Chapter Thirteen

Meeting with Neil and Dante in Dante's and Blaine's little trailer, the new one that was much improved to winter in than their RV, made him feel like some dumb hick. They were both sophisticated, classy, their clothes perfectly tailored and without one damn wrinkle. How that happened, he'd never know.

The trailer was furnished sparsely, a simple leather sofa and chair, a small table that sat between the living and kitchen areas. The bed and bath were in the back, and the only things out of place were the dog beds and toys.

"Come in, Dallas," Dante invited, waving a hand dramatically. "Welcome to our home, such as it is."

Blaine came to him and kissed his cheek. "How are you, Dallas?"

"Scrambling to keep it together, but so far, it's good."

Dante came to him and introduced the man coming from the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand. "This is Neil Harrison. No relation to the former owner, of course."

Dallas shook the man's hand and glanced at his soft dark blond hair that framed his handsome, long face perfectly. He didn't have a wrinkle, not a blemish. "Hello, Dallas. These two have been singing your praises."

"Nice to meet you, Neil."

They sat on the sofa. Dante and Blaine sat across from them. "I've looked over the records from the previous owner. They're a mess, of course, but that was expected. What wasn't was what you found. Good eye. Most would have overlooked those mysterious expenses."

Dallas nodded and said, "Neil, I will admit, I don't know a lot about balancing books that are more than my paychecks, but I know enough to see it was hinky. No memo on the transfers or anything, no name on the account it was sent to."

"None that you saw," Neil said cagily.

"You found it?"

Dante laughed. "This man could find anything. I'm going to miss him."

Blaine explained, "He's leaving soon to start a family with his husband."

"I heard. Congratulations."

"We've…been through a lot, but we've overcome every challenge and come out stronger. That is the key to it, I suppose, for anyone."

Dante reached over and took Blaine's hand in silent agreement. It gave Dallas a weird sort of hope that one day, he would look over at one or both of the guys he currently had a relationship with, with the same surety. If that is what it could be called…

"Tell him what you found, Neil," Blaine prodded.

"Oh, right. Well, of course, we can't find the exact reason for the payments, but they started almost thirty-eight years ago to a John Doe. The account was in that name. Insane."

"Thirty-eight?"

"Thirty-eight. We have…seen a lot in this business," Neil said, making Dante laugh. "And we think it was blackmail. The man did something that could have ruined his life in some way. Funny that after he gets a billion dollars, he disappears. We think it could be related."

Dallas saw Dante lose his smile; Blaine got up to let his three chows into the house. "Let me introduce you, Dallas. This is Ming," he said of the big red chow. "This is Jasmine," he said of the black chow. "And this young hyper one is Buster. Dante named him because he is. A buster, that is."

Dallas loved dogs and pet each one that came to sniff him out to see if he was worthy to be in Blaine's presence. He must have been, as he saw all three curled tails wagging. "They're beautiful."

"They are Blaine's babies," Dante explained. "Ming was his first, of course, and then we wanted more. Now that we have this place, I see more dogs in my future."

"Goats too," Blaine chimed, then noticed a bunch of cockleburs sticking to Ming's coat. "Ming, you have more stickers in your coat. Bad!"

Ming was panting and smiling, so the chastising didn't work.

After the dogs went to get a drink and find one of their beds to lie on, Dallas got back to task. "We have to tell all this to Daily. Maybe he'd finally look for the actual killer."

"Wait, we never said the woman had anything to do with that," Dante said. "We have no idea if that's connected or not. In fact, it's probably not connected to Harrison in the least."

Neil agreed. "That was likely a one-off, like the sheriff said."

"The sheriff said that? What about two people going missing right around the same time?"

"We actually think that's good for us," Dante confessed. "We believe he thinks Harrison might have killed her. I mean, the timing is incredible for it not to be. Killed her, then flew off for lands unknown."

"Why would Harrison kill off a woman from a diner in town?"

