Finding Darin

[kcm17480]

Very nice indeed. I can't wait to see what happens in the shower.

 

[RacerBear]

FINDING DARIN
Part 28​

The next morning, Brady was munching on a bowl of Raisin Bran when his cel phone rang. "Hello," he mumbled, swallowing his cereal.

Luke had arrived at the feed store and asked his guidance on what feed he should purchase. "They have two different kinds of feed for the goats," he advised. "I’m not sure which one to get."

"Ask them if they can deliver some this afternoon," Brady replied, "That way, I can see what they’re on now." He waited while Luke relayed his question to the sales person.

"They said they can deliver whenever you need it," Luke returned. "I got everything else on the list now, though."

"Tell him I’ll call him before noon."

"Will do," Luke promised before they hung up.

"Who was that?" Darin asked, buttoning his shirt cuff as he entered the kitchen.

Brady handed him a steaming cup of coffee and replied, "Luke wasn’t sure what kind of goat feed to get. I told him to wait and I’d call them when I get to the office."

"You want me to stop by and set up an account with them?" Darin quizzed.

Brady shook his head. "I’m gonna see if they’ll let me take over the one we already have there," he answered. "Most of the suppliers have been happy to do that for us."

"That’s great. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I talked to Jake yesterday about coming to work for you."

Brady rinsed his bowl and pulled open the dishwasher to place it in the rack. "Don’t you mean, for us?" he corrected.

"Okay, I asked him about coming to work for US." Darin leaned toward Brady and kissed him on the lips. "He told me David went back to Atlanta."

Shocked, Brady exclaimed, "What?"

"Yeah, that was my reaction too. He said David told him he was still in love with Tony and since Tony didn’t want to be with him, he left."

"Shit! How’s Jake taking it?"

"He’s trying to be strong but, I’m sure he’s a wreck. I’m hoping he’ll come in today so we can talk more."

"Oh, man. Tell him that if there’s anything I can do to let me know."

"I will," Darin promised as his cel phone rang. Flipping it open, he said, "This is Darin."

Adam’s voice was clear on the other end. "Are you up for a new houseguest?" he asked.

"Sure, when?" Darin replied.

Adam chuckled, "They’re tossing him out on his ass tomorrow."

Darin could hear Rodney in the background. "Rodney go home!" he hollered, his voice gravelly like ET from the movie.

"Tell him I’ll get him a whole bag of Reese’s pieces," Darin laughed. To Brady, he stated, "Rodney’s coming home tomorrow."

"I just have to make up his bed and make sure he has stuff in the fridge," Brady replied. "Tell him I said, Hi."

"Brady says Hi," Darin relayed to Adam. "What does he want for the fridge?"

Adam relayed the question to Rodney and, after some discussion, he replied, "Juices and stuff like that. Don’t go to a lot of trouble. I’ll get some groceries on my way over on Thursday too."

"Are you gonna bring him over here?" Darin asked while Brady went to finish dressing for work.

"No, Randi and Lisa are picking him up," Adam answered. "I have to work a double on Wednesday so I can have the weekend off."

"That’ll be cool. You gonna stay here all weekend?"

"I have to be on call but, if you guys will have me, I’d be happy to stay."

"Good, we’re going to start moving the animals on Saturday morning. We can sure use your help if you want. Wait till you see our new transport truck."

"I’m ready any time you say," Adam promised. "They’re taking him down for therapy now so I’m gonna let you go."

"Okay, we’ll see you on Thursday then."

"Catch ya later," Adam said before hanging up.

Darin flipped his phone closed and took a gulp of his coffee. Looking at his watch, he poured the rest of it into the sink, rinsed the cup and set it on the counter. "Are you ready, Babe?" he called to Brady while he buttoned his collar and slipped a dark green tie around his neck. "You know, I’m not gonna miss wearing a tie to the office every day," he said when Brady appeared through the dining room, wearing a red polo shirt and khaki pants.

"Really, I was hopin’ you’d wear one for me every day, Brady said with a grin. "I think it makes you look sexy."

He reached for the younger man and kissed him again. "Ooh, did you just brush your teeth? Tastes minty fresh." He wrapped his arms around Brady and hugged him close, burying his face in his hair and breathing in the scent of his shampoo.

Brady returned Darin’s hug and rested his head against the bigger man’s shoulder. "Can we do something tonight, just the two of us?" he asked, turning his head to kiss him on the cheek.

"Sure," Darin replied, "You wanna go somewhere for dinner?"

Brady sighed. "I feel so selfish but I just want to spend one evening alone with you before everything goes crazy. No dinner guests, no friends, no family, just you and me."

Darin brushed his thumb across Brady’s freshly shaved cheek as he held his face in his hands. "If that’s what you want, you got it."

"Don’t get me wrong, I love our friends and I love spending time with them but, I just feel like we don’t ever have any time alone."

"I’ll tell you what," Darin offered, "I have a few things to clear up at work but I’ll knock off early. If you want, we can catch an early dinner and a movie. Your choice."

"That sounds great. Can we take the Lexus?"

"I need to take it in to get the oil changed anyway. Want me to pick you up from work?"

"No, I’ll meet you back here," Brady said. "I want to change clothes before we go out."

There was a knock on the back door. "I see what you mean," Darin said, laughing as he pushed away to answer the door. Reaching the top of the steps, he saw Steve standing in the garage. "Hey there," he said as he opened the door, "What’s up?"

"There’s a guy here with an injured dog," Steve replied. "He wants to know if you can help him out."

Stepping into the garage, Darin noticed an old Dodge mini van parked in the drive. "I didn’t know where ta go and George, up at the bait shop, tol’ me you’ns was startin’ a rescue op’ration here," the man said. "My dog got hit by a truck and I ain’t got no money to get him looked at."

Brady had joined them seconds before the man opened the sliding door to his vehicle and showed them the dog, a Newfoundland, lying on an old quilt on the floor behind the bucket seats. His leg was obviously broken but the dog was remarkably quiet. "What happened?" Brady asked, climbing into the van. He gently stroked the dog’s head as he studied its eyes and felt his body for signs of injury. When he tried to manipulate the dog’s leg, he yipped and tried to twist his head around toward Brady. "It’s okay," he soothed, "All done," he added softly, releasing the leg and petting the dog’s head, once more.

"My boy left the gate open when he went to wait fer the bus," the man said. "Duke took off runnin’ and ran right in front o’ a truck. The guy couldn’t stop in time," the man added, his voice cracking.

Removing his cel phone from his pocket, Brady flipped it open and punched several numbers. "Cathy?" he said into the phone, "I need you to call Doc Livingston and tell him I’m bringing in a Newfi with a broken leg… Yeah, it’s a hit by car… I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes… Okay, bye." He snapped the phone closed and told the man, "Can you get him in the back of my Explorer?"

The man nodded. Darin had already opened the rear of Brady’s vehicle and spread a blanket on the floor. Steve picked up one side of the quilt and helped the man get the dog ready to move him as Darin backed the Explorer closer to the van. "Easy," Steve said when the dog yelped in pain as the man picked up the other side of the blanket and started to pull. Darin and Brady each grabbed opposite sides and helped transfer the hundred fifty pound animal.

Once the dog was safely in the back of Brady’s car, he turned to the man and said, "I’m taking him to Livingston’s. It’s about five miles back toward town on the highway. You meet me there," he added, closing the rear hatch. He jumped into the driver’s seat, put the car into gear and sped down the long driveway toward the road.

The man stood there in shock as he watched the Explorer drive away. "I ain’t got no money," he told Darin sadly.

"Don’t worry about that," Darin assured him, "He’s in good hands. We’ll see that he gets taken care of." Realizing that the man was in no shape to drive, he looked at Steve and asked, "Can you see that he gets there?"

"I sure will," Steve said. He helped the man into the passenger seat of the van and closed the door before running to the driver’s side and jumping in. The old van sputtered and a thick cloud of smoke belched from the exhaust pipe when Steve put it in gear and pointed it down the drive.

Darin quickly turned out the lights and locked up the house before climbing into the Lexus and driving off to join the others at the vet’s office.

****​

The Explorer was parked in front of the garage when Darin arrived home. He had stopped to have the Lexus serviced and washed on his way and had bought a bouquet of flowers from one of the many roadside vendors. Entering the kitchen, he called out, "Honey, I’m home!"

"I’ll never get tired of hearing that," Brady joked, entering from the hallway. He was wearing a light blue dress shirt, navy blue dress pants and a dark red tie. He did a quick turn and asked, "You like?"

Darin swallowed. "I like very much," he replied. "You got a hot date?" he joked.

Brady swatted Darin’s arm. "I sure hope so," he replied, kissing him on the lips and pulling him into a tight hug.

"These are for you," he said, handing Brady the bouquet of daisy mums, zinnias and tiger lilies.

"They’re beautiful," Brady said, taking them and sniffing. "Thank you." He kissed Darin on the cheek. "You’re so sweet." He stepped over to a cabinet above the sink and removed a large crystal vase, setting it on the counter. "Have you decided where we’re going for dinner?" he asked.

"I was thinking, I’d like a little Italian," Darin replied.

"Why? You’ve got a big Italian right here," Brady giggled. He turned and winked at Darin.

"I know but, I was thinking about enjoying some Italian in mixed company."

"Ooh, you sweet talker."

"Well, I better get changed."

"Go ahead and I’ll just get these in some water," Brady replied, unwrapping the flowers.

****​

Lying in bed, later that evening, Darin kissed the top of Brady’s head. "I’m so glad you suggested an evening alone," he whispered. "I hadn’t realized how much I needed it too."


Brady snuggled his naked body against Darin’s left side. "I just felt like we needed some time for just the two of us," he replied. "Thank you for a wonderful evening," he added, kissing Darin’s shoulder.

"I think we should do this more often," Darin said, stifling a yawn as he wrapped his hairy arms around the younger man and pulled him closer.

Brady began tracing slow circles in the hair on Darin’s chest. "Do you think I’m making a mistake starting this shelter?"

"Absolutely not," Darin stated. "I wasn’t sure about it at first but, now that I see how much it means to you and how good you are at it, I’m committed to make sure it happens."

"It scares me the way I got thrown into running the shelter when Jack and Ed got arrested," Brady said, sitting up and leaning against the headboard. "But, if I hadn’t, the board would have just closed it and most of those animals would have been put to sleep."

Darin sat up and leaned his head on Brady’s shoulder. "I saw how you took control this morning and I was so impressed with the way you handled everything. You didn’t get all flustered. You simply took charge and did what had to be done."

"My first concern was getting that dog help," Brady said. "I understand what it’s like to not have enough money in a situation like that. I knew the only way that dog was gonna get any help was for me to take him in and get it done."

"And that’s exactly what you did. I was still trying to figure out if I should run and get the ambulance, though."

"After I got to the vet and they took the dog in for surgery, I told Mister Williams that, if he needed anything, he should come to us and we’d help him. You should have seen the look on his face. I thought he was gonna cry. His wife told me that, when he got laid off a while back and she signed up for assistance, they told her they should get rid of the dog because they couldn’t afford to feed it."

"I’ve never had to worry about having enough money so I had no idea there was such a need," Darin said, sighing. "You know what it’s like to struggle so you know what needs there are. And because it’s important to you, it’s important to me."

"I’m so glad you feel that way. When I was dating Jeff, there was a dog, that had been starved, that was brought in to the shelter. We all took turns sitting with him for several days until he started making a turnaround. Jeff said he didn’t understand why we didn’t just put the dog down instead of spending so much time trying to save him."

Darin shook his head. "That was pretty harsh."

"I know. I couldn’t believe he’d say something like that. I guess that should have been a sign that it wasn’t gonna work out with him, huh?"

"Uh, yeah."

Brady laughed and kissed Darin’s hand. "I just hope we can raise enough money to keep the place going."

"That reminds me," Darin said, "My Mom and Aunt Mary want to put together a fund raiser for us. Through their lady’s group."

"Oh, that’s wonderful. What did they have in mind?"

"Mom said something about a Silent Auction or a garage sale."

"That sounds like fun. Tell them they can use the south building if they want to. I really like your Mom."

Darin stroked Brady’s hair and kissed the side of his head. "She likes you too. I really think Melanie was right, though. As long as you’re not Janet, she’d love you."

"Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad she likes me."

"Me too. I’d hate to have to kick you to the curb."

Brady smacked Darin’s arm. "Oh, stop."

"Uncle Spencer told me he made arrangements for one of our clients to donate a truckload of food too," Darin stated. "I wasn’t gonna tell you until the truck showed up but, I figured you should know about it."

"That’s awesome!" Brady exclaimed. "How did he manage that?"

"He was talking to the owner of a farm supply company that we had done an ad campaign for and he told them we could use whatever donation of food they could do and they agreed to donate a whole truckload."

"Dry food or canned?"

"From what he told me, both."

Brady slipped out of bed and padded to the bathroom. Darin watched as he flipped on the light and stepped up to the toilet to pee. When he finished, he flushed, turned out the light and returned to bed, snuggling in next to Darin. Brady yawned, "Well, I have a lot to do in the morning so, we better get some sleep." He kissed Darin and turned over, pressing his back against his partner.

Darin wrapped his right arm over Brady’s side and kissed the back of his head. "Night, Babe," he said. Within minutes, they were both asleep.

****​

Wednesday afternoon, when Brady arrived home, he was surprised when he noticed that both Luke and Steve’s trucks were not there. He could hear the sound of the other workers hammering and sawing but there was no sign of either of the two. He decided not to question their whereabouts but, instead concentrated on putting away the groceries he had purchased for the cottage and finish putting Rodney’s room together. He went in immediately and opened the windows in the bedroom to let the room air out. Darin had found a really nice southwestern patterned comforter for the bed and they had picked out matching solid color sheets. He quickly spread the sheets out on the bed and, within minutes the bedroom was ready for their friend to settle in. He had finished stocking the fridge with apple, orange and pineapple juices, a supply of fresh fruits and a case of Mountain Dew. He was removing a large package of chicken breasts from the freezer when Darin arrived home.

"Hey there, Handsome," Brady called as Darin entered the kitchen carrying several plastic bags.

Darin set the bags, along with another twelve pack of Dew, on the kitchen counter. "I got some snack stuff for Rodney," he said, quickly moving toward Brady for a kiss. "What’s for supper?" he asked, removing several bags of Reese’s pieces from the parcels.

"I’m gonna do some chicken and noodles in the crock pot," Brady replied, "That way, we can eat whenever they get here."

