Growing Josh

There are scenes of unprotected sex depicted in this story. In all cases it was between the main characters, who are in a committed, monogamous relationships and were tested. If you aren't in the same kind of relationship, then you should always protect yourself and wear a condom.

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Mitch stood staring out the window. He could not believe the snow had cut his world down to a few feet beyond the glass. The howling wind had whipped the snow into a monster of epic proportions. It had been coming for days, the meteorologists out of Norman giving warning after warning for what they were dubbing the storm of the century. But every big storm in recent memory had gained that moniker, so it was easy to discount the dire predictions. The cold seeped into the house, Mitch wrapped his arms around himself and shivered in spite of the thick sweats he had pulled on when he had forced himself out of bed.

"Hey, here's some hot coffee. Swimming in sugar just like you like."

Mitch turned and gave his husband a warm smile as he took the steaming cup between his cold hands, savoring the heat. He stood staring at the swirling wall of white and sipped his coffee. They had done everything they could to shelter the animals. Storm, Lady and the two BLM horses were stalled in the barn, Josh and Trent's horses seemed particularly eager to move inside. The boys had even stayed in Josh's room instead of Trent's little home. The main house had an auxiliary generator so even if they lost power, they still had heat and lights. Nevertheless, Mitch couldn't help but be concerned. Josh and Trent's growing herd of goats were more than could fit into the barns, so they had turned them out with the cattle in a wooded pasture that offered more shelter. He took another sip, contemplating the result of this storm on their ranch.

"Stop fretting about it." Mitch felt Darrin's strong hands glide along his neck and rub his tense muscles. After a few minutes, Mitch surrendered to the gentle probing and let his muscles go slack. The couple marveled that the bond between them continued to grow with each touch or each hurdle conquered. They both knew they would support the other, and this was just one more obstacle to overcome. When he felt Darrin lean forward and lovingly kiss the back of his neck, Mitch relaxed. They stood in silence, Mitch wrapped in Darrin's arms as the unending storm pounded their ranch. They were brought out of their time together by stumbling footsteps from Josh's bedroom. Mitch turned his head for a stolen kiss before he turned to see which of the rascals was the first to find his way out of their den.

"Shit, it's coming down like a mother fuck'r," said Trent as he stumbled out of the room in a t-shirt and briefs. He stretched and unconsciously scratched himself as his sleep-fogged brain awoke. Trent stumbled into the kitchen, grabbed a coffee mug from the cabinet and filled it with the coal black brew. He held it up to his face and inhaled softly. This was Trent's long established routine, mug of black coffee, inhale, and sip. After a few mind-clearing shots, he made his way to the living room and curled into a chair to watch the snow blast past.

"You think everything'll be ok?" asked Trent.

"I think so. The cattle and those damn goats are pretty tough. They should be ok. We'll check on them once this blows over. At least it's just a blizzard and not a tornado," said Mitch.

"Yeah, I seem to remember the damn goats saving your bacon," said Trent, a grin plastered on his face.

"Smartass kid!" said Mitch, returning Trent's smile.

The trio watched, intent on the destructive fervor of the storm. The clang of stainless against ceramic marked the beginning of Josh's day. Trent walked into the kitchen and gave his love an early morning kiss.

"Hey handsome. How are you this morning?" said Trent in an almost reverent tone.

Josh stretched, uncoiling like a cat. His arms wrapped around Trent and pulled him close for a scorching kiss. With arms intertwined, the two made their way to the couch where they could watch the snow while laying against each other.

Hearing the clatter of pans, Trent knew Darrin was making breakfast, and he moved to help. They put together a huge meal, knowing they had a long day ahead. Between the two of them, the table was soon filled with biscuits and gravy, fried eggs and crisp bacon.

Darrin called everyone to the table, and they descended like the proverbial locusts. The heaping platters were quickly emptied, and in less time than he would have imagined possible, Josh was crunching on the last piece of bacon. The cleanup was equally quick with everyone pitching in to help. A glance at the window showed no change in the turbulent weather, so the weather bound cowboys scattered to find some indoor activity to occupy their time.

Several hours later, everyone was drawn to the sound of Mitch stomping on his boots and pulling on his heavy coat.

