Stallions & Studs: Reining In Rio

Chapter 2-2

Mack and Seth sat on the wide porch of the dude ranch’s hotel, The Bunkhouse. At their feet lay their two large labs, Caesar and Cleopatra.

Rio came up from the stable and sat with them. He checked his watch.

“That feller from Boise that owns the horse comin’ today?” Seth asked.

“Yep. And he’s a bit late.” Rio consulted his watch once again.

Just then, the dogs rose as one and trotted off toward the side of the hotel.

“Must be someone drivin’ in now,” Mack said.

Rio got up as a black Silverado pulled around to the front of The Bunkhouse. The truck door opened and a tall, slender man looking to be in his mid-fifties got out.

Rio walked off the porch and up to the man, just as Caesar and Cleopatra, the latter carrying a stick in her mouth, came to offer their official welcome to Stallions and Studs.

The man bent down and ruffed both their heads and obliged Cleopatra with a toss of her stick, which she promptly retrieved.

“Nice to see you again, Rio,” the man said.

Mack and Seth joined Rio and the dogs.

Rio made the introductions. “Mr. Dawson, this is Mack MacIntyre and his partner, Seth Buchanan. They’re ma bosses. They own this place.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Dawson said, shaking each man’s hand in turn. “Nice place you have here. I’ve heard a lot about it.”

“All good I hope,” Seth said.

“Well, mostly. But folks do talk about the nature of the ranch, this being Idaho. Personally, I have no problem with it but there are those…well let’s just leave it at that.” Dawson turned to Rio. “Seems like you like Tinker pretty well?”

“Tinker?” Seth asked.

“Tinker’s the barn name I gave the stallion,” Dawson said with a smile.

The three cowboys exchanged glances.

“Ah…yeah. I liked him pretty good,” Rio said.

“Go on in and you two can finish your business in the lounge off the lobby. We don’t open for a couple more weeks so ya’ll not be disturbed,” Mack said.

Mack, Seth, and the dogs retired back to the porch while Rio and Dawson went inside. They made their way to the spacious guest lounge and took seats at a large, roughhewn wooden table.

Dawson opened his briefcase, took out some papers, and laid them on the table. “This is Tinker’s registration, here’s the vet’s health certificate verifying his soundness, and this is the transfer of ownership form.”

Rio took the papers one at a time and looked them over. “Sure is a bit more complicated than buyin’ a grade horse.”

Dawson smiled. “There are a lot of good unregistered horses out there but if you want to show at Quarter Horse shows you have to have papers to prove your horse really is a Quarter. With grades you can never be sure of the breeding. Folk’s will swear they’re pure Quarter Horse but you can’t be certain.”

Rio sighed. “Okay, what do I gotta do?”

“Look over his registration and verify that the horse I’m selling you matches his description on the form. Then sign the vet certificate indicating you accept his report and wave any claim against me for undisclosed preexisting conditions. After that, you can give me a check and we fill out the transfer papers.”

Rio looked at the papers. He read them carefully. He signed the soundness waiver. He’d had the ranch’s vet check over the horse and his findings concurred with those of Dawson’s veterinarian.

“Everthin’ looks fine,” Rio said. He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a crumpled check. “I gave Seth the cash and he made out a check from the ranch. That okay?”

“That’s fine.” Dawson took the check, flattened it, and filled out a bill of sale. He handed that and the transfer form back to Rio. “Just fill this out. I’ll sign and we’ll send it to AQHA with his registration. You’ll get it back in about two weeks. Your name will be at the bottom as Tinker’s new owner.”

Rio began to fill out the form then stopped and looked up at Dawson. “It says to put down your AQHA member number. I don’t have one.”

“That’s not a problem. You just fill out this membership form.” Dawson reached in his briefcase and pulled out yet another paper. “Send it in with the other papers along with the fifty-five dollar membership fee. They’ll issue you a member number and fill it in on the transfer form.”

Rio was beginning to wonder if owning a Quarter Horse was worth all this hassle.

“I’ll have to get Seth to make me out another check. I don’t have no checkin’ account.”

“That’s fine. I’ll leave his registration with you and you can send it and the transfer form in whenever you want to. Can I see Tinker one last time before I go? Tinker was a pretty special foal.”

“Sure.”

The two men came out of the hotel and nodded to Seth and Mack, who were still sitting on the porch with the dogs.

“We’re goin’ to the stable. Mr. Dawson wants to say goodbye to his horse,” Rio said. “And, I’m gonna need me another check for the Quarter Horse Association. I guess I gotta be a member.”

“That’s fine,” Seth said. “We can take care of that later.”

Rio and Dawson walked off the porch. Caesar and Cleopatra got up and followed them.

As they walked along, Rio pointed out the various facilities. Dawson seemed to be very impressed with the quality of the dude ranch. Rio wondered what Dawson would think if he were here when the guests arrived—especially when they passed the pool area where clothing was optional.

When they got to the stable they were greeted by Sonny. Rio introduced Dawson and told Sonny the reason for their visit to the barn.

“I’m sorry,” Sonny said. “I just turned him out to stretch his legs. If I’d knowed you was comin’ I’d a left him in for ya. But he’s in paddock four. Ya should be able to get to him easy.”

