Booger Red & Cowboy
Waddie Greywolf
 
Chapter 19
 

"Be kind to strangers and hospitable to travelers, you may be entertaining angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2
 
Boots and Sonny wore Levis and boots when riding unless it became cold then they had chaps and jackets rolled up behind their seats or in their saddle bags. We discussed getting more clothes. Since we were going rodeoing, they wanted to fit in and look like cowboys. I laughed and told them the first thing they had to buy is a pair of Wrangler jeans. You won't find many cowboys wearing 501's. They laughed at me. Red and I wore mostly leather because we liked it. We decided we would be better received while visiting ranch folk to dress accordingly.
 
After arriving at the Stafford ranch we decided to go shopping and buy some Western clothes to blend with the natives. We each had a pair of clean Wranglers we put on to go shopping. Ben Jr. drove us to his favorite Western store in Calgary. Booger and I went all out and bought complete outfits, boots, hat, belts, a couple of nice Western shirts. We were surprised Boots decided to spend some of their money on himself and Sonny and bought complete outfits for them as well. I had a great time dressing them. I knew how to dress Western, and Booger advised them to let me have my way. When I got through with them they looked like they were a couple of regular buckaroos. Sonny, in particular, looked really hot.
 
Booger was transformed. He insisted I trim and shape his beard for him. My master was looking good and sexy. Booger became the epitome of a big rough, ugly, mean looking buckaroo. He looked the best I can remember him looking in a long time. No wonder my Uncle Bud fell for him. His mean looking ugly face turned more than a few cowboy's heads while we were there. We managed to get everything into our saddle bags including our felt hats. I showed them how to fold them so minimal damage would occur to them in their saddle bags. Red, Sonny, and Boots bought rear boot kits for their bikes in Calgary so it expanded their room quite a bit. My Master graciously allowed me to keep a few things in his boot. My bike was too small to ride a boot on the back.
 
* * * * * * *
When we left the Stafford's ranch, Red decided we'd travel down through Wyoming. I couldn't resist asking my master if we could stop in a little place called Ten Sleep. I knew a couple of old rodeo friends I wanted to look up. I told Booger the story of Bull Dogger Dave Jarvis and his dad Barn. From my story and description Red was looking forward to meeting them. I explained to Bogger, Boots, and Sonny it might turn out to be a bit more than just looking up old rodeo friends. My inner voices told me I had to stop by the Bartlett ranch. I told them the draw was stronger than just a request.
 
It was a pretty good clip from Calgary to Ten Sleep. We decided to take it easy and stop in Great Falls, Montana to see for ourselves if the falls were really great. They weren't just great, they were spectacular. We stayed the afternoon and night in Great Falls. We were up early the next morning, ate a good breakfast and were on the road. I pointed out the Jarvis ranch to my family as we rode by but the place looked run down and unkept. I wanted to stop by the Bartlett ranch first.

Almost six years passed since I last visited. I had no idea what I'd find, but I was pleased to find the Bartlett place neat and look well managed. We were looked over pretty hard as we rode up on our bikes. Mrs. Bartlett recognized me first and ran down from the porch into my arms. The kids and Wade Bartlett were right behind. I introduced my traveling companions as my family. They couldn't believe we were three Billy Gunns.
 
They wouldn't have anything but we stay for supper. Could we stay awhile? The next two oldest Bartlett boys, Ken and Will, were still at home. They roped together for sometime and wanted me to give them pointers. I remembered they had an older boy, Wade Jr. I roped with him many times. He was damn good. We were close friends. I was looking forward to roping with him again. I explained about Uncle Bud passing and my bad experiences in Nam. They looked down and were quiet when I talked about Nam. The oldest boy wasn't there, but I assumed he'd gotten married and left home. All of a sudden, a wave of grief came over me. I stopped talking because it hit me like a forty-five caliber bullet between my eyes, their boy didn't come home. They quietly told me he was killed his sixth month there. All the pain once again overwhelmed me. It came rushing back like the Johnstown flood.
 
I had to get up and walk away from them for a minute I was so embarrassed and upset. Why didn't I know? Why didn't I asked? Then it dawned on me. I didn't want to know. That was even worse. It was cowardice. I ran out the screen door and down the steps. I walked over to the corral fence and sobbed my heart out. Bogger told them to let me go, I'd come back in a minute, but Mr. Bartlett was having none of it. As I was standing there sobbing I felt a big hand on my shoulder, turned and saw the pained face of Mr. Bartlett with tears in his eyes. He pulled me into his arms and we wept together until there was no more inside us. I started to apologize, but he wouldn't let me. He just put his arm around my shoulder and walked me back to the house.
 
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Bartlett, Mrs. Bartlett. Wade was a fine man. He and I roped together many times and competed against each other. He was one of the finest cowboys I've ever known," I finally managed to get out. "You know, I go along thinking I'm getting better. I'm getting stronger, putting Nam behind me and then, like today, to find out about Wade Jr... it all comes flooding back to me. I'm working on getting better, but it seems like I walk three steps and slide back two. The memories of Nam are like a monster chasing me in my dreams and while I want to run away I can't get my legs to work. I'm paralyzed.

“The monster gets closer and closer until I can smell the foul odor of its breath breathing down my neck, but still, I can't move my legs. I try to scream but my vocal cords refuse to make a sound. I lash out with my fists and arms to fight the monster, but it's just too damn big. I know it's going to consume me at any moment. That's usually when I wake up in someone's arms who loves me, holding me, calling my name, trying to get me to come around to reality. When I do come around, I realize it was a flashback, a dream of the horrors of war. The worst part is, while I'm happy it was only a dream I kinda wish the monster had eaten me because I realize I might have to go through it again and again."
 
"He still has flash backs once or twice a week. He wakes up screaming and doesn't know where he is. He ain't comfortable being alone for any period of time," added my master and agreed to by Boots and Sonny. They were really concerned for me at that point. We ate supper with the family. I wanted to ask about Dave but I couldn't. I wanted to know, but I just couldn't ask.
 
Mr. Bartlett remembered Dave and I were tighter'n two ticks on a hound and looked at me. "Son, you ain't asked about Dave Jarvis, and I know he's one of the reasons you stopped by," Wade Bartlett gently asked.
 
Tears started running down my face again, and they knew why I couldn't ask. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bartlett, I'm too afraid to ask. I'm afraid of being eaten by that monster again. It's pure cowardice, Mr. Bartlett. I'm so ashamed of myself, sir. After hearing about your boy, I didn't know if I could take hearing about Dave. We rode by the Jarvis place. It didn't look kept up. It looked kinda run down and un-lived in, but I have to know, sir," I said.
 
There was a respectful quietness around the table in empathy for me. Mrs. Bartlett looked at her husband and nodded. "Dave made it back, Billy, but he's in the V.A. Hospital in Cheyenne. He's legs are paralyzed. He almost lost a leg but they saved it, for all the good it's doing him. His dad, you remember big Barn, he's taking it real hard. Dave was his life. Ain't never seen a father and son closer than Dave and Barn less'n it was you and yore' dad. They were all each other had after Dave's mom and little sister were killed in a terrible car accident. Dave was just a young boy about nine years old. They grew dependent on each other's love and support, but they were two of the most respected ranchers in these parts. Barn and Dave were forever helping their neighbors. If any family in the community needed help, Dave and Barn were the first ones there to lend a hand. They been mighty good to us over the years. They kept us going sometimes during hard times. We've tried to help them, too. Neighbors do that for one another. They'd do any damn thing in the world for us and give you the shirt off their backs.
 
"A lot of times you find two men in that kind of situation, and they argue and fight with each other; not Barn and Dave. They were too damn busy and tired at the end of the day. They worked that ranch fourteen to eighteen hours a day, year in and year out. Barn eats, sleeps, and breathes ranching, and I guess he instilled that passion within Dave. Dave never wanted to be anything more'n a cowboy, and he was a damn fine buckaroo. You remember how big ole Barn was. You wouldn't recognize him now, Son. We watched him turn into an old man overnight. He ain't interested in ranching no more. He don't do anything we know of except sit in that big house day in and day out by himself. We take him food and sit with him while he eats to make sure he does eat. He don't keep hardly any food in the house. We don't know if he does eat if we don't take it to him. We call and invite him over for dinner three or four times a week, but he won't come. We take him Sunday dinner every week.
 
"The reason I asked, I see you're still wearing the cross Dave gave you. He said it belonged to his mother. He told my wife and me he thought so much of you, he wanted you to have it. He and Barn sure thought the world of you and your dad. Hell, everyone around these parts thought the world of you men. Folks still talk today about watching the two of you rope together. They never seen nothing like it. When Dave found out you and your dad won the finals in Fort Worth, he felt really bad and cried, 'cause he couldn't be there to see you win. Didn't stop him'n old Barn from celebrate'n. They were so proud of them spurs you gave 'em. Showed 'em to everybody. Hell, they celebrated for two or three days. Everybody in our small community were really proud of you'n your dad, Billy."
 
"Thanks, Mr. Bartlett. This cross is one of my most treasured possessions. It ain't been off my neck since Dave gave it to me five years ago," I said.
 
"Barn drives down to Cheyenne to visit Dave a couple of times a month. We've been down several times to visit him. Barn tries to be in good spirits, but you can tell he's hurt'n. You know what a big, active man he was. He's still big, but he don't weigh nearly as much as he did. He's in a wheel chair most of the time."
 
"Mr. Bartlet would you mind driving me over to see Mr. Jarvis? I'm gonna' ask my family to let me go alone. I don't want him upset with folks he don't know."
 
"Sure, Billy, be happy to. We were going to take him supper anyway. Just you and me, then."
 
