Chapter Text
Sam and Dean were both in the ranch’s office when Sam’s phone rang. Dean, figuring it was Jess, didn’t even look up from the invoices he was paying on the computer.
“Gabe, how’ve you been, Man?”
Dean did look up at the mention of Gabe’s name. He was an old friend of Sam’s. Dean never cared for the man. He was too loud, too fond of practical jokes, usually at Dean’s expense, and to damn cocky. Dean shamelessly eavesdropped on his brother’s conversation.
“Yeah, it hasn’t been used in a while. Uh, huh. Sure, he can. No, Gabe, tell him not to worry about that. It is pretty rustic. Yeah, there’s power. Not sure if the house’s wi-fi will reach it though. Cool. Talk to you later.”
“What was that all about?” Dean put the last of the invoices in a file folder and stuffed it in the small filing cabinet next to the desk.
“That was Gabe.”
“Yeah, I got that much,” Dean said sarcastically. He got treated to one of his brother’s famous bitchfaces. He ignored it.
“He needed a favor.” Sam put his feet up on the old tack trunk that was in front of the old leather sofa, the only other piece of furniture in the ranch’s office.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”
“Gabe’s brother is a writer and he is on a deadline. He needs a quiet place to write and Gabe remembered our old bunkhouse.”
“No,” Dean said, standing up. “Come on, we need to get the horses in before the rain hits.”
Sam stood, but he wasn’t finished talking. “I already said it was fine.”
“I didn’t hear those words come out of your mouth.” Dean walked down the aisle of the large barn, opening stall doors as he went. Winchester Farms was one of the leading breeders of Quarter Horses. Their father and grandfather started up the place in the early 60’s. After their parents were killed in a freak hotel fire while on their second honeymoon, the property and all the assets went equally to both boys. Through Dean’s sweat and Sam’s book sense, the ranch had grown. Rodeo riders came from all
over the North American continent to buy their stock. Last year, their childhood friend, Charlie, a champion barrel racer, was hired to teach youngsters riding and barrel racing techniques, bringing in even more income.
“He’ll be coming in on Friday.”
“Son of a bitch!” Dean kicked at the dirt of the paddock. “Sam, I don’t have time to babysit some stupid writer who wouldn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.”
“Castiel won’t need babysitting, Dean. Lighten up. He’s a nice guy who just wants to be left alone.”
“So, you’ve met him?” Dean opened the gate and gave a sharp whistle. From across the large pasture, a dozen horses came running. Dean stepped out of the way as they went streaming past him towards their stalls.
“Yes. A few years ago. Like I said, a nice guy.”
“Well, you’re cleaning up the bunkhouse. It’s probably rat infested and full of spiders.”
“Ash came around the other day looking for work. I’ll let him earn some money.”
Dean and Sam were both walking along the aisle, closing up stalls and stopping to pet each horse. These horses were some of their breeding stock, all mares, all in foal. Their stud, Demon Hunter, had a small barn of his own. The horses used for riding and teaching were in another barns on the other side of the main house.
“Fine.” Dean couldn’t argue with letting Ash earn some money. He was an old employee, but had been let go because Dean caught him smoking weed in one of the barns. It wasn’t the idea of the marijuana that set Dean off, it was smoking in a barn around hay and straw. A barn fire was one of the worst nightmares a ranch could have. Dean felt bad for letting the man go, but he had to stick by his decision. They still gave him odd jobs on occasion to keep him from living in his old truck.
With both of them working together, the horses were fed, watered and put up for the night before the sun set. Usually, they had two hands to help, but Sundays were their day off. Benny and Garth were hard workers as well as friends.
While Sam went up to the house to shower and change for his date with Jess, Dean walked over to the bunkhouse. He couldn’t remember the last time it was used. Benny and Garth had their own places in town, so it really wasn’t needed anymore. The door opened with a squeal of hinges that needed oil. He flipped the switch and winced at the scurry of mice. It really did need to be cleaned. Dean had an idea at one time of offering a summer program to students at the KU, those taking animals husbandry, veterinary sciences and even some agriculture students. The ranch was over two thousand acres of woodland, grasslands and hill country, a perfect classroom for those wanting to learn. Plus offering an intern program would give them another tax break. Maybe he’d call the university after Gabe’s dickhead of a brother left. He’d forgotten to ask Sam about the length of the writer’s stay. Dean wasn’t going to make the guy’s stay pleasant, so maybe his stay would be very short. Dean grinned and shut the door behind him.
Sam was coming down the stairs when Dean entered the house. “You seeing Lisa tonight?”
