Chapter 4
Chapter Four
The following day, Wyl woke to find Rod trembling, covers clutched in his fists, his fear-filled eyes staring at the ceiling.
He sat up. “What’s the matter, babe?” Wyl wiped the wetness from Rod’s cheek.
“Please hold me.” Rod rolled and snuggled up to Wyl.
“I went to sleep without a problem, but in the middle of the night, I woke up worrying about Shifty and Mitzi and Dusty and Stella and Alfonso and the ranch, and what the fuck have I done? Everything came back to haunt me. I lay awake most of the night, panicked at the thought of losing you and hurting the ranch. The drama I dealt with while on campus gave me fits, but this Shifty thing combined with Mitzi’s latest scheme beats everything. ” Rod’s voice shook.
Wyl surrounded Rod with strong arms and kissed away the salty tears.
“Babe, people like us who have money are often targets. The less fortunate, and in our case, ex-in-laws, think they can take advantage. They come up with many reasons why they think we will gladly fork over cash. It doesn’t work that way.
Blackmail and extortion are crimes, and the law is on our side.
Nobody can separate us, and nobody can take away our ranch. ”
“I wish I had your balls.” Rod’s trembling eased, and he gazed at Wyl’s face. “I thought I could face anything, but everything piled up, and I just went to pieces.”
Wyl tightened his embrace, sighed, and whispered, “My balls belong to you. You’ve handled my balls more than anyone in the world.”
“And beautiful balls they are,” Rod’s trembling stopped. “Just hold me when I get worried.”
“I’ll hold you even when you’re not worried.
” Wyl cradled Rod’s head in the crook of his neck.
“You’re my big, strong cowboy, and I love you.
” He paused for a moment, stroking Rod with his fingertips.
“Remember when you stood up to Dusty? I fled before he threatened you, but from what you told me, you fought for what you believed in. You did that again when Shifty came into the office with an attitude. You stood up to him and didn’t take any shit.
Even when I disappeared for two weeks, you handled and defended the situation involving the false rumor on campus.
You are stronger than you realize. Don’t let them win. ”
“You’re right. I let my worries get out of hand. You always know what to say.”
“Let’s get out of bed and see what challenges we face today.” Wyl hoped nothing new would come up, but he hadn’t expected the things they encountered over the past few days. The situation, both with Shifty and with Mitzi, affected Rod more than he realized.
They showered and washed each other, then dried off and dressed for the day. After breakfast, Rod cleaned the kitchen, and Wyl went to the phone.
“I’ll call Jack and see if Shifty riled things up last night. Felipe said Shifty had no friends, so I doubt he found any sympathy in that seedy bar he frequents. The gun threat bothers me, but I bet Felipe asked the hands to keep an eye out. If they spot him, we’ll know.”
“I hope you’re right.” Rod wiped the counter and the breakfast bar as he finished cleaning.
“I don’t know what Mitzi has planned,” Wyl said. “But you can bet the Blackfield Daily News won’t cooperate with her. Still, she’s a scheming bitch who probably won’t stop until she either gets what she wants or goes to jail trying.”
“I’m betting on the jail thing, but would she be that stupid?” The hiss of running water in the kitchen sink punctuated Rod’s words. “And then there is Stella. I don’t think I ever told you about the trouble Stella gave me. She swore she would stop me from turning you gay.”
“Turning me gay?” Wyl chuckled and shook his head. “The minute we kissed, you owned me.” He noticed the message light blinking on the answering machine and pressed the play button.
Mitzi’s tinny voice blared, “I’m giving you two husbands one more chance to listen to me before I go to the newspaper. I don’t need to name names to get them to print a story. It’s your funeral.”
Wyl pressed the delete button, hoping Rod didn’t overhear. The angst Wyl just calmed out of Rod would increase if he heard her voice.
“Who called?” Rod asked from the kitchen.
“Wrong number,” Wyl lied to protect his husband but still felt guilty. He dialed the Sheriff.
* * *
“Jack Johnson,” Jack answered.
“Jack, Wyl Sterling here.”
“Hey, Wyl. What’s up?”
“I called to check on the Anderson situation.” Wyl huffed out a breath. Guys like Shifty blamed everyone else for their problems and always looked for ways to get even. He kept his uneasiness about Shifty to himself. No sense in adding fuel to Rod’s angst. “Any activity we should know about?”