"Where're you going?" asked Darrin.

"The blizzard's about over, I can see the buildings now. I want to go check on everything."

A glance out the window confirmed Mitch's observation and started a flurry of dressing. Once they opened the door, the group entered a world of sparkling brightness and thigh-deep snow drifts. Josh and Trent hurried to the barn to check on their horses. Max was playing enthusiastically, tunneling under the new snow and then erupting like one of the mythical snow beasts. While the younger pair were checking on the equine population of the ranch, Mitch and Darrin started shoveling a path to the ATV's. Mitch was relieved when both cranked and then kicked over with a smoky roar. Going over, or through, the obstacles the storm had created, they were soon in the pasture and began their search for livestock.

Darrin and Mitch canvassed the pastures for cattle. They were both concerned when they saw a collection of snow-covered mounds. Afraid for the worst, they headed toward the closest group. Mitch's heart pounded, worried they had lost the herd, when the closest mound exploded into a thousand pounds of deep red cow, very much alive.

Mitch let out a held breath, hopeful the scenario would repeat for each one. The wish was gradually fulfilled as one-by-one the sleeping cattle revealed themselves. It took some time, but before the hour was up, they had found every cow, to the immense relief of both men.

Roaring across the snow, they entered the pasture where the goats had been put before the storm. With the hope that Trent and Josh had equal success in finding their animals, they headed their machines into the brush-covered pasture. Thick with squat cedar trees from fence line to fence line, it had seemed like a good choice to shelter the goats. But they didn't make for an easy search.

Mitch killed his vehicle and listened for the horses, hoping they were close. Just as he was about to give up, he heard the familiar nicker he was searching for. Motioning to Darrin, they raced in the direction of the horses. Even though they'd had good fortune so far, Mitch was concerned that the more diminutive goats had not withstood the storm as well as the cattle.

Still prepared for the need to salvage two young men's emotions from devastated loss, he almost slammed into the sea of goats that streamed around a massive cluster of cedars. Mitch managed to shut down the ATV before he crashed into them, and then sat in happy disbelief as the vast array of spots and horns moved first in front, and then around him. He heard a gentle chuckle behind him, and glanced over his shoulder to see Darrin with a huge smile on his wind reddened face.

"Looks like they managed to survive," said Darrin with a grin.

"Yeah, it does. I'm really glad that I was wrong."

The stream of animals dwindled, and Mitch could hear the reassuring noises of horses moving through the snow. Behind the last cluster of goats, he saw the boys coming around the snow-covered trees with the stragglers. He waited, still concerned, to hear what the younger couple had found. By the smile across their faces, he knew there were no losses, which let Mitch finally relax. As the horses closed the distance between them, he noticed one goat was sticking beside Trent's horse like a tick and bleating continually. He couldn't help but watch her as Trent stopped beside him.

Mitch turned to ask Trent about the doe, and saw a wiggling movement in the canvas bag tied to Trent's saddle horn. Mitch watched the bag jiggle for several moments before looking to Trent for explanation. With a chuckle, Trent untied the bag and handed it to Mitch. He opened the neck of the bag and looked inside with the doe trying to climb onto the ATV with him. Mitch looked at the wriggling mass of bodies and legs inside and looked at Trent.

"Apparently she decided last night was the perfect night to give birth," said Trent with another chuckle.

Mitch balanced the bag on his lap and stuck his hands inside. They emerged with three tiny kids, two black like their mother, and the other with pinto markings. All three obviously healthy, well fed, and ready to be reunited with their mother.

"How in the world did they not freeze?" said Mitch.

"I don't know!" said Trent with a shake of his head. "We couldn't find the goats and were afraid we had lost them. But they were in the cedars where they're so thick you can't get through them on horseback. Josh and I managed to get them out, but this doe kept yelling and wouldn't leave. So we went back, crawled under the big ass cedar she was circling, and found the little guys. But they're too small to get through the snow, so I put them in a bag I'd thrown in the saddlebag just in case."

"Well the little farts are tougher than I gave them credit. We can put the doe and her babies in one of the horse stalls and we'll let them grow some before putting them back with the herd," said Mitch.

