Nando and Will: 2 Arrogance and Acceptance
Nearly four weeks had passed since Will Green had joyfully gifted his virginity to Fernando, Nando Rodreguez at the small cottage in Costa Roja. He was now home at Rancho des Torres. On his return he had immediately been set to work by his older uncle, and one of his two guardians, Jackson, Jack Brooks. Nando had been detained from joining him. The older of his two sisters was married to Jack, but the other had a husband in Costa Roja and Nando had arranged to visit her for two weeks. Since Nando's arrival at des Torres they had been almost inseparable. They shared the bunkhouse with the other workers as usual, but after a couple of days had gone to bed to find their bunks mysteriously pushed together at a discreet distance from others. Will had blushed scarlet, but Nando had accepted it with his normal laid-back style. Each night the bunks were together; each day as the couple washed and dressed, they were once again separated. Will had shyly admitted that it was worth the initial embarrassment to wake up in Nando's arms. As yet the lovers hadn't spoken of their relationship to the older Brooks. Bart Brooks, Jack's younger brother, knew and accepted the situation and was to speak on their behalf. Same sex relationships were an accepted and respected part of life and culture in Costa Roja, Nando's country, and the Rojan sought to take Will as his Spouse.
Bart had asked that the lovers wait to allow him to be the first to speak to his brother, but for over a week after Will's return the older man had been away. On his return there had been a flurry of activity at the ranch and so Bart had not found any time for his much needed discussion. He had also wanted Nando to be at the Ranch when Bart had his talk. , Bart had now become concerned, just a day or so earlier, that something regarding the two young men had caught Jack's attention and that the older man was unhappy. Before Bart could manoeuvre his brother into talks, he found himself and Nando sent to Nando's home, Rancho des Caballos. They both felt the request to be a trivial one that any worker from Rancho des Torres could have carried out. Not only had Bart's pleadings, that Nando's father Don Carlos would be happier to see Will rather than he, fallen on stony ground but Jack had suddenly spent a few days in town so no other discussions could take place. Both Bart and Nando had ridden away from des Torres with heavy hearts, reluctant to leave Will to face his uncle alone and yet equally reluctant to incur the older Brooks' wrath by disobeying his instructions. Jack was the main owner of the ranch and ran it with a rod of iron. Jack owned fifty percent of the ranch, the other fifty percent equally divided between Bart and Will. However, as Will was under twenty five, he was still subject to his uncles' guardianship and his inheritance was held in Trust. If Bart were to gain his approval for his nephew and brother-in-law's relationship, disregarding Jack's order was not the way to succeed.
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Will sipped tiredly at his canteen again as he worked with two of Jack's longest-serving ranch hands; Joel and Samuel. He hadn't felt too good yesterday as his lover and uncle had ridden away and had put the feeling down to their loss and the strain of the secrecy of his relationship. However on awakening that day had found his throat raw, a rough cough developing and chills randomly assailing his lithe form. Joel and Samuel good heartedly took on the bulk of the repair work, letting the clearly unwell younger man rest as often as possible. As much as Will would have preferred to stay in bed, he had ridden with older men as per his older uncle's instructions.
"You alright, Will?" Samuel asked giving the slender frame a brief hug.
"Not so good," Will croaked with a tired smile. "Think when we finish I'll just retire to the bunkhouse. Maybe I can sleep off this illness."
"Rest a little longer, son" Joel said joining them. "We can manage. Sit in the shade for a few minutes."
Knowing resistance was futile and feeling to unwell to want to try and argue, Will allowed the smaller of the two older men to lead him to a small clump of trees and sat as directed. Without being aware of his eyelids closing, Will quickly slipped into a slightly fevered doze.
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Jackson Brooks was not a happy man. He'd seen the way his nephew looked at Nando with big eyes. It was even more evident since returning from des Caballos. He knew of the 'relationships' that country permitted and he was not about to allow his nephew to make the biggest mistake of his young life. There was no possibility in Jack's mind that Will could or should have a relationship with another man. Apart from his own feelings on the matter, Jack was quite certain that Nando was not of that sort and he could and would not contemplate that Will might be. He made up his mind that Will simply had a surfeit of hero-worship for the dashing South American given his complete inexperience in that regard. He would ensure things went no further, his mind firmly closed against any such relationship. Will was to marry a carefully selected woman who would make a good partnership, strengthen des Torres and provide children for the future of the ranch. The older man gave no thought in regards to Will's hopes or aspirations, firmly believing he knew what was best for the boy in his shared care. It was the shared care that made him send Bart away with Nando. Bart was too soft with the boy and he didn't want any possible embarrassment for Nando. With both men gone, he could put his plan into operation and by the time they returned all would be sorted.
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"Will!"
The shout of his name quickly roused the young man from his reverie and he struggled to his feet trying to ignore the pounding in his head and the shivers and the aches throughout his body. He turned to face his approaching uncle as Joel and Samuel looked on with concern. All could see the older man's determined look and Will felt a frisson of foreboding run down his spine.
"Uncle Jack," he said as the older man rode up.
"Saddle up," Jack ordered. "I want you back at the ranch. You men can obviously finish this job alone," he added.
"Yes, sir," Samuel answered.
Jack wheeled his horse around and began to head back, not even watching his nephew. If he had, he would have noticed the younger man's struggles and the wave of dizziness that Will fought to maintain upright. Determinedly, Will mounted his horse and dutifully followed his uncle.
At des Torres, Jack ordered one of the Mexican workers, Pedro, to take their horses and directed Will to follow him into the house. Will was ushered into one of the spare bedrooms and Jack stood imposingly by the door.
"Tomorrow evening you're leaving here and going east to stay with your father's sister," Jack said bluntly.
"No, please, Uncle Jack," Will stuttered panicked.
"This is not for discussion, Boy," Jack growled. "I can see the infatuation in your eyes for Nando and I'm doing this for your good and the good of the ranch. Once you've been away a few days you'll see things more clearly, realize your foolishness."
"We love each other, Uncle Jack," Will said desolately. "Nando wants to marry me."
Jack covered his shock with aplomb. Of all the arguments he expected from his nephew a marriage proposal was not one of them.
"If he wants to marry you, Will, why hasn't he spoken to me?" Jack asked. "You've been back long enough."
"Uncle Bart was to speak to..." Will began, but Jack cut in coldly.
"If Nando truly loved you, Will, he'd have done his own talking by now. What about his future? If you love him, do you want to jeopardise his inheritance?"
Will's hands went to his pounding head. His mind was in a whirl and he was unable to see that his Uncle's words were purposely aimed to undermine his confidence.
"Jeopardise?" Will murmured. "No. I love him. He loves me."
"Don Carlos told me he looked forward to having grandchildren," Jack lied shamelessly, determined to have his nephew bow to his will and his decisions. "He won't be getting them from me and Marguerita, so they must be from Nando and the wife Don Carlos expects him to take. Trust me, Will," Jack's voice became persuasive. "You've become infatuated with Nando. You've spent a long time with him and seen something there that doesn't exist. You don't want a relationship with another man. You want a wife and children of your own. You love Nando? Then don't stand in the way of his future happiness. Leave him be to find the right woman."
