Maverick Cattle Company Ch. 01

This series is a sequel to my earlier "Wrangler Butts" series. While this is written as an independent series some things will be clearer if you've read the earlier series first.

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Darrin woke to Mitch's panicked shouts and the sight of their bedroom walls painted red from a horizon engulfed in fire. Still trying to completely comprehend what was happening, he stumbled across the floor searching for clothes and boots in the bedroom he shared with his husband, Mitch. He faintly heard the stomp of Mitch wrestling on his boots and then racing for the door.

"Come on!" yelled Mitch. "It's a damn grass fire!"

"Go! Get that stack of blankets in the pickup! I'll be there in a second," answered Darrin.

Only barely aware of Mitch's rush out the door, Darrin sprinted after him once he had yanked on his jeans and boots. Vaulting from the porch, he jumped into the pickup just as Mitch rammed it into reverse. In seconds they were speeding down a dusty county road toward the raging crimson monster. Darrin had never seen a fire this large. The entire western sky seemed skirted with a red wall of flame. The pickup fishtailed around a hairpin curve; jolting Darrin out of his fascination with the beast and back into the danger they were racing toward. Sliding the pickup in beside a grassfire pumper truck, they both vaulted from the vehicle. The volunteer firemen were making the final check of their equipment as one of them looked up and nodded in acknowledgment of their arrival. Finishing his task at hand, the fireman sprinted over to the pair and filled them in on the strategy for this firefight.

Mitch piled in a pickup with a group trying to keep the flames from reaching a canyon lined with cedar, which would go up like a roman candle if the fire reached it. Darrin watched for a few second as they sped toward the fire line and then turned to clamber onto the pumper.

The rest of the night was a blur of smoke and flames as hundreds of acres of tinder-dry grass burned. Darrin was pushed to the limits of his endurance numerous times as the crew he was with advanced and retreated against this enemy. But as the brilliant orange dawn crept across the Oklahoma sky, he could see that they had won. He was concerned about Mitch, but the report they had received indicated no injuries. But he was still eager to see Mitch for himself. He couldn't help but worry. That was his part of the marriage, right?

Darrin waved to his new friends as they drove off. He chuckled to himself in amusement at how 6 hours of fighting could cement a new friendship. He had hoped that Mitch would already be waiting, but after a quick check he realized that wasn't the case. So he dropped the tailgate and eased his tired body down to wait. As the dim predawn slid into morning, Darrin realized that as far as he could see to the west was a charred black wasteland. The fire crews had saved the one house he could see, but the pasture was a total loss. Once the enormity of the disaster revealed itself to Darrin, his level of worry for Mitch increased. He knew Mitch would be expecting to find him here, but he really wanted to search for his missing husband.

Just as he was about to try to find him anyway, he saw a hard-used pickup top the rise and barrel down the dusty road toward him. Once it was close enough for him to spot in the passenger seat, he was able to relax. As they got closer Darrin had to smile as he watched Mitch's animated gestures that he was sure were punctuating whatever they were discussing. The driver slowed to pull in beside Darrin and both men stepped out of the truck without a pause in the conversation.

"Now Doug, you gotta be reasonable. We don't have any livestock right now so the grass is just fire hazard," said Mitch as they walked back to Darrin.

"No, think about it. I'd rather pay you for pasture than truck in hay. Lord knows it's easier to open a gate and let them on your place than hay 'em until it rains."

"Alright, alright. I give," said Mitch throwing up his hands in surrender. "You give us whatever you feel is fair for the pasture and we'll call it good."

The older cowboy nodded in agreement and then turned to introduce himself to Darrin.

"Hi, name's Doug Parker. And apparently I'm leasing pasture from you, in spite of your partner's poor bargaining skills."

Darrin chuckled as he took the offered hand and shook it. "Yeah, he sometimes is a bit hard headed. I believe his mother said he would argue with a fence post if it would argue back."

Doug laughed, "I can believe it! I think a few of those flare-ups he stopped through pure force of will."

Darrin looked startled, "Why, what happened?"

Mitch answered quickly, "Nothing Darrin, no need to worry."

"Nothing?" said Doug, "Chuck would disagree. You pretty much saved his bacon!"

Darrin turned to Mitch with a raised eyebrow. "Oh really? We'll talk about this when we get home . . . dear."

