3 Chapter 3

“I wouldn’t call it work. It was more like a fling, which got me into a lot of trouble.”

“With Dunny’s brother, right?”

He poured himself a glass of iced water, took a sip, placed it on the bar in front of him, and said, “Dunny wanted me. He made it quite clear that he was into my body. I found him attractive and went with it. Why not?”

I knew the story of his past all too well, just as others had in West Stockton, and half the county. Dunny Sting, Benny’s younger brother, hired Tal for a summer to work as a hand on his cattle ranch. He had a fondness for Tal and flirted with him numerous times. Just as the two were going to become intimate in a hayloft, Benny caught them. He flipped out on Tal and threatened to kill him. Tal hadn’t been back to the ranch since.