"I'd appreciate it, Mr. Bartlett." Booger and my brothers were more than supportive. I think they were a little relieved they didn't have to go. I already told my master about Dave and his dad and the wonderful several days we spent together at the Bartlett ranch. That was one of the greatest things about our relationship, I knew who I belonged to and so did he. Booger understood Dave and Barn Jarvis were an important part of my past I needed to know about. He was all for it. He encouraged me.
 
"Listen to your master. After the last miracle your Friend dropped into our laps in a bar in Bakersfield, he's got me convinced, there's a reason we're here. We ain't here by accident, Little One. Do what your voices tell you. They ain't led you astray yet. You won't be forgetting me or not considering my needs. I love you, Billy, and I trust you. Whatever it takes. You have to let me be a part of it because you're a part of me, now." Booger found me alone as I was changing into Western clothes and spoke softly to me before Mr. Bartlett and I left.
 
I carried the food as Mr. Bartlett drove us over to the Jarvis house. It was late afternoon and the sun was setting. There were no lights on in the house. We walked up the steps and knocked. We heard a voice holler at us to come on in. We walked into the house, and it was in shambles. It was dirty and the furniture was falling apart.  We proceeded to the kitchen where we found Barn Jarvis sitting under a fifty watt bare light bulb hanging over the kitchen table. The place was a mess. The bent shadow of the man I new and came to love six years ago looked at me with curiosity. At first he had no idea who I was. I smiled at him, there was a spark, and then a flood of recognition. He stood, smiled the sweetest smile, threw his arms around me, held me so tight I almost couldn't breathe and wept. He cried like his heart would break. Once again I was crying, too. I wondered where my tears were coming from? I couldn't have that many left in me. Barn Jarvis kept saying,"God bless you, Cowboy. Thank you for coming. God love you, Son." I wept with him without saying a word. I could see Mr. Bartlett had tears running down his cheeks. Finally Mr. Jarvis got himself together.
 
"My boy said ju'd come. Told me you was a real cowboy and real cowboys don't never forget their buddies. I'm pleased to say, I owe my boy an apology. Sit down, Billy. You and Mr. Bartlett make yore'selves to home. Tell me about yourself and how you came through. Dave was so happy to get a letter from you while you were in boot camp and you sent him another I forwarded to him. He'd already been drafted and sent over there. I don't know if he ever got it."
 
"Here, Barn, old friend, we brought you some supper. Eat while we sit and talk with you," Mr. Bartlett said and placed the plate of food next to the old man. He shed another tear.
 
"You folks have been so damn good to me and my boy, Bartlett," he said and nodded thanks for the food to Mr. Bartlett then turned his attention back to me,"They's all the time bringing me good things to eat. His missus is a fine cook, Cowboy. They always bring me Sunday dinner. God bless 'em. They's true neighbors. They don't talk about doing for others, they do. Thank you, Friend."
 
"Glad to do it, Barn. We wish you'd come over and join us more often. I'd come get you and bring you home."
 
"I will. I probably will a little later. I have to get this place cleaned up."
 
He began to eat like a starved man who hadn't eaten in weeks. I could see the kitchen cabinets were open and no food of any kind was there. He probably wouldn't fix anything for himself if he had food. It became apparent to me he was being kept alive by the goodness of his neighbors. I could see the look of pain in Mr. Bartlett's eyes as he watched his dear friend and neighbor eat. I saw a single tear run down his cheek and my eyes began to water again. While it didn't take him long to finish, conversation was temporarily halted. He sat back and began to drink his tall jar of ice tea Mrs. Bartlett prepared for him. He asked me how my dad was. I told him my whole story. I showed him my wounds and we cried again. He made me promise to stop and see Dave at the hospital in Cheyenne.
 
He insisted Dave was going to be up and around any day now. He'll get better and come home to him. Then everyone would see. He and his boy would be back on top again. My heart was breaking, and I shouted to God in my mind. 'Help me! Lord God, please help me. I won't ask another damn thing of you, but help me help this man I love.' And I heard his voice clearly in my head, 'I gave you the talents. I gave you family. If you feel you need to help this man, do it. I will help you. Trust your family. Trust the Bartletts. Most of all, trust yourself. If you choose to help this man, it will heal his heart and in turn will heal yours more. If you make the effort, I will provide the way. By reaching out to this man in his hour of need will be returned to you a thousand fold and will prepare you for what's ahead. Don't forget the Bartletts. They're in trouble. You'll find out. They badly need your help. Do not be selfish, I've provided you with the means to help them.'
 
We talked and talked for a couple of hours, then we excused ourselves to go on back to the Bartlett's place.
 
"I'm going to be staying with my family at the Bartlett's tonight, and maybe tomorrow, if the Bartletts can put up with us. I'll be back to visit, Mr. Jarvis."
 
"Oh, just a minute, Billy. I almost forgot." He shuffled off into another room, returned with a white envelope and handed it to me. Only the word, 'Cowboy', was written boldly across it. "Dave done told me when you come to give you this. He knew you'd come, he done told me so a dozen times. I told him you'd long forgotten us. He assured me you hadn't. You weren't that kind of man. My boy was right, Billy. Thank you for remembering, not only for me but for my boy," Big Barn said. He hugged me, kissed me on the cheek, and we cried some more. I hadn't felt this bad since I first came home from Nam. It was different though. The pain was supported and endured by a substrata of personal growth since then. I knew I could rise above it. I did once before, and I would again. I had God, family and some good hearted buckaroos in my corner. Mr. Bartlett and I waved goodbye as he turned the truck around to head back. We got about halfway down the entry road, and I broke down again. Mr. Bartlett pulled to the side, set the emergency brake, and opened his big arms to me.
 
"Com'mer, Son," was all he said. I fell into his arms and cried again. I don't know where it was coming from. I thought I had no more tears after I cried my heart out earlier in the afternoon. I pulled myself together and thanked Mr. Bartlett. "You can see why we're worried about him," he said softly.
 
"Yes, sir. He's depressed, and he's given up. I can certainly understand wanting to give up, Mr. Bartlett. When I came home from Nam I was a basket case. No one could get through to me. All I wanted to do was lie in my room and cry, day in and day out. It wasn't until I called some good folks in Glen Rose, Texas who came to my home and got me, took me to their ranch, gave me a clean place to stay, food, and comfort when I needed it. They put a pitch fork in my hand and said, "Go to work." I did and it was the best thing I ever done. Through hard work and their love, they helped pull me out of the mire. I'll tell you, Mr. Bartlett, the pits of depression ain't a place I wanna’ leave someone I love. It's like a living Hell. It’s a loss of spirit; like somebody come along and done ripped yore' heart out of yore' body and wrung it out like a wash cloth.
 
"You know you should be responsible and be going on with your life, but you ain't got the physical or mental strength to do it. It's like having a gray cloud over you all the time. It’s like your carrying around a hundred pound sack of cement on your shoulders. You lose all track of time. A day passes, a month, a year and you're still trying to get out from under it. Mr. Jarvis needs help. I have to help him, Mr. Bartlett. I have to talk with my brothers. I know them well enough to know they'll help. If you can get me to a store, I'll buy him enough food to last him several months. Would your barn be available for a couple of nights, sir?" I asked.
 
"Stay as long as it takes, Billy. I don't know why, but I have a good feeling about you and your brothers stopping by. We'll help any way we can," Wade Bartlett said.
 
We got back and Master Red and my cousins changed into their Western clothes and looked a lot more comfortable. The Bartletts related to them better. Mr. Bartlett showed us around the place, and I noticed there wasn't as much stock as he had before. "Son, the price of feed skyrocketed. I've had a couple of years hard luck and lost a lot of critters. Some we found mutilated in the fields. The flies won't even land on the carcass. No foot prints around. Drained of all their blood and maybe one thing missing from their body, an eye, testicles, a heart. Looks like they been cut out of them by a surgeon. Sheriff says it's coyotes or a mountain lion.
 
"Hell, I've been a rancher all my damn life. I know how a coyote or a cougar leaves a carcass. It ain't no damn animal, I can tell you that. Sometimes an animal will go missing and during the night we’ll be awakened by a huge ‘thump’ sound across the prairie like something heavy was being dropped from a great height. Without fail, the next day we’ll find one of our cows dead and mutilated. We have to burn them, cause if we bury them they won't rot. They'll stink to high heaven, but they won't go back to the earth. I lost a prize bull and several of my breeding heifers this spring. We've been pinching pennies to save enough to get a new bull and a couple new heifers or we won't make it. We'll have to sell the place and move to a larger town where I can get work."
 
We stayed the night. It was a Wednesday night and I told my family what I found.
 
"Anything you wanna' do, Cowboy, we're a hundred percent behind you. You know God gave the wherewithal to help some folks. Barn Jarvis may as well be one of them.  We can stay here several days or as long as it takes," urged my Master. Boots and Sonny were right behind him. I forgot about Dave's letter until we were undressing getting ready to go to sleep when Red called it to my attention. I opened it and read it to them.
 
Dear Cowboy,
 
I got your letters from boot camp. Sounds like they're running your ass off. If I know you, you'll come out of the army grinder looking better than you did when you went in, if that's possible? I remember you looked pretty damn fine by Wyoming moonlight with the smell of wild flowers in the air. I got my draft notice and I wanted to write, 'cause I know you'll make it home. After I gave you the cross my mom came to me in a dream and told me I did the right thing. She would look out for us. I told her how much you meant to me. She told me you'd be wounded in your right shoulder and your left leg just below the thigh; however, you will be coming home. She told me you haven't taken it off since I gave it to you. I'll bet you're wearing it right this minute as you're reading this.
 
