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Chapter 1

Half the crowd cheered in the late afternoon heat as Diederik, the Demon Duke of Denmark, rode out onto the field. He waved to his people as his horse, Champion, pranced perfectly along the rope that separated the fans from the jousters. A louder cheer went up. Diederik rode toward Stan, the young man who worked the people on his side of the field. Stan nodded to him before indicating with a swift gesture who in the mass held favors for him. Two pretty girls smiled up at him, holding rings with long flowing ribbons. As the gallant ceremony required, he bowed to them from his saddle before lowering his lance so they could slide on the cheaply crafted favors. One of the girls smiled seductively at him as she slid the ring with its red ribbons up before kissing the lance tip. Diederik smiled warmly. How he wished it could have been one of the countless strapping young men watching the final joust sliding the ring onto his lance, but the world—let alone Texas, the buckle of the Bible Belt—wasn’t ready for a gay jouster.

Another cheer went up from the opposite side of the field. Diederik didn’t need to look over his shoulder as Prince Timothy, the King’s Sword, rode out to greet his fans. It was the final joust of Scarborough Faire, and Diederik was ready for it to be over. The heat and humidity were wearing on him, not to mention the act was getting old. He’d run down the same list field three times a day for two months, nearly three, if he counted several weeks of practice before the Renaissance fair started. Not to say that pounding on Prince Timothy, whose real name was Ralph Compton, wasn’t fun, but he was ready for a change.

His fans began chanting “bad to the bone!” while Stan and Elizabeth, the girl who worked the other end of the crowd, waved them on to louder and more exuberant calls. On the other side of the field, the crowd chanted “For king and country!”

Diederik and the prince rode toward the royal box to bow to the king and queen.

The king went on for several minutes, as he had at all the previous final jousts that season, talking about how a challenge had been given and now the combatants must meet on the field of battle in a fight to the death. The king asked for the combatants’ seconds.

“I call Tristan, Knight of the Silver Leaf, as my second,” Prince Timothy announced as his horse shifted nervously from hoof to hoof.

From the prince’s side of the field, a tall knight rode out on a lanky brown horse. Cheers rose from the prince’s fans.

“I call Lord Marshal of the Misty Vale as my second,” Diederik proclaimed loudly. He knew the microphone tucked in his collar didn’t project his voice very well.

Marshal rode out on a bulky black horse, almost as dark as the armor the man wore. The fair made sure everyone knew who the bad guys were in this joust.

With their seconds alongside, Diederik and Timothy rode to the appointed ends of the list. The crowd renewed its chanting as the jousters moved into position.

Diederik’s squire, an awkward young man named Kevin, ran forward to remove the favors from his lance and hand him his shield. Kevin gave him a thumbs-up as he carried the favors back to the bench on the side of the field.

With his shield held dramatically between himself and Timothy, Diederik nudged Champion’s flank, and the big gray horse sprang forward. With a limited view through the slit in his metal visor, he relied more on the much-practiced choreography than any precision riding to make sure he connected with his opponent.

For several seconds, all he could hear was the pounding hoof beats as the horses thundered toward each other. Even though he braced for the crash, knowing Timothy would pull up a little, the impact still rocked Diederik back in the saddle. His lance slid harmlessly off Tim’s shield and their horses charged onward.

Diederik raised his shield when he reached the end of the list, and lifted his intact lance in practiced honor to the prince. It was time for Tristan and Marshal to make their runs while he and Timothy returned to their ends of the list. A loud crack echoed through the humid air as Marshal’s lance shattered, as it was supposed to, on Tristan’s shield, knocking the Knight of the Silver Leaf from his horse. Tristan regained his feet to thunderous applause from both sides of the field.

As Tristan strolled to the side of the list nearest the royal box, Diederik saluted the prince and lowered his visor. Again, they charged down the field toward each other. Seconds before they collided, Diederik slipped his feet out of his stirrups and prepared to roll off Champion’s wide rump. The prince’s lance struck his shield. Diederik let the weapon roll him off the back of the horse. The ground rushed up with practiced familiarity. Diederik relaxed, but it still jarred him as his shoulders contacted the hard ground. In the distance, the crowd gasped and hoof beats retreated. The Demon Duke rolled and sprang to his feet before he’d stopped moving. He pulled his sword before the prince had time to turn his horse.

“You’ve unhorsed me, but you’ll never defeat me,” he yelled, and his voice carried to the crowd, who cheered for him.

Timothy spun his horse around and dramatically dismounted as the white steed ran down the field. The prince ran toward the duke, unsheathing his sword. The combatants met in the middle of the field, a spot where their frequent battles had scarred the earth. Shield held high, Diederik braced himself for Timothy’s opening blow, a charging power leap that would bring his sword crashing down from above.

“It is your day to die, Demon Duke!” Tim yelled as he struck. He pulled his blow, but the strike still shook Diederik. He rocked backward, bringing up his sword to score a well-timed blow against the prince.

For the next several minutes, to cheers and boos, the jousters battled, joined by their seconds, until it was time for the performance to end.

His second having already fallen, Diederik faced off with the two white knights. They traded blows until it came time for the killing swing. It was the final joust of the fair. The good guys had to win. Timothy’s blade swept toward Diederik’s unshielded side, turning at the last second so it struck with the flat of the blade, but it was hard enough to toss Diederik aside and rupture the bladder of fake blood there. The sticky mess sprayed out.

Tim’s crowd cheered as Diederik swayed dramatically, clutched his side, and fell to the ground. He lay there, the bladder pouring a pool of red goo onto the dry ground, while Timothy proclaimed his victory over the darkness. The crowd roared as the king and queen announced the prince the victor. Two women in rough-spun cloth showed up and puttered around Diederik, acting like medieval nurses. They were trying to get the fake blood off his armor. Then the squires arrived with the primitive stretcher to carry him off the field.

As they slipped behind the wooden wall that blocked them from the crowd’s view, Diederik slipped off the stretcher. “Thanks, guys,” he said as he yanked off his black cape. “Good last show.”

“The crowd seemed to like it,” Stan said, reaching for Diederik’s sword. “So you all right, Dale? That last blow looked a little hard.”

Diederik—Dale O’Toole—laughed as he pulled off his tunic. It went with his cape into the bucket of soapy water used to clean the garments. The fake blood still clung to his fingers. “The day I can’t take one of Ralph’s blows is the day I retire. Right now we need to get this blood washed off so I can be on the wall for the final cannon.”

Nearly an hour later, after the final cannon sounded, the jousters strolled through the now mostly empty fairgrounds toward their trailers.

“I’ll be happy to get out of this heat,” Dale O’Toole said as they crossed the heavily traveled bridge over the nearly dry creek that meandered through the middle of the fair.

“You still heading up to the Colorado fair?” Ralph asked.

“Yeah, their black knight is going to be out all season; his horse fell on him, breaking both their legs. I was going to take a month or so off, but I’ve never done the Colorado fair before. Figure it will be cooler and a nice change of pace.”

Ralph chuckled. “I know some folks who have worked that fair. They say it can be an exercise in extremes. At least here, we know it’s going to be hot.”

“Diederik!” a voice called from the row of quickly emptying vendor booths. Fair folk watched with their hands on the massive swinging doors that would soon close to protect their shops during the night. Dale couldn’t help but smile; the patron was a strapping young man in a “bad to the bone” T-shirt. Ralph chuckled again.

“Dale, go talk to your adoring public. I’ll see you back in camp.” The other jousters and their silent squires kept walking.

“Greetings,” Dale said as the man got closer. He tried to slip back into his Diederik character but just didn’t feel it now that the final cannon of the year had sounded.

“Wow,” the man said, a glowing look of admiration on his handsome features. “Your last joust was awesome. This was my third time to the fair this year, and all of your jousts are awesome, but that one was particularly nice. Your death looked so real.”

Dale smiled at the young man. “Thank you. I give it my best.”

“You know, I think the jousters are the coolest things about the fair.”

“Better than the belly dancers and the turkey legs?”

The young man got a look that told Dale he might be interested in a bit more than just talking to the Demon Duke of Denmark. “Yeah, so much better than belly dancers, and hopefully they aren’t as greasy as turkey legs.”

“So would you like to meet my horse?” Dale asked with a wide grin. “I might even be able to find a lance you could handle.”

The young man was sharp and obviously interested. He grinned back. “I’d like to see your lance.”

Later, Dale lay in his rumpled bed in the small sleeping compartment in front of his horse trailer. He’d been a jouster going from Renaissance fair to Renaissance fair for five years. He was one of the lucky folk—he had a troupe of performers he traveled with. Some of the folks went from site to site never knowing if they were going to have a job at the next one or not, just loving the gypsy lifestyle so much they didn’t care. He knew a few people who’d been doing it for over twenty years.

He reached over and touched the spot where, a few minutes before, the hot young man had lain briefly after their two-hour tryst. He enjoyed the life, but more and more frequently lately, he felt lonely. When he’d first joined the jousting troupe, he and Ralph had hung out a lot, but since the “Prince” had married two years back, they spent less time together. Dale wondered what it would be like to have someone around every day. In the past five years, the longest relationship he’d had was three weeks, with a guy selling candles at the Riverside festival three years ago. It had been fun, but at the end of the fair, they’d gone their separate ways. They still saw each other in California, but the man now had a partner and was no longer free for their dalliances.

Realizing the dust from the jousting field now mingled with the sweat of sex, Dale swung his long legs over the side of the narrow bed. If he was going to get a good night’s sleep before he loaded the horses and headed for Colorado, he needed a shower. With any luck, everyone else had already finished so he’d have the place to himself. He wouldn’t even care if all that was left was cold water; a chill would help take the edge off the Texas heat. He welcomed the idea of the cool Colorado mountains.

Chapter 2

Austin Renfro wiped the sweat from his brow as he hefted another case of ceramic pirate mugs from the back of the trailer. “Damn, it’s hot. I hope it doesn’t stay like this all season.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Jasmine Porter snapped as she snatched up the next box. “At least you can take off your shirt and be cooler.” She glared at the naked, hairy expanse of him.

“Nobody’s stopping you. I’m not going to stop and stare.” He stepped out of the trailer.

“You might not like watching the E girls in action, but they might attract some of the manly folks around here. Like that weird Asian guy, the one who sells parasols with his little submissive wife. There’s something about him that just gives me the creeps.”

“And then there’s the big dyke that runs the pub.” Austin laughed.

“Yeah, again, not the type of attention I’m looking for.” Just inside the pirate-themed shop, they set their boxes down.

“What, you mean Mike wouldn’t enjoy being with you and big Bertha?”

“I’m not talking about Mike right now,” Jasmine said as they walked back to the trailer.

“What did he do now?”

“Why don’t we talk about what Rick did this time?”

Austin glared at his best friend. She knew he and his latest boyfriend were having problems, and like her, he wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. He hoped by working weekends the next two months he’d give the asshole a reason to go out and find himself a new boyfriend and save Austin the drama of breaking up with him. Or at the very least, let Austin be the wounded party in the whole affair.

“So have you decided what you’re wearing opening day?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Waiting to see if we get that cold front they said might be coming through. Remember last year? We all needed our heavy cloaks.”

Austin laughed. “Yeah, I came out in my leather vest and nearly froze my nipples off before I got home. The next day wasn’t that much better.”

“Oh, the joys of the mountains.” Jasmine smiled as she picked up her next box.

“Yup, never know if you’re going to melt or freeze,” he agreed. “But I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Got the mountains in my blood.”

“So did you hear what happened to Richard the Black Knight?”

Austin paused and turned toward her after he set down his box. “Oh God, tell me it wasn’t his face. Although a scar might add to his rugged good looks.”

“Nope, it wasn’t his face. Grapevine says he had a practice accident and his horse fell on him. Broke his leg and the horse’s. Sounds like he’s going to be out all season.”

“Hope he’s going to be okay,” Austin said as they resumed their walk to the trailer. “He never responded to my flirting, but he’s a nice guy.”

Jasmine sighed as she stepped into the trailer. “You know the court don’t like associating with us lowly peasants, and the jousters are the worst of the lot, all snotty and highfalutin’.” She put her hands on her narrow hips and swaggered the last couple of steps to the dwindling stack of pirate merchandise.

Austin laughed at her. “Keep that up and we’ll have to trade your leathers in for a big skirt and a hat with fringe on top.”

“You’re a lucky bitch that all this stuff is fragile, or I might throw one of these at your head.” Jasmine glared.

“So are you two about done?” Phillip, their boss, called from the shop door.

“Last two boxes,” Austin called back. He hefted the box of T-shirts and watched Jasmine lift the pirate snow globes.

“I could have gotten the T-shirts,” she snarled.

“I know, but then you would’ve griped about me making you carry the bigger one. And you know I like bigger boxes than you do.”

She made to throw the package of snow globes at his head, and he laughed as raised his to block.

As they walked into the shop, Phillip straightened from the box of plastic cutlasses he was unpacking. “Thanks for unloading that trailer, you two. With my sciatica acting up, I wasn’t looking forward to doing that.”

“Hey, you know all you have to do is holler and we’re right there for you, Phil,” Jasmine replied.

“I know. You two have been my anchors for what, three years?” Phillip said.

Austin chuckled. “Four, but who’s counting.”

Phillip looked grim and nodded. “And you know how slow we were last year.”

They both nodded.

“At the office, they say they’re not expecting much more this year. I don’t want to let either of you go—we need at least three in case of emergencies—so I was thinking about dropping you both to half time.”

Austin’s stomach knotted. He’d been counting on the extra cash in case Rick moved on. It would help him find a new, smaller place. And even if that didn’t happen, the extra cash was always good in the fall.

“But before you get worried, I’ve been talking with some other folks around. Bertha over at the pub could use someone a couple of hours a day.” He glanced at Jasmine. “And the pretzel guys are also doing kettle corn this year. If you’re interested, they both said they’d be willing to work with us to make sure you two get full schedules and we all have coverage.”

Austin sighed. “Thanks for thinking of us, Phil.”

“Hey, after four years, you two are like family for me,” Phillip said with a smile. “Now let’s get this merchandise on the shelves so I can start paying you two in a few days.”

Chapter 3

Dale yawned and his ears popped. He’d been on the road all day, driving from Waxahachie, Texas, up to Larkspur, Colorado. He’d stopped in Amarillo to fuel up, check on his horses, and get a quick bite to eat. He and the horses were used to long drives between fairs, but they weren’t normally on the road the day after one fair ended to make the opening of the next. If he’d worked with the jouster troupe before, he wouldn’t have pushed to be there so quickly, but he’d had to take a couple of days to learn their routine and people. In exhibition jousting, it was important to know the people enough to trust them. One small slip and a jouster could end up trampled by a horse or impaled on a breakaway lance.

The small town of Larkspur was perfectly situated between Denver and Colorado Springs. Dale was a little surprised at how small the town was. There were only stop signs at one intersection between the highway and the fair site. He’d enjoyed watching the mountains grow once he cleared Pueblo. He’d had a small taste of them coming through Raton Pass, but those mountains hadn’t been as majestic as what he’d glimpsed around Colorado Springs. He hoped he’d have time to go exploring deeper into the Rockies once he learned the troupe.

“Damn,” Dale muttered as he nearly missed the turn into the fair site and had to jam on his brakes. Behind him, in the trailer, the horses stomped nervously at the sudden stop. “Sorry, guys,” he said reflexively, even though he knew they couldn’t hear him. He hated anything that caused his horses discomfort.

He made the turn into the grounds and immediately spotted several trailers and a small corral with powerful horses moving about it. He was angling the truck toward the dirt drive when a black Jeep with the top down darted in front of him.

“Damn it!” he shouted as he hit the brakes again. He wasn’t going fast, but the brakes locked, throwing his maps and the remains of lunch to the floor and causing the horses to stomp again in irritation. He glimpsed long dark hair hanging over broad bare shoulders. The girl in the passenger seat was shouting and hitting the driver. Dale flipped them off as they disappeared through the gates.

“Welcome to Colorado,” he muttered as he started the truck moving again and continued toward the other trailers.

As he backed the trailer into place at the end of the line, a spindly man came running out. Dale rolled down his window. Warm air hit his face, but it was noticeably cooler than Texas had been.

“Hey, I’m Dale O’Toole, the new jouster. I take it this is a good spot to park?”

“You’re the new jouster, huh? Sure, that’s fine. Max—he’s the joust director—will want to know you’ve made it in,” the man said.

Making sure he was lined up correctly in his mirrors, Dale set the parking brake and turned off the truck. Before he got out, he grabbed the pouch of horse treats from the passenger seat, thankful they hadn’t slid onto the floorboard when he’d locked the brakes for the black Jeep.

“Do you mind helping me get the horses settled? Then we can go find Max,” said Dale.

The man’s narrow face lit up. “Sure, I’m always available if folks need help.” He offered a slender hand to Dale. “Name’s Charles, but most people around here call me Chipmunk.”

Dale stifled a chuckle. A lot of full-time rennies had nicknames. “Pleased to meet you, Chip. I answer to Dale or Diederik equally well.”

“I thought I recognized you.” Chip’s eyes grew wide. “Diederik, the Demon Duke of Denmark. I saw you down in Houston a few years back. They were doing that flaming whip thing in the finale. That was really something to see.”

Dale laughed as he opened the horse trailer. The flaming whip act was something he and Ralph only did in certain circumstances. At several of the fairs he worked, there was too big of a chance for fire. That, and he got tired of his beard getting burned off. He kept it short and stylish, but he liked his dark beard; it added to his character.

“Haven’t done that one in a while. They were having a drought last year down in Texas.”

Champion and Pyre whinnied in unison as he stepped into the trailer. Chip stood quietly as Dale inspected the two horses before untying them. He’d looked them over in Amarillo but liked to check them for any sign of accidents before turning them out in new corrals. Both horses were fine, so he led Pyre, the big-muscled blood bay, out of the trailer. The horse stepped easily down.

“Hold him here just off to the side and wait for me. We’ll lead them into the corral at the same time.” He handed the red cotton lead rope to Chip. “His name’s Pyre.”

Chip looked up at the sixteen-hand gelding. “You’re a big horse, aren’t you, Pyre.”

The horse looked at the scrawny man with apathetic eyes. Dale knew he’d be all right with the new human.

Champion stared at him with relief as Dale walked back into the trailer. He stroked the gray’s forehead as he undid the lead rope and led him out.

Chip showed Dale around to the side of the corral where the gate was. Four other horses trotted up, led by a huge palomino that must have been at least part shire. The palomino pushed forward to get closer to the two newcomers. Dale’s horses assumed submissive postures, the way they did when meeting other horses for the first time. They were as used to traveling from fair to fair as Dale was, and knew how to deal with other horses.

Dale removed Champion’s halter, gave the horse a treat, and swatted him on the rump good-naturedly. He took Pyre’s lead rope from Chip and repeated the process. The two horses moved cautiously among the strangers, sticking together. Dale watched in silence for a couple minutes, pleased none of the horses seemed overly aggressive, before he turned to Chip, who had settled against a fence post.

“Why don’t we go find Max?” he said, opening the gate.

Chip nodded. “Sure are some nice-looking horses you’ve got there.”

Dale couldn’t help but smile. He loved it when people complimented his horses. He tossed the halters and lead ropes in the cab of the truck as they walked past. “Thanks. I’ve put a lot of hard work into them.” “I think this fair owns the horses for the joust,” said Chip.

Dale fell into step alongside the other man and raised an eyebrow. Even in the troupes he was used to, the ones that moved from fair to fair together, each jouster owned their mount. It made for a much better show, and even though everything was well choreographed, knowing the horse helped limit surprises that could be deadly. “Really” was all he said.

Chip led him to a small trailer that sat on the edge of the small heavily wooded campground south of the open space for the corral. After a short knock, a stout man of average height opened the door. He leaned heavily on a well-worn cane.

“Hey, Chipmunk, what’s up?”

“Hey, Max, I found that new Jouster you’ve been waiting on.”

Max looked beyond Chipmunk. Tired brown eyes met Dale’s hazel ones. “Mr. O’Toole?”

“Mr. Brown, please call me Dale.” Reaching around Chip, he extended his hand.

“Most folks around here just call me Max.” His handshake was firm and strong, delivered from a large rough hand. “Chipmunk, thanks for showing Dale the way over,” he said in a dismissive tone while motioning Dale into the trailer.

“Thanks, Chip,” Dale said, pausing on the threshold to shake Chipmunk’s hand again.

“Any time, Dale,” Chip said with a smile. “If you need anything, most folks around here can find me pretty easy, so just let me know.” “Thanks, I’ll do that.” Dale returned the smile as he stepped into the trailer.

Dale had been in smaller offices, but this one obviously doubled as Max’s living quarters. Max walked heavily over to his desk; every few steps, the cane landed hard, giving a slight boom in the confines. Dale wondered why they hadn’t heard it from outside.

“So, Dale, looks like you made good time from Scarborough,” Max started as he plopped down into his chair behind the small metal desk.

“Got an early start and the road was pretty good,” Dale replied. He stood there, waiting for his new boss to indicate he could take one of the chairs in front of the desk.

“Please, Dale, have a seat.” Max gestured to the two worn chairs. “There are a couple of things we need to talk about.”

Dale eased himself down and waited for the man to continue.

“Dale, you come highly recommended, and we’re happy to have you as part of our troupe. I just wish it were under better circumstances.”

“I heard about the accident through the grapevine,” Dale interjected.

Max nodded. “It serves as a reminder how dangerous even a well-choreographed joust can be. Thanks for coming so quickly. Before we get into the details of how we work around here, there is something I’d like to address. You bill yourself as Diederik the Demon Duke of Denmark.”

Dale nodded. “That’s right, sir.”

“We’re going to need to change that up a bit,” Max sighed. “In all honesty, I like the sound of it, but the festival coordinator and a lot of the locals won’t. We have a very strong religious base around here. Folks won’t take kindly to the word demon. Since like most fairs, we believe each knight should take turns winning, there is likely to be an uproar if a demon duke wins even once in a while. Now the Duke of Denmark part works all right with the court story we have here, so if we could either go with Diederik the Duke of Denmark, or maybe Diederik the Dark Duke of Denmark, either of those would be fine.”

Dale frowned. He’d spent years building up the Demon Duke’s following. On the Internet, he had a decent number of fanboys and fangirls, and they would show up to see him perform. He’d also worked it into his performance, occasionally snarling at folks and such. But since he’d changed his schedule, he’d need to go along with the changes in his character. He also didn’t want to get a name on the circuit for being a prima donna who was hard to work with.

“Let’s go with the Dark Duke of Denmark, then,” he said.

Max smiled and made a couple of notes. “Good, that will make the folks here a little happier. Like I said, some of them wear their religion on their sleeves, and we don’t need Focus on the Family or the World Prayer people showing up to picket the fair because of a demon performer.”

Dale suppressed a chuckle. They never knew, it might be really good publicity for the fair; a bunch of folks protesting could be good free advertising as long as it didn’t bring the wrong kind of pressure down on people.

“Now then, starting tomorrow,” Max continued. “We’ll be doing practices, since we only have four days until open, and you’ll be getting to know everyone. We’ll be working like dogs to get it all together. It says here you brought your own horses.”

“That’s correct,” Dale replied. “Brought two. Chip said something about the other horses being owned by the fair?”

Max shook his bushy blond head. “Not the fair, but me. These guys are great actors and good horsemen, but most of them also do community theater when the fair isn’t in season, so they opt to just use my horses. Saves them the hassle of keeping their own. Since the cast hasn’t changed much over the past few years, it’s given the horses and jousters a chance to get to know each other.”

“Is it all right if I use my own horses?” Dale hoped it would be.

“Oh, sure. That accident cost us a horse as well as a jouster. I’ve been trying to find a replacement, but so far, no one is willing to part with a trained jousting horse.”

Dale nodded. He knew most serious jousters valued their horses and the training that went into them. Finding a replacement horse would actually be a lot harder than finding a replacement jouster. One of the advantages of staying in an established troupe was that folks had extra horses if one went lame or had an accident.

“I figure tomorrow will be soon enough to introduce you to everyone,” Max said. “Besides, I think most everyone has either gone home for the night or into Denver for dinner.” Over the next hour, Max explained the idiosyncrasies of the team, giving Dale insight on how they worked before he would meet them the following day.

Chapter 4

Austin straightened his black pirate hat in the mirror.

“I don’t know,” he said, turning toward Jasmine, who was putting the final fluff on her many-layered brightly colored skirt. “Leave it loose or pull it back into a ponytail?” He ran his fingers through his long brown hair. He’d deliberately let it grow out in the past year, thinking it would improve his pirate look. It had been a pain during the winter when it had been mid-length, getting in his face but not long enough to pull back. He’d used way too much gel back then, just to keep his sanity and not cut it off.

“You’re doing pretzel duty early, then in here?” she asked, pulling on the strings that tightened her leather bodice over her ample bosom.

“Yeah,” he replied. He sat down to pull on his black leather boots.

“I’d go ponytail. It’s warm enough today that it will feel better than having it down.” She straightened her large pewter pin inscribed with “my eyes are pretty too.”

He took the hat off and bundled his hair into the black elastic tie. Then he put the hat back on. “Better?”

“Oh yeah.” She smiled as she grabbed her three-pointed hat. “You’ll be beating them off with your pretzel pole.”

Austin glanced at the clock in the pirate shop’s back room. “Shit, I need to get over to the pretzel shop and get loaded up so I can be at the gate in time for cannon.”

Jasmine laughed. “You have fun with that. I know how you love to handle the big poles.”

“You too,” he replied as he headed out the door.

“Hey.” A large Hispanic man with four children in tow flagged down Austin. He’d been peddling pretzels for two hours and was already starting to get sick of the smell of mustard. He stopped and waited for the man to reach him.

“How much?”

“Two dollars apiece, m’lord,” Austin replied. Although there was a sign at the top of his pole indicating the price, most people didn’t bother to read it.

“How much for five?” the man asked as one of his daughters began pulling on his hand.

“Ten dollars,” Austin replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the man’s inability to do simple math.

The large man frowned. “No discount for buying five?”

Austin shook his head. “Nope, we don’t have volume discounts.”

“Fine, give me five,” the man grumbled as his daughter began to whine.

Austin lowered his pretzel pole so the family could reach the knotted bread. “Take your pick.”

“Daddy, I don’t want a pretzel, I want to see the fairy,” whined the little girl.

“Take a pretzel, then we’ll go see the fairy,” the father growled as he took one for himself after handing Austin a ten-dollar bill.

“But she’s right there.” The girl pointed, ignoring the pretzels hanging before her.

Austin looked over his shoulder and saw the fairy, decked out in shades of blue. She’d been at the fair for a few years and was really good at working the crowd. “Why don’t you take your pretzel and see if the fairy might want it,” he said to the girl. “If she doesn’t want it, then you can eat it.”

The girl snatched a pretzel and dashed for the fairy. The father mouthed “Thank you” as he dashed after his daughter with the other three children obediently in tow.

“You know that was an evil trick,” a squeaky voice said from behind him.

Austin turned and saw Chipmunk standing there, holding a pole similar to his own, but filled with bags of popcorn.

“Hey, Chipmunk, how’s it going?”

“Not too bad, but the fair is just starting,” he replied. “Did you have a good winter?”

Austin shrugged, not really wanting to go into the dramatic details of his roller-coaster love life. “It could have been better.”

Chipmunk nodded. “I understand. Well, the first joust is about to start. We should amble over there, see if we can get some sales from the crowd.”

“Wow, I hadn’t realized it was getting close to noon,” Austin said, picking his pole up so he could head down the hill to the jousting field.

“Yeah, time flies when you’re out walking about,” Chipmunk said.

Before Austin could say anything else, a patron distracted them by wanting to buy popcorn.

“See ya down there,” Austin said as Chipmunk stopped to make a sale. Chipmunk just waved.

The crowd going down toward the jousting field grew larger. The joust was one of the big reasons people came out to the Renaissance fair, and the first joust at noon every day gave them their initial look at the spectacle. This year, with the new jouster, the fair had been posting about the new Dark Duke of Denmark on their Facebook page. Austin wanted to see the man, see how he compared to the previous dark knight. He was stopped several times by folks wanting pretzels, so he missed the king’s opening speech, but he really doubted it was any different than what he said every day at the first joust. He’d caught the show several times over the past few years and, like many regulars, could recite it almost word for word.

Austin found a place behind the crowd, in some shade, to stand. He lowered his pole to the ground and waited for customers to come to him as the jousters thundered out onto the field.

John the Bold, Knight of Justice and the Right Hand of God, rode out first, followed by his second, the Earl of Canterbury and also a Knight of the Holy Cross. The crowd cheered. Then the new guy, Diederik, Dark Duke of Denmark, rode out on a beautiful gray horse. Austin’s breath caught. With short black hair and a neatly trimmed black beard, Diederik was one of the most handsome men he’d seen all day. Even with the armor he wore, it wasn’t hard to tell the man was in pristine shape, with a slender waist and broad shoulders. First impression: he was an awesome replacement for the previous dark knight.

The two knights and their seconds rode up to the royal box. The new jouster’s horse was slightly shorter than the white knight’s big palomino, but Diederik was easily a head taller in the saddle than John.

Austin realized he was on the wrong side of the joust field. He was on the good guys’ side. He started walking over to the other end and was stopped so frequently, he nearly ran out of pretzels before he got in a good spot to watch the final minutes of the test of skills. The final test was hitting a target with a lance without being unhorsed by the bag of sand on the other end of the swinging boom. Diederik did it easily, whereas John had to duck to avoid the counterweight. The dark knight’s crowd roared their pleasure at the white knight’s awkward recovery, chanting “bad to the bone!” as John finished his run down the field. Moments later, the king announced the time for the next round of jousting, and the whole crowd cheered as the jousters galloped out of the arena.

Within minutes, Austin was out of pretzels and on his way back to the main bakery to get more. He thought of how handsome Diederik was. He wondered if that was the man’s real name or a stage name like most of the cast used. Chipmunk would know. He knows everything that goes on at the fair.

“Austin,” Sam, the manager of the bakery, called as he walked in. “Fill up and work the parade route. Once you’re done there, come back and close out for the day. You’re supposed to be over at the pirate shop by two thirty, so take off about two to get some lunch and relax a bit.”

“Sounds good,” Austin replied. And at two, I can relax and watch the second joust.

Chapter 5

“Dale, I want you to ride in the parade today,” Max said, walking stiffly down the narrow alley behind the jousting arena. “You’re the new guy, so this weekend, you get both parades. It will show you off to the public. Starting next week, you and John will alternate depending on which one of you is scheduled to win the final joust.”

Dale nodded as he finished brushing Champion. “Where does the parade form up around here?”

“Over behind the shops just west of the main office,” Max replied. “You’ll come out next to the ATM by the food area. On a horse, it’s a fairly easy ride. On foot… well, it’s Colorado and hilly.”

The jouster chuckled. “I’ve noticed that.” He’d spent a couple of days, during his free time from learning the troupe’s routines, walking the fairgrounds, getting used to the elevation. Even as good a shape as he was in, the terrain was murder at first. He understood why folks joked about needing oxygen to get from the participant parking lot to the far end of the fair.

Max nodded. “Parade starts in about thirty minutes. You’ve got time for a quick bite if you want something.”

“Come on, Dale,” said John the Bold, whose real name was John Bishop. “The cast kitchen should have lunch going. I heard they were doing a really awesome lasagna today.”

Dale put Champion’s last hoof down and gave the big gray horse a treat. “Sounds good.” He led the horse to the corral and let him loose.

“You know you don’t have to do all that yourself,” John said. He leaned against one of the big pine trees that bordered the corral. “That’s what the squires are for.”

“I always like to make sure he’s all right after a joust,” Dale replied, dropping his hoof pick in the grooming bucket. The casual disregard John and the other jousters showed for their horses bothered him, but he was new and didn’t want to cause any problems.

“Just thought I’d mention it in case you have to hurry off for your adoring fans sometime after a performance.” John straightened up. “Now, let’s go get a bite to eat.”

John led the way to the cast kitchen. Several of the royal court sat around under an awning. They got their plates before John angled them over to a table full of fancy-dressed women.

“Is there room for two more?” he asked even as he pulled out a wellused folding chair to seat himself before they answered.

“Oh, Sir John, you are always welcome at our table,” one of the women replied, then giggled into her pale-blue-gloved hand. Several of the other women also giggled at what Dale suspected was the ladies of the court’s inside joke at John’s expense. John seemed not to notice as he picked up his fork. Dale eased himself into the chair beside him.

“Ladies, if I may introduce our new dark knight to you,” John said as he crossed himself in silent prayer before he put a fork full of cheesy pasta into his mouth.

“Please do, Sir John,” the woman who’d spoken before said, turning her blue gaze to Dale. “We saw his first performance and were quite impressed. Weren’t we, ladies?” The other women at the table agreed with a series of nods and “oh yeses.”

“Then I present to you Sir Diederik, Dark Duke of Denmark, also known as Dale O’Toole. Dale, may I present about half of the ladies of the court.” He gestured with his fork. “The mouthy one over there is the Lady Catherine, the shy one with the beautiful blonde locks is Lady Melody, the lovely in dark green is Lady Jocelyn, and the fair Lady Sierra sits next to you.”

Dale bowed over his food to each of them. “It is a pleasure to meet you all. Please be patient with me while I learn everyone’s names.”

Lady Catherine smiled at him. “It is our pleasure to meet you, Sir Diederik, and please call me Cat.” There was something predatory in her smile. “I would like the opportunity to get to know you better. Perhaps this afternoon after the second joust, you would accompany me around the fair for a bit.”

Dale knew the cast members, including the jousters, were expected to circulate through the fairgrounds between performances. He actually enjoyed getting out and meeting his fans. It wasn’t unusual for him to have one of the court ladies on his arm while he moved about. Maybe Cat would be a good source of information about how the cast here worked. He could always find Chip later and compare notes with the fair busybody.

“I’d love to escort you around the fair,” he said with a smile.

“Lovely.” Catherine returned his smile. “Then I shall find thee about two forty-five at the corral. Now, ladies, I do believe we need to move on so we can escort the queen from her lunch to the parade.” Catherine rose in a swirl of dark blue, and the other ladies followed suit. As they moved away from the table, she turned back toward Dale. “Until later.”

John laughed in between bites. “You better watch out for that one. She goes after every new man in court. It’s said she has separate carvings on her bed frame for each rank. She’s particularly fond of jousters and kings.”

Dale knew women like that at every fair he’d been to. Most of them became good friends once he’d fended them off a time or two.

“So how is she?” he asked, wanting to make it sound to John like he might be interested.

John shrugged his large shoulders. “Wouldn’t know. I’m saving myself for my wife.”

Dale studied the man. There were no signs of youth on him, but there wasn’t any gray in the light-blond beard and hair. The other jouster might be in his early thirties. Celibacy was an odd thing on the Renfair circuit, particularly in someone past their teens.

