lakesinclair
Porn Star
Thank you DonQuixote. I am still amazed that my writing is not just a jumbled mess... lol. I have
never consider myself a writer of any type.
I am glad that you are enjoying and I hope that some readers can relate to some of the character
or situations.
Here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think.
"Not what I thought escape meant"
Chapter 61
Max was in the great room looking through old photo albums. His cousin Judy arrived and used the spare key to come in through the kitchen. "Hey Max. How have you been ? It's been a long time." Judy said. "Hey Judy." Max said getting up and hugging his cousin. "Doing pretty good. It was rough for a while but everything is great now. How is all of your family ?" Max asked. "Doing better than yours I guess." Judy said. "Why would you say that ?" Max asked. "Well do you plan to go see your brother and see if you can help him get out in some way." She asked. "Nope. We said our goodbyes forever at the jail that day." Max said. "I can't believe that you are that cold hearted. He is family." She said. "Well if you want him out so damn bad you go try." Max said. "He told us that you manipulated the law and took everything. Your Mom and Dad would be ashamed." She said. "You know nothing about it Judy so just stay out of it." Max said. "I beg your pardon. If it had not been for him my parents would be homeless. He told us what you tried to do." Judy said. " Oh so he told you he wanted them kicked out then huh ?" Max said. "No he said you did." Judy said. "Oh so he didn't tell you that I had to give him one hundred and eighty thousand of my cash inheritance for his part of their place so they could keep it ?" Max said.
Judy stood with her hands on her hips. "Why do you always have to cut him down. For some reason you think that just because you are gay that you are so much better than everyone else." she said. "What the fuck are you talking about ?" Max said. "You conned your parents into giving you everything. He said they always favored you and life was tough for him. Then when things in your world get tough you frame him, have him thrown in prison and then just leave." Judy said. "You have lost your mind. You have no clue." Max said. "I think I know all I need too." Judy said. "Well I think the best thing for you is to get the hell out of my house. Yes, MY house. My brother, your favorite cousin had his own grandchildren kidnapped just to try to blackmail me. I gave him what he wanted to get the boys back. I gave him what he wanted so your parents could keep their house. I gave him what he wanted so he would leave the church alone. Since our parents held the mortgage on the new building he wanted to sell it without even telling the congregation. I gave him what he wanted so the would leave another family member alone. Go ask your parents. They know what I went through with him and what I did just so they could keep their house. I guess he didn't tell you that he tried to have me written completely out of the will." Max said. "Yeah he said that was your parents last request to him." she said. "You stay right there." Max said as he got up from the floor and went to the master bedroom.
Returning to the great room Max handed an envelope to Judy. "Read that." Max said. "I don't need to read anything." Judy said. "If you want the truth you will read." Max said. Max left her in the great room with the letter while he went to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. Standing at the sink looking out across the back yard Max took deep breaths trying to tolerate the massive chest pains from the anxiety attack he was having. Taking a final deep breath Max turned and headed back in to face his cousin. "This has to be a fake." Judy said. "You crazy bitch. You have seen Mom's hand writing enough to know that is from her hand." Max said. "She said that she wanted you to safe guard as much of the estate as you could from your brother. She also mentioned Mom and Pop's house. I think you got her to write this when she was sleepy." Judy said. "You know better than that. Oh and the part about getting your property from him in that letter ..... forget it. You are on your own sister." Max said.
"I think the best thing for you to do is go talk to your parents. If I were you I would hire a lawyer while he is in jail too." Max said. "Why would I do that ?" she asked. "Well you remember that part of your house. Your garage and your husband's shop is on what was Mom and Dad's land." Max said. "Yes and they said they were leaving that land to you specifically. So I need you to deed that to me." she said. "And they did but your favorite cousin told me that it was worth too much with your house and the shop on it. That could be a quick sale for some cash for him so he demanded he get that too. I told him that the only condition was that he offer it to you first and owner finance it. That was part of the deal to get the twins back. After today I don't give a shit what he does with it. I know they are going seize a lot of his property to pay fines and court costs. I think he gets to choose what to give up." Max said. "He would never do that to me." she said. "Just like he wouldn't have his own grandkids kidnapped ?" Max said. "We are family." Judy said. "You are a dollar figure to him. I had planned to make him stand behind that and even figure out how to help you pay for it. As of now though I could care less. You are on your own with your favorite cousin. " Max said. "You would do that to me wouldn't you ?" Judy said. "Yeah I guess being gay made me this way." Max said. "Best thing for you to do is go talk to your parents. You are done here. We don't need you back here while we are here." Max said.
Carl sat with Durk and the butler in the waiting room. Carl was more anxious than the other two. His first thought was to tackle Phillip when he saw him and beat the crap out of him for what he had done to Max. The one thing that kept him grounded was Max's comment that if Phillip had won they would have never met. "Yes the better man won." Carl thought. Phillip stepped out and introduced himself to Durk and the butler. "I guess you are here to make sure I do what I promised Max." Phillip said. "Nope. I got one right here that is far more scary than Max." Carl said patting the butler on his shoulder. "You guys don't have to worry about a thing. I am in control of this situation." Joan said. "Well I trust that you two can handle it. I was just here for moral support for Durk." Carl said. Phillip carried Durk into an area to do a quick x ray. "Yeah support my ass. You wanted to compare." the butler said. "Well maybe that too." Carl laughed. "Well don't worry. Max made out a lot better. You put Phillip to shame in the hottie department and I already know your personality is a lot better." Joan said. "I'm just a cowboy." Carl laughed. "Put you in a pair of Levi's on television and they would sell out." Joan laughed. "Great minds think alike." the butler laughed. "Don't worry. You can assure Max that his friends will be given the best treatment possible." Joan said. "Well as soon as they bring Durk back out I will tell him bye and will be on my way." Carl said.