I want you to know you are the only person I've ever shared love with, and if I die in Nam that will be enough for me. I don't believe this is all there is. Nothing would make any sense if this was all there was. Now, I ain't telling you this to do a guilt trip on you or talk you into being mine if we both make it. I just wanted you to know your love has stayed with me and will continue to sustain me until I see you again. I will see you again. My mom said I would. She wouldn't give me any details, but said you would remember me and come looking for me. That's why I'm writing this letter. And, so, you have come looking for me – you're reading this. Find me, Billy, no matter were I am or who you're with. I need to hold you in my arms once more to know my little brother's all right. God gave us a couple of days and nights together, and they were magic. It ripped my guts out to let you go, but when you and your dad won in Ft. Worth, I was about the happiest man God put on this Earth.
 
I love you, Billy. Your cowboy brother, Dave
 
I broke down again. What was happening to me? I wanted to run away, climb inside myself, pull the door shut and never come out again. Then I felt a pair of massive tattooed arms pulling me into my master's understanding and forgiving embrace. I was no longer alone. I had three wonderful men with me who shared the depth of my feelings. My owner and two brothers. "You don't have to take it all in one bite, Billy," Booger said softly to me. Lets do what we can for his dad and then we'll go see Dave. We may not be able to do a lot right now, but who knows what the future will bring. I never asked you where you got that cross, but I remember you wearing it in Glen Rose the first time we met. I had no idea its significance or who gave it to you. Don't worry about me and how I might feel going to visit Dave. You know who you belong to and so do I. The man needs you and has been waiting for sometime."
 
"I'm lucky to have you for a master, Red. The Old Man told me it would be one of the smartest moves I ever made to become your slave. I should have listened to him earlier."
 
"The best part is you finally did listen to him, and you've become an extension of me. As a part of me do you think I could say no to the man who wrote you that heartfelt letter? Here, give your old man a kiss and calm down. You'll be tossing and turning all night and neither of us will get a decent nights sleep. Go clean yourself real good. You need some relaxing from your master with a good, slow, deep, down home fuck'n. Hell, most times you go to sleep on my cock." My Master was right as usual. His fucking had a calming, tranquilizing effect on me. After he fucked me really good I would lie there and relax. The next thing I knew, it was morning, and I could feel him growing strong inside of me. I would always push my ass back down to the base of his cock to get as much of him inside me as I could. "Feel like you need a little eye opener this morning, Slave?" he would ask softly in his gravelly voice. I was always ready for one of his eye openers.
 
"Sure would be a nice way to start our day, Master. Your slave would very much appreciate it."
 
I wouldn't have to say anymore, and Booger would take over. Those were the times he fucked me so sweetly he almost brought tears to my eyes. He was a good man.  He was a better master, but he could be the best lover and sexual partner I ever had. He knew most mornings I was primed for his fucking and would erupt with my load before him. He would keep on steadily fucking me until he had enough and got his. Many times I would come the second time after he shot.
 
* * * * * * *
The next day things didn't look so bad. Booger was right. I didn't have to deal with everything at once. I would do what I could for Mr. Jarvis, and we could deal with Dave afterward. It was  Thursday morning and I decided with Booger and my brother's help, to go over and clean up the place. They were all for it. We discussed our plans with Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett over breakfast, and they thought it was a great idea. At least it was a place to start. We could show the old man we cared and were trying to help him.
 
"We've got another old pickup here we can loan you men," volunteered Mr. Bartlett.
 
"I’d appreciate that, sir. We need to run into town and buy some stuff to clean with. I didn't see too much around there. We'll pick up some limited food supplies for him as well. If you have any old rags, Mrs. Bartlett, we could probably use a couple."
 
After breakfast the four of us jumped in the old pickup and rode into the small town of Ten Sleep. There wasn't a Hell of a lot there but a small grocery store, one gas station and a small, one man, post office. It was fine. They had what we needed. I bought almost fifty dollars worth of cleaning products, some milk, coffee, can goods, soup, cereal, cookies, and some frozen dinners that looked pretty good. I bought several six packs of sodas for us to drink as well. I bought two brooms, two mops and a squeeze bucket for the mops. I thought about what Mr. Bartlett said about squeezing pennies and what the voice in my head told me. I bought a bunch of food for them. If we were going to be around for a couple of days and being country folk I knew they'd invite us to eat every meal. I told my master I wanted to make damn sure we paid our way.
 
My Master only beamed at me he was so proud of my gesture. We bought them a couple of rump roasts, two pork roasts, steaks, pork chops, a couple of pounds of bacon. We got five pounds of lean ground chuck, several round steaks and eight fryers. Several dozen eggs, pancake flour and syrup. We bought them two gallons of milk, six half gallons of all kinds of ice cream, cookies, and several twelve packs of sodas for the kids. We bought Mrs. Bartlett two boxes of Lipton tea leaves and two large cans of coffee. I bought a dozen frozen juice cans of orange juice, grape juice and a various assortment. We grabbed several twelve packs of all kinds of sodas.
 
I had Sonny and Boots get all kinds of fruit and green stuff as well as tomatoes. Boots grabbed two sacks of flour, two five pounds sacks of granulated sugar, several boxes of corn meal, canned tomatoes, and canned fruits. Several jars of peanut butter and jellies plus several loaves of all kinds of bread. We bought snack foods, breakfast cereals, and several bags of corn chips, and potato chips. Sonny grabbed a huge bag of potatoes and lugged it to the counter. The little lady at the cash register's eyes kept getting bigger and bigger. The total bill came to a little over six hundred dollars. Booger gladly paid the lady cash. The little lady at the cash register recognized me and knew we came in the Bartlett's old truck. She asked about all the cleaning gear.
 
"I have to try to help my buddy's dad out, ma'am. You know Mr. Jarvis? We're going to clean up his place for him. Maybe it will give him an incentive to feel better about himself and get him going again. I been praying to the Lord he'll show me the way to help this man I care for very much. I have to do something, ma'am. Dave is my friend, my buddy. We rodeoed together, and I can't let him down. These three men are my family I'm touring the country with. Those two who look alike are my cousins. Their names are Billy Gunn, same's mine and this fine looking gentleman is my Uncle Red."
 
She was happy to meet us and thought it was a good thing we were doing. Everyone in the community was worried about Mr. Jarvis but didn't know what to do. They didn't want to intrude. How long did we plan on staying to help Mr. Jarvis?
 
"As long as it takes, ma'am. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett's been kind enough to let us stay in their barn. I'm hoping we can get everything done by Sunday evening and be on our way to see Dave in Cheyenne."
 
She thanked us and had the young boy who was working as a stock boy help us out to the truck with the stuff. He couldn't take his eyes off of Booger. Sonny nudged me a couple of times watching the kid look at Booger's crotch. (Red was in his Western clothes to boot.) It wouldn't have taken much and the kid would've been in the back of the truck worshiping at my master's boots. (and he only had his Western boots on. How did he know? Ugly man pheromones?)
 
By the time we pulled into the Jarvis place, Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett and the kids were already there. We removed a great deal of the broken furniture and put it in a large pile down behind the barn to burn. We worked all day. I bought some lunch meats, bread, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, potato chips and drinks of all kinds. I showed Mrs. Bartlett what I bought. She and her daughter got busy and made sandwiches for everyone.
 
I took Mrs. Bartlett out to the truck to show her what I bought her and the family. She broke down and cried. I told her it was the least we could do for them being gracious enough to allow us to stay with them. She sent her oldest boy Ken to drive the oldest daughter, Lannie, back over to their ranch to put the stuff away so it wouldn't spoil in the summer heat. She was thrilled with the food and ran to tell, Wade, her husband. Mr. Bartlett lumbered over with a big smile on his face, shook our hands and just said, "Thanks." Then he hugged me again. That was thanks enough for us.
 
At first, Barn was a little shy about us helping him, but after Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett and I talked with him, he relented and allowed us to help him. Neither his washer nor his dryer worked anymore. Sonny and Boots were good at fixing that sort of thing but both needed parts we didn't have time to get. I couldn't see loading Mrs. Bartlett with a lot of extra laundry; although, I know she would've been happy to. We would have to drive to the next largest town where they had a department store to buy him a washer and dryer. Mrs. Bartlett got on the phone and made a couple of calls. Within thirty minutes someone knew of someone else in the community who had an older set that worked fine. They were asking twenty-five dollars a piece for them but since they were for Barn Jarvis we could have them for nothing. When could we pick them up? We arranged to pick them up first thing the next morning.
 
By the end of the first day, we had the downstairs pretty well cleaned up. It looked, smelled, and felt a lot better. Barn was in tears most of the time. I bought some ice cream for him and made him eat a big dish of it. I don't think he had ice cream in a long time. After about twelve hours working on the place we said our goodbyes but promised to be back the next morning to finish and bring him a working washer and dryer. He hugged me, kissed me on the cheek, and thanked us all. He couldn't have been more appreciative.

The next day we arrived with the used washer and dryer. They weren't that old. Compared to Barn's they looked brand new. They worked just fine and Mrs. Bartlett and her two daughters started to wash and fold clothes. Sonny and I took down curtains to wash. Some came out clean and looked fine, others fell apart in the wash.
 
Later in the morning four other pickup trucks arrived and more families came to help. By the end of Friday afternoon we had all Barn's clothes washed and put away. There were clean sheets and blankets on his bed, but we threw out two of the beds in two bedrooms upstairs. They were beyond cleaning or salvaging. In fact, there was a big pile of stuff we carried out beyond the barn, poured kerosene over and burned. The better the place began to look the more Barn's spirits began to rise. He was beginning to look like a new man. He used his clean bathroom to get cleaned up, put on clean clothes, and began to help. By Friday evening the place looked a lot better. There was food in his cupboards and refrigerator. Mrs. Bartlett and the ladies did a great job cleaning the kitchen.
 
The next morning we followed the Bartletts over to Mr. Jarvis' place and were surprised there were already five or six cars and pickups there, and they kept coming all morning. Some brought paint and ladders and proceeded to scrape and repaint the outside of the old house. It really needed it. By noon they had over half the house painted. Some folks got on the phone and someone had an old couch stored they weren't using any more. They brought it and others brought a couple of easy chairs and end tables.