Neil smiled sadly. "Well, Dallas, I think it's possible that she's the one that was blackmailing him."

Dallas sat back, shocked. "For what?"

"Who knows? The point is, it's a theory. If that is the truth of it, either Neil or our new IT man will find out."

Neil sighed, "Do you have to remind me? I'm going to miss working."

Blaine kissed his cheek before retaking his chair. "And we'll miss you!"

"I'm sure I can throw some work your way sometimes, my friend," Dante assured. "Diapers cost a fortune I'm told."

"Might want to save your money. Blaine's collecting dogs. Who's to say he won't want ten kids too?"

Blaine's blush was adorable, and Dante's head spun so hard, he's lucky it didn't come off his shoulders. "What?"

"Four. Maybe five," Blaine said, blowing him a kiss.

"Good fucking lord."

Neil changed the subject back to hopefully calm Dante's worries. "If Daily suspects the same, he's got to know messing with us will make him look bad, and he's up for reelection."

"Speaking of which, Vic, uh, said she's going to run."

"Vic?" Dante asked.

"The den mother for the bunkhouse."

"Oh! Victoria, right! She did? Her?"

Dallas expected that reaction, but Blaine smacked Dante's arm. "Remember my friend Helen, from the resort in Oregon? She took no shit from anyone. She's tougher than all the men or women in the place. Vic's what? Fifty? I think she's perfect for the job!"

"That's true. My own mother was a headstrong, mean woman when she wanted to be," Dante confessed. "So, do you think she has a chance?"

Sighing, Dallas answered, "I get where you'd worry, being a woman up here in the Wild West. But what I've found to be true is that strangers are the issue, and the government in general. She's known here, and people do know how strong she is. Not to mention, we're not the only ones that hate Daily. He's just never had a candidate to run against him. She thinks she'll win, and she knows the area better than just about anyone."

Dante clapped happily. "Bravo! Dallas, this is your doing. You are above and beyond the right man for the job. Thank you."

"No, now, she was just supposed to look around to find a good candidate. That's all I asked. When she couldn't find one, she did it herself. Kind of like her whole life, if I remember her bitch sessions any. As we get food some days, she's complaining about worthless this one, and worthless that one."

They all laughed, and Dante agreed, "Yes, when it comes down to it, if you can do the job yourself, it's often better."

"Dante, you'll give her a raise," Blaine said.

"Babe, that's like…bribing a cop. I think she may have too much integrity."

"Not if you raise her pay now, for her den mother job. It would be a nice thank you to her."

Dallas didn't know if that would swing it with her. "Go gently. If she thinks you're trying to buy her, she'll take it badly. But she's already said that she wants to make it fair for all, and not just automatically think it's you all when things go south."

Dante stared from his husband to Dallas. "Do none of you give me a bit of credit for tact and brains?"

"Oh, yes, my love. I do, of course," Blaine soothed with a smile playing on his lips.

"Anyway," Dante started with a snarl to Blaine. "It would make sense. He possibly raped her or hurt her in some way."

"No, doubt that," Neil said. "They're older folks. Generally, back before Me Too and even before that some women were always to blame for that sort of thing. Enticing the men or something."

"I'm sorry, Neil," Dante said. "I know that's a touchy subject for you."

Dallas, confused, didn't say a word, but watched the two carefully as Neil's eyes became wild with rage. Dante explained to Dallas, "His husband was nearly raped by a co-worker when he was making films."

The porn star. He'd been told. "I'm so sorry. That's terrible."

"And, like women, being he was in those kinds of films, it would have been seen as he was asking for it, or he deserved it."

"Exactly," Blaine whispered. "People are terrible sometimes."

"Dallas, we've all been through a lot in the past. It's one reason we wanted this, a place where gay and trans men could come and be themselves, enjoy the world like this without snarling homophobes messing with them. That's why it's more important to us than anything else that every single person working here is gay friendly, if not gay themselves."