Darrin realized what he had done about the same time a booming laugh erupted from Doug. Glancing over, Doug saw the looks on each of their faces at Darrin's slip, which only drove him to new levels of laughter. As he regained his composure he winked at Mitch.

"It's nice to know that you guys don't get out of your share of the 'yes, dear' moments," said Doug with a chuckle. "But I need to git home or I'll be having my own moment with the missus. It was great to meet you both and I'll move the cows over later today."

Mitch nodded, recovered from the awkwardness of a few moments before. "Sounds good, just let us know if you need help."

Doug nodded and waved to them both as he crawled back into his pickup, and he was soon a cloud of dust disappearing into the distance. Once the neighbor was out of sight Darrin rounded on Mitch, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What happened? And don't bullshit me, you know someone will tell me the whole thing," said Darrin.

"The fire got too close to one of the guys and I pulled him out. It wasn't that big of a deal. Honest," replied Mitch.

Darrin caught Mitch's wrist and turned it to survey the damage. With a glance he saw that the normally dense dark hair on Mitch's forearms had been singed off. Looking up he locked eyes with Mitch.

"How close, Mitch?" asked Darrin in a heavy tone.

"Umm, pretty close."

"Uh-huh, and how close was that?"

Mitch pulled his arm back, unconsciously covering it. "Close enough to burn the hair off my arms, ok. But I wasn't going to let the guy die. He was trapped in a tangle of cedars that all the sudden exploded in fire. I grabbed one of the wet blankets, wrapped up in it, and got him out. It really wasn't as bad as it sounds."

Darrin let out a sigh. "It was too fuckin' close. You could have gotten hurt."

"Just a light roasting," said Mitch with a laugh.

"Light roasting my ass. Get in the pickup and we'll get you home where I can look you over and see how bad it really is."

Once they arrived at the house, Darrin pushed Mitch into the bathroom and stripped off his shirt. His arms were pink from the burns and not only was his forearm hair gone, his eyebrows and hair were singed too. But Darrin could find no serious burns. Exhaling a sigh of relief he lowered himself to sit on the edge of the tub.

"Looks like you got off lucky again. Damn it though! You could have been hurt bad!" said Darrin in exasperation.

"But I wasn't, now was I, babe?" said Mitch. Looking at his arms that seemed to be getting redder by the minute he said, "But this does sting a little. I think a cool bath would feel good right now."

Darrin waved him out. "Go strip in the utility room. I'll draw the bath."

Darrin turned on the water, adjusting it until he was happy with the temperature. He watched silently as the huge claw-foot tub filled with water. He smiled that the one renovation they had been able to accomplish so far was this enormous tub. Other additions were coming, including a new shower for two. But they had only lived in the house for a few months, and he hadn't officially started his new job in the Agriculture Department at High Plains University. He checked the water again and was turning it off when he felt warm arms wrap around his waist. Turning he smiled at Mitch, who was one of the most beautiful men he'd ever seen. His short dark hair, sideburns and rough scruffy face definitely got Darrin's juices flowing. Letting his hand trail down Mitch's back, he cupped his hairy tight ass and kissed him gently on the lips.

"You might not want to start something you can't finish, good looking," said Darrin.

"And what makes you think I can't finish it?" asked Mitch as he ran his hands under Darrin's t-shirt.

Darrin sighed as Mitch's rough hands rubbed over his nipples. "Well you are the same color as the lobster we had over spring break. That's one reason you might not want to be bumping and grinding for a little while."

"Nah! I'm nowhere near that red. And you're a little pink yourself, College."

Darrin laughed, "A little, and you are going to have to stop calling me College now. I'm not a student any more."

Mitch lifted Darrin shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. "You're still college, you're just a professor now instead of a student."

Darrin's muttered reply drifted into a sigh as Mitch leaned in and started flicking his tongue over Darrin's nipples. Holding Mitch's head tightly, he relaxed and slowly rolled his head back as the pleasure swam across his nerves. Darrin's hands glided over the muscular expanse of back that he could reach, enjoying the feeling of warm skin as it passed under his fingertips. He gasped softly as Mitch's teeth closed on one of his erect nipples and he bit down slightly as his tongue danced over the tip. Darrin could feel his cock jump with each new sensation that was delivered. With a soft moan, he lifted Mitch's face and pressed their lips hard against each other. Slowly they separated, a single strand of saliva connecting their mouths.