"This is the main barn." Ross said as he and Landon walked in through the huge double doors. "What happened over there ?" Landon asked pointing to the big whole where the office use to be. "Long story there. I will tell you about that one later. That is where the office use to be." Ross said. "Where is it now ?" Landon asked looking around. "For the time being it's at the main house. That's why I am staying there while they are gone. They want me to check the answering machine and the fax machine." Ross said. "Back here is the lot that we keep all the equipment in. The tractors and equipment go in this lot and under those sheds." Ross said. "Hey Ross. Hows it going this morning ?" Joe asked as he stepped out of one of the sheds. Landon's heart almost stopped. "Damn he is older but hot as fuck." Landon thought. Ross quickly introduced Landon. The three chatted until some of the other farm hands came up. Introductions all around seemed to go easy. Landon was surprised at how friendly everyone was. "Well guys we have to go check the other herd and run the fences." Ross said. "Don't get lost over there and don't do anything I wouldn't." Joe said and winked at Landon. Ross looked at the options but decided on a four wheeler SUV instead of a gator. Ross quickly took a basket to hold a hammer, staples and wire stretcher. "You know you can take one of the gators." Joe whispered. "Shhh." Ross said and smiled.
Bob met the men at the doctor's office so that he could carry Carl to his house to retrieve the rental car. Carl was not about to pass up an opportunity to spoil the twins just a little. "Has Durk talked to you guys yet about his plans ?" Bob asked. "He just said that he wanted to speed things up is all." Carl said. "Well there will be a good many things happening and happening fast. Do you think Max will be up to it ?" Bob asked. "I think so. We will be here for a couple more days but then we are going back and leaving Durk and the butler at the house. Max has recovered remarkably from what I have seen so far. It's still too early to tell though. I am sure that once we get back home that he will recover faster. A couple of days of the normal around there and he will realize he didn't loose that." Carl said. " I was worried about him. I don't know that I would have had the balls to do what he did. " Paul said. "I know to most it doesn't seem like a really big deal but I am realizing just how much it was." Carl said. "I don't think any of us can imagine the balls it took for him to do that. It had to be overwhelming after all that he had been through. Hell he walked, no ran, away from everything he had worked his whole life for because of him." Bob said. "Well mainly him. We have learned a little more about the family aspect but it was mainly him." Paul said. "Last night he told me that he was glad that things happened the way they did with Phillip. He said if they had not then he would have never met me." Carl said. "Oh believe me. He won on that one." Paul laughed.
Ross got on the four wheel ATV. Patting the seat behind him. "Hop on." Ross said. Landon climbed on the back of the ATV and placed his hands on his legs. "You think you can stay on back there without anything to hold on to ?" Ross said. Landon moved his hands and placed them on Ross' sides. "Closer." Ross said. Landon slid forward a little. Ross could feel Landon's legs touching his hips. Still holding onto Ross' sides. "Tighter." Ross said. "Why don't I just let you do this. I don't think we can both fit in those tight jeans you are wearing." Landon laughed. Ross took Landon's hands and pulled them across in front of him across his stomach. Pulling a little tighter he stopped when he felt Landon's chest against his back. "You still have to breath." Landon almost whispered in Ross' ear since he was so close at this point. "Hey my boss told me to take special care of your ass and I plan to take better care of your ass than anyone ever has in your life." Ross laughed. "Oh you do ?" Landon laughed. "Yeah but we have to check cows and fences first." Ross said as he fired up the ATV and pulled off. Some of the guys were still at the barn and watched the reaction between the two. "Alright you guys. Not a word to those two. Apparently Durk's buddy the butler sent Landon here for a reason. I don't think any of you here have the balls to piss that butler or Uncle Max off." Brian laughed. "Not me. That's a tough choice as to which one I had rather have pissed at me." one said. "Easy choice for me." one said. "Oh yeah, which one ?" Joe asked. "Carl." he said. "Carl wasn't a choice." Joe said. "Exactly." he said causing them all to laugh.
Carl was a little concerned when he arrived at Max's house. There was an older couple standing at the carport door. Max should have answered the door. Carl got out of the car and introduced himself. The couple introduced themselves as Judy's parents. "I thought Judy was planning to stay here until I got back today anyway." Carl said. "She was suppose too. She and Max had a misunderstanding so Max made her leave." The Uncle said. "Ahh shit." Carl said opening the door and directing the couple into the house. "Baby I'm back. Where are you ?" Carl called out. There was no answer and Carl fought his urge to panic. "What happened ?" Carl asked. "Judy apparently got upset with Max because he would not try to get his brother out of jail. He still blames Max and she has been visiting him. Their other brother told her to leave him out of it." The aunt said. "Shit. I should have never brought him back here." Carl said. "Please don't blame all of us." the Uncle said. "It's not everyone but there are too damn many around here. Pardon my language." Carl said. "No need for apologies son. I am just so happy to see someone as passionate about protecting Max as you are." the Aunt said. "Make yourselves comfortable. I need to find Max and I will be right back." Carl said.
Carl walked into the master bathroom. Max was in a tub of water with his head laying back. "Hey baby. Are you alright ?" Carl whispered as he sat down beside the tub. Taking his left hand he ran it under the water across Max's wet, hairy chest and down to his cock and balls. Max really didn't say anything. He still had tears streaming down his cheeks. He was not crying as far as being vocal but the tears would not stop. "I heard what happened." Carl said. Max lifted his head and looked at Carl. "How ?" Max asked. "Your Aunt and Uncle are down stairs. They were waiting outside when I drove up. " Carl whispered still running his hand up and down Max's body under the water. "Ugh." Max moaned. "I love you peach." Carl whispered leaning up and kissing Max lightly on the lips. "I am guessing you want me to talk to them." Max said. "I love you peach." Carl whispered. "You are not helping matters any." Max said. "If you want me to make them go then I will but other that that, I love you peach." Carl said smiling. "You are so frustrating sometimes. You will not give me any peace until this gets settled will you ?" Max said. "I love you peach." Carl said smiling. "Damn you cowboy. My Uncle likes strong black coffee and my Aunt likes those fancy teas steeped. So you go entertain while I get dressed." Max said. "Steeped tea ?" Carl said. "You are on your own cowboy. But I love you." Max said. "Damn. And you call me frustrating ?" Carl laughed. "Good Luck. She can be picky." Max laughed.