“And does she know you’re waiting on her?” he asked, attempting not to sound amazed.

John smiled. “She does. We are to be married at the end of fair. We decided to make a huge production of it the final day. We’ve been engaged for three years.”

“Wow, three years is a long engagement,” Dale replied, trying to think if he’d ever known anybody else who’d had such an extensive engagement.

“Marriage is a sacred institution, not to be entered into lightly,” John said as he finished off his lunch. “Marissa and I decided to wait and make sure we were the right ones. We will be together for the rest of our lives. One man and one woman bound together for eternity, the way God decreed back in the Garden of Eden.” Dale suppressed a shudder.

“Fifteen minutes until parade!” someone shouted from the outskirts of the awning to alert the participants of the impending event.

“Well, good for you,” Dale said. He rose from the table, knowing here was a fellow actor who would not respond well to him being gay. “I need to go get Champion ready.”

“Have fun in the parade,” John said, not bothering to get out of his seat.

Dale found his place in the parade lineup. Champion had eyed the elephant with suspicion but walked past the huge beast to reach their spot behind the royal carriage, alongside William, the Earl of Canterbury.

“I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it on time,” William said coolly.

“Sorry about that,” Dale replied. He didn’t want to explain he’d had trouble finding Champion’s dress tack. The flowing black cloth with the red trim and matching reins hadn’t been where he’d thought they should be. It had taken him five minutes to find them in the horse trailer after he’d been sure he’d unloaded them. Luckily, Champion was a good sport about being hastily outfitted in the parade finery that went over his light saddle and other tack. They’d made it with seconds to spare.

At the head of the parade, the huge wooden gates that blocked the public’s view to the mundane world behind the medieval façade opened. Trumpets blared. A herald shouted, “Make way for the royal parade!” and the procession moved out into the main lane and began to circle the fair.

Dale slipped into his Diederik persona as Champion stepped out into the crowd of people lining the shop fronts along the route. Cameras flashed as the parade progressed. People shouted “God save the king!” One person even held up a tablet PC of some kind to take pictures of the spectacle going past.

Diederik smiled and waved at the crowd. When folks started chanting “bad to the bone,” he pumped his arm in support and they cheered even louder. The trumpets blared from time to time in front of him, and the herald continued to call for folks to make way for the parade.

Trailing the jousters in the line, a group of drummers beat a loud, quick rhythm that thrummed through Dale’s Celtic heart. There was something about Celtic music that always brought a tingle, making him wonder about ancestral knowledge.

Suddenly something struck Champion’s flank, causing the big horse to rear. The crowd cheered as Diederik clung to the saddle’s pommel to keep his seat. They thought it was part of his act. Champion whinnied as he came down and turned toward whatever had hit him. Diederik was happy the large gelding hadn’t taken off through the crowd, but he’d trained the horse better than that.

Sprawled in the lane behind the horse, a tall man in a pirate’s hat, his long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, looked up at the jouster, horror written on his handsome face. For a moment, seeing the long dark hair, Diederik wondered if this was the same man who had cut him off when he’d driven into the fair for the first time.

The parade bunched up behind them as the jouster and the horse glared down at the man, who used the empty pretzel pole to stand up.

“I’m so sorry, m’lord,” the man stammered as he stared at the ground and backed his way into the crowd.

Diederik didn’t know what to say. He’d never had something like this happen before. He wanted to get off and look over Champion, to make sure the horse hadn’t been injured by the pretzel pole, but that would interfere with the parade. Sighing, he nudged the big horse forward to catch up to the rest of the parade, which was turning a corner, traveling up the hill. He hoped he never crossed paths with the clumsy pretzel boy again. The man had come close to embarrassing him and the cast on his first day, and if Champion had charged through the crowd, it could’ve been disastrous for patrons as well.

Chapter 6

Austin cleared the parade crowd and hurried back to the bakery. He didn’t know what he’d tripped on to fall into the parade like that. Luckily, he’d just sold the last pretzel and turned to see the new dark knight riding past him. The man was so incredibly handsome with his short black hair, nicely trimmed beard, and piercing hazel eyes. He’d been looking up into that face when he stumbled, or maybe someone behind him jostled him, but whatever had happened, he’d fallen into the path of the parade, and his pretzel pole must have hit the jouster’s horse. For a moment, as the great gray beast reared up, he’d been sure he was about to die. Then he’d had to look up as both horse and rider glared down at him. Something in him snapped at that moment. He’d wanted to die under those huge iron-clad hooves.

“Parade over so soon?” Sam asked as Austin rushed into the bakery’s back door.

“Out of pretzels,” replied Austin.

“Mustard too, I guess.” Sam pointed toward his leg.

Austin glanced down and saw a huge yellow stain covering the front of the black pants. They were the only ones he’d brought with him. Could this day get any worse?

“Sam, I’m sorry, I took a fall,” he said. “At least I was out of pretzels when I did.”

Sam shook his head dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve taken my share of falls carrying those things too. It’s a bit early, but why don’t you go ahead and break for the day? Tomorrow will be better.”

Placing the pretzel pole by the door, where the next guy could find it, Austin nodded. “Thanks, Sam.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the baker replied. “Why don’t you run across the lane and see if that new costume shop over there has something you can wear for the rest of the afternoon.”

Austin hurried out and across the way. The shop Sam had indicated had been a pottery booth last year, but this year it held a large assortment of period and not-so-period clothing. He found a pair of black gauze pants that, while not exactly matching his costume, would get him through the rest of the afternoon and be cool to boot.

The pirate shop was crowded as he ran in to change pants before heading to find something to eat. He knew he needed food, but nothing really sounded good after he’d totally wrecked his chances of getting to know the hot new jouster. Jasmine shot him a questioning look as he hurried past the counter toward the back room. He wondered for a moment if she’d already heard about his fall.

“You know you left your cell phone on in your jeans,” she said, coming in as he was putting his belt on over the new pants.

“Shit!” He snatched up his jeans and fumbled for his cell phone. He hoped Phillip wasn’t too pissed about the phone ringing for several hours. He flipped it open.

“So what happened to you?” Jasmine asked, glancing over her shoulder into the shop. “Did some kid attack you with your mustard bottle?”

Rick had been calling all morning. It looked like he’d left a message every other time he called.

Austin glanced up at the clock as he hurried past her. “Jas, I’ll tell you all the gory details on the way home tonight, I promise. Right now I need something to eat. Be back in ten to fifteen to relieve you.”

“I could use some help up here!” Philip shouted from the counter, forcing Jasmine to head toward him instead of following Austin out into the crowd.

The first few messages from Rick were the basic “where are you” type. Then they got more demanding. Austin stood there listening to them while waiting in line for a steak on a stake with fries. He knew he should call his boyfriend back, but right then he didn’t want to deal with the drama. Rick had obviously forgotten he was working this weekend, but that was Rick’s pattern: anything he didn’t want to remember, he didn’t. It was one of several reasons that Austin had been hoping he would just go away with as little drama as possible. From the tone of the last two messages, there was going to be drama aplenty when he got home. He could hope Rick was passed-out drunk when he got home and stayed that way until Monday morning, so he could deal with the whole thing Monday evening when he got home from the printshop he worked at during the week.

“Hey, man, that was some fall you took,” Chipmunk said from behind him as the serving wench handed him his food.

Austin turned and looked at him. “Don’t tell me, everyone’s talking about it.”

Chipmunk chuckled. “Okay, I won’t tell you. And man, did you piss off Dale!”

Austin shrugged. “Who’s Dale?”

“Dale O’Toole, Diederik, the Dark Duke of Denmark,” his friend replied. “Folks are actually talking more about that than your fall. After the parade he went over his horse with a fine-tooth comb. That is his horse, by the way, not one of the fair’s. He’s very protective of them. He didn’t find anything wrong, but he was mad you made his horse rear up like that.”

The steak on a stake lost all its flavor on Austin’s second bite. Not only had he pissed off the hot new jouster, but it was the talk of the fair. He wanted to slink under the nearest rock and wait until August to come out.

“I guess I should find some way to apologize,” he mumbled, dumping his untouched fries in the nearest trash can.

“I’d wait a couple of days,” Chipmunk said. “Dale’s a great guy, but something tells me it may take him a while to cool down from this.”

The phone on his belt vibrated; he’d turned the ringer off before checking the messages. He glanced at the display. Rick. Not feeling like any more drama at the moment and needing to get back to the pirate shop, Austin hit the button to ignore the call.

“Thanks for the info, Chipmunk,” Austin said glumly. “I need to get to the shop and relieve Jas.”

Chipmunk waved. “If I hear anything more, I’ll let you know.”

With a heavy heart and heavy feet, Austin waved back. Please let the afternoon get better, please.

Chapter 7

Lady Catherine waited for Dale as he finished grooming Pyre. He’d opted to ride Pyre since Champion was still a touch jumpy after being hit by the pretzel pole. One of the basic rules he followed was never to joust on a jumpy horse if he could at all help it. That was one of the biggest reasons he had two horses.

Dale brushed his hands together, knocking off the dust after he released Pyre into the corral.

“You have beautiful horses,” Catherine said as she fell into step with Dale.

He strolled over to his truck and tossed the halter inside. “Thanks. I work hard to keep them in top shape,” he replied.

“Your stunt today in the parade was most impressive,” she said as she offered him her arm.

Knowing the ritual of escorting a woman about the fair, Dale took her arm with a pat of her delicate gloved hand. The overall fragile feeling of a woman was one of the things that stopped him from exploring them more than he had back in high school. Most women felt like they would break if he hugged them too hard. Not like the masculine men he liked in his arms.

“I wish it had been just a stunt,” he replied as they walked toward the wooden gate that would let them back into the fairgrounds. “That fool pretzel boy tripped and jabbed Champion with his pole.”

“Alas, I was too far back in the parade to see exactly what happened,” the lady said with a heavy sigh. “The drummers and part of the court were between us. I only know you handled your steed with remarkable skill. No one was harmed and the crowd found it most entertaining. It is more than John could’ve managed. His horse would’ve unseated him and then left without bothering to look back over its shoulder.”

Dale paused to hold the gate open for the lady, since it was only large enough for them to pass one at a time. The general flow of the Renaissance fair washed over them as they stepped beyond the gate.

“Did I catch some undertone of humor directed at John earlier?” he asked as he reclaimed her arm.

She smiled and patted his hand. “You are more observant than some of the other jousters we’ve had around here. Pious John may be a good jouster, but most of the court, particularly the ladies, finds him a bit of a bore. We all humor him even as he ignores our advances. There is only one woman for him.”

“His Marissa?” asked Dale as he let Catherine angle them up the steeper of the two lanes they approached.

“Entirely,” she replied with a chuckle. “He speaks of his Marissa, but none of us have ever met her. Not even Chipmunk, the biggest gossip around, has been able to get more than her name. For all any of us know, she may well be the blessed Virgin Mary herself.” They paused while Catherine looked into a shop with large feathered headpieces. “My dear duke, I have yet to be in this establishment this year. Could we not enter and see what new pretties they have for our amusement?”

Around them, patrons stared. This was part of the show, and a part Dale knew how to play well.

“If it pleases my lady,” he said, smiling, “then let us sample their wares and see if they have anything that might come close to adding to your remarkable beauty.”

“Diederik,” a voice called out from their right. “Demon Duke!” Dale turned and watched six college men hurry toward them. “My lords,” he said with a slight bow. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Oh my God, it’s really you!” the tallest of the group proclaimed. “I saw on your website you were going to be here. I’ve seen all your videos. You are the best jouster on the circuit.”

Doing his best to stop from blushing like he normally did when good-looking men made such compliments, Dale bowed again. “You fine gentlemen do me a great honor.”

“Hey, can we get our picture with you and the lady?” one of them asked.

He glanced at Catherine, who nodded her agreement. “With such fine specimens of manhood such as yourselves, how could we possibly decline such an offer, my lord duke,” she said before he could respond.

Five of the men, including the tallest, who had to stand over six feet five inches, gathered around them as their friend took a series of pictures. Everyone laughed and posed. It helped push some of the negativity from earlier in the day away from Dale.

As they broke apart, the tall one leaned over and whispered in Dale’s ear. “I’ve heard interesting things about you. I hope we run into each other again.”

His friends were calling him to join them at the pub, so he hurried off before Dale could respond.

Catherine looked pleased as she took his arm again. “So you already have a following here?” she asked as they climbed the two wooden steps into the shop.

“I have a strong presence online, my lady. The fans know where to find me,” he replied.

A woman dressed in simple servant garb walked up to them before they could continue their conversation. “Lady Catherine, so good of you to come in today. We have several new designs I made specifically with you in mind.” The shop owner took her off Dale’s arm and whirled her into the establishment.

He looked out over the crowd that swarmed along the lane. If Cat hadn’t been with him, he’d have been tempted to make sure he and the tall man connected again. He didn’t normally trick with men much taller than his own six feet one inch height, but this one looked interesting. He hoped they would find each other again before he left Colorado.

Chapter 8

“So what are you going to do about Rick?” Jasmine asked.

Austin glared at the traffic around them. As normal, I-25 was backed up into Denver from the fairgrounds. That was one of the reasons he and Jasmine stayed on site most Saturday nights and went back to their mundane lives on Sunday evening.

“You know, I’m really not worried about Rick at this point,” he replied, wishing they’d been running just a little bit later so they could’ve missed most of the traffic.

“I know you want him to just go away, but people like him don’t do that. You need to come up with a plan.”

“The last message he left, he sounded so drunk he’s probably still passed out. I can put that off until tomorrow. I’m more worried about how pissed off Dale O’Toole is.”

Jasmine sighed and stared out the passenger side of the Jeep. “I keep telling you to let it go. First, he’s a jouster. He probably wouldn’t give you the time of day. Second, you haven’t even officially met the guy. Yeah, you scared his horse. So what? It was an accident. Even if you do meet him outside of fair persona, if he doesn’t understand that, then he’s a jerk and you don’t need to be wasting your time on him.”

Austin echoed her sigh. “I know, but he’s really hot.”

“So you’ve told me several times the past couple of days.” Jasmine sounded pained. “Almost every gossip working the fair is talking about how hot he is, and how Lady Catherine has her sights set on him. Do you think you can compete with Lady Catherine?”

“If he’s gay, there shouldn’t be any competition,” he objected.

“But you don’t know one way or the other. Even Chipmunk doesn’t know, or isn’t telling.”

Traffic began to move forward as he turned to stare at her. “You talked to Chipmunk about this?”

The car behind them honked when he didn’t take his foot off the brake. Austin hit the gas.

Jasmine chuckled. “Not about you, silly. I asked him a bit about the new jouster. Tried to make it sound like I might be interested in him. He said every woman in court is standing behind Lady Catherine to see what happens, and half of the men too. Right now, nobody knows what to think of the Dark Duke, other than he’s hot.”

“Maybe we can find out more this weekend.” Austin angled the Jeep over into the fast lane for the first time since getting on the highway.

“Or on Wednesday night,” said Jasmine.

“What’s Wednesday night?”

“Chipmunk’s opening week party,” she said with a big grin. “We’re invited. We can bring guests if we want, but I figure we can leave Rick and Mike at home. It’ll be more fun that way.”

Traffic opened up, making conversation in the open-top Jeep difficult. Austin thought about seeing Dale out of costume at a party. Would Dale accept his apology? Should he just leave well enough alone?

Austin pulled into his parking place at his apartment complex. Rick’s car wasn’t in its customary place. He wondered if Rick had gone out for more booze. At least he might be able to get in, have a quick bite to eat, and be asleep before he got home. He knew Jasmine was right; he needed a plan to get Rick out of his life.

They’d met right after fair was over last year. It had been a quick courtship. Rick was attractive and had been very attentive at first. When they moved in together, that had all changed. Within a month, the self-obsessed asshole emerged. He’d stopped being affectionate and wanted Austin to do everything for him. Whiney and needy, he wasn’t at all the man Austin had first met. He claimed to have a bad back and was on medical marijuana. Their apartment reeked of it. Now if something didn’t directly impact Rick, he didn’t care about it. Like him forgetting that Austin was now working the Renaissance fair on weekends. He hadn’t told Jasmine, but Rick’s last voice mail accused Austin of being out tomcatting around.

As he walked up the stairs, Austin realized if he had the chance, he probably would, just to piss Rick off. Rick had been the first man Austin thought he loved since his high school sweetheart, who’d been captain of the football team and not ready for a real relationship at the time. But he knew a loser situation when he found himself in one, and the Rick he had now was totally different than the one he’d met nearly a year ago.

The door swung open before he slid his key into the dead bolt. Rick stood there, still in his bathrobe, his blond hair disheveled, his pale-blue eyes bloodshot and unfocused.

“Where the fuck have you been all weekend?” he slurred.

Austin sighed, hopes for a quiet dinner and bed leaving as he pushed past Rick in the doorway. “I told you the Renfair started this weekend and I had to work. Like I did Monday when Jasmine and I helped Phillip stock the pirate booth.” He didn’t bother closing the door, leaving it for Rick to close. He dropped the bag with his costume in it on the couch as he walked past.

“You didn’t return any of my calls!” Rick replied as he slammed the door so hard it rattled the pictures in the entryway.

“I was working. I had my phone on vibrate.”

“What if something important had happened to me? Who puts their phone on vibrate when they are working, anyway? You don’t do that at the printshop.”

“Phones didn’t exist in the Renaissance period,” Austin explained as he started pacing the small living room, which had blankets, whisky bottles, and a dirty bong out where they hadn’t been when he left Saturday morning. “We aren’t supposed to have things on us that are out of period. No phones, no watches.”

“That’s stupid,” Rick replied, taking up a pose behind the couch. “Who really works at the Renaissance fair anyway? What kind of job is that? I take it you have to wear some kind of silly costume too?”

“You didn’t think it was so silly when we were playing pirate’s booty a few months back!” Austin stopped his pacing and glared. “You said it was kinda sexy.”

“I only said that because I thought you wanted me to tell you that. I don’t see why we needed to pretend to be something we aren’t to have sex.”

“Well excuse me if I wanted to try and liven things up a bit after you started getting high all the time. Things got really boring when you got on the MJ.”

Rick grasped the back of the couch so hard his knuckles turned white. “You know I have a bad back!”

“I know you’re kinda spineless!” Austin shouted.

“At least I return phone calls! Which is more than I can say for you.

I was worried all weekend.”

“You were high and drunk all weekend!”

“I was in pain and needed you here to take care of me,” Rick whined.

“I was off making money, bitch, to help pay our bills? Speaking of which, where is your part of the rent? You were supposed to get paid this week!” Austin was about to lose what little restraint he had. He hated shouting matches, and this wasn’t the first one he’d had with Rick. It had gotten to the point where they were having at least one fight a week. That was too much. He’d covered Rick’s part of the rent last month, and the man had promised to get him some cash this week.

“Hey, I got paid.”

“And where is the money?”

“It should be in my pants.” Rick looked about the chaos of the living room.

Austin stomped into the bedroom. A pair of Rick’s jeans lay across the rumpled bed. After digging in the pockets, he came up with a small wad of cash. There was fifty bucks there. He knew Rick’s checks were normally almost a thousand dollars every two weeks from the call center he worked in.

Throwing the pants down in disgust, Austin turned to glare at Rick, who now leaned against the doorframe.

“Fifty bucks?” he yelled. “All you have left of your check is fifty bucks. You smoked and drank the rest of it?” Blood pounded in his head. He needed to get away from Rick now. He didn’t care that it was his apartment. He needed to leave.

“Hey, I was in pain. Don’t you care that I was in pain?”

“At this point, no, I don’t care that you were in pain. We… I have a life to live that doesn’t include blowing every available cent on booze and weed.” Austin jammed the fifty bucks in his pocket along with the two hundred he’d gotten for working the Renfair. “You need to figure out what’s important to you!” He yanked out a couple of drawers from the dresser sitting next to the door, then pulled out a few of changes of clothes so he could get through the week at the printshop. He headed back to the living room, pushing past Rick.

“Where are you going?” Rick shouted.

“I don’t know!” Austin screamed as he unzipped his Renfair bag and shoved the clothes in, not caring that he was mixing clean and dirty items. “I just have to get away from you!”

“Well don’t expect me to be here when you come back!”

Not bothering to reply, Austin slammed the door again on his way out of the apartment. He hurried down to the Jeep. He knew Jasmine would take him in, even if her couch was more than a little bit lumpy.

Chapter 9

“I think we still have time for dinner before the party,” Dale said to Catherine as she slid into the passenger seat of his truck.

She smiled at him. “If we don’t do anything extravagant, you mean?”

Dale nodded as he started the truck. “So you said there’s a nice little Mexican restaurant in Castle Rock.”

“That’s right, Don Pablo’s. I’ll get you there. They have the most delicious enchiladas.” Her manner and voice didn’t change much when she was out of character, even if she had been wearing jeans and simple blouses during the off days. Most Renfair actors had very distinctive personas between their mundane selves and their character. Catherine was different. She had spent the past couple of days coming to the site to watch him practice and more than a little time flirting with him. So far, Dale hadn’t worked up the courage to tell her he wasn’t interested. He’d been careful in dodging her advances, and they were rapidly becoming friends. Being able to make friends easily helped him avoid being alone more than he liked. For all her fluff and circumstance, Cat had a depth he hadn’t been expecting.

“So is there anything I need to know about this party tonight?” Dale asked as he piloted the truck onto the two-lane road going through Larkspur toward I-25.

“Not really,” Catherine replied. “Chipmunk throws two parties a year, this one and then one the Monday after fair is over. A lot of the cast and crew show up, so they are great places to meet folk in a more relaxed setting than on weekends when the gates are open. Lots of gossip will be exchanged. Old friends will catch up on what’s happened over the year. New people get to meet most everyone. There are some that can’t make it. They have jobs in the city and only come out on days we’re open. Others are just antisocial, if you know what I mean?”

Dale laughed as he drove up on the interstate, heading north. He knew many antisocial folks who just worked the Renfair and didn’t bother getting to know the other people there. He figured most everyone that camped out at the site would be there.

“So I presume John won’t be there?” he asked.

Catherine chuckled. “Sir John the Pious has never been seen at one of the cast parties and probably never will. The odds are that mysterious woman of his doesn’t like socializing with the likes of us. It might actually cause a bit of a stir when you show up. Jousters aren’t known for being very social around here. Although Max shows up at most of the parties.”

“I can see Max doing that.” Dale nodded as he passed a slow-moving Volkswagen bus. Max was more like the Renfair folk he was used to dealing with than the part-time jousters he employed. Dale was still getting to know Max but figured he had an interesting tale to tell, and hoped to get it out of him someday.

“Chipmunk said yesterday he’d even talked some of the performers into singing this year. More than just the Laundry Lushes, that is. This could be an even bigger party than the one toward the middle of fair, the Fourth of July bash. Now that party can get out of hand. Last year it dissolved into a small orgy. I hate to admit it, but I came home with a bit of an infestation.”

Dale laughed loudly. “No, not you with an infestation?” He’d lost count of how many infestations he’d had from going to more adult parties at the various fairs across the country. Some were cleaner than others, but when you got a bunch of people spending a big part of their lives living out of tents, cleanliness wasn’t always top priority.

“Well, truth be told, half the queen’s court was itching for about a week after that party. It could’ve been worse, but the queen herself wasn’t there.” Cat laughed too. Dale had to admit to himself, if he were straight, she was the type of lady that would draw his attention. She was a strong, willful woman who was far from a shrinking violet.

“So tell me more about you,” Cat demanded playfully as they sat eating chips and salsa, waiting for their meal to arrive. In the distance, a mariachi band played as they wandered through the restaurant.

Dale shrugged. “Not much to tell really. I’ve been a jouster now for about five years.”

“And leaving a string of broken hearts in every fair, no doubt.” Catherine smiled.

“I don’t know about that,” he replied, trying not to blush.

Their waiter arrived before she could say any more. Dale couldn’t help himself—he gawked. The man was exquisite, with long dark hair pulled back much like the clumsy pirate’s, olive skin, and piercing blue eyes. Dale wondered if the man’s skill at balancing plates might translate to something else in the bedroom. The waiter’s blue eyes twinkled in the flickering light of the candles that decorated the tables.

“Can I get you anything else, señor?” the waiter asked, jolting Dale out of his stare.

He glanced at Cat, who shook her head. “No, I think that will be all for now,” he replied.

The waiter nodded and hustled off.

“So that’s how it is?” Catherine purred as she stabbed her fork into her enchilada.

“How what is?” Dale asked, not sure what she was talking about.

“I saw how you looked at him. I’ve never seen you look that closely at me or any of the ladies at the fair.”

Dale froze with his fork just into the red sauce covering his meal. He hadn’t realized he’d been that obvious. “What do you mean?”

“Oh Dale, sweetie, it’s okay. I don’t care.” She paused. “Well all right, I admit I thought it would be nice to have those big strong arms of yours wrapped around me in a night of naked passion with my thighs covering your waist while you thrust into me.”

Dale’s face went numb as his eyes grew wide.

Catherine laughed. “There’s no need for the look of horror either. I won’t attack you on the way to the party or take advantage of you if you get drunk. I understand. Some of my best friends are gay.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “I think I may need to consult with them about you. I used to think I had really good gaydar, but you didn’t ping until you cruised that waiter. I have to agree, he is hot.” She glanced over her shoulder to watch him for a moment as he worked a table across the small room.

“I’m glad this isn’t a problem,” Dale said as he finished pushing his fork into his food. “I wasn’t sure how it would go over here in Colorado.”

“Depends on who you tell,” Cat said after chewing a bite. “For the most part, we are actually in the modern world here in the mountainous west, but there are a few that wear their crosses proudly still clinging to old-fashioned ideas.”

“So you think I should keep quiet?”

“Until you’re sure about the people you’re talking to. There are a few, like Chipmunk, who are fine. I actually overheard him telling some little shop girl one time that the only reason he was straight was he likes tits. If I had been in the conversation, I may have asked him about dick, but I was on my way somewhere at the time. Most of the folks who will be at the party tonight should be fine with it. It’s the ones that are antisocial you have to be careful with.”

Dale thought for a moment about what she’d said, trying to remember some of the people she’d mentioned were antisocial earlier.

“So will you still escort me around the fair?” Catherine asked. “This year, you are the most attractive man in court. I must be seen with the best.”

A chuckle escaped Dale’s lips, almost causing him to choke on his bite of beef enchilada. “If it pleases my lady, I would be happy to escort you about. We can do a bit of man watching, perhaps?”

She laughed as she finished her dinner. “Oh, that is my absolutely favorite pastime. It’s been what, four… five days? And you already know me so well.” She reached across the table and patted his hand. “Don’t worry, Dale, I’ll keep your little secret safe from the fundies and we’ll have so much fun.”

Chapter 10

“Jas, I’m just not sure I’m in the right mood for this,” Austin objected as he steered his Jeep onto the fairgrounds.

“Look, neither one of us has to work in the morning. Even though you wanted to get rid of the big lout, you’ve been moping around my place for three days now. Honey, you need a party. Besides, I told Chipmunk we’d be there when he invited me Sunday. You don’t want him to go around fair telling people we don’t show up when I say we are, do you?”

Austin sighed as he parked the Jeep next to a big black Nissan truck. He’d heard about what happened to folks who disappointed the biggest gossip in the shire.

“Heavens forbid we don’t show,” he said.

“So come on,” Jasmine said as she swung out of the Jeep. “We need some action around here. You’re driving, so no drinking. But I can get plastered! I wonder if that cute guy from the drum tribe will be there. I haven’t had a chance to flirt with him yet this year.” She bounced as she set out up the hill. Austin had no choice but to follow her.

The fairgrounds always felt empty when there weren’t any patrons around, but on a weeknight, when a good part of the staff was missing, it could take on a haunted-forest atmosphere. Going past the deserted maze without the guys calling out insults to the patrons as they walked by was eerie. The first two stages they passed sat there in the growing shadows, waiting for performers and audience to come along and bring them back to life. Austin tried to remember the last time he’d been here after dark. It had been several years, and the place still creeped him out.

Halfway through the fair, they caught the sounds of music and laughter. Ahead of them, just past the pirate shop, waited the pirate’s bar. A good number of people filled the area around the stage, joining in the bawdy pirate songs the Dark Fairies were belting out a cappella from the stage.

“Chipmunk didn’t say they were coming!” Jasmine screamed. “Have you heard these guys yet? They are awesome!”

Austin shook his head. “Nope, didn’t come through this way with the pretzels when they were on stage this weekend.”

“Then go listen to them. I promised Big Bertha I’d help with the bar tonight.”

“Wait a minute,” he objected. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Must have slipped my mind,” she said with a wink that told him she’d been plotting something. “Now go mingle. I’ll get out when I can.”

Austin glared at her as she retreated to the bar. He’d been hoping they could just sit together, say hey to old friends, and go home after a little bit, but if she was working the bar, they’d be at the party until the end. Trying not to feel worse than he already did, he wandered over to the wooden benches that lined the front of the stage.

Monday, he’d remembered why he put up with Rick: he hated being alone. Even staying with Jasmine, he was acutely aware he was alone in the world again. Even at twenty-eight, he had an ingrained fear he was going to die alone. He tended to find guys like Rick and latch on to them for a year or more, putting up with their insanities. Most of the time, they got tired of him being clingy, or that’s what Jasmine told him, and left. Rick was the first one he’d broken up with. He’d actually felt good about that, but he was alone again.

“Hey, Austin,” Chipmunk said, sliding into the empty space beside him. “Glad you could make it. I take it Jasmine’s here.”

“Yeah, she’s helping out at the bar right now,” he replied.

Chipmunk tilted his head and looked concerned. “You sound and look glum, chum. Folks aren’t supposed to be glum at my parties.”

“Broke up with my boyfriend Sunday after I got home,” he confessed, more in hopes that Chipmunk might offer some sympathy and then wander away to leave him listening to music.

“Man, that sucks. You need a drink.” “Can’t, I’m driving,” Austin declined.

“Did you two leave your tent set up in the campground?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Do either one of you have to work tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Then I’m getting you a drink. You can crash in your tent, or someone else’s if you get lucky. Don’t argue with me.” Chipmunk dashed off to the bar. He had a few words with Jasmine, whose face lit up about something before she began pouring a drink she handed to Chipmunk.

“You really didn’t have to,” Austin said as Chipmunk gave him the drink. Several distinct colors shone through the clear plastic cup. “Do I want to know what’s in this?”

Chipmunk shook his head. “Probably not. They’re calling it a pirate’s booty, so I know there’s rum in it, but beyond that, I didn’t ask. Jasmine did tell me to watch out, a couple of these should put you into slut mode.”

Austin glared at the bar where Jas was pouring something for Lady Catherine and Dale O’Toole. His heart sank when he saw Dale there, but why shouldn’t he show up at a party for the whole cast and crew? Austin downed the drink in two big gulps. It burned. Maybe after a few more, he’d have the courage to approach Dale and make a formal apology. Did he have any hope of that apology being accepted?

“Thanks, Chipmunk,” Austin said, watching Dale and Catherine more than looking at his friend. Without his armor, Dale’s broad shoulders strained the fabric of the tight black shirt he wore. The first couple of buttons on the shirt were open, showing a dark forest of hair against his tanned chest.

“Hey, no problem. If you need anything, you let me know. I need to mingle a bit. I am hosting this thing, after all. Plus, it will help me catch up on what everyone has done over the year.” Chipmunk hurried off toward Catherine and Dale. Austin wondered for a moment if he shouldn’t follow, get an introduction, and use that as an opening to make his apology. He opted instead to walk over to the bar and get more alcohol.

“You okay with us camping out tonight?” he asked Jasmine while she fixed him another drink.

“I’m just disappointed I didn’t think of it,” she replied. “We can leave as soon as we get up, go home, get a shower and breakfast. It will help break the week up even better than going home tonight. Let your hair down a bit and relax.” She handed him his drink, grabbed his ears, and pulled him down toward her. Then she snapped the worn hair tie he’d used to pull back his hair. “There, your hair’s down, go have fun.”

He laughed; the first drink was starting to hit him already. “What’s in these things?” he asked, sipping the new drink.

She smiled and shook her finger at him. “Other than rum, I’m not telling. But they pack a really good wallop.”

“Did you happen to give Dale one?”

“Dale?”

He glared at her.

“Oh, Dale, the new jouster,” she said. “Yeah, he got one. Said he wanted to try a bit of local flavor.”

“I’d like to give him a taste of the locals,” Austin said, turning to watch Dale and Catherine talk with Chipmunk and someone he thought might be one of the other court ladies.

“If you’re still thinking about going over to apologize for being a klutz, wait until he’s had two or three drinks. He’ll agree to just about anything… trust me.” Jasmine grinned maliciously.

“Thanks,” he said as he turned and walked back over to his seat on the bench.

Austin watched and waited, feeling a bit like a stalker even though he made sure to talk to as many of his old friends as possible. He caught up on news, who was sleeping with who now, who wasn’t at fair this year, who’d gotten married, who’d gotten divorced, all the prerequisite knowledge. All the while, he made sure he knew where Dale was and how many drinks the man had in him. At one point, right after his third trip to the bar, Catherine had to make a polite bow out, and Austin saw his chance.

With the dregs of his second drink still in his hand, he walked up to where Dale stood listening to the band sing an old sailing song.

“Hi, you’re the new jouster, Diederik, right?” he asked, looking into the ruggedly attractive face.

Dale’s hazel eyes caught the light just right so they sparkled a dark forest green for a moment as he focused on Austin. Austin’s heart stopped for a second as he looked at him. He’d never seen such a handsome man before. Dale from a distance paled to him close up. The perfectly trimmed beard accented his strong jawline just right, and the short black hair looked like it was waiting for someone to run their fingers through it.

“Call me Dale,” he replied, extending a large hand.

Austin gulped as he shifted his plastic cup so he could accept the hand. A little jolt ran through him as they touched. Fine dark hairs on the back of Dale’s hand tickled his fingers as they shook.

“I’m Austin.” He didn’t want to release the handshake, but holding on to it would make him look like a freak.

“Pleased to meet you, Austin. Are you local or a gypsy?”

“Local, but I’ve been working the fair for several years now.”

“Where do you work?”

Austin gulped. “Mostly at the pirate souvenir shop, but I fill in at the bakery too.” He didn’t want to have to apologize. The man’s deep voice and sexiness were consuming him. If he apologized and it didn’t go right, Dale might just stomp off. But if he didn’t and Catherine came back, he might lose his chance.

“You know the pirate thing is a new craze at the fairs. There are actually a few that haven’t caught it yet,” Dale said, his eyes never leaving Austin’s. Somewhere inside him, Austin felt a connection start to form, but he told himself he was crazy. He might be clingy, but he couldn’t form an attachment with someone this quickly. That sounded too much like love at first sight. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe in fairy tales, even at the Renaissance fair.