"You need potatoes peeled?" Darin offered, rolling up his shirt sleeves..

"Sure, if you want to," Brady said, removing the bag from the pantry. "Do about ten or so," he added, handing Darin a paring knife from the drawer.

Darin dumped the potatoes into the sink and was scrubbing the first one when his cel phone rang. "This is Darin," he said into the phone.

"We’re on our way," the female voice stated. "We should be there in about an hour and a half."

"Good to hear it, how’s the patient?" Darin said. Turning to Brady, he called, "They’re on their way."

"He’s cranky," Randi said, laughing. "I know, what else is new?"

"Tell him to get over it," Darin warned.

"I had a bitch of a time getting that damn wheelchair in the trunk," she said. "I almost put it in the back seat and made him ride in the trunk."

In the background, Rodney could be heard hollering, "Bite me."

"My goodness, he is in a mood," Darin said, peeling potatoes while cradling the cel phone against his shoulder.

"Don’t make me turn this car around, Mister," Randi said before she returned to tell Darin, "We’ll see you in a bit."

"Okay, drive careful," Darin said before snapping the phone closed and returning to his peeling. "They’ll be here in about ninety minutes," he told Brady.

"We better get busy then, huh?" Brady stated, placing the chicken breasts in the microwave to thaw. "Did you notice if Steve and Luke were down at the barn?" he asked, removing a bag of mixed vegetables from the freezer.

"I didn’t notice, why?" Darin replied.

"No reason," Brady began, "I just didn’t see their trucks down there when I came home."

There was a tap on the back door. "Speak of the devil," Darin said motioning for the two to enter. "Come on in," he hollered to Steve.

Steve entered and sprinted up the steps. "We’re not interrupting are we?" he asked.

"Not at all, what’s up?" Brady inquired.

Luke and Steve smiled broadly. "How would you feel about us being your neighbors?" Luke asked them.

"That’d be great," Brady offered. "Why?"

"We just put an offer on the house behind the woods," Steve stated. "It’s not as nice as this one but it’s got plenty of room to expand our business and build a barn."

"That modular?" Darin asked.

"Yup, that’s the one," Steve confirmed. "I noticed it was empty so I called a realtor friend of mine and he called me earlier today and told me it was available. It’s in foreclosure."

That’s wonderful," Darin repeated. "When will you know if you got it?"

"He said he’d try and call me yet today," Steve said. "Right now, though, we’re gonna get back to work. We’re hopin’ to get the rest of the north building painted before we knock off tonight."

"You mean you’re that close to being done?" Brady asked.

"Yeah, the dog side is painted," Luke stated. "We just have to finish the cat side and do some trim work and you’re ready to move in. Give it a day to dry."

"How’s the south building coming?" Darin asked.

"The small animal side is almost done and we have a bit more to do on the dog kennels on that side. The plumbers will be here on Tuesday to do all their work and the offices will be set on Monday."

"So, are we gonna be ready to start moving into the north building on Saturday?" Brady asked as he cut the chicken into strips.

"No problem," Steve replied, "I borrowed another trailer to haul equipment if you need it."

"That reminds me, does George have any small house trailers down there?" Brady asked. "One of the ladies who does grooming at the shelter now doesn’t drive and she won’t be able to work for us once we move unless she can get something closer."

"I think so. I can check with him tomorrow," Steve advised. "You thinkin’ about puttin’ in a couple more trailers next to where Rodney’s is?"

"I thought it might be a good idea," Brady said. "Especially, once we get going good."

"Okay, I’ll get started on it tomorrow," Steve said as they headed down the steps and out the door.

Once they were gone, Darin turned to Brady and asked, "How would you feel about putting in several trailers over there?"

"I was thinking we might need one for Jake," Brady replied, continuing to cut the chicken. "You said he might not be able to afford his apartment and we have plenty of room over there, why not put in a bunch of trailers?"

"God, I love you," Darin stated laying his knife down and reaching for Brady to give him a hug.

****​

The potatoes were being mashed when Randi knocked on the back door. "Knock, knock," she called, opening the door.

"You’re just in time," Brady said, switching off the mixer. "Come on in."

Rodney was struggling to get through the door as Darin rushed to help him. "Here, let me help you," he said to Rodney.

Pushing him away, Rodney growled, "I’m fine!"

Darin grabbed Rodney and turned him so he was looking into the younger man’s eyes. "You need to lose this attitude right now!" he warned. "I just want to help you."

"It’s like talking to the wall," Lisa stated, her arms loaded with Rodney’s belongings from the hospital. "Where should I put these?" she asked.

"Put me down!" Rodney hollered as Darin picked him up from behind and carried him up the steps to the kitchen.

"I’ll show you where to put that stuff," Brady said to Lisa as he stepped into the garage.

"I’ll go get his wheelchair," Randi offered as she hurried outside.

TO BE CONTINUED​

 

[harry113]

Hahaha!! The patient comes home!!Great entertainment, Great chapter!!!
Scott you have surpassed yourself, Thank you. Please keep the laughter coming.
Hugs
Harry

 

[kcm17480]

It sounds like Rodney is acting like a spoiled brat. Glad he is out. Great chapter. Keep em coming.

 

[RacerBear]

FINDING DARIN
Part 29​

When they were alone, Darin turned to Rodney and, pointing his index finger in the boy’s face, he snapped, "Now you listen to me! I realize you’ve had a hard time and that you’re frustrated that you can’t do more for yourself but, you need to get over this feeling that you’re not gonna ask for any help. I don’t give a shit how hard it is for you to let us help you and I won’t tolerate you being a prick to everybody when we try. Do I make myself clear?"

Rodney swallowed and blinked before he responded. "I’m sorry," he said softly. "I don’t mean to take it out on you."

"When your sister gets in here, I want you to apologize to her too," Darin demanded, using his ‘Dad’ voice.

"Okay!" Rodney snapped. "Gees, lighten up."

Darin stared at the younger man. "By the way, you’re welcome."

"Huh?"

"You’re welcome for us letting you stay here."

"Oh… yeah…. Thanks."

Darin’s look began to soften. "So, other than bein’ a bitch, how are you?"

Rodney leaned against the back of the kitchen chair. "It feels so good to be out of that hospital bed," he said, letting out a long breath. "This house is awesome," he added, looking around the room.

The wheelchair rattled against the door as Randi tried to get it into the house. "Here’s your chair, Brother Dear," she said.

Rushing to take the chair from her, Darin said, "Rodney has something to say to you."

Randi climbed the steps and stood next to her brother while Darin carried the wheelchair into the dining room and opened it.

Reaching for her hand, Rodney looked into his sister’s eyes. "I’m so sorry I’ve been such a pain today," he said, tears beginning to seep from the corners of his eyes.

She looked at him sternly. "That’s okay," she replied. "But, if you ever use that tone with me again, I’ll turn you over my knee and…"

"Ooh, threaten me with a good time," Rodney squealed as she mussed up his blond hair.

"You need a haircut," she said before giving him a hug. "I’m so glad you’re home.’

"Me too," Rodney agreed.

****​

Rodney was just waking up from a nap when Darin arrived home to check on him. "Hey, there sleepy head," Darin said when he saw him. "I just thought I’d see if you needed anything," he added, turning off the television.

Smiling, Rodney replied, "I have to pee but I can make it okay on my own." He pushed himself up onto his feet and stood next to the bed before making his way toward the door. "I’ve already done this a couple times today."

"Let me help you," Darin said, reaching for the younger man.

"No, I have to get along on my own," Rodney argued, waving Darin away. "You’re not always gonna be here to hold my hand."

Darin stepped back and watched nervously as Rodney slowly made his way to the bathroom and lowered himself onto the toilet. "Are you sure you’re okay?" he asked, turning to gaze out the window while he could hear the sound of Rodney relieving himself.

"Yeah, I’m fine," the younger man assured him. "There is one thing you could help me with though."

"What’s that?"

"I haven’t been able to take a real shower since I went into the hospital," Rodney said. "Could you help me take one?"

Darin shrugged his shoulders. "I don’t know, I guess so," he responded. "Do you have something to cover up your casts?"

"Uh-huh, they gave me some plastic bags with ties on them when I left the hospital. They’re in the bag by the dresser."

"I’ll get them," Darin said, stepping to the bedroom. "This white bag?" he called.

Rodney struggled to his feet once again. "Yeah, the one from the hospital." He pulled himself to the hallway and waited for Darin to return. Glancing in the mirror, he sighed, "Oh, man, my hair looks awful."

"No problem, there’s shampoo and conditioner in the shower downstairs," Darin said, returning with the plastic bags and a large towel. "Here, let me help you," he offered again.

"You just help me down the steps," Rodney argued, "I can get that far." He steadied himself against the wall as he moved slowly down the hall toward the kitchen of the cottage.

"Does it hurt much to walk?" Darin asked.

"It’s more awkward than painful," Rodney replied. "These new casts have metal pieces in the sides for support. I’m supposed to try and walk as much as possible."

"Now I know how Jake must have felt when David first moved in with him," Darin said, following Rodney as he made his way through the kitchen toward the door to the garage. "At least, let me carry you through the garage so you don’t get grease on your feet," he added.

"Okay," Rodney finally relented. "Is there a chair downstairs we can use?"

"I’ll grab one of the plastic ones from the patio," Darin answered scooping Rodney into his arms. "It’s a good thing you’re not any heavier," he groaned.

Rodney giggled and said, "Just don’t drop me," as Darin maneuvered through the garage and down the back steps.

Sitting him on the bench in the locker room, Darin ran back to retrieve the chair while Rodney struggled to remove his tee shirt. He was removing his boxer shorts when Darin returned. "Here we go," Darin said, placing the chair under the showerhead. Rodney already had the bags in place on his feet when Darin knelt down to secure the tie straps. "Let me just get these," he said before picking up the larger one to place it on Rodney’s forearm. Once the bags were secure, Darin removed his own shirt, pants and socks. Wearing just his boxer briefs, he turned on the spray and hoisted Rodney into his arms, once again, settling him easily into the plastic chair.

Rodney struggled to work the shampoo into his hair before Darin stepped beside him and gently massaged the lather into his blond locks. "That feels so good," Rodney cooed. "Damn, I needed this."

"Then you just relax and let me do this for you," Darin commanded. He handed Rodney a bar of soap and held a washcloth under the shower spray to get it wet. "Try and work up a lather with that," he said, sliding the chair around to rinse Rodney’s hair. "I see we’re gonna need a hand held sprayer, aren’t we?"

"That would be a big help," Rodney agreed as Darin squeezed out a dollop of conditioner and worked it into his hair..

Darin turned him around so his back was toward the wall and his face was level with Darin’s crotch. Taking the washcloth from him, Darin worked the soap into a rich lather and began working it across his chest and arms. "Bet this is nothing like the sponge baths in the hospital, huh?" he joked.

Rodney closed his eyes when Darin ran the cloth over his face and lathered the back of his neck. He leaned forward so Darin could access his back. Once his top half was lathered, Darin pulled him up so he could spread the lather over the lower half of his body. "This feels so good," Rodney repeated when Darin handed him the washcloth so he could wash his ‘private’ areas. "I only had one sponge bath that was anything to get excited about and that was when Adam did it," he added, returning the cloth to Darin.

"You like him, do you?" Darin quizzed, turning him to rinse the soap from his back and sides.

Rodney leaned into the spray and steadied himself on Darin’s arm. "He’s such a sweetheart," he confided.

Darin helped the smaller man back into the chair. "Why do I sense there’s a, ‘but,’ coming?" he asked.

"Well, I really love him a lot. He’s been so supportive to me but…" He smiled as he paused, trying to choose his words carefully. "I think he’s more into me than I am into him," he finally admitted.

"Have you guys been intimate?" Darin asked.

"Oh, yeah, one night last week," he said blushing. "I got so horned up that I had to get off. I asked the nurse if he could stay late and if we could have some privacy."

"How was it?"

"Oh, it was great," Rodney stated. "He’s a very talented man, that’s for sure. I just about painted the ceiling when he took off his shirt. There was just something lacking."

"Was it his…?" Darin paused trying to be delicate.

"His size?" Rodney asked. "Not at all. He’s more than adequate in that area. Don’t get me wrong, I like a big one,’ he added, reaching out and giving Darin’s crotch a quick grope. "But, there’s only so much a guy can take. Guys like Adam can be so much more fun."

"So, if it’s all good, what’s the problem?" Darin asked.

Rodney sighed. "I think he wants something entirely different than what I want."

"I don’t understand."

"He wants a committed, monogamous relationship and, quite frankly, I’m not sure I want a relationship at all."

"So, you guys have discussed relationships then?"

Rodney nodded. "Yeah, we’ve talked about relationships in general but not anything specific. Why, did he say something to you?"

"Not really, I just know he said he’s crazy about you and he was afraid you wouldn’t want him when you found out he was small."

"That’s ridiculous. I could very easily fall in love with him regardless of the size of his dick. I just think he deserves better, that’s all."

"Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a great guy."

"I mean he deserves to be with someone who wants the same things he wants."

"Meaning the commitment and monogamy?"

"Yeah but I’m a product of my past. I don’t think I even know how to be in a relationship. Most of the guys I’ve known only wanted to get into my pants and that’s okay with me ‘cause that’s all I wanted from them too. It’s hard to move beyond that."

"I guess I’m really lucky to have found Brady," Darin said, turning off the water.

"How so?"

"Well, we’re both okay with the other playing around a bit but we still want to be together as a couple. We agreed that, as long as we’re honest with each other, we can enjoy ourselves, as long as…."

"Just as long as you both come home at the end of the day?"

"Yeah, I guess that’s a valid way of putting it."

Rodney smiled. "So, if I was to do this," he said, grasping the waistband of Darin’s boxer briefs and tugging the wet fabric down and away from his rapidly growing erection, "Brady wouldn’t object?"

Darin steadied his tall body on the arms of the plastic chair. "I suppose not," he replied.

"And, if I was to just, say, pull these all the way down," Rodney continued, pulling the wet underwear past Darin’s knees. "And, just gently stroke you till you’re nice and hard…" He grasped Darin’s manhood with his right hand and gently tugged the foreskin back and forth over the slick head.

Darin pushed his shorts to his ankles and gently kicked them aside with his foot while trying to maintain his balance as he leaned over the chair. "Uh-huh," he muttered.

"And if I was to just kind of stick out my tongue and…" he said licking the pre-seminal fluid from the head of Darin’s fully engorged meat. "Brady’d be okay with that?"

