does know Brent. He didn't say how, though."

Henri, Joe and Ange started bringing out food and set it by the cut pieces of beef. Jim called out, "Everyone, grab a plate and help yourself. We have slabs of beef, bacon-wrapped asparagus, salad and potato salad."

Everyone grabbed their food and sat down. Joe and Buster sat with Jim and Zac. Trevor kept looking over at them, hoping they would agree. After a few minutes, Jim walked over to the boys. Patrick asked, "Dad, did Uncle Joe talk to you about what Trevor asked?"

"He did," Jim answered, "that's why I came over here."

"So, can we spend the night in the dorms?" Patrick pleaded. "We think it would be fun, and it's not much different than when we go camping."

Jim tried to keep from smiling as Patrick spoke. "You have a very compelling argument, Patrick. If we didn't already agree to let you, you might have had me convinced."

Patrick looked down, sadness in his voice, "Thanks for letting us know."

Roger looked at the 12-year-old and said, "Patrick, didn't you hear what he just said? If they didn't already agree to let us…"

Perking up, Patrick looked at Jim and said, "So we can?" Jim just laughed and nodded his head.

Once everyone was full, one of the ranch hands started stripping the remaining beef off the bones. He told the group that he would put it in the other kitchen if anyone wanted any. All of the asparagus, potato salad and salad were eaten. Jim, Zac and Buster offered to wash the dishes while everyone else visited.

Shortly after dinner, Bobby received a phone call from Brent Radcliffe. "Are you sure he said it was Brock Radcliffe the Seventh?"

"Well, the young man I met was Brock Radcliffe the Eighth, but yes, his father was the Seventh." Bobby replied.

"Man, I wondered where he'd moved to. See, he's a cousin of mine and, I'm ashamed to say, my own stupidity is why we're not close any more. See, when we were in college, Brock had a friend who was gay and I was an intolerant asshole about it. You may or may not know that when Garrett came out, I didn't have the best reaction. I'm hoping he'll talk to me when I'm there for the wedding. Do they know?"

"I'm sure you'll have a chance to talk and no, they have no idea. When are you arriving?" Bobby asked.

"Well, we'd planned on driving and arriving tomorrow evening, but, we may take the plane and get there sooner. That way maybe I can talk to Brock's son before I confront my cousin." Brent said.

"Either way, we'll be happy to see you. The boys are staying in the dorms for the Boys' home, I could ask if Garrett, Eric, and Malcolm could join them Friday night."

"I'm sure they'd like that, and if it goes well, maybe I can talk to my cousin alone before the wedding." Brent thanked Bobby for his time and they ended the call.

The boys started playing a game called One Thing. Trevor introduced it to the boys, so he started, "My name is Trevor King and I was adopted."

"My name is Roger Duchamp and I was adopted."

"Wait a minute," Patrick looked confuzzled. "Other than Patrick Henry, Scott and Austin, weren't we all adopted? How is that really sharing something?"

Phoenix spoke up, "I'm not adopted either."

Patrick looked down, "Oh right, but in a way you are; I think of you like a brother, so I didn't think about it."

Phoenix looked sad, "But Jim and Zac aren't going to adopt me. They will be here for me like a parent, but when we talked in South Dakota about it, they didn't feel that they were ready to take on another son almost as old as them. I mean, Jim is less than four years older than me, so I see his point. At least I know they do love me like a son."

Patrick put his arm around Phoenix, "As far as I am concerned, you will always be a brother."

"And my kissing cousin," Trevor added.

The boys went back to their game and went around a few more times. Finally, Joe ordered them to the dorms. And the boys chose which rooms they would use.

Eric finally got the nerve to talk with Trevor and Roger, so he walked to their room. He opened the door and saw Roger with Trevor's penis going down his throat. It didn't dawn on him that was the cause of the moaning he had heard. He exclaimed, "OH MY GOD! I'm so sorry! I can come back later..." Then he closed the door and ran back to his room.

 

I hope you enjoy the story and that it draws you in, wanting more. If you have any suggestions or concerns, don’t hesitate to email me.  Thoughts and suggestions are always welcomed and may or may not be implemented. Concerns will be considered and addressed as much as possible.

Also, I have created a mailing list.  If you would like to be added to it to be informed of new submission, please contact me at Zarek Dragon...  Please let me know that you read it on The Story Lovers' Website.

 

 

If you would like to help make this ranch a reality, you may donate at the Another Chance GoFundMe Account.