Sonny and I repainted the living room and did a good job. The ladies repainted the kitchen. There must have been over fifty people there to help, and they made quick work of repairs and painting. The ladies brought food and fixed more while they were there and spread it out on a big picnic table we found in the store room. There was enough food for an army, and we were all pleased to see Barn Jarvis go back for seconds and thirds.
 
The better the place looked, the more he ate, and the more love his community showed him the better he seemed to get. I prayed what we were doing was working. Something was happening. We were introduced to several of the men from the community, and I remembered two of the men from six years ago. I roped with them and gave them tips. One was a major provider of livestock for ranches around the state, Mr. Jim Petrie. The other was a fine looking gentleman by the name of Mr. Bill Langtree. He was the biggest sheep stock man in the area. They introduced me to the man who owned and ran the local feed outlet, Mr. Tad Evans. We sat and talked with them over lunch. The Bartletts and Mr. Jarvis were at another table.
 
"Mr. Petrie, you got any stock for sale?" I asked while eating.
 
"Yeah, Son. I usually always have stock for sale."
 
"What would it cost me for twelve good breeding heifers and good quality bull?" I asked.
 
"Well, things have been pretty slow of late. I usually get two grand a piece for the heifers and you know a good bull will go for around five to ten depending on his quality and whether we've shown him. If he's a proven champion then the price goes up considerably. That's around twenty-four thousand plus, but I'll make you a deal if you're really interested."
 
"I'm very interested, sir," Red winked at me and I knew he was in my corner.
 
"If it's good quality breeding stock you're looking for then for an even twenty-five thou, I'll sell you twelve young heifers and a proven bull. He ain't a champion. Ain't never been show’d, but he's a producer," I reached across the table and shook the man's hand.
 
"Sold, Mr. Petrie," I said. Booger whipped out his biker wallet and counted out two tens and a five. He folded them and handed them to Mr. Petrie. The man couldn't believe when he looked down and saw two ten thousand and one five thousand dollar bills. He quickly put it in his wallet, shook Booger's hand and shook my hand again.
 
"Now, that's the way I like to do business, Gentlemen. Where do you want 'em delivered, Son?"
 
"After me and my family take off, probably Monday, I want six heifers and the bull delivered to the Bartletts. I want the other six heifers delivered to Mr. Jarvis. I figure he and Mr. Bartlett can share the bull."
 
"Good thinking, Cowboy. Of course they can. They're good neighbors. We suspect the Bartlett's have been keeping old Barn going," said Mr. Petrie." This is damn nice of you men, Son."
 
"How about some sheep for Mr. Jarvis, Mr. Langtree?" I asked.
 
"You don't have to worry none about that, Cowboy. We already done got six ewes and a ram cut out to bring him tomorrow and Les Wilson has another six ewes he's bringing him. That should be plenty to get him going."
 
"Does Mr. Bartlet or Mr. Jarvis have any outstanding debts with you Mr. Evans?"
 
"Naw, Son. Those two men always paid me on time or they won't buy. That's the kind of men they are," he said.
 
"Would you accept funds from me to open them each an account? How long will ten thou a piece run them."
 
"Oh shit! Damn near two, two and a half, maybe three years, depending. Sure, be happy to open accounts for 'em, Son." Booger got out his wallet again and handed Mr. Evans two ten thousand dollar bills. He almost choked.
 
"I'll get you a receipt for this, Gentlemen," Mr. Evans said.
 
"Of course, I'll get you one tonight, too," said Mr. Petrie.
 
"No need. If you men weren't honest, concerned, and caring you wouldn't be here today. You won't cheat these men or me."
 
"Usually a cowboy don't ask where another man got his money, but we can't help be curious how you and your family came into this kind of money and can afford to be so generous with it?"  Mr. Evans asked.
 
"Remember the Arab Prince's life I saved in Vegas?" I asked.
 
"Oh, Hell, yes! I remember now. That was you! I forgot about that. It was all over the T.V. news, and we could see it was you," said Mr. Langtree. I pulled out the ring Ben's dad gave me and the men whistled. They didn't know how much it was worth, but they knew it was a lot.
 
"The prince is now my brother. I'm an official member of the royal family of Bahrain. His dad gave me this ring and made me a member of their family. I receive a large sum of money each year from the royal treasury and will for the rest of my life. It's so much money I can't spend it all. As you know, cowboys don't have many wants or needs. I guess I'll always will be a cowboy, but God put me and my uncle, here," I motioned to Booger, "there at the moment someone tried to kill the prince. Me and another young man saved his life and now we're kin. God gave us this money for a reason, and me and my brother think it's to help some folks in need. I can't think of two better families to help than the Bartletts and Mr. Jarvis."
 
"We have to agree with you, Son, and to be honest we've been praying for a miracle for the two of 'em. I think we've just witnessed one here today. What do you say, Gentlemen?" Mr. Evans said asking the other two's opinions.
 
"We agree, absolutely. We didn't know what to do, but we're glad you took the initiative so we would have an excuse to come forward and lend a hand," said Mr. Petrie.
 
"I couldn't agree more," said Mr. Langtree.
 
I pulled the photo out of my wallet and showed the men that my master, to them my uncle, was there along side of me. They all exclaimed that it was indeed Mr. Grainger.
 
"Are you Red Grainger that puts out oil well fires?" One man asked.
 
"No, sir. That's my big brother, but I worked for him for twelve years and did the same kind of work," Booger Red replied.
 
The men were satisfied they were dealing with men of substance and quality.
 
"Mr. Langtree, you sure I can't give you and Mr. Wilson some money for them sheep? I's going to contract with you anyway," I asked.
 
"Naw, Son, but thank you. Sheep are slow but steady. We're doing all right. We wanted to do this for Barn for what he's done for us."
 
Later I got Mr. Evans alone and handed him two five thousand dollar bills. He knew immediately what I was going to ask.
 
"Five for Langtree and five for Wilson, Son?" he asked.
 
"Exactly. Thanks, Mr. Evans. You don't have to tell 'em 'til after me and my family leaves," I replied.
 
"Done! I'll let them know after you men are gone. They won't say it, but it'll help Bill and Les a lot. They've been getting by but just barely.
 
Everyone started in working again and by nightfall had the rest of the old farm house painted. It looked like new. Barn Jarvis was awestruck. So was everyone else. The community joined together to create a miracle and everyone seemed to have a great time making it happen. Someone found an old wagon wheel chandelier Boots and Sonny hung over the kitchen table and it gave the room a feeling of comfort from the soft glow of the bulbs and chimney covers all around the wheel.

Everyone decided to have Sunday dinner at the Jarvis place after church the following day. We talked Barn into going to church with us. We were up early the next morning and went by to pick up Mr. Jarvis. He was waiting on the front porch when we pulled up. He had to shake our hands and hug each one of us. He must have thanked us a hundred times. Booger drove and Boots and Mr. Jarvis sat up front.
 
The preacher and his wife were there helping on Saturday and were coming to Sunday dinner at Mr. Jarvis' place. He preached a wonderful sermon on the generosity of the human spirit and neighbors helping neighbors being what Christ had in mind. They passed the collection plate and I watched Booger drop in a thousand dollar bill. I winked and smiled at him in an approving manner. Word got around what we did for the Bartletts and Mr. Jarvis but no one let anything leak back to them. They were men of honor and kept their word. They would know soon enough. It was a beautiful summer day, and it couldn't have been a prettier day for an outdoor dinner. There was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade rolls, green beans, corn on the cob, iced tea and five or six kinds of desserts. After everyone ate Mr. Jarvis got up to speak. All he could say was, "Thank you all. I love every one of you."
 
That was enough. Mr. Langtree and Mr. Wilson left for a while and Boots and Sonny went with them. About an hour and a half later they returned pulling two large four wheel trailers with six ewes in one, six ewes and a ram in the other. They let the tailgates down and the sheep ran out into Mr. Jarvis' pasture. Barn Jarvis was in tears again. He couldn't believe the generosity of his neighbors. They even brought him an abandoned Blue Healer someone left behind and the Wilson's adopted. They found the animal near death, caught in the brambles of some vines. They had their own sheep dogs and thought old Barn and "Brambles" would make a fine team. They couldn't have been more right. The dog ran up to Barn, jumped into his lap, and kissed him. He knew he was home. He stole the afternoon and got everyone's mind on better days. Brambles herded those sheep like they were his own. He was a fine sheep dog. Barn Jarvis fell in love immediately.
 
Folks were staying late and telling stories until the early hours of the evening. No one wanted to go home. They were proud of themselves and what they accomplished for their neighbor. They had a right to be proud. They deserved to relax and bask in the glow of their achievement. Everyone felt the magic. This was a fresh start, a new beginning for Barn Jarvis. They somehow knew their efforts were not in vain. They not only did some pay-backs for Barn and Dave's generosity to them they also would reap the benefits of their time, love, and energy spent in helping their neighbor.
 
Finally, folks started to depart and wished each other well. Barn wouldn't let them get away without a tear, a kiss, and a hug. He thanked everyone down to the last babe in arms. He was a man reborn. He was once again imbued with a love for life, his faith in his fellow man, and a hope for the future. He personally witnessed more love in the last few days than most men see in a lifetime. The Bartletts were the last to leave, and we told them we'd be along directly. We sat around the kitchen table and had a dish of ice cream while talking to Barn.
 
"So tell me, Cowboy. I know your handsome dad was training you to be his slave the last time your were here. Since he's passed, is Booger your new master," Barn Jarvis asked but didn't look up from eating his ice cream.
 
"Yes, sir, Mr. Jarvis. I'm very proud to be Master Red's slave. He's a fine master, sir," I replied.
 
