Another Chance - Book Three

by Zarek Dragon

 

Zac pulled into the ranch and Jackson came out to help unload the colts. When he saw Patrick, he immediately apologized, "I'm sorry partner for sending your Dad and Papa away on you like that. Had I known what that doggone teacher wanted, I could have gone and left one of 'em here with you. Can you forgive an ol' fool?"

Patrick chuckled, "You don't look that old, and you didn't know. Dad and Papa tell me that I can't expect them to stay home all the time because of my fear, and that I can conquer it, and I believe them."

"I take it I'm forgiven, then?" Jackson asked.

"Nope, nothing to forgive, so I can't," Patrick replied. Jackson mussed Patrick's hair. Using his hand to fix his hair as best as he could, Patrick asked, "What is it with people messing my hair up? Dad and Papa do it out of love, that old guy at the restaurant last night did it, and now I have some 'ol' fool' doing it." Patrick gave Jackson a smile and then hugged him.

"I do it out of love, too," Jackson stated, "but if you don't want me to, I won't."

Patrick declared, "If you stop, I'll start calling you mister. Dad and Papa told me how much you love that. I just like giving you a hard time." Jackson mussed Patrick's hair again.

With the tailgate down, Jackson grabbed one colt and Jim grabbed the other so Zac could stay with Patrick and a sleeping Jake. While it was just them, Patrick looked at Zac and said, "Just so you know, I don't think I'm going through a phase. After talking with Trevor and Roger last night, I know I am in love with Scott. I know that I am gay and I'm not ashamed of it."

"That's good that you know and really good that you're not ashamed," Zac responded. "You didn't choose to be gay, you just are. That's nothing to be ashamed of. You may not want to go telling everyone, but there's no reason that you should have to hide it, either."

"Can I tell Scott?" Patrick inquired. Zac laughed as Jim and Jackson were returning, and Jim asked what he was laughing about. "I just asked Papa if I could tell Scott that I know I'm gay."

"Partner, if you're wanting to date the boy, you may want to tell him," Jackson recommended.

"Bud," Jim said, "if you know that you're gay, then you can tell anyone that you trust, just be careful. Though we don't see much of it here, there are still some people who will hurt you for being gay."

Patrick averred, "I just want to tell Scott. Aside from family, it's no one else's business. But I also want to be as open about it as you two."

Zac advised, "You may want to talk with Scott before deciding that. He might not want to be so open about it. Plus, if you are open, you put him in as much danger as yourself."

"I never thought about that. I love Scott too much to put him in any danger," Patrick stated.

When they got home, Jim fired up the laptop and started looking for palomino mustangs. Patrick sat beside Jim as he was scanning through the different mustangs. As Jim flipped the web page, Patrick got excited, "Dad, check out the name of that one. That's the mustang that I want."

"Are you sure, it's not a palomino? He's a buckskin," Jim informed the boy.

"He's still a beautiful horse, and he shares the same name as your friend. Can I get Dusty?" Patrick pleaded.

"He's twenty-one, so he should still give you plenty of years to ride. Let's check out a few more and if you don't see one that you like better, we can check into getting Dusty. Be warned though, Dusty is a couple of days' drive from here, in Oregon. Papa would need to go by himself to get him, and still be pushing it so he doesn't miss any schooling."

Patrick frowned, because he really liked the name of the horse, but he agreed that they should check out some more. Jim clicked on an icon that took him to a ranch at McCullough Peaks, Wyoming. The first image that popped up was a palomino mustang, Patrick asked, "What's that horse's name?"

Jim looked and laughed, "You might want this horse instead of Dusty. He's a four-year-old, recently saddle-trained palomino mustang stallion."

"But what's his name? He's beautiful," Patrick inquired.

As Jim read the story behind the horse, his smile disappeared and said, "Are you ready for this? His name is Patrick's Dream. The owner is a teenage boy named Patrick. He has leukemia and the family is selling him because the boy can no longer ride. I don't want to read the rest to you."

"That's sad," Patrick said, crying. "How far away is he? Can we go visit him? Maybe a visit will help him."

"The ranch is about half an hour to forty-five minutes away, so yeah, we can go visit him. I'll call and make arrangements for Tuesday after school."

After school Tuesday, Jim and Zac took Patrick and Jake to visit Patrick as promised. When they rang the doorbell, a lady in her late thirties answered, "Are you here about the horse?"