He gently slid the triplets back in their carrying bag and handed it to Trent. He watched as the younger men rode slowly toward the barn, chatting and laughing as they moved through the sunlit winter scene. Mitch shook his head in disbelief, amazed that they had made it through the latest crisis and hoped they were finished with near disasters for the next few years.

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Winter had ended with a whimper after the early March blizzard. Things had settled down on the ranch and people had again settled into the day-to-day life, everyone except Trent. While things were going well, Trent knew disaster was coming; it always did. He knew he should have been brave and left already. They had become invested in his life, and he had let it happen. He knew better, he had learned the lesson soon after being dumped in foster care. He should never have let Josh fall in love with him. Even worse, he had fallen in love with the ranch, Mitch, Darrin, Max and everything and everyone else. He knew better than to let it happen. He could feel the pressure; he had to leave soon. The heartache was building, ripping his soul apart. He began to prepare for his exodus.

The other three had left Trent to take care of things while they took an overnight trip to Amarillo. There had been several things they'd needed from the west Texas town and Trent didn't mind taking care of things overnight. It was mostly checking on the animals, and otherwise just enjoying some quiet time. The crew had left early one morning. By evening, Trent had taken care of everything they had left for him to do.

Rising early from a restless night, he decided to clean their house. They had both been busy for the past few weeks, with Trent kidding out the goats and Josh finishing his semester. So the house needed cleaning, and Trent felt it was a perfect time. He decided to have an old fashion spring-cleaning and soon had everything he could move laying in the spring sunshine. The place was scrubbed and vacuumed to within an inch of its life by the time he was ready to put the furniture back in place.

One thing he couldn't move alone was their maple dresser, which took both of them to budge. Trent was in such a cleaning furor that he decided to remove all the drawers and see if he could move it then. Soon there were drawers on every flat surface. Trent scooted, tugged and cleaned until he was satisfied, and then started putting everything back together. Almost finished, he grabbed the drawer of Josh's underwear and headed to the dresser. Trent struggled to put in the last drawer until his hand slipped and the entire content was scattered across the floor. With a sigh, Trent wedged the now empty drawer into its slot and started putting things back inside. As he grabbed a last pile to shove inside, a small white box fell out of the pile of clothing.

Trent gave it a curious look and picked it up. He looked at it closer and realized it was from a jewelry store. Without considering the consequences, Trent opened it and a ring box slipped out. His hands were shaking violently at the fears welling up inside him, and made the simple task of opening the box almost impossible. After numerous tries, he managed to open the lid, and saw a simple gold band nestled inside.

Trent slipped the ring out and held it between his fingers. The light reflected off an inscription, which Trent carefully read. As the words leapt off the bright metal, Trent felt as if a hand was constricting around his heart. The inscription said simply 'To my husband, Trent.'

Trent tried to stem the flood of tears with his sleeve, but they dripped off his chin and onto the floor. His body was racked with sobs of grief over things that could never be. He'd come so close to happiness, so close to love. He wasn't even sure what love felt like until he'd come to the ranch. He knew he didn't deserve their love, everyone before had convinced him how worthless he was. The guys were just gullible and naive. They didn't need the kind of trouble he brought. The tears of loss flowed, until with a shuddering sigh he wiped his face for a last time.

It was time.

He needed to go.

The walls that Trent had let down slammed back into place and isolated the weak emotions of love and caring so he could do what needed to be done. He finished putting the drawer back together, not wanting Josh to know he'd found the ring. He wasn't leaving immediately. Trent wanted to have a few last memories of Josh and the ranch, and he had one last gift for Josh before he left forever.

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Josh watched Trent's receding horseback silhouette, wondering what was going on. It wasn't that Trent was a stick-in-the-mud, or anything like that. But since Josh had gotten back from his trip to Amarillo, Trent had seemed almost manic. The frantic need to do everything seemed to overwhelm him. It left Josh with an unsettled feeling. Josh let his horse walk forward, considering for a few moments until deciding it was just Trent being Trent and that he should enjoy the cheerful behavior because there would be a crash at some point. With a whoop, Josh rammed his cap down on his head as his heels urged his horse into a run, trying to keep up with Trent.