"I'll say he is and you should be proud, Young Man. I've watched him and seen the way he controls you. An iron fist in a velvet glove. The way any true master should handle someone's pretty as you. And you, Sonny, are you your dad's slave?" Barn asked.
 
"Naw, sir, Mr. Jarvis. My dad's basically a straight man. He allows me to service him, and he keeps me well fucked. I keep praying one day he'll take me for his slave. That would make me very happy. Master Red and Cowboy are working on him. He may be coming around but in the meantime, I pretend he's my master, and I'm his slave."
 
"I always wanted more with my boy, but I just couldn't bring myself to approach him. I think that's part of why I been so down and out the last several years. I wish everyday I had. I know that may sound bad, but I can't help admitting to you men how much I love my boy, and it goes beyond your standard father/son type love. I wanted to make love to him. Now I probably never will realize that, but it's okay. I never thought until Cowboy said something to me yesterday, I'm really lucky. My boy came back. The Bartlett's boy didn't. At least I have my boy to visit and spend time with. They can't even tell theirs they love him anymore. I'm gonna' get myself together and bring my boy home. We'll figure out something. The harder I work the better we'll do, and I can have the wherewithal to bring him home to live. He's not happy at the VA. He has his buddies, but it's not like being at home. I know he's gonna' wanna' see you, Cowboy. I can't wait for his next letter."
 
We finished and Sonny and I cleared the table. We washed the few dishes and put them away. Sonny and I were talking with each other. Booger and Boots were talking to big Barn. We finished and I thought we were getting ready to go when Boots surprised Sonny and me.
 
"Sonny, did you bring your overnight kit with you in the truck?" Boot's asked.
 
"Yes, sir, Dad. It's behind the seat," Sonny replied.
 
"Get it. You're staying the evening with Mr. Jarvis. I think he could use a good slave this evening to pleasure him and bring him some comfort. He may use you anyway he pleases. As yore' potential master I expect you to be as good to Mr. Jarvis as you are to Master Red and me. If you wanna' become my slave, I've decided you will work to prove to me you are worthy. Make me proud of you, Boy!" Boots commanded his son in a stern voice of authority. Made my dick hard, he did.
 
"You don't have to worry none about that, Dad," Sonny hollered over his shoulder as he headed out the front door to retrieve his overnight kit. We all laughed at Sonny's willingness. He told me several times during the day how hot he thought Barn Jarvis was and he'd love a crack at lifting his spirits. We waved goodbye to Sonny and Barn. They were standing on the front porch with Barn's big arm around Sonny's shoulders and Brambles sitting on the other side of him looking up at the two of them. I mentioned to my master and Boots I'll bet there was going to be a dog fight as to who slept closest to Barn. They agreed and laughed. We got to the blacktop road back to the Bartlett's ranch and Booger stopped the truck for a minute.
 
"Before we go back, I just want you to know, I couldn't be more proud of you than I was today, Son. What you did today will make vibrations and good will in this community for years to come. You not only helped the old man, you pulled a community of people together to take action to help their neighbor. I really think you've turned that old man around, and with Sonny's love tonight I think he'll be just fine. That damn dog adores Barn," said Booger in all sincerity.
 
"I agree with your master, Billy,” said Boots, “As your kin I can't tell you how proud I am of you. Sonny can't talk about nothing else but you buying the cattle for the Bartletts and Mr. Jarvis. If they don't make it now it's because they ain't good ranchers to begin with. I got me a feeling they're gonna' do just fine," Boots said.
 
"Well, thanks, Master, Brother, but I can't take much credit for it. There were voices in my head who told me 'yes,' 'good price,' 'buy,' all the way to the credit for Ken and Les. I have to apologize to you master. I know you knew I planned to spend some of our money, but you had no idea how much."
 
"Son, I still have a damn pocket full of money and you have another check hidden away from the first family installment. We're doing just fine. You didn't spend too much. I think you got a damn good price for the cattle. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett are gonna' shit when Petrie pulls up with the truck. When we leaving, Son?" Booger asked.
 
"If it's all right with you two, we'll run in and pick up some more food for Mr. Jarvis tomorrow morning early. He's gonna' need a case of dog food and some kibble. We cleaned out that freezer on the back porch and plugged it in. It works fine so I thought I'd get him a bunch of easy frozen dinners and such. A bunch of canned chunkey soups, easy stuff he don't have to spend a lot of time fixing, then go back by, drop it off, pry Sonny loose," they both laughed at that, "return the truck and be out of here shortly after noon. How's that sound?" I asked.
 
"Like a good plan, Son. A real good plan," my master said.
 
"I'm beginning to see what you and Bogger have been talking about, Cowboy. Folks looking over your shoulder and telling you things. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it, but now, I'm a believer. I could swear I heard a voice what told me to order Sonny to bunk it in with old Barn. I even found myself starting to talk to the Old Man, and I sure hope he's listening. ” Boots said and grinned.
 
"He is, and He does, Brother Boots," I said.
 
* * * * * * *
It was hard saying goodbye to Barn Jarvis the next morning. Boots, Sonny, and I put away six to eight large cardboard boxes of food stuff for him. The freezer on the back porch was almost full. I carefully went over the ease of fixing certain things and made him promise to eat and get stronger. Barn didn't want to let go of Sonny and begged Boots to let him stay a while, but Boots needed his son. Barn certainly understood, kissed, and hugged Sonny one last time. They were both in tears, and I have to say it was hard being strong. My Master and Boots didn't try. They finally shed tears as they hugged the big man goodbye and wished him well. He made us promise over and over again to go see his boy in Cheyenne. We promised faithfully that was our next stop. We might stop overnight as it was a pretty long haul to Cheyenne from Ten Sleep. He was satisfied and told us he planned to visit Dave the following weekend. He had much to tell him. We knew he was going to have even more to tell him.
 
We had a light lunch with the Bartletts, and they didn't want us to go either. They wanted us to stay at least through the weekend. We couldn't. My voices told me it was time to go. There were tears and hugs. I gave them my dad's address and phone number. We would be in touch with him should they need to contact us. Let us know how Mr. Jarvis was doing. We finally rode out to the main road about one o'clock. Good thing. We stopped Mr. Petrie following the cattle transport on their way to the Bartletts. We said goodbye and wished him well. He got out and shook hands. He gave me a big hug and thanked us again. I asked him if he had something to write on. He handed me a couple of his business cards.
 
I wrote on the back of one, "Thanks for your hospitality in the past and especially these last few days, Love, Cowboy and family."
 
"Give this to Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett for me, sir.  And Mr. Petrie let them know this ain't no loan, it's a gift."
 
"I will, Son, and God bless you and your family. Come see us again as soon as you can."
 
"We will, Mr. Petrie. I promise."
 
* * * * * * *
We headed South towards Cheyenne. It was a gloriously warm summer afternoon in mid July. You didn't need a jacket. You could ride along in your shirt sleeves and be comfortable. The four of us were in a mental haze. It was like Ten Sleep had been a dream. A good dream that left us wallowing in our own contemplation of the meanings of all that transpired in such a brief period of time. We felt we lived a life time in a microcosm. Mikrocosmos. Small worlds, written in micro-tones from the diary of a fly. A study in how minor seconds turn into major moments. Now, we were light years away from the land where time seemed to stand still for several days. Was it thus when God stopped the rotation of the Earth, the sun stopped it's journey across the sky so the Israelites would have one more hour to win the day? Did Bartok actually hear the kitten calling his name through the blizzard? How large a hole will a puzzle canon leave? We each wallowed within our own conundrums, riding Harley, riding Davidson like modern day leathered druids filtering out chaff from truth as the winds of the ethos streamed through our nomadic hair.
 
Sonny was in his own world. Something magic happened between him and old Barn. Boots, Booger, and I neither commented on nor asked him about his evening. I knew he'd tell me when he was ready, but I also knew something remarkable passed between them. Sonny was more together and at peace than I'd seen him since we met up with Boots and him. Boots and Red remarked to me that Barn was a changed man after a night with Sonny. What transpired between them? I knew Sonny didn't have a lot of sexual experiences other than his dad and those whom his dad approved for Sonny to be with; you could count those men on one hand. The night we left Sonny with Big Barn Jarvis, I slept between my brother and my owner. We were so tired we didn't consider sex. We were asleep shortly after we lay down. I woke up once in Boots arms with Red spooning me, his arm thrown over both of us. No screaming green meanies chased me that night.
 
After talking a minute with Mr. Petrie it was two o'clock before we truly got underway. It was a good two hundred miles to Casper and another two hundred to Cheyenne. We weren't going to push it. We'd been on the bikes a good four hours into Casper and it was the largest town between Ten Sleep and Cheyenne. We decided to stop for the night. It was early enough we could relax, get a good meal, and get an early start to bed. Booger and Boots were early risers and liked to be on the road by sun-up. Booger claimed it was the best time of day to be on the road. According to Sonny, Boots felt the same way. Booger and Boots fit together like matched set of gloves. Sonny and I weren't morning people. We grumbled and groaned our reservations to each other about their shared philosophy. We ate breakfast and were on the road by seven. With a tailwind we could be in Cheyenne before noon. We were shaking off the daze of the previous afternoon and getting back into 'biker family mode.' We were traveling through some of the most beautiful country God ever created.
 
It was like He was riding along beside us on His own big hog enjoying what His handiwork brought about. It was as if I could almost turn and see Him, wink and nod at Him when I saw something wonderful. Like, 'Yes Sir, got a really good scald on that one, Sir. Out-did yourself on that meadow of flowers, Sir. What a riot of colors.' We pulled into Cheyenne around eleven o'clock in the morning and decided to have lunch before we rode to the hospital. We found a great burger place that made the best burgers and fries. We were stuffed by the time we left.