Jim replied, "Well, we were looking at your ad and our son Patrick wanted to visit Patrick, hoping to cheer him up."

"He'll like that," the lady said, "He doesn't get any visitors. Most people are ignorant and afraid they'll get leukemia."

"So, can I see him?" Patrick asked.

The lady led Patrick to her son's room. The boy in the bed looked thin and pale, but he smiled when he saw a strange face. Patrick introduced himself and started telling him that he liked his horse and its name. The lady talked with Jim and Zac as the boys chatted.

"Ma'am, we work at the Another Chance Ranch on the other side of Cody," Zac started telling her.

"Yes, I know where that is. We went to watch a rodeo there, wait…" she stopped and looked at Jim, "Aren't you the boy who won the barrel racing at the first rodeo?"

"I am," Jim admitted.

"My Patrick loved watching that. He wanted a palomino ever since and that's why we got him the mustang. Now, he's too weak to ride."

About that time, Patrick was helping the boy as they came out of the bedroom. "Mom, Patrick said that I should be able to ride one last time and offered to hold me on. Can I please? And then I want to give the horse to him, please? He's the first person to come here to be my friend." Then the boy saw Jim and his face lit up. "I watched you barrel race, that was awesome."

The lady looked at Patrick, "Are you sure you can hold him on?"

"Yes ma'am," Patrick replied with confidence, "I hold my brother on when we ride."

"Then I'll saddle the horse and help him on," the lady said.

"If you would like," Zac offered, "I can saddle the horse and you just help Patrick get outside to mount him."

Jim got on his phone to call Ben Brody. He told him about the boy and asked if there was any chance of doing a special rodeo just for him. After they talked, for a bit, Jim went to find Patrick's Mom and the two boys. "I just spoke with the guy who handles the junior rodeo and he agreed to do a special rodeo in about three weeks. You and your family will be special guests with free admission."

"Oh my," the lady said, "I just hope Patrick is still with us then."

Jim looked sad as he said, "I do too, but that's the soonest we can get anything set up. This is the off season for rodeos."

Zac had the horse saddled and Patrick mounted it. Then the other Patrick, with the help of his mom and Jim, got in front of him. They rode until the other Patrick said he was getting tired. When Patrick stopped the horse by his new friend's mom, his new friend said, "Thank you for that. I hope you enjoy the horse as much as I have and then some."

"I'll think of you every time I ride him," Patrick stated. The lady handed Zac the bill of sale showing that they now owned the horse.

Zac asked, "How are we going to get him to the ranch, we didn't bring a trailer. I wasn't expecting them to give you the horse."

"I can ride him," Patrick suggested, "Or one of you two can."

Jim shook his head, "You're not riding him that far by yourself. It's about a two-hour ride at a gallop."

"You start riding him," Zac suggested to Jim, "and I'll go get a trailer, and come back. I should meet you in about an hour."

"Can I ride with Dad?" Patrick asked.

As they rode, Patrick asked Jim, "Patrick's going to die soon, did you know that?"

"Yeah Bud, I did," Jim replied, with a lump in his throat. "How are you handling it?"

"I'm okay, I guess," Patrick answered, "At least he knows it's going to happen. It's still sad, but he'll be at peace and not sick anymore."

"I'm glad that you understand that," Jim said. "The ad said that he didn't have much longer to live, but I was afraid to tell you. I wasn't sure you were ready for any more death."

"I'm not," Patrick admitted, "but at least I know it's going to happen and I can be his friend for as long as I can. That makes a little difference."

"Maybe a little, Bud, maybe a little," Jim commented. He was a little worried with how Patrick will be when his new friend does die, but he knows that Zac and he will be there for their son. Patrick called his new friend everyday just to talk with him.

The night before Halloween arrived and Patrick was looking forward to going trick or treating with Scott the next day. Scott's parents decided that the boys could spend the entire weekend together, so they brought him to the house. Ed thought they should have a talk, so Jim invited them in. With both boys sitting at the table, Ed Gavin looked at them and nervously said, "Boys, I know that eventually you'll do some things that are maybe sexual in nature. It'll be natural for you to experiment and settle some curiosities. You don't need to let us know what you do, just promise that you won't force the other to do anything he isn't ready for."

Both boys said in unison, "We promise." Then Patrick added, "Dad and Papa have been telling me ever since I told them I like Scott that I should never force Scott to do anything or let him force me."