"I think so," Darin sighed, pushing his hips toward Rodney’s face as the blond placed his lips over the head and sucked the entire length into his mouth. Pressing his nose into Darin’s pubic bush for several moments, Rodney finally settled into a steady rhythm as he sucked greedily on Darin’s manhood, quickly working his hand on his own throbbing erection. Within minutes, sweat dripping from Darin’s face and chest, the taller man groaned and shouted, "I’m gonna shoot!" Rodney quickly removed his lips and watched as thick ropes of semen erupted from the end of Darin’s uncut meat. His own orgasm splattered against the back of Darin’s legs and dripped off his hairy butt. Finally, after about six shots of heavy cream, Darin slowed to a dribble and he stood shaking, his hands against the wall of the shower. Their breathing echoed off the walls of the concrete room as both came down from their orgasms.

Finally, Rodney looked up to see Darin smiling at him. "So, Brady would be okay with that?" he giggled, wiping his hand through the thick puddle of semen on his chest.

"I’m certainly gonna tell him about it, yeah," Darin stated. "Of course, you just might have to put on a similar performance for him," he added winking and reaching to turn the shower on again. "Just understand that I don’t want this to become an everyday occurrence."

"Did you hear that?" Rodney said, holding up his hand and turning toward the doorway. "It sounded like the back door closing upstairs."

Darin giggled. "It probably didn’t close completely when we came down," he said turning the water on and scooting Rodney under the spray so he could rinse the remnants of their sexual encounter away. He spread shampoo into his hair and stepped under the next sprayer for a few moments while Rodney rinsed himself. Turning off the spray, he grabbed the towel and tossed it to Rodney before scampering into the laundry room for another one to dry off as well.

With a towel wrapped around his waist, Darin carried Rodney up the back steps and across the garage into the cottage. Once he reached the bedroom, he set the smaller man on the bed and turned to grab him a clean pair of boxer shorts and another tee shirt from the top drawer of the dresser while Rodney ran his own towel through his blond hair. When he turned back toward Rodney, he noticed the sun bleached hair once again and remembered that night in Redfield when he had met this incredibly handsome young man. It seemed like a million years ago and, yet, it was only a few short weeks since that night. Without realizing he was even saying anything, he mumbled, "Thank you."

Rodney stopped rubbing his hair with the towel. "For what?" he asked, tossing the towel onto the bed.

"For being there at that station that night and for inviting me back to your place."

"Hey, I was just lonely and you were a handsome stranger. I didn’t do anything I hadn’t done a hundred times before."

"Yes, but you were just what I needed at that time. If it hadn’t been for you, I might never have come to terms with what I wanted and I might never have met Brady."

"Well, if you believe in Karma, I was just doing my job."

****​

The bag of groceries and case of Coke in the kitchen had gone unnoticed. Outside, the sound of a car starting and then driving away from the house was all but inaudible inside the bedroom. Adam stopped his green Grand Prix at the road and chirped the tires as he accelerated away from the house and away from the man he thought he loved.

Stopping at the junction, Adam accelerated toward the Texaco Speedy Mart and parked next to the building. Entering, he went quickly to the cooler and grabbed a six pack of Miller Lite and marched to the checkout. As he waited in line, he noticed Steve and Luke enter and move toward the deli counter. He turned away, hoping they would not recognize him as he stood there waiting. While they ordered their lunch, Luke looked toward him and tapped Steve on his shoulder. The older man waved as the deli clerk approached to take his order. Adam forced a smile but did not return the gesture. He paid for his beer and hurried outside without making any further eye contact. Sitting in his car, he removed one of the beers from the carton but held it in his hand. A tear slowly crept across his right cheek. There was a tap on the window, which caused him to drop the beer onto the floor of the car. He switched the ignition on and pushed the button to lower the window.

"Hey, Adam, what’re you doin’ here?" Luke inquired. "You on your way to visit with Rodney?" Seeing the tears in Adam’s eyes, he quickly added, "What’s wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Adam lied. "I was just…" His emotions won out and he began to cry. He leaned his head on the steering wheel as Luke pulled the car’s door open and began to gently rub his hand over the smaller man’s back.

"What’s going on?" Steve asked as he approached, carrying their food.

Luke turned to face Steve. "Adam’s upset about something," he stated. To Adam, he asked, "Have you eaten?"

Brushing his hands across his cheeks, Adam sat up and replied, "I haven’t had lunch yet."

"I’ll be right back," Steve said before he jogged back inside for another dinner.

While Steve went inside, Luke knelt down beside the car and rubbed his hand on Adam’s leg. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Placing his hands on the steering wheel, once again, Adam sighed. "It’s stupid, really," he mumbled. "I just thought…" He paused, fighting back the tears. "I can’t believe he’d do that."

"Who would do what?" Luke pressed.

Adam turned to face Luke. "I can’t believe Darin would do that to me."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Luke said, rising to his feet, "What did Darin do?"

"I walked in on the two of them," Adam said, "Having sex, in the shower."

"Did they know you were there?" Luke asked as Steve approached with another dinner. "Come on, let’s sit at the picnic tables," he offered, handing the box lunch to Adam.

Adam switched off the car’s ignition, unbuckled his seatbelt and swung his legs out of the car. "Okay," he replied and followed the pair to one of three tables set up near the end of the building.

Steve stepped over the bench and plopped down as Luke whispered, "Adam walked in and saw Rodney and Darin having sex in the shower,"

Nodding, Steve said, "I see. Did they see him?"

Luke shook his head as Adam sat beside him on the opposite side of the table. "He’s pretty sure they didn’t know he was watching," he replied, flipping open the flaps on his chicken dinner and removing the biscuit.

"I thought I’d surprise him and I went into the cottage," Adam began. "He wasn’t there so I went to see if he was in the house." He took a bite of one of the potato wedges and chewed it slowly. "I heard the shower running downstairs and voices so, I figured Darin was helping him take a shower."

"Are you sure that wasn’t all it was?" Steve interrupted.

Adam shook his head and took a deep breath. "No, it was pretty clear what I saw," he said sadly. "Rodney was sitting in a plastic chair and he was giving Darin a blow job and jerkin’ off."

Luke chewed his food without comment. Finally, he said, "How do you know Darin was the one who initiated it?"

"I don’t really think he did," Adam confessed. "I’m just afraid Rodney’s still in love with him and I don’t know if I can compete. If it comes down to a choice between him or me, I can’t compete."

"Bullshit!" Steve said. "You’re every bit as hot as Darin."

Adam blushed. "But I can’t compete with him in one particular area," he said, turning away.

His eyes widened as Luke realized what Adam was talking about. He recalled that day they had changed clothes after swimming. "Are you worried because his dick’s bigger than yours?" he asked.

Adam didn’t respond right away. Finally, he nodded and muttered, "Uh-huh." He wiped his hand across his right cheek as a stray tear trickled from his eye.

Laughing, Luke said, "That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard."

"I’m serious," Adam insisted.

"I can’t imagine Rodney being that shallow," Luke replied. "I mean, I’ve only just met him but he doesn’t strike me as the type to be obsessed with size."

"But, I’m pretty small," Adam stated. "And Darin’s huge."

"I admit, he’s got a very nice dick," Luke agreed, "But, that’s not what’s important. Hell, you’re a fuckin’ fox."

"AND, you’ve got one of the best bodies I’ve ever seen," Steve added. "I haven’t even seen your dick and you sure turned me on."

Luke nodded and put his hand on Adam’s right arm. "He’s not joking," he confirmed. "He talked about you all the way home after we went swimming that day."

Steve laughed. "Of course, I’m an old perv, so you can’t put a lot of stock in what I think."

Adam tried not to laugh but failed. "You really think I’m hot?" he asked, blushing again.

"Uh-huh," Steve replied. "All kidding aside, I really do."

Picking at the piece of chicken in front of him, Adam finally mumbled, "Thank you."

Steve reached out and took the smaller man’s right hand in his and forced him to look at him. "You’re welcome," he said, smiling. "Now eat your lunch before it gets cold." He looked at Luke and added, "Both of you."

"Yes, sir," they both replied softly as they began eating again.

****​

When they finished lunch, Steve set out for Honest Dave’s to see what George might have in the way of small trailer homes. Depending on what he found there, he knew of one other place he wanted to check so Luke rode back to the farm with Adam. As they turned into the long driveway, Adam cleared his throat and looked over at Luke. "Thanks for letting me whine," he said, smiling. "I feel like such an idiot."

"Don’t worry about it," Luke replied. Before he exited the car, he asked, "Have you been with very many guys?"

Adam looked at the speedometer and pushed the shifter into park. Turning off the engine, he said softly, "Just two."

"Rodney and one other?" Luke guessed.

Nodding, Adam confirmed, "Yeah."

Luke leaned back into the leather seat. "Can I assume the first guy wasn’t thrilled with your size?" he asked.

Again, Adam nodded. "He said that, if he had known I was so little, he wouldn’t have wasted so much time on me."

"That’s fucked up," was all Luke said before he stepped out of the car. With his hand on the door, he repeated, "That’s just really fucked up." He closed the door and walked toward the south barn as Adam started the car and drove toward the house.

TO BE CONTINUED​

 

[harry113]

Thanks Scott.
Poor Adam, I do hope he can gain some confidence, & that Rodney will help him!!
Great chapter, look forward to the next
Harry

 

[kcm17480]

Excellent chapter Scott. I have really gotten into your characters. Their a lovable bunch.
Thanks
Ken

 

[RacerBear]

Thanks guys,

I'm so glad you like them. I really enjoy telling their stories. Believe it or not, I've actually known a guy exactly like Adam (except he wasn't a cop) and he struggled to find his place in the world. He finally met a guy who swept him off his feet and has been hopelessly in love ever since. It will happen for Adam too, I promise.

Scott

 

[axlsergei]

I think this story is great--I'm enjoying it a lot. Last chapter was really good too. Looking forward to the next, as always!

Thanks for sharing,

Serge

 

[momoda6]

As I was reading it, I was thinking 'How could Darin only think about Brady, and forget about Adam?'. I must be psychic or something.

Another great chapter. I look forward to the next one.

 

[RacerBear]

FINDING DARIN
Part 30​

Moving day for the shelter animals had finally arrived. Brady had worked late into the night confirming that everything was in place. The truckload of pet food had arrived on Friday morning and, with the help of Adam, Luke, Steve and Tim, it had been put away in the different feed rooms. Not only had the company donated nearly three tons of dry food, they had also supplied over thirty pallets of canned cat and dog food and treats, and three large pallets of kitty litter and three pallets of various types of bird seed. When they heard that the farm was going to also assist in the rescue of livestock, they committed another large donation of grain, hay and straw that was promised to be delivered by the following Tuesday.

The first to arrive on Saturday morning were Tim and Tony. With twelve dozen donuts and two large coffee urns, they set about to insure that all volunteers would be sufficiently fed. While Tim set the coffee pots up in one of the front rooms of the north building, Tony set the pastries on one of the large banquet tables, that had already been brought from the house. Steve and Luke were next and unloaded several large chests full of soft drinks, teas and juices into the front room. Randi and Lisa followed with half a dozen coolers full of cold sandwiches and several boxes of chips. Other staff members came in and gathered in the front of the building. They began introducing themselves to the others while everyone munched on the donuts, sipped coffee and helped get things situated.

It was just past seven thirty when Brady and Darin, along with Adam, walked across the field and through the back door of the north building. Darin pressed the button on the overhead door, rolling it open. As promised, Tim had kept everyone gathered in the front rooms until Brady’s arrival. When he walked through the door, everyone burst into cheers and applause. Darin put his arm across Brady’s shoulders as the younger man leaned into him, allowing his emotions to take control momentarily. Finally, wiping his hands across his upper cheeks, Brady addressed those gathered. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart," he began, "Without your help, this shelter would never have been possible." Cheers from those gathered interrupted him, once again. "I wanted you all to meet here so you could see for yourselves what a wonderful facility we’re going to have here," he continued. "I want to introduce you to two of the gentlemen who are responsible for what you’re going to see. Steve and Luke, come up here," he shouted. Both men approached and were greeted with hugs by both Darin and Brady before they turned and waved to the cheering group. "And now, without further adieu," Brady said, opening the door, "Come on in and look around before we head over and bring our babies home." They stepped aside while part of the group filed through the door and into the dog area of the building. Luke led another group through to the cat side. Once everyone had emptied out of the room, Brady turned to Darin and gave him a strong hug. "Ready or not, here we come," he said before turning to grab a jelly donut from one of the large boxes on the table.

Walking through the kennel area, Brady was stopped by one of the shelter volunteers. "I really love this place," she said, beaming. "I hope you’ll let me work here when you get opened up again."

"That’s the plan," he replied. "I hoped you’d all come with us when we made the move."

Darin was standing next to the feed room watching everyone enjoy the new facility when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Jake standing next to him. "Private Daniels, reporting for duty," Jake said, saluting his friend.

"I’m so glad you could make it," Darin responded, giving Jake a hug.

Looking around the large building, Jake remarked, "This place is awesome. Does that ambulance out back really belong to you guys?"

Laughing, Darin replied, "It sure does. Believe it or not, it was donated."

"That’s so cool," Jake replied. "What’s on the agenda for today?" he asked.

"There’s donuts and coffee in the front room if you want some," Darin offered, "And, we’re going to be heading over to start loading up the critters in a little bit. We have to get as much moved today as possible."

Just then, Adam approached from the front, munching on a donut. "Who is that?" Jake asked.

Darin looked to see to whom Jake was referring. "Oh, that’s Rodney’s friend, Adam," he replied.

"That’s Adam? The Cop?" Jake gasped. "You never told me he was such a babe."

Laughing, Darin responded, "I thought you were in mourning?"

"What can I say?" Jake offered, "I bounced back."

"Apparently."

By eight fifteen, everyone was piling into vehicles and heading for the shelter to begin the task of loading up all the animals and equipment to bring it back to the farm. It was decided that Tony, Adam and Darin would drive the three new vans while Brady would drive the ambulance and Steve would take his truck and the borrowed utility trailer. Cathy and Becky waited at the old location, along with other volunteers who had assembled carriers for all of the animals awaiting transport. Once the animals were loaded, Tony and Steve would supervise loading of the equipment into a rented truck and whatever vehicles and trailers were available. The goats and calf would be loaded into the stock trailer and would be taken along with the other animals. All together, there were twenty-one dogs and thirty-two cats that would make the move.

