32. Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

May

Indio ran through the house, clad only in his shorts, hollering for Sel. "Where the fuck are you? Why the hell did he want such a big house?"

Sel stepped out of the kitchen where he'd been cooking the omelets Binx showed him how to make. "It's not that big. Three bedrooms, three bathrooms. You know I came from a house that had three times that?"

"Where the fuck are my jeans?"

After rolling his eyes, Sel pointed to the back of the kitchen. "You insist they're hung so they don't shrink, and it was cold yesterday, so I hung them in the laundry room."

"Are they dry?"

"Should be."

Mumbling the entire way to the laundry room, Indio ignored Sel's laughter. "Why the hell he's gotta wash all of them at the same time…"

Sel dished up the two omelets and set the kitchen table with the food and he watched Indio coming back into the kitchen in fresh jeans. "Are they dry?"

"Yeah," he grumbled. "Coffee?"

Sel nodded to the table. "Everything is set here, darling."

"Don't call me that," Indio grunted, sitting at the table. "Fuckin' darling. Who calls a guy that?"

"You didn't mind it while you were fucking me last night."

"That's different. You say all kinds of weird shit while I'm fucking you!"

Indio was a nervous wreck. The clubhouse was ready, and he'd officially hold his first meeting that night. He'd be gone all day which would be a relief. He'd been a huge pain in the ass the last few weeks.

They brought up four men from New Mexico, two from Denver and recruited three from Montana. It wasn't a lot, but enough for a chapter at long last.

The meeting would be to elect or select the members for certain positions and would likely go on half the night.

Sel could have gone, but with the opening of the resort so close, he had to beg off, as he'd be with Roland and Binx the rest of the day, checking on the final touches.

"Indio, settle down before you take off on the bike. I don't want you distracted when you're riding."

"Babe, you know it chills me out when I'm on the bike. I'll be fine."

Sel still worried, especially since he'd been on his bike every day it didn't snow in the previous couple months. "Okay, but be careful anyway."

"Bossy bottom."

Sel didn't love his new nickname, but he supposed it was just. Since taking over the majority of the resort business, he'd been bossy as hell to Indio. That was only because he didn't feel confident enough to boss anyone else around.

"When are you heading out?" Indio asked between bites. "This is great, by the way."

"Thank Binxie for that. He's giving me some great recipes. Um, I need to stop by my uncle's house. They spoke to their surrogate yesterday. Three more months and they'll be papas."

"That's so cool. They're going to be great dads."

It hadn't been easy for them, but Dante had done it, found a beautiful surrogate for the babies and each had one that was fathered by him on the way. Two little babies growing inside her.

For the surrogate, they hadn't had to look far. Bonita Salazar had offered, once she learned of their search. She wasn't doing it just out of the goodness of her heart. She insisted they cool off the mafia shit and that they pay her with her own little home, but since she was ready to move in with Barry, she chose the monetary equivalent.

They were happy to accommodate.

Indio left an hour later, and he languished in kissing Sel goodbye. "Be good today and I'll tie you to the upstairs railing again."

"I'm always good," he argued.

"Yes or no."

Sel hated it. He still found it terribly hard to obey. "Fine, I'll be so good, you'll have to fuck me over and over."

"Like I'd mind that."

Watching him leave, Sel got the shivers. One thing Indio would never be accused of was a lack of libido. The man could fuck for hours, rest and go again. Sel never thought he'd be the one crying for a break.

He dressed in a light silk and linen outfit, loose beige suit coat over a gorgeous silk red tank. The pants, however, were jeans, as he found they took a beating from the ranch better than anything else. Go figure that the cowboys had known that for a hundred years.

Once he drove over their little bridge, he headed to Dante's first, parking next to Blaine's Outback. Blaine was outside with the dogs in the yard, which already had lilacs blooming and tulips in a colorful line in front of the hedges. "Hey, Uncle Blaine!"

"Hey," he said, jogging over to kiss Sel's cheek. "How are you?"