Ed looked a little more at ease, "That's good, I just wanted to be sure. Like I said, we don't need to know what you do, but we do want you to know that if you ever have any questions, either of you can come to any of us. Being they're gay, Patrick's parents may be more knowledgeable on experimentation, but I admit, I did it when I was your age, so I do have some knowledge. Scott, if you feel more comfortable talking to them, I have no problem with it. Patrick, I also want you to feel free to ask me anything if you wish."

Zac looked at Patrick, "We trust you boys, so Patrick, if you do any experimenting here, or rather, when you do any experimenting here, please lock your door so Jake doesn't walk in on you. We have no problem with you locking your door, and we won't ask you what you've been doing."

"Oh man, that would be embarrassing if Jake walked in on us doing something," Patrick started to blush.

"And I would rather not have to explain to a five-year-old what you may be doing," Jim stated. "It'll be bad enough when he comes complaining that you locked him out."

After having the talk, Patrick and Scott headed upstairs. Jake asked, "Can I sleep with you two tonight?"

Patrick didn't want to say no, so he looked at Scott. Scott shrugged his shoulder, "He is a little cutie, how can we say no?"

"I know, right?" Patrick responded, "Jake, would you like for Dad to tell us a bedtime story?"

"Uh huh," Jake was all smiles.

Patrick asked, "OK, you want to take Scott to my room so I'll go ask Dad?" Jake grabbed Scott's hand as Patrick headed back downstairs. "Dad, Jake's going to sleep between Scott and I tonight, but he would like you to tell us a bedtime story."

Jim laughed, "Are you sure it's Jake that wants a bedtime story?" Jim gave Patrick a knowing smile and headed for the stairs.

When they got to Patrick's room, Scott was coming out of the bathroom wearing orange and black flannel pajamas. Jake was nowhere to be seen. Scott explained that he said he needed to change into his "jammies" and would be back. "I need to go change into mine, too. Don't start the story without me," Patrick requested. He disappeared into the bathroom.

Jake came back in the room wearing his "Year of the Tiger" pajamas and he crawled to the middle of the bed. Scott got in the bed on the right side of Jake and when Patrick came out of the bathroom, he climbed in on the left. Jim asked, "What story would Jake like to hear?"

"I think he would like to hear one about a prince," Patrick answered.

"A prince, eh?" Jim asked and then made up a story. "There was this really handsome king named King Zac and he had two boys. Their names were Prince Patrick and Prince Jake. They were just as handsome as the king…" All three boys fell asleep while Jim was telling the story, so he kissed all their foreheads and turned off the light.

Morning came and the boys went to the ranch. Patrick asked if he and Scott could go riding instead of helping with the horses this morning. Jim wasn't surprised, but it saddened him a little not having Patrick's help. With their help, he prepared Patrick's Dream and Bootsie for them to ride.

Patrick didn't know any trails other than to the lake. Sure, Jim's taken him on a few, but that was the trail he rode the most and the only one he knew there and back. When the boys got to the lake, they put the horses in the corral and went to the cabin. "It's a shame we don't have any swim trunks here," Scott stated.

Patrick admitted, "I have a pair we keep here in the cabin, but when there's no girls, we like swimming naked."

"Seriously? And you don't get in trouble?" Scott asked.

Patrick replied, "Dad says that this is private property, so as long as we don't go close enough to the road to be seen, there's nothing illegal about it."

"Cool, want to go swimming?" Scott was excited.

"Can we talk first?" Patrick inquired. "You heard our parents talking about us experimenting, and we even said that we would, but what do we do? This is all new to me, and I'm sure it's new to you, too."

"It is and I don't know," Scott admitted. "What comes to mind?"

"Well, when we showered together at the sleepover, I felt our penises getting bigger, and I wanted to touch yours, but you made a promise to your parents and…" Patrick was hesitant to admit, "I was a little scared of scaring you away."

"I felt 'em getting bigger, too," Scott confessed. "We don't have a promise with our parents now, other than to not force the other to do something. You can touch mine all you want and you won't scare me. Have you had that white stuff come out in your sleep yet?"

Patrick replied, "Yeah, and Dad saw the stain in my briefs when he was doing laundry. He says that it's normal and it's called a 'wet dream.' I take it you have, too?"

"Oh man, I hope Mom doesn't notice it, that would be embarrassing," Scott stated. "But then, I think she already did. Out of the blue, Dad told me that boys periodically ejaculate in their sleep and I shouldn't be worried about white stuff coming out."