Upon arrival at the shelter, Cathy informed Brady of a call she had received minutes before. An elderly owner had passed away and her family was looking to remove over thirty birds from her home. "Apparently," Cathy began, "The family doesn’t live close by and wasn’t aware that she had so many birds and, other than one cage of keets, they’re not prepared to take care of most of them."

"What types of birds are we talking about?" Brady inquired; looking at the notes Cathy had taken.

"They’re mostly smaller birds; finches and budgies but there are also some lovebirds, a couple cockatiels and a couple of Quaker Parakeets," Cathy replied.

"Are they all in cages?" he pressed.

"Oh, yeah," Cathy advised. "Plus her son said they’d be willing to make a sizeable cash donation, if that would help our decision in any way."

Brady smiled. "Hell, I’d take them even if he didn’t donate anything but don’t tell him that. Give him a call and tell him that, if we can have the cages, we can pick them up later this afternoon. Can you and Becky pick them up in the white van?"

"Absolutely," she answered. "You want us to bring them back here or to the farm?"

Scratching his head, Brady paused for a moment. "You probably ought to bring them here for now," he replied. "That way, we can get one of the cat rooms ready and put them in there until the other building is ready."

"You mean we’re gonna have separate buildings for the different animals?" Cathy asked. "That’s awesome."

Brady nodded. "Yeah, there’s a whole section for birds and other caged animals," he told her. "Each section has its own feed room too."

Clapping her hands, Cathy smiled and said, "I can’t wait to see the place. I wish I could go out there with you guys today."

"I tell you what," Brady offered, "You and Becky can take a load of stuff out and you can go pick up the birds after lunch. We’ve got a ton of sandwiches and stuff for everybody. No sense you two missing out on it."

Tim tapped on the open door. "Bray, the guys want to know if you want to take all of the rolling cages today," he said.

"Tell them to leave one of the bigger ones and a smaller one here, just in case we get any walk-ins the first of the week," he replied. "I want to leave everything in the front office for now too," he added, walking toward the door and out into the kennel area. Opening the door, he was greeted by a chorus of barking dogs.

Shelter staff and volunteers had already transferred most of the cats into carriers and were beginning to load them in the blue van when he entered the kennel area. One dog, a chocolate lab was giving volunteers a particularly rough time, refusing to allow them to put him into one of the carriers. "What’s the problem, Bill?" Brady asked a tall older gentleman who was trying to entice the dog with treats.

"He just won’t let us put him in the crate," the man answered.

Brady knelt down and petted the dog on the head. "What’s the matter, pal, you don’t wanna go in that nasty old crate?" he asked softly, all the time rubbing the dogs head. The dog laid his chin on Brady’s leg and let out a loud sigh. Looking up at Bill, Brady remembered. "Is this Graham?" he asked.

"Yes it is," Bill replied. "Why?"

Stroking the dog’s head once again, Brady told the man, "He was a cruelty case. His owners used to put him in the crate to punish him and would leave him in it for hours at a time." He turned to the dog and whispered, "It’s okay, Graham, you don’t have to go in the crate." To Bill, he said, "I’ll take him with me in the ambo." Graham lifted his head and woofed at Brady and licked his face, his tail wagging happily.

"It seems he likes that idea," Bill said, laughing. "Okay, dog, you win." He handed the leash to Brady and went to retrieve another one.

As Brady walked Graham toward the parking lot where the vans and trailers were being loaded, Darin approached carrying a medium sized pet carrier. "Who’s that?" Brady asked him.

"This one is ours," Darin replied, holding the carrier up for Brady to see the longhaired black cat inside.

"Hey Taboo," Brady cooed, sticking his fingers through the grating on the door. "You ready to go home?" he asked as the cat licked his fingers and purred noisily.

Graham nudged Darin’s free hand with his nose and presented his right paw for Darin to shake. "Hey there, puppy," he said. "What’s your name?"

"This is Graham," Brady answered for the dog. "He’s gonna ride in with us. He can’t be put in a crate."

The dog rolled onto his back as Darin knelt down to pet him. "Who’s a good boy?" Darin said, rubbing the dog’s belly. He looked up at Brady and pleaded, "Can we keep him? Huh? Can we?"

Brady stared at his partner. "God, I love you," he replied, shaking his head.

****​

By the time they had all the animals settled in and fed, it was almost three in the afternoon. Cathy and Becky had stayed at the farm to set up the exam rooms and another pair, Derek and Brenda had gone to pick up the birds. It was decided to bring them directly to the farm so they would not be stressed by having to be moved a second time. Since there was such a relatively small number of cats, Brady decided to put the birds in the room closest to the front and put the cats that could be housed together in the three or four rooms at the rear of the feline area. There were six who would have to be put in separate cages, including one very pregnant female who had been dropped of the day before, that would be placed near the rear of the area as well.

Graham had proven to be an extremely well behaved passenger, riding with his head on Brady’s left leg the entire distance. When Darin pulled the truck off the road, he began wagging his tail, violently drumming against the sliding door between the cab and rear of the ambulance. In his excitement, he had leaped from the truck and danced happily, dragging his leash, while he waited for Darin and Brady to join him. He followed them everywhere they went and only once, when he had to relieve himself, did he wander away, returning immediately afterward to the side of his new masters.

Adam had brought Rodney from the house, in his wheelchair, to join them for lunch. As he wheeled him through the cat area, a large orange tabby named Pumpkin, stuck her paw through one of the cages and hooked her claws in Rodney’s pant leg. They stopped to give the cat a closer look and she, immediately began purring loudly. "Can I see this cat?" Rodney asked one of the volunteers, a girl named Kelly.

Opening the cage, Kelly removed the cat and handed her to Rodney. "Careful, she likes to bite," she told him as the cat stuck her nose in Rodney’s face and rubbed her cheek against his. "Wow, I think she likes you," Kelly added.

"I sure hope my new landlords will let me have pets," he joked, scratching the cats ears. She rolled onto her back and pulled his hand down for him to rub her stomach.

"I’ve never seen her take to anybody," Kelly said.

"They say some cats actually pick their owners," Adam said, leaning down to pet the cat. She looked up at him and let out a soft, "Meow," as she batted his cheek with her paw.

On the dog side of the building, Jake was sitting in one of the small kennels with a brown and white, terrier mix named Chloe. The little dog had been brought to the shelter after having been beaten by her owners and locked in a sweltering apartment with no food or water. One of her rear legs was broken so severely it was feared it would have to be removed. She also suffered from periodic seizures and, although vet staff had been able to save her leg, she had a noticeable limp when she walked. The little dog had taken to Jake immediately when he took her from her kennel and placed her in her crate for transport. When they had arrived and he opened the carrier, she had leaped into his lap and began showering him with her kisses. To say that he was smitten with the energetic bundle of happiness was putting it mildly.

Outside, Steve was playing fetch with an energetic Dalmatian named Perdy while Luke enjoyed a game of tug-of-war with Gilligan, a shepherd mix who had come to the shelter as another cruelty case. Perdy’s owners had decided that she was a behavior problem and were unwilling to work with her to correct the difficulties they had with her. She had been at the shelter for just over a year and, except for one family who returned her after only three days, she had remained in their custody. Volunteers had worked with her and she had shown a great deal of improvement but needed a new owner who would be willing to take the time necessary to re-train the high energy two year old. Gilligan, a one year old, was taken from an owner who had used the puppy as a bait dog to train his pit bull terriers for fighting. When he arrived, he had a number of puncture wounds on his legs and neck that had become infected and his left ear, which was noticeably smaller than the right, had been nearly torn off in an attack by one of the pit bulls. He had also suffered some facial paralysis on his left side. Occasionally, his left eye would droop and his tongue would hang out when he rested. Both dogs had won the hearts of the two men and were enjoying their time outside with them.

Brady was standing next to the open garage door at the back of the building, watching Graham inspect the property. The dog would sniff the ground and stopped, periodically, to hike his leg against a fence post or bush. Darin approached from the intake room and slipped his arms around his partner from behind. "How ya doin’?" he asked, leaning his chin on Brady’s shoulder.

"It’s funny," Brady replied, sighing. "A couple of months ago, a family came in and wanted to adopt him," he added, indicating the dog. "After spending only a couple hours with him, they brought him back and said he was just too hyper for them."

"Maybe he knew they weren’t the family for him," Darin offered.

"That’s what I said at the time," Brady continued, turning to face Darin. "Every time I went by his kennel, he’d run to the back corner and just stare at me. It was like he was terrified of me or something. Now, I wonder if he was afraid I was going to try to force him to go with another family he didn’t want. Until this morning, I never really spent that much time with him."

"Well, he certainly warmed up to you."

Kissing the older man on the cheek, Brady giggled. "When we left here this morning, did you ever think we’d end the day with two kids?"

Several other volunteers were walking dogs along the driveway and playing with others in the grassy areas surrounding the building. "The dogs sure seem to like it here," Darin noted, pointing to a mix breed that was happily chasing a ball. "Did you see Steve and Luke with those two dogs?" he asked.

Nodding, Brady replied, "I think they both made a connection. I hope they’ll think about adopting one or both of them."

"They’re not the only ones who made a connection," Darin told him.

"Really? Who else?"

"Jake seems to really like that little brown and white dust mop mutt," Darin said while Graham brushed against his leg and nudged his hand to be petted. "Hey, Bud," he said to the dog, scratching his ears.

While they stood in the open door, a blue Mercedes eased along the gravel drive and approached the building. Stopping some distance away, a small woman exited and walked slowly toward them. Darin smiled and called out to her, "Hey, Ma, what brings you here?"

Dressed in her signature style, a pastel flowered blouse and khaki slacks with white sneakers and pearls, she waved. "Spence told me you were moving into the new building today and I wanted to see it for myself," she replied. "I figured I’d be an old lady before my son invited me over for a visit," she added.

"Too late," Darin reminded her, "You’re already an old lady."

"I’ll have you know I got every one of these gray hairs form you, Mister."

"Hello, Misses Johnson," Brady offered.

"Don’t you ever call me that again, young man," she quipped, swatting his arm. "You call me Mom, just like my other son." She stretched onto her tiptoes and kissed them both on the cheek. "And who is this handsome little man?" she squealed when Graham brushed his nose against her hand and held his paw up for her to shake.

Darin winked at Brady as he told his mother, "That’s your new grandson, Graham."

She took the dog’s paw in her petite hand and covered it with the other. "Well, hello there, my little Graham Cracker," she cooed. "I’m your Grand Mama and I’m gonna spoil you rotten," she added. Graham surprised her with a slurp across her nose.

"Oh, I can see it now," Darin joked, "Every time she comes over, she’ll have the car loaded with presents."

"That’s what Grandma’s do," she insisted. "They spoil their grandchildren.

The sound of Rodney’s wheelchair rattling across the threshold drew their attention. "Ma, this is our friend, Rodney and his friend, Adam," Darin said as Adam pushed the youngster toward them. "Rodney, Adam, this is my mother, Sylvia."

"My goodness, is this the young man that Lillian…" She stopped mid sentence and rushed to give Rodney a hug. "It’s so nice to meet you," she whispered before she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, it’s nice to meet you too," Rodney replied.

Extending his hand toward her, Adam said, "I’m pleased to meet you too Ma’am."

"I’ll have none of this Ma’am business," she insisted, wrapping her arms around Adam and kissing his cheek as well. She quickly reached up to wipe a lip stick smudge from the side of his face with her thumb. "Oops, I left my mark," she said chuckling.

"I’m surprised she didn’t spit on a kleenex first," Darin laughed.

Turning to give her son a stern look, she warned, "Now, you hush," as everyone joined in the laughter.

"Would you like a tour of the place, Syl…er…Mom?" Brady asked, glancing at Darin nervously.

Smiling, she turned to him and responded, "Certainly," as she reached out and wrapped her arm around his.

When Brady and Sylvia had disappeared behind the door to the intake room, Darin asked, "Have you met Graham?" The dog sat next to Darin’s leg and raised his paw in greeting.

"He’s gorgeous!" Adam exclaimed as Graham leaned his head against his new dad.

Rodney shifted his position in his chair. "How would you feel about me having a cat?" he asked as he petted the dog..

"I wouldn’t have a problem with it at all," Darin responded. "Did you find one you like?"

"He likes one named Pumpkin," Adam offered.

Rodney nodded. "I promise I’ll feed her and take care of her and… ," he said, giggling.

****​

Adam was lying on the sofa in the family room, watching a movie when Brady came down to turn off the lights. " What’cha watchin’?" he asked, dropping into the chair.

"Some old Bette Davis movie," he answered, staring at the big screen television. "Rodney was having trouble getting comfortable and I wasn’t really sleepy so, I decided to come down here and watch a movie," he added. "I hope you don’t mind." His shirt was unbuttoned and he had removed his shoes and socks and placed them on the floor beneath the coffee table.

Brady watched the movie for a few minutes without commenting until a commercial interrupted. He placed his hand on Adam’s shoulder and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Looking up for the first time since Brady had entered the room, Adam replied, "Yeah, sure."

"Then, why do I get the distinct feeling that something’s bothering you?" Brady quizzed.

Adam moved his foot back and forth against the back of the sofa, recalling the scene he had witnessed on Thursday afternoon when he stood in the doorway to the locker room. "No, really, I’m fine," he lied, as Graham entered the room and plopped down next to Brady. "It looks like he’s settled in," Adam changed the subject.

Brady stroked the dog’s head. "Yeah, he’s such a good dog. I can’t believe anybody would abuse him the way they did."

"Are most of the animals you rescue abuse cases?" Adam asked, sitting up and turning to face Brady.

"Not most but, quite a few," Brady responded. "I think the vast majority are just a case of not being wanted anymore."

"I’ve been thinking about changing jobs," Adam said, matter of factly.

Stunned, Brady asked, "You don’t want to be a cop anymore?"

"Oh, no, it’s not that. I heard there’s an opening in the H.L.E. department here in Big Sky. I’ll still be a cop, I’ll just specialize in a different area."

"That would be so cool," Brady stated. "Would you have to move to take the job?"

"Not right away but, within six months. They have a policy that you have to live in the county."

"I’m sure you could stay here with Rodney," Brady offered.

Adam let out a long sigh. "I’m not sure that’s such a good idea," he said sadly, laying his head against the back of the sofa.