"Nervous, stressed and I've never felt better in my life."

"Speaking of stress," Blaine whispered, nodding to the side. "That one is making me crazy."

"I bet. I'll go see him."

"Please!"

Sel laughed as he entered their beautiful house. Blaine had decorated it sparsely, letting the huge picture windows be the pinnacle of their décor.

Simple lines of the furniture, thick shaggy white rugs and lots of plants made the house a home. Blaine also had pillows all over the rather squared sofas and bigger ones thrown perfectly on bits of the floor.

"Uncle! Where are you?"

Dante hurried down the stairs and found Sel waiting for him. "Sel! I expected you earlier."

"It's seven thirty, Uncle."

"Is it? I've been up for hours. Roland is dealing with the nursery for us."

"Roland's here? I was going to meet him in town."

"I found him first, but you can take him. Binx is losing his shit at the restaurant, Dallas said that the fencing was down on the southern end of town, threatening that the cattle could come through there, which would be a disaster."

"All normal bumps for a resort, Uncle Dante. Chill out. I'm handling everything. Can I go up and see the nursery?"

"Sure, I'll go up with you."

They'd taken the wall down between the two smaller bedrooms to make one large nursery. Roland fixed it for the future, when the kids grew some, with pocket doors that could be closed once the boys wanted their privacy.

They walked into the room, and Sel gasped at how beautiful the nursery was. The walls were painted a soft taupe except for the accent wall that was done in a beautiful dark olive green.

The pictures on the walls all matched the stuffed animals that were placed around the room. Giraffes, lions, gazelles, and the blanket basket was a soft white elephant in wicker.

The floors were covered in more shaggy white rugs, the lamps matched, be they floor or table lamps, the white maple furniture, with white shades.

There were two matching bassinets with animal mobiles and sheer white cloth over the top end. "Roland, this is gorgeous."

Roland stood from where he had been straightening one of the rugs. "I'm pretty proud of it. Of course, Blaine did the choosing of the furniture and theme, but then he gave me carte blanche."

"I thought you were an architect, not an interior decorator."

"For this ranch? I've become both. I don't mind. It's been fun, though I'm taking a week off at least."

"Take a month. I think you need the time with your guys. They haven't seen you much in the last couple of years."

Roland smiled sweetly. "They're so good about it. They've been busy too. A month, well, I'll take you up on that, but if anything goes wrong…"

Sel understood. The resort was Roland's baby. He'd designed most of it all by himself. He'd had some help with the ranch part of it, but mostly it had been him.

Dante was exceedingly smart about those kinds of things. In the threesome that was Roland, Jace and Tango, he'd gotten a security expert, a manager and an architect. With the threesome that was Nathan, Mark and Binx, he got a doctor, a preacher and a chef.

"Are you about ready to go look over your creations?"

"Am I? I've been so busy, I haven't had much of a chance to see it all."

They first drove to the airport, where they'd gotten their license and had two private planes land so far.

It was simple, small, with two even landing strips and three hangers for Dante's private planes. There was a small office that had a bunkroom in the back for whomever stayed there for their twelve-hour shifts.

The man there that day was a temp, someone hired for the month and would return to his old job in the Billings airport.

They drove to the main entrance of the resort, where the stagecoach started. There was a parking area, and a line of the coaches, both horse-pulled and motorized, brand new, emblazoned with the CR of the logo. No one was there except for Tango, going over the cameras that were stationed on both sides of the entrance.

The entrance itself looked like anyone else's ranch entrance. A thick arch connecting a long pole on each side of the open area of the fence. The fence there had been replaced with long thick boards for a more private entrance.

In the back of the parking lot was a small stable for the horses that would be pulling some of the carriages. "Hey, guys," Tango said, moving over to them as they exited the SUV.

After giving him a kiss, Roland told him, "Are the cameras working okay?"

"Perfect! I just left the ranch, and Dallas has it running smoothly."

"And Jet's barn is all finished?"