Durk and the butler sat in Phillip's office waiting for him to return after reading some of the test results. "Now I hope that you understand that the reason you got an appointment is not going to get you special treatment." Phillip said as he took a seat. "No one is asking for special treatment. I will tell you this though. If, and only if, you neglect Durk here as a patient because you are upset with Max then you will meet the meanest queen you have ever met. And a rich one to boot. We understand each other ?" The butler said. "As long as we understand each other." Phillip said. "Look. We did not know that Max was going to do what he did. Hell we didn't know that Max even knew who you were." Durk said. "Well I just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to think you were my only patient. " Phillip said. "It sounds like we just need to leave." Durk said. About that time the door opened. "Excuse me gentlemen. May I borrow the doctor for a minute ?" Joan asked. "As far as we are concerned you can have him." the butler said as he stood and reached his hand out to Durk. "Oh this won't take long. Just have a seat please. He will be right back. I promise." Joan said.
"Have you lost your fucking mind ?" Joan said low but firm in the hallway. "Watch your tone." Phillip said. "All I am going to watch is you self destruct. What the hell is wrong with you ?" Joan asked. "Nothing I can't handle." Phillip said. "Oh I get it. Max was suppose to wait on you. Wait until you decided you wanted him. He didn't. He moved on and now you don't have your safety net." Joan said. "It's not fair. He knew I loved him." Phillip said. "Did you tell him ?" Joan asked. "Not really but it was an unspoken one most of the time." Phillip said. "Unspoken by you apparently. What the hell did you expect ? Did you expect Max just to wait on you until you decided to drop that douche bag you have living with you and turn your attentions to him ? " Joan asked. "It's complicated. " Phillip said. "That's a crock of shit. It's only complicated because you made it that way. I bet it chapped your ass that Max had more money than you thought he did too." Joan said. "Why wouldn't he say so ?" Phillip asked. "Not everyone has to have a Lexus or Mercedes to show the world they are a success. Unlike certain people I know." Joan said. "Watch it." Phillip said. "No you watch it. You get back in there and do what you do best. Put this Max crap behind you. You did it to yourself. It's not his fault. If you don't you won't have to worry about Max ruining you. I will do that my damn self. I know where many more skeletons are hidden than him. Remember I am the one that had to hide them." Joan said and turned in a huff and walked away.
Carl watched closely as Max's Aunt took a sip of her hot tea. They were not a fancy couple. The couple reminded Carl of the farmer and his wife. The Aunt probably had four or five dresses that she would wear to the grocery store, maybe three that were church dresses and the rest just simple smock type dresses to wear around the house. "UGH." Carl thought. A slight sip but no facial expression of acceptance or disgust. Noticing that the Uncle had almost finished his coffee Carl offered to refill it. Back in the kitchen Carl had mixed the tea, cream and sugar in a larger cup and then transferred some into a cup for the Aunt. Picking the cup up Carl sniffed the tea and then took a small sip. Almost dropping the cup Carl was trying desperately to find some where to spit the vile tea out. "Shit I am screwed in her book." Carl thought as he took a deep breath and headed back in with the coffee. Carl walked in the room from one door as Max approached from the other end. "Hey guys." Max said. Max's Uncle and Aunt stood and to his surprise both walked up and hugged his neck. "You have a sweet husband there Max." His Aunt said. "Yeah I think he is a keeper." Max laughed. "I think he really tried with this tea." She said. "Well I had to google how to steep tea real quick." Carl laughed. "You must have one of those fancy phones. Those that have apps. that can do everything but wipe your butt." Max's Uncle said. "Give it time and they will have that too." Carl laughed. "Well you taught him to make the perfect cup of coffee." The Uncle said.
"We are sorry about what happened earlier." Max's Uncle said. "It's not your fault. I am just so tired of everyone in the family judging every breath I take and then blaming me for every little problem they have." Max said. "I know it was rough growing up as far as dealing with your brothers." The Aunt said. "Don't get me wrong. Compared to many, my childhood was a fairy tale. I just couldn't get along with one and it was his mission to make my life a living hell. I had enough and walked away. He is the one that brought all this on himself. I have no sympathy for him at all." Max said. "I will say that I hate to see him in jail but for what he did he deserves to be there. We just can't convince Judy and a few others of that. " The Uncle said. "Judy said you paid him so we could keep our house." The Aunt said. Max pulled an envelope from behind his back and passed it to the couple. Carl got up and moved over beside Max on the couch and put his arm around him while the couple read the letter. The couple sat there for a few moments in silence. When the Uncle lifted his head Max could see the red in his eyes from the tears. "I promise you we didn't know anything about this Max. We will figure out how to pay you for this." The Uncle said. "Oh no you don't. For my household that money is poison. I am just glad that it was the opposite for you." Carl said. "You are a good man but we need to pay Max back." The Aunt said. "No you don't. This was between me and my brother. Mom and Dad asked me to make sure of a few things as you can see in that letter. That's what I did and it was their money anyway. Not mine." Max said. "But that's a lot of money." The Uncle said. "I paid him twice the value. Not twice the debt just to make him leave you alone. It was worth every penny." Max said. "Twice ?" The Aunt asked. "Let's take a breather and get refills." Carl said. "As long as you get your husband to show you how to properly steep tea." the Aunt said smiling.