“Yeah, about the time the pirate movies really took off,” Austin agreed. “My friend Jasmine knows the man who owns the shop here, and when he opened it, she offered us to help him run it. It’s been really fun. The extra cash doesn’t hurt either.” Dale nodded.

“So, Dale, I wanted to apologize.” Austin tried to keep his voice steady as he stared into the amazing face.

“Apologize? For what?” Dale looked confused and had a little bit of an alcohol haze about him.

“I’m the guy who tripped and fell Saturday in the parade and hityour-horse-with-the-pretzel-pole.” There, it was out. Austin wished he had more in his cup. His throat went dry as he watched different emotions play across Dale’s face. Before Dale could say anything, Austin continued. “I’m really sorry about that and would do anything to make it up to you.”

A new look crossed his face; Austin couldn’t tell what it meant. Then Catherine returned and claimed Dale’s arm.

“Hello, I’m Catherine.” She reached out her hand to him. “You’re one of Phillip’s folks, aren’t you? Working in the pirate shop.”

“Austin,” he replied, delicately taking her hand. It was fragile where Dale’s had been strong. “Yeah, I work in the pirate shop.”

“Austin was just apologizing for falling in the parade Saturday,” Dale said before Catherine could say anything. There was an odd, almost predatory tone in his voice now. Austin wondered how much of it was the drinks. “He was saying how he would do anything to make it up to me. I wonder what I should ask of him?”

The lady laughed. “My dear Dale, you sound as if you may have had a bit too much to drink. These pirate’s booties are a bit stronger than I’m normally accustomed to drinking. You have had more than I, or perhaps they are taking their toll on you as well.”

Austin was amazed that she was nearly in character, out of costume in the middle of the week. He could pop into character at the drop of a hat but didn’t sound like that all the time.

Dale’s gaze came back to Austin. “You know, a bit of pirate booty might not be a bad thing.” The predatory edge was still in his voice, and now in his eyes as well. Austin’s pulse quickened; he knew now that Dale was interested in him, if for nothing more than a single drunken roll.

Dale took a step and wobbled. Austin knew he’d had four of the booties. The two he’d had made him a bit buzzed, but Dale was bulkier, so maybe it just took longer for them to really hit him.

“Austin, why don’t we get Dale to his bed?” Catherine asked as she reached to steady him. “If you wouldn’t mind helping me, I’d appreciate it. The hill can be steep and rough in the dark.” Something in her tone told him she knew Dale might be interested in him.

“Give me a moment to let my friend know where I’m going.” He dashed off toward the bar before she could reply.

“Hey, Jas,” he called when he was close enough to get her attention.

“You ready for another one?” she asked as one of the guys who made moccasins wandered off with a cup in each hand.

“Nope, I’m good,” he replied. “I’m going to help get Dale to his bed.” He grinned like a fool and didn’t care.

She looked sternly at him. “So if I can’t find you by morning, I’ll check the jousters’ area?”

Austin laughed as he turned back to where Dale was wobbling more in Catherine’s grasp. “Yup.”

The trip down the hill was harder than Austin could’ve imagined. The only thing worse would have been if the sun had been blazing down on them, but a half-moon tried to light their way. None of them had a flashlight to help them avoid ruts and tree roots that troubled the lane.

Several times, Dale stumbled badly enough that only Austin and Catherine’s combined efforts kept him from doing a face-plant.

“The things I do for my friends,” Catherine muttered as they reached semi-level ground and swung around the main festival office, toward the campground.

“You’re a good friend, Cat,” Dale slurred.

She laughed. “And you’re a lousy drunk, my lord jouster.” She looked around him to Austin. “Thanks for helping. Those drinks really packed a punch. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear someone slipped him something. The two I had aren’t hitting me like this.”

“I had two too,” he replied. He wondered if maybe Jasmine hadn’t tweaked Dale’s drinks a bit. “Maybe he’s not used to the altitude yet and the drinks are hitting him harder.”

“Nah, I just had four,” Dale said groggily. “Just four… but they were good. I’m good. I like it up here.”

“Maybe I should have stopped you at three,” Cat said as they stumbled into the campground.

“Where’s his tent?” Austin asked as they were faced with a couple of different paths. Though the strong arm across his shoulder was somewhat exciting, he didn’t want to spend all night dragging Dale around looking for a tent.

“He’s got a bunk in the front of his horse trailer,” Catherine replied. “This way.”

“Yeah. A nice homey place,” Dale mumbled. “Bed’s just big enough for two.” He looked at Austin through unfocused eyes.

“I’m thinking you need to sleep it off tonight,” said Austin. Inwardly he cringed. Here I go, missing a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the hottest guy here. I need my head examined.

“That might be for the best,” Catherine agreed.

“Don’t I get a say?” Dale asked as he stumbled on a tree root that stretched across the narrow trail leading down to the corral. “I might need someone to keep me warm in these cold mountains.”

Austin’s T-shirt clung to his sweat-soaked back. It was warm enough for anyone tonight. He could tell now that Dale was drunk enough he wasn’t being subtle with his attempts at flirting. Wishing the man wasn’t drunk, and cursing Jasmine for overdoing the booze, he wondered if he would ever get another chance for Dale to flirt with him… and maybe do more than flirt.

“The evening is warm enough, my sweet,” Catherine purred. “Over here.” She led them across the parking lot, where several trailers of various sizes, including the one for the elephants, sat. A large white pickup sat unhooked in front of one trailer that looked like it had an extended front.

“Dale, where’s your key?” she asked, stopping at the door.

“Let Austin dig it out,” said Dale, wobbling a bit as they stopped.

“Dale, don’t be silly, you can get the key.”

“It’s in my right pocket.”

“I’ll get it,” Austin replied, pushing his hand into the tight pocket of Dale’s jeans. Dale’s muscular thigh was firm under his fingers. He wondered what it would be like to feel it without the fabric between them. He found the key ring, pulled it out, and handed it to Catherine. She took a couple of minutes finding the right key while Dale leaned heavily against Austin. Dale’s groped him clumsily. Austin hoped his groping was more coordinated when he wasn’t drunk. Over the years, he’d known a few men who were awkward, drunk or sober.

“Found it,” Catherine said as she swung the door open.

Dale straightened up for a moment and looked at her. “You have been a perfect lady tonight. Thank you for seeing me and this fine gentleman home. I shall find you in the morning. Perhaps we can all have breakfast… or maybe lunch.”

Catherine laughed. “Thank you for a fun evening, Dale. Now go to bed.”

“Can you help me in?” he asked Austin as he took an uncertain step toward the trailer.

“Sure, let’s get you tucked in,” replied Austin. He stepped a little ahead and braced himself to help Dale up the two short steps. As Dale hauled himself in, Austin steadied him so the two of them wouldn’t go crashing back into the dirt outside. Once in, Austin felt around the side of the door for a light switch. He flipped one and nothing happened.

“Try the other one,” Catherine called from outside.

The second switch illuminated the small trailer. A bed waited a few steps from the door, on the other side of a small two-seat table. He angled them toward the bed without closing the door.

“You could stay,” Dale said, running his hands over the tight expanse of Austin’s T-shirt.

“You make a tempting offer, my dashing jouster,” Austin said as he pushed Dale down onto the bed. “But let’s see if you’re still interested when the buzz wears off.”

Dale caught his hands and pulled him down toward the bed. Austin was just off-balance enough that he fell forward, pushing the two of them back across the narrow mattress. He whacked his head on the wall. Stars filled his vision.

“Sorry,” Dale mumbled.

“You two okay in there?” Catherine called from outside.

“Will be,” Austin called back, rubbing his head and trying to sit up from where he was sprawled across Dale’s massive chest. It would be nice to just lay here a bit, but he needs to go to sleep. Hands on the firm shoulders, he pushed himself up. Dale caught him around the back of the neck with a large hand and pulled him back down. Their lips met. Even through the rum-scented breath, it was a very electrifying kiss. I have to get out of here before I totally take advantage of this really hot, totally wasted man. Austin caught hold of Dale’s hands and held them as he leveraged himself off the bed.

“Get some sleep. If we’re lucky, our paths will cross again,” Austin said as he stepped away from the bed. He turned out the light as he walked out of the trailer. Catherine tossed the key ring onto the floor before he closed the door.

“Thanks for helping get him home,” she said as loud snores started from the trailer. “Please be discreet.” She took his arm, just like she would in character, and started walking him back toward the campground. “You’re from around here. You know how people can be. Dale’s a good man. I’ll explain what happened to him tomorrow. Will you be around tomorrow?”

Austin shook his head. “We’re leaving for Denver early, but we camp out on Saturday nights.”

She nodded as they walked through the campground. “I’ll let him know that.”

Chapter 11

Dale O’toole’s head pounded. For some reason it matched the pounding someone was doing on his door.

“O’Toole, are you in there?” Max’s voice boomed louder than the pounding.

Forcing himself to sit up, thankful the room wasn’t spinning around him, Dale glared at the door.

“Just a second, Max!” he called out. His mouth was dry and foul. He recognized the taste of last night’s rum. He still had his clothes on; that was a good sign. Wobbling toward the door, he stepped on his keys. The sharp metal bit into his sock-covered feet. “Shit!” He grabbed the edge of the table to keep from falling down.

Finally, he reached the door and looked down at Max. The bright sun was almost too much for his hungover eyes.

“’Bout time you woke up.” His boss grinned up at him. “Had a little too much fun at Chipmunk’s party last night?”

“I guess so,” he replied, not trusting himself to nod.

“Well, get yourself going. Practice started ten minutes ago, and you and John have to get the bugs out of your death scene before Saturday. He gets to win this weekend.”

“I’ll be there in a few,” Dale replied. He waited for Max to turn and walk off before closing the door.

He pulled off the rumpled black shirt and didn’t see any vomit stains on it. At least he could hope he hadn’t spilled his guts everywhere in front of people he didn’t know. He shouldn’t have had the drinks, but they had been tasty, and Catherine promised to look out for him. It had been the first time in several years he’d had more than one drink in an evening. With any luck, he hadn’t made too big a fool of himself. There were only a few men on the fair site he found attractive. He tried to remember if any of them had been there. There was that pirate, the one who had poked Champion with his pretzel pole. The last thing he really remembered was talking to the pirate while Cat ran to the bathroom.

Digging out his padded practice clothes, he fought to recall what he and the handsome pirate had talked about. When he wasn’t mad at the man, he was actually fairly cute, with his long brown hair, goatee, blue eyes, and tufts of hair curling over the collar of his skintight T-shirt. That was it; he apologized for bumping Champion. His name was… Austin?

Someone knocked on his door as he struggled to remember if he’d accepted the man’s apology or not. He opened the door to find Catherine standing there with a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee.

“Max said you were running behind this morning and I figured you could use this after last night.” She smiled up at him.

“You’re a lifesaver,” he said, motioning her in. “So how bad a fool did I make of myself?”

“I think we got you out of the party before you started dancing on the bar.” She laughed; the normally pleasant sound shot right through his head. “Austin helped me get you back here.”

“I remember talking to him. He’s the pirate, right? Long hair?”

She nodded as he reached for his boots. “That’s him. Seems like a really nice guy. You seemed to take a liking to him last night.”

“So I accepted his apology, then?” Dale struggled to force his feet into his boots.

“Appeared so. He didn’t run off when I asked for help getting you back here. He might even like you too. At least he didn’t punch you when you kissed him.”

“I kissed him?” Dale paused after he stamped his boot on the floor to settle his foot more firmly. “I’m such a messy drunk. I’m so sorry I did

that. Those drinks were just tasty, and stronger than I realized.”

“Why don’t you find him and apologize to him too?”

“Do you know where to find him?” he asked, reaching for the coffee.

“They were leaving this morning to go back to Denver, but he and the gal that was helping Bertha at the bar will be back this weekend, and they camp out on Saturday nights.”

“So I’ll track him down this weekend.” Dale stood up with his coffee and roll in hand. “Hate to rush out after you brought me breakfast, but need to get to the joust field. I hope we’re off horse this morning. Not sure I could stay in the saddle if I had to.”

“Sweetie, you go have fun. I’ll find you later and we can discuss all the good gossip I heard after we got you into bed.”

As the mace whistled down toward him, Dale artfully rolled at just the right moment to make it look like the mace struck his side. Luckily John pulled the blow so all it did was strike the padded practice shirt. Dale let himself go limp as he hit the ground. The fall managed to jar his head, which still throbbed from the hangover.

“Very good,” Max called from his seat in the royal box. The afternoon sun beat down on the jousting field, managing to raise the heat enough that everyone was soaked in sweat. They’d been practicing for nearly three hours, and this was the first time Max had liked the hit. Dale’s side ached from where he’d landed on it so many times.

“Two more like that and we can call it at day,” Max yelled out.

John offered Dale a hand up. “You rolled better that time.”

“And you pulled the blow perfectly. Let’s do it again.” Dale tried not to fall on his face as he retrieved the practice sword John had knocked from his hand before the final blow. Two more rounds, now that they knew what Max was looking for, and they would be ready for the joust crowd on Saturday.

“You guys take the rest of the day off, and tomorrow too,” Max said, walking down onto the field. “I’ve got some things to handle tomorrow, so we won’t be practicing. Just don’t lose what you’ve got now and we should look great on Saturday.” Max turned and marched off the field in the direction of his trailer.

“You seemed a bit off today,” John said as they gathered their gear.

“Had a bit too much to drink at Chipmunk’s party last night,” Dale replied.

“Ah, Chipmunk’s parties, a bit too much debauchery for me,” John replied. “Besides, Wednesday is church night, particularly since we are working on Sunday right now.”

“Lady Catherine wanted to go, and I had no other plans,” Dale replied as they started toward the far end of the field.

“And how are you getting along with the fair Lady Catherine? Any chance of you making an honest woman out of her?”

Laughter and giggles floated around them before Dale could answer. Catherine and a couple of the women from the court strolled toward them.

“My Lord John, did I hear you use my name and the words ‘honest woman’ in the same sentence?” Catherine laughed. Like a lot of women, her hearing was acute to the point of annoying. But John did have a booming voice, and so far Dale hadn’t heard him modulate it much.

John saved himself with an unconscious blush. “My good lady.” He bowed in a courtly manner. “It is the wish of every God-fearing man that every woman should find herself a husband.”

The two women with her giggled as Catherine put her hands on her hips and stared at him. The look on her face was something between indignation and humor.

“John,” she sighed. “I do not need you or any other man trying to play matchmaker for me. I know I have a very well-deserved reputation here at fair and in the other circles I move in as well. I enjoy my life and live it to the fullest. Can you say the same? Should the time ever come that I wish to limit myself to the tight piety you so swaddle yourself in, I will gladly come running to you and plead for your help in finding a husband to rule over me. Until that time, I will do as I please.” She looked at Dale, her eyes dancing mischievously. “Now then, my Lord Diederik, once you have made yourself presentable, we have dinner reservations.” She swirled away. Had she been in costume, the skirt would’ve twirled, but as it was, the heels of her boots clicked and she and her two friends strolled away.

“That one needs taming,” John said.

Dale chuckled. “I pity the man who tries. She has a mind of her own.”

“Just be careful she doesn’t lead you down to hell on her arm.” John scowled. “Women like her are part of the problem with our world today. They have forgotten their place.”

“She doesn’t strike me as the barefoot and pregnant type.” Dale resumed his walk toward the shed near the corral, where the gear was kept.

John huffed. “Well, just be careful of her.”

Dale laughed to himself. This confirmed his suspicions that John was one of the cast who couldn’t handle finding out he was gay. That could make for a very awkward situation in the performance. John didn’t like Catherine, and right now, being with her kept Dale safe.

Chapter 12

“Do you happen to have this in a four extra-large?” the heavyset woman in front of Austin asked, holding up a pink T-shirt with a skull and crossbones on it and the words “Pirate’s Booty” in sparkly letters across it. “It’s for my daughter.”

With practiced ease, Austin bit back the comment that threatened to come pouring out of him. “Let me go in the back and check for m’lady. If you don’t mind.”

The woman giggled. “It’s so cool how you folk talk here.”

Austin sighed and headed for the storage room. He doubted they had any of the shirt—it had been their best seller in the women’s shirts last weekend—and he had no idea how many of them Jasmine had sold while he was off peddling pretzels this morning. He’d managed to catch the noon joust and enjoyed watching the show. Dale hadn’t been in the parade—it was the white knight’s week for that—and then during the second joust, Austin had been up on the other end of the fairgrounds, trying to keep the elephants from grabbing pretzels as he sold them to the people there. He’d hoped to see Dale, if only to say hi, but so far the man was proving elusive as a four XL pink T-shirt.

After a futile search through the box of pink shirts, Austin headed back out front empty-handed. The large woman was still standing at the counter.

“Begging m’lady’s pardon, but it does appear we are currently out of stock on that size. The largest I was able to find was a double XL,” he explained.

“Well, thank you for looking. I suppose I’ll just have to get her one of those treasure chest snow globes or something.” Leaving the smaller shirt on the counter, the woman waddled over to the nearest display of souvenirs.

Austin looked over the few people in the shop. The temperature was nearly a hundred outside. It seemed to send the crowds home early, because he was sure there had been more people in the lanes when he was pretzeling.

A flash of dark blue and black caught his attention as two people strolled into the shop and past the displays.

“Lovely. We have caught you at a slow time,” Lady Catherine announced as she walked up to the counter. Dale stood next to her, looking more uncomfortable than he had several nights before. “I think I will peruse your wares while you two gentlemen chat.”

She swirled away before either Austin or Dale could say anything. Dale looked uneasy but smiled at Austin.

“She’s trying to keep my character safe,” Dale said softly. “I wanted to come in and apologize for getting so drunk the other night.”

“Hey, you’re new to the altitude. It can affect your tolerances,” Austin replied. His mind reeled at being sought out by Dale. He wished they were somewhere more private.

Dale nodded. “Even so, I would like to make it up to you. Lady Catherine says you camp overnight on Saturdays. Would you and your bartending friend care to join us for dinner tonight? Catherine knows most of the good restaurants around. It will be my treat for acting so unbecomingly at the party.”

Austin stood there in shock. His heart thumped madly in his chest. Was Dale O’Toole, hottest man at the fair, asking him out? Well, him and Jasmine? Sure, Lady Catherine would be there too, but it sounded a bit like a date with beards in tow. Dale’s hazel eyes looked even prettier in the light of the shop than they had under the harsh outside lights at the party. There wasn’t any way he could say no.

“Sure. Where would you like to meet up?” he answered before the offer was rescinded.

“We can take my truck. There’s room for four,” Dale said, looking pleased. “How about at the corral about eight? That will give us time to clean up a bit before going. If I can rein in Catherine, it won’t be anything fancy.”

“Oh, I don’t see a man around here strong enough to rein me in,” Catherine said, coming up behind the jouster. “If you two have this all worked out, the crowd is building and we should be on our way.”

“See you tonight.” Dale smiled at Austin before turning, taking Catherine’s arm, and walking out of the shop.

“You won’t believe what just happened!” Austin nearly screamed at Jasmine when her latest customer finally walked away with a cup full of beer.

“What?” she asked. “And why aren’t you at the shop?”

“I had to tell you this. I told Phillip I’d be back in a couple of minutes.” He didn’t tell her he’d almost bounced all the way over to the pirate bar. His heart was still beating hard from talking to Dale.

“Well, out with it. There’s no telling when the next drunken lout is going to want another cup of beer.”

“We have a date tonight.”

“What do you mean ‘we have a date’?” She glared over the bar at him.

He lowered his voice before continuing. “Dale, aka Diederik, and Lady Catherine have asked us, that’s you and me, out to dinner tonight to make up for him getting so drunk at the party.” He paused and stared at her. “Which, by the way, you didn’t do anything to his drinks, did you?” “He’s a flatlander drinking in the mountains. I didn’t have to do anything to his drinks.” She sounded slightly put out by his suggestion, but he could tell she thought it was funny.

“How can I help, m’lord?” she asked the man who had walked up behind Austin.

“Be ready by eight,” Austin said before he hurried back to work, feeling better than he had in days.

Chapter 13

Dale paced in front of the corral, stopping every now and then to rub one of the velvety noses that hung over the top pole of the fence. Clearly the horses hoped he might give them treats. The big palomino was the pushiest of the bunch. Catherine leaned with her back against the truck, looking relaxed.

“What’s taking them so long?” he asked, stepping away from the fence.

“It’s two minutes after eight,” Catherine replied. “They’ll be here in a couple of minutes.” She stepped close enough she could lower her voice and not risk being overheard. “Are you always this nervous before a first date?”

“This isn’t a date,” he hissed and went back to pacing.

“Could’ve fooled me,” she said just loud enough for him to hear.

Seconds later, footsteps sounded on the path leading to the campground, followed by Austin and Jasmine coming into view. Dale’s breath caught, and he tried not to stare at the tight black T-shirt that covered Austin’s lanky, well-defined form. The tail of his shirt was tucked into an equally tight pair of blue jeans that left little to the imagination. He’d pulled his long dark-brown hair back into a ponytail the way it had been this afternoon at the pirate shop, but he looked much sexier without the bulky pirate hat. Without it, his blue eyes flashed in the evening sun.

“Sorry we took so long. There was a line at the showers,” Austin said as they strolled closer to the corral.

“No problem, we just got here ourselves,” Dale replied. “Why don’t we get out of here. We can decide where to go on the road.”

“Sure,” Catherine said as she opened the rear driver’s side door.

Dale looked at her, trying to understand why she was surrendering the front seat to Austin, but she just smiled and winked.

“So what kind of food would you like?” he asked as he eased the truck into the last bit of traffic from folks leaving the fair.

“We’re really open,” Austin said, “but I would suggest going toward Monument or the Springs. If you head toward Denver, we’re liable to be in congestion for a while.”

“Cat, do you know any good restaurants down that way?” Dale asked as they rumbled over the railroad tracks.

She thought for a moment. “Oriental, burgers, or pizza?” “Pizza,” the other three replied in unison.

“I know a great place.” She laughed.

Dale didn’t question either Catherine’s or Jasmine’s motives when the two slid into seats on the same side of the table, forcing him and Austin to sit next to each other. The ladies were obviously trying to give them time to talk.

He didn’t know why he was nervous; maybe it was the fact it had been a couple of years since he’d actually been on a date. Most of the time, he had quick tricks and then they went their separate ways. Austin was definitely attractive, but did Dale want to risk getting involved with someone in this closed-minded area? Someone he’d be leaving behind in seven weeks? Long-distance relationships, from what he’d heard, were hard.

“What’s life like here in Colorado?” he asked as he settled into his chair.

“I’d guess that Denver is much like living in any other big city. We just have mountains closer,” Austin replied, sipping his Coke. “That makes it easier to get out and go hiking, boating, skiing, and other outdoors things.”

“Do you ride?”

“Ride what? Motorcycles, bicycles, or horses?”

The response took Dale back a bit, but after a second it made sense. “Horses.”

“Well, I haven’t been on a horse in almost ten years. I went out with a cowboy back in college. He took me riding a couple of times. I guess I did okay. I didn’t fall off or anything overly embarrassing.”

“I was wondering if there are places up in the mountains to go riding,” Dale said. “I’ve never had the horses up in the high country before. There are some areas in Texas and Arizona where I’ve had them out trail riding, but I thought this might be fun if we get more days off like we had yesterday.”

“You had yesterday off?” Austin asked.

“Yeah, Max had something to do in town. It was good to have a down day. Every day since I got here, we’ve been practicing or performing. Most troupes try to give actors at least one day off a week so we don’t get burned out.”

“I think I might be able to direct you to a couple of places,” Jasmine said from across the table. “Some of the folks who come into the coffee shop I work at are upper-crust ladies of the South Denver area, and they’re all the time talking about going up into the forest on their trail rides. If you like, I can try and find out where they go.”

“That would be awesome,” Dale replied. “Maybe Austin might want to come along.” As the words came out of his mouth, he realized he’d just set up the possibility for another date, a real one this time, without the ladies along, since he only had two horses. That, and he’d never before offered to let anyone other than another jouster, in an emergency, ride either of his boys.

“Hey, I like the mountains, it might be fun,” Austin replied with a big grin on his handsome face.

Before anyone could say anything else, their breadsticks arrived.

After several minutes of chewing, they finished the appetizers.

“So Dale, how long have you been a jouster?” Austin asked as he pushed his plate aside.

“About five years,” he replied. “I’ve always loved horses and riding. Grew up on a ranch in south Texas. When I went to the Texas Renaissance Fair down in Houston and saw my first joust, I was hooked. I had a huge fight with my mother right after that when I told her I wanted to be a jouster. I guess, looking back, it was like saying I wanted to join the circus. She made me finish college before I could actively pursue the idea. But I spent the time learning all sorts of trick riding, like falling off a horse without getting hurt. I even took a few acting classes. The summer after I graduated, I couldn’t get on with any of the jousting troupes, but I kept trying, and when Joust America had an opening, I got in.”

“That sounds so cool. You’re a jouster with a college degree,” Austin replied.

“I’ve seen over the past week he’s a man of many talents,” Cat chimed in.

Dale fought down the blush that tried to rise. “It’s only a BA in business with a minor in acting,” he said. “But it kept my mother happy, which is important. This is the first time I’ve worked outside the Joust America troupe.”

“So how’s it working out for you?” Jasmine asked.

“Overall, not bad. Trying to figure out the rest of the troupe is at least interesting. Cat and Chip have helped me a lot with that.” “Chip?” Austin asked.

“Chipmunk,” Dale clarified.

“Oh.” Now it was Austin’s turn to blush—the red went right up to the roots of his brown hair. “I’ve never heard anyone call him Chip before. We all call him Chipmunk.”

Dale shrugged. “I figured it sounds more dignified than Chipmunk. I think the little guy could use a bit of uplifting, don’t you?”

Austin thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I guess he could. He’s a nice guy, just needs a little more self-confidence… or something.” “Exactly what I thought when I first met him,” Dale agreed. “Chipmunk sounds almost derogatory to me, Charles a bit too formal, so I opt for Chip.” He didn’t bother to add he hated seeing people put down for any reason and tried not to do it if he could help it.

“It would take some work to get everyone to just call him Chip,” Jasmine said. “We’ve been calling him Chipmunk for years.”

Catherine laughed. “That’s what I’ve been telling you, but you’re set on changing his name, over time at least.”

Their pizza arrived, and again silence descended as the four tore ravenously into the meaty, cheesy goodness of the pie. Dale tried to watch Austin casually as he ate. Austin was handsome enough to hold his attention. He wondered if the same were true of him.

They reached for the last piece at the same time.

“Why don’t we split it,” Austin suggested. “That is, if the ladies don’t want it.”

Catherine and Jasmine had been sitting on the other side of the table, quietly chatting among themselves. It had been several minutes since either one of them had reached for a slice.

“Oh, no,” Catherine said. “Please, you two split it. I think we’ve had plenty. You guys are obliviously in need of the calories.” Jasmine nodded her agreement.

Dale picked up his knife and tried to split the piece as evenly as possible, making sure to err on the side of Austin getting a slightly larger portion.

“So, Austin, what do you do when you’re not working the fair?” Dale asked after he’d washed down his last bite with a swig of root beer.

Austin shrugged, and his black T-shirt rode his broad shoulders nicely. “Right now, I work in a printshop. Things have slowed down a lot since so many people do things online or paperlessly. Last year, my hours started dropping, and nowadays, I only work two, maybe three days a week. I wish I could find something better and will probably begin looking after fair is over. I guess I need to, now that Rick is gone.” “Who’s Rick?” Catherine asked before Dale could.

“My ex. We’ve been drifting apart for a while now, but last week was the final straw.” He glanced over at Dale. “I’d rather not talk about it right now, if that’s okay?”

Catherine held up her hands in surrender. “Consider the topic closed. So, what do you all say we hit a club or something before we head back to the site? Get in a little dancing before bedtime?” “I don’t know,” Jasmine said.

“Hey, it’s only nine thirty on a Saturday night. I know a nice little place a few blocks down. We could dance for a bit and still make it back to the site by midnight. The parties there will just be winding down.”

Dale looked at Austin, who shrugged. “I’m game for a little while,” Dale said. He wanted to see how Austin moved to the music, and it would give them an excuse to extend the night a little longer.

“Sure,” Austin agreed.

Dale paid the bill, and the four of them piled back into the truck to head down the street to the club.

Chapter 14

“I haven’t danced that much in years,” said Austin as the four of them walked out to Dale’s truck. He was tired and a bit sore but felt better than he had in weeks. Spending the evening hanging out with Dale and Catherine was the thing he’d needed. Even Jasmine was having fun. Austin couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her dance with a woman, but the two of them had spent almost as much time gyrating on the dance floor as he and Dale had. Dale had proven to be a very good dancer. He was totally in tune with the music, no matter what the DJ played. They had discoed, two-stepped, and even slow danced. For a moment during the slow dance, he had thought they were about to share their first nondrunk kiss, but the song ended, and Dale retreated to their table for a couple of songs before leading Austin back into the sweaty fray.

“I’m glad we thought of this,” Catherine said as she waited for Dale to unlock the truck.

“You thought of it, Cat.” Dale laughed as the truck beeped, announcing the doors were unlocked.

“Oh, that’s right, I did.” She giggled before sliding into the seat.

“I had fun,” Jasmine announced, closing her door. “I can’t remember the last time I went dancing.”

“Wasn’t it that Tejano bar with that guy Carlos a few years back?” Austin asked.

“How is it you remember his name?” she replied.

Austin laughed. “Oh, you remember, he was cute and more into me than he was you, even if he was your date.”

“Yeah, you were out with his friend,” Jasmine continued. “What was his name?”

Austin thought for a moment. “You know, I can’t remember his friend’s name.”

Catherine laughed. “Wow, I take it you two go way back.” “Back to high school,” Jasmine replied before Austin could.

“Yeah, she rescued me from the school bullies more than once,” he said.

Dale looked over at Austin, a searching question in his eyes, until the stoplight changed, calling his attention back to the road. “I can’t see you needing rescuing in school.”

Austin smiled. “I was much more of a gangly geek back then. Lots of acne, which thankfully cleared up. It wasn’t easy being a gay kid in school. That was before so many folks were coming out and we had role models. I mean, what kind of role models were the Village People and Boy George? Okay, there was that swimmer guy, but I wasn’t into swimming. I think it’s easier nowadays with so many celebrities coming out for the kids to look up to.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Dale agreed. “I never fit the stereotype and actually never found one I was comfortable with. I’m closer to a leather bear but don’t like pain in my sex. I get enough of it in my job and never really liked the fat bears. I don’t have much patience for that.” He glanced over at Austin with a hungry look in his eyes. “I like my men fit and furry.”

Austin gulped and wished the women weren’t in the backseat. Other than the aborted kiss on the dance floor, this was the most forward Dale had been all night. Had they been alone, he would’ve slid across the seat and cuddled tight against him.

“Glad to hear that,” he said, grinning so big, he hoped it didn’t look foolish.

A line of taillights greeted them as they swung onto the highway.

Unfortunately, none of them were moving.

“Well shit,” Catherine exclaimed from the backseat.

“Is there another way around?” Dale asked as they joined the latenight parking lot.

“There is, but I don’t know the cross street to get us back to the fair,” she said. “I’m a Denver gal.”

“Me too,” Jasmine piped in. “I’ve taken the back road from Denver to the Springs once. It’s very pretty, but I don’t think I could find it again, and if I could, I wouldn’t know where to cut over.” Dale looked at Austin.

He shrugged. “No idea. I was with Jasmine the one time she took the scenic route, but that was it.”

“So it’s going to be late when we get back to the fairgrounds,” Dale said, glancing at the dashboard clock.

“If it’s an accident, maybe they’ll clear it quickly,” Cat said.

With a sigh, Dale looked back at Austin. “So you grew out of your gangly stage?”

“Yup. Well, more I decided to do something about it. In my late teens, I realized if I was going to attract a decent man, I should be offering a better package. I started going to the gym and pretty soon lost the awkward teenager. I was amazed at how popular I became when we went out.”

“Unfortunately, he was popular with the losers.” Jasmine giggled.

“I haven’t seen you do much better,” he snipped back.

“I’m sure we’ve all had our share of less-than-stellar guys,” Catherine added. “Some of the most attractive men can be the worst. All looks and nothing else. At least Dale and Austin both bring complete packages.”

Austin felt himself blush. At the rate they were going, he wondered if he was ever going to get to see Dale’s complete package. Would they have time to do more than say good night after they got back to the campground? He’d hoped for a little alone time just man to man.

“Some of the stupid ones can be good diversions, though,” Dale said as traffic moved forward a couple of car lengths before stopping again. “One drawback to being on the road so much is finding stability. I’ve spent a lot of time with guys who were good in bed but didn’t have much upstairs. They were just a gorgeous staircase.”

Austin shifted in his seat. Did he just indirectly say he only does short-term connections? he wondered. I’m okay with that… I think. Do I really need a serious relationship this quick after breaking up with Rick? But damn, he’s hot. I could get used to waking up and seeing him there every morning.

“I know what you mean,” he agreed, looking out over the slowly winding line of red lights ahead of them.

They settled into further discussion of men as the traffic crept forward. Catherine had interesting tales about a lot of the men on the cast and crew of the Renaissance fair. She wasn’t afraid to divulge a snippet or two of information on most of the men she’d slept with, but then she’d drank more at the bar than the rest of them had. She even revealed some of the gossip she’d heard from other folks, things like the mole on the head of the king’s dick that she heard about from none other than the princess herself. Had they actually been father and daughter and not just playing on weekends, it would have been much more scandalous; all they could really laugh over was the age difference. That was, until Catherine revealed she’d slept with the previous bishop, who was as fond of boys as he was of girls. Apparently, the old man had not been as pious as his character. They all laughed until they reached the cause of the backup.

A semi had rolled over, and it looked like a small car was caught underneath it. Rescue workers were busily working to free the trapped driver while attempting to keep whatever liquid the tanker held from escaping the accident. All the cars were being forced off the road and onto the grass. Bright lights had been set up to allow the workers to see what they were doing. It was strange and surreal, making the colors way too bright.

In the backseat, Cat gasped as they finally freed the driver of the car. There was something about the way they placed him on the highway that told Austin they’d been too late. Then someone dropped an orange tarp over him.

“I hate seeing things like that,” Catherine said, sounding almost sober. “It reminds me of how fleeting our lives can be. Sometimes it even worries me I might be living my life wrong, and if so, then what will be waiting for me on the other side?”

Dale shook his head as they cleared the grisly scene and traffic opened up. “I don’t worry about it. I have a rough profession. Even though everything is scripted and choreographed to the nines, there’s always a chance something will go wrong. Most directors, like Max, used to be jousters, and then something happens to them. It’s hard to tell what it’s going to be. I’ve seen men thrown from the saddle, across the list, to be trampled by their opponent’s horse. Sometimes a shield will slip and a lance hits flesh instead of metal. Hurts like hell. I know all it would take is one wrong move and it can be all over. That’s why I try not to worry about it and live my life to its fullest.”