Hunter Westmore had helped Roland design a barn for the ranch that was all his. He'd be able to give the animals all the care they'd need, including the birthing cows.

"It's finished. Jet's over the moon."

Sel saw how relieved Roland was. "He's as nervous as Dante."

"Maybe less," Tango teased. "He's not expecting two babies."

"That's true," Sel gave him.

"Okay, we're heading to town now. The chapel just got the bell yesterday, and I'm anxious to hear it ringing."

Another kiss and he watched Roland purr. "I'll see you tonight, early!"

"I promise," Tango assured.

Once they were on their way to the little resort town, Sel felt more relaxed. "The big parts are good. The airport, the coaches, they're all ready."

"Sel, I'm telling you, this has been so much work, but I've never been happier. Even when people kept throwing in new things, it just felt…good."

"Being trusted with a multi-billion-dollar resort, that says a lot about you."

"I hope you're all happy with it."

Sel couldn't be happier. As they neared the little town they'd built, it felt as if they were moving back in time. Sel pulled over and stared, waving a hand over the landscape. "Look at it. How could we not be happy? It looks and feels just like an old west town. There won't be cars running the roads, the people working in each building will be dressed in period clothing, so the illusion will be more real."

Roland was smiling happily as he looked over the town. "I can't wait to see the guests enjoying it."

They parked in the little lot at the end of the road, the lot that had a tall stone fence along one side and a gate where a bouncer would be seated. The other side of the wall was where the adult side of the town laid.

They walked through the family-friendly town, seeing people rushing around with the last minute work. Finishing touches were being made to painting the windows, adding troughs and hay bales in front of parts of the boardwalk on either side of the dirt road.

Binx was out front of the café, animatedly telling the painter how to make his name. "I don't want it to be so big that people inside can't see out of the window, you know? But it should be big enough that people know who's place this is."

"You mean, like I just had it?" the frustrated painter sighed.

"Well, yeah, I guess, but swirl the B a little better and dot the I at the end with a winky face."

Sel laughed as they walked over to Binx. "How's it going?"

"I'm making the poor painter want to throttle me. He can commiserate with my Sirs."

They walked into the café to see gingham cloths over the tables, old-style oil lamps for the lighting on each centerpiece, and the wood-paneled walls held pictures of the Montana ranch's landscape.

"It's so simple, but sophisticated," Binx said. "Some people wanted it all cluttered with barbed wire and stinky old cowboy boot lamps. No. Candles, cloth and a nice atmosphere. There will be flowers on the tables too, and the lamps are low light, for intimacy."

"I love it, Binx," Roland said. "It's how I saw it."

"I love it too. You both have done this one proud."

Binx was already filling the pantry with spices and things he'd need, and he had a freezer filled with the beef from the first bunch of organically raised cattle.

He walked with them across the road to the doctor's office that was half of the building, the other side being taken by a barbershop. "Have we found a stylist yet?" Binx asked Sel.

"No, but we have four applicants. Any of them would be great."

"Good, good. I'll need one."

The sign hung outside the right side of the building announcing, Doc Lee, Physician .

"Doc Lee, like he's some yeehaw cowboy," Binx said, giggling. After knocking, they walked into the old western waiting room and Binx pushed through the double doors to the back end of Nathan's office. It was like night and day.

There was nothing old-fashioned about the rest of the place. Everything was stainless steel, glass, and white leather on the exam tables, sinks shining, and cabinets in each exam room filled and carefully double locked.

Nathan was in his personal office in the back, and he rose from his desk chair to greet Binx with a kiss and a handshake for each of the others.

"Didn't expect you all today. Everyone okay?"

"We're healthy," Roland said, laughing.

Pappy came out of the end exam room with a bandage on his hand, and Binx gasped loudly. "What happened?"

"Painting the windowpane and there was a splinter I didn't see, and it gave me a cut."

"He's been stitched and a new tetanus shot."

Binx hugged him. "My poor Sir."