Landon held tight around Ross' waist as they rode the ATV four wheeler over the rough terrain. "You alright back there ?" Ross asked. "Don't be worrying about me. You just watch what your doing." Landon said. "You don't trust me ?" Ross laughed. "Trust has to be earned." Landon said. "I trusted you to sleep naked in the bed with me last night with your arms around me and your hand on my privates." Ross laughed. "You trusted me ? You didn't seem to be complaining." Landon laughed. They pulled up on an area of fence that needed repairs. Both got off quickly and made quick work of the repairs. Back at the ATV Ross sat back against the seat on one side of the four wheeler. Smiling at Landon as he walked up. "What are you grinning at ?" Landon said. "It's just breath taking." Ross said. "Well aren't you the charmer. Never heard that line before." Landon laughed. Ross quickly grabbed Landon and turned him around facing away from him. Pulling him back to lean against him and putting his chin on Landon's shoulder he pointed out at the view of the mountain range from that vantage point. "Oh I see. I feel like a fool now." Landon said. "Why? I was talking about you being breath taking. I just wanted you to see the view." Ross whispered.
Phillip walked back in and sat behind his desk. "Let's just start over." Phillip said. "Sounds just fine to me." The butler said. "So I am guessing that you met Max in Texas." Phillip said. The butler realized very quickly that Phillip was about to pump them for information. "Yes he and Carl were visiting Texas when we met." The butler said. Durk looked sort of funny at his friend who just placed his hand on Durk's leg and lightly squeezed. "So I guess you see Max and his friend all the time since you live so close." Phillip said still looking at his computer screen and not at the men. "We fly out to see them as often as we can." The butler said. "You said fly?" Phillip asked. "Yes we have a private jet." Durk said. "Oh I figured you would drive." Phillip said. "Why drive for that many days when all you have to do is call the pilot and say we are ready to leave." The butler said. "I will be right back. Let me get you a couple of pamphlets to read over and I will discuss some options." Phillip said as he got up and walked out the door. "What the hell was that all about ? Days to drive ?" Durk said. "Old man he was pumping us for information. Max is no fool. He wrote a personal check. One off his Georgia account. I have a feeling that Phillip has been searching for Max and I just got my question answered. Max does not want him to know where he lives. He is wanting us to slip up and say where Max and Carl live. Well this old man may be a fool where you are concerned but by God I am no fool." The butler said smiling. "Well I am just lost when it comes to all this sneaky shit and figuring out that people are just trying to get information." Durk said. "That's why you and Carl have me and Max. We have that part covered." The butler said.
Carl and Max headed back in with refilled drinks. "Mind if I go out back and smoke ?" The Uncle said. "No problem. I will walk out with you. If you don't mind." Carl said. "I would like that." he said. Once outside Carl leaned against the deck rail on one side of the steps headed to the back yard and the Uncle leaned on the other. "You seem to be a good man. Max seems to be happy. Last time I talked to Brian he seemed to be happy. Just watch that boy. He can be cruel to Max too." the Uncle said. "Oh we have already been through that. I don't think Brian has the guts to say a cross word to Max ever again." Carl said. "Glad to hear that. This family has been rough on that boy. He has never fought back until now. I guess they all figured since he was gay that he was a push over." the Uncle said. "Well I will be honest. I was afraid to bring him back here. I like you two but your daughter needs to stay clear. I will protect Max with everything I have. Including my fist." Carl said. "I am glad to hear that. I am shocked but not surprised at what he did for me and the misses. My sister raised a special boy in that one." The Uncle said. "Ah so you and his Mom were brother and sister. I just knew that you were family." Carl said. "I hope you meant that." he said. "Meant what ?" Carl said. "The part about family. I hope you consider us family." the Uncle said. "You two I do. The rest I can't promise about." Carl said. "Hell I don't claim some of them myself." The Uncle laughed. "Well I trust you to warn me about some of them." Carl said. "I wish you would let us figure out how to pay that money back." The Uncle said. "Like you said . You are family. Believe it or not Max and I are worth millions. We don't flaunt it but we don't need the money." Carl said. "Well you will let me know if you come up short one month then." The Uncle said. "I promise you will be my first call." Carl said and smiled.
Once back inside Max discussed the problem that Judy was facing with her property. He informed his Uncle and Aunt that he had originally made a deal with his brother that would also save her home but he was no longer going to pursue that. It was up to Judy and her favorite cousin to work that out now. "Would he really do that ?" The Aunt asked. "He had already started until I stopped him but after today I am out." Max said. "I know it's hard to believe but I am sure Judy didn't mean it." The Aunt said. "Doesn't matter. She always thought his shit didn't stink and all his problems were my fault. Time for her to grow up." Max said. "What can she do ?" The Uncle asked. "Hire a good lawyer while he is in jail. Once he gets out she might as well move." Max said. "Well mother she made her own mess where Max is concerned. We can't be upset with him if he stops helping." The Uncle said. "I hope you know how much I love you two. I hope this riff with Judy does not affect that. I don't hate her. I just have nothing for her anymore. We agreed to disagree and move on with our lives without each other in it. I don't hate her I just have to clean my life of all the people that treat me the way she does." Max said. "That will leave a short list of family left then." The Uncle chuckled. Max's Aunt punched her husband and gave him a stern look. "Well it's true. A lot of them in this family gave that poor boy many years of pure shit. I don't blame him." The Uncle said. "Well you two always seemed to love me and care about me." Max said. "We still do." The Aunt said. "What am I, invisible ?" Carl asked trying to put a lighter note on the conversation. "We'll see when you learn how to steep a proper cup of tea." The Aunt laughed. "Your on." Carl laughed.
never consider myself a writer of any type.