Patrick sputtered, "I would have been so embarrassed. At least Dad handled it tactfully, or as tactfully as he could. I think he was as embarrassed about it as I was."

Scott started taking his clothes off and Patrick asked if he was going swimming. Scott looked sheepishly at Patrick and said, "Eventually, but I was hoping maybe we could do something. That is, if you still want to touch my penis." Patrick started taking his clothes off, too.

Jim finished taking care of the horses. At this time, Jim would normally start prepping the horses for Matt to show up, but Matt called saying that he would be too busy to ride. Jim went into the office. "We have anyone scheduled for lessons today?" he asked.

Zac nodded his head, "Richard and Toby will be here at two. Aside from them, we're booked solid with nothing."

"Ugh, Matt's not coming and I don't have any lessons for four hours," Jim groaned. "I think I'm going to ride to the lake for a swim."

Zac smiled, "I wish I could join you, but Jackson left all the paperwork for me to take care of. We figure that when you and I are running our ranch, I need to know this stuff."

"Maybe we both should learn it," Jim suggested, "but not today. Patrick and Scott left to go riding about three hours ago. I'm hoping they went to the lake. If not, I'll be worrying about them."

"They probably did," Zac assured, "I just hope that if they are doing anything, they have enough common sense to do it in the cabin."

Jim rode out to the lake and found the horses in the corral. He placed Gold in the corral and called out their names, "Patrick, Scott, are you boys in the cabin?"

No one answered and Jim started to worry. He hoped that maybe they fell asleep and headed to look in the cabin. As he started towards the cabin, he saw something or someone jump out of the water. They didn't go very high, just enough to catch Jim's attention. Then another body jumped up. Jim was relieved to see the boys swimming. Patrick swam to shore, "Dad, what are you doing here?"

Jim gave the boy a smile, "Well, you've been gone for hours, so I was worried about you, for one. And I have hours before giving riding lessons to Toby and his dad, so I thought I would come swimming."

"We've been gone for hours?" Patrick asked. "We've been having so much fun that it didn't feel that long. I'm sorry to make you worry."

Jim responded, "I'm just glad that you're safe. I saw the horses and didn't see you, so I called out to you. I thought maybe you and Scott were doing stuff in the cabin and I didn't want to surprise you. When you didn't answer, I began to really worry but was hoping maybe you fell asleep."

"We were underwater seeing who could hold their breath the longest," Patrick explained. "Scott beat me." Then Patrick looked around and noticed that Scott was still in the water. "Are you coming out?"

"Yeah, but I'm naked. Your dad won't mind, will he?" Scott replied.

"Patrick's naked and I don't mind. If you don't have a problem with it, I'm planning to swim naked, too," Jim replied. "If you feel uncomfortable with it, then I can head back to the barns."

"I don't mind," Scott said as he made his way to shore. "We see boys in the shower after gym and they see us. Plus, you're what ten years older than us?"

"Try six, Bucko," Jim said, sounding agitated. "For that, Patrick's grounded for four years."

"What did I do?" Patrick asked, thinking Jim was serious and not catching that he said "years."

"He's your friend and I can't ground him," Jim explained, giving Patrick a smile.

Patrick started to say, "That's not fair."

And Jim started to crack up, "I'm only teasing you, Bud. I would never punish you for something unless you were the cause, and it would definitely not be for years."

"You did say years, didn't you?" Patrick finally caught it. "I was thinking you said months for some reason. I would have known you weren't serious if I would have caught what you said."

"And I knew you were only six years older," Scott admitted. "I was just having fun."

"I kinda figured," Jim smiled, "That's why I was acting like I was going to ground Patrick."

"What time are we trick-or-treating, Dad?" Patrick inquired.

Jim smirked, "You can't, you're grounded for four years."

"C'mon Dad, be serious, please," Patrick requested.

Jim got all stiff and talked in a monotone voice, "We are going out from six to eight."

Patrick shook his head and then told Scott that he would race him back into the water. As the boys ran down the dock and jumped in, Jim started taking his clothes off so he could swim. Jim swam for a bit and then sat on the shore for a while to dry off. As he sat there, Patrick and Scott decided to sit on the shore, too. Jim asked, "Decide what you want to dress up as? You'll only have a couple of hours to eat a light supper and get ready when we leave here."

"Are you doing a vampire? Papa says that you dress as a vampire every year," Patrick inquired.