“Nope. She’s got a thing with Ben at the school.” Dean’s longtime girlfriend, Lisa, was getting a little to antsy to get married and Dean had cooled things off, but he wasn’t sharing that information with Sam. Her son was a great kid and Dean really loved him hanging around the ranch, but he couldn’t have one without the other.
After Sam left for town, Dean stripped and showered. Dressed in a pair of flannel sleep pants, he came downstairs and flipped through the channels. He pulled up the menu on the TV and selected Netflix, it was time for a Dr. Sexy marathon since Gigantor was out of the house.
***
Castiel got off the telephone with Gabe with a sigh of relief. He couldn’t wait to get out of the city. Oh, it wasn’t that he hated the city. He loved San Francisco. The nightlife, the restaurants…even the weather appealed to Castiel. No, he wanted to leave because of Michael. They officially broke up two months ago, but Michael failed to get the memo. The constant calls and visits were driving him crazy. His publisher was breathing down his neck. Not just for the book either, he still owed them a short story for an anthology. The book was outlined and partially written, if he could just have some peace and quiet, he could have it down in another month, two tops. The short story would be a walk in the park. His readers expected lots of smut…dirty, freaky man on man action and Castiel always delivered.
He started writing erotica to pay his way through college and the money was great. Suddenly, a whole new market opened up. Women were not only reading gay erotica, they were writing it. His female fan base wanted more romance, not just inserting Tab A into Tab B, however kinky you inserted it. His writing style changed and his stuff was a hit. The LOGO channel even wanted to make a show based on one of his books.
His phone began to play the opening bars to Bad Romance. Michael again. He definitely needed to leave town for a while.
By Wednesday, his apartment was clean, mail had been forwarded to Gabe’s house in Topeka, his one lone plant was packed in the car and his land line disconnected. His neighbor had a key and would be checking on the place occasionally, but there shouldn’t be any issues.
Thursday, he was behind the wheel of his red Mustang convertible, aviators on, heading east on I-80. Even if he stopped to sleep for six or seven hours, he’d be arriving at Winchester Farms around midday. He wondered about Sam’s ‘ranch’. Sam and Gabe were good friends, having met in college. Castiel met the tall man from Kansas a few times and liked him. Gabe told him that Sam and his older brother owned a horse ranch. Maybe his short story would be about a hot cowboy getting banged by…who? Castiel needed to think about that. He didn’t want it to be a cliché.
The Mustang ate up the miles and he passed through Salt Lake City. It was still daylight, just after six, so Castiel kept driving until he reached Rock Springs, Wyoming. The hotel was small but clean. He set his alarm for six hours.
It was still dark when he pulled out of the hotel’s lot, a large Styrofoam cup of black coffee in his hand. He stopped at a rest area to take a bathroom break and read over Gabe’s directions. Apparently, the ranch was in the center of the country. The closest town was Lebanon, Kansas. He’d Googled the name of the ranch and it seemed they were well known. The place even had its own website. After reading up on it, Castiel found out that the older brother used to ride in rodeo events until his parents were killed. He was a real cowboy. Castiel grinned. Probably bowlegged and missing teeth. Probably spit tobacco too. Sam went to college and was normal. It was hard for Castiel to picture Sam in a cowboy hat. He was a hot looking guy though. Just not his type, nor did he play for Castiel’s team.
Castiel rolled into Lebanon at lunch time and stopped in an old fashioned diner. He got his fair share of stares. He guessed most people around here didn’t wear Converse sneakers, skinny jeans and Gay Pride t-shirts. He just prayed he wouldn’t get beat up before he could eat his cheeseburger.
He was just finishing up his fries when the door opened and a real live cowboy walked in. Castiel was impressed. The man was drop dead gorgeous. Tight jeans showed off his package and the plain white t-shirt left nothing to the imagination. And Castiel Novak had a damn fine imagination. The hat was low on his forehead, but it couldn’t hide a pretty face. Handsome pretty, just enough soft features to make Castiel’s dick stand up and take notice.
The cowboy smiled and waved to several people before settling himself on one of the stools at the bar.
“I’ll have my usual, Anna.” Castiel loved the rich baritone. He imagined the man singing a blues song while strumming on a guitar in a smoke filled saloon. Castiel just found the cowboy he could base his short story on. He took a quick picture with his phone. He pushed his plate away, but continued to watch the man out of the corner of his eye. He took notes on the way the man moved, the inflections of his voice, and the words he spoke. When he smiled, he lit up the place. Bright white teeth, beautiful lips and eyes that crinkled at the edges from long days in the sun.
Castiel was so lost in the outline for his story that he wasn’t aware the man finished his meal and was now standing at his table. He looked up. The cowboy had about an inch on him. Here it comes, the homophobic comments and maybe a threat of an ass whipping. Castiel had seen it before.