I am glad that you are enjoying and I hope that some readers can relate to some of the character
or situations.
Here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think.
"Not what I thought escape meant"
Chapter 61
Max was in the great room looking through old photo albums. His cousin Judy arrived and used the spare key to come in through the kitchen. "Hey Max. How have you been ? It's been a long time." Judy said. "Hey Judy." Max said getting up and hugging his cousin. "Doing pretty good. It was rough for a while but everything is great now. How is all of your family ?" Max asked. "Doing better than yours I guess." Judy said. "Why would you say that ?" Max asked. "Well do you plan to go see your brother and see if you can help him get out in some way." She asked. "Nope. We said our goodbyes forever at the jail that day." Max said. "I can't believe that you are that cold hearted. He is family." She said. "Well if you want him out so damn bad you go try." Max said. "He told us that you manipulated the law and took everything. Your Mom and Dad would be ashamed." She said. "You know nothing about it Judy so just stay out of it." Max said. "I beg your pardon. If it had not been for him my parents would be homeless. He told us what you tried to do." Judy said. " Oh so he told you he wanted them kicked out then huh ?" Max said. "No he said you did." Judy said. "Oh so he didn't tell you that I had to give him one hundred and eighty thousand of my cash inheritance for his part of their place so they could keep it ?" Max said.
Judy stood with her hands on her hips. "Why do you always have to cut him down. For some reason you think that just because you are gay that you are so much better than everyone else." she said. "What the fuck are you talking about ?" Max said. "You conned your parents into giving you everything. He said they always favored you and life was tough for him. Then when things in your world get tough you frame him, have him thrown in prison and then just leave." Judy said. "You have lost your mind. You have no clue." Max said. "I think I know all I need too." Judy said. "Well I think the best thing for you is to get the hell out of my house. Yes, MY house. My brother, your favorite cousin had his own grandchildren kidnapped just to try to blackmail me. I gave him what he wanted to get the boys back. I gave him what he wanted so your parents could keep their house. I gave him what he wanted so he would leave the church alone. Since our parents held the mortgage on the new building he wanted to sell it without even telling the congregation. I gave him what he wanted so the would leave another family member alone. Go ask your parents. They know what I went through with him and what I did just so they could keep their house. I guess he didn't tell you that he tried to have me written completely out of the will." Max said. "Yeah he said that was your parents last request to him." she said. "You stay right there." Max said as he got up from the floor and went to the master bedroom.
Returning to the great room Max handed an envelope to Judy. "Read that." Max said. "I don't need to read anything." Judy said. "If you want the truth you will read." Max said. Max left her in the great room with the letter while he went to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. Standing at the sink looking out across the back yard Max took deep breaths trying to tolerate the massive chest pains from the anxiety attack he was having. Taking a final deep breath Max turned and headed back in to face his cousin. "This has to be a fake." Judy said. "You crazy bitch. You have seen Mom's hand writing enough to know that is from her hand." Max said. "She said that she wanted you to safe guard as much of the estate as you could from your brother. She also mentioned Mom and Pop's house. I think you got her to write this when she was sleepy." Judy said. "You know better than that. Oh and the part about getting your property from him in that letter ..... forget it. You are on your own sister." Max said.
"I think the best thing for you to do is go talk to your parents. If I were you I would hire a lawyer while he is in jail too." Max said. "Why would I do that ?" she asked. "Well you remember that part of your house. Your garage and your husband's shop is on what was Mom and Dad's land." Max said. "Yes and they said they were leaving that land to you specifically. So I need you to deed that to me." she said. "And they did but your favorite cousin told me that it was worth too much with your house and the shop on it. That could be a quick sale for some cash for him so he demanded he get that too. I told him that the only condition was that he offer it to you first and owner finance it. That was part of the deal to get the twins back. After today I don't give a shit what he does with it. I know they are going seize a lot of his property to pay fines and court costs. I think he gets to choose what to give up." Max said. "He would never do that to me." she said. "Just like he wouldn't have his own grandkids kidnapped ?" Max said. "We are family." Judy said. "You are a dollar figure to him. I had planned to make him stand behind that and even figure out how to help you pay for it. As of now though I could care less. You are on your own with your favorite cousin. " Max said. "You would do that to me wouldn't you ?" Judy said. "Yeah I guess being gay made me this way." Max said. "Best thing for you to do is go talk to your parents. You are done here. We don't need you back here while we are here." Max said.
Carl sat with Durk and the butler in the waiting room. Carl was more anxious than the other two. His first thought was to tackle Phillip when he saw him and beat the crap out of him for what he had done to Max. The one thing that kept him grounded was Max's comment that if Phillip had won they would have never met. "Yes the better man won." Carl thought. Phillip stepped out and introduced himself to Durk and the butler. "I guess you are here to make sure I do what I promised Max." Phillip said. "Nope. I got one right here that is far more scary than Max." Carl said patting the butler on his shoulder. "You guys don't have to worry about a thing. I am in control of this situation." Joan said. "Well I trust that you two can handle it. I was just here for moral support for Durk." Carl said. Phillip carried Durk into an area to do a quick x ray. "Yeah support my ass. You wanted to compare." the butler said. "Well maybe that too." Carl laughed. "Well don't worry. Max made out a lot better. You put Phillip to shame in the hottie department and I already know your personality is a lot better." Joan said. "I'm just a cowboy." Carl laughed. "Put you in a pair of Levi's on television and they would sell out." Joan laughed. "Great minds think alike." the butler laughed. "Don't worry. You can assure Max that his friends will be given the best treatment possible." Joan said. "Well as soon as they bring Durk back out I will tell him bye and will be on my way." Carl said.