We easily found the VA hospital. It's one of the biggest facilities in Cheyenne, and we rode up into the parking lot. I noticed about fifteen or twenty vets wearing their uniform shirts from Nam sitting in wheel chairs on the front lawn. We parked under the shade of some trees and slowly got off our bikes. All the men's eyes were on us. My family decided to wait until I came back to get them. They wanted me to find Dave by myself. I appreciated their thoughtfulness.

I started walking away from them and got no further than about fifteen feet when I heard a loud buckaroo whoop. In a voice you could've heard from the gates of heaven, "Son of a bitch, it's the Cowboy! I knew he'd come! I told you guys, he'd come! He's here!" yelled Bulldogger Dave.
 
I saw a wheel chair trying like crazy to navigate toward me in the grass of the lawn. I started running toward the handsome man in the chair as he was trying his damnedest to get to me. I got to him, fell to my knees and embraced my beloved bulldogger brother. I don't think there was a dry eye on the hospital ground. We were crying, kissing, hugging, and petting each other. Dave saw my cross and kissed it on my chest. We couldn't speak for minutes. We were so emotionally overwrought. By that time my family joined us, and the other men in wheel chairs were gathered around us.
 
"This, Gentlemen, is the world champion rodeo cowboy, Billy Gunn the third. He and his dad won the national finals in team roping in sixty-eight. The next day they sent him to boot camp and then to Nam; but, he made it back. He made it home, and he's come to see me, his old bull doggin' brother. I want you all to know, I love this man, this cowboy," Dave said. A cheer went up from the men and my family.
 
One thing Nam did for the male macho middle class was to wipe away any fear of telling another man you loved him or even stand in front of a group of men and proclaim your undying love for your brother. They had been there and back. They knew exactly what you were talking about, and it didn't need qualification. You could be two of the straightest men God put on the planet or gayer than pink ink. It didn't matter.

Goddamn it! Life was too fucking short not to let your brother know how much you love him or worse, be such a damn tight asshole you couldn't tell him how you really felt. In Nam the minutes of your life ticked away like sand through an hour glass. You never knew when you were going to run out of sand and there was no one left to turn the glass over and start it again. If you felt love for your buddy or for your brother you better damn well tell him today. You might not have tomorrow to let him know. You threw uptight, fucked social mores out the fucking window. You weren't going to be ashamed anymore to tell the world you love your brother. Fuck the world if they don't understand.
 
"I have, indeed, come to see my brother, Gentlemen,” I announced. This cowboy gave me this cross at a rodeo six years ago. I wear for good luck and protection. It belonged to his mom, and it ain't been off my neck since he give it to me. It helped save my life and gimme' courage to put one foot in front of the other when I was on the bottom. I had to come back to tell him how grateful I am, and how much I love my bulldoggin' brother."
 
A cheer went up that alarmed the hospital staff. Every one came up to meet me and my family. They couldn't believe three of us were named Billy Gunn. We had to show them our license. Dave was overjoyed. He couldn't stop crying. I had to hold him for damn near thirty minutes to get him to calm down, and then when I did he started in on us.

"I knew you were on your way. I got me fifteen phone calls within the last two days. 'Are they there, yet? Are they there?' What did you men do to my home town? I got phone calls from everyone and their dog in Ten Sleep. My daddy called me and told me so much shit I couldn't believe half of it; about sheep, cattle, painting the house, and a dog named 'Brambles.' Then Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett called and wouldn't let me go until every damn kid talked with me, told me they loved me and wished me well. They told me you and Cowboy bought them six heifers, my dad six and a steer they's gonna' share? Bought them credit at the feed store? What the Hells going on back there?
 
"They's all coming to see me weekend after next. Dad's coming this weekend. Mr. Petrie, Mr. Langtree, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Evans all called me. Pastor Franklin and his wife called. I tried to get out of dad what happened, and he just started crying. He kept telling me about four angels on motorcycles who came through and changed his life. My cowboy and one in particular named Sonny who was Billy Gunn the third like Cowboy. Talk about confusing. Now it's all beginning to make sense. Dad said he's a lot better now and is gonna' work toward bringing me home. That would be wonderful, but I don't hold out a lot of hope."
 
"Maybe you should rethink that one, Son," my master told Dave in a concerned voice, "We were there. We saw what happened."
 
I sat on the grass and proceeded to tell Dave and his buddies what we found and what we did. He and his buddies were amazed. We talked and reminisced for hours and the sun began to set. We pushed several inside, and I helped Dave. We went into their recreation room and there was hardly anything there. There was a small thirteen inch color television that had poor reception and if you weren't sitting within ten feet when the volume was turned up all the way you couldn't hear it. I looked at Red and shook my head. He headed for the hallway where there was a pay telephone. I heard his deep gravelly voice get loud in the hall. "I don't give a good Goddamn how you get it here. You wanna' sell it or not? I want it delivered this evening. Got that?"
 
"We stayed and had dinner with the men. They rarely had guest who wanted to stay for dinner so the hospital staff could've cared less. The men were in such a good mood they were happy to have us. We no sooner finished dinner than here come the delivery men with the biggest wide screen TV they made at the time. A Magnavox thirty-two inch. It had stereo sound what would blast you out of your seat. The men were agog. The delivery men set it up handed Booger the bill. He paid them cash, tipped the delivery men, and they were on their way.
 
"Enjoy your new T.V. men. It's yours," Booger announced.
 
If they could have, they would've carried him around on their shoulders they were so happy with that damn T.V. Dave was an instant hero. His buddies bought them a new T.V. everyone could watch. The hospital staff were amazed and pleased. They even sprung for a new antenna to be mounted on the tower next to the rec room. It brought in all the stations in the Cheyenne area. We told Dave we planned to visit him for a couple of days and asked if there was a motel near? He told us about a Holiday Inn right down the street.
 
"Son, would the hospital allow us to come back and get you to stay the evening with us?" my master asked Dave.
 
"Sure. All I gotta' do is check out on the ward, give them the name of the motel, phone number, room number, and I'm free," he replied.
 
"Would you like to?" Booger asked.
 
"Oh, shit! Would I like to? No, sir, I'd fuck'n love to," he replied. Several of his buddies smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up.
 
"We might have to double up. I might have to put you in a room with the cowboy, or I could get you a room by yourself if you like," Booger teased Dave.
 
"Billy and me, we's cowboys, sir. We's used to bunk'n it in with one another. That'll be more'n fine, sir. It would be downright wonderful," Dave said. Booger winked at Dave, and he knew my master was having fun with him.
 
The other GI's didn't want us to leave. They wanted us to stay. They wanted to tell and hear more stories. They wanted us to watch their new T.V. with them. We promised we'd be back all day the next day and probably the next. We planned to visit for a spell. We left and checked into the Holiday Inn. We told the front desk we would have a guest staying in one room with us from the VA. We gave them Dave's name and ID number and they said fine. Bogger, Boots, and Sonny were going to bunk it in together. Lucky Sonny. The motel staff were very helpful. They had vets from the hospital stay with them from time to time and gave us a room which accommodated a wheel chair. It was a really nice room, too. There were two double sized beds; more than enough room in each bed for two people and a lot of room-room for a person in a wheel chair to navigate.
 
Boots and Booger decided to stay, get cleaned up and maybe head for the spa while Sonny and I went back for Dave. Sonny was as enthusiastic about going to get Dave as I was. He found Dave quite attractive and had his eye on several of the men. We arrived and found Dave in the rec room with his overnight bag ready to go. He waved, and his buddies whistled and cat called. Several said they wished they had a champion rodeo cowboy to bunk it in with for the night. Dave gave them the thumbs up sign. The men roared and applauded him. They were happy their brother could get away for a night with his cowboy brother he'd talked about for nearly three years.
 
We gave the name of the motel, the phone number, and the room number to the night nurse who was head of the ward. She was sweet and charming. She, too, was glad to see one of her men, as she called them, have a night away from the hospital. If we didn't plan to bring him back right away in the morning just call the number she gave us. We promised we would. Dave was positively glowing. He was going to be with his friends, his brother Cowboy, for the evening. Better yet, he was going to get to bunk it in with his beloved friend. He hadn't missed Cowboy's new brother Sonny was a fine looking handsome man as well. This was more than even he dreamed of.
 
We got back to the motel and there was a note in the room Booger and Boots were in the spa and for us to come join them. There was an extra suit laid out on the bed they got from the front desk. People leave stuff behind and the staff at the front desk always have an extra swim suit or two. Sonny and I quickly undressed and got ours on. We helped Dave to the bed, helped him undress and helped him on with the suit. Sonny took one look at Dave's cock and whistled. "Like father, like son," he rolled his eyes in his head. We didn't tell Dave about Sonny spending the last evening with his old man, but he put two and two together. All his dad could talk about was Sonny and Brambles.
 
"How was my old man, Sonny?" Dave asked.
 
"On a scale of one to ten he was a twelve, Brother – a twelve plus! Ain't never had another man make love to me like your dad did, Dave. I'm 'fraid I left part of my heart back in Ten Sleep with a fine looking, older cowboy. He's a remarkable man, Dave. You should be very proud of your dad, he's had it rough. I know you have, too, but you men need each other in my estimation," Sonny said. I was proud of my slave bother.
 
"From what I hear from him, you have a part of his heart as well. Told me he begged yore' dad to let you stay for a while. He couldn't say enough nice things about you, Brother, and to think you're Billy Gunn the third. Unbelievable. I appreciate you men for being good to my old man, but especially you, Sonny. It meant a lot to him and me," Dave said almost in tears. Sonny looked at Dave and almost lost it. He nodded his understanding.
 