TO BE CONTINUED​

 

[harry113]

Thanks Scott, so glad the move went off ok!! wonderful descriptive chapter.
Poor Adam.... Has he noticed Jake!???
Hugs
Harry

 

[BlueD]

Jake and Adam might be a good combination... Rodney is just too much....of a slut (sorry if offended anyone's hero) for Adam.....

 

[kcm17480]

Blue D maybe right. I don't think Rodney is ready to settle down to any one man yet. Jake and Adam might be a good match. Love this chapter and all the animals.

 

[RacerBear]

Not to worry, BlueD, Rodney has admitted himself that he's a slut.

 

[RacerBear]

FINDING DARIN
Part 31​

Seated at his desk, Darin had his chair turned so the back was facing the door He had been staring out the window of his office for quite some time when Jake arrived on Monday morning. When he didn’t respond to Jake’s greeting, the younger man tapped him on the right shoulder. "Are you in there?" Jake teased.

"Oh, hi," Darin replied, turning to face his assistant. "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago."

"Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. You want coffee?"

"Sure," Jake responded, walking toward the coffeemaker. Picking up the empty pot, he turned and scolded. "You mean I have to make it too?"

"Oops, sorry." Darin apologized. "I forgot."

Jake set the pot in the sink and filled it with cold water before he dumped the old grounds in the trashcan. He opened one of the cupboards, took out a coffee filter and a packet of coffee and placed them into the basket, then poured the water into the top of the machine. Switching the button to on, he turned to Darin. "So, what has you so preoccupied this morning that you can’t even make coffee?"

Darin took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I really screwed up the other day and I’m wondering how I’m going to clean up the mess."

"You mean when you let Rodney give you head in the shower?" Jake asked.

"How did you know about that?" Darin gasped. "I didn’t even know anybody knew about it until yesterday."

Jake stared at the coffee maker as the dark brown liquid poured into the glass pot. "I rode back to the farm with Adam on Saturday and he told me he walked in and saw you too having sex. He was pretty upset about it but, after we talked about it, he decided not to say anything to either of you."

"I can’t believe I let it happen," Darin said. "I told myself I wasn’t going to but I did it anyway."

"Face it, Darin, you’re a guy and, as guys, we all think with our dicks. It’s a fact of gay life."

Darin rubbed his hands across his face. "So, does Adam hate me?"

"Far from it," Jake replied, "He was upset but he realized you and Rodney have a past and, while he wasn’t thrilled with what he saw, he thinks too much of you to hate you for it."

"When Brady told me Adam knew about it, I was so embarrassed I didn’t know what to say to him," Darin began. "We were getting dressed to go feed the animals when he said Adam had told him that he saw us having sex in the shower. I had told Brady about it the night after it happened so, I knew he was okay with it. I never knew Adam had seen us. By the time we got dressed, he had already left to go back home. As far as I know, he never said anything to Rodney."

Jake poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Darin. "I don’t think you should say anything to either Adam or Rodney," he offered.

"That’s the same thing Brady said. Why not?"

"Because, right now, it’s like a big open wound. If you keep digging around in it, it’ll never heal. Let Adam come to you if he wants to talk about it."

Darin took a sip of coffee. "But, what if he never does?" he asked.

"Then, he never does. Just let him heal in his own way. He’s not as experienced as some of the rest of us. How did Brady feel about it?"

"He was upset because Adam was hurt but he was okay with it otherwise. He said Adam had been thinking about making a move on him to try and even the score but, once Brady told him he was okay with it, he changed his mind. Brady offered to do something anyway but he turned him down."

"Adam’s a classy guy," Jake said. "He knows getting even isn’t the way to resolve his feelings about it."

"I think I’d feel better about it if he had done something with Brady."

"But I’m not sure he would have."

"Probably not."

Their conversation was interrupted by the telephone. Jake picked it up after the third ring. "This is Jake," he said. Holding the receiver toward Darin, he added, "It’s your ex wife."

Darin took the receiver and placed it to his ear. "Hey, Jan," he said, trying to keep his voice light. "What’s up?"

" I need your help with something," she replied.

"Okay," he said, cautiously. "What is it?"

"Uh," she stammered, "God, I can’t believe I’m telling you like this." She took in a deep breath and held it before she continued. "I haven’t even told Rick yet."

"Haven’t told him what?" Darin pressed.

"Is there any way we can speed up the divorce?" she asked, changing the subject. "I’d even forget about the cash settlement if we can finalize it sooner."

"But you’re entitled to that money," he insisted. "What’s going on?"

She held her breath for several seconds before blurting out, "I’m pregnant."

Darin leaned back in his chair, stunned. "But I thought you couldn’t…"

"I didn’t think I could either," she agreed. "It appears the doctors were wrong."

Remembering the conversation with Brady on Saturday about the dog, Darin offered, "Or, maybe the kid was just waiting for the right time to come along."

"What are you talking about?" she said, giggling.

"Nothing, really, it’s a long story," he replied. "Listen… uh… congratulations?"

"Thank you," she said, "I just hope Rick will take the news as well."

"Why shouldn’t he?" Darin quizzed. "I’m sure he’ll be excited when he finds out he’s going to be a father."

"I hope so."

"It is his, isn’t it?" Darin asked.

"I’m… pretty sure," she confessed. "Ninety-five percent anyway."

"If it’s not his then, who’s is it? The pool boy?"

"He’s not really a boy," she corrected, "He’s twenty-seven."

"Oh, Good Lord, are you freakin’ kidding me?"

"Do you remember that fight we had?" she continued, "The one on Tuesday, before the one on Thursday when you left and went to… "

He thought for a moment. There had been so many fights they all melted together. Finally he lied, "Oh, yeah. I remember."

"Well, after you left for work on Wednesday, Diego was there to clean the pool and… I just don’t know what came over me but, I invited him in and, well, one thing led to another and…"

Darin felt his blood pressure rise. Fighting the urge to become angry, he said, "And you fucked him?"

She began to cry. "I didn’t plan it, it just happened. Darin, I’m so sorry. I mean that, really."

Taking a deep breath, Darin became calm once again. What she had done was no different than he had done a day later. "It’s okay," he soothed, then added, "The guy’s a hunk."

"After he left, I got to thinking about how truly unhappy we both were and, that’s when I decided I wanted a divorce. When I saw Diego a few days later, he wouldn’t even look at me. I felt so stupid."

"He probably screws a different woman every other day."

"I just hope it’s not his," she admitted. "That would make it so much harder to explain."

"Because he’s Hispanic?"

"Yeah. Do you think I could convince my mother that Rick’s actually Mexican?"

They both laughed. "I’m sure she’ll love the baby, regardless," he offered. "Either way, you should tell Rick."

She sighed, "I know."

"Listen, I’ll call Aaron and see what I can do," he promised." Regardless, you’re getting that money."

"Thank you for that. And, Darin?"

"Yeah, Jan."

"I really am sorry."

"It’s okay, really. Just tell me one thing, are you happy?"

"You know, for the first time in a long time, I really am."

"Then that’s all that matters," he said, before hanging up the phone. He leaned back in his chair once again as Jake approached the front of his desk.

"She’s pregnant?" Jake inquired. "Is it yours?"

Spinning his chair around, Darin looked at Jake. "Oh, God, no!" he answered, "We would have known long before this if it was mine."

"Just checking," Jake said, smiling and sipping his coffee.

****​

Brady was enjoying his first official day in their new building. The dogs were continuing to settle in and, surprisingly, seemed to be a lot quieter than they had been in the old facility. When he went in to check on the birds, he found them all chirping happily in their cages while Becky put clean newspaper in the bottom. "These little guys are so happy," she said as Brady slipped into the room and closed the door. "For having so many, she took very good care of them," she added. Brady watched for a few minutes as Becky filled seed and water containers before stepping out to check on the other animals.

George, one of the volunteers who had been tending to the needs of the goats, had arrived shortly after nine and had brought two large containers of goat’s milk from the barn. "We’re probably gonna need to find an outlet for this," he said, placing them into the fridge in the cat feed room. "We can use some of it for formula but, we can’t use all of it and the kids are getting big enough, they ain’t gonna be nursin’ too much longer."

"Do you know anyone who could use it?" Brady asked him. "Could they use it at the soup kitchen?"

"I’ll check with Father Frank down at the mission and see if they can use any of it," George promised before he left. "I’ll be back this afternoon."

A technician had arrived around ten to install the telephones and intercom system. Brady had watched as, what seemed like a mile of telephone wire was strung throughout the north building. Just before noon, the man approached and told him that everything was complete and asked that he place a phone call to insure the lines were working properly. He dialed his cel phone and, once he heard it ring, signed the papers and sent the man on his way. He promised to return on Friday to install the phones in the offices. Becky had driven into town to check messages at the old location and set the phone so that all calls would be forwarded to the farm. A few calls had come in later in the day, inquiring about adoptions but, for the most part, it was a quiet afternoon.

The truck towing their new offices began its journey from Honest Dave’s to the farm at about the same time the telephone work was completed. It took almost two hours to travel the mile and a half, as power lines had to be raised and traffic had to be rerouted. Finally, around four thirty, the axles had been removed and the building was ready to be settled onto its foundation. With their offices nearly in place, Brady stood in the doorway of the north building, staring at the back of the modular structure. Steve stepped between the buildings and entered as Brady backed away to allow him access. "How’s it going?" Brady asked.

"We’ll have everything in position in the morning and, the plumbers will hook up the water and sewer lines when they finish up the south building," Steve replied. "Once they’re done, we can lower the building onto the foundation. Hopefully, we can get the doors switched around, on each end, and you can start moving in on Thursday. Luke and I have to get over to Overland and sign papers on the house, are you gonna be here for a bit?"

"If I’m not, I’ll be up at the house," Brady answered. "Why?"

"We wanted to fill out paperwork so we can adopt those two dogs," Steve said, his broad smile spreading across his face.

His own smile covering his face, Brady slapped Steve on the shoulder. "That’s awesome!" he exclaimed. "Thank you so much. Don’t worry, I’ll put your names on them and we’ll get it done."

Luke appeared from the rear of the building. "Ready, Dad?" he asked Steve.

Brady shook his head and waved as the two exited the front and walked around the end of the office. Locking the front door, he flipped off the lights and walked into the dog area. Graham approached, carrying a rubber chew toy in his mouth, as he walked toward the back of the long room. "Hey, champ," he said as the dog brushed against his leg. He continued to the back of the room, the dog beside him, and checked on Boomer, a large Chow/Mastiff mix who had been having some difficulties getting settled. He noticed that Boomer was lying on his side and his breathing seemed labored. He pulled his radio from his hip and, pressing the button on the side, called out for Becky to come to the kennels. Becky arrived within seconds.

"What’s up?" she asked as she entered the kennel area.

"It’s Boomer," Brady replied, "I just don’t think he’s breathing right."
Becky opened the gate to Boomer’s kennel and stepped inside. He turned his head and groaned but offered no other response to her entry. "That’s unusual," she said. "He’s usually more protective of his space than that." She placed her hands on the dog’s stomach and felt around carefully. "His stomach is pretty solid but I can’t tell if he might have some type of obstruction," she said when she rose to her feet. "I’m gonna call Doc Livingston," she added as Cathy joined them.

"He’s not looking good," Cathy observed. She knelt down beside the dog and petted his head. "What’s the matter, Boomer?" she soothed.

Brady agreed, "He’s been kinda puny all day but he just seems to be getting worse."

Becky returned and told the others, "Doc says to bring him in as soon as we can."

"I’ll get the stretcher," Brady said, hurrying into the exam room. He returned and handed it to Cathy who had positioned herself behind the large canine. "I’ll lift him up and you slide the stretcher under him," she told Becky, who quickly unrolled the canvas mat and locked the ends in place. Once it was in position, she flipped the straps over the dog and secured the clips on each side. The two easily hoisted him up and carried him to the ambulance in the garage.

"I’ll ride back here with him," Becky volunteered as Graham scrambled into the cab of the truck with Brady and positioned himself on the passenger seat. "I guess Graham’s ridin’ shotgun," she laughed as Cathy climbed into the back with her.

Brady backed the large vehicle from the garage just as Darin was parking next to the house. He pulled out his cel phone and punched Darin’s speed dial. When he answered, Brady informed him, "We’re on the way to the vet with Boomer. I’ll call you in a bit."

"Are you going to Livingston’s?" Darin asked. When Brady confirmed their destination, he added, "I’ll meet you there."

Tucking the phone into his pocket, Brady raced down the driveway to the road. After checking for oncoming traffic, he accelerated onto the pavement. He glanced at the overhead control panel and noticed several switches. He flipped one marked, ‘flashers’ and lights on the side and front of the vehicle began flashing. Several cars pulled over and allowed him to pass while he scanned the other switches. Spotting another marked, ‘woop’ he flipped it to see what it would do. There was an instant sound from the front of the vehicle, "Woop! Woop! Woop!" as they hurtled down the road. Approaching the junction, more cars pulled to the side and waited for them to pass. He charged the flashing red light, his hand on the horn, and turned left onto the main highway, headed toward Livingston’s. More drivers yielded to the emergency vehicle. He looked down at the speedometer and noted that they were going almost seventy. Within a couple minutes, he slowed and was turning off the highway into the lot at the veterinarian’s office. Wheeling the huge vehicle toward the back of the building, he flipped off the siren and lights and screeched to a stop by the back entrance. Two vet technicians ran from the building and opened the rear door of the ambulance, took the handles of the stretcher from the girls and rushed Boomer inside.

As Brady hurried to the front desk, Darin entered and stepped to his side. "I probably broke all kinds of laws," Brady whispered to him, "But, damn, that felt awesome!" His hands began to shake as he realized he had just taken his first ‘lights and siren’ emergency run.

While he filled out the paperwork, technicians began preparing the large dog for surgery. Doc Livingston had taken one look at the black and brown dog and ordered an ultrasound which revealed some type of obstruction in his large intestine. "I can’t tell what it is but it’s got him blocked pretty badly," the doctor told Brady. "If you hadn’t brought him in when you did, he might not have made it through the night."

"I’m glad you checked on him," Becky said when they joined the men. "Cathy and I were just about ready to head home."

While they sat and waited for news of Boomer’s condition, Brady mentioned some ideas he had been considering about scheduling. "My thoughts are that we need to have someone on duty twenty-four seven," he stated. "That way, once we start getting filled up, we can stay on top of things like this. If you girls had gone home and I had gone up to the house, we might not have caught this."

"How many paid staff are left?" Darin inquired.