“Shifty showed up at Rusty’s Saloon as expected,” Jack said. “I talked with the bartender, and he said Shifty tried to get a few of the guys riled up about him losing his job and Blackfield having what he called faggots.”
“Ouch! I hope he didn’t get any traction. That bar usually serves a rough crowd, and most probably didn’t make it past the tenth grade.”
“Most of those guys have been around Blackfield a long time. They know better than to tackle the Sterlings,” Jack said. “They figure Sterlings bought the police, and they don’t stand a chance.”
Wyl laughed and shook his head. “If only it were that simple. So what do Rod and I need to be on the lookout for?”
“One of my deputies reported Shifty spent the night in his old beat-up pickup. We don’t think he has any friends, which means he’s unlikely to find anyone to go along with his schemes.
He might try something himself, but I don’t think he’ll do anything to cause bodily harm.
His priority will be finding a job, and that should keep him busy. Still, be aware of your surroundings.”
“Okay, Jack.” The tension in Wyl’s stomach didn’t go away. “Let us know if anything unusual happens. You have my cell number.”
“Will do. Are you guys headed to the Hill Country? Might be good to get away for a few days.”
Wyl glanced over at Rod, who sat on the couch, checking email. Getting his husband out of town was a great idea. They both loved their getaway home in Kerrville. “We might do that, Jack. Thanks.”
“Best to Rod.” Jack disconnected.
* * *
Wyl hung up the phone and puffed out a sigh. He needed a bracer. “Want a Bloody Mary?”
“Sure,” Rod said from the couch. “I’m checking our email for anything the Hill Country gang has planned. We don’t want to miss a party.”
Wyl pulled two crystal tumblers from the bar rack. “I think we need a trip down. You up for it even if the gang has nothing planned?”
“I’m always up for the Hill Country with you, babe.”
Wyl dropped a few cubes in each glass and poured Tito’s from the crystal decanter. He filled each with Bloody Mary mix. A quick stir, and he brought the drinks.
“Shit!” Rod shouted at the laptop screen.
“What’s wrong?” Wyl set the drinks on the coffee table.
“Facebook. What gay Blackfield couple owns a large ranch west of Blackfield? Look no further than Sterling Ranch, home of Wyl and Rod Sterling. Posted by Mitzi Sterling today.”
“Let me see that.” Wyl stumbled over the sizeable mesquite-wood coffee table and fell onto the couch next to Rod. Righting himself, he read the posting. “So, this is what she had planned. That bitch.”
“What does she hope to gain with this?” Rod frowned. “She’s now blown her chances to extort money, right?”
“Extortion is illegal,” Wyl said. “I guess she figures we won’t fork over any cash, so she’s now bent on destroying us.”
A dog-bark sound came from Rod’s laptop, his email notification. “Here’s one from Mitzi via Facebook.” Rod clicked the message to read it. Welcome to social media, boys. Enjoy the ride!
“Fucking bitch troll from hell.” The anger smoldered deep within Wyl, heating his face. “Now, what the fuck do we do?” He picked up his drink.
“First, we don’t respond to Mitzi.” Rod reached for his Bloody Mary. “The less contact with her, the better.”
“Shit.” Wyl’s glass thunked onto the table. “Shitfuckshitfuckshitfuck!” His voice gradually increased to a shout. “I want to give her a taste of her own medicine!” He hammered the coffee table with his fist.
Rod stroked Wyl’s back. “Wyl…she expects us to react, so no reaction will infuriate her even more, and let her know we don’t give a fuck. After all, she didn’t say anything that wasn’t factual. She merely pointed out what most Blackfield folks already knew.”
At Rod’s words, Wyl calmed and glanced at his husband sideways. “What will this do to us?”
“Facebook is very popular. Many people will see it,” Rod said. “Most Facebook users won’t care. They don’t know us, and being gay is not unusual. A few in Blackfield might notice, but as you said, we are Sterlings. We have influence here, so it won’t matter.”
“But now everybody will know.”
“Babe, what Shifty said about it going around was true,” Rod said. “Jack knew about our marriage. If he did, others did, too. Blackfield already knows. But to make it clear to the rest of the world, let’s use this to expose our relationship fully.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve already been outed by Mitzi,” Rod said. “Let’s take that outing to the next level.”