Dave could maneuver pretty good on his own. He developed his body strength until he could get around pretty well using his upper body. He could get himself in and out of the wheel chair and use the toilet facilities by himself. He wasn't as bad as I painted a picture in my mind, and only his legs seemed paralyzed. Above his hips everything seemed to function normally. He got roaring hard when I leaned over and kissed his cock. He blushed like a school boy. Sonny and I laughed unmercifully at him. He finally got into the spirit and asked if I'd do that again later. I promised him much more than a kiss. He groaned and rolled his eyes, but he immediately got hard again. We got his suit on him and wheeled him out to the pool area. There was no one else in the spa but Boots and Master Red. We helped Dave to the side of the hot pool and eased his feet into the warm water. Red had a bottle of 'Comfort' in a paper bag by the pool. He offered each of us a pull. Dave grinned and took a good hit. He thanked Booger for his generosity.
 
"Woah! That water's really warm," he reacted as we slowly lowered his feet into the pool of water.
 
"You can feel the heat, Dave?" I asked him.
 
"Sure, I just can't move my legs. I can feel them fine. They itch and get hot and cold," he replied.
 
I let it pass, but I thought I remembered most paralyzed people can't feel anything. You could take a hat pin and stick it through their foot, and they wouldn't feel it. We eased him into the water. Sonny and I sat on either side of him. He was a man in heaven. He was with his own kind. Sonny and Boots may not be cowboys but he knew Booger and I were, and that was enough for him.
 
"You men don't know how much this means to me for you to come visit and treat me like this. To buy that television for the ward was a wonderful thing to do Mister Red."
 
"Call him Master Red, Bull Dogger," I whispered to Dave.
 
"Is Master Red your new master, Cowboy?" I smiled and nodded.
 
"Yes, Brother, when I left Ten Sleep with my Uncle Bud, we went to the Anderson ranch outside of Prescott. I met Master Red in Glen Rose, Texas on our way to the nationals in Ft. Worth. My Uncle introduced us. He used to ride the circuit with Master Red. I'm proud to be his slave."
 
"I can understand why, Cowboy. Don't make me no never mind. Ain't gonna' stop me from lovin' the both of you," Dave said.
 
"Ain't gonna' stop us from lovin' and sharing with you either, Cowboy," my master smiled at Dave, "As far as I'm concerned you're part of the family."
 
"From the things I been hearing about my dad, I didn't know he was so low or down. He always makes me think everything is just like it was and things are going along fine. It sounds like he needs me back there more than I need to be here in the hospital. I guess I been afraid to go out there and try'n make it on my own. A lot of guys try. Some make it and some don't. I guess that's why I wanted to see you so bad, Cowboy. Maybe I needed to hear you tell me I can do it. To be honest with ya' if I didn't have more with you than just today, to hug you this afternoon and know you're all right, would've been enough. I see my mom was right about your wounds, Cowboy."
 
"Your letter stunned the four of us, Bull Dogger. We knew, you talked to your mom. I would never doubt you because I've had some pretty weird experiences myself.  Meeting up with Boots and Sonny was a miracle. I'll fill you in on that later."
 
We sat in the spa for about an hour, and it was getting a little too hot. I asked Sonny to help me get Dave out and back into his chair. We excused ourselves and headed back to our room. We got inside, I helped him off with his wet suit and handed him a towel. He dried himself, but I dried his legs and feet for him.  I asked him if he wanted to watch television while I showered. He smiled at me wickedly. I smiled back and winked.
 
"Naw, gimme' a hand getting into bed, Cowboy, and I'll lie here dreaming about you. All I do is watch television. My dreams of you are better'n any damn T.V." he smiled. I gave him a little help. About all I did was hold the chair and he managed to pull himself into bed. It wasn't an Olympic ten-point-oh entry, but it got the job done and he was comfortable. I lay down beside him for a moment and gently kissed him. Pushed the hair from his face and smiled at him.
 
"You don't know how good it is to see you again, Buckaroo," I whispered to him.
 
"It's like a dream come true for me, Billy. I was so afraid you'd find me unattractive or half a man."
 
I looked down at his stiffening cock and giggled. "If'n we cut that damn thing in half you'd still be more man than ninety-eight percent of the men walking around out there," I said and laughed with him.
 
"No, no, – aww, Hell, you know what I mean, Cowboy." he said softly and laughed.
 
"You once told me it ain't physical appearance what makes a great cowboy, it's what he has in his heart. Whether he has the heart to get up, dust himself off and climb on again," I told him.
 
"Yeah, I said that. You remembered that from that long ago?" he asked incredulously.
 
"Bet your sweet bull doggin' butt. I plan to get back on that damn thing, and then, we'll see how much of a cowboy you really are," I teased him. We both laughed.
 
"Gimme' a minute to clean myself – think long, hard, deep thoughts," I winked at him.
 
"Seeing you in the raw makes it hard enough for me. You ain't lost a bit of purdie. Damn, you's still a good looking man, cep'n you look more like your old man today. It's almost like I got both of you in one package. How lucky can one cowboy get?" Dave asked. I laughed at him and winked as I headed for the shower.
 
When I returned he watched me towel myself dry, I glanced at his big cock to see it stiff as a rod. I purposely turned my back to him to bent over and dry the front of my legs and feet. I heard him suck air through his teeth as he got a good shot of my ass. I turned and his big, all day sucker was standing at attention with no hand assist from him. He started to blush, and I howled with laughter.
 
"Mind if I try that big bulldogger cock on for size, Cowboy?" I smiled at him as I crawled in beside him and grabbed hold of it.
 
"Oh, fuck, Billy! You always could say the hottest fuck'n things to me at the damnedest time. Remember that time you's ridin' hazer for me, and I's just about to take off after that big steer, you whispered how far up my ass you's gonna' run your tongue?" he started laughing and got me laughing, too.
 
"Yeah, I remember," I said and laughed.
 
"It got me so hard, when I turned that critter's head, his horn came down right cross my crotch and damn near broke my old dick in two," Dave said laughing.
 
"T'weren't my fault you ain't got more control over that big snake, Cowboy," I teased him. I kissed him gently and we entered a passionate embrace. My old cock was getting hard as a rock.
 
"Pod'na," I spoke to him in my best buckaroo lingo, "yore' Cowboy's gotta' git his-self a lick or two on that there sweet bulldogger cock a' yorn. I don't wanna’ rape you none, but it's looking too damn good not to get me a big-old taste."
 
"Fuck it! We're both cowboys. Let's go for the rape!" he said then laughed.
 
I proceeded to clean, kiss, and generally drive my cowboy out of his head making sweet love to his penis. I asked his permission to take him and he gave it immediately.
 
"Oh, Hell, yes, take all you want, Cowboy. That's feels so damn good, Sweet Baby. I'd forgotten how you drove me nuts that night a long time ago. Go for it!"
 
I sucked and sucked on him then cleaned under his foreskin with my tongue. He was clean and had the finest male taste. He was still every bit the bull doggin' cowboy I was with six years ago. I knew from lying there making love to him his life was going to make a big change. These couple of days were going to give him the courage he needed to go home and help his dad make a life for themselves. I finished and got in all the sucking I needed for the evening. I lubed his stiff cock, ran a little up my hole, position myself over him and made that sucker disappear. When I hit the base I felt him arch his back, his eyes fluttered, and he let out a sigh of a man who just took his last breath. His body spasmed as he emptied his first load into me.
 
"That's one!" I leaned over, with him still way up inside me, and gently kissed him. Dave's eyes were glazed, and he leaked one tear. I wiped it away. "That good, huh, buckaroo?" I kidded him.
 
"Oh, damn, Billy, I'd forgotten, even in my dreams about you, how good it felt. Can we call in a surgeon and have him sew you to the base of my dick?" he asked.
 
"We can look into it. I don't see why not. We might have some explaining to do when we go out in public, but they’ll get over it," we both exploded with laughter.
 
I rode my bulldoggin' cowpoke to climax three more times. We found he could move his hips and was really getting into doing most of the fucking himself the last go round. We settled down and talked 'til the wee hours of the morning. He was up against my back with his arms round me holding me. I felt him getting hard again.
 
"How 'bout you doing the fucking this time, Stud. Stick that big thing back in there, and let's see what you got," I encouraged him. He seemed to gain confidence and was more comfortable around me. I felt him fumble a little but the next thing I knew my ass was being filled with bulldogger cock again. It felt mighty fine. Comfy. Like it was down home. Dave started slowly to take a few strokes and then found out it wasn't any problem for him. He could still fuck. I think at that moment something clicked in his head or personality that told him he wasn't a cripple.

By God, he could still throw a decent fuck into a handsome cowboy's butt, and he was going for it. He fucked me and fucked me, stopping just about the time he felt he was building us both up to climax. He was in the drivers seat, and I wasn't about to offer any suggestions. He needed to fuck me the way he wanted. I wanted him to find himself and he did. By the time he told me to get mine I was more than ready and shot four or five times into a towel in my hand.

He felt my asshole chewing on his cock and shot a huge load in my tank. We lay there hooked together for almost a half hour afterward with him kissing me behind my ear and whispering sweet sentiments and thanks. He knew what and why I did this for him. Not only because I loved him, but because he needed to feel like a man again. From that morning on, Bulldogger Dave no longer thought of himself as a cripple. He was a man, a cowboy, without the use of his legs.
 
* * * * * * *
Early the next morning the phone rang in our room at the motel. Since it was on Dave's side, I told him to answer it.
 
"Hello," he said. There was a pause and then Dave chuckled.
 
"Hey, Dad, how ya' doing?" he asked.  "Yeah, I'm here with Cowboy and his family in the Holiday Inn. Had a great day and a better evening with my brother."
 
"Yeah, he's here, lying right beside me. Hold on a minute."
 
"Dad wants to talk with you," he said as he smiled a knowing smile. I took the phone from him.
 
"Howdy, Mr. Jarvis."
 
