by Zavo
Lieutenant Alvarez looked down at Nathaniel with cold contempt.
“You are not in the States, señor. Pablo, please gag the prisoners. Now, Luke, please bring me to the Brigadier General’s body.”
It was several hours later when the soldiers left. Alejandro’s body was placed on a travois and tears filled my eyes as I watched the men ride away. The prisoners were fanned out behind the last two soldiers in line. A short time later, a priest arrived out of nowhere. We had a small service for Ignacio, Donato, Ernesto, and Joshua. We all regrouped for supper that night. It was equal parts joy and somberness. I held Ben’s hand as he sat beside me, still unable to believe he was alive. But we had all paid a high price to be here. Alejandro had given his life to save Ben from Seth Rawlins. Four of Luke’s men had been killed, and one had been slightly injured. Luke would most likely never have the full use of his right arm again.
When we had finished eating, and the whiskey was flowing, Luke tapped on his glass to get everyone’s attention. He looked down at the end of the bar where Ezekiel, Ben, and I were sitting.
“What are you three planning to do now?”
Unbeknownst to Luke, we had already discussed and decided on a course of action. I stood up as our spokesman.
“Luke and the men of La Casa de Los Hombres. Because you risked your lives to save ours, we feel the least we can do is stay here for as long as it takes to get this hacienda ready for business again!”
Shouts went up from Luke’s workers, and there were tears in Luke’s eyes.
“After that, Ben and I are going to join Ezekiel on his ranch to see if we can make a go of it. So we will remain in the area, and I’m sure you’ll soon be sick of all of us!”
A chorus of “nos” filled the air, and the whiskey began flowing again.
*
It had taken us a month to rebuild and replace everything that had been damaged at La Casa de Los Hombres. The night Luke reopened the place was filled to the walls. We left the next morning for Ezekiel’s ranch. Michael was delighted at Ezekiel’s return, and we were quite taken with him. The four of us were soon good friends. Michael’s father was not pleased at our arrival, and packed up and left two days later. Three weeks had passed since then. Three weeks of backbreaking labor. We had mended fences, fixed the hole in the barn roof, fixed numerous holes in the house roof, and broken the hard soil for two large vegetable gardens. The ranch had been built near a large spring, so we had plenty of water to irrigate the crops. We rounded up a dozen wild horses, and began the painstaking process of breaking them. We increased our herd tenfold with money Michael’s father had given him specifically for that purpose.
With three weeks behind us, it was beginning to look like a real ranch. Ben and I had taken the afternoon off to go on a ride and enjoy ourselves. We crested the last hill that stood between us and the ranch. The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon, and a slightly cool breeze was blowing in off the Rio Grande. We reined in and sat in silence. Our stirrups touched. Ben reached for my hand, and when I held it out to him, he clasped it firmly in his own.
“Are you happy being a rancher, Ben?”
“I’m happy being wherever you are, Jake. I’m also happy at this second chance we’ve been given.”
He leaned over and kissed me.
We rode down the hill together to our new home.
The End
About the Author
Zavo was born and raised in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York. He relocated to the Pacific Northwest almost 25 years ago, and has been penning tales of male lust and romance ever since. His short stories have appeared in Frat Sex 2, How the West Was Done, and Treasure Trail: Erotic Tales of Pirates on the High Seas. He is also the Lambda-nominated author of two Derrick Steele novels: The Case of the Hollywood Hustlers and The Case of the Rising Star, in addition to the novels Hot on His Trail and Two Bottoms in the Ninth. Formerly employed in the fields of market research and public relations, Zavo now splits his time between being a virtual assistant and a library page. He lives in Camas, Washington, with his husband. He is currently penning a tale of pirates, in addition to another exciting Derrick Steele mystery.
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Calvin’s Head by David Swatling. Jason Dekker and his dog, Calvin, are homeless in Amsterdam when they stumble on the victim of a grisly murder—and become targets for the calculating killer, Gadget. (978-1-62639-193-2)
The Return of Jake Slater by Zavo. Jake Slater mistakenly believes his lover, Ben Masters, is dead. Now a wanted man in Abilene, Jake rides to Mexico to begin a new life and heal his broken heart. (978-1-62639-194-9)
First Exposure by Alan Chin. Navy Petty Officer Skylar Thompson battles homophobia from his shipmates, the military, and his wife when he takes a second job at a gay-owned florist. Rather than yield to pressure to quit, he battles homophobia in order to nurture his artistic talents. (978-1-62639-082-9)
Hot on His Trail by Zavo. Rugged Texas Ranger Jake Slater has been assigned to bring murderer Ben Masters to justice. But is the lusty, handsome outlaw innocent of the crime he’s been accused of? (978-1-62639-158-1E)
The Black Orchid by Sawyer Cain. Lord Alfred Heathwood embarks on an adventure into the Amazon to return an artifact taken by his grandfather years before. (978-1-62639-237-3E)
The Raptures of Time by David Holly. Mack Frost and his friends journey across an alien realm, through homoerotic adventures, suffering humiliation and rapture, making friends and enemies, always seeking a gateway back home to Oregon. (978-1-62639-068-3)