“Wow,” Austin said. He’d never been around someone who wasn’t afraid to die. There was something in the idea that made Dale even sexier to him.

The clock on the dash now read 1:30 a.m., much later than they had planned to get back. He and Jasmine had to be at the pirate souvenir shop by nine, and the alarm would go off at eight so they could get showered before work. How much sleep can I go without?

“That’s an awesome philosophy,” Catherine said. She sounded less drunk than she had before they saw the body on the road. “Maybe I need to stop worrying and continue my quest to find the best man at the

Renfair… or at least the best lover.”

Jasmine laughed. Austin recognized her weak, trying-to-be-cheerful laugh. “Good luck with that. I think we have two of the best guys right here with us, and neither one of us has a chance with them.” “So true, my dear, so true,” Cat agreed.

Chapter 15

The campgrounds appeared empty when they arrived. There wasn’t even anyone at the main gate checking passes when they rolled through at two in the morning. Dale shut off the lights before he reached his parking space so he wouldn’t accidentally wake anyone up.

“Thanks for driving, Dale,” Jasmine said as she slid out of the truck. “See you at the tent, Austin.” Then she vanished into the darkness.

“Yes, Dale, thanks for driving.” Catherine gave him a brief hug. “I’ll catch you on the wall before cannon. Good night, Austin.” She waved as he rounded the front of the truck.

An awkwardness that was quite out of character for him settled into Dale’s chest. They’d had a great night out. The best he’d had in years. Austin was cute… no, hot. He deserved more than just a quickie, which was all they were going to have time for if either one of them had any hope of being able to work in the morning. Actually, thinking Austin deserved more than just a short romance before Dale rode away for the next fair on August 1 was what had stopped him from kissing him after the slow song at the bar. Austin had felt good in his arms. Dale had wanted to kiss him. He just couldn’t at that point. He still wanted to. Wanted to so much, it hurt.

“Want to come in for a few minutes?” he asked, not sure exactly what they would do when they got into his trailer. He knew what he wanted to do, but that would take much longer than a few minutes.

Austin smiled, that sexy smile that had graced his sensual lips several times during their evening. “Sure.”

Dale almost took his hand but reminded himself they needed to be cautious. This wasn’t the troupe he was used to, where everyone knew what everyone was doing and didn’t care how he spent his time or who was in his bed.

They walked around the truck to the trailer, and he unlocked the door.

“The place may be a bit of a mess,” said Dale reflexively. It was something he always said when escorting a new guy into his trailer. Then he remembered Austin had been in before, several nights ago, when he’d made a fool of himself. “But maybe it will look better than when you were here before.”

“Don’t remember much from that,” Austin said with a chuckle. “I fumbled for the light, got you to the bed, and left.”

Dale found the light with practiced ease. “I thought Cat said I kissed you.”

“Well, there was that,” Austin replied, pulling the door closed. “But you were drunk so I discounted the whole thing.”

Dale reached for Austin’s hand. “Do you always discount things that happen when people are drunk?” He pulled Austin close. Heat curled up between them.

“Pretty much.” Austin slipped a hand around Dale’s waist, closing the last little bit of space separating them.

Their lips met. Tingles coursed through Dale’s body. The kiss was more intense than any kiss he’d ever had. In the back of his mind, he heard a little boy’s grandfather talking about the greatest kisses of all time. What was it about Austin that caused such a reaction in him?

Austin ran strong hands across his back, feeling his way across the firm planes there. Dale wished they were skin to skin. Under his hands, even through the black T-shirt, Austin felt amazing. Running his fingers up in the long dark hair, he pressed their mouths tighter together. He wanted all of Austin.

They stumbled backward, hitting the table that occupied a good portion of the small space. Austin mumbled something through their kiss. Dale moved his hands down Austin’s back so he could cup the tight ass and steer them toward the bed. They landed heavily on the soft mattress. A groan escaped Austin, but he handled Dale’s weight on his chest just fine. Brushing the hair out of Austin’s face, Dale looked at it in the light.

Forming an interesting point at the end of his sharp cheekbones, Austin’s well-groomed goatee matched his hair color. The deep blue eyes looking up at Dale were some of the sexiest he’d ever seen, and his nose was nearly perfect, not too small and bulbous, and not too long and pointy. When they kissed, it fit with his beautifully.

His small wall clock chimed two thirty. He stiffened. They needed to be asleep.

“Do you think we could get some sleep if we tried?” he asked. He didn’t want to interrupt making out with Austin, but he—they—had work in a few hours.

Austin sighed and stared up into his eyes. Dale fought the urge to lean down and resume kissing him.

Austin shook his head. “I think if I’m here, I’m going to be all over you,” he said with a soft frown. “You are so hot, I want to lose myself in you, but we both have work tomorrow, or today, depending on how you look at it.”

Dale nodded. “I know, and we can’t very well call in sick. Max and your boss can come check on us, and then where would we be?” “So when can we get together again?” Austin asked.

Dale’s heart sang with joy at the thought of seeing him again. “You work outside the fair. Are you off at all this week?”

“Thursday and Friday.”

“I’ll talk to Max and see if we can have a break from practice one of those days. We’ll figure out something to do. What are you doing for breakfast?”

“Jas and I normally just grab something from the bakery or the espresso booth. But I take a break at two between pretzels and the souvenir shop.”

“Two it is. That’s right before the second joust. I’ll only have a few minutes. Meet me over at the food booths near the joust arena and I’ll buy.”

Austin shook his head. “You got dinner tonight and drove. I’ll get lunch.”

“Deal.” Dale smiled. He was happy. He was making a date with a hot guy and he was happy.

Austin pulled Dale down so their lips met again. Time ticked by as they lost themselves in the kiss. Then the clock chimed again. Two fortyfive.

“I’d better go,” Austin sighed as their lips parted.

Dale didn’t want to let him off the bed, but knew he’d better or they’d never get any sleep. Something told him that sex with Austin wouldn’t be just a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am job. He wanted it to last for hours. Reluctantly, he rolled off.

“Okay, if you insist,” Dale said with a heavy sigh.

“If I don’t, we’ll be up all night.” He rubbed his hand suggestively across Dale’s tight crotch, where the fabric of his jeans threatened to rupture. “Yeah, that feels like an all-night job.” Austin stood up and reached back for Dale’s hand.

Even that simple movement sent tingles through Dale. He rose and caught Austin in his arms. Their lips met briefly this time.

“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Dale said as he released Austin.

“Me too. Even with the girls along.”

“So I’ll see you at lunch tomorrow?”

Austin nodded before leaning in for one quick parting kiss. “Count on it.” Then he slipped out the door before Dale could say or do anything to delay him.

Dale stood there for several minutes, staring at the door. A large part of him wanted to run after Austin and just say “fuck it” about tomorrow and settle into several hours of hot sex, but the fair didn’t have a replacement jouster who could fill in for him. He had to be there. There would be other times.

When he pulled off his clothes, it was painfully obvious his body was still in an excited state. He wondered if a cold shower might help, but he was too wound up for that. He needed a release.

Dale turned off the light and lay down on the bed. He moved his large hands down the hard, hairy contours of his body. He visualized Austin poised above him, feeling him for the first time. How would Austin handle him—would the man be gentle, as their make-out session suggested, or might he be a bit rougher? Rough would be quicker.

Closing his eyes, he took a firm hold on his balls and pulled, making his throbbing cock come off his belly and stand up straight and tall. For several minutes, he yanked on his balls, until the sensation hummed through his body. As he worked his balls, he pinched his left nipple with his other hand, sending shockwaves through him.

When he couldn’t stand it anymore, he moved his hand from his nipple to his cock. He squeezed the swollen organ until he moaned in pleasure. Then, still maintaining tension on his balls, he began to beat off in earnest. He thought of Austin’s lips on his as he manhandled his cock. The tingling he felt when their lips met, or their hands touched, wormed its way through him as he worked his cock over. Holding on to the image of Austin’s face as they kissed brought him over the edge.

Hot cum shot out of his throbbing dick hard enough that it struck him on the chin. His balls emptied their contents onto the dark hair of his chest and stomach. As he stopped pulsing, he could feel Austin’s lips on his in their parting kiss. That quick, almost painfully short meeting of their mouths. He wanted more.

Chapter 16

“Austin!” Chipmunk’s voice rang out through the crowded lane.

Austin turned, looked back, and saw the pole full of popcorn bags waving above the crowds. His own pole was about half full. Settling the thing on the ground to give his arms a rest, he waited for his friend to reach him.

“Hey, Chipmunk, how’s it going?”

“Hot today,” Chipmunk replied as he lowered his pole to the ground so it stood between them. “But there are lots of people out today, so business is brisk.”

“Yeah,” Austin agreed. “It’s not even parade time yet and I’m already on my second load of pretzels.”

“So how’d you enjoy the party the other night?” Chipmunk asked. “You disappeared, and then I got busy… if you know what I mean….” He winked. “That little gal with the big bodice that works in the ceramics shop on the high road. But when I got back, everyone was gone.”

Austin thought back to helping Dale down to his trailer and their first stolen kiss. It hadn’t been as awesome as their kisses last night, but it had been a start, thanks to Chipmunk’s party.

“I had fun getting to know new people and such,” he admitted.

“Cool, that’s why I throw the things, to bring people together,” Chipmunk said.

A fair patron came up and asked about some popcorn. Chip quickly got him a bag while Austin waited. He didn’t want to rudely dash off, and they were in a good spot to make a few sales while they stood there.

“So, I just heard a bit of gossip. It’s going to be all over the fair soon,” Chipmunk said as his customers walked off.

Austin nodded his interest.

“It turns out the accident that took out Richard, the previous dark knight, might not have been an accident.”

“But I heard his horse fell on him,” Austin said. Then he had to pause to sell a couple of pretzels to two shirtless college boys. They had nice bodies but were a bit young for his preference, not to mention their chests looked shaved.

When the boys moved off, Chipmunk continued. “It did, but rumor has it that something spooked the horse and that someone deliberately did it.”

Austin paused. What did this mean for Dale? Could the hunky new dark knight be in danger?

“So is there anything more to this than rumor and fair gossip?” he asked before another person wanting pretzels could come up.

Chipmunk shook his shaggy brown head. “Nope, not at this point. But I got it from a really reliable source.”

At that point the fire-eater on the stage behind them finished up his act, and his crowd flooded out. Within a couple of minutes, Austin was out of pretzels and on his way back to the bakery for more. As he and his empty pole moved through the busy festival grounds, he thought about what Chipmunk had said. Could the accident have been more than just an accident? Why would anyone want to hurt the jousters?

By the time he handed over his pretzel pole at 1:50, Austin had worked the minor concern into full-blown fear for Dale’s life. True, he’d only just met the man, but he was a good man from what Austin could tell. He was desperate to explore more of Dale and didn’t want any accidents happening that could prevent him from doing that. He hurried across the fairgrounds to the food vendors near the joust arena.

The lane dipped sharply as the rolling hills of the site dropped toward the only true flat area, the joust field. In the distance, the carillon player was warming up. The sounds of the heavy bronze bells rang out. Then Austin spotted Dale. Standing near the edge of the food area, talking with several people, Dale stood out in his dark red and black garb. There was something in the way he stood there that looked more regal than the man Austin had been kissing the night before. He knew it was just a performance by Diederik, the Dark Duke of Denmark, but it made Dale look like he really had just walked out of the middle ages.

Austin walked over, trying to figure out a polite way to draw Dale’s attention from his fans. He hadn’t stopped to think they might not have the quiet romantic lunch with the fair patrons wanting to shake Dale’s hand or have their picture taken with him. He now understood why the cast had their own kitchen where they could go to get away from the crowds. He thought about it and realized every time he saw the more recognizable members of the cast—the queen, the king, jousters and such—they were often surrounded by fans. Minor cast members like Lady Catherine didn’t have that problem.

“Sorry for that,” Dale said once he was clear of the people. “Fans.” He flashed Austin a smile that made his heart skip.

“No problem. So, what would you like for lunch?”

“Nothing too much for me, I’ve got a joust in a few minutes,” said Dale as they walked toward the vendors. “How about a sausage on a stick with nothing extra. A little protein is good.”

“Sounds good. I’ll add some fries to mine to get me through till I get home tonight.”

“So how’s your day going so far?” Dale asked as they joined the line.

“Busy and hot, but not too bad,” Austin replied.

Dale wiped his hand across his brow. “Yeah, I hear ya about the heat. I was hoping to escape it by coming up here.”

Austin laughed. “You have to get used to Colorado weather. It’s constantly changing. I think it’s one of the few places in the world you can get heatstroke and frostbite in the same day. Some folks say if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes or drive ten miles and it will change.”

Dale chuckled and then gave his order to the tired-looking girl behind the counter. “So what do you say we drive ten miles and get out of the heat for a bit?”

Austin paid the woman after he ordered. “It would be nice, but we both have more work to do today.”

“Yeah, and it’s one of my afternoons to win the final competition.” Dale winked. “Just don’t tell my fans we know who’s going to win.”

Accepting their food from the woman, Austin laughed. “I’ll try to keep it to myself.”

They worked their way over to a table that had a couple of places on one bench open. Austin tried not to watch as Dale slid the sausage past his tasty lips. It was too easy to wonder what those lips would feel like wrapped around certain parts of his body.

“I had an interesting chat with Chipmunk a little while ago,” Austin said between bites of his own meat.

“Is he telling folks his theory that Richard’s accident wasn’t an accident?” Dale’s hazel eyes looked dark for a moment.

“Yeah, that would be his gossip today.”

Dale sighed. “Any time there’s a jousting accident, there are always rumors that start up that it might have been something more than an accident. I talked it over with Max the second day I was here, and he’s sure that it was an accident. He even said that someone, I forget who, said they saw a rattlesnake slither off after the horse reared up and went over. Richard was in full armor, so it wasn’t hard for the extra weight to overbalance the horse and cause it to topple.” “A rattlesnake?” Austin shuddered.

“Yeah, and if a horse isn’t used to them, it can really scare them. Not something I need to worry about. Both Pyre and Champion have been around snakes before. Champion has killed his share while we were out trail riding.”

“Hey, Diederik, can we get a picture with you?” A young woman walked over to the table while her gaggle of friends stood off a bit, giggling.

Dale looked up at her and flashed a big smile. “Why of course, m’lady.” He looked back at Austin. “Could you hold this for me?” He thrust his sausage toward him.

“Sure.”

Dale got up and walked over to the group of girls, who giggled even louder as he approached. He stood in the middle of them, and they clustered around him like chicks around a mother hen. Dale smiled as one of them took a couple of pictures, and then they moved around so that girl could be in some of the shots. Several minutes later he returned to the table.

“You sure do have a following,” Austin said, giving him the meat.

Dale laughed before taking another big bite. “A lot of it has to do with social networking. The fairs like it when we can bring in more folks through our online presence. Using the modern world to bring people into the past.”

“Never thought of it like that before.”

“Well, I have a huge online following. I try and post things on Facebook and Twitter regularly. I’ve had folks tell me they actually schedule their vacations to go to Renaissance festivals they’ve never been to just to see me in action.”

“Wow, I had no idea you were a star,” Austin said, not feeling overly star struck in the fashion the fans would be.

“Well, not that much.” Dale chuckled as he finished his lunch. “So I talked to Max. He said he was planning on giving us a couple days off this week, so I’m free on Thursday and Friday, just like you. If Jasmine could find out about those places up in the mountains to go riding, we could spend the day out and away from everything.”

“That would be awesome,” Austin agreed. His heart suddenly raced in his chest at the thought of spending the day with Dale. “What if she can’t find anything out in time?”

“Then we can figure something else out. So, what day would you like to go?”

Austin thought for a moment. If we go Friday and things get hot, we’ll have to cut out early again. “How about Thursday? That way we can have a down day before next weekend, just in case we overdo it.” He smiled his best suggestive smile.

Dale nodded. “Sounds good.” He slipped a business card out of the black pouch at his waist. “Here’s my number. Call me either Tuesday or Wednesday and let me know if Jasmine’s got directions. If we go riding, we can meet here at the site. Otherwise, we’ll play it by ear.”

Austin grabbed a napkin and hastily scribbled his number down. “Here, just in case something comes up on your end.”

Dale’s hazel gaze danced as their eyes met. He took the white paper and caught hold of Austin’s hand for a second. The touch was soft but firm. “I’ll do my best to make sure nothing keeps me from your side.”

Austin’s heart beat faster, and all too soon, their fingers parted. “Same here.” The crowd was getting thicker as people moved toward the jousting arena. “Guess you need to be going. I need to get to the pirate shop. Be safe and I’ll call you this week and see you on Thursday.”

Longing filled Dale’s eyes as he released Austin’s hand. “I’ll be waiting.” He rose, turned, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Austin sat at the table for a moment, still feeling the strong fingers on his hand. Thursday was so far away.

Chapter 17

Pyre stood patiently while Dale impatiently groomed the gelding. He’d awakened before dawn and had been finding things to occupy his mind while he waited for Austin to arrive. His trailer was cleaner than it had been in months. Both horses were groomed to within an inch of their lives, and all his western tack was oiled and shining in the late-morning light.

“You look busy,” Cat said as she leaned against the gatepost.

Dale turned. “Oh, hey, Cat. Didn’t hear you come up.”

“I don’t think that horse has any more dust on him. You’ve got him so shiny, he looks like fire given life.”

“Thanks. Woke up early and been trying to find something to do.”

“That’s right.” Cat straightened from the post. “You’re going riding today. What time are you supposed to leave?”

“About eleven,” Dale replied, nervously glancing at his watch.

“So you’ve only got about ten more minutes, if he’s on time.” She threw a wicked smile at him.

He nodded and led Pyre out of the corral. He’d talked to Austin every night that week. Jasmine had found a couple of different places for them to go riding, but the two men had found other reasons to call each other. Most of the calls lasted a couple of hours. Dale felt like he knew Austin better than any man he’d ever been interested in. For some reason that made him all the more nervous about going out on their third date, if you could call sausage on a stick while fans wanted pictures a date.

In the distance, a train whistle blew.

“He’ll be here,” Dale said as he tied Pyre to the side of the horse trailer. “He was so excited last night. I could tell by his voice.”

Catherine looked around. Dale knew she was trying to see if anyone was in earshot. He’d been watching everyone’s comings and goings and knew nobody was close by, or he would have been vaguer in his answers.

“So things are coming along, then?” she asked, leaning against the trailer.

Dale sighed. “Yeah, he’s a nice guy. I really like him. I’m just trying to figure out how this is going to go once fair is over. I’ll be going back to my regular troupe, probably at the Pennsylvania fair. But it might be one of the others. He has a life here.”

“I thought he was sleeping on Jasmine’s couch after breaking up with his last boyfriend.”

“He is, until he can get the money together for first and last on a smaller apartment.” Dale headed to the corral to bring out Champion.

“You know, I don’t have any experience with other fairs, but I know that several of the folks here travel around to the different fairs finding what jobs they can.” Catherine walked as far as the gate.

“They do, and it’s not an easy life. I’m one of the lucky ones. I normally have a troupe I travel with. I would have been heading to Wisconsin in a couple of weeks if they hadn’t needed me here.” He slipped the halter on the big gray horse. “I’m not sure it would be fair to ask Austin to live a gypsy lifestyle.”

“You may be getting a little ahead of yourself there,” Catherine said, opening the gate as he led the horse out. “I mean, you two haven’t even had sex yet, have you?”

Dale couldn’t believe it as heat rose up in his face. Did he really like Austin so much that the idea of discussing their lack of sex made him blush? “No, not yet.”

“Well see, there ya go. You guys might not even be compatible.

Have you even talked about sex?”

Dale thought for a moment as he tied Champion next to Pyre. “Come to think of it, we haven’t. I mean other than passing jokes and on Saturday, when we decided it would take us too long to do anything and we should sleep in our separate beds. But Cat, there are more important things than sex in a relationship. I mean, he’s the first man I’ve been able to just talk to in ages. Other than guys who’ve been friends for years.”

“I think this is a first for me.” Catherine laughed. “A gay man telling me there are more important things than sex.”

“Well, it’s true.” Dale stopped and then stared at her. “I can’t believe I just said that. Things have always started with sex and then petered out.” His stomach rolled. “Could this be more?”

“I don’t know, but I guess you’ll find out. I think this is him coming now.” Cat pointed at the topless black Jeep that drove slower down the dirt road toward him than it had when it nearly cut him off on his arrival at fair. He’d been so mad at the unknown driver, but now that he knew it had been Austin and Jasmine in the Jeep, it didn’t seem to matter anymore. He stopped and watched Austin park in the east end of participant parking and then jog toward them.

His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and tucked under a black baseball cap. Dale wondered if he’d chosen the black tank top to show off his buff physique while putting his hairy chest on display. He also wondered what was in the black backpack he carried.

“Sorry I’m late,” Austin said as he stopped running a short distance from the horses. “Got caught by the train.”

“No problem. Cat was keeping me company until you arrived.” He smiled. He couldn’t help it. Austin was just sexy, and now they were about to head off into the mountains to spend the day alone: no Catherine, no Jasmine, no fans with cameras, just the two of them with the horses. He wasn’t sure what he looked forward to more, exploring new land or exploring Austin.

“And now that you’re here, I’ll take my leave,” Catherine said, giving Austin a welcoming hug. “You two have fun today. I think I’ll wander around and see what the latest gossip is. Chipmunk should be around here somewhere.” She waved as she headed back into the campground.

Dale laughed. “That woman is a work of art. You know, if I were straight, I might actually try and tame her.”

“I can see that. I’ve told Jasmine the same thing several times about her. What is it about gay men and our fag hags?”

“No clue. Let’s get the horses loaded and on the road. I hope you brought the directions.”

Austin patted the backpack. “Sure did. Along with a few other things I thought we might need.”

Dale untied Champion and led him toward the back of the trailer. “Could you get the door?”

Austin hurried to comply. Champion loaded with practiced ease, as did Pyre. Then Austin and Dale gathered up the saddles to put them on their racks in the front of the trailer.

“Hey, you cleaned up the place,” Austin commented as he stepped in, holding Pyre’s tack.

“Yeah, figured maybe a third impression would be a bit better than the first two,” replied Dale as he turned to take the saddle.

Austin let his hand linger a moment as he relinquished the saddle to Dale. The same energy Dale remembered from Saturday night passed between them.

“You made a great first impression,” Austin said. “But it is nicer cleaner.”

Dale settled the saddle on the rack under Champion’s. “I’m glad you approve.” He couldn’t resist; they were in the trailer, even if the door was still open. Turning, he caught Austin up in his arms. The kiss was as sweet as before. Sweeter than any kiss he could remember. Austin’s strong arms drew him closer. It wouldn’t take much for him to lose himself in Austin, but the horses were loaded and waiting to get on the road. He pulled away even though he didn’t want to.

“We need to get going. The mountains await.”

Austin reached up and ran his fingers through the short beard along Dale’s jawline. Where the fingers went, little tingles of fire danced along his skin. “Lead on. Let’s see what the mountains hold for us.”

It took all of Dale’s control not to grab Austin’s hand and lead him out of the trailer to the truck. He wanted to hold on to that hand and never let it go.

Once they were settled in the truck, Dale turned to Austin. “Okay, so where to?”

“Well, Jas said the most recommended trails are up near Evergreen. We’ll need to skirt Denver to get there. She wasn’t sure we could take the back roads pulling a trailer, so she got directions off the freeways.” “Sounds good.” Dale started the truck.

“So how has your morning been?” he asked as they steered for I-25.

“Oh you know, the regular,” Austin sighed. “Jasmine is working the afternoon shift, so she was around to give me shit this morning.”

“Shit about what?” Dale glanced over at Austin and saw him blush under his tan.

“Just general stuff, mostly about being nervous about today. I’ve been up since five. I couldn’t sleep.”

Dale laughed. He couldn’t help it. Austin had been as nervous as he had about their outing. Somehow knowing that made it feel that much more special. “Me too. Even after we didn’t get off the phone until just after midnight, I was up at five thirty.”

“Jasmine has been giving me so much grief about our calls too,” Austin admitted. “Last night, I had to go out on her balcony to talk to you just so I didn’t have to listen to her.”

“So that’s why the background noises made it sound like you were outside.”

“Luckily, her apartment is on the third floor and faces an empty field, so I didn’t feel awkward sitting there in just my shorts talking to you.”

“You wear just your shorts when you’re talking to me on the phone?” Dale asked, trying to visualize it. “So what were you doing in while we were talking?”

Austin smiled a warm smile over at him. “Just talking. We weren’t having phone sex that I recall. I think I’d remember if we were having phone sex. Oh God, then Jasmine would give me even more grief.”

As they got up to speed on the interstate, Dale reached over and captured Austin’s hand. He’d never held another man’s hand while driving before. It was awkward but felt good. “We don’t want to give her anything else to tease you over, now do we?”

Austin laughed. “No, trust me, she’s got enough dirt on me to last for years. But then, I’ve also got dirt on her, so in the end, we’re basically even.” He squeezed Dale’s hand. “Besides, before I have phone sex with you, I want to have up close and personal sex with you. It will help my imagination.”

Dale squeezed back. “Let’s see how today goes. Maybe if you’re good, you’ll go home with some things to help your imagination along.”

Austin raised their joined hands to his lips. “I’d like that.” Dale’s heart beat faster and there was a tightening in his pants. Would they be able to get through the afternoon without tearing each other’s clothes off?

Chapter 18

Austin’s body complained as he slid out of Pyre’s saddle. His legs shook as he dismounted, the ground rocking under his feet as if he were still on the large bay gelding. They’d ridden for two hours after they found the national forest trailhead just south of Evergreen, right where Jasmine’s directions said it should be. He’d enjoyed the trip so far, more than he could express to Dale, and most of it had been watching Dale’s reactions to the beautiful country they drove through. At one point he’d even had to explain that technically they were still in the foothills, and then promised to take Dale up through the more rugged parts of the mountains real soon. Then he realized they’d just tentatively made plans for another date.

Following the directions Jas had gotten from her horse-riding customers, they’d chosen a trail that led them out to a large lake. It had been over an hour since they’d seen anyone else. They’d seen several deer and even a small group of elk that had gathered their two little ones into the middle of the herd before disappearing into the trees. It had been Dale’s idea to stop by the lake. They’d ridden around the edge until they found a secluded spot, where they hoped they wouldn’t be disturbed.

“I packed us a lunch,” Austin announced as the ground stopped moving enough he could remove the backpack from his tired shoulders.

Dale chuckled as he opened the saddlebags. “So did I.”

“Our first lack of communication.” Austin laughed. “At least it resulted in too much food.”

“Did you happen to bring a blanket?” Dale asked as he pulled out a brown paper bag.

“That I did,” Austin replied.

The sun warmed them perfectly as they stretched out on the blanket between a rock and the lake. The horses grazed a short distance away. Austin felt more relaxed and happier than he had in a long while.

“I can’t tell you how incredible this is for me,” Dale said, reaching out to reclaim Austin’s hand; he’d held it most of the time they had been driving to the trailhead. “I don’t know what is more impressive, the scenery or you.” His smile caused Austin’s heart to beat faster.

“I’ve seen a lot of sights in Colorado,” he replied. “And I have to say, most of them pale next to you.” He reached up and ran his hands over Dale’s short-cropped black hair and down to his chin. He liked the way the short hair tickled his fingers. Leaning together, they kissed. Austin’s breath caught for a couple of seconds as their lips pressed together. It felt incredible. He knew they should eat something, but right now he just wanted his hands and mouth on Dale. Wrapping his arms around Dale’s powerful back, he pulled the man to him until they were pressed as tightly together as their lips.

He couldn’t wait any longer. They were out in the middle of nowhere. They hadn’t seen anyone else in some time. Austin wanted this incredible man in his embrace, kissing him. He ran his hands down the powerful arms, enjoying the dark hair that covered them. Reaching down, he grasped the tail of Dale’s T-shirt and pulled it free of his tight blue jeans. The skin under the shirt was warm and moist. Sweaty from the ride. He didn’t care. He’d been dreaming of this for more than a week. The past few nights, those dreams had been so vivid they’d woken him several times, normally with his stomach coated with the aftermath.

Dale shifted slightly and pulled the shirt over his head. Austin eagerly ran his fingers through the thick black hair that covered the massive, well-defined chest. A single silver piercing sparkled in his left nipple.

“I didn’t realize you were pierced.” Austin pulled back for a second.

Dale looked worried for a moment. “I can take it out if it bothers you.”

Austin didn’t reply. He lowered his mouth to the nipple and sucked on it till the little stud banged on his teeth. Under him, Dale moaned and ran powerful fingers through his hair. Austin sucked and nibbled on the nipple for several minutes until Dale grabbed his ears and pulled his mouth up.

“It’s getting sensitive,” Dale muttered as their lips met again. “The way you use your mouth, I’m not sure I can handle it if you get hold of other things.”

Austin used the respite to pull his tank top off before rolling Dale over on top of him. “Then let’s give you a rest, let things build a little while.”

From above him, Dale smiled. “You asked for it.” With gentle kisses, he worked his way down Austin’s neck and onto the broad planes of his chest. He left a wet trail of hair as he licked a path to the first nipple. The force that he latched onto the right nipple with drew Austin’s back up off the blanket and caused a loud gasp to escape his lips.

“Oh God!” Austin screamed as electricity shot through his body. His hard cock expanded so large, it strained against the zipper of his jeans, bringing a sharp pain. Then Dale’s teeth caught the already sensitive nipple tip. Austin almost came right there.

Dale laughed as he raised his mouth off the nipple. “I think you like that just a bit.”

“Oh my God” was all Austin could say before Dale attacked the other nipple with equal zeal. He trembled as his body sang under the skilled mouth and hands. When Dale released the second nipple, he smiled up at Austin before licking his way down. He paused to lick the sweat out of Austin’s belly button, a unique and arousing sensation, while he undid Austin’s jeans. He reached one large rough hand in to find the head of Austin’s raging hard cock. After stroking the silky head for a couple minutes while Austin moaned in delight, he encircled the shaft, sliding his hand down to the base. Then, in a swift movement, he engulfed the throbbing cock with his warm mouth, sliding his lips all the way down to the dense dark pubes at its base.

Austin nearly sat up at the sensation of his cock suddenly being shoved down Dale’s throat. He gasped as Dale slowly pulled off enough to suck on the head, which threatened to explode at any moment. Dale lapped around the bulbous cock head with his skilled tongue, and then he lifted up, looked deep into Austin’s eyes, and smiled.

“Tasty precum.” He dropped back down to sucking on the hard rod.

It didn’t take long before Austin knew if Dale didn’t back off, he’d blow his wad down his throat. He reached down and grabbed Dale’s head, enjoying the brush of the hair there. Reluctantly, he pulled Dale off his cock.

“Much more of that and I’m going to cum,” he said huskily.

“We don’t want that just yet, now do we?” Dale chuckled. He slid his hand up Austin’s chest as he brought their lips back together.

Austin seized the opportunity to roll them over so he now lay on Dale. He paused, just enjoying the feel of the bigger man beneath him. Dale’s chest and shoulders were broader than his, but height wise, the two men were very close. The soft dark chest hair felt good under him, and as he shifted, it mingled with his own, sending ripples of pleasure across his chest and stomach. Renewing his assault on Dale’s body, he went back to the pierced nipple, working it until he had it good and wet. Then he licked little swirls in the dark forest between it and the left nipple. Salty sweat had collected on the chest and tasted good to him.

As he worked the second nipple, Austin slid his fingers under the tight waistband of Dale’s jeans and underwear. It wasn’t hard to find his cock; it nearly pushed its way free of the jeans by itself. As soon as he touched it, it pulsed larger. Dale moaned as Austin slid his hand down the thick pole, reaching for the balls below it. The jeans were rapidly becoming too tight as the hard cock continued to swell.

Dale stroked Austin’s head as he plundered his pants.

“I have a tendency to grow a bit,” he said huskily.

Austin disengaged his mouth from his nipple. “No shit, just a bit?”

Dale reached around and undid the button and zipper, allowing Austin more room to work the still-growing pole. Returning his attention to the nipple, Austin glanced down as he revealed Dale’s cock in all its rock-hard glory. Looming over the hair-covered stomach, the head of the rod filling Austin’s hand looked enormous, easily the size of a beer can.

He wondered how he was going to be able to handle the monster.

After a final kiss of the nipple, Austin kissed and licked his way lower, all the while working Dale’s cock with his hand. He licked around the massive head and reached down to cup the equally large balls. Dale was a sexual monster. When Austin slid Dale’s cock into his mouth, Dale moaned in pleasure. Austin couldn’t get the whole thing down. It was just too big and caused him to gag. He backed off and worked on the part he could fit in his mouth while he pulled gently on the pendulous balls.

It didn’t take long for Austin’s jaw to get sore, and he pulled off Dale’s cock. He smiled up into the handsome face. “This is some whopper you have here,” he said, rubbing the cock head over his goatee-covered chin.

“So I’ve been told,” Dale replied, reaching up to stroke Austin’s cheek. “So what would you like to do with it?”

Austin stared at the large pink rod in his hand and wondered if it would be too much for him. It was easily bigger than anything he’d ridden before, and nearly three times the size Rick had been.

“I’m wondering if I’m versatile enough for it,” he said honestly, watching Dale’s face for any kind of rejection or disappointment.

Dale pulled Austin up so they could kiss. None of the intensity had been lost.

“I get that a lot. I’m more than a lot of guys can handle. Tell you what, I know I can handle you. How about I cum all over you while you bury that nice cock of yours deep inside me?”

The thought of burying his cock in Dale’s ass made him even harder. Austin kissed him again, reaching down to give the man’s cock a good jerking. He wanted to watch the big head spray cum all over his chest.

“It’s a good thing I brought lube, then,” Austin said, pulling away just far enough to reach his backpack, which lay on the blanket’s edge.

“I wondered what you had in there,” Dale said.

Austin held up a condom and a small bottle of lube. “Just a few items in case things got interesting.”

Dale grabbed the condom. “I think we can call this interesting.” He rolled the condom down over Austin’s cock.

“So how do you like it?” Austin asked.

“Why don’t you lay on your back and I’ll straddle your waist. That way I can get cum all over you.” Dale grinned as he moved his hands to Austin’s waist to slide him into position.

“Do you need a bit of opening up?” he asked as Dale swung a leg over his hips.

Dale grabbed Austin’s condom-cloaked cock. “You’re a little larger than average yourself. I think a little loosening up might be in order.”

Austin opened the lube and squirted a glob out onto his finger. After reaching under Dale, he found the tight, hairy hole and eased his way in. Muscles closed in around him, constricting enough that he wondered if he was going to be able to force his cock in without damaging Dale. Slowly at first, he worked his finger in and out, helping Dale relax. Dale moaned as Austin’s long finger rubbed inside of him. For several minutes they worked at it.