"This is the main barn." Ross said as he and Landon walked in through the huge double doors. "What happened over there ?" Landon asked pointing to the big whole where the office use to be. "Long story there. I will tell you about that one later. That is where the office use to be." Ross said. "Where is it now ?" Landon asked looking around. "For the time being it's at the main house. That's why I am staying there while they are gone. They want me to check the answering machine and the fax machine." Ross said. "Back here is the lot that we keep all the equipment in. The tractors and equipment go in this lot and under those sheds." Ross said. "Hey Ross. Hows it going this morning ?" Joe asked as he stepped out of one of the sheds. Landon's heart almost stopped. "Damn he is older but hot as fuck." Landon thought. Ross quickly introduced Landon. The three chatted until some of the other farm hands came up. Introductions all around seemed to go easy. Landon was surprised at how friendly everyone was. "Well guys we have to go check the other herd and run the fences." Ross said. "Don't get lost over there and don't do anything I wouldn't." Joe said and winked at Landon. Ross looked at the options but decided on a four wheeler SUV instead of a gator. Ross quickly took a basket to hold a hammer, staples and wire stretcher. "You know you can take one of the gators." Joe whispered. "Shhh." Ross said and smiled.
Bob met the men at the doctor's office so that he could carry Carl to his house to retrieve the rental car. Carl was not about to pass up an opportunity to spoil the twins just a little. "Has Durk talked to you guys yet about his plans ?" Bob asked. "He just said that he wanted to speed things up is all." Carl said. "Well there will be a good many things happening and happening fast. Do you think Max will be up to it ?" Bob asked. "I think so. We will be here for a couple more days but then we are going back and leaving Durk and the butler at the house. Max has recovered remarkably from what I have seen so far. It's still too early to tell though. I am sure that once we get back home that he will recover faster. A couple of days of the normal around there and he will realize he didn't loose that." Carl said. " I was worried about him. I don't know that I would have had the balls to do what he did. " Paul said. "I know to most it doesn't seem like a really big deal but I am realizing just how much it was." Carl said. "I don't think any of us can imagine the balls it took for him to do that. It had to be overwhelming after all that he had been through. Hell he walked, no ran, away from everything he had worked his whole life for because of him." Bob said. "Well mainly him. We have learned a little more about the family aspect but it was mainly him." Paul said. "Last night he told me that he was glad that things happened the way they did with Phillip. He said if they had not then he would have never met me." Carl said. "Oh believe me. He won on that one." Paul laughed.
Ross got on the four wheel ATV. Patting the seat behind him. "Hop on." Ross said. Landon climbed on the back of the ATV and placed his hands on his legs. "You think you can stay on back there without anything to hold on to ?" Ross said. Landon moved his hands and placed them on Ross' sides. "Closer." Ross said. Landon slid forward a little. Ross could feel Landon's legs touching his hips. Still holding onto Ross' sides. "Tighter." Ross said. "Why don't I just let you do this. I don't think we can both fit in those tight jeans you are wearing." Landon laughed. Ross took Landon's hands and pulled them across in front of him across his stomach. Pulling a little tighter he stopped when he felt Landon's chest against his back. "You still have to breath." Landon almost whispered in Ross' ear since he was so close at this point. "Hey my boss told me to take special care of your ass and I plan to take better care of your ass than anyone ever has in your life." Ross laughed. "Oh you do ?" Landon laughed. "Yeah but we have to check cows and fences first." Ross said as he fired up the ATV and pulled off. Some of the guys were still at the barn and watched the reaction between the two. "Alright you guys. Not a word to those two. Apparently Durk's buddy the butler sent Landon here for a reason. I don't think any of you here have the balls to piss that butler or Uncle Max off." Brian laughed. "Not me. That's a tough choice as to which one I had rather have pissed at me." one said. "Easy choice for me." one said. "Oh yeah, which one ?" Joe asked. "Carl." he said. "Carl wasn't a choice." Joe said. "Exactly." he said causing them all to laugh.
Carl was a little concerned when he arrived at Max's house. There was an older couple standing at the carport door. Max should have answered the door. Carl got out of the car and introduced himself. The couple introduced themselves as Judy's parents. "I thought Judy was planning to stay here until I got back today anyway." Carl said. "She was suppose too. She and Max had a misunderstanding so Max made her leave." The Uncle said. "Ahh shit." Carl said opening the door and directing the couple into the house. "Baby I'm back. Where are you ?" Carl called out. There was no answer and Carl fought his urge to panic. "What happened ?" Carl asked. "Judy apparently got upset with Max because he would not try to get his brother out of jail. He still blames Max and she has been visiting him. Their other brother told her to leave him out of it." The aunt said. "Shit. I should have never brought him back here." Carl said. "Please don't blame all of us." the Uncle said. "It's not everyone but there are too damn many around here. Pardon my language." Carl said. "No need for apologies son. I am just so happy to see someone as passionate about protecting Max as you are." the Aunt said. "Make yourselves comfortable. I need to find Max and I will be right back." Carl said.
Carl walked into the master bathroom. Max was in a tub of water with his head laying back. "Hey baby. Are you alright ?" Carl whispered as he sat down beside the tub. Taking his left hand he ran it under the water across Max's wet, hairy chest and down to his cock and balls. Max really didn't say anything. He still had tears streaming down his cheeks. He was not crying as far as being vocal but the tears would not stop. "I heard what happened." Carl said. Max lifted his head and looked at Carl. "How ?" Max asked. "Your Aunt and Uncle are down stairs. They were waiting outside when I drove up. " Carl whispered still running his hand up and down Max's body under the water. "Ugh." Max moaned. "I love you peach." Carl whispered leaning up and kissing Max lightly on the lips. "I am guessing you want me to talk to them." Max said. "I love you peach." Carl whispered. "You are not helping matters any." Max said. "If you want me to make them go then I will but other that that, I love you peach." Carl said smiling. "You are so frustrating sometimes. You will not give me any peace until this gets settled will you ?" Max said. "I love you peach." Carl said smiling. "Damn you cowboy. My Uncle likes strong black coffee and my Aunt likes those fancy teas steeped. So you go entertain while I get dressed." Max said. "Steeped tea ?" Carl said. "You are on your own cowboy. But I love you." Max said. "Damn. And you call me frustrating ?" Carl laughed. "Good Luck. She can be picky." Max laughed.