“Are you crazy?” Wyl latched onto Rod’s arm. “I know I said all that stuff about being myself, but isn’t doing a big exposé like putting targets on our backs?”
“A minute ago, you said you wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine.” Rod took Wyl’s hand. “Who are we hiding from? The ranch hands know. The college knows. The town knows. Our friends and neighbors in Kerrville know. And because of Mitzi’s shenanigans, now the world knows.”
Wyl blew out a sigh. “My Marine frame of mind is shouting Danger, Wyl Sterling!”
Rod chuckled. “Seriously? And you gave me a hard time about a television inference? If you want to cower in fear for the rest of your life, afraid to be open about who you are and who you love, we can do nothing. That’s not what you said after the Dusty debacle, remember?
” He squeezed Wyl’s thigh. “Silence only fuels speculation and stokes the fires of idle gossip. I don’t think cowering in silence is what you want, is it?
Are you trying to crawl back into the closet? ”
Wyl sipped his drink and pondered Rod’s words.
His husband was right. He did promise to be himself.
Mitzi’s shenanigans pissed him off, and her continued badgering was older than dirt.
Fuck. He needed to show Mitzi she was not winning and could not conquer the Sterlings.
He tugged at Rod’s hand and threaded their fingers as he gazed into his eyes.
“No, I’m not fucking climbing back into the closet.
” He leaned over for a quick kiss. “So, what do we do?”
“If you don’t mind postponing a trip to Kerrville for a few days, we’ll make this a media event to dwarf all media events.
We’ll create a YouTube video featuring the horses and us, and film it on the ranch.
It will be short, but we’ll talk briefly about our life as gay cowboys and end with a kiss.
Our video will make Mitzi’s attempt look amateurish and desperate.
We will star in the most spectacular outing ever imagined.
” Rod chuckled. “She thought she could make us sorry for turning her down, but we’ll extend a big thank you for her little Facebook shenanigan.
” Rod’s smile split his face. “Not only that, but it will also piss her off further, and there is nothing she can do about it. What she did borders on libel. However, libel is not a criminal offense; it is a tort, so we could sue Mitzi. We don’t want to go down that road, though.
It is costly, and public opinion based on legal proceedings is rarely positive.
Taking the wind out of Mitzi’s sails on social media is beating her at her own game. ”
Wyl chuckled. “I like it when you’re a genius, Rod Sterling. Throw in a few cuss words, and I’ll pant at your feet like a puppy!” Wyl leaned in to kiss his husband. A kiss that lasted longer than a peck left them both swooning.
“Okay…so where were we?” Rod asked, gazing at Wyl with starry eyes. “Oh…yes…a YouTube video. Let’s do it tomorrow and post it.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Wyl pulled Rod into another kiss.
“Bedroom?” Rod gasped as passion flared and cocks stood at full attention.
“Bedroom!”
* * *
Over lunch, they discussed the video.
“Do you have any ideas for where we’ll shoot this video?” Wyl said.
“How about the bluff? That’s one of our favorite spots.”
“Good idea, but would the ranch show up in the video? It would be in the background, but that view is probably better seen in person,” Wyl said.
Rod nodded. “Good point. What are you thinking?”
“How about the spring? We haven’t been there since Walt’s accident.”
Rod took a swallow of his beer. “We never went back and cleaned up that site, did we?”
“No.” Wyl shook his head and sighed. “I never mentioned it because it reminds us of Walt’s death.”
Rod snaked an arm around Wyl’s shoulders. “Another reason to use the spring. Wouldn’t Walt be proud of what we’re doing? Think of it as honoring him.”
Wyl shoulder-nudged his husband. “You always know just the right thing to say. Why don’t we ride out there and pick up the stuff we left? It’s been, what, eight months? I wonder if the tent is still there.”
They cleaned the lunch dishes, saddled the horses, and rode to the campsite.
Rod shook out and folded the sleeping bags, while Wyl shook out and folded the tent.
They picked up the old, charred coffee pot.
Nothing else remained except the ashes in the fire pit surrounded by stones.
They left that as a remembrance of the camp-out.
They picked the perfect spot to stand while filming and then rode back to the house.