The next few hours raced by, and they found themselves collapsed on the creek bank, the horses grazing nearby while the boys soaked up the spring sunshine. The fiery sun had encouraged both of them to peel off their shirts. Josh rolled on his side, his head propped up as he watched Trent. Suddenly a hand shot out, grabbed his nipple and twisted it.

"Asshole!" squealed Josh as he launched himself onto Trent. The battle quickly turned to a sensuous wrestling match, the light sweat on their skin adding to the sexual heat invading Josh's body. The wrestling became less and less about winning a bout, and more about the building feelings. Josh felt Trent's hands slide up his bare sides and catch his head. He rolled so Josh was pinned under him. Trent froze in place, his warm breath caressing Josh's lips, which were only a fraction of an inch away.

"I win," said Trent.

"I let you win."

"Oh?" Trent lifted himself, and Josh's senses flared with the perfect blend of pain and pleasure as Trent grabbed both his nipples, digging his nails into them as he twisted them hard. Josh let out a low moan as the passion flared. He groaned as Trent released him, and ground his crotch against Josh.

Trent held Josh's face between his hands. "I want you to fuck me."

"Now? Here? You sure?"

"Yes, now. I want you to pop my cherry."

Josh chuckled at the bad porn line but could feel the stiffening in his jeans at the thought. They had an active sex life, but he hadn't wanted to rush Trent, so he'd never tried to top.

Josh felt Trent grab his face and pull him so they were looking at each other. "I want this, don't over-analyze everything."

Josh smiled, having been caught in his own downward spiral. He rolled to his back and then pulled Trent on top of him. His hands ran over Trent's back, eventually trapping his head with his outstretched hands and pulled him in for a kiss.

There was an urgency to Trent's response, a sense of need that Josh had never felt before. It was as if he were oxygen, essential to Trent's survival. Josh knew he should stop them, see what was causing Trent's emotions to surface in ways Josh had never seen before, but lust overwhelmed his brain. Sex became more important than whatever was happening with Trent.

Josh sat up, pushed Trent back and kissed him with passion. Their tongues warred, the small lances of flesh invading the other's mouth again and again. Josh felt Trent's desperate gasp as they made out. The emotions filled Josh until his world was reduced to just him, Trent, and the sun-drenched embankment.

Trent could feel his cock throb and press against his jeans in response. Trent paused for a second, then dove in, biting Josh's hard nipple. The fireworks generated overwhelmed Josh's system, the last of his thinking brain drowning in lust. Trent's fingers skated over his chest and stoked the fire with each pass until Josh's moans were reverberating through the open air.

Past caring, Josh's hands and eyes explored the luscious form in front of him. Trent had developed into a hot young man. Still more slender than Josh, his body was a rippling mass of perfect muscles. Josh loved the tattoos, tracing them with his finger as he remembered Trent's explanation of the native totems. His finger trailed off the edge of the ink and he wrapped his arms around Trent, enfolding him in a crushing embrace.

His hands slid lower, urgent in their exploration of Trent's back. Reaching the arch of his lower back, they plunged into Trent's jeans and grabbed the tender flesh of his ass. His fingers slid between Trent's ass cheeks and ran their length. As he rubbed against his pucker, a glimmer of sanity broke through the lust and caused Josh to lurch backward.

"Fuck! We need lube!"

Trent smiled, reached into his pocket, extracted a small clear bottle and handed it to Josh. With the bottle tight in his grip, Josh watched as Trent unbuckled his belt, yanked open his pants, wriggled out of his clothes and crouched in front of him. Trent panted heavily, his chest sinking toward the ground, surrendering himself to Josh. Trent's eyes were filled with desperation, and beseeched Josh to enter him.

Josh stripped and was soon as bare as Trent. Moving behind him, he squirted lube into Trent's lightly furred trench until it was matted and dripping. Josh wanted nothing more than to plunge his cock into his lover and rip his cherry ass open. But he did not want to repeat his own first experience. Knowing he wanted Trent to remember his first time for the pleasure, and not the pain. He worked to be as gentle as possible when he opened Trent.

Through all this, Trent voiced no concern. His only sounds were small mews of delight as his ass was prepared. After Josh had been working three fingers into his ass for many long minutes, Trent looked back with a look of desperation on his face.