Montana Winter Ch. 02

"What? What?"

Clay closed his eyes.

"We don't ask questions like that," Sherry said.

"Why not?"

Clay shook his head.

"Chip off the old block," I said.

"He is not," Clay mumbled. "I don't know where he gets it from."

We all piled into the car, and they drove me to the airport. We all went into the terminal and watched the planes taxi up to their runways.

"I've never been on a plane before," Josh said.

"Me either, short stack."

Josh looked at me.

"Scared?"

"Terrified." Just not of the plane.

*

I don't know what I expected Chicago to look like. It was taller. Greyer.

I got in a taxi at the airport and went directly to Lore's work.

There was a young receptionist with long blonde hair. She looked me up and down, taking in everything from my hat, to my boots, to my duffle, to my expression, I'm sure.

"I've got some pain in my torso," I drawled. "You all work on adults?"

"No," she said. "But I could get a recommendation for you. If you just hold on." She was leafing through a binder when Johnny walked out. He did a double take when he saw me, and his eyes bugged out.

The corner of my mouth turned up.

"I guess you're looking for my brother," he said.

"Well, you know," I said, and toed the carpet with my boot. "I was in the neighborhood."

Johnny laughed and gestured for me to follow him. "Come on."

He put his hand on my lower back and guided me into their main gym/therapy treatment room, which was huge.

"Bro," Johnny called across the room. "I got something for you."

Lore looked up, and his expression was comical. His mouth dropped wide open. His eyes got so round I could've use them for headlights. He blinked, and shook his head like he was dreaming and he had to wake himself. Then he got up.

"Excuse me," I heard him say to the girl he was working with. Then he ran across the expanse of floor and scooped me up in his arms in a huge hug.

"Put that down," he said, looking at my duffle, and I dropped it right there.

Lore grabbed my hand and dragged me so fast I almost had to jog to keep up. He pushed me into a utility closet, closed the door, yanked the overhead light chain, and slammed me up against a shelving unit.

He kissed me fiercely; shoving his tongue down my throat in a way that would have been would have been ridiculous and unsexy if it weren't for the passion behind it.

Lore lifted my leg, put it around his waist, and ground his cock into me.

I started laughing. It was ridiculous really.

He put his hands on either side of my face. "You're here? You're really here?"

"I don't know; I could be a figment of your imagination. You better grind your cock into me a little more to find out."

He did. "Yeah. You're here. How long can you stay for?"

"Ah... forever?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," I said.

"No," he said.

"No?"

"Yeah, no. What changed?"

Oh shit. Here's where I should have prepared a speech.

He backed up and put his hands on his hips.

"Ah... I've been miserable without you."

"Yeah. Good. And me without you. So what?"

I smiled at him. He tried to keep a straight face against my smile, but it was a losing battle. I tipped my hat at him.

"City's still city; country's still country," he said.

"Like I care," I said.

"You did," he said.

I shrugged. "I've had losses. I probably can't sustain another one. So, you put my heart in a blender, tear it to little pieces, I collapse, and I die. Big deal. I'm half dead without you anyway. I'll take my chances."

I took my hat off and held it in front of my chest. I batted my eyes at him outrageously. "You're not going to make me get down on my knees and beg, are you? I hate that shit."

He smiled back at me. "You like it just fine. At least the knees part."

I smiled at him. I put my hat on a shelf and opened my arms.

Lore hugged me and kissed my neck.

"I missed the sound of you," I said. "And the smell of you, and the feel of you."

He laughed.

My voice got low and husky. "And the taste of you."

His body stiffened against mine.

"You ever get a blow job in a storage closet?"

"No," I said.

"Well you ain't getting one here, either. I work here."

I laughed.

"Lore?" I asked.

"Hhmnn?"

"Don't you have an office?"

He laughed. "Yeah, but the storage closet was closer."

I relaxed a little bit. Lore caressed my jaw.

"Listen, baby, why don't I give you my spare keys? I've got appointments until six. Then I'll be home, and we can figure some of this out."

I nodded.

"I checked, there are a lot of places around here that board horses."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Rich city folk need a place to keep their purebreds. But that means there are also places that could have space for horse therapy work."

I just stared at him.

"I missed you too, baby," he said.

I sighed.

"Don't get all mushy on me," he said.

I hugged him tightly.

"Come on, let me go. I have to calm down so I can come out of the closet."

I laughed.

*

Lore's apartment was sleek and modern, with large windows overlooking the city. I called Clay to let him know I arrived okay. He asked me how it was when I saw Lore.

"You know, Clay. I think it's going to be all right."

Epilogue

Epilogue

I started helping out with kids in Lore's practice, right away. After a few months I went back to Montana and got Ari and Eagle-eye, and boarded them at a farm—they're farms here, not ranches—not too far away.

Lore and I took a huge risk and put all of our money into starting our own horse-riding therapy division where I had boarded the horses, and then later bought our own horse farm. Lore knew I loved working with the horses and kids together too much to want to give it up. It meant we worked like crazy that first year to get it all set up, but if I had any doubts about anything, Lore swept them away not only with his confidence, but with caring.

Eagle-eye died after Lore and I had been together almost two years. It was incredibly hard; that old girl had been with me since I was a teen. But I had Lore's support. I lived through it.

Mary made a complete recovery. She's been in remission for eight years. Now she works full time raising money for breast cancer awareness.

I always thought I was strong, courageous. But there are different types of strength.

My friend Kevin taught me a lot when I was young. Lore taught me a hell of a lot more, now that I was a man in my thirties.

Maybe one of the main things I learned is it is a lot easier to be courageous together.

I went to college. I did some of it on-line, and Lore helped a lot. But I can't say that I'm any more fond of school than I was as a kid. I guess I'm not really a book learning person. But we just went big and opened three more facilities, and I think the extra boost in confidence knowing I had some education behind me helped.

Lore and I haven't gotten married. He already did that once, and I didn't need a piece of paper to tell me what was true.

We've been together for ten years now, and we're thinking about adopting. It's a big step. It's kind of weird for us, because we work with kids all the time, so having ones at the apartment when we come home would be an added stress to get used to.

Clay and Sherry have been married almost twenty years. They are planning a big anniversary party and recommitment ceremony in the spring. It sounds like all of Wounded Deer and half of Montana are invited. It feels weird whenever I go back, but I'm looking forward to it.

Johnny has been incredible helping us with all the expansion. He runs the business end of everything and we've kept him really busy. He's dated a lot, but never stays with anybody for more than a month or two. Lately he seems really down. I've noticed that just since this Christmas he seems to hunch over, and his skin looks a little ashen and grey. I'm not sure what's up with that, but he knows that Lore and I are here for him.

Josh is still the same 'say whatever jumps into his mind' kind of kid. He's shot up so he's bigger than me. He's a senior, and in just a few months, he'll graduate high school. He wants to move to Chicago and study physical therapy. So I guess that means he'll live with us for a while until he gets things sorted out. What's that going to be like?

As Josh would say, "What? What?"

# # #

The End

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