Rio assured Sonny it wasn’t a problem. Rio and Dawson made their way out of the barn and down the lane behind it that led to the spacious grazing areas. When they arrived at paddock four, the stallion was near the back of the pasture.

“I’ll go get him for ya,” Rio said, picking up the halter and lead rope that hung on a hook by the gate.

“No need,” Dawson said. He opened the gate, walked into the pen, cupped his hands to his mouth, and called, “Tinker, Tinker baby, Daddy’s here to say goodbye.” He followed this with a loud whistle.

The stallion raised his head, his ears pricked forward, looked in the direction of the men, then took off at a gallop toward Dawson.

Rio panicked. The horse was running at top speed. He’d run Dawson over! But as the horse approached, he slammed on the brakes, lowered his hind quarters, and slid to a stop right in front of the man.

Damn! If I can teach him to do that slidin’ stop in the show pen! Wow! That was impressive.

Dawson was pulling horse treats from his pocket and gently rubbing the horse’s nose. After feeding a couple of treats the man put his arms around Tinker’s neck and hugged him. “You be a good boy for Rio and make Daddy proud. He tells me he’s gonna make a reiner out of you. Go on now.” Dawson pushed the horse away. “You go have some good grass.” He came out of the pen.

Tinker stood for a few seconds then walked a short distance away and started to graze.

“I’m sorry,” Dawson said to Rio, his eyes full of tears. “I just get so choked up when I say goodbye to one of my babies. You take good care of him.”

“I will,” Rio said.

About a half hour later Rio stood on the drive, waving goodbye to Mr. Dawson.

“So, you gonna call him Tinker?” Mack asked with a wry smile as he walked off the porch to stand next to Rio.

“Hell, no!”

* * * *

In the two weeks before the guests arrived, Rio worked the stallion every day. He studied videos of reiners working their horses, read up on the rules for reining classes, and read articles on how to train the specific maneuvers required in a reining competition.

“You decide on a name yet?” Sonny asked one evening as Rio sat in the corner of the living room of the staff bunkhouse, studying an article on how to train the flying lead change.

Sandy and Todd, two of the other ranch hands, looked up from their game of checkers.

“Yeah, Rio. Tinker ain’t no proper name for a stud like that. He needs a powerful name, “Sandy said.

“He’s right. Name like Hercules, Wade’s horse,” Todd added, referring to the big, black, Quarter Horse/Percheron stallion Wade rode.

“Name ain’t come to me that suits him. But you got a point. He needs a good strong barn name even though I can only use it here.”

“Ya can’t show him with his barn name?” Sandy asked.

“No, you gotta show ‘em with their registered name,” Rio replied.

“Them Quarter Horse people sure got a lot of funny rules,” Sonny said.

Rio read for a while longer then looked over at Sonny, who was stretched out on the couch. Rio felt that familiar tightening in his groin. He got up and walked to where Sonny lay dozing.

“Hey, cowboy.” Rio gave Sonny a gentle shake.

Sonny opened one eye.

“My room or yours?”

“Your bed made?”

“No, course not,” Rio said.

“Yours then. Mines all made up. No use in havin’ two beds all messed up.”

The two men said good night to Sandy and Todd, who were still playing checkers, and made their way to Rio’s room. Rio stripped off his shirt and turned to Sonny, who reached out and began massaging Rio’s tight, muscular chest. Rio closed his eyes and let the sensations of early arousal flow through him. He pulled Sonny into a kiss.

* * * *

An hour later, after Rio had f****d Sonny and then got him off with a blowjob, the two men lay together—Rio spooned against Sonny. Sonny was asleep. Rio lightly ran a hand up and down Sonny’s arm. Lex’s words from the other day came back to him. Stickin’ with one man’s somethin’ you never done before. That’d be a challenge for ya.

Rio looked at his sleeping f**k buddy. Well, as much as I like ya, and you and me get each other off good, if I were to decide on one man, it wouldn’t be you. The man of ma dreams is a big, tall, hairy, muscle-bound brute, not a scrawny cowboy like you! Rio chuckled, bent down, and kissed the scrawny cowboy’s ear. Rio was a short man, built like a bull. Sonny was a little taller and slender. And although he had a great c**k, he just wasn’t Rio’s type.

Wade Connors fit all those criteria. Rio and the handsome cowboy had been regular playmates until Charlie had come along and reformed the philandering stud. Charlie had been Wade’s ranch guest de jour a few seasons back when Wade had fallen for him. They’d been together for several years and while Wade still flirted with many of the guests at Stallions and Studs, he’d remained faithful to his man.

Rio, like many of the men on the dude ranch’s staff, regularly entertained guests. It wasn’t required of the staff but many guests came to the ranch expecting to have a fling with a real cowboy. Rio was all too happy to oblige.

Rio’s mind then wandered to Lex and Trent. This was the second summer the rodeo cowboys had spent at Stallions and Studs, and only their second year together. They seem to be making it all right as a couple, Rio thought. But what do they know of the fun and freedom of the single life? Trent only just figured out he was gay and—bam, fell in love with Lex. They ain’t been together long enough to be the poster boys for monogamy.

Hell, why am I thinkin’ about this? I ain’t got me no plans on getting’ hitched to anyone. I’m havin’ too much fun the way it is.

With those thoughts, Rio pulled Sonny closer, stuck his hardening c**k in the man’s ass crack and let himself drift off to sleep.