Chapter 2

* * * *

Rainbow Ranch, NM

The next day

Eustace “Stace” Jones followed his two buddies into their boss’s studiedly rustic office, spurs jingling. They’d been summoned for an early morning staff meeting. That usually meant some important clients were coming, guests Jason Longford wanted to be sure received the very best Rainbow Ranch could offer.

Stace and his best friends, Joshua “Spark” Diamond and Carlos “Casanova”—Casa for short—Casanueva were among the best at finding exactly what a guest desired and fulfilling those wishes to the letter. The three cowboys settled into the red-and-white, hair-on leather upholstered chairs circled around Jason’s desk and looked at their employer expectantly.

“There’s a very special client coming in day after tomorrow,” Jason said, “and for this one, I’ve got to stay invisible. I can’t let him see me. In time, the reasons will be clear, but for now all you need to know is I’m putting his care and entertainment in your hands. They’re very capable hands. I trust the three of you a hundred and ten percent. Give this guy your best.”

Stace glanced at Spark, who nodded, his blue eyes sparkling like azure gems.

“You’ve got it, boss. You know our best is damn good.”

Casa agreed. “We’ve been taking care of your special customers for quite a while and doing a top notch job, haven’t we?”

“Yes, you have. That’s why I’m willing to risk being away while this guy is here.” Jason smiled at each of them in turn. “I know you’ll find out exactly what he wants in the way of adventures of all kinds and see that he gets every fantasy satisfied.”

“You bet, boss,” Stace said. “With the three of us to take care of him, you can bet he’ll have anything and everything he could desire.”

Even though there would be other guests, they’d juggle things to keep all of them happy. Marcus Melendez, a well to do Texan who’d visited before, would arrive first, followed by someone called Louie Garbona and then this unnamed mystery man on Saturday. Usually each cowboy took a guest as his special charge, but they collaborated when something beyond one-on-one activities came up and, of course, managed the regular guest ranch-type excursions and events as a team.

Curiosity nibbled in the back of Stace’s mind. It sure wasn’t normal for Jason to leave the three of them in charge this way. Ordinarily, he was right there, overseeing and taking part in everything. What could there be about this particular client that would require him to remain hidden and anonymous? Jason had said it would be clear in time, but Stace was not a patient man. He wished they knew right now.

The three rose and filed out together. Spark turned first to Stace and then to Casa. “Well, bros, what do you think?”

The three of them had been partners and best friends since they’d started doing high school rodeo together some twelve years ago. Then they’d done their stint with the PRCA until they all decided to quit while they were still ahead financially and each in one piece. Rodeo could be one rough game. If you walked away with a few bucks in your jeans before you ended up a basket case, you were a lucky sucker. They all recognized when it was time to find another gig.

By coincidence, they’d met Jason more or less by accident about the time they decided to leave the circuit. They’d all taken to the older man at once, and he to them. So they were the first hands he’d hired when he started his guest ranch—one with a special focus. The “Rainbow” name honored both their racial and ethnic mix and Jason’s plan to cater to a mostly gay clientele.

He had a couple of cowgirls on the staff and occasionally hosted lesbian clients and a few bisexuals, but most of the people who came were gay men, seeking something different from the partners they found in their upscale high-roller lives. They wanted outdoor Wild West action plus some amorous adventures on the side—with real cowboys. Rainbow provided both—in spades.

The three cowboys found their pay exceptional, the work more fun than labor and the situation one that allowed them to stick together and indulge their whims, whatever those might be. In between clients, they took pleasure with each other and then singly and in combination with the guests.

Heaven could not be much better, Stace decided. I’m for sure one lucky motha!In slightly different terms, Spark and Casa would say the same thing.

Even before the latest batch of guests arrived, they’d portioned them out. Spark would take the Texan, Casa would host Louie and the mystery man was left to Stace. He wasn’t sure whether to be happy or dismayed, but he had grown accustomed to representing Rainbow Ranch to a new guest, even some special ones. This man was coming in on a private jet owned by an outfit called Montague Productions. Stace would meet him on the general aviation side of the Las Cruces, NM International Airport.