“I’m flattered, but you know, you might want to take a few more pictures…they’ll last longer.” He tipped his hat and turned around, giving Castiel as good look at the man’s tight, little backside and slightly bowed legs. He watched the man out the large front window. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t get into a pickup truck. The man’s car was a classic…a muscle car. Castiel couldn’t have told you what it was, just that it was gorgeous like its owner.
Castiel paid his bill and left a nice tip for the pretty redhead the cowboy had called Anna. According to his GPS, the ranch was just ten miles east of town. He called Sam to let him know he was close.
“Sam, it’s Castiel Novak.”
“Hey, Castiel. How’s it going?”
“Good. Look, I’m in Lebanon, so I should be there soon.”
“Cool. Dean’s still in town picking up some feed, but he should be back soon. Just stop at the main house, you can’t miss it, and I’ll show you around.”
“Thanks, Sam. You have no idea how much this means to me. I will owe you for the rest of my life.”
“Not necessary. Gabe helped me out of so many jams in school, so it’s nice to be able to help out his brother.”
“I’ll see you in a few then.” Castiel tossed his phone on the passenger seat and put the car in gear. A short time later, he drove through a gate that had a large ‘W’ made out of wrought iron in the center of it. Fences ran as far as he could see and horses were standing in deep green grass. Pretty, Cas thought. Sam was right, he couldn’t miss the main house. It was a two story farmhouse, painted a pretty green with bright white trim. The yard was manicured. Not what Castiel was expecting a ranch house to be.
When he turned off the car, the front door opened and Sam emerged. Castiel grinned up at the tall man. He got out and met Sam halfway, grasping his hand before being pulled in for a manly hug.
“You look good, Castiel.” Sam stepped back, giving him a critical inspection. He figured his older brother told Sam all about his breakup. Gabe embellished things, so Sam probably thought Michael was an abusive asshole. In reality, he’d only hit Castiel the one time. One time was enough for Castiel. Michael had begged and pleaded with Castiel to take him back. Promised it would never happen again. Right, Castiel wasn’t crazy nor had he really been in love with Michael. He loved him, maybe. In love, no.
They talked for a few more minutes and then Sam got in the Mustang and directed Castiel to pull behind a large barn.
“We had the bunkhouse cleaned for you. You might still see an occasional mouse, but Ash laid out traps. I put a remote booster on our wi-fi, so you’ll have Internet.” Sam opened the door of the rustic building and led Castiel inside.
“This is great, Sam,” Castiel said and meant it. The place was clean and while sparsely furnished, it had several twin sized beds, a large table and chairs and a few chests of drawers. There was also a small kitchen area. Bedding was laid out on one of the beds.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of outlets in here, so we got you a power strip for your computer and stuff.”
Castiel roamed the large room, noting a bathroom at one end. He poked his head inside. It was old, but clean and functional. No bathtub, just a long shower stall with two heads. He noted a pile of towels on the sink. The kitchen was simple as well, a small refrigerator and a microwave were the only appliances. There was a sink and on the far wall were a washer and dryer. All the amenities of home.
“You’re welcome to eat with us or use our kitchen if you want to cook. We eat breakfast around six, lunch at eleven and dinner at five.”
Castiel raised his eyebrows. “Six…like six in the morning?”
Sam laughed. “I can tell you and Gabe are brothers. He hated mornings too. You don’t have to feel obligated to get up at the buttcrack of dawn. Just letting you know. Dean loves to cook and he’s good at it, so most nights he’s the one who decides what we eat. Garth and Benny usually eat lunch here but have breakfast and dinner at their own places. Sometimes our girlfriends will eat with us too. It’s just casual around here.”
So, Sam’s toothless older brother had a girlfriend. Castiel couldn’t wait to meet the lovely couple. For some reason, he was picturing characters from the movie Deliverance. He hid his grin from Sam.
“I’ll just leave you to unpack and I think Dean’s grilling tonight, so you can come over and meet him.”
“Thanks again, Sam. This is just what I need.” Sam left and Castiel unpacked his car. The plant from his apartment was put on the old eating table and pretty soon, all his belongings were in drawers or hanging in the small closet. He used the table as his desk. He had to move it closer to one wall so the power strip would reach, but other than that, the place was perfect. He sat down at his makeshift desk and noted he could see out of a window. The window overlooked a small corral and the back of a barn. He was just getting ready to get up and shower off after two days on the road when movement caught his eye. A cowboy. Not just any cowboy, the one from the diner. Great. One of Sam’s ranch hands was the handsome devil he’d made such a great impression on already.
Castiel turned from the window and started taking off his clothes. It was shower time. He hoped there was plenty of hot water.