“God, give me that cock now,” Dale moaned as Austin thrust his finger deep inside.

Austin pulled out his finger and globbed lube on his covered cockhead, taking care to smear some down the shaft for good measure. Then Dale lowered himself down onto the slippery pole.

The sensation of his dick sliding into Dale’s tight ass sent shivers through Austin. He looked up at Dale’s rugged face, which was completely at ease as Austin entered the constricted passage. As Dale settled his weight on Austin’s thighs, he opened his eyes, and the late afternoon sun caught the hazel orbs, causing them to sparkle with an almost eerie green light.

“Man, you fill me up,” Dale said as he sat there for a moment.

“Your ass feels awesome,” Austin replied, reaching up to run his hands over the massive chest above him. He grabbed hold of Dale’s shoulders and pulled himself into a sitting position. Joined as they were, this kiss was even more intense than their previous ones. They sat there for a couple of minutes, kissing, while Dale’s ass constricted around Austin’s cock. And Dale’s dick throbbed between them.

Then, with his hands on Austin’s shoulders and a huge grin on his face, Dale began to ride Austin’s cock. Well-toned muscles moved him up and down on Austin’s pole. He started slowly at first and then went ever faster. Austin reached between them and stroked Dale’s dick as they moved together. The huge member required two hands now to totally engulf it.

Moments after Austin grabbed Dale’s cock, Dale tensed, his breathing came faster, and his ass tightened down on Austin’s rod to the point they stopped sliding.

Dale screamed. “Oh God, Austin! Fuck! Oh God!” And cum erupted from the massive dick. Each spasm of cum clamped the man’s ass tighter on Austin’s shaft until it hurt.

As the last wave ended, Dale kissed him. “Fuck me, Austin! Fuck me for all you’re worth!”

Dale leaned back and lifted himself just off Austin’s thighs. Just enough to give room to ram up into him. It was awkward, but Austin was so turned on and covered in cum, it didn’t matter. He thrust up into Dale as hard as he could. Dale’s tight ass relaxed and he pounded it. It wasn’t going to take much more. Dale clenched his ass.

“Shit!” Austin screamed, almost louder than Dale had. His balls tightened up, then emptied into the condom. Austin shook as he buried his cock into Dale as far as he could. Dale kept his weight on Austin’s thighs as they lowered to the blanket with Austin still shaking from the orgasm.

Dale’s weight enshrouded Austin as he learned down to kiss him. Austin clung to him. The feeling of Dale against him was something he wanted to experience again and again. There was a rightness there. It was more right than any other man he’d ever been with, even guys he’d professed to love.

They lay there with Dale covering Austin for several minutes, even after Austin’s cock softened enough that Dale’s body pushed it out. As they kissed and stroked each other, Austin knew he didn’t want it to end. He wanted to find some way they could just exist in this mountain valley by the small lake forever and not have to go back to the real world.

Then his stomach growled.

Dale chuckled. It was a good sound. “Sounds like you need something to eat.” He smiled down at Austin and then kissed him again.

“Maybe a little bit.”

“What do you say we take a quick swim, get the cum off, then eat something before we ride back?”

Austin hugged Dale. “Do we have to go back? Can’t we just stay here?”

Dale kissed him again. “I would love to stay here with you, but we have responsibilities back in town. We don’t want Jasmine and Catherine to have to come track us down, do we?”

Running his hand through Dale’s hair, Austin sighed. “I guess not.”

With a final quick kiss, Dale stood up, pulling Austin with him. “Come on, the water will feel good.”

“That’s a mountain lake, it’s going to be cold,” Austin warned as they dashed hand in hand toward the water.

“What’s a little cold? I have you to warm me up!” Dale cried right before he hit the water.

Austin let go of his hand and nearly stopped so he didn’t enter the lake at a run. Dale took three running steps and was in water up to his waist. He stopped dead.

“That’s fucking cold!”

Austin couldn’t help it—he laughed. “I told you, it’s a mountain lake. Even in the dead of summer, they’re cold.” He walked up alongside Dale, his body already drawing up from the cold. “So let’s wash off and get back on dry land, into the sun.”

Dale splashed cold water on him. “You think it’s going to be that fast and easy?”

Austin followed suit, and pretty soon they were involved in an allout naked water fight. They were freezing by the time Austin surrendered and they got out to the blanket.

Chapter 19

The light coming through the small window in the trailer told Dale it was midmorning. He gently rolled over and looked at Austin lying against him. The two had made love long into the night after getting back to the fair site. It had been a long time since he had as much fun as he had the day before with Austin. There was something about Austin that reached into him. Recalling his thoughts after his last tryst at Scarborough, he wondered what it would take to talk Austin into going with him when the fair was over. With careful fingers, he moved a strand of long brown hair out of Austin’s face. Even with the scruff along his cheekbones, in sleep he looked younger than he really was.

Propping himself up on one elbow, Dale reclined there and watched Austin sleep. Is this a man I could wake up to every morning? He recalled their energetic sex the day before, along with the wonderful conversation they’d had while riding. Yes, I think it is.

Someone knocked on the door.

Dale sighed and rolled off the bed as Austin opened his blue eyes. Dale paused and leaned over to kiss him. “I’ll be right back,” he whispered.

He grabbed his jeans and walked/hopped into them and made it to the door just as another knock sounded.

On the other side of the door, Chip stood smiling in the morning sun.

“Hey, Chip, what’s up?” Dale carefully stayed in the door opening so he wouldn’t see Austin lying on the bed.

“Max wants to see you.”

“Where’s he at?”

“Down at the arena.”

Dale nodded. “Tell him I’ll be there in a few minutes. I need to get dressed.”

“Okay.” Chip turned and headed back through the campground.

“Did I hear Chipmunk?” Austin asked as Dale closed the door. He was now sitting up on the narrow bed.

“Yeah. I need to go meet with Max about something.” Dale grabbed a shirt from a drawer near the bed.

“Do you want me to wait here for you?”

“It’s up to you. If we were at a different fair, I’d say we could grab a shower after I talk with Max, but here….”

“I know, they can be kinda prudish around here.” Austin picked up his cell phone from the small bedside table. “Crap, I need to get to town. I’m supposed to help Jas with some stuff in about half an hour.” He scrambled for his clothes.

“I guess that settles that question.” Dale chuckled as he caught

Austin up in his arms. “I had a lot of fun yesterday, and last night.”

Austin leaned into his kiss. “I did too. So, dinner tomorrow night?”

“Sure. With or without the girls?”

After a thoughtful pause, Austin shrugged. “I’ll leave it up to you. But it might give them a chance to plot against us if we don’t take them with us. I don’t know about Catherine, but Jasmine can get kinda vindictive if she’s left out of things.”

Dale chuckled again before another kiss. “I’ll talk to Catherine and see if she has plans.”

“Cool.” Austin pulled his tank top over his head and then pulled his hair out of the collar. He stole another kiss before sitting down to put on his shoes.

“You can sleep here Saturday night too… if you want.” Dale almost couldn’t believe he was saying the words that came so naturally out of his mouth.

Austin’s smile warmed Dale. Why is he so damned cute? “Let’s see how you are at dinner.” Austin looked up from his now-tied shoes. “I’ll get out of here so you can go see Max.” He caught Dale up in his arms and gave him a farewell kiss. “You try and stay in one piece. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

An uncontrolled grin spread across Dale’s face. “Definitely.” Even as the door closed, his heart beat for Austin. He sighed and pulled on his boots to go see what was on Max’s mind. He knew in his soul he wanted to find a way he and Austin could spend more time together.

“How are your horses set for hay?” Max asked as Dale walked up. He was leaned against the royal box, watching the grounds crew trim the arena grass.

Dale paused as his mind tilted for a moment. The fair was supposed to provide hay for his horses. “I have a few bales left over from when I was traveling. Why?”

“Good,” Max said, shifting heavily on his cane. “We’re running short this weekend. It may be midweek before we find more. Those damned elephants got loose for a while yesterday. When we found them, they were in the hayshed and had eaten a good portion of the horse hay. We’re trying to replace it, but with the drought that’s going on, we’re having trouble finding any close by. You don’t happen to know of any in the area, by chance, do you?”

Dale shook his head. “Nope, I’m new to Colorado. Didn’t figure I’d need to know where to get hay since you guys were supposed to be providing it.”

Max looked grim. “Yeah, sorry about this. Nobody is taking credit for the error that let the elephants loose. Accidents happen.”

“Well, keep me posted. Any chance if I run low, you guys can spare a bit?” Dale tried to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“I think we have enough for five days. If I can find some by Monday and they keep the elephants under control, I may have a bit extra.”

“Thanks. Anything else?”

“Nope, that’s it,” Max replied. “Enjoy the day. Be at the gate before cannon tomorrow.”

“I will.” Dale turned and walked away. He wondered where Catherine was; maybe she wanted to get some lunch and they could discuss tomorrow’s dinner plans. She would also undoubtedly want to know how the ride with Austin had gone the day before. He sighed and felt the grin return to his face as he remembered the feeling of Austin’s body under his hands, his soft kisses, and that wonderful cock in his ass.

Chapter 20

Austin watched the tall man in the ruby-red and forest-green kilt walk into the pirate shop. Kilt weekend at the fair was one of his favorite themed weekends. A lot of the guys couldn’t pull off wearing a kilt, but this one did. It helped he’d forgone a shirt and proudly displayed his well-muscled chest covered with just the right amount of dark hair. In his mind, he compared the man to Dale. The man looked good, but he wasn’t Dale. For the past day, Austin immediately compared every man he saw to Dale. And for the past day, every man had failed to live up to the perfection he’d enjoyed, first on the lakeshore, then twice more in the cramped trailer. He wished he was living somewhere other than Jasmine’s couch and had a real bed where the two of them would have room to rut to their heart’s and cock’s contents.

The hot guy in the kilt walked up to the counter, carrying two of the replicate muzzle-loaders they stocked. “Do these work?” he asked, his long fingers sliding along the metal barrel and mother-of-pearl handle of one.

Austin shook his head. “No, they’re just replicas. We carry them for folks wanting to add to their costumes.”

The man lifted one of the guns and aimed it toward the door like he was about to fire it. “They might make a good addition to my pirate outfit… my girlfriend might find them sexy.” He pulled the hammer back and squeezed the trigger. The gun clicked. Austin glanced in the direction the gun was pointed. His heart stopped: Rick walked into the store with a dark, tired look on his sunburned face.

“I think I’ll take them.” The hunk in the kilt set the pistol on the counter. “Do you take plastic or just cash?”

Austin wanted to duck under the counter before his ex saw him. He gulped as he replied to the customer, “We accept both.”

He pulled his wallet from his sporran and handed Austin his bankcard. He swiped the card almost robotically and began wrapping up the two muzzle-loaders while the transaction processed, but he never once took his eyes off Rick, who was thumbing absentmindedly through a rack of T-shirts.

When the guns were wrapped up and handed to the guy in the kilt, Austin turned toward Rick, dread settling into his gut.

“So, you really do work at the Renaissance festival.” Rick sneered as he stepped away from the T-shirt rack. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to find you out here? I feel like I’ve been walking up and down hills all day long, in this wretched heat, no less. We live in Colorado; it’s supposed to be cool. Luckily this place has beer, or what passes for it, even though it is watered down to the point it’s almost piss.”

“Rick, I really don’t have time right now. I’m at work,” Austin said, hoping the man would take the hint and go away. He knew better. Rick had probably sat in the car and gotten stoned before he’d worked up the courage to come into the fair. Plus he’d just admitted to drinking his way around the place.

“You don’t have time?” Rick’s voice rose a couple octaves, revealing how much he’d actually had to drink. “So you didn’t have time to actually break up with me either, did you?”

“Austin, is there a problem?” Phillip, his boss, asked as he hurried across the shop.

“Rick, this isn’t the time or the place to talk right now,” Austin said, shaking his head at Phillip.

“Don’t shake your head at me, bitch,” Rick roared, slamming his hands down on the counter in front of Austin. “We had nine months and you just walk out. Then you sneak back in while I’m at work and take your stuff. You didn’t even bother leaving me a note.”

“I left a note.” Austin stepped around the counter, hoping to get Rick to move outside so their argument wouldn’t disrupt things too much for Phillip. “It was on top of the TV.”

“But you took the TV!”

“I took my TV. I left yours. It was in the bedroom.”

“I can’t watch TV in the bedroom. It hurts my neck. Why would I look there for a note?” Rick stepped closer to Austin as he rounded the counter. He towered over Austin.

“Where else would you have me leave a note? The fridge? You only open the fridge to put in beer or get out things when you’re so stoned you have the munchies.”

“I can call security if you want, Austin,” said Phillip, moving away from Rick and pulling out his phone.

“I only got stoned because of you!” Rick screamed. “You’re so damned hard to be around. You live in a fantasy world. Look at you, the fluffy shirt, the leather vest. What the fuck do you think you are? A pirate? My God, do you have any idea what it’s like to live with you? I have to stay stoned to stay sane around you!”

Austin’s mind reeled around the strange workings of Rick’s thoughts as he tried to come up with some kind of response to him.

“You’re sick,” Phillip said before Austin could come up with anything.

“God, you’re just like him,” Rick slurred. “What kind of sickos are you people?”

“Rick, go home!” Austin shouted. People were leaving the shop while others were stopping to stare. “Take this home. Go sleep it off. Look on the TV for the note. See I’m telling the truth.” He reached for the man’s arm to turn him out of the shop.

“Get your hands off me, you little shit!” Rick jerked away from him. The rancid smell of beer rolled off him.

Austin knew that by now, someone had gone for security. He really didn’t want Rick arrested for causing a disturbance. “Rick, please go before security gets here.”

“What will they do? Make me walk the plank? I can’t believe you are sicker than I ever dreamed. I was the best guy you ever had. And you threw it all away! For what? This crazy make-believe place full of crazy fuckers?”

Austin grabbed Rick’s hand and started dragging him from the shop.

“Come on, you’re out of here.”

Rick swung at him. “I said, take your hands off me!”

A fist covered in black leather passed by Austin’s head. It contacted with Rick’s jaw, spinning the blond man around and knocking him to the ground. Austin glanced over his shoulder. Dale stood there, a dark glare plastered on his rugged features. His face softened as he looked at Austin.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.” He glanced down at Rick, who struggled to get back to his feet.

“Is there a problem in here?” Two Larkspur police officers charged into the shop.

“Yes, Officers,” Phillip said. “This man came in and started fighting with my employee.”

“Do you know this man?” asked the first officer, a huge black man.

Austin nodded. “Yes, he’s my former roommate.”

“Roommate?” Rick slurred as he staggered to his feet. “I was your fucking lover!”

“Sir, you really should be quiet and let them explain,” said the second officer, a burly redhead. “Then you’ll get your chance to explain.”

“He’s the one that needs to explain!” Rick screamed, pointing at Austin with such vehemence that he backed up into Dale.

Austin wished they weren’t in public so Dale could fold him in strong arms and kiss this whole horrible scene away. Dale didn’t step back as he could’ve but put a hand softly, almost protectively, on Austin’s shoulder. It was the most he could hope for right now.

“Sir, I really need you to be quiet,” the second officer repeated.

“We’ll have a few questions for you in a minute.”

“No! You need to be asking him the questions, not me!” Rick lost all semblance of sanity. He surged at Austin again.

The burly redhead caught him from behind. “All right, sir, you’re coming down to the station with us. You have the right to remain silent….” He dragged Rick out of the shop.

“We’ll need to talk to the three of you as well,” the huge officer said to Austin, Phillip, and Dale.

“Can it wait until this evening?” Phillip asked. “I don’t have anyone else to watch the shop. It’s a busy day.”

The officer nodded. “We understand.” Then he looked at Austin. “From what we heard, if you would like to file assault charges, you can.” He looked up toward Dale. “But you better hope he doesn’t counter-file on you.”

“I was defending Austin,” Dale replied.

“That’s how it’s going down in my report. I’m just warning you.” The officer pulled out a notebook. “Now I’ll get your names. Please stop by this evening. If you can round up any other witnesses, bring them along.”

After he took their names and phone numbers, the officer left, along with a good number of curious onlookers.

“We need to get back to work,” Phillip said as a woman walked up to the counter with a T-shirt.

“Just a minute,” Austin replied. He glanced at Dale and nodded toward the back room.

As the door closed, Austin threw himself into Dale’s arms. He hugged him tightly.

“You sure you’re okay?” Dale murmured into his hair after kissing his forehead.

Austin nodded. “I will be. He’s totally off his rocker now. I wouldn’t doubt he’s used something more than pot and beer.” He turned Dale’s face so they could kiss. His lips were the sweetness he needed. If only they could stay like that, locked in each other’s arms, and let the crazies of the world pass them by.

“Thanks for the timely punch back there,” said Austin as their lips parted.

“Catherine and I were just stopping in to confirm dinner.” Dale ran a soothing hand down Austin’s hair.

“Guess it will have to wait until after we talk to the police tonight,” Austin replied.

“That’s fine. I’m just happy you’re safe.”

“Austin, I need a hand out here!” Phillip called from the counter.

“I need to get out there. I’ll find you after work?” Austin said, reluctantly stepping out of Dale’s arms.

“Tell you what, Cat and I will come by here right after cannon and we can all go together. Then we’ll find some dinner.” Dale gave him another quick kiss.

“Sounds good.” Austin opened the door. Several people stood at the counter, waiting to check out. Spotting Catherine, who was a radiant pool of blue by the door, he gave her a quick wave as he dashed for the counter.

Chapter 21

Dale held the door as everyone filed out of the Larkspur police department. They’d been there a lot shorter time than they had expected. When they arrived they’d been informed that while their statements were needed, Rick would be staying in jail for a good long while. Austin had inquired further and been informed the man had several outstanding warrants, including drug possession and domestic violence against a man he’d lived with several years before Austin met him. That, on top of being in possession of unidentified pills, which the police were still investigating, meant he was going to be locked up until several judges got done with him.

“You guys get a good night’s rest,” Phillip said on the sidewalk. They’d offered to take him to dinner, but he declined, saying he wanted a shower, a beer, and bed.

“You too, Phillip,” Austin said. “Sorry for all the fuss.”

“Not your fault he’s a lunatic. Luckily it didn’t hurt business.”

After they’d all piled into Dale’s truck, he reached over and took

Austin’s hand. “You still okay?”

Austin nodded. “Yeah, a little shook up, but basically okay.”

“I always told you he was a nut job,” Jasmine said from the back seat as she clicked her seat belt.

“But domestic abuse on a former boyfriend?” Austin shook his head. “That could’ve been me. Glad I got away from him when I did.” “I am too.” Dale squeezed his hand.

“You two are really cute and all, but I’m hungry,” Cat said. “Get this truck moving.”

“Where to?” Dale asked, starting the vehicle.

“How about that burger joint in downtown Denver?” Austin asked.

“That one that serves Sunday breakfast in drag?” Jasmine replied.

“That’s the one.” Austin locked eyes with Dale. “That way he can stay close and folks won’t stare.”

Dale’s heart beat faster as he pulled the truck out onto the street, driving north. He’d been worried about Austin all afternoon. He’d known about the ex, but Rick had been a little farther out in left field than he had imagined. If they hadn’t had jobs to do, he would have taken Austin back to his trailer and curled up with him, held him tight until all thoughts of the crazy had gone away. It was a new feeling, being this protective of someone. His knuckles had hurt from the punch, even if his black leather glove had absorbed a good bit of the impact. It had been years since he’d struck someone like that. The last time had been in a bar fight in San Antonio.

“That sounds good,” he agreed as they stopped for the town’s single stop sign.

“If it’s where I’m thinking, they have good food,” Cat replied. “And fast service too. We need that tonight.”

“Well, sweetie, is there anything you left at the apartment?” Jasmine asked as they rolled onto the interstate. “You know, it’s safe for you to go back and get things now.”

Austin shook his head. “Naw, I got everything I wanted out when we went back last week while he was at work. You know, I might have avoided today if I’d actually faced him instead of just moving out while he was at work.”

“Maybe, but it still would’ve been very dramatic,” Jasmine said. “You’ve said for months now, he’s nothing but a drama queen. So, it wouldn’t have happened in public, but I bet the neighbors would have called the cops when he started screaming. Dale wouldn’t have been there, and you might have ended up hurt. Phillip isn’t mad at you over this, so don’t worry. Besides, when was the last time you had a handsome jouster rescue you?”

Thankful the dashboard lights weren’t bright enough to show his blush, Dale squeezed Austin’s hand. “I can’t say as I’ve ever rescued anyone before.”

Austin squeezed back. “I’m glad you did. I don’t think I’ve needed rescuing since high school.”

Dale chuckled as he sped past a sputtering Honda. “Just glad it could be me.”

“Okay, guys, don’t go getting so sweet here I go into a diabetic coma before we reach dinner.” Cat tapped Dale on the shoulder.

Dale sat on his bed and watched Austin peel off the tight red T-shirt. The lights in the trailer didn’t do his body the justice the sunlight at the lake had, but it was still an enjoyable sight. The dark-brown hair that covered the firm curves of his chest caught the light just right.

The clock had chimed eleven when they came in. The four of them had chatted through dinner and gotten back to the site later than they’d planned. Dale had hoped he and Austin would hit the bed early enough for sex before they had to go to sleep.

Austin yawned as he laid his jeans over the back of the chair. “I hope you don’t mind just a bit of cuddling and then sleep. I’m all done in tonight.”

Dale lay back on the bed and opened his arms. “Of course not, come on over here. I understand it has been a hard day for you. I’m just glad I could be there for you and that you’re here now.”

The bed groaned a little as Austin slid into Dale’s arms. They kissed as they wrapped their arms around each other.

“Thanks for being there and here for me,” Austin said, settling his head into the crook of Dale’s neck. “It really means a lot. I’m used to being the supportive one. Jasmine’s about the only one in my life that’s ever been supportive of me.” He ran his fingers through the thick black hair on Dale’s chest. “What is it about you that feels so comfortable?”

Dale stroked Austin’s hair, enjoying the silky feel of it. “I was going to ask you that same question. I really enjoy having you in my arms.”

Rolling slightly, Austin kissed the hollow of Dale’s neck. It was a soft kiss. “Me too. I like holding you and having you hold me. I can’t remember being this secure with another man, ever.”

Their lips met again as Dale hugged Austin as tight as he dared; he didn’t want to break him. When Austin hugged back just as tight, he squeezed. After a couple minutes of hugging, Austin laughed.

“Well, we can handle each other’s bear hugs too.”

“That’s good, I like getting big hugs like that,” Dale replied as Austin settled once more with his head in the crook of his neck. Austin sighed, his warm breath blowing tingles across Dale’s chest where it danced through the hair there.

“Lots of hugs, lots of kisses”—Austin’s fingers curled around the fat, semi-flaccid shaft of Dale’s cock—“and lots of this.” He stroked the member a couple times before releasing it. “I just wish we had more energy tonight.”

Dale stroked Austin’s hair. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll have plenty of time for that.” He almost stopped petting for a moment. Again, he’d inadvertently suggested this was the start of something long-term. Was his heart getting ahead of the rest of him?

“Good.” Austin yawned. “I want more of it, but I’m sleepy.” He kissed Dale’s neck again, took a deep breath, and fell asleep with his head cradled on Dale’s shoulder.

Continuing to run his fingers down Austin’s hair to his strong back, Dale relaxed. The worries of the day were sinking away with each gentle steady breath Austin took. Slowly, Dale sank into his own slumber, content with the man in his arms. Even though they hadn’t had sex, it was a fitting end for the day. A happy smile crossed his lips as his heavy eyelids closed for the last time, and his hand resting on Austin’s shoulder.

Chapter 22

Austin tried not to glare at Jasmine as she continued their argument.

“You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?” she asked for the third time in five minutes.

“Yes, I’m absolutely sure I want to go. I checked with Dale at lunch, and he and Catherine are going with us.”

“Yeah, but last year nearly everyone who went to the party came home with crabs,” she objected.

“So? None of us are planning to sleep with anyone at the party… well, unless you or Catherine finds someone to hook up with.” He pulled off his white fluffy shirt and reached for the black silk shirt he’d brought along just for the party.

“Gods, but I hate these themed parties,” she said in such a way he could tell she was changing the subject. “Why can’t we just wear our fair garb? It would make things so much easier. Then we could just close up shop and go straight over.”

“Are you two done in there yet?” Phillip hollered from the front of the shop. “I need to get changed too, you know.” “We know!” Jasmine shouted back.

Leaving the top three buttons undone, Austin tucked the silk shirt into the leather pants he now wore. “You better speed it up a bit, he sounds impatient.”

“Yeah, something about meeting up with that one gal from the bakery.”

Austin raised an eyebrow. “Which gal from the bakery?”

“You know, Belinda, or Brenda. That one that always brings him treats,” Jasmine whispered as she pulled her leather bodice back on, sans shirt. “Apparently she stopped by yesterday after Rick got hauled off, and asked him if he’d escort her to the Forth Ball.”

“Oh, Renda,” he replied as he pulled back on his high-topped boots. “I thought she sounded like she was fishing about for info on him the other day while I was getting my pretzels on the pole.” “Austin, Dale’s here!” Phillip called out.

“You look covered,” he told Jasmine as he reached for the door.

Dale stood with his back to the door as Austin opened it. He wore a leather vest that showed more muscle than it covered. His tight ass filled the leather pants that strained to contain him. Austin froze for a moment. Then Dale turned around. The vest was too small to be fastened in the front, exposing the glorious chest and abs to the whole world. Austin’s breath caught as he looked up into Dale’s hazel eyes. There was something about the leather that made Dale look incredible.

“You look awesome,” he said as he walked up to him

Dale reached out, ran his hand down the front of Austin’s silk shirt, and smiled. “So do you.”

“I enjoy dress up parties as well as the next girl,” Catherine said, drawing Austin’s attention to her. “And a little slap and giggle too, but why did she have to go with a fetish theme this year?” Her costume was almost the same as Jasmine’s. She just didn’t fill out the leather bodice as well. She also carried a rather used riding crop, which he hoped she’d borrowed from Dale and wasn’t something she kept lying around her bedroom.

“Because she did pirates last year and nobody bothered to change before coming,” Jasmine responded as she came out of the back room. “It’s been, what, five years since she did the fetish theme, from what site gossips are saying.”

“You guys don’t have to wait for me,” Phillip said as he pushed past Jasmine.

“See you at the party, Phillip,” Austin said as the door closed between them.

“You know,” Dale began, grabbing Austin’s hand, “we could just skip the party, let the girls go on their own, and head back to the trailer. I really like the way that black shirt looks.”

Austin brought Dale’s fingers to his lips and kissed them before pulling Dale into his arms. The leather vest under his finger gave him ideas too.

“You are so fucking hot in this, but we promised folks.” He planted his lips on Dale’s. “Maybe we can sneak out early.”

“I’ll remind you.” Dale’s lusty smile almost undid Austin’s resolve to show up at the party.

“See, Austin, Dale wants to skip too,” Jasmine said as they walked out of the shop.

“Jas, just don’t sleep with anyone and you’ll be fine.” Austin chuckled, wishing he and Dale could hold hands as they walked across the site toward the party. Jasmine and Catherine linked arms with him, and Catherine claimed Dale’s arm so she walked between the two men.

Catherine’s bawdy laugh tumbled through the nearly empty fair site. “Yes, Jasmine, even I don’t find men to dally with at Evelyn’s affairs. For some reason, although the same people are invited, Chipmunk’s parties are much safer for that sort of thing than Evelyn’s.”

“See, that’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Jasmine replied.

“It will go down in infamy as one of the great secrets of the Renaissance fairs,” Catherine replied. “Along with the secret spices they use at Steak On a Stake.”

“You know, those things taste different at different fairs,” Dale said from the far side of Catherine. “So I’m betting there are no secret herbs and spices in them.”

Catherine let go of Austin and slugged Dale in his bulging bicep. “Don’t take the mystery out of my second-favorite meat.”

Music rolled toward them from a distance. It was loud and dark, not at all like the cheerful Celtic stuff they’d played at Chipmunk’s party.

“So Cat, do we really want to know what your first-favorite meat is?” Austin dared to ask.

“Lady Catherine!” someone shouted as they rounded the final bend before the main stage, which was quickly being transformed into something that resembled a medieval dungeon.

They stopped and turned toward the voice. Several women hurried toward them. Austin recognized them as some of the ladies-in-waiting from the court, although without their courtly garb, they looked much less impressive. In the flimsy fishnets they now wore, they looked more like ladies of the evening than ladies of the royal court.

“I’m so glad we caught up with you all,” the first one said, her long red hair caught up in what looked like huge chopsticks.

“Jocelyn, I didn’t realize you all were coming to the party tonight,” Cat said as she let go of Austin’s and Dale’s arms.

“Well, we missed last year’s, and folks say this is the party of parties to attend,” Jocelyn replied. “And if we have our newest jouster to accompany us, we’ll make a grand entrance indeed. And how striking you look too, Sir Diederik. I never would have guessed what you keep hidden under your armor.” Jocelyn claimed Dale’s other arm as Catherine resumed their walk toward the party.

Austin wanted to tell the courtly wench to keep her hands off his man, but he knew Dale wanted to keep their relationship under wraps. Even at this party, Catherine had to appear like she was his date. Austin knew the reality and it didn’t bother him. He also knew Catherine wouldn’t paw Dale in front of him. Did he have the right to call Dale his man yet? They were getting along great. Dale appeared as interested in him as Austin was with him. Last night had felt so good, just falling asleep in Dale’s arms. He wanted more than anything to be able to lay claim to him, but they’d only gone out a couple times. It was too soon, even if it felt so very right.

They strolled up to the main stage amidst the loud heavy metal music and the torture equipment someone had borrowed from the dungeon maze. The crowd engulfed them, and as greetings were exchanged, thoughts of his and Dale’s relationship status were pushed out of his mind. “YOU know, I’d almost swear they were putting something more than fruit juice in the nonalcoholic drinks,” Dale said as the four of them walked toward the campground after the party.

“I hear you,” Austin agreed. He’d not wanted to drink anything even though he and Jasmine were spending the night instead of driving home to Denver. After Rick’s display of drunk and disorderly the day before, he could do without anything alcoholic for a while. Dale had also wanted to forgo for similar reasons, but somehow they both seemed a bit buzzed.

“I wouldn’t put it past Evelyn to spike the punch,” Catherine replied right before she stumbled.

“Careful, Cat, we don’t want to have to carry you back to your tent,” Dale said, catching her arm.

“No, we know what it’s like to carry someone down this hill. Don’t we, Austin?” She grinned as she regained her balance.

“Hey, I could really use a privy stop,” Austin said, the weight of his bladder becoming more evident with each step.

“Me too,” Dale agreed. “Do you ladies want to wait on us, or can you find your way in the dark?”

Jasmine glared under the light of the lone streetlamp. “I think we can find our way on our own, can’t we, Cat?”

Catherine moved her hand from Dale’s arm to Jasmine’s. “Most definitely. We are independent women of the twenty-first century, not some wilting medieval damsels.” She paused and smiled at the guys. “If you find us in a pile, fallen over some tree root, please stop and pick us up.”

Dale laughed. “Of course, milady. Travel safely.”

Austin headed toward the privies. His bladder wasn’t going to wait much longer. A long silver basin with the remains of ice waited for them. Several Porta-Potties sat against the fence opposite the long urinal. Almost before his cock cleared the tight confines of his leather pants, it began releasing.

Dale stepped up beside him. “You really had to go.” Dale chuckled as he reached into his leather pants to bring out his massive member.

They stood there for several moments while their bladders emptied.

Austin glanced down at the languid cock in Dale’s hand. Although he’d often stolen glances at other guys while strolling into and out of the privies, he’d never actually stared at another man standing next to him. It was Colorado; there was too much of a chance the guy would react badly.

When they’d moved into the privies, they’d moved beyond the single streetlight; now only the moonlight sparkled off the last dregs of ice in the urinal. It also glistened off the light film of sweat on Dale’s dick.

“You know, you can touch it if you want,” Dale said, reaching for Austin’s cock.

“You think it’s safe?” Austin replied as he reached out to the quickly hardening cock in Dale’s hand.

“Most everyone is either in bed or at the party.” Dale pulled Austin closer. “Even the girls have wandered on to bed. We’ll be fine now.” Their lips met in the moonlight.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for hours,” said Dale as their lips parted.

“I know,” Austin murmured. His heart pounded in his chest. He felt exposed, standing under the stars with the cool evening breeze blowing across his cock and balls.

“Are you feeling adventuresome?” Dale whispered as he started nibbling on Austin’s ear.

“How so?” He ran his fingers across Dale’s exposed chest and caught hold of the nipple ring that hid behind the leather vest.

“Suck me off.”

“Here, in the privies?” Austin could think of other places he’d rather have sex.

Dale chuckled. “Have you ever done it in the privies?”

“In the bathroom in college, but never the privies out here where people might see.”

“No one’s going to catch us. I like sex outdoors. With you at the lake the other day was some of the best sex I’ve ever had.”

Austin had to agree, and he hadn’t been nervous then, but they had been out in the wilderness with no one around for miles. Here, there were people within a few yards of them. But it was Dale asking. The cock in his hand grew harder. He remembered the taste of it and wanted more.

“Fine.” They kissed, and he walked Dale back toward the fence that ran behind the Porta-Potties. There was a bit of grass that might not mar the knees of his leather pants as badly as the small stones at the urinal would.

Their kiss extended several minutes, and then Austin began kissing his way down the front of Dale’s body. He moaned lightly as he licked and sucked the pierced nipple. He held the metal in his teeth and pulled softly before relinquishing it, continuing his way toward the hard cock that had never left his hand.

The hard velvety head slipped between his lips even as his knees settled onto the grass. It tasted as good as he remembered, with the light sheen of sweat waiting for him. He slid the big cock as far down his throat as he could, willing himself to relax and not gag. With one hand around the big base, he grabbed the balls that bounced against his chin as he moved slowly up and down on Dale’s cock. He ached to do more, but they hadn’t come prepared for fucking. Settling into a rhythm of sucking on Dale’s cock and pulling on his hairy balls, Austin was determined to make Dale cum.

For several minutes he worked the massive member before Dale’s breathing changed. Dale’s large hands closed on either side of Austin’s head, and he started thrusting his cock deeper into his mouth. At the first thrust, Austin gagged, but he willed himself to relax as Dale’s breaths became ragged. Then the big cock throbbed and began emptying its load down his throat. Austin pulled back so he could taste the hot cum across his tongue. It was salty sweet as it emptied into him.

Kneeling there, his lips wrapped around the big cock, he waited until it stopped throbbing, then sucked on the head to get the last little bit. Dale’s whole body tightened, and Austin knew he was trying not to scream the way he had at the lake. Too many people would hear.