"Cowboy – Wade Bartlett and me, well, we don't know where to begin to thank you. You got the whole damn community in an uproar. They can't talk about nothing but you and your family. You made quite an impression on them – me'n old Wade, too. Ain't seen Wade Bartlett so happy in a long time. He just keeps grinnin' from ear to ear. He sent his boy over after me when Jim Petrie come with the cattle truck. Six heifers for me and six for him with a fine looking bull to share. We can't thank you enough. That was a wonderful thing you men done, Son. I wanted you to know how much we appreciate it," Big Barn said.
 
"Well, Mr. Jarvis, I wanted to do something for Mr. Bartlett, you, and a couple of men who were unselfish and came forward when you needed them, Mr. Langtree and Mr. Wilson. I couldn't leave a man I love, my brother's dad, without making an effort to help him. My prayer is this will be a new beginning for you and the Bartletts."
 
"It will, Son, I promise you. I've been up since dawn, made myself some coffee, fed my buddy, and been out with him checking on the stock. I drove in yesterday with Wade and got some feed and hay. That dog wants to go everywhere with me. I sure do love him. We thank you for his food, too," Mr. Jarvis said and laughed.
 
"Good. Then the two of you can take care of each other."
 
"I'm sure Wade will call you to thank you. I'll tell him I talked with you. There ain't a lot I can say, Son, 'cept thanks, and I love you."
 
"That's enough, Mr. Jarvis. To see the look on your face when Brambles jumped into your lap and kissed you was worth the whole damn thing," I said and laughed and the old man laughed with me. "I'll give you back to Dave, now," I said.
 
"Before you go, Billy, tell your brother Sonny he's a fine young man and I love him. Hell – I love all you men. You worked your asses off for me, and I really appreciate it."
 
"You're welcome, sir. Here's Dave."
 
"When you coming to see me, Dad? They'll watch the place for you, and bring Brambles with you. I'd love to see him, and I know the guys would get a kick out of him. Okay, then. I'll look forward to seeing you. I think we need to talk. I love you, Dad. Yes, sir, he's still every inch a cowboy. Purdie as the first day I seen him. I still love him as much as ever, Dad, always will. I know, Dad, but Master Red is a good, understanding, and generous master. I couldn't love him more for what he done for me and the guys. Bought us a brand new big screen television for the rec room. Called the store and had it delivered in an hour and a half. Beautiful T.V. Now all the guys can watch and don't have to huddle together. Okay, Dad. Okay. You, too, Dad. I'll look forward to seeing you. Love, you, Dad. Bye." Dave slowly hung up the phone and rolled back over and threw his arms around me again and pulled me close.
 
"Is it wrong for me to tell you I love you, Cowboy? Especially, since you belong to Master Red," he asked.
 
"Didn't stop you when I belonged to my Uncle. Besides, don't you believe you can love more than one person at a time? I loved you and Master Red when I still loved my first master with all my heart. I still love my Uncle Bud."
 
"Yeah, I can understand that, but your Uncle was different. He wanted you to be with me. He knew your time together was coming to an end, and it would cushion the withdrawal for you."
 
"My master wants us to be together, too, Dave. He knows how much we mean to each other. I wouldn't be here with you now if he didn't love you and me enough to give me to you. I didn't asked him if I could be with you. He told me to be with you. It was his idea. I never question his commands."  I wanted to tell Dave he didn't understand that my love for him may damn well be part of the psychological cushion I need when I lose my master. I would put it in a letter for him to read after we leave.
 
"Then it's true. I have to love him as much as I do you. That won't be hard. He's a fine man, and I can see why you're attracted to him."
 
"Besides, I share him with Sonny," I continued, "Sonny want's to become a slave to his dad. Master Red is training him. It gives them and his dad time to be together. Don't think they're in their room playing 'tiddly-winks,'" I told him.
 
"Well, I thank God and your gracious master for this time with you. I'll personally thank him today."
 
"He'd appreciate that, I'm sure. Now, you had enough cowboy butt, Buckaroo, or do you feel like tearing off another big-old piece?"
 
"That last one was purdy damn good, weren't it?"
 
"Better'n purdy damn good, Bulldogger, it was a first class ride."
 
"Awh, Hell. I can do better'n 'nat."
 
"Climb on, Cowboy. Let's see if you can beat that eight second buzzer." Dave laughed as I once again felt my ass being filled with some mighty fine bulldogger cock.
 
* * * * * * *
We finished and the phone rang again. Dave answered.
 
"Good Morning, Master Red."
 
"Yes, sir. It was wonderful, sir. I can't thank you enough, Master Red. You're a kind and generous man, and I love you for that, sir. I really appreciate you letting me be with Cowboy. You can't know how much it means to me. I love you both very much."
 
"Sure, sir.  Here's Cowboy." Dave handed me the phone.
 
"Good morning, my good Master," I said.
 
"When you men going to be up and around? When you're ready give us a call and we'll take Dave to the restaurant in the motel for breakfast."
 
"We will, Master. Shouldn't be long. I thank you, too, Master, from the bottom of my heart."
 
"You're welcome, Slave. Dave's a fine young man. The three of us have fallen in love with him. See you soon."
 
I hung up the phone and asked Dave if he'd like to shower. They had a shower hose on an extension. All a person had to do was sit on the toilet and use the hose. The water went down a special drain in the floor. I gave him a hand adjusting the water, and we showered together. It was a little different, but it was great for handicapped folks. I scrubbed him all over, and he seemed to delight in the attention. Then I toweled him dry, and we laughed a lot.
 
We ate breakfast in the motel restaurant, and we could tell it was a great treat for Dave. He was used to the hospital food. While it was good food, any institution food begins to taste the same day after day.
 
"We're going to be here with you a couple more nights, Dave, to be with you and your buddies. You're welcome to stay with Cowboy every night if you like," Master Red told him over breakfast. Dave almost broke down in tears.
 
"You don't know how much that would mean to me, Master Red. I can't thank you enough. Like I done told you – yesterday afternoon would have been enough, but this – you've been so damn good to me." Dave broke down. Booger put his arms around Dave and comforted him.
 
"Look, Son, I know what you and cowboy mean to each other. I ain't about to come between two brothers who love each other as much as you two. So enjoy the day, and let's have a good time. We're happy to have you with us."
 
Nothing more was said and Dave did enjoy himself. We spent the entire day with the men in the VA well into the evening. That evening Booger checked with the staff and they approved his action. We sent out for twelve giant pizzas with drinks for the guys and the staff. It was a big party. We watched their new television with them. We played games. We listened to their stories about Nam and we told a few about our cowboy days. Dave never heard what I went through. After he told of having his buddy blown to pieces in front of him when he stepped on a land mine, Booger, and Boots urged me to tell my story. I did and didn't leave a detail out. I told of falling in love with Buck. I was blatantly honest about Ken White and Rowley Twisselman. No one said a word. They all slept with their brothers at one time or another.
 
Two of the men wept openly because they listened Sunday after Sunday to the bible reading cowboy. They knew Buck and then remembered me, White and Twissleman. They confirmed my story of being slaughtered because of a stupid Lieutenant. Dave was in tears along with the rest of the men, but when he found out my uncle, my biological dad, died the night before, he really broke down. Every man had a story and it seemed good for them to let go and tell what they went through. Many of the men knew Chief, my buddy who rescued me. I told the story of meeting Chief on the Anderson ranch outside of Prescott, Arizona and us rodeoing together. Our visit wasn't totally one of sorrow. The last day we took them all to the burger place down the street for lunch. We had a ball.
 
Dave and I spent every night together and grew even closer. Not as lovers but solid, bonded brothers. He knew we couldn't be together, but Dave was a true cowboy in spirit, he knew how to enjoy the here and now. His cowboy brother was in his arms, he wasn't going to question tomorrow. Somehow, we both knew we would never again be apart from each other's lives again no matter who we were with. The fourth morning we got ready to leave and dropped by the hospital to say goodbye. The hospital staff hated to see us go. The men were in better spirits and easier to work with than they had been in a long time. They shed a few tears when we departed.
 
Dave surprised me. He didn't shed a tear. He was only too grateful for the time he spent with me and my family he was determined not to spoil our goodbye with tears. I couldn't help but shed a few, but he was strong for both of us. I wrote him a brief letter to share with his dad when he came to visit over the weekend. I told him not to open it until we were gone. In the letter, I explained why the four of us were taking our journey around the U.S. and Master Red's condition. I told him he could share it with the rest of the men if he wanted, but I would leave that up to him. I promised I would send post cards to him and the men to let them know where we were and our progress. They got a huge map of the U.S., tacked it to the big bulletin board in the rec room. It didn't have much on it to begin with. There they posted all of our cards. They marked our journey in red, where we were, and what we were seeing. It became a big thing for them to follow and talk about.
 
About four months later, Dave went home to live with his dad, but we didn't stop sending cards and letters back to the men on the ward. It worked out better than anyone might have hoped. Dave ran the house, kept his dad clean and fed. He ran the financial end of their business and the ranch once again began to pay off. They were doing so well after a couple of years they paid cash for a new, large cargo van with lift gate Dave could get into and special handles he could drive with. He was no longer confined to the house. He could drive himself anywhere. I kept in touch separately with Dave and Big Barn.
 
About once a week I would sit down in a motel where we were staying and write them a letter. I'd tell them where we were and what we'd seen. I'd write how I was coping with the thoughts of losing my master and the ongoing training of Sonny as a slave. Even though I didn't hear from them until I got back to my dad's I needed to let them know I was still out there and I cared enough about them to share my life even if only by mail. My voices weren't wrong. I guess Dave and his dad were the closest thing to participating in an actual miracle I experienced to that point in my life. It wouldn't be the last. However, as successful as it seemed to be, it still has me wondering. Who gained the most from that miracle, them or us?
 
 
End Chapter 19 ~ Booger Red & Cowboy
Copyright ~ © ~ 2004 ~ 2016 ~ Waddie Greywolf
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Mail to: waddiebear@yahoo.com
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12/21/2015