"Let's get in the tub. I'm ready to get this nasty shit off me," said Mitch with a wink.

Darrin let his hands run down Mitch's bare body until he reached his target, Mitch's steel hard cock. He pumped it once, cock snot coating his hand as he skimmed his wet hand over the soft skin that sheathed Mitch's rigid dick. Darrin pushed the hard shaft down and then released it, smiling at the resounding pop it made when the boner slapped against Mitch's hairy belly. After a final kiss on the side of Mitch's neck, Darrin pushed him toward the tub.

"Get in. I'm right behind you," said Darrin.

He began stripping while he watched Mitch ease into the cool water. As the water lapped up on Mitch's hairy legs, crotch and finally torso, Darrin's cock was dancing with desire. Darrin moved to the back of the tub and slid in behind Mitch, his breath hissing with surprise at the cold water on his overheated body. Once he was submerged, Darrin sighed as the cool water took away a burn he hadn't realized existed. Working the soap into lather on his hands, he started gently washing Mitch, covering first his broad back and then his muscular chest with the cleaning froth.

"How does that feel, babe? You're covered with smoke and grime," said Darrin.

"Yeah, that feels good. You're doing a great job."

Mitch relaxed against Darrin when the cleaning became more erotic as Darrin explored the amazing body that was resting on his chest. Darrin moved his hands to Mitch's pecs and then to his nipples. The gentle nipple play caused Mitch's cock to belch out more precum. Darrin let his hand slip lower, wrapping it around Mitch's cock as it floated above the water and stroked it slowly. Mitch let out a low moan as Darrin's fist started traveling up and down his hard shaft.

"Oh god. That feels so good. You keep that up and you'll have me unloading in no time."

"Do it, babe. Give me one of those Mitch eruptions that I love," said Darrin.

With that Darrin hand increased it's speed, soon jerking Mitch's cock furiously. As the hand job got closer to reaching it's desired effect, Darrin could feel Mitch brace his feet against the tub and drove his shoulder against Darrin's chest as his pelvis rose above the tub water. Mitch's muscles suddenly locked and his entire body trembled. Knowing he was about to get what he wanted, Darrin stopped flogging Mitch's cock and used his thumb to dig into the tender underside of the deep red head.

"Oh fuck yes! Fuck! I'm coming!" Mitch said with a moan.

With that the first jet of white cream zipped across them both. Over and over again Mitch shot out massive volleys of cum. Exceeding even his normally generous loads, Mitch painted them both in ribbons of white. When the orgasm tapered off, Darrin caught the last oozing cum from Mitch's dick and tasted it. Once he had sucked his fingers clean he wiped up another pool and offered it to Mitch, who lunged forward and began nursing it off Darrin's finger.

Once Mitch had sucked Darrin's finger clean he release it with an audible pop. Twisting in the water he pushed Darrin up on the edge of the tub. Reaching up he grabbed Darrin's nuts and started stroking them with his thumb. Mitch surveyed his cum coated chest and then smiled at Darrin.

"Shoot on my face, baby. Give me your load."

"Oh god, that sounds fuck'n hot!" said Darrin.

Darrin wrapped his fist around his hard cock. Pressing it downward he rubbed it over Mitch's coarse stubble, reveling in the shock wave the abrasive face sent through Darrin's system. Again and again he rubbed his throbbing cock over his man's rough face, leaving a wide trail of precum with each swipe. Looking down, he slowly ran his free hand over Mitch's face as he started jerking faster. He knew he wouldn't last long after the fun they had already shared. Soon his nuts were hugging his shaft, his eyes locked shut, while he enjoyed the sensation of his own hand flying over his steel hard cock. Just as he was reaching the edge, he felt a hot tongue run over his tight nuts.

"Oh! Fuck! Yesss," said Darrin with a hiss.

His load exploded from his cock. Darrin felt his body tense and then release as the first shot spewed from his cock. Smiling he watched through thin slits while his convulsing body left trail after trail of baby batter on Mitch's face. Darrin's body trembled from the release as the last cum oozed from his slit. Reaching a trembling hand to his husband he slowly ran his fingers over Mitch's cum smeared face.

"Damn," said Darrin with a sigh, "That was amazing."

Mitch laughed, "You always say that."

Darrin chuckled and lowered himself back into the tub. Nestling Mitch's face between his hands he softly kissed his sexy partner. "That's because it's always amazing. Each time is different, but god it's so good."