Jim set the record straight, "For the record, I do have a vampire outfit, but last year, I went to Colt's party dressed as a ninja. And I didn't even dress up the year before. Papa has never seen me dressed as a vampire, he's only seen the costume."

"Cool," Patrick said, "Can I be a ninja for Halloween?"

Jim nodded his head, "If that's what you want. I'm thinking Jake will dress as a wizard, or we may decide to get him a costume."

After a few more minutes, Jim started getting dressed. He announced, "I'm heading back. You two can have a few more minutes alone, but then I expect to see you back at the barn."

As Jim left, Scott asked Patrick, "Have you talked to your friend today?"

"Which one? I have a few friends." Patrick inquired.

Scott replied, "The one with leukemia, what's his name again?"

"His name is Patrick. How can you forget THAT?" Patrick responded.

"Oops," Scott chuckled, "How can I forget the greatest name ever? I mean, the greatest guy ever has it for a name, so…"

Patrick smiled before answering, "He said that the doctors are hopeful. He's stabilized for now and they are hoping he goes into remission, whatever that is."

"You should have asked your dad," Scott advised.

After their chat, Patrick and Scott kissed, then got dressed and headed back. Jim was busy with Toby and Mr. Maelstrom when they rode into the corral. Zac came out to help them remove the saddles while Scott and Patrick grabbed a couple of step ladders so they could reach the entire horse. Zac offered to help them.

After Jim was done giving Richard and Toby their lessons, he said, "I don't think you need any more lessons, just practice, but if you still want to pay for lessons, I won't stop you."

"Patrick says that you take people out on trails," Richard stated. "What if we still come out on Saturdays, but instead of lessons, you take us on some of the trails? That would provide us with practice, and give you a chance to maybe give pointers as we ride."

Jim replied, "I do take people on trails, so that is an option. It's entirely up to you, and I can schedule it for the same time. Patrick and Jake usually ride with me. We usually ride for a couple of hours, but the length of time is entirely up to you."

"Great," Richard responded, "Do I need to call and schedule, can I go to the office and schedule, or will you take care of it? Unless I call to cancel, I plan for us to be here every Saturday at this time."

Jim gave a quick nod and said, "I can set that up for you. If you do need to cancel, let us know as soon as you can please. And just so you know, the Saturday before Thanksgiving will be our last day open to general riding. If you own a horse and board it here, you can ride whenever you wish."

"What do you think, Toby?" Richard asked, "Should we see about getting our own horses?"

"Is this pinto for sale? I really like it," Toby answered.

Jim stated, "You'd have to check with Jackson on that, but if not, he can probably find one similar. Or Zac may be able to answer you."

After grooming the horses and putting them in their stalls, they walked to the office. Richard asked Zac, "Do you know if the pinto Toby was using is for sale?"

"Unfortunately, that's one of the few Jackson won't sell. It's a great horse for training. I can look to see if any like it are," Zac offered. When Richard agreed, Zac fired up the program Jackson uses to find horses. He put in the criteria of the horses Toby and Richard were looking for and did a search. "Here's a Paint, that's a pinto with either a quarter horse or thoroughbred bloodline. This one is thoroughbred. He's a little older than the one you've been using and the owner says that he is docile. He is a gelding, so he'll probably be a good first horse. Plus, the owner is giving a sixty-day money back guarantee."

"He's beautiful," Toby said, "but why does our last name appear below his picture?"

Zac laughed, "His name is Maelstrom."

"Seriously?" Richard asked. "How much do they want for him?"

"He's about mid-range at seven hundred fifty dollars. They're in Thermopolis, so I can make arrangements to have them bring him here, or I can give you the address to go there," Zac offered.

 Richard stated, "If they'll bring the horse, I would appreciate it, but I won't have time to check it out until next Saturday. And I'll need a second horse if Toby and I want to ride at the same time." Toby smiled.

Zac suggested, "I can make arrangements for Jackson or me to check it out through the week, and if we like it, we'll buy it, then sell it to you next week."

"That would make things easier," Richard stated.

After Zac made the request for the horse, he continued looking for another horse. He flipped the page and Toby got excited, "Is that another paint?"

Zac shook his head, "No, that is an Appaloosa mare. Do you see the 'leopard' spotting? Pintos and paints won't have that."

"Would he be a good horse for us?" Toby asked.

