Chapter Thirty-Two
Rod and Wyl saddled their horses the following day and rode to the spring.
While the horses drank from the spring and grazed on the surrounding grass, Wyl and Rod replaced the stones they had used for their campfire.
Everything in place, they stood together at the grave, Wyl behind Rod, holding him in his arms.
“I am so glad we discovered our Great Uncle Joseph’s burial place,” Rod said. “He died too young, but it’s nice to know a Bonner man and a Sterling man were lovers long before we were born.”
“It gives our union a historical validity we didn’t have before,” Wyl said.
Rod tightened his arms around Wyl’s. “Yes, it does, babe.” Rod twisted in Wyl’s arms to face him and gave him a quick kiss.
“Let’s get a headstone for Joey’s grave.
We could even put a little fence around it or find a natural way of setting the burial site apart.
Our Great Uncle Felix would want us to do that for our Great Uncle Joseph. ”
Wyl smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss. “I like your idea. There is a place in town that does headstones for the local cemeteries. I bet they can help us with an era-appropriate headstone for a burial in 1898.”
“After we do that, let’s take photos and record the coordinates,” Rod said.
“We can give the information to the Joseph Sterling Foundation. I am sure they would appreciate knowing the final resting place of the man whose name the foundation carries. Great Uncle Felix may have told them, but actual photos and a verified location have historical significance.”
“Good idea, babe. Now, how about we look for your great-great-grandmother Sara Bonner’s gold cross?”
“You know where to look?”
“Walt and I used to ride up to an outcropping as teens. We enjoyed the view and the isolation. Based on the information in Felix’s diary, I bet we enjoyed the same place Jacob, Joey, and Felix did.”
They mounted up and took the steep trail up to the outcropping.
“Dad said he heard that buffalo and Indians roamed this land. That was long before our great uncles explored up here, but this looks like a great spot for Indians to keep an eye on things.”
“When you first took me horseback riding, we went up on a hill. But this is higher than that. You can see the entire ranch from up here.”
Wyl dismounted, and Rod followed him. They stood closer to the edge. “Look, there is the spring.” Rod pointed to a green spot to the southeast.
“And over there is the homestead.” Wyl pointed southwest to the buildings that made up the ranch headquarters. “And way over there are the quarters for the hands.” He pointed south.
“Okay, babe. Let’s see if we can find Great Uncle Felix’s necklace.” Rod inspected the boulders and found a small crevice between two stones. “Do you think this is the place?”
“It seems to match what was in the diary.” Wyl retrieved a stick strapped to his saddlebags. “I found this in the garage.” He pointed to a hook on the end. “Dad used it to pick up horseshoes when he played in tournaments.”
He used the stick to poke down in the crevice. No buzzing. He rotated the stick and used the hook end to drag along the bottom. When he pulled the stick from the crevice, a delicate chain dangled from the hook, a small gold cross hanging from one end. Wyl offered it to Rod, grinning.
“That matches the description in the diary, babe.” Rod reached for the chain.
Dirt covered the chain and the cross, but it brushed off when he rubbed his fingers over it.
Wyl joined him, and they spent a moment of silence in awe of the history that one small item represented.
It belonged to Felix’s grandmother, so it was probably 200 years old.
“Let’s take it back to the house and clean it up, then place it in the diary. ”
Wyl stood beside Rod as they gazed at the precious piece of their family history.
“That small symbol of our families makes our relationship seem much more valuable.” He looped his arm around Rod’s waist and pulled him closer, kissing his ear.
“We don’t know when Felix’s grandmother Bonner died, and we don’t know if the necklace was passed down to her before she gave it to Felix. ”
“It’s part of our history now, Wyl.” Rod leaned over for a quick kiss. “It’s too bad we don’t have children to pass it on to.”
“We’re each the only male offspring in our families. No more Sterlings and no more Bonners,” Rod said. “My sister will pass along the genes, but nobody can carry on the family name.”
Wyl chuckled. “We’re old enough to be grandpas.” He elbowed Rod and grinned. “Well…one of us is, anyway.”
Rod pulled back, then fisted Wyl’s shoulder. “Shut up. We’re only five years apart, and at our age, that's nothing.”
They strolled to their horses. “We should write our family histories, Rod.” Wyl stopped and snapped his fingers. “My Grandma Erdie wrote a small book about the Sterling family. I bet she mentions Felix and Joey in that book.”
“We need to read that book. I bet it doesn’t contain the details in Felix’s diary. We could take her book and expand on it, talking about our combined families and the way history repeated itself when we met.”
“I like that idea, Rod. Besides a great view of history, the story would make a helluva gay romance novel.”
Rod chuckled. “Since when do you read gay romance?”
“Hey, after reading Felix’s diary, I might start,” Wyl said. “Some of his passages were pretty steamy for 1898.”
“You’re right, though.” Rod chuckled. “This would make a good story.”
They mounted up. “And I bet the Joseph Sterling Foundation has a lot of history about Great Uncle Felix. And who knows, maybe he wrote about his life after Joey.”
They guided the horses down the steep path to the prairie below, chatting as they rode. “I’m excited about delving into our history, Wyl.”
“Me too, babe.”