Mitch laughed and pulled Darrin close, splashing him with water. "Come on, sex maniac. We need to wash the cum off us before it dries and we're peeling it off."

Darrin nodded in agreement and he tossed Mitch a bar of soap as they quickly cleaned themselves.

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Pulling on his jeans, Darrin glanced at Mitch. "I'm starved, and I don't want to cook. You wanna try that café south of the ranch? We keep saying we're going to eat there but never have."

Mitch paused for a minute as he pulled on his shirt. "That sounds like a great idea. I'm hungry and I'll pass on the cooking duties too."

The last elicited a soft chuckle from them both. Neither of them wanted to chance Mitch's questionable cooking skills. Hunger had them hustling to get dressed and they were soon headed toward their destination. Darrin watched as pasture and wheat fields rolled past. Lucky, he decided that was sure the word for it. They were really lucky to have found a place where they both could be doing what they wanted. With his freshly finished doctorate in Animal Science, he had found a dream job at a small university in southwestern Oklahoma. Mitch had also recently finished his masters, sharing an office was how they had met, and wanted his own ranch. The purchase of their current home and the 1,000 acres that came with it had more than met his wants. That both of them had what they wanted had given them the gift of being able to stay together without either of them comprising their dreams. During the past few months they had spent almost every waking hour working to get the ranch back in working order. But Darrin would be starting his job soon and the majority of the ranch work would fall to Mitch. Darrin smiled and decided that last night's fire had forced them to meet more of their neighbors than they had managed since they had arrived. Darrin was jolted from his thoughts as Mitch pulled into the café parking lot.

"We're here," said Mitch.

"Yup," agreed Darrin, "We are."

They both sat quietly for a few minutes. Neither of them had acknowledged that part of the reason they had not made more efforts to meet anyone was they were not certain what kind of reception they would get. While they hated to admit it, they saw some validity in the stereotype that small town people were not as accepting of same-sex marriages. But they had faced prejudice before and survived it intact. Both flashed a smile to the other with the silent promise that no matter what happened they would be there for each other.

Jumping out of the pickup they walked into the café. Looking around it felt like they had walked into scene straight out of the 1960's. The place was packed, mostly with men catching up on the local gossip while they had their morning breakfast. A few women were also scattered around the room, most of them looked to be ranchers wives. The few heads that turned when they walked in the room paused briefly and then smiled in their direction. Darrin was relieved when the room didn't change perceptibly. Once they had settled into an empty booth, the waitress appeared and it was all Darrin could do to not laugh. She looked just like Flo in the old sitcom "Alice", complete with the beehive hairdo and popping gum. His thoughts must have been evident on his face because he suddenly got the point of Mitch's boot raking across his shin. Jumping a little, he got himself under control quickly. But once the waitress began speaking Darrin had to grin, she made him feel right at home.

"Mornin' ya'll. Ain't seen you around these parts before. Well, welcome! Ya'll want some coffee, juice or somethun else?" said the waitress.

"Coffee would be great," said Mitch.

"Can I get a coke?" asked Darrin.

"Sure! We got Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Coke, and diet of most of 'em too."

"Coke would be great," said Darrin with a smile. He'd forgotten that 'coke' was the local term for soft drinks. He couldn't help but smile though. After she had walked away Mitch leaned across the table and smacked his arm.

"Stop it, you dumb ass," whispered Mitch.

"What? What'd I do?"

"You know what. You were laughing at her."

"I was not! I just thought she was . . . cute," said Darrin.

Mitch rolled his eyes and then looked at Darrin again. "Well don't make fun of people. We have enough problems without borrowing more."

She was back shortly with their drinks, took their orders and then hustled off to wait on her other customers. Mitch and Darrin were discussing last night's excitement when they sensed a presence coming toward them. Together they looked up and saw a large man in a sheriff's uniform moving closer. Darrin's hope that he was going to bypass them evaporated when he grabbed a chair and pulled it to the end of their booth. As he straddled the chair backwards Darrin could tell this wasn't someone you wanted to mess with.

"Hey boys. Hope you don't mind me crashing your breakfast for a few minutes," he said and then smiled, "Don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong. I just wanted to visit."

"Sure Sheriff. Let me get you a cup of coffee," Mitch started to signal the waitress and the Sheriff stopped him as he shouted across the room.