The Thief Taker by William Holden. Unreliable lovers, twisted family secrets, and too many dead bodies wait for Thomas Newton in London—where he soon enough discovers that all the plotting is aimed directly at him. (978-1-62639-054-6)
Waiting for the Violins by Justine Saracen. After surviving Dunkirk, a scarred and embittered British nurse returns to Nazi-occupied Brussels to join the Resistance, and finds that nothing is fair in love and war. (978-1-62639-046-1)
Turnbull House by Jess Faraday. London 1891: Reformed criminal Ira Adler has a new, respectable life—but will an old flame and the promise of riches tempt him back to London’s dark side…and his own? (978-1-60282-987-9)
Stronger Than This by David-Matthew Barnes. A gay man and a lesbian form a beautiful friendship out of grief when their soul mates are tragically killed. (978-1-60282-988-6)
Death Came Calling by Donald Webb. When private investigator Katsuro Tanaka is hired to look into the death of a high profile lawyer, he becomes embroiled in a case of murder and mayhem. (978-1-60282-979-4)
Love in the Shadows by Dylan Madrid. While teaming up to bring a killer to justice, a lustful spark is ignited between an American man living in London and an Italian spy named Luca. (978-1-60282-981-7)
In Between by Jane Hoppen. At the age of fourteen, Sophie Schmidt discovers that she was born an intersexual baby and sets off on a journey to find her place in a world that denies her true existence. (978-1-60282-968-8)
The Odd Fellows by Guillermo Luna. Joaquin Moreno and Mark Crowden open a bed-and-breakfast in Mexico but soon must confront an evil force with only friendship, love, and truth as their weapons. (978-1-60282-969-5)
Cutie Pie Must Die by R.W. Clinger. Sexy detectives, a muscled quarterback, and the queerest murders…when murder is most cute. (978-1-60282-961-9)
Going Down for the Count by Cage Thunder. Desperately needing money, Gary Harper answers an ad that leads him into the underground world of gay professional wrestling—which leads him on a journey of self-discovery and romance. (978-1-60282-962-6)
Light by ’Nathan Burgoine. Openly gay (and secretly psychokinetic) Kieran Quinn is forced into action when self-styled prophet Wyatt Jackson arrives during Pride Week and things take a violent turn. (978-1-60282-953-4)
Baton Rouge Bingo by Greg Herren. The murder of an animal rights activist involves Scotty and the boys in a decades-old mystery revolving around Huey Long’s murde
r and a missing fortune. (978-1-60282-954-1)
Anything for a Dollar, edited by Todd Gregory. Bodies for hire, bodies for sale—enter the steaming hot world of men who make a living from their bodies—whether they star in porn, model, strip, or hustle—or all of the above. (978-1-60282-955-8)
Mind Fields by Dylan Madrid. When college student Adam Parsh accepts a tutoring position, he finds himself the object of the dangerous desires of one of the most powerful men in the world—his married employer. (978-1-60282-945-9)
Greg Honey by Russ Gregory. Detective Greg Honey is steering his way through new love, business failure, and bruises when all his cases indicate trouble brewing for his wealthy family. (978-1-60282-946-6
Lake Thirteen by Greg Herren. A visit to an old cemetery seems like fun to a group of five teenagers, who soon learn that sometimes it’s best to leave old ghosts alone. (978-1-60282-894-0)
Deadly Cult by Joel Gomez-Dossi. One nation under MY God, or you die. (978-1-60282-895-7)
The Case of the Rising Star: A Derrick Steele Mystery by Zavo. Derrick Steele’s next case involves blackmail, revenge, and a new romance as Derrick races to save a young movie star from a dangerous killer. Meanwhile, will a new threat from within destroy him, along with the entire Steele family? (978-1-60282-888-9)
Big Bad Wolf by Logan Zachary. After a wolf attack, Paavo Wolfe begins to suspect one of the victims is turning into a werewolf. Things become hairy as his ex-partner helps him find the killer. Can Paavo solve the mystery before he runs into the Big Bad Wolf? (978-1-60282-890-2)
The Moon’s Deep Circle by David Holly. Tip Trencher wants to find out what happened to his long-lost brothers, but what he finds is a sizzling circle of gay sex and pagan ritual. (978-1-60282-870-4)
The Plain of Bitter Honey by Alan Chin. Trapped within the bleak prospect of a society in chaos, twin brothers Aaron and Hayden Swann discover inner strength in the face of tragedy and search for atonement after betraying the one you most love. (978-1-60282-883-4)
Tricks of the Trade: Magical Gay Erotica, edited by Jerry L. Wheeler. Today’s hottest erotica writers take you inside the sultry, seductive world of magicians and their tricks—professional and otherwise. (978-1-60282-781-3)
Straight Boy Roommate by Kevin Troughton. Tom isn’t expecting much from his first term at University, but a chance encounter with straight boy Dan catapults him into an extraordinary, wild weekend of sex and self-discovery, which turns his life upside down, and leads him into his first love affair. (978-1-60282-782-0)
In His Secret Life by Mel Bossa. The only man Allan wants is the one he can’t have. (978-1-60282-875-9)
Promises in Every Star, edited by Todd Gregory. Acclaimed gay erotica author Todd Gregory’s definitive collection of short stories, including both classic and new works. (978-1-60282-787-5)
Raising Hell: Demonic Gay Erotica, edited by Todd Gregory. Hot stories of gay erotica featuring demons. (978-1-60282-768-4)
Pursued by Joel Gomez-Dossi. Openly gay college student Jamie Bradford becomes romantically involved with two men at the same time, and his hell begins when one of his boyfriends becomes intent on killing him. (978-1-60282-769-1)
Timothy by Greg Herren. Timothy is a romantic suspense thriller from award-winning mystery writer Greg Herren set in the fabulous Hamptons. (978-1-60282-760-8)