Feeling good, but with his own cock rock solid, Austin stood up and kissed Dale, who melted under his lips and clung to him.

“That was fucking awesome,” Dale whispered.

“You taste really good.”

“I want to taste you now.” Then Dale pushed Austin around so his back was to the fence before he started working his way down. He worked open the buttons on the silk shirt as he made way for his mouth.

Austin’s cock was so hard, he was afraid he might cum as Dale closed his fingers around it. But he held his orgasm back. The heat of Dale’s mouth engulfed him as he plunged himself all the way to the base. Austin gasped. Then Dale reached up, pinched both his nipples, and settled into sucking on his cock. Austin knew he couldn’t last long as Dale found his pace. He yearned for release. He grasped Dale’s head and his balls started their warning tingle. The soft short hair sliding through his long fingers pushed him further over the edge. He sighed and leaned back as he erupted into Dale’s hot mouth.

The gravel crunched under someone’s foot. Austin flashed his eyes open and looked at John Bishop, the white knight, who was staring at the spectacle before him. In the moonlight, the man’s eyes were wide in shock. Austin didn’t move; he held Dale’s head in his hands, hoping John wouldn’t recognize him.

John stumbled backward. “Abominations!” he screamed. A look of disgust etched across his features.

Dale still knelt in front of Austin as he kept his hands on his head. He slid Austin’s cock back into his tight leather pants.

“Faggots!” John screamed. “You will burn in Hell for what you do!”

Wanting to protect Dale from being outed, Austin stepped around Dale as he zipped up his pants. He hoped Dale would stay low and in what few shadows the Porta-Potties afforded.

“Look, just leave us alone,” he said in an even tone, walking toward the larger man. “That’s all we want is to be left alone.”

John took two steps backward, bumping into the simple sink at the entrance to the privies. “You’re an abomination! You will burn in Hell, faggot!”

Austin sighed and continued toward the man. “Yeah, you already said that. Now why don’t you take your Bible and go find another privy to sit and read it in.” He was trying to remain calm for Dale’s sake. He hoped he might get John to just go away if he kept walking forward. Behind him, boots scuffled on rocks. Not wanting to look around, Austin hoped Dale wasn’t coming toward him.

“You mock the word of God?”

“Look, are you going to be the big macho Christian and beat the little faggot up, or are you going to go away so I can finish fucking the guy I was with when you so rudely interrupted us?” The sound of boots grew lighter, moving away from them. Austin had managed to back John out of the privies, and they now stood in the lane. Around them, lights were coming on in the apartments above shops, and more people came toward them from the party. He turned away from John and started moving toward the people coming their way.

“God will see you in Hell, faggot!” John screamed again.

Chipmunk was the first one on the scene. “Is there a problem?”

“I just caught this faggot with another one in the privies!” John shouted, pointing at Austin.

Chipmunk laughed. “Austin, couldn’t you find a better place than the privies for a quickie?”

Austin shrugged as he stopped next to his friend and turned back to John. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“John, it’s the twenty-first century, not the fifteenth,” Catherine’s friend Jocelyn scolded, coming up on the other side of Chip. “Let two consenting adults do what they want, or did they not invite you?” “This is against the word of God!” John screamed.

“John, what’s the problem?” Dale appeared out of the darkness, running up the lane. Somewhere, he’d lost the leather vest, and sweat coated his chest.

“I just caught this faggot having sex with another man.”

“Is that a crime here in Colorado?”

“It’s a crime in the eyes of God!”

More people gathered around them. Several of them were drunkenly laughing at John.

“John, you’re causing a scene,” Dale said, taking the man by the shoulders and trying to steer him away. “Let’s go back to your tent and get you calmed down.”

“But that man’s an abomination!”

“That may be, but God will sort it out, not you. Now come on, let’s get away from here before you’re the talk of the site tomorrow.” They started walking away.

“Let get back to the party,” Chip said, gesturing everyone to turn and walk the other way.

Austin wanted to go with Dale, but he knew he’d better go with the partygoers, at least for the moment.

“You should know better,” Chipmunk said as they walked along. “In the privies, really, Austin, why not the showers next time?”

“Hey, it wasn’t my idea.”

Chipmunk dropped his voice. “Then warn Dale to be more careful.”

Austin stopped in his tracks. “How did you know?”

Chipmunk turned back and stepped closer. “Anybody who knows how to read body language knows what’s going on between you two. Don’t worry about me. I may be the biggest gossip out there, but you two are my friends. We don’t want other people acting like John the Butthead just did.”

“Thanks, Chip, you’re good people.”

The rest of the party crowd had disappeared around the bend, on their way back to the festivities.

“You two are good people too. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you. It’s been a rough weekend, what with your ex starting shit, and now this. Go to your tent, get some sleep, and have a good week. If you need anything, you’ve got my number in your phone.”

With a nod, Austin hugged the skinny man. “Chip, you’re awesome.

Thanks for the rescue.”

“No problem. I just hope he doesn’t realize you were with Dale and start shit with him.”

“Me too. I’m going to go find Dale and make sure he’s okay.”

Halfway down the hill, Austin spotted Dale walking toward him, still without his vest. He hurried to him. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Dale sighed. “Got John back to his tent. Hopefully he’ll stay there for the night.”

“At least he didn’t realize it was you blowing me back there.”

“Thanks for the cover-up on that.”

“So where’s your vest?”

“I dropped it behind one of the shops. I was heading back to get it before checking on you.”

They fell into step as they walked back to where Dale left the vest.

“I’m fine. So why’d you drop the vest?”

“I figured it might confuse John even more if he’d gotten any kind of good look at me before you blocked him.” They cut up between two booths, carefully avoiding the bramble roses growing there.

“Good idea, and you went over the fence.”

“Yeah, that part was easy. Running up and down this hill wasn’t.” They emerged behind the two shops. Dale’s vest lay on the steps going into the shop on the right. He scooped it up. Then they started down the hill on the back side of the shops, toward the campground.

“I guess we’re going to have to be more careful now that John thinks I’m the spawn of Satan,” Austin said. His heart sank at the idea of spending less time with Dale to keep him safe from his cast mate.

“I don’t really think John would hurt anyone, but he might cause a big enough stink that Max and the other higher-ups might not want me around anymore.” Dale’s broad shoulders sagged. “We can work something out. Just make sure we keep using Catherine and Jasmine as beards. I may have to get a little more… physical with Cat, but she’ll play along.”

“We can also try and do more things away from site,” Austin suggested as they turned toward the campground.

“That’s not a bad idea.” A smile crossed Dale’s face, and his perfect white teeth sparkled in the moonlight. “So can we crash at your place tonight?”

“You mean Jasmine’s place?”

“Sure. That way we don’t have to worry about you getting caught leaving my trailer in the morning.”

“It’ll delay bed forty-five or so.”

Dale stopped in the shadows of a large tree and grabbed Austin’s hand. “If it means I get to wake up next to you again, that’s fine. Otherwise I wake up alone, and you get to sleep in the tent with Jasmine.”

That made up Austin’s mind. “We better leave Jas a note and my Jeep keys.”

Chapter 23

When Max had asked Dale to pick up the hay the fair needed to replace the stuff the elephants ate the week before, he’d jumped at the chance to see if Austin would go along with him. Even though there was hard work to be done, Austin had agreed, and now they drove toward central Colorado.

“So have you heard anything more from Rick?” Dale asked as they drove down the interstate south toward Colorado Springs. The morning sun was just starting to peek over the eastern horizon.

Austin shook his head. “Nope. I went by the apartment we shared and got the last couple of things that I wanted. I had no idea he was the bad news as he turned out to be.”

“Sometimes we just don’t know folks even after…. How long were you two together?”

“Nearly nine months,” Austin replied. “I met him last year not long after fair was over.”

“Wow, I’ve never had a relationship last that long.” Dale felt awkward admitting that to Austin, but he was going to try to be honest.

“I’ve had a couple that did, but I guess I have bad taste in men.” He turned and smiled at Dale. “I tend to like tasty men.”

Dale laughed. “At least I’m tasty.”

“Oh so very. So why don’t you stay with guys very long?”

“Being a jouster makes it hard.” He sighed. “Most of the guys I meet are at fairs, like you, and they are either locals and stay when I go, or end up traveling to a different fair than I do. There was one guy I used to get together with when I was out in California. He was a vendor. We connected for a couple of years until he found someone more stable. At least we’re still friends.”

“I can see your problem. I’ve wondered about traveling around, but Phillip just does the Colorado festival. He does a few smaller weekend shows that Jas and I help out with if he needs a hand, but he doesn’t travel. Plus some of the folks I know that do travel seem to age really quickly. I swear that guy that runs the drum booth looks five years older every year.” Austin looked out the window as they began going through Colorado Springs. Most of the early morning traffic was going toward Denver.

“It is hard on some folks. I like it. I like changing fairs every couple of months. You get to meet new people and see different places. Traveling with my regular troupe, we try and change up who goes to what fairs every couple of years to keep it interesting. That was one of the reasons I came to Colorado. I hadn’t been up here and thought it would be nice to get out somewhere different for a bit.”

“So what’s your favorite fair?”

Dale thought for a moment. “Wow, that’s a toughie. Each one can be so different, either in people or locale. California is so open. We wouldn’t have to hide that we’re seeing each other out there, but the weather is awfully hot. It’s not as hot as Scarborough Faire; now there’s heat and humidity for you. Sometimes we hosed each other off between jousts. Luckily TRF, Texas Renaissance Festival down in Houston, is in the fall, so it’s cooler. Now there’s a big fair; some folks buy a weekend pass so they can see everything.”

“That would be something to see,” Austin said without turning toward Dale.

They turned west down Highway 24, and the flatbed trailer they towed behind them rattled through some potholes.

“You should try and make it. For sheer majesty, it’s one of the largest in the country.”

“Will you be there this year?”

Dale shrugged. “Don’t know yet. Depends on if I get picked to be in the cast. It’s been a couple of years since I went there.” He was trying to find a way to gently bring up the subject of their future. He knew he wanted Austin more than any man he’d ever been with, but could he find a way to ask him to uproot his life and take to a gypsy existence on the road?

“I guess not knowing would make things a bit hard to plan out, huh?” Austin turned back toward Dale.

“I take it as part of the life. You get used to it or you find another line of work. So what are your plans after the fair?”

“See if I can find another part-time job. Jasmine and I are talking about finding a bigger apartment so I don’t have to sleep on her couch. With my hours at the printshop dropping, I don’t know if I can swing things on my own right now. He may have been a stoned drunk, but at least Rick had a job and brought in more money than he smoked away.”

They started up a winding canyon, and the majesty of the mountains overcame Dale. “This is awesome,” he said, looking up at Pikes Peak.

Austin sighed. “It’s one of the biggest reasons to live in this area. The scenery just can’t be beat. When life gets to be too much, nothing beats a drive in the mountains. If we get loaded up early enough, I’ll bring you back the northern route along I-70. That’s a lot more scenic than this.”

“That’d be great. I was down 70 once, years ago. I’d love to see it again.”

“You sure Jasmine won’t mind?” Dale asked as they trudged up the stairs to the apartment.

“She’s got the late shift at the coffeehouse tonight,” Austin replied.

Dale was already wishing she lived on the ground floor. He was in good shape, as was Austin, but they had just loaded and unloaded two hundred bales of hay. Max and a couple of the other fair folk had helped with the unloading and stacking, but it made for really sore muscles, and walking up to the second-floor apartment was almost more than his legs wanted to deal with. But he didn’t mind; they’d had a great day, even with the physical labor involved. Austin was as good at road trips as he was at parties.

John had helped unload the hay, and there had been a couple tense moments when he looked ready to go off on a tirade at Austin, but Max had kept everyone moving. John had disappeared as soon as the hay was stacked.

“Good.” Dale smiled in spite of his sore body. Before Austin had the door completely closed, he swung his arms around him. He’d wanted to do that for hours. They’d grabbed a couple of short kisses during the trip, but nothing overly long. His heart raced as their lips met. Kissing Austin felt so natural.

They kissed for several minutes before Austin pushed away.

“You’re all sexy when you’re hot and sweaty, but I really want a shower and to hit the hot tub.” Austin tossed his baseball cap on the coatrack by the door and undid the tie that kept his long hair pulled back. “Can I entice you into the shower with me?” He reached out and caught Dale’s belt buckle.

Dale laughed. “Oh, if you ask nice.” Inside his jeans, his cock hardened in anticipation of playing around with Austin under the shower spray.

“Does she have a water heater, or is the apartment on a boiler?” Dale asked as he followed Austin, who still had hold of his belt buckle, through the apartment.

“We never seem to run out of water, so I’d say boiler.”

“Very good. We can take as long as we need to.”

“You know, you’re right.” Austin flipped the light on in the small bathroom. Moments later, their clothes, along with two small piles of hay, lay on the floor.

“Hot or cold?” Austin asked as he bent toward water controls.

“Right now, warm to hot,” Dale replied as his cock pointed toward Austin’s furry ass.

Austin turned the water on, pulled the shower knob, and turned toward Dale. “Hot you are.” He glanced down at the large cock. “And I think you’re expecting something.” Austin’s cock was pointing toward Dale. The head looked larger than he remembered, and the shaft was quickly filling.

Dale grasped Austin’s cock and pulled him to him. Their lips met as their bodies molded to each other. Dale ran his hands down Austin’s muscular back. It was firmer than before, but they’d just finished two major workouts. Stroking softly, Dale worked his fingers down to Austin’s nice round ass and trailed down the cleft there. Austin wiggled against his hand as it slipped between his legs to flick at the low-hanging balls from behind.

With lips firmly pressed together, Austin moaned into Dale’s mouth. Between the two men, their cocks pressed into hot, sweaty flesh as the warm shower beat down on them. Physical labor always excited Dale, and now he had someone to share that excitement with. He wanted to lift Austin and set the man’s tight ass on his raging cock, but he wasn’t sure Austin was up for that yet.

Austin pushed him against the shower’s back wall, moving them out of the main force of the spray. The cold tile felt good against Dale’s back, but not as good as Austin’s hand did on his cock. Dale squeezed around the swollen dick as Austin began kissing down his chest. The sensation of Austin sucking on his nipples while pulling at him shot tingles through him as Austin worked his way down. Then Austin closed his warm mouth on the head of Dale’s cock, and Dale gasped.

For several minutes, Austin worked Dale’s cock to almost diamond hardness. Dale wanted release, but he didn’t want their shower together to end that quickly.

Austin released his cock, stood up, and kissed him. “I want you,” he said huskily through their kiss. “I want you now!”

Dale’s heart beat faster. “Are you sure?”

Austin reached between them and squeezed his cock. “Very sure, but you’ve got to take it slow at first.”

“I will,” Dale replied. He hugged the man as tight as he could. There had only been a couple of men who had ever asked him not to go slow at first. With his size, if he didn’t, he could do some damage. “Do you have a condom?”

“Be right back.” Austin ducked out of the shower. There was the sound of drawers opening, a foil package being ripped, and then he returned with a big grin on his face, the condom in one hand and a bottle of lube in the other.

“I won’t tell Jas we borrowed one of hers if you won’t. Mine are all the way in the other room.”

Dale laughed as he took the bottle. “Our little secret.”

“Oh, definitely not little.” Austin reached out for Dale’s cock and slid the condom over it. “This thing barely fits.”

“I normally get the extra large,” Dale replied. He pulled Austin back into his arms and kissed him. Around them, the shower continued its warm, humid cascade.

“I’ll remember that in the future,” said Austin as he took the lube. Even through the condom, the gel was cold as it smothered the head of Dale’s cock. Once he had the cock completely covered, Austin squeezed out some onto his fingers.

“I can do that for you,” Dale offered. He liked to make sure his bottoms were well opened up before he entered them.

“Cool!” Austin turned around, offering his ass to Dale after a quick passionate kiss.

Dale squeezed a glob of lube onto his index finger, which he knew was bigger than some guys’ cocks. He reached down and ran it around Austin’s ass, pressing just the tip into the tight hairy hole. Austin moaned. Then, gently, Dale slid in the rest of his finger. For several minutes, he finger-fucked him. Austin’s ass was tight enough that he knew he’d need two fingers in there to open him up enough to make his cock’s passage less painful.

“Oh God!” Austin moaned as Dale slid his middle finger in alongside his index. He continued to work on widening the opening.

“You’ve got me so hot, I need that cock now,” Austin demanded, leaning forward to brace himself against the wall, the water from the shower cascading down his broad back.

Dale pulled out his fingers and moved up so his cockhead rested against the waiting hole. “You sure you’re ready?”

Austin shoved his ass against Dale’s cock, forcing the huge head inside him. He gasped. “Give it to me.”

Dale pushed his way slowly inside. Austin’s breath came in ragged gasps. Dale stopped for a moment when he felt the tight ring of Austin’s ass close around the base of his cock. He reached around Austin, pulled him up, and moved his hair out of his way so he could kiss and nibble at the back of his neck. Austin melted against him. After grabbing Dale’s hand from its place in the furry cleft of his chest, he brought it up to his mouth and began sucking on his fingers.

Tingles shot through Dale. With a final kiss, he leaned back and slowly pulled his dick almost out of Austin’s ass. Then he pushed it slowly back in. He did this several times, and each time, he felt Austin loosen around him.

Austin pulled Dale’s fingers out of his mouth and moved his hand down to grasp his hard cock. Dale squeezed the dick that was now nearly as large as his own. Austin was really getting off on the huge cock in his ass.

“Show my pirate’s booty how your lance works!” Austin said as he moved both hands onto the shower wall.

With one hand wrapped around Austin’s cock and the other bracing himself on a broad shoulder, Dale picked up the pace of his fucking. He plowed in and out of Austin’s ass while pumping his dick for all it was worth. It wasn’t something they could do forever. Their breathing became more ragged and work-sore muscles cried out.

Austin’s ass clenched around Dale’s cock. It was almost tight enough to trap the invading member. Dale’s balls tingled and his body shook as he thrust all the way into Austin as hard as he could. A slap of skin rang off the tile walls.

“Oh God!” Austin screamed as his cock began to pulsate and cum shot out of him.

Dale’s body shook as his cock emptied itself into the condom. “Oh shit!” he yelled and bucked against Austin several more times. With each movement, more cum sprayed out into the water at their feet, and more filled the condom that was already straining against Dale’s size.

For several minutes, they both shook in the aftermath of the twin orgasms as the warm water splashed down around them. Then Austin’s body pushed Dale’s massive cock out. Cum covered the inside of the condom.

“Damn, that was amazing,” Austin huffed as he reached for the condom. “Let’s get rid of that.” The sensation of the condom coming free was almost more than Dale could handle; his dick was too sensitive.

After Austin disposed of the prophylactic, Dale caught him in his arms and kissed him. “Your ass is incredible!”

“So is your cock, or should I call it your lance?”

Dale kissed him again and laughed. “You can call it whatever you want.” His heart swelled as he held the man to his chest.

Austin sagged against him. “I’ll get back to you on that.” His voice lost some of the energy it had held a few moments before. “I think we need to get cleaned up and find some food before the hot tub.”

Reaching for the soap, Dale supported the other man. “Sounds like a good idea. You going to be okay until then?”

Austin nodded as Dale began to rub soap over his chest. “I think so. Just suddenly got light-headed for a moment. I would think you’d be the one getting light-headed after sex, with all the blood rushing back where it belongs.”

Dale laughed again and hugged Austin, letting the soapy, hairy chest rub against him for a moment. “You know, I really like you.” “I… like you too.”

Chapter 24

Austin shifted his well-used ass on the seat of the hot tub. The warm water felt good on his tired, sore muscles. It had been a long time since he’d been ridden that hard, and never by a cock as large as Dale’s, but he knew it was something he wanted to do many more times.

Watching the bubbles rise around Dale’s furry muscles, he wanted to slide across the hot tub and lay his head on that inviting chest and let the heat of the tub and the comfort of being with Dale help him drift off to sleep. The meal of delivered pizza helped with the overall sleepy feeling that threatened to overwhelm him.

“Wow, it’s been quite a day,” Dale said, a sleepy edge floating in his voice.

“That’s an understatement,” Austin replied, letting his right foot slip across the bottom of the hot tub to rub against Dale’s. “I didn’t realize hauling hay was such a workout. I mean, they’re just sixty-pound bales, right?”

Dale laughed. He’d done that a lot lately, and Austin liked the sound of it. “When you stop and do the math, it gets really heavy, really fast. Even my big old truck didn’t like pulling that heavy load through the mountains.”

“So why did we have to do this today?”

“Max’s truck broke down, and it was going to be another week before they could get a semi out there and back. To keep the horses, camels, llamas, and elephants fed, we needed to go. We could’ve had a couple of the other guys along, but I figured, as little as we’re getting, we could handle one end of it, and it would give me time alone with you.” Dale’s perfect white smile flashed in the moist darkness of his beard. Austin still marveled that Dale had perfect teeth even with being in the rough sport/occupation of jousting.

“I’m glad my week got cut short at the printshop.”

“I am too. Does that happen very often? I mean you getting shorted on hours like that?”

Austin shrugged. He didn’t really want to explain how his job had been getting less and less busy over the past few years. He loved the work, but it was harder for the small printer to compete with both the larger printers and folks doing more of their small jobs like business cards and flyers at home.

“Yeah.”

“That’s why you’ll be searching for another job after the fair’s over? What are you thinking about looking for?”

“Don’t know. Jasmine says I should try to get a job at the coffee shop. They’re always short-staffed since the owner’s really good about hiring flakes, but I’m not sure about doing that.”

Dale stretched his massive arms to the side of the tub. Austin appreciated the view. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get tired of looking at him. “So what would you like to do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you need a squire or something. I could just follow you around, polishing your lance.”

Dale rubbed his foot up Austin’s leg as laughed. “Which lance would you be wanting to polish, my sexy pirate?” The look in the hazel eyes was playful.

Austin paused. It was the first time Dale had used any kind of possessive wording with him. His heart beat almost as fast as it had when Dale’s cock had been buried in him. What did it mean? Was it a slip of the tongue, or was the man beginning to think of them as seriously dating? He knew he wanted them to be a couple. The more time they spent together, either alone or with friends, the more he knew he wanted to be with Dale, in every sense.

“Whichever needed it at the time,” he replied with a wide grin splitting his face.

“We might just have to see what we could do about that,” Dale said.

“There you guys are,” Jasmine said, jogging across the apartment courtyard toward them.

“Here we are,” Austin sighed, silently cursing his friend for her bad timing.

“So, how was hay?” she asked as she pulled up a pool chair next to the hot tub.

“Exhausting,” they replied in unison.

Jasmine laughed. “That’s too cute. Do it again.”

“What?” they asked together after flashing each other knowing looks across the bubbling water.

“You guys know you’re good together. I like that.”

“So how was work?” Austin asked, resigning himself to the fact that she was going to be out there with them.

“Good. The horse ladies came in again today. They’re always good tippers. I told them you guys found the trail they mentioned and had fun.” Austin raised an eyebrow at her.

“I didn’t tell them what kind of fun, silly.” Dale laughed.

“Well, they were all stressed out. Seems that one of the other trails they love to go on got burned out by that wildfire last week that went just north of Evergreen. Sounded bad on the news but worse hearing it from them. A couple of them went up and looked at the area yesterday, said it was just terrible.”

“It’s been a bad year for it,” Austin replied as Dale moved his foot away.

“That’s why Max said we couldn’t do the fire whip trick,” Dale said. “The fire whip trick?” Jasmine asked. “What’s that?”

“One of the guys I regularly work with and I have a thing where he sets a special whip on fire while my squire sprays me with a flammable mixture that lights me on fire when the whip catches my arm. We only do it on days he’s going to win. It’s really flashy.”

“Wow, but don’t you get hurt?” Jasmine asked, wide-eyed.

“Not really. But I’m clean-shaven when we do the trick, otherwise my beard catches fire, and that’s not good.”

Austin studied the dark beard. “I’m not sure how you’d look without the beard.”

Dale laughed. “I’m still ruggedly handsome, just not as bearishly handsome.”

“Well, at least most of the wildfires tend to stay up in the forest,” Jasmine said. “Here in town, we don’t have to worry about them.”

“That’s good,” Dale said. “So did you get any directions for more trails? Maybe next week, Austin and I can go riding again.”

“Riding with you is a lot of fun,” Austin said with a wink. “It’s something I want to do a lot more of.”

“I’m really not sure I want to know the real meaning of riding here,” Jasmine said with a grimace. “But at least you two are having fun.”

Dale nodded. “Yeah, we’re having a lot of fun.”

Chapter 25

Thoughts of the past few days with Austin still dancing in his head, Dale tried to focus on getting Champion’s saddle adjusted. After bringing down the hay from the mountain, he and Austin had spent the next two days spending time together, when Dale wasn’t practicing with John and the other jousters. He wished Austin could’ve come to watch, but it was obvious John would fly into a homophobic fit if he showed his face near the jousting field. Dale had heard John asking Max to talk to the site owners about all the fags running around. Max had dismissed him curtly, but Dale didn’t want any of John’s irrational fears coming home to roost. They still had several more weeks of fair, and he had to be able to trust John not to slip up during their performances. It was bad enough he’d had become colder toward him since they stacked hay. They’d been so busy, and Austin was in his cap with his hair pulled back; Dale had hoped John hadn’t recognized him, but maybe he had.

“Do you need a hand?” asked Jeremy, his squire. The man was likable enough but not overly good, even at getting the few things done he was required to do. That, and since Champion and Pyre were his horses, Dale preferred to do everything himself, as opposed to letting Jeremy help, unless he really needed a hand.

“Nah, I think I got it,” Dale replied, giving the girth one last tug to make sure it was tight enough.

The trumpets sounded in front of the wall, signaling noon and the arrival of the king and queen to the first joust. People cheered.

“Clouds are rolling in,” John Bishop said as he rode up from the corral. He looked blankly at Dale as he reached down for the banner his squire, a girl named Melissa, handed him.

“Max never said if we joust in the rain,” Dale said as he swung up into his saddle.

“Rain or shine,” said William, the Earl of Canterbury, who had ridden in after John. “If the arena gets so muddy the horses lose footing, then we’ll stop and just do a fight on foot, but that hasn’t happened in five or six years.”

“Makes no difference. Champion does well in mud.” Dale reached down to take his black-and-red banner from Jeremy.

“We may get to see,” John grumbled as the trumpets blared again, signaling the jousters to ride out.

Even in the rain that fell over the final joust, the crowd cheered as the horses thundered down the field toward each other. Diederik focused his attention on the small spot on John’s shield, right in the center of the gold cross. It was one of his days to win; he needed to strike the shield just right so John would roll off his horse.

The thunder cracked as his lance caught John’s shield. He shifted the shield, causing the blow to go wide. Diederik had his shoulder set tight enough that the unexpected move shot waves of pain through him. He barely brought his shield up in time to avoid getting John’s lance in his face. What the hell? I’m supposed to win this round. The oncoming lance bounced off the edge of his shield. John’s ice-blue eyes glared at him through the slit in his gold helm.

As the crowd cheered and they wheeled their horses, Diederik accepted another lance from Jeremy, who looked up with questions in his eyes. Diederik shrugged and poised Champion to make another run. It was possible John had forgotten the script for this joust. Hopefully, with what should’ve been the last run not going as it should, he’d remember this pass. Diederik held his lance out, even as his shoulder objected. He cradled the lance flare against the sore spot. If John didn’t roll off the way he was supposed to, this might hurt even more.

Lightning struck a tree at the edge of the joust field just as Diederik’s lance caught John’s shield again. For several seconds he was blinded by the light. He felt the lance connect with the shield, and waves of pain washed through his shoulder. Then John’s lance connected with his chest, and he went over Champion’s rump unprepared. His ankle wrenched as it caught in the stirrup. Champion stopped before he got dragged in the mud.

Pain shooting through his shoulder and ankle, Diederik tried to free himself of the stirrup. “Champion, stand!” he shouted, hoping the horse would remember his training.

The heavy wet mud squished and splashed over him as someone ran up to help him out.

“You okay?” Jeremy asked as he reached to work Diederik’s foot free.

“Mostly,” Diederik replied.

A heavy hand smacked Champion’s flank just as Diederik’s foot came free. John the Bold stood over Diederik, helmet still on and his mace in hand. “Don’t you know the pious always win?” he hissed and swung the mace down.

Diederik rolled out of the way. Jeremy tried to step between the two men, but John just pushed him away. The arena mud clung to Diederik as he scrambled to get clear. This wasn’t part of the choreographed final act.

The crowd cheered and chanted as John advanced on the Dark Duke of Denmark. Diederik found a fallen shield, and he brought it up just in time to block a blow that would’ve hit him hard. The blow reverberated through the shield, sending fresh waves of pain through his injured shoulder. He kicked at John, but he stepped aside, already swinging again.

In a blur of yellow and green, the Earl of Canterbury tackled John. The two men went down in a splash of mud next to Diederik. Then Jeremy was back at his side. Jeremy offered him a clean gloved hand up from the mud. With his left arm, Diederik accepted and regained his feet.

A quick look around showed the crowd on their feet; they had no idea something was wrong and cheered as the two jousters brawled. The king and queen in their box looked distressed, and Diederik couldn’t see Sir Marcus, his second, anywhere on the field.

John struck William in the face, and the Earl of Canterbury went down hard. Then John advanced on Diederik. At some point during the brawl with William, he’d lost his helm. His face was set in rage and his ice-blue eyes were steely with hate.

“How dare you try and pollute our fair with your vile ways,” the Knight of the Cross growled as he prowled toward Diederik.

The crowd cheered again.

“John, back down!” Diederik shouted, pulling the shield up to protect himself. He wished he had a sword or some other weapon, but he’d lost his when he’d been unhorsed.

“Why, so you can continue to work you wicked ways here in our fair land? I don’t think so. It is time for you and all your kind to be swept from this Christian country. My God says I’m right. I am the Right Hand of God!” The mace came crashing down against the shield. The force of the blow knocked Diederik to his knees as his injured ankle gave way.

“John, the Right Hand of God is a character!” Dale screamed. “You are not a real knight! This is all an act, you fool!” He dropped out of character, something he’d never done, but he’d never had a cast mate go ballistic on him with a mace before.

“I am the Hand of God!” John roared and swung again. The mace hit hard enough that it knocked the shield out of Dale’s grasp. Around them, fair folk were running onto the field.

“This is the twenty-first century, not the fifteenth!” Dale shouted as he launched himself at John. “Get that through your thick head.”

“You and your pirate friend are abominations in the eyes of God. You must be destroyed. The Dark Duke must die!” As Dale leapt at him, John brought the mace around again. It caught Dale in the shoulder. Pain wracked him when bones in his shoulder shattered. Dale connected with John and knocked him into the mud.

“You homophobic bastard!” he screamed, trying to ignore the pain until folks could get across the field to them. Knowing his weight alone wouldn’t be enough to hold John down, Dale hit John in the face as hard as he could, several times.

Hands shoved him off the other man and mud splashed around them. He groaned as his injured shoulder hit the ground. People moved between the two men, forming a line. Some of the legs were in leather, some in gauze pants, and some in jeans. Dale couldn’t see much past the legs as his head swam.

On the other side of the line, John continued to shout and scream at him while Dale settled back into the mud. As the darkness engulfed him, he realized none of the crowd was cheering.

Chapter 26

“Thanks for stopping in,” Austin said to the customer who had just bought a large plastic cutlass for his young son. “Enjoy the fair.”

“Austin, come quick!” Chipmunk ran into the pirate shop. He looked frantic.

“What’s wrong, Chip?” Austin glanced around the shop; it was empty, other than him, Phillip, and Chip.

“Dale’s been hurt!”

Austin’s heart stopped. “What?”

“During the final joust. John went nuts and attacked Dale.”

“Go on, Austin, I’ll handle it,” Phillip said, coming over to see what was wrong.

“Where is he?” Austin asked as he and Chipmunk left the shop and plunged into the rain.

“They’ve called for an ambulance, so I don’t know for sure. It was down at the jousting field,” Chipmunk replied as they dodged patrons while rushing down the slick hill toward the arena.

The area around the list was empty of everyone but a couple of patrons who were wandering away. In the distance, the final cannon sounded. The fair was over for the day. Austin’s mind raced. Had they already gotten an ambulance to the site and whisked Dale off to the hospital? How badly had he been hurt that they needed to call an ambulance? The ground was torn up, and he thought he could see blood coating the wet mud.

In the distance, sirens wailed.

“This way!” Chipmunk said, running toward the main office.

They slipped through the gate leading behind the buildings. A small stream of people, including several members of court, walked toward them. They all looked more tired than normal, heads bowed against more than just the rain. Several of the women had tear-run mascara.

“Where’d they go?” Austin asked as he skidded to a stop in front of a couple of Catherine’s friends.

“Who?” one replied, her eyes red from crying.

“Dale… Diederik.”

“Oh God, there was so much blood from his shoulder. The mud, the blood.”

Austin’s head spun and he felt faint. How hurt was Dale? “Where did they take him?”

“I don’t know. The ambulance just left. Catherine went with him.”

“Did you happen to see which town the ambulance was with?” Knowing Cat was with Dale made him feel just a little better, but not a lot. He couldn’t stand it if something happened to him.

She shook her head.

“I think they were headed to Castle Rock,” one matronly duchess said from under her parasol. “They might know something in the office. Otherwise check at the first aid station or find one of the firemen that are always around. They should know something.”

“Thanks,” Austin said. He charged into the office. There was no one there.

“Come on, let’s get to the first aid station,” Chipmunk said, appearing at his shoulder.

“Don’t know what it looks like from behind.” Austin didn’t want to waste time running around the front of the buildings.

“I do. Come on!” Chip turned and raced down the office steps and headed up the hill. Austin followed, easily keeping up, thankful the back way wasn’t as busy as it was going to be shortly, once all the shops closed up and people headed for the parking lot.

Up near the front gate, a big red fire truck sat. Chipmunk turned and dashed down the closest alley. A couple of paramedics were walking from the back of a booth toward the fire truck.

“Hey, do you know where they took Diederik?” Chip asked before Austin had a chance to.

“Castle Rock Memorial,” the taller of the two replied. “He’s in pretty bad shape. I never knew the damage one of those maces could do. I

thought the joust weapons were supposed to be fake.”

“Nope, but the jousters are good actors,” said Chipmunk. “Thanks for the info.” He grabbed Austin’s hand and pulled him away.

“You know where the hospital is?”

Austin shook his head, and water sprayed from his pirate hat. “Maybe Jas knows.” His heart sank even more. If the paramedics thought the damage was bad, did Dale have a chance of surviving?

“I can get you there if she doesn’t,” Chipmunk said as they headed toward the bar.

Jasmine was wiping down the counter when they reached her.

“Jas,” Austin huffed, trying to catch his breath enough to talk.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” she asked as she looked at him with concern in her eyes.