"Also, an opportunity to be out, and be themselves," Blaine said. "Working a ranch or a resort, being surrounded by those that are like you, it's terribly important to us."

"I agree. I'm…out now. I never thought I could be on a ranch. I appreciate this more than you can know."

Blaine winked and said, "I know why."

Dante huffed, "Blaine, the gossip."

Neil leaned over to him and whispered, "Your romance is the talk of the place."

"Excuse me?"

His heart was pounding out of his chest, and his stomach was in a knot.

Blaine rushed over to him, sitting on the arm of the sofa as he gently patted Dallas's back. "It's not a bad thing! I promise!"

"A little bit of a shock!"

"I know. I know. But it's good. Doesn't it feel good to not have to hide it?"

Cutting his eyes from everyone, Dallas whispered, "It's not that. One of the men works for me. I don't want people to think that…well, I just gave him special treatment, and that isn't what I want to do, or want people to think."

Dante laughed nearly silently. "Dallas, you are a good man. To even consider that tells me a lot. Appearances, be damned, I say, but I realize in other worlds than mine, that isn't the way it is. Why did you give him special treatment, and would you have given it if he were not your…your…?"

"Partner?" Blaine offered.

Dallas knew he must have paled badly, because Neil told Blaine, "Might be soon for that. Let's just say the guy he's spending time with."

Blaine pointed at him. "Perfect!"

"If he'd have told me, I guess, sure, but if it wasn't me that did it, I doubt he'd tell me."

"Oh, something to do with sex," Blaine said. "Well, you did do it and you knew that whatever he needed must have been important. The others, once they start playing here as well as working here, I'm sure they'll all understand."

Dallas felt flush as he admitted, "He didn't want to sit a horse."

The three of them were silent for a few seconds, then they cracked up badly, and Dallas laughed right along with them.

"Then you were gallant," Dante said when he could speak.

"Yes. I can't imagine," Blaine said, still laughing. "Dallas, don't worry so much about things. You are doing a great job already. Finding that money? That was above and beyond, and it gives Barry something to fight with, if Daily wants to keep coming after us."

"Yes, in fact Barry said that you finding that was the best thing for us," Dante added. "It gives reasonable doubt, if ever Daily was to try to arrest and convict us. Well, me. It would be me. It won't get that far, I'm sure, but it takes some of the pressure off. So, truly, thank you, Dallas."

He left feeling good, though still nervous that everyone was talking about him and his guys.

His guys. The thought of that evening came back to him so much, he had a hard time working. They were so sexy, and it had been exactly what he'd needed.

Ruben, that sweet, lovely man who had a lot more snark and will than he'd ever thought, felt so good in his arms. Then there was Marius, that sexy mother fucker who made him crazy in so many ways. They were both perfect for him. They were, the two of them, exactly what he'd always wanted.

As he got back to the ranch proper, he went into the office and did some paperwork until it was time to meet up with the hands back at the bunkhouse. Taking reports from them, and glad they were all good reports, he looked over at Ruben before the meeting broke up and gave him a look. Ruben smiled and when everyone dispersed to head to the counter to get the meatloaf Vic had made, Dallas met Ruben outside.

"You know people are talking about us already."

Ruben giggled. "So? We're on a gay ranch now. Let ‘em talk."

"I have to lead these people, Ruben," he stressed, but Ruben's hands lay on his chest.

Purring just like a lap cat, Ruben said, "It's nothing to be upset about."

"Yeah, it could be, and that's why I'm worried. But, fuck, I'm not worried right now. I called the foreman and asked her to be sure the house was ready for us to stay tonight, but there is one problem. Getting back here before everyone wakes up."

"That's like…four in the morning!"

"We better get to sleep really, really early then. Huh?"

"Am I ever going to ride a horse again?"

"Probably not. I'll keep you in the office with me. That preferential treatment I was so worried about suddenly seems fun."

Ruben"s brows rose high. "You are so bad."

"I can be. I can be."