Becky and Cathy raised their hands as Brady nodded. "Us three and Tim," he replied. "We’re it. Everybody else are volunteers."

"Well, as I see it, we need to get some folks hired," Darin advised.

Brady nodded. "I’d like to offer any paid positions to the volunteers first," he said. "I know most of them work other jobs but, I think it’s only fair since they’ve stuck by us."

Becky chimed in, "And I don’t think any of the assholes that bailed on us should even be allowed to apply."

"There are a couple exceptions though," Cathy disagreed. "I mean, Mark had to find another job. With his medical bills, he couldn’t wait to see when the shelter was gonna close. At the time, he didn’t know if we’d be there another month or another day."

"That’s true," Brady agreed. "But, most of the ones who bailed, I wouldn’t want back anyway."

"May I ask what you two make?" Darin said, removing a small calculator from his pocket.

The two women looked at each other. Finally, Becky said, "I was making ten and Cathy was at, what? Eight fifty?" She looked at Cathy who nodded in agreement. "I took some vet tech classes, though," she added.

"How long have you two worked for the shelter?" he continued his questions.

"I’ve been with them just over eighteen months and Cathy started not long after I did," Becky replied.

"We actually met working at the shelter," Cathy offered, smiling.

"Congratulations," Darin said before continuing. "Do either of you have a degree of any type?"

Cathy spoke first. "I just need a few more credits to complete my Bachelor’s in social work," she advised. "I had to drop out when our son was born."

"And how far did you get with your vet tech training?" he asked Becky.

"I’d probably have to go back and start over," she answered. "About the only thing I remember is how to give shots and stuff."

"I don’t know about that," Brady interrupted, "You knew to check Boomer for an obstruction."

"I’ll tell you what," Darin began, "If you’ll give us a two year commitment, I’ll help you pay for your classes to get both your degrees."

Cathy leaned against the back of her chair and put her hands over her mouth. "That would be wonderful," she said.

Brady and Darin rose when Doc Livingston approached. "Hey guys," he said, "Boomer is doing well. As we suspected, he had an obstruction." He held out a cloth containing a chunk of what looked like a piece of a rubber ball. "We removed this," he added.

"I wondered what happened to the ball he was playing with on Saturday," Brady replied.

"I’d like to keep him overnight and you can pick him up tomorrow afternoon," the doctor said before he turned to exit.

"Thank you so much," Brady said as they prepared to leave. Stopping at the desk, he said to the nurse, "Just give me a call if there’s any changes."

She looked at Boomer’s chart. "We have your number here," she said. "Don’t forget your stretcher," she reminded him.

When they walked around to the back, there was a county police cruiser parked behind the ambulance. "Is this your vehicle?" the officer inquired.

TO BE CONTINUED​

 

[harry113]

Ooooh Dear!!! Illegal use of flashing lights & siren ?? or not - maybe!
Thanks Scott, great chapter.
More please
Harry

 

[RacerBear]

FINDING DARIN
Part 32​

Darin stepped up and replied, "Yes, it’s ours."

"You do realize it’s not a licensed emergency vehicle, don’t you?" he continued holding his citation pad and a pen. He was tall and thin, very thin, which made him look even taller than his six feet four inches. He was also quite handsome with light brown hair, buzzed very short on the sides and only slightly longer on top. His blue eyes reflected the late afternoon sunlight as he spoke. When he closed the cover on his citation pad, his gold wedding band caught the light and flashed for just an instant.

"I’m sorry," Brady said. "I didn’t realize."

"He was just concerned with getting a very sick dog here," Darin offered.

"You know, you did violate a number of laws by doing what you did," the officer said tapping his book against his hand.

Brady stared at his shoes and replied, "I… uh… really didn’t know."

Darin scratched his chin and offered, "I know it’s a little late but are there some type of forms we need to fill out?"

"I’m sure there are," the officer answered. He paused for a few moments and then continued, "I’m only going to give you a warning this time. That way, you can find out what you’ll need to do. Does that sound like a good deal?"

"Thank you, we’ll check it out tomorrow," Darin promised.

"I really think what you guys are doing is great," the officer continued, "I don’t really think it would be in anyone’s interest to cite you for it."

"I really appreciate that," Brady added, opening the door to allow Graham to hop out while Becky tossed the stretcher into the back. The dog immediately hurried toward a large tree and hiked his leg.

"That’s a beautiful dog," the officer noted. "Is he one of your rescues?"

"He sure is," Brady answered. "He was an abuse case."

"He’s one of the success stories," Darin added. "By the way, I’m Darin and this is my partner, Brady." He offered his right hand to the officer as Brady did the same.

Shaking Darin’s hand, the young policeman replied, "I’m Tom, Tom Jefferson."

"Hi, Tom Tom, I’m Becky and this is my girlfriend, Cathy," Becky teased.

Laughing, Tom shook her hand. "Somehow I knew as soon as I said it…," he giggled.

Just then, Officer Jefferson received a call on his radio. "Base to thirty," the dispatcher’s voice called out.

"This is thirty," he spoke into his radio. "Go ahead base."

"Officer needs assistance, shots fired, Highway sixty-four, near the west county line, can you respond?"

"I’m about ten minutes away. Thirty responding," he said, swinging open the door on his patrol car and climbing inside. "Check on those permits," he called, closing the door and putting the car into reverse. With tires squealing and lights flashing, he raced away.

"I hope it’s nothing serious," Brady said, ushering Graham into the ambulance and climbing behind the wheel. A sudden sense of fear washed over him as he started the truck and began to drive home.

****​

It was a few minutes before midnight when Darin’s cel phone rang, waking him from his brief sleep. "Is this Darin?" the woman asked.

"Yes, this is Darin," he answered, squinting to try and read the digital clock next to the bed.

"Who is it?" Brady asked, sitting up in the bed.

"This is Doctor Osborne from Lennox Hospital, do you know an Officer Adam Bailey?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, I know Adam," Darin replied, sitting up. "What’s going on?"

"You’re listed as an emergency contact on his cel phone," she continued, "I’ve been trying to get in touch with his family."

"What’s going on?" he repeated.

"I’m sorry to inform you that Officer Bailey was injured earlier today and he’s here at our hospital. Like I said, I’ve been trying to reach his family."

"Is he okay? What happened?" Darin demanded.

"He’s stable now but it was touch and go for a while. He lost a lot of blood. He’s had surgery to remove a bullet from his shoulder but he’s still in recovery. Do you know how I can reach his family?"

"Adam’s at Lennox Hospital," he whispered to Brady. "I don’t really know his family, I think his parents live up near Reno," he told the woman.

Brady was on his feet, grabbing his pants and sliding them on while Darin tried to learn more from the doctor. "How is he?" Brady asked. "What happened?"

"Will we be able to see him?" Darin inquired, holding his hand for Brady to wait.

"Are you a relative?" she asked. "Oh, of course you are," she continued without waiting for a response. "If he gave you as an emergency contact, you must be. I’ll see to it that you can go in and see him."

"We’ll be there as soon as we can," he told the woman while Brady pulled a tee shirt over his head and hurried toward the kitchen.

Turning on lights as he went, Brady called out to Rodney as he entered the cottage, "Rodney, are you awake?"

"Yeah, I’m awake," Rodney responded, pushing a button on the television remote to mute the sound. "What’s up?"

Entering the bedroom, Brady stated, "Adam’s been hurt and he’s in the hospital."

"NO!" Rodney exclaimed tossing the covers away and sliding his feet to the floor. "Can you hand me my jeans?" he asked Brady, holding out his hand.

Brady took the pants off a hook by the door and tossed them to Rodney. "You need socks or anything else?" he asked, opening the top dresser drawer.

"Just my tennis shoes." Rodney replied as he pulled his pants over his thin legs. "What happened?"

"I don’t know any details, just that he’s at Lennox Hospital." Brady told him.

Rodney allowed Brady to help him into the Explorer while Darin waited with the engine running. Once Brady had climbed into the back seat, they headed toward the hospital. "Why would he be at Lennox?" Brady wondered aloud.

"If he was the one that was near the county line, Lennox would be closer," Darin replied as he accelerated the car onto the highway.

"What one?" Rodney asked.

They traveled the remainder of the way to the hospital without conversation, arriving at the emergency entrance just after one in the morning. Darin dropped Rodney and Brady at the entrance and parked the car while they waited. Brady retrieved a wheelchair and, when Darin joined them, the trio approached the desk. "Fill out these forms," the nurse said, sliding a clipboard across the counter without looking at any of them.

"We’re here to see a patient," Darin told the woman. When she finally looked up from her work, he added, "Officer Adam Bailey. He was brought in earlier this evening."

"Are you family?" she asked.

"We’re his brothers," Brady lied. "Can we see him?"

The nurse sighed. "Of course you are. You two I could believe," she added, pointing at Darin and Brady, "But this one, not so much."

"I’m adopted," Rodney stated. "Can we see him? Please."

"Have a seat and I’ll check with the doctor," she said, her voice and her tone gruff.

By the time they were allowed into his room, Adam was awake and complaining to the nurse who was with him. "Why can’t I have my underwear?" he demanded.

"I should have known you’d be giving the nurses a hard time," Darin said as they entered the room. He leaned down and gave Adam a quick hug and peck on the cheek. "How ya feelin’?" he asked, stroking Adam’s head.

"I’ve been worse," Adam joked. "Hey guys," he said, waving to Brady and Rodney. His left shoulder was covered with gauze bandage that was wrapped around his upper chest. His arm was held in place with a sling.

Rodney moved his wheelchair close to the right side of the bed. "What happened?" he asked tearfully.

Adam shook his head and grimaced as he tried to pull his body into a sitting position with his right hand. "I pulled a car over for speeding and, when I approached, the driver stuck a gun out the window and started shooting. I managed to shoot out both back tires but he took off anyway."

"I thought they only did stuff like that in the movies," Darin joked.

"Well, I’m sure glad you’re okay," Rodney said, placing his hand on Adam’s right arm.

A short, heavyset woman, wearing green scrubs, entered the room. "Are one of you Darin?" she asked.

"That would be me," Darin replied, raising his hand. He recognized the voice. "You must be Doctor Osborne."

"That’s correct. I’m really sorry about the way Nurse Jones treated you when you came in," she said. "I came as soon as I heard you were here." She turned to Adam and asked, "How are you feeling?" She picked up his chart from the end of the bed and made a notation.

Adam pulled his hand away from Rodney’s and said, "I’m okay."

"Well, you had us all pretty worried," she continued. "I’m glad to see you’re awake but you really should try and get some rest." She turned to Darin. "You should be able to take him home tomorrow," she said, patting him on the arm. "He’s lucky to have a partner to take care of him," she whispered.

Shaking his head, Darin corrected, "No, you misunderstood, he’s just a very dear friend. This is my partner," he said, placing his arm around Brady. "Rodney and Adam are together." He pointed toward the wheelchair.

"Oh, I just assumed…," she said, blushing. "Well, anyway, he can go home tomorrow as long as he has somebody to keep an eye on him."

"Can I have my underwear?" Adam demanded before the doctor left.

"I don’t see any reason why not," she replied. "Are his clothes here?" she asked. "I know we had to cut his shirt and tee shirt off of him."

Darin picked up a bag containing Adam’s uniform pants, shoes and his other clothes. Opening the bag, he pulled out a pair of white jockey shorts. "Here they are," he said as Adam struggled to sit up in the bed and swung his legs, carefully, over the side.

"I feel like I’m hangin’ out for God and everybody to see," he complained while Darin slipped the underwear over his feet and worked them up over his hips. "That’s much better," Adam said when Darin helped him back into bed.

****​

As they waited for the elevator, Brady noticed a police officer approaching from the left. "Is that Officer Jefferson?" he asked Darin.

Darin turned to look in the direction Brady was pointing. "Yes, I believe it is," he answered. When the officer was closer, he said to him, "What brings you here?"

"Oh, hi guys. I was just stopping by to check on a fellow officer before my shift ended," he replied.

"It wouldn’t be Officer Bailey, would it?" Brady inquired. "Adam is a friend of ours. This is our friend, Rodney, he added.

"Pleased to meet you, Rodney," Tom said. "As a matter of fact, it is Officer Bailey I came to see. I wanted to let him know we caught the guy who shot him."

"That’s great," Darin said. "He’s still awake, room five fourteen."

Officer Jefferson rubbed his hand across his closely cropped hair and let out a deep breath. "I’ve spent most of my shift on the phone trying to calm my wife down," he admitted. "She heard an officer was shot and she was a wreck until I finally called her. It’s a good thing I’m off the next two days. Well, you guys have a good night." He turned and walked toward Adam’s room.

****​

"Do you think Adam will want to come here?" Brady asked Darin when they were back in bed. He glanced at the clock once more. "Ugh! It’s almost five."

"I know, I have to be up in two hours," Darin complained. "I sure hope he’ll want to come here," he added, yawning. "Good night, Babe."

"Good night," Brady responded softly.

Two hours later, they were up and at it, once again.

****​

Jake was already at his desk when Darin arrived at the office. "Good morning," he said, moving straight to the coffeepot. "I need caffeine!" he added as he filled a mug.

"You look like shit," Jake offered. "Late night?"

Darin took several sips of coffee before turning to face his assistant. "Adam’s in the hospital," he said, flipping his middle finger in Jake’s direction. "We didn’t get to bed till around five."

"What happened?" Jake said as he rushed around his desk. "Is he okay? Where is he?"

Darin eased into his chair and picked at the stack of messages on his desk. "He’s at Lennox Hospital and he’s fine. They did surgery to remove a bullet from his shoulder and he’ll be released tomorrow."

Jake fell into one of the chairs in front of Darin’s desk. "But, he’s going to be okay?" he repeated.

"Yeah, he’s fine."

"Can he have visitors?" Jake inquired.

"I’m sure he can, why do you ask?"

Jake took in a deep breath and held it before letting it out slowly. "Can I tell you something without you making a big deal out of it?" he finally asked.

"Of course," Darin replied, sipping more coffee.

Jake stood and picked up his own cup. After filling it with coffee, he leaned against the counter and said, "I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since Saturday." He quickly took a drink of coffee, waiting for Darin to respond. When there was no response, he continued, "I know it’s hopeless because he’s with Rodney but I just can’t get him out of my mind. He’s such a wonderful guy. Plus, we have a lot of common interests. I keep thinking, why didn’t I meet him first?"