He shook his head. “Dale’s been hurt. Do you know where Castle Rock Memorial Hospital is? They’ve taken him there.”

“Barta, I got to go!” she shouted to the big woman at the other end of the bar. “Family emergency.”

“Be careful!” the barkeep shouted as Jasmine swung herself over the bar.

“I know where it is,” she said, grabbing Austin’s arm. “I don’t think you should be driving right now.” She glanced back at Chipmunk. “You coming?”

“He’s my friend too!” he said as they raced down the hill toward the parking lot.

An hour later, after sitting in the after-fair traffic jam that clogged the two-lane roads around Larkspur and had backed up traffic on I-25 for miles, they made it the fifteen miles to Castle Rock Memorial Hospital. Jasmine pulled the Jeep up to the emergency room door and dropped off Austin and Chip.

Austin’s brain had been going nonstop, with visions of Dale mangled—his handsome face bashed in, great slashes across his muscular chest—attached to a great number of machines to keep him alive. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest, other people should be able to hear it. What was he going to do if Dale died of his injuries? How could he go on? He’d only known Dale a few weeks, but he had come to mean so much to him in that short period of time.

In the waiting room, they spotted Catherine sitting there still in her fair garb, like them. Her delicate face was blotchy from crying.

Austin rushed over to her. “How is he?”

“Oh gods, Austin, it was terrible.” She grabbed hold of his hands. “John just went after him with that mace. I would never have thought the man had the balls to do something like that.”

“Is Dale going to be okay?”

“They just took him to surgery. One of the blood vessels in his shoulder is bleeding out. His shoulder is smashed. When they pulled his shirt off, I saw bone sticking out. It was horrible.”

Austin’s head spun again and he sank to his knees in front of her. She never let go of his hand. “What did the doctors say?”

“They said they had to get the bleeding stopped. That’s why they had to operate so quickly. They started him on blood in the ambulance since he was losing so much.” Her hand shook as she spoke. Her nose dripped and she let go of Austin with one hand while she dabbed at it.

“Oh shit.” Jasmine appeared behind Austin. She placed her hand on his head.

“He can’t die,” Austin said softly. “I just found him. He can’t die on me.”

“He won’t die,” Jasmine said, stroking his hair. “The doctors are going to do everything they can for him.”

Catherine heaved a big sigh. “And we’ll all be here for him. We’ll be strong.”

Austin nodded. “We’ll be strong.”

“So why did John go after him?” Jasmine asked as she seated herself in the chair next to Catherine.

“He was shouting about he was the Hand of God and he had to defeat the Dark Duke,” Catherine said with a shake of her head. “I think he just finally lost it.”

As he remembered John shouting at him in the privies, Austin’s heart skipped a beat. “Did he find out about Dale and me? Could he have gone after him because he knew Dale was gay?”

“Dale did say something at lunch today about John acting funny the past few days, but he didn’t think too much about it,” Cat said. “And by the way, why weren’t you at lunch?”

“We’ve been trying to keep a low profile around the site since the party,” Austin replied. “Only seeing each other briefly or off-site. We were supposed to have dinner tonight with you two.”

“From the gossip I’ve heard, there aren’t any rumors about the two of you,” Chip said from his seat on Catherine’s far side.

“Well, rumors or not, there’s a good possibility he found out somewhere,” Catherine said. “Unfortunately, John’s more unstable than any of us realized.”

“John Bishop’s a coward,” Austin said. “When he caught us in the privies, he just backed away and started shouting.”

“But if he’s unstable enough to go completely into the character he’s playing, John the Bold, Knight of Justice and the Right Hand of God, isn’t a coward,” Catherine added. “He would have the balls to do whatever John Bishop couldn’t. I’ve heard of people getting so into their character that it takes over, but never to this extent.”

“Unfortunately, it happens more often than we’d like,” a rough voice said from behind them. “I have to agree I think that’s what happened here. Whether John attacked Dale because he was killing a demon or just having a homophobic episode will be for someone other than me to decide.”

Austin looked up at Max, the jousting director, who was leaning heavily on his cane just feet away from them. The old man looked more tired than Austin could recall ever having seen him look before.

“What’s going to happen to John?” Chipmunk asked.

“A lot depends on if Dale wants to file assault charges,” he replied.

“We won’t know that for a while,” Austin said, releasing Cat’s hands to stand next to Max.

“You look more wobbly than I feel, young man,” Max said. “Let’s sit down.” He settled on the other side of Chipmunk so Austin could sit next to Jasmine. “If you all are out here, I presume he’s in surgery?”

Cat nodded. “Went in a little while ago so they could stop the bleeding in the shoulder.”

Max sagged. “I think I’m getting too old for this. First Richard has his fall and now Dale.”

“Was there anything suspicious about Richard’s fall?” Jasmine asked before anyone else could say anything.

“Not that we determined.” Max shook his head.

“But what if John had something to do with it, John or someone else?” Jasmine continued. “Who would stand to gain from Richard getting hurt?” Austin thought about her words as the antiseptic smell of the waiting room seeped in around him. Even with actors, there was still court intrigue. Why couldn’t people just leave well enough alone and let others lead their lives?

Max shrugged. “Don’t know. If we hadn’t found Dale to fill in for Richard, Sir Marcus would have been moved up to dark knight status and we would have found another second for him.”

“Where was Marcus this afternoon while the fight was going on?” Catherine asked, a dangerous glint appearing in her blue eyes.

“He was having trouble with his saddle, so we opted to pull him from the final joust,” Max replied. “I really need the funds to get more equipment so we have replacements in case of emergency.”

“If Marcus had been there, he might have been able to stop the fight more quickly. There would’ve been four men on the field, not three,” Chipmunk added.

Max nodded. “As it was, he came off the sidelines as fast as he could, but not in time. Like the rest of us, he got there too late.” His broad shoulders sagged. It was fairly obvious he was carrying a lot of the weight of the fight.

“It’s not your fault this happened,” Austin said.

“Not so sure about that,” Max sighed. “I might have been able to cut this off if I’d realized how far out there John really was. He came to me the other day, demanding I do something about the gays at fair. I told him to stop being ridiculous, there was nothing I could do. You know he works for one of the megachurches down in the Springs, right? I wonder if he got it in his head there weren’t any gays in the fifteenth century and he had to get rid of those he found? I just don’t know. How can anyone know the way some people’s minds work?”

Catherine shook her head. “Max, I don’t know if I hope you’re right or you’re wrong. If you’re right, then he needs major mental help. And if you’re wrong, he’s got a lot more brain power than I would’ve given him credit for.”

“You know, the sad thing is, the only people that have enough hatred to bludgeon someone the way he attacked Dale are closet cases,” Max said. “I never took him for a closet case, but then none of us ever met his fiancée either.”

“What happened to John after you guys broke them up?” Austin asked, hoping the man was also in the emergency room.

“Security showed up while we were waiting for the ambulance to get there,” Max said. “The last I saw of John, he was talking with them.”

“Shouting at them is more accurate,” Cat chimed in. “He was still ranting when you guys got Dale on the stretcher and headed behind the scenes with the paramedics.”

“Hopefully they hauled his ass to jail,” Jasmine said. “To sit there until Dale can press charges.”

At that point, Austin didn’t care. He just wanted Dale out of surgery and on the road to recovery. He’d heard of people being brutally beaten and even killed for being gay. It had never happened to someone he knew, or worse… someone he was close to. Maybe Max was right. Maybe John was repressing his gayness because of religious beliefs and that self-hatred had found an outlet in Dale. Dale, who was so far from a stereotypical gay man. Dale, who was strong and loving. My Dale. How could anyone want to hurt my Dale? The man I love.

Austin stopped and stared around the room. The others were still talking theories of why John had done it. He had just finished the thoughts that began days ago… actually weeks ago. Sitting in the waiting room, not knowing if he was going to get to see Dale again, Austin finally admitted to himself he was falling in love with Dale. He couldn’t be sure if Dale felt the same way. But at that moment, it didn’t matter. He was in love, and someone had tried to take that love away from him. How could anyone be so cruel?

The door at the far end of the waiting room swung open and a green-smocked doctor walked in. He glanced around the room before walking toward Catherine.

“Miss, you’re here with Dale O’Toole, right?” he asked.

Cat nodded. “Yes. Is he going to be all right?”

The doctor looked grim. “We got the bleeding stopped and the arteries repaired. We’ve ordered a replacement joint for his shoulder.”

“A replacement joint?” Austin grabbed Jasmine’s hand and clung to his friend. He tried to imagine the pain Dale must be in. This would cost him his job. Did the man know how to be anything other than a jouster? Would he even be able to ride a horse again?

“The bones of the shoulder are too badly crushed to be put back together. Luckily, we can rebuild the joint. The parts will be here Monday. Is there any family we can contact? We’ll also need to find out about insurance.”

“I’m his boss,” Max said. “The fair’s insurance will cover everything.”

“Good.” The doctor nodded. “He should be out of recovery in a couple of hours and moved to a ward. I suggest you folks go get changed and relax. Your friend is going to live.”

“Thank God,” Austin sighed, not releasing Jasmine’s hands as the doctor walked away.

Jasmine pulled a tissue from her purse. “Sweetie, you need this.”

Austin sniffed and realized tears were pouring out of his eyes as he took the tissue and Jasmine caught him up in a big hug. Cradled against her shoulder, he let the stress of the past hours flood out of him. The tears flowed, and he barely felt the others join the hug. Dale was going to live. Austin would have a chance to tell Dale how much he loved him. But right now, the important thing was he was going to live.

Chapter 27

The bright lights hurt Dale’s eyes, so he opened them slowly. The antiseptic smell of a hospital filled his nose. He tried to remember what happened. How had he ended up in the hospital? He’d been on Champion in the final joust. The arena had been muddy and the rain had continued into their performance. John had forgotten the script. Dale moved slightly and pain shot through his right shoulder. He remembered John’s mace pounding into him while John went all religious on him.

“Don’t move around much,” Austin said from his left side.

Dale tried to turn his head to get a look at the man, but the pain in his shoulder was too great. He moaned.

“Hold on, I’ll go get a nurse, let them know you’re awake.” Austin’s shadow passed over. He must have left the door open. The sounds of the hospital rolled into Dale’s quiet place. Somewhere nearby, someone pushed a cart with a squeaky wheel down a hard floor. A beeping sounded close by. Two sets of footfalls came closer.

“Mister O’Toole?” a female asked softly from the door.

“Yes?” His voice was weak and his throat dry.

“Good, we figured you should wake up soon.” The nurse walked over to the bedside. “How do you feel?”

“Shoulder hurts, and I need a drink.”

“I can get him some water,” Austin said. Seconds later, his footfalls retreated down the hall.

“Let me adjust your IV so you can get more of the painkillers now that you’re awake,” the nurse said. “You’re going to be out of it for a couple of days, and the doctors want to replace your shoulder.”

“Replace my shoulder?” Dale had begun to notice the bandages wrapped around his chest. “How bad is it?”

“Dr. Hall will be in shortly to discuss that with you. The damage is fairly extensive.”

The pain began to subside as the nurse talked and the drugs in his system strengthened.

“Here’s some water,” Austin said, appearing at the bedside. Dale turned his eyes toward him. He still had on his white Renfair shirt with the cloth ties up the front. His hair was still pulled back, but he’d lost the hat he normally wore at fair.

The nurse took the cup of water from Austin and produced a straw from somewhere before offering it to Dale. The straw slipped between his lips. The water was the sweetest thing he’d tasted since his last kiss with Austin.

“Thanks,” he muttered, his voice stronger as she pulled the cup away.

“You’re welcome. Just be still for a while. I’ll notify the doctor you’re awake, and he’ll be here shortly.” She turned and vanished from Dale’s limited view.

“We’ve all been so worried about you.” Austin leaned over the bed.

“Where are we?”

“Castle Rock Memorial Hospital. It’s the closest hospital to the fair.”

“How long was I out?”

“Only a few hours. They had you in surgery by the time Jas, Chip, and I got here. Cat rode with you in the ambulance. They’ve gone back to the site to change out of their fair clothes and bring me street clothes.”

“Why was I in surgery? The nurse said something about replacing my shoulder.”

“You had massive bleeding.” Austin’s voice caught with emotion for a moment. “We were afraid we were going to lose you. I don’t know if I could stand to lose you.”

Dale reached up with his good left hand and caught Austin’s fingers. “You haven’t lost me.” He’d never had someone get choked up at the thought of losing him before. Even as the painkillers dulled him, he knew the hurt would be much worse if he lost Austin.

Austin squeezed his hand. “I know. But your shoulder’s still a mess. The whole joint and several of the bones around it are going to need to be repaired or replaced. The doctor already said they’ve ordered the parts and they should be here Monday, but they’ll need your permission to operate.”

Dale didn’t like the idea of going under the knife and having artificial parts put into his body, but it was better than not having use of the shoulder for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to be an invalid.

“Anyone else been up to see me?” he asked. He didn’t want to discuss the shoulder right now.

Austin nodded. “Max was here for a while. When the doctor came out and announced you’d survived surgery, he went into the hospital office for a while, then headed back to the site. He said he’d come back in the morning, before things start happening for fair. You’ll probably have more visitors Monday when things aren’t as busy.”

“So what happened to John?” Dale wasn’t really sure he was up to hearing about the man who’d cracked and attacked him, but he had to ask.

“All I know is they took him into custody. Max said he was being held until you could decide if you wanted to press charges or not.” Austin’s voice took on an angry edge. “I thought you two were friends.”

Dale sighed. “Not sure if you can call it friends. I thought we’d settled into a good working relationship, but he must have snapped.”

“We’re all wondering if he might not be some kind of closet case and decided to take out his repression on you.”

If his shoulder hadn’t been held in place, Dale would’ve shrugged. “Hard to say.” His head began to swim as the painkillers worked their way deeper into his system. He squeezed Austin’s hand again, happy Austin was there for him as sleep interrupted their conversation.

Dale had no idea how long he’d slept when a soft voice woke him. He looked up into a lined face framed with gray hair that came almost down to bushy gray eyebrows. “Sorry to wake you, Mr. O’Toole, but I need to check your vitals and talk to you for a moment. I’m Dr. Hall.”

A large yawn escaped him. He wondered for a moment if he should try to sit up, but he didn’t want his shoulder to hurt again. His left hand felt cold. When he’d gone to sleep, Austin had been holding it. “Hi, Dr. Hall.”

“You got yourself rather banged up, didn’t you?” The doctor’s voice was kind. “I’m actually surprised you woke up from the operation as quickly as you did. Have they told you what happened?”

Dale didn’t feel like rehashing it with the man. “Yes, they did.”

“Then you know I’ve recommended we replace your shoulder. It’s a fairly easy operation by today’s standards. Now, I understand you’re a jouster?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It may be up to eight months before you can go back to work. You’ll be on limited movement for at least a few weeks. The progress will depend on your physical therapy and how it advances. Are you living with someone, or do you live alone?”

“He’s staying with me at the moment,” Austin piped in from outside of Dale’s limited view.

“As long as you can get him back and forth to physical therapy, and he’s doing well enough, we can probably release him within a week,” Dr. Hall said.

“We won’t miss an appointment,” Austin promised.

Dale liked the idea of Austin wanting to take care of him, but he didn’t want to be an imposition. In the back of his drug-addled mind, he hadn’t thought Austin would care. He just hoped he wouldn’t be too big of a baby when it came to Austin helping take care of him. Illness wasn’t something he was normally graceful with.

“Good,” the doctor continued. “Your employer has filed this as a work-related accident, so the workman’s comp paperwork has already been started.”

The nurse returned and began taking Dale’s vitals as the doctor continued talking.

“The only thing we really need right now from you is your okay for replacement surgery. Mr. Renfro says your family is out of state, otherwise we would’ve had them come in and approve it for you, but we also had to order the parts. I figured you’d approve the surgery, so I took the liberty of getting ready. They’ll be here tomorrow afternoon. I’d like to get you into surgery Tuesday before we have to reopen the cuts we made tonight to stop the bleeding.”

The sooner he got out of the hospital bed, the better. “As soon as we can, Doctor.”

“Good. I’ll have the nurses bring the paperwork in for you to sign.” He paused to look at the chart the nurse was busily filling out. Dr. Hall nodded to her as she finished. “It looks like you’re right where you should be considering your trauma. Are there any allergies or family history we need to know about right now? The nurses will be in later to go over the full forms with you.”

“No, sir, not that I’ve encountered so far,” Dale replied.

“Very good. You get some more sleep, and I’ll check in on you this afternoon. The orthopedic doctor should be by then as well.” Dr. Hall and the nurse vanished back into the hallway.

“If I have to stay here, I’ll need to get my own place,” Dale said. “At least until they release me to go back to work. I wonder if I could head back to my folks’ ranch in Texas and convalesce there?”

Austin’s hand closed on his again. “If you’ll let me, I can take care of you right here in Colorado.”

“But you’re living on Jas’s couch,” Dale objected—not to letting Austin take care of him but to doing it on Jasmine’s couch. He looked up and realized Austin wore a tight blue T-shirt and jeans. He’d been out long enough that folks had brought street clothes and left again.

“We’ll figure something out.” Austin smiled down at him. “Maybe the fair can do something to put us up in an apartment or something.”

“And my horses?” He didn’t like the idea of not being able to care for his horses.

“Max already said he’d take care of them until you were back on your feet.”

The door opened again.

“Is he awake?” Catherine’s voice was little more than a whisper. She sounded tired.

“Yeah, I’m awake,” Dale replied.

“Good. Visiting hours are over, but we snuck past the folks,” Jasmine said.

“We shouldn’t stay too long. It’s after two in the morning.” Cat yawned.

The two women came over to the bed. Austin started to move, but Cat wouldn’t let him. They pummeled Dale with questions until he drifted back to sleep, knowing he was surrounded by the people who cared for him—friends he’d only known a short while but who had already become family.

Chapter 28

Austin threw his pirate hat onto the top shelf in the back room of the pirate shop. The final cannon had fired fifteen minutes ago, and he was ready to get moving. The last customers had lagged, debating over a frilly costume dress for the woman, while the man couldn’t make up his mind about which flintlock he wanted. Jasmine had arrived from the bar before the woman finally settled on the red dress with the black lace and the man took the pearl-handled gun. Phillip had been happy with a final three hundred to add to the large till for the day, but Austin wanted to get out of there and up to the hospital to pick up Dale.

Dale’s physical therapist had announced he could leave the hospital, but they had to wait for Austin to get done with work. He couldn’t afford to miss another day after missing the previous Sunday. But he wanted to hurry. In the back of his mind, he felt like he was rescuing Dale from a torture chamber.

“Hey, slow down, you know it will take forever to get through the traffic,” Jasmine said as she undid her blouse.

“I know, but I still want to get there as fast as I can so we can get him home.” Austin pulled off his tunic and reached for the T-shirt that lay on the shelf where he’d put it up and out of the way at the start of the day. He hadn’t told Dale yet, but they weren’t going to be staying at Jasmine’s apartment. Max was letting them stay at his unused guest cabin/bunkhouse. It wasn’t much, a single bedroom with kitchen and bathroom, but Dale would be close to his horses, which would make him feel better. The place was just west of Castle Rock, which would make it easier to get Dale to physical therapy than it would be from Jasmine’s place in central Denver.

“Sweetie, we’ll get you guys settled in tonight, don’t worry about it. Did Max already get the horses and Dale’s stuff out there?” Jasmine pulled her boots off with a grim look, and then pleasure washed over her face.

“Yeah, I want Dale to see them as soon as we get out there.” Austin sat down to slip on his hikers. “He’s been worried sick about them.”

“They’re his livelihood. I can understand wanting to make sure they are safe and sound. Particularly with John Bishop out on bail.”

Austin had been trying not to think about the fact that even after Dale pressed assault charges, the church the man worked for had posted bail. Having John on the loose was the only thing that made Austin nervous about bringing Dale home. At least in the hospital, Dale had other people around him at all times. Out at Max’s ranch, there might be times he’d be alone.

Austin stood up with his shoes on. “I just think it’s incredible that those lawyers from the church have put a gag order on the whole thing. If any of us go to the press about what happened before the trial, we could get sued.”

“They have more money, and they make the rules,” Jasmine replied as she hung up her long multilayered skirt. “I’d love to go to the press and expose their hate for what it really is.”

“You and me both, but for John to get what he really deserves, we have to stay quiet until after the trial, and that might take longer than Dale’s recovery.”

He grabbed the bag he’d shoved his costume into as Jasmine buttoned her jeans and then picked up her clothes. Austin was out the door before she could fall into step with him. He had to restrain himself to keep from running down the hill.

With only a smile and a wave, he acknowledged Catherine when he passed her.

“Catch you guys later. I’ll bring the pizza!” she shouted in his wake.

They’d had to stop several of the cast from turning Dale’s release into a party. The only way they did that was by promising he would be at Chipmunk’s end-of-fair party in a couple of weeks, and letting folks know they could stop by in a few days. The outpouring of support and caring from the cast and crew had been amazing. Austin wasn’t sure they were going to be able to get all the flowers and such into the Jeep. He’d thought about driving Dale’s big truck over, but the idea of driving the diesel still bothered him. Max said something about getting it worked out.

The traffic was worse than it had been a week ago, when they’d been trying to get to the hospital. It took them half an hour just to get out of the parking lot. There was actually a policeman directing traffic at the one stop sign between the fair and I-25. Even he wasn’t helping things move along faster.

A radiant glow of orange and red rose up behind the mountains to the west as they pulled up to visitor parking. Austin got as close as he could to the front doors so they could keep Dale from having to walk too far.

When he walked into the hospital room, all the flowers were gone except for two plants: a blooming shamrock he’d picked up and a small cluster of cactus Catherine had found in the gift shop. Her card said she’d seen the pricks and thought of him.

Dale sat already dressed in the chair next to the bed. He’d spent a lot of time there after they replaced his shoulder. The doctors and therapist had refused to let him lounge around. he smiled at the sight of Austin and Jasmine coming in. Austin was just beginning to realize how important that smile was to him.

“So you ready to get out of here?” he asked, wishing he could sweep Dale up in his arms, kiss him, and carry him out of there. They’d only shared one brief kiss since the attack; a couple of days before, they’d had the opportunity when no one was around. It still amazed him how busy a private hospital room could be.

“Of course.” Dale smiled. “Been ready all day. If you could let the nurse know you’re here, they have to roll me out in a wheelchair.”

“I’ll let her know,” Jasmine said and vanished down the hall toward the nurses’ station.

“So how was your day at the fair?” Dale asked.

“Not bad. It took the last couple forever to get out. I hate to tell the woman after she spent two hundred dollars on the dress, but it’s designed for someone half her size. Just because she can fit into it doesn’t mean it’s a good fit on her.” He shrugged. “But the customer is always right, so I had to let her leave with it.”

Dale chuckled. “Not another one of those ladies who wants to push the girls up and out so they look more like bread spilling out of loaf pans.”

Austin nodded. “So you’ve seen them.”

“Gay or straight, those things are hard to miss,” he replied as Jasmine and the shift nurse came in with a wheelchair.

“So, Mr. O’Toole, you ready to go home?” the nurse asked as she pulled the chair up in front of him.

“Guess so.” He stood up, not nearly as wobbly as he’d been the first day after surgery, when they’d forced him out of bed to start using his new shoulder.

“Good.” She held the chair while he sat down. Then she turned and began checking through the small wardrobe. “Looks like you got everything out.”

“All right there.” He pointed to the two plastic bags on the bed.

Minutes later they’d managed to get his discharge papers signed and his meds collected, and were wheeling him out the front doors. Austin handed the shamrock to Jasmine so he could open the car door and help Dale into the passenger seat.

“I’m so glad you’re out of there,” Austin said as they stopped at the first light, several blocks away from the hospital. He looked over at Dale, who had more color in the fading evening light than he’d had in days. Austin leaned across to the passenger seat and kissed the jouster. It was a very sweet kiss. Their lips lingered together.

“Ah… green light,” Jasmine called from the backseat.

“Sorry,” Austin said, straightening and stepping on the gas.

“Thanks for rescuing me,” Dale said, settling his hand on Austin’s thigh. “I know we still have months of recovery to go, but I’m so glad to be out of there. So where are we going?”

Austin chuckled. “Not far. You’ll see.” The road curved a bit as they headed west toward the mountains.

“I might be new to the area, but I thought Denver was north of Castle Rock.” Dale patted Austin’s leg. The weight of his hand sent warmth through Austin. His pulse quickened. He wanted them out to their new temporary home so they could get some much-needed alone time.

“It is, but that’s not where we’re going. It’s a surprise.”

Dale glanced at Jasmine in the backseat. “Well, it must not be a huge surprise. Jasmine’s here.”

Jasmine stuck her tongue out.

Seeing Dale’s smile warmed Austin’s heart the way the hand on his thigh had his leg. Driving away from the hospital lifted his spirits. For the first time in over a week, he felt like everything was going to be just great.

They turned onto a two-lane road, closer to the mountains. It quickly turned to dirt.

“Can we take it just a bit easier?” Dale asked, pain shadowing his voice. “This is a bit rough on my shoulder.”

Austin hit the brakes and nearly brought the Jeep to a halt before giving it just enough gas to keep moving up the hill. “Sorry, wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay, just a little less jarring,” Dale said. “So I guess you’re still not going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope.” Austin shook his head. “We’re almost there. I could be mean and blindfold you.”

“I think not. I need to know when to grab the oh shit bar and brace myself,” Dale replied. Less than a minute later, they hit a bump and he yanked his hand off Austin’s leg to grab the bar in front of him.

They rounded a corner, and there was the gate for Max’s property.

Austin pulled up and Jasmine got out to open the gate.

“This is a really pretty place,” Dale said, looking around at the rugged landscape. Austin had to admit that even in the deepening twilight, it looked a lot better than the urban sprawl he was used to.

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing.” He pulled forward enough so Jas could close the gate and get back into the Jeep. It was still another half mile to the house, and he didn’t think she would appreciate walking it, particularly not after a long day at the fair.

As they came in view of the house, Dale gasped. “Wait a sec, is that my truck and trailer? Hey, there’s Champion and Pyre. Austin, how did you get them out here?”

Austin couldn’t help but smile. “I didn’t, Max did. This is his place, and we get to stay in his guest cabin while you’re getting well. It’s better than Jas’s couch.” He glanced in the rearview mirror, meeting his best friend’s glare. “Not that there’s anything wrong with Jas’s couch. It’s been very comfy while I’ve been sleeping on it.”

He pulled up in front of the cabin next to Jasmine’s car, which she’d parked there that morning. Max wasn’t there yet, nor was Catherine.

“Let me help you get out,” Austin said as he jumped out of his seat. He raced around the car before Dale could finish opening the door. He grasped Dale’s good arm and tried to help him down without too much jarring. As Dale got his feet on the ground, he wrapped his good arm around Austin, holding the other man close.

“It feels good to hold you again,” he said softly as Austin fumbled to return the embrace without hurting Dale’s injured shoulder.

“I know. I missed this,” Austin replied. Behind them, a horse whinnied.

Dale released Austin but claimed his hand as they walked over to the corral next to the cabin. The two horses leaned against the wooden rails, pushing their heads toward their wayward owner. Dale released Austin’s hand, and his face lit up as he reached for the two heads, but he grimaced as he extended his replaced shoulder too far.

“Hey, you guys, did you miss me?”

Champion pushed Pyre out of the way, trying to get the most attention. For several minutes, Dale stood there reassuring his horses that he was all right. The sound of a vehicle coming down the road made them all turn. Catherine’s little blue car bounced along the dirt road. Austin was amazed the little thing had made it in one piece.

She pulled in behind the Jeep and got out, smiling. “It’s good to see you outside the hospital,” she said, walking over.

“You too,” Dale replied, leaving the horses. He caught her up in a lighter version of the hug he’d given Austin.

“I brought some diner. Figured you would want something less cardboard, and keeping with the Renfair slash pirate theme of your life, I got Black Jack’s Pizza. They’re really good.”

“Sounds awesome,” he said.

Another vehicle coming down the drive drew their attention. Max’s truck rumbled into view. They waited as he parked in front of the house before joining them. His steps were slow, and he leaned heavily on his cane. He looked almost as tired as he had that night in the emergency room.

“Good, you guys made it,” he said as he got near enough.

“Max, thanks for letting Austin and me stay here for a while,” Dale said, offering the man his good hand.

Max looked grim as he took the outstretched hand. “It’s the least I can do for you. We needed somewhere for your horses after the fair closes down, so I figured you’d like to be with them and I had the extra space. It’ll be good to have someone around.”

“Well, thanks. We’ll do what we can to help out. I might even get Austin to feed horses now and again.”

Austin shrugged. “Sure, I’m always up for learning new things.” He didn’t add that he’d do anything right now to make Dale’s life a little easier. As long as they spent lots of time together, he didn’t care what they did.

Chapter 29

Dale stifled a yawn. Catherine and Jasmine had gone, finally leaving him and Austin alone. The cabin was small, but it was so much more private than Jasmine’s couch had been. The small bedroom held a queen-size bed. It’d been a long time since he’d slept on a large mattress. His bunk in the trailer was small, and even the one in the hospital had only been large enough for him to awkwardly turn over once. Of course, the pain in his shoulder kept him from moving around much in his sleep.

“I guess we need to get you lying down,” Austin said, coming over to the table after closing the door behind the departing women. Max had gone up to the main house almost an hour before.

Austin’s suggestion made Dale smile, even as another yawn threatened to escape. Being in their own private place made Dale feel good. He’d never lived with another man, not even for a short while. This was new territory for him. But since he didn’t know how his career as a jouster was going to be affected by the shattered shoulder, now might be the time to think about settling down.

“You make me the best offers,” he said to Austin. He flashed his best lecherous grin.

“I thought you were supposed to be taking it easy for a while,” Austin replied. He offered Dale a hand up from the table. Although it was his shoulder and not his legs that were the problem, Dale accepted. Having Austin’s hand in his felt good—it felt natural.

“We can take it easy,” Dale replied, wishing silently that they didn’t need to take it easy, but he knew even with the painkillers he’d taken with dinner, the gentlest sex would be more than he could endure. “It will feel nice to just cuddle with you and talk for a bit. At the hospital, it was nice to fall asleep while you were talking to me.”

Austin laughed as they started toward the bedroom. “Oh, so now my voice puts you to sleep.”

“I didn’t say that.” Dale chuckled.

“I know.” Austin smiled at Dale as he ran his hands through Dale’s short black hair. “I think cuddling will be a great way to end the evening.” Their lips met. Tingles ran along Dale’s body. That, combined with the painkillers, made him want to melt against Austin’s strong chest.

“You have no idea how scared I was when Chip came and told me you’d been hurt in that joust,” said Austin as their lips parted and he started helping Dale out of his shirt. They moved carefully so they didn’t jar Dale’s shoulder too much.

“I bet I know,” Dale replied, thinking how he would’ve felt if it had been Austin who’d been injured. Even though they’d only known each other a short period of time, he couldn’t imagine his life without Austin.

They slipped out of their jeans and slid carefully into bed. After turning off the light, Austin lay on Dale’s left side, and Dale rolled over so his head lay on Austin’s shoulder. It felt good nestled there with Austin’s arm under him.

“You feel wonderful,” he said softly.

“You do too,” Austin replied, running his free hand carefully up Dale’s stomach and stopping at the bandages that still covered his chest. “Thank you for being here for me.”

“I don’t think I could do anything else. You mean a lot to me.”

“You mean a lot to me too.” He rested his injured arm on his hip so his fingers could reach Austin’s stomach. He played with the hair there. It felt good dancing across his fingertips.

“I hope you don’t mind me barging in here with you,” Austin said after kissing Dale’s forehead. “We hadn’t finished our talk about what we were going to do after the fair was over. Never got around to where our relationship is going. But I figured you needed someone to watch over you. I’d heard if a person needed massive physical therapy, like you do, didn’t have someone to go home to, they had to go to somewhere like a nursing home until they were better. I couldn’t let that happen.”

Dale bent up and kissed Austin. It helped stop the man from rambling. His heart fluttered as their lips met. He knew, regardless of the circumstances, he’d found where he belonged. “I love you,” he whispered as their lips parted.

Austin pressed their lips together and clung to Dale. Tears dripped from his chin onto Dale’s chest. “I love you too. God, how I love you.”

Dale’s heart warmed as the tears ran. He hadn’t meant to make Austin cry, but at least they were happy tears.

They lay there kissing as Austin’s tears slowed. “I don’t ever want to lose you. You mean so much to me.”

“We’ll sort all this out, but the important thing to me is I have you by my side,” Dale said softly. “I’ve never met a man I wanted with me forever before I met you. I only hope I can be better than some of the other men you’ve had in your life.”

“Oh trust me, you are,” Austin replied. “You are a better man than all of the other men I’ve dated combined. The important thing is we’re together.” He cupped Dale’s head and drew his lips in for another long kiss.

Dale felt so much warmth and love well up in him. He wished they could make love right then and there. But he clung to Austin, knowing they wouldn’t be apart. Austin would be his rock to cling to during the long months to get his life back. Without him, it would’ve been easy to give in to the pain, but Austin was there for him. In the future, Dale would be there when Austin needed him too. When he’d left Scarborough Faire just over a month ago, he’d been thinking of finding himself someone. Now he had.

Chapter 31

“I need to get outside for a while,” Dale said once they finished getting dressed.

“What do you want to do?” Austin asked, straightening up from tying his shoes. “We need a few groceries.”

“No, I want to get outside for a while, I mean really outside. We could go riding for a bit.”

“What did the therapist say about that?”

“She said it was up to me. If I was sure I wouldn’t fall off the horse or get the shoulder wrenched, I could do it.” He stopped and looked at Austin. “The thing is, I’m not sure I can get a saddle up.”

Austin laughed. “I guess you’ll have to show me how to do that and make sure I get everything on tight.”

“You sure about that?”

“Sure, but where do you want to ride?”

“Max said his property backs up to the national forest. All we have to do is find the back gate.” Just talking about riding made Dale feel better. Over the past week, not even being able to hay his horses was driving him mad. Sure, Austin had stepped up and was doing the feeding under his supervision, but it wasn’t the same. And this had been the longest he’d not been in a saddle since he could remember. This would also give them the opportunity to do a bit of exploring. He loved going out and seeing new places and finding new things.

“That sounds like fun,” Austin agreed. “But if the shoulder starts hurting too much, we get you back home.”

Dale nodded. “Okay, and I’ll take a preemptive dose of painkillers before we head out.”

The warm July sun blazed down on them as they walked out to the corral. It felt better to Dale than anything he’d experienced in the past couple of weeks, other than Austin’s arms around him. It was warmer and more inviting knowing that he was going to be out in it for a while rather than just walking out to the Jeep and driving in to the therapist.

