Chapter 9
Kitt sat on his front porch, looking out over the pond.
The moon cast a perfect glow on his little log cabin.
His place was small, nothing more than a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room, but he loved it out here.
It couldn’t have been any more perfect for him.
Kitt built the cabin almost completely on his own, way before his father died.
He was eight miles from the main house, and about nine miles from the highway.
He’d worn a pretty decent trail leading from the main road to the cabin, but the idea of Sean driving his Fisker, navigating it over the rugged terrain, made Kitt chuckle.
Too bad it hadn’t been full daylight outside so he could have watched that little ride pop and bounce off the ruts and holes along the way.
Both the horse barn and cattle barn sat between his cabin and the main house.
His front porch looked out over the pond, and on clear evenings like this, he could see the moon’s glow perfectly on the water.
It acted as a beacon to his animals. On a recent aggravated whim, Kitt planted trees along the new fence line in order to help block anything to do with his new neighbor.
After the last few days, he knew the attempt was futile; nothing would ever rid him of the memory of the super-hot Austin Grainger.
Kitt twirled the empty long neck with his finger.
He needed another beer, but instead of making the trek to his refrigerator, he kicked back in the recliner lawn chair.
He wasn’t inclined to move at all. After a solid week of no sleep and long hard days, Kitt broke free this afternoon a few hours early.
He came home, napped for about three hours, showered, and then he cheated.
He went back to the main house, fixed an oversized plate of food and gave a random excuse as to why he couldn’t stay.
Now, he just sat outside waiting for Austin, who seemed to be running a little late.
His cattle were on the move, coming to the pond.
They surrounded the house while moving forward.
Kitt watched them closely. He couldn’t help but do it.
The size of his herd was growing fast. His cattle were breeding and multiplying well.
Against the advice of just about every old timer in the area, he hadn’t sold a female for the last two years.
He was also making sure his females stayed healthy and strong, carrying their young through full term.
His head count was close to double already.
Kitt would have to sell some in the spring.
Financially, he had no choice, but only a few hundred head would go to sale.
The organic way Kitt fed them would fetch a pretty high price, and he’d already signed the contracts to move them out come selling season.
Surely, the hay and cattle sales would sustain their cash flow through next year’s long hot summer.
He told people he’d placed the log cabin out here to help keep an eye on things, but it was the solitude that drew him out this far.
He’d hidden for so long he’d become accustomed to keeping to himself.
But since he and Austin started their deal a few days ago, every night Austin had been over or vice versa.
Kitt found he enjoyed the camaraderie and companionship they shared.
They were becoming buddies, and it was all completely new to him.
When Kitt was in college, things were easier, but even then, no one in the agriculture program knew about his sexual preference.
He hadn’t ever fully shared his day-to-day life with anyone.
Off campus access to so many gay men was great.
Houston wasn’t that many miles from Texas A then he was hurting.
He’d thought he might have as much as six months with Austin here, maybe even a year, before he got bored and left.
Now, just a few days after they got started, Austin was already making plans to leave.