Darin sipped his coffee, debating whether or not to reveal what Rodney had shared with him on Thursday about not wanting a relationship. "Of course Jake would have a lot in common with Adam. They shared similar views about relationships," he thought. "He’s in room five fourteen, if you’d like to go see him," he told Jake. They sat silently for a few minutes before Darin added, "Everything happens for a reason." They continued to sip their coffee in silence.

****​

It was around ten when the truck from the farm supply company arrived with the donation of livestock supplies. With no volunteers on hand to help with the unloading, Brady called Steve to see if his crew could help. Happily, the men agreed and had the truck unloaded and the supplies stacked in short order. "I’ll just add it to your bill," Steve told Brady, with a laugh, as the men headed back to work.

At noon, Brady told Becky he was going up to the house for some lunch and, possibly, a short nap. She agreed to call him if there was anything that needed his attention. He went into the cottage to check on Rodney, expecting him to still be sleeping from their late night. As he entered the hallway, he could hear music coming from the bedroom. He stopped short when he realized that Rodney was watching a porn video and saw that he was masturbating. When Rodney saw him, he quickly yanked the covers over his midsection but, not before Brady got a good view of his impressive equipment. Fumbling for the remote, he said, "Sorry, I didn’t hear you coming."

"And I almost got to see you cumming," Brady joked. "Don’t stop on my account," he added, smiling.

Nervously, Rodney stared at Brady for a few moments before he pressed the play button on the remote and slowly eased the covers away from his naked body. "I hear you’ve got almost as nice a piece as Darin does," he said, resuming his stroking. "Can I see it?"

Brady nodded, stepping closer. "Yours is very impressive. Darin didn’t do you justice when he described it,’ he offered as Rodney reached for the button on his khaki pants, allowing his own erection to slap against his belly.

"Why don’t you get comfortable," Rodney said, scooting over to make room on the bed while Brady pulled his polo shirt over his head.

Brady turned to view the television. A young and totally hairless, blond man was sucking on a very hairy man while another, equally hairy man pounded into him from behind. "That’s hot," he commented while he slipped off his shoes and pushed his pants to the floor. Standing beside the bed in his underwear, his erection pushing the fabric away from his body, he paused.

"You’re not having second thoughts, are you?" Rodney asked, letting his erection lay against the blond hair between his naval and pubic bush. "Darin said, you might want equal time with me."

Brady shook his head. "No, I’m fine," he replied as he slowly pushed his gray jockey shorts away from his hips. He stood beside the bed for a few moments once his shorts were on the floor, his manhood at full arousal, sticking straight out from his body.

"Very nice," Rodney whispered, "Very nice, indeed. Come here," he added, patting the mattress.

Brady eased himself onto the bed and lay next to the youngster. He reached out with his left hand and gently squeezed Rodney’s erection. "That’s so nice," he repeated, gently stroking up and down.

"Are you a quick cummer like Darin?" Rodney asked, rubbing his right hand over the dense hair on Brady’s torso. "Damn, you’re almost as hairy as he is."

"You should see my dad," Brady joked. "He has almost as much hair on his back as he does his front."

"Is his dick as nice as yours?" Rodney quizzed as he gently slid the foreskin off the head and stroked him.

Brady thought for a moment. "He’s uncut, like me, but I think I’m bigger. I don’t really know for sure."

The two were silent for several minutes while each stroked the other slowly. Finally, Rodney asked, "Are you a top or a bottom?"

"I’m a versatile bottom," Brady replied. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just fantasizing about having both of you hot studs at the same time and what we might do."

"Do you mind if we just jerk off?" Brady inquired. "I don’t think I’m up for much else right now."

"Sure," Rodney answered. "You need any lotion or anything?"

"No, I’m good," Brady responded, "I pretty much make my own," he added as he took over stroking his meat and squeezed a generous amount of pre seminal fluid from the folds of foreskin. Each watched the other as they worked themselves toward orgasm. Within a few minutes, Brady’s breathing became heavy and he grunted, "I’m gonna cum."

"Shoot that hot load for me," Rodney growled. "Oh, yeah, shoot it!" he hollered as the first blast of semen escaped from the end of Brady’s penis. "I’m…. gonna….shoot!" he shouted as his own orgasm began, matching the bigger man, shot for shot, until both slowed to just a dribble. Their chests heaving, they lay still for several minutes until their breathing returned to normal. "That was awesome!" Rodney gasped. "Damn, you shoot as much as Darin does," he said, running his finger through the dense puddle around and in Brady’s hair covered naval.

"What can I say? It’s a gift," Brady sighed. "You shoot a pretty mean load yourself, pal."

****​

It was just after three when Brady woke with a start. The sheet had been pulled over the two of them and there was a damp washcloth laid gently over each of their stomachs, covering the semen. Rodney was snoring softly, his face turned toward the wall. Quietly, he slipped out of bed and wiped what he could of the partially dried semen from the hair on his belly. He picked up his underwear and slipped them over his hips before retrieving the rest of his clothes and stepping quietly into the hallway, switching off the television as he went. He finished dressing in the living room of the cottage before proceeding toward the main house, carrying his shoes. Graham greeted him as he opened the back door and he could hear classical music playing softly from the other end of the house. Quietly he walked into the bedroom, undressed and, clad only in his underwear, snuggled into bed and drifted off to sleep once again, his arms wrapped around the man he loved.

TO BE CONTINUED​

 

[harry113]

Wow!! Tit for tat!! Hope things go well for Adam.
Thanks Scott, you took us from laughter to apprehension & back to sex (whatever else??) in one great chapter
Hugs
Harry

 

[RacerBear]

FINDING DARIN
Part 33​

​

With the south building finally finished, Steve and his crew were working to give the outside of the buildings and the surrounding areas a more professional look. A privacy fence had been constructed behind the two buildings blocking the view of the house at the rear of the property. Over sixty tons of limestone gravel was hauled in to finish the driveway that ran from the road and surrounded the buildings. With opening day fast approaching, Brady was busy arranging entertainment, securing temporary housing, if it was needed, and hiring new staff members in preparation for the grand opening celebration. It had taken most of the rest of the week after the offices were set into place to bring them to a point of actually being able to move in but, as Darin had said, the wait was worth it. Steve had moved the rear doors from the ends of the building and lined them up with the doors in each of the two kennel buildings, a short breezeway connecting them. The actual office structure was centered in front of the two buildings, facing the road. The driveway cut the property almost into equal halves with a large parking area in front of the office itself.​

With Steve’s help, they had purchased six small trailer homes, for five hundred dollars each, and grouped them along the south edge of the property, around the one Rodney owned. Three of the homes were ten feet wide and fifty feet long and would be positioned along the fence line, parallel with the driveway once the concrete runners and patio were finished. Two of the others, being eight feet wide and forty feet long, were similar to Rodney’s and had been placed on either side of his. The sixth one, a twelve feet by forty, was by far the nicest of the bunch and needed the least amount of refurbishing. It was set in closest to the house, on an angle to the others. Steve and his crew had replaced all of the windows and doors and built new cabinets in all of them while Luke painted each one. Steve had drawn up plans to construct a carport and storage building for each of the trailers once they were in place.​

Almost two weeks had passed since Adam had been shot. Brady, dressed in his familiar red polo shirt and khaki pants, was seated at his desk. It was just past ten on Monday morning and he had already taken several calls from and arranged interviews for prospective staff members. At ten fifteen, his phone rang again. Picking up, he said, "Black Sheep Farm Animal Rescue, how can I help you?" Graham, wearing his new rainbow collar, looked up from his doggy bed, stretched and yawned and laid his head on his paws. .​

"I’m hoping to speak with the manager," the young man replied.​

"I’m Brady, I’m the manager," he returned, "What can I do for you?"​

"My name is Dylan Edwards and I saw your ad on the Internet for a staff veterinarian," the man said, "I’d like to know if you’ve filled the position yet."​

"Not yet," Brady responded. "Can you get your resume to me?"​

"What would be the best way for me to do that?" Dylan asked.​

"Well, Dylan, you can send it through email, fax or regular mail," Brady told him.​

"I have some other questions if you don’t mind."​

"Certainly, go ahead."​

"Are you just looking for a vet or are you also looking for technicians?" Dylan asked.​

"We’d like to hire at least four techs as well," Brady informed him. "Do you know a likely candidate?"​

"My wife, Tina, is a vet tech and it would be great if she could work with me."​

"I’ll certainly be happy to give her an interview. When can you come in?" Brady opened his calendar and picked up a pencil.​

"That might take a couple of days," Dylan said, chuckling. "Right now, we live in Oregon. I’m finishing my residency here and I really want to work for a place like yours."​

"I see," Brady laughed as well. "Can you fax your resumes to me today then? That way I can look them over and have my partner give you a call in the morning." Brady quickly gave him the fax number as well as his cel phone number.​

"That sounds great," Dylan responded. "Tina’s at work right now but we both work the late shift tomorrow so, we’ll be here in the morning," he added before they both hung up.​

Becky had entered the office as Brady was hanging up. He turned to her and stated, "Well, it looks like we may have found our staff vet." Just then, the fax machine picked up and began receiving a transmission. "That’s probably his resume now."​

"Outstanding," she replied, placing some papers on his desk. "This is a letter from a Greyhound rescue group," she began, "They want to know if they can bring some dogs over and set up during our carnival."​

Brady looked at the top sheet containing several pictures of some of the dogs the group had helped rescue. "Absolutely," he agreed. "The more groups like that we can get hooked up with, the better."​

Retrieving the papers, she smiled and said, "I’ll call them and let them know. Oh, there’s a young man here who wants to speak to you about helping out."​

Smiling, Brady replied, "Show him in."​

She stepped into the hallway and called out, "Josh, you can come in now." A few seconds later, she returned with Cathy, holding the hand of their six-year-old son. "Josh, this is Brady. Tell him what you asked me."​

With his middle two fingers of his left hand hooked into his lower lip, Josh blushed violently and leaned against Cathy’s leg. He pulled at the hem of his SpongeBob tee shirt before, finally, after some prodding, he looked at Brady and asked, "Can I hayoop take cawe ub da aminals?" He smiled, revealing the fact that he was missing two upper teeth.​

Brady stepped from behind his desk. Squatting down beside the youngster, he asked, "What would you like to help with?"​

"I wanna hayoop feed ‘em an’ gibb ‘em watew an’ gibb ‘em tweat’th an’ cwean up d’er poop."​

"Well, I’m sure we can find something for you to do around here, Josh," Brady told him. "In fact, I think Graham needs to go outside for a walk. Would you like to take him?"​

Josh nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh," he said, clapping his hands with excitement. "Can Mommy Becky go wiff me?" he asked, patting his legs to get Graham’s attention. "C’mon Gwayam," he called as the dog rose from his bed and stretched before moving toward the door. Becky took Josh’s hand and they followed Graham outside, leaving Cathy behind.​

"I’m sorry about having to bring him to work with us," she said. "I don’t have anyone else who can watch him since my mom’s taking care of my aunt in Tulsa."​

"It’s perfectly okay," Brady said, placing his hand on hers. "I don’t really see a problem."​

"It’s been a struggle with him. We tried to get him into kindergarten last year but he’s just too far behind the other kids. The teachers felt it was in his best interest to wait a year."​

"He seems fine to me. Other than the speech thing, I mean."​

"He’ll probably always have some sort of speed impediment," she said. "My ex husband did a lot of drugs and…" She lowered her head and paused. "I’m ashamed to say, I smoked my share of pot when I was pregnant with him. His doctor thinks that might be what caused him to be slow."​

Brady smiled. "Or, it could be that God knew you needed a special kid and he gave you Josh." He placed his hand on hers once again and added, "Don’t beat yourself up."​

"Thank you," she replied, "You always know just the right thing to say."​

There was a tap on the door as Darin entered followed by Rodney and Adam. "I’m back," he announced, stepping into the office. "And look who’s here, good as new."​

Rodney entered and spread his arms, revealing the fact that his cast was gone. His left arm was noticeably more pale than his right. He flexed his hand and turned it over to show his range of motion. "I have to wear these special boots, with steel supports in the sides, for a couple months, though," he said, hiking up his pant legs to show the high topped footwear. "Other than that, I’m ready to start shoveling sh…. I mean poop." He looked at Cathy and blushed.​

"It’s okay, Honey, I say, ‘shit’ all the time," she teased. "You might as well say it too."​

"But don’t say shit in front of the K-I-D," Brady warned, laughing. "What about you, Adam?" he asked.​

"I say shit all the time," he joked. "Oh, that’s not what you meant?" He giggled and winked at Cathy. "Got my bandages off and I can go back to work next week," he added, more seriously. "They’re puttin’ me on desk patrol, though."​

"Ugh, that sucks," Cathy stated.​

"And NOT in the good way!" Brady and Rodney both said while everyone laughed.​

The group exchanged more small talk while Brady excused himself to take another phone call. As they stood in the front hallway, Adam leaned in and kissed Rodney on the cheek. "What’s that for?" Rodney asked, blushing.​

"For being honest with me," Adam replied. "I know it couldn’t have been easy for you to tell me you didn’t feel the same way about wanting a relationship."​

"I just thought you deserved better," Rodney said. "I still love you. I mean that."​

"I know, I love you too."​

"Jake’s a great guy, you both deserve to be happy."​

"I just hope you can find someone and settle down some day," Adam said, stroking Rodney’s hair.​

"Some day, maybe," Rodney replied. "Right now, I’m just not ready. Besides, I’m gonna be working the rest of my life to pay back these guys for all they’ve done for me."​

"You just concentrate on getting back on your feet and don’t worry about it," Darin advised. "We’re happy to do it," he added, excusing himself when Brady motioned that he needed something.​

"So, are you still gonna quit your job and transfer here?" Rodney asked when they were alone once more.​

Shaking his head, Adam replied, "I’m still gonna resign but I’m joining the County Humane Law Enforcement team here."​

"I didn’t realize they had one too," Rodney said. "That’s great."​

"They didn’t. Tom Jefferson talked them into creating it. He’ll be the lead officer and I’ll be working directly under him."​

"That’s right, I heard him and his wife were volunteering here. That’s awesome." A devilish grin crossed Rodney’s face as he added, "I sure wouldn’t mind getting under him myself."​

"Hands off, Mister," Adam warned. "You know, they’re already referring to the two of us as the ‘Mutt and Jeff of H.L.E.’."​

With a chuckle, Rodney admitted, "Well, it’s no wonder, he’s like, what, six four and you’re five eight."​

"I’m really looking forward to working with him though, he and his wife are both super people."​