"I'm fine, Binxie. You can help me paint, though, if you're free."

"I am!"

"We'll walk you over," Roland offered.

The four walked over to the little chapel, and the few stained-glass windows were shining from Pappy's constant cleaning, the paint bright white and in the steeple, the new bell hung, and it was gorgeous.

Inside, the benches of cherry wood gleamed, the walls of white plaster were set off perfect against the stained-glass and the pulpit sat only a half a foot above the rest of the floor.

"It's just a pretty little chapel. Roland, Pappy, you've both done yourselves proud," Sel said as he looked around.

The ceiling was all the way to the roof, but several ceiling fans were hanging closer to the center. "I love the fans, it would get really hot in here," Binx said.

"Not true to period, surely, but convenient."

"Binx isn't cooking on a wood stove, so some cheats are important," Roland said.

When they left Binx and Pappy, they finished the tour of that part of the town, the hotel, the daycare and all. They went through the gate unimpeded, being there were no children to watch for, and they were suddenly in the adult part of town.

Another hotel where men and women would stand on the balcony, playing the part of hookers, catcalling the men below.

There was an adult apparel store that would also sell sex toys, lubes, anything kinky men might enjoy.

A stable was off the main road, and would hold "ponies" that were really men that pay a price to be there to be taken and used for the time they were there.

There was also a pet store, where more ponies would be "sold", and also pups, kitties and more. The topping on the cake, however, of the entire street was the huge kink club shaped like a barn. "Xen is in there now, painting the mural."

Xen Windover and his husband, Memphis, had come just two days before, hired especially to paint a mural like the one in the original Cowpokes. Sel and Roland hurried over to greet them and sneak a peek at the mural.

Covered in splotches of paint, Xen greeted them with kisses to their cheeks as he pointed to the mural. Memphis was with him, getting off the stool where he'd been sitting. "Howdy fellas."

Sel shook his hand but his attention was fully on the mural. It was so beautiful, he couldn't express it.

The skyline of the mountains to the west of them were there, light and dark green covering them, trees, wildflowers and animals in the back including moose, deer and bear.

Up closer, however, were representations of all the different people in the place, including a bunch of suit wearing mafia men with fedora hats on their heads, guns poking out of their pockets.

There were groups of bearded bikers on the other side, and cowboys and cowgirls in the center, all cartoonish, but hilarious.

On the front of the barn, right behind the cowboys and cowgirls, read Cowpokes 2.

Sel pointed to the mafiosos and laughed, "Xen, you pegged us perfectly!"

He was sinking into Memphis's side. "I warned him he'd be in trouble for that, but he painted it anyway."

"No, my uncle will love it like it is. Don't you dare change it."

Xen bounced and silently clapped, then he stared up to his husband. "Good for you, baby."

As Roland and Sel walked back through, Sel had a feeling that came over him he hadn't had before. Everything had been a blur the previous few months, getting with Indio, getting his own house built, watching the resort town rise out of the ground like magic.

It was ready except for a few tweaks, more people manning the shops, it will make a place worthy of the blood, sweat and tears they'd all put into it, even if Sel was a little bit of a latecomer.

"What's got you so quiet?"

"Roland, this place really is special. I see it now, but I feel like I'm late to the game. My uncle, your partners and you, so many others saw it before it was ever built."

"We did," he sighed. "But we didn't all see it like that. There was a lot of worry and a lot of late nights staring at the computer."

"You?"

"Yeah. Jace would sit up with me, cheering me on, but I cried quite a few times after he'd gone to bed, worried that no one would really enjoy this place. Now that I see it built? That worry's gone."

"If gay men won't come here, I think we could always make it just a dude ranch for the straights," Sel teased.

"No! I built this for us."

"Okay then. You built it, they'll come."

"Did you just quote a movie much, much older than you?"

Sel stopped and looked down the road, the town with workers still scurrying around, Binx outside again, supervising the window painter, Pappy pulling him inside the café and Sel smiled. "They'll come."