Zac answered, "Probably, but mares are females. She's eighteen years old, so she should be gentle and the ad says that she's a trail horse."

"And I am guessing, Marshmallow is her name?" Toby asked.

Zac smiled, "You are correct."

"Dad," Toby asked, "Can I ride Marshmallow?"

"If the price is right, sure," Richard answered.

"Well," Zac said, "since she's a little older, the price is relatively lower than usual. They're only asking three hundred."

"We'll take both horses," Richard stated.

Zac shook his hand and said, "I'll make the arrangements and have them here before next Saturday."

Leaving the ranch, Jim and Zac took the boys to Party USA to check out costumes. "Do you have a costume, Scott?" Zac asked.

Scott answered, "I brought some brown leather chaps, a brown vest, and a brown cowboy hat."

Jim gave him a funny look and said, "You're going to be a cowboy in cowboy country? How is that a costume? If that's what you want, fine, but if you see something you would rather wear, just let us know."

"OK, thanks," Scott said and he started looking at costumes beside Patrick. Patrick found ninja outfits with a red dragon on the chest. He suggested to Scott that they both should get one and Scott agreed.

"I want a costume too, Daddy," Jake squealed. Jim saw a samurai outfit in Jake's size, along with some plastic samurai swords. He asked Jake if that was the costume he wanted to wear and Jake got excited. Patrick and Scott completed their outfits with a few accessories, as well. Zac got a samurai outfit too and Jim decided to keep with the theme and wear his ninja outfit again.

Once they got home, they had a light meal of salad and sandwiches and then everyone got ready to go. Jake didn't like the helmet that went on his head. Zac joked, "I don't know why you don't like it, Jake. I'm thinking about wearing mine all the time."

Jim advised, "Babe, it's up to you, it won't change the way I feel about you, but with your hair, I don't think it would look right." He took a picture of Jake, Patrick and Scott in their outfits, both with the masks and without. Patrick asked him to send them to Trevor and Roger.

They hit the cul-de-sac where Heather lives first so she could see the boys. She had to get pictures. Afterwards, they went into town to hit some well populated streets. The boys got lots of candy as well as a few other treats. Zac told them that they couldn't eat any of it until Jim or he checked to be sure they were safe.

Once trick-or-treating was done, they headed to the ranch. The party wasn't ready to start so they offered to help get everything ready. Patrick and Scott offered to move tables around, however Colt needed them. Jackson, Jim and Zac finished the last-minute touches to the decorations.

They had just finished when everyone else started showing up a few minutes before nine. Colt had a big surprise when one person came in wearing a powdered wig and a judge's robe. He ran over to him and giving him a hug, he said, "Dad, you made it to my party."

Ryan had a tear running down his face, "Yeah, I told them that I couldn't miss it. I just wished I could have been here for your actual birthday."

"I understand, I'm just glad you're home. Dad and I missed you," Colt said enthusiastically.

Ryan was almost tackled from behind. Then the tackler said, "You like surprising me, don't you? Again, you didn't call."

Ryan kissed Jackson and stated, "It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun, and I might not have gotten such a warm welcome out of it."

"So how does it look? Do I need to see if the boys want to buy the ranch after the school year is over? Have they told you what they are interested in you for?" Jackson inquired.

Ryan looked Jackson in the eye, "We need to talk when it's just us, but things look promising. At this time, I am the only candidate so it looks very promising, but they have to share the interview with others. It all depends on what a House and Senate committee think, and then the President."

"And?" Jackson pushed for more.

Ryan appeased him, "They are asking me to be a U.S. Court of Appeals judge. That's one position above the Federal District judge they originally considered me for and two positions below the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court for this area is in Denver, Colorado."

"Wow!!!" Jackson was in awe.

Ryan gave Jackson a kiss and told him, "They said that I should know by Thanksgiving but I wouldn't start until after the first of the year. So, until then, I am home."

Jackson was obviously pleased with the news, or at least the part that Ryan was home. He told Ryan, "We have some love-making to make up for. Our bed has missed you so much. And after they tell you that you're the Federal Appeals judge, I will see about purchasing a ranch there rather than you renting or anything."

Kissing Jackson yet again, Ryan agreed, "That would make sense since we will be living there, that is, if you and Colt want to move there. I won't take the position if either of you are against it."

Jackson averred, "Sweetheart, I will miss the people here, but we can always come back to visit. I can ranch anywhere. You weren't planning to stay a judge, but you seem happy with it and this is a big move for you. I wouldn't dream of stopping you from moving up."