"I know, Brady said they jumped right in and have done a lot for the shelter already," Rodney agreed. "She called around to some of the Vet’s offices and got them to donate their extra supplies."​

Adam glanced at his watch. "Well, I’m gonna see if I can meet Jake for lunch," he said. Poking his head into Brady’s office he called out, "See ya, guys."​

"Will you be here for dinner?" Brady hollered before Adam got to the door.​

"I’ll call and let you know," Adam yelled back. "Later."​

Rodney stood in the open door and watched as Darin and Brady poured over Dylan and Tina’s resumes. "He was in the top five percent in his class," Brady pointed out. "And she’s no slouch either."​

"But, can we afford to pay them what they’re worth?" Darin reasoned.​

"They both state that, ‘salary is negotiable.’ We don’t have any candidates for a vet and only a couple of techs that have applied," Brady argued. "At least talk to them and see what they have in mind."​

"There’s no harm in that," Darin agreed. "What if we offered them one of the trailers as part of their salary package?" he asked, turning the calculator toward where he stood and quickly entering some numbers. Taking a pen from the cup, he wrote down a total on a post-it note.​

"We could offer them one of the ten by fifty’s," Brady suggested. "I think Jake wants the twelve wide and Adam talked about the one eight wide."​

"You still haven’t told me what my rent’s gonna be," Rodney piped up.
Darin looked up and winked. "You can’t afford it," he teased. "Trust me it’s gonna be substantial."​

"That’s what I’m afraid of," the blond said, grimacing. "Yikes, am I gonna have to take to turnin’ tricks again to pay for it?"​

Looking up from his figuring, his brow set, Darin replied, "I certainly hope you’ll come to me before you resort to that again."​

"I was joking," Rodney insisted. "I don’t want to ever go back to those days either."​

"Good," Darin said, returning to his numbers.​

Rodney shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I think I’ll go see what Becky has for me to do," he said as he turned to leave. "By the way, thanks for everything. I really love you guys."​

"It’s our pleasure," Brady responded. "We love having you here and I’m glad you’re staying."​

"Me too,’ Darin added. "Now get to work so we can figure this out," he scolded, winking again.​

When Rodney had left, Brady turned to Darin. "You want to just give Dylan a call now and talk money with him?"​

Darin thought for a moment. "I’d just as soon know what kind of salary they’d need so we can add it to the payroll budget."​

Picking up his phone, Brady punched the number listed on the cover letter. After a moment, he said, "Dylan… this is Brady Tortellino at Black Sheep Farm…Good…. I got your resume and my partner, Darin would like to speak to you…. Good, just a sec." He handed the phone to Darin and leaned back in his chair as he watched the older man negotiate with Dylan.​

It took Darin just twenty minutes to work out a tentative agreement for both Dylan and Tina to come to work for them. In addition to what Darin later called, a very reasonable salary request, it was agreed that they would move into one of the ten by fifty trailers. Dylan explained that their only form of transportation was an old motor home that was not at all economical to drive but, since they lived within a few blocks of the clinic where they both worked, they usually rode their bicycles or walked. Darin agreed that, because the farm was outside the city, he would purchase a moderately priced car for them to use as well. "I’ll get those contracts faxed out to you later this afternoon," Darin promised before he hung up. "Okay, talk to you soon," he added. Hanging up the phone he turned to Brady. "They’ll be here the middle of next week," he said, smiling.​

"What makes you so sure?" Brady quizzed.​

"Just a feeling," Darin said, scratching his cheek. "He told me they’ve been living in her aunt’s guesthouse for the past eighteen months and in their RV before that. I think adding the trailer home pretty much sealed the deal."​

"But, won’t he have to give notice where he’s at now?’​

"He said he’s finished with his residency on Thursday so, he’s free to go anywhere he wants. They’re not able to offer him a permanent position where he is," Darin added.​

"So, their loss is our gain, huh?" Brady mused. "Sweet!"​

****​

Brady and Darin spent the remainder of the morning discussing their interview strategy. It was decided that both men would have copies of each resume and application and they would both interview each applicant independently. That way, they could assess each one without any bias from the other. Five interviews were set up for that afternoon and the first to arrive was a peppy little bundle of insanity named Toni, with an ‘I’, as she liked to point out.​

She walked into the office wearing a lime green pantsuit with a gold lame blouse and matching gold shoes with spike heels. Her purse was huge and just a slightly darker shade of lime than her outfit. When she removed her gold scarf, her hair was a mass of bleached blond curls and her makeup was, to say the least, just ever so over the top. She had dark green eye shadow and enough eyeliner to mark a highway exit. Her nails were long and brightly painted in various shades of green from emerald to hunter. When they saw her step out of her, bright orange, late model Volkswagen Beetle, Darin almost did one of those ‘spit takes’ from all of the comedy shows. He had just taken a sip of coffee when she parked, nearly on top of the cement stop, in front of the building and turned to see who was driving the car. "God, she looks like a cross between Pamela Anderson and Barbie," he joked. She checked her makeup in the mirror before she smoothed her clothes, hoisted herself from the car and walked around behind it.​

Toni arrived fifteen minutes early for her appointment because, as she put it, "I don’t drive very well so I, like, wanted to make sure I could, like, find the place without having an accident. That way if I did, like, have an accident, I wouldn’t be late and I just hate being late because, you know, if I’m late for an interview what is the employer going to think about me? I mean, I’m sure they’ll think I’m just going to be, like, late all the time and I don’t want them to think I’m going to be late all the time because, you know, I just hate being late." Her voice alone would cause every dog in the place to bay at the moon. Never had Brady heard anything like it. If he had heard her on the phone, he would have thought she was about eight years old.​

Brady had volunteered to interview her first, a feat he regretted for the rest of the day. Since she was early, he decided to get on with the interview. "Have a seat," he told her. "I’m Brady, and you are?"​

"I’m Toni, with an ‘I’. I know a lot of people are, like, confused because when they hear my name is Toni they think it’s, like, Tony with a ‘y’ which is, of course, a boy’s name but I’m a girl and, you know, girls spell it Toni with an ‘I’. A lot of people think Toni is short for Antoinette but, it’s, like, not, it’s just Toni…"​

"With an ‘I’," Brady repeated. "Got it." He began looking at her resume. "I don’t really see a lot of experience working with animals," he pointed out.​

"Oh, well, I’m, like, more of a people person. I mean, you know, people really like me because they say I, like, put them at ease and they can really talk to me because I’m, you know, a really good listener. I thought I could, you know, answer the phones and stuff and maybe bring you guys’ coffee. And show the people who come in to adopt, you know, where to go and, like, look at the animals and help them fill out their applications and do, like, typing and filing and that kind of thing."​

"I see," he said, "But I don’t really see a lot of clerical experience here either."​

"Oh, I can type really good because, I can have, like, six chat sessions going at once, you know, when I’m online and chatting with lots of people. And, I mean, how hard is, like, filing and stuff. You just put it in that little chest of drawers thingy, right? And don’t they have, like, tabs with the letters on them and stuff? I mean, like, my name, Toni, with an ‘I’ would just be filed under ‘t’ for ‘Toni’, right? And your name, Brady would be filed under…" She paused to take a breath…finally.​

"Actually, I would be filed under ‘t’ for Tortellino," he managed to say before she continued.​

"No, you wouldn’t, your name is, like, Brady, isn’t that what you said? Brady would be filed under ‘b’ for Brady. That would be, you know, silly to file it under ‘t’, wouldn’t it? And I’m very good with, like, money and stuff. I balance my checkbook, like, almost every month and I almost never have any, you know, overdrafts and, like, that kind of thing. Maybe I could work in, you know, your payroll department. I write really nice, see." She paused again as she grabbed a pen off the desk and wrote her name on a sheet of paper, complete with a little heart over the ‘I’ at the end. She looked at him and pointed. "You know, that color looks really good on you."​

"I’ll keep that in mind," Brady said, flipping through the first three pages of her six-page resume. He noticed a listing for a job working at a pet shop that he hadn’t seen before. "Can you tell me about when you worked at the ‘Fins and Feathers’ pet shop?"​

"Oh, that," she began, wrinkling her nose, "I only worked there a week. They wanted me to clean up after the dogs and, like, I’m so sorry, I don’t pick up dog pooh, not even with, like, a Kleenex or anything. You have people that do that type of thing, right? Just looking at dog pooh makes me want to, like, hurl. I stepped in some once and, like, I had to burn my shoes. And they were really cute shoes too. I was, like, so bummed out because I, like, had to, you know, burn them. They were these really cute, like stiletto heels that really, like, made my legs look so good, you know. Don’t you think I have nice legs?" she asked, pulling up her pant leg and stretching her leg out to show him.​

"They’re very nice," Brady replied. "Now, tell me more about how you feel about rescuing unwanted animals. How do you feel about the type of work we do?"​

"Oh, I think, like, all animals should be wanted. It’s sad, really. I mean, I don’t want to have any pets because they’re, like, really smelly, and they, like, just go to the bathroom wherever they want to and, that’s just, you know, gross. And dogs don’t really like me because, like, I had this little dog once and he, like, kept running away and I’d call him, ‘Buster!’ but, he would never come home. One day, he ran away and I never heard from him again. Oh, and don’t even get me started on cats," she said, scooting to the front of her chair. She held up her right index finger and motioned for Brady to come closer. "They’re from Satan," she whispered, sitting back in her seat. "So, are you guys, like, gay or something?"​

Brady sat, stupefied, staring at her. "Will you excuse me for a minute?" he finally said as he rushed from the room, closing the door behind him. He hurried into Darin’s office and leaned against the closed door. "Oh, my God!" he said in a stage whisper. He glanced at the clock on Darin’s desk and shook his head. "Please tell me I’ve been in there with her longer than ten minutes." He turned sideways and leaned in toward Darin. "Are my ears bleeding?" he asked.​

"No, you’ve been in there about ten minutes," he pointed out, a huge smile on his face. "Can I assume we’re gonna forego the second interview?"​

"Oh, like, NO Fucking way, pal," Brady said, laughing hysterically. "I have to sit through an interview with her, and so do you." They both burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Oh, God, I’m gonna pee my pants," Brady finally said as he tried to regain his composure. "Okay, I have to, like, go back in there now." He opened the door and, taking a deep breath, walked back to his office. Closing the door behind him, he returned to his seat, looked at Toni and said, "Okay. Well, thank you for coming in." He extended his hand to her and she took it gently in hers.​

"So, like, do I have the job?" she asked.​

Brady bit his lip, almost to the point of drawing blood. "Uh, not just yet," he finally said. "You’ll need to talk with my.. Uh…business partner and, then we’ll call you once we’ve finished with all the interviews. Just have a seat in the waiting area and I’ll let him know you’re ready to talk to him."​

"Okay, well, like, thank you so much. I just know I’m going to, like, love working here," she added before she exited the room.​

Brady picked up the phone and punched Darin’s number. Once she was gone, he said, "She’s all yours." He stood and walked to the door and closed it. Leaning his forehead against it, he whispered, "Not on, like, my fucking, you know, life."​

Fifteen minutes later, Brady watched as Toni, with an ‘I’, sashayed out to her car and drove away. Darin rushed into his office. "Oh… MY GOD! I wanted to look at her and just scream, ‘Shut up! Shut the hell up!’ She never stopped, like, talking," he said, bursting into gales of laughter.​

Managing to almost completely stop laughing, Brady looked at Darin and said, as seriously as he could muster, "I don’t know, I think we should, like, hire her." That brought more laughter from both of them.​

Once they had begun to settle down a bit, Darin looked at Brady and said, "Just remember, if you hire her, you have to, you know, sleep sometime," which brought more laughter from them as Cathy and Becky entered the office. "Hey, Becky, did one of you set up an appointment with a Toni…?"​

"With an ‘I’, remember," Brady interrupted, stifling a laugh.​

"Aberdeen or something like that?" Becky asked, "I did, why?"​

Brady looked at her in horror. "What the hell were you thinking?"​

A devilish smile crossed her face. "I wanted to see what the body looked like that belonged to that voice," she stated. "I figured she had to be, like, Malibu Barbie on crack or something," she added.​

Both men threw themselves into their chairs and screamed with hysterical laughter, kicking their feet and waving their arms. "Oh, you nailed it," Darin finally gasped. "Malibu Barbie, like, you know."​

"Except her boobs and her ass were bigger than Barbie could ever be," Brady managed between laughs.​

Cathy rolled her eyes and looked at the two. "You guys are nuts," she said, shaking her head as she and Becky returned to the kennel area.​

****​

The remainder of the interviews went much more smoothly than that first one. By the end of the day, it was decided to offer a position to two of them.​

One of those that would be offered a position was an older lady name Ruth. Her gentle voice and sincerity put both men very much at ease. She explained that she and her late husband had raised toy poodles and that she had quite a bit of experience grooming her dogs. Because of her move to a retirement community that did not allow pets, she missed the interaction with her dogs, both of which had long since passed on. She pulled a tissue from her sleeve and dabbed at the corner of her soft gray eyes when she talked about her dogs. "I miss the little dears," she said softly. At the completion of their interview, she gently smoothed her gray hair and thanked both men for their consideration. When they discussed each interview later, both admitted that they wanted to ask Ruth to join their team almost immediately.​

The second and, perhaps, the most memorable of the two that would be asked to join the Black Sheep team was a very small young man named Eric. When he entered the office, Brady noticed that the top of his head hit him about mid chest. Eric had stated that he would be willing to do ‘whatever needed to be done’ with regard to working at the shelter. He explained that he had always had a strong love for animals and, over the years, had worked with many different types including snakes and reptiles. Since Brady had little experience dealing with exotics, he felt that Eric could possibly become involved with that aspect of the operation. In their discussion of Eric, Darin had remarked, "He reminds me of a Chihuahua. He has no real concept of his size."​

"Do you think that could be an issue?" Brady asked. "I mean, he’s not much bigger than Cathy’s son."​

"I can’t really think it would be. He’s worked with animals before," Darin replied. "I kept looking at him when we were talking. Doesn’t he remind you of somebody?" he added.​

"I thought the same thing but I can’t picture who he looks like," Brady said.​

Darin smiled. "If you take away the goatee and the dark hair on his arms and give him more hair, he looks like I figured you did…when you were around ten or so."​

Brady’s eyes widened. "You know, I was about his size when I was twelve." Then, with a giggle, he added, "I have my own Mini Me!"​

TO BE CONTINUED​