Durk and the butler sat in Phillip's office waiting for him to return after reading some of the test results. "Now I hope that you understand that the reason you got an appointment is not going to get you special treatment." Phillip said as he took a seat. "No one is asking for special treatment. I will tell you this though. If, and only if, you neglect Durk here as a patient because you are upset with Max then you will meet the meanest queen you have ever met. And a rich one to boot. We understand each other ?" The butler said. "As long as we understand each other." Phillip said. "Look. We did not know that Max was going to do what he did. Hell we didn't know that Max even knew who you were." Durk said. "Well I just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to think you were my only patient. " Phillip said. "It sounds like we just need to leave." Durk said. About that time the door opened. "Excuse me gentlemen. May I borrow the doctor for a minute ?" Joan asked. "As far as we are concerned you can have him." the butler said as he stood and reached his hand out to Durk. "Oh this won't take long. Just have a seat please. He will be right back. I promise." Joan said.
"Have you lost your fucking mind ?" Joan said low but firm in the hallway. "Watch your tone." Phillip said. "All I am going to watch is you self destruct. What the hell is wrong with you ?" Joan asked. "Nothing I can't handle." Phillip said. "Oh I get it. Max was suppose to wait on you. Wait until you decided you wanted him. He didn't. He moved on and now you don't have your safety net." Joan said. "It's not fair. He knew I loved him." Phillip said. "Did you tell him ?" Joan asked. "Not really but it was an unspoken one most of the time." Phillip said. "Unspoken by you apparently. What the hell did you expect ? Did you expect Max just to wait on you until you decided to drop that douche bag you have living with you and turn your attentions to him ? " Joan asked. "It's complicated. " Phillip said. "That's a crock of shit. It's only complicated because you made it that way. I bet it chapped your ass that Max had more money than you thought he did too." Joan said. "Why wouldn't he say so ?" Phillip asked. "Not everyone has to have a Lexus or Mercedes to show the world they are a success. Unlike certain people I know." Joan said. "Watch it." Phillip said. "No you watch it. You get back in there and do what you do best. Put this Max crap behind you. You did it to yourself. It's not his fault. If you don't you won't have to worry about Max ruining you. I will do that my damn self. I know where many more skeletons are hidden than him. Remember I am the one that had to hide them." Joan said and turned in a huff and walked away.
Carl watched closely as Max's Aunt took a sip of her hot tea. They were not a fancy couple. The couple reminded Carl of the farmer and his wife. The Aunt probably had four or five dresses that she would wear to the grocery store, maybe three that were church dresses and the rest just simple smock type dresses to wear around the house. "UGH." Carl thought. A slight sip but no facial expression of acceptance or disgust. Noticing that the Uncle had almost finished his coffee Carl offered to refill it. Back in the kitchen Carl had mixed the tea, cream and sugar in a larger cup and then transferred some into a cup for the Aunt. Picking the cup up Carl sniffed the tea and then took a small sip. Almost dropping the cup Carl was trying desperately to find some where to spit the vile tea out. "Shit I am screwed in her book." Carl thought as he took a deep breath and headed back in with the coffee. Carl walked in the room from one door as Max approached from the other end. "Hey guys." Max said. Max's Uncle and Aunt stood and to his surprise both walked up and hugged his neck. "You have a sweet husband there Max." His Aunt said. "Yeah I think he is a keeper." Max laughed. "I think he really tried with this tea." She said. "Well I had to google how to steep tea real quick." Carl laughed. "You must have one of those fancy phones. Those that have apps. that can do everything but wipe your butt." Max's Uncle said. "Give it time and they will have that too." Carl laughed. "Well you taught him to make the perfect cup of coffee." The Uncle said.
"We are sorry about what happened earlier." Max's Uncle said. "It's not your fault. I am just so tired of everyone in the family judging every breath I take and then blaming me for every little problem they have." Max said. "I know it was rough growing up as far as dealing with your brothers." The Aunt said. "Don't get me wrong. Compared to many, my childhood was a fairy tale. I just couldn't get along with one and it was his mission to make my life a living hell. I had enough and walked away. He is the one that brought all this on himself. I have no sympathy for him at all." Max said. "I will say that I hate to see him in jail but for what he did he deserves to be there. We just can't convince Judy and a few others of that. " The Uncle said. "Judy said you paid him so we could keep our house." The Aunt said. Max pulled an envelope from behind his back and passed it to the couple. Carl got up and moved over beside Max on the couch and put his arm around him while the couple read the letter. The couple sat there for a few moments in silence. When the Uncle lifted his head Max could see the red in his eyes from the tears. "I promise you we didn't know anything about this Max. We will figure out how to pay you for this." The Uncle said. "Oh no you don't. For my household that money is poison. I am just glad that it was the opposite for you." Carl said. "You are a good man but we need to pay Max back." The Aunt said. "No you don't. This was between me and my brother. Mom and Dad asked me to make sure of a few things as you can see in that letter. That's what I did and it was their money anyway. Not mine." Max said. "But that's a lot of money." The Uncle said. "I paid him twice the value. Not twice the debt just to make him leave you alone. It was worth every penny." Max said. "Twice ?" The Aunt asked. "Let's take a breather and get refills." Carl said. "As long as you get your husband to show you how to properly steep tea." the Aunt said smiling.