Colt wanted to say that he didn't want to move. He and Kensi were getting very serious, but he told Ryan, "I'll miss my friends, but I can make new ones. I'll really miss Kensi, but we've already talked about it and agreed to try a long-distance relationship. We've been talking about it ever since your interview for the Federal District judge position."

Ryan looked down, "Those things rarely work. Maybe I should turn down the position until you are out of school."

"No Dad," Colt insisted, "I appreciate the sacrifice you're willing to make, but Kensi and I will only have a year left and then one of us can move to be with the other. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"And it's not fair to you to make you move right before your senior year," Ryan argued.

"He's welcome to stay with me," Zarek Bolt offered.

Colt smiled, "I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I should live with my dads."

Jackson hugged Colt, "I am so glad you said that. I want you to live with us, but would have let you stay with him if you wanted."

"You're serious about wanting me to take the position?" Ryan asked.

"If they do offer it, yes. If Kensi and I are meant to be together, a long-distance relationship will work. And if not, then it's better to know sooner rather than later," Colt debated.

Ryan chuckled, "Kid, are you sure you only turned seventeen, just yesterday?"

Colt hugged Ryan, "I learned a lot from you and Dad. I heard the two of you talking while you were away, and I can tell how much you two love each other. Sure, it's different when you're married, but you still made the relationship work despite the distance."

"I'm glad you learned something from it," Ryan chuckled, "For me, it was hell being away from the two of you. I almost said that it wasn't worth it and came home. Jackson talked me out of it."

Jackson grinned, "Only because I knew it was temporary and that we'll have plenty of time together. And seeing your handsome face on Skype helped, too."

Ryan had a twinkle in his eye, "Hon, words alone cannot express how much I love you or how much I feel loved by you."

After the happy reunion, the party got underway. Colt saw Chris and walked up to him, "Isn't your birthday in a few weeks?"

"Yeah," Chris said. "I'll be sixteen on the eighteenth."

"Wait, you're only turning sixteen? How are you in my class?" Colt was puzzled.

"With us moving around a lot, they kept testing me rather than just placing me in the grade I was in. Somewhere along the line, I seemed to skip a grade," Chris admitted.

Colt kidded, "Wow, that must be cool. Not the moving part, that would suck, but the skipping a grade. This would be my senior year if I could have done that."

Ben Brodie approached Jim, "Everything is set for next Friday. Since you asked for this, I insist you participate in the barrel racing."

Jim shook his head, "No, but I do have someone who wants to. I even offered to let him ride Gold for it, but he wants to ride the horse given to him by the boy with leukemia."

Ben had a tear roll down his cheek, "How old is he?"

"Eleven," Jim stated. "I know that's young, but this is a special event for the boy, so I'm hoping you can make an exception."

"You're right, we normally like them to be fourteen to nineteen, but since this is for Patrick, and he'll be riding Patrick's horse, I think we can make that exception," Ben agreed. "what's his name and the horse's name?"

Jim smiled, "My son is also named Patrick and his horse is Patrick's Dream."

"I hope the boy wins, and I hope Patrick gets to see Patrick do it on his horse," Ben stated as tears flowed freely now.

He walked away as Zac and Patrick walked over. Zac asked, "Why was Ben crying?"

Jim was choked up, "He agreed to let Patrick ride Patrick's Dream in the rodeo. He's hoping that Patrick wins and the other Patrick gets to see it."

Zac stated, "We all hope that."

"Speaking of which," Patrick asked, "what is remission? Patrick said that he's stabilized and the doctors are hoping he goes into remission."

Zac told Patrick, "While there is no cure for leukemia, remission is a temporary recovery. It means that he may gain back some of his strength and will live a little longer than expected."

"Cool, then he should definitely be able to be at the rodeo," Patrick was hopeful.

The party wound down and everyone went home.

Every day after school, Jim worked with Patrick, getting him ready for a tough ride. The boy had to work hard if he wanted to win for Patrick. Ben sneaked into their practice on Thursday, the day before the rodeo. He walked over to Jim, "He looks like he may pull this off. He's almost hitting your time. No offense, but I would love to see him set a new record for here."

"I know my time will be beaten eventually," Jim stated, "I couldn't think of a better person I would want to do it. Or for a better cause…"

"We shall find out, tomorrow," Ben smiled, "won't we?"

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.

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