Pyre and Champion whinnied in unison as Dale and Austin strolled up to the corral. The horses were always happy to see them.

“Let’s groom them before we ride,” Dale said as he stroked Champion’s head. The big gray horse’s ears perked up at the sound of the word “groom.” He always enjoyed getting brushed.

“Okay. I’ll go get the stuff out of the trailer,” Austin said. “I seem to remember it’s all in one carrier.”

“Yep, and their halters should be right there too,” Dale replied. “You can wait to grab the saddles and stuff for a few minutes.”

When Austin returned, they caught the horses and tied them to the hitching post Max had installed near the corral. In the pasture, several of Max’s horses had come over to the fence to watch and whinny.

Dale’s shoulder hurt by the time they’d finished giving both horses a thorough grooming, but he viewed it as good pain from honest work. Austin listened as Dale instructed him on how he liked to put saddles on. Austin was easy with the horses, and they appreciated it. Dale went around and checked the cinches, making sure everything was tight. Pyre liked to hold his breath so the cinch would loosen as they rode, so they walked him around a bit before the final tightening.

Getting into the saddle was easier than Dale anticipated, but it would have been harder if he weren’t such an experienced rider. Champion looked back at him, sensing as most horses would that there was something off about his rider, but the horse just softly nose-butted his knee, then turned his attention toward the trail.

“I’ll mount after we clear the gate,” Austin said as he led Pyre toward the pasture. The other horses crowded the gate, but he pushed through and held it open until Dale and Champion cleared. Then he closed the gate, swung up on the horse, and turned toward the west.

A well-traveled trail led from the back of Max’s pasture into the forest. The tall pines closed in around them as they rode up the narrow path. The easy sway of the horse actually helped Dale feel better. His shoulder loosened as they went, and the pain he’d felt earlier vanished. It was a beautiful day to be out on his horse with his lover following them.

“This is awesome,” Austin called, breaking the quiet sound of the horses’ hooves on dried pine needles.

“I’m amazed at how different it is from where we first rode,” Dale replied. He knew Austin couldn’t see his face, but he still smiled at the thought of their first lovemaking on the banks of the lake. He would love to have a place like that to take Austin all the time.

“The foothills are a lot different from the mountains,” Austin said. “The plants are different, and they aren’t quite as rugged. Each one has its own beauty.”

“Definitely beautiful. Not sure which one I prefer.”

“Luckily, we don’t have to pick, do we?”

“I don’t know, eventually we might want to get our own place.” His heart fluttered. Am I actually talking about finding a place to settle down? “We need to poke around to decide which suits us better.”

“I’ll have to take you deeper into the mountains before we do too much talking of finding our own place. There are spots up there that will take your breath away.”

“Like you take my breath away?” Dale turned in the saddle and saw Austin blushing in the dappled sunlight. He laughed and then tried not to grimace as his shoulder complained about the movement. “We’ve got time. I want to spend a long time with my pirate.”

“And I want to spend a long time with my jouster,” Austin said.

Champion paused and his ears flicked forward. Dale knew the horse well enough to know there was something about to cross the trail. He held up his hand to signal Austin to stop, even though he knew Pyre would stop just because Champion had. Watching and listening, he caught a flash of gray in the green brush a few feet ahead of them.

The coyote trotted out onto the trail. It paused and looked up at the two men on horseback. With a yip, it disappeared into the brush on the other side. Austin and Dale sat in silence for several minutes after it vanished.

“Wow, was that a wolf?” Austin asked in a hushed tone. “I heard wolves had been sighted in Colorado, but I thought they were just up in the mountains.”

“No, that was a coyote,” Dale replied. “But a nice-looking one.

Game must be pretty good around here.”

“That’s cool,” Austin said. “How much farther do you want to go?”

Dale’s shoulder twinged as he began to answer. He sighed. “We might as well turn around. My shoulder is starting to talk to me a bit.”

“If it’s starting to hurt, we need to get back. Don’t want you to overdo it.”

Dale reined Champion around and rode up alongside Austin and Pyre. He couldn’t recall anyone, not even his own mother, mothering him the way Austin could. Somehow it didn’t feel restricting or confining in any way. It felt good. He leaned into the gap between the horses and kissed Austin. The kiss tasted a little of sweat and a little of horses, but mostly it was just Austin’s delicious taste.

“I love you,” Dale said as their lips parted.

“I love you too,” Austin replied. “What was that for?”

“Just you being you, my sexy mothering pirate.”

Chapter 32

Trumpets blared, and Austin stopped just outside the main flow of the lane for the royal parade to pass by. Propping his nearly empty pretzel pole on his shoulder, he watched as the main body of the Renfair cast came past him. As it was final weekend and he was feeling much better, Dale had insisted on coming to the fair. The cast had been thrilled to see him this morning. Now he rode in the royal carriage, sitting across from the king and queen. Austin couldn’t help but smile and wave as he caught Dale’s hazel eyes. Dale’s shoulder was still incredibly sore, but the past three weeks had done wonders for him. He was almost back to the man Austin had first met, weeks before the accident. With everything they’d been through—the fight with Rick, then John’s battery—it was amazing Dale was pulling through as well as he was, but he fought hard. It was one of the many things Austin loved about him.

“You guys are still coming to the party tonight?” Chipmunk asked, stopping with his pole of popcorn.

Austin turned away from the parade now that Dale had gone past. “Yeah, that’s the plan. Not sure how long we’ll be there. It depends on how Dale’s feeling.”

“Looks to me like he’s feeling fine.”

“He’s doing great, but I don’t want to overtire him. This is the first time he’s left Max’s place for an extended trip. Normally, it’s physical therapy and home. Well, we did do dinner and a movie Wednesday.” As the elephant, the final piece of the parade, ambled past, the crowd along the edge of the lane continued on their way.

“Hey, Dale’s a strong guy. Sounds like he’s making great progress.”

“Any word on what’s going on with John Bishop?”

“Weren’t you guys at the initial hearing the other day?”

Austin shook his head. “Nope, it was scheduled for the same time as a therapy session. Dale’s lawyer said it might actually go better if Dale wasn’t there since it was just a hearing to see if there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial. That way, Dale doesn’t get all upset and everything.”

“So did the lawyer tell him what happened?”

“Nope, other than it went well.”

“Turns out some patron came forward with video of the incident. Makes it look really bad for John,” Chip explained. “But it sounds like they’re going to use the gay hysteria defense. John’s saying that Dale made a pass at him right before the joust started.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“I know, and the odds are it won’t stand up to the evidence, but that’s how some of these fundies are.” Chip paused as a patron came up for a bag of popcorn.

Customers decided they were hungry for both treats the men were selling, cutting their conversation off. Without having to move, they were soon out of wares.

“We’ll talk more at the party,” Austin said. “I need to go refill my pole and hit the west side of the site before my shift is over.”

“Cool, see you later.”

Austin picked up his pole and headed back to the bakery to get more pretzels. His mind raced at the thought that John was going to try to say Dale made him attack by making a pass at him. He’d heard of that defense before but never thought he’d actually know someone who would use it. How could they prove John was lying? There was still a gag order on the major players in the case. That was probably why Austin hadn’t heard anything on the news about it. Neither the fair nor John’s church wanted it let out that John had gone off on a homicidal homophobic attack. It would paint both groups in a bad light.

“Out again?” Sam, the bakery manager, asked as he came in the door.

“Yeah,” Austin replied. “It’s hot today and folks are hungry.”

“Thirsty too. We’re going through water like there’s no tomorrow,” Sam said. “You’ve got time to load up and head off toward the elephant rides. At this rate, you’ll be through another pole before your shift ends. You know, you’ve done a great job this season, Austin. If Phillip is still running short staff next year, you’re welcome back.”

“Thanks, Sam,” Austin replied as he started transferring pretzels to his pole. “Not sure what next year is going to bring, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

Still worrying about Dale, Austin wandered back out with a full pole and started up the hill, calling out “Pretzels!” at the top of his lungs. Pretty soon people were flocking around him, hungry for the twisted dough.

An hour later, after selling out and completing his shift, Austin slipped his tips in the pouch at his waist and headed down the hill to find Dale and Catherine for a bite of lunch before his afternoon at the pirate shop.

Catherine and the ladies-in-waiting were the first ones he spotted as he entered the staff café behind the lower food court area. The women were an array of bright colors gathered around Dale, who was dressed in his customary black tunic. He still had his arm in a sling Austin and Jasmine had made of black cotton to match his tunic. Dale waved to him, and his pulse quickened as it normally did when he saw his lover.

“Hot day out there peddling pretzels?” Dale asked as the ladies parted to allow Austin to sit down with them.

“Yeah, but you kinda expect that on the final day,” he replied. “It would be nice if it’d rain, but we haven’t had any in weeks.”

“Not since that awful day when John went nuts,” said one of the ladies Austin recognized but didn’t know.

“At least Dale is back up and around,” someone else said.

“So what are your plans for after the fair, Lady Melody?” Dale asked the first woman who spoke.

She blushed a bit. “Well, Friday, I auditioned for a part in the community theater’s Romeo and Juliet. I haven’t heard if I got the part yet or not. If I get that, I’ll be doing it for a couple of months and then see what comes along.”

“Fire in the campground!” someone shouted, interrupting their conversation.

“My stuff’s back there!” screamed a redheaded woman who jumped up and ran.

Dale surged to his feet. “They might need help with the horses.” “Max can handle it.” Austin stood and cut him off.

Stern hazel eyes bored into Austin. It was a look he’d never seen on Dale’s face before. He backed up. Something in that gaze told him there was nothing he could do to stop Dale from going.

“I’ll go with you,” he said. “Maybe I can keep you from hurting yourself again.”

“Thanks,” Dale replied as the two of them took off at a run toward the column of black smoke that rose up ahead of them.

“I’m coming too!” Catherine announced as some of the other ladies headed away from the fire.

People ran in all directions as Dale and Austin got closer to the campground. Austin wondered if someone had left a campfire burning. It wasn’t uncommon for people to leave fires unattended, even though festival staff had been warning people about fires due to the extremely dry conditions. He hadn’t spent a night in the camp since Dale’s assault, since they’d been staying up at Max’s; it was easier to go back to the cabin every night.

The black smoke billowed as they cut around the edge of it, running toward the corral. It smelled like a campfire, but this was no campfire. The two remaining jousters—William, the Earl of Canterbury; and Sir Marcus—along with the squires, were trying to help Max get the horses under control, but the smoke was blowing toward them, terrifying the animals.

“We’ve got to get those horses out of there!” Dale shouted as the first flames appeared along the wooded edge of the corral.

Catherine beat them to the gate and held it open for them. Two halters and lead ropes hung on the post next to her. Dale grabbed them and thrust one at Austin. The nylon was becoming a common feeling, as he’d been helping with his lover’s horses at the ranch, but he didn’t know these horses, and they were terrified.

Austin followed Dale toward where the others had the horses pushed against the far edge of the corral. The horses whinnied as more smoke rolled at them. They pawed the ground and tried to move away from the humans trying to reach them. William managed to get a halter on the big white horse that pulled the carriage in the parade, and he began pulling the beast toward the gate, where Catherine waited to open it for him. But the huge draft horse planted his hooves and, with a white-eyed glare, refused to move. Dale swung the halter he had in his hand and caught the horse hard on the rump. The horse reared, whinnied, and shot toward the gate, practically dragging William along with it.

Marcus managed to get a halter on the horse he normally rode, and it followed him out nervously. The big black horse William rode didn’t want Max coming close to it. Tossing its head and backing into the barbed wire that formed the far side of the corral, the horse was determined not to be cooperative.

“Max, I’ll cut him off on this side,” Dale said, moving around to the other side. “Charger, it’s all right.” His voice took on a soft soothing tone. It was the tone he used with his own horses in everything they did.

Max echoed the quiet tones and reached out to stroke the terrified horse’s neck. Seconds later he had a halter in place and was leading the horse out.

Austin tried to decide which of the three remaining horses he should go after. The palomino John had always ridden didn’t look like something he was ready to tackle, so he went after the bay that was one of the extras. He approached carefully, keeping his hands out, the way Dale had shown him to do. Heart beating madly, he started talking softly to the horse.

“It’s okay, horse. You’re a good horse. We need to get this halter on you and get you out of here.” It was all he could do to keep his voice steady and focus on the beast he’d selected. The smoke grew thicker, and people were shouting and screaming behind him. If he was going to save the critter, he had to ignore everything but the horse.

The steed’s big brown eyes showed a lot of white as it slowly backed itself into the corner. Austin held his hand out and kept talking. Soon his fingers touched the soft muzzle. The velvety ears flicked forward.

“It’s all right.” He continued in his soothing voice as he brought the halter up to slip it on the horse. “We’re going to get this on you and get you out of here.” Heat and sweat rolled off the horse’s neck as he stroked it. The beast trembled as he fastened the buckle on the halter and took hold of the lead rope he’d slung over his shoulder.

With the horse under control, he turned and headed toward the gate. The fire had reached the edge of the trees that marked the end of the campground. It blazed scarlet, billowing thick black smoke up and out. Against that hellish backdrop, Catherine’s blue court dress stood out like a shining beacon of hope as she swung the gate open.

“To the trailers,” she said, pointing to where Max and the jousters were loading the other horses.

The bay walked skittishly at Austin’s side as they headed toward the trailers. He wondered where Dale was. Glancing back over his shoulder, he spotted Dale trying to get the halter on the palomino. The big horse didn’t want to have anything to do with Dale, but he persisted.

“Thanks, Austin,” Max said, reaching for the bay’s lead rope.

“No problem. If you’ve got this one, I’ll see if I can help Dale get the big one.”

Max nodded. “We’ll be over there as soon as we get these guys settled in. I’ll send Marcus off with this load. We can get the last two in the other trailer.”

Austin turned and ran back to the corral. Ahead of him, Catherine wrestled with the stock tank and finally rocked it over, spilling seventyfive gallons of water across the corral. He doubted it would be enough to stop the fire, but it might buy them some time if the flames made it across the grassy space that separated the corral from the burning campground.

Not pausing in his sprint toward Dale, Austin vaulted over the gatepost into the now damp corral. He slowed as he approached Dale and the horse.

“It’s okay, big fella,” Dale said softly, trying to get his hands on the horse that kept jerking away. The golden horse was determined to stay just out of arm’s reach. The billowing smoke had darkened the beast’s colors to a dingy brown. “We’re going to get you out of here. We can’t leave you trapped here. Austin, come up on his other side,” he ordered without turning around.

With slow, deliberate steps, Austin moved toward the horse’s other side. Ears flicked toward him as he walked closer, using his own soft voice. He didn’t have another halter, but if he could get the horse’s attention, maybe Dale could get the tack on the beast. As he stepped forward, talking softly, hands outstretched, Austin finally managed to touch the terrified horse. He ran his hand up the large forehead, stroking and talking calmly while Dale eased in on the other side and slipped the halter on. The horse looked almost as relieved that someone had control of the situation as the men were.

“Thanks for the help,” Dale said as they started toward the gate. “We’ll make a horseman out of you one of these days.”

“I’m a quick study when I have a good teacher.” Austin’s spirits rose with his lover’s praise. He looked toward Catherine and the fire advancing in the warm wind across the dead grass of the parking area. “We need to get out of here!”

“One more horse to go,” Dale said as Max and William came back into the corral with halters in hand.

“Hopefully they can catch him quickly,” Austin replied. “How’s your shoulder holding up?”

Dale grimaced. “It hurts, but this needed to be done.”

“Folks are trapped in the fire!” Chip screamed, running toward them.

“What?” Dale turned with the lead rope still in his good hand.

“We don’t know who, but there are at least two people toward the center of camp,” Chip explained. “We can hear them shouting. Sounds like a man and a woman. Trees have fallen over the road in, and we can’t drive in to them.”

“Shit!” Dale stepped toward the palomino’s side with a worried look on his face.

“Dale, what are you going to do?” Austin asked, a lump of dread rising in his throat.

“I’ve got to try and save them. The fire is too heavy to walk through. Precious can get in faster than we can on foot. With luck, I can steer him with just the halter and lead rope. If I can get him running, maybe we’ll get through without too many burns.”

“Are you crazy?” Austin’s head pounded almost louder than his heart. He couldn’t believe Dale was about to ride a horse into a burning forest to rescue people.

“No, I’ve got to do this. I can’t let people die when I might be able to save them. The fire is spreading too fast. We don’t have time to wait for the firemen to get here.” He grabbed Austin in his good arm and gave him a quick hard kiss. “I love you.”

Tears ran down Austin’s face. “I love you too. Don’t get yourself killed.”

Chapter 33

Dale’s shoulder screamed as he vaulted onto Precious’s back. He knew he could ride bareback, but would the horse listen to him with just the halter and lead rope? Wishing it were one of his own horses, he kicked his boots into the soot-covered golden sides and urged the horse into the smoke.

Precious shot forward and the heat from the fire engulfed them. Sparks from the trees rained down as they plunged toward the center of camp. Dale’s lungs burned as they galloped deeper into the inferno. On foot, an unprotected human wouldn’t have gotten more than a few dozen yards before succumbing to the heat and smoke.

The big horse reared as a tree exploded in front of them. Hot sap shot out. Several globs caught Dale’s clothing, but he managed to keep his seat from years of riding, even as his shoulder complained as he threw his arms around the horse’s golden neck. The roar of the fire was nearly deafening, but he could hear people calling for help and pushed the horse on.

The smoke engulfed them for a moment, leaving Dale coughing. Precious shied away as flames shot up from a bush to their right.

“Come on, horse, we’ve got to get through this!” Dale urged, even as his throat constricted from the smoke.

The shouting grew louder as he pushed on toward the center of camp, which was a small rise east of the jousting arena. The wind whipped the smoke around to the point that all he could do was steer Precious toward the shouts. For a moment, Dale could just make out a couple of silhouettes amidst the fire. It looked like one man and one woman. Then the big palomino cleared the edge of the trees that defined the center of camp.

“Come on!” Dale called out hoarsely. The smoke was so thick he could barely draw a breath. The heat pounded against him. Only the cleared area around the central campfire pit provided a small spot of protection from the flames, and that was diminishing with every second. “Get on. I can get you out of here!”

The woman ran over. “Oh God! Dale, thank God.” It was Lady Jocelyn, one of Catherine’s friends.

“Thank you for bringing my horse.” The man’s voice was rough with smoke, but it was unmistakably John Bishop.

“John, we’ve got to get out of here. Dale came to rescue us!” Jocelyn screamed at him.

“I won’t be rescued by no faggot. He brought me my horse.” John rushed forward and slammed his fist into Dale’s waist.

John’s attack, combined with the smoke and confusion, caught Dale off guard. He grabbed hold of Precious’s long golden mane, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from falling off. He tried to roll so he didn’t land on the new shoulder. Even falling on the other side sent waves of pain through him. The smoke was so thick he fought to catch his breath. He had to get up. He knew he couldn’t run through the flaming camp and make it out alive. He had to be in control of the horse.

“John, before the attack, I thought we were friends. I never realized you were such an asshole bigot!” Dale shouted as he rolled under the horse and came up next to John. Using his good fist, he slammed into John’s groin hard enough to double him over. He brought his knee up in John’s face, flinging him backward and onto the ground.

A tree exploded near them and Precious stepped away from the noise, nearly crushing John’s head with his huge feet.

John screamed and scrambled to get away.

I should leave him here to fry. Dale stood for a second, debating what to do. But he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t at least try to get John out of there. And what would Austin think of him if he did that? “John, be reasonable. We have to get out of here!” Dale shouted as he grabbed for the lead rope.

“I ain’t being rescued by no sissy pants! Give me my horse and I’ll rescue the damsel like I’m supposed to.”

“Please, you dumb oaf, let’s all get on the horse and get out of here!” Jocelyn screamed over the fire’s roar.

John swung at Dale. Dale ducked and hit him hard in the chest. John staggered back, coughing from pain and smoke. Dale pressed his advantage and kicked John hard in the head. The man went down as another tree exploded.

Dale stepped over, and John didn’t move. “Jocelyn, help me get him on the horse.”

“You think we can get him up there?” she asked. “He sure is a tall horse.”

“We have to try. You heft his other side and we’ll get him up there.” Dale started to lift with his good side. John was heavier than he looked, but together they managed to get him upright. Precious tried to side step away as they started to heft John up on him.

“Precious, stand still,” Dale told the horse. “I know it will be a bit strange, but we’ll be out of here faster if you just stand still.”

He kept talking to the horse as he and Jocelyn leaned John against its side. Then, with a hand on each thigh, they moved together and laid him across the horse’s broad back.

“You next,” Dale said to Jocelyn. He cupped his hands, and although his shoulder screamed in protest, he ignored it and got Jocelyn astride the horse, sitting on the withers, in front of John. Then he took a running jump and vaulted up so he straddled Precious’s wide hips.

“Hang on to the mane, and I’ll steer,” Dale said. “Come on, Precious, let’s get out of here!” he shouted as he awkwardly kicked forward to get the horse moving back into the wall of flames that crept up the rise toward them.

“The jouster arena might be closer!” Jocelyn yelled as they started out.

“Which way?” Dale didn’t want to admit the smoke had him all turned around. He could only hope they picked the shortest route out of the fire.

“That way!” Jocelyn pointed to their left.

“Hope you’re right!” He turned Precious and urged the horse forward. Even with the heavy load, the horse ran. Trees continued to explode, and some of Dale’s hair singed.

A large glob of searing sap landed on Jocelyn; she let go of the mane and tried to knock it off and almost unbalanced herself. Dale caught her by the shoulders and righted her, then knocked the burning goo off her the best he could. He had to smother some of the flames with his hands. The fire seared both of them.

They burst out of the fire and into the alleyway behind the joust arena. People were already running their way with buckets and water hoses. In the distance, several fire engines wailed.

Chapter 34

Austin hefted another pail of water and hurried it along the bucket brigade that was doing its best to contain the north side of the fire. He was trying not to think about Dale riding into the fire. How long had it been since man and horse had vanished into the flames?

Max had gotten the last horse loaded and driven off with them when Catherine forced Austin to join the bucket brigade. There weren’t any hoses long enough to reach the north edge of the fire, and the one fire truck stationed at the fair was already deployed to the south side, protecting the shops, trying to keep the fire from climbing the hill behind the fair.

Chipmunk and the other staff members who had been nearby were all manning buckets, doing what they could to slow the fire until more trucks arrived. But why hadn’t Dale returned yet? Austin pushed all thoughts of anything horrid happening out of his mind so he could focus on carrying the bucket of water. Dale should have been back by now. Austin should have gone with him. It would’ve been so much better to die in the fire with his lover than go on without him. Tears threatened again, but he couldn’t pause to wipe them.

The heat pushed at him as he hauled the five-gallon bucket toward where they were dumping them in hopes of creating a line of wet ground the fire couldn’t cross. In the distance, the train whistle blew. Austin’s heart sank. What if the train delayed the fire trucks from reaching them? Would the whole fair go up? Would he lose Dale and Jasmine in one incredibly tragic event? Would they lose him? He had to keep hauling water. He had to do his part to make sure the fire didn’t claim any lives or more property.

Two more buckets, and the fire truck sirens rang loud and clear in the distance. Austin didn’t stop; the line kept moving. Surprisingly no one talked as they stood in line to refill their buckets from the hydrant near the showers. Everyone was too tired, after a few trips up and down the hill, to think about idle chatter. Austin’s arms ached as he set the bucket down for the gal who worked at the chocolate booth to refill.

“Thanks,” he muttered as he picked the bucket up and started back down the hill.

“Austin!” Jasmine ran toward him.

He set the bucket down. “Need to keep this moving.”

“I’ll get this one. Dale came out near the joust arena. He’s got Jocelyn and John with him.”

He didn’t even pause to thank her. He ran up the hill toward the arena. The smoke blowing across his path made him cough, but he didn’t care. Dale was clear of the fire. Austin’s legs complained as he ran through the open gate next to the food court.

Precious was easy to spot; the big palomino stood over all the humans. Austin couldn’t see Dale’s head in the cluster of people near the horse, so he kept running.

“Let me through,” he said as he slowed at the edge of the crowd.

As he made it through the mass, he spotted Dale sitting on the grass near the horse, coughing. He had several burns on his head, and someone was wrapping his hands in cloth torn from a woman’s dress tails.

“Dale!” Austin shouted, dropping to his knees next to him.

“I’ll be all right.” Dale’s voice was weak from the smoke. The coughing overcame him again. When it subsided, he smiled weakly at Austin. “I got everyone out.”

Momentarily forgetting about Dale’s injured shoulder, Austin threw his arms around Dale and hugged him tight. The tears returned and he didn’t care. They kissed. There in front of everyone, they kissed. It didn’t matter. Dale was safe—a little worse for wear, but safe. Austin wanted to hold on to the man and never let him go again.

“Austin, my shoulder,” Dale complained softly. He started coughing again. Someone pressed a bottle of water into his crudely bandaged hands.

“Oh God! I’m sorry,” Austin said, releasing him. “I’m just so happy you’re okay.” He took the bottle of water and held it so Dale could drink.

“He’s our hero,” Jocelyn said. She sat a few feet away with someone dribbling cold water on her head. “John wanted to leave him there to die in the fire, but he knocked the asshole out and got us on the horse. He’s so brave.”

Austin looked at Dale. “You fought John again? Why not just leave him in the fire?”

“You know I couldn’t do that. It’s not who I am,” Dale wheezed and motioned for more water.

“I know.” The wail of an ambulance rolled toward them, and they looked up to see the large vehicle come down the hill, the red and blue lights flashing through the smoke. “None of it matters except you got out alive.”

“I’m still here for you,” Dale said, catching Austin’s hand and bringing it to his lips. “You’ve got to put up with me for a while yet.” He resumed coughing.

“For as long as you’ll have me.” Austin didn’t want to start crying again and fought to push back the tears. They still had each other. Everything was going to be just fine.

Chapter 35

Dale accepted the drink Austin handed him. Luckily the blisters on his hands were healing quickly and he could hold things like glasses again. The party rolled around them. Chip had insisted they still needed a fair-closing party, since his original one had been canceled by the fire. Most of the cast and crew that hadn’t already headed to other fairs across the country were there. The number surprised Dale, since many Renfair folks traveled from fair to fair, but Colorado was different; they were more like a close family that accepted the extended family during fair but kept in contact among themselves in the off season.

“Hey, guys, glad you could make it,” Chip said, coming over to them. “Of course it wouldn’t be a party without the hero of the hour.”

Heat rose in Dale’s cheeks. All the hero worship the fair folk were piling on him was taking some getting used to. How often does the dark knight end up the hero?

“Thanks, Chip, we wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he replied.

“Later some folks are going to want to say a few words.” He smiled mischievously. “I just thought I might warn ya.” Chip headed toward the punch bowl.

“I wish people would stop making a fuss,” Dale complained to Austin. “I just did what any decent person would’ve done.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Austin replied. “I think even a few decent people would’ve had to think twice about saving John’s life the way you did. After what he put you through, I think letting him die there might have been okay in most people’s books.”

“So are you most people?” Dale tried not to laugh. They’d had this conversation several times over the past two weeks. He knew Austin loved him for being man enough to overcome his gut feelings toward what John had done, and get the man out of the fire.

“You know I’m not. What you did is just one of the special things that makes my jouster, my jouster.”

Dale’s heart swelled like it always did when Austin got possessive of him. He’d never had someone do that before now, and it felt good. He knew he was possessive of Austin too. It felt great to have someone in his life he could count on.

A smile graced his lips as he leaned over to kiss Austin. “Good. I’m glad my pirate approves of my decision to be a decent human being.”

“Oh really,” Catherine said as she sallied up to them. “Are you two really having this conversation again? I mean, you should’ve let the bigot burn, but you didn’t. Now we all still have to endure his assault trial. And didn’t I hear something about him threatening you with assault and battery charges for knocking him out to get him out of the fire?”

Dale laughed. “Yeah, but the lawyers talked him out of it. Something about saving his life, and if I hadn’t hit him, he’d be dead. That took a lot of the piss out of him. He’s still not happy about being saved by a fag, but who cares.”

“He’d probably be a lot happier if he’d just give in and take it like a man,” Cat said with a smile. “Sometimes I think he really might be one of these really old virgins.”

“From what I felt when I got him on that horse, he’s not got a lot to use anyway,” Dale said.

Austin turned and stared at him. “You never told me you felt him up while he was out.”

Dale laughed again. It felt good getting out and enjoying the evening with his lover and their friends. “I didn’t feel him up… exactly. Jocelyn and I had our hands in his crotch getting him up on the horse. It was pretty hard to miss the fact that there wasn’t much there.”

“Then I’m so glad he never accepted any of my advances,” Catherine said.

“So there is someone besides Dale and Austin who resisted your charms,” Jasmine said as she walked over to them. Austin had told Dale earlier that she invited her sorta boyfriend, Mike, who had been on good behavior since the fair let out, to the party, but he’d declined, claiming Renfair folk were all too strange for him to hang out with. Dale hadn’t met Mike yet, but from what Austin had said, the man was pretty much a loser. They’d have to see what they could do about finding someone for her and Cat.

Cat smiled at Jasmine. “I try not to repeat gossip, particularly about myself. Let’s just say, I know that some men can resist my charms and leave it at that.”

“Well if you won’t repeat gossip, then I’ll go find Chipmunk. He’s up on everything about everybody.” Jasmine started to turn away and Cat snagged her arm. The two exchanged a hushed couple of lines and then laughed.

“All right, so anything else new and interesting with you two?” Catherine pointed her delicate finger at Dale and Austin.

Austin shrugged. “Nope, nothing at all. We’re settling into our routine, turning into a boring old married couple since the fire.”

Dale started to say something and paused. Austin had just voiced what he’d been thinking to himself for a few days. In their own way, without any kind of special ceremony or even outward acknowledgement, they’d found themselves married. He liked waking up next to Austin every morning and snuggling close each night as they drifted off together. There was something special in the way he caught himself looking at the other man and the light sensation he felt inside when Austin looked back at him. A couple of months ago, he’d been a lonely man, looking for a good time wherever he could find it. Due to his injuries, they hadn’t had any kind of sex in couple of weeks, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the closeness they enjoyed being with each other, learning new things about each other and just having each other.

“Hey, guys, time for the closing speeches!” Chip called as he walked up to the impromptu stage and waved the fairy band to silence. He grabbed the microphone from the lead singer.

“Well, folks, we survived another season of the Colorado Renaissance Festival,” he started, and then paused as the crowd cheered. “It’s been a long, hot, and different season this year. First we are pleased to announce no one came back from the Fourth of July party with any kind of contagious disease or insects that required medication.” Folks cheered again. “And the fairies all got rehired for next year, so be sure to stock up on glitter before the fair as there will surely be a shortage of it after fair begins.” Several people booed him for that comment, and a small vial scattered glitter about as it flew from the crowd to the stage. “We are happy to report that although the ending day fire destroyed the campground, it was stopped before it got to any of the shops or eateries. They have promised to have the space cleaned up in time for next year. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a while before the trees grow back. Look for an announcement this spring about having a tree-planting party to start the reforestation of the area.”

“Who started the fire?” someone shouted.

“They’re still trying to find that out. Since there was no lightning in the area that day, the officials are pretty sure someone started it. If you’re all on my Facebook friends list, I’ll post more as I find things out. You know me, I’m the local Renfair grapevine.”

“I bet it was that asshole John Bishop!” another voice screamed out.

“We don’t know that for sure,” Chip replied.

“Why was he even there?” yet another voice shouted, this time a woman’s.

“He says he was getting things he’d left behind.” Chip actually sounded desperate. “We want to take a moment and congratulate folks for outstanding achievements this year. For our good queen, we thank you for keeping your cool after a certain unnamed celebrity called you a bitch to your face. You have done the fair and Colorado proud.”

“He’s a dog anyway,” the queen called to the stage.

“We’d normally congratulate Rasheed, the elephant boy, for letting his pachyderms loose to cause trouble in the hayshed, but they moved on already.” Chip went on for several more minutes, thanking various members of the cast for their hard work and pointing out unusual things that had happened to them during the season. Some folks around Dale actually wondered quietly to their friends how Chip knew as much as he did. One person said he thought it was some kind of magical talent.

“And finally, we need to thank Dale O’Toole, aka Diederik, the Demon Duke of Denmark, for surviving the season, although he only managed to work half of it, and for saving our fair Jocelyn from the fire. Dale, come on up and say a few words.”

Dale hated making speeches. Things during performances were one thing, but this was totally off-the-cuff. Chip had warned him he might need to go up on stage. But he’d thought others would too.

“Go on, Dale, I’m here for ya,” Austin said with a soft shove toward the front of the room.

With a heavy sigh, Dale walked forward as the people parted to give him room. As he got up on stage, folks cheered. As the cheering died down, several people shouted, “We’re sorry about John!”

“All I can say is you guys gave me a great welcome. You might do things a little differently here, but you’re great people. Thanks for all the support through the tough times.”

The crowd cheered again and then started chanting his theme of “bad to the bone!”

He waved to them and handed the microphone back to Chip.

“Dale, you’re the best!” Chip screamed into the mic.

Folks gently shook Dale’s bandaged hands as he headed back to Austin. Austin stood in the middle of the crowd, grinning. That look made Dale’s heart flutter. He could only hope he’d see that look many times in the future. Austin was waiting for him amid the sea of cheering people. Even after all he’d been through—the beating, the fire—it was all going to be worth it because Austin was going to be there for him.

Dale caught Austin up in his arms, more gently than he would’ve liked. Their lips met, there among their Renfair friends and family. People continued cheering. Dale held his man in his arms and everything felt right.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” Austin replied.

Their lips met again as the band resumed playing and people closed in around them. Dale felt at home in Colorado, and most importantly in Austin’s arms.

If you enjoyed “Jouster’s Lance” and want more Renefair Romance, don’t miss book 2 “The Satyr’s Song” and the other books in the series coming soon.

Also don’t forget to leave a review.

The Jouster’s Lance is dedicated to Lady Kamala, who has helped me so much in understanding the Renaissance Faires and without whom this series wouldn’t be possible.

A.J. Marcus Bio

A.J. Marcus has been writing to pass the time since high school. The stories he wrote helped him deal with life. A few years ago, he started sharing those stories with friends who enjoyed them, and he has started sending his works out into the world to share with other people. He lives in the mountains with his extremely supportive lover. They have a lot of critters, including dogs, cats, birds, horses, and rabbits. When not writing, A.J. spends a lot of time hiking, trail riding or just driving in the mountains. Nature provides a lot of inspiration for his work, and keeps him writing. He is also an avid photographer and falconer; don’t get him started talking about his birds because he won’t stop for a while.

Visit A.J. on his website: http://www.ajmarcus.com

Send him an e-mail: andy@ajmarcus.com,

Find him online

Twitter: twitter.com/#!/aj_marcus

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/AJMarcus/116957265075108.

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