Landon held tight around Ross' waist as they rode the ATV four wheeler over the rough terrain. "You alright back there ?" Ross asked. "Don't be worrying about me. You just watch what your doing." Landon said. "You don't trust me ?" Ross laughed. "Trust has to be earned." Landon said. "I trusted you to sleep naked in the bed with me last night with your arms around me and your hand on my privates." Ross laughed. "You trusted me ? You didn't seem to be complaining." Landon laughed. They pulled up on an area of fence that needed repairs. Both got off quickly and made quick work of the repairs. Back at the ATV Ross sat back against the seat on one side of the four wheeler. Smiling at Landon as he walked up. "What are you grinning at ?" Landon said. "It's just breath taking." Ross said. "Well aren't you the charmer. Never heard that line before." Landon laughed. Ross quickly grabbed Landon and turned him around facing away from him. Pulling him back to lean against him and putting his chin on Landon's shoulder he pointed out at the view of the mountain range from that vantage point. "Oh I see. I feel like a fool now." Landon said. "Why? I was talking about you being breath taking. I just wanted you to see the view." Ross whispered.
Phillip walked back in and sat behind his desk. "Let's just start over." Phillip said. "Sounds just fine to me." The butler said. "So I am guessing that you met Max in Texas." Phillip said. The butler realized very quickly that Phillip was about to pump them for information. "Yes he and Carl were visiting Texas when we met." The butler said. Durk looked sort of funny at his friend who just placed his hand on Durk's leg and lightly squeezed. "So I guess you see Max and his friend all the time since you live so close." Phillip said still looking at his computer screen and not at the men. "We fly out to see them as often as we can." The butler said. "You said fly?" Phillip asked. "Yes we have a private jet." Durk said. "Oh I figured you would drive." Phillip said. "Why drive for that many days when all you have to do is call the pilot and say we are ready to leave." The butler said. "I will be right back. Let me get you a couple of pamphlets to read over and I will discuss some options." Phillip said as he got up and walked out the door. "What the hell was that all about ? Days to drive ?" Durk said. "Old man he was pumping us for information. Max is no fool. He wrote a personal check. One off his Georgia account. I have a feeling that Phillip has been searching for Max and I just got my question answered. Max does not want him to know where he lives. He is wanting us to slip up and say where Max and Carl live. Well this old man may be a fool where you are concerned but by God I am no fool." The butler said smiling. "Well I am just lost when it comes to all this sneaky shit and figuring out that people are just trying to get information." Durk said. "That's why you and Carl have me and Max. We have that part covered." The butler said.
Carl and Max headed back in with refilled drinks. "Mind if I go out back and smoke ?" The Uncle said. "No problem. I will walk out with you. If you don't mind." Carl said. "I would like that." he said. Once outside Carl leaned against the deck rail on one side of the steps headed to the back yard and the Uncle leaned on the other. "You seem to be a good man. Max seems to be happy. Last time I talked to Brian he seemed to be happy. Just watch that boy. He can be cruel to Max too." the Uncle said. "Oh we have already been through that. I don't think Brian has the guts to say a cross word to Max ever again." Carl said. "Glad to hear that. This family has been rough on that boy. He has never fought back until now. I guess they all figured since he was gay that he was a push over." the Uncle said. "Well I will be honest. I was afraid to bring him back here. I like you two but your daughter needs to stay clear. I will protect Max with everything I have. Including my fist." Carl said. "I am glad to hear that. I am shocked but not surprised at what he did for me and the misses. My sister raised a special boy in that one." The Uncle said. "Ah so you and his Mom were brother and sister. I just knew that you were family." Carl said. "I hope you meant that." he said. "Meant what ?" Carl said. "The part about family. I hope you consider us family." the Uncle said. "You two I do. The rest I can't promise about." Carl said. "Hell I don't claim some of them myself." The Uncle laughed. "Well I trust you to warn me about some of them." Carl said. "I wish you would let us figure out how to pay that money back." The Uncle said. "Like you said . You are family. Believe it or not Max and I are worth millions. We don't flaunt it but we don't need the money." Carl said. "Well you will let me know if you come up short one month then." The Uncle said. "I promise you will be my first call." Carl said and smiled.
Once back inside Max discussed the problem that Judy was facing with her property. He informed his Uncle and Aunt that he had originally made a deal with his brother that would also save her home but he was no longer going to pursue that. It was up to Judy and her favorite cousin to work that out now. "Would he really do that ?" The Aunt asked. "He had already started until I stopped him but after today I am out." Max said. "I know it's hard to believe but I am sure Judy didn't mean it." The Aunt said. "Doesn't matter. She always thought his shit didn't stink and all his problems were my fault. Time for her to grow up." Max said. "What can she do ?" The Uncle asked. "Hire a good lawyer while he is in jail. Once he gets out she might as well move." Max said. "Well mother she made her own mess where Max is concerned. We can't be upset with him if he stops helping." The Uncle said. "I hope you know how much I love you two. I hope this riff with Judy does not affect that. I don't hate her. I just have nothing for her anymore. We agreed to disagree and move on with our lives without each other in it. I don't hate her I just have to clean my life of all the people that treat me the way she does." Max said. "That will leave a short list of family left then." The Uncle chuckled. Max's Aunt punched her husband and gave him a stern look. "Well it's true. A lot of them in this family gave that poor boy many years of pure shit. I don't blame him." The Uncle said. "Well you two always seemed to love me and care about me." Max said. "We still do." The Aunt said. "What am I, invisible ?" Carl asked trying to put a lighter note on the conversation. "We'll see when you learn how to steep a proper cup of tea." The Aunt laughed. "Your on." Carl laughed.
